It seems that to survive as a Democrat in Dallas County, Texas, you have to have just a touch of the crazy and Judge Clay Jenkins seems to be afflicted. Unfortunately, due to what people are calling a “political stunt,” he could have contracted a much worse affliction, Ebola. Jenkins was the person splashed all over the nation’s TVs last week when he loaded the family of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan into his Ford Explorer and drove them to an isolated area while their home was being decontaminated. He failed to protect himself while riding in the car with them, though, and parents at his daughter’s school are upset. Highland Park Independent School District officials were forced to address the concerns, stating that Jenkins asked them to “pass along the assurances of public health officials that he and his family are not at risk for exposure to Ebola as a result of his work on the case.” “Jenkins worked directly with the family members with whom the Ebola patient stayed to ensure that they were safely relocated to another residence where they will continue to be monitored,” the school district said in a statement. “According to reports, none of the family members have developed symptoms.” Source: Courthouse News Not everyone is complaining. Scientific American called him an “Ebola hero.” President Obama praised him and Valerie Jarrett, an advisor to Obama, called him “one of my favorite people.” Image courtesy of Topix Image courtesy of Topix Health officials all say that Jenkins’ actions were safe. Jenkins is not a judge as most people think of judges. For Texas, the County Judge is the highest office in the county. They oversee the budget and address various crises. Jarrett noted his work behind the scenes. She praised him for his ability to mobilize county resources while coordinating with federal officials, religious leaders and grass-roots groups. “He is able to open up doors for us on the ground and be our eyes and ears and [provide an] enormous amount of assistance,” Jarrett said. Source: Dallas News Everyone, of course, is fine, but it’s not the first time that Jenkins has taken bold action, which has been fodder to his critics. He was propelled to national fame when he volunteered his county to house unaccompanied minors crossing the Texas border, but he neglected to tell the Dallas County Commissioners Court and they vetoed the plan. While Democrats consider Jenkins compassionate, Republicans accuse him of being an attention grabber. His opponent in the upcoming election, Republican Ron Natinsky, is leading the way in criticism, calling Jenkins “needlessly risky” and accusing him of “putting the people of Dallas County at risk for political reasons.”
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 21:48:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015