Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas

07/23/2008

Editorial: The bullies of Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Middle School is a place where boys couldn't go into the locker room last school year without fearing sexual assault and humiliation at the hands of older boys. That's what a Dallas County sheriff's investigation has determined. The Sheriff's Department recommends that the district attorney file charges against the alleged assailants.

Editorial: EPA, water board must get money to colonias
When many of us think of Texas, we probably have in our mind's eye images of big cities and all their modern ways.

Editorial: Oil 'speculation' not the problem
As voters feel pocketbook pain at the pump, Democrats in Congress are poised to make matters worse.

07/22/2008

Editorial: PUC deserves credit for wind decision
Little more than one year ago, Texas wore an ignominious crown. A stampede to build polluting power plants brought national notoriety, and our state emerged as the king of coal.

Editorial: Points of convergence on Iraq
President Bush, Sen. Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki might actually have found a common basis for discussing Iraq's future, although plenty of room remains for caveats and conditions to get in the way. All three are discussing the idea of a "time horizon" for U.S. troops to leave Iraq.

Editorial: Bush's foreign policy shift
The Bush administration had stood steadfastly against setting a timetable for exiting Iraq. Now it is exploring a "time horizon" for troop reductions.

07/21/2008

Editorial: Better care for mentally disabled
Families who live with loved ones suffering from mental illness know all too well that there is no single way to care for them.

Editorial: Library donors need to be named
Stephen Payne was operating as a free agent. Let's be clear about that. But the Houston lobbyist's actions should get President Bush's attention. Mr. Bush needs to be sure no one will undercut his presidential library, which will open at Southern Methodist University after he leaves office.

07/20/2008

Editorial: This Bud's still pour vous
Among beer connoisseurs, tiny Belgium is generally thought to produce the world's best beers. Yet the recent $52 billion purchase of U.S. brewing giant Anheuser-Busch by InBev, the Belgian megabrewer, had more than a few American beer lovers sobbing in their suds.

Editorial: Employers should help clean the air
Traffic congestion wastes time, wastes money, wastes gasoline and makes people late for work. In sum, it's bad for business.

07/19/2008

Editorial: Starbucks closures induce jitters
Pockets of brand-conscious Americans have the jitters, and it's not just the bold-roasted coffee exciting their brains.

Editorial: Hits and Misses
Conservatives may be hot about President Bush sending the State Department's third-ranking diplomat to meet with an Iranian negotiator today in Geneva. But putting William Burns on the trip, led by the European Union's Javier Solana, sends an important signal to Iran and the world: The administration is serious about avoiding war.

07/18/2008

Editorial: Court needs to review Neches decision first
U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service did due diligence in planning a national wildlife refuge along parts of the Neches River. Now he needs to take a step back and stop the agency from accepting land transfers until the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reviews his decision.

Editorial: Gas from garbage
Despite the persuasive power of Tommy Lee Jones, Dallas won't be pumping a bonanza of natural gas from belowground.

Editorial: Nelson Mandela at 90
The Nobel Prize winner has carved a complex legacy that few in any century can match.

07/17/2008

Editorial: A level playing field for athletes
If students in band and choir can earn four years of credits toward high school graduation for participating in those activities, then why do athletes max out at only two years of credits?

Editorial: NADBank deserves U.S. funding
Not everyone agrees about the merits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but it's hard to argue that the North American Development Bank, created under NAFTA, hasn't brought overwhelmingly positive changes to the border region. NADBank's good work needs to continue, and that won't happen if Congress continues to whittle down its funding.

Editorial: Anglicans on the brink
Has the Anglican communion finally reached the end of the line? As bishops of the 70 million-strong global federation of churches meet at the Lambeth Conference in England, the prospect of dissolution has never been more real. The reason? Sex and Scripture.

07/16/2008

Editorial: Toxic toys and the phthalate threat
Is your child's rubber ducky hazardous to her health? That's what consumer safety activists say about soft plastic toys. The stuff that makes the plastic soft – chemical compounds called phthalates – has been linked by some studies to hormonal and reproductive problems in humans, especially males.

Editorial: EPA delays the inevitable on greenhouse gases
Americans apparently will have to wait for the next president to see any responsible action on regulating greenhouse gases. The Bush administration seems to be crossing its arms, closing its eyes and holding its breath until the bitter end to avoid doing the right thing on climate change.

Editorial: Finishing the job in Afghanistan
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was right about one thing: Ousting Third World regimes doesn't require massive invasion forces. It took only eight weeks and 18,000 U.S. troops to topple the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. Saddam Hussein's dictatorship fell after only six weeks of fighting by 150,000 U.S. troops.