Thursday, February 19, 2009

Shoot The Monkey


I am not sure if the stimulus package will work. I am not sure that the effects of the 700 billion dollars will filter down and get to the people who need the help. I am not sure that President Obama understands all of the elements and how they will work together for the betterment of the people, and if anyone says to you that they know it is good, walk away.
The thing that is so troubling about this cartoon is the fact that the implication is that the president is a monkey. Black people have lived with that stereotype for years and have rejected and rebuffed such a notion with quite dignity at times, and sometimes with a violent reaction. This is not new for blacks to be associated with being a monkey, but it is disturbing for the President of the United States to be ridiculed in that manner. We do understand the way that racism works today.
And someone ask if we still need the NAACP.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Our First Lady


Dallas ISD Trustee Ron Price

Ron Price is trying to show progress in the schools in district 9 because he thinks that he can convince the voters that he is ready to move from School Board Trustee to the Dallas City Council. He has specifically talked about Julia C. Frazier Elementary School and Lincoln High School. This was discussed in a post by Unfair Park.

I graduated from Julia C. Frazier Elem. School and it has done well with the assistance of the T.I. Foundation and the Margaret Cone HeadStart Center. Quality education has been taking place in this school for years.

Frazier and Lincoln are both good schools, but it has nothing to do with Ron Price making them good schools. I give the credit to the principals, teachers, students and parents.
I believe Price was on the school board when Gonzales, Rojas, Moses and Hinojosa were hired. All have been bad for Dallas Independent School District. Do not forget that Ron Price was one of the leading Trustees who decided to vote to forego Trustee elections this year. He was one of the Trustees that was up for re-election.

This is not about race, but this is about not recycling the elected officials who have been in power for years. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE!!!!!!!!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Thought for the Week

We see things not as they are, but as we see.

Dennis Kimbro

DR. LEW BLACKBURN WOULD LIKE TO RE-ESTABLISH THE DISTRICT 5 CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL

Dallas ISD Schol Board Trustee, Dr. Lew Blackburn is now wanting to re-establish the District 5 Citizens Advisory Council, "Often, I ask constituents to advise me on issues affecting Dallas ISD. Many times, the advice I receive shapes my views on issues coming before the Board of Trustees. I appreciate their involvement. I have decided to reform my District 5 Citizens Advisory Council. The council will be composed of citizens of District 5, with three sub councils; Oak Cliff, West Dallas, and Wilmer-Hutchins. We will meet at least quarterly, and more often as the need arises. If you are interested in joining the District 5 Advisory Council, contact me via email with the following information: name, address, phone, and email address. I look forward to hearing from you.

I wonder what advise has he taken? In the meetings that I have attended only Trustee Carla Ranger seems to be listening to the people. Did the citizens advise him to extend his term one year, go light on Hinojosa after the budget deficit, change the board policy so it would take more than one Trustee to call for a separate vote, on consent agenda items, to vote for laying off teachers or to sit quietly while test scores for African American at all levels are the lowest for any group in the district.

Through the years, I have supported Dr. Blackburn, but it is now time for new Trustees.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

"Special Liaison" created by US Corp of Engineers for Dallas Trinity Toll Road



It was reported by Rudy Bush that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is creating a special laison for the Trinity Toll Road Project. This came after a meeting in the office of U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison with Tom Leppert and the U.S. Army Corp.

I thought these were tough economic times and that everyone was cutting back. It seems like I was wrong.

I do know that this was all about politics. Senator Hutchison is going to run for Governor and needs all of the support that she can get expecially from a Texas big city mayor. The Trinity Toll Road is tanking and Leppert is doing all that he can to save face. He sold the citizens a bad deal.





The U.S. Department of Education has turned down Dallas ISD's request to move about $15 million in salaries to the Title 1 federal grant program. These salaries are primarily associated with paying coaches for teachers in the district and to reduce class sizes in middle and high schools, which is a part of Superintendent Hinojosa's Dallas Achieves initiative.

When the district's budget came up short last fall (84 million), administrators proposed paying those salaries with Title 1 money which the district receives to improve the educations of low-income kids. There is a process for using those funds and the district did not follow it. Federal money comes through the state to local school districts and can only be used to "supplement" local efforts.

While the district says it is done with the fight, I do not believe them. They will come back another ways as they always do. They seem to be baffled that they were turned down by the feds. They say that they consulted several experts on Title I who advised them that the move was allowable.


I guess now they will just take that money out of the fund balance and leave the district crippled with about 30 million left in that fund. When Hinojosa got here there was about 120 million. I hope nothing bad happens because the district will be in a pickle.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Smithsonian is seeking the hat Aretha Franklin wore at President Obama's Inauguration


The hat told a true story. Being a hat woman myself, I say ReRe should say yes to the Smithsonian.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Thought for the Week

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

Frederick Douglass

Bob Hayes


I can not believe that this is happening to a Sport's Hero like Bob Hayes. He does not deserve all of the discord that is taking place over the honor that will bestowed upon him after his death.

Bob was a fun loving person that had a heart of gold. I had the opportunity to be friends with he and his first wife Altamease Hayes. They called me their little sister and Bob called my mother MOM. He loved her chili. He made friends easily and many people hung out around him, but he loved his wife and daughter Adrienne LaRori (Rori), very much.

I noticed that the part of his family who is raising the stink about Lucille Hester not being his sister, and leaving them out has left out Altamease and Rori (she has 3 children). This is tragic.

Altamease and Bob were married most of his playing days.

If you have the same father, that would make you brother and sister. I hope that Ms. Lucille Hester keeps her head high and continue with the quest of getting Bob Hayes in the Football Hall of Fame.


Go Bullet Bob Hayes!!!!!! Hall of Famer!!!!!!!!

DART-FTA Investigation

FTA - Civil Rights division will be at Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) on February 4th and 5th to investigate allegations of raced based action. It has been alleged that one of DART's top executives gave a mandate to hire Hispanics. There has been at least one lawsuit from a fired employee that made such a claim.

DART should not be allowed to say that their hiring practices are just because they have a large number of African Americans that are bus drivers. The FTA should look department by department as reported to the Equal Employment Opportunity Office *EEOC".

I do not know who got them here, but Thanks to FTA for coming.