Why Is Fort Worth A Sick City?

Of late I have referred to the Texas town I used to live in, Fort Worth, as Sick City.

Sick City, to me, seems to be a much more apropos, modern nickname, for this town than its last century nickname.

Cowtown.

Recently, well, yesterday, someone named Anonymous asked me why Fort Worth is Sick City....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Downtown Fort Worth Construction Frenzy Hits Imaginary New High":

Since you have moved out of town you seem to have gotten even more pointed with your critiques of Fort Worth. Sick City is catchy. But why are you now referring to the former Cowtown as Sick City? 

__________________

Well.

It is multiple things I never saw in a city til I moved to Fort Worth which led me to conclude Fort Worth is a Sick City.

Eminent domain abuse is one. Both Fort Worth and its surrounding county of Tarrant are guilty of this sick trait.

Fort Worth used eminent domain abuse to remove hundreds of people from the Ripley Arnold complex so that Radio Shack could build a corporate headquarters which soon  failed. America's Biggest Boondoggle and it myopic Trinity River Vision have taken multiple businesses by eminent domain, in an abusive way, which has not left the victims whole.

Sick City.

Another disgusting property abuse example came when 133 Fort Worth apartment units and three homes were given 30 day eviction notices due to the criminal machinations of a Dallas developer who was speculating that the land the Parkview Village Apartments sat on would greatly increase in value if America's Biggest Boondoggle ever came to actual fruition. I do not know by what means these 30 day eviction notices were generated. But, I do know that Fort Worth and Tarrant County has a totally corrupt justice of the peace court, which acts as a Kangaroo Court, issuing evictions, at property owner's behest, no matter what property owner illegality evidence a tenant victim might show the pseudo judge who rules in this corrupt Kangaroo Court.

We blogged about this in Betsy Price's Tarnished Golden Rule of Pseudo Compassionate Service and Fort Worth Shrugs Its Shoulders While Hundreds Of Citizens Are Given 30 Day Eviction Notices and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price Has No Comment About 30 Day Evictions Of 100s In Her Town.

Sick City.

A Fort Worth neighborhood is terrorized by a golf course's collapsing wall. Despite plea after plea after plea after plea the city and its mayor turn a deaf ear to the plight of these Fort Worth residents. This was blogged about in Why Is Fort Worth's Best Public Servant Ignoring The Pulte Wall Of Shame?

Sick City.

It was discovered natural gas could be extracted from the Barnett Shale using a new method called fracking. Fort Worth's city government formed a corrupt partnership with Chesapeake Energy and others, allowing thousands of holes to be poked in Fort Worth's ground, then fracked, disrupting the peace of neighborhoods and the health of residents. No other of America's a big cities allowed such a calamity in such a large scale as what was done to Fort Worth.

Sick City.

Over and over again Fort Worth grants concessions of various sorts to various entities who indicate they will come to town if Fort Worth grants them that which they ask for. So, Cabela's gets all sorts of breaks, tells Fort Worth Cabela's will be the biggest tourist attraction in Texas. Fort Worth falls for the con job, unlike other towns elsewhere. Cabela's gets built, does not live up to its promises, builds more Cabela's in Texas. While Fort Worth, once again, ends up with metaphoric egg on its face.

Sick City.

Fort Worth and Tarrant County have corrupt judges and corrupt court rooms. Probate courts steal the wealth of hapless elderly residents. No overseeing government entity intervenes. The cowed people of Fort Worth don't demand something be done. Fort Worth Weekly prints exposes exposing the corruption. The Star-Telegram stays silent. Eventually one elderly victim got some of her money back.

Sick City.

Steve Doeung fights Chesapeake Energy over the plan to lay a non-odorized natural gas pipeline under the street he lives on named Carter Avenue. The cases ends up in court in front of a judge named Sprinkle, with Steve Doeung up against two Chesapeake lawyers. The judge ruled in a way which baffled and outraged the packed courtroom. Like I said, corrupt judges and corrupt court rooms.

Sick City.

Around the turn of the century a bizarre, supposed combo economic development flood prevention plan, gets foisted on the Fort Worth public, without a public vote approving this project, which, if implemented, would have a great impact on the city of Fort Worth. Yet the people were not allowed to vote on this project. The project dawdled along. After a few years, in order to hopefully secure federal earmark money, Congresswoman Kay Granger's totally unqualified son, J.D., was put in charge of this project, which eventually became known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, as the years passed and little was accomplished in building this supposedly vitally needed economic development flood prevention project. Which would seem to indicate the plan was not all that vital. And, if it were actually vitally needed, would you put someone like J.D. Granger in charge of it?

Sick City.

J.D. Granger deserves two Sick City entries. So, with the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision, aka, America's Biggest Boondoggle, boondoggling along in slow motion, due to the lack of funds, perpetual Frat Boy, J.D., helped foist on Fort Worth events like Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in the polluted Trinity River. The old Tandy Subway maintenance building was turned into a Beer Hall called The Shack. A small stage was built, which was then monickered Panther Island Pavilion.  Polluted floating events held at this location are said to take place at Panther Island Pavilion at Panther Island. Where there is no island and no actual pavilion.

Sick City.

For decades Fort Worth confused its few out of town downtown visitors with signs pointing to Sundance Square, when  there was no square in downtown Fort Worth. Most tourists who asked where Sundance Square was were pointed to the parking lots adjacent to a big mural representing the Chisholm Trail. A couple years ago an actual square was built on those parking lots. A small square, which in the tradition of Fort Worth parks, has no modern public restroom facilities, unlike squares in other downtowns across the planet. And this square was goofily named Sundance Square Plaza.

Sick City.

And speaking of Fort Worth parks. It deserves a separate mention that the majority of Fort Worth city parks have no running water and no modern restroom facilities. But, plenty of outhouses.

Sick City.

Downtown Fort Worth has nice wide sidewalks. Leave downtown Fort Worth and drive around the town's eastern, northern and southeastern neighborhoods and eventually you will be treated to the sight of a mom trying to push a stroller up a hill where a dirt path has been worn, where a sidewalk should be available. Most Fort Worth streets have no sidewalks. You reading this in modern towns in America may find this hard to believe, but it is true, appalling and true.

Sick City.

Most cities in America indulge in this thing called urban planning. You know, looking forward to where development is expected, building infrastructure, like roads and drainage ahead of building shopping centers and housing developments. Fort Worth does it backwards. Drive to north Fort Worth and witness the mess of traffic woes around the newly opened Buc-ee's. Did this development just drop out of the sky on Fort Worth with no warning? Other towns pay the price for Fort Worth's slaphazzard way off growing. Towns like Haltom City, downstream from Fort Worth sprawl. Sprawl which sprawled without taking into account controlling drainage. So, killer flash floods now flush out residents downstream. Much needed flood control is ignored, while America's Biggest Boondoggle's bogus flood control project boondoggles along.

Sick City.

I could go on and on. And usually do. But, I think I've given you a good idea as to why I think Fort Worth's nickname for the 21st century should be....

SICK CITY

Protesting With Princess Annie Of Wink Taking A Drink Before Heading To Mississippi

In the picture you are looking at Princess Annie of Wink. I believe this picture was taken soon before, or after, Princess Annie had her 8th grade graduation ceremony.

I am fairly certain that is not an adult beverage Princess Annie is holding.

But, who knows? There ain't a lot of law west of the Pecos. Or so I have heard.

I last saw Princess Annie, in person, over four years ago, if my memory is serving me somewhat reliably. At that point in time Princess Annie was still a little girl.

Way back in the winter of 2010, Princess Annie, and her mother, the Queen of Wink, drove all the way to Fort Worth, from Wink, so as to join the protest at the Tarrant County Courthouse protesting what Chesapeake Energy was planning to do to Carter Avenue.

After the protest we packed Judge Sprinkle's courtroom.

Four years later there have been a lot of changes in the Barnett Shale. Chesapeake Energy has gone from being a shadow government of the city of Fort Worth to being sued by Fort Worth, and others, due to Chesapeake's shady dealings.

Carter Avenue was saved, Judge Sprinkle was retired, Aubrey McClendon was booted from Chesapeake, in disgrace, and no one has heard from Steve Doeung in years.

On that protest day, four years ago, after we were done protesting, Annie, her mom and I went to the Fort Worth Stockyards, for BBQ and so I could watch the Queen of Wink and Princess Annie get themselves totally bum puzzled trying to figure their way out of the Cowtown Maze.

Now it is June of 2014 and Princess Annie is scheduled to leave Texas for a few weeks of Mississippi time. Then, near the end of June, the Queen of Wink will venture to Tyler, Texas to fetch Princess Annie, then head back to Wink, with a possible stop in Fort Worth on the way.

If the time and logistics can be worked out....

Chesapeake Energy Is Warning Me To Call Before I Dig

In the picture you are looking over the fence of the industrial complex that was added to my zoned residential/commercial zone about a year ago.

A Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Pad Site.

You are sort of looking southwest, in the picture. The building in the background is an Alberstsons, plus some strip mall type businesses.

My neighborhood gas pad was fracked recently. I don't know if this is what caused my bout of respiratory woes, or not. What I do know is the fracking is now completed and my respiratory woes have abated.

Years ago I got myself being all cranky over Chesapeake Energy's bullying tactics regarding pumping non-odorized natural gas under homes on Fort Worth's Carter Avenue. I found myself making an anti-Chesapeake blog and joining a protest at the Tarrant County Courthouse, supporting Steve Doeung's courageous court fight against the Chesapeake Energy bully.

Steve Doeung won that fight. No non-odorized natural gas flows under Carter Avenue.

I can not say the same for the two roads closest to my abode, those being Boca Raton Boulevard and Bridgewood Drive.

In the picture on the left  you are looking at a Chesapeake Energy WARNING, letting you know you are standing above a gas pipeline. No mention is made regarding the non-odorized nature of the natural gas flowing in that pipeline.

There are multiples of these warnings, due to the newly fracked well producing non-odorized natural gas that is being pumped somewhere unknown to me.

Today, for my daily walk, I took a tour of my neighborhood, which is when I made note of the new WARNINGS.

Walking across Miss Puerto Rico's parking lot I saw little round warnings embedded into the asphalt. The pipeline runs under Miss Puerto Rico's parking lot.

In the picture on the left that little yellow round dot in the center foreground is one of the "CALL BEFORE YOU DIG" warnings.

That is the back of the aforementioned Albertsons in the upper right of the picture.

When this pipeline was placed underground at this location the racket the process made was incredibly loud. It vibrated my location quite a distance away, to the point where I felt compelled to exit my abode to find out what was making the racket.

I asked Miss Puerto Rico if the people who park above this non-odorized natural gas pipeline were given any sort of notice as to what was being installed almost in their living quarters.

No notice was given.

I doubt many of the people who live here are aware of what is being pumped beneath them.

Texas has a long history of natural gas explosions, with the most famous explosion being the big bang at the New London School which brought about adding a telltale odor to odorless natural gas.

I have blogged about the exploding natural gas issue a few times...

Stairtown Latest Texas Natural Gas Explosion and Texas Natural Gas Explosion and Carter Avenue & The New London School Explosion.

I guess that whatever it was about non-odorized natural gas that caused disastrous deadly explosions in the past has now been fixed, which would explain why it is safe for non-odorized natural gas to be flowing underground at my location....

Chesapeake Energy's Noisy Fort Worth Pipeline Drilling

Since early this morning there has been a constant throbbing hum vibrating my neighborhood. At times the throbbing hum gets very loud.

Around 10 this morning I needed to make a call to Los Angeles. I needed to be at my computer to make this call. My computer sits by a window. I knew I would not reliably be able to hear what was being said on the phone.

I needed a makeshift solution.

This will likely sound very pitiful, but my solution was to haul my wireless laptop into my windowless walk-in closet where the humming was less loud. I successfully completed the call, whilst sitting on the floor of my closet.

Like I said, pitiful.

Around 2 this afternoon Miss Puerto Rico called to ask if the noise was driving me crazy. I said yes. She said it was so loud where she was that it was unbearable, rendering the office unable to work. I asked what the noise was coming from.

It was then I learned that the noise is coming from the Chesapeake Energy non-odorized natural gas pipeline drilling operation that I made mention of previously, after Chesapeake Energy mailed me a letter telling me they would be laying a pipeline from their Loop 820/Boca Raton Boulevard Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling Pad Site.

A Chesapeake Energy accomplice, Quail Energy Services, is the culprit actually making the noise.

Miss Puerto Rico told me I should go over to her place and hear how bad the noise is from her balcony overlooking the operation.

The YouTube video I made of the noisy view from Miss Puerto Rico's is what you see and hear in the video above.

How does Chesapeake Energy get permission to drill under the parking lot of an apartment complex, right in front of the apartments, and Miss Puerto Rico's office? Miss Puerto Rico told me they were given no notice that Chesapeake Energy was going to be doing this, other than the amorphous letter the entire neighborhood got.

Just like when water pipelines were laid to run water for this particular well's fracking, with no notice given, with the leaking pipes causing water problems in Miss Puerto Rico's parking lots.

Like I say in the video.

I DON'T GET IT.

How does Chesapeake Energy get to create this level of disturbance with no consequence?

Has Miss Puerto Rico's apartment complex been compensated for what is going on on her property? It appears once the pipeline leaves Miss Puerto Rico's apartment complex it will cross Bridgewood Drive, then head north on the west side of Bridgewood Drive. This will eventually take the pipeline right by my abode.

I am feeling like I'm on a post-Apocalypse Carter Avenue, with no Steve Doeung existing in my neighborhood able to take on Chesapeake Energy and make that corrupt company behave in a civilized manner....

Chesapeake Energy Sent Me A Nice Letter Today With A Cautionary Warning

It seems like I've been talking about Chesapeake Energy for years. Chesapeake Energy has never talked back to me.

Until today.

A few minutes ago I checked my mailbox and found a letter from Chesapeake Energy.

Inside the letter, which Chesapeake refers to as a mailer, were 2 pieces of mail. One piece of mail advised me to "ALWAYS CALL BEFORE YOU DIG."

I don't dig, so this advice was of no use to me.

The other piece of mail in the mailer is what you see in the photo. It says, in part...

Dear Neighbor:

Chesapeake Midstream Partners (CMP) will soon be conducting work on a natural gas pipeline that is located near your property*. Unless you have been otherwise informed by CMP's subsidiary, Texas Midstream Gas Services, we will not need to access your property.

Please by assured that safety and security is our first concern. All work will be performed at the highest level of quality and in accordance with the regulations of the United States Department of Transportation and the Railroad Commission of Texas.

Well. Isn't that reassuring.

Just a short distance from my abode one of my neighbors would beg to differ regarding the quality level to which Chesapeake Energy performs. You can read about that particular Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Natural Gas Urban Drilling nightmare in an article in Fort Worth Weekly titled Dammed.

Part of the note from Chesapeake is at the bottom of the note, in small print. It is that to which the asterisk after the word property* refers, in the first paragraph of the note...

*Please note that the planned natural gas pipeline activity will start no sooner than ten days from the postmark of this mailer although it may be delayed by weather, materials or issues beyond our control.

So, I am  guessing, if I had reason to object to this pipeline, I don't have a lot of time to do my objecting.

Where is this pipeline going to be? Seems like that would be good to know.

Is this pipeline going to be carrying non-odorized natural gas from my nearby Chesapeake Energy gas pad? I've wondered how they are going to get the gas out of there.

Is this the type notice Steve Doeung got when Chesapeake Energy tried to pump non-odorized gas under his house, setting off the Chesapeake-Gate Carter Avenue Scandal when Chesapeake Energy underestimated the drive and determination that a Cambodian American would muster when the safety of his home was threatened?

It's all very vexing. Where I am located I am pretty much surrounded by Chesapeake Energy gas pads. And now gas lines are going to be going who knows where, underground.

Visiting Fort Worth's Paradise Center With CatsPaw

I have returned to Durango Headquarters from my visit to Paradise Center with CatsPaw.

I had my camera with me. But, I did not feel right about asking if I could take pictures. That always puts people on the spot. I usually only take pictures if I am surrepititious about it. I had no idea if the Paradise Center folks would be shy about pictures, so I thought it best just to keep the camera in my pants.

Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung, took some pictures when he arrived towards the end of our visit. At that point in time, due to Steve's camera-free example, I realized it would have been okay for me to go into picture taking mode, but that point in time was when CatsPaw and I were leaving.

I don't know why I am going on and on about pictures, except to explain why I took none, when usually I am a picture taking maniac.

Teresa gave CatsPaw and me very nice Paradise Center t-shirt's. Mine is 2XXL, which means it fits me well. Unlike the medium sized shirts my mom sends me. That would be me in my Paradise Center t-shirt in the picture. I am smiling because Elsie Hotpepper said she'd pay me $100 if I smiled in a picture.

Visiting the Paradise Center, up close and personal, I can say they need no more TVs or computers.

However, is there anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART and plumbing skills who could help do some simple plumbing involving installing a sink?

Anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART with some building skills who could help knock out a wall to make a bigger common area room?

Anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART with some ability to help build a simple outdoor shaded area?

Anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART and a picnic table they would like to see go to good use?

Today I could clearly see, with a little help, and a little work, Paradise Center could easily be a paradise, inside and out.

I can't remember the last time I felt my spirits lifted by so many uplifting spirits.

Including CatsPaw.

You can find information about Paradise Center, contact info and location on the Paradise Center website.

You can learn all about the Paradise Center Scandal and the dirty deeds done in Tarrant County by those who need to be held accountable for their dirty deeds, by visiting the Paradise Center Scandal website.

Fort Worth Wins The 2011 All-America City Award

A couple minutes ago I saw an incoming email come in from Anonymous.

I finished what I was doing and then clicked on the Anonymous email....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Saturday Morning Of June 18 Dawns Windy & Warm...":

You are now a resident of a 2011 All-America City. Congrats Fort Worthians! Seattle will be green with envy when they hear the news!

Can this possibly be true, I wondered? I think the All-America City Award is a legit, respected type award, unlike the Most Livable City Award Fort Worth got a few years ago from a D.C. lobbying group.

That bogus Most Livable City Award set off city-wide celebrations and much boasting about Fort Worth causing cities and towns far and wide to be Green with Envy.

I Googled "2011 All-America City" to quickly learn that Fort Worth was one of the 2011 winners. By what criteria I can not imagine. The city-wide celebration is likely to be HUGE.

From the All-America City website.....

The National Civic League announced the ten winners of the All-America City Award tonight in Kansas City, Mo. They are (in alphabetical order by state):

Kenai, Alaska
Dublin, California
Lakewood, Colorado
Belleville, Illinois
South Bend, Indiana
Scott City, Kansas
Tupelo, Mississippi
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Eden, North Carolina
Fort Worth, Texas

These communities give us hope and new ideas about what can be accomplished when ordinary people work together to address the difficult challenges that lay ahead,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “Year after year, I never fail to be inspired by their outstanding stories of positive civic change.”

Fort Worth gives us hope and new ideas? About what can be accomplished when ordinary people address difficult challenges?

What new ideas? Inner tubing in the polluted Trinity River? Taking down perfectly performing flood preventing levees? Closing community swimming pools? Cutting back public library hours?

Is it the Fort Worth Independent School District that helped make Fort Worth an All-America City?

Is one of the new ideas being the first big city to allow natural gas drillers to poke holes and lay pipe all over town, except in wealthy neighborhoods?

Is an example of an ordinary person addressing a difficult challenge something like Fort Worth's Steve Doeung fighting Chesapeake Energy and Fort Worth to stop a non-odorized natural gas pipeline from being run under his property?

Is an example of Fort Worth giving the rest of the country hope the way the community rallied to the defense of Paradise Center when it was attacked by a Tarrant County agency, MHMR-TC?

Yes, now that I have put some thought into it I can clearly see why Fort Worth would be chosen as an All-America City.....

Witnessing The Resurrection Of The Tandy Teepee While Talking To Steve Doeung & Thinking About A Bad Inconvenient Bank

I was surprised whilst hiking the Tandy Hills today to find that the Tandy Teepee has been resurrected.

Today Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung went hiking with me. Sort of.

I had myself an aggravating morning.

Way back in December I opened a new bank account because I was tired of the inconvenience of Chase Bank.

In Wal-Mart and Kroger there is a bank called First Convenience Bank. I thought due to the bank being in Wal-Mart it'd make it real convenient.

I was wrong. First problem was I did not realize the bank's ATM's don't accept deposits. You have to wait in line. That is inconvenient.

Once a month Google makes a direct deposit into my account. Google has been doing this for over 3 years. Towards the end of the month I'll log into my Google Account and see a "Payment in Progress" message.

Within a few hours the "Payment in Progress" message changes to "Payment Finalized." At that point the money is in my account.

Yesterday I saw the "Payment in Progress" message. This morning I saw the "Payment Finalized" message.

But the money is not in my First Convenience Bank account.

So, I called customer dis-service at First Inconvenience Bank. Via the phone I had to enter all sorts of I.D. info, like SS #, PIN, zip code. I forget what else. I then go through a phone tree, eventually getting to the talk to a live person option.

I think that live person was in India. She asked me for most of the I.D. info I'd already punched into the phone. After the answer to each question she'd say in a thick Indian accent, "Thank you for the information you have provided me."

Eventually we got to the point where I asked where my money was. It took a lot of talking to sort out what I was asking. Then she asked if I could kindly wait while she contacted something called ACH. She then gets back to me a couple minutes later to tell me ACH is closed on weekends, that I must call back Monday. She then asked if there was any other service she could provide me.

When I opened the account I asked for the business card of the Sudanese woman who convinced me a First Inconvenience Bank account would be good for me. Her name is Randa.

Randa was with another customer, but soon she was on the line. I explained the problem. There was some confusion. Randa has a very thick accent. I think after I repeated myself enough times Randa finally understood what I was saying. She then told me she was calling ACH and would be right back.

When Randa got back on the line she told me the same thing the Indian told me. That ACH is closed til Monday. But, Randa said she would contact ACH first thing Monday morning to get to the bottom of this and then call me.

We'll see if that happens.

So, I'm looking for a new convenient bank. I don't trust First Inconvenience Bank anymore.

The Paradise Center Scandal Has Me Mad As Hell At Fort Worth

The Paradise Center Scandal now has a blog covering the ongoing scandal.

The troubled sky over the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth is a good metaphor for my foul mood.

I thought a late afternoon hike at the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium might break me out of this I'm mad as hell and I don't wanna take it anymore Howard Beale mood I've been in.

I think it may be the bizarre Fort Worth Paradise Center Scandal that has pushed me near the edge.

I've have had it happen to me, having something taken away with no warning. Unfairly and wrongly.

I've often been troubled, during my Texas Exile, as to what in the world is wrong with Fort Worth. Is there an Empathy Deficit in this town?

I'm not much of a religious person. Well, actually, I'm not a religious person. But I sure get some of what Jesus tried to teach people. As in, what you do to the least among you, you do unto me.

In the Paradise Center you had a place that helped the least among us. And you had a lady running the place of whom I think Jesus would have approved.

Running the Paradise Center in the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

Where are the Christians coming to the defense of these wronged people?

It is incidents like this that make me have very little respect for way too many who go about claiming to be Christian.

Why was Teresa Davis fired? What is the justification for disrupting her life and the lives of those she helped?

This is a woman who went way beyond the call of duty. Over the years she took adult disabled children on adventures they otherwise would never have experienced. Overnight trips to Sea World in San Antonio, the Space Center in Houston, Diamond Digging in Arkansas.

Why is there not a LOUD outcry from all the people who had family who were helped by the Paradise Center and Teresa Davis?

Why is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram not interested in this scandal?

Am I the only person who sees that something is very wrong here? I've already opined that the reason Teresa Davis was fired needs to be made public. An investigation needs to take place into who made the decision to fire Teresa Davis. And why. This may end up needing to be a criminal investigation. There may be some serious wrongdoing in play here.

And another note as to what bothers me about this. Teresa Davis is married to Steve Doeung. Teresa and Steve were put through a living hell by the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy in their fight to protect their home from having a non-odorized natural gas pipeline placed underneath it.

I watched Steve defend himself in court. I saw Chesapeake lawyers tell the judge that the judge was incorrect on some point of law. That Steve was correct.

I am embarrassed, as an American, at what the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy put this proud Cambodian-American through, after he went through so much to get to America.

America.

Where Steve was under the delusion he would finally be free of Communist type oppression.

Yet now, once again, Steve and his wife are subject to oppression, in America, oppression that is of the sort of bureaucratic bullying practiced by the Communists and the Nazis.

And yet nary a voice speaks out, demanding that this wrong be righted.

I really do not think Jesus would be all that proud that this sad part of the earth is known as the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

It's more the Center of Divine Hypocrisy.

I've told Steve Doeung, previously, that he and his family might be a lot happier if they moved to the part of America that is the America he thought he was moving to, when he left Cambodia.

Move to Seattle. Anyone in Washington reading this. Can you provide asylum to a Cambodian-American and his family and help them finally live in the America of Steve's dreams?

If Steve does move out of Texas and into America, I must warn you, if you meet him, he has a good Texas accent. And speaks way better English than a lot of Texans I've met over the years.

Hiking The Tandy Hills Thinking About Fort Worth's Corruption With Its Dis-Connect From Paradise & Gestapo Goon Squads

The Tandy Bamboo Teepee was still standing tall, and unoccupied, today when I saw it around noon.

Such a perfect day and yet I saw no one but myself out enjoying the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

I've been making up for all those days being snowbound. This morning I was in the pool for around 45 minutes. Today's Tandy Hill hiking was over an hour.

I'd really been missing my endorphins.

I'd gotten myself all twisted up this morning, obsessing about a Google/AdSense/Feedburner feed confusion, that was having me confused and annoyed.

I was also obsessing about an Inconvenience Bank problem that arose yesterday, that I'm going to wait to blog about when I'm not quite so obsessive about it. The bank problem was not exactly mine. But I sort of got blamed for it.

So, as I hiked the hills today I was continuing to obsess. But as the aerobicizing continued and the endorphins started having their desired effect I found myself slowly sliding into my preferred mindset of living in the moment and not letting things bug me.

Sort of.

No further word on the fate of Fort Worth's Paradise Center. This morning I remembered the bizarre incidents of the Fort Worth Gestapo raiding Steve Doeung's house to intimidate him at various times when he'd appear in the press, using ridiculous strong arm tactics to scare Fort Worth's Lone Ranger into giving up his fight against Chesapeake Energy and their Henchmen on the take in the City of Fort Worth.

Steve Doeung was featured in an article in FW Weekly last week regarding State Bill 18. A bill that supposedly was supposed to reign in eminent domain abuse in the eminent domain abuse Capital of America.

Texas.

But instead the bill was written in cahoots with those who do the eminent domain abusing.

Which has had people like Steve Doeung and Bill Mitchell criticizing it.

And then Thursday bully thugs working for Tarrant County used Gestapo tactics to shut down the Paradise Center. And what is Steve Doeung's connection to the Paradise Center? Well, it was Steve Doeung's wife who was the object of the Gestapo this time.

I really think it is time to use Twitter and Facebook to organize protests on Sundance Square, demanding Fort Worth Regime Change and the arrest and prosecution of the Fort Worth Gestapo and those who give the Fort Worth Gestapo its orders.

Did you know that the Paradise Center is very close to the Rainbow Lounge? With the Rainbow Lounge being another Fort Worth location that was subjected to a Gestapo Raid. That raid injured people and made news world-wide. One of the many reasons Fort Worth is the Envy of the World.

Now, how can we get the story of what Fort Worth and Tarrant County has done to the Paradise Center to be a national story? I suppose protest signs could be made in support of the Paradise Center, to wave in front of the TV cameras covering the thousands of Fort Worthers holding Sundance Square hostage until we get Regime Change in this sadly corrupt city.

And let's add a total sweep from their jobs of those who are the administrators of the Fort Worth schools, starting with Superintendent Melody Johnson. Read this week's FW Weekly cover story "Dis-Connects" and you'll see why I think total regime change of the Fort Worth school administrators is needed.

And then send a task force to observe how a successful school district is run. It ain't rocket science. But, in Fort Worth, apparently, it is.

The Saturday Morning Shadow Of The Skinnydipping Texas Thin Man

The 3rd Saturday of the 2nd month of 2011 is starting off 26 degrees above freezing. As you can see, via looking past the Shadow of the Skinnydipping Thin Man, it is yet one more sunny morning in Texas.

Heard from Y. Steve Doeung this morning that WFAA, Channel 8 news reporter, Chris Hawes, showed up yesterday at the closed Paradise Center to interview board members and community supporters for a report that may have aired last night at 10:00.

I have no idea what I'm going to do today, except for going swimming in a little bit, hiking a little later, with a visit to Town Talk after the hiking. And then possibly some saloon hopping with Fort Worth's most infamous saloon hopper, Elsie Hotpepper.

EMERGENCY: Save Fort Worth's Paradise Center From The Fort Worth Way

Last night I got an email from Fort Worth's most famous Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung, with the word "Emergency" in the subject line. Steve's wife works at a Fort Worth Community Center which helps people with mental health issues. Last night agents of Tarrant County shut down the Community Center, without warning and for no apparent valid reason, in what seems to me be yet one more instance of the local government behaving badly. Read the Press Release below and you'll likely find yourself feeling a bit disgusted. You reading this who do not live in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, are likely even more appalled, than us who live with the Fort Worth Way...

Press Release for Immediate Distribution

On Thursday Feb. 17, 2011 the CEO and executives of MHMR of Tarrant County, a sub-unit of local government under the County Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, took a shocking and devastating action that could very likely damage the mental health and stability of many citizens living with serious mental illness who are members of Paradise Center Inc., a 501/c/3 nonprofit organization that is run by the very people recovering from serious mental illness and homelessness.

After over a decade of cooperation and of keeping its commitment/contract to provide the "foundational grant" for very effective but rare organization in the whole state of Texas, MHMR of Tarrant County began to exert intense pressure on the organization's only full-time professional staff of almost ten years Teresa Davis (two masters degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) to admit and agree to something that she knew was not true and could jeopardize her organization and her own personal and professional reputation:  that Paradise Center Inc. is "just another MHMR program" and that she is just another one of their 1,300 employees who need to submit to their control and "supervision".

MHMRTC ignored our Board of Directors' many attempts to communicate with them to find out why they were pursuing this disturbing course of action and causing emotional distress on Ms. Davis and the people she serves.  We implored them to deal with the authorized Board of Directors of Paradise Center.

Instead they decided to exert even more pressure, including the withholding of critical paper goods like toilet paper for the four bathrooms, and culminated in this so called "termination" of Teresa's job.

Essentially, this means that they are reneging on their commitment to fund Paradise Center's operations, including paying her salary and benefits.  Their xerox copied letter of the so called termination cited the sole cause for termination being that Ms. Davis did not accept an invitation to meet yesterday with the CEO, Assistant CEO, and MHMR's lawyer. They demanded her immediate evacuation of the taxpayer owned community center and sent four men to come take the keys and take over the building.

The peer leaders of the hundreds of mental health consumers who are members of Paradise Center were angry and tearful as they hurriedly removed their operational supplies like the bingo box they use weekly, the cash register that is used in their snack bar, and the basic supplies they use daily.

The mental health consumer leaders, Board members, and Ms. Teresa Davis will gather today across the street from the little building at 505 S. Jennings Avenue.  The building that they have worked so hard for many years to create a haven, a "paradise" for them and others with serious mental illness.  The building they have now been suddenly thrown out of.

Fort Worth's Shanty Town For Homeless People Under Attack By Fort Worth

I just listened to the most depressing video. Basically the world as we know it will soon come to an end. As in, within the next two years the American economy will collapse, the U.S. dollar will no longer be the world's reserve currency, inflation will be astronomical, food riots will break out.

And Shanty Towns will spring up all over America, as Americans lose their homes. On the depressing video the depressing video maker said Shanty Towns are already springing up, some big, like in Fresno, California, visited by that savior of the downtrodden, Oprah Winfrey.

The depressing video did not mention depressing Fort Worth and its Shanty Town. I knew of Fort Worth's Homeless Person Problem. But I did not know we had a Shanty Town of around 50 tents, until one of Fort Worth's Best Texans, Steve Doeung told me about it.

The Shanty Town is not all that far from my abode. Just a short distance west of the Tandy Hills Natural Area, on the south side of the Trinity River near Riverside Drive and Lancaster Avenue.

The Fort Worth Shanty Town has a mayor, There is a kitchen tent with two camp stoves. Another tent serves as the camp's food storehouse. The residents of Fort Worth's Shanty Town are pretty much a cross section of America; Black, White, Mexican, a mom with a baby in a stroller, some old, some young.

Some of the residents have lived in Fort Worth's Shanty Town since it was first founded, over two years ago.

Despite sending out study groups to other towns to take a look at their Homeless People Programs, in places like Portland, Seattle and Denver, the City of Fort Worth has not come up with any new solutions to the Homeless Problem

Local churches fill the void, delivering supplies to Fort Worth's Shanty Town.

And now, despite Fort Worth's Shanty Town not really creating any real problems. And despite the fact that Fort Worth's Shanty Town is providing a community where Homeless People can sleep safe at night, the City of Fort Worth apparently has decided the Homeless People must abandon their camp and move elsewhere.

City Code Officers descended upon Fort Worth's Shanty Town and supposedly found many violations.

I can't help but wonder if the veracity of those violations is just as legitimate as what Fort Worth Code Officers found during their Gestapo Raids on Steve Doeung's Carter Avenue home, in ham-handed attempts to stifle Steve Doeung in his successful fight against the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy.

Supposedly the Fort Worth Shanty Town is on private property with the owner unaware his property has sprouted a town and with the owner telling the Code Officers that the Shanty Town residents did not have his permission to set up camp.

The residents of Fort Worth's Shanty Town believe they have been given 10 days to get out of their Shanty Town. However, Brandon Bennett, he being Fort Worth's Code Compliance Director said no vacate deadline has been issued, but criminal trespass citations could start being issued if the property owner wants the Homeless People off his property.

The whole scenario reminds me of the Grapes of Wrath. The part where the Joad Family finally got to a safe camp, ironically run by the government, with the locals not wanting them there and trying to stage an incident to cause the shut down of the camp.

Methinks that since it seems obvious that Fort Worth's Shanty Town is solving a problem the City of Fort Worth has not addressed, as in, finding a safe place for Homeless People to seek refuge, that rather than working to destroy the Shanty Town, the City of Fort Worth, working with area churches, should find an acceptable piece of land, somewhere, land with running water. Bring in Port-a-Potties. Fort Worth has a big supply of Port-a-Potties in its parks. And bring in a couple big trash bins.

Fort Worth's City Homeless Program Director, Otis Thornton, claims Fort Worth's homeless shelters have room to accommodate the Shanty Town's residents and blames the church groups for causing the Shanty Town to grow by delivering food and supplies.

I really find it hard to believe that all these people would prefer living in tents in a Shanty Town if there were decent facilities available to accommodate them.

And, please, don't let me hear some City of Fort Worth official get all high and mighty about supposed code violations in Fort Worth's Shanty Town, not when more than one Fort Worth City Park lacks running water or restrooms, but has picnic facilities.

I wonder if my favorite Cambodian-American ever thought he would see something like Fort Worth's Shanty Town in the America he envisioned when his family escaped Cambodia to start a new life in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?

That is, the Brave who have a Home....

Merry Christmas From Texas

Looking out from the bars of my patio prison cell I can not quite tell for sure if the last Saturday of 2010, also known as Christmas is another cloudy Texas day, or not.

Cloudy or not, I'm sure I'll be having myself a very Merry Christmas, today.

My phone just made a noise and popped up with a text message.

I don't do that cell phone texting thing, as in I don't send text messages, but I have figured out how to read incoming ones.

This one was from the Queen of Wink. The message said "Merry Christmas."

Near as I can tell, despite Steve Doeung asking him to, Santa has not brought me a new bike. Perhaps Santa did not know where to put the new bike because I do not have a Christmas tree.

A year ago today I looked out my window to see a White Christmas. Right now, with the sun finally adding enough light, I can see that the only thing that appears semi-white is the sky with its covering of clouds.

I have no idea what lays ahead for me on this Christmas day, besides opening a box that arrived in the mail on Monday. And BBQing steak.

Merry Christmas to all and my one longtime blog reader.

A Carter Avenue Holiday Card

That is Elizabeth Doeung and her dad, Steve, on Christmas Eve a year ago, surrounded by flags and snow on Fort Worth's infamous Carter Avenue.

Steve, with some help from Elizabeth, this morning, sent me the nicest Christmas card I've gotten this year.

So, I thought I'd share Steve's E-card, (for those reading this who are not so lucky as to be living in The Shale, the CHK to which Steve refers is Chesapeake Energy. TxDOT is Texas Department of Transportation)......

Dear Band of Bloggers,

You already know how I feel about you and what you mean to me.  So you are the first to receive this clumsy attempt at an e-card (with some help from little Elizabeth, of course). Love you all for who you are, what you stand for, and what you do--that reflect the essence of this season and the best of what those flags represent.

It looks like CHK started to dig trenches for the 8-inch diameter gathering line along TxDOT's right-of-way last week. Apparently, TxDOT has determined that 8 inches of high pressure is the maximum risk they will allow in their wide easement along the freeway. However, my mayor and city government obviously saw no problem with one or more pipelines 2X the size and pressure (thus threat, danger, and damages) under front yards along a residential street. All that aside, this is better for them than the previous two years of very bad PR and no pipeline/million$ in profit.

I asked Santa to bring Durango a new bike, Elsie something to occupy her spare time, and Joely a less stressful new year...and a nice hunk :>) I have a gift for each of you but am waiting for the right opportunity to give it. I hope to do it before we move, not immediate but hopefully soon/when feasible.

Merry Christmas and holidays wishes to all our friends and neighbors--both near and far--from the exhausted but thankful survivors of the Barnett Shale "Alamo". 

Thank you for helping us be the "miraculous" Victors after a two year long (and costly) battle. May the new year bring you health and happiness

May there be more Victors and less victims of the Exploiters of the Shale.

Your co-resister of Tyranny,

Y. Steve Doeung and family

Having Myself A Very Merry Wet Slippery Christmas Eve In Texas

Rain began dropping around 11 this morning. Around noon I took off, out of here, heading to ALDI in Pantego.

A year ago, today, we were being pelted with frozen rain in the form of snowflakes, which piled up quickly.

I was reminded of what Christmas Eve was like last year when I opened a Christmas card from Steve Doeung and daughter Elizabeth, and saw both of them surrounded by a Winter Wonderland. With flags.

The view in the picture is heading south on Dottie Lynn Parkway in Arlington, about to take a left on to Division Street.

You might be thinking what sort of fool drives along in treacherous conditions taking pictures. Well, a short time after this picture was taken I was thinking the same thing.

Because, when I turned from Dottie Lynn Parkway on to Division my vehicle suddenly spun out of control. It just sort of slid sideways, rather than making the turn.

No. There was no ice on the road. It is not cold enough for ice to be on the road.

It has not rained in a long time. This can cause oily greasy spots that become like ice when covered with a lot of water. Like today.

When I was in ALDI the lady behind me in line was going on about how slippery it was. We then commiserated about our driving misery.

So far I have not seen nor heard any of the predicted Thunderstorm action. Maybe that is scheduled for later in the day.

I won't be going out in it again this Christmas Eve, unless someone somehow strongly motivates me to do so.

The Tandy Hills Helped Today's Existential Angst While Chase Bank Added To It

You are looking north on one of the long and winding trails on the Tandy Hills, around noon, today.

Even though it had been less than 24 hours since I had my mystical Tandy Hills encounter with an Aztec Indian, I felt compelled to return to the sacred ground, due to the extreme case of Existential Angst from which I am currently suffering.

Hill hiking seemed to help. A little.

I do not recollect a more perfectly temperatured day to be hiking on the Tandy Hills than today.

I think I already mentioned, in the blogging previous to this one, that I heard from Steve Doeung this morning. Steve wants to take me and Elsie Hotpepper to Vietnam. I mentioned this to Elsie. We both think this sounds fun. So, I guess it will be to Vietnam we shall go. But, not this weekend, not while I am having this Existential Angst thing hanging over my head.

Changing subjects. Today I got a letter from Chase Bank. I have long regretted the day Washington Mutual got taken over by Chase Bank. It's been like I was living in a democratic republic that was taken over by an autocratic monarchy, that one by one by one has been taking my WaMu freedoms away. And doing so with Orwellian verbiage that makes it sound like Chase is doing me a favor.

Today I learned that Chase is replacing my Free Checking with something called Chase Total Checking. Free Checking will now cost $12 a month.

I just checked to see how easy it is to switch my Google AdSense to a new bank account. It appears to be easy. Google is the only thing I can think of that might have presented a difficulty. Changing the bank account in other accounts, like PayPal, is easy.

So, I'm now looking for a new bank. It's the principle of the thing. When Chase took over they told WaMu customers our WaMu account's attributes would remain the same, only now with the protection of Chase Bank.

Anyone have any good bank suggestions? We can rule out US Bank.

Changing subjects again. I got a lot of good stuff. Again. At Town Talk today. Sushi was in the cooler again. And grape tomatoes. I got a lot of grape tomatoes. And dried pineapple. And a big bag of fire-roasted eggplant. Plus smoked Provolone.

I think it may be Town Talk that is making me FAT. Which is just one more factor in my ongoing Existential Angst.

The First Friday Of December Dawns With Existentialist Angst In Texas

The Friday morning of December 3 is slightly more colorful than yesterday's monochromatic morning.

I'm still feeling un-colorful though. With an overarching feeling of "WHY BOTHER?"

I got a real nice email that cheered me up this morning, from one of Fort Worth's best Texans, he being Steve Doeung. Steve's email had several good quotes from the Existentialist Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Nietzschian truisms like all it takes for evil to triumph is for the good people to do nothing.

I guess I will try and find myself some evil to try and triumph over today. I probably won't have to search too far to find me some evil.

George's Specialty Foods & White Settlement Road Under Attack By Chesapeake Energy & Fort Worth's Natural Gas Corrupted City Government Of Eminent Domain Abusers

You are looking at a mural at George's Specialty Food on White Settlement Road.

The mural depicts the view from George's, looking out at the Trinity Trail, the Trinity Levees and the houses in the hills on the opposite side of the river.

However, the mural is a bit out of date. Chesapeake Energy drilling sites need to be added to the view.

A few days ago I blogged about George's Specialty Foods closing in order to fight Chesapeake Energy's abuse of eminent domain to take property from the George's Specialty Food's owners.

I have gotten a few messages about this latest Chesapeake attack on Fort Worth Citizens. It is my understanding, now, that George's Specialty Foods was started by George and Helen Phiripes and is now operated by George's son Nick and Nick's son Theo.

Chesapeake Energy in the guise of one of its alias, Texas Midstream, want to take the Phiripes' property to run a pipeline from a couple Barnett Shale drilling sites Chesapeake has drilled and frac'ed.

I'm assuming this is another non-odorized natural gas pipeline like what Chesapeake tried to ram under Carter Avenue.

This morning I got an interesting comment to the blogging about George's Specialty Foods closing.

The commenter's name is Jim Bowe. Mr. Bowe has some interesting things to say regarding Chesapeake, and the City of Fort Worth's, rush to abuse eminent domain to steal citizen's property....

Now that all the bad publicity generated for two years by the Carter Ave. pipeline fight has come to an end, it appears that the gas drillers and the city need to make up for lost time and start putting those gathering pipelines in ASAP. 

That sector of gas drilling operations officially employed the outgoing TRR commissioner Victor Carillo as a consultant a few weeks ago---even while he's still in office. They also must hurry up because the legislators are fixing to meet next year and their man's prospect for another term as ruler, uh "mayor", of FW is not as secure as before. 

Gathering pipelines and eminent domain abuse appear to be the new hot issue in 2011. 

I guess we can help these business folks the same way we helped the residents on and near Carter Ave.: by keeping the story in front of the public and uniting to raise funds for legal defense. Not sure how much was raised to help those people on Carter Avenue fight for so long and then win an impossible victory. There must have been tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars collected in order to pay for a team of legal specialists to work on the case for two years.

Whatever money left from that Carter Ave. pipeline legal defense fund should be used to support these folks--if they want the help or their lawyer/s approve, of course. It would seem that these business owners have more financial resources than the working class folks on Carter, but they are going to need all the help they can get in going up against a multi-billion dollar corporation and its close city allies, though.

Well, Jim, I can tell you that no fortune of money was raised to save Carter Avenue. What happened was one brave Texan, Steve Doeung, fought back, alone at first. Steve acted as his own attorney. Because he could not afford one. Early one it was Steve alone, with Don Young pretty much being his only comrade in arms.

And then, it seemed to me, that a lot of people sort of got outraged over the bad behavior of the city and of Chesapeake. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram did not do too much to expose the dirty dealings. But, FW Weekly, did. Then various bloggers kept pounding away on the issue.

From what I've learned, from observing this, the people fighting Chesapeake Energy and the City of Fort Worth, can not expect any semblance of fairness if you get into a Fort Worth courtroom. What you can expect is to experience corruption up close. I'd never actually gotten to witness corruption up close til I spent time in a Fort Worth courtroom.

Why hasn't FW Weekly done a story on George's Specialty Food closing to fight eminent domain abuse? I can't help but wonder.

Is Carter Avenue Saved? TxDOT Submits Notice Of Proposed Highway Right Of Way Natural Gas Pipeline Installation

This morning Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung contacted his Band of Bloggers to inform the Band of Bloggers that TxDOT has moved ahead on its plan to allow Chesapeake Energy to run a non-odorized natural gas pipeline on a route that does not run under homes.

Steve Doeung has been battling the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy for a long time now, trying to save Carter Avenue from having a possibly explosive pipeline run under their homes.

The legitimacy of Steve Doeung's objection to this threatened violation of his security was recently validated by a fatal natural gas pipeline explosion last month down by Granbury.

Steve is of the opinion that it is time to celebrate. Below is Steve Doeung's message to the Band of Bloggers. And you....

Hey Band of Bloggers:

I'm sending you what I finally got from TxDOT.

I ran this alternative plan by a couple of different pros in two different states who know about the subject and they both said that it looks legit and show serious intention of constructing. One of the consultants, who is an industry insider, warned that with these companies "you never know if they will follow through on their commitment".

Please note that, its a large easement but only one 8-inch pipeline, which is 1/2 the size (and 1/3 the original size they wanted) of the pipelines that CTK wanted to place under front yards. It appears that an 8-inch pipeline is adequate. Or is this the largest/most risk that TxDOT is willing to allow in their right-of-way?

I'm not sure if this is the so called "final approval" announced by councilwoman Kathleen Hicks on 04/30/10 or not. In any event, her office had ignored my and a few other citizens' requests for more details about CTK's plan that had allegedly been submitted to TxDOT starting in 12/09. CTK's silence is also perplexing.

So, this is the ONLY detailed document (and verification that CTK actually submitted a design plan) that I am aware of that a citizen has seen. Of course, the Startlegram and other media outlets had no interest in pursuing such basic journalistic follow up details as this.

What would you think about my planning a community-wide event to celebrate this victory and to share this information with the public? It would be fun, inform the community (hopefully media will be forced to cover this denouement of the Carter Ave. saga---the scandal part is to come), and force CTK to follow through with this plan. Ideas?

Thanks again for the crucial roles that each of you have played in this battle. WE deserve a celebration, one which THEY apparently DO NOT want to see happen (thus the silence ?)

Steve Doeung