Josh Fox, Gasland Director, Calls For Civil Disobedience, Uses Fort Worth As Example Of What Happens When You Don't Fight Back

That is Josh Fox, director of Gasland the Movie, winner of multiple awards and worldwide acclaim, waving at you in the picture while giving a speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is a state where the Marcellus Shale drillers pump their poisonous fracking fluids in to Pennsylvania rivers.

In his speech Josh Fox uses examples from the Barnett Shale as a cautionary tale, mentioning Fort Worth and its 10,000 gas wells. Mentioning the cancer cluster in Flower Mound. Mentioning the people made sick by the toxins in the air in DISH, courtesy of the huge natural gas operations in that Texas town.

Josh Fox explains how using Civil Disobedience is often the way things get done in America. Using Civil Disobedience to right wrongs is actually one of the concepts the Founding Fathers built into the U.S. Constitution, what with Freedom of Speech, the Freedom to Assemble. And various other Freedoms, all of which were put there to allow a single citizen to stand up to the powers that be.

Or the corrupt status quo.

Watch the YouTube video below of the Josh Fox Pittsburgh speech and hear what Josh had to say about Fort Worth and other parts of Texas...

Today's Brief Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Thinking About Elsie Hotpepper, Betty Jo Bouvier & The Queen Of Wink Being Wild Women Tomorrow

As you can see by the length of the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man, I was semi-late to the Tandy Hills today. When I headed to the hills there was barely a hint of sun. When I started hiking the hills, no sun.

And then, for one brief moment the sun made one brief appearance. I whipped out my camera and was able to snap off one picture of the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man before the sun went away for the day.

I got an email from the Other Tandy Hills Thin Man, Don Young, today, with additional info about tomorrow's Tandy Hills Manly Men/Wild Women Hike, starting at 10 am from Tandy Hills Park on View Street. I will copy and paste the pertinent new info from DY, regarding tomorrow, in the following paragraph...

"Post-hike lunch for those inclined at the 8.0 Bar & Restaurant in Sundance Square. They have a moderately priced menu for all ages and tastes. Meet in the Octopus Room. Dutch treat. Come as you are. I guarantee you'll have an appetite."

I do not know if Elsie Hotpepper is bringing her particular brand of Wild Woman to the Tandy Hills tomorrow. Near as I can tell Elsie is currently, for some unfathomable reason, being a bit reluctant about any form of exhibitionism, including exhibiting her hiking skills in hill mode.

I am fairly certain that the Queen of Wink and Princess Annie will not be attending the 2nd Annual Manly Men/Wild Women Hike. Near as I can tell the Queen is undergoing some sort of existential crises in her West Texas realm that is manifesting itself in a lot of Facebook introspection and navel gazing.

I heard from Betty Jo Bouvier, this morning, she being the well known Wild Woman of Woolley, that she may be being a Tandy Hills Wild Woman tomorrow.

I can say this for certain. If Betty Jo Bouvier is on the Tandy Hills tomorrow, for the Manly Men/Wild Women Hike, I can 100% certain guarantee I will be there as well, previous plans be damned.

Loud Warning For North Texas From The National Weather Service: SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement stating that North Texas has a chance of snow Sunday night through Monday. With incoming extremely cold temperatures.

The National Weather Service is very serious about this warning, apparently, because it was issued in all CAPITALS, which is the Internet version of shouting.

Below is the NWS Weather Statement, in full SHOUT mode....

...A CHANCE OF SNOW ACROSS THE NORTH SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY...

...COLD WEATHER EXPECTED NEXT WEEK...

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT IS CURRENTLY OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A CHANCE OF RAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON MAINLY SOUTH OF I-20 AND AREA WIDE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS TEXAS SUNDAY...TEMPERATURES WILL COOL AND THE RAIN MAY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW NORTH OF I-20. THE BEST CHANCES OF SNOW WILL BE NORTH OF A JACKSBORO TO EMORY LINE...WHERE SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW IS POSSIBLE. THE EXACT TRACK OF THE UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL DETERMINE HOW FAR SOUTH THE SNOW OCCURS AND HOW MUCH SNOW ACCUMULATES.

AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO NORTH TEXAS MONDAY. THE BRISK NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT ALONG WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILL READINGS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE UPPER TEENS NORTHWEST TO UPPER 20S SOUTHEAST BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS AND AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE 30S ACROSS MOST OF NORTH TEXAS. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ACROSS OKLAHOMA MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS THAT THERE WILL SOME LIGHT SNOW MAINLY NORTH OF A JACKSBORO TO EMORY LINE.

RESIDENTS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER CLOSELY THROUGH THIS WEEKEND FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS POTENTIAL WINTRY WEATHER EVENT.

Up Early In Texas On The First Friday Of 2011 Searching For Firewood

I am up early this first Friday of 2011, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at my hot hot tub, sitting there in the balmy 44 degree heat, waiting to heat me up.

The forecast is looking good for tomorrow's 2nd Annual Tandy Hills Manly Men & Wild Women Hike.

I do not know how many Manly Men & Wild Women are expected to be in attendance tomorrow. Last year the number was in the 100 hikers zone. Plus a few dogs.

I need to get maximum enjoyment out of our current semi-balmy temperatures, before next week's predicted plunge into a Deep Freeze arrives.

I probably should stock up on some firewood in anticipation of a possible power outage during the upcoming Deep Freeze.

Several years ago the power went out during a Deep Freeze, with me finding myself quickly quite cold. I had no firewood. But I did have several big phone books. I figured the phone books had previously been wood. And so should burn and put off some heat.

Which they did. But the residue of the burned phone books remains in my fireplace to this day.

Maybe I can find myself some firewood on the Tandy Hills today. Mesquite should burn with a nice aroma.

In the meantime, I'm going swimming. Talk to you later.

Late On The Tandy Hills Thinking About Zumba Dancing With Elsie Hotpepper

In the picture you are looking at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, late this afternoon, from the top of Mount Tandy.

This is the first time I've taken a picture of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth since the loss of its 3 mile long Streetcar relegated Fort Worth to continue to linger beneath Top Tier City status.

Meanwhile Dallas got the federal public transit money that Fort Worth rejected. Which seems really unfair because Dallas is already a Top Tier City.

I was relieved when I arrived at the top of Mount Tandy today to find no randy Fort Worth cops engaged in any sort of illicit dalliance. Unlike yesterday.

The Randy Tandy Dalliance is what I've chosen to choose as the explanation for the two cop cars parked on top of Mount Tandy, and then scurrying like cockroaches in bright light upon my arrival, yesterday.

A mid-day doctor's visit is what had me late on the Tandy Hills today. Being late was a good thing. The temperature was in the 60s. Yesterday I wore shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt. Today the t-shirt was short sleeved. Perfect conditions. I hiked a long long time.

Elsie Hotpepper was perplexing me today with her detailed verbalization about being an exhibitionist. I don't know if this has anything to do with saloon hopping. Or what.

Carlotta Del Rio, she being one of The Real Housewives of Camano Island, tried to get me to be in San Antonio today. I had to tell her, no, I am stuck in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex at the present moment.

Carlotta and Betty Jo Bouvier have been intriguing me about the idea of doing the Zumba thing. When I found out today that Shakira's hips not lying is a popular part of Zumba, it enhanced the appeal.

I wonder if Elsie Hotpepper would be willing to Zumba instead of saloon hopping?

The 6th Day Of 2011 Dawns Bright In Fort Worth With Casey Thompson Off Top Chef, Increased Murders & A City-Wide TCU Celebration In A Tiny Coliseum

The 6th day of 2011 seems to be dawning with yet one more blue sky day in Texas. Blue sky and we are at a balmy 6 degrees above freezing.

I need to remember to get anti-freeze before next week's predicted deep freeze.

I am in a better mood this morning than I was last night, because last night I went to blog on my TV Blog that Fort Worth's Casey Thompson had been told, on Top Chef, to pack her knives and go.

But, Google's Blogger program was in major malfunction mode. But, it's back working this morning.

Obviously, because you are reading this.

Yesterday in the Seattle P-I I learned that Seattle homicides are at a 60 year low. But this morning in the P-I I learned that domestic homicides are at a near record level. So, fewer strangers are being killed, but more family members?

Meanwhile, here in North Texas, I learned this morning in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the number of homicides rose in 2010 in North Texas.

What has more people killing each other in one part of the country and way fewer in another part? I suspect it's something in the water. Or air.

I also learned in the Star-Telegram that our Fort Worth city-wide celebration of the TCU Horned Frogs winning the Rose Bowl will not be city-wide. Instead it will take place January 16 in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The public is invited. But, I believe that particular coliseum holds less than 8,000. There are more than 700,000 people who call Fort Worth home.

What happens when all of Fort Worth shows up to celebrate at that tiny coliseum?

Well, I have myself a very busy day of blogging today, trying to catch up after last night's Google Blogger Breakdown stifled me from my blogging.

The Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Pinhead Startling Scurrying Fort Worth Police Cockroaches

I was late in the afternoon today, making it to the Tandy Hills for my daily main dose of aerobicizing.

You can sort of tell I am late on the hills due to the lighting. And somehow that lighting made the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man into the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Pinhead.

The trails on the hills are in great shape, totally recovered from their recent bout of mud and totally ready to be trampled on by hundreds of Manly Men/Wild Women Feet this coming Saturday.

The temperature was nearing 60 when I headed for the hills this afternoon. So, once more, back in shorts and t-shirt.

Whilst moving fast today I snagged a stick and this somehow ripped a big tear in my favorite cargo shorts. These were my last remaining undamaged cargo shorts. This is nothing short of a minor tragedy.

Now, let's back up in time a bit to the point where I arrived at the Tandy Hills. Today I decided to hike from the top of Mount Tandy. When my usual parking place, underneath the Fort Worth Space Needle came in to view I saw two Fort Worth police cars.

Oh oh, this can't be good, I thought.

So, I parked far away from the cop cars, since they were blocking my access to my regular parking spot. As I began walking towards the cop cars one started towards me.

I had instant deju vu of last year's confrontations with white Express Energy pickups.

The cop car reached me. His window was down. He was talking into his microphone, but he stopped where I stood. I asked is there a problem? Is it safe to go hiking?

The cop said there's no problem. He continued on. So did I. Then the second cop car started moving. He drove right by me, driver's window closed. Passenger window open.

I reached in my pocket and got out my camera, turned it on and turned around to snap a picture. The first picture only showed the second cop car, blocking the view of the first one. I waited for the cops to turn to the left so I could get both in a picture.

Well, they drove past my vehicle and then pulled up beside each other again..

Now, why, when I showed up and started walking towards them, did the cops scurry like a pair of cockroaches when a light is turned on?

And why, after they thought I was gone, did they pull up side by side again? To continue talking through those open windows?

Were the two cops parked in this isolated location because they thought they could pass some of their duty time unnoticed? Was there no donut stand nearby?

It was all very very odd.

Looking At Chesapeake Energy Water Pipelines Today At Tarrant County College

I was heading east on Harwood today, driving past Tarrant County College. I don't know if this TCC campus is in Hurst or North Richland Hills.

Or both.

The Mid-Cities of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex all run together.

I was stopped at a light on Harwood and looked to my left to see the pipeline construction contraption you see in the picture, with 3 pipes going over an entry to the college grounds. There was another of these construction contraptions at the entry further east.

The three pipes lead to a pond located at the southeast end of the campus, at the intersection of Harwood and Precinct Line Road, at a diagonal across from the ALDI Food Market.

From the pond the three pipes run to a Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale Gas Drilling Pad at the southwestern end of the TCC campus. It looks to me as if this is part of the college campus land.

Which had me curious. Did TCC strike a deal with Chesapeake? Is that how permission is granted to run the three pipes across TCC land to a pond that also appears to be on TCC land?

Is that water coming out of the pond metered and paid for?

The Chesapeake Energy Drill Pad Site was a beehive of activity today, crammed full of trucks and equipment.

I assume the well is being re-fracked. Or maybe it is a virgin well and is getting fracked for the very first time.

I always find it quite interesting when I see one of these operations. Seeing one always seems to cause me to wonder how permission is granted to do things like block entry to a college in order to build a pipeline tunnel contraption.

I assume money must be exchanged somehow, somewhere to someone.

The Freedom In Dallas Of Wrongfully Convicted Cornelius Dupree

The guy with his right hand in the air is Cornelius Dupree Jr., a 51 year old man who was declared innocent on Tuesday, in Dallas, after spending 30 years in jail for a crime he did not commit.

Mr. Dupree is the latest victim of the formerly overzealous Dallas law enforcement system to be freed by the Innocence Project. DNA testing proved Dupree had not committed the rape he was convicted of committing.

Another man, Anthony Massingill, who was arrested and convicted, along with Dupree, for the same 1979 rape, is still behind bars, due to a conviction on a second, likely equally bogus rape. DNS testing is currently being done to exhonerate the second victim of this most recent revelation of a Dallas miscarriage of justice.

Dupree was only 20 when he was arrested and falsely accused. He has lost 31 free years of his life. I can't imagine what this would be like. I would be sort of mad, I think.

Due to Texas having an embarrassingly high number of these type wrongful conviction cases being overturned by modern era DNA testing, in 2009 the Texas Legislature passed America's most generous compensation law for the wrongly convicted.

Texas has freed 41 wrongly convicted victims via DNA testing since 2001, the highest number in the nation.

Under the Texas Compensation Law Dupree is owed $80,000 per year of incarceration, plus a lifetime annuity. Dupree could receive a total of $2.4 million. A  sum not subject to federal income tax.

I read of Dupree's freedom in this morning's Seattle P-I. I saw no mention of this in the online Dallas Morning News or the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Did I somehow miss it? Or did the two local newspapers of record not consider this news? While the Seattle P-I online featured this bit of news in a way that I did not miss it.

Perplexing.

Up Early On The 5th Day Of 2011 With My Allergy Attack Under Control

I was up well before the sun was on this 5th day of 2011. But, I did not look out the window until after the sun had begun to make its daily appearance.

And it appears we are, so far, having ourselves another clear, blue sky day here in North Texas.

I am currently under the medicative powers of a 24 hour anti-histamine.

Which means, for the first time in several days, I, first thing in the morning, am able to look at my computer screen without seeing it through the gauze of watery, burning eyes.

I am not an advocate of  one taking medications in order to successfully navigate oneself through the course of a regular day. But that is an objection more to those who drug themselves with psycho-tropic drugs to control their bizarre personality defects.

Is psycho-tropic the correct term? When I typed it, it seemed right. Now I am not so sure.

I think I am heading north today, past the Richland Hills, to the North Richland Hills. Then heading east to Hurst. Quite a long distance itinerary.

In the meantime the hot tub is back being hot so I'm going to be back getting hot in it this morning. After a refreshing dip in the pool. Very refreshing, I'm guessing, because it is only 38 degrees out there at the present moment.