Exonerees and friends

Mayor Tom Leppert decreed May 1 to be exoneree day in Dallas. To honor the one year anniversary UTA school of social work put on a conference. I left the good camera at home so unfortunately the little digital one will have to do. Pictured here are some exonerees and friends of the cause. It was very moving to see these gentlemen present D.A. Watkins with an award. Mr. Watkins speech was great as always, I am starting to get jealous of his uncanny ability to improv as he says all of his speeches are. Watkins spoke about how these gentleman have been consumed by the fight and the fight has been admirable but what will they do when things get easy for them. Their choices at that point will be the measure of their victory. I have an enourmous amount of respect for Craig Watkins. He is a great politician, not always a compliment. I have now heard him speak in person three times. Each time was better than the last. In hearing him speak at SMU on Sunday night he touched a little on what he had said to the exonerees on Friday and then he applied it to himself. Things are in deed starting to get easy for Mr. Watkins. He is famous and well liked. He does not need to fight the way he used to to survive in politcs. He readily admits this will be his greatest challenge yet and a test to his character. What will he do with his power now that its easy? He admits to liking the attention. He wants to be Governor of Texas and then President. His ambitions are high but when faced with tough choices will he choose what is popular in order to hold onto his political power or will he do what is right and risk losing his noteriety and jeapordizing his higher office ambitions? I love that he knows this about himself. That he will be tested. At least he is aware. Hopefully that and his faith and his family will save him from the temptation to sit back do what is easy instead of what is right.