Laura Miller has begun testifying in the federal City Hall corruption trial, giving the jury her history in politics. She’s poised, of course. Prosecutor Sarah Saldana began by addressing her as “Ms. Miller,” then caught herself and asked, “Is that how you address a former mayor?”Miller smiled and said, “Yes…
Believe it or not—and I’m actually trying to talk myself into it—there may be a way to look at this terribly depressing City Hall corruption trial now under way in federal court and come away feeling optimistic. And I’m not talking about watching the trial while drunk. There’s sort of…
Dear Mexican: Why does El Tri act like pendejos every time the U.S. men’s national soccer team kicks their ass? They won’t even shake hands or exchange jerseys after the game, and they always act like the U.S. got lucky with the win, even though the Americans have destroyed Mexico…
O.K., I want to give you an example of the very good lawyering being done by the defense in the City Hall corruption trial going on right now at the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse. The witness on the stand this morning is the same guy who was on…
This is an interesting morning, City Hall federal corruption trial-wise. The government is presenting witnesses who are real City Hall lobbyists to show the jury how they work. Some of these — like Willie Cothrum, for example, who is up next — are the people who really make the wheels…
10. The whole city is one big Deep Ellum. 9. Two words: Cable. Access. The people willing to pay for their 15 minutes are incredibly entertaining, if not so much talented. On Saturday morning I was momentarily mesmerized by two pasty dudes sitting really close together on a love seat…
Whether you’re at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *Been buried in Camp Cowboys all week, but looks like 103.3 FM ESPN needs a new drive-time sidekick alongside Randy Galloway. Brian Estridge is leaving to co-host mornings on WBAP 820…
Dear Mexican: Why do Mexicans at construction sites always draw a dick and vagina on the interiors of port-a-potties? They sure are not as poetic as they are artistic. Then you got the white boy reply, “Here I sit flexing a…” You should know the rest. —Original Schreck in Houston…
Don’t tell me I may be losing my Tom Leppert. What would I do? I’m just not ready for the mayor of Dallas to leave me. I have so much more in mind for him. The speculation is that Leppert might consider running for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s seat early…
In federal court today Ray Jackson, lawyer for former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill, has been working on affordable housing developer Brian Potashnik in an attempt to get him to tell the jury that he was forced against his will to plead guilty to bribing Hill. I don’t think…
Whether you’re at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *Once upon a time Walter Cronkite was the “most trusted man in America.” His death got me wondering who wears that crown today? The answer hurts: Oprah. *Sure smells like the…
I’m not even trying to change the outcome. It’s a freight train. Strapping myself to the tracks is not my idea of fun. But I want you to see what an enormous mistake we’re about to make in choosing a second DART rail line through downtown. Downtown Dallas 50 years…
Dear Mexican: The mainstream media is making big noise of Sonia Sotomayor likely being the first Latina Supreme Court justice, and that all Latinos should be proud. But Puerto Rican ain’t Mexican! The Supreme Court won’t have a shade of brown until a Mexican is among Roberts and Scalia. What…
So I am here, back in the overflow room at the Federal Palace of Justice downtown watching the Dallas City Hall federal corruption trial, and I see that we have come to one of the most fundamental and time-honored traditions of Dallas politics: that fine old institution called “walking-around money.”Victor…
Dear Mexican: How can I get Mexicans to arrive to a meeting ON TIME? —Punctual Pete Dear Gabacho: Tell them you’re offering green cards on a first-come, first-serve basis. And then diles a gabachos to eliminate the concept of arriving “fashionably late” the way they did the Polish joke. I…
This afternoon at the Don Hill et. al. Dallas City Hall federal corruption trial, the defense was hard at work trying to make this thing look like Laura Miller got more than anybody else and got away with it. As in: Why are all these black folks on trial for…
Just an interesting little moment in the life of the city, perhaps a cautionary tale: A couple weekends ago on a Saturday morning I get a distress call from an old friend back in town for the weekend who’s apartment shopping with her kid. They are sort of well-known people…
Whether you’re at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt’s End: *With the way the Texas Rangers have played and the way Andruw Jones and Elvis Andrus and Darren O’Day have performed, Jon Daniels gets my vote for MLB Executive of the…
When Schutze told me the Dallas Chapter of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers asked him to speak this afternoon, I had to tag along, mostly because I was sure he’d made it up. But, sure enough, turned out Jim wasn’t just going to the Maggiano’s at NorthPark Center for…
Dear Mexican: Why is it that ever since the United States/California let you people immigrate, tunnel, weasel or whatever into this country that nothing good has happened and/or come from it? California’s welfare program is burdened with low-life Hispanics. The prison system is 70 percent Hispanic, 45 percent gang-based. Real…
Forever the foreigner. More than 30 years I’ve been here, sawing this same log. How many bazillion articles have I written about race in Dallas? I wrote a book about it, and I still don’t get it. My wife is right. Once a carpetbagger, always a carpetbagger. Last week I…
Like it did with you, all these recent deaths – Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Alexis Arguello, Steve McNair and Best Damn Sports Show – got me to thinking about my own mortality. Today, the day I celebrate turning halfway to 90, I thought I’d dip my toe in the deep,…
