Margaret Thatcher: An Inspiration to Many, but only One of a Kind

In May of 1979 in my birth country of Mexico, as a young articulated teenager, nearing the end of the 9th grade and interested in learning how to debate, my teacher told me: “Adryana, a woman just became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, named Margaret Thatcher. You could learn from much about debating skills” I remember going home, not being able to wait to sit in front of our Color Sony Trinitron TV and watch Televisa “24 Horas with Jacobo Zabludovsky”. I still remember listening to Zabludovsky giving the news again, and I saw, for the first time, the face of that woman which my teacher had talked about. Sometimes I still close my eyes and have that clear picture in my mind of what many of us now see in videos and photos: Margaret Thatcher wearing her blue suit, surrounded with people and microphones and cameras and questions. I remember the people yelling around her, and her bold attitude as she spoke. I was absolutely enchanted. My English was not very good in those years, but due to my English teacher being British, the little English that I did know was British. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A23PQCndPYU

I was not able to grasp some of her words, but others I clearly understood. Thatcher recited a poem, which I knew by memory, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: "Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth? Where there is doubt, may we bring faith? And where there is despair, may we bring hope." That was enough for me to realize this woman was certainly someone I should learn from. I told my father I wanted to be like Margaret Thatcher.

 I appreciate having a father who, besides coaching me in the art of public speaking, always instructed me with history and lessons on values. At the time, the United Kingdom was in a horrible state, as my father explained to me. I was blessed in having the opportunity to grow up with a father who diligently taught me what was wrong in world events, such as the Castro regime in Cuba, the Communist regime in Eastern Germany, specifically the Berlin Wall, and the situation in the UK. The fact that it was the first time for a woman to become Prime Minister of the UK was a remarkable success. Not only that, but she was a woman with conservative principles. Regardless of whether you agree or not with her positions on issues, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, himself recently made the statement that, “she took a country "that was on its knees" and making it "stand tall again". Because Margaret Thatcher fought her way to a seat in Parliament, to the leadership of her party and then to lead of her country and she won the backing of the British people three times in a row." "She will be remembered for the great political battles she fought. Taking on the union barrons, privatising industry, unleashing enterprise, rescuing their UK economy, letting people buy their council homes, winning the Falklands war, strengthening their defences and helping to win the Cold War.” What a woman Margaret Thatcher was! Please watch and listen to the following video of a description of what happened back then in the UK. Listen to Lady Thatcher debating regarding Trade Union Power.

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

 

My admiration and stronghold on conservatism started right there with Prime Minister Thatcher. Her actions encouraged me, a 9th grade young Mexican woman. Back then , I was not as interested with Mexican politics, American politics or UK politics, but Margaret Thatcher planted a seed of hope in my heart to become someone who could speak for her values, even in spite of opposition. Never did I imagine that little more than a decade later, I would be living in the United States of America, married to my husband, Daryl, and mother of a child, and becoming a close friend and prayer partner with the woman who was, at the time, the daughter-in-law of Margaret Thatcher. Diane Thatcher (now Diane Beckett) was then married to Mark Thatcher. Diane had a son, Michael, and a daughter, Amanda, who was few months younger than my son Nathan.

 They all became dear to the Boyne family and ministered to us in many ways. I cannot describe all of our experiences together, but this personal friendship and love that we have cherished for over 20 years with Diane and the Thatcher children- who are the only two grandchildren of Margaret Thatcher- is something that the Boyne family has always treasured. The recent death of Margaret Thatcher has deeply touched me and my family. My relationship with the Thatcher family was with her American family: Diane, and the children. I have expressed my sincere condolences and prayers to all of them, for I know how dear Lady Thatcher was to them. Yes, I did meet Mark Thatcher years ago and talked to him in person as well as over the phone. He was always kind with me, he had an extraordinary mother and father, and he also has two extraordinary children who were raised by an extraordinary mother. During the many years that my husband and I have served in Christian ministry, we spent a decade in the foreign mission field, partly in Costa Rica and mainly in Mexico. Every year during the Summer, we would return to the U.S. and spend most of that time in the house of the Thatcher’s in Highland Park. In the house library, upon the fireplace mantle, was a beautiful picture of Margaret Thatcher. For us, the faces of Lady Thatcher and her husband Dennis were ever familiar to us. Unlike most young people their age or younger, our sons Nathan and Samuel grew up knowing perfectly well who Margaret Thatcher was and what she had done for the UK and for America as a warrior for freedom and conservative values, always appreciating and admiring her.

I am the proud owner of many books authored by Lady Thatcher, with even a couple of them dedicated to me personally by her: “The Downing Street Years” and “The Path to Power.” I also proudly own two personally dedicated photos of Margaret Thatcher. I am sharing one of them in this article. In those books, Lady Thatcher speaks candidly about the formation of her character and values, and the experiences which propelled her to the very top in a world ruled by men. The personal photos I have with the members of the Thatcher family are something that I am not ready to release at this moment.. Margaret Thatcher was nicknamed the Iron lady by former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The Iron Lady: A hard nickname to bear, but, as the Bible says in Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” That is exactly how Margaret Thatcher’s actions shaped me. Young people need people to inspire them and sharpen them, as Margaret Thatcher did to me Just weeks ago, before I flew to London to attend the Leadership Institute http://www.leadershipinstitute.org/ at the Wellington College, http://www.wellingtoncollege.org.uk/ I tried to arrange a private brief visit with Lady Thatcher. Of course I was fully aware of her fragile health in recent years, and I regularly prayed for her health. But we still had the hope to go and greet her, hold her hand and let her know how much we appreciate her great contributions to her country and to the Western world, as well as the inspiration she was for me and my family. Sadly, due to her fragile health, such a visit was not possible. If the circumstances had been different, we may have been able to visit with her before her departure with the Lord. My son and I took our city trip through London, hopping from place to place. We passed by 10 Downing Street, the place where, although not Margaret Thatcher’s home since her resignation in 1989, I chose to pray for her and for her family.

I must share that, a few years ago, a well-known pastor told me, “Adryana you are the Hispanic version of Margaret Thatcher,” to which I responded, “ Thank you very much, but no, I do not deserve such a great honor to be compared with such a great woman. I still have a lot to learn in my life. I still have to learn from her strength and her fearlessness to opposition. She faced without fear those who frowned upon her for being a woman and for her conservative principles. I have learned from her that being part of a minority group is no reason to prevent me from fighting for my principles. It does not matter that I disagree with others, for I can express my differences.

No one can or should compare him or herself with Margaret Thatcher. Not even her own grandchildren use her name with arrogance and pride. Michael and Amanda Thatcher are special because who they are as individuals. They have been successful in their studies, sports and personal goals. Amanda Margaret Thatcher, a college girl, is an extraordinary woman of faith with a melodious voice and a kind heart (and as my son Samuel says, she bakes good chocolate lava cakes). Michael Thatcher has always been so discreet, and prudent about his relationship with Lady Thatcher. I even saw this during the time while he was a member of my Board of Directors. The Thatcher grandchildren have demonstrated their own successes as young people on their own for whom they are, not because their last name and personal relationship with one of the most the most extraordinary woman in this century. Not only those grandchildren have not used her name to try to exalt themselves, but all the opposite they have always been humble and kind. Those grandchildren, just like many of us, have learned from Margaret Thatcher by inspiration, by example of her principles. We all know that there is not is not a British version of her, not an American version of her, not a Mexican version of her, not a Chinese version of her of any other version of her since each one of us are very unique in our own. As individuals, we all have our own set of successes and failures but regarding Margaret Thatcher : There is only one and she is matchless. May all we learn that inspiration and sharpening is a good and valuable legacy.


Adryana Boyne is a National Director of VOCES Action www.vocesaction.org, a Director of Development of VOTO Honesto http://www.truethevote.org/es/acerca-de and a Political Consultant. You can follow her at @AdryanaBoyne

Remembering a Great American and a Great Republican: Joe Peña

Remembering a Great American and a Great Republican: Joe Peña
By Adryana Boyne
Recently, Texas lost a great Hispanic Republican: Jose Peña. Joe Peña Sr. was born on Nov. 25, 1930 in Gary, Indiana and passed away Dec 25, 2011 at his home in Carrollton, TX. He is survived by his wife Gloria Peña, his son Joey Peña Jr., his daughter-in-law Linda Peña, and his granddaughters Gabby and Ciara Peña.

Joe was born in Indiana and his parents were from Spain; he was was a proud Hispanic-American. He served our Country and was a veteran of the Korean War and was important in the life of any Hispanic Republicans in the State of Texas. He was a believer in Christ and a man with integrity and leadership. Many lives were touched by Joe Peña and many have stories about him. Many of us carry a million dollar bill with the face of Joe as a reminder to “Vote Smart, Vote Republican.”

Joe was a kind man with a friendly handshake, a welcoming smile and a passion for finding precinct chairmen in non-traditional (i.e. non-Republican) precincts. Joe was crucial for the Republican Party of Texas and, alongside President George H. Bush, he was one of the main people starting the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. In 2009, Joe also became a founding member of the Latino National Republican Coalition of Texas and was a frequent guest at many Republican events. Many Hispanics were touched by the life of Joe Peña. Even a few days before he passed away, he was at the Dallas Republican Lunch encouraging people for the 2012 elections.

I would like to share with you several videos and links about Joe.

Here is an interview that Silvio Canto did with Joe’s son Joey and me regarding the life of Joe.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cantotalk/2011/12/30/saturdays-thoughts

Memorial Service at the National Cemetery of Dallas-Fort Worth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htL8Zk77e4o

Justice David Medina and Jason Villalba speak during Memorial Service:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFatBFWLHQ4&feature=related
Justice Medina interview about the influence of Joe Peña in his life:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy8kVjRB-sE&feature=player_embed

Mayor Dianne Costa interview about Joe Pena:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhzwmYf1oKg&feature=related

Dr. Daryl Boyne reminds us Joe Peña is in a better place now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVvfi3Dke2A

Here is the Memorial Page that Sylvia Guzman Acuff made for Joe's family:
http://memoriam.org/memorials/c711af06f5/

VOCES Action joins True the Vote to Oppose AG Holder's Attack on Election Reforms

Where voter registration fraud prevails, voter fraud likely prevails. Without the Texas ID bill, voter registration is the primary defense against fraud.
VOCES Action stands strongly in educating Hispanics on the conservative issues, and I know, as a matter of fact, that Hispanics understand that to have transparency and integrity in elections, a photo voter ID is necessary. On December 13th, I was invited to speak at a rally sponsored by True the Vote, headed by Catherine Engelbrecht, a wonderful patriot. True The Vote, is an initiative developed by citizens for citizens, meant to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process. The organization promotes ideas that actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation. I encourage each one of you to go to their website and to get involved: www.truethevote.org.

During the last Texas legislative session, both chambers were tasked by Gov. Rick Perry to make voter ID legislation a priority. The legislation passed, and the bill would require Texans to show a valid photo ID - such as a driver's license or state-issued ID card, a military ID or a passport - to vote.

Attorney General Eric Holder came to Austin on the 13th to speak at the LBJ Library to denounce the Texas voter ID laws and claimed that simple voter ID laws were somehow discriminatory. Holder ominously claimed that he would use the power of his office to “enforce civil rights protections” during the upcoming 2012 elections. This is abuse of power. I have followed this bill very closely since two sessions ago, and this session, I was very glad it passed to the help of all our Republicans legislators. I felt very pleased that Rep. Jose Aliseda (R-Beeville) who, like myself is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Mexico, defended the bill strongly.

Here is the video and transcript of my speech. As I frequently do, at the end of my speech, I spoke for two minutes in Spanish for the Spanish-speaking media.


Good afternoon. I am here standing as a proud American. And also as a Hispanic American. I know that most Hispanics are hard working people, people of honesty and integrity and we are glad to be in the United States, a country that offers freedoms and opportunities not found in other countries. However, the freedoms we enjoy are fragile. They can be lost if we do not take a stand to defend them. Our freedoms depend on the integrity of our government and the integrity of our government rests on the integrity of our elections. Where there is voter fraud, this integrity is lost and all Americans suffer from this assault on our foundational freedoms. Let me be clear: Voter fraud is not a partisan issue; it is not a Republican versus Democrat issue. Voter fraud is not an issue about ethnicity or race, it's not a Hispanic, White or Black issue, It's not about social status! Whoever commits voter fraud is a criminal, whether a Democrat or Republican, white, black, Hispanic, rich or poor, and should be punished for their attack on this foundational freedom.

Some deny the reality of voter fraud, calling it a scare tactic. However, it is a fact and it should scare all Americans. In the last election, voter registration fraud happened on a large scale. In Pinellas County Florida, 803 people registered to vote whose address was the county jail or court house. In Wisconsin, 30,000 voter registrations were questioned after it was discovered felons were used as registration workers. In Pennsylvania 57,000 registrations were found to have falsification of information. And this is certainly happening in Texas. Dallas county had to stop using voter registration cards as a basis for calling jurors because the list of names on the voter registration lists contained too many people who were not US citizens. However, The full extent of voter registration fraud cannot be known - it is takes too much effort to investigate.

Where voter registration fraud prevails, voter fraud likely prevails. Without the Texas ID bill, voter registration is the primary defense against fraud. And it still is not a perfect defense. Unfortunately, is it very easy to get false voter registration cards. All you have to do is write down a bogus name and you get a registration card in the mail.

The Texas voter ID bill has one purpose: to limit voter fraud. It requires each person to show his or her identification with a photo and to match the name on the voter registration list. It is a simple and logical step to reduce voter fraud. So why has Attorney General Eric Holder come to Texas and voiced his opposition to this bill? He says that it discriminates against some voters. This is nonsense! It is the responsibility of the attorney general to uphold election laws that reduce fraud and corruption and voter ID is not an unreasonable burden on legal voters.

In Mexico, there are a lot more poor people than in the US and yet they require every voter to have a voter identification card. Mexico did this to combat the high degree of voter fraud that marked its elections in the past. And guess what? The voter identification card has greatly reduced voter fraud in Mexico. If Mexico can implement voter ID, I think the United States certainly can implement voter ID as well. If you do not have photo ID with you right now please raise your hand. If you would like one you can get one for free at the Department of Public safety.

This is not an unreasonable burden on legal voters. When honesty takes a second place in our hearts, we pull down everything good and noble that once surrounded us. We are trying to find out who is illegally engaging in voter fraud, no matter what color or ethnicity. It applies to ALL people, not just blacks and Latinos. We all have to show ID when we cash checks, drive a car, collect food stamps or get on an airplane. So why cannot we do the same for our elections, the foundational freedom of our country. Voter ID is a common sense, nonpartisan solution to a real problem. So why does Attorney General Eric Holder oppose it? Is he trying to divert attention from the failures of his administration of the Department of Justice? Is he trying to remove the heat from the "Fast and Furious" scandal? Is he trying to campaign for President Obama? All these are an abuse of the public office to which he was elected. The Attorney General has the job to defend justice, not oppose it. If he cares about the integrity of our elections, he would support the Texas voter ID bill.

Now for those in the Spanish speaking community and media let me say:

Estimados ciudadanos de habla hispana. La comunidad de los Estados Unidos siempre habla de la honestidad y de la integridad como valores importante para su gente. Sin embargo a el Procurador General o Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Eric Holder eso le tiene sin cuidado. Será acaso para desviar la atención de sus malos manejos en situaciones como la de "Rápido y furioso"? Será que está haciendo campaña para el Presiente Obama? Ahora quiere intervenir en anular una legislación que es apropiada y buena para nuestro estado?

Por favor seamos honestos, ¿ quién de ustedes no tiene una identificación con foto? ¿Quién? Si usted no tiene una identificación con foto vaya al Departamento de Seguridad Publica y ahí le dan una sin costo alguno.

Quizá usted use la credencial para obtener una prescripción en la farmacia, para rentar una película, para obtener estampillas para alimentos, para comprar un arma, para viajar. ¿Porqué para votar no? ¿Porqué no?

El señor fiscal general está tratando de intimidar a las personas de las minorías con un mensaje mal fundado. El señor está haciendo uso de su posición de poder para hacer campaña para un presidente que no sabe cumplir sus promesas y que ha llevado a este país a la peor y más miserable situación económica que ha habido en muchísimo tiempo.

El fraude electoral no es algo agradable para nadie. Yo les animo a cuidadosamente a reflexionar en cuál es la razón que el fiscal general Eric Holder querría venir este aquí a Texas a criticar una legislación que fue aprobada en la casa de representes para que se ejerza el voto justo y tranparente.

And I will finish this speech by saying that I took an oath and this is my country and , THIS is my flag God bless America!

Click here to view the full 45 minute video of the rally.

Rep. Jose Aliseda had defended the bill on the floor and here are some excerpts from his speech during the last session:

"According to 2008 statistics, in one county, Goliad County, they had more people registered to vote than persons eligible to vote. Under current law, the opportunity for fraud is there."

"In 2008, a high water mark for voter registration, Texas had an overall registration rate of 76 percent of eligible voters. "

"In McMullen County, in 2008, had a voter registration of 97.9 percent, 21.4 percent above the state average. The opportunity for fraud is probably there."

"In Jim Wells County, , in 2008, had an eligible voter registration of 90.44 percent or 14 percent above the state average. The opportunity for fraud is probably there."

"In 2004, in Bee County, we had a woman cast a ballot as if she were her deceased mother."

"In 2007, the Texas State Auditor’s Office found that Texas had 49,049 registered voters who may have been ineligible to vote. Of those, there were 23,500 voters on the rolls who may have been deceased. Would Voter ID possibly have stopped them if they had tried to vote? I think so.
There were 2,359 voters identified as having duplicate records. I believe Voter ID would have helped there also."

VOCES Action Welcomes Israel Ortega from Heritage Libertad in North Texas

By Adryana Boyne
Recently VOCES Action had the opportunity to organize an event to welcome Israel Ortega of Heritage Libertad, the Spanish website from Heritage Foundation that covers conservative issues in Spanish.

VOCES Action strongly supports the work that Heritage Libertad is doing in providing Spanish news, opinions, reports and analysis from the Heritage Foundation’s conservative viewpoint. This is a resource that all people interested in outreaching and engaging Latinos with these values should know about.

The meeting was at Maximo's Cocina Mexicana where we enjoyed delicious food, fellowship and listening to our special speaker Israel Ortega, who shared with us about the purpose of Heritage Libertad.

I am impressed with the excellent job that Israel Ortega is doing with Heritage Libertad in helping the Hispanic community in the USA and beyond, and I feel blessed that he joins me as one of very few conservative Latinos appearing in the Spanish media on TV, radio and press.

Israel spoke first in Spanish and then in English. He began by saying, "Five words that people do not want to hear: 'I am from Washington, DC and I come to help you.'"

Israel explained about the downturn of the economy (13% unemployment) and the presence of the 50.5 million Hispanics – legal and illegal – currently residing in the US. He pointed out that Hispanics have differences among themselves; some want big government and some want small government with more personal responsibility. However, most Spanish speaking Latinos don't have enough information to make educated decisions. The Spanish media is mainly liberal and Latinos have let friends and family dictate their view on politics. When the left communicates more with the Hispanics, it's important that conservatives communicate their side to the Hispanic community. This is one of the reasons for the need to communicate conservative points of view in Spanish.

Libertad.org gives Spanish-speaking Americans access to the top-flight research and informed, conservative commentary that has helped Heritage build a center-right majority in the nation as a whole. We need to preserve the American Dream, Israel reminded us.

With 13% unemployment and 50% of Latino high school kids not receiving their high school diplomas, how do we think that these Hispanics can survive in this economy and be the future doctors, lawyers, etc. of our country? This issue therefore becomes a national issue. Democrats will not benefit the Latino people. Getting stuff from the government does not help people. Israel mentioned an example from his own family who came from Mexico as immigrants and worked hard. This is an exceptional country. This country has more virtues than just money.

There was a time for questions and answers. Daryl Boyne mentioned that according to some studies, approximately 80% of Spanish speaking Hispanics are pro-life while only around 50% of English speaking Hispanics are pro-life; young Hispanics are becoming liberal, and Israel encouraged Hispanic parents to instruct their children about their conservative values. Israel also talked about reasons why young Hispanics are leaning to the Left. He also mentioned that his organization passes out US Constitutions in Spanish as well for those who speak Spanish as a first language.

Silvio Canto gave closing remarks to the meeting and reminding the attendees that Israel is a frequent guest on his show that he transmits on his blog talk radio show.

I consider Israel my colleague in using Spanish media to inform the Spanish speaking community. I deeply admire and congratulate him and Heritage Libertad for their great work.

We encourage our readers to visit and share the page of www.libertad.org with those people who need to learn about our great country in the Spanish language and get informed about how the events in Washington affects our lives.

Alongside with VOCES Action the event was co-hosted with the Latino National Republican Coalition of North Texas and Silvia Canto from My View Talk Show.

Among the present were:

Israel Ortega, Daryl and Adryana Boyne , Rafael Cruz (father of Candidate for US Senate Ted Cruz), Jose Luis Reyes, Matt Garcia (from the office of US Congressman Pete Sessions), Ruth Armfield, John Stautner, Joe Peña, Micah R. Hobart, Silvio Canto Jr., Joseph A. y Elida Munoz, Sylvia & Carlos Perez, Jimmy and Denise Richardson, Nelly Carr, Mike Verdiguel, Lidia de la Cruz-Trujillo, Fabian Moro, Nestor Velazco, and Gustavo Bujanda from Telemundo. Four people born in Cuba, eight were born in Mexico, one was born in Spain, one was born in Colombia, three were born in Argentina, one was born in Puerto Rico, one was born in Germany, an six were born in the USA. All of us are American Citizens who love America.

All the people in attendance were very impressed with the work of Heritage Libertad and plan to use this website as a great resource for information among Spanish speaking people.

Adryana Boyne is the National Director of Voces Action. VOCES Action has been working in educating and empower the Latino community with Conservative moral and fiscal values in several states among our nation through TV, radio, press, conferences, debates and interviews. VOCES Action believes in free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.



Elida Munoz leading pledge to the flag



Group of people at the event



Israel Ortega speaking



Israel Ortega and Silvio Canto



Daryl Boyne



Israel Ortega, Rafael Cruz, Adryana Boyne and Matt Garcia

Interview with Rep. Aaron Peña of the Hispanic Republican Conference (VIDEO)

By Adryana Boyne- National Director of VOCES ACTION

The following interview with Texas State Representative Aaron Peña is one of a series of interviews conducted by VOCES Action and TexasGOPVote with members of the Hispanic Republican Conference in the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature. The Hispanic Republican Conference was originally created by State Rep. Aaron Peña, a member of the Texas House of Representatives from House District 40, located in Hidalgo. Peña served four terms as a Democrat before switching to the GOP on December 14, 2010. The topics we discussed included Rep. Peña's conservative values, why he left the Democrat party, the Obama administration's failure to take action on border security and immigration issues and the reasons he formed the Hispanic Republican Conference. Video and a transcript of the interview are included.
The membership of the Hispanic Republican Conference has been growing. Originally it was formed by the House’s five Hispanic Republicans but has since been joined by other State Representatives whose districts have at least 30% Hispanic constituents. The Hispanic Republican Conference will be addressing some issues that have been controversial in parts of the state with large Hispanic populations.

Hispanics make up 36% of the Texas population and this percentage is growing. Hispanics share Republican conservative values fiscal responsibility, faith, hard work, family values and pro-life. VOCES Action has been educating and empowering Americans with Hispanic backgrounds and who have these values to make more responsible and informed voting decisions. During my visit to the Texas capitol, I also had the opportunity to see Rep. Barbara Nash of District 93 and Rep. Lyle Larson of District 122 who each have at least 30% Hispanic population in their districts. I asked them if they were planning to join the Hispanic Republican Conference and you will see in the video what happened!



TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW:

Adryana Boyne: Most democrats believe that hispanics should vote democrat. We certainly have seen something very special with you because you were a democrat... you were a democrat state representative, and you decided not long ago to switch parties. Can you tell us why you did that and what do you think about democrats saying that hispanics should vote democrat.

Rep. Aaron Peña: Well you know Ronald Reagan said a long time ago that he thought that most hispanics were republicans and that they just didn't know it. I have a brother who is a republican who told me a long time ago, "you're a republican and you just don't know it." Well it took me eight years to figure it out. I watched the process, I watched the votes, I watched the way democrats operated and I watched the way republicans operated... I got a sense of the values of their party and of our party, and it's not even close. The way I was raised as someone from South Texas, the values of a conservative, catholic, family oriented, rural communities is very much in complement with the republican party. Very little in the democrat party, except for some history going back, is in common with the modern hispanic population. And by that I mean there was a time when catholics were not seen as being part of the mainstream. It may be hard for some people to remember that time, but catholics, remember with John F. Kennedy, ran, they thought, well, John F. Kennedy is a catholic, maybe he'll be beholden to the pope; well, as a catholic and as someone who comes from a traditional minority community, we identified with what John F. Kennedy said. John F. Kennedy, for most people who may not have been alive, was very pro-military, which hispanics are, and he was more conservative than the modern democratic party. So, my ancestors may have identified with him because of struggles we were going through in this country, but after that, it was downhill. The democratic party has gone to the left, and further to the left, and further to the left... and he party of today, John F. Kennedy would probably be considered too conservative to be a part of the party.

And so, it was very easy when I started receiving criticism from people because of my pro-life votes, because of my support for the second ammendment, because of my, of the the economic conservatism that's necessary to run a balanced budget, it was really easy after being pushed out by the democrats. Actually they ran a series of candidates against me because I took what was to them a very independent stance on issues... but quite frankly they're issues and stances that my community agrees with. And so I made a decision, I got tired of being the constant target by the far left that controls the democratic party and I was actually overwhelmingly embraced by the republican leadership and by the republican grass roots, and I'm very happy and comfortable, I've never second guessed my decision.

Adryana Boyne: Well actually I want to tell you that was a courageous step and we are very grateful and very proud to have you now in our ranks. Now, as a hispanic myself and through my work with Voces Action, which is "Voices Offering Conservative Empowering Solutions," I spend my time educating and empowering the latino community with conservative moral and fiscal values, and because of that, I know that hispanics are conservative and you have observed that among other hispanics. Can you tell me if you have seen response, after your step of switching parties, of other hispanics who have come to you and said "what can I do" or if they say "oh you got converted, should I be too" or what is the result of that...?

Rep. Aaron Peña: It's actually, I started noticing it when I would go back home and would stop at the HEB to pick up a bottle of milk or some bread for the family... now people would stop me who I didn't know and say [whispering] "hey, I'm really a republican" and I would respond "why are we whispering?" And you see it, it's a stigma, the idea that all hispanics... it's actually a very discriminatory idea... all hispanics have to think the same: the way the leadership of the far left decides you have to think. It's not true! The values that we have from our parents and our grandparents are very conservative values: respect your elders, respect authority, support your government, support your military, defend your family, the right to bear arms... in South Texas, everyone hunts... everyone grows up in a culture respecting guns and your right to have that. The belief in life... You know I went to a church when we had nuns that wore habits. Even the idea that I would even think about anything other than respecting the value of life is COMPLETELY contrary to the hispanic experience. No, the republican party is the place to be, I'm just sad that it took me eight years to figure that out.

Adryana Boyne: Well and I think it also shows humility on your part and it shows the community that people can be part of the wrong party for a long time and that they can take the courageous step and you did, certainly you did...

Rep. Aaron Peña: It's actually very exciting... because down where I live we've been dominated by one party, we never elected a republican []... in the history of my county. The [democrat] party has gotten old, is intolerant of change, and is very hostile to anybody who tries to think differently, who doesn't just follow... and there have been many... the political system which relies on bending the rules and getting people out to vote, abusing the elderly and manipulating their vote, is offensive, and it elects corrupt officials. Many of the officials, not all (because there are some very good ones), many of the officials in my area have been indicted and have gone to jail. That's because a system has grown that encourages that sort of leader. We have an opportunity to change our communities. I was very unhappy with the Obama Administration's response to what's happening in Mexico. You know, we have a few people harmed in other countries, far across the globe, and we will immediately jump in and try to save them. Yet we have, literally within seven miles of my home, beheadings, killings, the killings of families, the killings of migrants, and it occurs right there, and we will beg... the left and the right in my community begs the Obama administration, the federal government, to come down and save us, protect us from ourselves, or at least, let us protect, let Texans protect Texans... and we, we get very little support from the federal government.



Adryana Boyne: Well, actually that leads me to my next question. I know that you are actually an author of the House Concurrent Resolution 88 or H.C.R. 88. Can you briefly explain this resolution and what you would like to accomplish with it.

Rep. Aaron Peña: You know, we all love the democratic system that we have in this country. We have a state system and we have a federal system. Unfortunately it's dysfunctional right now because the state is trying to do everything it can to make up for the lack of action from the federal government. So the resolution that you have identified asks the federal government to get involved to... you know, we pay taxes to you, and unfortunately we're going to have to spend money in Texas, to do your job! Get off your backsides and work to protect our citizens. We have people dying, not just on that side, on the Mexican side, but on our side. But we have other problems too, and the federal government is pulling away and we are having to pick up the slack. We are not, we don't have the ability just to tax our citizens to death or to print money the way Washington has, so we want the federal government to do their job, and that's what the resolution calls for... for Washington to wake up and do their job. The whole debate over immigration should have been resolved by now. Democrats have had control. They have the presidency, they had the congress, why didn't they do something? These are things that have to be addressed. These are tough issues, I know because we're dealing with them here, because they're not doing it. But they were elected to do their job. They need to do it, and so as a Texan, you know, I want our federal government to do what we citizens here in Texas want them to do.

Adryana Boyne: And actually I am also aware that you took the leadership as soon as you became a republican and you started what is called the hispanic republican conference back in January, and can you tell me exactly what motivated you to form this conference?

Rep. Aaron Peña: Well, conservative hispanics have not had a voice, an organized voice. When I was a conservative democrat I tried to join with other conservative democrats, but we were quickly shut down... and the liberal point of view, the furthest to the left point of view, was always the way that you heard things. So when you think of hispanic, many politicians think, oh it's the furthest to the left "bomb thrower." It's not true!

Many of us are conservative, and we have been, but our voices have never been heard. And many times there are issues that occur where all they do is accuse the republicans of racism. It's a very cheap and easy charge to make! But, we will come up and we'll say NO, in this area, this response is a good response. We're hispanic people who love this state, we love our culture, and yet... it's not ALL about racism. It's not all about that they're devils with horns. They're actually trying to address the issue as their constituents want them to. They're a perspective that is respected, as a liberal perspective wants to be respected, but we don't have to rise to the level of name calling. And so, we stand in the gap, and we respond to issues that we think are unfair from the left... but also from the right, there are occasions when some republicans will speak out in a tone that is disrespectful or not productive towards the world as we see it, those of us who have been raised hispanic, and we speak up. So, if there are bills that we find offensive or statements that are made that are offensive from the left, we speak up. But if there are things that happen from the far right that we think are not productive we do our best to speak to them and to educate them on the issue, but if it comes down to it and we have to assert our muscle, because we have muscle, together, we stop it. And you will note, that I think we've done a good job.

Adryana Boyne: I think you have and I think the negative rhetoric must stop, and people need to see that the republican party is the party for hispanics. One of the things that we found out yesterday through your wonderful staff is the facts (a little bit more) about the hispanic republican conference, that for the state representatives to be members, to be voting members, they have to have at least 40% of the population hispanic and if they want to be non-voting members, like associate members, they have to have above 30% of the population. And certainly yesterday, when I was coming to prepare for the interview of several of your members, I saw, just walking in the halls, two representatives, one of them is representative Barbara Nash and the other is Representative Lyle Larson. And I told them what I was doing and about the hispanic republican conference and to my joy, both of them say that they want to join you and actually they do qualify to be your associate members, so we got two new people...

Rep. Aaron Peña: And right before you walked in I signed the letter accepting them into the conference.

Adryana Boyne: Oh, how wonderful! I didn't think this would happen to me just by coming here, so I am glad that I participated in that way even if I cannot be a member (since I am not a state representative)...

Rep. Aaron Peña: Simply educate people on our perspective. It's different. We are conservatives but we have a slightly different life experience, and we want to share that with people, and we think that the more people learn about each other, the more healthy the process is. We've been doing a good job and we're very proud of the work we've done.

Adryana Boyne: Well, I am also proud of you and I want to thank you not only for serving your district but for serving the people of Texas. Thank you very much, muchas gracias Mr. Peña.
Originally published at http://mas.texasgopvote.com/2011-legislative-session/interview-aaron-pena-house-republican-conference-002783

Hispanics Americans strongly oppose abortion, I hope Hispanic Democrats understand imperative to return to our family values

By Adryana Boyne
Thirty-eight years ago the Supreme Court made a terrible decision that imposed abortion-on-demand in America. Abortion affects ALL Americans and certainly affects the Hispanic community in America.

According to a recent poll, the majority of American Hispanics oppose abortion. The poll done by Univision and Associated Press shows that 39% of Hispanics say abortion should be mostly legal, while polls of the general population indicate that approximately 46-54% of Americans think abortion should be legal. The survey also shows that English-speaking Hispanics are less likely to oppose legalized abortion than their Spanish-speaking counterparts.

What does this mean? There are different groups of Hispanics: Those who are recent immigrants, the children of immigrants who are usually bilingual, and those who have been in the United States for a longer time. The vast majority of this last group speaks only English. Latin Americans come from countries where abortion goes against their faith, their values, their culture, their morals and their laws. However, in the process of being “Americanized,” they are adapting the Democrat philosophy that a woman’s choice is more important than life of an unborn child. Besides my work as a commentator and consultant on Hispanic issues, I have been serving the conservative cause in communicating the importance of our pro-life values in the Spanish media. As National Director of VOCES Action, I have been able to influence this large segment of the population to maintain and support this foundational American value. Spanish speaking parents need to influence their children who may not speak Spanish. Hispanics need to be steered away from the anti-Christian social agenda of liberal Democrats who dominate Spanish media and Spanish community groups. By communicating our conservative voice (Voces in Spanish), we can help curb the liberal agenda that has led our country astray from its moral foundation. I am excited about the possibilities of restricting abortion and saving lives this year. The abortion rate in Texas has fallen at a higher rate than the nation's. I am grateful for all the pro-life organizations and citizens that help those organizations by praying, giving and participating with them. In the current legislative session for the House of Representative in Texas, pro-life legislators support the passage of the Sonogram Bill, giving women considering abortion the right to see the sonogram image of her unborn child and to hear the heartbeat. Our Texas Governor Rick Perry recently said that he would fast-track a bill requiring a woman seeking an abortion to first be shown a sonogram.

I was invited by Univision Television, which has opened their doors for some conservatives to speak, to debate on Gustavo Monsante's program Voz y Voto, the number one Spanish political show in Texas. This show has been working to maintain a balanced view on controversial issues. I was invited to participate in a debate against a Democrat State Representative on the sonogram bill. Rep. Jessica Farrar declined to debate this time (I guess she remembered last year when I put her in a difficult situation before the Hispanic community, exposing her liberal position). New State representative from El Paso Naomi Gonzalez was invited, but ten minutes before we went on the air she called to say she was not coming. I have the two segments in the program. I explained why life begins at conception, what viability is, the fact that the woman has other options instead of abortion and the importance that a woman should be trusted with the information of a sonogram before she makes a decision to terminate the life of her unborn baby or babies. Presently, abortion providers can legally deny women this information. Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers oppose the Sonogram bill.


State Senator Dan Patrick (SB16) and State Representatives Geannie Morrison (HB 201), Kelly Hancock (HB 580) and Todd Smith (HB 325) have introduced pro-life sonogram bills. Senate Bill 16 and House Bill 201 require the abortion provider to perform a sonogram and make the image and heartbeat available to women. All the bills would require the sonogram to be displayed, but in each one the woman is not forced to watch. All of the bills would require that the development of the baby be explained orally (with no opt out provision) and the Doppler of the heartbeat made audible for her as well. HB 201 requires this be done in a separate visit 24 hours before, and HB 325 will likely be amended to reflect the same, but currently requires it be done within an hour before the abortion in one visit. HB 201 also requires the doctor or his agent to actually hand the Women’s Right to Know booklet produced by the state in her hand, which differs from current law requiring the abortion provider to make the booklet available.

When I debated Rep. Jessica Farrar last year on the Sonogram Bill, she argued that performing a sonogram could be “harmful”. I asked harmful tor whom? Harmful to the baby!- she said. I responded: Really? More harmful than “killing the baby”.- I find her response interesting, so, the “fetus” is called a baby by some pro abortion advocates, when a doctor will perform a sonogram but is called a fetus when a person would like to get rid of him/her?

I also confronted Rep. Roberto Alonzo in a past debate in a Summit in Forth Worth with hundreds of Community College Hispanic Leaders from all over the nation. Rep. Alonzo said that his own mother recognized that the Republican Party is the one who mainly protect the right to life of the unborn while democrats are pro-abortion but that Democrats are the ones for the "poor people". My answer then was: Yes, it’s the party that would like people to remain poor due to the big government and big spending and which also attempts against family values and against the right to life for the unborn. Where are the values of our Hispanic community on this?

I want to leave clear that I have not met Representative Naomi Gonzalez and even when she did not show up for the debate, she later emailed an apology for not been able to come to the debate. I also would like to share in this blog that outside of cameras, forums and public debates, even while I disagree in a variety of issues with the Democrats, I have a cordial relationship with State Representatives Alonzo and Farrar, especially with Rep. Alonzo whom I have debated over a dozen times. Both of them, Rep. Alonzo and Rep. Farrar are from Hispanic origin and both come from families where faith and values have been taught. I have told them, and I will continue telling them, that I pray that someday they will reconsider their position on abortion and will chose to defend the right to life for the unborn; a position that I believe their parents and grandparents hold. Their families come from families where they have faith in God. And we all know that God created life and that life begins at conception. The position of most Hispanic families is one with strong values and the desire for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL Americans, including those inside their mother’s womb.







To finish taking in this theme, I would like to add that as a conservative American, and as a Hispanic, I get a little concerned when fellow conservatives strongly oppose some of us who serve our community by communicating the conservative values and issues in Spanish. Let me respectfully remind you that Spanish is the second most-common language in the United States after English. Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 35.5 million people aged 5 or older....There are 45 million Hispanics who speak Spanish as a first or second language and there are 6 million Spanish students, making it the world's second-largest Spanish-speaking community, only after Mexico and ahead of Spain, Colombia and Argentina.

According to the census of 2009 34.63% of the population in Texas speaks Spanish. While some people are spending their time fighting on the issue that English should be the ONLY language of this country or wanting to call it the official language of the USA, and while I am very respectful and honor and support the idea that every American citizen should speak English, there are millions of people out there who need the information in Spanish. Just in the state of Texas, there are 7,781,211 Spanish speakers. So, there is a lot of work to do. And if we conservatives think that we should not be giving the information with conservative points of view out there in Spanish, and educating the Spanish speaking community with conservative values, guess who has been giving other information out there and is actually doing a "good" job misinforming the community?!

Like it or not like it, I am doing my job using one of the best tools that God has enabled me with, and it is my flawless Spanish. I thank God for it, and I thank God that He allowed me to come to this great country and for becoming an American Citizen.

Adryana Boyne Speech From Tax Day Lone Star Tea Party event in Dallas

Adryana Boyne Speech From Tax Day Lone Star Tea Party event in Dallas
By Adryana Boyne
I gave the following speech at the Lone Star Tea Party tax day event on APril 15, 2009:

Hello Texans! I wonder if the Liberal Media is watching to see that I am a real Hispanic and this is not the first time that I am addressing a crowd like this in a Tea Party. The people here and in all the Tea Parties across America are some of the greatest Americans I know. You have come here with your signs and with a message from your hearts expressing that we are fed up with big government! As an immigrant, I came to the USA many years ago, I love this country and I am proud to say I have never, ever received a single entitlement from the Government!

Many years ago, I took an oath of citizenship, something that most people born here don’t do. The "five principles" mandated by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1953 are:

1. Allegiance to this document: The United States Constitution.
2.Renunciation of allegiance to any foreign country to which the immigrant has had previous allegiances to.
3. Defense of the constitution against enemies, “foreign and domestic” This includes our enemies trying to take our freedom away!
4.Promise to serve in the United States armed forces when required by law (either combat or not combat)
5. Promise to perform civilian duties of national importance when required by law.
I am not ashamed to remind other people that this is my country and this is my flag! We may speak differently, we may have thick accents, we may look different sometimes, but we are proud to call ourselves Americans!

It is important for me to point out that there are some people in government that have been doing their job: people like Michelle Bachman who is not ashamed to confront the radical liberal agenda. People like Jim De Mint, John Boehner, Mike Pence, Michael Burgess, Steve King, Marsha Blackburn, Erich Cantor, and many other great Americans who have to fight against the liberals in Washington! Sadly, the majority of congressmen and senators have put our country into this mess. But we are going to change that this November!

Here in Texas, we have some great conservatives who will be running against liberals in Congress. We need to help people like Stephen Broden and Francisco “Quico” Canseco get elected to Congress because they are conservatives who will go and fight for our freedoms!

The TEA party is not about radicals but about the voice of America. We are not radical extremists, unless, that is, you consider Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and the rest of our founding fathers to be radicals. Maybe that’s why liberals dislike us so much – they just don’t appreciate the conservative ideas penned by the founders of this great nation.

The liberals running Washington have two choices: they can listen to us and change – I don’t think any of us believe that will happen – or they can ignore us. However, since they continue to ignore us, there will be a storm of protest that will shake Washington! We will come out in mass and vote for candidates who stand for our core conservative values! We will vote for candidates who stand for our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We will vote for candidates who will fight tooth and nail against the liberal agenda in Washington.

Many immigrants come here to chase the American dream, to make something of ourselves! Equal opportunity, not equal outcomes. Many of us believe that we need to protect our borders and to respect our laws! We believe America is the greatest country, we believe in freedom and liberty! Hispanics are social and fiscal conservatives. I am a conservative because I value life, I value personal responsibility. I believe the government works for the people, not the people for the government. Entitlements are not good, and we believe in hard work and being rewarded for our hard work!

Liberals portray all Latinos as ignorant entitlement grabbing persons, who always vote Democrat. Well, I am Latino and I do not want entitlements. I do not want Government run healthcare. And I do not like the direction Obama, Pelosi, Reid and Company are taking our country! I want to challenge you to keep supporting our conservative fiscal and moral values. Our freedoms are being robbed and not just our freedom to spend our money how we desire but the very freedom to live our lives. Liberals want to tell us what is right and wrong. They want to take away an unborn child’s right to life. They want to teach our children their definition of marriage. They want us to sit down and be quiet as they slowly take away our rights But we will not sit down! We will not be quiet!

We all know that English is the official language in America. But before I end I will speak for 50 seconds en Spanish to the Spanish media.

¡El año 2010 no es la cumbre de los Tea Parties (Motín del Té.) ¡Apenas estamos empezando! El gobierno trabaja para nosotros, no nostoros para el gobierno. Cada persona aquí, representa a miles de personas que trabajamos muy duro y que pagamos impuestos. Estamos cansados del gobierno engrandecido, de cómo el gobierno gasta sin parar, cansados con un gobierno liberal. Estamos cansados de que el Presidente y su gente nos hayan endeudado, han endeudado a nuestros hijos y a nuestros nietos. ¡No callaremos y no nos detendrán! ¡Nos estamos alistando para un verdadero cambio en Noviembre!

2010 is not the highpoint of the TEA party. We are only beginning to let our voice be known. Government works for us and we do not work for the government. For each person here, there are thousands of hard working, tax paying Americans who could not come but who are also fed up with big government, who are fed up with tax and spend government, who are fed up with liberal government. We are tired of how the President and his people have put us, our children and our grandchildren in debt. We will not be quiet! We will not be stopped! Lets all get ready for a real change in November!

Meet an exceptional person: Eddie Sendejo Jr.

Looking back on this year, through my work with VOCES Action, I have met a lot of conservative advocates, candidates and leaders. There are many Americans who have boldly stood up for our freedoms, demanding a return to our traditional American values. But of all these outstanding Americans, the most exceptional person, the one person who has impacted me the most, is a young man named Eddie.
Those who know Eddie Sendejo know what a pleasure it is to be around this young man. Eddie is one of those special people who have an extra chromosome, a chromosome that makes him a unique and loving individual. Those who come in contact with him come away feeling blessed by this exceptional, extraordinary and loving person.
The 36-year-old Hispanic man was born in San Antonio, Texas. He was born with Down syndrome. In spite of his limitations, he graduated from high school, was involved in public speaking, participated in the Special Olympics, and was one of the managers of a football team. He loves to attend his church, be with his family, pray for his family and friends, help with the little babies and take care of his cat.
Eddie is a responsible citizen who goes to work, pays his taxes, and involves himself in the community. Eddie works for Market Street, a grocery store in Lewisville, where he greets people, bags groceries, and helps people take groceries to their cars. He attends community and civic events. I asked Eddie who has been his favorite president; he promptly responded, “George W. Bush!”
I visited with Eddie for a morning. When I arrived at his home, he was finishing feeding his niece, Olivia. He loves children and all the children of his cousins love him. Eddie gives them their milk bottles and plays with them. Eddie loves to attend Rock Point Church in Flower Mound, listening to the worship and the sermon messages of his Pastor, Ron Holton.
Eddie invited me out to brunch, to eat one of his favorite burritos and drink a cup of coffee. He paid the bill with his debit card. Eddie talked to me about his family, his values, and his cat. When it was close to the time for him to check in for his job, he was diligent to sign in and begin on time. Everybody at the store loves Eddie. The customers are happy to be helped by Eddie. Eddie respects all his co-workers and is happy to help in whatever circumstance.
Eddie Sendejo is an exceptional person because he models what we stand for: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. His transparent honesty and his generous love for others remind us of what makes our country great. I see many grouchy people around complaining for all sorts of things, and even though we may be upset for the economy, unemployment, high taxes, and out-of-control government, it is important to remember that attitude is always a virtue and we can learn from the attitude of others like from Eddie Sendejo, someone who really inspires me to continue fighting for our values. Someone who demonstrates why faith, family and friends are important.
Here is a special video made about my time with Eddie the other day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dpea5mnFYc&feature=player_embedded

Down Syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is caused when there is a triplication on the 21st chromosome. People with Down Syndrome have 47 chromosomes instead of 46, like people without Down Syndrome. This is the reason it is called Trisomy 21, being there are three 21st chromosomes instead of the usual two.
Prior to 1975, it was not mandated for children with Down syndrome to be educated, it's believed there were one million children with Down syndrome and other disabilities who weren't being educated. In the early 1990s, the Americans with Disabilities Act required that accommodations be made in the workplace when possible, and prohibited discrimination. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009. As a result, adults with Down syndrome are achieving more than ever before.
Here is a good article to read: http://www.nads.org/pages_new/news/ruletheworld.html

VOCES Action on the stage with Gov. Rick Perry at the Texas Republican Convention

Daryl and Adryana Boyne from VOCES Action and their son Nathan were invited by Gov. Perry to be on stage during the Governor's speech to the Republican Convention of Texas. The Governor is a man with integrity and strong social and fiscal values and he will continue fighting for those in our state. Governor Perry gave a speech where he recognized all strong Texas with the values of fiscal and loyasl conservatism.

Here are the stand of the Governor on the issues:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Texas has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to do business in the nation under Gov. Perry’s leadership.
§ Aggressive Job Creation.
§ Record Property Tax Reductions.
§ Texas is Succeeding with a Strong Economy and Friendly Business Climate.

As the national and global economies struggle to recover from their financial woes, Texas is displaying strength that is built on conservative fiscal discipline.
§ Overcame Budget Shortfall.
§ Reducing Spending.

10TH AMENDMENT: FIGHTING INTRUSIVE WASHINGTON POLICIES
Folks in Washington should take a closer look at the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which clearly states the preeminence of states’ rights in the structure of our country. The time has come to assert those rights, and remind the federal government that it was created to serve states, not the other way around. Left unchecked, Washington will continue digging our country into a hole of debt, increased government intrusion and the loss of personal liberty.
§ Out-of-control spending.
§ Cap and Trade.

BORDER SECURITY
We cannot have homeland security without border security. Under Gov. Perry, Texas has been a leader on border security while the federal government has faltered. Under his leadership, Texas has put more boots on the ground, more technology to use, and more targeted operations to dramatically reduce all crime along the border.
§ Surge Operations.
§ Transnational Gang Initiative.

PUBLIC AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Under Gov. Perry’s leadership, more students than ever before have enrolled and graduated from college. Texas has increased educational accountability and raised standards to help students succeed in college while increasing teacher pay.
§ Increased Enrollment.
§ College Prep Mandatory in High School.
§ High Ranking.
§ Teacher Pay Raises and Incentives.
§ Public-Private Venture.
§ Road to Tier One.
§ Affordable College.

HEALTH CARE/TORT REFORM
Under Gov. Perry, Texas has reformed its child protective services, insured more of Texas’ needy children than ever before, and increased health care investments by more than $20 billion while promoting prevention and wellness programs to cut down on future health care costs. Gov. Perry has also led the most sweeping lawsuit reform in the nation, cracking down on junk asbestos claims and frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits. Now thousands more doctors, including specialists, are practicing in Texas, bringing greater access to quality health care for Texans.
§ Cracking Down on Frivolous Lawsuits.
§ Increased access in underserved areas.
§ Protecting Children.
§ Texas Protects its Most Vulnerable Citizens.
§ Tough on Fraud.

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Under Gov. Perry, Texas is moving aggressively to create a diverse portfolio of energy sources, including renewable, natural gas, coal and nuclear power to meet the needs of our growing population in an eco-sensitive manner. Texas is a national leader in reducing emissions and known pollutants and advancing renewable energy sources. Texas has done so while balancing the need for environmental improvements with fostering economic growth, new investment and job creation.
§ Renewable Energy.
§ The Texas Emissions Reduction Plan.

SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE
Gov. Perry is the most pro-life governor Texas has ever had and has implemented a number of significant reforms to protect life and strengthen Texas families across our state.
§ Abortion
§ Banning Embryonic Stem Cell Research
§ Protecting Traditional Marriage
§ Promoting Adoption

TRANSPORTATION
Gov. Perry pioneered innovative infrastructure solutions for a rapidly growing state by promoting private investment. Transportation infrastructure is critical to the economy and quality of life of Texans. Under Gov. Perry, Texas has made dramatic strides to improve roads, railroads, airports, seaports and mass transit, ensuring Texans and the economy can keep moving forward.
§ Local Control
§ Ending Budget Diversions
§ Help For New Roads

CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Gov. Perry supports appropriate, just punishment as a strong deterrent to criminal behavior. Texas has strong laws that protect the innocent and ensure convicted murders serve their time.
§ Life without Parole Option
§ Jessica’s Law
§ Protecting People against Drunk Drivers

PROPERTY RIGHTS
More than 90 percent of the land in Texas is privately owned and Gov. Perry is committed to protecting Texans’ rights as landowners. Gov. Perry worked to protect private property rights by responding quickly to the U.S. Supreme Court Kelo decision by prohibiting the use of eminent domain and the condemnation of private property for economic development purposes.Working with the legislature, Gov. Perry helped pass the strongest property rights protection in the state’s history through House Joint Resolution (HJR) 14. Gov. Perry campaigned for this measure, which voters enshrined in the Constitution by approving Proposition 11, so the legislature can’t weaken it without the people giving their permission at the ballot box. When voters added Proposition 11 to the Constitution this November, they forever prevented

Lone Star Tea Party featuring Adryana Boyne

Adryana Boyne will be a speaker at the Lone Star Tea Party on April 15th. This is not the first time that the Tea Party has Adryana speaking and it is not the firs tie that the Tea Party movement has Hispanics and other minorities speaking. The liberal media does not report this. Adryana stand strong for conservative, biblical values and is a motivator for the Hispanic community as well as a motivator for non Hispanics to engage with Hispanics in the country. The Tea Party will also feature Mr. Rafael Cruz, father of former solicitor general of Texas Ted Cruz and Fernando Trevino a young man from Texas A&M who has been doing a great job for conservatism in Texas Hispanic politics.
These is a great team of Hispanic Conservatives.For information see link: http://www.lonestarteaparty.org/

Cathie Adams, New Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas!

The State Republican Executive Committee elected Cathie Adams the party's chairwoman over Melinda Fredricks on a 36-25 vote.

I had the opportunity to meet Cathie Adams for the first time two years ago, and through the last couple of years, I have had the opportunity to meet with her and have had one on one conversations and got to know her better. Cathie is a very kind and brilliant woman. She is a good listener and also gives good answers . Not only she listens but she takes in account what people think, and that is one of the things I most admire in her. She always would find time to talk with people. She is a wife, mother and a grandmother, but always cares for others as well. Cathie has been very committed fo many, many years in working voluntarily for her country at her own cost without seeking self-recognition but with the purpose to help our state and our country to return to the conservative values that our Founding Fathers had when this country was founded.

It breaks my heart to read in some articles that some people have attacked her because her Christian faith, when in fact, I think is because her faith that she has been strong and committed to care for other people's welfare and to work hard, so we may have a better America.
Yes, Mrs. Adams is a Christian woman and she is not ashamed of it. Many of us, Christians like to share our faith because we know Jesus. But let me tell you that a Christian in politics has a hardest time in been appreciated in other many areas and giftedness because the very first thing that liberals use to attack is our faith and with that they try to hide the fact that there are many other great talents that people have besides their strong faith. Cathie has endured harsh comments from the press and has stood strong because she knows Who gives her strength to continue. Cathie is a mature lady with a lot of skills and experience. She will make the GOP run in an adecuate manner in Texas and she will encourage the people of Texas to grow the GOP! Her fight is for the conservative values and for the freedom of our country and many of us stand strong on that. Cathie knows why the government should not get into people's lives and that government should be giving accountability to the people and not people to the government! She cares for the life of the unborn and the protection of the family. She cares for low taxation, for personal and fiscal responsability. She spends hours defending and protecting our freedom.
For those who attack Cathie and others like me, who are Christians involved in politics, let me tell you that we are not fearful of any of you because we will continue standing strong. Just like Cathie has and many of us are doing too! This country needs more people from Judeo-Christian principles to stand strongly in their values and to vote their values! So we are not going to stop just because people criticize us for being conservative. We need more people like Cathie Adams to stand strong for what is truth and right.

Cathie is a giving person, gives her time, work and resources to the community. I strongly support the role of Cathie Adams as the new GOP chair. She is very committed to outreach and engage with the Latinos and the other minority groups in Texas. Cathie is friends with Americans and immigrants from all ethnic backgrounds. I am one of them. Cathie has always made time for me to discuss the issues that we are concerned in our country. She is already doing an absolutely awesome job. Cathie has two decades of experience serving Texans and promoting conservative values. Cathie Adams has worked with leaders like us, reminding our elected officials who elected them to ensure conservative accountability. Cathie's dedication and commitment to conservative issues and no-nonsense politics is a winning combination. Cathie is an American who cares, who has the knowledge, a friend of America, a true amiga. Gracias Cathie!


Please read Mrs. Adams's article at the Texas Tribune http://www.texastribune.org/stories/2009/nov/17/texas-weekly-texas-way/

We have a conversation with Mrs. Adams and the furue of the party here is the site. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cantotalk/2009/10/29/lets-talk

Gov. Rick Perry

Gov Rick Perry has been Governor of Texas since December 21, 2000. Gov Perry stood on the steps of the state capitol, raised his right hand and took the oath of office as Texas’ 47th Governor. Every day since then he has stood for Texans’ conservative values, fought for principled solutions to tough challenges and worked to implement a clear vision for better schools, more jobs, safer communities and a brighter future.

Texans are safer because Gov. Perry ordered an aggressive border security initiative that is putting more boots on the grounds, more helicopters in the sky, and more resources into the hands of border law officers who are on the front lines of America’s homeland security efforts. Texas is shutting down illegal activity on the border, and the American homeland is more secure.

Perry has led the fight for better schools, signing into law a $2,000 pay raise for teachers and the country’s largest performance pay program. He has worked for higher standards and greater accountability. He ordered schools to spend 65% of tax dollars directly in the classroom—not bureaucracy—and required districts to open their financial books so taxpayers can see how their money is being spent. Today student test scores are rising, and a record number of children are going to college.

Perry has made job creation a top priority of his administration. Texas has gained more than 630,000 new jobs over the last three years, and more Texans are working today than ever before. Our business climate has been ranked one of the nation’s best, and we are attracting the technology-based jobs of tomorrow’s economy with new job investments.

Throughout his term in office, Gov. Perry has proven himself to be a leader who does what he believes is right, regardless of what critics may say.

He refused to raise taxes when Texas faced a record $10 billion budget shortfall in 2003. Instead, he became the first governor since World War II to sign a budget that lowered state spending. As governor, Perry has used his line item veto to cut over $2.5 billion in proposed spending—six times more than the last four Texas governors combined.

He led the battle to pass the country’s most sweeping lawsuit reforms. Junk lawsuits against medical providers have dropped off dramatically, and patients have better access to healthcare because thousands of doctors have returned to practice.

And in 2005, Perry signed a historic $15.7 billion property tax cut for homeowners and businesses that also includes new taxpayer protections against appraisal increases.

A fifth generation Texan, Perry grew up the son of tenant farmers in the tiny West Texas town of Paint Creek. The younger of Ray and Amelia Perry’s two children, he was active in scouting and earned distinction as an Eagle Scout.

Perry was one of the first in his family to go to college, earning a degree in Animal Science at Texas A&M, where he was also a member of the Corps of Cadets and a Yell Leader.

Between 1972 and 1977, Perry served in the U.S. Air Force flying C-130 tactical airlift aircraft in the Europe and the Middle East. He is a lifetime member of American Legion Post #75.

Prior to being elected Lieutenant Governor in 1998, he served two terms as Texas Commissioner of Agriculture and four terms in the Texas House of Representatives.

Perry married his childhood sweetheart, Anita Thigpen, in 1982. The Governor and First Lady are the proud parents of two children—Griffin, 23, and Sydney, 20. They are members of Tarrytown United Methodist Church in Austin.
For those who would like to know moe about Gov Perry please visit www.rickperry.org

Eva Guzman Supreme Court Justice in Texas

Recently, on October 8th, 2009 Governor Rick Perry appointed Eva Guzman to the Supreme Court of Texas. FOr more than a decade, Judge Guzsman has brought strong conservative values to the Texas Judiciary.
I met Judge Guzman few months ago and I was impressed with her speech of how she came to the Supreme Court.I have the honor to interview Judge Eva Guzman at the show My View and here is the link. The interview has interesting questons so all of you get to know Judge Guzman better. Thank you very much.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cantotalk/2009/11/12/Lets-talk

Interview with Laura Drain

Today I interviewed Laura Drain about her organizations : Alcanzando Metas and Hispanic Proffessional Women Asscociation Please liten to the show and learn more about Laura!
Please listen to the interview that VOCES Action did to Laura Drain. Minute 21:20
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cantotalk/2009/10/27/Lets-talk-about-Hispanic-issues

Congratulations to Laura Ramirez Drain, mi hermana!

I met Laura Drain in 2006 in Washington DC, at a Republican National Hispanic Assembly Convention and she called my attention for her willingness to help and serve others around her. I heard how she expressed herself about the United States, with honor and respect. We just have so much in common: Both of us were born and reared in Mexico, both of us had immigrated to the USA, both of us married with outstanding husbands, both of us mothers of two children, both of us speaking Spanish as our mother tongue but have learned English, both of us conservative. To my pleasure I saw Laura again at the Republican floor of the Republican National Convention; both of us were elected at-large in our home state. I was a Delegate from Texas and she was a delegate from Virginia. She has just become an American few weeks before the convention! Laura was the Co Chair of Latinas for McCain's Chapter and Women for McCain in Virginia and DC. Then I saw Laura again in Texas at the Gov. Sarah Palin event where 50 Latino Leaders were honored to hear Gov. Palin. I saw Laura working very close and very hard in the Presidential campaign as we were worming for the Latino vote. Meanwhile, Laura and I got to know each other through the campaign, telephone and e-mails. She expressed her conservative values and surprised me with her accomplishments. Laura, in few years has done so much more than many others that have the blessing to be born and reared in the USA.

Laura came to the USA from Mexico in 1999 as part of career relocation with the Hewlett-Packard Corporation. Taking with her social, religious and conservative political values from Mexico she sought out to find community and political activities in her newly adopted home. Before she came to the USA, when she used to live in Mexico, Laura was involved with the conservative party, (PAN), and the Catholic church. Laura was very involved in volunteerism at Mexico’s most violent earthquake and that helped Laura in the foundation of Laura’s beliefs and views on government and politics.


In the United States, she formed in 2004 the Hispanic Professional Women Association (HPWA) www.hpwa.org, to provide networking and career support for Hispanic professional women around the United States, Latin America and Europe. In 2006 she started the "Alcanzando Metas Foundation" www.ametas.org , an education foundation dedicated to serving gifted Hispanic high school students in their preparation for higher education and entry into 21st century careers. In 2008 she became a citizen of the United States of America and was elected as the Hispanic delegate for the State of Virginia to the Republican National Conference. This conservative woman has given so much of herself, her time, her efforts, and her money in conservatives causes EVEN before becoming an American Citizen!

Recently, I went to Washington DC. Laura pick the team of VOCES Action at the Reagan airport: Two of VOCES Action board members, Dianne Salvagno Costa, Edna Cuellar McDaniel and I. Laura not only picked us up but took us for lunch to a beautiful place so we felt more than welcome in Washington. She went the extra mile to host us. I saw her working endless hours in a campaign that we were all very hopeful for. Laura , alongside with other outstanding Latinos leaders who were running for positions at a Republican Group, worked very hard. Other outstanding Conservative Republicans who are leaders in different areas came to speak on behalf of this team, among them were author and political commentator Leslie Sanchez, Tito Munoz (Tito the Builder) Mayor Dianne Costa and myself. Laura barely sleeps. Every day she was working, giving an interview for TV, helping someone, and she always doing that with a good attitude.

Sadly , that election was lost and I will not go in detail why that election was lost. What I will share is that many conservative Latinos were quite disappointed with the results of that election but God brought something better: A new organization coalition that was very much needed in America and with the same leadership that we all were trusting, Laura among them.The Latino National Republican Coalition.

I went back to Washington DC, and Laura and I attended several trainings together. One with the RNC as we both is Surrogates of the RNC and training with the Leadership Institute. She and I were in the same team, and we did alongside other people a great team work. There, in a case study I could relay in the wealth of business experience and technology that Laura has.

Laura strong Hispanic accent is not a problem. She really knows how to talk to the people. What can I say, I have an accent too! Laura is also the Founder and President of the Hispanic Professional Women Association. Having developed chapters over the last five years in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, Ms. Drain is a proven business leader who focuses on growth.


Currently, Laura has been expanding her knowledge of politics through participation in the Leadership Institute, assistance with the various Virginian political campaigns as MacDonnell for Governor . She is also an active member in the Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Virginia, Welcoming committee of the Republican Party of Virginia and the Fairfax County Republican committee, she was also Class 2009 of The Jennifer Byler Institute which mission is to increase the number of effective Republican women in public. (FCRC).

I not only recognize Laura for her political activism serving Hispanics in the Republican Party through her efforts. I recognize her also for her integrity, accountability and teachability. That with the character and the humility are great values in a leader. Laura is always willing to learn. Since VOCES speaks and educateon the conservative issues on life and family and the biblical principles, Laura always listens with atention. She stands strongly with us on thos principles. and with VOCES Action , she has showed support and has given to us great advice to the organization as well.

During Hispanic Heritage Month Laura Drain and I were named by the RNC among the "Hispanic Republicans Making Their Voices Heard." we were both very happy because we know we have work very hard for the values we stand for.
Recently Laura has been awarded by the Asociación Mundial de Mexicanos en el Exterior (AMME), as one successful woman in the USA.
I see in Laura Ramirez Drain a leader that knows that leadership begins with serving others. All those who know Laura, know exactly what I am talking about. She will continue the fight for what is right. Laura is presently helping now in Virginia's race campaign of Bob McDonnell for Governor and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General.
Voces Action has been motivated to go as Edna McDaniel and I are planning to go and help also in this election . Both are motivated for our love for God and for the people. Tito and Debbie Munoz have extended us their hand to go and help. We are looking forward to see many people there but most of all, I am looking forward to see my sister Laura and give her an abrazo of appreciation for all that she is doing. Congratulations to Laura Ramírez Drain and gracias por tu trabajo!

Adryana Boyne Honored by the RNC among the "Hispanics Making Their Voices Heard"

In this Hispanic Heritage Month, I am very honored in been named by the RNC among the "Hispanic Republicans making Their Voices Heard" Here is the site http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3818009&id=114625464417


I feel so blessed because it is a real honor alongside with a great responsibility. Those of you who know me know well that I stand strong for Conservative moral and fiscal values. Therefore it is my desire to bring others to these values, with God's help, to bring our country back to Conservative values.


The list that the RNC put on this month is a list of many Hispanic Republicans that are working hard for the issues that stand strong with the Republican Party. I know many of the people in the list and many are my friends and I feel much honored to be named among them: Laura Drain, Rosario Marin, Anna Escobedo Cabral, Bettina Inclan, Madeleine Rohan, Lincoln and Mario Diaz Balart, Alberto Gonzalez, Tibi Ellis, and many others. It is not a numbered list it does not have position or ranking. It is a list of those Hispanics and of course to put the photos it took an order. So no one is more recognized than the others (as a matter of fact I was first on the album as# 3 but at my request they replaced the photo since the one they put was very small and it was replaced and I went to the end of the list!)


I would like to say that there are many other Hispanics that have not been mentioned in this list. I know that the RNC knows many Hispanics but they were the ones selecting those people. However, there are many outstanding Republicans that I have known through the years that are working very hard for or with Hispanics and are making their voices heard I would like to mention few of them today:

Leslie Sanchez from DC, Angelette Aviles from Maryland,Gloria Campos and Rafael Rivadeneira from Illinois, Richard Rios and Jim Lopez from California, Dianne Costa, Francisco "Quico" Canseco, Ted Cruz, Artemio "Temo" Muniz, Edna Mc Daniel, Rene Diaz, and Silvio Canto from Texas. And por supuesto our good friend Manuel "Manny" Rosales who works in the RNC. You are great people with many talents and you are all Latinos that I admire and respect. I learn from all of you. We are in a team and all working in different areas, but with the same purpose of serving and helping our country. Hopefully more Latinos will be encouraged with our work.
Congratulations to all! Felicidades para todos! Let's continue working hard making our fiscal and moral values go in many directions. Gracias a todos!

Latina Voices heard in Washington DC

http://thenewsconnection.com/article/Main_News/Local/Latina_voices_being_heard_in_Washington/32890

Latina voices being heard in Washington
Published 08/27/2009 - 11:06 a.m. CST
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L to R: Dianne Costa, Adryana Boyne, RNC Chairman Michael Steele and Edna McDaniel meet in Washington to address conservative issues.
Three local women went to Washington D.C. to represent VOCES Action, a non-profit corporation representing conservative values among Latinos. Highland Village resident Adryana Boyne, National Director of VOCES Action, along with board members, Edna Cuellar McDaniel (Flower Mound) and Dianne Costa (Mayor of Highland Village), attended the Republican National Assembly annual convention. In an effort to include and empower the Latino voice, VOCES, (Spanish word for voices) a 501c3, and VOCES Action, a (501c4) sister organization, have been launched in the Highland Village area with an aim at communicating conservative values within and through the Latino and non-Latino communities, empowering them to get involved in protecting and promoting their conservative values in their homes, cities, states and country, as well as serving as a bridge between communities. Ms Boyne believes that the majority of American Hispanics hold to conservative values. “In spite of holding to these conservative values, their positions have been minimized, ignored and even distorted,” said Ms. Boyne. Ms. Boyne and Ms. Costa were invited as speakers, alongside other outstanding conservative Latinos like Leslie Sanchez, Dr. Henry Ramirez (first Hispanic official in the White House cabinet under former President Nixon), former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steel congratulated the three women for the work they do among Latinos with the organization VOCES Action. Ms. McDaniel was invited to encourage the conservative vote among young people. Ms. Costa was invited to form part of a group to work towards a GOP solution for the immigration situation. Ms. Boyne was invited back to D.C. to become a national surrogate for the RNC to the Spanish Media. She has been a spokesperson for the Republican Party in Texas for the last three years. She was nominated and elected to be a surrogate at the national level. She is well known for her strong conservative stance and her ability to effectively communicate issues. The three women, along with VOCES Action President, Dr. Daryl Boyne advocate for conservative values such as pro-life, traditional marriage and individual freedoms, coupled with personal responsibility.
- Special to The News Connection

We at VOCES ACTION were delighted to endorse Mr. Richard Rios for RNHA Chair and his slate. His website is
http://www.riosforchair.com/

We are aware that elections are not held based on political slates and that each position is voted individually. The measure of success in an organization lays on its leadership ability to work as an effective team and its diversity to ensure that there is balance and representation from all.
Chair Richard Rios California Chair
1st Vice-chair Gloria Campos Mid-West Director, Illinois Past Chair
2nd Vice-chair Laura Drain Virginia
Treasurer Rafael Rivadeneira Illinois State Chair
Assistant Treasurer Frank Tijenera Colorado State Chair
Secretary Tibi Ellis Nevada ChairFor more information go tohttp://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&suggest&note_id=107750209498


"I am happy to endorse Mr. Richard Rios and welcome his strong initiative to unite resources and partner with other local and national Hispanic organizations. Alongside RIchard I am also happy in endorsing Laura Drain, a dedicated and dynamic worker. I have personally witnessed the involvement of Laura in promoting conservative values and the Republican Party at diferent events in different states. I extend this endorsement to Gloria Campos, Tibi Ellis and Rafael Rivadeneira. All of them are Republicans with integrity, responsability and accountability who are committed to work as a team in the mission of representing well conservative Hispanics "


Adryana Boyne
National Director of VOCES ACTION
GOP Spokesperson Spanish Media and Hispanic Affairs -
TexasAt-Large Delegate, Republican National Convention, 2008

"As the mother of 2 soldiers I can certainly attest that one of the critical areas for the future will be our military. Rios is someone who sought to serve early in his life, demonstrating his belief in having a strong military. Even though he was unable to serve due to medical reasons, he has still followed his "service" heart, as reflected in his many acts of volunteerism such as during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I would encourage everyone to support Richard Rios due to his history of being a statesman rather than a politician - showing his selfless dedication to the greater good of everyone "

Dianne Costa
Mayor of Highland Village,TX
Board of Directors of VOCES ACTION


"Impressive! Richard Rios is a Leader with a vision and strategic plan that fleshes out a team approach, uniting Latinos and non-Latinos from coast-to-coast, with a common purpose/goal of moving the conservative platform forward, thus, preserving the integrity of our constitution, "We the people..." I endorse Richard Rios for National RNHA Chair. "

Edna Cuellar McDaniel
Board of Directors VOCES ACTION