Opinion & Commentary

We need to put political correctness aside at least for the moment and have a frank discussion about killing the homeless. Can a case be made for it? For the last couple weeks I have been talking to people about the homeless in Dallas, inspired first by the controversy over…

This item is a dilation of a comment I posted to yesterday’s item about 30th District Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and the scandal about scholarships and nepotism. It struck me after I posted the comment that maybe I owed the topic a better effort. In the mid-1980s I interviewed both…

Lot of interesting murmurs going around Southern Dallas the last few days concerning Christy Hoppe and Todd J. Gillman’s stories in the The Dallas Morning News about Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, Democrat of Dallas, dishing scholarships to her own relatives and the children of her top aide, Rod Givens, from…

*By no means am I an alarmist, but we need to see something positive from the Cowboys’ first-team offense Saturday night in Houston. One long drive that ends in a touchdown. That’s all. Give me that and I’ll pronounce the team ready for September 12. With only one season-ending injury…

Apparently my column in this week’s print edition has sparked some controversy (I just hate that, shy fellow that I am), especially a quote from developer David Spence to the effect that he thinks a recent wild and woolly town hall meeting over housing for the homeless in North Oak…

Homelessness is a horrible issue—painful, endlessly complex, almost impossible to contain in any useful summary way. The worst of it is that all of the passionate voices arrayed on each side of the issue bring their own urgency and legitimacy to the table. Couldn’t we just have good guys and…

Dear Mexican: Oye, I’m a Mexican con un pie aquí y un pie allá, and I have to admit that it is difficult to be a Mexican these days. I’d like to make the argument that it is one of the worst times ever to be a Mexican. I even…

So much would you pay to hear a speech by Emmitt Smith? Troy Aikman? Terry Bradshaw? How about Zig Ziglar? Colin Powell? Laura Bush? Dr. Robert Schuller? Steve Forbes? Rudy Giuliani? $50? $100 $1,000? Never been to hear/see a motivational speaker, but listening to any of those would be interesting. But how…

Fine print alert! When Mayor Tom Leppert tells you that yesterday’s agenda item vote on the city tax rate didn’t mean anything, he’s got his hand deep in your pocket. It may be fine print, but ask Leppert why the vote was required by state law if it didn’t mean…

Big sturm und drang going on in New York and Europe amongst book dealers dealing with the Green family in Oklahoma City regarding the collection I wrote about in March that was supposed to become a national bible museum here in Dallas. So: Is it on, or is it off?…

Whether you’re at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *If Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo gets hurt behind a patch-work offensive line Saturday night don’t come crying to me. I don’t think he should even suit up. There is exaggerated…

Dear Readers: As you read this, my trusty burro, pigtailed chica and I are crisscrossing Aztlán researching Mexican food. So now is as bueno as any time to do some housecleaning for the columna. Hay que start with a letter from the Mexican’s longtime amigo, William Lobdell. For years one…

The North Texas Tollway Authority board of directors is meeting as you read to take yet another whack at its “legacy contractors” problem. Item No. 11 on this morning’s agenda, dealing with “future procurements,” will provide the sparks:Discussion and possible direction to staff regarding the Board of Director’s role in…

The New York Times today has a story about an organic golf course on Martha’s Vineyard of which the newspaper says: “Opened eight years ago, the club is thought to be the only completely organic golf course in the United States …” As we know, that actually means, “the only…

Whether you’re at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *Best news for your Texas Rangers is that they’re not only successful, but extremely popular. Thursday night’s Cliff Lee-pitched loss to the New York Yankees was not only a sellout, but…

Dear Mexican: As a proud New Yorker, I gotta ask: What the FUCK is up with Mexican food in this city? Sure, we’re used to getting owned by California and Texas and even Chicago when it comes to getting kick-ass, cheap, regional Mexican food. But I just got back from…

As I’m sure you’ve come to realize, I have thick skin. In this here blog and on 105.3 The Fan I’m bombarded daily with insults, criticisms and cheap shots. All part of the game. I realize it. I take none of it personal because, come on, I don’t know you…

Whether you’re at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *Since you guys salivate over local radio news, here’s a zesty taste: Starting August 16 the new program director at 105.3 The Fan will be Bruce Gilbert. Yep, the same Bruce…

TCU kicks off its 2010 season September 4 against Oregon State in Cowboys Stadium. To promote the game head coaches Gary Patterson and Mike Riley held themselves a little conference call Tuesday. Sounds innocent enough. Until, that is, “Amy Cummings” from “Rawhide Nation Sports Blog” joined the discussion. When it comes…

Dear Mexican: I am a retired gringa living in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Most of us foreigners here are liberal and sympathetic to the immigration problem, which the U.S. Congress refuses to address in a meaningful way. Unfortunately, I get lots of e-mails from acquaintances “apprising” me of the horrible situation in…

This is a story about Tom Leppert, our mayor and a $27-million-dollar stickup he tried to pull out at the airport last week, but it’s also about Jim Schutze winning the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Believe it. Last week Leppert tried to get…