Election Year Mail

One of the quirky things about this time of year is all the election mail we all get. Now I don’t normally get anything from the Democrats; it seems they know my address and refuse to send me their liberally rewritten propaganda but I usually have more than my fair share of well-meaning conservatives who are more than happy to share their mail with me.

Today I came home and found a new bit of propaganda from Hollis Lewis. I found a letter from Hollis Lewis starting out with a crying session about how his opponent had been running a negative campaign – Hysterical. Mr. Lewis likes to use his experience as the main reason folks should vote for him and to just shrug off a State Bar of Texas’ reprimand as nothing more than an attack against him for seeking justice as District Attorney – REALLY.

Past history when serving in the courtroom has to have some bearing on an attorney’s status. The attacks Mr. Lewis claims were made against him were in the form of an official reprimand by a Democrat District Judge. His actions as referenced in the reprimand were so egregious that the District Court’s findings resulted in the assault case in question being dismissed and not eligible for retrial. The court found and listed six (6) different incidents where Mr. Lewis, while serving as the Milam County District Attorney, acted in a manner that was unethical, unconstitutional, and was misrepresentative of the facts that “…deprived Defendants of their Constitutional rights...”

Mr. Lewis claims these were attacks against him but in reality the court said that his were deliberate acts that led the court to the several conclusions the first of which is as follows: “The intentional and deliberate misconduct of the District Attorney of Milam County, Texas, Hollis Lewis, bars any subsequent retrial of the Defendants pursuant to the Double Jeopardy Clause of the United States Constitution.”

Well I’m not a legal scholar but I can get the gist of this and I think Mr. Lewis is a little more than misleading when he claims that he “will always stand for Justice, regardless of the consequences.”  Makes one wonder what consequences he is talking about. Apparently, in the past, these consequences have included sanctions by district courts and by the State Bar of Texas that resulted in either criminal defendants being freed or innocent people being unfairly tried – WE DON’T NEED THOSE CONSEQUENCES!!

In 2011 Mr. Lewis had the same opportunity to put his application in to be chosen to replace Judge Magre when he retired and he did not do so. It would seem logical to ask that if Mr. Lewis had the experience and history that would make his selection so clear, then why didn’t he make an attempt to be the appointee to this office? I think we know that reason.

We need the good solid Conservative Leadership of a Judge who is dedicated to doing things in a manner that protects us all as well as our Constitutional Rights.

Judge John Youngblood was selected by the Governor with the recommendation of many community principals, congressional office holders, and judicial leaders as well as that of his immediate predecessor. Apparently they felt that Judge Youngblood was experienced, prepared, and fully qualified to serve as the Judge of the 20^th District Court.

So I guess the question comes down to whom do you trust? Do you trust our elected officials and community leaders, or are you going to listen to a former County Official who was voted out of office following a term in office that was punctuated with a reprimand from the same 20^th District Court he seeks to lead and the State Bar of Texas for actions that deprived citizens of their Constitutional Rights.

The Choice is clear:

Keep

Judge John Youngblood

as Judge of the 20^th District Court!!

Can’t wait to see what’s in tomorrow’s mail,
Bill

One Democrat's Out of Control Budget...in Milam County?

I had several phone calls yesterday asking me to clarify just how much the budget of the County Attorney’s Office has gotten out of hand.

I could try and tell you about it, but I think a picture (or graph) can much better demonstrate this than any explanation. This graph illustrates the rise in the County Attorney's budget since 2001 when the current County Attorney was elected.

NOTE: These figures can all be confirmed in the County Clerk’s Office and the inflation statistics can be confirmed with the U.S. department of Commerce.

This is why we need strong, conservative leadership in the County Clerk's Office so that we can control spending and get the job done.

Vote

BILL TORREY

for Milam County Attorney

The only clear choice for responsible leadership in the County Attonrey's Office.

More Employees, More Money, Less Bang for the Buck!!

This graph shows the amount of production in the Milam County Attorney's office versus the number of personnel on staff. Since being elected to office in 2000, the current County Attorney has tripled her staff and nearly quadrupled her budget while having little effect on the crime rate and or conviction rate since taking office in 2000. Not really a sparkling resume!!

More Employees, More Money, Less Bang for the Buck!!

It’s time for a change!!

BILL TORREY

 THE REPUBLICAN CHOICE FOR COUNTY ATTORNEY!

Block-Walking Like Champions!!

Thanks to everyone who came out for some block-walking. In Rockdale we had folks cover the north side of town; I hit some more of the south side of town. We had folks cover Thorndale and Milano knocking on doors and getting out the word. I spoke with a bunch of folks who took advantage of the opportunity to vote today and made it over to the County Clerk’s office to vote.  I haven’t gotten the final numbers for today but about 5:00 I had heard that there were about 200 folks who went by and voted today.

We are getting to the last ten days and it’s getting close to the wire. I have been asked by many folks who would like to do something to help the Romney campaign and if you would then I would suggest that you go to the Republican Party of Texas website or the National Republican Party website and there are opportunities to get on the phone calling squads to call contested states and help get the word out and help Get Out the Vote!!

If you would like to help our local candidates then I would suggest you go to the county GOP website (www.milamgop.org) and look at the list of candidates. If you want their contact information and it’s not there then email me and I’ll get it for you. All the local candidates need help in some way or another whether it’s donating money or time they would all love the help. I’ll be out block-walking right up to Election Day so if you’d like to help me then please let me know. The more the merrier!!

Well I better get some rest; the next few days are going to be long, but exciting and fun for us political junkies.

Get Out The Vote!!

Bill

Last Time to do Some Block-Walking!!

This Saturday, October 27th, we will be out block-walking as a group to help promote the candidates for the final time as a large group. Please come out and help us canvass the Rockdale and Cameron streets with the Republican Message about our tremendous slate of candidates. If you haven't been able to date then come on out and be a part of the fun. Whether you're an old pro or a newbie come on out, everyone is welcome and we all have a great time!!

Mark your calendars and come out and join us. You can walk in Cameron or in Rockdale; we will be meeting in both towns at 9:00am. In Cameron we will meet at the Milam GOP Headquarters office at 106 N. Travis. In Rockdale we will meet at the old Wal-Mart Parking lot near Mr. Gatti’s Pizza. We'll meet up around 9:00, get our bearings and then set out to walk the streets with signs, pushcards, and enthusiasm!!

We’ll have donuts for a morning starter and after we’re done please join us for some pizza afterwards. This is a great time for you to get out, support your candidates, and show your determination to make things better. So come on out and show your support for the candidates and let's get the word out to all of our friends, neighbors and fellow Milam County citizens that we need to vote!!

Remember, early voting has already started and will continue until November 2nd. If you can't make it during the week, the Milam County Clerk's office will be open Saturday, October 27th for voting from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. THis election is too important at all levels not to vote so please get out and do so.


I look forward to seeing you all there!!
Bill

Shame on You Texas Home School Coalition!

While I appreciate most of the work done by the Texas Home School Coalition Political action Committee (THSC), I fear that they have bitten off more than they should have in the case of Heather Moody. Mrs. Moody is claiming that Judge Youngblood has given temporary custody of her kids to her estranged husband simply because she home-schooled her kids and the THSC President Tim Lambert has bitten hook, line, and sinker.


Now I’m sure Mr. Lambert works hard to support the political agenda of the THSC, but I also know that Judge Youngblood is a good and respected member of the community and works hard to run the 20th District Court in a professional manner abiding by the law and not rewriting of law as he sees fit. Unfortunately in some cases following the law is not always the easiest of decisions for a judge to follow, but regardless of whether that judge is a Democrat or a Republican, a Liberal or a Conservative, following the law should be their primary concern, not creating or rewriting law.

This divorce is a sad and tragic event as is any divorce in the course of any American family; however, as with any divorce involving children, there are extenuating circumstances that are usually not know by the general public and as with this case they are ruled on as a matter of law and not as a matter of the personal opinion of the sitting judge.

The THSC has presented Mrs. Moody as a saint who has been wronged mightily by the court, but what is the whole story? Do you know? Is she saintly? The truth is we don’t know. And what about this third-hand statement the father made as you have reported? Is this the truth? Has Mrs. Moody been completely truthful in this matter? We don’t know that either. It will be the job of the jury to determine the status of this case and how it plays out if mediation does not work.

Judge Youngblood has ordered Mediation and that is a hard concept for many of us to understand and it is not easy to get through; however, it is successful in many cases and does keep many families out of a jury trial situation thereby keeping many children away from the trauma of having to go into a courtroom and see their family torn apart.

Family law in the state of Texas is very precise about certain issues and requires them to be handled in the certain manner that is not privy to the spot decisions of the judge in charge. What has been presented by the THSC is a compelling argument but it is only one side of the story. There are two sides of the story and unfortunately it appears that the THC has chosen the side that benefits their PAC regardless of the actual facts of the case.

The THSC suggest the voters of Milam County should remove Judge Youngblood for following the Family Law Code as written by the Lawmakers in Austin and replace him with Hollis Lewis. The THSC has officially endorsed Mr. Lewis even though he has a history that includes a 1999 reprimand from the Grievance Committee of the State Bar of Texas finding him guilty of Professional misconduct? A Reprimand he received while serving as County Attorney for Milam County.

In Closing I would say this; I doubt anyone who knows Mr. Lewis and Judge Youngblood would support the THSC’s claim that Mr. Lewis is the more conservative of the two. What they have presented here is a nice hit piece; however, before the THSC and their supporters endorse a candidate I think it important that they look into that candidate’s background. They might be surprised of the skeleton’s hiding in that closet!

All Rise!!
Bill

As For Me and Mine....We'll Vote Republican!

Last week I wrote a blog addressing the newest Milam County Political Organization. When I say that I am not really sure what to point out more; the Milam County or the Political Organization because quite honestly neither of these words adequately fits this group.

Many folks have contacted me in regards to the group called Republicans for Kerry Spears. To be honest, a couple were upset with me, but most of them were quite angry with Mrs. Spears. While I appreciate the concerns of those upset by this group, I also understand that while the goal of this group may seem honorable, the origin and background of this group is quite deceptive.

If this was simply a matter of a group of Republicans choosing to back Mrs. Spears I would probably have not said anything about it; after all, as I said in my earlier blog I believe “that America is a free country and that everyone has the right to vote for whomever they feel will do the best job.”

Like most of you I have nothing against Mrs. Spears; however, when there is an issue that is brought before me that I must address as the Party Chairman, I will do so in a manner that does urge party loyalty. Mrs. Spears choose to run for re-election as a Democrat and dance with the ones who brought her – now she’s not so sure she wants to dance.

The general election system we have set up in Texas calls for all candidates in state and county elections to either declare themselves loyal to a political party or to run as an independent. This system while not perfect, does allow the general public to have a general idea of where the candidates stand based on the party they align themselves with. Just like many of this year’s candidates, Bill Torrey has run as a Democrat in the past, but unlike Mrs. Spears, once given the opportunity to run for office as a Republican in Milam County Mr. Torrey did so – Mrs. Spears DID NOT.

Mrs. Spears had the opportunity to run as a Republican and she chose to remain a Democrat and as such to align her campaign with the liberal principles and beliefs held by Barack Obama’s party and not with the conservative beliefs and values held by voters in Milam County. Regardless of What Mrs. Spears’ advertising and messages say now, if she was a true conservative she would have shown the moral conviction and courage to switch parties and run as a Republican.

Bill Torrey chose to run as a Republican because the values of the Republican Party are the same conservative values and beliefs he holds dear. It was the hard work of the people of the Republican Party of Milam County and the Republican candidates in 2010 that proved you could run as a Republican in Milam County and win. That hard work built a party that let conservatives have the chance to run as a Republican and the true conservatives have chosen to run as Republicans.

In last Wednesday’s blog I strove to keep the same civil and respectful tone I have throughout my time as County Chair. I did not mention any deception in my blog, but this group has been deceptive. It was set up through a third party individual from Rockdale while being principally financed and logistically organized by family members of Kerry Spears. That in itself is deceptive and can be proved through the financial statements on file at the County Clerk’s office and the phone calls received by me and other county officials from unhappy land owners approached by Mrs. Spears’ family members looking to place these signs.

If it was the support of Republicans Mrs. Spears wanted, then she should have run as a Republican and not allowed this trickery by various friends and family members to be the means by which she sought to gain Republican support. In the past and from time to time I have seen people I know as Republicans with signs supporting a Democrat and have respected those folks’ opinions enough to let them have their say. As I also said in an earlier blog, I spent 14 years serving this country in the U. S. Navy and have spent the last few years as Milam County GOP Chair working to help protect the rights of people to vote for who they think is the best candidate for the job.

If this was just a group of Republicans that got together to do this on their own, I would not need to address this; however, this is an issue of someone using the Republican brand and as such I have addressed it as I was asked to by my constituency.

I do apologize if any of this has in any way been offensive as that is surely not my desire. But the actions of this group is offensive to those working so hard in the Republican Party of Milam County and to have an incumbent Democrat candidate try and work the system to gain support under less-than-honorable circumstances is dissappointing.

 

Vote for Bill Torrey, the only Republican for Milam County Attorney. 

Thanks,

Bill

Bill Torrey is the Republican Choice for DA!!

Many times while acting as the Republican Party Chair for Milam County I have had the opportunity to report on things that are pleasant in nature. Normally I get to come to you with good news and spread cheer; today I have to address an issue that might be unsettling for some, but I feel it necessary for me to address it all the same.

When I took over the reigns as the Milam County Republican Chairman I did so with the goal of creating a local Republican Party that would be filled with quality individuals so that the voters of Milam County could have a solid conservative choice on the ballot and end the years of single party governance.

My goal was to create an atmosphere where those with conservative beliefs could run for office as a Republican and change the mentality of “You have to run as a Democrat if you want to win in Milam County.”

Milam County has always been a Conservative place to live and raise a family. The beliefs and values we hold dear here in Milam County are the very same conservative beliefs that have made this country great; people who are hard-working, independent, self-reliant, charitable, and God-fearing just to name a few.

Those working in the Republican Party of Milam County had been working for many years with little success to show for it in the local elections. But in 2010 a tremendous group of candidates rose to the occasion and took on the task of running for local office under the Republican Party Banner that represented their beliefs and values.

Likewise, this year a record number of Conservative candidates came forward and put their name on the GOP ballot, many of them switching parties much to the consternation and abusive rhetoric of local liberals who called them “traitors.” Prior to this election I let it be known that any of those incumbents who wanted to switch parties would be welcomed to; however, they had to understand that many of them would probably have a challenger in the primary – and many of them did!

In the end, those who switched parties did so not to easily win an election, but because they felt that their core beliefs and values more closely matched those of the Republican Party. Several of the incumbents who switched parties had to win the primary in order to represent the party on the ballot in November; in short, they earned their place on the ballot.

In the last week it has come to my attention that a group calling itself Republicans for Kerry Spears has filed paperwork to raise money for their cause and has begun to place signs about Milam County. I just got a note from a concerned Republican saying they saw a yellow sign near one of Kerry Spears signs that supported their cause.

This disturbed him because as a Republican he knows how important it is to support those candidates brave enough to take a stand and run as a Republican in a county that has made it a practice in the past of only voting Democrat. I have also had anonymous letters and phone calls telling me that some of the Milam GOP Candidates are not truly Conservative and that they are really Democrats.

Anonymous letters and phone calls to me are the most ridiculous forms of communication and are very reminiscent of those hate groups in the past who spewed their venom while roaming around in the dark behind cover. This I find quite humorous as the candidates that have chosen to hoist the Team Obama banner and remain in the Democrat Party are the very candidates who say to the State and Federal Democrat Party that they want Milam County to be a Pro-Obama Liberal Stronghold.

I am not sure what those who make up this group calling themselves Republicans has against our Republican Candidate for County Attorney, but Bill Torrey is the Republican Candidate for County Attorney and is the only the candidate the Republican Party of Milam County is supporting in this year’s General Election.

Bill Torrey chose to step forward and run as a Republican to represent the conservative values and beliefs he and Milam County hold dear. His opponent chose to remain in the Democrat Party and to continue to support the liberal Obama agenda that tears at the very fabric of American Society.

The Republican Party in Milam County has worked hard to establish a strong Conservative Republican Party here in Milam County and we will continue to work hard to maintain that high level of civility while we make Milam County a better place to work and live. It has not always been easy, especially when attacked by those on the other side of the political spectrum, but it is worth it to know we can hold our heads high while we work to make things better for Milam County, for Texas, and for our country.

In closing I will say that America is a free country and that everyone has the right to vote for whomever they feel will do the best job. I have believed that all of my life. I spent 14 years in the Navy defending that right and have worked the last three years as the Milam GOP Chair to ensure that everyone in Milam County has a right to vote however they see fit. Regardless of who you chose to vote for on November 6th, just remember that Bill Torrey is the Republican Candidate for County Attorney and that his opponent has chosen to be Barack Obama’s choice.

Thank You,
Bill

BLOCK-WALKING!!

Judge Barkemeyer Block-Walking
in 2012.

This Saturday, October 13th, we will again be out block-walking as a group to help promote the candidates. Please come out and help us canvass the Rockdale and Cameron streets with the Republican Message about our tremendous slate of candidates.


Mark your calendars and come out and join us. You can walk in Cameron or in Rockdale; we will be meeting in both towns at 9:00am. In Cameron we will meet at the Milam GOP Headquarters office at 106 N. Travis. In Rockdale we will meet at the old Wal-Mart Parking lot near Mr. Gatti’s Pizza. We'll meet up around 9:00, get our bearings and then set out to walk the streets with signs, pushcards, and enthusiasm!!

We’ll have donuts for a morning starter and after we’re done please join us for some pizza afterwards. This is a great time for you to get out, support your candidates, and show your determination to make things better. Oh....if you can't make it this time, we will also be having a last round of block-walking on October 27th!!

I look forward to seeing you all there!!
Bill