The Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees is at it again. Holding meetings closed to the public and talking trash about various individuals and groups around the Metroplex. Actually the closed-door meetings, where the board members said incredibly stupid things on tape, were held some time back. To set the stage, Dallas School Board politics is kind of like life in the Balkans. The entire focus is on what ethnic group can whine the loudest and get the most seats. The regularly scheduled meetings are events where people show up with weapons in full military garb in order to "influence" the governing body that pretends to educate the children of Dallas just as the children pretend to learn. I admit that I am at a loss to know what the enticement is for seeking one of these seats.

If you get elected from the Anglo community you're a racist or were elected because of racism, and the Hispanic and African American members hate you. If you get elected from the African American community you are a trouble maker and the Anglo and Hispanic members hate you. If you get elected from the Hispanic community you are trying to take over Dallas politics and the African American and Anglo members hate you. God help you if you're Asian.

There must be some attraction for becoming a member of the DISD Board of Trustees. What could it be? Could it be prestige? Surely not. Where is the honor of being a member of an organization that everyone laughs at? Could it be power? Maybe. I guess there must be some power in kowtowing to one community constituency or another. Patronage? Are members of the board allowed to decide who gets the government contracts to work on the infrastructure of the Public Schools? Since little or nothing is being done to actually improve the content of what is being taught, I suppose a lot of time can be allotted to pick contractors.

Anyway, during these closed door meetings back in the fall, there were words used and statements made which upset the fragile minded and offended just about everyone. Of course, it doesn't take much to upset the hypersensitive, easily offended groups of folks who hang around the DISD school board. I sometimes think that the various constituencies of the Dallas School District have designated people whose job it is to listen carefully to whatever words pass the lips of a school board member for anything they can be offended by. Then they can run to the news media who will see how many people they can stir up. What any of this has to do with educating kids is beyond me.

So given the climate of "I'm offended!" "No I was offended first!" that permeates Dallas, it seems unlikely that anyone with any brains at all, would put themselves into a situation where they would hold secret meetings (that were being taped). Not only that, they then proceeded to make crude remarks about the ethnicity of groups or other board members while they drew district lines to ensure their own re-elections. I mean….come on! What makes this all the more bizarre is that people aren't even being paid to serve on this board. They accept public humiliation, community persecution and possible legal prosecution…for free. Usually people must be paid to make fools of themselves.