Dan Patrick to Debate Julian Castro - Super Conservative vs Super Liberal - EPIC Texas Style Showdown

I recently posted an article about Democrat San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro bashing Conservative Texas LT Governor Candidate Dan Patrick.

I called the attack against Patrick a badge of honor because anytime a conservative is attacked publicly by a liberal then it means the conservative is doing something good! It really means you are doing something for the conservative cause because Castro is a national Democrat star and a friend of Obama.

Well, after this little episode, Dan Patrick challenged Julian Castro to a debate. Patrick told Castro that talk is cheap and that he will go to San Antonio any day or time to debate the issue of illegal immigration.

This could be epic! Dan Patrick is a staunch conservative. Patrick is one of the most conservative State Senators and is known for being very outspoken. Castro is also the same way, except instead of being an outspoken conservative star, Castro is an outspoken Liberal star.

Well, the great news is that Julian Castro accepted! There is not date or time set yes, but I will post the date and time when it becomes available.

Below is the info that was posted on Dan Patrick's facebook page about the debate:

Dan Patrick

January 24

MAYOR ACCEPTS CHALLENGE TO DEBATE DAN PATRICK ON 
IMMIGRATION AND THE FUTURE OF TEXAS

Earlier this week Mayor Julia Castro personally tweeted me accusing me of being the most anti-immigrant candidate running for Lt Governor.

I responded that I would come to San Antonio anytime to debate this issue.

Last night he tweeted he would debate me and I responded that I was ready for fight for the future of Texas.

We are working now to set the time and date as soon as possible to have this important debate.

Read more here: http://bit.ly/1eZndrH

State Rep. Scott Turner is Challenging Joe Straus in the Texas Speaker of the House Race!

pro abortion, moderate voting Joe Straus has no business leading the Texas House. Joe Straus needs to go!

Texas State Rep Scott Turner has announced that he will be challenging Joe Straus.

Check out Scott Turner's facebook page for more info about him: https://www.facebook.com/ScottTurnerTX

Liberal Media Attacks Congressman Stockman for not Telling Terrorists he was in Middle East

The liberal media has been bashing Congressman Stockman because Stockman has missed a week or so of votes and didn't tell anyone that he was on a secret congressional visit to terrorist nations. I guess the liberal media thinks Congressman Stockman should have alerted the terrorists that him and other Congressmen were going to be there? Congressman Stockman is running for US Senate against a more moderate John Cornyn. It is no secret that the liberal media so not want Stockman to win.

from Congressman Steve Stockman:

The press makes no mention of the fact that I serve on the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.  The press wanted me violate the State Department policy that prohibits Members of Congress traveling abroad on official business from publicly disclosing their whereabouts.  I was not going to jeopardize the safety of the Congressmen and Congresswoman I was traveling with.  There were five bombings in Egypt only two days after we were there.  While we were in Israel, there were 17 missile strikes and three suspects were arrested for planning to blow up the U.S. Embassy.  

Attached is a letter from the Committee Chairman's letter

Houston Lesbian Mayor Directs City to Violate Texas Constitution on Marriage

from Texas Values:

Houston Mayor Annise Parker, who is an open lesbian and has been celebrated by her supporters as the first openly lesbian mayor of a large city, has directed city staff to violate the Texas Constitution on the definition of marriage in Texas. In a memo dated November 19, 2013, Mayor Parker has directed Omar Reid, Director of the City of Houston Human Resources Department, to violate the Texas Constitution by giving legal status and recognition to same-sex marriage in Texas. Specifically, Mayor Parker made the following statement: “[I] am hereby directing that same-sex spouses of employees who have been legally married in another jurisdiction be afforded the same benefits as spouses of a heterosexual marriage.”

Houston Mayor Annise Parker

“It’s outrageous that Mayor Parker and the City of Houston think they have the authority to rewrite the Texas Constitution on marriage and blatantly ignore their citizen approved city charter. Mayor Parker’s self-serving efforts to force city staff to willfully violate the Texas Constitution is one of the most dangerous and egregious forms of a Washington-style power grab I have ever seen. She’s practically telling Governor Perry, Attorney General Abbott and the people of Texas to ‘Come and Take It’,” said Jonathan Saenz, president and attorney of Texas Values.

The memo by Mayor Parker also references a legal memo and conclusion by City Attorney David Feldman as the support for the illegal change in the city policy. The memo by Feldman concedes that the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage does not deprive Texas from its right to define marriage as between one man and one woman. Mr. Feldman goes further to point out that Texas law clearly “prohibits political subdivisions of the state from giving effect to:… a [r]ight or claim to any legal protection, benefit, or responsibility asserted as a result of a marriage between persons of the same sex or a civil union in this state or any jurisdiction.” Mr. Feldman bases his recommendation for this single-handed change on his belief that Texas law is unconstitutional.

In addition to clear Texas law, Houston’s own city charter passed by the citizens in 2001 prohibits the city from offering benefits to same-sex couples. Although the Texas Supreme Court is currently reviewing the issue of recognition of same-sex divorce, it is widely believed that the all Republican nine member Court will certainly do nothing to disturb the clear language of our constitution and protect our state sovereignty.

- See more at: http://txvalues.org/2013/11/21/houston-lesbian-mayor-directs-city-to-violate-texas-constitution-on-marriage-2/#sthash.sEjHUTmm.dpuf

read more here: http://txvalues.org/2013/11/21/houston-lesbian-mayor-directs-city-to-violate-texas-constitution-on-marriage-2/

Wendy Davis Lied! Did not "Struggle" to the Top on her own. Ex Husband Paid her Nicely, then She Divorced Him

from the Washington Examiner:

"I came from a place of struggle," insisted Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis after the Dallas Morning News revealed that key details of the life story she had successfully shopped to the mainstream media were false. She wasn't a 19-year-old mom when she was first divorced, but 21. She lived with her second husband in the very comfortable Mistletoe Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas, not in a trailer park made famous by a thousand admiring profiles. She lived in the trailer park for just a few months. One of Davis' struggles, apparently, is with the truth.

Davis isn't the first politician to campaign falsely as an up-from-poverty candidate. William Henry Harrison, scion of a wealthy family, campaigned in 1840 as the "log cabin and hard cider" candidate against Martin Van Buren. It worked, though Harrison didn't live to relish his success. The story about his two-hour inaugural address, which caused him to catch pneumonia, is probably untrue -- he didn't fall ill until three weeks later. It may have been the snakeweed or leeches that gave him the septicemia that killed him, or it may have been the office-seekers, who reportedly crowded the White House to the point he couldn't find a place to rest when he felt sick.

You might suppose that reflections on the Internet age -- and the impossibility of hiding the truth -- will now follow the tale of Harrison's successful deception. Not really. What's surprising about the Davis tale is that someone actually took the trouble to question her account, because her "narrative" appeals so strongly to the liberal imagination. We just love the "little woman who conquers the world" stories, especially if (well, OK, only if) she favors abortion throughout the nine months of pregnancy, a higher minimum wage and universal pre-K.

Davis did grow up in difficult circumstances — her parents divorced, and Davis went to work early. She also made poor decisions, moving in with a boyfriend at the age of 17. Her story of working hard to better herself, first at community college and then at Texas Christian University and Harvard Law School, is a tribute to her tenacity and intelligence.

But it requires a pretty calculating coldness to omit from her story husband No. 2, Jeff Davis, the lawyer she married when she was 24 and lived with for 18 years. It was he who paid her tuition at TCU and Harvard Law, cashing out his 401(k) and borrowing money to do it. It was he who cared for her two daughters when she went to Boston to study law for three years. And it was he who got custody (with no contest) after the divorce. He notes ruefully that she left the marriage at a key juncture: "It was ironic," he told the Dallas Morning News. "I made the last [Harvard] payment, and it was the next day she left."

No outsider can ever know what goes on in a marriage, and it isn't our place to speculate, but Davis herself made her single-mother-beats-the-odds personal story a key part of her campaign. Just before the Dallas Morning News story broke, Davis was the subject of a fawning profile on "Today." Maria Shriver introduced the story of the plucky gubernatorial aspirant over chyrons touting "doing it all" and "on her own two feet." Her personal story, we were told, "resonated across this country." Davis visited the trailer park with Shriver and spoke of having to scrape together enough money to keep the lights on, sometimes working two jobs. Her 18-year marriage to a man who committed himself to her welfare and went into debt to help her achieve her career goals was practically airbrushed out, mentioning in passing -- "she married again for a time" -- to explain the appearance of her second daughter. The rest is Harvard triumphalism and her star turnfilibustering an abortion law in the Texas Senate.

Davis achieved success the way most successful people do -- through hard work and the support of a loving family. She, and the press who lionize her, seem all too eager to suggest that she somehow did everything all by herself. This false heroic tale is a common trope on the Left these days -- women doing it all by themselves. It's more than partisan hackery. It reinforces the very damaging notion that women don't need husbands. Many, many women are swallowing this propaganda and acting on it. They, their children and our society are suffering mightily as a result.

MONA CHAREN, a Washington Examiner columnist, is nationally syndicated by Creators Syndicate.

read more here: http://washingtonexaminer.com/wendy-davis-didnt-struggle-to-the-top-on-her-own/article/2542795

Board declares NSA data sweep illegal, says program should be ended

from Fox News:

An independent board tasked with reviewing National Security Agency surveillance called Thursday for the government to end its mass data collection program and "purge" its files, declaring the program illegal in a major challenge to President Obama. 

The president did not go nearly as far when he called last week for ending government control of phone data collected from hundreds of millions of Americans. In its report, obtained by Fox News and scheduled for release Thursday afternoon, The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) said the program ran afoul of the law on several fronts. 

"The ... bulk telephone records program lacks a viable legal foundation," the board's report said, adding that it raises "serious threats to privacy and civil liberties" and has "only limited value." 

"As a result, the Board recommends that the government end the program," the panel wrote. 

It remains to be seen whether Obama will accept all or part of the recommendations, but the findings could nevertheless be used as leverage in federal lawsuits against NSA spying. 

The report concluded that the NSA collection raises "constitutional concerns" with regard to U.S. citizens' rights of speech, association and privacy. 

"The connections revealed by the extensive database of telephone records gathered under the program will necessarily include relationships established among individuals and groups for political, religious, and other expressive purposes," it said. "Compelled disclosure to the government of information revealing these associations can have a chilling effect on the exercise of First Amendment rights." 

The panel added that the program "implicates constitutional concerns under the First and Fourth Amendments." 

read more here: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/23/independent-federal-review-board-says-nsa-phone-data-collection-program-should/

Ted Cruz reaction to President Obama's 2013 State of the Union Address

Team Cruz wanted to share three items with you from the office of Senator Ted Cruz as you watch the State of the Union tonight.

1)  A link to a previous press release about the 5 questions Senator Cruz had going into SOTU and our shareable graphic showing Obama failed to provide answers.

2)  A link to a new WSJ op-ed from Senator Cruz about the President’s disturbing pattern of lawlessness that went live early this evening and will be in tomorrow’s paper.

3)  Senator Cruz’s full post-SOTU statement included in full below.

 

CRUZ: An effective President governs by consensus and persuasion, not with a pen and a phone.

Senator Cruz’s reaction to the President’s State of the Union Address

 

CRUZ: This evening, President Obama delivered a speech that shows he has lost the support of the American people. He is going it alone because, after five years of failed economic policies and broken promises, the public and their elected representatives aren¹t willing to go with him anymore.

 

We¹ve heard it before. The promises President Obama made to increase opportunity tonight are as empty as his promises that if Americans liked their plan they could keep it, that he would hold the IRS accountable for the illegal targeting of conservative groups, and that he would get to the bottom of what happened in Benghazi.

 

Under President Obama, economic inequality has increased.  The rich have gotten richer.  And those struggling are hurt the worst.

 

The millions of Americans who have lost their jobs know that, under President Obama, the real minimum wage is zero.  

 

Today, we have the lowest labor force participation in decades -- not since 1978 have this many Americans been out of the workforce.

 

President Obama is abusing his executive power because his economic policies have failed, and he is unwilling to change.  

 

Because Congress is not willing to make things worse -- to reduce jobs and economic growth even more -- the president has declared his intention to ignore the constitutional limitations on his power and simply go it alone.  Everyone--Republican, Democrat, Independent, or Libertarian--should be concerned about an imperial presidency, because unlimited power, without checks and balances, threatens the liberty of every American.

 

"I have a pen, and I have a phone," is not how laws are made under our Constitution.

 

A strong president governs by consensus and persuasion, not with a pen and a phone.

 

Americans deserve a President who will work in good faith with their elected representatives to follow the law of the land and to pass laws that reflect the will of the people.

 

The State of the Union would be far stronger for it.

--
Jon McClellan
Ted Cruz for Senate
http://www.tedcruz.org/

House passes bill to bar federal funds for abortion

By Frank Thorp, NBC News

The House has passed legislation that would permanently prohibit federal funds from being used to pay for almost all abortions. 

The legislation will almost certainly be ignored by the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Barack Obama has said that he would veto the bill if it got to his desk. 

The “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortions Act” would specifically prohibit health care subsidies from the Affordable Care Act from being used to pay for health care plans that cover abortions. 

The vote was 227 to 188, with one member voting present.

Federal funds are already restricted from being used to pay for abortions since 1976 by the Hyde Amendment, so what this bill effectively does is write restrictions permanently into law rather than require lawmakers to insert them into each year’s appropriations bills.

The legislation would have an exception for cases of pregnancy as a result of rape or incest, as well as "in the case where a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy."

read more here

Barry Smitherman’s Prosecutor Evaluations Show He Never Backed Down, was One of Best

The Texas Attorney General is the top lawyer in Texas. He defends the state, our laws, our Constitution, and the people. He also prosecutes those who break the laws. With Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott running for Governor, we have a chance to elect a new Texas Attorney General. We need to elect a Texas Attorney General who stands on Conservative values, and who will also be an effective defender and prosecutor.

We already know that Texas Attorney General candidate Barry Smitherman has the conservative values. I have written many articles about what Smitherman believes. He is a strong Christian conservative who always stands for what is right. When his opponents in the Texas Legislature were voting to raise their office budgets, he was voting against his office budget increases. When liberals were rallying for abortion, he was rallying for life. When his opponents were missing hundreds of votes, he never missed one.

So now the only question is, will Barry Smitherman be an effective defender and prosecutor?

The answer is yes!

Smitherman’s Prosecutor Evaluations Show he Never Backed Down and was One of the Best Prosecutors in Harris County

I got a chance to see the evaluation reports that were written about Smitherman by his superiors in Harris County. The evaluations were nothing short of stellar. The reports show that, not only was he a very effective prosecutor, he was also very fair and he never backed down when faced with a tough case. That is the kind of person needed to step in and take over where Greg Abbott has left off.

I could explain more about Smitherman’s performance reviews, but it would be better for you to just see exactly what the reviews said.

Below are some of the exact quotes from Smitherman’s reviews:

"Barry did not shy away from hard to win cases and was not pressured by defense attorneys to see things their way and cave in and either dismiss the case or offer a different punishment unless it was warranted."

“Excellent – extraordinary performance far above the norm.”

“Barry has a strong sense of right and wrong, he never hesitated to try a difficult case….”

“Barry always sought to see justice done….”

“Barry is aggressive and assertive in the courtroom. There is no mistaking that he is a prosecutor, and is out to seek justice for the victim of the crime, or for the state of Texas.”

Smitherman Handled MANY cases in his time at the Harris County DA’s office

Some of the opponents of Smitherman try to distract people from Smitherman’s stellar record as a prosecutor by saying that Smitherman was not a prosecutor for more than 2 years and he only took a couple dozen cases to trial. That is like saying that McCain is a better senator than Ted Cruz because Ted Cruz has not been in the Senate very long. I don’t care if Smitherman worked there for 1 year or 20 years. I care about how he did when he worked there. Ted Cruz is better than McCain based on their performance, not based on the number of years they performed. Smitherman’s reports clearly show that he was one of the best and never backed down. He proved himself to be top notch and it did not take him long before he moved up to bigger and better things.

Also, the idea that Smitherman did not work many cases is incorrect. Smitherman’s case record doesn't count cases that pled out during trial before going to the jury, cases where he sat "second chair" with some other prosecutor as "lead" or where he was still a number "3" and didn't do the case alone or get credit for it. The record also doesn't include the summer spent working with JPs to whittle down their dockets where some cases were tried and lot dismissed or plead out. 

Smitherman was a fighter for Women

While a prosecutor, Smitherman focused on family violence and assault and often stood up for women, who for fear of repercussion, couldn't or wouldn't stand up for themselves. A big function of the Texas Attorney General’s office is standing up for victims who cannot stand up for themselves. In this day and age when the media plays up an idea that that there is a war on women, Smitherman has a clear record of standing up for women who were victims of violence.

Obama’s Friend Julian Castro Attacks Dan Patrick – Patrick Gets Conservative Badge of Honor

As a conservative, it is considered a badge of honor when a high profile liberal attacks you. As a conservative, if you are doing something right you will be attacked by liberals and Democrats.

Dan Patrick must be doing something right then. Dan Patrick is running for Texas Lieutenant Governor. Patrick has been publicly attacked by one of Obama’s friends. A national Democrat rising star. A staunch liberal. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro.

I learned about the attack against Patrick from Facebook. A friend of mine shared Dan Patrick’s Facebook status photo (see photo above).

Congratulations Dan Patrick, you have been attacked by Julian Castro. You must really be doing something right. The liberals are afraid of you. They know you will not back down if you win your race, and that means they do not want you to win.

I do not consider an attack from a liberal as a negative thing. I consider it a badge of honor for a conservative to be making liberals so mad that they publicly attack you.

I am sure that Castro does not like Patrick because Dan Patrick was rated as the most conservative Texas State Senator this year.

This attack from Castro appears to have be a result of Patrick’s strong stance on securing the Texas/Mexico border. Conservatives believe in LEGAL immigration so that people can come make a better life for themselves. On the other hand, conservatives also believe in securing the borders from sex trafficking, and drug smuggling, and gun smuggling, and illegal immigration. A good portion of illegal immigrants who sneak over are violent criminals. Castro and Obama know that these illegals who are criminals will likely vote Democrat in order to be able to get more government benefits and milk the system that hard working taxpayers pay into. By opposing illegal immigration and wanting to secure the border, Patrick has made Castro mad because Castro will have less people who can vote for him.

Hispanics do not believe in illegal immigration.  I know many legal immigrants from Mexico. They worked to become American and they pay taxes. They feel betrayed that they had to work to become a citizen, but many criminals have come over illegally and commit crimes and give all immigrants a bad name. Immigration is not the problem. Hispanics are not the problem. Illegal Immigration is the problem because a big part of illegal immigration involves criminal activity and trafficking. We must protect our borders and Dan Patrick will do that.

Below is the facebook status of Dan Patrick that was shared with me. Above is the picture that went along with Patrick’s facebook status.

Dan Patrick

Obama's handpicked convention Speaker & the Mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro, attacked me tonight for defending our borders. I told him back that I was proud to stand up and defend our borders and that it was his friend Obama who caused this illegal invasion! Can you help me get 10,000 LIKES to stand up to Mayor Castro & the left wing's pro-amnesty lobby.

Glenn Hegar Has the Momentum, Endorsed by Tea Parties and Half of State GOP Officials

Glenn Hegar for Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts seems to have all the momentum in the race right now. The Texas Comptroller is one of the few, statewide elected officials. It is not a glamorous position, but it is a very powerful and important position.

The race for Texas Comptroller will not end on the March 4^th, 2014 Republican Primary Election Day. The Comptroller’s race will likely go to a runoff along with the Texas Attorney General and LT Governor and Railroad Commissioner races.

Glenn Hegar is certainly beginning to stand out among the crowd in his race. He is being embraced by Tea Party groups and grassroots organizations all across the entire State of Texas.

Just a week ago, Hegar was endorsed by the highly respected Texas Patriots PAC. Texas Patriots PAC is one of the top Tea Party organizations in the entire State of Texas. They are based out of the Woodlands, TX.

Also this past week, Hegar was recommended by the Montgomery County TEA Party.

Wrapping up the past week, Hegar also announced that half of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) members endorsed him for Texas Comptroller.

I was on the SREC recently. Just in case anyone was thinking of saying that Hegar was only endorsed by moderates on the SREC, I looked over the list of SREC member endorsements, and I know a few of them personally and know them to be very good conservatives. From Mark Ramsey and Valoree Swanson in SD 7, to Naomi Narvaiz in SD 21, and many others on the list.

The SREC, although not well known, is an important group of individuals. The SREC is the committee that governs and manages the Republican Party for the entire State of Texas. There are 31 Senate Districts in Texas. Every 2 year at the Republican State Convention, each Senate District in Texas elects a man and a woman to serve on the State Republican Executive Committee.

Oh, and did I mention that Grover Norquist, the President of Americans for Tax Reform and an NRA board member, has recently endorsed Glenn Hegar?

Look, I could go on and on about all the conservative support that Glenn Hegar is getting in his campaign for Texas Comptroller, but I think you get the picture.

If support from grassroots conservatives is any indication, Hegar certainly has the momentum in the race right now.

Longer Recording Released of Ken Paxton’s Underwhelming Answer to Stopping Common Core and CSCOPE as Attorney General

At the end of November, I posted up an article, Shock Recording: Ken Paxton Not interested in Stopping Common Core or CSCOPE as Attorney General.

The article included a clip of a voice recording where Ken Paxton is asked about CSCOPE and Common Core. Ken Paxton responded by saying the Attorney General will probably won’t get involved in that.

In response to the article, I had some Paxton supporters contact me and say that the audio clip was cut short. They alleged that someone cut the recording short and that Ken Paxton did say he would not get involved, but then went on to say he will fight these things as Attorney General. This bothered me because I certainly would never post any audio that was altered, or that was cut short in a way to make it appear as though someone said one thing when in fact they go on to answer the question in further detail.

I think Paxton is a good guy and a conservative. I only oppose him now because I believe that Barry Smitherman is better than Paxton. I truly believe that Barry Smitherman is even more conservative and will be more of a fighter. It is the little things that no one sees that sets Smitherman apart from Paxton in my mind. Such as Paxton Missing Hundreds of Votes and Smitherman Missing None, or Smitherman rejecting budget increases for his office while Paxton voted to increase his office budget.

That being said, I would never post anything false against Paxton, so I went on a mission to find a longer version of the audio recording. If the audio I had was cut short then I wanted to make it right.

I did find a longer version of the recording. I uploaded this longer version to YouTube and posted at the end of this article for everyone to hear. This audio recording shows Paxton answering a question before the CSCOPE/COMMON CORE question, and then he answers the CSCOPE/COMMON CORE question, and then this longer version also shows him going on to answer a different question about redistricting. This longer version clearly shows that the original voice recording I posted a month ago was accurate and Paxton was not cut short in the recording.

Also in response to the article, I had some Paxton supporters contact me and tell me that Paxton stood against COMMON CORE and CSCOPE as a legislator. To this I replied that I never said he didn’t do that as a legislator, but he is not running for the Texas Legislature, he is running to be the Texas Attorney General. What he did as a Legislature is good but I want to know what he will do as the Attorney General. His response that as Attorney General he will probably not get involved was surprising to me. But since Paxton did not know he was being recorded, I believe his response to show his true intentions regarding the issue. Barry Smitherman has come out and stated that as Attorney General he will fight against Common Core and CSCOPE. Why wait for a lawsuit as Ken Paxton has said should happen before he gets involved? Attorney General Greg Abbot did not wait for a lawsuit. He sent a letter to CSCOPE and told them to comply with the law and they did. There was no lawsuit there but Abbott was being proactive and defending the laws of Texas. Smitherman will also be proactive in defending Texas from illegal use of CSCOPE and Common Core. Paxton clearly states that as Attorney General he would probably not get involved unless there was a lawsuit. That is not good enough for me.

I welcome Ken Paxton or his campaign to reply under this post any response to this recording and what Paxton said in the recording. I have not received any statement from Paxton regarding this recording or else I would have posted it here.

Poll: Ted Cruz 3rd 'most influential' world leader, behind Pope, Obama

Poll: Ted Cruz 3rd 'most influential' world leader, behind Pope, Obama

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has had the best year of any Republican and virtually anyone in the world, ranking third in Rasmussen Report’s new poll of the of the “most influential” people in the world, behind Pope Francis and President Obama.

In the new poll, Cruz, who made headlines for trying to dismantle Obamacare, was the pick for the most influential of 11 percent. The pope was tops at 23 percent, Obama second at 21 percent.

Among Republicans, Cruz was second behind the pope, with 19 percent calling the freshman senator and Tea Party leader the world’s most influential leader. Just 9 percent of Republicans said the same thing of Obama.

see full article here: http://washingtonexaminer.com/poll-ted-cruz-3rd-most-influential-world-leader-behind-pope-obama/article/2540748

Cracker Barrel Apologizes and Puts Phil Robertson Back on the Shelves

After thousands and thousands of complaints, Cracker Barrel Puts Phil Robertson merchandise back on the shelves! The restaurant apologized and said they were very wrong to pull Phil Robertson merchandise from the shelves. Cracker Barrel said they pulled the merchandise because they did not want to offend anyone but then they said they offended many more people by pulling the merchandise. Christians can have a huge impact if we join together and speak out. Cracker Barrel and A&E have the right to remove Phil, but we as Christians have a right to boycott their business and eat at another place that does not feel offended by the Bible. The boycott and complaints worked and we easily drowned out the complaints from the liberals. Cracker Barrel apologized and put Phil stuff back up for sale. Great job everyone! Thank you Cracker Barrel for realizing you were wrong and changing course. Now A&E has even removed Phil's suspension from the show

Lumberton, TX Resident had Rifle Confiscated after LEGALLY Open Carrying in Beaumont

A Lumberton Texas man, Derek Poe, was walking to his Golden Triangle Tactical gun shop in Parkdale Mall in Beaumont, TX. He was legally open carrying his AR-15 rifle across his back with the barrel facing down. He had done this many times before.

On December 28^th, 2013, the Beaumont Police confiscated Poe’s rifle and told him that he would have charges pressed against him for disorderly conduct (see video of incident below)

This incident with Lumberton Resident Derek Poe hits close to home because I am a fellow Lumberton resident and I am running for Hardin County Judge.

If this incident were to have happened a few miles over into Hardin County, the misdemeanor charge would be heard by the Hardin County Judge. I am a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment. If I become elected as the next Hardin County Judge, I, David Bellow, would ensure that laws are being followed properly while at the same time not infringing anyone's second amendment rights.

According to the Beaumont Enterprise, there is an open carry gun rights rally planned for Jan 18^th in Beaumont.

Let me make one thing very clear. Open carrying a rifle in a non-threatening manner in Texas is LEGAL. Just the simple fact that someone sees the rifle and gets scared is NOT legal grounds to charge someone with carrying the open rifle in a threatening manner. Open carrying of rifles is legal and cannot be considered disorderly conduct unless the rifle was being carried in a threatening manner. Open carry means people can see the rifle. I do not know of any less threatening of a way to open carry a rifle other than slung behind your back with the barrel down. That is the way Derek Poe was carrying his rifle.

I have written many articles about this issue. Unfortunately, many of the articles involve Texas officials taking away rifles and charging people for doing nothing more than legally open carrying a rifle. You would think that of all places, Texas would be more gun friendly. Open carrying a rifle might not be normal, but it is not illegal. The liberal media has pounded their anti-gun agenda so much that people are frightened by even the sight of a gun. The solution is not to charge the person legally carrying the gun. The solution is to educate American citizens that carrying a gun is legal. We need to educate so that they know gun control measures will only keep guns from law abiding citizens and will not stop mass murderers from going to a mall and shooting people. The only thing that will stop a mass murderer from killing people in a mall is if a law abiding citizen in the mall has a gun and shoots back to stop the mass murderer.

I do not fault anyone for seeing the gun and being scared, and I do not fault the police for questioning Mr. Poe. There was no legal grounds to charge him though and he should have never had his gun confiscated.

The courts and the laws have clearly established that the simple sight of a rifle does not constitute alarm. It is the way the rifle is carried. If the simple sight of a weapon was the basis of not allowing weapons then your neighbor could call the police to take away your guns because she saw you with one though your window and she was alarmed. The fact that someone was alarmed cannot be the legal reason to say someone was using their rifle to alarm or threaten. I admit, I would even be a bit surprised if I saw someone with a rifle on their back in the mall because it is not something you see very often, just because I am surprised does not make what the man is doing illegal though and the laws and Constitution of the County and State must be upheld

I take threats and gun violence seriously, but I also take the 2^nd Amendment seriously. Mr. Poe has a Constitutional right to bear arms and there is no evidence that what he did was illegal or threatening. He should have never had his rifle confiscated and should have never been charged.

Republicans Need to Embrace Young, Energetic Leaders like Briscoe Cain in Texas District 129 Race

Maybe I am just saying this because I am young, but Texas the Texas GOP needs young, energetic leaders. I truly believe that one of the biggest problems that the Republican Party faces is we are not attracting enough new young leaders. Not only are we missing out on drawing in young votes, but we are also not allowing fresh faces in to help revive the Party. The Texas Republican Party Platform is in favor of term limits and so am I. Many long-time Republicans in office now are good people, but after being in office for so long it is easy to get complacent and compromise. This is where electing younger, energetic Republicans will benefit the Republican Party. Young conservatives tend to be very passionate and UNTAINTED by the political system. Even long-time Republicans are all willing to admit that we need new, young leaders to step up. The problem is, none of the long-time Republicans are willing to step down so that the new guys (or gals) can step in with new energy and ideas to promote conservative values. By the time the long-time Republicans retire, the once young leaders are now older and less energetic and might have even moved on to doing other things.

President Obama’s election was, in part, due to his massive young voter base. Not only did he have a young voter base, he also had young leaders on his team who had the energy and unbridled passion to go out and stand for what they believed in. That passion pushed the Democrat Party into the office of the Presidency.

As I looked into some of the races in my area of southeast Texas, the race for Texas State Representative District 129 caught my eye. This race is the most crowded Texas House race in all of Texas this year. There are 7 Republicans and 1 Democrat. That is not why the race caught my eye though. The race caught my eye because Briscoe Cain, 29 years old, is by far the youngest candidate in the race. The age difference between Cain and the rest of the candidates is not even close. The age gap in this District 129 race is the perfect example to prove my point. Out of 7 Republican candidates, only one of them is young. In most other races in Texas, there are not even any young people at all. It is almost if new young leaders are discouraged from running because the long-time Republicans feel threatened and tell the young guys not to run yet. I remember back when I was on the State Republican Executive Committee. I was young and new, but I had a passion to stand for conservative values and I sure stood up and fought for what is right. I actually had fellow Republican committee members approach me and say that in my first term I should really just sit and watch how the older Republican do things. I was shocked. My constituents did not elect me to sit back and watch and become a part of the political system. My constituents elected me to go in there and stand for conservative values.

Briscoe Cain might only be 29 years old, but he has a passion to stand for conservative values that the Joe Straus led Texas House of Representatives needs. Cain’s long list of conservative activism accomplishments as a Religious Rights Attorney would make you think that he was 60, and his endorsement list is staggering. I have written extensively about the Merry Christmas Bill. Briscoe Cain helped draft it. He has an unbridled passion that is not yet tainted by the political system. The Republican Party needs to embrace guys like Cain and soak up his energy while it can.

Even though I really like the guy, this article is not meant to promote Briscoe Cain. Briscoe Cain just so happens to be the perfect example for this article about the need to elect new, young Republican leaders. I encourage all voters to check out everyone in the District 129 race and all other races in Texas. I just ask that you not overlook the candidates who you might think are young. Some of those “young” candidates have the sharpest minds with the strongest, untainted conservative values.

If you are a Republican and you see a young, energetic Conservative, then encourage him/her and lift them up. Do not see them as a threat to your position. See them as the future and lifeline of the Republican Party. Allow their passion and untainted minds to carry the Republican Party to victory. Texas needs to embrace these new, young leaders, not tell them to wait.