Darryl Baker
                             

02/19/07  So much to worry about.

If you were not concerned about your community, you would not be reading DallasArena.com.  It's absolutely not for the happy talk crowd.  They want us to believe that everything is just ducky, or soon will be if we will just let Our Downtown Better run things without our interference.  Like that's going to happen.  The past few weeks have been beyond worrisome, even frightening, certainly puzzling.

The DISD continues to be a source of wrong doing expos? for local media.  Our new criminal-loving DA is determined to insure Dallas remains the nation's crime capital for at least the 4 years he is in office.  Struggling communities are continually forced to devote negative energy to fight problem businesses wanting to prey on their neighborhoods.  Then, there's this frenetic opposition to TXU's new coal burning plants.

If I can't pull it all together, it won't be for lack of effort.

It was good that Dr. Hinojosa decided to require his assistant superintendent to follow rules in place when he accepted his $140K position with the DISD.  It was not good that it took media attention and community outcry before Dr. H made the decision that Celso Martinez has to come slum with DISD taxpayers.  If you think it would have happened without CBS11 Sarah Dodd's reporting, well -- you would be wrong thinking.  There will be more embarrassment coming from the DISD.  As much as I miss her covering City Hall, Dodd has the folks on Ross Avenue quaking in their shorts.

Don't know about you, but I am really alarmed with what's happening at the County.   Lowering the jail population by releasing "low level felons" is not a good thing.  We now have over a 700 bad guys who should be in jail, but instead they are on our streets planning their next crimes.  Back in the 90's, the same wrong thinking got the Legislature to reduce car break-ins and thefts from felonies.  It was the Leg's intent to reduce the state's prison population rather than build more prisons to keep the bad guys away from law abiding citizens.

Don't think they saved us money by not having to pay for new prisons.  We are paying it out in spades in high car insurance.

I had this response to a blog on DallasObserver's UnFair Park, Lost in Transition (2/15/07) about D.A. Watkins' buddy getting a sweet deal for his client, an ex-DPD female officer who gave a false name to DeSoto police in an investigation:

Another blogger made this relevant response to all the bleeding hearts who put criminals' rights before those of a victim:

We have serious problems coming at us.  What is the point of arresting prostitutes, drug dealers or burglars?  Our criminal-loving DA is not going to prosecute them.  At least, he's not going to prosecute them if they hire one of his buddies or transition team. 

Our good friend, Darryl Baker alerted us that New Fine Arts (sexually oriented business) wanted to open up shop in Oak Cliff.  The last thing the Red Bird area (or any other part of town) needs is a movie house for perverts near their neighborhoods.  Darryl and his neighbors are accustomed to fighting and winning  uphill battles.  It looks like they have put enough heat on the perverts that the New Fine Arts corporate big wigs may just pack their bags and look for a friendlier locale.  See Scott Goldstein's report:  Adult video retailer may halt Red Bird build (Dallas Morning News, 2/17/07).  It's proof squeaking wheels get oiled (or what they want).  Darryl had this to say:

		I love to see effective community efforts.  That's why the frenetic opposition to the planned TXU coal burning plants has been so fascinating to watch of late.  I'm not on ball with the anti-folks on this one.  I know that's a shocker.  Sharon Boyd not on the side of the aginners?  I had a traumatic birthday a few weeks back, and suddenly affordable air conditioning in future Texas summers is very important to me.  I understand coal plants can generate some air borne pollution.  So, can trees and grass.

What I'm having a problem understanding is the Mayor's opposition to TXU's technology, while she so totally embraces the untried (un-invented) technology planned for the Trinity River project.  TXU's technology has been used and can be improved.  In the worst case scenario, TXU's plants will cause us breathing problems that will make us uncomfortable and may eventually kill some of the weaker among us -- but over a long time. 

If the Trinity River project technology fails (and it will), we will have our own Katrina with immediate death and destruction for hundreds if not thousands of Dallas residents and workers. 

Our school system sucks.  Our County DA thinks he's a public defender, not a prosecutor.  Our County Sheriff can't run our jails effectively, so we now have over 1000 bad guys back on the street.  One organized neighborhood turns away a pervert haunt, but some other neighborhood will be targeted next.

To make matters worse, if we don't choke on dirty air TXU's coal plants may or may not produce, we most certainly will drown and lose our homes to a Trinity River flood caused when the technology or levees fail.

See why I'm worried about our city? 

sb