Turning out more Democratic Voters in East Texas is critical for Dems to win statewide races

Help East TX Trio Turn Texas Blue: McKellar, Brannon & Layton

By Faith Chatham - May 10, 2018

Bill Brannon, Shirley Layton and Shirley McKellar are three Democrats who are building political infrastructure in part of the Lone Star State which had been abandoned to the Republicans for decades. The poverty rate has escalated during the tenures of multi-term small government Tea Party Republicans incumbent to the point that currently at least 30% of the households in this region live below the poverty line.

It takes hard work, persistence, and rebuilding to change out these seats. It takes hard core dedicated Democratic candidates on the campaign trail proclaiming common sense people focused messages. All three of these candidates have deep ties in their communities and are know for community services.

We cannot win statewide up ticket races without closing the gap between the number of Democratic and Republican voters in these hard to win districts.

The districts of these three Democratic Nominees are all located in the Piney Woods Region of East Texas. Dr Shirley McKellar is challenging Tea Party Freedom Caucus US Rep Louie Gohmert for the US TX 1st Seat in the US Congress.

Former Texas Democratic Party Executive Director Bill Brannon is challenging Republican Dan Flynn for the 2nd District Seat in the Texas State House of Representatives.

Former Angelina County Democratic Chair Shirley Layton is challenging Texas State Senator (Rep) Bob Nichols for the Texas State Senate 3rd District seat.

We cannot win top of the ticket statewide races without closing the gap more in our hardest to win Districts.

They need gasoline money to travel through their large districts They need money for flyers and phone banks to get our Democratic Message to people who have not been exposed to many Democrats on their ballots for much too long. They need help to continue building the political infrastructure necessary to attract Democratic voters.

These are warriors who are fighting against formidable opponents in a red part of the state. Every voter they are able to inspire gives our statewide ticket a greater opportunity of winning in November. We cannot win state wide races if we continue to refuse to support candidates who fight for us in the hardest to win areas.

Please give what you can afford to fill their gas tanks and to keep them stocked with push cards for volunteers to distribute to voters who have not heard our message.

Use this link to have your donation split between these three East Texas Candidates. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/etdem18

If you prefer to give everything to one and/or nothing to one and split it between the other two, you can use this link and click on the "Allocate my donation differently" link about the $amount on the form. 

Wow! What an Army Nurse!

By Faith Chatham Feb. 15, 2018

An article in the Longview News Journal earlier this month discounted US Texas 1st District Democratic Primary congressional candidate Dr. Shirley J. McKellar, PhD, RN, Maj. (ret) as "just an Army Nurse."

My response is:
McKellar has created more jobs in East Texas than most governmental programs. In addition the two businesses mentioned in this article, she is responsible for helping meet the mental health needs of 12 East Texas counties military families and veterans. As an officer on the Veterans Administration Mental Health Advocacy Council, she is "at the table" fighting to restore cuts to women's mental health services and to expand mental health services for all veterans. 

Instead of just talking about supporting veterans, McKellar puts her talent and personal resources into helping veterans. Last year she attended a ribbon cutting for a housing complex in Dallas for Homeless Veterans. She asked: "How can we get a similar one in East Texas." She did not let the current party of the majority of Congress or the current occupants of the  White House deter her. She pulled together a steering committee of local stakeholders, donated some of her own land, and worked diligently with HUD and the VA to "make it happen." On March 3rd there will be a ground breaking for the new complex in Smith County where homeless veterans can use their VA Benefits to buy their own condos.

For 20 years she operated an early childhood education center in Tyler which provided care and education until midnight 7 days a week for infants through 13 year olds. When she was deployed to the Middle East that facility closed. However, she has tracked the progress of the children they served. EVERY child served by that center has graduated from High School and gone to college. One is currently in law school. That program could serve as a pilot program for how to do it right!

Shirley McKellar understands that the more responsibility you have the more you don't know which you need to know. Therefore she is always learning. She has a PhD in nursing, a MS in Criminal Justice and has almost completed a masters in Political Science.

Her expertise in economic development, small business incubation, job creation and non-profit organization equips her to serve the people of this district. During Mr. Gohmert's tenure the unemployment rate and number of persons living in poverty in most of the district has escalated. Shirley McKellar listens to people, verifies and researches, collaborates and brings solutions that serve people. This is the leadership we need in Congress. 

Someone with the Longview News referred to her as "just an Army Nurse!" 
--She is "just an army nurse" who implemented much of the women's health care for the US Military in the European Theatre. 
--She is just an army nurse who established the only comprehensive breast center in the US Military serving men and women. 
--She is just the army nurse who partnered with UT Medical School to determine why the mortality rate for men and women of color who have breast cancer is significantly greater than for white women and to look for treatments which give better outcomes. 
--She is also the Army Nurse who co-founded (with UT Medical School) the African American Breast Cancer Awareness. 

Somehow, I think the best outcome for East Texas in 2018 is for Louie Gohmert to be replaced with this "just an army nurse!"

Donate to Shirley McKellar for Congress at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/justarmynurse?refcode=ArmyNurse

Never Underestimate A Fat Woman!

Faith Chatham Jan. 28, 2017

Message to Judge Bailey Moseley: Never underestimate a fat woman!

I have not seen Bailey Moseley since our high school days in the 1960s. However, my memory of him from those days doesn't place him in the category of lean and trim. I remember him as a studious, and rather non-descript teenager. Like most of us, he was a kid with potential and the average basket of adolescent flaws.

His tweet referring to the Women's March, if even if in jest, is unfortunate. Some folks inherit dna that makes being slim easier than the dna inherited by others. Personally, I am a fat woman. I thought of myself as a fat ugly person for the first thirty years of my life, even though photos of me as a teenager and young adult show that I was not particularly ugly and I was not fat. Now that I am old and I am definitely fat, I am strong enough to know my worth despite physical challenges.

I would LOVE to have been marching with those women but realized that mobility challenges would have made it more difficult that was prudent. Even though my feet were not actually marching, everything else about me was there marching with them, before, during, after and probably forever.

However, there is a lot that fat women, skinny women, young women, average women,old women, single women, married women, working women, stay home moms, stay home empty nesters, retired women, smart women, not exceptionally bright women, tall women, short women, white women, black women, immigrant women, native American women, Asian American women, Latina women, oh, and read this and know that it is true -- EAST TEXAS WOMEN, can do, whether we are in the streets, at our computers, out shopping, in public office, teaching, preaching, or merely the woman who you depend on to serve you coffee and pie.

Even though we were not "Buds" in HS, and I have not seen you in over 50 years, I really didn't think you were someone stupid enough to refer to one woman, let alone millions of women, as "FAT".
Any smart man knows better than to call any woman, even those of us who are of ample porportions, "FAT." Any smart person (of any gender) knows the force and determination of a pissed off woman. Most women, even those who are of perfect proportions (whatever that is). get pissed off when referred to as "FAT". Any smart person knows to be wary of a pissed off woman.

East Texas women are noted for being easy to get along with until they are disrespected. There is a level of tolerance folks get because smart people know to pick their battles and let certain things slide, up to a point. Then when someone steps over that line, and the tolerance ends, history demonstrates that is it wise to LOOK OUT. When things move beyond that line, there is something that happens. It's not planned. It's not premediated. When that watershed moment occurs and determination sets in, things happen. That's when talk stops and action takes over.

Since Bailey is from a long line of East Texas women, and his entire existence is dependent upon, and interconnected with, East Texas women, I trust that he is wise enough to realize that he is in exceptionally deep water. He had best begin dog paddling with all his might. College degrees, years on the bench, and membership in good ole boys clubs will not insulate him from encounters he cannot avoid by those who can wear velvet gloves, or boxing gloves, whenever and whereever he encounters them. If he hasn't been to confession lately, he'd probably better go. If he hasn't sought spiritual direction from a wise counselor lately, he probably should set down with one and seek a path out of the mire he has jumped into. He will need assistance from a power much greater than he is to get out of this one.

Best wishes Bailley. You are going to need every ounce of goodwill you can muster!