America's Biggest Boondoggle Allegedly Finally Completes Something Worthwhile

What you are looking at here is a screen cap from the NBC DFW website, that being the online version of the Dallas Fort Worth NBC affiliate.

The article we are looking at is titled Art Piece Completed for Trinity River Vision Project.

The caption under the person talking with his hands says "Work on Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Bridges has been going on for years and there are a few more years to go, but on Monday morning, one part of the project was complete."

The part of the project that is complete, after all these years, is an alleged work of art, that being the metal object the above person's right hand is pointing towards.

If you have driven by The Boondoggle's bridge construction zone you have likely seen this work of art and wondered to yourself why, among with maybe a few other choice words.

Work on The Boondoggle's bridges have been going on for years, with a few more years to go? NBC DFW makes The Boondoggle's boondoggle sound even worse than the embarrassment it actually is.

Actually only one of The Boondoggle's three simple little bridges is being worked on, with that work starting with a bang a little over a year ago, with not much to show for the effort til a couple months ago.

This NBC DFW article and news clip contains several gems in addition to what has already been mentioned, such as....

Most Fort Worth public art is installed after a project finishes or at the very tail end. In this case, Wind Roundabout is really the first finished piece of the Trinity River Vision Project, also known as Panther Island. 

I wonder if NBC DFW can provide us with some examples of Fort Worth public art which was installed after a project was finished, or at the tail end? I draw a blank. This work of art is the first "finished piece of the Trinity River Vision Project?" How can any legit news source print, or say that, without realizing something is dire wrong if this art project is the first finished piece of a project that has been boondoggling along for well over a decade?

Does the now defunct Cowtown Wakepark not count as one of The Boondoggle's completed projects?

The reasoning as to why public funds, for this public works project the public has never voted for, have been spent on an "art" installation, at this stage of the project, is just a bit bizarre....

"The decision was that it would be nice to show something that indicates the progress," said Martha Peters, of Fort Worth Public Art. Showing drivers and residents that progress is happening is part of the reason. Another major reason is that with the artist selected and the piece designed, building it in the future could prove to be more costly. With the piece now finished, it's a chance to show off what the future may hold for an area currently undergoing major construction for the bridges. "It's really sort of setting the stage for the kind of architecture and development the Panther Island Project will bring to Fort Worth," Peters said.

Oh, I see,  part of the reason for adding this work of art to this unfinished project is to show drivers that progress is happening with The Boondoggle. Yes, I am sure that is what most of those driving by that work of  "art" have thought to themselves. As in, something like "Oh my, look at that progress! And here we were thinking nothing was happening with this vitally needed flood and economic development project."

This "art" installation is setting the stage for the kind of development the Panther Island Project will bring to Fort Worth? Could this not be interpreted as a cautionary warning?

When I first saw this art work in progress and wondered why such a thing is being installed now amongst all this sloppy construction mess I figured the artist must be a relative of J.D. Granger or Jim Oliver or Bryan Epstein, in dire need of funds. Thinking thusly due to The Boondoggle and the TRWD's penchant for corrupt nepotism.

The installer of the work of art is a German living in Maine named Uwe Langmesser. The work of art was designed by some other German whose name I have forgotten. I guess nepotism could still be in play, even though those installing the artwork do not have an obvious connection to The Boondoggle's perpetrators.

Another thing about this work of art which bothers me came to mind when I listened to Uwe the Installer wax poetic about how the wind creates a kinetic piece of ever changing art as it blows the thousands of aluminum flappers in the wind.

I thought to myself, is it really a good idea to put such a visual distraction at the center of a big roundabout where all drivers should be focusing their attention on making their way around the big circle, and not staring at some metal blowing in the wind?

I'm guessing the inside, true story as to why this ridiculous piece of art has already been installed in an ongoing construction zone would make for an actual news story, rather than the puff piece of propaganda produced by NBC DFW.....

What Do Grover Cleveland & Tammany Hall Have To Do With Fort Worth's 7th Street Gang?

"Ma ma where's my pa" by Frank Beard (1842−1905)

The recent TRWD Board Election featured the most ridiculous mud slinging smears I have ever had the pleasure to witness.

The TRWD Board incumbents have in their employ, for election time smearing, a professional character assassin named Bryan Epstein.

Mr. Epstein came up with the genius tactic of informing voters that an evil Dallas businessman was plotting to take Fort Worth's water while digging up a World War II veteran's grave and if voters did not vote for the incumbents they would soon be drinking toilet water.

Yeah, it's sort of funny when you sum it up like that. But it wasn't so funny finding this absurd propaganda in my mailbox. Or that Fort Worth's highly educated, highly intelligent voters, supposedly, were easily able to be influenced by lies, smears, propaganda and an irrational fear of Dallas.

I do not know if Mr. Epstein was practicing his craft back in 1884. What I do know is the presidential campaign of 1884 had some character assassinating of the sort that some TRWD Board incumbents would be totally okay with.

Corruption in politics was the big issue in the election of 1884, just like it should have been in the Tarrant Region election of 2015.

Grover Cleveland was the reform candidate, a Democrat, with a spotless reputation. James G. Blaine was the Republican candidate. Blaine had a reputation for corruption and scandals being linked to him.

As the campaign began it was said that not since George Washington had a presidential candidate been so renowned for his rectitude as was Grover Cleveland.

Then the Republican character assassins struck.

Something unseemly had been discovered in Cleveland's past.

In cahoots with a publicity seeking preacher named George Ball, the Republicans accused Cleveland of fathering a child without marrying the mother, whilst he was a lawyer in Buffalo, New York.

The Republican's campaign chant became "Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa?"

Cleveland quickly admitted he had been paying child support since 1874 to Maria Crofts Halpin, who claimed Grover was the baby daddy of a boy she named Oscar Folsom. Apparently Miss Halpin led a busy social life, "friendly" with several men, including Grover's friend and law partner, Oscar Folsom, after whom she named the boy.

Cleveland was the only bachelor among the men who had been "friendly" with the baby mama, so he took responsibility for the baby, so as to spare the other's marital woes.

Shortly before the voting took place in the 1884 election the Republican press published an affidavit from Miss Halpin in which she claimed that until Grover corrupted her she was "Pure and spotless and that there is not, and never was, a doubt as to the paternity of our child, and the attempt of Grover Cleveland, or his friends, to couple the name of Oscar Folsom, or any one else, with that boy, for that purpose is simply infamous and false."

Voters in 1884 were not as easily duped by sleazy campaign tactics as Texas voters, well, Tarrant Region voters are in 2015, because Grover Cleveland won that election. At the victory celebration the celebration chant became "Ma, Ma, Where's My Pa? Gone to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha!"

Grover Cleveland went on to win the popular vote in two more elections.

But he did not become president for a second term after winning his second election.

Even though Grover Cleveland won the popular vote in his second presidential race he did not get to continue being America's president.

New York's infamous Tammany Hall rigged the election.

Tammany Hall was able to deny Cleveland the electoral votes of his home state, giving the presidency to Benjamin Harrison, who did not do too well on the job, so the voters re-elected Grover Cleveland in 1892, with Tammany Hall unable to stop Grover a second time.

New York's infamous Tammany Hall corrupted New York, and national, politics for a long time, from after the Civil War, well into the next century, rigging elections, shady business deals, graft, bribery, all sorts of corruption.

Fort Worth's Tammany Hall equivalent is known as The 7th Street Gang.

I do not know how long this gang has been in control of Fort Worth. Or how many elections they have rigged......