Daily Archives: 09/11/2009

(Community Matters) The DNC is hosting its quarterly board meeting in Austin this week. As Gov. Tim Kaine (chair, DNC) notes, this should further reinforce their commitment to Texas. It’s not a matter of IF Texas will go blue, just a matter of when.

Last night, Tommy & Lynn Meredith hosted a dinner for Gov Tim Kaine & his wife Anne Holton and our national finance chair, Jane Stetson.

Tom & Charles Duggan

Suzanne Deal Booth, Jane Stetson & Steven

an august room of supporters & friends

Gov Kaine speaking

I didn’t know Anne’s father was a Republican governor of Virginia – wow, the daughter of a Republican governor and the wife of a Democratic governor – same state. Her dad integrated the state’s schools.

Amy Rudy & Alexa Wessner

Surprised Alexa was even able to make it for the cocktails since she entertained 200+ guests just an hour later at her home for the Blue Texas thank you (she raised $1mm for Texas races earlier this year)

Kirk Rudy & Naomi Aberly

Naomi is one of our national finance committee colleagues from Dallas. And, she’s just gone on the board of the CPPP.

Alexa on the stage with Ray Benson

After the dinner, we all moved over to Alexa & Blaine’s for the Blue Texas thank you party and Asleep at the Wheel concert

(Community Matters) Wow, just received a note from my friend Tana to remember today. I’d forgotten. Was sitting in Las Manitas with Margo Weisz, John Dirvin and Kirk Rudy when we learned about the attack on the towers. Tana called, and I rushed over to her house. We waited together, watched the towers collapse, while we waited for news on our very dear friend Charles Santos who worked in the WTC. So unbelievably happy he made it. He ran from the site as the towers collapsed, arriving mid town covered in soot and finally found a land line. So sad so many others didn’t make it. Remembering today

(Community Matters) I find the assigned neighborhood patrols comforting, proactive and refreshing. The note below received by email this morning.

I would like to inform the residents within the Baker 3 district neighborhoods that I have been researching the crime trends in district 3. I was recently assigned to the Central West District Representatives unit on June 22nd, 2009. Since this time I have taken a close look at the various crime trends in district 3. One in particular I have found is the burglary of residences, which have been occurring at an alarming rate. There is no particular time or day on which the burglaries have been occurring. They are sporadic, ranging from early morning, days and nights. Many of these burglaries involve either a rear door being kicked in or a rear window being smashed out. On some incidents the residents have been home during the burglary but, were sleeping. I also noticed, from reading the incident reports, that an alarming number of these burglaries occurred simply because the resident left a window or a door unlocked into their home. In some cases there were neighbors who actually observed the burglary suspect/suspects at the scene of the victim residence but, only thought of the situation as being suspicious at the time and never called police to check it out. Only after the homeowner reported that their residence had been burglarized did a neighbor come forward and explain that they had seen suspicious activity at the victim residence prior to it being reported. The police should have been called at the time the suspicious activity was observed.

I’m am sending this information out in order for the neighborhood residents to begin taking more precautions in securing their homes and to tell you that if you observe any activity which seems to be suspicious, no matter how insignificant you may think it is, call 911 immediately so that officers can investigate. Better to be safe and report it rather than ignore it and have it be something that probably could have been prevented. Don’t leave curtains and windows open where prying eyes can easily look into your home and see what valuable belongings you have ready to be stolen. When you leave your home lock everything…..doors, windows, garage overhead doors and those doors which lead from the garage into your home. If you have home alarm systems please use them both when not at home and even when you are home, especially at night when you go to bed. Use your home alarm systems always! Don’t open the door to solicitors. You can simply tell them, through the door, you’re not interested and that you want them to leave your property. The first line of defense to preventing or lowering your odds of becoming a victim of a crime begins with you. Be aware of your surroundings, take security precautions and report ALL suspicious activity to the police by calling 911.

Senior Police Officer

(Community Matters) Arnold S. Relman, M.D. is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and is former Editor-in-Chief of the New England Journal of Medicine.