The People Are Not Feeling Sweet About The Suite Deal Jerry Jones Gave Arlington City Officials

A few days ago I blogged about the Suite Deal Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys have given the City of Arlington officials who had helped abuse eminent domain to take Arlington citizen's homes, apartments and businesses, for the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium.

Lately I have made note of the fact that I'm not the only one in these parts who is detecting that there are ever growing numbers of Texans who see the unethical, corrupt, just plain wrong, stuff that goes on in this location, and are becoming ever more disgusted and willing to be vocal about it.

I see this as an extremely positive thing and an excellent example of how that good ol' American concept known as Free Speech is supposed to work and why it was ingrained in our Founding Documents by our Founding Fathers.

Even the Fort Worth Star-Telegram seems to be getting onboard and is seeming to be less of a mouthpiece for the Ruling Oligarchy and more like a legitimate newspaper. Of late that newspaper seems to have skewed more toward facts, regarding the Barnett Shale pollution, than the gas industry propaganda the newspaper had been previously spewing.

The Star-Telegram was quite feisty in its expose of the obviously improper free Cowboy Stadium Suite that Jerry Jones gave City of Arlington officials.

And now in this morning's Star-Telegram there are several Letters to the Editor verbalizing righteous indignation over the "Suite Deal." My favorite of the letter writers suggests that each game day, or other event, a lottery take place. For instance, Dallas Cowboy game, a lottery of the Arlington residents who are helping pay for the stadium, is held, the winners go to a game and get all the perks. Another lottery for those who's homes were taken. Well, you get the idea. And I think it's a good one.

And now the letters....

The Suite Deal

Just when I thought the hypocrisy of politicians had reached its zenith, I read the Sunday report on the stadium "perks" received by Arlington's mayor and council members. I was dismayed but not surprised at their attempt to put as good a face as possible on what amounts to corruption in the eyes of ordinary residents. They argued that the wealth the stadium was going to bring to Arlington coupled with the insignificance of the personal benefit to themselves (i.e., the seats were not the best, they were there primarily to conduct business for Arlington, some made limited use of the perks, some use was for charities, etc.) justified the perks.

No suggestion was made that legal research had confirmed the perks did not violate the city charter limits on their compensation, that tax research absolved the city of responsibility to report these perks as income for tax purposes, or that there was no conflict of interest when fire code violations were not imposed at the Cowboys opening game against the Giants.

This reminds me of my grandfather's response after a church service when a fellow member rose to give testimony to his attainment of sinless perfection. Grandpa left church as soon as the service was over, went home and locked his chicken house. Arlington missed its chance for that when the majority voted for the stadium in 2004.

-- Terry Witt, Arlington

So, Arlington officials can't see how being bought and paid for by Jerry Jones is unethical?

Perhaps they should have their eyesight checked.

-- Bill Youngblood, North Richland Hills

We have the following suggestions in response to the ethical issues raised by the city's free suite at Cowboys Stadium:

1. Reserve at least one game each season for which some seats at the suite would be allocated by a lottery in which all city employees would be eligible to participate.

2. Reserve one game each season for which some seats would be allocated by a lottery to those households whose homes and neighborhoods were demolished to make room for the stadium.

3. Reserve some seats each game at the suite to be allocated to the city's employee(s) of the month.

This would not address all the ethical issues raised by the article, but it at least would provide a few opportunities for some who might never be able to afford to attend a Cowboys game the opportunity to see what their city has bought. It would relieve the mayor and council from some of the burdensome responsibility they apparently find comes from using this perk (or, as one councilperson called it, a "workday" experience) and it would give the mayor and council another opportunity to mingle with the folks whose sacrifices made possible this "gift" that the Cowboys gave the city.

-- Norma and Richard Cole, Arlington

Arlington City Councilman Mel LeBlanc's remarks concerning the large bouquet of perks for the council's Cowboys Stadium effort really hit the mark. I know it was really rough on them having to take private property away from their constituents to build the stadium. But as a reminder, there is still a lot of low-hanging fruit to be had. After all, in Arlington, economic development and eminent domain go hand-in-hand.

-- Ron Tovar, River Oaks

Once again our Arlington City Council members are taking advantage of their job with perks for being elected by the residents of Arlington.

For example, in six months Kathryn Wilemon obtained benefits of between $6,000 and $11,167 from the Dallas (Arlington) Cowboys in the form of tickets, parking, food, etc. Does she claim this as income on her federal taxes?

I am retired and would love to see a Cowboys game or shows at the stadium, but I cannot afford tickets, parking and food. Oh well, I am only helping to pay the city's $325 million portion of the stadium's cost.

I do not buy the idea of promoting Arlington by going to the games and shows with family or friends. I only hope that when election time comes up, the voters remember this and the extra benefits that our elected officials receive.

-- John Feuling, Arlington

It breaks my heart to see City Council members take advantage of the perks offered just because of the position they hold. I am a registered nurse of 15 years and I, along with my colleagues, can do more in a 12-hour shift for this city than some council members do in an entire term. What do we get? Self-satisfaction! That should be enough for the council members.

Give up this unethical means of self-pleasure and give back to the city. The money wasted on that suite could go to our local schools, churches, etc.

It's unbelievable how this is being justified as a legitimate gift. Anything can be considered legit if enough heads turn the other way. To try to justify the perk because other suite holders "stop by" is ridiculous. The "substantial things" that Mayor Robert Cluck says occur because of the "discussions in the suite" could have as easily occurred with talks in the office or over the phone.

-- Denise Kubat, Arlington

The Dallas Cowboy Wal-Mart Supercenter Continues To Perplex Me

See that white rectangle in the upper right of the picture? That is the Dallas Cowboy Stadium Wal-Mart Supercenter.

This picture was taken in July of 2004. I was flying up to Seattle and when I realized the plane was going to fly directly over the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history I got out my camera and started snapping pictures.

This was very early on in the project. The last house standing is still standing in this picture.

Now, why is the Dallas Cowboy Wal-Mart Supercenter on my mind this morning? Well, you may recollect me mentioning that the Wal-Mart parking lot is blocked off on Dallas Cowboy game days. On Saturday I saw the entries off Randol Mill Road were blocked off during the Cotton Bowl. And dozens of buses were parked on the lot.

When I found the parking lot blocked during a Dallas Cowboy game I figured it was just Randol Mill Road that was blocked. So, I tried to get to the entry on the north end of the parking lot, but found all roads leading there to also be blocked.

On Saturday we saw people walking in to Wal-Mart. So, it was open.

And now this morning I got a perplexing comment from the ubiquitous Anonymous claiming to work at the Wal-Mart in question.

"Perhaps you should have looked closer.

That Walmart doesn't close during games. The North entrance of the parking lot is open.

How do I know? I f*$%ing work there."

I don't know what to make of this. I know what I saw. Blocked roads. And on Saturday dozens of buses parked on the Wal-Mart lot. Do they pay to park there? When other vehicles get towed if they park there during a game, when signs say "No Event Parking?"

If it is true that the north entry is not blocked, then what is the route to that entry? And what is the reason Randol Mill Road is blocked?

It's very perplexing.

The Outhouses Of Dallas/Fort Worth: Part 4

I have slacked off on my popular Outhouses of Dallas/Fort Worth series of bloggings.

My one longtime reader may remember me being perplexed by the 100s of Outhouses I saw surrounding the new $1.1 billion Dallas Cowboy Stadium in Arlington.

I'd long been appalled by Outhouses I'd see at Arlington's wonderful River Legacy Park.

I thought my Outhouse series would be limited to Arlington. And then I remembered the unfortunate Outhouses I'd seen in Fort Worth, so I expanded the Outhouse search to include the entire Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. This is going to be a long series. And take a long time.

I'd mentioned in the previous blogging that I went to Gateway Park today with 3 purposes. The third purpose was to take an Outhouse picture. A couple years ago Gateway Park added some very well done, nice-looking soccer/rugby fields. They also added a cement enclosure which holds 4 or 5 Outhouses.

There are a couple other Outhouses, like the one you see in the picture, at various points on the parking lot. The last time I was at the soccer/rugby field a rugby tournament was going on. The parking lot was full. I had to park elsewhere. There was food for sale from several vendors, tacos, BBQ.

But, no Modern Restroom Facilities, or running water with which to wash ones hands. The Outhouses appeared to be heavily used. As in there were lines. Beer was likely being sold.

Regarding what initially got me on this Outhouse fixation, that being the 100s of Outhouses that surround the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, I have yet to hear from anyone telling me if other professional sports stadiums in America are surrounded by 100s of Outhouses.

The only professional sports stadiums I have personal experience with, other than the ones in Arlington, are the Seattle stadium's parking lots, where I do not recollect seeing any Outhouses. I'm thinking those picky, uptight Pacific Northwest sorts with their snooty ways would not look kindly on 100s of Outhouses being stuck on the parking lots of their new stadiums.

Texans are way more easy going. And way more used to Outhouses, I guess.

The Outhouses Of The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex

I've decided I need to expand my documenting of Outhouses to urban zones of Texas beyond Arlington.

So, my popular series of bloggings of "The Outhouses of Arlington" is now "The Outhouses of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex."

My working hypothesis is that the Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan Area has the highest per capita number of Outhouses of any metropolitan area in the developed nations of the world.

The Outhouses you see in today's picture are located by Fort Woof in Gateway Park in Fort Worth. There is an even longer line of Outhouses in Gateway Park by the new soccer fields. I will photo document those at a later date. Is getting rid of the Outhouses part of the vision in the Trinity River Vision's upgrade of Gateway Park?

I have been to parks in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that have modern facilities. Cedar Hills State Park, for instance. No Outhouses. All the parks I've been in around Lake Joe Pool have modern facilities. So, I know it's not impossible to build a park with modern facilities here.

I am early in my Dallas/Fort Worth Outhouse research. So far it seems Arlington is Outhouse Central. Veterans Park in Arlington has one restroom with plumbing and no Outhouses. So far, near as I can tell, Veterans Park is the exception in Arlington.

Not having modern facilities is sort of unfriendly to visitors. Arlington seems to sort of be chronically unfriendly to visitors. Arlington is home to an illegal towing racketeering operation that targets visitors.

Ooops. I got off subject there. Back to Outhouses. Now, I have not been to all that many professional sports arenas. I'm curious to know, are there other NFL football stadiums that are surrounded by 100s of Outhouses like the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium in Arlington is?

Do the other NFL teams have custom made Outhouses with the team logo and name embossed on them, sprucing up their parking lots?

How much did all those specially made Dallas Cowboy Outhouses cost? How much does it cost to maintain them? How much would it cost to build permanent modern facilities? Am I the only one who finds it goofy to stick 100s of Outhouses around a $1.1 billion stadium on parking lots where you charge people $40 to park?

A Blimp Leads Me To A Wal-Mart Closed By The Dallas Cowboys

After a quick visit to River Legacy Park I drove towards the Dallas Cowboy Stadium to see why a blimp was hovering in the vicinity. I did not think there was a game today because I thought the Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving because they are America's Team and for some reason that means they play football on Thursday.

I had not driven south on Cooper Street very far when I saw that the blimp said Direct TV on it. Not Goodyear. I took the picture you see above, that looks like someone has launched a missile to take down the blimp, and continued on towards the stadium.

Evidence quickly accumulated that indicated the Dallas Cowboys were playing football today. I saw dozens of buses, of the commercial sort, like Trailways, parked in one of the new lots that Arlington would not let Jerry Jones take by abusing eminent domain.

Soon I was at the intersection of Randol Mill Road and Collins. It was clearly obvious a football game was happening, due to all the tailgate parties on the corner of that particular parking lot, which you are looking at in the above picture.

Yesterday, that being Saturday, I dropped in on the Dallas Cowboy Stadium to take pictures of outhouses. I was surprised by what I found and blogged about it. There were high school football games going on, with lots of cars parked in the lots. I went to Wal-Mart yesterday, had no problem parking. Wal-Mart was busy, like the day before Christmas type busy. I thought to myself that I thought there had been complaints about Wal-Mart suffering a loss of business when the stadium was being used. I thought, well, one more crackpot making a bogus complaint.

So, imagine my surprise today. I wanted to go to Wal-Mart to get a missing ingredient for the curry thing I was making for lunch. The blimp had led me to the Stadium Wal-Mart so I figured I'd go there. Nope. Could not happen. There were a few cars in the Wal-Mart parking lot, but all entries off Randol Mill were blocked. The above picture shows the west entry blocked.

I figured maybe I could get to Wal-Mart via one of the side streets, and that maybe that was how the few cars in the lot had gotten in. Nope. All roads in were blocked. I was appalled. How is Wal-Mart being compensated for this?


Just past Wal-Mart I saw a pair of Pedicabs with no customers. I was to see maybe a dozen more, all with no customers.

Arlington is notorious for being the largest city in America with no public transit. That's right, the town that has Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, The Ballpark in Arlington and the Dallas Cowboy Stadium, in what they call the Entertainment District, has no bus system. Except for the aforeseen Pedicabs and the trolleys you see above, that were lined up today by the Ballpark in Arlington, I assume after dropping people off for the game. The trolleys travel around the Entertainment District, stopping at the District's many lodging locations.

In the above picture you are looking past one of the Texas Ranger parking lot's outhouses at some Tailgaters having a BBQ. This particular lot charges $60. It is not close to the stadium. Maybe a 3/4 mile walk. How much did those first Tailgaters pay to park in that first lot I showed you, that is right up next to the stadium?

Above you see an Event Parking $60.00 sign. Along with another sign spelling out the Tailgating Rules. Such as you can only BBQ on the grass. And pick up your litter. Why must a sign tell Texans to pick up their litter?

Party Pass Riot At Sunday's Dallas Cowboy Game

Before the game started on Sunday's NBC telecast of the Dallas Cowboy's first defeat in their new stadium, we were treated to an interesting bit of nonsense on the gigantic video boards.

A voice intoned...

"The Manmade Wonders of the World"

"The Parthenon"

"The Great Wall"

"Taj Mahal"

"Roman Coliseum"

"And Now Cowboy Stadium"

"What the Roman Coliseum was to the 1st Century
is what Cowboy Stadium is to the 21st Century."

Yikes! It's like shooting fish in a barrel, so I'll just say this about that. There have been some rather incredible edifices erected in Dubai in the 21st Century and in a few other locations.

On an entirely different, yet related note. I have long been fascinated regarding what a horrible newspaper, journalism-wise, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is. I've lost count of the number of things, about which I have had first hand eye witness knowledge, only to read an article totally distorting reality in the Star-Telegram.

I think of the Star-Telegram as being like the old Soviet Union's Pravda. Pravda means Truth in Russian. Pravda rarely printed the objective truth. Instead Pravda printed the party line.

I read both the Star-Telegram and the Dallas Morning News this morning. I was curious how the papers reported yesterday's near riot by people possessing Party Passes, but denied entry to yesterday's game, until near rioting forced the stadium to open.

The Star-Telegram printed a Roses & Sunshine version about the Party Pass People. I'll print what the Star-Telegram had to say, followed by what the Dallas Morning News said about the same subject...

The atmosphere in the end zones recalled the excitement of a major college football game — the type of spirit that team owner Jerry Jones hopes to repeat throughout the season and for years to come.

"You’ll see this thing flow so easily, in and out and up and down. We’re going to have a collegiate-type atmosphere, and it will create an appealing atmosphere for the people who have seats as well," Jones said.

At 5:50 p.m., the 120-foot-tall glass doors parted in each end zone, and the retractable roof opened. The Party Pass fans let out a collective sigh as Cowboys Stadium was converted from a climate-controlled dome to an open-air facility and refrigerated air from inside poured through the giant openings and rushed over their painted faces and sweat-stained jerseys.

I must say that, even though the Dallas Morning News does mention the problem with the Party Passes, its version differs greatly from what was shown last night on the CBS Channel 11 local news. The Dallas Morning News article says Party Pass people were let in after 15 minutes of complaining. The Channel 11 news said Party Pass people had been waiting for hours, many giving up, in anger, leaving and vowing never to return, some collapsing, removed by ambulance. And now, what a more responsible local newspaper, the Dallas Morning News, had to say about the Party Pass incident.

That monumental crowd, however, came with a price and some tense moments.

About a half-hour before kickoff, several hundred angry ticket holders gathered outside the stadium, unable to get in. The glass doors at Section G were locked.

Fans yelled, "Let us in, we've got tickets," said Justin Diaz, a concessionaire near the entrance. "They were going crazy. For some reason, they didn't want to let them in until kickoff."

Security officers kept saying, "You'll have to wait," Diaz said.

After about 15 minutes, officers let the people in, he said.

"I was getting nervous," Diaz said. "I've got all this money here. What am I supposed to do if they all start rushing me?"

Some season ticket holders said they were upset with the long lines and congestion caused by the thousands who spent $29 each for the standing-room-only Party Passes.

For many fans, taking bathroom breaks or buying concessions became harrowing treks into uncomfortably crowded corridors. It was an unacceptable proposition for fans paying thousands for their seats.

"All these people pay $30 and then come in and take all the concessions," said Chuck Elhoff, 63, a financial adviser and a season ticket holder from Southlake.

So, there you have it, the local news on Channel 11 showed what looked like a riot of disgruntled Party Pass people. While the Star-Telegram makes no mention of any Party Pass problem, while the Dallas Morning News does mention the problem, but does not seem to match the visuals and words, seen and heard on Channel 11.

Dallas Cowboy Stadium Paul McCartney Concert

Unless I missed it there was absolutely no follow-up in either the Dallas Morning News or the Fort Worth Star-Telegram regarding the traffic situation during yesterday's first experience with events taking place at the same time at the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium and the Ballpark in Arlington.

My research assistant, L.C., reported this morning that the Dallas ABC affiliate, WFAA Channel 8 News, said Paul McCartney fans were kept waiting outside the stadium for 40 minutes, in the extreme heat, because the concert sound check was taking more time than expected. At least 10 line-waiting concert-goers were treated for heat exhaustion.

Both local newspapers gave rave reviews to the McCartney concert.

But, back to the sun stroking. I'd not thought about it before, but there is absolutely no shade outside that new stadium. Both ends of the stadium have plazas where people are expected to pay to be able to stand near the game, though not actually watching it. With no shade. What if it rains?

Methinks a quick solution to this lack of shade problem needs to be implemented. I like being out in the HEAT. But I can not stand standing in the HEAT. I have to keep moving. Waiting in a line in the HEAT would be something I would not long suffer. It's be as bad as being stuck on the tarmac in a plane for an hour. Or two.

Friday's Arlington American Idol Audition

I barely hit the publish button on a blogging where I mentioned the upcoming American Idol auditions at the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. In Arlington. With American Idol's website info having the stadium in Dallas.

I hit the publish button and checked email to find incoming from Kay in Houston asking "How much will parking be this week for the American Idol auditions?"

Good question. Concert goers were charged $40 for the stadium opening George Strait concert. I suspect this will not be the case for the auditions. But what do I know?

Arlington's Convention & Visitors Bureau is mounting an email campaign to let American Idol auditioners know what a "bustling" city Arlington is.

A bustling city, which also happens to be the largest city in America with absolutely no public transit, no trains, no buses. Many are concerned that the Fox American Idol website info is leading contestants to erroneously believe they can stay in Dallas and commute to Arlington via public transit. Dallas has many miles of light rail, called DART, as in Dallas Area Rapid Transit, that go no where near Arlington.

Audition registrations start tomorrow at the stadium, continuing on Thursday, with the actual singing, in front of Simon Cowell, starting on Friday, continuing on, I assume through Saturday.

But, Saturday night the Jonas Brothers are filling up the new stadium. I assume Paula Abdul & Friends will be out of town by then. We can only hope.

Kay, if you're reading this, you can park at my place for free. I can drop you off at the stadium and come pick you up, after you get your ticket to Hollywood. Of course, a small transit fee will be involved. But it won't be $40.