It’s MY castle; not an HOA’s

Author’s Note: This is the original, unabridged version of the column published in the July 4 edition of Community Opinions, the Dallas Morning News.
“A man’s home is his castle,” a well-worn adage, is heard more often than “the check’s in the mail” or “I’ll call you back later.” Sadly, in some cases, it’s a statement as untrue as any uttered among us.
Some state laws hold that concept to be true; it’s your castle if an unwanted intruder invaded your property with a gun in hand and you use your legally-registered weapon to defend yourself – even with lethal force. Even anti-gun advocates have understood such thinking. But when the intruder goes through the courts and takes the property with a pen, it’s NOT your castle and you have little say about it. After all, because of various factors (such as the all-mighty dollar), it’s acceptable behavior.
The very existence of homeowner associations should be outlawed in Texas, but, because of the overwhelming influence of major political donors (including major Texas homebuilders, who create the HOAs), we’re left to read about such travesties that befell the Clauer family of Frisco.
Their $315,000 home, which was mortgage-free, was sold out from under them (for $150,000, but really for around $3,200) by their HOA (Heritage Hills) because the family was past due on its HOA “dues.” Mind you, the utilities, taxes and other basic debts were current, but that didn’t matter. And the head of the household was serving in Iraq at the time (compounding the tragedy by moving this story to a despicable level).
Personally, I don’t want to hear one peep from HOA defenders about unread notices and “she should’ve known better.” Hey, you have a spouse (National Guard Capt. Michael Clauer) go to a foreign land and put his/her life in danger every hour and see how well you deal with that stress! Only the most callous among you would spout “a deal is a deal.” How cold-blooded can you and the HOA be? It’s just a “club,” albeit on steroids; and clubs – non-taxing, non-governmental entities, like an HOA – shouldn’t have the power of foreclosure – period! Even in federal bankruptcy, one’s home is protected, but not from predatory practices and collusion between overbearing HOAs and the kind of home flippers scheming to “get rich quick” by making such deals. According to the Morning News (June 28, 2010 edition), the same buyer and new owner (Mark Disani and Jad Aboul-Jibin) have teamed up on several occasions, all involving the same HOA. As they say, near the bay, something smells fishy here.
These practices should be illegal under federal fair housing laws. To force someone to sign such an HOA pact, or else be barred from lawfully purchasing that property, is blatant discrimination.
Grosse Pointe, one of the more exclusive suburbs of Detroit, once employed a “numbers” system for homebuyers. If one had too many “points” in the disclosure process (and the highest amounts were reserved for “objectionable” area such as race and religion in their version of a credit rating), the sale would not be approved. It was done simply to keep “those kinds of people” out of the neighborhood for no other reason than skin color or who worshiped where. It’s being repeated all across Texas.
“Pay up or else” is not in the spirit of what this country, or state, should be about. Such attitudes and practices are immoral and unethical, but apparently very Texan. I hope the Clauers regain their home and other citizens become enraged enough to force their legislators to change the law and begin favoring the average homeowner over rich homebuilders.
Perhaps the Tea Partiers should direct their considerable anger where it needs to go – those living their neighboring castles!
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The following is an addendum, further explaining my position on HOAs and other notes concerning this situation.
Simply put – foreclosure for nonpayment of “dues” should be outlawed; a lien would be acceptable. But to be able to take action because someone’s truck has a sticker on it, or there’s a boat someone else doesn’t like, or a political sign is placed in a yard supporting an unpopular candidate (which have ALL happened in this state) in totally immoral.
Under NO circumstances should an HOA be allowed to foreclose on a property it does not own and it owns nothing. An HOA is just an ASSOCIATION; but in Texas, such overreaching powers exist.
People really need to see how all that money spread in Austin – ALL for Republicans – buys lots of influence and a good amount of favored laws. Since the homebuilders established the subdivision and all its frills and whistles; IT should retain some measure of responsibility for what it created. God knows they made enough money off a fully built-out plan and in some cases, enough funds to grease the palms of every politico.
I believe each individual owner has the right to do with his/her property what they wish to do with it, barring violation of city/county codes. They PAID for that right and freedom. And forcing someone to sign an HOA and fork over MORE, just to live at that property, than the sale price is discrimination.
Some of the responses I received by e-mail simply demonstrated the kind of blindness that comes with too much suburban excess and the concept that their “world” is the only one that exists ... or should exist. To ask me who, but for the poor little HOA, will clean pools or cut grass or provide street lights (isn’t that the city’s job?) or maintain anything when homes are being seized over DUES is laughable to me. These are the same people who think that dropping a can at a food drive will actually SOLVE hunger or homelessness and that they’ve “done something.” They have NO clue.
What’s more important? Pools and perfectly-mowed grass OR the emotional protection of a family and the physical protection of this country? Barking dogs and junk cars and a boat? ALL of that should be, and is ALWAYS, covered by code and standards are set forth by the governing city. What the HOA does is duplication in that area and adding FAR more restrictive caveats that more often than not become personal intrusions above an individual’s freedom and liberties.
Golf course fees should go toward course maintenance, not some nebulous DUES. As for pools, if I were to use that facility, I’d pay for the privilege; if I don’t want to pay, I don’t get to use it. But it should NOT be forced upon me!
And I’m SOOOOOOOO tired of hearing about how this and that affects “property values” – the single most over-used politically correct term improperly employed these days. Scores of other factors determine value, and ONLY matters when the property comes up for sale. Otherwise it’s meaningless if you plan to live there for a long period of time. At THAT point, time determines value.
As to this particular situation some added thoughts:
Certified mail is too flimsy of a notification method. The law only stipulates that a certified letter be SENT, but acknowledgement of receipt is NOT required by law (which is strictly ass-backwards). Meaning all that must be done is to send a letter and nothing stating it has to be received. And with the history of the postal service, delivery is NOT guaranteed nor is notification all that prevalent. I NEVER get a notice that a package is waiting at my local postal office if and when an unsuccessful delivery attempt has been made (hence I have NO knowledge of such an attempt).
While it might be seen, at best, as distasteful to profit from someone else’s misery, house flipping is not illegal. DiSanti is probably a student/graduate of all those infomercials on getting rich through real estate which LAUD such practices as home flipping foreclosed properties. If he bought and sold four homes with the same profit margin, he made around $500,000 in just that short amount of time. All those mousse-haired geeks with the trophy wives and huge yachts did the same damn thing and it is all OK because homebuilders WANT it that way.
Of course, not everything can be auto-debited; hell, my electrical provider requires a written check. Makes no sense but it happens that way. Perhaps the HOA in question doesn’t do that and there could be other undisclosed reasons why the Clauers were behind on dues.
And none of the responders bothered to hold an ounce of sympathy for the wife, suffering from depression, probably rendering her unable to properly function. How sad that there’s no empathy when their spouse is in a place where he can be killed at a moment’s notice. The real pathetic part is how none of the neighbors seemed to give a shit about this family. Shameful!
Yes, the military component IS important and no one has bothered to ask this: why were the Clauers behind on “dues?” Could that have been military-related too? But all the HOA defenders completely missed my point! You cannot STEAL someone’s property over unpaid DUES.
Because HOA boards are NOT subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act, because “public money” is not involved, exactly HOW do homeowners get informed about meetings? Boards are NOT then required to publicize such meetings, adhere to quorums, etc., or even conduct business in a “legal” or ethical fashion. Frankly, most people don’t know HOW to hold a proper meeting. And once the homebuilder exits and leaves the subdivision to its “owners,” what if things change? Like the economy? Or standards? etc.
If homeowners wish to gather ... voluntarily ... to make their community better by voluntarily agreeing to maintaining a level of standards, that’s fine. To seize someone’s house goes beyond the pale.
To force agreement to HOA membership before permitting purchase is clearly blatant discrimination – it’s a way to PREVENT certain people from buying homes in certain places. It has become obvious to me that this is a way to skirt the federal Fair Housing Act and it should be outlawed.
This is NOT an isolated case; there have been other foreclosures in other communities with service personnel overseas. While space limited the discussion as printed in the Morning News, there is an awful smell of collusion between the HOA (or its management firm), the home flipper and new home owner – the fourth such flip within this HOA involving ALL those parties.
Finally, all politics are truly local. The now-famous Tea Party movement gets practically rabid about matters in Washington over which it has almost no control. BUT ... matters closer to home – such as runaway budgets within school districts, ridiculous salaries paid to administrators, lack of amenities for municipalities, local highway repairs and construction, tolling free roadways, etc. and, yes, HOAs – don’t seem to grab the same headlines or study time.
Yet local citizens and local voting would have a far greater impact upon peoples’ lives than the outcome of a single state representative race. That is why this issue – a man’s control over his OWN property – should become a Tea Party priority. If it would, I’d have more respect for such a movement unless ... the Tea Partiers and the HOAs enablers are one and the same.
But it doesn’t change my stance on HOAs; they are a pox upon society – a symbol of suburbia gone mad. Foreclosure is immoral, akin to outright thievery, and should and MUST be outlawed in this state which professes to love liberty and freedom so much.
It’s time for homeowners to be heard and followed instead of rich homebuilders.

All-Star selections still need refining

Same time, every year; same complaint, every year. In one week, the annual baseball All-Star game will be played (this time in Anaheim), and the same complaints are heard about who is and who isn’t a member of each league’s roster.
To baseball fans, it matters because this all-star affair actually IS a game with a determinable outcome, often with spectacular plays and with something tangible (although it should not be) on the line.
Let’s go with what we know. Here is the starting lineup for the National League:
Yadier Molina, C, St. Louis; Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis; Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia; David Wright, 3B, New York Mets; Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida; Ryan Braun, Milwaukee, Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta, Andre Ethier, Los Angeles.
Utley is injured and will not participate in the game, replaced by Atlanta’s Martin Prado.
Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel chose an entire staff of right-handers (except for 40-year-old Arthur Lee Rhodes of Cincinnati, making it as a sentimental first-time All-Star choice in his 20th season), including starters Roy Halladay, Philadelphia, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, St. Louis, Yovani Gallardo, Milwaukee, Tim Hudson, Atlanta, Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado, Josh Johnson, Florida, Tim Lincecum, San Francisco, and relievers Matt Capps, Washington, Evan Meek, Pittsburgh, Jonathan Broxton, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Brain Wilson, San Francisco.
The reserves are Brian McCann, C, Atlanta; Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia; Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, San Diego; shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado (but he’s injured and was replaced by New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes); Brandon Phillips, 2B, Cincinnati; Scott Rolen, 3B, Cincinnati; outfielders Michael Bourn, Houston, Marlon Byrd, Chicago Cubs, Corey Hart, Milwaukee, Matt Holliday, St. Louis, Chris Young, Arizona, and utility player Omar Infante, Atlanta.
The American League starters (with one addition at DH) are:
Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota; Justin Morneau, 1B, Minnesota; Robinson Cano, 2B, New York Yankees; Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees; Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay; outfielders Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle, Josh Hamilton, Texas, Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay; and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, Texas.
Yankee manager Joe Girardi picked 13 hurlers (five lefties) including starters CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes of the Yankees, Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester from Boston, Trevor Cahill of Oakland, Fausto Carmona of Cleveland, Cliff Lee of Seattle, David Price of Tampa Bay, and relievers Neftali Feliz, Texas, Matt Thornton, Chicago White Sox, Joakim Soria, Kansas City, Jose Valverde, Detroit, and, of course, Mariano Rivera, Yankees.
Reserves include Victor Martinez, C, Boston (injured and replaced by John Buck, Toronto); Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit; Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston (also injured and replaced by Ian Kinsler of Texas); Elvis Andrus, SS, Texas; Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees, Adrian Beltre, 3B, Boston; designated hitter David Ortiz, Boston; outfielders Torri Hunter, Los Angeles Angels, Vernon Wells and Jose Bautista, Toronto, and utility infielder Ty Wigginton, Baltimore.
Now … this selection process is made complicated by three factors – all teams MUST have at least one (1) representative on the All-Star team; injuries that have removed certain players from the game, forcing the managers to make alternative picks (often leaving deserving players at home) and the expansion of rosters by Major League Baseball in order to force a winner of the affair (because World Series home field is stupidly at stake).
This year, there is a FOURTH factor – any pitcher throwing on Sunday before the All-Star Game can’t pitch in the Mid-Summer Classic. So even MORE last second replacements will be named, further watering down the honor.
That said, several injustices have taken place. The fans’ selections, for the most part, are laudable – no complaints there except for Jason Heyward, who shouldn’t start but should be on the squad.
There are too many unforgiveable snubs and here’s who they are:
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati – Yes I know there are too many good first basemen in the National League (and junior circuit as well), but with the Reds’ success, Votto is a legitimate MVP candidate. If an All-Star team cannot make room for the Vottos of the game, it ain’t worth playing.
Mat Latos/Heath Bell, pitchers, San Diego – Let me see; the best pitching staff in MLB has NO representatives on it? Absurd. Both need to be on the staff instead of Meek (but no Pirate deserves a thing) and (yes) Tim Lincecum (his 2010 stats don’t measure up to Latos OR Bell).
Mike Pelfrey, SP, Mets – Add Pelfrey, at 10-2, 2.93 ERA and 1.29 WHIP to the list. It will take an injury or Sunday start to shoehorn his way into the game.
Juan Uribe, INF, SF – Uribe is at least a full-time starter at three different infield slots (3B, SS, 2B). Infante doesn’t even play full-time and his selection is the cruelest joke of them all!!!!!! His choice denigrates the entire affair.
Andy Pettitte, SP, Yankees – Unless he begged off the list, no way Pettitte should NOT have been included, even if it meant four Yankees on the staff. They ALL deserve it, far above either Clay Buchholz OR Jon Lester of the Red Sox (pick one, but not both).
Jered Weaver, SP, Angels – This guy leads the AL in strikeouts with 124 and is carrying the entire team, pitching-wise, and keeping the Halos in the AL West chase. He is 8-3, 2.82 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. Unjustifiable that he is NOT an All-Star. He might make it because Buchholz is about to go on the DL.
Howie Kendrick, 2B, Angels – Kendrick (7 HRs, 50 RBI, .271) should have been the replacement for Pedroia, not Texas’ Kinsler, who only began HIS season in June. Another sham!
Brennan Boesch, OF, Detroit – I could make a good argument for teammate Magglio Ordonez, but this Tiger rookie is smashing up the AL with a .345 average, 12 HRs and 46 RBI … all since May! He’s the runaway winner for Rookie of the Year and deserves inclusion.
Kevin Youkilis, 1B-3B, Boston – Another major injustice! Sorry, Adrian Beltre is having a fine season but Youkilis is an MVP candidate … AGAIN! Look at Boston’s injury situation and the constant remains Youkilis, who should be on the roster, period, instead of David Ortiz! That’s a crime.
Again, there’s a week to go and there will be several players begging OFF and bowing out due to injury. Perhaps there can be some justice but it will be second-rate.

Showing the true side of Republican bigotry

As the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan - as vanilla a person as has ever been been put forth for the high court in the land - some of the panel's Republican mmbers continue to demonstrate their granite-head attitude towards African-Americans while, all the time, acting as if they have no clue over why the GOP garners nearly ZERO support from that voting base.
The answer is simple: too many Republican legislators, such as Senators Jeff Sessions, John Cornyn and Jon Kyl, demonstrate covert (and in Sessions' case an OVERT example) attitude of racism. It happens through stupid, critical and negative statements about iconic personalities and figures among African-Americans.
In the past, it has been Martin Luther King Jr. or others whom they view as "dangerous" or today's nom de jour "activist."
This week, it's Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court judge and lead attorney in a case considered one of the greatest and far-reaching decision in the Court's history - Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Instead of finding what cannot be found - things to criticize Ms. Kagan about (other than her living quarters and ... background, including religion although if THAT were ever made public, it would be the ruination of the GOP) - these Republican blowhard go after Marshall, one of the greatest lawyers EVER in U.S. history (who's next? Clarence Darrow?) ... and with Marshall's son sitting in the damn gallery. How rude; how ignorant; how insensitive ... how REPUBLICAN!
But all these thoughts were produced Tuesday (June 29) in the Washington Post by columnist Dana Milback:

Kagan may get confirmed, but Thurgood Marshall can forget it
Oppo researchers digging into Elena Kagan's past didn't get the goods on the Supreme Court nominee -- but As confirmation hearings opened Monday afternoon, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee took the unusual approach of attacking Kagan because she admired the late justice Thurgood Marshall, for whom she clerked more than two decades ago.
"Justice Marshall's judicial philosophy," said Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, "is not what I would consider to be mainstream." Kyl -- the lone member of the panel in shirtsleeves for the big event -- was ready for a scrap. Marshall "might be the epitome of a results-oriented judge," he said.
It was, to say the least, a curious strategy to go after Marshall, the iconic civil rights lawyer who successfully argued Brown vs. Board of Education. Did Republicans think it would help their cause to criticize the first African American on the Supreme Court, a revered figure who has been celebrated with an airport, a postage stamp and a Broadway show? The guy is a saint -- literally. Marshall this spring was added to the Episcopal Church's list of "Holy Women and Holy Men," which the Episcopal Diocese of New York says "is akin to being granted sainthood."
With Kagan's confirmation hearings expected to last most of the week, Republicans may still have time to make cases against Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Gandhi.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the panel, branded Marshall a "well-known activist." Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Marshall's legal view "does not comport with the proper role of a judge or judicial method." Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) pronounced Marshall "a judicial activist" with a "judicial philosophy that concerns me."
As the Republicans marshaled their anti-Marshall forces, staffers circulated to reporters details of the late justice's offenses: "Justice Marshall endorsed 'judicial activism,' supported abortion rights, and believed the death penalty was unconstitutional."
The problem with this line of attack is that Marshall was already confirmed by the Senate -- in 1967. He died in 1993. In the audience Monday, his son, Thurgood "Goody" Marshall Jr., sat two rows behind the nominee and listened with amusement to the assaults on his father.
"I was a little surprised," said Goody Marshall. "He would've probably had the same reaction I did: It's time to talk about Elena."
But talking about Elena is boring. Her credentials and her lack of a paper trail make her confirmation a virtual certainty. Further aiding her has been the steady flow of distraction, from the gulf oil spill to the death Monday of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). Most lawmakers, before addressing themselves to Kagan, delivered brief Byrd eulogies; Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), introducing Kagan to the panel, offered this illogical wish: "I'd like to express my heartfelt condolences to Senator Byrd and his family for the loss that they've suffered."
The lack of a coherent attack on the nominee became apparent when Cornyn began his opening statement with a quotation that he said he received in an e-mail: "Liberty is not a cruise ship full of pampered passengers. Liberty is a man of war, and we're all the crew."
"I don't know why I thought of that," Cornyn told the perplexed audience.
Kagan, who once lamented the "vapid" nature of confirmation hearings, was determined to maximize her chances by being as vapid as possible. She read her banal opening statement so slowly that a bipartisan wave of yawns and eye-rubbing hit the dais.

"A confirmation hearing," ventured Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), "has the potential to be like eating spaghetti with a spoon: It's a lot of work, and it's hard to feel satisfied at the end."
It's also messy -- as the attacks on Marshall demonstrated.
Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), at the start, recalled Kagan's clerkship for Marshall and noted that Marshall's son was in the audience.
But Republicans saw trouble in this Marshall fellow. "In 2003, Ms. Kagan wrote a tribute to Justice Marshall in which she said that, 'in his view, it was the role of the courts in interpreting the Constitution to protect the people who went unprotected by every other organ of government,' " Kyl complained.
Protecting the unprotected? Say it ain't so!
And that wasn't all. Kagan also emphasized Marshall's "unshakable determination to protect the underdog," Kyl said.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) offered a Marshall defense. "Some may dismiss Justice Marshall's pioneering work on civil rights as an example of empathy, that somehow as a black man who had been a victim of discrimination his feelings became part of his passionate life's work -- and I say, thank God," he said. Durbin held up a piece of paper documenting that the longtime NAACP lawyer and U.S. solicitor general won 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the Supreme Court.
When the speeches ended, Kagan, accepting hugs and handshakes from friends, spotted Thurgood Jr. "Goody!" she called out, giving him a hug. "How ya doin'?"
Goody is just fine -- and so remains the reputation of his sainted father.

Sessions, in particular, is a creep. He cast dispersions upon Sonia Sontamoyer's background for being Latina and never really apologized. He is only supportive of white Southerners, perferably male, and his criticism can only be viewed as petty, picky and puny, not just bigoted. Rejected by the same panel for a federal judgeship (he didn't even come close to that standard), he obviously suffers from short-man syndrome and enjoys pushing people around and make them as small as he.
Ala-fucking-bama (the perfect Joe Pesci description) deserves him, but the rest of the nation does not. Sadly, the Republicans embrace him whole-heartedly which tells one a great deal about that political party's perception of others.
They deserve to be destroyed by the Tea Party and left in ruins.

Standing with the brothers of South Louisiana

With apologies to William Shakespeare:
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his sweat with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in South Louisiana now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon slaying BP for that horrid day.”
I stand with the people of South Louisiana and pray that TRUE justice, not just in the way of monetary compensation, but moral and appropriate justice be handed to those insensitive, insincere and incorrect that this land and marsh is NOT worth saving.
It shall not only be saved, but, if there IS a God in heaven above, will return stronger than ever while those wishing to watch yachts race (instead of showing a thimble of real sympathy for the “small people”), will be reduced to selling poor boudin by the side of a backwoods road.
I hope BP CEO Tony Heyward’s boat finds the bottom of the sea and takes Dick Cheney with it. I hope BP crashes and burns as a company because it lacks the moral fortitude and intestinal fiber to do the right damn thing (without being forced - almost at gunpoint - into such action).
I hope that idiot Republican Joe Barton loses his Congressional seat to some unknown ... and slinks back to Ennis, Texas and must be doomed to sell dot matrix printers for Commodore 64s for the rest of his life.
Finally, I hope people begin to be heard in the halls of power instead of the lobbyists with the biggest checks. I hope the spirit of the simplest verse in the Bible/Torah begins to guide corporations instead of greed – Do unto others as you would have do unto you.
It’s that simple. When you get help, give help.
By God.

The definition of OPEN government

I wish people had the same experience I encountered in 30 years of small-town journalism when it comes to government hiding itself and its actions from the public. It happens more frequently than it should and certainly more often than it rains around here.
Very few elected officials on city councils or school boards actually know the ins and outs of the Texas Open Meetings and Open Records Acts. They really don't WANT to learn about them either and, instead, rely on "legal counsel" or city attorneys, who often don't know those laws well enough either.
In fact, groups like the Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Municipal League are usually the ones behind attempts to weaken both laws because they don't want the public to closely scrutinize what they do. All too often they campaign about "being for the people" and then hide themselves from those very people.
To boil it down in simple terms, ANYTHING discussed in open session is subject to public disclosure - if a document, such as a budget, or memo, or other items that can be duplicated, is mentioned in public, it MUST (not could be, but MUST) be made available to ANYONE who requests it.
Now, sadly the law allows for loopholes to screen government entities from complying - there is a time frame to comply and there can be a "reasonable" charge placed on making those documents available. The reasonable part is up to the entity, which is just a dodge.
But there is NO limit on the number of documents that can be requested or the number of times a request can be made. Anything to the contrary is a violation of STATE law - not a local one.
Second, there are only limited circumstances under which an entity can go behind closed doors and discuss things away from the public - contracts, land negotiations, personnel, speaking with a legal representative. AND in NO way shape or form can ANY deliberations take place AND ALL this behind closed door discussion must either be transcribed by hand or audio/video recording. That transcription must be preserved in a vault if and when a judge requests it be produced. ANY violation of that is against STATE law (meaning fine and/or prison time). Oh yeah, it MUST be posted on the meeting's agenda prior to the meeting and the EXACT purpose must be clearly stated for the public to see (the agenda's posting must be in a place accessible to the public). Generalities don't cut it; it MUST be absolutely specific.
You just cannot call for an executive session in the middle of a meeting and have it be legal. Anything transacted AFTER an illegal closed session is null and void. That's been the old standard of open government for decades in Texas.
I cannot tell you the number of times both laws get violated in communities without strong media presence. And even then it happens all the darn time. Such is the nature and automatic mindset of small town pols.
Once a superintendent of a newly-consolidated school district called for an executive session to discuss ... mascots and school colors. Afterwards I cornered him and told him he used his one "get out of jail free" card and the next time, charges would be filed against him for state law violation.
In every community, there are so-called gadflys that appear at every meeting imaginable and fact-check every word uttered. Often they are off base but often they are spot-on and are part of the checks and balances needed to keep our democracy in line. They DO self a useful purpose, despite attitudes and behavior often seen as erratic.
Sometimes, in communities I've covered, the gadflys get elected and see it is not easy on the other side of the fence. I served on a city council for 2 years in a real small South Texas town and I discovered it was a lot harder to make certain decisions from that POV.
But for cities and schools to hide behind the skirts of the judiciary simply to avoid answering questions or producing public documents they KNOW will appear unfavorable to certain positions is cowardly, and yes, the city of Plano and its subsidiaries (including the Eco-Devo people AND the Arts of Collin County folks who are playing around with taxpayer money like it's just Monopoly pieces) are guilty of it when it comes to Jack Lagos.
I've seen much of his material and as a former reporter, it is quite legitimate to at least ask for a valid explanation - regardless of which side of this debate you sit. Even ACC supporters can respect that and if the explanation is satisfactory, it ends the questioning.
But hiding and dodging just makes it appear to be smoke and mirrors...as if there IS something to hide.
Open government benefits everyone but the elected do NOT get to set the definition of "Open" - the electorate DO!

Frozen double chocolate cream pie

I've posted it on my Facebook page and now on my blog. It's low in sugar and high in taste. Enjoy.
1 graham cracker or vanilla wafer crust (store-bought)
1 (4 oz.) pkg. instant sugar-free chocolate pudding mix (Jell-o brand)
1 cup 2% milk, 2 tbsp. milk
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese (Kraft Philadelphia brand), softened in microwave
2 cups Cool Whip topping (the real deal, which is almost devoid of sugar), thawed
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli is slightly better than Nestle’s)
In large bowl, mix pudding and 1 cup milk; stir until mixture is thick. Add softened cream cheese and continue to stir until thoroughly mixed.
In separate smaller bowl, add 4 ounces of chocolate chips with 2 tbsp. mile and microwave until melted (but NOT burned at all). Remove and add to chocolate pudding mixture; stir thoroughly, then add 1 ½ cups Cool Whip, stir until completely mixed and blended.
Pour mixture into graham cracker crust, smooth with spatula; over with remaining Cool Whip evenly over top of pie. Cover with original plastic lid from crust. Put into freezer for at least 4 hours.
When ready to serve, remove and thaw for 10 minutes. Serves 8.

Anorther Detroit childhood icon passes away

From today's (May 25) Detroit Free Press online edition

Ricky the Clown made generations of kids laugh

Family friend fondly recalls the amazing life of a Detroit legend
BY TOM PANZENHAGEN
FREE PRESS DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
For a kid growing up in Detroit in the 1960s, it was better than going to the circus or the zoo. That's how I remember my family's visits to the home of Ricky the Clown.
Ricky -- born Irvin Romig -- died Sunday at age 90. It boggles the mind to think how many kids he made laugh in a lifetime of clowning. I was one of those kids, but luckier than most, because Irvin and my dad, Richard Panzenhagen, were best friends. They grew up under the same roof on Mt. Elliott in Detroit.
By 1960, my family had moved to the east side of Detroit; Irvin, his wife, Rose, and son, Chris, had moved to the faraway reaches of West 10 Mile Road. Driving to Southfield, a veritable wilderness in those days, was akin to driving Up North -- the Lodge Expressway wasn't even finished yet.
The Romigs' ranch-style home was across the street from WXYZ-TV's (Channel 7) Broadcast House, where Irvin performed on such programs as "The Ricky the Clown Show" and "Action Theater."
While their house was comfortable, the backyard was amazing. It was the biggest one I'd ever seen and, believe it or not, a llama lived back there. It didn't do much, but how many people do you know who have a llama in the backyard?
Irvin had go-karts for us kids to ride, and he'd haul grownups around in a contraption that resembled a paddy wagon hooked up to a tractor.
The basement was a kid's delight, a storehouse of props that had been used in the act over the years -- everything from toy guns to musical instruments to a gorilla outfit. The best part of any visit, though, was Irvin himself, who would slide easily into his Ricky persona to entertain guests.
I'll never forget his endless supply of gags and one-liners, or his over-the-top version of "Mammy." Mostly I'll remember the joy Irvin got from entertaining others. His laughter was infectious.
Ricky the Clown was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame in 2001, alongside the likes of Emmett Kelly and Red Skelton. Yet it's fair to say that Irvin Romig didn't achieve real stardom. His greatest legacy will be that he made generations of kids laugh. Luckily, I was one of those kids, and I had a front-row seat.

See "The Pacific" over Memorial Day on HBO

Attention! On Memorial Day Monday, May 31, Home Box Office has scheduled to air the brilliant miniseries "The Pacific," in its entirety, back--to-back, all 10 episodes in a row, starting at 2 p.m. (Eastern)/1 p.m. (Central).
If you have NOT seen it, you must! If yo've already seen it, see it again. It's THAT good!!!
That effort is why HBO stands head and shoulders above ALL other pay cable, or anything else, on television.
And I might suggest watching some of the outstanding documentaries on HBO's side channels (notable Signature), uncluding one called "Souting Fire" about the First Amendment and the various attacks on our freedom of speech and religion in this nation - sacrificing freedom for security. As Jefferson said, "When you sacrifice one, you get neither."

The Bristol Stomp

“The kids in Bristol are shape as a pistol when they do the Bristol Stomp!” – The Dovells, 1962

Bristol Palin, 19, has done absolutely nothing in her life that would warrant ANYONE paying her a dime to speak about anything. Yet, she’s about to hit the speaker circuit, at between $15,000-$30,000 a pop, to follow in her mother’s footsteps as someone getting paid with nothing concrete to say.
ALL this girl/woman has done in her short life is have teenage, unprotected sex with her then-(slug)boyfriend, give birth, NOT get married (before, during or after) and then get paraded around the country by her candidate mother, as a mere prop, for political purposes (the latter isn’t as immoral as it is disgusting).
So seeing how “Mama Grizzly” has chewed up the American scenery, little Bristol is trying to get wealthy herself … having done nothing worthy of getting wealthy. Like every other slacker of her generation.
Well, I guess welcome to the 21st century, Chuck, where your old fashioned concept of earning rewards through hard work just doesn’t apply.
Palin-lite is listed online on the speaking group, Single Source Speakers, website as “available for conferences, fundraisers, special events and holidays, as well as women’s, youth, abstinence (that’s rich!) and ‘pro-life’ programs. The fee will depend on the group and “what she must to do prepare.”
How about growing up in the first place?
This is how LOW this society has fallen. Her mother can only make millions throwing mud, aiming guns and acting like a shrew, which I imagine is now the new definition of the American success story. If so, give me the old days when you actually DID or MADE something in order to get rich.
Spreading your legs for the town teenage hockey hero, other in porn films, is NOT my idea of a success story that anyone should heart. Why can’t these Alaskan hillbillies go back to the doublewide they came from?

The face of politics' future?!

Is this a face only a "Mama Grizzly" could love ... or understand? Hey, Sarah, stop squinting or you get all those nasty age lines in your face that NO amount of regeneration makepu can hide!

Guys, this IS a MILF (Moron I'd Like to Forget - stolen from Bill Maher but oh so TRUE!)

And so long from the Tiger Stadiums of my mind …

“And the poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson, once wrote in his epic poem ‘Ulysses,’ “I am a part of all that I have met.”
Ernie Harwell, August, 1981, Hall of Fame induction speech
I am approaching 58 years of age and if you ask me to be honest, all I ever “wanted” to be was the first starting first baseman for my hometown Detroit Tigers. I never had dreams of being a doctor, lawyer, accountant (although my mother did) … or journalist/newspaper owner.
I wanted to spend my days and nights hovering around the dirt and grass at the corner of Michigan and Trumbell Avenues. But an inability to move faster than the average tortoise and a subsequent football injury eliminated that possibility (which was NEVER going to be possible).
I wanted that life because I heard Ernie Harwell tell me what a wonderful thing it was to play for the Detroit Tigers. And now, as I eventually become a senior citizen, he is gone from us – his voice stilled by cancer at the age of 92 on Tuesday afternoon. As a true Tiger fan, I cannot tell anyone, or express the inner sorrow I feel because the world, not just the sport of baseball of the Detroit community, is NOT better off for his departure. When Ernie was among us, he MADE it a better place to live.
I saw my first game in 1959 (Baltimore at Detroit), but I didn’t start listening to Tiger games until the next season, when Ernie Harwell began his broadcast career with Detroit. And for the next 44 years (save one year when management stupidly thought his time at the microphone was over and the fans expressed such outrage that he was hired back the following season), Harwell WAS the voice of the Tigers and the voice of the Motor City. In fact, I have NO idea who did play-by-play prior to his arrival (from Baltimore after stints with the Brooklyn Dodgers, eventually replaced by Vin Scully and the New York Giants) … nor do I know who does it today.
It doesn’t matter because, for my taste, there was NO baseball broadcasting in Detroit without Ernie Harwell.
Each sport has its iconic voices. As a young Detroiter, other sports had them as well (Van Patrick for Lions football, Budd Lynch for Red Wings hockey, Bob Ufer for Michigan football). But none of them EVER reached the level of worship that Harwell possessed. And he didn’t purposely seek for it to happen that way. It just did because of young boys like me who grew up and maintained that admiration.
He was not a big man, slight in stature, but you don’t measure strength by sheer physical mass. You measure it by character and no one was stronger in that field than Harwell. He gave all his credit to God and his wife of 66 years (at the end), Lulu. No one before, and after his passing, can utter a single word of disdain for Ernie. All the tributes are glowing as they should be.
Even as his illness slowly sapped his strength, Ernie pressed forward; in fact, was to have received an award in New York City today (which he would have strived to have attended except for that small inconvenience called death). The Detroit public packed a downtown theater last winter to hear Harwell’s stories one final time in the name of charity – to help the homeless along with author/sportswriter Mitch Albom. From every account, you’d thought they were all in church – solemn and worshipful.
Last September, he made his final public appearance at the Tigers’ new home, Comerica Park, and it was such a special occasion, they interrupted the game in the fifth inning to have Harwell come to home plate and thank the fans and players for his life. He always made it a point to tip his cap to the Michigan faithful and took pride in the fact that when he would die, it would take place in a place he came to live (despite ALL its massive social and economic problems).
I’ve written often about how, following the disastrous 1967 riots, the Tigers, en route to their first World Series title since 1945, literally saved the city from itself. Instead of focusing on their problems, people of all social, racial and economic backgrounds tuned into their radios and television sets to hear the exploits of Al Kaline, Denny McLain, Willie Horton, Mickey Lolich, Gates Brown, Norm Cash, Mickey Stanley, Jim Northrup and others. The voice that helped soothe the savage beast was that of a Georgia native who was the only broadcaster in the history of the sport ever “traded” to another franchise for an actual player.
Instead of finding ways to destroy the city during another steaming summer, fans wondered aloud how Harwell knew everyone in the ballpark when he insisted that “a man from Waterford Township caught that foul ball.” Hell, we all knew he was just making that up but it was a badge of honor to have your community mentioned during a Tiger broadcast.
And his stadium “office” inside Tiger Stadium was SO close to the field, and so close to the fans, that people would wave and shout greetings to him between innings. It might be an overused term but it is the only statement which holds total truth in each word: he WAS a man of the people.
Harwell was inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Aug. 2, 1981 (broadcasters earn that receiving the Ford C. Frick Award, where, on the Hall of Fame website, Harwell’s microphone is the iconic symbol). At that moment, he joined the absolute giants of American sports broadcasting (Mel Allen, Red Barber, Bob Elson and Russ Hodges, his former Giants on-air teammate).
In his speech, Harwell, a published author of scores of books about baseball, his faith and life, beautifully answered the question, “Why is baseball SO special?”
I close with his words, not mine, because his do justice to his talent and his love for the greatest game ever created:
“Baseball is the President tossing out the first ball of the season and a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That’s baseball. And so is the big, fat guy with a bulbous nose running home one of his (Babe Ruth’s) 714 home runs.
“There’s a man in Mobile who remembers that Honus Wagner hit a triple in Pittsburgh 46 years ago. That’s baseball. So is the scout reporting that a sixteen year old pitcher in Cheyenne is a coming Walter Johnson. Baseball is a spirited race of man against man, reflex against reflex. A game of inches. Every skill is measured. Every heroic, every failing is seen and cheered, or booed. And then becomes a statistic.
“In baseball, democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team’s uniform from another.
“Baseball is a rookie. His experience no bigger than the lump in his throat as he begins fulfillment of his dream. It’s a veteran too, a tired old man of thirty-five hoping that those aching muscles can pull him through another sweltering August and September. Nicknames are baseball, names like Zeke and Pie and Kiki and Home Run and Cracker and Dizzy and Daffy.
“Baseball is the cool, clear eyes of Rogers Hornsby. The flashing spikes of Ty Cobb, an over aged pixie named Rabbit Maranville.
“Baseball just a came as simple as a ball and bat. Yet, as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.
“Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World Series catch. And then dashing off to play stick ball in the street with his teenage pals. That’s baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrig saying, “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”
“Baseball is cigar smoke, hot roasted peanuts, The Sporting News, ladies day, “Down in Front,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and the “Star Spangled Banner.”
“Baseball is a tongue-tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball!”
God rest this gentle man’s soul; his like will not pass this way again anytime soon.

Hail! hail! to the greatness of "The Pacific"

I cannot find enough words of praise when writing about HBO's brilliant miniseries, "The Pacific," one of the bets thing EVER shown on television following ... HBO's previous WWII effort, "Band of Brothers." It's harrowing, moving, disturbing, frightening, heroic and ... almost all of it true to the details.
As a son of a Jewish World War II vet, I grew up knowing several things:

1) The war sucked (as do ALL wars), but we were completely justified in what we did, including Hiroshima/Nagasaki because it SAVED the lives of perhaps a million Americans and Japanese (we learned on Iwo Jima that an invasion of the Japanese mainland would prove to be bloodier than anyone would imagine);
2) What the Japanese did to others were as horrific as some of the things Germany inflicted upon Europe (if you don't believe it, ask older Chinese people; they STILL seeth at those memories).
3) WWII was a war of liberation for Africa/Europe and the U.S. symbolize the liberators; establishing a permanent link of fairly goodwill to that continent (despite what some USA administrations believed about "old Europe").
4) War IS hell - all of it, wherever it is fought, regardless of the combatants. It's drivenby hatred far too often rather than any speck of necessity.
5) The Holocaust was real and perhaps the single most heinous planned campaign in all of mankind's existence. Each week, as I went to temple, I would see old men and women in their seats, often with their concentration camp tattoos on the arms visible. They could tell you that Hell existed on earth because they went through it ... and survived.
"The Pacific" is outstanding television and tells the complete story of the men who fought island to island. The non-combat storylines are necessary to show that these were not robots, but human beings. Last Sunday's episode might have been some of the saddest narrative seen in recent years. If the ending didn't get to you, you have no soul (no spoiler alert!).
And, here's the real thing: It's based on total truth. Sledge's first book, "Helmet for My Pillow" is the basis for his storyline and R.V. Burgin's new book (also characterized in the show) is also employed. Burgin lives in Lancaster, Texas, where I worked for five years as that community newspaper's editor (however, never knew him or met him - he kept a low profile until plans wre unveiled to do this miniseries). If you Wikipedia John Basilone, you'll find how much accuracy has been retained in his narrative.
The world would have been totally different - we probably would not be here - had the outcome not been what it was in 1945. It was NOT a foregone conclusion; it had to be earned.
And those few survivors today should be honored through tributes like "The Pacific" and "Band of Brothers" before it.
People, you'll NOT regret seeing it when you get the chance.

Visiting the BIG HOUSE

As a proud alumunus of the University of Michigan, THIS is a great scene - the President of the United States addressing the graduating Class of 2010 inside "The Big House" - Michigan Stadium before a crowd of 80,000.

It's the biggest place to see a football game and it's the biggest place to hold a commencement ceremony.

Which is why this school is still no. 1 (except in football).

GO BLUE!

The power of helping others helps you, too

Before he left for a new job and opportunity in Philadelphia, I became e-mail/blog friends with journalist Rod Dreher, formerly of the Dallas Morning News and author of “Crunchy Con,” a book about being a reasonable conservative.
He works as director of publications for the John Templeton Foundation and much of his postings concern religious-themed discussions. But he also tells the touching and moving story of his sister, Ruthie Leming, who is battling cancer.
His stories of her courage, that of her daughters and fireman husband, Mike, who recently returned home to St. Francisville, La. (Rod’s hometown), after serving in Iraq (imagine THAT double whammy to face … ALONE), were as moving as anything you can see on “Oprah.” I’ve told Rod that God commands him to write a book about this to share with the rest of the world – beyond the blogosphere.
So I wrote to him about a venture I led last weekend:
“Chalk this one up to another Ruthie Leming victory. Here in Dallas, there is a well-known Celtic musician/singer-songwriter named Michael William Harrison, who has been performing in local venues and pubs for years. He’s my age and like me, grew up in the Motor City. But most of all, he’s a nice guy who scratches out a living pickin’ and singin’ Irish tunes.
In the past few months, he has been battling throat cancer, which is as bad a malady that anyone singer can suffer. No voice, no living. The chemo kicks his ass and he has lost his trademark beard and hair. At the moment, he is just trying to fight as best he can.
So ... I sat there thinking at ye olde Irish Festival, what can be done to help this nice guy? In other words, WWRD (either the call letters to some station somewhere … or What Would Ruthie Do?).
We both know the answer and, yesterday at our annual NTIF at Winfrey Point overlooking a windy White Rock Lake, I organized exactly what your sister would have done for anyone in St. Francisville affected by the same problem. We held an impromptu silent auction (I had all of 3 weeks to get stuff and spent much of last week driving all over DFW collecting items – from CDs, to paintings, to photos of Scotland, to fine 12-year-old bottles of Scotch, to handmade jewelry, and even tossing in a couple of cookbooks from my collection and an old Juan Gonzalez autographed baseball … which looks a little TOO juiced up if you know what I mean.
Hell, someone even walked up with a home theater sound system and I had to talk anyone lady out of donating a single serving set of dishes (wow, that just screams you live alone).
Having no expectations and no clue about the generosity of those in attendance, I kept my hopes fairly low, hoping to collect $1,000, which I thought would be great. But, ah, the power of the shamrock and Celtic music in general ... I’m still collecting checks but it appears we will more than DOUBLE that and everything donated was sold! And people waited patiently to allow me to settle accounts ... and NO ONE fought over anything!
Even MORE special, Michael was able to attend since his chemo schedule had changed. And his expected hour-long visit (it was the first time he got to hear LIVE music in months, he said) turned into THREE hours because ... people DO feed off the energy of others. Love and good will overcomes a lot and makes you stronger; able to face any challenge and slay any dragon.
I saw it up close and in person yesterday; having read your blog postings, I have no doubt your sister will make it through because everyone’s energy down in Loo-ee-si-ann is helping to carry her.
Is it a miracle? Dunno. These things carry different names under different labels. But in the end, it’s about helping and caring for other people (a trait too many people have misplaced in this age of ME-ism).”
I added a few more thoughts in a subsequent email:
“My father taught me one hugely valuable lesson and rule of life: You’ve GOT to make your surroundings better for others than you found things. And in life, aside from raising your children to be their best (or at least try), helping others (without going for the credit) is the right thing to do. Hence, I volunteer to do PR for the Samaritan Inn, Collin County’s only homeless shelter, because it’s the right thing to do.
And I don’t think I can say this enough ... one of your missions, for the remaining time you have on this planet and with your infinite writing ability (I bow to such greatness) IS to tell HER story. In formal written form ... old school ... as in BOOK! Not just her personal battle, but how it HAS touched others to do things "to make things better for others because it’s the right thing to do."

Why does this shit ALWAYS seem to come from Arizona???

Do you know what an illegal Russian émigré looks like? What about an illegal Thai or Vietnamese immigrant? Can you automatically pick them out of a crowd? Or even in a group of 5?
Somehow I highly doubt it, so this new law that the sad state of Arizona affairs has passed and signed by its Republican primary-challenged governor Friday, is as worthless as Goldman Sachs’ defense. In essence, an individual state is now demanding that people carry identification papers, as they did in Europe before and after World War II, to PROVE they are U.S. citizens, or at the very least, in this country legally.
Now it is a bald-faced lie to say that this is NOT racial profiling. Horseshit! It IS and everyone knows it, including the Republican fear-mongering state senator who led this charge (Russell Pearce – keep that name in mind because he will soon become the Tea Party darling and rising star in Republican circles). People automatically associate illegal immigration with one word – Mexican. And too many older white, less-than-astute Arizonians, ALL Hispanics are Mexicans!
Of course, that’s as far from the truth as you can get, but in Arizona, they don’t give a shit.
The new law extends powers NOT granted to it under the Constitution and this crap about the sanctity of the 10th Amendment is for the fucking birds. Border security and the status of immigrants is a federal problems and states do NOT have the right to demand ID papers when such a system does not exist. After all, the IDs requires are issued on a state-to-state basis and there are NO universal standards.
Again, this nation has a hypocritical attitude to immigration, including the illegal kind. Employers WANT (desperately) the cheap labor and the fines against such hiring practices are laughable. Begin enforcing a $100,000 per illegal per day FINE and you’ll see a quick attitude adjustment.
But let’s say you are illegally entering the country from … CUBA! You actually make it past the Coast Guard and land on U.S. soil; what happens? You claim political asylum and WHAM!, you are AUTOMATICALLY granted legal status.
WHY? Why is a Cuban different from those escaping the violence in Mexico and seeking a better life? Because the South Florida Cuban-American population is a forceful voting bloc of conservative Republicans; that’s why! They alone stand between any kind of normalization of relations with that country (despite the fact that we, as a country, have established “normal” relations with the likes of Vietnam, China, Russia and other former “enemies” of the U.S.).
Highly hypocritical! And the same Republicans whiners about the lack of federal response to the immigration problems were only tepid in their criticism of the former administration which did absolutely NOTHING in that regard (as it did nothing in many, MANY other areas that Obama had to inherit and is receiving unfair blame).
Of course, THE most single stupid claim made by proponents is how EASY it is to ID an illegal due to attire, and even shoes (what, are their Nikes spelled Nikis????). Listen when it’s 120 degrees in Phoenix in August, EVERYONE dresses the same goddamn way…everyone looks like they’ve sweated up a storm! Fuck this shit about “dry heat;” an oven is dry heat and you don’t stick your head in that.
Perhaps a discussion should be held about a national ID card system, something that can serve as a social security card, driver’s license, voters registration, etc. Such information can be loaded via a scanner and would outputted in the same manner. Technology can be employed to our societal advantage and make it harder to falsify.
But, in the end, it will be up to individuals to make a judgment about who IS and who ISN’T an illegal. It will take a long time to properly educate officers to handle this action with kid gloves because the first naturalized citizen, or fifth-generation citizen, stopped and questioned and held, because they didn’t have proper “papers,” will be suing in court faster than you can say “Constitution.” And unless the judges are simply blind or paid off, the law will be overturned in a heartbeat.
Sadly, in Arizona, incumbent Senator John McCain has sold his soul to the devil of re-election and reversed almost ALL of his previous stances, including on the very immigration bill he attempted to push through Congress (now he denies it), because he MUST pander to the drum-beating base of the right-wing Arizona GOP. Nothing could be sadder than the site of McCain bowing at the stiletto feet of Sarah Palin who would still be a white-trash Peter-Principled trollop serving as governor in the state of Hell Frozen Over – begging for her to get his votes.
Illegal immigration is a major problem in the U.S. but the Arizona law is NOT any sort of logical solution. It is racist at its heart and stupid in its conception. It is completely anti-American and unconstitutional in every sense of the word.
Shame on the governor for bowing to her own crass desire to snag an extra vote and shame on State Senator Pearce for whatever blowback falls on the Grand Canyon State (including possible economic boycotts).
P.S. – Why does this always have to happen in Arizona? Remember the anti-Martin Luther King holiday bill signed by the soon-to-be-impeached Gov. Evan Meachem????? It’s too beautiful of a state to allow this constant governing by such blatant assholes!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parallel thinking: exactly who taught some people how to drive?

Author's Note: This is the orignal version of the column published in the April 18, 2010 edition of the Dallas Morning News' Collin County Opinions Community Voices section. I can always be reached at chuckbloom@hotmail.com.
If, as it is said, women are from Venus and men are from Mars, it’s probable a manned spaceship will actually land on the Red Planet, and if a man is piloting, the craft just might back into the parking space reserved on the surface.
For some reason, here on Earth, and the sliver representing North Texas, many of the male persuasion like to back into parking spaces at sites like grocery stores, hardware centers or those large collections of shops known as malls. You seem them far too frequently, taking their sweet time … slowly easing their vehicles (SUV, sedan, pickup truck or compact) into spaces … trunk-end first.
I don’t know the why or wherefore for this action. Is it to escape at a moment’s notice? Or is it to annoy the other drivers? As I rant within the confines of my vehicle, the question is always the same: “Who taught you have to drive?” Actually, it’s a very good question.
No one is taught the “reverse” method in any reputable driver’s education class (at least none of which I am aware). Back in the horse-and-buggy day when I learned to drive (in ice and snow up yonder), you were instructed on the disappearing art of the parallel park. In fact, it was one of the key factors in passing the driving portion of the state’s examination to obtain a driver’s license.
My father was the one who made me master that particular maneuver. One Saturday summer morning, he drove me to Belle Isle, an island in the middle of the Detroit River, and stopped in an empty parking lot. He got out, placed two metal trash barrels about 10-12 feet apart and returned to his Chrysler 300 (which had a push-button transmission) – with me behind the wheel. The instructions were simple – park the car between the barrels and do NOT hit anything (perhaps upon losing my head if I did).
Slowly and deliberately, I learned the tricks to parallel parking; the exact moment to turn the wheel, the proper angle for approach and when to straight out the car without a scratch on anyone’s bumper. It took 30 or so minutes; it involved massive amount of sweating on my behalf and a tremendous amount of patience from my father.
After three consecutive (and properly completed) runs, he got into the front seat and simply said, “OK, let’s go home.” It was like graduating from a special course, except Dad bought a Dairy Queen chocolate-dipped cone afterwards.
These days, modern multiple-parking locations require diagonal or perpendicular movements; you turn the vehicle INTO the open space and THEN you back yourself out to leave. Unless you’re on a street in an older section of town, you rarely see anyone parallel park; most of the time, you whip in and whip out. End of story.
Excuse me, but how hard is that? If you’re going to get a gallon of milk, why is it necessary to back into a silly parking space, take twice the time required if done normally and often jam up traffic as other motorists try to proceed? Is this just another fruitless sign of attempted male dominance? Or are we just showing off? I just don’t, and won’t, understand.
One last thing: when I actually took my driver’s test, the examiner charted me for all things necessary – turn signals (remember those?), adjustment of rear view mirrors, looking in all directions, proper maintenance of speed and smooth stops at intersections.
Finally, we returned to the office and he had me pull into the parking lot and turn off the engine so he could exit.
“What about the parking test?” I asked.
“You just did it,” the man answered.
A wave of massive disappointment enveloped me; all that practice and nothing to show off for it. I should have backed in.

Memories of Good Friday

When I was living in residential Detroit, in my elementary and junior high school days (in the same large public school buildings), Good Friday meant ONE thing to us (those of the Hebrew persuasion and nose size). It meant EARLY dismissal from school and the first GOOD day to play golf.
School dismissed at 11:30 a.m. BECAUSE, in northern industrial cities dominated by Catholic churches, everything shut DOWN from noon-3 p.m. (I need not tell you why). At noon, church bells rang ALL over Detroit and the city went eerily silent at times, until 3 p.m. when the same bells rang back civilization.
For those who were NOT Catholic, it meant a free day on a spring Friday and where I lived, it meant runing home, gathering your golf clubs and bicycles and dashing as fast as one could to the Palmer Park Public golf course - one of the many public parks and rec facilities in the Motor City (ours was located in the northern half).
Greens fees were charged by 9 holes ($1.50 back in THE day) ... BUT, if you go to the course, BEFORE noon, here's how it played ... The "clubhouse" closed at noon so all one would have to do in pay for 9 holes, finished the front nine BEFORE 3 p.m. and get to the back 9, on the other side of the par and away from the attendants' eyes, for a FREE 9 HOLES! You'd have thought we won the freaking lottery! Weren't we the smartest guys in town?
Good Friday/Easter weekend was always colorful for people with children dyeing eggs, women displayed outrageous hats (do they do that anymore?) and families going for leisurely drives after church to celebrate the start of the new season (much like Thanksgiving in Detroit harkened the start of winter).
Sadly, in my neighborhood, which was dominated by a huge Jesuit grade school (across the street from the Jesuit-led University of Detroit; they added Mercy a couple of decades ago). And some of my neighbors were not fond of their Jewish residents.
I have, in my lifetime, been spat upon and cursed the most vile epithets (including the ever-unpopular "Christ killer!") simply for being who I was. And it was done by youth and their parents alike. Such ignorance always made me more sad than mad.
But to all, Happy Easter (which will happily be free of watching "The Robe" or "The Ten Commandments" for the millionth time!).

Liar, liar; pants on fire

When Kay Bailey Hutchison said she would resign the Senate, win or lose, after the Texas Republican governor's race, did anyone see a hint of truth in her eyes? Personally, as with a lot of people, I believed she never ever intended to give up that seat if she lost. And at some point, perhaps WEEKS before the vote, she knew that was a distinct possibility (although I guess she was hoping for a runoff).
So it makes today's announcement, that she was completing her term, as no surprise; she's a flip-flopper to use GOP vernacular, and a goddamn liar, to use Texan vernacular.
She's just another political animal, and unlike the suburban coyote roaming the Costcos of Plano, she's isn't becoming extinct.
Aren't you SO proud, here in Texas, to have such a lying fool in Washington, D.C.?

Time to make a ‘Beilein’ from here

As a Michigan alum, I am downrigth saddened by the continuing turmoil surrounding the basketball program. I am submitting the following column to the student newspaper, the Michigan Daily, where I learned my craft for four years.
Junior Manny Harris’ decision to enter the NBA Draft, with one year of collegiate eligibility remaining, simply caps THE most disappointing season in the history of Michigan men’s basketball. It was a squad with four returning starts and a trunk full of high pre-season expectations, including a Top 15 ranking.
The season is completed, left in a crumbled, broken heap, and in all honesty, with few prospects for even a mediocre future. There will be no senior leadership (other than reserve Anthony Wright), no returning starter averaging in double figures in scoring and no one over 6-5 of consequence.
At some point, this mess must be laid at the feet of the person who has been the overseer for the last three seasons – head coach John Beilein. And on a simple “pass/fail” grading system (all the rage in my day on campus), any objective observer would have to scream “fail!”
Accordingly, changes must be made as soon as possible by the new UM athletic administration in order to stop the further marginalization of a once-proud program.
Here is the case to be made:
In his three season, Beilein is 46-63, one of only three UM coaches with a losing record (not counting the 1909 season at 1-4,which then saw the school wait eight years until commencing a fulltime program). Even Brian Ellerbe, who left under a major cloud, had a 62-60 mark and led Michigan to its last Big Ten tournament title in 1998. Some of you were in grade school when that happened.
Beilein’s teams have one legitimate non-conference win in three seasons (the 81-73 home victory over Duke on Dec. 6, 2008). This past season’s win over UConn was versus a team that didn’t even sniff the NCAA Tournament. The win over Ohio State two weeks earlier was against a squad minus the top player in the nation, Evan Turner.
The number of unforgiveable losses requires a second hand upon which to count – including road losses at Indiana and Northwestern and a home setback against Penn State. The regular season-ending loss at Michigan State was downright embarrassing because it was beyond bad; it was non-competitive.
On a good night, the Wolverines looked slow afoot, lacked a strong inside game on offense AND defense and shot horrifically all year long (an absolute curse for a team employing three guards most minutes of the game). A team that depended on three-point shooting as its backbone went less than 30 percent from beyond the arc, yet never altered much of anything during the campaign.
In the Beilein era, there has been no true standout recruit brought to Ann Arbor. DeShawn Sims and Harris were recruited by Beilein’s predecessor, Tommy Amaker, as well as Ekpe Udoh, who transferred away from Michigan after two seasons (including Beilein’s first year as coach).
You might have noticed his power to the bucket and rebounding prowess in a Baylor uniform, leading the Bears to the Elite Eight. That was a team totally destroyed following the murder of one player by a teammate and eventual cover-up by its former coach. That happened in 2003 and Baylor went from a team that only won 36 games from 2003-2007. Now Baylor is a place where players WANT to go, and trust me, Ann Arbor is paradise next to Waco, Texas.
The Michigan program appears to be no longer competitive in prime recruiting areas – Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, or here in North Texas (where I live in the same city that produced Jimmy King, one of the Fab Five). The last McDonald’s All-American to wear a Wolverine uniform was guard Daniel Horton, from a suburban Dallas high school, in 2002. The last first round NBA draft pick was Jamal Crawford in 2000; by all projections, Harris will never reach that level (possibly going undrafted according to ESPN draft analysts).
Now to be fair, if you examine the UM rosters since 1998, you’ve got to shake your head in wonderment about how the talent level has fallen so fall from the 1989 national championship or the aforementioned Fab 5. Look where that squad hailed from – Jalen Rose and Chris (Ho Who Shall Not Be Named) Webber were from Detroit, Juwan Howard came from Chicago, King from North Texas and Ray Jackson from Austin, Texas.
The 1989 lineup had players from Los Angeles (Sean Higgins), Boston (Rumeal Robinson), Flint, which UM used to own as a recruiting base (Glen Rice, Demetrius Calip), Romulus (Terry Mills), Muskegon (Mark Hughes) and Kentwood (Loy Vaught). Michigan was a NATIONAL program, but honestly, not any more.
To be great you have to get great players. Our counterparts in East Lansing do that each and every year; they stand at the point where the Spartans can lose their best player and STILL make the Final Four because Kalin Lucas is surrounded with so much talent.
Finally, Michigan never really appeared to be the best coached team on the court during most games. The squad cratered too many times in second halves, turning close affairs into losses, mostly on the defensive end. The most vivid example, of course, was Turner’s 35-foot buzzer beater to end the Michigan season in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. He was able to take that shot because no one in a blue uniform was within 20 feet of him, permitting an unrestricted path toward that open shot. That’s coaching because it SO appeared to be Michigan’s intention not to guard him.
The same thing happened at home against the Spartans when Lucas was left wide open to hit the winning jumper. Everyone in Crisler Arena knew who was taking that shot and the players should have been instructed to that very fact.
Coaching is a cruel business; nice men often get rolled over by circumstance. But men’s collegiate basketball is also a business and when someone is not doing the job required to produce results, changes must be made. Michigan needs a major injection of youth and talent and that will only come with a change at the top.
If you need some suggested names, try New Mexico’s Steve Alford (who turned the Lobo program completely around and, for some reason, isn’t wanted by his alma mater at Indiana) or Butler’s Brad Stevens, leading his Bulldogs to the Final Four this year. A former Butler head coach, Thad Matta, seems to be doing just fine, thank you, at Ohio State.
Relying on incoming freshmen to lead Michigan back to the Promiseland is an iffy proposition at best and the best players in the state are already committed to East Lansing, not Ann Arbor. Unless they are the likes of John Wall, Carmelo Anthony or Derrick Rose, Michigan fans could be waiting, and waiting and waiting …
As we say in Texas about a certain brand of canned chili, “that’s just too damn long.” It’s time to speed up the clock and it must begin with a housecleaning on the bench.
Now!

GOP now stands for Grand Obstacles Party

This from today's Huffington Post: It's as silly and childish as it gets. And it's ALL done by Republicans.
Senate Republicans fuming over the passage of health care reform are now refusing to work past 2 p.m. -- a tactic they can employ by invoking a little-known Senate rule.

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee was forced to cancel a hearing as was the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted today : "Disappointed. Rs refusing to allow hearings today. Had to cancel my oversight hearing on police training contracts in Afghanistan."
Sen. Mark Udall also complained that he had to delay a hearing on the cause of Western forest fires.
Making good on Sen. John McCain's threat to withhold all Republican cooperation from Democrats in the Senate in retribution for the majority party using reconciliation to pass health care reform, the GOP used the rule that states committees can only meet when the chamber is in session with the unanimous consent of all members. That consent has almost never been withheld -- until now.
Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) asked for consent for his panel to operate Wednesday afternoon. He noted, ironically, that his request had the support of McCain.
"There is objection on our side of the aisle and therefore I object," said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).
The GOP objection blocked testimony from Admiral Robert Willard, United States Navy Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; from General Kevin Chilton, United States Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and from General Walter Sharp, United States Army Commander, U.S. Forces Korea.
For his part, Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) was livid when his committee was forced to delay consideration of several judicial nominees.
"I have accommodated requests from Judiciary Committee Republicans to delay the Committee's hearing to consider Professor Liu's nomination," Leahy said.
He continued: "For months, Senate Republicans have resisted efforts to enact important reforms to our health insurance system. But when the dust settles and the emotions are calmed, history will show that President Obama and this Congress responded to a pressing national issue, and proved once again that we can act with the purpose of advancing an important national interest. Sadly, actions like today's objections from Senate Republicans to the consideration of a highly qualified, historic nominee will be viewed as little more than petty, partisan politics."
Jim Manley, a spokesperson for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), objected to the objection. "For a second straight day, Republicans are using tricks to shut down several key Senate committees. So let me get this straight: in retaliation for our efforts to have an up-or-down vote to improve health care reform, Republicans are blocking an Armed Services committee hearing to discuss critical national security issues among other committee meetings? These political games and obstruction have to stop -- the American people expect and deserve better."
Without unanimous consent, committees are allowed to meet for two hours following the opening of the Senate session -- which on Wednesday was 9:00 a.m. The committees need consent to continue and consent again to continue after 2:00 p.m. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, had his hearing shut down abruptly at 11:00 Wednesday morning, in the middle of a discussion on the effort to end veteran homelessness in the next five years. It is estimated that more than 100,000 veterans are homeless in the United States on any given night.
"The Senate should be a place for debate, but I cannot imagine how shutting down a hearing on helping homeless veterans has any part of the debate on the health insurance reform," said Akaka. "I am deeply disappointed that my colleagues chose to hinder our common work to help end veteran homelessness."
Committee meetings were also canceled on Tuesday, but as the result of a behind-the-scenes threat, rather than an on-the-floor objection. One meeting that was shut down even dealt with transparency in government. The Executive Director of the Sunlight Foundation, Ellen Miller was cut off during the hearing.
The damn Republicans should just bring baby blankets to work since they seem no longer capable of actually EARNING their government salaries and surely don't care about other important topics such as homeless veterans. So WHY in the world would anyone WANT that party to be returned to power in Congress???
Shame on them for being such whiny, boo-hoo babies!

'Boo hoo' cries the Republicans

Boo hoo!
Wah! Wah!
This Don Quixote campaign against the newly-signed health care law by the various RED states attornies general (the exception being Michigan and its a Republican AG running for governor along with three other social-climbing GOPers) is trying to do the VERY thing Republicans wish to forbid others from doing (going to court and suing).
Their hue-and-cry has NO case law to back its un-Constitutional claim. While the 10th Amendment covers some things, the supremacy clause DOES override it.
Ironic, isn't it? Suing because they lost the 2008 election (what it is in effect). And it is being led by ... former members of the old Confederacy, who have NEVER accepted the outcome from 1865.
As has been said by MANY others, elections HAVE consequences and in 2008, that meant substantial change. We saw it happen (to this nation's detriment) in 2000; and we survived (except for those sons and daughters who gave their lives in a useless war).
And how about shutting the fuck up about fascism and communism and all those other "isms" people keep yelling about but have absolutely no clue or concept of their true meaning. Under Cheney-Bush, we came closer to actually seeing imperialistic rule in this nation than President Obama has ever conceived on his worst day.
After screwing up ITS majority rule, Republicans can only moan and groan and attempt to disrupt the majority now owned by the Democrats. They have NOTHING to offer despite all pronouncements to the contrary; they fought merely to stop, not to substitute. Starting over did not mean offering something better; they loved the status quo which was not working for most of the people (save those entitled and those rich enough NOT to care).
All the angry older white people can throw anybody they desire out of office and mistakenly think the replacements will be better. The huge budget deficit is a product of massive GOP spending and policies leading up to the 2008 election. To deny that fact is to deny the earth is round. To think Republicans will do better the second time around is as stupid as believing bankers will regulate themselves.
People are right; the adopted health care law is not a great bill, but it begins fixing many problems and future Congresses can improve on it. The first step HAS been taken and those shedding crocodile tears will be the first ones to take advantage of the new law.

When a picture truly says 1,000 words ...

There are times when words aren't enough adn a few properly chosen ones say it all.

The folloiwng is from the Washington Post's 44 blog, written by Philip Rucker and Eli Saslow:

The political odyssey of health care reform in many ways is the story of Ted Kennedy, and as President Obama signed the historic bill into law Tuesday, Kennedy's gravesite was a place of quiet celebration and poignant reflection.
The late senator's widow, Vicki Reggie Kennedy, spent hours on Sunday at the simple white cross at Arlington National Cemetery marking where her husband was laid to rest only seven months ago. Ted Kennedy's youngest son, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.), visited on Monday morning and left a hand-written note that read: "Dad, the unfinished business is done."
And on a dreary Tuesday morning, dozens of school children and health care advocates paused at Kennedy's tombstone to commemorate the man who for decades made overhauling the nation's health-care system his life's mission.
Kennedy's legacy was not lost on anyone who filled the East Room of the White House for Obama's bill-signing ceremony. Members of Congress wore blue "TedStrong" wristbands in his honor and posed for pictures with Patrick Kennedy. Caroline Kennedy, the senator's niece, sat in the front row, with other members of the storied family. Vicki Kennedy walked into the room with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).
Obama received a thunderous applause when he evoked the ghost of Ted Kennedy near the climax of his speech.
"I remember seeing Ted walk through that door in a summit in this room a year ago, one of his last public appearances, and it was hard for him to make it, but he was confident that we would do the right thing," Obama said.
When Obama sat to sign the bill, Patrick and Vicki Kennedy stood behind him. Finally, Ted Kennedy's dream became the law of the land.

Ted Kennedy's spirit can finally rest in peace.

I rest my case!

If you wish to know how hate-filled the debate over health care and the 2008 election stands now, just read the comment posted on my post below. It says it all!
And when people devoid of historical knowledge are allowed to enter the debate, ignorance abounds, especially when they constantly refer to Adolf Hitler. Hitler was a fascist who HATED communists. They are polar opposites in terms of philosophy, yet opponents of health care reform toss it out like handfuls of confetti.
YET ... these same people bitch and moan and yell about government-cntrolled health care and programs .... while gladly accepting Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid. Exactly who in the fuck do they think runs that????????
And then go to church and pray for exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught mankind.
In the language it deserves, far too many people believe in "I got mine and fuck all the rest of you." Civil War? Stupidity runs amok.
And the Republicans, scurrilous and duplicit in their silence, should be ashamed at how the debate has proceeded and their refusal to denounce these tactics. The end, in their eyes, justifies the means. Damn ALL of them for not speaking out!!!!!!!!!!
And to the guy who posted on my blog, bring it on; you'll be 0-2!