Let Me Sum Up

Why do I have to wait for history to tell me what the Bush Center is full of?

I don’t have a problem that we’re dedicating the George W. Bush Presidential Center today. SMU benefits. We get a cool new library, museum and archive. Who is against such things?

My problem is with — gee, who can give voice to the attitude that is causing this gnawing pain in my gut?

Oh, hello, Steve Blow:

May I make a suggestion? Instead of escalating emotions, the debut of the George W. Bush Presidential Center makes an awfully good day for both friends and foes of the former president to let them go. I’m not saying anyone has to change opinions on Bush. It’s just time to let both the vilification and the defensiveness pass. History has begun its inexorable work in rendering a judgment. Let’s trust that process.

[Takes long, deep breath. Tries not to seek out puppies to punch.]

Right. Let’s trust that process. Let’s not, more than a decade after going to war and more than four years after his presidency ended, ask a newspaper to be a part of that process.

Let me try to take that advice. [Closes eyes.] Kumbaya, my Lord! Kum-ba-ya!

Sorry, just doesn’t feel right. There’s something about the disparity here between how we treat someone like Jimmy Carter — a failed president who nevertheless is a man of great works of compassion post-presidency — and Neighbor George, a man whose obvious compassion should for some reason blind me to the horrific choices he made as president.

According to this editorial, today marks the next chapter of our love affair with the Bushes. According to this story, experts tell me that, don’t you worry, eventually we’ll get to talking more openly and honestly about Iraq. In, say, 50 years or so.

So I am instead to take at face value the Bush Center’s postscript on the Iraq war:

Iraq has a functioning democracy and security has improved. No stockpiles of WMD were found. Post-invasion inspections confirmed that Saddam Hussein had the capacity to resume production of WMD. Iraq has foresworn WMD and is an ally in the War on Terror.”

Weird! Because just a few weeks ago I read a portrait of Iraq today that painted a far different picture, from someone who was there when the invasion began a decade ago and who recently returned:

Today, not to put too fine a point on it, Iraq is a failed state, teetering on the brink of another sectarian bloodbath, and beset by chronic political deadlock and economic disaster. Its social fabric has been all but shredded by nearly a decade of brutal occupation by the US military and now by the rule of an Iraqi government rife with sectarian infighting.

But … takin’ out terrorism? Trust the process? Twirling toward freedom? No? It continues:

The death toll of March 11th [2013] was one of the worst of late and provides a snapshot of the increasing levels of violence countrywide. Overall, 27 people were killed and many more injured in attacks across the country. A suicide car bomb detonated in a town near Kirkuk, killing eight and wounding 166 (65 of whom were students at a Kurdish secondary school for girls). In Baghdad, gunmen stormed a home where they murdered a man and woman. A shop owner was shot dead and a policeman was killed in a drive-by shooting in Ghazaliya. A civilian was killed in the Saidiya district, while a Sahwa member was gunned down in Amil. Three government ministry employees in the city were also killed.

This is not a unique occurrence. Dozens were killed this week too. Six bombs went off last week, killing 42.

So, go ahead and celebrate the pretty building. Post your photos on Instagram. Just don’t give me this bullshit about how we need to hurry and have fun before the History Grump visits in 50 years and declares the Bush legacy to be one of destroying a fragile nation to further his cabinet’s pathological right-wing paranoia. That history is being written daily, in the blood of innocents.

Retweets

Too late!

Historians, WH Reporters: Press Shouldn't "Whitewash" Bush Record In Library Reports mm4a.org/14S28ix

— JoeStrupp (@JoeStrupp) April 25, 2013

Now, this is the sort of Bush Center reporting I can get behind.

Troy Aikman with unidentified, pocket-size hottie #XPresidents @ George W. Bush Presidential Center instagram.com/p/Yh5BQEBoIy/

— Tim Rogers (@timmytyper) April 25, 2013

You must read what the George W. Bush Presidential Center says about Iraq. And, no, it wasn't written by the staff at The Onion.

Photo by Peter Aaron

You must read what the George W. Bush Presidential Center says about Iraq. And, no, it wasn't written by the staff at The Onion.

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Sobering statistic

Texas ranks No. 9 among deadliest states for New Year’s crashes

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At more than 314,000 miles, Texas boasts the largest system of public roads among the 50 states. It also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the deadliest states for New Year’s car accidents.

An analysis of 2014-2023 traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows Texas is the ninth worst state for traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

During the 10-year period covered by the analysis, commissioned by AutoAccident.com, Texas tallied 280 traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — the highest total of any state. The 280-person toll in Texas works out to 9.61 deaths per one million residents, a rate that’s 37 percent above the national average of 6.99 deaths per one million residents.

The analysis reveals that nearly three-fourths (64 percent) of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traffic deaths in Texas were drivers, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) were pedestrians, and 16 percent were passengers.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights on American roads,” says Edward Smith, managing attorney at AutoAccident.com, a personal injury law firm.

“With impaired driving incidents spiking during holiday celebrations, every driver has a responsibility to make smart choices that protect themselves and others sharing the road,” Smith adds. “Even in states with strong safety records, one preventable death is too many.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), more than 2,000 drunk driving-related crashes happened during the 2024 holiday season. Last year, December ranked as the No. 1 month in Texas for wrecks caused by drunk drivers.

“The holidays are a wonderful time to be with family, and yet they can also be a painful reminder for those who have lost loved ones to preventable crashes,” says Marc Williams, executive director of TxDOT. “Let’s make a new holiday tradition to drive like a Texan: kind, courteous, and safe. That means always getting a sober ride.”

TxDOT offers these four tips for staying safe on the roads as the calendar switches from 2025 to 2026:

Designate a sober driver before the celebrations start.
Ask a sober relative or friend to pick you up if you’re too tipsy to drive.
Use public transit or rideshare services.
Stay off the roads until you’ve sobered up.

Several organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth are offering ways to get home safely around New Year’s if you’re too drunk to drive:

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has teamed up with Coors Light to provide free rides on New Year’s Eve. To get a free ride, enter the promo code COORSNYE25 in the GoPass app. The offer is available to the first 10,500 riders who enter the code in the GoPass app.
Trinity Metro will offer free Trinity Railway Express rides in Tarrant County from 6 pm-midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Various bars and entertainment venues in Dallas County are supplying QR codes for one free Lyft ride worth up to $35. The EpicCentral entertainment district in Grand Prairie is among the participants.
In collaboration with TxDOT and the Frisco Police Department, Uber is offering $30-per-ride vouchers for people in Frisco who aren’t sober enough to drive. Frisco ranks first on Allstate’s 2025 list of the Texas cities with the best drivers.
Fort Worth Limousines provides designated-driver services in Dallas-Fort Worth via limo, luxury sedan, SUV, and bus.
Pro-Tow Wrecker Service is offering free tows to tipsy motorists in Denton County who need a ride on New Year’s Eve.

traffic fatalities crime holidays new year's day new years eve traffic

Let Me Sum Up

Why do I have to wait for history to tell me what the Bush Center is full of?

You must read what the George W. Bush Presidential Center says about Iraq. And, no, it wasn't written by the staff at The Onion.

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Holiday week is not slowing down this round of Dallas restaurant news

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats

Sobering statistic

Texas ranks No. 9 among deadliest states for New Year’s crashes

Fun family-owned Big Mike's Bar and Grill from TV star debuts in Plano

Holiday week is not slowing down this round of Dallas restaurant news

Richardson dessert shop Chocolate Drip lays out eye-catching treats