Sarah Palin & The Anonymous Confederacy Of Dunces

Way back on November 29, 2009, I blogged about Sarah Palin, the Confederacy of Dunces and the bizarre incident where the mayor of Fort Worth, Mike Moncrief, attempted to dye the Trinity River purple.

Yesterday I got several bizarrely dunce-like Anonymous comments to various bloggings, which were just a tad off. Well, actually, more than a tad.

This morning in the Dallas Morning News there was a letter to the editor about Sarah Palin which brought to mind the Confederacy of Dunces.

I'll copy the letter below, and below that, a YouTube video I've posted previously which shows a bunch of Anonymous dunces being dunce-like regarding Sarah Palin...

Why This Palin Mystique?

The Republicans must have taken leave of their collective minds to keep listening to this charlatan, Sarah Palin. A group that wouldn't let someone mow their lawn without a thorough background check has been duped by someone with fewer skins on the wall than the average mayor of a small U.S. city. Oh, wait! That's what she was five years ago.

Her public appearances are nothing but conservative rabble-rousing, have little substance, consist of right-wing talking point generality-speak (tax cuts, less government, blah, blah), and yet she holds sway over these people like some messiah.

If she weren't physically attractive, her 15 minutes would have been up long ago. She wouldn't even last 15 minutes in a political/foreign policy debate with a community college poly-sci teacher, much less President Barack Obama or former President Bill Clinton -- yet her handlers have her somehow blindly criticizing the president on every issue.

Going rogue? Oxford's dictionary defines rogue as an unprincipled, undisciplined, stray, irresponsible member of a group of otherwise acceptable specimens in a social setting. What a gorgeously ironic title for Palin's book -- no doubt totally lost on her, I'm sure.

Bret Davis, Forney

Does Hell Have No Fury Like A Fort Worth Congresswoman Scorned?

I got a couple comments from Anonymous this morning. I thought I might turn the comments into Blogging Fodder, so I did not hit the "PUBLISH" button on them.

That and there was a sort of not niceness to Anonymous that I figured if you want to be not nice, do so not as Anonymous.

One of the Anonymous comments was to this morning's blogging about the hell of experiencing the fury of a scorned woman.

The other Anonymous comment was to the blogging of a day or two ago where I indicated I was Fed Up with Texas and was plotting my escape and return to civilization.

One of the things I mentioned being Fed Up with was Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision and the corrupt way this vision has been foisted on Fort Worth. I mentioned Fort Worth Congresswoman Kay Granger and her boy, J.D., who she had installed, though he had no qualifications to do so, to run the $1 billion TRV project.

Prior to the blogging about being Fed Up, I'd blogged in more detail about Kay Granger and the Trinity River Vision and Kay Granger's efforts to solve the flash flooding problem in the Haltom City watershed zone, with legislation requiring the installation of weather radios in new trailers.

If I remember right I heaped a good dose of SCORN on Congresswoman Granger in those bloggings. I believe I used the word "loopy."

I'm thinking the 2 Anonymous comments I got today, regarding scorned Texas women and me leaving Texas, came from Kay Granger or one of her minions.

In the Fed Up Anonymous comment Anonymous indicated that it was great that I was leaving Texas, advising me to leave soon and to be careful not to let the door hit me on the butt.

Very original.

Anonymous also opined that, I'll quote this one directly by copying and pasting, "I feel sure that the average IQ of both Texas and the state you move to will both increase."

It was when I read the loopy comment, between the quotation marks, that it looked to have Kay Granger's earmarked fingerprints all over it. The poor woman has no clue she makes no sense. It's sad really that the Fort Worth Oligarchy uses such a person as a puppet.

The Scorned Woman comment was something like go back to Washington and leave Texas women alone.

I'd forgotten, til today's Anonymous comments jarred my memory, that I got a comment a long time ago, with the person not being Anonymous, but instead claiming to work for Congresswoman Granger. Obviously I've no way to verify such a thing. An inquiry to Granger's office only generates gibberish responses.

Anyway, that long ago comment was in reaction to me making a rather obvious joke about the little train that runs through Fort Worth's Trinity Park.

I'm sorry I have felt compelled to scorn Congresswoman Granger, but her fury really does not seem all that hellish to me. Maybe when we have our dinner date I'll get to experience the Full Fury.

I'm all atwitter in anticipation at experiencing some Hellish Loopy Fury.

We Are Having A Texas Heat Wave For The End Of March

This afternoon I saw WeatherBug, on my computer, hit 80 for the first time in 2010. Also for the first time in 2010 I have the ceiling fan spinning above me.

Maybe the Texas I've experienced the 10 years previous has returned and I won't have to depart this state seeking a better climate more conducive to mitigating the myriad woes fracturing my fragile health.

Then again, the return of warm temperatures may have heated up the air, but it sure has not cleaned it up. I'm still breathng air contaminated by who knows what, spewed by the thousands of natural gas wells that have been poked into the Barnett Shale in Texas, including one right across the street from my abode.

When you leave Texas, via motorized transport, heading northwest, it's about when you cross into Colorado that the air starts smelling fresher. By the time the motorized transport crosses the Cascade Mountains into Western Washington the air smells like Christmas trees and seems to sparkle. That sensation does not last long.

89 for the high tomorrow. That is only 11 shy of 100. Can Level Red Ozone Alerts be far behind?

A New Road Ruts Up Fort Worth's Tandy Hills With Sewer Seepage Making A Green Belt

I parked by the tower on top of Mount Tandy today. As I drove in a lady was exiting with her dog. After I parked and disembarked I saw a group of 4 exiting the park. This, thus was the biggest crowd I've seen at this location. I tell you, hiking the Tandy Hills is getting super popular.

As is, apparently, driving on the Tandy Hills. The road ruts you see in the picture run along side the main trail that runs into the Tandy Hills off View Street.

I thought maybe a Fort Worth Parks crew had been busy rutting up the place so that they could haul out the bags of trash collected by the Tandy Hills Trash & Brush Bashers a couple months ago.

I had previously made note of the deteriorating condition of the black trash bags. Black plastic and the sun do not get along well together.

By the time I got to where the new road ended I could see the black trash bags were still sitting on the ground.

The Tandy Trash Bags look like they are melting. A truly astonishing amount of trash was found littering up the hills and stuck in bags. It'd be a real shame to see all that hard work wasted.

I saw something a bit odd today that has sprung up quickly with the un-springing of Spring.

The picture does not do it justice, but what you are looking at is a lush, thick, section of tall, deeply green, grass. Currently, by far, the greenest spot on the Tandy Hills. See the flat object in the picture? That is a lid that says "Sanitary Sewer" on it.

Last Fall I was in this exact spot after a heavy rainstorm. Material was oozing out of the Sanitary Sewer lid. It appears that whatever oozed out did an excellent job of fertilizing this little area.

As you walk about the Tandy Hills you come across evidence of its pre-natural days before it became the Tandy Hills Natural Area. I didn't realize the sewer pipes that run under the park were still being used, til I saw the oozing.

So, that's been some of my Texas rut today, finding ruts on the Tandy Hills. That and I heard from one of those scorned Texas women I mentioned earlier. I think it may have been Kay Granger, calling herself Anonymous.

Hell Has No Fury Worse Than What Happens If You Scorn Some Texas Women

William Congreve was an English playwright and poet. Born January 24, 1670, died January 19, 1729.

Congreve wrote his most famous play, The Mourning Bride, in 1697.

The Mourning Bride is known for two turns of phrase that are fairly universally known, though the passage of time, with centuries of repetition, have slightly altered the famous phrases from the words written by Congreve.

The first famous phrase was spoken by Almeria in Act I, Scene 1, saying "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast." In modern times this is often changed to "Music hath charms to soothe a savage beast."

The change to beast makes sense to me, the changing of has to hath, less so.

And then there is the most famous thing Congreve ever wrote, spoken by Zara in Act 3, "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned."

Time has changed Congreve's words to "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

I have eye-witnessed the behavior, a time or two, of scorned women. The fury is not a pretty sight. I've seen it a time or two in Washington, three times in Texas. The Texas scorning is out of proportion to the time I've spent in Texas, compared to Washington.

The fury of a scorned Texas woman, at least in my experience, is far more hellish than a scorned Washington woman. I know my sampling of scorned women, in either state, is not large enough to be able to make any sort of statistically significant conclusion.

Suffice to say, in my experience, I'd rather experience the hell of a scorned Washington woman that a scorned Texas woman. Most Washington women do not pack heat.

Getting Caught By The Richland Hills Texas Red Light District

I found a fun surprise this morning in my mailbox. A letter from the City of Richland Hills, Texas Red Light Photo Enforcement Program.

Also known as the Richland Hills Revenue Enhancement Program.

It was a little surprising to see a closeup picture of my license plate.

On the "Notice of Violation," under the picture showing the plate image, it says, "To view a video and the before and after pictures of the violation, please go to www.photonotice.com. Enter City Code: RCHLD."

Photonotice.com is run by Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona.

I logged into Photonotice.com, after entering the city code, the notice number and the license plate, and watched the video. Til I watched the video I could not remember being in Richland Hills and having the opportunity to run a red light.

With the video refreshing my memory I remember a couple weeks ago I needed to be at a specific location in North Richland Hills, at noon. That day, when I left my abode, I could see my usual route to North Richland Hills, I-820, was not moving. So, I took surface streets north.

This had me eventually on Highway 183, which I learned, from the Notice of Violation, is also known as Baker Boulevard. Baker Boulevard had few vehicles on it that day before noon. The red light running took place at the intersection of Baker and Vance Park. Whatever Vance Park is. I recollect where the red light was run, it was like there was a stoplight with no real crossroad.

The memory of the lack of a real crossroad is reinforced by viewing the video and the picture above.

So, what's the deal here? Does Redflex Traffic Systems, Inc. send agents out to cash hungry towns and sell them on the idea of installing red light traps to tempt drivers to ignore the seemingly unnecessary red light?

I must return and take pictures of the scene of the crime.

In the meantime, be careful out there. Big Brother is Watching.

I Am Living On Sunset Boulevard In Texas Waiting For Norma Desmond To Shoot Me

I watched Sunset Boulevard a couple days ago. This was not the first time I've watched Sunset Boulevard. It's a good movie.

Gloria Swanson plays Norma Desmond. That's Norma moving in for her close up in the picture. By picture, I don't mean Motion Picture, I mean, photo.

There is a scene towards the end of Sunset Boulevard, shortly before Norma shoots and kills Joe, where Joe catches Norma calling Betty, a screenwriter with whom Joe was working on a screenplay.

Norma was calling Betty to let Betty know what a Bad Boy Joe was.

But, Norma's real motive was to try and preserve her hold on Joe.

For reasons unsettling to me, I found Norma's behavior disturbing in a way I did not find it on previous viewings of Sunset Boulevard.

It seems I am in the midst of my own twisted Southern Gothic Texas version of Sunset Boulevard, with a twisted Norma Desmond playing sadistic mindgames on a young, sweet, innocent Texas Betty.

When Norma shot Joe he ended up floating in Norma's pool. I'm almost certain I will not meet a similar end in the pool I swim in. But you never know. Norma's are difficult to predict.

It's always something. And, have I mentioned? I am Fed Up.

5th Annual Fort Worth Prairie Fest Littering Up The Tandy Hills With Flyers

Today is Day 2 of Project 20, a clandestine effort in cahoots with a Washington cohort. It is easier to use the words "cahoots" and "cohort" in one sentence than you might think.

My pool has warmed up enough that I managed to, almost, make being in it, aerobic, this morning. But, having failed to truly achieve water aerobia, I really amped it up on the Tandy Hills today. Hiked for about an hour. Fast up 6 hills instead of my standard 4. I think I will easily be ready for a Port Aransas beach in a month or so.

I found some well-preserved litter whilst hiking the Tandy Hills today. Flyers advertising the April 24, 2010 5th Annual Fort Worth Prairie Fest.

I made it to Prairie Fests 3 and 4. I don't know if I'll make it to Prairie Fest 5.

Fed Up & Ready To Escape Texas & Return To Civilization

I got an email a couple days ago asking me about the current status of the Carter Avenue/Chesapeake Energy Natural Gas Pipeline fiasco.

I have no idea regarding the current status of that particular fiasco.

The emailer also mentioned that I have not been making comments, of late, about the Chesapeakegate Scandals or Fort Worth's corrupt, on the take, mayor, Mike Moncrief or the shenanigans of the dishonorable Judge Vincent Sprinkle or the shenanigans of J.D. Granger and his mother Kay and their pet Trinity River Vision Project.

Why have I not made mention, of late, of these subjects and others?

Because I'm Fed Up with it all. Fed Up.

When I realized that I'm living in a place where a judge can lie to a courtroom full of fully functioning ears. And get away with it, with the scandalous behavior not being reported anywhere, but in blogs that few read. Fed Up.

Blogs that also make note of the corruption in Fort Worth's city government, to no avail. No one cares, no one, who can do anything about it, listens. Did Chesapeake Energy pay-off the FBI? Fed Up.

Gestapo Raids by the city of Fort Worth for no appropriate reason, with no one asking who ordered the raids. Fed Up.

Yesterday I read that the first stage of Seattle's $4 billion Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement will be put out to bid in early April. That article mentioned, just matter of fact, like it's just the ordinary course of things, that a Seattle Activist had filed a lawsuit objecting to some aspect of the project.

Activist? What a concept. Fort Worth Activist? Some try. To no avail. Can you imagine reading an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and mention being made of a Fort Worth Activist filing a lawsuit regarding some aspect of the project?

I don't know, maybe a lawsuit regarding the nepotism involved in hiring the project manager. Or eminent domain abuse being used on a project on which the public has not voted.

Fed Up. Fed Up I tell you.

I have decided it is time to plot my escape from Texas. I'm ready to return to civilization.

I Support Confederate History Month But Don't Support Texas Textbook Revisionism

I remember when I first realized I was in the Confederacy. It was on a trip to Fort Worth, May of 1998, to see if it was feasible to make the drastic move to Texas.

We were out in Weatherford, walking around the Parker County Courthouse, my first look at what was to become many looks at various impressive Texas County Courthouses, with the one in Waxahachie being the best that I've seen.

On the grounds surrounding the Parker County Courthouse there is a Civil War Memorial. I don't remember if this said Confederate States of America on it, but I was looking at this memorial when I realized for the first time I was in Rebel Territory.

At Pioneer Plaza, in Dallas, between the cemetery and the Convention Center, sits the biggest monument to the Confederacy that I've seen. The monument has statues of several stars of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and one other I'm forgetting. I am almost 100% certain it was not John Wilkes Booth.

A few weeks ago the guy who replaced Gar the Texan as the smartest Guy in Texas, Jovan Gonzalez, blogged about his dismay at Texas re-writing history in new textbooks. And the appalling reality that, apparently, Texas textbooks are used by other states.

On March 24, I did not read it, but the Fort Worth Star-Telegram printed a letter from Paul R. Schattman in which Mr. Schattman complained about the Texas textbook revisionism. Apparently Jefferson Davis gets a re-do. Davis was the President of the Confederacy.

I believe Jefferson Davis was arrested at the end of the Civil War. If I remember right he was caught while trying to escape to the West. I don't remember if he did any jail time.

So, Mr. Schattman's letter (and opinion) generated some amusing follow up letters. In one of them the letter writer asserts that at one point Robert E. Lee was considered the best military tactician of all time. The writer did not say who made this consideration.

Anyway, for your reading enjoyment and enlightenment, Letters from the Confederacy...

Rewriting History

If there was any question as to the wisdom of the State Board of Education dedicating space in its new textbooks for Jefferson Davis, then Paul R. Schattman's "Honoring traitors, not heroes" letter of March 24 provides a conclusive answer.

Anyone who name-calls Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee as "traitor" and "secessionist trash," comparing these men and all others who fought and sacrificed for the cause of Southern independence as the equivalent of those who represent "al Qaeda and the Taliban," is in serious need of a proper education.

I am hopeful that Schattman will at some point return to school and avail himself of the new text.

-- Scott Bowden, Arlington

The ignorance of Paul R. Schattman amazes me. People such as he concern me much more than al Qaeda or the Taliban.

-- Greg Pitts, Carrollton

The State Board of Education is charged with reporting history, not rewriting it. Schattman calls people "traitors, incompetent leaders, vainglorious fools"? If he knew his Civil War history, he would know that Gen. Robert E. Lee was offered command of the Union Army but rejected it to represent the Army of Virginia. Also, before we decided to not win wars but accept political settlements, Lee was considered the best military tactician of all time.

Some malcontents would rewrite history, not teach it. I would like my grandchildren to learn historical facts.

-- Philip E. Orr Jr., North Richland Hills