Records

Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher had her Dallas County Birthday Bash fundrasing event last night at the Stoneleigh hotel. Had a terrible headache when I left work but was much better when I got there. I was quite well that I headed across the street afterward for the Dallas County Young Republicans happy hour.

We are in our third week of a 13-week EE training at our church. We had 5 teams went out witnessing tonight. The lady that our team intended to visit, who had requested a tape of our radio broadcast, was not home. We went to another house, introduced ourselves, and asked for permission to come in and visit. She was the only one at home and didn't feel safe to let us in so we promised to come back another time. We then crossed the street, asked for permission to come in and visit and we were invited in. Shared the whole Gospel but the gentleman was not ready to receive Christ so we left him a couple tracts and promised to come back and visit another time.

You know how people avoid getting into discussion about religion and politics, I am into both. God has mercy on me.

The Concerned Citizens for Enforcing Carrollton Term Limits PAC had it organizational meeting last night at the home of Bonnie and Eric. Tom will be filing papers for the PAC either with the City Secretary or the Texas Ethics Commission soon. Apparently we had either an incompetent city attorney or a city attorney who is not acting with a whole lot of integrity. In 2001, the city put forth two proposed city charter amendments, to change a 3 terms limit of two years per term for a 2 terms limit of three years per term so the city can have fewer elections and save some money. However, the city attorney did not put the correct language in the city charter. In other words, the language of the adopted proposed amendment is different than what showed up in the amended charter.

At any rated, Herb Weidinger was first elected to a 2-year term in 1999, second time elected to another 2-year term in 2001, and for the third time was elected to a 3-year term in 2003. Herb wants to run again because mayor Becky Miller asked him to run for the lame reason of having continuity on the council. Heck, that was the reason we adopted the 22nd amendment to the US Constitution, after FDR continued with too much continuity during World War II.

Similar limit for both Tim Hayden, who was appointed in May 2000, first elected to a 2-year term in 2001, and the second time was elected to a 3-year term in 2003; Larry Don Williams first elected to a 2-year term in 2001, second time elected to a 3-year term in 2003. If these two councilmen are unhappy, they should blame the city attorney because he is the one that screwed up the amended city charter.

I got to meet all the challengers, Charles Thrasher, Cathy Henesey and Diane Harmon tonight. Diane Harmon and her husband, Hank, are real Christians, I found out. Charles Thrasher really knows what he is talking about, sharing something I did not know before, the city raised my tax so Herb Weidinger can spend $30,000 in traveling expenses. Cathy used to travel a whole lot for her job but that's no longer the case so she would like to get involved and give back to the community.

I first heard of the MS-13 "cliques" (stands for Mara Salvatrucha) from the Carrollton Police Academy. A Stratfor analysis reported that there are estimated between 8,000 to 10,000 hard-core MS-13 members now live in the US. The analysis studied the alleged links between MS-13 and al Qaeda and concluded that there are too many idealogical and practical differences between the two for them to really form a confederation.

Did you know that Planned Parenthood makes on average 33 million dollars profit every year for at least the last 17 years since the STOPP International started tracking their finances. Roughly one third of that comes from corporate and foundation donations, one third from your tax dollars appropriated under the Health and Human Services title X funding, and another one third is from all the birth control products that they sell. They get 501(c)3 non-profit special pricing and also with the volume discount, they are able to get the birth control drugs for less than $2 and sell for $18, still cheaper than any pharmacy out there because they are getting at cost $21 and selling for $27. The emergency contraception kit, they get it under $5 and sell for about $33, nice profit don't you think? Check out this plan to stop Planned Parenthood because they are a lot more than just abortion.

I spent about an hour collecting all the necessary paperworks, electronic or otherwise, and then another half hour with my accountant, before I was done with filing for my 2005 tax return. I can't wait for the day when the federal income tax is replaced with a national sales tax, which taxes spending and consumption while encourages savings and investments.

All four of the Carrollton City Council members drew opponents in the May 13th municipal election this time. Place 1 incumbent Tim Hayden is challenged by Diane Harmon, place 3 incumbent Pat Malone, who filled Matthew Marchant unexpired term when he resigned to run for mayor last year, is being challenged by businessman Bob Garza, place 5 incumbent Larry Williams is being challenged by Cathy Henesey, and place 7 incumbent Herb Weidinger is being challenged by Charles Thrasher, who himself was a councilman from 1996 to 1999. I bet you the tax hike last year is the reason that all these four drew opponents this time around. What's the point of having an all Republican council if you get tax hike just like the Democrats. In addition, Herb Weidinger has pledged not to run for re-election last time around so that's not exactly helping him.

I have had a long but productive day. The Republican 8th senatorial district convention started at 8:00 am at the Blair Intermediate School. I am helping Bobby Eberle in his race for the state party vice-chair position by passing out brochures and asking people for support. The current vice chair David Barton is term limited.

Went to see a HUD house up in Frisco with Jessica and her husband. It's a duplex that was very cleverly built. From the outside it looks like a big house with 9 or 10 bedrooms when actually it is a duplex with only one entry door in the front to one side. The second has the entry on the side. Each has 3 bedrooms, two and one half bathrooms, and a two car garage but the one with the front entrance costs about $20K more. The house is really nice but it's too far north for me. I need one that is really close by work so I can dress casual to go to work, jeans and tennis shoes, and go home and change to something formal for events in the evening. Also, I prefer a single detached home instead and that neighborhood also has mandatory HOA, not too cheap at $432/year.

Afterward, I headed over to the Storybook Ranch, Hwy 121 @ Custer Pkwy, for a DFWAACC board retreat. Had fun learning about a few things I didn't know: it's polite to leave a little silence if you are in a conversation with the Japanese and Chinese but it's better to jump in a couple words before an Israeli finishes his sentence to show you are really engaged. Discovering that as far as conflict resolution style, I am more of a collaborating and compromise type rather than compete, accomodating or avoid.

Senator George Allen was the keynote speaker at tonight Dallas County GOP Lincoln Day dinner. I learned a whole lot about the senator: such as he is the son of the former coach George Allen, and we know what a great tradition of rival between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, that he was the governor of Virginia, that he held the seat of Thomas Jefferson in the Virginia House of Delegates for 9 years, .... His finance director, Janel Domenico, who accompanied him tonight, is the record breaking finance director for senator John Thune of South Dakota.

I woke up with a terrible headache and had to call in sick yesterday. Took medication and slept most of the day yesterday but I am all better now, thank God!

We heard from Brian Burns of the Texas Minutemen tonight at the monthly meeting of the Dallas County North Republican Club, which is held at the Canyon Creek Country Club in Richardson, less then 5 minutes from Nortel, where I work.

We heard from Israel Supreme Court justice Ely Rubinstein on the topic of "Rule of Law: Liberty vs. Security" at the Shearith Israel synagogue tonight.

Judge Faith Johnson conducted the wedding ceremony for Addison mayor Joe Chow and his bride Chi Chi Lin tonight at the Intercontinental Crystal Ballroom. The ceremony was short and sweet, followed with the cocktail reception and then dinner right afterward. The floral setting at each table was very nicely done. May God bless them everyday of their marriage. Congratulations!

Even though it's a rainy and miserable day, four of us, myself, my brother Quan and pastor Bruce and Trina made it out to build with Dallas Habitat this morning. We did roofing, nailing down shingles until it started to rain then we went inside and putting in ladder wooden blocks to get the inside ready for dry wall. Oh, how about permanent marker writing on duck tape for a nametag? Very creative and fitting for a construction site, doesn't it?

Finally returned the cooktop with down draft vent to Lowe's yesterday before heading over to Tony's place for our weekly cell group meeting.

We went out for lunch at Osaka, getting some sushi to celebrate Cuong's 40th birthday.

We kicked off our very first 13-week Evangelism Explosion training at church tonight. By God's grace, we will continue and finish it in the next twelve weeks, rain or shine. Will be doing half an hour lecture, then go out for an hour and then back to report for half an hour, a total of two hours every Friday.

Let's just say that I am very happy about the raise my boss informed me when I came in to work this morning. God is good!

Camp was fun. Most slept no more than 3 to 4 hours a day. One of the teams was exceptionally good with the Sudoku puzzles as well as the riddles for the treasure hunt.

It was a disappointing election night last night. Two incumbents lost in the primary: state representative district 101 Elvira Reyna in Dallas county and state representative district 94 Kent Grusendoff in Tarrant county. Ricky Grunden didn't make it to the run off for state representative district 63 in Denton county. Vic Cunningham lost the DA race in Dallas county and Bobby Francis lost in the race for place 8 on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Cal Thomas was guest speaker tonight at the Texas Justice Foundation North Texas Gala. He's a powerful and captivating speaker. He is a tall guy, couldn't tell from him sitting down on FoxNews. 90% of the women who came in to have an abortion, after seeing the images of their own babies on the new General Electric 4D ultrasound machine changed their minds. If Planned Parenthood really care about women, why don't they perform abortion free of cost, giving the women full disclosure on the physical pain, emotion distress, and long term psychological affects as consequences of abortion? Can you tell me who you are without telling me your name or what you do? Are you just a bunch of atoms smashing together by chance without soul, has no purpose nor any intrinsic value. Then based on what are you opposing slavery, how is human any different than an ape? Or are you a being created in the image of an objective, omniscient, omnipotent, transcendant God, with intrinsic value, a soul, purpose and destination.

Cal Thomas also made the best call for donation I have ever heard. He did not call it sacrificial giving. He called it an investment that will pay dividends that the IRS cannot touch.

Finished the program book for my upcoming Vietnamese Alliance Youth Southwest spring break camp yesterday with help stapling the pages together from my buddies at church.

Finished set up the polling location tonight. Just have to open up, post a few signs, plug in the optical ballot counter, the ADA voting machine, and I will be ready to go in the morning. I don't doubt there's going to be a run off in April but at least after tomorrow, the flurry of emails should at least be cut in half.

United Micro notified me that my laptop was shipped today. Can't wait to get it in a few days.

We heard from lieutenant colonel Oliver North last night at the Denton county GOP Lincoln-Reagan day dinner at the DFW Hyatt Regency. I believe his show War Stories on FoxNews network every Sunday at 7:00 pm EST is making a difference in the current war on terror compare to the Vietnam war, the only war that America has ever lost. You get to see soldiers on the front line, who are putting their lives on the line, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, support the war and that will help keep the American public resolved to fight until we win. The colonel showed a picture of a Navy corpsman carrying a wounded Iraqi Republican guard out of a fight and fixed him up just the way he would for an American marine. That's what America is all about.

I and Helena went to the reception Vic Cunningham had last night at the Crescent Club before going to church. Saw Joe Bui, a solo attorney and a friend of Michael Duong, our VPS Dallas chapter vice chair, who is also a supporter of Vic there.

There were eleven of us at church, Bruce, Anh, Jason, Larry, myself, Caroline, Quynh, Helena, Alexander, Phuc & his wife. We prayed and then went out last night sharing with people the Gospel. In two week, the very first Evangelism Explosion class will begin at our church and 13 weeks after that, we will have a whole bunch more folks going out in obedience to the great commission.

Went to the election judge training this morning, basically to see a demonstration of the new 4th generation optical ballot scanner compare to the 1st generation that has been in used for the last 8 years.

The Hill reported yesterday that the National Republican Senatorial Committee raised much less money than the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee the first two months of this year. If you ask me, the NRSC website sucks. There's not even a printable PDF file of US map showing all the states with the senators and when they are up for re-election. Also, the weekly email has nothing but a bunch of useless links back to the pathetic website. When senator George Allen of Virginia ran the NRSC, I looked forward to reading everything in the weekly email update and was checking out the website often.

We heard about identity theft and saw demonstration of check washing with acetone solution at the Denton County Pachyderm club lunch meeting yesterday. I always enjoy the enchiladas at Abuelo's, which is another incentive for me to drive across town for the meeting.

The Dallas County Young Republicans board had our monthly meeting last night at the Jake's Old Fashioned Hamburgers on McKinney. Traffic was terrible again on North Central Expressway but the hamburgers were great.

It looks like the perennial Democratic candidate Katy Hubener has lost another race, this time against Republican Kirk England of Grand Prairie for state representative district 106 in the special election held yesterday to fill the unexpire term of Republican Ray Allen.