Huisache Ramblings – Bob Oberlender (7/7/2024)
Dear Editor,
On the 14th I fly to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to attend the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) Republican Party National Convention as a delegate. I am a little concerned that I have not been able to find out a few things.
Things like when and where does the RNC’s Platform and Resolutions Committee meet. There have been news articles suggesting that the Committee will meet behind closed doors. When I tried to chase down the info by contacting Republican Party of Texas (RPT) leadership, I have been told that this is false. But no one yet can give me a schedule.
I have received the Master Calendar published by the RNC. It lists the times and places of several events. It lists the times when the Convention meets. Most of those events are parties being put on by various state delegations. Of course, I expect that beer parties are a main “event” for a convention held in Milwaukee. I am not much of a beer drinker these days. A cold Mexican beer with enchiladas is rather good, but that’s about it. I doubt I will attend any of those parties. I would much rather get into the nuts and bolts of determining just what our party stands for.
The Medina and Bexar County delegates to the State Convention elected me to be a delegate. I was surprised to be nominated at all. And I was surprised that I got so many votes from the Bexar County contingent. During the three-minute speech that I had to pull out of my fourth point of contact I spoke about my political passion – Education. Just what are our kids learning in public schools? Why is there pornography in our school libraries? How did it get there in the first place? What idiot thought that was a good idea? As a substitute teacher, why did I have to teach racial divisiveness to fourth graders in a math class?
In the RPT Legislative Priorities last year there were “five bills passed that met the priority of Stopping the Sexualization of Texas Kids. They include HB 900 by Rep. Patterson, prohibiting sexually explicit materials in Texas public schools, HB 1181 by Rep. Shaheen, which requires strict age verification for online porn, SB 12 by Sen. Hughes, prohibiting sexually oriented performances in the presence of minors, including drag shows, SB 1527 by Senators Hancock and Huffman, which provides a criminal penalty for sexually grooming children, and HB 4520 pertaining to educator employment and retirement consequences for selling, distributing, or displaying harmful materials to children.” (https://texasgop.org/legislative-priorities-report-for-6-2-23/)
These were a good start. But only a start. In fact, the ACLU is challenging Texas laws preventing the stocking of pornographic material on school library shelves. I think a better start would be to eliminate the federal Department of Education and get rid of the clown show that these “liberals” and “progressives” have made that department. I want local values and ideals taught in our schools, along with reading, writing, arithmetic, and natural science taught. I want the ideals of the American Dream taught in Sociology classes. I want our national failures and successes taught in History classes. I want local veterans brought into classrooms to talk about their experiences in foreign countries where our Foreign and Defense policies took them. I want patriotism brought back.
And I want to know what the Republican Party is going to do about some of those things.
We are going to officially nominate President Trump as our candidate for President at this Convention. That is the main purpose of this event. But there are other things that will be decided in the back rooms. I want in those back rooms. May be to testify. May be to just listen. May be to meet and get to know the decision-makers. Wish Shawn McAnelly and I luck. Never have two residents of our Brush Country county been selected to be delegates to the National Convention. We would like to represent you as best we can. Pray for us.
Bob Oberlender, Natalia