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B6C06-07-2009Set: 16:47:19Sent by: ajharrisjrNewsBLACK

Sunday,June7, 2009C

dallas

news

.com

The Dallas Morning News

ith the Dallas ISD magnet schoolsin the news recently, some have begun questioning the validity of these schools. Board members narrowly approved cuts to the magnet and learningcenters on May 28. Though I don’t claim to be an expert on magnet schools, as a recentgraduate of the theaterdepartment of Booker T. Washington High Schoolfor the Performing and Visual Arts, I feel I canoffer a unique perspective.Booker T. Washingtonreceived exemplary statusthis year, its first year in itsnew facility. Private donors believed in the schoolenough to donate millionsto provide an outstanding building and toensure the future success of the program.The school produces presidential scholars inthe arts as well as many influential alumni.These accomplishments are added to the listof achievements of all the DISD magnetschools, including the School for theTalented and Gifted, Newsweek’s No. 1 highschool in the nation. These schools must belove. However, these high schools do nothave the intense training for students who want to pursue theater, music, the visualarts or dance. The experience I’ve receivedfrom the magnet program has given me ahead start on my career goals.I understand that I don’t know all of thefacts behind the cuts to the magnetprograms. I do know, however, any cut tothe faculty at Booker T. will impact thefuture success of the program that isconsistently recognized for its excellence. Ican only hope that in making cuts, DISDadministrators do not destroy effectivemagnet schools like the arts magnetcompletely.I love my school. I wish everyone couldattend a school like it. I’ll attribute any of my future success to my school, and I have hopefor its own future.

Michael Janak is a graduateof Booker T. WashingtonHigh School for thePerforming and Visual Arts inDallas ISD. He is also aStudent Voices volunteer columnist. To respond to this column, send ane-mail to voices@dallasnews.com.

doing something right. Cuts in funding tothese programs are counterintuitive.The success of the arts magnet school is adirect result of the hard work anddedication of its faculty and staff. Due to thestrings attached to the $100 million grantprovided by the federal government, thisoutstanding group of artists and educatorsnow faces cuts. Some of the teachers have been at the school for several years and haveinspired the countless alumni that are out inthe world, bringing art to the masses.Magnets like Booker T. Washington areessentially vocational training schools forstudents who have special talents andpassions. The core curriculum, including afull range of AP courses, is the same as allother high schools in the district. But noother high school offers classes in areas suchas acting, playwriting, design and directingfor student interested in theater. Nowhereelse can students achieve more than 1,000hours of extracurricular theater experience.Other high schools don’t offer these kindsof opportunities, but they do offer someactivities that the magnets do not. Students who want to play sports can attend almostany school in the district and do what they

Programs show magnet success

DISD schools offer exceptional learning, says

Michael Janak

Voices

Student

t some time, for all of us, death in-trudes into our lives. Recently, anuncle of mine passed away, and justabout everyone he knew was surprised. Thatis somewhat remarkable because my unclehad just turned 95.He and my aunt had no children, and, asthey aged, I was one of very few relatives who wouldtake the time to help them.The past few years wereparticularly difficult, as my aunt developed Alzheim-er’s disease and had to gointo a nursing home.Helping them wasdifficult, as they lived inCanada. As many peoplefind out dealing with suchsituations themselves, it’s hard to be of muchhelp long distance and even more so acrossinternational borders. I was able to givesome moral support, as we spoke weekly and were able to do some things online. But theonce or twice a year, our visits involved a fullslate of appointments and tasks to do thingsthat could only be done in person.Seeing the deterioration of my aunt wasagonizing. Watching the situation my unclehad to face was also difficult, as this elderly man made his daily trek to the nursinghome to visit his wife of more than 60 years.Even though she no longer recognized him,he made that daily trip even during theharsh Canadian winters. His devotion wasin many ways what kept him going, and it was inspirational. His biggest fear was what would happen to his wife if he were notaround to speak to the doctors and makesure that her needs were attended to.That’s why he decided to move into thenursing home. I had counseled him to stay in his assisted-living apartment, where hehad a better environment for himself, but hefigured it was better to be in the same facil-ity as my aunt, so he could see her every day.Our most recent visit started with him atthe nursing home, talking about his decisionto move and what was happening in ourrespective lives. We had made plans to goout the next day, where he could get somefresh air, and then go out for dinner. When we left that evening, he was feeling a bittired and was ready for a good night’s rest.Returning the next morning, I enteredhis room to find he had passed away. Theorderly told us my uncle had his breakfastand had seemed much better than the previ-ous evening. Returning to collect his tray,the orderly found him peacefully lying in bed. My uncle had died about 20 minutes before we arrived.My uncle taught me some lessons aboutlife with his optimism, devotion, selflessnessand compassion. One example sums up hisoptimism. Like many elderly, he was con-cerned about outliving his and his wife’sfinancial needs. When I assured him he would not have a problem until he was atleast 105, he said, in all seriousness, “And what will I do then?” Now

that’s

optimism.Perhaps that is why people were sur-prised by his passing. Although he com-plained regularly about the same aches andpains for years, he just kept on going. Heoutlived most who knew him, so few wereleft to mourn him at the small memorialservice, but the surprise universally ex-pressed says something about the man’sdetermination.I am grateful for that last day with him,and it enriches my spirit to see the hand of ahigher power work a small miracle like that.

Michael Hopkovitz of Dallasvolunteers with several Jewish nonprofit groups and is a Community Voices vol-unteer columnist. His e-mail address is mikespolitics @att.net.

Voices

Community

One man’s determination

I was with him on his last full day, says

Michael Hopkovitz of Dallas

epending on whom you ask, OakCliff is either a tree-filled oasis or theGaza Strip of Texas. The name of Oak Cliff has become so vilified as a crime-ridden wasteland that there are many peoplein this community who won’t travel south of Interstate 30 or cross the Trinity, even when we put up those nice new bridges. Why discussions about Oak Cliff turn socontentious is really beyond me. Perhaps someare looking for a place to blame for our city’s prob-lems. If so, Oak Cliff is aneasy target.On the flip side, youhave Oak Cliff residents who feel a need to defendthemselves and theircommunity. That alsomeans there are some“Oak Cliff apologists” who close their eyes tothe problems in our community and act likeit is some sort of enchanted forest where thesquirrels talk like Disney characters.Between the extremes, there are those who live and work in Oak Cliff who havetried hard to promote all of the great thingsabout this community that never get theproper credit. Most downtown workers havediscovered what a hidden gem “The Cliff” is.They ventured over to try out a restaurant they heard about and discovered the beautifulneighborhoods and the people who live here.For those afraid of the land south of downtown,their fears are realized in the news stories of crime, carjackings and the run-down homesand businesses.Dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that, formany, Oak Cliff is all about class and race. Iusually don’t buy into the idea that there isracism behind every corner, but as someone who has lived in Oak Cliff since I was 3 yearsold, it’s hard to deny how others see our com-munity.Residents of Oak Cliff won’t want to hearthis, but ultimately the burden of shaping thereputation of Oak Cliff rests with our actions,not our words. It isn’t fair, but it is true. When you are trying to turn the tide in a 100-year-oldcommunity, it won’t be easy. It’s easy to move toanew community that was farmland five yearsago and marvel over how wonderful, shiny andnew everything is. Here, it’s a little tougher, butthe reward is greater.For too long, we here in Oak Cliff have nottaken personal civic responsibility seriously. Asaresult, we got the community we deserved. We never took our local elected leaders to taskfor the job they did or didn’t do. Most of us can’teven name our City Council member, school board member or state representative, muchless made sure they were looking out for us.For far too long, Oak Cliff has elected stew-ardship, not leadership, at City Hall. They whispered sweet nothings in our ears to getelected, yet did nothing to make things betterfor us or our children. We must expect more from our electedofficials, our schools, the businesses we supportand one another. Most of all, we need to askmore of ourselves. That is how you make a better community. What is Oak Cliff? It is what you make it. It is the place where my parentschose to raise me. It is the place I have calledhome, and, when I had the chance to buy my own home, I bought one here. If you want tocontinue to argue about how terrible or won-derful Oak Cliff is, go right ahead. Just stay outof our way, there’s work to be done.

Victor Medina of Oak Cliff is afreelance travel and sportswriter and a Community Voices volunteer columnist.His e-mail address is vic@victormedina.com.

Hidden promise, problems

To ﬁx Oak Cliff, we must raise our expectations, says

Victor Medina

Voices

Community

HOW TO SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letters should be 200 words or fewer and include the writer’s name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Only the name and city of the writer will be published. Letters will be editedfor length, clarity and style. Send by e-mail:

communityopinions@dallasnews.com

. By Fax:

972-263-0456

. Or by Mail:

P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265

. For more information, contactMichael Landauer, assistant editorial page editor for Community Opinions, at 214-977-8258 or mlandauer@dallasnews.com.

SOUNDING OFF

Comment on

the following topic on ourblog:

dallasnews.com/opinionblog

What was your biggestdisappointment in the just-completed legislativesession?

Debra Witter

Attorney, Oak Cliff

My biggestdisappointment wasthe continuinginsistence by the farright on putting itspartisan ideologicalagenda ahead ofaddressing the realissues confrontingour state.

Susan SandersWansbrough

Attorney, LakeHighlands

Once again, theLegislature failed todo comprehensivewater planning. Ourlaws promotewastefulness andpollution, notconservation. Thelonger we postponedealing with ourfuture needs, themore expensive thatfuture will become.

Eric Van Steenburg

Nonprofit executivedirector, Lakewood

I’m disappointed thatour elected officialsdidn’t give NorthTexans the right todetermine if wewanted to increasetaxes to pay for morelight rail and othertransportationinfrastructure needs.Oh well, here’s to atleast two more yearsof traffic gridlock.

Kelsey Boor

Plano, homeschooled junior

Our transportationsystem is thelifeblood ofcommerce in Texas.Right now, we aredealing with somevery high bloodpressure, and thefailure to address thisissue was a hugedisappointment.

Voices:

The above Voices volunteers are regularcontributors to this forum.

Dorothy Ivey of Dallas:

I never expect muchfrom legislative sessions. Hence, I am not disap-pointed when they play politics, try to legislate ourpersonal lives, create some new taxes and spendmoney that has not been collected.

Scott Morrison of Richardson:

The Legislature’sinability to require photo identification for voting isabig disappointment. This is the equivalent of say-ing that the integrity of our constitutional right to vote is not as important as banking, flying on an air-plane or driving a car. Voting is more important thanall of these, yet we have no confidence that people who vote are in their proper district, or even eligibleat all.

Bill Betzen of Dallas:

Anyone paying attention tothe Texas Legislature should be yelling for annuallegislative sessions. The rate of change in our cultureis accelerating. Texas must move faster, with moredeliberate and sound decisions, to respond to thetechnological and social changes we face. The in-creasing demands for timely legislative decisions will not slow.

Janice Schwarz of Dallas:

The biggest disap-pointment was that the Legislature did not pass a bill expanding unemployment benefits. As a result,Texas lost $555 million in federal stimulus money.That money would have dramatically helped out thestate unemployment fund, which is now expected tosee a shortfall and, as a result, will require greatercontributions from businesses.

Dallas White of Grand Prairie:

I’m most disap-pointed in the gambling bill not passing. Talk aboutananny state trying to tell people what to do withtheir own money.

Mellen West of Dallas:

Failure to pass solar ener-gy legislation was a big disappointment. But the big-gest disappointment is our elected officials. Ratherthan set the voter ID issue aside and deal with otherlegislation, such as solar, it became a prevail-at-all-costs approach. Good legislation became the victimin the process. You may substitute your bill of choicefor solar. Gridlocked again.

These responses are from readers who have asked to receive the weekly Sounding Off question. To beadded to the e-mail list, send your full contact infor-mation to

communityopinions@dall asnews.com

Community opinions

Aforum for readers in Dallas County

B0614CB008PBB0614CB008PQ

B8C06-14-2009Set: 17:06:09Sent by: ajharrisjrNewsBLACK

Sunday,June14, 2009C

dallas

news

.com

The Dallas Morning News

had known for years that the night of my high school graduation would be filled with emotion, but I didn’t realize theamount of emotion until it actually hit me.There we stood, waiting for our cue toenter the sanctuary. I heard the music start,and suddenly I found myself walking downthe isle of my church in my graduation robe with my best friends. As I reachedthe front row and turned tosee my classmates walkdown the aisle to join me, ithit me: I feared leaving my friends. Tears rushed overme, as I tried to embracethis huge moment. I neverthought I would be the onecrying right now, that I’d bethe one who was so scared to leave.For months, I had myself convinced that Icouldn’t wait another minute to get to college.But not until the last week of class did I real-ize my time was running out to laugh withthese friends, to talk with these friends. Notuntil the last week of school did I realize howproud I am to have been a part of their gradeand to have been their friends. Because of that, I took advantage of every opportunity that week to spend time with them, not want-ing to miss out on anything.Iknow I heard growing up that a graduatetends to hold on to things in high school because he or she is nervous about the future, whether through a certain relationship orsimply emotionally. After much reflection, Irealize that I probably did hold on at the endof high school in part because of my fear forthe future. But I refuse to say that I hold thesefriends so dear only because of my “gradua-tion fears.” I have learned a great deal fromthem.Even now as I write, I am crying as I amfilled with sense of regret for not havingrealized that, when I used to count down thedays until graduation, I was really countingdown the days I had left with my best friends.Despite the fact that I may have let somemoments slip away, I will never forget thegreat memories that I shared with my friendsin high school. And that is exactly why I am writing, because I want to encourage you,incoming freshmen, and you, rising seniors,not to wait until the last minute to realize howgreat you have it with your friends. Because,after that last minute, things will change.Stop and appreciate the moments youspend with your friends; talk to them aboutthings of purpose; cry with them; laugh andthen laugh some more with them. To those of you who are in my position, about to go tocollege, do the only thing you can do: Re-member the great memories and growth youhave shared with friends, and take the valueof friendships to school with you next year.

Jennifer Keith is a senior at The Cambridge School of Dallas and a Student Voicesvolunteer columnist. Torespond to this column, send an e-mail to voices @dallasnews.com.

Voices

Student

Cherish the moments

I valued time with my friends when it was ending, says

Jennifer Keith

chool-year memories of zero toler-ance policies, district fiscal irrespon-sibility and TAKS scores all seem tomelt away in the heat of the Dallas sum-mer. But before we completely wipe out allmemories of the past year, I’d like to makenote of a little school business that willtake place in Baltimore, Md., this summer.The National Association of SchoolResource Officers is anorganization supportingschool-based law en-forcement officers,school administratorsand school security/safety professionals working as partners toprotect students, schoolfaculty and staff. They provide a wide array of services to develop themost effective programs to maintain safeand secure school environments. Believe itor not, school-based policing is the fastest-growing area of law enforcement.Now many of us don’t like to thinkabout the need for a law-enforcementpresence, but the reality is that most highschools, junior highs and urban elementa-ry schools have officers assigned to thecampus. While the officer is there to in-tervene when laws are broken or safety isthreatened, they aren’t the only ones withthis responsibility. The role of the princi-pal, assistant principal, counselor and evenregular classroom teachers has been broad-ened to include matters of security and safety.Specialized instruction is part of yearly in-services, covering everything from gangsigns to restraint training. And more oftenthan not, the teachers and principals on thefront lines of these safety battles receive littleto no recognition for the hours of extra workand responsibility they take on. Well, this year, that lack of recognition has been addressed in one corner of the Rich-ardson Independent School District. OfficerLa’Evening Woodard, a member of the Rich-ardson Police Department’s school resourceofficer unit assigned to Richardson NorthJunior High, nominated David Dodd, assis-tant principal at North, for a Safe SchoolLeadership Award. And he won. This is anational recognition for a police officer, ateacher, a principal or a counselor who hasshowed leadership in his or her school andhas gone above and beyond in their efforts tokeep the campus safe. Officer Woodard wascontacted by the president of NASRO and was advised that their committee had select-ed Dodd to receive this award.Dodd and his wife, Babs, who was a teach-er for RISD for 31 years before retiring, aregoing to fly to the national conference in thesummer in Baltimore and be presented withthis award in front of approximately 15,000officers. It means something when a profes-sional outside your field recognizes yourdedication and commitment. We hear a lot these days about “safety” and“protection” for our students at school, but weusually don’t single someone out unlesssomething goes wrong.Schools practice hard lockdowns and softlockdowns, install metal detectors and triple-door entrances, train students and faculty inappropriate threat response. But as anyone who understands safety can attest, it is oftenthe fundamental relationships that have beenset in place on a day-to-day basis that canmake or break a security plan. It’s the cop walking the daily beat reaching out to theneighborhood and putting a face on lawenforcement. It’s the bicycle cop stopping tohelp you pump up a flat tire at the lake andkeeping a watchful eye out for changes inenvironment.In the case of Dodd, it’s the assistantprincipal who greets you at the door by name who lets you know at least one person knows who you are and is glad you are there. Andmaybe that little contact, that brief greeting,helps you recognize that the rules and reg-ulations he enforces are to help you and keep you safe.

Liz Fleskes of Dallas teachesthird grade at Good Shep-herd Episcopal and is aTeacher Voices volunteer columnist. Her e-mail addressis liz.fleskes@gmail.com.

School safety requires good leaders

Assistant Principal David Dodd nationally recognized, says

Liz Fleskes

Voices

Teacher

HOW TO SEND A LETTER TO THE EDITOR

communityopinions@dallasnews.com

. By Fax:

972-263-0456

. Or by Mail:

P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265

. For more information, contactMichael Landauer, assistant editorial page editor for Community Opinions, at 214-977-8258 or mlandauer@dallasnews.com.

SOUNDING OFF

Comment on

the following topic on ourblog:

dallasnews.com/opinionblog

How have high gas prices and the recession affected your vacation plans?

Susan SandersWansbrough

Attorney, LakeHighlands

Since gas pricesclimb as summerapproaches, we takeour vacations in the“off” seasons. It’scheaper, the crowdsare smaller, and theweather is cooler.Spending summerwith a stack of goodbooks is delightful.

Nancy L. Ruder

Preschool and artteacher, Plano

Only driving can giveasense of place, time,distance and thegreat variety of ournation. Gas pricesranged from $2.49 to$3.09 a gallon on myrecent 10-day tripthrough Arkansas,Tennessee andKentucky to Ohio.Seeing this areaadded to myunderstanding of theU.S.

Tina Sanchez

Taxpayer advocate atfederal agency,Pleasant Grove

Not really. I’ve alwaystaken inexpensivevacations likecamping and roadtrips. Since I’m luckyenough to have a job,Ithink I shouldcontinue to spend myhard-earned dollarson my hard-earnedvacation.

Chase Wofford

Journalisminstructor, CoppellHigh School

With two youngchildren, I do notwant them to miss outon traveling as afamily so we makesacrifices in otherareas so that we cantake vacations.

Voices:

The above Voices volunteers are regularcontributors to this forum.

Dorothy Ivey of Dallas:

Last summer, we can-celed a driving vacation because of the high cost of gasoline. We are talking about that same driving va-cation this summer with a definite possibility of making the trip. We think about whether to driveanywhere because of the economy. We do not plea-sure-drive anymore. We have a destination and apurpose to our auto travels.

Thomas West of Dallas:

Simple answer. No job,no vacation.

Ruth Klein of Dallas:

The recession has helpedme to re-evaluate what makes me happy in propor-tion to money spent. I have realized that I enjoy my time spent at home in my garden, my kitchen, or at atable with friends. It’s just as pleasurable as the timespent at a foreign destination, and it costs much less.Iam more refreshed after a day settled in at homethan I am after a day in airports or on the road.

Juli Roland of Dallas:

We’ve never taken extrava-gant vacations, so the current conditions don’t affectus at all. The increase in fuel prices and airfare ismodest, actually: only about $50 per round-tripticket on Southwest. If you book ahead online, dealsare still reasonable. I’d say the main factor holdingus back, other than work, is finding accommoda-tions for our five rescue dogs that are convenient,comfortable and affordable. Seems to me there’d beamarket for a resort hotel with yards for one’s pets. We’d enjoy traveling with our animals, instead of always having to leave them behind.

Kurt Freeman of Dallas:

Actually the high gasprices have helped my vacation plans, since I haveinterest in several oil-well properties.

Laurie Dodic Steinberg of Dallas:

We are drivingto different places. Much less expensive than flyingand then renting a car. Plus, our kids need at leastone long car trip (for their memories) where the dogis on everyone’s lap, everyone in the car gets on oneeveryone else’s nerves and we play I-spy or games in- volving license plates.

Faith Johnson of Dallas:

The current economicenvironment has definitely affected my vacationplanning. Vacation planning now requires the stra-tegic thinking of a corporate CEO. Out-of-the-boxthinking is required to plan a cost-effective, afford-able, yet fun getaway haven. Every family deserves agetaway — even if it’s pitching a tent in the back yardand pretending you’re on a jungle safari to an exoticcontinent.

These responses are from readers who have asked to receive the weekly Sounding Off question. To beadded to the e-mail list, send your full contact infor-mation to

communityopinions@dallasnews.com

Community opinions

Aforum for readers in Dallas County

very other month, I look forward tothe arrival of a glossy 200-page mag-azine titled

Where to Retire

. The frontcover always features a smiling marriedcouple, usually tanned and wearing expen-sive jewelry. Distinguished gray hair is thenorm for husbands on the cover, but wiveshide their natural color with chocolate brown dyeor sun-kissed blond high-lights. Since I refuse to dyemy gray hair, the only thing I have in common with her is our facial wrinkles.Inside the magazine,advertisements and arti-cles promise happiness,the fulfillment of ourdreams, self-discovery, perfection, a redefini-tion of life and everything we’ve waited for.In case you think I’m making this up, I’mnot. Those are actual headlines from a recentissue. No wonder a quarter of a millionreaders subscribe. This magazine is theanswer to our retirement prayers. A new life with style — who wouldn’t want that?The magazine’s claims are appealing. Icould be happy with a waterfront villa on anintracoastal waterway, or in an exclusivemountain community. My retirementdreams could be fulfilled as I “play each day in living color” and “glow with contentment”in a master-planned neighborhood.Iwould love to live on “curvilinear streets with scenic walkways and bridges,” close tonearby shopping, restaurants and culturalactivities. I want to be part of the “next evolu-tion in active adult living.”The reality, though, is that my husband andIare among the majority of baby-boomersreaching retirement age who can’t afford mostof the places featured in this magazine. I shouldprobably cancel my subscription. It’s sort of likereading my daughter’s

Vogue

when I shouldstick to

Woman’s Day

.If I had another choice, I would. But

Whereto Retire

is the only magazine of its kind. So Ikeep reading it, even though their Web siteclearly states they are geared to the well-edu-cated, well-traveled and affluent market. I haveno qualms with this market. In fact, most of thepeople I know are well-educated and well-traveled, although less affluent. But we desire beautiful places to live, too.My husband and I have been searching theDallas-Fort Worth area for years to find afford-able retirement communities that offer many of the amenities listed in this magazine. We have visited two of them — one near Denton andanother in Frisco. They’re attractive, and we’d be happy there except for the fact they are so farnorth. Our relatives, lifelong friends, doctors,hairstylists and church are in southwest DallasCounty. We don’t want to leave them. As a dear friend stated, “I want to grow old with the people I love.” Amen, sister.Retirement options are limited in this partof the metroplex. There is a small retirementcommunity in Cedar Hill, but we’re not quiteold enough to purchase a home there. By thetime we’re ready to retire, the community will be built out. Retirement apartments are avail-able, but we prefer a home with a small yardand a front porch, just like the ones we seefarther north.This area of Dallas has beautiful topography with rolling hills, an abundance of trees andseveral lakes. Shopping is plentiful, and thecommunities are filled with friendly and caringneighbors. Several nearby universities, collegesand art schools provide educational and cultur-al opportunities.Duncanville Community Theatre and Cedar Valley College produce some of the finest the-ater performances you’ll find anywhere. Many artists in this area win awards in prestigious artshows. An active writers’ group meets regularly, with well-known authors as speakers. And the best amenity? Less traffic than ournorthern neighbors.Developers, where are you? I’d love to seesouthwest Dallas County as a featured retire-ment destination in a slick, glossy magazine. Who knows, I might even get to be on the cover—gray hair and all.

Sarah Crouch of Cedar Hill isapiano teacher, professor and a Community Voicesvolunteer columnist. Her e-mail address is shcrouch@aol.com.

Looking toward retirement

Why can’t I grow old near my friends? asks

Sarah Crouch of Cedar Hill

Voices

Community

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B6C06-21-2009Set: 17:34:12Sent by: ajharrisjrNewsBLACK

Sunday,June21, 2009C

dallas

news

.com

The Dallas Morning News

e just played host to my 17-year-oldnephew from Wisconsin. He camedown for a summer visit and it washis first time in the Lone Star State. Wedecided to take him on a camping trip to the beach near Corpus Christi, since he hadnever seen the ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.The Texas sun shone for all it was worth,the water was clear and thefish were biting. We couldnot have asked for a bettertime. My nephew wassurprised at how friendly people were, waving attotal strangers as they drove by, helping eachother pull cars out that gotstuck in the powdery sandand just talking with folksaround a campfire like you had known them your whole life. You see, Wisconsin is somewhat different.Iwas born on an Army base in El Paso, butgrew up in Milwaukee, having been spiritedup north at the tender age of 4. Folks up theredon’t generally talk to strangers on the street.Once they get to know you, they’ll roll out the barrel. But they have to get to know you first. When I came down to Dallas more than30 years ago, I was amazed at how differentthings were. The first thing I noticed, otherthan how people spoke, was how peopledrove. Well, maybe I should not go downthat road.The food was different, too. There wererefried beans and avocados and sweetpotatoes and peaches and huge pecans thatgrew in your own back yard. I immediately fell in love with Tex-Mex cuisine andcontinue my passionate affair with it to thisday.But there’s so much more. There’s always been a kind of spirit down here, like the Old West. It’s young, lively and brimming withpeople from all over the world. Of course, theOld West can get somewhat wild and crazy at times. You learn to watch your back.Dallas is also known for its high crime rate,and Texas routinely sends more people todeath row than any other state. (Not thatthat curtails the violence.)Maybe that’s the reason the police can getalittle crazy themselves. Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing but respect for ourmen in blue, and you could not pay meenough money to patrol the mean streets of Dallas. But even I could not explain to my nephew why the police felt they needed tohaul a 10-year old child downtown andhandcuff and fingerprint her for fighting with her older sibling. When my sister inMilwaukee heard about that, her validquestion was, “What’s wrong with youpeople down there?”Darned if I know. Maybe it’s the heat.Texas is somewhat of a paradox, a study incontradictions. What other state can claimto have produced two such differentpresidents — LBJ and George W. Bush? Andtwo such different governors — AnnRichards and Rick Perry? It seems ourpolitics change faster than the weather. And speaking of the weather, before hereturned home, my nephew got the supremepleasure of learning what it was like to“hunker down” during that incredible delugeof rain we had recently.Later on, as he looked out over the lakethat used to be our back yard, he got to swatsome of our Texas-sized mosquitoes, too. Butthat did not dampen his enjoyment of his vacation in the least, and he excitedly statedhe wanted to move to Texas the first chancehe gets.On the way to the airport for his flighthome, we stopped at Whataburger for asnack. When I told my sister what her baby boy was scarfing down, her other validquestion was, “What’s a Whataburger?”

Tina Sanchez of Pleasant Grove is a taxpayer advocateat a federal agency and aCommunity Voices volunteer columnist. Her e-mail addressis texas.tina@live.com.

Voices

Community

Through a stranger’s eyes

It’s nice, if perplexing, to see our state a different way, says

Tina Sanchez

WILLIAM “BUBBA” FLINT/Special Contributor

Why are teen centers needed?

Re: “Teen centers open at Dallas branch li- braries,” Wednesday news story.The new teen centers from The AT&TFoundation are a positive addition to the Dal-las Public Library. It is a shame, however, thatthis addition is necessary at all; shouldn’t theskills being taught in the Teen Centers be theresponsibility of DISD?College admission and homework help areclearly the duty of the schools. Poor money management at the district level has createdthe need for facilities such as the teen centers.Fortunately, we have a private company tocover the shortcomings of the local publicschool system.The AT&T Foundation was wise to give the$500,000 to the public library system and notDISD.

Abigail Becker, 10th grade,The Hockaday School, Dallas

Trafﬁc tickets a gold mine

Dallas can make a dent in the budgetshortfall by simply enforcing the traffic laws.Isee drivers speeding tailgating and run-enforced the traffic laws, there would be noshortfall.

Steven Gauss, Dallas

ning red lights and stop signs with no sign of apolice car.If there were an actual police presence that

LETTERS

can a list of adoptable pets and you’reliable to assume what I did: You can’tget a purebred in a shelter. Web sites like Petfinder advertise innu-merable dogs and cats, but the animalsalways seem to sport mussed fur, patchy coloring and — forgive me — hangdogexpressions. Purebreds for sale online areimpeccable and cuddly, boasting pedigree papersand whopping price tags.Ifigured you get what youpay for.But purebreds makeup 25 percent of shelterdogs, according to anestimate by the HumaneSociety of the U.S.Surprised? I was, too. Anyone who has seen

Lady and the Tramp

knows the mentalimage I fostered for years. A posh cockerspaniel mistakenly thrown in the poundcouldn’t be more out of place among aragtag band of slobbery mutts, fur mattedand fleas rampant. The message is clear: You want quality, skip the shelters.Turns out it’s often the other way around.Irecently learned about puppy mills, breeding facilities where profit trumpsproper pet care — adequate food, water,shelter, socialization and exercise comesecond to churning out the most animalspossible.Buy a puppy or kitten reared in a milland risk bringing home a “purebred” withfalsified papers, behavioral problems and apredisposition to illness. Know also that you’ve just supported a system known for abusingprofitable dogs and killing unprofitable ones.But avoiding that mess is tricky, as millsrarely sell directly to customers and, therefore,escape a crucial precaution of puppy-owners-to-be: always seeing the dog, breeder andfacility beforehand.Still, don’t you rescue a puppy mill dog when you buy him? No, the ASPCA repri-mands: “You — the consumer — not only runthe risk of taking home a sick puppy, but aresentencing a breeder dog to a life of misery. Aslong as there is a demand for their ‘product,’puppy mills will continue to churn out pup-pies.”Rep. Senfronia Thompson tried to stopthem. Backed by the ASPCA, SPCA of Texas,HSUS and the Texas Humane LegislatureNetwork, HB 3180 would have requiredlarge-scale commercial breeders to undergoannual inspection and obtain a license. If sellers failed to disclose the pet’s full medicalhistory, its owners would receive compensa-tion for medical costs and the option of ex-changing their sick or dead puppy for a healthy one.Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? But the Amer-ican Kennel Club and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association opposed it. They arguedthat it was too restrictive — capping breedersat 50 non-fixed dogs — and that it could actu-ally benefit abusive breeders more than re-sponsible ones.The TVMA says the best solution is enforc-ing animal cruelty laws already in place, suchas the Animal Welfare Act. And since the Texas Senate never addressedHB 3180, animal advocates have no otheroption for now. It may ultimately be good thatresources already stretched thin don’t have toaccommodate a new law, but, in the mean-time, puppy mills are thriving under un-enforced laws.That leaves it up to potential pet owners.Don’t buy puppies and kittens at retail stores. Adopt instead, and choose wisely. And beaware that some pet stores do host rescuegroups, so not every available pet in a retailstore is “for sale” or the product of a puppy mill.It’s up to you, though, to ask good questionsabout where the group’s dogs come from.That scraggly shelter pup is looking betterand better, isn’t he? And purebred seekers,remember that you don’t have to buy your petonline. If you can’t find the perfect cat or dog inashelter, rescue groups can help with morespecific breeds. And even if you can’t find a champion withasix-generation pedigree, you still have brag-ging rights. You saved a life.

Elizabeth Barnes is a junior at Episcopal School of Dallasand a Student Voices volun-teer columnist. To respond tothis column, send an e-mail tovoices @dallasnews.com.

Puppy (and kitty) love

If you have it, don’t support pet mills, says

Elizabeth Barnes of Dallas

Voices

Student

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SOUNDING OFF

Comment on

the following topic on ourblog:

dallasnews.com/opinionblog

If you could change one thing about your city’s reputation, what would it be?

Debra Witter

Attorney, Oak Cliff

That Dallas is a ho-mogenous, boringamalgamation offaceless suburbs.Those are there, butthere are plenty ofunique and vibrantinner-city neigh-borhoods that getoverlooked.

Susan SandersWansbrough

Attorney, Lake High-lands

Dallas has a rep-utation for puttingcommerce beforepeople. In order tochange that rep-utation, we have tochange the realitybecause the rep-utation is well de-served.

Michael Janak

Senior, Booker T.Washington HighSchool for the Per-forming and VisualArts, Dallas ISD

Iwould change thenotion that down-town Dallas is scaryand unlivable. If thearea is indeed thisway, it is because ofthese ideas hinderdevelopment anddrive people away.

Keegan Watters

Junior, The HockadaySchool in Dallas

Dallas recently fin-ished No. 2 on a list ofthe cities with theworst road rage. Iwish we could loseour angry reputation.

Voices:

The above Voices volunteers are regularcontributors to this forum.

Kristin Curreri of Preston Hollow:

People seem to believe that you need to be in the suburbs to have theold-time neighborhood feel, but that is a terriblemisconception. We moved into Preston Hollow fromRockwall and have found our new neighbors to befriendly and welcoming. Our boys were out last nightplaying flashlight tag with a group of neighborhoodkids, just like we did growing up. Those old timecommunities are alive and well right here in Big D.

Harley Cozewith of Dallas:

Having spent morethan two decades living in Houston until we movedto Dallas in 2006, I’ve been surprised at how muchmore racially divided Dallas seems. Dallas needs tohave a reputation for inclusion, acceptance and tol-erance towards racial differences with equal supportfor every segment of our community.

Sandra Steinbach of Dallas:

We will always bethe city where President Kennedy was assassinated. Would it not be wonderful if we had an annual Nov.22 memorial in his honor grand enough to receivenational recognition? It could feature our wonderfulsymphony in the Meyerson and have young peopleparticipating in some way. It would ease our pain.

Holly Morgan of Dallas:

As a fourth-generationDallasite, my mother probably would say she wishes we weren’t known as the town that “killed” John F.Kennedy. As a fifth-generation Dallasite, I’m moreconcerned about our notoriety for big hair and shop-ping, or football and craven spending. We do have anamazing (and growing) Arts District, and in many ways we are the birthplace of bigger things like great woman leaders, the Women’s Museum and inven-tions like the first integrated circuit, which becamethe microchip, the first frozen margarita, the firstdrive-up bank window, the first convenience store(7-Eleven)and the first shopping center (OK, you gotme there).

Laurie Dodic Steinberg, Highland Park:

I thinkHighland Park gets a bad rap for being a snobby andelitist neighborhood. I have lived in Dallas for about24 years now with the last 11 being in HP. Some of the nicest, friendliest, salt of the earth people are my neighbors. Sure we might have some snobby peoplehere or there, but overall we have a small-town feelthat I think would be hard to fake.

Martin Greenberg of Dallas:

The rest of the coun-try seems unaware of Dallas’s multi-cultural dimen-sion and that we have elected two Jewish femalesand one African-American as mayor — and thatDemocrat Presidential candidate Obama carriedDallas County. Folks around this country still thinkof the JFK assassination and connect George W.Bush to Dallas, but Dallas is so much more.

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