The Republican Club of Sun City

N E W S L E T T E R

May 2016                 Everett Schmidt, Editor               Sun City Texas

(Club Website: rcsctx.com)

(Subjects below: LGBT Issues; Does American Clamor for a King)

FORMER VIETNAM P.O.W. TO ADDRESS CLUB

Dave Carey, a former navy pilot and Vietnam P.O.W. who spent over 5 years during the Vietnam war as a prisoner in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton,” will be speaker at the club’s dinner meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 18 in the ballroom of the Social Center in Sun City. (Club members should note this meeting is scheduled for a Wednesday night, instead of the usual Thursday night.) His address will include his experience as a POW under that typically brutal communist regime.

He is currently a motivational speaker who relates his experiences as a POW to help people understand the prison-like aspects people may be experiencing in their personal and professional lives. He is the author of a book titled, The Ways We Choose, Lessons for Life.

A graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy, he retired as a navy Captain, the recipient of numerous military awards.

BEGINNING TIMES: Social Hour -6:00 PM; Dinner -6:30 PM; Program -7:00 PM (approx.)

     MENU: Caprese Salad (tomatoes with sliced buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil with olive oil and balsamic vinegar), garlic bread sticks, chicken pesto alfredo, vegetarian stuffed portabella mushrooms, wild mushroom risotto, steamed broccoli, sautéed vegetable medley with pesto ratatouille. Beverages: wine, soda, iced tea, raspberry lemonade and coffee. Dessert: chocolates.

     COST: Cost is $16 per person. Checks made out to “The Republican Club of Sun City” should be mailed to: The Republican Club of Sun City, 1530 Sun City Blvd., Suite 120, Box 227, Georgetown, TX 78633, or left in a special drop box located on the front porch of the home of club treasurer, Bill Harron, at 125 Stetson Trail. For information, contact the club president Meredith Chiles at 512-868-1391 or chilesmm@gmail.com. The deadline for payment or reservations is Friday May 13.

     VISITORS ARE WELCOME! (Non-members may attend a maximum of two meetings per year –as attendees for the dinner or observers for the program –without having to pay membership dues.)

“AGENDA 21” TO BE EXPLAINED AT CLUB’S JUNE MEETING

Meeting is Scheduled for the Cowan Creek Amenity Center

     John Marler, community activist from the Georgetown area, will explain the provisions of a 1992 UN resolution known as “Agenda 21” which was designed to promote environmentally friendly development and discourage urban sprawl. Although the resolution began in the UN, its concepts have been introduced in a number of states, Texas among them, and include issues of special importance to conservatives, such as private property rights and state sovereignty. A plank in the most recent version of the State GOP Platform indicates opposition to that effort in Texas.

Club members should note the June 2 meeting comes only 2 weeks and 1 day after the May meeting and is scheduled to be held at the Cowan Creek Center. Details concerning the June meeting will be provided in the June newsletter.

OTHER CLUB NEWS

     Club Bylaws. A copy of the bylaws was inadvertently omitted from the Club Directory; however, acopy of the bylaws will be attached to a supplementary list of new and renewingclub members which will be distributed to club members at the July meeting. In addition, members should be aware that a copy of the bylaws is available at the club website, rcsctx.com

     Statistics. Club vice president (for membership) Cathy Cody reports that current club membership now stands at 342. Club treasurer Bill Harron reports the number of attendees at the April dinner meeting was 156 with another 24 individuals attending as observers.

     Membership Forms. Effective immediately, it will be necessary for both new and renewing members to complete and submit membership forms. This requirement is necessary to ensure that all directory information is correct and up to date.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS TO VOLUNTEER SERVICES

Following is information about two opportunities for club members to donate their services for two worthy causes.

     Deputy Voter Registrars. Inasmuch as a number of Sun City residents have recently moved to Sun City, they may not be registered to vote in the all-important November elections. A number of club members have for years been deputy voter registrars, but more registrars would be helpful in this effort.

     To become a deputy voter registrar, one must take a mandatory training class that will provide certification as a deputy voter registrar for a two-year period. A training class isheld the 1stand 3rdTuesday of each month at 2:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The class lasts about 30 minutes and is free. For information or to sign for the class, contact the Elections Office at 512-943-1630.

Individuals who complete the training are asked to so inform Cathy Cody, VP for membership, at 512-818-0974 or redcorvette@suddenlink.netso they can be contacted about serving at the club’s table at the New Resident Orientation meetings and at other occasions.

Currently certified members are also asked to notify Cathy of their certification.

     Grassroots Club. The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) sponsors a club identified as The      Grassroots Club of Texas, an organization having as its purpose the raising of funds to defray administrative costs of the State Party, helping to fund the campaigns of Republican Candidates, and contributing to the funding of outreach programs. All of the generated funds stay in Texas.

To join the Grassroots Club, simply donate $8.25 per month (chargeable to a credit card) or $99 as a one-time payment for the year. Registration cards are also available at club meetings.

As a benefit of membership, the RPT will not send mail or make calls requesting donations, thereby providing Texas Republicans some relief from solicitation calls and mailings. For information, access the following website: www.grassrootsclub.com

THE ESCALATING CLASH OF WORLDVIEWS ABOUT L.G.B.T. ISSUES

     Foreword. Currently, there is much debate about the extent to which individuals claiming status as a transgendered individual must, on the one hand, be accommodated while, on the other hand, the privacy of other individuals in those facilities must be maintained. This involves restrooms, dressing rooms and showers.

Considerable confusion now accompanies this debate. To provide some understanding, this report will concentrate on the three following issues which are currently in the news:

• North Carolina’s legislation which was designed to override the ordinance of the city of Charlotte which allowed individuals to enter the bathroom of their choice according to their perceived gender.

• The decision of Target to accommodate transgendered individuals in its restrooms.

• The decision of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled in favor of a biological female high school student in Virginia who sued to gain access to the boys’ restroom under Title IX of the U. S. Education Amendments of 1972. The decision was made by a divided court and, reportedly, is likely to be appealed to the U. S. Supreme Court.

     Ancillary issues will also be discussed.

     A Transgender Issue Can be Affected According to How the Setting is Conjured Up. In the following discussion, it should be noted there are differing locations involved in a transgender dispute. For example, the dispute could involve a restroom, a fitting room, a school, a bus station or another facility. Also, the involved individuals could also vary; that is, they could involve adults, high school’s students, elementary school students and even sex predators, registered or otherwise.

In connection with the sex predator issue, the following comments from the Sumpter and Gonzales law firm (Austin) should be noted:

     As a general rule, the mere fact that a person is registered as a sex offender does not prohibit a person from doing anything; the only additional criminal liability imposed by registration is that failure to register is a felony. Texas probation and parole law requires the imposition of a “child safety zone” on a sex offender placed on community supervision (probation) or released on parole or mandatory supervision if the offender’s victim was a child.

     In connection with the sex predator issues, it may be helpful to note that Sen. Ted Cruz, while a candidate for president, contended that Donald Trump was amenable to a law “that says any adult man can go into a girl’s restroom if he feels like a woman at that minute.” But, Cruz continued, “The real danger is not people who are transgendered. It’s people who are predators.” Nevertheless, despite that significant qualification, Cruz was vilified by leftist as being anti-gay.

In regard to a related matter, the Conservative Review states that the Iowa Association of Social Workers reports that because of restrictions on where sex offenders can live –as noted above –many migrate to “motels, trailer parks, interstate highway rest stops, parking lots and tents. “Donald Trump stated in regard to the North Carolina issue (discussed below) that transgenders should use whatever restroom they want to use. “There have been very few complaints the way it is . . . They use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble. And the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic backlash [of certain business enterprises].”

     But later, he backpedaled, saying, “I think that local communities and states should make the decision; however, Title IX (discussed later) precludes that situation because it involves federal law.

In addition to Title IX, both state and federal governments are getting more involved in transgender issues as evidenced by the following proposed laws:

• The government of California has decided to allow any male prisoner who claims to be a woman to spend his incarceration inside a woman’s prison. California has also mandated that taxpayers of California must pay for any transgendered person seeking surgery for sexual reassignment.

• A House committee is set to propose that women, along with the present requirement pertaining to men, be required to register for military draft. It may not be possible to assign women draftees to non-combat roles inasmuch as the Secretary of Defense has already removed that restriction and the quest for “equality,” which drives so much of the present American culture, may be controlling.

• House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is making the proposed “Equality Act” a top priority. If passed, it would give sexual orientation and gender identity the same standing as race.

THE NORTH CAROLINA LEGISLATION

The North Carolina legislature passed a bathroom law which requires people to use public restrooms that match their biological sex. As was reported above, this was to overrule a Charlotte city ordinance permitting bathroom interchange. That law has been extensively demagogued by leftists –and even by the more moderate television personalities, as the following report from the Conservative Review illustrates:

Fox News host Megyn Kelly interviewed N. C. Governor Pat McCrory, leading with a story that failed to emphasize that the restrooms, locker rooms and dressing rooms in question are public. The North Carolina law has nothing –let me repeat –nothing to do with private business. Gas stations, restaurants, bars, offices, sports arenas, etc. -they have nothing to do with this law.

This was a point McCrory had to correct right off the bat, explaining that the Charlotte ordinance, which the state overturned, was a government dictate on private business that told them what to do with their own property.

Additionally, McCrory later explained that just as local government was trying to tell private businesses what to do, overreaching its authority, President Obama is now trying to tell states what to do by withholding federal education funds unless the states implement laws that put men in women’s bathrooms. In other words, the federal government is trying to hold states hostage to its will.

Kelly didn’t seem concerned with either of these points and instead moved to the issue of public restrooms after having to admit that this law had zero impact on private businesses.

“What’s the fear?” Kelly asked the governor. Why not let transgender women (a.k.a. men) use public restrooms?

McCrory explained that the law doesn’t just have to do with restrooms, but locker rooms and dressing rooms, where women don’t want men violating their privacy.

TARGET’S POLICY

In a press release, Target said, “We welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity. Everyone deserves to feel they belong.”

But there has been reaction to that position. The American Family Association (broadcasting at 89.9 FM) has promoted and continues to promote -a boycott of which there are now over one million signatories. The president of AFA said, “Corporate America must stop bullying people who disagree with the radical left agenda to remake society into their progressive image. Predators and voyeurs would take advantage of the policy to prey on those who are vulnerable.”

THE FOURTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS

On April 19, 2016 the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a district court and ruled in regard to a

Virginia school district issue that how a person self-identifies would determine public bathroom privileges at that student’s school. The ruling came out of language in Title IX (referred to above), a ruling which would no doubt surprise the authors of that law which was adopted by Congress in 1972. There is now speculation that this ruling will go to the Supreme Court.

     The Dissent. The ruling by that court was by a 2 –1 vote. The dissenting judge wrote a strong dissent. Because the major media engage in promoting a leftist, demagogic view of the issue at hand, excerpts of this dissent are extensively reproduced below:

This holding completely tramples on all universally accepted protections of privacy and safety that are based on the anatomical differences between the sexes . . . schools would no longer be able to protect physiological privacy as between students of the opposite biological sex.

This unprecedented holding overrules custom, culture, and the very demands inherent in human nature for privacy and safety, which the separation of such facilities is designed to protect. More particularly, it also misconstrues the clear language of Title IX and its regulations. And finally, it reaches an unworkable and illogical result.

Across societies and throughout history, it has been commonplace and universally accepted to separate public restrooms, locker rooms, and shower facilities on the basis of biological sex in order to address privacy and safety concerns arising from the biological differences between males and females. An individual has a legitimate and important interest in bodily privacy such that his or her nude or partially nude body, genitalia, and other private parts are not exposed to persons of the opposite biological sex. Indeed, courts have consistently recognized that the need for such privacy is inherent in the nature and dignity of humankind.

Natural Law, Religious Views. While the transgender movement contends it is interested in equal rights, Mathew Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel, contends the whole movement is an act of rebellion. “This (the movement) is objective reality just completely thrown aside,” Staver said. “At the end of the day, it is an absolute rebellion against our Creator, who created you and me in His image and He created male and female.”

The American College of Pediatricians. Thus far in this report there has been discussion of the pronouncements of a number of organizations, groups and individuals, on matters of law, legal opinion, business policies, religious beliefs and customer preferences about bathroom policies. Not yet presented is professional opinion from the American College of Pediatricians which, in March, under the heading, “Gender Ideology Harms Children,” issued eight statements about gender and sexuality. One of the authors is Dr. Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist-in-chief at John Hopkins Hospital, who has written at least two extensive op-ed pieces appearing in the Wall Street Journal. Inasmuch as there are stark differences of opinion among professional organizations about gender issues, the views of possibly the most respected individual in the nation on that topic are especially appreciated.

Following are those eight statements, with comments by author Matt Barber:

• HUMAN SEXUALITY IS AN OBJECTIVE BIOLOGICAL BINARY TRAIT: “XY” AND “XX” ARE GENETIC MARKERS OF HEALTH –NOT GENETIC MARKERS OF A DISORDER.

• NO ONE IS BORN WITH A GENDER. EVERYONE IS BORN WITH A BIOLOGICAL SEX. GENDER (AN AWARENESS AND SENSE OF ONESELF AS MALE OR FEMALE) IS A SOCIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPT; NOT AN OBJECTIVE BIOLOGICAL ONE.

• A PERSON’S BELIEF THAT HE OR SHE IS SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT IS, AT BEST, A SIGN OF CONFUSED THINKING. (When an otherwise healthy biological boy believes he is a girl, or an otherwise healthy biological girt believes she is a boy, an objective psychological problem exists that lies in the mind, not the body, and it should be treated as such, notes the report. “These children suffer from gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria(GD), formerly listed as Gender Identity Disorder (GID), is a recognized mental disorder in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-V)

• PUBERTY IS NOT A DISEASE, AND PUBERTY-BLOCKING HORMONES CAN BE DANGEROUS.

• ACCORDING TO THE DSM-V, AS MANY AS 98 PERCENT OF GENDER CONFUSED BOYS AND 88 PERCENT OF GENDER CONFUSED GIRLS EVENTUALLY ACCEPT THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX AFTER NATURALLY PASSING THROUGH PUBERTY.

• CHILDREN WHO USE PUBERTY BLOCKSTO IMPERSONATE THE OPPOSITE SEX WILL REQUIRE CROSS-SEX HOMONES IN LATE ADOLESCENCE. CROSS-SEX HORMONES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH DANGEROUS HEALTH RISKS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, BLOOD CLOTS, STROKE AND CANCER.

• RATES OF SUICIDE ARE 20 TIMES GREATER AMONG ADULTS WHO USE CROSS-SEX HORMONES AND UNDERGO SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY.

• CONDITIONING CHILDREN INTO BELIEVING A LIFETIME OF CHEMICAL AND SURGICAL IMPERSONATION OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IS NORMAL AND HEALTHFUL IS CHILD ABUSE.

DO AMERICANS NOW CLAMOR FOR A KING?

Columnist Dennis Prager contends in a May op-ed piece that, “at no other time has there been as much pessimism . . . about America’s future as there is today.” Many club members, in their contacts with friends and relatives, may have noted a similar view.

Prager contends, “Every distinctive value on which America was founded is in jeopardy.” In justifying his

contention,he cites several particular values now injeopardy, a sampling of which is shown below. The reader, upon subjecting them to analysis, may be startled at the repudiation of many of the values which were soessential to the success of the nation. Following is that sampling:

• According to a series of Harvard University polls, about 47 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 believe that food, shelter and health care “are a right that government should provide to those unable to afford them.” That means that nearly half our young people believe they have a legitimate claim on the labor and earnings of others for life’s basic necessities.

• More thanhalf of 18-to 29-year-old Americans do not support capitalism, the source of the prosperity they enjoy, and the only economic system that has ever lifted mass numbers of people out of poverty.

• When young Americans see pictures of the Founding Fathers, they do not see the great men that most Americans have seen throughout American history; they see white males who were affluent and owned slaves.

• The belief that certain fundamental rights are God-based –a view held by every American founder and nearly all Americans throughout its history –is reviled outside of conservative circles, and held by fewer and fewer Americans today.

• The view thatmale and female are distinctive identities –one of the few unquestioned foundational views of every society in history –is being obliterated.

• Religious institutions, which, for most of American history, have been the most important institutions in everyday American life, are being rendered irrelevant.

• The traditional family has become nothing more than one of many options open to Americans.

Columnist Ross Douthat, in an April op-ed piece, apparently in agreement with the thrust of Prager’s writing, submits the proposition that what will grow out of the situation described as an “imperial presidency,” has been raised to new heights by our last two presidents, with the apparent approval of a large segment of our society.

Douthat contends that Donald Trump is “clearly running to be an American caudillo [a Latin-American military dictator], not the president of a constitutional republic. . .” None of the enthusiasm for Trump involves a “reinvigoration of congressional prerogatives or a renewed push for federalism and states’ rights.” Quite the reverse: “They all imagine that the solution to our problems lies with a more effective and still-more-powerful president, free from antique constitutional limits and graced with a mandate that transcends partisanship.”

NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

(Some random observations on this crazy world in which we live)

Virginia Governor Clears Way for Felons to Vote. To clear the way for fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton to capture the White House this year, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliff unilaterally acted to restore the voting rights of 206,000 convicted violent and nonviolent felons.

“This is the essence of our democracy and any effort to dilute that fundamental principle diminishes it, folks, for all of us,”McAuliffe said on the steps of Virginia’s Capitol, before a crowd of more than 100 people that included many felons. Left-leaning advocacy groups were there as well, handing out voter registration forms.

Charts Revealing Price of Fetal Body Parts Displayed. Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, in connection with a House committee meeting, produced a chart revealing the price a research institution paid a middleman procurementcompany for body parts. Some examples: fetal brain -$3340; a baby skull matched to upper and lower limbs -$595; upper and lower limbs with hands and feet -$890.

Salaries of University Presidents andChancellors Revealed. An issue of The Texas Tribunerevealed some of the yearly salaries of Texas university presidents and chancellors. Some examples: Bill McRaven, UT Chancellor, $1.9 million; Michael Young, Texas A & M president –base salary of 1 million per year; Renu Khator, Univ. of Houston Chancellor –I million, including incentive pay and other benefits; John Sharp, A & M System Chancellor –1.1 million, including non-salary benefits.