Jan 7, 2009 | 9:52 PM
Category:
Political
Please read this. If I hadn't seen the Hollywood locale on the byline, I would never have believed it. There ARE sane people out there. And they are mad too. OMG....things COULD change....and for the better.
Column here.
Jan 6, 2009 | 10:55 PM
Category:
News
Nope, it's not one of those evil Bushies of Dick Cheney looking into the bank accounts of known liberals, its the Home Office and the EU. Yes, torture, hacking, surveillance on the streets. All the trappings of Big Brother that will be coming soon to a neighborhood near you. I ask you, when the ultra liberals hold up the EU as a bastion of freedom, do they have a clue what they are discussing. I have had it up to my eyeballs about the alleged incursions into privacy by the wiretapping of phone lines making calls to nations known to harbor and support terrorists, yet there has been NOT ONE CASE that has held up in court. Yet in the meantime we have stories of torture in Germany, street level cameras in the UK and now hacking permitted. And these are the same Europeans that are "so much smarter" than we poor backward Americans. What a bunch of horse hockey.
Story hereExcerpt:
"...Under the Brussels edict, police across the EU have been given the green light
to expand the implementation of a rarely used power involving warrantless
intrusive surveillance of private property. The strategy will allow French,
German and other EU forces to ask British officers to hack into someone’s UK
computer and pass over any material gleaned..."
Jan 6, 2009 | 6:43 PM
Category:
News
This story should make all newspaper corporations tremble in their boots. Among the giants of publication, the New York Times has a venerable and controversial history. Recently, it's been the backer for some very liberal politicians and political causes. Along with other published media outlets, NYT, WaPO and others have cut writing staff to bare bones and replaced them with wire news gotten from central sources. Without divergent views on political events, there's the very real likelihood that we will not be getting facts or even opposing views on national and world events. Far be it from me to support the NYT in any way, because I think they have fomented misinformation and gossip over factual reporting and have repeatedly blurred the line between reporting and opining. So what happens now? Do we really have faith in everything we read on the Internet, especially given the volatile nature of information?
Story hereExcerpt:
"...But what if the old media dies much more quickly? What if a
hurricane comes along and obliterates the dunes entirely? Specifically,
what if TheNew York Times goes out of business—like, this May?
It’s certainly plausible. Earnings reports released by the New York
Times Company in October indicate that drastic measures will have to be
taken over the next five months or the paper will default on some
$400million in debt. With more than $1billion in debt already on the
books, only $46million in cash reserves as of October, and no clear way
to tap into the capital markets (the company’s debt was recently
reduced to junk status), the paper’s future doesn’t look good...."
Jan 4, 2009 | 5:59 PM
Category:
Political
Story here
Well, well, well. What an INTERESTING start to the new year. It seems that some of the more questionable political plum assignments were being given as a type of political tribute to loyal soldiers. But strangely enough, even before he went through the approval process, Bill Richardson has resigned. Now what I want to know is that we are starting to see small scandals by Democrats coming to the surface. These are not new scandals, they are situations which were active during all the public censure and character assassination of President Bush and all things Republican. So why is the media just now getting around to investigating this story and what other seamy underbellies are going to appear on the horizon? The rampant one-sided attitude of the press, led by the likes of CNN and MSNBC has allowed us to be blindsided by the folks from the Left who have hands that are just as dirty. Any time the media loses its equanimity, it creeps into the dangerous waters of partisanship. I think we've seen what that kind of reporting can do to a nation. As it is, I will be waiting to see what pans out from the various Congressional committees and how they deal with this. I think they will try to bury it. I wonder if the media will let them.
Jan 2, 2009 | 6:24 PM
Category:
Sports
The only time my Dad ever bought season tickets was when SMU was winning at football. The Cotton Bowl was our weekend destination for many years. I remember some great times there. I remember sitting through a sleet storm. I am not sure that simply moving the bowl to another stadium will transfer all those memories. Oh sure, the BSC will be dazzled by the Jerry Dome and give the Cotton Bowl a slot in the Championship series, but the memories of Doak and Baugh and the other stars of days gone by will be gone. I wish I thought it was for the betterment of the game, but as always, it's just about the money. BTW, those sky boxes take up alot of room, so there won't be another 88,000 at the game, plus if you think Jerry's going to cut prices, then you don't know Jerry. What's next? Maybe we should move the Rose Bowl to another stadium or put a dome over Wrigley. Gosh I wish we had any respect at all for the historic connections to original buildings instead of being suckered in by a professional shill. Sad day indeed.
PS. I hope that the Fair Park Committee can put together a package for a Doak Walker Classic that is played in the REAL Cotton Bowl by premier college teams.
Jan 1, 2009 | 5:18 PM
Category:
News
Instead of wasting time and money on the many false public causes out there in the world, let me offer you an alternative. We should all be concerned about slavery that exists, sometimes right under our noses. With virtually open borders and very little to keep people from falsifying records, children are being bought and sold by their families. They are being bartered for positions as servants, as sweatshop labor or worse. Rather than spending millions supporting another meaningless "green" initiative, how about we sink our teeth into an international problem that is growing. People are not going to like this, but much of the trafficking is coming from Africa and the Middle East. There are also cartels that are recruiting children in Asian and South American nations for "jobs" that are really simply exploitation. One thing we can all do is keep our eyes open. If you see a teen or preteen that never seems to be in school, is always working or working at a job inappropriate for their age, ask some questions and make some calls. I have no doubt that their are sweatshop industries in our towns in north Texas. And frankly, I have no doubt that their are domestic servants that are being mistreated and who are underage, who have been brought here under false ID to work as servants or worse.
Story here.
Jan 1, 2009 | 12:44 PM
Category:
Entertainment
I just finished reading Glenn Beck's novel "A Christmas Sweater." I have always enjoyed his humor, but this isn't meant as a humorous book. It's a very serious book that speaks to the need for us to move on. I have struggled in the past year with some personal demons. And now it's become clear that I have to let go of the pain of the past and embrace the joy that is out there. This doesn't mean I have mellowed in my political views, but I am trying very hard to look at the world beyond and set some goals. I know that when some people see Glenn's name, they automatically dismiss is as a political diatribe. But this book has nothing regarding politics in it. And although it does touch on religion, I think even those who doubt will find some merit in seeing how they can change their lives just by changing their attitudes. At any rate, take this for what it is, a recommendation from me. My husband stood in line two and half hours to get it signed, and that's a wonderful aspect of this gift to me, but the real measure of the story is what is inside. I plan on sending this to some people I know. Maybe it will help pave a way back for them as well. Happy New Year, and I mean that.
Jan 1, 2009 | 12:38 PM
Category:
News
The Future?
In a story on the front page, the Dallas Morning News reports that the first baby of the New Year was born to a 15 year old girl, who is living with her 20 year old boyfriend. This is so wrong on so many levels. First of all, I thought that it was still considered child molestation for someone to have sex with a 15 year old when that person was more than three years older. Secondly, the girl is 15 and still in middle school. Thirdly, she's Hispanic, I have no idea of her legal status, but since the baby was born at Parkland Hospital, I think we can be pretty sure that she doesn't have anything like insurance to cover the cost of labor and delivery. Why hasn't CPS brought these parents up on charges for allowing this to happen? Or have they failed to file charges because they have a nebulous legal status and are more afraid of going back home than in protecting their daughter from what is basically a pedophile. Likewise, what of the fate of this poor child? Mom is uneducated, too young for a job and living with her 20 year old construction worker boyfriend. As a single mom since she hasn't married the father, she can get all sorts of assistance. I am sure there will be no rush to the altar for this couple when they can get stuff from various agencies, churches and government entities by not marrying. And sadly, the level of ignorance is one that often leads to abusive situations for the children and mothers. I mean, if you don't have a job, haven't even finished high school, and don't have the common knowledge to take care of yourself, you make yourself and your children totally dependent on the benevolence of your working spouse. How many people want to bet this guy doesn't hang around for the kid's second birthday? And what happens then? Who has to pay to take up the slack and provide training for the mother and daycare and amenities for the child? I just wish this story hadn't been couched in such glowing terms.
Can we get the idea into our kids' heads that having a baby is not some joyride, please? Can we stop honoring the celebrity tramps that have babies without benefit of having a husband? And can somebody in the clergy or community that has influence over kids begin teaching them that dropping out of school and having babies when you are young is basically condemning yourself to a struggling existence?
Dec 30, 2008 | 11:39 PM
Category:
News
Story here
I have posted before about what a bad neighbor Dallas is to other suburban communities. I have posted how they deliberately moved public housing where it would still be in the city of Dallas, but would impact neighboring school districts. I have posted about how the subsequent erosion of neighborhoods adjacent to Dallas was implemented by allowing marginal or "problem" businesses to establish on the outskirts of Dallas. This results in impacting suburban neighborhoods with the problems associated with these businesses. One case in point was the Gaspipe on Marsh lane. It's very near two CFB elementary schools and one middle school. Yet because it's in Dallas, the store seems to get away with proximity. Likewise, there are two sexually oriented businesses just within the Dallas city limits, but attractive to scum that in turn visit our neighborhoods, apartment complexes and parks for their activities. One of these is further down Marsh Lane south of Trinity Mills, the other is on Rosemeade just east of Midway. These business may operate within the state's definition of legality, and they may get the blind blessings of the City of Dallas, but the perpetuate and support lifestyles that we do not want, nor do we need in suburban areas. I understand completely the folks in areas of Dallas that are perturbed by such businesses and liquor stores in residential areas. I would ask that Dallas make sure that enforcement of all limitations and legalities for these businesses are rigorously enforced because I think many of us in the inner ring suburbs of Dallas are pretty tired of handling their problems because they would rather farm them out than resolve them.
Dec 28, 2008 | 1:14 PM
Category:
News
The incoming Administration is pushing an educational initiative for ALL students to go to college. Is this realistic? In a nation where mid level management jobs are disappearing, should we really be telling kids to major in disciplines where there are few jobs? That simply has the effect of eroding the wages of those who currently work in these jobs. I know middle aged men with graduate degrees in engineering who are jobseekers. Does it really make sense for more engineers to be churned out by universities only to have them end up working at Best Buy? I ask this because more and more the educational community has this hurdle throw up at them. It says "make every child a college graduate." But doesn't that make some giant assumptions? Does every students WANT or NEED to go to college? What did you pay the last time your car was out of alignment? How much did it cost to repair your air-conditioning in your home? We need people that are capable of DOING THINGS. And that doesn't necessarily require a college degree. Sure, these jobs require some job training as well as some necessary licensing and testing, but not college. But we are seeing and will continue to see this misguided push by the media, the Administration and Congress to blindly fund programs for "all" students to attend college. Right now our state has a mandate called colloquially "Four by Four", which stands for four years of science and math in high school. On the surface, that sounds like a good thing, but in reality it takes kids who struggle to get out of Algebra II into courses that they won't use, don't need and probably will result in a higher drop out rate. About the third time a kid fails PreCal, they will either drop out or go after a GED instead. This plays havoc with our current rating system for schools, because a drop out rate is seen as a negative thing. So schools that have rigorous programs could see higher drop out rates, resulting in lower overall scores. If you have enough lowered scores administration and teachers are out of work EVEN IF THEY ARE DOING THEIR JOBS WELL. While the advantages of going to college are many, there are many kids lingering in college programs who would be better off down the line if they were in a good vocational setting. This goes for our high schools as well. Kids who because of their own needs-educational or economic-choose to go right to work after high school should have a program of classes that will make them employable right after they walk across the stage. And don't think that this is necessarily a conservative point of view, because I have a link to a story from the (shudder) New York Times that says pretty much the same thing. Read it and talk to your neighbors and then talk to your school administrators and state reps. We are not serving our children well by preparing them with programs they do not need.
Story here.
Dec 22, 2008 | 1:43 PM
Category:
Political
The leftists and the media (I realize the redundancy...) have long hyped the Gospel of Global Warming as touted by St. Al Gore. But once again, what they believe and what is factual are two very different things. Take this winter for example. It's already shaping up as a colder than normal. Under most Global Warming models, that shouldn't be happening. Or you could read this article
HEREBTW-How are you enjoying that Prius now that gas is around $1.45 a gallon?Excerpt:
"...The mean global temperature, at least as
measured by satellite, is now the same as it was in the year 1980. In
the last couple of years sea level has stopped rising. Hurricane and
cyclone activity in the northern hemisphere is at a 24-year low and sea
ice globally is also the same as it was in 1980."
Deming
said the article is further evidence of the media's decision to talk
about global warming as fact, despite what he says is a lack of
evidence.
"Reporters, as I understand
reporters, are supposed to report facts,"Deming said. "What he's doing
here is he's writing a polemic and reporting it as fact, and that's not
right. It's not reporting. It's propaganda...."
Definitions:
Propagand
a-Biased information distributed with the intent of promoting or supporting political views
Evidence-Factual observations that can be observed and measured.
Polemics-an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another b: the art or practice of disputation or controversy
Dec 22, 2008 | 12:59 PM
Category:
Weather
It used to be that homeowners and business owners took responsibility for their property. Homeowners kept yards mowed, bushes trimmed and houses painted. Business owners kept their stores and offices clean and tidy. They rotated merchandise, swept floors and took care to make sure their property was maintained. That includes making sure that customers and passersby would be safe. This morning we had a tragedy that is the result of a lack of personal responsibility. Whether it was the landowner who didn't install rain gauges or controls for the building or whether it was a store manager who failed to make the connection between sprinkler systems and freezing whether doesn't matter now, because due to someone's negligence, a woman is dead. This isn't the first time we have had this happen. I even know a guy who ended up getting a brand new truck thanks to the thoughtless lack of action on the part of a prestigious Los Colinas country club that failed to turn off their sprinkler system during a freezing spell. Drive down any street and you will see some apartment complex, house or business with slick spots that are the simple result of NOT TURNING OFF SPRINKLER SYSTEMS DURING FREEZING WEATHER. It's not hard, folks, watch the weather if nothing else and then if it's going to be cold enough to freeze water (that's 32 degrees Farenheit or 0 degrees Celsius for those of you who slept throught science class...)turn off the doggone things. I would love to see cities begin ticketing those kinds of negligence because the runoff from golf courses, cemeteries, and other large expanses of land, can serious impact all of us. Think people, THINK......argh.
Dec 20, 2008 | 9:15 AM
Category:
News
The easiest route any of us can take is to pop off at the least little thing. It's easily done and we see it on blogs, at work and in our media every day. The wiseguy attitude as personified by popular culture is viewed as an acceptable response to all questions and concerns. I admit, I can be pretty quick with a quip, although I do try to put some thought into things. But there are those out there who simply spout off because they truly think they are the belly button of the universe and all things should bow down to their will.
Back a few years ago-okay many years ago before cable-I would be bored on Sunday and would watch some of the television preachers. One that caught my attention was an African American preacher who talked about how every good act was a "jewel on your crown in heaven". I really liked that imagery then and I like it now. I like the idea of shining like the stars and becoming dazzling in spirit.
So here's my proposition-for the Christmas, Hanukkah and holiday season but also for all seasons-stop before you speak. It's easy to get offended over the most petty and cursory of slights, but quite often when out in public, individuals stop seeing working people as people. I have worked in retail, my kids do currently, and you would be shocked at what passes for normal in even the more upscale retail stores. Could we stop seeing all other people as drones and begin seeing them as people? That sales clerk may have learned her job will go away after the season. That man who cut you off could be heading for a job interview. That kid who put something on top of your bread could be helping to pay for rent. You don't know what they are dealing with-all you know is that you are mad. Ask yourself this-if the world ended right at that moment, would whatever is bugging you really matter? ?Choosing to defer your momentary anger or to act graciously when slighted is a sign of being a true adult. Lashing out in anger is the act of a self-pitying child. Don't you want jewels on your crown?
By the way, this doesn't meant we can't disagree because everyone has the right to their own opinions. And this doesn't mean we can't complain when we are honestly injured or shorted. But the way we choose to do these things make up far more of the measure of a person than what car they drive or where they live. Reach out, seek those who need a smile, compliment those who work hard and get little in return, act politely even when others do not and find opportunities to respond in a positive way even when you are the injured party. The ability to do this is called Grace. But if you prefer, consider each selfless act another bright and shiny jewel on your crown in heaven.
Merry Christmas,
TruBlu
Dec 19, 2008 | 10:18 PM
Category:
Political
So, we are in one of the worst patches of economic meltdown in awhile. What does Congress do? They not only manage to payoff their cronies on Wall Street, but along the way they vote themselves a payraise as well. Isn't that special? So whine all you want about CEO's getting favoritism, we have a Congress that will make sure their friends get money and that they themselves get a bigger paycheck, but they will continue to screw the middle class until there's nothing left.
And it's a Democrat Controlled Congress
And it's a Democrat Controlled Congress
And it's a Democrat Controlled Congress
And it's a Democrat Controlled Congress
Now justify your vote.
Dec 12, 2008 | 6:25 PM
Category:
Political
So the EU (Eventually Unstable) states have been very very vocal on how mean the United States is in keeping "innocent" folks from the middle east at Gitmo. Despite this, they wail along with their Eurotrash celebrity supporters about how mean we are, how heartless, how lacking in grace. Of course, that all went away with the election-apotheosis-of Barak Obama. But what of the Europeans themselves? How do they kindly and gently manage those who threaten their borders and cities with terror?
Read here.Excerpt:
".... By theoretically acknowledging
the wrong committed, it permits Germany to appear to respect Article 3 of the Human Rights Convention — not to mention its obligations under the un Convention against Torture — while in practice ignoring them. It is remarkable that the European Court of
Human Rights should find such an obviously bogus construction to be consistent
with the requirements of the Convention. And it is both ironic and revealing
that the only judge to insist on truly
upholding the prohibition on torture and inhuman treatment — that is,
in practice and not merely “in theory” — should hail precisely from
Bulgaria, a new eu member state the European Commission has recently seen fit to chastise for
alleged insufficiencies in the rule of law. Judges from Denmark, Germany, and
Estonia — all eu member states in good standing — had no such scruples..."
-Hoover Institute
