[PAA-Discuss] From Bastrop & across Texas! Newsletter Update from Independent Texans

Fri Jul 13 16:32:33 EDT 2007

Linda Curtis <ljcurtis at indytexans.org> wrote:   Date: Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:59:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Linda Curtis <ljcurtis at indytexans.org>
To: sporkboy at sbcglobal.net
Subject: From Bastrop & across Texas! Newsletter Update from Independent
Texans

                          Independent Texans Newsletter

  June, 2007
            In This Issue    Texas Populism                Quick Links      Independent Texans
  Donate
  Join Us!
            Dear Thomas,       The "Texas Populism:  Where the Rubber Meets the Road (without tolls, of course!) conference in Bastrop last month was a great success.  Below is a photographic report for your enjoyment.

  Over the summer months, we are contemplating several ways to pull the plug on the Perry Administration (some call a regime) by defeating some of his key allies.  We will support opponents of any party or independent.  What can you do to help?  Get active and/or make a contribution.  

  Perry's veto of 49 bills in this last legislative session has resulted in increased calls from voters asking how he can be removed.   There is an impeachment process, which is seldom used by the legislature.  That said, the call by ordinary Texans for impeaching Perry (since we don't have the right to recall), is getting louder and louder.

  We are raising funds right now for materials -- brochures and bumper stickers.  ImpeachPerry.com (watch for the site's launch very soon!) and The Parties Are Over -- Independent Texans! are two different stickers we can soon provide.  $340 will help print 1000 stickers, $905 will get us 5,000 and $1,700 will get us 10,000.  Contribute at the link below or send a check to our PO Box.  But do let us know what you are contributing towards by sending a note to me directly.

  http://www.indytexans.org/donate.php  

  If you haven't yet had us come visit with you and your friends, family & neighbors, wherever you are, please do!  Just give me a call or send me a note at ljcurtis at indytexans.org.   We know it's summer, but the political heat is going to continue well in to the fall and next winter.  Let's get prepared.

  Independently yours,

  Linda Curtis
  Independent Texans
  http://indytexans.org
  P. O. Box 14294
  Austin, TX78761
  512-535-0989 Austin
  512-657-2089 cell

                  The Bastrop Conference -- Texas Populism: Where the Rubber Met the Road (without tolls, of course!)

  Bill Addington, who led the successful fight against the nuclear toxic dump in Sierra Blanca (standing), Annalisa Peace (Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance) and BJ Nolan, (Lavaca County Taxpayers) gave a riveting session on "Texas Water -- the New Gold Rush".  We all realized that the special interests are working overtime to sell off all public infrastructure from roads to water.  We resolved that we must all work together to take back Texas!

        Greg Stewart (middle), a Houston businessman and environmentalist, gave a great talk about how Texas can move beyond it's energy insufficiency.  Fernando Rangel on the right came from San Antonio to find out how to empower his community, while he filmed the first sessions.  Jeff Harper (left), from Ft.Worth, was there to add to the panel on political reform, focusing on redistricting.  

    One of our favorite speakers was former Cibolo Mayor Charles Ruppert, who wowed the crowd with his information packed lesson on how to decipher your tax notice.  Really, he made it even exciting!  Then he topped it off with a report about the local recall effort.  We indies love recalling politicians!  We also love supporting true people's champions like Charles.  But will he run???

    And, of course, we all couldn't get enough of Linda and David Stall of Corridor Watch, who reported on what's contained in SB 792, and how we got what we got and what it all meant.  This power point should be up on the CorridorWatch.org web site soon.  Suffice to say that while TTC-35 does not have a clear moratorium, I-69 does, and more importantly, the political heat has been turned up so high that TxDOT is going to have to think VERY carefully on making any moves for the next two years on TTC-35.  That gives us all more time to organize and a campaign season to remove Perry allies.

    Brian Rodgers, an Austin businessman and community activist, gave a great report on how local home grown independent Austin businesses are going to stop the city from giving over $120 million in tax subsidies to a high end luxury mall called the Domain.  The same developers are already coming to the city of Bastrop for more corporate welfare -- so Bastropians are getting organized now too.  Go to StopDomainSubsidies.com and read about it and watch for similar bad deals in your home towns.    

  Bobby Gassiott of Bastrop and Martha Estes of Waller County at Lob Lolly Pines Village, set in the piney woods of Bastrop, during the lunch break.

  Justin Rosales, just ran his first campaign (for Dallas City Council), and, although he lost, he's only 26 and has a great future ahead of him.  He thanked Independent Texans for our support for 
  his first time out!

  People made new friends over lunch.  Here's Karen Collins of 
McKinney Independent Texans and Evelyn Nolan of LavacaCounty Taxpayers.  They're both savvy political leaders you wouldn't want to be on the other side of!

  Blackland Coalition leaders were there -- Chris Hammel (left), Agnes Voges (center) and Margaret Green.  Chris has also joined the team at Independent Texans, and we are happy to have his leadership.  Agnes and Margaret are two of the backbone Blackland Coalition activists who have continued to partner with us over the last 2 years.    

Folks came from all over.  That's John Long from Seguin, with his hand up, and to his right with her hand up is Laura Dylla (Dylla Farms from WilsonCounty near LaVernia).  In lavendar in the front, is Lillian Simmons and sitting to her left is Leon McCaa, both from Williamson County.  The two districts from which these activists hail, currently have two politicians at the top of our list for defeat next year.  Rep. Mike Krusee (WilliamsonCounty - Round Rock, Taylor, etc.) has been left standing (barely) as Rick Perry and Ric Williamson's bag man on toll roads and the Corridor.  And Rep. Edmund Kuempel of Seguin has been unwilling to stand up and fight for his constituents in an area greatly and adversely affected by these boondoggle projects.  

    We had some good fights too, in the evening session.  From left to right you see Russ Doyle (Austin member), Martha Estes of WallerCounty, Bill Addington (Sierra Blanca), David Rogers (Texas Legal Foundation), Linda Curtis (Independent Texans), and Sputnik (Texas Motor Cycle Rights Association).  We had a heated discussion about how we got SB 792 and what to do now, which lent itself well to continued work together.

  We also hung out after the first day and got to know one another.  Here's Dana Young (left), chairman of the Confederation of Clubs - Houston Region, Bill Addington, and Thomas Williams, who is now designing our emails for Independent Texans.

    Many people who stayed for the second day (held at the Aqua Water Coop Boardroom) said they liked the second day as much or better.  This is where we began to plot and scheme on how we're going to take back 
Texas in 2008!  Well, OK, it may take a little longer than that.  First things first.  We are planning a state convention in January, before the Texas primary in March, and we have plans to utilize the TTC-69 hearings and the hearings out in West Texas on the Corridor, to bring thousands of new members (and their towns and cities across those regions) in to the independent movement.  And watch out soon for our Impeach Perry campaign!

                  We need you help to do this.  Contact us if you want to be active this year and next.

  We believe that all power still lies in the hands of the people. That is what it means to be a true Texas populist!

        Linda Curtis
Independent Texans 
            Forward email
           This email was sent to sporkboy at sbcglobal.net, by ljcurtis at indytexans.org
  Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
    Email Marketing by
   Independent Texans | (512) 535-0989 | P. O. Box 14294 | Austin | TX | 78764

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://paa-tx.org/pipermail/discuss_paa-tx.org/attachments/20070713/63e5fe2f/attachment.htm>