Bob Schieffer Warns Fort Worth Corruption Will Rise Without Real Newspaper

Last night I got one of those worrisome Facebook messages telling me I have been tagged. This always sounds slightly threatening to me. This time, as it often does, the tagging came from Elsie Hotpepper.

The Star-Telegram had printed one of its patented bizarrely ironic articles, an opinion piece titled Schieffer: Corruption will rise if local news organizations aren’t here to fight it.

The obvious irony, made obvious just by the title, even before you get to the ironies in the article, is that Fort Worth is already rife with corruption due to having no local newspaper of the shining a light on truth, justice and the American Way sort.

In other towns in America, towns with real newspapers, local corruption, such as nepotism, would be made a criminal legal issue. In such a town with a real newspaper questions about corruption would be asked of a local congressperson if said congressperson benefited financially, or personally, by advocating an ill conceived, ill actualized pseudo public works project the public never voted to approve.

The Facebook posting about this Star-Telegram article generated a lot of comments. I share some below, giving you a clue that not everyone in the readership area ill served by the Star-Telegram are sheep, cluelessly unaware of the corruption which has corrupted their town.

A sampling of those comments, with a few from me, the second of which was made after I actually read this latest embarrassing Star-Telegram propaganda...

Aaron Harris: I think this is a satire piece...right??

Elsie Hotpepper: I can’t stop laughing long enough to finish reading it.

Fort Worth Mayor
 Betsy Price

Mary Kelleher: It has to be a satire piece! Wow! Our mayor!

Melissa McAdoo-McDougall: It is laughable! They never cease to amaze me.

Chris Putnam: Is this The Onion???

Durango Jones: You people really should consider cutting this elderly man some slack. It is highly likely his delusions are senility or Alzheimer related. He probably thinks Betsy Price is his grandma, and Fort Worth is New York City, and the Star-Telegram is the New York Times. Or some equally sad, pitiful confusion. Or maybe the old guy can no longer read and has no awareness that the Star-Telegram does not function as a real newspaper covering real local issues, let alone the wanton corruption which so obviously corrupts the town that sad newspaper so ill serves....I'm done now....

Durango Jones: Ugh. I have now actually read this Scheiffer opinion piece. I do not think Mr. Scheiffer has any awareness of the fact that the newspaper he worked at years ago has become the very type newspaper he warns about. Corrupted by a strange hubris which has the Star-Telegram functioning as some sort of perverse propaganda organ of the Chamber of Commerce sort, spewing delusions and ignoring, well, not investigating and reporting on obvious corruption. Things like acts of nepotism which should not, would not, happen in a town with a real newspaper. How long would J.D. Granger and his mother last in a modern American town with a real newspaper? A town like New York City, Or Seattle. Or Denver. Or Portland. Or Phoenix. Or San Francisco. Or Austin....

Elsie Hotpepper: Someone...needs to write a note to the new girl and let her know instead of writing about ‘coaching salaries’ maybe be she go downstairs and look around.

Durango Jones: Elsie Hotpepper--- New girl? Go downstairs? What does that mean???

Elsie Hotpepper: Durango Jones---the new girl running the ST. She needs an open letter telling her no one buys this crap for a reason, about a billion of them.

Durango Jones: Elsie Hotpepper--- Is this new girl an actual real journalist? Or just another, well, toady????

Elsie Hotpepper: Durango Jones---we’re about to find out. The ST has a very long history of shoving one sided propaganda down our throats. Ask them to write a ‘fair’ article on your Congresswoman, her baby and their 13+ year, billion + dollar project. Just one.

Apparently Breitbart Is Back Rooting Out Corruption At The Tarrant Regional Water District

This afternoon I came upon an interesting article in the Star Telegraph blog. Please note that that is Star Telegraph, not Star Telegram, to which I am referring.

The Star Telegraph blog post was titled Breitbart's back.

Breitbart's back is not about some guy named Breitbart's back problems.

Breitbart's back is about the problem with the entity known as the Tarrant Regional Water District.

The somewhat controversial publication known as Breitbart has been investigating the controversially corrupt entity known as the Tarrant Regional Water District.

In Breitbart's latest edition you can read an article titled ROOTING OUT CORRUPTION AT THE TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT which roots out, in easy to understand language, why those who know corruption when they see it look at the shenanigans of the Tarrant Regional Water District in amazement that those shenanigans continue with no adults intervening and putting a stop to the bad behavior.

Or maybe this fester of corruption needs a federal intervention with the perps rounded up, handcuffed and jailed. Pending trial. Maybe that will come after the 60 Minutes expose.

I have long thought Fort Worth would benefit from a good hard hitting 60 Minutes expose.

My favorite paragraph in the Breitbart  article was this...

The move comes in support of reform-minded Board Member, Mary Kelleher, who believes the documents contain potentially incriminating information regarding the TRWD’s alleged misuse of public funds, cronyism, and numerous other activities surrounding what is known as the “Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.”

I like to believe that it was I who first attached the "Boondoggle" word to the Trinity River Vision. But, I suspect that is not the case, what with the Trinity River Vision so obviously being a boondoggle, attaching that appellation to it likely crossed the minds of dozens of locals appalled at the ridiculousness of the entire bizarre thing.

Including the TRWD's corrupt hiring of Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger's un-qualified son, J.D., to run the massive pseudo public works project which the public has never been allowed to vote on. Hiring an un-qualified relative of a political power, for a government job, is what is known as nepotism, and is frowned upon, or is outright illegal, in areas of the world where democracy has been established.

Also, regarding the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, Laurence Meyers, the writer of the ROOTING OUT CORRUPTION AT THE TARRANT REGIONAL WATER DISTRICT article, must not have gotten the memo that due to imaginary public input the name of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has been officially changed to the Panther Island Boondoggle.

The name change thing  is just one more boondoggly addition to the ongoing embarrassing boondoggle...

The Continuing Quest To Find Who Is At The Center Of Fort Worth's Culture Of Corruption

Last week I blogged about wondering who it was Who Is At The Center Of Fort Worth's Culture Of Corruption? In that particular blogging it appeared that Fort Worth Wheeler Dealer, Jim Lane, was at the Center of the Culture of Corruption, graphic-wise.

Moments ago I had reason to re-read another blogging from last week titled Walking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Thinking About Replacing Kay Granger With Wendy Davis, Mary Kelleher Or Elsie Hotpepper in which I mentioned I had read a very amusing paragraph that mentioned both Jim Oliver and J.D.Granger in an article written by Clyde Picht in the Fort Worth Business Press....

Needing a director for the TRVA with high qualifications – someone versed in construction, engineering and hydrology, to name a few essential skills – the water district’s general manager, Jim Oliver, went for the best. This being potentially a billion dollar project, Oliver zeroed in on the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office and found a tier 4 law school graduate working as an assistant DA. Selecting J.D. Granger to head TRVA was rather fortuitous because his mother, Kay Granger, happened to be a member of Congress and federal money was required for the key requirement of building a bypass channel and dams and hydraulic locks and all the really expensive stuff.

Re-reading what Clyde Picht wrote about J.D. Granger being picked as the guy to run the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is why at this point in time, in the graphic above, I have J.D. Granger at the Center of Fort Worth's Culture of Corruption.

Re-reading what Clyde Picht wrote got me thinking about TRWD board member Mary Kelleher's quest to get TRWD documents available for Mary's, and the public's perusal.

Thinking about TRWD documents got me wondering what sort of documentation exists of the communications between J.D. Granger and Jim Oliver regarding hiring J.D. to run the TRVB project.

J.D Granger was working as an assistant District Attorney. So, what happened? Did J.D. get a call one day, during a break from prosecuting, from Jim Oliver? An email? A personal meeting?

When Jim Oliver suggested to J.D. Granger that he was the man he wanted to run the TRV Boondoggle, what did J.D. say?

Did J.D. say to Jim Oliver I have absolutely no qualifications for such a job? Did J.D. ask Jim Oliver why are you thinking I could, or should, take this job?

What was Jim Oliver's explanation, to J.D., as to why Jim Oliver thought J.D. was the man for this particular job?

When the selection of J.D. Granger was made to run this billion dollar boondoggle, how was this selection presented to the TRWD Board? What discussion took place? Did Jim Lane or Marty Leonard or any of the other board members inquire of Jim Oliver as to what J.D. Granger's qualifications were?

Should there not be rather detailed records regarding as important a subject as the hiring of the person to run such an important, uh, flood control project?

Has the Fort Worth Star-Telegram or Fort Worth Weekly or anybody ever directly asked J.D. Granger how he is qualified for his Trinity River Vision Boondoggle job?

That seems as pertinent a question today as it did back when J.D. got the job, what with the Trinity River Vision project now clearly, solidly into boondoggle mode. And with that being the case, who do you blame?

The unqualified guy hired to do the job?

Or those who agreed to hire him?

Or the Culture of Corruption that permits such things to take place?

Who Is At The Center Of Fort Worth's Culture Of Corruption?

I don't see TRWD board member Marty Leonard clutching her pearls in the above illustration. But that does appear to be Jim Lane at the Center of the Culture of Corruption.

Today I did not feel like going walking or biking in the HOT humidity. I was already overheated in my abode, due to being annoyed regarding what I was being told about yesterday's Tarrant Regional Water District board meeting.

Apparently, at some point in the meeting, board member Jim Lane berated Mary Kelleher over campaign claims made in mailings in the last election. Lane acted like a hostile bully, disgusting many in the packed meeting room.

It has been a month since the TRWD Olivergate Scandal erupted. I blogged about Jim Oliver's bad bully boy behavior in The TRWD Olivergate Scandal Takes Another Scandalous Turn With Denials, Lies & Cover-Ups.

The Olivergate Scandal came about because newly elected TRWD board member, Mary Kelleher, had the raw gall to request some TRWD records. TRWD employee, Jim Oliver, then had what amounted to a hissy fit, directed at Mary Kelleher.

And now what do I learn today?

A month later and Mary Kelleher has received few of the records she requested.

It gets better.

Yesterday Mary Kelleher's fellow TRWD board members voted in a new operating procedure regarding the viewing of TRWD records.

The new operating procedure requires a board member to get the approval of the other board members in order to view the public TRWD records.

Huh?

What have these people done that they are going to such lengths to keep from being public information?

I am also wondering what it takes to trigger a federal racketeering type investigation. One of those deals where a grand jury hands down indictments, with dozens of elected officials and public employees taken to jail in handcuffs and ankle chains?

Is Fort Worth too much of a remote backwater for the FBI to bother with?

Today The Corruption In Texas Reached A New High, I Mean, Low, For Me

There has been a time or two since I've been in Texas that some crazy Texas thing has been so nuts that it made me mad. And ready to escape this insane asylum.

Today Texas topped itself. I do not remember when I've been madder at this state, or more embarrassed by it, than I am today.

Okay, maybe being mad at the entire state is a bit unfair. Put another way, as an American, I am embarrassed and ashamed of what took place in Texas this morning.

On March 4, dozens of Texans showed up at the Tarrant County Courthouse to show support for Steve Doeung in his battle against Chesapeake Energy, attempting to save his home on Carter Avenue.

That is the satellite view of Carter Avenue in the picture, with Steve Doeung's home a bit right of the crying Statue of Liberty.

On March 4, dozens of Carter Avenue supporters were in Judge Sprinkle's courtroom to observe Steve's latest hearing.

At the end of the hearing Judge Sprinkle clearly said that he had no choice but to sign the order granting Chesapeake Energy the right to put a pipeline under Steve's home.

Judge Sprinkle also clearly said, to Steve, and to those of us listening, that Steve had 30 days, from the time Judge Sprinkle signed the order, to file an appeal.

There was some discussion as to when the 30 days started. Steve urged the Judge to put off signing as long as possible due to an expected BIG announcement which would change everything. That announcement came a few days later when TXDOT agreed to work with Chesapeake Energy on an alternative pipeline route.

Common sense would seem to dictate that an alternative route would be the end of abusing eminent domain to take Steve Doeung's property. Well, common sense is in short supply in these parts.

Judge Sprinkle clearly told Steve that Steve would be notified when Judge Sprinkle signed the order.

Judge Sprinkle also advised Steve that he could make use of the 4th floor law library to help prepare his appeal.

This morning Steve Doeung returned to the Tarrant County Courthouse to file some sort of petitition to the court. The court records person was preparing to take Steve's $50 filing fee when Judge Sprinkle's clerk showed up, asked Steve what he was doing there and told Steve that the order had been signed Tuesday, March 9 and that Steve's Case was Closed.

What?

I do not take being lied to well. I particularly do not take well to a person in authority lying and abusing his public trust. One element of Steve Doeung's appeal was the various acts of improper procedural matters. As in, Steve was not served proper paperwork. Chesapeake's lawyers claimed Steve could not be found and so they did some legal mumbo jumbo, something called "ad litem" or something like that, where a party is absent and so a lawyer is assigned to supposedly look out for Steve's interests.

That lawyer's name is Ed Fitzgerald. Steve has never met Ed Fitzgerald. Judge Sprinkle seemed to see no problem with this bizarre aspect of the case. I believe Steve's pseudo lawyer was supplied by Chesapeake Energy. Does anyone know what Kafkaesque means?

I get confused trying to sort through all the ways justice has been miscarried in this case.

What are we to make of Judge Sprinkle? Did he purposefully lie to Steve and a courtroom full of observers? Why would he do that? When one observes what appears to be corrupt behavior one tends to wonder what the source of the corruption is. As in, the why of the lie? And the other miscarriages of justice in this case.

Does Judge Sprinkle own stock in the gas drillers? Like Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief does? Is Mike Moncrief Judge Sprinkle's best friend? Does Judge Sprinkle have some unseemly tie to Chesapeake Energy?

Please, someone, explain to me why this Judge can do what he did? Lying in court, misleading the defendant? Over looking misconduct by the Chesapeake lawyers. Ignoring Steve Doeung's complaints about not being properly served, about not being given key documents.

How is it that Steve Doeung has been robbed of his right to appeal? At every step of the way the law, as malpracticed in Texas, has slapped with a way too heavy hand.

My little sister is a lawyer. She works for the state, in Washington. Investigating complaints of judicial misconduct. Does Texas have an equivalent to my little sister? Little sister, I know you're too busy to read my busy blog, but if you are reading this, go here, to get yourself up to speed on the scandal. Then, once you get yourself into being righteously indignant mode, call your Texas equivalent, if you don't mind. Because we need help here.

I am so disgusted with Texas today that it's got me in FULL I need to get out of this corrupt state mode. I'm sick and tired of being so sick and tired of all the sick and tired things that go on here.

I am so embarrassed at how America, via Texas, has treated Steve Doeung. This is a guy who escaped Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, who's dad insisted the family come to America. They had other choices, but the Doeung's wanted to live in the Land of the Free.

The idea that Steve Doeung has been subjected to what amounts to a Kangaroo Court worthy of the pseudo justice system that prevailed in the defunct Soviet Union, should embarrass any right-minded Texan. Let alone the rest of America.

The majority of those who read this blog are not Texan. Is there anyone reading this out in America, you know, the America Steve's family dreamed they were moving to, who could, maybe somehow, find a way to grant the Doeung's safe refuge? I can't get Steve's mom out of my mind from that Thursday in Judge Sprinkle's corrupt courtroom. She was shaking, she was so scared. It all reminded Steve's mom of being back in danger from the communists. Doesn't that make you proud, Texas?

Maybe the Doeung's can follow me back to the west coast where the individual and his rights are respected and protected in a way alien to modern day Texas.

You can fix this Texas. I'm not quite sure how. What I do know for sure is there needs to be some corruption cleaning done. Just follow the money and the corruption path should be fairly obvious.

And where is the FBI? Really, what does it take, what level of corruption? When I got gas today, and called my mom, I told her the mayor of this corrupt town makes over $600,000 a year from the gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth. My mom said something like, "I don't think that's legal. Why hasn't he been arrested?"

Mom is so naive, even though she's visited Texas several times, she doesn't get that Texas is not really part of the America she lives in.

Fort Worth's Mayor Mike Moncrief & All The King's Men

I watched the last hour, or so, of All The King's Men, whilst eating tacos this afternoon.

Blue corn tacos with tofu/beef and Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar.

I don't know why I digressed to tacos.

All The King's Men is about corruption in a southern state, I'm not sure which one. Louisiana? Texas?

Willie Stark is the Governor/King. Willie started off with good intentions, but gradually got more and more corrupt. And did ever worse bad deeds.

Willie was able to con the people with his platitudes and by building a lot of public works that he put his name on, like hospitals and roads.

I don't know if Governor Willie built any fake lakes from any rivers in his state. Or if he ran any bogus flood diversion channels to try and con some money from the Federal government.

Eventually impeachment charges were brought against Willie, which he successfully fought, only to be shot by one of the people he'd run roughshod over.

Yesterday I spent a couple hours with good citizens concerned about the corruption that permeates to varying degrees throughout the area known as the Barnett Shale, with the locus of corruption seeming to be Fort Worth and the county of Tarrant, of which Fort Worth is the county seat.

The corruption seems to spread, like a cancer, a malignancy seemingly impervious to any known treatment. Calls for the FBI to investigate go ignored.

Pointing out that the Mayor of Fort Worth, makes over $600,000 a year from the various gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth, those being gas drillers who Mayor Moncrief helps in various sundry ways, which is clearly illegal, clearly a conflict of interest, seems to not matter.

Minimally Moncrief should have recused himself from having any part of any decision affecting any business from which he gains monetarily. Moncrief should have had to unburden himself of the conflicts of interest by divesting himself of any holdings in the gas driller companies.

And then there is the corruption in the boondoggle known as the Trinity River Vision. The vision has been being funded mostly by money that Congresswoman Kay Granger has been throwing Fort Worth's way via earmarks stuck on spending bills. That is now a big no no. Where will the TVR get money now?

Another point of obvious corruption regarding the TRV is the fact that Kay Granger's son, J.D. Granger, was put in charge of the TRV project, a job for which he had zero credentials. What Kay Granger did is what is known as nepotism. Nepotism is a big NO NO in civilized parts of America.

The TRV has never been put to a public vote. And yet eminent domain is being abused to take property for the supposed public good, purchased, I guess, with the ill gotten gains of those Kay Granger earmarks.

Near as I can tell, the cancer continues to spread, more politicians are being bought off in various ways, newspapers co-opted, even newspapers, thought to be safe from being co-opted, seem to have been corrupted and co-opted by the Bad Boy powers that be.

What can stop this ever growing cancer? I don't think radiation or chemotherapy is an option. Radical surgery seems the way to go. An honest person needs to penetrate the Good Ol' Boy Network and throw open the closed door, opening the books, naming names, pointing fingers, insisting on a Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation.

I thoroughly believe that Fort Worth will not be well until the various tumors are removed. I think the Mike Moncrief tumor is a very good place to start. How to go about that operation? I have no idea....

Largest Corruption Case In Dallas History, Is Fort Worth Next?

I think I may have mentioned previously, how it perplexes me, that it seems as if Fort Worth, and Tarrant County, are under some sort of protective bubble, which somehow protects this zone from the rules, regulations, standards, ethics, common sense and laws that apply in other parts of America.

Dallas and Dallas County are not under a protective bubble. On June 20, 2005, a small army of FBI agents moved on the Dallas City Hall, taking computers, carting off boxes, taking photos.

In Fort Worth a small army of City of Fort Worth agents moved on the home of Steve Doeung, because he had dared to fight back against the city and its natural gas drilling partners.

For some reason the FBI is not, as far as I know, investigating the collusion between the Mayor of Fort Worth, Mike Moncrief, and the gas industry he is in cahoots with.

A mayor, or any elected official, is not supposed to participate in policy making regarding anything from which he may financially gain.

Mike Moncrief financially gains over $600,000 a year from his holdings in the natural gas companies, poking holes, in the town of which he is mayor.

In Dallas 16 people were eventually charged in a 31 count indictment, including former mayor pro-tem, Don Hill. This has been the largest bribery and corruption case in Dallas history.

Near as I can tell the amount of money that was extorted in Dallas is puny compared to the millions Moncrief has made from the natural gas drilling companies, since becoming Fort Worth's mayor.

I think the FBI's active part in the Dallas corruption is over and they might now be able to aim their investigate eyes 30 miles westward.

I think an investigation in to how the raid on Steve Doeung's home came about, after he dared to fight back against Chesapeake Energy and the City of Fort Worth, would lead to some interesting places. Someone had to have ordered the intimidating raid.

Who?

I think the FBI could find that out. And I believe it is highly likely when the FBI finds out who ordered the raid on Steve Doeung's home that that person will be found to be financially gaining from the natural gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth.

At the point, when the FBI makes that connection, they will quite clearly see that a crime had been committed. From that point on, the FBI investigation can spread out to root out all the other related corruption and eventually get the perps in a federal court room.

Yeah, I know, I'm a deluded optimist. But, you only get one life. I choose to live mine as a dreamer.

Too Much Asthma In The Barnett Shale Zone of Texas & One Case In Tacoma

When I got gas yesterday and called my mom in Phoenix, like I always do when I get gas, I was telling mom about some of the nefarious goings on here in the Barnett Shale zone of North Texas, where we have all gone from being Citizens of the Shale to being Victims of the Shale.

I did not tell my mom about my bizarre encounters with Express Energy Services and the goons in their employ.

But I did mention the cancer cluster that is being investigated in Flower Mound, where an inordinate number of kids have leukemia.

I also mentioned the recent revelation that something like 25% of kids in the Barnett Shale zone have asthma, while the average for the rest of Texas is in the 7% range. Clearly something has gone badly amok in the Barnett Shale zone.

But the adults responsible for looking out for the welfare of the area's citizens are not doing their job. Some of the responsible agencies have been co-opted and corrupted by gas industry lackeys, as well as local governments, like Fort Worth's, where a gas industry lackey was installed as mayor and now is on the take, from the gas drilling companies, to the tune of over $600,000 a year,

It seems the rest of America has given up on this area. Not even the EPA seems to have any clout here. So, the bad stuff just keeps happening, like an asthma epidemic and way too many kids getting leukemia. And as far as I know, there is no FBI investigation in to the corruption here, or any other federal investigation. I don't get it. It's very perplexing.

Anyway, at the point I mentioned asthma, my mom changed the subject to Tacoma, where the kid you see in the picture, above, recently had to be hospitalized due to asthma. The little guy is on oxygen. Now, who is this little guy, you can't help but wonder?

Well, his name is David and my mom also told me that David is about to become my new nephew. My little sister is adopting David.

I had not looked at the blog that my little sister's two poodles, Blue & Max, use to convey their adventures and woes to the world, in awhile. But, after my mom told me about David's asthma woes, I checked in on Blue & Max and saw the picture of David in the hospital.

I also saw a picture of my little brother, Jake, holding David. I do not know if this was pre, or post, David being in the hospital. My mom told me my brother and his current wife were up in Washington. He also lives in Arizona. I have not seen my brother since, I think, April of 2006, at the wedding of his oldest son, my nephew, Jason. I was sort of surprised to see that my little brother now looks sort of like a bloated up version of me. With glasses. And very short hair. And an extra chin.

I'd give you the link to the Blue & Max blog, but they've become very security conscious and only let invited guests view their blog. Which is a shame, because it's such a darn cute blog.

Corrupt Conflicts Of Interest Taking Over Fort Worth

UPDATED: 1/6/09--New info about the infamous map

UPDATED: 1/5/09--New input from a reliable source I will refer to as Deep Throat

That's a map on the left. Some call it an infamous map. Why, you ask? Well, that map was found at what is known as the Thomas well site. The Thomas well site is the Chesapeake Energy drill site that has stirred so much controversy due to it being next to Tandy Hills Park. And being part of the Tandy Hills.

So, why is this map infamous, you continue to ask? Well, the map belonged to and was made by Dunaway Associates. That's a consulting firm.

Big deal, you're thinking. Well, Jim Dunaway was one of the developers on the first Gas Drilling Task Force. The Task Force makes decisions regarding drilling. The company Jim Dunaway's father founded and ran for years is directly involved in the destruction of land next to Tandy Hills Natural Area. Dunaway work trucks have been photographed at the Thomas/Tandy Hills drilling site.

The infamous Thomas well site map gets most of its infamy due to the fact that, despite Chesapeake Energy applying for and getting approval for a single gas well permit at this particular site, the map clearly shows more than one gas well.

Task Force member, Gary Hogan, reports that Dunaway did not participate much in the first Task Force. Dunaway was replaced, early on, by Walsh Ranch representative, Rob Green. He being another pro-driller. Dunaway has extensive connections at city hall. Regardless of the amount of time Dunaway spent on the Task Force, this still was a fox in the chicken coop situation, with Dunaway later profitting from drilling operations he was, earlier, part of overseeing.

To help set government policy for some business activity from which you profit is generally thought of as a conflict of interest. This is usually frowned upon, sometimes to such a degree that those participating in such dubious deeds end up doing jail time and paying large fines.

Jim Dunaway is also a contributor to Mike Moncrief's election campaigns.

A reliable, anonymous source, I will call Deep Throat, had this to say about Jim Dunaway, "I'll quickly note, not for attribution, but for your info, that whenever I see Jim Dunaway associated with something I already know it's wrong and probably evil. He is a lowlife SOB that has not an inkling or care about the world we live in. Other than that, he is probably a fine person."

For some unfathomable reason, Mike Moncrief continues to avoid being charged with serious conflicts of interests, while Moncrief and his wife have substantial holdings in most of the gas drillers operating in Fort Worth. In other words, Moncrief profits from the operations he is part of regulating.

And in yet one more example of a conflict of interest, this morning I learned that Lead Gas Drilling Inspector, David Lunsford, now works for a pipeline company. Lunsford has been quoted as saying he rarely received complaints. Lunsford was known to dismiss gas drilling concerns out of hand. One can not help but wonder how much effort Lunsford put into protecting the public, when he had a cushy pipeline job waiting for him.

And then we have Don Behrens. Hired by the City of Fort Worth to consult and offer advice to the city and the Gas Drilling Task Force on sound mitigation. He is now selling products to Barnett Shale drillers. At one point Behrens had a monopoly on sound mitigation blankets. Behrens had a direct influence on the sound mitigation rules specified in the city's sound mitigation ordinance. Behrens misrepresented his Los Angeles drilling experience to the FW City Council and the Task Force.

Why are these type conflict of interests allowed in Fort Worth? I don't know. It's like there is no oversight.

I can't imagine the same type thing happening in Seattle. If the mayor had a vested interest in Starbucks he knows he would have to recuse himself from having any part in approving or disapproving some request from Starbucks. That's only common sense. Except in Fort Worth, where an entirely different set of rules apply to how things get done.