"Bushwhacked," by Matt Pulle, July 2
Goliath 1, David 0
As the son of Pat Davenport and brother of Leslie, I am thrilled to see this article published. Of course, I am extremely doubtful that anyone at SMU will ever admit to their devilish doings regarding the University Gardens land grab, [but] I do hope that at least privately some of them feel at least some sense of shame as they read this story. My mother and sister spent so much time over so many years trying to fight for the value of my mother's property in the complex that they hardly had time to focus on anything else. It was truly an all-consuming effort, very reminiscent of David fighting Goliath—only in this case Goliath and his oh-so-deep pockets won the battle.
I saw the toll that trying to save her home took on my mother. I can't count the times that I called or visited her and found her in tears worrying about how things would end up. Like my sister, I too believe that the resulting stress and worry over several years was a major contributing factor to my mother's contracting cancer and her inability to survive the disease. While nothing can bring her back to the family and friends that loved her, I do hope that SMU will ultimately pay some price for their evil deeds. This story sheds a lot of light on the truth that a lot of people may not know about, and I love that SMU's precious pride and reputation will be tarnished by it. I urge everyone who reads this story and is moved, angered or outraged by it to take a moment to let SMU know how you feel—pick up a phone, fire off an e-mail or send them a letter. Further, I enthusiastically cheer on Gary Vodicka and Robert Tafel in their ongoing litigation. SMU has exhibited enormous greed and avarice in the way that they cheated the mostly elderly property owners out of what they should have been able to get for their property. (Even if they had wanted to be uprooted from their stable homes, there is nowhere in the Park Cities that they could have relocated to with the paltry amount of money that they were forced to sell for.) The ultimate slap in SMU's face would be for them to have to loosen up their purse strings and give some of that money back.
Thank you, Matt Pulle, for writing this!
Bryan Davenport, via dallasobserver.com
While I realize that the paper is up to its eyeballs with SMU students and alumni nickering and neighing and clopping their hooves about how DARE anybody run anything negative about the Bush Library (generally, to find the typical SMU brat combination of unearned arrogance, incredible insecurity and a complete inability to let anybody else get in the last word), I just thought I'd put in a word for writer Matt Pulle: well done. In particular, his article notes that SMU's own are finally getting some of the treatment they've been giving to the rest of Dallas for decades. Speaking from hard-earned experience, any business dealing with an SMU brat usually ends with the equivalent of being worked over with a 6-foot sandstone strap-on freshly lubed with habanero sauce. The darling likes you when he tries to hammer it in sideways while insisting you call him "Daddy" in the process.
That said, I figure that SMU should keep going, what with both the Bush Library and the Jerry Junkins Technology Center. When can we expect the Charles Manson Psychiatric Institute, the Madalyn Murray O'Hair Biblical Studies Symposium, or the Jeffrey Dahmer Culinary School?
Paul Riddell, Dallas
You're so biased and left-winged, how can you call yourself a journalist???
The cover of the latest Observer gave the impression that President George W. Bush was involved and somehow was responsible for shady dealings in the locating of the Bush Presidential Library at SMU. Even by reading your article, you could tell this was totally false.
You idiots are all alike. You couldn't tell/show the truth when it hits you in the face. Why do you feel it is in the best interest of our country to tear down the president even after he is no longer in office? What makes you hate Bush so strongly?
Jim Tunis
