Improvements made; improvements needed......I decided to drop in on a Republican precinct chair meeting last Thursday to see if the new Republican County Chair Rick Miller was living up to his campaign promises to allow more “openness” and “transparency.” I had to giggle at the tail end of the loooong meeting as Miller, who had patiently let many of the egos speak at every turn, eventually told speakers to sit down if they had already spoken on the topic. He was getting a little testy.

They argued about approving the communications committee report, deciding they wanted to see a more detailed report and about where to have the 2009 Lincoln Dinner, who to pay to run it, etc.

Now that was what I used to like about Eric Thode. He made all those picayune decisions then showed up at the precinct chairs’ meeting to inform us about what he had done. I liked Eric to make the decisions because we could always blame him if things went wrong.

But that is the very thing that a certain group hated. THEY wanted to run the show. That same group is still around and they still want to run the show. Or at least every one of them wants to orate.

Many of the arguments centered around the fact that many new precinct chairs will be sworn in at the next meeting two weeks hence. Several wanted to wait about making any decisions until the new chairs joined.

It was mentioned several times that the Lincoln Dinner made more money this year than last year, mainly because they didn’t have to pay any speaker’s fees.

That’s no surprise they made more this year; they were fighting and suing each other during and about the Lincoln Dinner last year. Heck fire, the proceeds were under court orders.

According to the budget chairman, the Lincoln Dinner profit was less than anticipated and the budget will reflect that.

The agenda item which stirred up a hornet’s nest and resulted in the audience being kicked out of the meeting while the main body met with counsel, was the motion to make Gary Gillen pay for the Republican newsletter that was never sent out by Gillen.

At the time County Chair Gary Gillen was not allowed to have a column in the newsletter (something no chairman had ever been refused), and according to Gillen, ads were moved around to give certain candidates (Dean Hrbacek) an advantage.

Precinct Chair Richard Whitmore, whose eligibility to serve as precinct chair has been questioned due to a question of his residency, wanted to get $8,000 from Gillen even if the Party had to take him to court.

Several other people, including Rosenberg City Councilwoman Fran Naylor agreed. Naylor said that as Christians the Party owed it to itself to collect money that was stolen and if the Party didn’t act, it was simply Wussies.

I thought that was a fine Christian attitude.

Then my hero Will Blakemore, who had been a precinct chair for longer that written records have been kept, stood up and chastised the group for dragging Gillen though the dirt one more time.

Blakemore reminded the group of Gillen’s die-hard loyalty, of his attempt to heal the wounds when he was first elected. He told them that Gillen was attacked viciously from the very beginning and never given a chance to try to heal the party. He reminded them that this motion continues the polarity.

Blakemore told them that the Republicans are facing a very hard battle in November and to continue this in-fighting was suicidal.

Mention was made by someone that the press would make much of this.

Paula Stansell asked what were the ramifications if Gillen was sued and the party lost. That’s when we were all kicked out so the legal counsel could consult with the chairs.

I don’t know what happened inside, but when we were allowed back in, a motion was unanimously passed to permanently table the effort to continue the fight against Gillen about the newsletters.

That’s what I really like about the Republicans nowadays. They can be so mean and nasty and eat their own. They never give up. They have a litmus test that if you believe differently from them, well you’re just evil.

They will beg donations from mean, nasty people to continue their vindictive vendetta against someone they get it in their head they just don’t like.

I said, you said......In my last column I recommended that Missouri City keep its incumbents because the process to buy the county club had already started, and I didn’t think we should change horses mid-stream. I said “Not a one of them wants the city to invest in the golf course.”

I heard from Noel Pinnock (who is running against Jerry Wyatt) who informed me that he is for buying the golf course and the accompanying 400 acres and said so at the forum. He pointed out that he lives on the course and served on the acquisition committee.

Kevin Turnstall also told me in a conversation after my column came out that he was not against buying the country club. He just wished the residents of Quail Valley and the HOA would participate in the purchase. OR he wished that if the city were to attempt to purchase, it would make a more reasonable offer that might be accepted rather than go through the long condemnation process. He felt the city should offer closer to the amount for which the property was appraised. I told him things like “when pigs fly,” and such comments of that ilk.

Too much for this column.....This needs to be discussed at length in another forum, but a group of people calling themselves the Houston 80-20 is holding a fundraising dinner in Sugar Land. Houston 80-20 Asian American PAC is a non-partisan organization formed to encourage Asian Americans to vote as a bloc and to promote active participation in the political process. The group is supporting Daniel Wong, Tom Abraham (no opponent) and S.B. Gaddi.

The reason eyebrows are perched way up on everyone’s brow is that Fort Bend and Sugar Land have worked so hard to promote diversity, and many believe this encouragement to bloc vote flies in the face of everything many people have worked for.

I agree with that thought; however, I also think that the Asian Americans have learned their lessons well and are using political techniques they’ve learned from the American way. This PAC endorsement and encouragement to bloc vote is one technique we’ve all seen time and again. No sense in suddenly getting angst over something that has been going on for years. I say that what’s good for the goose......

B.K. Carter is the owner/publisher of the Fort Bend/Southwest Star. She can be reached at beverly@fortbendstar.com.

Contact bkcstar@earthlink.net, if you would like to express your opinions/views regarding the column. Write a SIGNED letter to the editor with valid day time phone number--name can be withheld by request.