We get the coverage we deserve

Texas State Rep. Norma Chavez is upset that more Hispanics aren't adequately represented in Texas history books. I decided to post a response to a Dallas Morning News story about it on their site, which you can read here. I copied my response below, which I kept very brief:

While I think it is important to ensure that minorities are represented in history books, it should be a truthful representation, not one that seeks a balance or quota based on the fact that a minority group grows in terms of population.

If Chavez has a real beef, she should cite specific examples, not try to score political points. I saw her statement, edited of course, and I saw no examples of "glaring" lapses in Latino coverage. If there is a lack of proper Latino leaders in the history books, it is a poor reflection of our race's lack of leadership, not the historian covering it. Otherwise we do a disservice to our race and all Texas schoolchildren.

I'm not a big fan of Chavez anyway - check out her Wikipedia page to read news reports of her ties to lobbyists and improper behavior towards the police. Her arguments ring hollow until she gives specifics.

My other job....

Besides the websites I work on, I do a lot of freelance writing. I provide articles from time to time for assorted publications and websites like eHow.com. One of my recent articles was just published at ConsumerCreditCardGuide.com. It was a short primer on buying gift cards and a look at the possible drawbacks. You can read it right here.

Great minds who think alike...

Since my last Dallas Morning News column I'm happy to say I've come into contact with a number of great people, in particular conservative and Republican Latinos around Dallas and nationwide. Among them are the Conservative Hispanic Society of Texas, based here in north Texas and a growing group on Facebook, and the Hispanic Leadership Fund located in D.C. I highly recommend you get to know both groups.

No thanks, Elba Garcia

Well, that didn't take long. Former Mayor pro-tem Elba Garcia isn't yet ready to return to the private sector. She has managed to find an office a Garcia hasn't held: Dallas County Commissioner! Elba is now running for the Commissioner seat currently held by Ken Mayfield. The question voters should ask is.....WHY? Mayfield has done a great job in his time as commissioner. He's picky with spending county funds, has kept county services on their toes, and best of all, he isn't afraid to take an unpopular position if it is in the county's best interests. I don't care what party you're in, that's what an elected official should do. With a perfectly good comissioner in place, what is Elba's excuse for running? Can she do a better job than Mayfield? It's doubtful. I know Ken Mayfield, and he is a good man, and a better commissioner.

We have already seen her campaign approach in her announcement to run. She said, "I'm Elba Garcia, I'm a Democrat, and I'm running for County Commissioner." Really? Because she's a Democrat, she deserves the seat? I'm telling you, that will be her plan. We'll hear what an evil Republican Mayfield is. They will try to portray him as anti-Hispanic and try to drum up the Latino vote. Suddenly, the man she never cared about enough before to even mention his name will now become Oak Cliff's biggest problem. The problem is, folks will buy it.

Three reasons why you SHOULDN'T vote for Elba Garcia were visible at her press conference when she announced her intention to run: to her side stood Royce West, John Wiley Price, and hubby Domingo Garcia. We don't need an extension of the Garcia Cabal. Elba was my councilwoman for years. She had ZERO impact on my neighborhood and our way of life. That's why she doesn't have my vote. Only influential people in her "circle" got attention. The little guy didn't. No thanks, Elba. We're good as it is.

The Best of Oak Cliff

Roy Appleton, who blogs about Oak Cliff for the Dallas Morning News, posted the other day about the Oak Cliff Chamber looking for nominees for their annual awards. As a former board member of the Chamber, I encourage any and all OC residents to send their suggestions in. Here are the categories and nomination details:

1. Best Oak Cliff business
2. Advocacy by an individual, group or business
3. Chamber super-volunteer
4. Quality of life award -- group or business that most improved OC in 2009
5. Best development in Oak Cliff in 2009
6. Event with most impact on Oak Cliff in 2009
7. Best Oak Cliff public servant

Send nominations and a brief explanation to smathis@oakcliffchamber.org by 5 p.m. Nov. 6. One nominee per category.

Another take on Republicans and immigration reform

Gee, I guess I'm not alone. Michael Gerson of the Washington Post has addressed the whole GOP and immigration reform issue as well, much more eloquently than I. Click here to read the column.

Dallas Morning News: The GOP & Immigration Reform

My Dallas Morning News column, about the GOP's moral obligation to immigration reform, is now available to read online by CLICKING HERE.

I know the column will be criticized by many as pro-amnesty or somehow bowing to lawbreakers. It's time we realize those are not the core issues. Our failure to help those trying to escape the bonds of poverty has created this problem, and our country has a long history of changing immoral laws. We should be in the business of creating law-abiding citizens, not branding people as criminals because they seek the blessings of liberty we enjoy everyday. We can find solutions if we are willing to stop politicizing.

My column in Saturday's Dallas Morning News

My column addressing the moral obligation of the Republican party to address immigration reform will run in Saturday's (10/3) Viewpoints section of the Dallas Morning News. Thanks for reading!

Is "The Invention of Lying" Anti-Christian?

The reviews are in, and Ricky Gervais' new film "The Invention of Lying" not only isn't very good, it has a vicious mean streak against Christianity that you won't see in the trailers. Movie Geek Feed and MovieGuide both detail how the film bashes faith and anyone who believes in God as an idiot believing a lie. My suggestion? Read the reviewers above before you decide to see the film.

Keep Your Money in the Cliff!

It's no secret that a strong community is supported by residents who spend their money in their own neighborhood. To that end, I suggest that business owners large and small, as well as entrepreneurs in Oak Cliff attend "Wake Up Dallas!" on Thursday, October 1. It's an early-morning networker that will be held in the Bank of America Building's Orion Ballroom (400 S. Zang Blvd., 15th Floor, 75208) from 7 to 9 a.m. Bring $2, business cards, brochures, and a door prize to be given away. The event is sponsored by the Oak Cliff Chamber, the DeSoto Chamber, the Southeast Dallas Chamber, the West Dallas Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber, and the Dallas Northeast Chamber. For more info or to RSVP, contact the Oak Cliff Chamber at (214) 943-4567.

My guest blog post at DallasNews.com

I have a guest post on the Dallas Morning News Opinion Page Blog today, addressing the outrage over the "You Lie" controversy. To read it, click here!

My new column at When Liberals Attack!

Since Matt Damon has a new movie coming out this week, I thought we should revisit Matt Damon's attack on Sarah Palin last year. Before you drop another $8.50 for one of his movies, click here to remind yourself what he thinks about strong, conservative women.

Meet your Oak Cliff City Council Members

Dave Neumann and Delia Jasso will be holding a "Town Hall Update" luncheon on Thursday, September 17. The event is part of the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce's "Food for Thought Luncheon" series and will be held at the Golf Club of Dallas at 11:30 a.m. Both Neumann and Jasso will be taking your questions.

This will be a great opportunity to meet your local officials and find out first-hand what is going on in the community. You don't even have to be a Chamber member to attend! Tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-members. To attend, contact the Oak Cliff Chamber at (214) 943-4567.

My new site: When Liberals Attack!

My series of "When Liberals Attack" articles for Examiner.com have been so well received that I have decided to begin a second website dedicated just to the series. WhenLiberalsAttack.com will list all of my columns and hopefully make them easier to browse. I'm still populating the site with the columns, so it will be a few days before it is ready, but be sure to bookmark it and check it often!

My Dallas Morning News Op-Ed Piece

My latest column is an op-ed piece about the changes downtown that make the political process at city hall more transparent. It runs in Saturday's printed editions, but you can read it now by CLICKING HERE. Now, more than ever, it is important that we keep our elected officials to a higher standard, but it takes all of us becoming more engaged in the system. Pick an issue: graffiti, rezoning and development, ONCOR mowing down all of our trees, or anything else, and get involved. There are meetings and forums on budget and city issues all the time. If we don't stay involved, we can't complain about the corruption downtown or the poor state of our neighborhoods.

Dallas' Clinic Closings

I've been watching with a lot of interest the developments of the city of Dallas closing three clinics that provide services to the poor and needy. The closings would save the city nearly $3 million, and city officials were claiming the services could be absorbed by the county. Many, including myself, were concerned the move would leave a lot of folks without an outlet for practical health services, including immunizations.

Some have said Parkland would be a perfectly fine alternative, but sitting in the emergency room for six to eight hours is hardly practical. Parkland's outpatient program, which operates clinics in various locations, is already so overburdened that new patients have to wait three months after they qualify to get a doctor's appointment. There needs to be a place for immediate attention outside of the total beating of waiting at Parkland.

I doubted the county could take on the burden immediately, and after seeing news reports in the Morning News that people were being turned away at city clinics because nurses were already quitting ahead of the closure, I became more concerned. Thankfully, it looks like the city is taking the welfare of the working poor seriously.

I emailed several councilmembers about the situation, and only District 1 councilwoman Delia Jasso followed through with me. She forwarded to me a memo from assistant city manager Forest Turner to city administration that they have been working with the county to transfer their state grants to them so there would be no lapse in service. The city has informed the state of the plan and the city will be briefed on the progress in early September.

I'm glad to see the city is actually taking the needs of its citizens into account here. It would have been so easy to pass the buck and make it someone else's problem, so let's hope this works without a gap in service. I was critical of Ms. Jasso during the election, but she and her staff have been great in addressing the issue and keeping me informed. Kudos to them for their work in following up and their professionalism.

Updates on my latest stories

LifeNews.com, a national pro-life news site, has picked up on my Examiner story about Planned Parenthood. You can read their story HERE. I've also been informed that a number of other sites are running with the story as well. I'm so grateful that word of this little-known provision of the health care bill is getting out.

Also, I have also posted my interview with Wade Emmert at Examiner.com. You can read it HERE. Wade is running for Dallas County Judge, which oversees the County Commissioner's Court. It is an important position, currently being held by Jim Foster, who has been such an absolute failure that even his fellow Democrats don't support his reelection. You can find out more about Wade at WadeEmmert.com.

Planned Parenthood in America's Schools?

I took the time to start researching President Obama's health care reform bill and found something interesting. The bill allows outside groups to get federal grants to run clinics in and near America's public schools. If you're wondering who the Obama Administration had in mind to run them, note that they've been meeting with Planned Parenthood officials all summer. For more information, please CLICK HERE TO READ MY REPORT! Be sure to tell others!

People Actually Vote for Sheila Jackson Lee

House Rep. Lee represents Houston, and they ought to be ashamed. She's the ultimate opportunist. She ripped Barack Obama back in the primaries when it looked like Hillary had it wrapped up. At Michael Jackson's funeral, she promised to get a Congressional proclamation saying how wonderful he was (the House refused). This week, she had an Obama DNC delegate in her town hall meeting pretend to be a doctor and talk about how wonderful the proposed health plan is. Here is how she treats normal people.

Dallas Morning News: A School By Any Other Name

My "guest blog" entry has been posted at the Dallas Morning News website, on their opinion blog. It addresses DISD board member Ron Price's attempt to name a school for Barack Obama and Sonia Sotomayor. For a direct link, CLICK RIGHT HERE. There is even a comments section for your feedback.