Texas Turns Arctic While The Northwest Turns Tropical

That is a Dallas school kid on a sled on a hill in Highland Park by Turtle Creek, sledding during a rare snow day caused by the record breaking over a foot of snow we had fall on us here, in North Texas.

This has been the harshest winter since I've been in Texas. My memory of winter in Washington has faded, but I really don't remember this harsh a winter in Washington.

Almost every day this winter when I first log in to read the local papers, online, I make note of that morning's low temperature. Practically every day this winter I'd see the local temperature and then go to the Seattle P-I and see it 20 to 30 degrees warmer.

This is not normal.

Yesterday I was talking to a Western Washingtonian, based in the balmy Skagit Valley, telling me about the record breaking HOT winter and the resulting early blooming of things that are not supposed to bloom in winter.

However, right at this very moment, coming up on 10am, I am reading 43 here in Fort Worth. I just checked on Seattle and it is also 43. A rare instance of being equally cold this winter.

The bizarre weather was brought to mind by a letter to the editor in today's Dallas Morning News. The letter was from Harold Whittington from Garland, Texas.

Below is what Harold had to say...

Normally, I don't get into the Winter Olympics, but I really did this year, watching every night. I even watched curling and ice dancing -- in front of other people.

After the final ceremonies, I tried to determine why I had this newfound interest in an event that I had largely ignored over the years. I could come to only one conclusion -- it was the weather.

It's hard to get jazzed up about the frigid Winter Olympics when you just finished washing your car in 70-plus-degree weather wearing jeans, a T-shirt and flip-flops. The transition is just too much.

This year, however, it was different. Our weather on some days didn't look too much different than the weather at the Winter Olympics. The fantasy was complete!

We Won't Pipe Down: Americans to Save Fort Worth's Carter Avenue

Well. Yesterday I committed a massive faux pas. I was asked if I could possibly make a logo for the CARO Project Press Release. I always do what I'm asked to do, so I made a logo.

The original logo said "We Won't Pipe Down: North Texans to Save Carter Avenue: Rescue Operation."

Can you spot the mistake that had me receiving blistering emails this morning? Okay, I'm exaggerating. They weren't all blistering.

I heard from several CARO supporters who are not located in North Texas, including one full of umbrage West Texan, a couple from Oklahoma, a guy from Austin, another guy from California and an acquaintance of mine from Washington.

So, changing "North Texas" to "Americans" should fix the problem. Unless I hear now from a Canadian, Mexican or Iranian. If I do, it is easy to change "Americans" to "World."

Come to think of it, this really should be a Global Cause.

Recipe For Successful Drilling In Barnett Shale Communities & Towns

TXsharon thought the following information might be useful to anyone in any of the natural gas drilling shale zones.

Is your community or town plagued with out of control drilling and rapid issuance of new drilling permits? If so, I have a simple recipe with simple steps you can follow to success.

1. Download Drill-Right Texas: Best Oil & Gas Development Practices for Texas.

2. Print out and distribute a copy for each city council member and each member of the planning and zoning committee.

3. Sign up for the citizens' agenda at your next city council meeting and ask for a moratorium on new projects until all the Drill-Right Texas best practices are addressed with the city's ordinances.

If your city council happens to be addressing an application to drill at that meeting, ask the following 3 questions:

1. Has the applicant mapped where the pipelines will go and how they will tie into larger transmission pipelines?

2. Has the applicant detailed their emission controls during drilling activities and on the stationary equipment and compressors they will leave at the drill site?

3. Has the applicant disclosed where the water they will use will come from, what chemicals additives will go into the water and how they will dispose of or treat all the waste water from the site.

These questions must be answered before approving any permits.

The Texas Insitute For Justice Is Afraid To Take On Barnett Gas Driller Eminent Domain Abuse

A couple days ago I blogged about what I now know to be the Institute for Injustice, wondering why this entity that calls itself the Institute for Justice, claiming to work to help victims of eminent domain abuse and freedom of speech ,was not all over the Steve Doeung Carter Avenue Eminent Domain Abuse Case like a fat fly on a Texas Longhorn.

In the blogging about the Institute for Injustice I asked if anyone knew if this was a legit operation or not.

Well. I soon heard from Chris who had heard from another Chris, that being Chris Grodecki of the Castle Coalition and Institute for Justice.

I'll copy the comment from Chris below, followed by two comments from the ever ubiquitous Anonymous....

Chris said...

Regarding the Institute for Justice, I have been down that road before. They do not get involved in eminent domain disputes involving energy companies because the "public good" argument tends to favor energy or utility companies.

As Chris Grodecki of the Castle Coalition and Institute for Justice wrote to me in November of 2008:

"As you may know, we provide resources for property owners threatened by eminent domain for private economic development. Situations that involve energy companies are bit more complicated because those companies are considered common carriers. Because they are licensed by the government to provide services to the general public, their uses of eminent domain are very likely to be considered as "public use" by the courts. We, unfortunately, do not get directly involved in situations that regard takings for "public use"; that's not a judgment, however, on the merits of your situation, which while fully legal, doesn't necessarily make it any less wrong."

Activate your grassroots! Educate yourself and talk to your neighbors. It does take stamina and patience, however, because you will have to "saddle your own horse." Compare notes with our experience: Spectra Energy

Anonymous then said...

Let me get this right: the Institute for Justice only takes cases they can win and will not take cases involving energy companies because THEY HAVE DECIDED THAT THEY ARE UNBEATABLE. Either that claim is pretty absurd or this Steve on Carter guy's been doing some mighty impressive "lawyering" --esp. with being disabled and untrained in the law in any way. With this kind of attitude from self-proclaimed public interest firms fighting for justice and liberty, old Steve might just be better off fighting on his own --with "We the people" supporting him in any way possible. This kind of stuff is what gives lawyers and even the legal system a bad name and Shakespeare...nevermind.

And then Anonymous had more to say...

One more thing: if the services to the "public good" provided by these oil and gas companies are so overwhelmingly helpful to the American public and even the economy, then let Wal-mart and big trucking companies have the rights of eminent domain to take people's front yards to provide overnight stops so that they can drive safely in their work to provide cheaper consumer goods of all sorts and get the needed rest without having to find sparse and costly truck stops/motels. Besides, trucks idling overnight on people's front yards don't hardly ever blow up and destroy whole neighborhoods like a 16-24 inch natural gas lines do on a fairly regular intervals.

---

On a totally different, yet related to the Anonymous comments, note. Anonymous typed in his comments twice. This happens when commentators do not notice the "comments moderated" message. I have to moderate the comments or it would be an awful lot of bother to go through the various posts to delete inappropriate comments. Every day there are dozens of spam comments, nonsense comments and demented comments. Moderating the comments makes it way simpler. Sorry you had to go to the bother of typing in your comments twice, Anonymous, but I'm glad you did.

A Safe, Orderly, Peaceful Coming Together In Texas In Support Of Steve Doeung

I've been getting messages from Texans heading to Thursday's CARO Support Rally in downtown Fort Worth, concerned that the Rally will somehow be disrupted by the City of Fort Worth.

One party asked me if events spin out of control, would I help her escape, due to having a very important appointment that afternoon that she would prefer not missing due to being tasered and in jail.

And then, a mother, who is bringing her pre-teen daughter to the Support Rally, told me her daughter asked if they might be sprayed by water hoses. February was Black History month and so the pre-teen had learned of some of the Civil Rights Fight type bad doings by those in authority back in those ugly days.

Permits for large protests or marches are required in some jurisdictions, like New York City and America's capital, and others. Permits are required for large demonstrations, with the protesters having to estimate the size of the crowd, so the city knows how many police to assign to stifle the dissent, I mean, keep law and order.

Thursday morning Steve Doeung has a date in court in his Battle with Chesapeake Energy. People have come together to support Steve Doeung and to make certain he is no longer fighting this battle alone.

The right to assemble is one of our rights, you know, in that part of the U.S. Constitution known as the Bill of Rights. The right to assemble was considered, by the Founding Fathers, to be part of Free Speech, and a vital part of the preservation of Freedom in a Democracy.

Texans armed with cell phones and cameras will be at the CARO Rally. Should there be any bad behaviors, by authorities, such as were committed in Fort Worth in the raid on the Rainbow Lounge, it will go global before the day is done.

And, might I add, way back in time, a short while before 1776, some guys in Boston decided they were not all that happy with the British and a new tax. So, a group got together and threw a lot of tea into Boston Harbor. This is known as the Boston Tea Party. It's sort of an American tradition.

Those long ago teabaggers attained no permits to exercise what was then only their God-given right to protest, that was codified, about 15 years later, into the United States Constitution.

And, also remember, things did not go all that well, for the British, after the Boston Tea Party.

Walking Around Fort Worth's Fosdic Lake Listening To Tootsie Tonasket's Tale Of A Washington State Gestapo Stormtrooper Raid

The picture is from Sunday, feeding the birds at Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park in sunny Fort Worth.

There was a thick frost on roofs and windows when I did my icy Sunday morning dip yesterday.

This morning there was no dip due to a constant drip. Yes, rain has returned. It's like I am back living in the Pacific Northwest, which is currently having one of its most balmy winters ever, with buds sprouting and flowers blooming way too early.

Yesterday when I walked around Fosdic Lake I talked to Tootsie Tonasket and heard the bizarre explanation for the plea for help she left on my phone late Friday.

The Tootsie Tonasket voice mail message was "the police are here and are yelling at me to come out with my hands in the air. Do I have to do that?"

Tootsie was calling me, 2,200 or more miles distant, to ask what to do while police were yelling at her to surrender?

One of the more bizarre messages I've ever gotten, and that covers a lot of bizarre messages. The story of what lead to that phone message and what happened after that is also very bizarre.

As I listened to Tootsie's tale I was thinking to myself, this is the type stuff that happens here in Texas, in Fort Worth, in particular, not in a bucolic little town in Eastern Washington.

The sky continues to drip. I'm thinking maybe the first day of the new month of March is my one day of the month to do nothing aerobic, as much as that pains me.

Fort Worth's New Favorite Son Steve Doeung's Got People In The Eminent Domain Abuse Capital Of The World

This morning we hear from Fort Worth's #1 Watchdog, Don Young, about Fort Worth's #1 Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung, regarding the growing feistiness that seems to be erupting from the Victims of the Shale in the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the World.

Below is what Don Young had to say. And below that you can see and hear Steve Doeung, via a YouTube video, regarding Thursday morning's CARO (Carter Avenue Rescue Operation) Rally...

Something like a tsunami of outrage is rolling over Fort Worth in support of Steve Doeung and the thousands like him who have been bullied by lawless gas drillers who are trying to ram dangerous NG pipelines AND extraction operations into our neighborhoods.

Steve sent out a message in a bottle last year that has finally been discovered by a once-sleeping public. His next court hearing is this Thursday morning. You need to be there.

The alarm bell is ringing. Momentum is growing. Apathy is yielding to action. People are angry and ready to fight back, not just for Steve but what his case stands for.

The multi-headed enemy is clearly defined:

Chesapeake Energy Mayor Mike Moncrief Exxon Mobil TX RRC Sarah Fullenwider TCEQ Julie Wilson XTO Ken Barr FW Chamber Of Commerce ENRON O & G Apathy Aubrey McClendon Devon Energy Ignorance Greed Range Resources Quicksilver Energy Business As Usual Add Your Own ___________Etc., Etc., Ad Nauseam.

If you've had enough abuse from gas drillers and their enablers, come join Steve's People on the courthouse steps.

What: CARO (Carter Avenue Rescue Operation)
When: Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Time: 7:30 am
Where: Tarrant County Courthouse steps, 100 W. Weatherford St., Downtown Fort Worth

Is The Texas Chapter Of The Institute For Justice For Real?

There is this thing called the Institute for Justice. The Institute for Justice has a Texas Chapter, working out of Austin.

Supposedly the Institute for Justice fights to secure property rights, economic liberty, freedom of speech and school choice and to help Texas property owners in a range of property rights disputes, including eminent domain, annexation, zoning, special districts and citizen referendums.

There is a heavily reported case of eminent domain abuse and freedom of speech suppression here in the Tarrant County town of Fort Worth, Texas involving Steve Doeung and his fight against Chesapeake Energy and the City of Fort Worth, to try to keep his home from being taken via eminent domain.

When I say eminent domain is being used to attempt to take Steve Doeung's home, by home I mean the place where one feels safe and secure in the privacy of ones home. Steve Doeung believes, and with good reason, that a non-odorized natural gas pipeline running under his home is an unacceptable risk, thus it would compromise the quality of his home, taking it from Steve Doeung, really, no differently than if his home were forcibly taken.

Up til now Steve Doeung has been a Lone Ranger, for the most part. He is alone no longer. On Thursday the Carter Avenue Rescue Operation is holding a Rally at the Tarrant County Courthouse to Support Steve in his Battle for Life, Liberty and his Pursuit of Happiness.

Read Steve Doeung's account of what he and Don Young experienced in court when Steve was fighting alone.

Attempts have been made to enlist the help of the Institute of Justice, contacting the Executive Director of the Institute for Justic Texas Chapter, Matt Miller, to no avail.

If ever there was a case that warranted the attention of an entity calling itself the Institute for Justice, the Steve Doeung Eminent Domain Suppression of Free Speech Case would seem to be that case.

Does anyone out there know anything about the Institute for Justice? Is it legit? Have they been helping Billy Mitchell with his eminent domain abuse nightmare?

Is there not a single lawyer in the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the World, Tarrant County, Texas, willing to help Steve Doeung, pro bono? Just because it's the right thing to do?

Join the Carter Avenue Rescue Operation Cause on Facebook where you will be able to find details about Thursday's Fort Worth Support Rally.

A Balmy Last Saturday Of February In Fort Worth

As you can see we are having a blue sky Saturday here in Fort Worth, Texas. A warm blue sky Saturday. 60 degrees warm. It feels almost tropical.

The balmy temperatures had a lot of people playing in Oakland Lake Park. Including a group playing baseball. A sure sign Spring will soon be here.

I forgot to notice if the turtles had come back out of hibernation. I'm sure they have.

I also forgot to mention that I took my daily constitutional at Oakland Lake Park, my new default walking location, til the Tandy Hills dry out. Maybe I'll see if the Tandy Hills are dry enough for foot traffic tomorrow.

You're looking at Little Fosdic Lake in the picture. It is south of Fosdic Lake. It caught my eye today because it was being so blue and there were 2 big ducks and 2 baby ducks merrily quacking away on Little Fosdic Lake. By the time I whipped my camera out of my pocket and turned it on, the duck family nervously began to exit the lake. By the time I managed to snap a picture the ducks had made shore.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., has gone missing. I'm concerned.

The Queen of Wink & Her Entourage Will Be In Fort Worth Next Thursday For The Support Steve Doeung Save Carter Avenue Rally

I have been informed the Queen of Wink, and her entourage, will be making the 500 plus mile journey from her far West Texas Wink Kingdom to the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the World, next Thursday, to lend her Royal aura to the CARO Carter Avenue Worldwide Rescue Operation.

Now, if the Queen of Wink is willing to go to such extreme measures to show her support for Steve Doeung and Carter Avenue in their Battle Against Chesapeake Energy and the City of Fort Worth, how can you, if you have a clear conscience, keep it clear, if don't haul yourself down to downtown Fort Worth next Thursday?