U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant

Washington, Jun 10, 2010 -

U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant
Proudly Representing the 24^th District of Texas

E-Newsletter: Weeks of May 30 & June 7, 2010

Contents

I. America Speaking Out
II. Oil Spill Survey Results
III. Farmers Branch Liberty Fest
IV. Dallas Morning News Front Page Feature
V. Service AcademyAppointments Announced
VI. Identity Theft Prevention Forum
VII. New Survey – Arizona’s Immigration Law

I.     America Speaking Out

Recently, I joined my fellow Republican House members to launch America Speaking Out. The goal of this initiative is to engage all Americans to share their priorities and ideas for a new policy agenda which will be presented in the fall. Since May 25^th, nearly 300,000 Americans have visited the site AmericaSpeakingOut.com. Thousands of ideas have been submitted on debt reduction, government-reform, taxation, immigration, and more. I encourage you to log on, submit your ideas, and debate others. The registration page will request your zip code which will allow your submissions to be brought to my attention. You can visit the site at: AmericaSpeakingOut.com or follow America Speaking Out on twitter at http://twitter.com/usaspeakingout.

II.    Oil Spill Survey Results
 
In the last newsletter, I launched my first web survey asking residents of the 24^th district whether or not they support future offshore oil drilling in light of the BP spill. Thank you to all who voted. We received almost a thousand responses, with 85.3 percent voting in favor of future offshore drilling and 14.7 percent opposing.

I greatly value your detailed responses to the survey either from posting your feedback on my Facebook page or by calling my D.C. office. The following are a few replies I received:

• “Drilling 100+ miles offshore presents a number of problems that would be minimal in shallower waters.”

• “My opinion is that they should stop drilling NEW deep water wells until someone has come up with a better idea for immediately closing off a well in an emergency.”

• “I hope you oppose any more offshore drilling. This disaster will be around for many years.”

• “No, we should not quit drilling. We’ve been fuel slaves to foreign countries long enough.”

•  “I recognize the need for the Federal Government to investigate what went wrong with the recent oil disaster in the gulf, but it is not a reason to halt drilling in the gulf.”

III.    Farmers Branch Liberty Fest

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the City of Farmers Branch hosted the first ever Liberty Fest to pay respect to our service members, veterans, and those fallen in service to our great nation. I was honored to attend a formal ceremony on May 29^th to present a proclamation to Mayor Tim O’Hare and the City Council of Farmers Branch that recognized the effort put forth by the city to create Liberty Fest. During the ceremony, Mario Alonzo and Angela Rico of R.L. Turner High School were sworn in to the Marine Corps. Also, the American Fallen Solider Project honored a fallen Marine from Carrollton. According the Dallas Morning News, the Saturday festivities drew close to 18,000 people. I look forward to the Liberty Fest becoming an annual tradition to celebrate the service men and women in our community. Click here to view pictures of the event on my Facebook page.

IV.    Dallas Morning News Front Page Feature

Recently, I had the privilege of presenting Euless Mayor Mary Lib Saleh with her late husband’s unclaimed World War II medals – a story featured on the Dallas Morning News’ front page on May 31. Since her husband’s passing in October 2006, my staff has been researching Raymond Saleh’s old military records. We discovered several overdue medals of Mr. Selah including the Bronze Star – one of the military’s top honors. To date, my office has helped recover medals and awards for 98 veterans in our district. Click here to read the article about Mayor Saleh and the work of my office to honor our veterans.

V.      Service Academy Appointments Announced

One of the privileges I have serving in the United State House of Representatives is the opportunity to nominate outstanding young people from the 24^th district to be considered for appointment to our nation’s Service Academies. Qualified candidates must meet rigorous academic standards, be in excellent physical condition, and demonstrate leadership capabilities. Acceptance into any of the five Service Academies is extraordinarily competitive. Only the very best are offered an opportunity to attend one of these esteemed institutions. The following students from the 24^th district have been offered appointments and will begin school and military training this summer.

Carrollton
Steven Owens, U.S. Air Force Academy
Garrett Shinkle, U.S. Air Force Academy
Darius Staten, U.S. Naval Academy

Colleyville
Jacob Ceynar, U.S. Air Force Academy
Lauren Leet, U.S. Air Force Academy
Cameron White, U.S. Air Force Academy

Coppell
Ryan Ische, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Jasmine Morgan, U.S. Military Academy
Barkef Kory Osigian IV, U.S. Military Academy
Seth Rodgers, U.S. Air Force Academy
Alfredo Zurita, U.S. Air Force Academy

Duncanville
Aaron Hall, U.S. Air Force Academy
Jonathan Monsalve, U.S. Air Force Academy
Micah Newmann, U.S. Air Force Academy

Euless
Joseph Vogelsberg, Air Force Academy Prep School

Grand Prairie
Joseph Cheung, U.S. Air Force Academy
Paul Cooper, Naval Academy Prep School
Bryan Newkirk, Naval Academy Prep School
Christian Spears, Air Force Academy Prep School
Taylor Vannatta, U.S.  Naval Academy
Steven Valadez, Air Force Academy Prep School

Grapevine
Thomas Avers, U.S. Air Force Academy
Conner Brockenbush, U.S. Air Force Academy
Lucas Holmes, Greystone Prep School
Daniel Martinez, U.S. Air Force Academy

Irving
Alex Oswald, U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Lewisville
Dustin Edward Bridges, U.S. Air Force Academy
William Hunter Clay, U.S. Military Academy

Southlake
Mary Louise Morrison, U.S. Naval Academy

VI.    Identity Theft Prevention Forum

On Thursday, June 17^th, my office will be hosting an identity theft forum at the Southlake Senior Center. The forum will host two guest speakers: 1) former FBI agent David Leopard speaking on the necessary measures to prevent identity theft and 2) police officer Mike Bedrich from the Southlake Police Department who will describe how identity theft is affecting the local community. Lunch for seniors will begin at noon and the forum will begin at 12:30 PM. The Southlake Senior Center is located at 307 Parkwood Dr., Southlake, TX 75019. Those who wish to attend should call the Southlake Senior Center to make reservations at (817) 748-8315.

VII.   New Survey: Arizona’s Immigration Law

Please take a moment to answer my new short online survey asking your opinion on whether or not a similar bill like the Arizona Immigration Law should be considered for Texas. http://marchant.house.gov/Forms/Form/?ID=818

To offer further input on the Arizona Immigration Law or any other issue of interest to you, please contact my D.C. office at (202) 225-6605. You can also engage in discussion on my Facebook Page by clicking here.

I am honored to represent the 24^th District of Texas, and appreciate your interest in my e-newsletter.  Please contact my District or DC office with any further questions you may have or visit my website at www.marchant.house.gov. Connect with me on Facebook here or follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/RepKenMarchant.  

Sincerely,

Member of Congress