Thank you again to Laura Miller (no relation to me), who is truly the best investigative reporter in the Metroplex, for her article in the June 5 issue, "None of your business? Closed council sessions scorn open-meetings law."
The residents in District 12 (Max Wells' district) are faced with the same "slap in the face" from Dallas Housing Authority and its arrogant CEO, Alfonso Jackson. Mr. Jackson says we are wasting our money on a lawsuit. Yet it's worth every last dime we've worked hard to earn in order to save our homes and neighborhoods.
Since 1993, DHA has built projects and then neglects them. We are saying no more projects anywhere in Dallas! Low-income, poor families need to choose their own homes throughout Dallas and the suburbs, getting the assistance they need to pay for them. Projects perpetuate racism and crime. Hasn't DHA learned this after 55 years in the business?
Right on, Observer, keep telling it like it is!
Sarah Miller
Dallas
Smoke and mirrors
I enjoyed the review of Smoke by Joe Leydon ["Street scenes," June 15]. A good piece of writing. Then I started to watch the movie itself, and for the first time in my life, walked out (after 30 minutes).
I have enjoyed all the actors featured in years past, and I have endured some horrible and thoroughly forgettable films. So why did I walk out of this one? The disease that comes to so many Hollywood screen actors ate them alive in this one: vanity.
Y'know, trying to be so cool, so real and without ego, so blue-collar and struggling, so whatever. It was a real embarrassment--I suppose because I've seen all of them in fine performances in other movies.
Worst of all? William Hurt's New York accent. Maybe this performance will be an incentive for all of these good actors to reassess what they're doin' out there in Tinsel Town, and take up stage acting or guerrilla theater on the streets of wherever.
Ben Giles
El Paso
Passionate, articulate, clueless
Your music writer Robert Wilonsky takes a lot of crap in your letters section, but as demonstrated by his poignant article "Ghosts in the machine" [April 27], he is passionate, articulate, and insightful. Don't let him get away.
George Guttler
Flower Mound
Boy! What did Faith No More ever do to Robert Wilonsky? ["No more Faith," April 27.] I can't wait until you guys finally reassign Mr. Wilonsky to a beat other than music. Week after week he demonstrates that he has no clue whatsoever.
Lee Jobe
Dallas
Eugenics, anyone?
I read Molly Ivins' article "March of Folly" [April 20] and had to write. As an adult probation officer in Dallas, I have had the opportunity to meet hundreds, if not thousands, of people on welfare, and some on SSI. I have gotten to know some of these people very well, and I must reply to Molly Ivins' premise that if Republicans knew people on welfare, we would change our view on welfare/SSI reform. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The more people I meet on welfare, the more I know that a complete overhaul is necessary. I am tired of seeing people suck the system for all they can get. If they put as much effort into getting an education and a job as they do into having children and ruining our gene pool while living off of taxpayers' hard-earned money, we would all be better off.
I went into the probation business because I wanted to help others. I used to be idealistic, too. Unfortunately, too many expect something for nothing and do not deserve my help.
Doug Bowker
Dallas
Correction
In last week's Belowatch and in a previous headline, the Dallas Observer incorrectly reported that Bill Bodine had been indicted. Bodine has been arrested. He has not yet been indicted. We apologize for the error.
