Laura Bush delivers SMU Commencement Speech

Former First Lady Laura Bush addressed Southern Methodist University students on Saturday, May 16th, when she delivered the keynote commencement speech. Mrs. Bush graduated from the university in 1968, over forty years ago, with a Bachelor of Science degree in education.

The former First Lady, dressed in a blue and red graduation gown, spoke of her days at SMU and told graduates that those experiences will be "influential for the rest of your life." She also told the almost 2,000 students in SMU's packed Moody Coliseum that "you won’t waste your talent and education if you use them in service to others." She went on to mention several world issues and how students shouldn't ignore them when looking for their "calling,"

"Between cellphones and the Internet, you have a world of information literally at your fingertips. And because our world is so small, you can’t ignore the genocide in Darfur or the recent brutal treatment of democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma. You know the plight of children orphaned by AIDS in Africa. Today begins a period of incredible liberty and adventure, a time to find your calling and to demand the most of life before life makes specific demands on you."

The speech lasted about fifteen minutes and Mrs. Bush claimed that when she graduated, she never dreamed that one day, she'd be the one to deliver the commencement address or serve on the Board of Trustees.

SMU is where former President George W. Bush's Presidential Library is set to be built and the former First Lady mentioned that in her speech, as well, saying,

"The bonds formed at SMU are strong, and no matter how many years you’ve been away, I hope that you'll find, like I have, that coming back to SMU feels like coming home. That is why I am so happy that George and I will spend the rest of our lives working here on the SMU campus at the Bush Library and Institute."

You can watch Laura Bush's speech in its entirety here: SMU Video Library

Women of the GOP "In the News" Weekly Round-up

Lot of great Conservative and Republican Women in the news this week! Here is your weekly round-up:

- Fox News' Primetime Shows have been filled with Conservative and Republican women, this week. Last night, Cindy McCain, wife of Senator John McCain sat down with Greta Van Susteren to discuss everything from her work in Camboida and Congo to her Twitter habits. Tonight, Women of the GOP favorite Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, will be on "On the Record" to discuss the CIA vs. Nancy Pelosi and more on the CIA memo controversy. Meanwhile, "The View" co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck visited "Hannity" to discuss everything from President Obama to her new cookbook. Sean Hannity also interviewed Miss California Carrie Prejean about her big news-making week!

- Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has spoke out this week, calling on Congress to block ACORN's access to federal housing funds due to charges of voter registration fraud. Yesterday, Bachmann spoke outside the Capitol,

"ACORN, as you know, is no stranger to the spotlight. Yet no matter how many times prosecutors investigate and even indict ACORN and their employees, they emerge unblemished as far as the federal government is concerned from having access to federal tax dollars."

- Governor Sarah Palin has, once again, made news this week. Not only did she defend Miss California Carrie Prejean against "malicious attacks" but rumor has it, Palin has signed a book deal to publish her memoir sometime next spring. Palin tells the Associated Press,

"There’s been so much written about and spoken about in the mainstream media and in the anonymous blogosphere world, that this will be a wonderful, refreshing chance for me to get to tell my story, that a lot of people have asked about, unfiltered.”

- Finally, Georgia Secretary of State and Conservative Republican candidate for Governor, Karen Handel has a new message and a new website: Karen Handel for Governor - Bring it on! Handel gave a big speech today at the Georgia Republican Convention in Savannah, GA. In it, she presented a message of change, her personal story, and beating the odds in both life and politics!

Debra Medina: Dark Horse in Texas

As the 2010 Texas Governor's race heats up, you've probably heard of at least two big names vying for the position: current Governor Rick Perry, who is running for an unprecedented third term, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson. But you my not have heard of candidate Debra Medina, a favorite amongst conservatives and libertarians who are tired of the same old ways of doing things and looking for new leadership (and smaller government) in Texas.

Medina isn't your typical politician, running to further her own career. She is running to have an impact on the state of Texas and its people. Instead of a resume padded with fancy political titles that mean nothing, Medina brings to the table the determination, worth ethic, and the desire to return the role of government back to the "Constitutional Republic" the Founding Fathers meant it to be. At a recent Tea Party in Burleson, Texas, Medina spoke of just that,

"While many of the Tea Parties around Texas have focused on what's happening in Washington, DC, and that's easy to do, we see us as us and them as them...I've got to come on the heels of that and ask us to remember that government starts right here, first. It starts at the school boards and it starts at the city councils and it starts at the commissioner's courts. And we train our politicians as they serve us in those capacities how we want them to behave as elected officials. It's important for all of us to remember the proper role of government. Any of us that are students of history see that's what happening in Washington DC right now is not fixing the problem, it is making it worse...we need to remember what the proper role of government is and we need to start asking each other not just how we shift the tax burden from one place to another but what service is your local government providing that would be more appropriately provided by the family or the church or the community."

So who is Debra Medina? According to her website, Medina's hometown is Beeville, Texas and she is married with two children, ages 23 and 19. When she's not involved in politics, she enjoys cooking, gardening, horseback riding, and reading. Medina received a nursing degree from Baptist Memorial Hospital System in 1984 and a Bachelors degree in Business Management from Le Tourneau University in 1995. She is currently the President and CEP of Prudentia, Inc., a medical claims management and legal consulting firm. Medina serves as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Wharton County, Texas and is the State Coordinator for Ron Paul's "Campaign for Liberty." She is also a member of the Wharton Rotary Club.

Medina maintains a blog on her website where she stays in tough with her supporters by posting her thoughts on big issues - everything from taxes to the swine flu - and talks about her political ideology and other activities she is involved with. Recently, she has written about her displeasure with SB 855, a bill making its way through the Texas Senate. According to her blog, the bill

"allows local communities to call elections to raise taxes and fees to pay for light rail, roads, and hike & bike trails...the bill also establishes a progressive income funding structure, an income tax."

Medina asks her readers to keep this in mind when they go to the polls on the now passed May 9th election day and during future elections. You can watch the rest of her Tax Day Tea Party Speech here:

Where are the Republican Women?

Why are Republican women the minority in Washington? That is the question Erika Lovley of POLITICO.com explored this week. Women make up 51% of the United States population, but in Congress, the numbers are far from representative. Of 435 men and women in Congress, only seventeen of them are Republican women, and just four of 99 Senators are female members of the GOP. And if 2008 is any indication, things aren't getting much better. Despite having Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on the ticket as the Vice Presidential candidate in November, there were 96 women on the ballot for the Democrats, only 37 Republicans. Political science professor, Laurel Elder told Politico,

"Republican women are more reluctant to throw their hat in the ring because they don't see a lot of women like themselves in leadership or on the news. This idea that the GOP is just going to treat everyone fairly hasn't worked. If the GOP wants more women, they're going to have to do more than just recruit women. They need to urge them to run"

Several Republican members of Congress agree with Elder's statement. Representative Pete Sessions (R-Texas) claims the Republican party is focusing on "finding highly qualified female candidates who can effectively convey the Republican message," but former Representative Thelma Drake (R-Virginia) claims the negative press coverage and harsh accusations from opponents is enough to turn women away from politics. When news broke that Governor Palin's seventeen year old daughter was pregnant, the Palin family was often subject to negative and downright hateful treatment from the media and many liberal groups. Drake tells Politico she is still angry at the effect television ads had on her own grandchildren,

"For Republican women to say, ‘This is something I want to subject my family to’ — it’s a big role.' It’s difficult to find people to run for office, and it will be more difficult in the future because of the tones in campaigns."

Republican National Committee Co-Chairwoman Jan Larimer claims the RNC is taking notice and making a push to recruit and train women to run for office in 2010.

"Part of our goal is to dramatically increase the number of Republican women running for office. Chairman Steele and I agree that we must redouble our efforts to build a strong grass-roots organization that encourages participation by every Republican in every state and territory."

With this issue on the table, it will be interesting to see just what happens in 2010and 2012 regarding female Republicans. Will the national presence of Governor Palin influence more women to run for office or will the treatment of her family and other various other issues send a message that has women shying away from politics in general?

Candice Miller: A Voice for National Defense

When Congresswoman Candice Miller (R-Michigan) visited Guantanamo Bay in March, she came to one conclusion: Guantanamo Bay should not be closed and the detainees should not be released. "You're looking at pure evil," she said. Miller, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, toured the detention center with a bipartisan group of members of Congress. There, they talked to troops and received a classified briefing on the detainees. As to how the detainees were being treated Miller said,

"I think many Americans would be surprised at how humanely these people are being treated. For example, the medical facilities are second to none. All the modern apparatus of a U.S. hospital are offered there."

Milller also said she learned that the facility was modeled after two United States jails, including one from her home state of Michigan's Lenawee County, saying, "If it's good enough for state prisoners in Michigan, it should be good enough for terrorists." She has co-sponsored a bill that would prevent prevent the transport of detainees to American prisons.

Congresswoman Miller has served on the House Homeland Security Committee since March 2008. She represents Michigan's 10th District which is a border district and home to the Blue Water Bridge, the second busiest border crossing on the northern tier. Her district is also home to the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, three Coast Guard stations, and it borders Chemical Valley, one of the largest collections of petro-chemical operations in North America and the CN Rail Tunnel, the busiest rail artery in the U.S. Serving this location. Because of the 10th District's location, it's no surprise that Miller's top priorities include building homeland security presence, enhancing the security of our airways, roadways, railways and waterways, and securing our food and water supplies by enhancing Northern Border security.

Miller also serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. According to Miller, Michigan has never gotten its share of tax dollars returned for its infrastructure needs. The Committee allows her to offer oversight and influence to insure the Blue Water Bridge and other similar portals receive deserved federal attention. It also allows her to serve as a voice for protecting the Great Lakes, Michigan's most cherished natural resources.

Before being elected to Congress, Miller served as Michigan's Secretary of State for two terms. She is a lifelong resident of Macomb County, Michigan and before entering public service, she worked for her family's marina business on Clinton River. She and her husband, Donald Miller, a former Air National Guard Colonel and current Macomb County Circuit Court Judge have one daughter.

Lynn Jenkins Delivers GOP's Weekly Radio Address

Today, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins of Kansas became the first freshman Republican in Congress to respond to President Obama's weekly radio address. Jenkins, a former CPA and the former Kansas State Treasurer spoke out on Democrats' "truly eye-opening" spending policies and focused on the wasteful use of taxpayer money to fund the stimulus bill,

"Well, in the last few weeks, we've heard about plenty of 'stimulus' waste Taxpayer dollars earmarked for a homeless program in a town with no homeless problem. Millions to extend an 'Artwalk' in New York. And more than a million dollars for sidewalks and trash cans outside a casino in Michigan...This bill was supposed to be about jobs, but it's gone off the rails in practically no time at all and millions of your tax dollars are being wasted. It's quickly turning into a symbol of everything wrong with Washington, D.C. - unchecked spending, no accountability and oversight, and more and more debt piled onto our children and grandchildren."

Jenkins went on to talk about how Obama's first 10 days have been full of "spending, taxing, and borrowing" and how Republicans want to fight for the middle class and small businesses. You can watch the address in its entirety here:

So who is Lynn Jenkins? Here's a little information about the Congresswoman from Kansas' Second District:

A sixth-generation Kansan, Lynn Jenkins was born and raised on dairy farm near Holton, Kansas. She attended Kansas State University and Weber State College and graduated with a degree in Accounting. After working as a Certified Public Accountant for many years, Jenkins served two years in the Kansas House of Representatives and one term as a Kansas State Senator. In 2002, she became the Kansas State Treasurer. During her tenure as Treasurer, she served as the president of the National Associating of State Treasurers. Jenkins was elected to Congress in 2008. She currently serves the Committee on Financial Services on both the subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, and the subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. Jenkins is also mom to two children, Hayley and Hayden.

A fiscal conservative, Jenkins would like to make President George W. Bush's tax cuts permanent, is often critical of many "wasteful" pork projects, and claims the rising price of oil is due to excess regulation. She also hold strong views on illegal immigration claiming that it "is wreaking havoc on our economic, legal, and national security interests." In January, Jenkins introduced a bill to prevent detainees from being moved from Guantanamo Bay to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Women of the GOP Weekly Round-Up

Many Conservative and Republican women are doing great things this week. Here is your weekly round-up!

- Governor Sarah Palin became the latest politician to jump on the Twitter bandwagon this week. To give you an idea of just how popular the Governor continues to be, less than 48 hours ago, she had around 600 Twitter "followers." Now, she has a little over 14,000.

- In other Palin news, the Governor appeared on the TLC show "American Chopper" this week. You can watch part of the interview here:

- In even more Palin news, Time Magazine listed its annual list of "100 Most Influential People." Not surprisingly, Governor Palin made the list.

- Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins of Kansas will deliver the GOP response to President Barack Obama's weekly radio address this Saturday. According to her website, she will "speak on Washington’s spending habits, the massive debt being piled on the backs of the next generation and the need for bipartisan cooperation going forward." Jenkins is the first freshman Republican ever asked to respond to a Presidential radio address.

- While most of Hollywood has had some not so nice things to say about Miss California Carrie Prejean's response to a question about gay marriage, actress Angie Harmon defended the beauty queen telling Us Magazine,

"If someone is standing up for how they feel and talking about their beliefs, why are we punishing her for that? I just don't understand how we've gotten to a place in America where, if someone doesn't agree with everyone, then they are punished for it."