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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Yellow Judicial Rose Of Tainted Texas Ain't Looking Too Pretty To Me Today

I saw those bright yellow flowers today, earlier than normal, at the Tandy Hills. I'd walked by their location yesterday and did not notice them. They are rather noticeable, so I don't know why I didn't notice them yesterday.

Maybe they popped in to bloom today, some sort of sign of something, I don't, maybe the optimism of Spring.

I need a dose of optimism right about now. I started getting information this morning around 10 that sort of put me into some sort of state of shock.

Information of the sort that I did not quite know how to process it, or what to do with it. I had to get away from the computer, lest the temptation to blog took over before I'd had time to think through what had me in a state of disgust and shock.

When I got out of here I made several calls. The first was to my mom because I got gas and I always call my mom when I get gas. Mom made the mistake of asking how things are going. And so I told her the short version. You know it's bad when my mom gets the situation and asks a cogent question, as in asking, "How can something like that happen? Shouldn't these people be in jail?"

You have to keep in mind my mom has spent most of her life in civilized Washington, so telling mom about things that happen in Texas is very perplexing to her. This morning mom said Texas sounds lawless, like Mexico. Mom gets a lot of the bad Mexico news due to living near the border.

I walked extra long and extra hard on the Tandy Hills today, desperately seeking that endorphin fix that puts me in a better mood. For part of the hiking I was talking to the Queen of Wink, including hiking up the hill that had previously given her a bad case of the vapors. Soon after finishing consulting the Queen, my therapist, Dr. L.C., called.

Methinks there has been a lot of phone calling going on over a particular subject today. I believe some calls have gone out of Texas, seeking help with what is now obviously a much bigger scandal that I thought I was dealing with....

A Texas Cow Wash With The Saloon Hopping Wild Woman Of Woolley Washington & Twister

That Wild Woman of Woolley, Miss CVB, sent me the picture of a Texas Car Wash. The caption said "Only in Texas."

I do not recollect seeing a Cow Wash in Texas. I also don't know where Miss CVB found this picture. Maybe she came across it while doing research for her upcoming trip to Texas with Miss BS(-M).

I can't remember the last time I went sightseeing with Miss CVB. I recollect years ago, Miss CVB and me, driving up in the Cascades, driving over Diablo Dam, prior to the existence of the North Cascades Highway, and getting sort of stuck on a narrow logging road. Miss CVB has never gone saloon hopping. I am so looking forward to that.

Miss CVB regularly reminds me I need to go to Phoenix to visit my parental units. This morning Twister tweeted me a picture of himself deep in the aforementioned North Cascades. The full picture is a panoramic view. You can look at that here.

Why am I mentioning Miss CVB and Twister in the same paragraph? Well, the two of them have put it in my mind that it is time for a roadtrip. I have not driven back to Washington since July of 2001. I am thinking a roadtrip to Phoenix to see my mom and dad, sister, brother-in-law and nephews, on the way to Washington, would be a real fine time.

I will make sure this trip to Washington has none of the problems that I dealt with the last time I was there. In other words I won't be staying in Tacoma. I likely won't even do a Tacoma drive-by, due to the fact that that town is south of what will be my location.

In Fort Worth With Elsie Hotpepper On The Tandy Hills With The Color Purple

The annoying switch to Daylight Savings Time had me up later than normal.

About 7 Elsie Hotpepper called, insisting I needed to drive her to the Fort Worth Stockyards to get her car, which was left there overnight, due to me driving Elsie home on Saturday when she was not in suitable driving mode.

I told Elsie I'd come get her after I was done with my morning swim and breakfast.

So, those two onerous tasks out of the way, I took off to take a Hotpepper to her car.

Taking Elsie to the Stockyards proved uneventful. I dropped her off, then I took off for a much earlier than the norm hiking of the Tandy Hills.

I am trying to amp up my physical activity to reverse this unfortunate weight gain I may have mentioned a time or two.

I live in dread fear of many things, like fear of getting tasered by the Fort Worth police, but my #1 fear is my fear of turning into one of the humongous balloon people I see waddling about in these parts. I fear it is an easily slid slippery slope to get to being a balloon person.

With that in mind I did some heavy duty waddling up and down the Tandy Hills today. Absolutely perfect conditions, even though I am not in absolutely perfect condition.

And I saw a harbinger of the coming dose of wild color that will soon be putting on a fine display on the Tandy Hills, that being a purple wildflower coloring up the hills today. I am not all that adept at properly identifying colors. Is that a purple flower in the picture? Or is that a color other than purple?

I guess that sums up my Sunday in Texas, being perplexed by the color purple. With the windows open.

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

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

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

I don't know why I digressed to tacos.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Was The Fort Worth Gestapo After Me & Elsie Hotpepper Saturday At The Fort Worth Stockyards?

One of the Wild Women of Woolley, Miss CVB, got up from her sickbed this morning and mustered the energy to ask me how my Saturday of Fort Worth Stockyards Saloon Crawling with Elsie Hotpepper went.

I was not going to talk about the Saloon Crawling due to the Crawlers having so many rules and regulations about what I can say on my blog about who I Crawl with, what they say or anything else remotely related.

So, it's easier just to put these type things into an Area 51 Black Hole and make no mention.

And then the WWW Miss CVB asks me a question and I feel compelled to answer.

So, in answer to WWW Miss CVB's question, the Saloon Crawling was a real fine time.

Elsie Hotpepper does not object to me using her real name, but the other Saloon Crawlers insist I not identify them. I'll use nicknames. In addition to Elsie there was The White Knight and his sidekick, Robin. And Fort Worth's infamous Lone Ranger. So, that made for 5 Saloon Crawlers.

It being a St. Patrick's Day celebration going on in the Stockyards, and with 1/5th of us Saloon Crawlers being of Irish descent, beer was the adult beverage of choice, except for me and the Lone Ranger, who drank lemonade. I estimate that Elsie Hotpepper consumed 3 times as much of her beverage of choice than I did of lemonade.

Responsible adult that I am, I drove Elsie Hotpepper home, safely, after the Saloon Crawling was over.

I shot a lot of good Stockyard's video yesterday. I have yet to make what I shot into a YouTube video. But, I did extract one tiny extract. Above, in the picture, there is a Fort Worth police car in the lower left. The policeman parked his car in a no parking zone and proceeded to exit the vehicle and head in to the Love Shack, which is where Elsie and I were awaiting the arrival of the others.

We all live in dread fear of a Fort Worth Gestapo taser attack or illegal raid, so, when Elsie saw the Stormtrooper heading our way, she asked me, "What did you do?" I then rephrased Elsie's question, as in, "What did I do?"

You can hear this riveting exchange, in the video below, where you will also get your first chance to hear Elsie's sweet as honey Scarlett O'Hara voice...

The Day Before Daylight Savings Time Hiking The Tandy Hills In Fort Worth With My Therapist

As you can see, it is another blue sky Saturday, here in currently balmy Fort Worth, Texas, with just a few days til Winter turns to Spring.

Speaking of which, Spring, I mean, I must remember to spring my clocks forward an hour, tonight, to get them in to Daylight Savings Time mode, so that I don't wake up tomorrow morning all confused as to what time it is.

Hiking the Tandy Hills today had me feeling all sorts of happy. The hills were alive with the sound of birds chirping, the smell of flora coming to life, but, sadly, few humans enjoying Mother Nature having herself a good day. And, let's face it, she has been one cranky Mother this winter. It is nice she is back being nice. I hope it lasts.

I would mention that I had myself a really fine time, early this morning, swimming the longest swim of 2010, but, Anonymous told me that he/she tires of my daily swimming litany. I think a phrase like "you tiresome bore" was used.

This would have hurt my delicate feelings if they were delicate, which they are not, so I ignored Anonymous and mentioned swimming anyway.

I have to tell you that I had myself a real fine time with a new hiking partner today. My, well, slightly overweight therapist, Dr. L.C., finally took me up on my ongoing offer to show her the Tandy Hills. I wish Dr. L.C. would have let me take a picture of her in hiking mode, but she is overly self-conscious about that extra heft she carries, hence, the photo aversion.

Anyway, that's been my Saturday in Texas, up early, in the pool, hiking the Tandy Hills, then back here in my regular shut-in mode til Daylight Savings mode kicks in. Tomorrow I may go outside again.

What Is In My Fort Worth Neighborhood's Chesapeake Energy Ponds?

I live near a road in Fort Worth called Randol Mill Road. Randol Mill Road meanders all over the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. At one point in time there must have been a business called the Randol Mill, with a lot of roads leading to it.

Back when I first moved to my current location, at that point in time, where Randol Mill Road is met by Oakland Boulevard, there was a baseball field complex on the north side of Randol Mill.

And then a few years ago Chesapeake Energy began its Blitzkrieg on Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Eventually, the Chesapeake Blitzkrieg hit the ballfields at Oakland & Randol Mill.

After the ballfields and ballfield buildings were obliterated, Chesapeake Energy buildings began to appear, growing into a large complex.

A short time ago I was heading east on Randol Mill when I came upon a sign warning me that some street cleaning was taking place. What's making the road dirty, I wondered? And then I saw the Blitzkrieg army of trucks driving on to and out of the Chesapeake property, bringing with them a lot of dirt and mud, which is what the street cleaning was cleaning up.

This went on for days. The muddy street business. I was curious what was going on behind those closed Chesapeake doors.

So, I positioned a satellite into place and took some pictures. In the first one, at the top, you can see where Oakland Boulevard meets Randol Mill at the lower right. Across the street you see the area Chesapeake has commandeered. You can see the Trinity River meandering around the Chesapeake property. Let's move in for a closer look.

You can see several manmade ponds of various sizes and color. What is in these ponds, one can not help but wonder? Is this what those trucks were bringing in? Water to pump in these ponds? Or were the trucks taking water out of the ponds?

As you can see, in this close-up of one of the ponds, it appears to be heavily fortified with a thick lining, which again can't help but cause one to wonder what is in that pond. And what is in the little pond to the right?

Who monitors these ponds to make sure they are not leaking into the Trinity River? Anyone?

Fort Worth's Tandy Falls Roars While Elsie Hotpepper Wants Me To Go Bar Crawling

That is the Tandy River roaring over Tandy Falls today, in the heart of the Tandy Hills Natural Area. I think this may be the most water I've seen flowing over Fort Worth's Niagara.

It is a semi-warm Friday, in the 60s, and very windy. Wildfire danger is in the air, I mean, wind, according to the National Weather Service. So, I'll be real careful if I do any smoking outdoors.

Speaking of my health issues. I have recovered from my nearly broken ankle, that nearly had me crippled, due to a bad fall a couple days ago. Thanks for all the words of encouragement that helped me remain strong during this difficult time.

What am I saying? There were no words of encouragement during my most recent difficult time. Heartless, uncaring, be ye.

Elsie Hotpepper read about those busybodies busying themselves with great concern about me being a housebound shut-in who does not get out much. And so, Elsie wants me to go bar crawling with her on Saturday.

I told Elsie bar crawling is not something on my to do list, but she is very insistent.

To shut her up I agreed to Elsie's bar crawling proposal.

By Saturday morning I'm counting on Elsie forgetting, which is her usual pattern. My fall back position is to not answer my phone if Elsie calls tomorrow. No way am I going bar crawling with that Hotpepper woman. I'm not even sure I know what bar crawling is, besides knowing it is something I intuitively do not think sounds fun.

I probably should try and be more open-minded about these type things.

Is It Time To Line Fort Worth's Carter Avenue With American Flags Again? Or Is Chesapeake Bluffing Again?

Something is going on here. What it is is not exactly clear.

But, near as I can tell, and I can't tell much, Chesapeake Energy is taking the advice rendered on the protest sign, at last Thursday's CARO Rally on the Tarrant County Courthouse steps, and is going to take their Carter Avenue Pipeline and shove it somewhere else.

It seems like I've heard this before.

But.

Near the end of last Thursday's Steve Doeung vs. Chesapeake Energy court date, after Judge Sprinkle indicated he had no choice but to sign the order granting Chesapeake Energy the right to run a potentially explosive, high pressure, non-odorized natural gas pipeline under Steve Doeung's home, and that Steve Doeung would have 30 days to appeal the ruling from the point in time when the Judge signed it, Steve Doeung then asked Judge Sprinkle to please take his sweet time in signing the order, because Steve had reason to believe that a significant announcement would be forthcoming that would obviate Chesapeake's eminent domain case, due to the Carter Avenue route no longer being needed.

At that point in the proceedings, the chief Chesapeake lawyer told Judge Sprinkle that he knew of no impending announcement which might affect the case.

And then, a few days after that, the Fort Worth City Councilwoman who represents the district Carter Avenue is in, Kathleen Hicks, had minions place letters in Carter Avenue resident's mailboxes. The letter was a sort of obtuse meandering that seemed to be somehow taking credit for something that was about to happen, which Ms. Hicks seemed to be indicating she had been working hard to bring about.

Even though Ms. Hicks has had no contact with Carter Avenue residents during this controversial period. Nor would Ms. Hicks answer questions posed to her regarding the Chesapeake issues.

And now, this morning I learn that, supposedly, once more, Chesapeake Energy and the Texas Department of Transportation has found an alternative route for the controversial pipeline.

The new route is the same route that was announced late last year, an announcement which sent Carter Avenue into celebration mode, complete with lining Carter Avenue with American flags.

TXDOT says the "new" route, running along Interstate 30, could be approved quickly, as soon as Chesapeake submits its plans for the route.

Councilwoman Hicks is quoted as saying, "The coordinated efforts by all demonstrate what we can do when we work together. The actions we have taken here are significant for other North Texas neighborhoods that are concerned about pipelines in their neighborhoods."

This latest iteration of TXDOT's pipeline policy supposedly came about due to pressure from the forementioned Hicks, plus Texas State Senator Wendy Davis and State Representative Lon Burnam.

Wendy Davis is quoted as saying that when construction starts on the I-30 pipeline, Chesapeake needs to return the right of way to the Carter Avenue property owners, saying, "Particularly, they need to back away from the condemnation against Steve Doeung. I feel like his family has suffered a lot of emotional trauma."

Well, I agree with Wendy on that. Steve Doeung and his family have been put through a Kafkaesque nightmare, complete with scary Gestapo Raids and lop-sided court hearings, where the victim is left helpless in court, defending, solo, his rights, against a powerful government/industry combine.

Is it time for Carter Avenue to bust out the flags again? I don't know. The last time the Carter Avenue flags went up, someone stealthily removed them under cover of darkness. This time, if the flags go up, I'd say it'd be a wise move to keep the flags on the home side of the sidewalk.

And. To whover it was who stole the previous flags, this time there will be 2 night vision cameras strategically located on Carter Avenue, covering the majority of the street. You may steal the flags again, but this time it will not be an Anonymous Operation.