Can Woodward & Bernstein Help With Fort Worth's Quest To Have A Real Newspaper?

This morning, during my semi-regular peruse of the Star-Telegraph (please note, that is Star-Telegraph, not Star-Telegram) I learned that the Star-Telegram (please note, that is Star-Telegram, not Star-Telegraph) in a recent editorial, regarding the brouhaha over the Tarrant Regional Water District's Private Deer Hunting Preserve & Lodge on Public Land, editorialized that the public should move on, that the issue is resolved, nothing to see here.

Well.

You can find the link to the Star-Telegram editorial by going to the Star-Telegraph posting titled One step forward and two steps back.

A few days ago I blogged about the TRWD Private Deer Hunting Preserve & Lodge on public land issue in a post titled Who Is Covering Up Who Stayed In The TRWD Hunting Preserve's Cabin?

In the Who Is Covering Up Who Stayed In The TRWD Hunting Preserve's Cabin? post I verbalized my perplexation over the fact that the log book in the TRWD's Hunting Preserve's cabin clearly says that everyone must sign in to the log book.

Yet all the pages were blank.

I asked what possible reason could there be for there being no names in the log book, opining that the logical explanation, to me, was that names in that log book did not match with the type people who the TRWD claimed were the sole users of the cabin, and so, to cover up that indiscretion, the log book was purged before the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter and the People's TRWD Board Member, Mary Kelleher, could see it.

Now, the Star-Telegram is telling us there is nothing to see here, regarding the TRWD Private Deer Hunting Preserve on public land.

In the Star-Telegraph's posting on this subject, mention is made of the dire need in Fort Worth for a real daily newspaper, rather than the pseudo newspaper the town is now ill-served by.

Ponder with me, what if, during the Watergate investigations the Washington Post's Woodward and Bernstein discovered Nixon was operating a Deer Hunting Preserve & Lodge, on public land, for his private use. With Nixon claiming this was a totally appropriate perk for administration employees.

If Woodward & Bernstein visited Nixon's cabin and saw a log book, which everyone was advised to sign in to, and discovered all the pages were blank, do you think that real newspaper known as the Washington Post would editorialize that there was nothing to see here?

Or would the Washington Post editorialize that Nixon needs to release the names of who was in that cabin's log book?

It really is a sad thing when a  town's only daily newspaper helps the powers that be perpetuate a cover up, rather than try to find out what is being covered up.

Sorry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. You are wrong. There is something to see here. You just don't have the investigative integrity to find it.

Are Woodward & Bernstein available?????

Who Is Covering Up Who Stayed In The TRWD Hunting Preserve's Cabin?

This morning I found an extremely interesting tidbit of info in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article posted Friday, Aug. 02, 2013 titled Tarrant water district’s use of private camp on public land draws questions.

First the last 5 paragraphs from the article and then I'll tell you what I found so interesting....

Kelleher, the challenger who received more votes than anyone on the ballot, said she will continue to press for the board to be more transparent about its money and its property.

Giving the public a closeup view of the hunting camp, she said, is a start.

“I just want it to be acknowledged that a deer hunting camp does exist,” said Kelleher, who proposed that the land use be reviewed periodically.

For example, Kelleher said she was glad to know that visitors are required to sign in and out of the cabin on a log book, which was placed on the dining table during the Star-Telegram’s visit last week.

On that day, however, the book contained only blank sheets.

Mull that last sentence, above, over.

"On that day, however, the book contained only blank sheets."

The log book being referenced can be seen in the picture at the top, sitting on a table inside the TRWD Hunting Preserve's cabin.

Enlarging the image of the logbook I can make out some of the words on the cover, as in "EVERYONE MUST SIGN IN AND OUT ANY SEASON."

On the cover "EVERYONE" is surrounded by quotation marks, signifying, it would seem, the significance of everyone signing in.

And yet all the pages in the log book are blank.

Now, let's think about why this TRWD Hunting Preserve is controversial. The assertion has been that the TRWD Board Members have used this public land as their private preserve.

But, the veteran TRWD  Board Members claim they have never used the TRWD Hunting Preserve, claiming it is a perk for the benefit of TRWD's employees. With those employees being who paid for the TRWD Hunting Preserve's various features, with no public funds spent on public land that the public is forbidden to use.

So, why are there no log-ins in the TRWD Hunting Preserve log book, which insists "EVERYONE" must sign in?

Could it be that a check of some of the names which were in that now blank log book would quickly be found out not to be TRWD employees or other approved users of the TRWD Hunting Preserve?

For example, did the guys and gals in Marty Leonard's Sensible Shoe Society Club spend a weekend hunting deer whilst staying in the cabin?

Did a group of Jim Lane's cronies have themselves a mighty fine time staying in the TRWD Hunting Preserve cabin?

Did Jim Oliver let some friends and family use the TRWD Hunting Preserve cabin?

What names were in that log book that necessitated it being wiped clean? Who turned all the log book pages blank? When did this page blanking occur?

Is there a record at TRWD Headquarters of who has used the TRWD Hunting Preserve cabin?

Who, besides the TRWD board members and Jim Oliver, would have any cover up interest in removing the list of names of who had used the TRWD Hunting Preserve cabin?

Like I already said, extremely interesting.