Records

The Public Debts.

It is just beyond belief that all these nay-sayers, even after all the pictures of the Iraqi people jubilantly showing their fingers with blue ink, marked that they had voted, still can find it to deny, not in so many words, the reality that they were wrong, that there is not going to be a Vietnam style quagmire. They need to give the American armed forces credit but they won't. America will no longer be a paper tiger after this. We mean what we say and you better believe it.

Reliant is going to charge our church a monthly $5.00 per meter, plus $5.10 per kilowatt of demand and $0.13 per kilowatt-hour of usage. I am going to shop around, using the famous PowerToChoose.com website to see if I can get a better deal for our church. Since I just switch to Gexa Energy this month at home, I am requesting a quote from them and see what they say. Beside the usual suspects of TXU, they have quite a few registered non-residential electric providers, which I attempted to request quotes from: Green Mountain Energy, Sempra Solutions, Entergy Solutions which is my last one before I switch to Gexa, Strategic Energy. Constellation NewEnergy told me they don't serve my zip code of 76010, listing a few reasons. For Xcel Energy, as far as Texas is concerned, they only serve Amarillo. Occidental Power, Dynegy, Utility Choice, all have a webform for requesting more information that does not work. WTU Retail Energy, CPL Retail Energy have the same design, nice website but takes you nowhere to request quote.

I picked up a new friend who is an international student at CFNI for Sunday service at our church today. Also my first time worship with the new worship time starting at 11:00 since the congregation changed its worship time from 10:00 to 11:00 two weeks ago and I have been out of town the past two weeks.

We had our first 2005 meeting of VPAC-DFW tonight. We basically agreed that we had our works cut out for us, municipal election in May this year, primary next March and gubernatorial next November.

"The First Amendment...does not say that in every respect there
shall be a separation of Church and State. ... Otherwise the state and
religion would be aliens to each other -- hostile, suspicious, and even
unfriendly. ... The state may not establish a 'religion of secularism'
in the sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion,
thus preferring those who believe in no religion over those who do
believe." --- Justice William O. Douglas.

A fellow CHL who is also a police officer told me about SB173, which has been introduced by state senator Chris Harris for the regular session of the 79th Texas Legislature. After reading the text of the bill, I was rather upset at a fellow Republican seeking to chip away my 2nd amendment right, so went I ahead and sent an email to his office. Let's see what is the reply.

We have gotten to watch the Chinese Navy as this article pointed out. Also, there was an incident involving the Chinese Navy shot dead several of Vietnamese fishermen on January 8th, 2005. There is conflicting information provided by both sides: Chinese and Vietnamese. Born and raised in Vietnam for 17 years, I knew more likely than not that it is the big bully China exerting its strong arm tactics again.

An amazing biography of the new secretary of state. Of the senators that voted against her nomination, I wonder how many of them could have put forth a more impressive life story, being an African-American woman, who can be truly judged on "the content of her character" and not "the color of her skin." Most of them are still busy trying to devise policies would judge people on "the color of their skin" than "the content of their character" though it's been more than two generations ago since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Most immigrants, particularly Asian, have succeeded in the 1.5 generation: the generation that was born outside the US but educated here.

The city of Carrollton had its annual appreciation banquet for its boards and commissions members tonight. There is a total of 117 of us on various boards and commissions. I learned a couple of new acronyms: DINK (dual income no kid) and TOD (transit oriented development). Mayor Mark Stokes told us the vision of Carrollton 15 to 20 years from now. Carrollton will be the new center of this metroplex, which will grow to about 12 million people compare to 6 million right now and eventually 17 million people, the size of Los Angeles currently. If there were no mass transit infrastructure, I-75 would need 25 lanes each way between LBJ and downtown, I-35 would need 15 lanes each way between SH-121 and LBJ. That's impossible to develop. So, the only way to solve the problem is mass transit by way of DART light rail system. Carrollton will be one of the four major train stations. The other three will be downtown Dallas, downtown Fort Worth and DFW airport eventually. The mayor and city council envision Carrollton with high end high-rise apartments where people get off the train to live and work instead of getting on to go somewhere else, where it would be like New York, you live on the fifth floor, your gym is on the third floor and your favorite restaurant, dry cleaner and everything else is on the first floor ....

On Sunday, we went to worship at the Vietnamese Alliance Church in Dunn Loring and then stopped by the Eden Center for lunch afterward.

On our way to the airport on Sunday, we saw a whole bunch of pro-lifers outside the Holocaust Museum on the side facing 14th street, next to the Treasury Department building. They surely got the attention of everyone driving by. I think it was a rather meaningful location because of the holocaust of all these helpless babies in the name of choice.

We didn't have time to visit the National Cathedral but after dropping off my parents and brother at the airport yesterday, I did make the drive down Massachussett Ave. and check it out. I also saw all the embassies along the street and also the Naval Observatory master clock.

I was almost late for my flight out of Reagan National at 7:17. After dropping off the rental car at Enterprise, I hopped on a shuttle for the airport at about 6:00 this morning. When we were ready to drop off the first group of people, we all realized that one of my bags shifted and sat right on top of the door latch and prevented the driver from opening the door. From the inside, the clear hard plastic barrier blocked us from reaching the bags. I prayed. We tried to get a philip screwdriver from the guy at the checked baggage counter and he didn't have one. Another guy ran inside and found one but it was too small. Finally, with the driver's agreement, I tore through the plastic and pulled the bag to allow him to open the door. He then dropped me off at my terminal. God had mercy on me, there was no line when I got to the check-in line for American, short line at security checkpoint and I got right to the gate just on time for boarding. There was one testy moment when the guy who ran the X-ray machine at the security checkpoint stopped the machine to allow people to get their stuffs piling up at the end of the conveyor and then kept on chatting with his friend without restarting the machine. Thank God I didn't say anything and just patiently stared at him and waited.

We woke up to a snowy morning and it continued to snow almost the whole day, didn't stop until like 16:00. We went ahead with our plan to visit the Arlington National Cemetery today. We saw the eternal flame at President John F. Kennedy gravesite. It looked a bigger space than I remembered seeing 10 years ago in April of 1995 when I was taking the trip with one of my highschool clubs. We also went to the Tomb of the Unknowns and saw the change of the guard ceremony, which takes place on the hour. Also, the 21st Ohio that marched during the presidential inauguration parade on Thursday also performed the ceremony of laying a wreath. One of them told me that the great grandfather of vice president Dick Cheney was also in the 21st Ohio.

The office of congressman Kenny Marchant arranged for a White House tour for us today at 16:00 but because of all the snow, the White House cancelled all tour at about 15:00. I guess they want to let all the staff go home early since it's a Saturday anyway.

We drove into the capitol and parked at Union Station before walked over to the Hart Senate Office Building to go on a tour led by Andy, one of senator Cornyn's office staff members. Saw Chris Daniels with his friends there also at the senator's office and also said hello to Mike, the senator's legislative assistant. Then we headed over to the Canon House Office Building to check out our congressman Kenny Marchant's office. Said hello to Brian, the congressman's chief of staff and Kathy, who helped arranged for a tour of the White House tomorrow.

Went to the party hosted by governor Perry and sponsored by the Texas Transportation Association on Tuesday night starting at 20:00. I was trying to make it to the Pete Sessions pre-inaugural celebration at 18:00 but got stuck in traffic, couldn't locate 101 Constitution, and didn't want to be late for the governor's reception.

We, my brother, my parents and I, went to the swearing in ceremony. Then ran to get some lunch but couldn't find any restaurant that could serve up fast enough. They had one single security checkpoint at 12th and Pennsylvania. My brother and parents couldn't even got through the checkpoint there. I tried to go in at 15th but they told me to go to 12th or 17th but that I would have better chance at 12th. I saw the long line at 12th so I took the risk and went up to 17th. I flagged down an officer and presented my parade ticket. He let me through the blockage. Then I went straight down 17th, passed through the metal detector and turn right on Pennsylvania. Then got on the bleacher directly on the north side of the White House, right at the corner of Pennsylvania and Executive. I didn't have time to watch the whole parade because we wanted to be on time arriving at the Texas Wyoming Ball at 19:00. A lot of people started leaving the bleachers after the president and vice president has walked by.

Even then we still arrived at the Ball about half an hour late. I got to see attorney general John Ashcroft and his wife Janet. She's a lovely and very considerate lady.

I flew out to Breckenridge to ski from Thursday night, January 13th and just came back a couple hours ago. This is my third time on this great ski trip organized by VPS Dallas every year for the last few years. I finally graduated from the bunny slope, went on to the green slope, got pretty comfortable and even got one run on the blue slope on peak 8 this year. First year I just didn't learn how to deal with high altitude sickness and so didn't even learn to ski. Second year, I learn how to ski and got comfortable with the bunny slope. My friends were encouraging me to head for the green slope but I was too chicken. Thank God for the great progress this year! Meeting some new friends: Chi, Tanya, My Lac, Kevin & Michelle, Thanh & Huyen, Vuong & Van ... as well as reconnecting with old friends.

I am getting ready to head out to Washington DC for the 2005 Presidential Inauguration early tomorrow morning.

Interesting quote by Dave Barry provides enough laughter for a whole day: "As Americans, we must ask ourselves: Are we really so different? Must we stereotype those who disagree with us? Do we truly believe that all red-state residents are ignorant racist fascist knuckle-dragging NASCAR-obsessed cousin-marrying roadkill-eating tobacco-juice-dribbling gun-fondling religious fanatic rednecks; or that all blue-state residents are godless unpatriotic pierced-nose Volvo-driving France-loving left-wing communist latte-sucking tofu-chomping holistic-wacko neurotic vegan weenie perverts? Yes. This is called 'diversity,' and it is why we are such a great nation -- a nation that has given the world both nuclear weapons and SpongeBob SquarePants."

Farmers Branch mayor Bob Phelps spoke tonight at our Metrocrest Republican Club monthly meeting and told us a lot of good things the city has achieved last year. I learned quite a lot, especially about the new Dr. Pepper StarCenter and the concentration of home furniture and modeling stores that is going to be all along Midway and Welch, between Hwy 635 and Beltline.

It is going to be a lot of fun watching the upcoming election for Dallas city council district 14. The current council member, Veletta Forsythe Lill, is not running for re-election. There are 9 candidates in all for this one single position. The more prominent few are, as I learned from a fellow Northern Dallas Pachyderm member, Tom McCormack yesterday: PD Sterling, Beth Ann Blackwood (author of the Blackwood petition that will be on the ballot in May, which calls for a strong mayor form of government), Angela Hunt who is endorsed by Veletta Forsythe Lill, and Kathy Ingle.

Chase was way too cautious in trying too hard to protect their bottom line that they blocked a charge from the Presidential Inauguration Committee for my tickets only after 2 telephone charges on the same day, which both happened to be legitimate charges that I authorized. The inauguration people called me this morning, I told them to run through again and I also gave them another credit card as a backup so hopefully everything will work out.

The Northern Dallas Pachyderm had their first 2005 meeting today. I officially assumed the position of secretary after I was nominated at the board meeting last Monday.

I switched my electricity provider to Gexa Energy and got 3,000 AAdvantage miles with their current promotions. Will also get cash back on the credit card when paying the bill each month. I love free market and competition!

Looking at these changes, I have to make sure I remember to take a deduction for the sales tax I paid when itemize federal income tax this year.

Put in the order for my inaugural tickets today. I should get them early next week sometimes.

I liked the meeting room at the Stoneleigh Hotel where the Dallas County Young Republicans had their first 2005 meeting yesterday. State House Representative district 107 Bill Keffer was the speaker.

Carrollton Library Advisory Board had its first meeting of 2005 yesterday. I am looking forward to attending this year's TLA Legislative Day.

It's rather odd hours of the day but I just had dinner after crashed since 17:00 on Saturday. We had too much fun Friday night, counting down and then jumped into the pool and then relaxed in the jacuzzi at MS Bien's residence. We ate and talked some more before going to bed around 3:00 on Saturday. We met for the first meeting of our 3-day prayer at the beginning of each year, as it is a tradition for our Vietnamese District at 9:00 at church. I then headed over to the swearing in of Tarrant county constable Clint Burgess at the Mansfield sub-courthouse at noon before going to the reception at the White Elephant Saloon right in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.