|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
|
|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
Pre-emptive Strikes
To the editor: Interesting article on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (Last Call, March 29, 2006), and I’ll bet you’ll be getting a few letters about it. Frankly I think that, regardless of the “blight bar” motivation, the TABC should have its budget severely cut. That’s an issue for local city cops, not assholes who want to haul some dude out of a hotel bar where he is staying.
I sent a nasty-gram to my state senator, Kim Brimer, and my local state rep, Anna Mowery, about this subject. Sen. Brimer wrote me back with some drunk driving statistics (not what I was referring to) and then proceeded to say “harsh as the TABC’s actions may seem, they are taking these steps to save lives.”
If I remember correctly, there is a Supreme Court precedent from the 1920s that stated that you can’t nail someone for a crime they might commit, only one that they have committed. This would seem to negate the senator and TABC’s “maybe they’ll do something dumb” argument.
I don’t think I’ll be voting for Brimer in the next election. If they really want to reduce drunk driving, take some of the money from the TABC and put it into more practical public transportation.
Daniel T. Childress
Fort Worth
You Know You’re
in Kennedale If ...
To the editor: Your article on our city’s mayor was rather contrary to the last 24 months of local coverage. The citizens of Kennedale have been besieged by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s relentless “editorial” PR machine supporting our mayor’s antics and hoaxes.
While a vast majority of Kennedale residents find the business occupants of the Highway 287 entrance objectionable, the postcard hoax is no more redeeming. Likewise, casual observation of the town forums held to gauge opinion for the addition of Wal-Mart to the Little Road entrance would conclude that an equal number of citizens opposed that store. The 287 occupants may be objectionable, but they pose no obstruction to access to the city. The addition of Wal-Mart to the Little Road entrance will create a daily obstruction for a third of our residents. The city council’s and mayor’s split vote to approve Wal-Mart’s entry actually reflected the city’s disapproval of the action.
It will be interesting to see if CNN and the Washington Post will follow up their previous coverage of the postcard hoax. It would appear that those national venues, as well as the Star-Telegram and NBC5, may have failed to ask the first question in journalism: “Is there any actual substance to this story?” as the Fort Worth Weekly repeatedly inquired.
There are now several hundred residents of Kennedale and the surrounding area who are much more aware of your print edition and have bookmarked your online edition. I received far more e-mail versions of your article last week than the usual barrage of “You know you’re a Texan/Redneck if ...” messages. There are many more positive than negative aspects to life in Kennedale and the evolution of our city. Our school district is highly rated and regarded. The Kennedale schools’ academic, arts, and athletics programs are mainstays of advancement to “post-season” competition. Our district has won state championships in track and field, softball, power lifting, and most importantly, University Interscholastic League competitions. Housing developers recognize the increasing valuations of the city’s undeveloped resources. Our local faith-based organizations are enjoying increasing memberships. At a time when other cities are struggling to fund their library systems, Kennedale has a vibrant, citizen-led, library campaign under way. I would hope that the Weekly will cover those aspects of our city as well. Thank you for your article.
Terry Evans
Kennedale
Firebrand
To the editor: While we appreciate the firebrand enthusiasm of a young investigative reporter, Pablo Lastra’s article, “Hearing Problems,” which covered a March 15 Senate subcommittee hearing in Washington, contains a number of omissions, misleading statements, and inaccuracies. He writes as if the hearing was about Novation. It wasn’t. It was a hearing to review progress toward greater transparency in the hospital group purchasing industry.
The hearing was a very positive one for the industry, despite what the article reported. It was clear from the testimony that GPOs save hospitals across the nation, including many in Texas, millions of dollars annually that can be put toward other services for patients. But you would never know that from your article, which is a shame and a disservice to the readers who look to your publication for accurate and fair reporting.
Jody Hatcher
Senior Vice President, Novation
Irving
Editor’s note: Only one paragraph of the article in question referred in detail to Novation, other than to note that the company is one of the group purchasing organizations that were the subject of the hearing. The purpose of the session indeed was to review progress — or lack of it — toward a stronger ethics code for the industry. The Weekly stands by the story.
Email this Article...
