Author: Aren Cambre

I (heart) 90.1 At Night

My local public radio, KERA 90.1 FM, does a two hour weekly music program called 90.1 At Night.

It’s awesome.

Host J. Paul Slavens dishes up a truly eclectic mix, including many Texas and local pieces. And it has little crap in the smooth jazz, Celtic, or “mood music” (tonal study?) genres.

My wife complains that I wouldn’t normally listen to many of the songs. She’s right, but it’s just different when juxtaposed so eclectically. (Is that a word?)

90.1 At Night runs every Sunday, 8 PM to 10 PM on KERA 90.1 FM in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market.

Texas DPS to celebrate Christmas by hassling motorists

If you see this car in your rearview mirror, you won the reverse lottery!
If you see this car in your rearview mirror, you won the reverse lottery!

Per today’s press release, the Texas DPS’s holiday “special concern” is “drinking and driving,” but that doesn’t stop them from a colossal revenue grab.

In 2007, at least 80%* of their holiday moving violation tickets were revenue enhancement speeding tickets. Their stated “special focus” suggests the same will happen again.

The Texas Legislature created our 70 mph rural speed limit in 1963. Now, if you can tell me what an arbitrary number, picked out of a hat 45 years ago, has to do with road safety… You get the point: NOTHING!

So, yes, fully eighty percent of TxDPS’s holiday moving violation activity is  revenue enhancement. This is what passes for highway policing?

Thank you, Texas DPS: revenue first.

*80% is from speeding tickets / (total citations - seat belt violations).

Sheffie Kadane did the right thing

My city councilman Sheffie Kadane did the right thing and retracted the hoax email. Here’s his message:

Dear Constituent:

I want to address an email that went out from my Council Office on Friday, December 12, which seems to have gotten a lot of attention.

It appears I’ve become the victim of an Internet hoax. The hoaxster laid out a realistic-sounding plot that carjackers were allegedly using at NorthPark Mall. And in my zeal to make sure my constituents remained safe, we quickly emailed this information around the district.

But now I’m told by police that this was a hoax that apparently has been around for years. Police say they know of no such incidents in or around NorthPark Mall this year, and while people should always be alert and aware, this is not a crime trend.

Well, I must say that I’m sorry we didn’t catch this sooner. And certainly want everyone to know we think the police and the security out at NorthPark Mall are doing a great job keeping everyone safe during the holidays.

And I also hope everyone will join me out at NorthPark Mall this weekend, because I still have quite a bit of shopping to do before Christmas!

Have a safe and blessed holiday season.

Sheffie Kadane

Councilmember, District 9

Thank you, Sheffie.

Debunking my City Councilman

I like my city councilman, Sheffie Kadane. He’s done a good job for my district, and he has been responsive to my neighborhood’s requests.

But his staff screwed up. Last Friday, they sent an obvious mail hoax to all District 9 community leaders, falsely alleging that a local TV station reported on a North Park Mall carjacking scheme.

I was the first to tell him it’s a hoax. His staff didn’t budge.

Amidst their refusal to retract and increasingly bizarre justifications, I tipped off Allen Gwinn, publisher of Dallas.org. That resulted in this article: Council Member’s Carjacking Email Debunked.

Responsible government should never mislead constituents. Attention to issues is already scarce; it’s terrible to waste it on a confirmed hoax!

I have no problem retracting misstatements. Nothing less is acceptable from a public leader.

Why was that so hard for Sheffie’s office? Does pride trump the truth?

Update: it’s hitting the Dallas blogosphrere:

All they had to do is retract it!