10924 Grant Road, Suite 133 • Houston, Texas 77070 • www.terrylowry.comOn the web at www.TerryLowry.comArchives posted since January 1st 2005October 2018, Volume 27, Number 5LINKING TEXAS CONSER VATIVES SINCE 1993WEEKDAYS 2:00-3:00PM ON KKHT 100.7FMTHE WHAT’S UP Radio ProgramHouston Chronicle vs. The LINK LetterBy: Terry Lowry, Editor Host of The What’s UP Radio Program, Texas n Will the Houston Chronicle tell its readers the Democrat candidate running against Commissioner Jack Cagle is a member of the Communist Party USA? n Will the Houston Chronicle tell its readers about the Democrat Associate Judge in a Family Court, who oversees family violence cases, who is permanently enjoined from coming within 100 feet of his partners children for breaking the ankle of his partner’s daughter? n Will the Houston Chronicle come clean and tell its readers how many of the Democrat Judicial Candidates have honestly expressed their desire to become judges so ‘they can change the law’? n What difference does one’s party affiliation make when it comes to electing judges? Apparently, here in Harris County, it makes a tremendous difference! After analyzing several thousand appeals from Harris County over the past four full years, an undeniable theme emerges: Democrat Judges in Harris County are reversed at a rate that is alarmingly higher than their Republican colleagues – in fact, 83% more often! See Page 8 inside n Will the Houston Chronicle tell its readers that there were more than 175,000 illegal aliens booked into Texas jails between June 1, 2011 and July 31, 2018? Those Illegal aliens have been charged with over 273,000 criminal offenses. And, Democrat candi-dates Beto O’Rourke, Lupe Valdez and Veronica Escobar want to get rid of ICE. See page 6 inside n Will the Houston Chronicle tell its readers according to the Texas Tribune in 2016, the most common crime for inmates with ICE detainers is sexual assault of a child? See Page 10 inside n Will the Houston Chronicle tell its readers that one in every two adolescents who are born female, but identify as male, have attempted suicide in the past year? See Page 14 inside n The Houston Chronicle proudly supports Drag Queens in public libraries recruiting children into their lifestyle; men undressing alongside women in private areas; troubled boys wanting to shower with our daughters and granddaughters in our public schools; and restricting our 2nd Amendment rights. Lawlessness: There are HUGE differences between Democrats and Republicans from the top of ticket all the way to the bottom. Look inside for more. Now, Please Go Vote. Take Someone With You. Early Voting is from October 22 through November 2. Election Day is November 6. GALVESTON COUNTY SPECIAL EDITION FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION www.TerryLowry.com October 20182Critical Time For AmericaGuest Editorial by Senator Ted Cruz We stand at a critical time in our nation’s history. But it is also a time when many celebrities and politicians run our countr y down, disparaging the values that made us great. That makes your activism vitally important. In the last year and a half, under united Republican leadership, we’ve made amazing progress on a host of conservative priorities. We’ve slashed taxes on Americans and their businesses, resulting in a booming economy and historic low unemployment across the board. I was proud to have included an expansion to 529 educa-tion savings accounts in the tax bill, enabling families to put savings toward K-12 education across the board, tax free. We also zeroed out Obamacare’s individual mandate as part of the tax bill, a first big step in getting the federal bureaucracy out of the healthcare business. We’ve protected the right to keep and bear arms while rejecting attempts to undermine the Second Amendment through vehicles like the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. We’ve overseen the largest rebuilding of our Armed Forces since Ronald Reagan. We continue to conf irm judges who interpret the Constitution as-written, and respect the rule of law. I was proud to vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, which has already started delivering wins for the Constitution, from religious liberty to the size and scope of government. We’ve had wins abroad as well: exactly 70 years since the founding of the modern state of Israel, the United States finally opened its embassy in Jerusalem. We also exited Obama’s broken, lawless Iran deal, which incen-tivized Iranian aggression and Western weakness, and did not prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear ambitions. All these accomplishments, however, have one thing in common: they need to be cemented legislatively to do lasting good—and that means we need a Republican House and Senate: We want to make the individual tax cuts permanent. We should finally drive a stake through the heart of government-run healthcare and repeal Obamacare in its entirety. We should deliver on our promise to build a wall, secure our borders, and fix our broken immigration system. We want to fully defund Planned Parenthood, so taxpayers don’t unwillingly fund abortions. And a host of other priorities. Our plans have one more thing in common: they can be stalled, and even reversed, if we allow a blue wave to sweep away our majority in both houses of Congress. I urge you, first and foremost, to pray for our country. Secondly, I humbly ask that you pray for me—none of my endeavors for Texas will prosper without grace and guid-ance. Finally, I hope that you will find ways to volunteer and get involved with turning out the vote this November. To earn victory, we must match our hopes with action. Thank you, and may God bless Texas. Senator Ted Cruz3October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comInside this issue 2CRITICAL TIME FOR AMERICA Guest Editorial by: Senator Ted Cruz 4VOTE REPUBLICAN UP & DOWN THE BALLOT! Guest Editorial by: Lt. Governor Dan Patrick 5MARK LANIER SPEAKS AT DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY Guest Editorial by: Joshua C. Johnson Executive Editor of Focus Daily News 6TEXAS DEMOCRATS’ RECKLESS CALL TO DECRIMINALIZE ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS Guest Editorial by: Hans A. von Spakovsky 8DEMOCRAT JUDGES REVERSED 83% MORE OFTEN THAN REPUBLICAN JUDGES OVER THE PAST 4 FULL YEARS! 10 PREVENT MORE LAWLESSNESS By: Terry Lowry, Editor, The LINK Letter 11 AFTER FORTY YEARS OF OPEN BORDERS Guest Editorial by: Orlando Sanchez, Harris County Treasurer 12 KNOW YOUR BILL OF RIGHTS Guest Editorial by: Eric Dick 14 THE TRAGIC LINK BETWEEN TRANSGENDER TEENS AND SUICIDE Guest Editorial by: Kelsey Harkness 16 WILL YOUR LIBRARY BE A RECRUITING ARM FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY Guest Editorial by: Dave Welch 17 PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE DITCHING THE ABC’S FOR THE LGBTQIA’S Guest Editorial by: Mary Rice Hasson and Theresa Farnan 18 PREGNANCY HELP NEWS Guest Editorial by: Kirk Walden 20 THE DANGER OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS Guest Editorial by: Cathy Ruse 22 CHILD-CENTERED EDUCATION FUNDING Guest Editorial by: Allan E. Parker, Jr., JD President, The Justice Foundation www.TerryLowry.com October 20184Vote Republican Up & Down the Ballot!Guest Editorial By: Lt. Governor Dan Patrick Texas has one of the strongest economies in world — larger than Russia. We are the best state for imports, the best state for infrastructure, the best competitive labor environment — the list goes on and on. In the last year, more jobs were created in Dallas than in any other metro region in the country and, once again, Texas has been named the number one state in the country for doing business. Success Just Doesn’t Happen We hear these reports so often that we have come to take it for granted that Texas is number one. But Texas’ economic strength and its increasing role in the global economy, did not happen by accident -- it hap-pened because Republican leadership gover ns by sound conservative principles and Texas values. Remember, Republicans only gained control of all the statewide offices and both chambers of the legislature in 2003. Before Republican leadership triumphed and Democrats ran the state and the economy was in the tank. Debt was high and accountability was low. Republicans elected statewide and GOP majorities in the Texas House and Senate allowed us to turn it around. Texans Want to Be Texans Democrats running for office in Texas today – from the U.S. Senate to the local court house -- not only want to return to those bad old days, they want to make it much worse. Democrats want to turn Texas into California or New York and we know what that means. Democrats want bigger government for a start – which leads to higher taxes and debt. They still love Obamacare and they want to expand it in Texas. Open Borders – Take Our Guns Democrats want open borders. They oppose the Second Amendment and advocate taking away guns and they have no respect for innocent life. In fact, abortion is a litmus test for them. As we saw in the Democrat primary earlier this year, if a candidate even questions abortion on demand for everyone, a majority of Democrats believe he can’t represent their party or be on the Democrat ticket. These are fundamental disagreements about the princi-ples and values of the conservative majority in Texas. Choice Up To You This is a big choice election. Do you want to give Democrats a toe hold anywhere in Texas or do you want to continue the Republican leadership that is keeping our state strong? For conservatives, the answer is easy. My priorities are a secure borders, protection of innocent life, respecting the Second Amendment and continuing the fight to rein in the skyrocketing property taxes that are a threat not only to homeowners but to business owners and our economy throughout the state. As I said after the primary victory, going into the General Election, conservatives must vote straight ticket GOP. A Republican on his or her worst day is better than a Democrat on his or her best day. Vote Straight Republican Ticket Here’s the bottom line -- vote straight ticket Republican – to keep Texas strong, prosperous and free. God bless you and God bless Texas. Dan Patrick is the Lt. Governor of Texas. He previous-ly represented Senate District 7 in Houston. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick5October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comAttorney Mark Lanier Speaks At Dallas Baptist UniversityListen to Mark Lanier every day during the What’s UP Radio ProgramGuest Editorial By: Joshua C. Johnson Executive Editor of Focus Daily News Attorney, author, teacher, pastor, and expert story-teller Mark Lanier recently spoke at Dallas BaptistUniversity. Addressing the students at a weekly chapel service, he shared about what truly matters in life. “What really counts?” Lanier began. “Some people would say what really counts is math, others would say true love, and some might even say food. My suggestion is that what really counts is all three.” After grabbing the students’ attention with this bold claim, Lanier proceeded to explain his reasoning. “Math is a reflection of the character of God. It does not change,” he said. “As surely as two plus two equals four, so God is a God of justice, and love, and mercy.” True love, he continued, is represented on the cross when Christ chose to take our place and die for the forgiveness of our sins. Food, he concluded, represents the daily necessity of scripture, community, and prayer to have a healthy relationship with God. A native Texan, Lanier has become one of the most accomplished and distinguished lawyers in the United States. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial and was also selected as the 2018 President of the National Trial Lawyers Association. When he is not working in the courtroom, he also leads a Sunday school class at Champion Forest Baptist Church and has written multiple books including Psalms for Living. “What a wonderful experience for our students to see one of the f inest lawyers in the country who is also such an outstanding witness for the Lord,” explained Dr. Adam C. Wright, DBU President. “We continually chal-lenge our students to pursue their callings with excellence as unto the Lord, and Mark Lanier serves as a great example of that commitment.” Editor’s Note: TORAH FOR LIV-ING is Mark Lanier’s latest book now available on Amazon.com Joshua Johnson www.TerryLowry.com October 20186Texas Democrats’ Reckless Call to Decriminalize Illegal Border CrossingsBy Hans A. von Spakovsky (National Review – reprinted with permission) If they get their way, Beto O’Rourke and other Democrats will endanger public safety. When you knowingly cross the border into another country — any country — without permission, that’s a crime, right? Yes, in every country in the world. Some aspiring Democratic candidates in Texas want to change that. They think we should decriminalize unlawful border crossings. Others on the left want to go even further. They would essentially gut the power of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Three candidates running for office in Texas have floated a scheme to remove the power of ICE without actually getting rid of the agency, which has been what protesters and even members of Congress have been advocating over the past several months. This includes Representative Beto O’Rourke (D., Texas), who is running for the U.S. Senate; Lupe Valdez, who is running for governor; and Democratic congressional candidate, Veronica Escobar. Reckless and Irresponsible Most people would say that this scheme is reckless and irresponsible — one that, if enacted, would endanger public safety. And the latest report from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) shows why. Perhaps these candidates should read that report. Certainly, the residents of the Lone Star State should, as they are the ones who have been the victims of crimes by illegal aliens — crimes such as murder, rape, assault, robbery, and the like. The Texas DPS, which includes among its divisions one of the most storied state law-enforcement agencies in America, the Texas Rangers, collected data on all of the illegal aliens booked into Texas jails between June 1, 2011, and July 31, 2018 — more than 175,000. Illegal Aliens Charged with 273,000 Criminal Offenses Those illegal aliens have been charged with 273,000 criminal offenses. That includes arrests for: n 505 homicides; n 30,408 assaults; n 3,212 sexual assaults; n 2,022 sexual offenses; n 365 kidnappings; n 5,396 burglaries; n 1,569 robberies; n 34,555 drug charges; n 15,100 thefts; n 2,754 weapons charges; and n 22,213 obstructing-police charges. Many of these charges are still pending, but these arrests have already resulted in more than 112,000 convictions, including 225 murder convictions, 12,540 assault convic-tions, 152 kidnapping convictions, 1,567 sexual-assault convictions, and 1,076 sexual-offense convictions. The number of crimes committed in Texas by illegal aliens may actually be higher. In total, more than 261,000 aliens were arrested in Texas from 2011 to 2018, of which more than 175,000 were immediately identified as being in the U.S. illegally. However, according to the Texas DPS report, these crime numbers only include aliens who “previously had an encounter” with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “that resulted in their fingerprints being entered into” the department’s “IDENT” database. Aliens who get into the country successfully without being detected by DHS, but who are later arrested by Texas law enforcement for violating a state law, aren’t in the DHS system and “do not appear in these [Texas] counts.” Yikes. An additional 10,182 aliens who are in prison in Texas have since been identified as being in the country illegally through investigations conducted by the Texas DPS. They Hans A. von Spakovsky7October 2018 www.TerryLowry.comwere charged with more than 6,000 criminal offenses, including 81 homicides. These numbers also do not include illegal aliens convicted of federal crimes in Texas, such as Gustavo Tijerina-Sandoval. Tijerina-Sandoval, a repeated border-crosser, was convicted in June in a federal prosecution for murdering Javier Vega Jr., a U.S. Border Patrol officer. Vega was on a family fishing trip when he was killed. His father was also shot. But More Crimes Over Their Criminal Careers An additional chilling point is made at the end of the Texas DPS report. The 273,000 criminal charges against more than 175,000 illegal aliens only count the criminal charges lodged between 2011 and 2018 against these aliens. But over the course of their entire criminal careers, these illegal aliens have actually been charged with more than 437,000 criminal offenses, including: 969 homicides; 49,422 assaults; 651 kidnappings; 5,282 sexual assaults; and 3,227 sexual offenses. Preventable Crimes The bottom line here is that these crimes, committed against hundreds of thousands of Texans, need not have occurred. We must enhance our border security to make it as difficult as possible for illegals to get across the border; and we must efficiently find and remove criminal aliens who get into the country — and keep them out. Instead, we have political candidates, protesters, and members of Congress who want to take away ICE’s authority, provide sanctuaries for criminal illegal aliens, and extinguish the line between legal and illegal aliens. How many more families have to suffer losses like those who mourn Mollie Tibbetts, Kate Steinle, and many others before liberals realize that their attitude endangers public safety and causes families all over the country to experience terrible tragedies that could have been avoided? Comments Hans A. von Spakovsky — is a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He is the coauthor of Who’s Counting? How Fraudsters and Bureaucrats Put Your Vote at Risk and Obama’s Enforcer: Eric Holder’s Justice Department. www.TerryLowry.com October 20188Democrat Judges Reversed 83% More Often By Terry Lowry, Editor/Publisher The LINK Letter What difference does one’s party aff iliation make when it comes to electing judges? Apparently, here in Harris County, it makes a tremendous difference! After analyzing several thousand appeals from Har ris County over the past four full years, an undeniable theme emerges: Democrat Judges in Harris County are reversed at a rate that is alarmingly higher than their Republican colleagues – in fact, 83% more often! Unique Opportunity: Stop Lawlessness Harris County provides a unique opportunity to analyze the statistics regarding reversal rates of judges and party aff iliation because there is a healthy mix of both Republicans and Democrats among the more than 80 State and County Courts situated here. Facts don’t lie! After a thorough analysis of every appeal to the First or Fourteenth Court of Appeals from a Harris County Criminal, Civil, Family, Juvenile, or Probate District or County Court over the past four full years, it is undeniable that Democrat Judges are routinely reversed overwhelmingly more often than Republican Judges. A tremendous number of Democrat reversals are due quite simply to either a shocking ignorance of the law or, worse, blatant attempts to legislate from the bench. Let’s look at some examples. Soft on Crime In March, 2017, under Case No. 14-15-00406-CR, Judge David Mendoza, a former Democrat Criminal District Judge was reversed by reducing the conf inement of a convicted criminal to a term less than the minimum prescribed for the offense, thus imposing an illegal sentence. Talk about soft on crime! The bare minimum sentence mandated by the legislature was too harsh for Judge Mendoza. Instead of simply applying the law, Judge Mendoza abused his discretion and imposed an illegal sentence. Not Bothering to Follow the Law Again in March, 2017, under Case No. 14-16-00333-CV, Judge Elaine Palmer, the Democrat Judge of the 215th Civil District Court, was reversed for not bothering to even give a ruling on a Motion to Dismiss. The appellate court found that the motion was meritorious, and it should have been granted. Judge Palmer’s error was not simply in failing to properly apply the law; her error was that she did not even bother to apply the law! A typical judge on average is reversed one or two times per year. Judge Palmer has been reversed or mandamused a staggering 37 times from 2014-2017! Outrageous Disregard In February, 2016, and then again in January 2017, Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas, Democrat Judge of the 164th Civil District Court, was reversed for abusing her discre-tion in granting and then refusing to set aside a default judgment when the defendant had no notice of the lawsuit. It is a fundamental principle of due process that a party who is accused of civil or criminal wrongdoing be given a right to receive notice and be provided an opportunity to confront his accusers to defend himself. To be reversed twice for the same fundamental violation of constitutional due process is outrageous. Judge Smoots-Thomas has been reversed or mandamused a whopping 30 times from 2014-2017! 20 Times. 19 Times. 23 Times The list of Democrat Judges with astronomical reversal rates goes on and on. Democrat Judge Kyle Carter of the 125th Civil District Court has been reversed or man-damused 20 times over the past four full years. Democrat Judge R.K. Sandill has been reversed or mandamused Terry LowryDemocrat Judges Reversed 83% More Often than Republican Judges Over the Past 4 Full Years!9October 2018 www.TerryLowry.com19 times over the same period. Democrat Judge JacLanel McFarland has been reversed or mandamused 23 times during the same period. These numbers are simply not normal! Illegally Throwing Out Jury Verdicts The reasons behind the large number of Democrat rever-sals are just as disturbing as the reversal rates themselves. Democrat Judges have been routinely reversed for illegally throwing out jury verdicts, trampling upon constitutional rights, and improperly instructing juries on the law. Judicial Activists: Legislating From the Bench These statistics are staggering! An objective review of the reversals from Harris County over the past four years reveals the reality that Democrat judges in Harris County tend to be judicial activists who legislate from the Bench. Republican judges tend to understand that their constitu-tional role is to apply and to interpret the law – not to create law under the guise of interpretation. A fundamental difference in judicial philosophy is the reason for the high reversal rate of Democrat Judges in comparison to their Republican colleagues. Voters Deserve competent Judges The voters in Harris County have a clear choice in the dozens of judicial races that will be on the ballot this November. Harris County residents, regardless of party affiliation, deserve competent judges who work hard and apply the law. Lawless judges that make decisions based upon their personal opinions rather than upon the law sow seeds of chaos within our justice system. A Dem Sweep Means No Republican Judges Left If there is a Democrat sweep in Harris County in 2018 (as there was in 2016), there will not be one single Republican District or County Judge left in this County. Sadly, it will be our families and our communities who will be left to deal with the chaos and the lawlessness of a justice system based on the whims of activist judges rather than on the rule of law. Copyright 2018 - Terry Lowry, the LINK LetterNext >