Combs' schedule gets tangled up
State comptroller apologizes for 'no show'
BY LELAND ACKER

JACKSONVILLE - A personnel issue in Austin prevented State Comptroller Susan Combs from attending a meeting of the Cherokee County Republican Club Monday.

"Her staff has bent over backwards to apologize and we will reschedule as soon as possible," said James Morris, Pct. 3 justice of the peace and president of the Cherokee County Republican Club. "It will have to be sometime after the first of the year."

Judge Morris explained the scheduler he had been working with departed from Ms. Combs office two weeks ago, and her scheduling information is lost. He explained the legislature is also being called into committee meetings, which prevented her from being present.

Judge Morris managed to schedule a replacement speaker, 12th Texas Court of Appeals Justice Sam Griffith. Judge Griffith discussed some of the mission trips he has taken in the past few years, and centered on his visits to Sudan.

"Sudan is not really in the news," Justice Griffith said. "It goes to show some of the media bias. In Darfur, 300,000 Muslims have been massacred. In Sudan 2.1 million Christians have been massacred and 4 million are in refugee camps."

Justice Griffith told the Republican club that much of the bloodshed is over oil and gas, which has been discovered in Africa. He added that the civil war in Sudan ended in 2005, and said American politics directly impacted this situation.

"What our government does determines what the world is," Justice Griffith said. "It does matter."

Justice Griffith called on club members to vote and support their party nationwide.

Judge Morris spoke after Justice Griffith was seated.

"The Republican Party took a kick in the teeth in the last election," he said. "And it was probably well deserved. It's time to make a difference."

Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is expected to speak at the Nov. 5 meeting of the Cherokee County Republican Club. Judge Morris said he will be here, even if he has to drive to Austin and retrieve him.