Wednesday, April 30, 2014

AN INVITATION TO READERS

                               
If you have something of a political or news nature on your mind and it would take to much room to post it in a comment, please send us an article.

Our political preferences are obvious, but we welcome other viewpoints.

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

MEET THE WIVES OF CANDIDATES IN A REPUBLICAN PARTY RUN-OFF IN LIBERTY COUNTY


Meet and Greet the Wives of the Candidates
by Gayle Coleman
You’ve met the candidates running for office. Now you have an opportunity to find out more about the candidates through their wives and to get to know the “better halves” of the candidates.

 
The Liberty County Republican Women will host a Meet and Greet on Tuesday, May 13, starting at 5 pm to meet the wives of Republican candidates who are in the run-off or who will be running against a Democratic challenger come November. All wives have been invited. Those definitely coming at this date are Roxanne Babin, Kathy Streusand, Jan Knight, Martha Brown, and Amanda Wilson.

 
There will be a Meet and Greet (social hour with the wives) from 5 - 6 pm on Tuesday, May 13 at Judge Graves Courtroom in Dayton. Light food will be served. Starting at 6 pm, you will be introduced to each of the wives and hear them give a brief talk about themselves and what they do when they are not on the campaign trail. There will be time for a few questions. After that, the Liberty County Republican Women will hold a brief monthly meeting. Everyone, including men, is encouraged to attend and think about joining this active group of women.

Monday, April 28, 2014

KNIGHT SIGNS UP WHILE MCNAIRS RECOVER



The head on collision that County Judge Craig McNair and his wife Lisa survived will not gain a even a short cease fire with his opponent. Despite attending the same church, Jay Knight has decided not to delay campaigning while Craig and Lisa McNair convalesce. 

It is not required, but sometimes you will see campaigns suspend activity, or at least certain kinds of overt activity, when other candidates are experiencing a tragedy. It is obvious by the sudden resurrection of Jay Knight’s campaign signs that Craig McNair will not receive that consideration - an indication to those of us who do not live in Dayton that this may be a very personal race with hard feelings and possibly motivations that the rest of us are unaware of. One thing for sure,any hope and change expected before now should be marred by this reaction to this accident. It is unfortunate that an otherwise very likable person has taken politics to heart. Most of us will be glad when this race is over.

Lisa McNair has had at least three serious surgeries and Craig has spent all ofhis time by her side and dealing with the difficulties being a victimof a head on cause.

 

Saturday, April 26, 2014

BEN STREUSAND: PINOCCHIO PRETENDING TO BE REAGAN



When Ben Streusand’s Clinton-like “research team” left Brian Babin’s hometown after spending two weeks looking for anything they could find to demonize their opponent, voters will be pleased to know they found NOTHING. Notice I said pleased. Not surprised. Babin has been one of the most popular conservative candidate’s ever to put his name on a ballot in East Texas. Voters know him and like him and trust him. 

The facts did not deter Streusand’s decision to sling mud and try to overcome the fact he did not actually live in this district,  Taxes were raised thirty years ago and Babin was on the board that voted unanimously to raise them. Streusand knew the rest of the story because his team knew it. But he left out that everyone in Woodville’s position raised taxes to adjust to the mandates in the Robin Hood plan the Supreme Court of Texas had upheld. 

Streusand blindsides Babin with this and filmed his response to a vote that was cast three decades ago. He thinks this makes Babin look bad. Well I hope voters don’t send this kind of person to Washington D.C. thinking this kind of tactics will work up there. Streusand will be ripped to shreads if he tries this amateur debate stuff in Congress. Just like in this case, someone will look back and see what actually happened. Channel 12 did. Babin was a tax cutter and acted and voted like all conservatives did in Texas with the circumstances of that time.  

Streusand says he would have done differently. But had he decided to vote as he said and had he influenced enough others to do the same …… there is no question it would have cost Woodville taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The highest court in the land had already ruled on Robin Hood. 

It is highly unlikely Streusand would have voted as he says he would have however. Records reveal a younger Streusand had other similarities with Clinton (besides his opposition research/hit team). Besides working as a staffer for Democrats, court records from a filing for a divorce indicate he may have had Monica-like problems. 

So in the midst of his Democrat brethren and a swinging life style, Ben Streusand would have taken on this expensive issue? No. He would not have been elected and he never has been elected to represent conservatives anywhere at anytime. Ben Streusand was fortunate to patch up a marriage he all but destroyed and he was out seeking his fortune. A fortune he would accumulate through taking advantage of Dodd-Frank and what has become known as the home loan debacle. He has no record in office and the record he does have is one that most people would not put out there in front of their neighbors.

The last district Streusand tried to purchase his congressional seat in rejected him 2 to 1 on election day. If people that know his history don’t vote this time, we will have someone in Washington who will be working for himself – not us. Please vote May 27th.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?  www.thelibertycourier.com

UPDATE : Streusand responds by changing the accusation. Now he says it is not that Babin raised taxes like I said he did. Now he says that Babin should be held responsible for the board not adjusting the effective rate. Do you even know how these boards work Ben? Aim your mudslinging better Ben. When you did this against Mike McCaul it wore voters out and you lost by 30%.


Is every citizen who served on a school board in the 1990’s that lived in a district that did not restore the 20% homestead exemption provided by the CEDs automatically less conservative than citizens that have no record of serving at all? It may seem like splitting hairs, but no one individual raised taxes by failing to restore the exemption. That particular governing body failed. Individuals within that governing body may or may not have been for restoration. And they may or may not have been for restoration based on how the mandate effected the school district’s resources and student needs and community preferences. Brian Babin was elected and re-elected easily. Why does Ben Streusand’s recode of a lack of  community service so predictably result in him hiring people to dig up dirt and create spin from records twenty and thirty years old?


Brian Babin  Richard Pegues CD 36 Liberty Count

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Saturday, April 19, 2014

STREUSAND SHOWS HIS OBNOXIOUS ARROGANT SIDE AS HE INSULTS THE DISTRICT HE SAYS HE WILL MOVE TO IF HE WINS


BEN STREUSAND GREED
In a shocking introduction to at least 8 out of the 9 counties in congressional district 36, Be n Streusand, the candidate who placed a distant second in the primary, has repeatedly insulted the entire district. All we can assume is Streusand is using attention getting techniques he has learned in his time on the radio to get name recognition, since he has refused to change his inflammatory rhetoric toward the voters.

The “technique” that gained him 16% of the votes in the 2014 Republican primary is to insult the voters that live in the district and possibly appeal to Democrats who have flocked to vote in the Republican primary in rural counties and perhaps to use a different method in Harris County. The candidate who had twice as many votes as Streusand in the district clobbered him by even more in 8 out of 9 counties. Since his opponent is so popular in these counties, it is thought Streusand is trying to appeal to all of the democrats who are voting in the Republican primary so they can have a say in contested races. Streusand seems to assume they will try and defeat the largest vote getter of the Republican primary so the democrat will have more of a chance in the general election.

What has Streusand said in rural counties that is so insulting it has gained a great deal of attention by those who normally pay little attention to election time rhetoric? In at least thirty different events where Streusand has spoken in a rural county he has explained to voters that the reason he is running is “there is no one in this district that is capable of doing what needs to be done”.
 
Of course, that comment is an insult to everyone who will be voting in the district, but it did not stop 2 out of his 11 opponents in the primary from endorsing him. 8 of the other 9 have endorsed Briabn Babin and one has not endorsed. The two who have endorsed the man that has told us all that no one was capable in the district of doing the job evidently have made Streusand’s extensive payroll or they regretted thinking they were good enough to run for congress.

Another version of Streusand’s insult to the district voters is that “No one living in this district has the intestinal fortitude to do what it will take in Washington”. No one here knows for sure whether Streusand used this technique when he ran in his own district and voters rejected him despite him spending millions of dollars in a losing effort. It is believed he has a different less insulting message for voters in Harris County and that they will never hear what he has said over and over again in the rural counties. Though we disagree with his strategy if he thinks the tremendous increase in democrats voting in rural county primaries will yield an effort to defeat who they think is the most difficult candidate for Democrats to beat (Brian Babin, the overwhelming winner in the primary), it is an unusual tactic.

When a top Streusand staffer was confronted about the insults, he eventually responded that he has tried for weeks to get his candidate to drop that kind of language. “He just won’t listen”. That description of Streusand from his own team makes me think he may not listen to us voters either.

I guess it is live by the sword die by the sword. Streusand has never held elective office and touts his experience in debating a radio audience as his example of unyielding courage that is needed in Washington. The difference may be the voters do not go away when the next caller calls in and a congressman does not have an “on” and “off” switch. In fact, this kind of shocking statement may be good for radio ratings but we seriously doubt the people in the Harris County portion of this district are as impressed with Ben Streusand as Streusand says they are.

Or perhaps the fact that his opponent in this primary enetered at the last moment and Streusand did not change planned speeches after a more experienced candidate joined the race.

Check out the following youtube videos and listen to a resident of CD 36. And next time you see Ben Streusand tell him he is wrong about where we live. the people in CD 36 are hard working Texans and we have more than enough good candidates than to have to import a slick talking mortgage banker from that brags that he has always lived in the big city.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxnxAaQmu1I







At least Hillary moved to New York BEFORE she ran for Congress and she had not lost elsewhere like Streusand did in CD 10. CD 36 is a district full of strong Texans. we do not need to import candidates. As the primary results indicated, Streusand is not the strongest candidate in this field any more than he was in CD 10 when he ran there 2 years ago.
RICHARD PEGUES

(Updated) COUNTY JUDGE CRAIG MCNAIR AND WIFE LISA LIFE FLIGHTED TO HERMANN


Liberty County Judge Craig McNair and his wife, Lisa were the victims of a drunk driver in a head-on crash just down the street from the McNair home at 12:15 a.m. this morning. Liberty Sheriff Department’s report says the couple were sent to Houston’s Hermann Hopsital by Life Flight in stable condition with undetermined injuries.

According to sheriff department’s Sgt. Joel Davila, the wreck occurred in the 800 block of CR 603 in South Liberty County just north of US 90. Davila indicated Judge McNair was northbound on CR 603 driving his 2012 GMC vehicle when a southbound 2007 Ford Expedition driven by German Mata, 17, crossed over into Judge McNair’s lane and struck his vehicle head-on. Mata’s vehicle was equipped with flashing red and blue lights. No reason has been theorized as to why he had these lights on.  Mata did leave the scene and went to a nearby house.

When the responding agencies arrived on the scene, Edgar Mata, 21, the brother of German Mata, was on the scene and claiming to be responsible for the accident.

According to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office’s report, Edgar was attempting to take responsibility for the accident caused by his brother, German, who had fled the scene after the crash to his home approximately one mile away. A family member reportedly had driven Edgar to the scene.

When these facts were discovered during the on-scene investigation, Sgt. Davila and Deputy John Bennett of the LCSO, and Dayton Police Officers Siebeurt and Officer Hart went to the Mata home located at 2313 CR 603 and detained German Mata who was found asleep in his bed. The attempt to cover up drunk driving was spoiled when Judge McNair still suffering from the impact and concerned about Lisa noticed that the man at the scene was not the man that had caused the calamity.

German was later turned over to Trooper Godfrey who filed charges on both of the Mata brothers. At this time there is no known reason as to why German Mata was running his vehicle with “red and blue” lights on his vehicle. According to the sheriff’s office report, he had just purchased and installed them a few days prior. Mata was found to have only minor injuries that did not require any treatment.

According to Sgt. Davila, Edgar Mata, was charged with Making a False Report to a Peace Officer and with Public Intoxication. His brother and actual driver of the striking vehicle, German Mata, was charged with Failure to Stop and Render Aid, Improper use of Red and Blue Lights and No Texas Driver’s License. Both brothers were placed in the Liberty County jail and will go before a magistrate later.
 
(Update) Concerned citizens are asked to pray for Craig and Lisa and the girls today. Head on collisions are traumatic. The extent of internal injuries is still unknown. This kind of head on collision has been known to have all kinds of physical and psychological effects. The added drama caused by the Mata's will be an ongoing news item.
Judge McNair reported that he is bruised and very sore and with some cuts but no broken bones. Mrs. McNair suffered the most external injuries with a broken leg, some broken fingers and cuts. Lisa McNair has undergone surgery for the broken leg.

www.thelibertycourier.com




Friday, April 18, 2014

WILL "THE PARTY" IN HOUSTON AND OUTSIDERS CHOOSE TEXAS' REPUBLICAN NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT?




Right now, the most striking thing about the public polling on the 2016 Republican nomination for President isn’t just the absence of a clear frontrunner: It’s the absence of a clear pair or trio or even a quartet of frontrunners. Republicans have no idea who they will choose. Or do they?  Some may know. The Republican establishment often secures the race for their favorite. Rural counties and grassroots are often left to choose between a Democrat they can’t stand and a Republican who is so moderate the difference i s too slim for many. The Republican establishment’s money and their ability to generate all kinds of endorsements and media buzz has chosen candidates in the past. Grassroots voters have watched as their candidate either gets very little press or he is buried under a pile of falsehoods.
The latest Iowa Republican Presidential poll has Mike Huckabee in the pole position with eleven percent, and then eight (!) others are bunched between six and ten percent. The path that every post-1970s Republican primary campaign has ultimately taken, in which a candidate who seems reasonably electable, performs well with “moderate conservative” primary voters and wins the blessing of the party’s donor class successfully buries challengers that have been more popular with the grassroots before the Presidential politics started.
Houston’s elite political class has a nack for picking one of their own and for even garnering support from enough of the grassroots to win.
Grassroots voters, usually about 15%, almost always regret going along with the powers that be, but it is usually too late when they finally see that they have listened to the wrong “information”.