The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Has Invaded Fort Worth's Eastside Regional Library With A Go Gateway Propaganda Billboard

Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Billboard In
Fort Worth Eastside Regional Library

Today all my endorphin inducing aerobically stimulating walking venues were compromised, to varying degrees, due to the unnatural amount of water that has fallen from the sky in the past 24 hours.

I assume the Village Creek Natural Historical Area is closed due to Village Creek flooding. The Trinity River is flooding, which has closed Quanah Parker Park and the Beach Street entry to Gateway Park. I could have gone to Oakland Lake Park and walked around Fosdic Lake under a bumbershoot, but I was in no mood for that.

So, with me in dire need of reading material, I decided to opt out of walking stimulation and instead go to the Eastside Regional Library and then Town Talk.

Imagine how appalled I was to be minding my own business, whilst book hunting, to find myself suddenly visually assaulted by an enormous chunk of Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Propaganda, plopped right in the open in the library, where impressionable young minds could have their vision of the future, forever warped, in disappointment, when this Vision Boondoggle meets its inevitable blind alley end.

On the Billboard, the map of the new "Gateway Park" shows it extending all the way east of the Trinity River, to Oakland Boulevard, with skate parks, soccer fields, softball fields and I don't know what else, atop what is now the humped up remains of a waste disposal site which regularly spews flames.

The text on the "Go Gateway" sign says.........

An exciting component of the Trinity River Vision is Gateway Park in Fort Worth's east side. The 1.000 acre park will be filled with community requested recreational amenities, such as a public skate park, an outdoor amphitheater and 15 miles of additional trails. Major strides will be made in restoring the park's natural ecosystem, including the planting of over 80,000 native oak and pecan trees. This massive effort will fuel development around the park and connect east and southeast neighborhoods to the Trinity River corridor.

Where do I start?

Community requested amenities? Really? By what means and when did the community request these amenities? Was it in that bond election that approved this project?

The Gateway Park part of the TRV Boondoggle only came to be when the TRV had to add on the un-needed flood diversion channel in order to get federal funds. Then to make the un-needed flood diversion channel work, a large area of wetlands was needed to absorb the accelerated flood waters. This then affected the existing Gateway Park, so it had to be added to the Vision, including the planting of J.D. Granger's 80,000 Magic Trees, a subject we have discussed previously.

The Trinity Trail Dam Bridge
 By Gateway Park Underwater Today

What is happening today is very interesting, flood-wise. Today is the first time the Trinity River has gone into rogue flood mode since the remnants of Hurricane Hermine dumped a lot of rain on North Texas.

All the wonderful Trinity River Vision Boondoggle flood control elements, like the Magic Trees, are years from protecting Fort Worth from a flood event, like today.

If those flood control elements ever do become a reality, which is highly unlikely, what becomes of places downriver, like Quanah Parker Park? Quanah Parker Park is also in Fort Worth.

And why is this huge Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Propaganda Billboard sitting in a public library? Where impressionable young minds, not wise to the wily ways of propaganda, will leave the library with Trinity River Vision visions of Sugar Plum Fairies, Dancing Lollipops, Magic Trees and other things which will likely never happen, planted in their innocent young minds by that nefarious purveyor of nonsense and fairy tales, J.D. Granger.

Why is the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle spending so much public money on propaganda signage? Why are they working so hard to sell their vision? It is not like they are making their case due to an upcoming election where the project will be voted on.

Really, what is the point of sticking a billboard like this, touting so many ridiculous claims, in a public library?

It is all very very perplexing.

The Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex Is Flooding Including The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Cowtown Wakepark

In the picture you are looking at an overhead view of the flooding that was blocking my way to my pool zone this morning.

Over 4 inches of rain has fallen on the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex during the current storm, which seems to have finally ceased, with the constant rain, in the last couple minutes.

I did not know that we are currently in flood mode til I read it on one of this area's few reliable news sources, that being the Star Telegraph.

Please note, this was not a typo, I meant to type Star-Telegraph, not Star-Telegram.

In a blogging posted in the Star-Telegraph, only minutes ago, titled "Fort Worth Flooding" I learned that not only are the usual suspects, like Haltom City, under water, but an object I suspected would be under water the first time we had a flood, is also under water.

Yes. The world's premiere urban wakeboard park, Cowtown Wakepark, the first project completed by the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle bogus flood control project, is under water.

I wonder how much damage the flood will do to the Cowtown Wakepark's cheap looking construction? And how much it will cost to fix the flood damage? Or has someone already figured out that Cowtown Wakepark is the first failure, of likely many, of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

If it was not a lot of bother I'd drive west to check out the flooded Cowtown Wakepark and take some pictures.

The Final Wednesday Of The 1st Month Of 2012 Is Stormy In Texas After Last Night's State Of The Union Address

Looking at the dark outer world through my primary viewing portal, past the bars of my patio prison cell, you can tell the sun has not yet arrived on this last Wednesday of the 1st month of 2012, Day 25 of January.

What you can not tell is it raining.

Rain began falling around 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. Rain has continued to precipitate ever since. At times in copious amounts.

Thunder has been booming since soon after the arrival of the rain. The booming has continued, off and on, since the rain began.

At my location I have had 3 bone jarring, building shaking, very close lightning strikes.

I do not know if this means the Great Texas Drought is over. I doubt that it is.

Changing the subject from my favorite subject to something else.

I found myself self surprised to not be displeased by last night's State of the Union Address. This was one of the few times I have watched Obama give a speech, since he became president, when I did not, at some point, think to myself, this is not very presidential.

Last night's speech was quite a contrast from the last time Obama gave a speech to a joint session of Congress, that being his embarrassing "pass this jobs bill now" speech, that seemed to indicate he had no clue how the legislative process works.

Last night's speech was so good, as was Obama's acting presidential, that I had a glimmer of thinking he could actually be re-elected. Previous to last night I really thought he had no chance.

I still don't know how well Obama will hold up to  Newt Gingrich's proposed 3 hour Lincoln-Douglass style debates, should Newt get the Republican nomination.

I just heard thunder boom, again, in the midst of yet one more downpour.

I am not going swimming this morning.

The Sky Darkens Over Mount Tandy With Incoming Rain Before Tonight's Late State Of The Union Address

Looking west today, at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth,, from high atop Mount Tandy, in the noon time frame, the sky was dark, as if building to rain.

That buildup is now coming to fruition, a couple hours later.

I may need to close my computer room window if the rains starts being blown by wind.

Currently the wet stuff is falling completely vertical, due to there being no wind, hence no wetness is being blown inside my abode.

Today may have been the last time I will be hiking on the Tandy Hills this first month of the new year.

Tonight used to be one of my favorite nights of the year, before I became old and jaded.

The president's annual State of the Union Address used to seem like watching history, like political theater.

Tonight it will likely seem more like the State of Dis-Union Address. It likely will not be pretty.

On to the subject of another thing I've not adjusted to during all these years I've been exiled in Texas.

Few national events, except for disasters or tragedies or both, are carried live, nationally. The ones I can think of are football games, like the Super Bowl, and other sporting type events, except for the Olympics, for the most part.

Then there is the Academy Awards Show, broadcast live.

And the annual State of the Union Address.

Carried live nationally means if it starts at 9 Eastern time it starts at 6 Pacific time. I was used to the Academy Awards starting at 6 and being over well before midnight.. The Super Bowl starting at 3 and also being over well before midnight. And the State of the Union Address starting at 7, also over well before midnight.

I have sort of gotten used to prime time starting at 7 in the Central time zone. Sort of. Local news coming on at 10 still seems odd.

But, I have learned to adjust. I really had no choice.

It does confuse me sometimes when I'm on the west coast. For instance, I may be staying with someone who makes a point of watching Survivor. 7 o'clock rolls along and I find myself interrupting to say, "it's past 7, I thought you wanted to watch Survivor?"

I then get reminded, in a dismissive tone, that I've forgotten, again, that I am on Pacific time.

Damn, partially age-related Adult Attention Deficit Disorder disorder.

Up Late The 4th Tuesday Of 2012 After Republican Debating & Too Much PDFing

Looking closely out at the outer world from my primary viewing portal on this next to the last Tuesday of the first month of 2012, you might guess I am up after the arrival of the sun on this 4th Tuesday of January.

You would be guessing right.

I was up real late last night, well past midnight, obsessed with the complex task of extracting text from a complex PDF document. Eventually I got the task completed and was able to go to bed and get some much needed sleep, much needed because Monday was a very exhausting day.

I am continuing to have a problem with something irritating my vision orbs to the extent that Artificial Tears are required to abate the irritation. I have no idea what irritant is in the air that is irritating my eyes.

The only variable that I know of is in the past week Chesapeake Energy has hydraulically fractured the Barnett Shale at my local neighborhood Fort Chesapeake.

Speaking of Big Brother Chesapeake. My favorite hole pokers have announced they are drastically reducing their hole poking into the Barnett Shale, due to the price of natural gas being at such a low level.

What did Chesapeake Energy think was going to happen to the price of natural gas when the supply was greatly increased by all those new holes poked into the ground all over America? Isn't that covered in Economics 101?

Speaking of Economics. I did not make it all the way through last night's 2 hour Republican Debate. The DVR recorded it, so I can watch the last 45 minutes later.

What I concluded from last night's debate is the more I see of Mitt Romney the less I like him. To me he comes across an an unctuous car salesmen with a tendency towards making low blows, always with a smile on his face. The more I listen to Newt Gingrich the more I like him. Same with Ron Paul. He amuses me. Rick Santorum annoys me and I don't quite know why.

Changing the subject from the ridiculous to my favorite one, the weather.

It is currently 44 degrees in the outer world at my location, heading to a high of 58, today, with rain predicted for today and the following two days. Like I said before, I will believe that when I get wet from something falling from the sky.

A New Little Horse House On The Tandy Hills Prairie With Diesel Trucks

Late, yesterday, Sunday, afternoon, I walked to the approximate location you see in today's picture to take a picture of the stunning, dust covered, skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Today, when I returned, I was pleased to see the sky is now dust-free. And that the Mount Tandy Shrine has had a house added for the Mount Tandy Trojan Horse to stable in.

After taking a picture of the dust-free sky and the new Mount Tandy Shrine Installation, I continued down the south trail towards the Tandy Highway.

Part way down the trail I started hearing loud engine noises. Soon a humongous piece of heavy equipment was seen zipping quickly south on the Tandy Highway. When I reached the Tandy Highway I headed north, the opposite direction the piece of heavy equipment was zipping.

Soon I heard the noise of another incoming vehicle. This one was a big white pick-up. My one longtime reader knows how I feel about big white pick-ups. The driver of the big white pick-up saw me and slowed up. I got off the road and let the driver peacefully pass. Both the driver and passenger waved at me.

For the next couple hundred feet I got to enjoy the bliss of sucking in diesel fumes. And then the air was non-perfumed again.

I had no further direct contact with any mechanical devices inside the Tandy Hills Natural Area, unless you count, as a mechanical device contact, hearing the loud communications, via squawky walkie-talkie type communicators, of pipeline workers, who I did not see.

It is currently only 56 degrees. But, once again, I have my windows open. I did not turn on the furnace this morning. I don't know why it was hot in here, til I opened the windows, but it was.

I do not recollect ever opening my windows in December and January in years previous in Texas. This does not bode well for the coming HOT time of the year. Which starts in a little over a month.

Chesapeake Energy Propaganda Says With Great Progress Comes Great Responsibilty

Any of us living in the Tarrant County zone of the Barnett Shale who may have wondered what it may have been like to live in a world of the sort envisioned by George Orwell, or what it might have been like to live in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union, places where the state controlled the media and thus had free reign to spew whatever ridiculous propaganda the regime felt like spewing, can wonder no more.

Welcome to the Orwellian World of Fort Worth, Texas.

Orwell's Big Brother, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany used a lot of slogans to make their propaganda points.

In Fort Worth we have a shadow government run by Chesapeake Energy. For years now Chesapeake Energy has been spewing propaganda, in addition to air pollution. The Chesapeake Energy slogans show up on Fort Worth buses, billboards, newspaper ads, TV ads and bus stop benches.

Chesapeake Energy is now calling the Barnett Shale "Buried Treasure" and hosting "The Party In Fort Worth" for Fort Worth's elite to celebrate the Buried Treasure that is making many of the elite wealthy while making others in Fort Worth, and beyond, sick.

Some examples of Chesapeake Energy's Orwellian propaganda slogans are...

"Let's get behind the Barnett"

"Thanks Barnett Shale for our Strong Economy"

"Friends of Barnett Shale"

"Barnett Shale Helps Our Schools"

Well, it sure has been fairly well documented that Fort Worth's schools can use some help. It has been years now Chesapeake Energy has been helping. Any improvement?

What has freshly annoyed me regarding the Chesapeake Energy propaganda is this morning it interfered with my fast peruse of Chesapeake Energy's propaganda partner, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

An annoying ad curled over the top of the front page, from "the Barnett Powering Progress."

With the propaganda slogan, "WITH GREAT PROGRESS COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY."

Great responsibility? Like when Chesapeake Energy responsibly tried to force a non-odorized natural gas pipeline under Fort Worth's Carter Avenue, and was only stopped from doing this due to an extremely rare citizen's protest against this outrageously irresponsible assault on a neighborhood?

This morning's propaganda does not specifically attribute it to Chesapeake Energy. The Nazis did not always trumpeted their messages as being from Hitler either. Like the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign, upon entry to Auschwitz, did not say "Arbeit Macht Frei Sagen Adolf Hitler."

But, who else would pay for this annoying ad but Chesapeake Energy and it cohorts in poking holes in the ground all over Fort Worth and Tarrant County?

The 23rd Day Of 2012 With Artificial Tears Washing The Dust From My Eyes In Texas

Looking closely through the bars of my patio prison cell on this next to last Monday of the first month of 2012, you can not tell if this 23rd Day of the New Year is cloudy, or cold, at my location on the planet.

But, due to the wonders of modern technology, using my computer based weather monitoring device, I can tell you it is currently 41 degrees, partly cloudy and heading to a high of 62 today, at my current location in North Texas.

At my former location, Mount Vernon, Washington, it is currently 39 degrees and raining. It rains a lot at my former location. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow at my current location. I'll believe it when it gets me wet.

I don't know if more dust storming is in our forecast for today. Last night my eyes were being badly irritated. I had to seek out my Artificial Tears Lubricated Eye Drops to stop the irritation. I am experiencing similar, albeit, not as irritating irritation this morning. But not to the point I have reached for the Eye Drops.

Changing subjects from my favorite one to something else.

This week Mr. President gives his State of the Union address.

In years gone by I used to look forward to this event. I don't know when, exactly, I ceased finding this something I enjoyed, rather than endured. I think it was likely some time during the George W. Bush years. Obama's State of the Union addresses have been really bad, in my jaded opinion.

I am a big fan of soaring rhetoric. I am not a big fan of plodding rhetoric that causes me a wince reflex.

I wish I could say I am going swimming now. But I can't.

Sunday Afternoon Viewing Beautiful Dusty Downtown Fort Worth From On Top Of Mount Tandy

Downtown Fort Worth With A Dust Cover

From my abode none of my viewing portals afford me a very good panoramic distant view.

CatsPaw the Skywatcher warned me of an incoming Dust Storm earlier this afternoon.

By late afternoon I decided to go see if I could see some dust.

When I reached the point where I had a view of the sky I saw nothing that said Dust Storm to me.

So, I decided to drive to the top of my local hill for a better view. From the top of the hill, turning right on to Bridge Street, I could see that the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth was looking a bit stricken.

I continued on to the top of Mount Tandy, which is where I took the Dust Storm hazy picture of the aforementioned stunning skyline.

By the time I got back to my computer, CatsPaw the Skywatcher was telling me that the dust cloud was supposed to pass to the northwest of Fort Worth. The sky looked dusty any direction I looked.

I decided, since I was already on Mount Tandy, and since I really do not get enough exercise, to take a quick  trip down Mount Tandy's northside, then take the Tandy Highway to the south trail which ascends to the top of Mount Tandy.

Part way down Mount Tandy's northside I was startled by something I have only rarely seen on the Tandy Hills. As in a really good-looking young lady. The last time I was in this location, with a young lady, was with the Queen of Wink, when were making our escape from the Manly Men Wild Women Hike a couple years ago.

I could tell I startled the good-looking young lady. She stopped and was reining in her two dogs. I let out one of my ultra friendly totally Texasified  howdies to put the young lady at ease. I then asked if the dogs were as dangerous as they looked. She told me they were sweet dogs.

The dogs then proceeded to run to me and lick me. I do not like being licked by strange dogs.

What happened next appalled me.

When the young lady passed me she took off running, not jogging, not walking at a fast pace, but running, up what may be the steepest hill on the Tandy Hills. I had to help the Queen of Wink up this hill when the steepness caused her a mild case of the vapors.

So, seeing this example of extreme fitness in action it made me feel like a fat slug as I waddled the rest of the way back to my vehicular transport.

I probably should shut my windows due to all this dust. But it feels good having the windows open. So, open they shall remain, dust be damned.

A Sunday Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Coming Across Evidence Of A Gun Battle

Bullet Casings From A Possible Village Creek Shootout

I just got an incoming warning from my fellow weather obsessor, CatsPaw the Skywatcher, telling me I should make haste to get in my daily visit to the Tandy Hills because a massive duststorm is heading our way.

I was already safely back in my duststorm-free abode when I received CatsPaw the Skywatcher's warning.

I did not go to the Tandy Hills today. Instead I went to my semi-regular place to go, on Sundays, for my daily endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, that being to Village Creek Natural Historical Area, to walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the place where they were mass murdered, years ago, by incoming Texans acting in an early version of AVATAR, only in this early version the natives lose and the invaders take their paradise.

I found something slightly disturbing a short distance down the trail that leads from Village Creek Natural Historical Area's westside parking lot off Dottie Lynn Parkway.

The slightly disturbing thing I found was the collection of bullet cartridge casings you see in the pictures above

Closeup Of A Village Creek Bullet Casing

I am not even remotely a gun nut, so I have no idea if the name for these bullet remains is actually cartridge casings. All I know about guns and bullets I know from watching cops shows on TV.

I could not read what was imprinted on the bottom of the casings til I got back to my abode and took a picture.

From all the crime procedural TV shows I watch I know the info printed somewhere on some part of a bullet is critical to solving the crime.

These casings say "FEDERAL AUTO 45."

Does this mean this was an FBI Federal operation that left all these bullet casings?

I looked around for other evidence of a raging gunfight and found none.

Switching the subject from Village Creek gun battles back to the weather.

When I was getting ready to leave my abode to head to Village Creek I glanced at my computer based temperature monitoring device to be shocked to see it was now 37.

37?

Serene Village Creek

But, it was 45 when I woke up the computer heading to a high in the 70s. Where is this chill coming from?

I almost had the second leg of a long pair of pants on when I remembered I'd switched the temperature being monitored to Mount Vernon. I switched it back to Fort Worth, saw it was 61 and took off my pants.

It is now 75, apparently with a massive wall of dust in storm form heading this way.

I had an extremely pleasant walk in the serenity that surrounds Village Creek. The Indian Ghosts maintain a nice sanctuary. There were many other people also enjoying the Village Creek Indian Ghost Sanctuary today.

I think I shall leave my abode now and see if I can see this incoming duststorm CatsPaw the Skywatcher has warned me about.