Texas Style
Another website that investigates the “Gulen-inspired,” charter schools and their activities in the United States, published a rather telling article about Texas politicians and political contributions given to their campaigns, courtesy of the Gulenists.
And some of those same Texas politicians must have an affinity for tea and baklava, because they certainly have taken advantage of the Turkish travel industry -- also known as --The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (I.I.D.), Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE), and the Raindrop Turkish House (a.k.a. Rain Drop Foundation.
Now it is becoming much clearer as to why Texas hosts the most “Gulen-inspired,” schools in the United States (62 and counting).
We know that Texans likes to boast about doing everything “big,” but political pandering on behalf of Gulen is a living just a little too large for our taste.
As a side note, why is everyone heading over to Turkey -- except for Gulen?
http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/winning-over-texas-politicians.html
Winning over Texas politicians
January 11, 2011 last updated Feb 2, 2011
Political contributions from Gulenists to Texas politicians
(this list is not comprehensive)
Contributor
Employer
Recipient
Amount
Date
Aksoy, Kudbettin
--
Al Green for Congress
1000.00
10/12/2010
Ay, Fatih
Cosmos Foundation/Director
Pete Sessions for Congress
1300.00
10/21/2010
Celepcikay, Oner Ulvi
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Silvestre Reyes
500.00
10/22/2010
Celepcikay, Oner
Cosmos Foundation
Texans for Rick Perry
1500.00
09/22/2010
Celepcikay, Oner
Cosmos Foundation
Texans for Rick Perry
1500.00
09/22/2010
Celepcikay, Oner Ulvi
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Poe for Congress
300.00
02/15/2010
Celepcikay, Oner
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Gene Green Congressional Campaign
500.00
01/16/2009
Celepcikay, Oner Ulvi
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Poe for Congress
300.00
12/31/2007
Cetinkaya, Coskun
SharePoint Architect/Director
Poe for Congress
300.00
2/15/2010
Cetinkaya, Coskun
Texas Gulf Foundation/Executive Dir
Olson for Congress Commmittee
250.00
11/21/2009
Guvercin, Mustafa
--
Howard, Donna S.
450.00
08/14/2008
Okumus, Mehmet
--
Poe for Congress
300.00
02/15/2010
Okumus, Mehmet
--
Olson for Congress Committee
250.00
11/21/2009
Ozer, Ozgur
Texas Gulf Institute
Texans for Rick Perry
2000.00
09/22/2010
Ozer, Ozgur
Texas Gulf Institute
Texans for Rick Perry
2000.00
09/22/2010
Ozer, Ozgur
Harmony Science Academy Superintend.
Poe for Congress
300.00
02/15/2010
Ozer, Ozgur
--
Culberson for Congress
500.00
03/28/2010
Pecen, Umit
Cosmos Foundation CFO
Gene Green Congressional Campaign
700.00
06/01/2010
Pecen, Umit
--
Al Green for Congress
1000.00
10/12/2010
Pecen, Umit
Cosmos Foundation CFO
Sheila Jackson Lee
1500.00
11/01/2010
Sel, Ibrahim
JP Morgan Chase & Co./Administrator
Elizabeth Ames Jones for Texas, Inc
500.00
09/30/2010
Sel, Ibrahim
JP Morgan Chase & Co./Administrator
Culberson for Congress
375.00
03/28/2008
Sel, Ibrahim
JP Morgan Chase & Co./Administrator
Eddie Bernice Johnson for Congress
300.00
05/08/2007
Tarim, Soner
Cormes [sic] Foundation (misspelling of Cosmos Foundation)
Texans for Rick Perry
5000.00
10/13/2010
Yildirim, Gulsah
--
Bolton, Valinda A.
50.00
10/22/2008
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Naishtat, Elliott
400.00
10/27/2006
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Howard, Donna S.
125.00
05/01/2010
Yildirim, Yetkin
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog
Bolton, Valinda A.
500.00
09/23/2010
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Howard, Donna S.
100.00
09/30/2010
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Naishtat, Elliott
300.00
10/11/2010
Yuksel, Zekeriya
Harmony Science Academy
House Democratic Campaign Committee
500.00
07/02/2010
Gulenist Turkey trips of Texas politicians and their staff
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (I.I.D.), Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE), and the Raindrop Turkish House (a.k.a. Rain Drop Foundation) are the main sponsors. This list is just a sampling and is not comprehensive.
In Today’s Zaman, Sep 30, 2010, Saim Orhan, who is affiliated with Samanyolu, a major Gulenist media outlet in Turkey, wrote about his trip to Austin: “Our first stop was the Texas State Capitol, where we dropped in to meet some state representatives. We spoke with state representatives Donna Howard and Eliott Naishtat, both of whom knew a little about Turkey. Howard told us she had a chance to learn about the teachings of Fethullah Gulen, while Naishtat shared stories of his tour through Anatolia on a visit to Turkey and how impressed he was by both the land and the people. // Naishtat recalled his memorable trip through Turkey organized by the Raindrop Foundation and the Institute of Interfaith Dialogue. State representatives from Oklahoma were also in the party with them.”
________
From the website of the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians: “Turkish Delegation meets with Texas state officials.” In attendance were:
Congressman Louie Gohmert attended the Grand Opening Gala of the Turkic American Alliance (formerly ATAF), Washington DC, May 12, 2010, celebrating the inauguration of an umbrella organization with 180 member organizations, all linked to Fethullah Gulen.
________
US Congressman Honorable Louie Gohmert attended a lunch at the Raindrop Turkish House, Houston, Feb 28, 2008 organized by Raindrop Turkish House, The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID), The Institute of International Commerce and Partnership (IICP), Texas Gulf Institute (TGI), all Gulenist organizations.
________
Attending the 5th Annual Friendship and Dialogue Dinner of the El Paso chapter of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID) Nov 27, 2010:
Attending the Institute of Interfaith Dialog's 8th Dallas Annual Friendship and Dialog Dinner, November 29, 2010:
The above list is only a sampling.
Return on investment
Below are just two examples of the return on investment that Gulenists have received from Texas politicians:
State resolution 85 commending Fethullah Gulen
On January 25, 2011, the Texas Senate passed SR 85, a resolution "commending Fethullah Gulen for his contributions to the promotion of global peace." While most Texans pay scant attention to such ceremonial gestures and would probably prefer that their elected representatives attend to more substantive matters, this resolution was treated as major news by all Gulenist media outlets. For example, Today's Zaman ran a story on it.
The authors of the resolution, according to this Texas State Senate webpage, were Eddie Lucio Jr, Troy Fraser, Joan Huffman, Jane Nelson and Leticia van de Putte. Notice how at least two of these individuals had been on a Gulenist Turkey trip (see above).
Houston Proclamation declaring "Gulen Institute - Dialog of Civilizations Day"
From the website of the Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance (a Gulenist organization), referring to a Jan 2010 event called "Dialog of Civilizations Platform":
"The honorary guest of the program was Congressman Al Green. He stated the Gulen Movement is a peace movement and the aid campaign of the Raindrop Turkish House for the Haiti Earthquake was something to be applauded.
"Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and newly-elected Houston Mayor Annise Parker also sent messages to the Platform to show their support. Annise Parker issued a proclamation in which she declared 22-23 January as the 'Gulen Institute – Dialog of Civilizations Day'. "
Do your own investigating
Campaign finance reports for Texas state office candidates can be searched at the Texas Ethics Commission website. Turkey trips are declared on these reports. Federal campaign contributions can be easily searched, both by donor and candidate name, at the Newsmeat website. Congressional Turkey trips can be searched at the Legistorm website. The websites of Gulenist organizations such as the Raindrop Turkish House, Institute of Interfaith Dialog, Turquoise Council, and Gulen Institute show many short articles on events that Texas politicians have participated in.
And some of those same Texas politicians must have an affinity for tea and baklava, because they certainly have taken advantage of the Turkish travel industry -- also known as --The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (I.I.D.), Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE), and the Raindrop Turkish House (a.k.a. Rain Drop Foundation.
Now it is becoming much clearer as to why Texas hosts the most “Gulen-inspired,” schools in the United States (62 and counting).
We know that Texans likes to boast about doing everything “big,” but political pandering on behalf of Gulen is a living just a little too large for our taste.
As a side note, why is everyone heading over to Turkey -- except for Gulen?
http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/winning-over-texas-politicians.html
Winning over Texas politicians
January 11, 2011 last updated Feb 2, 2011
Political contributions from Gulenists to Texas politicians
(this list is not comprehensive)
Contributor
Employer
Recipient
Amount
Date
Aksoy, Kudbettin
--
Al Green for Congress
1000.00
10/12/2010
Ay, Fatih
Cosmos Foundation/Director
Pete Sessions for Congress
1300.00
10/21/2010
Celepcikay, Oner Ulvi
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Silvestre Reyes
500.00
10/22/2010
Celepcikay, Oner
Cosmos Foundation
Texans for Rick Perry
1500.00
09/22/2010
Celepcikay, Oner
Cosmos Foundation
Texans for Rick Perry
1500.00
09/22/2010
Celepcikay, Oner Ulvi
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Poe for Congress
300.00
02/15/2010
Celepcikay, Oner
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Gene Green Congressional Campaign
500.00
01/16/2009
Celepcikay, Oner Ulvi
Univ. of Houston Computer Science
Poe for Congress
300.00
12/31/2007
Cetinkaya, Coskun
SharePoint Architect/Director
Poe for Congress
300.00
2/15/2010
Cetinkaya, Coskun
Texas Gulf Foundation/Executive Dir
Olson for Congress Commmittee
250.00
11/21/2009
Guvercin, Mustafa
--
Howard, Donna S.
450.00
08/14/2008
Okumus, Mehmet
--
Poe for Congress
300.00
02/15/2010
Okumus, Mehmet
--
Olson for Congress Committee
250.00
11/21/2009
Ozer, Ozgur
Texas Gulf Institute
Texans for Rick Perry
2000.00
09/22/2010
Ozer, Ozgur
Texas Gulf Institute
Texans for Rick Perry
2000.00
09/22/2010
Ozer, Ozgur
Harmony Science Academy Superintend.
Poe for Congress
300.00
02/15/2010
Ozer, Ozgur
--
Culberson for Congress
500.00
03/28/2010
Pecen, Umit
Cosmos Foundation CFO
Gene Green Congressional Campaign
700.00
06/01/2010
Pecen, Umit
--
Al Green for Congress
1000.00
10/12/2010
Pecen, Umit
Cosmos Foundation CFO
Sheila Jackson Lee
1500.00
11/01/2010
Sel, Ibrahim
JP Morgan Chase & Co./Administrator
Elizabeth Ames Jones for Texas, Inc
500.00
09/30/2010
Sel, Ibrahim
JP Morgan Chase & Co./Administrator
Culberson for Congress
375.00
03/28/2008
Sel, Ibrahim
JP Morgan Chase & Co./Administrator
Eddie Bernice Johnson for Congress
300.00
05/08/2007
Tarim, Soner
Cormes [sic] Foundation (misspelling of Cosmos Foundation)
Texans for Rick Perry
5000.00
10/13/2010
Yildirim, Gulsah
--
Bolton, Valinda A.
50.00
10/22/2008
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Naishtat, Elliott
400.00
10/27/2006
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Howard, Donna S.
125.00
05/01/2010
Yildirim, Yetkin
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog
Bolton, Valinda A.
500.00
09/23/2010
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Howard, Donna S.
100.00
09/30/2010
Yildirim, Yetkin
--
Naishtat, Elliott
300.00
10/11/2010
Yuksel, Zekeriya
Harmony Science Academy
House Democratic Campaign Committee
500.00
07/02/2010
Gulenist Turkey trips of Texas politicians and their staff
The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (I.I.D.), Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians (TCAE), and the Raindrop Turkish House (a.k.a. Rain Drop Foundation) are the main sponsors. This list is just a sampling and is not comprehensive.
- Eliott Naishtat, State Representative
- Valinda Bolton, State Representative, June 2008 (I.I.D.)
- Donna Howard, State Representative, June 2008 (I.I.D.)
- Troy Fraser, State Senator, Oct 2010 (TCAE)
- Leticia van de Putte, State Senator, Aug 2010 (Rain Drop Foundation)
- Associate Judge Andy Hathcock (Valinda Bolton's husband), June 2008 (I.I.D.)
- Travis County Constable Bruce Elfant and his wife, Lisa Harris, June 2008 (I.I.D.)
- David Wallace, former Mayor of Sugarland, Texas
- Victoria Anne Palmer, Staff of Congressman John Carter, summer 2010 (TCAE)
- Mark Ramon Williams, Staff of Congressman Sam Johnson, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Christopher Roper Schell, Staff of Congressman Ralph Hall, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Paul N. Balzano, Staff of Congressman Mike Conaway, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Christopher William “Chris” Alsup, Staff of Congressman John Carter, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Scott C. Graves, Staff of Congressman Mike Conaway, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Lindsey Ray, Staff of Congressman Sam Johnson, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Ryan D. Stalnaker, Staff of Congressman John Carter, summer 2009 (I.I.D.)
- Will Wynn, Mayor of Austin, August 2006 (I.I.D.)
In Today’s Zaman, Sep 30, 2010, Saim Orhan, who is affiliated with Samanyolu, a major Gulenist media outlet in Turkey, wrote about his trip to Austin: “Our first stop was the Texas State Capitol, where we dropped in to meet some state representatives. We spoke with state representatives Donna Howard and Eliott Naishtat, both of whom knew a little about Turkey. Howard told us she had a chance to learn about the teachings of Fethullah Gulen, while Naishtat shared stories of his tour through Anatolia on a visit to Turkey and how impressed he was by both the land and the people. // Naishtat recalled his memorable trip through Turkey organized by the Raindrop Foundation and the Institute of Interfaith Dialogue. State representatives from Oklahoma were also in the party with them.”
________
From the website of the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians: “Turkish Delegation meets with Texas state officials.” In attendance were:
- State Comptroller Susan Combs
- Commissioner of Education Robert Scott
- Austin Mayor Lee Leffinwell
- Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson
Congressman Louie Gohmert attended the Grand Opening Gala of the Turkic American Alliance (formerly ATAF), Washington DC, May 12, 2010, celebrating the inauguration of an umbrella organization with 180 member organizations, all linked to Fethullah Gulen.
________
US Congressman Honorable Louie Gohmert attended a lunch at the Raindrop Turkish House, Houston, Feb 28, 2008 organized by Raindrop Turkish House, The Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID), The Institute of International Commerce and Partnership (IICP), Texas Gulf Institute (TGI), all Gulenist organizations.
________
Attending the 5th Annual Friendship and Dialogue Dinner of the El Paso chapter of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog (IID) Nov 27, 2010:
- El Paso Mayor John Cook
- El Paso Senator Eliot Shapleigh ("received Institute of Interfaith Dialog Community Service award after serving 14 years in Texas State Senate")
- Senator-Elect Jose Rodriguez
- El Paso County Judge-Elect Veronica Escobar
- Texas State Representatives Chente Quintanilla and Marisa Marquez
- El Paso City Representatives
- County Commissioners
- Dictrict Judges
- (The Institute of Interfaith Dialog website says that "many other valuable guests participated the dinner." The use of the word "valuable" in this statement is quite revealing.)
Attending the Institute of Interfaith Dialog's 8th Dallas Annual Friendship and Dialog Dinner, November 29, 2010:
- Dr. John Harper, Mayor of City of Rowlett
- Dwaine Caraway, Mayor Pro Tem at City of Dallas
The above list is only a sampling.
Return on investment
Below are just two examples of the return on investment that Gulenists have received from Texas politicians:
State resolution 85 commending Fethullah Gulen
On January 25, 2011, the Texas Senate passed SR 85, a resolution "commending Fethullah Gulen for his contributions to the promotion of global peace." While most Texans pay scant attention to such ceremonial gestures and would probably prefer that their elected representatives attend to more substantive matters, this resolution was treated as major news by all Gulenist media outlets. For example, Today's Zaman ran a story on it.
The authors of the resolution, according to this Texas State Senate webpage, were Eddie Lucio Jr, Troy Fraser, Joan Huffman, Jane Nelson and Leticia van de Putte. Notice how at least two of these individuals had been on a Gulenist Turkey trip (see above).
Houston Proclamation declaring "Gulen Institute - Dialog of Civilizations Day"
From the website of the Azerbaijanian American Cultural Alliance (a Gulenist organization), referring to a Jan 2010 event called "Dialog of Civilizations Platform":
"The honorary guest of the program was Congressman Al Green. He stated the Gulen Movement is a peace movement and the aid campaign of the Raindrop Turkish House for the Haiti Earthquake was something to be applauded.
"Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and newly-elected Houston Mayor Annise Parker also sent messages to the Platform to show their support. Annise Parker issued a proclamation in which she declared 22-23 January as the 'Gulen Institute – Dialog of Civilizations Day'. "
Do your own investigating
Campaign finance reports for Texas state office candidates can be searched at the Texas Ethics Commission website. Turkey trips are declared on these reports. Federal campaign contributions can be easily searched, both by donor and candidate name, at the Newsmeat website. Congressional Turkey trips can be searched at the Legistorm website. The websites of Gulenist organizations such as the Raindrop Turkish House, Institute of Interfaith Dialog, Turquoise Council, and Gulen Institute show many short articles on events that Texas politicians have participated in.
