January 2016 - Republican Club of Rossmoor

The Rossmoor Republican
Seniors for a Government of Principle above Politics
January 2016
State Assemblywoman
To Speak at January 19 Dinner
Election
Shannon Grove represents the 34th Assembly
District encompassing the majority of Kern County.
She was first elected to the California State Assembly
in November 2010 as the first woman veteran to
serve in that legislative body. She was overwhelming
elected to second and third terms in 2012 and 2014.
Year
2016
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
President’s Message
2
New Editor
2
Membership Renewal
3
Volunteers Recognized
3
Monthly Movie
3
Debate Event
3
Opinion
4
Dinner Photos
5
Club Calendar
5
RCR Leadership
5
New Members
5
Dinner Menu
6
Shannon’s committee assignments include the
Assembly Budget Committee, where she is an
outspoken advocate for fiscal responsibility and
restraint. This year, she was named Vice Chair to the
Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting,
to oversee and protect the integrity of California's
election process.
A longtime business owner, Shannon first became active in the political process
to advocate for workers’ compensation reform. As a result of her two-year
participation in promoting this change, she was honored with the California
Legislature’s "Small Business Award" in 2005.
Shannon joined the United States Army after high school and served in
Frankfurt, Germany. She resides in Bakersfield with her husband Rick, and they
are the parents of five grown children.
Join us at the January 19 dinner, and hear Shannon Grove give us a legislative
update and discuss her past, including how she got into politics.
2016 Club Officers
To Be Installed
A blue dinner reservation form At our December 15 dinner
for the Tuesday, January 19th meeting, new officers were
dinner is included in this issue. elected to lead our Club in 2016.
Congratulations to President Ed
The form MUST be received
Manning, Vice President Peggy
by noon, Thursday, January Fryer, Treasurer Mary Hufford,
14th. Walk-Ins cannot be a n d S e c r e t a r y M a r y B e t h
accommodated. Reservations
are required both for dinner
a n d f o r s p e a k e r o n l y.
Questions? Call Susie White,
Ambassadors Chair 788-4479
Shannon Grove
Hodge. They will be installed
and take office at our January 19
dinner meeting. We thank our
outgoing officers, President Pam
Parsons and Secretary Joan
Leonard, and we welcome our
new leadership.
A New Year Begins
by President Pam Parsons
It has been an honor to serve as 2015 President
during our Club’s 50th anniversary year. Our goal
for the year was to give back to our membership
and celebrate our Club’s 50th anniversary with a
gala party and, in commemoration of our 50th,
give a lasting gift to our community. Our Club will
forever be proud of the commemorative teak
bench we have donated to the Rossmoor
Community in memory of veterans who have
served this great nation. If you have not seen the
bench, visit the plaza at Gateway, where our
bench proudly sits in memory of our veterans and
our 50th year as the Republican Club of
Rossmoor. A special thank you to Devon Olson
and our 50th Anniversary Committee for their hard
work planning all details for our 50th anniversary
celebration.
I thank the 2015 Board of Directors for their
support, dedication, and expertise this past year.
We have had a busy year and our success is the
result of continued teamwork. It has been a
pleasure serving with you all.
A special thank you to our team of Ambassadors
who are the most dedicated group of volunteers.
Through their efforts we have enjoyed another
year of special monthly dinner meetings. I
personally thank you all.
While my 2015 presidency of the Republican Club
of Rossmoor soon comes to a close, my
excitement and enthusiasm for our Club
continues.
Over this past year, our Club has grown to over
430 members. We are the largest Republican
Club in northern California. As
we begin 2016 and our 51st
year as a Republican Club, I
encourage all members to
invite others to join our
Club and help us continue
on our path of growth
entering this very critical
e l e c t i o n y e a r.
As
individuals and as a large
club, we can make a
difference.
Pam Parsons
We must support all
Republican candidates at
all levels of government
this election year. Our country is at a critical
crossroads, having suffered a decline at the hands
of the left.
We must take our country back.
Exercise your right to vote this election year. Your
vote could be the deciding vote. It is through
electing conservative Republicans that we will turn
this country around and once again be a united
and prosperous country we can be proud of.
It is with continued enthusiasm that I will pass the
gavel to our newly elected President, Ed Manning,
at our January dinner meeting. Please join me in
congratulating President Manning and our new
2016 officers. I am pleased to remain active on
the Board of Directors as Immediate Past
President.
Lastly, I thank you members for all your heartfelt
personal words of appreciation this past year. It
has been my pleasure to serve as your President.
Under New Management
Effective with the February issue, Karen Davis has agreed to take the
position of Rossmoor Republican Editor replacing both John Littig
(Editor) and Pam Parsons (Publisher). Since Karen has both writing and
desktop publishing skills she will be able to do both "halves" of the job,
and the separate Publisher position will be eliminated. Welcome, Karen,
to your key position of the RCR Board of Directors.
Karen Davis
PAGE 2
It's 2016 Membership Renewal Time
Annual membership renewals are due in January. We will mail a
membership renewal form to each household in the first week of the New
Year. This will be mailed separately from the monthly newsletter. Return it
promptly to ensure that you will be listed in the Club's directory and that you
will continue to receive the monthly newsletter. Send your renewal
separately---not with your dinner reservation. Dues are $15 per person, $25
per household. Those who joined the Club during October, November, or
December of 2015 are paid-up through 2016 and do not have to pay dues or
return the renewal form.
For membership questions, or if you do not receive your renewal form by January 12, call Marlys Siegel
at 262-8185.
Board of Directors Recognizes Volunteers
Tom Del Beccaro
On December 4, the Board held an appreciation party for the Ambassadors and other Club members
who gave generously of their time and talent during 2015. The volunteers were treated to wine and hors
d'oeuvres at Dollar Clubhouse. Over 50 Board members, volunteers, and their spouses attended the
event. Our volunteers are the people who make it all happen: dinner reservations, decorations, name
tags, greeting and hospitality, bar, music, raffle, monthly movies, mailing list and newsletter labels,
opinion essays in the newsletter and in the Republican Perspective, Club directory, and other work both
out-front and behind-the-scenes. The Board thanks our volunteers, who truly roll up their sleeves for
our Club.
January Movie Is:
The Sandlot
Join us to see this 1993 comedy on
Wednesday, January 20, at 4:00 p.m. in
Peacock Hall.
The Sandlot stars Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar,
and Patrick Rena.
In the summer of
1962, a new kid in town is taken under the
wing of a young baseball prodigy and his
team. Together they get into adventures
involving rival teams and a vicious junkyard
dog. Even if you never played baseball,
you will appreciate this heart-warming and
nostalgic story.
Come Watch the Jan. 28 Debate
Come to the Club Room at Creekside to watch the GOP
candidates debate on giant screen TV.
We'll supply
sandwiches, chips, cookies, and bottled water. Creekside will
provide a cash bar ($4 wine or beer, $6 corkage for
BYO). There will be a quick straw poll at the end. Start time is
still TBA. Keep your eye on the news for the main event start
time. Arrive 30 minutes before the debate start time. No
RSVP---just show up and join in.
Questions: John Littig
256-8558.
This film runs 118 minutes, is rated PG, and
will be shown with language captions. For
more information: Joan Leonard 322-5744.
PAGE 3
A Lost Cause
OPINION
by Christopher Panton
Three, a number considered lucky by some, is quite popular in our hospitable vernacular. However, I present
here a tripartite group that is distinctly unpleasant. It consists of: 1) The migrant
refugee flood from around the Mediterranean. 2) Defiant and similarly dysfunctional
behavior by black students in public schools. 3) The Iran nuclear deal.
These three components appear to have nothing in common. In fact, they do. They all
share two overwhelmingly fundamental process-related blind spots. One is that all the
currently implemented solutions to these problems ignore learnings from their previous
history, thereby seriously elevating the risk of failure and/or tragically worsening the
situations. The second is that no proposed solution attempts to attack root cause---the
most effective means of solving a problem. Anything less is nothing more than a BandAid. So-called problem solvers often do not even give the root cause approach a good ol'
college try. There are several reasons for this. Typically, the root cause of the problem is: a) "Simply too big
and/or complicated to tackle with our available resources;" b) "Too P.C. off-limits for us to touch;" c) "Duh" (i.e.
a yokel-like incompetence). It is no coincidence that each of the 1) through 3) real-world examples outlined
above is matched to one of these avoidances.
One of many current migrant problems is the potential for devastating Islamic extremism to be carried forward
on the flood of mainly Muslim refugees. A solution that simplistically tries to stem the migrant flow does not
address the problem's root cause. Arguably, a root cause solution will require Islam to be reformed and
policed by its believers in such a manner that its teachings cannot be deliberately misused and corrupted as
the justification for extremist philosophy and actions. Clearly, this would be a gigantic, eye-wateringly complex
and probably impossible undertaking. However disturbing the resulting prospect of an endless parade
of Band-Aids seems, we probably don't have to worry too much about it in the U.S. because our President has
declared that the greatest threat to our security is global warming.
In the case of black student aberrant behavior in public schools, the current solvability trend is to train teachers
how to handle it. This, of course, is not addressing the root cause. The Berkeley School District---a paragon
in this field---touted the reason for this remedial strategy. "Defiance" a Progressive expert in the field declared
"is an integral part of black culture." This is why teachers---not just in Berkeley but in several other school
districts---are, themselves, being sent to school to "learn how to deal (i.e. put up) with it". Meanwhile,
the actual source and propagation of the students' miscreant behavior are a root cause that remains
unchallenged. Therefore, it is unlikely that the behavior will change. Identifying who is responsible for dealing
with the root cause and how they may go about it is way too un-PC for my diet. Therefore, in cowardly
fashion, I decline even a small plate. Just like all those school administrators and school boards.
And for the incompetence prize, I submit the nuclear arms deal with Iran. There is simply no root cause in
sight. The best shot that we had to get at the root cause was to bring Iran to its knees with harsher sanctions.
But sanctions were deemed to be ineffective. Hence the deal was cooked up as a replacement, complete with
its many incompetent loopholes and expectations. The best of which for me is that, if Iran cheats, then we
reinstate the sanctions! You remember, the ones that were previously declared not to be working. So in
truth, despite their known ethos and their anti-American culture, we are forced to trust Iran not to cheat. And
even if Iran appears to remain honest(!), the long term ultimate consequences could well result in nobody on
the planet having to worry about root causes ever again.
On that happy note, allow me to wish all readers a jolly good 2016.
PAGE 4
Board of Directors
Dinner Meetings
Elected Officers
Ed Manning, President
262-2584
Peggy Fryer, Vice President
947-5878
Mary Beth Hodge, Secretary
954-1158
Mary Hufford, Treasurer
979-9611
Directors
Fran Cavenaugh, Director at Large
945-7211
Karen Davis, Editor, The Republican
(828) 403-5671
Mike DeNunzio, Director at Large
415-317-0155
Carly Wood
Margaret Ready
Sally Moed
Carol Hehmeyer, Program Chair
705-7464
Vickie Hipkiss, Webmaster
933-5512
Bee Hylinski, Director at Large
482-0396
Joan Leonard, Director at Large
510-501-6769
John Littig, Publicity
256-8558
Devon Olson, Asst. Treasurer
& Historian/By-Laws
943-7905
Bud Lake
Chair, CC GOP
Rohit Joy
Philip Studaris
Pamela Parsons
Immediate Past President
831-1808
Marlys Siegel, Membership
262-8185
Clair Weenig, Director at Large
287-9795
Jim Schenkel
Susie White, Ambassadors Chair
788-4479
Richard Einstoss
Join Our Club!
Call Marlys Siegel at 262-8185
Annual Membership Dues are
$15 per person / $25 per household
Mail to: 5201 Terra Granada, #2A
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
Connie Horvath & Willie McCallum
Elaine & Frank James
Selma Soss
Club Calendar
Ambassadors: Monday, January 18, 11:00 am, Bunker Room, Creekside
Dinner Meeting: Tuesday, January 19 5:15 pm, Tahoe Room, Event Center
Movie: Wednesday, January 20, 4:00 pm, Peacock Theatre, Gateway
Board Meeting: Tuesday, January 26, 1:30 pm, Bunker Room, Creekside
Welcome New Members
Jack Weir & Mauna Wagner
Bob & Diane Wilson
Jane Arden Felix
Susan Williamson
Betty Baxter
Wendy Lack
PAGE 5
Republican Club of Rossmoor
Gateway Complex Mail Box
1001 Golden Rain Road
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
FIND US ON
THE WEB!
www.rossmoor-republicans.us
Dinner Meeting-Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Tahoe Room, Event Center
5:15 pm Social Time, 6:00 pm Dinner
A HOSTED WINE AND BEER BAR WILL BE OPEN UNTIL 6:00 pm
MENU
Caesar Salad
Braised Short Ribs
Creamy Italian Mashed Potatoes & Seasonal Vegetables
Vegetarian Option: Mushroom Veggie Risotto
Rolls w/Butter
Cherry Cobbler
Decaf Coffee or Tea
Reservation Deadline: Noon on Thursday January 14th
Reservation Questions: 788-4479