Congratulations, Mary Kelleher !!!

Let me tell you a story.

About two months ago, I got an email from my friend Layla Caraway.  She invited me to a meeting about the Tarrant Regional Water District board elections.  It was the most politcally diverse room I've ever been in. 

There were Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, 9-12'ers, Greens, and environmental activists.  We had one thing in common.  We were all sick of Fort Worth taking land and money from the little guy and giving it to the big guy. 

We'd tried and failed before to get candidates onto this board.  This time we had some money and a consultant. 

We had a trio of three candidates - John Basham, an experienced candidate, Tim Nold, a surveyor, and Mary Kelleher, an Arlington landowner and rancher/farmer who had gotten sick of her property falling into the river.  And black helicopters landing in her ranch without permission in the middle of the night.  You know, the usual. 

Mary was painfully shy in that first meeting. 

Mary turned into a monster candidate. 

Mary Kelleher went out and won the son of a bitch!!!  She did it. 

Go here.  Most of the article is the usual Star-Telegram blather supporting anything City Hall wants to do.  But here are the money quotes:

In recent years, the district has also been a key player in the $909 million Trinity Uptown project, a flood control and economic development effort that stretches from an industrial area on Fort Worth’s near north side to the green spaces of Gateway Park on the east side. Its plans include a bypass channel and a Town Lake north of downtown.


District officials worried that if Basham’s slate prevailed, a number of projects would be in jeopardy.

They said that if the pipeline project were stopped, it would mean dire consequences, including water shortages.

Oh yes.  There would have been "dire consequences".  Our guys woulda stopped that boondoggle faster than you can say "Crony Capitalism".  That thing has more to do with The Manichean Heresy than it has to do with flood control. 

But the people now have a voice on the water board.  We have access to the file cabinets (if they've bothered to keep any records).  No more Freedom Of Information Act requests will be necessary. 

Note to the Star-Telegram - Let us know if you want to learn anything about how Fort Worth's money is being spent by your downstairs neighbors on the water board.  Maybe one day you'll want to stop cheerleading and start doing your freakin' job. 

Why are journalists so liberal?

Why are journalists so liberal?

(For readers in the UK and elsewhere, I'm using the word "liberal" in the American sense, meaning that they generally support turning over the economy, education, healthcare and self-protection over to charismatic social-climbers who can win elections.) 

Why are journalists so liberal? 

They aren't.  Governments are. 

I've had a glorious time for the last couple of months supporting a trio of candidates for our local River/Water Development Board.  In my mind, the opposing sides couldn't be more starkly divided.  Our opponents are planning to take over a lot of land via Eminent Domain and make sweetheart deals with developers.  If past history is any guide, there will be plenty of no-bid contracts.  There will be restaurants and apartment buildings built INSIDE the flood plain.  There's a project we call "Lake Granger" that is so far over budget that....hell, I give up.  Go here to read about the condition of the project three years ago.  No idea how much they've blown so far, but it's huge.  The project manager, JD Granger, is the son of congresswoman Kay Granger.  He's a former Assistant D.A. and his previous project management experience was a science project in the 9th grade.   

In the meantime, the river water isn't fit for recreation, much less drinking, and the government won't allow you to eat any fish caught in the river. 

The candidates that I've been supporting just want to provide plenty of drinkable water, populated with fish that won't kill you.  They want to honor property rights.  That's it. 

The local journalists at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram overwhelmingly support the land thefts and the bloated make-work projects.  Go figure. 

But think about it....  Governments get themselves elected by giving out gifts.  It's what they do.  And sometimes, that's exciting.  The group of Barking Seals currently on the water board have already opened up a Flood Control BBQ joint, and there are plans for a Flood Control Drive-In Movie Theatre.  Fun, fun, fun.  Their supporters include most of the major engineering firms that will be involved in the boondoggle. 

Which group would you prefer to write about?  The happy-happy party crowd, slipping their Bar Tabs into the diapers of the infants?  Or the puritans who just want a clean river? 

Hey, guys, I'm trying to write a story.  Can you tell me anything about your big plans? 
Nope.  We're not going to do much.  Just keep human feces out of the Trinity River. 
Oh.... Never mind. 

Plus, the big-spending incumbents are already on speed-dial. 

And that is why journalists are generally liberal. 

Ron Paul: Gateway Drug To Libertarianism

I went to hear Ron Paul speak at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth last night. 
It was pure greatness. 
I tried live-blogging it by cell phone.  If you have the patience to wade through that failed effort, you can go here, and hit "next post" after every 1.875 sentences. 


I saw Anna Tinsley from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the crowd, and managed to get interviewed again.  Here's Anna's piece that ran today:

FORT WORTH — U.S. Rep. Ron Paul isn't getting out of the presidential race anytime soon.
But the Lake Jackson doctor did say that fellow Republican Rick Santorum's decision to suspend his campaign has led many to ask Paul about his plans.

"There were 12 [GOP candidates] at one time. Now there are three," he told a standing-room-only crowd at the 2,856-seat Will Rogers Auditorium on Wednesday night. "It looks like we are cutting the field down.
"They ask me if I'm going to quit. I thought we were just getting started. We have a revolution to fight, a country to change."

Paul, who trails Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, reiterated his themes of limited government, personal liberty and a balanced budget.

He said that troops should come home, that government should be reduced, that the Patriot Act should be repealed, that foreign policy interactions should decrease, and that the middle class needs to stop shrinking and stop becoming poorer. As for the nation's healthcare plan, "the easiest thing is to repeal the whole thing and start all over," he said.

Many in the crowd, who stood throughout Paul's speech, waited for hours to get in. Once inside, they were quick to show their support.

Four shirtless men had painted "R-O-N-!" on their chests. Others spontaneously chanted "President Paul." And many carried signs or wore promotional buttons and T-shirts.

Cries of "I love you, Ron Paul," could be heard throughout the auditorium once he began speaking.
Paul said such enthusiasm is encouraging.

The people with seats down stairs didn't sit down throughout the entire speech.  Can you imagine someone bothering to stand throughout another Obama lecture?  Or a Mitt Romney Powerpoint Sing-Along?  Ugh...

"People ask, 'When are you going to drop out?' When nobody wants to support the cause of liberty," he said. "There's a lot of people who care about freedom ... so we will keep going until we have victory."

Paul's supporters are expected to be a force at state GOP conventions nationwide -- as they were during his 2008 presidential bid -- trying to become delegates for Paul at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. They hope for a brokered convention that could open the door for Paul to become the nominee.

This is his third bid for the White House. His others were in 1988 as a Libertarian and in 2008 as a Republican.

His goal with this week's three-city Texas tour -- Fort Worth is home to his doctor son Robert -- is likely to make sure that people in his home state hear his message.

"He's trying to preach to people his mission and create a libertarian understanding of politics," said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University.

"The longer this primary season goes forward, the more opportunities he has to preach the message of libertarianism across the United States.

"The people who have heard his message ... are true believers."

Count Allen Patterson, who heads the Tarrant County Libertarian Party, among those believers.

"Ron Paul has been the gateway drug to libertarianism for a lot of people," Patterson said. "His movement has gained an incredible amount of traction in the past eight years."

Lance Kennedy, 24, of Dallas said he is a fan but is afraid that Paul might not be able to win the nomination.
Kennedy, a law student at Southern Methodist University, said that even if Paul doesn't win, his libertarian message will continue -- perhaps through his son U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

"The movement will continue, and I think we could still see a Paul in the White House eventually," Kennedy said.

Marion Hostetler, 45, said his drive from Ovilla was worth it to see Paul.

"Ron Paul is one of the few people I actually believe," he said. "When he says something, I think I can count on it being true.

"Hopefully America will start waking up and see we only have one candidate."

I beg to differ with Marion on that.  The Libertarian Party will select a candidate in a week and a half.  Once RP drops out of the race, and he will drop out of the race, there will be two real choices:  The LP candidate or one of the Obamneys. 

Fort Worth might get a Flood Control Drive-In Theatre !!!

I've long thought that the purpose of government projects is to transfer money to donors. 
The project needs to have some feasibility, but not much else.  Just get the taxpayer money into the hands of your friends without causing too much of a fuss. 

It's getting ridiculous. 

Arlington built George W. Bush a stadium to his exact specifications.  He moved his baseball team in, and then sold the team for far more than he paid for it.  (86 million purchase price, 250 selling price.)  The difference?  His almost-free stadium.  (Taxpayer subsidy of 205 million.)

  Well done, thou good and faithful servants. 

Arlington built Jerry Jones a stadium to his exact specifications, and then leased it to him.  I don't remember Jerry saying "Thank You", or mailing me some tickets to games.  Oh well. 

Iron Horse Motorcycles of Fort Worth went bankrupt several years ago.  The city is stuck with their manufacturing facility for reasons that I don't quite understand. 

I think "we" agreed to give them a building if they would bring X number of jobs to Fort Worth.  If you need a free building, forcibly funded by taxpayers, you might not have a good business model.  I looked at leasing the Iron Horse factory for my employer last year, but the dock locations in the building were all wrong for us.  Getting new docks added would require the permission of several layers of city government, so we declined the opportunity.  Whether you know it or not, you own an abandoned motorcycle factory. 

Does anyone out there remember the Fort Worth Rail Market?  It was supposed to be a downtown Farmers' Market, luring downtown shoppers into the rail area to pick up tomatoes and onions before they went back home to Mira Vista. 

Part of it was supposed to get funded through transportation money.  (Yes, Kay Granger was involved.  I think that Railroad Produce Stands were a primitive ancestor of Flood Control BarBQ restaurants.)  The thing is now closed.  Shut down.  Abandoned.  It never made a dime.  Go here for an analysis of the boondoggle. 

How about The Mercado de Fort Worth? 

This was a Northside con job that was supposed to be the crown jewel of Cowtown. 

When the Mercado itself last made news, it had just landed its first tenant after more than five years of sitting empty and neglected.

What was supposed to be the pillar of a $6.5 million Northside redevelopment – an authentic Mexican marketplace – had failed to ignite the expected growth along North Main Street.

....It seemed like a good idea at the time: Bring economic development to Fort Worth’s near Northside by developing an area of shops, restaurants and stalls – a Mercado, reflecting the heritage of the mostly Hispanic residents of the neighborhood – and, in the process tie the touristy Stockyards District to downtown.

It started with a sidewalk, an expensive three-block-long sidewalk, in the alley between the mostly dilapidated buildings in the 1400 block of North Main Street and the houses that backed up to them. The plan was for local merchants to set up stalls to sell their goods to tourists who would make their way from the Stockyards area, several city blocks away. The city spent about $1.5 million to pave the alley and renovate the Rose Marine Theater.

Then came the Mercado de Fort Worth building, the brainstorm of local developer Deyla Guadiana. It was supposed to be a 58,000-square-foot, Mexican-style marketplace three stories high that would be the focal point of the Mercado area. Guadiana got a $3.1 million loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and construction began in 2003.

The city tried to spur interest in both the walkway and the Mercado building by offering low-interest loans and a building site to anyone willing to take a risk. They didn’t find many takers.

Guadiana defaulted on the loan after failing to come up with the private financing to cover the remainder of the construction costs and the city took back the property, taking over the note and spending $1.3 million from a special economic development fund to finish the building.

Finding a buyer took years. 

 And I hope the cashier remembered to give him his change back after the purchase.  The Mercado isn't quite as empty as the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, but it's close. 

If I steal money from your wallet, and use it to buy jewelry and cocaine and cars from my friends, it's going to cause a temporary increase in prosperity for the jewelers, coke, and car dealers.  But it will never last.  It always seems to require an additional theft, doesn't it? 

I could go on and on, but here's the latest....from the Star-Telegram, which reported this with no irony or sarcasm, which might explain why newsstand sales are declining:

FORT WORTH -- The Tarrant Regional Water District next week will consider entering into a lease with Dallas-based Coyote Theaters for a drive-in theater on vacant land near LaGrave Field.
The drive-in would be there for about 10 years, potentially drawing 300,000 patrons a year to Trinity Uptown. It would also net the water district about $1.7 million in rent, according to information filed with the district.

And wild monkeys will fly out my rear end and put on an amateur production of "A Chorus Line".  I'd bet that every Texas drive-in combined doesn't draw 300,000 patrons a year.  For those of you new to the Trinity River development controversy, Congresswoman Kay Granger and her son J.D. are trying to pump a bunch of money into a flood control scam that involves million-dollar BarBQ restaurant giveaways and now, drive-in theatres.   

The drive-in would be called Coyote Theater in Trinity Uptown and would be on part of the 34 acres that the water district bought in 2010 from LaGrave Field owner Carl Bell. The site is near North Calhoun and Northeast Fifth streets, north of downtown Fort Worth.
"Drive-ins are making a comeback with a 20 percent increase in the number of venues since 2007," a district memo says. "The nostalgic outdoor theater is being reintroduced by Coyote as a high-quality, state-of-the-art, family-friendly entertainment option."

Drive-ins couldn't compete with indoor air-conditioned theatres.  Theatres in small towns couldn't compete with television, and almost all of them closed.  Theatres in cities are having a hard time competing with DVD's.  But J.D. Granger is going to reverse the trend, because this drive-in will be for.....flood control. 

The theater would have three or four screens, show first-run films and offer food, the memo says. The movies would be in English and Spanish.
J.D. Granger, Trinity River development director for the water district, could not be reached for comment Friday. The district is scheduled to consider the proposal Tuesday.

I cannot wait to post J.D. Granger's comments, if he ever has the nerve to make any.  I cannot wait.  I have no doubt that this project will be approved, and that it will quickly go broke as the Ten Commandments.  All I ask is an opportunity to post The Granger Gang's comments on building a new drive-in with your money, in the year of our Lord 2012.  Please, please, please Dear God, let me have his comments. 

Drive-ins.com lists 17 drive-in theaters in Texas, including one in Ennis and one in Granbury.
Not much is known about Coyote Theaters, but the Fort Worth site will apparently be its first location. The company does not have a listed phone number.
Coyote Theaters filed incorporation papers with the Texas secretary of state's office Aug. 2 and lists its management as Todd Minnis, Brady Wood, Scott Wilson and Glenn Solomon.

I couldn't find anything on them either.  That is the nature of the coyote.  Go in, feast on the rotting carcass, and get out in a hurry.  We'll see if the name fits, won't we? 

Wood, who was involved in some West Seventh Street corridor projects with the development group Incap Fund, was the only person to attend a tour and pre-proposal conference last month at the project site. Minnis is head of Arrow Retail, a sister company of Dallas-based Cypress Equities, which developed the West 7th office, retail and residential project.
Last month, the water district requested proposals from developers who would want to use the land temporarily. The theater proposal was one of two submitted. The district said it would like to see a project under way by May.
The $909 million Trinity Uptown project will feature a town lake and 12 miles of waterfront development.

See you at the drive-in !   You might as well go, since you're going to pay for it. 

I couldn't find a picture of a Flood Control Drive-In, so I had to make do with a picture of a flooded drive-in.  My apologies.  The picture came from here.  The other pics came from this website, or the official websites most associated with the ripoffs. 

The Trinity River Flood Control Wakeboard Park and Flood Control Bar-B-Que Joint

I've given up on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for coverage of anything remotely controversial.  I don't think they want to irritate the one little old lady who still puts her garage sale notices in their classifieds.

Sports scores?  The betting line on the Super Bowl?  If my cell phone can't pick up Google, I'll buy a Star-Telegram for that info. 
Here's where I've been finding myself going for local news lately:  The Star-Telegraph. 

For instance....If you live in Fort Worth, you're probably aware that JD Granger and his Mama are trying to fleece the taxpayers via a multi-billion dollar "flood control" project. 

Here's what The Star-Telegraph had to say about the Flood Control Wakeboard Park after our recent heavy rains.  (And I can't find a word in the Star-Telegram about this):

The Cowtown Wakeboard park, part of the Trinity River Vision "flood" control project in Fort Worth, failed to save anyone from flooding today.  Apparently, it couldn't even save itself.

The Trinity River took back the wakeboard park.  And left a sign of just how clean the river is.  Remember that when they invite you to Tube the Trinity during the Rockin' the River events brought to you by the Trinity River Vision Authority and the Tarrant Regional Water District.

With all the flooding footage today, WHY did you not see any of the wakeboard park? 
Ask.
While you're at it, ask what it cost YOU and what it's going to cost YOU to repair it.  After all, it's YOUR money.

Here's another for instance.... We've also been burdened with a Flood Control Bar-B-Que Joint. 
Was there open bidding between restaurants for this prime real estate?  Did the city give notice that some Flood Control Restaurants could open on the banks of the Trinity? 
Hell to the No. 

Here's DFW.COM on the sweetheart deal that celebrity chef Tim Love got for his new restaurant, The Wood Shed:

Love and the Trinity River Vision Authority have taken some heat because the TRVA signed a 10-year lease with Love without open bidding. But Love says he hopes the restaurant, located just west of University Drive not far from Hoffbrau Steaks, will help open the door for other restaurants along the river.


"I've gotten beat up a little bit in the last couple of months," he continues. "But I'm trying to make [the river area] better. When I did the lease, I said, 'I want to do something for the river.' Somehow that backfired on me. I thought people would be excited about the fact that they could come here and drink a beer and 6 percent of it goes back to the [district]. I mean, that's pretty cool."

I could spend the rest of the morning dissecting that quote, but work beckons.  "I want to do something for the river????"  Good Lord in heaven, Tim, they spent $970,000.00 in public money to build your Bar-B-Que joint !!!!! 

"Ask not what you can do for your river.  Ask why I'm having to build your freakin' restaurant for you." - not John F. Kennedy 

Here's something from the Trinity River Partnership on the sweetheart deal:

After behind-the-scenes negotiations, without public input or competitive bidding, the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) has spent $970,000 of public money to build a restaurant near a popular trail head along the Trinity River. Along the way, the Water District signed a 10-year lease with celebrity chef Tim Love to run it, without a competitive bidding process.....

Instead of paying rent on the building, the Woodshed will pay a percentage of its total sales to the TRVA. According to the lease, the Woodshed would pay the Water District 6 percent on its first $500,000 of sales, 5 percent on the next $500,000 and 4 percent on sales of more than $1,000,001. Love is also responsible for utilities, maintenance and upkeep of the building.


The lease was drafted and approved by Ken Brummett, the water district’s general counsel, but not voted on by the district’s board.....

Board member Jim Lane denies there’s anything untoward about the deal.


“People say there’s no transparency but there is plenty of transparency,” he said. “Other restaurateurs were contacted and no one had any interest until Tim Love stepped up. I’m sorry other restaurateurs feel, now, that they didn’t get a chance to be part of that. But we’ve been discussing this for a long time.”

Other restauranteurs were contacted?  Did Jim Lane decide which ones would be contacted?  The Massion on Turtle Creek?  Tavern on The Green?  Whose clientele is so high-toned that they would turn down something like this? 
That's not the way it is supposed to work.  Was there a public notice that a restaurant spot was going to be available?  Can you imagine the feeding frenzy that would have erupted with legit businesses competing for that site? 

The Fort Worth Stock show didn't produce this much bullshit. 

If you live in Fort Worth, you GAVE Tim Love a restaurant. 
If you live in Fort Worth, you're giving the Grangers a billion dollar boondoggle. 
It really is that simple. 

A blog and a freebie mag are the only ones to criticize the travesty. 

Fort Worth Star-Telegram - R.I.P. 

When you're about to lose an election....POSTPONE IT !!!

A government outfit known as the Trinity River Vision Authority is trying to use Eminent Domain, Earmarks, Extreme Environmentalism, and almost every other vice of this horrific decade to take land and money from taxpayers for a private real estate development. 

The Trinity is beautiful from a distance.  Up close, according to Channel 8, it's still filled with feces, much like the Trinity River Vision Authority.  Here's a picture from one of last summer's TRVA events, featuring people floating around in your old sewage:

The original plan was to turn part of the Trinity into something like San Antonio's "Riverwalk".  That stunk too much of cronyism even for our slumbering citizenry, so now the emphasis is on flood control.  It's now a safety project that just happens to have major real estate developments, theatres, restaurants, etc. along its banks. 

It's had the usual cost overages:

The politically-connected are all in place:

And the usual victims (you) are on the hook for any failures.  Socialize The Cost; Privatize The Profit !!!!

And now, from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, comes this bit of greatness about the Tarrant Regional Water District Board, the outfit responsible for the necessary thefts, looting and dredging required to build Lake Granger:

In a 3-2 vote, the Tarrant Regional Water District board voted to shift its election date for three board seats from May 2012 to May 2013. Vic Henderson, chair of the water board, said the switch was made to bring the water district's election date in line most of the other Tarrant County governmental entities that have shifted to odd rather than even years. But the water board, which historically has been known for casting unanimous votes, was split on the issue. Board members Hal Sparks and Jim Lane voted against the issue, saying they felt the water code was clear that elections should be held in odd years even though the water district had obtained a letter from the Secretary of State's office saying they could move the date. Sparks, Henderson and board member Jack Stevens were slated to be up for re-election but will now serve for another year. Sparks said he felt like he made an agreement with voters to serve four years when he was elected and voted his conscience on the issue. But he said he plans to serve the remainder of his term.

They are postponing their own elections for a year !!!   They are postponing their own elections for a year !!! 
Unbelievable !!!  And we're probably going to put up with it, like a bunch of compliant sheep !! 

Had this happened to any reasonably alert group of voters, the hardware stores would already be sold out of pitchforks and torches.  Good Lord in heaven.  When are we going to wake up ????

There is an alternative to this madness, called the Trinity River Improvement Partnership.  They're trying to act as a Granger watchdog group, and to present an alternative plan.  Hit the link.  Please help them out any way you can. 

In which the Fort Worth Star-Telegram fails to ask the big questions

Jim Fuquay of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has written a lengthy front page article about rising prices for food, fuel, and clothing. 

The print version explains that bad weather has driven up food prices. 

Mr. Fuquay says that  competition from China is sending fuel prices upward. 

Nowhere in the entire article does Mr. Fuquay ask the obvious questions....

"Why in the hell is the government printing so much money, and when will it stop?" 

Here's Ron Paul on the real cause of inflation:

Because no one understands that inflation is growth in the monetary supply, no one is able to combat it effectively. We hear all sorts of hand-wringing about increasing inflation, and all sorts of explanations about how rising oil and food prices will make inflation worse. At the same time, the fact that MZM, the closest approximation to total money supply that still is reported by the Fed, is still rising by almost 15% per year and that M2 is rising significantly as well is quietly ignored. The pundits have causation backwards: it is inflation that leads to rising prices of oil and food, and not vice versa.


Until the cause of inflation is understood, no effective strategy can be undertaken to combat it. The problem, however, is that the government does not want inflation to be done away with. Inflation benefits debtors and harms creditors, and the United States government is the biggest debtor of all. The United States government, the banking monopoly under the Federal Reserve System, and politically-connected firms and industries are the first entities to take advantage of new money injected into the system, before prices increase. As the increased supply of money begins to chase the same number of goods, prices rise, and the average American suffers. Poor and middle-class Americans are always the hardest hit by inflation, as the weakening dollar makes the imported goods that many Americans depend on more expensive.

Governments love to talk about "things" costing more.  They almost never talk about dollars being worth less.
Why is it that the unpaid bloggers are the ones who have to point this out? 

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram - now the size of a 1970's advertising insert

From The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.    I've put the only words that matter in bold print:

The version of the Star-Telegram published Monday represents months of work and millions of dollars spent to improve the legibility of the paper. In addition to a new design for our pages, we're completing one of the biggest press upgrades in our history.

To make it easier to find your favorite sections, we've color-coded them: The local section is red, Sports is blue, Work & Money is green, and Your Life is orange. We've also used blue on the front page to highlight the Star-Telegram name.

Classified sections are teal and have been completely redesigned with larger type and an easier-to-read format that includes wider columns.

The new typeface we have chosen for articles is the same size as what we've been using, but it prints larger. The typeface, called Quiosco, was specially designed to improve readability on narrower pages.

Our new design will also improve legibility by reducing the practice of putting small type on gray or color backgrounds.

To improve our reproduction, the Star-Telegram is upgrading the presses, replacing much of the equipment that we've used for more than a decade.

We're also switching to a higher grade of newsprint. Although there may be a short breaking-in process, the visual result should be readily apparent to our readers in the next several weeks.

Because the printed page is more compact -- and easier to handle as a result -- we've had to move some comics, daily features and puzzles to maintain their size.

Go here to see what the front page looks like now.  It's kind of a milder USA Today. 

There isn't as much of it, but they're giving it their best shot.  The Tim Madigan/Ron Ennis series on local neurosurgeon Dave Donahue is one of the best I've read in a while. 

Maybe the Star-Telegram will make it.  Hope so.  Sometimes you have to cut back before you can grow. 

Your Identity Theft Nightmare

The campaign contributors are now bloated. Fuller than dead ticks.
Wall Street's losses have been covered. They'll be back to splitting 5's against dealer 6's in no time at all.
Pork has been shoveled into every nook, cranny and crevice.

Some government agencies simply can't spend it any more. They literally cannot spend it as fast as The Teleprompter Jesus has scooped it in their direction.
They should outfit their buildings with something like the (mythical) Roman vomitoria, a room where the wealthy rulers of the empire can go puke when they've consumed too much, but still want to eat more.

And now, according to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, now that our debt is up north of 12 trillion, now that China has said there isn't enough money on this planet for people to keep buying our T-bills, now that our great-grandchildren will have a diminished quality of life, this man....

....this front man for a pack of Chicago gangsters and con artists is going to stand up in front of the nation Wednesday night and propose a 3-year freeze on discretionary spending.
He's not going to reduce the deficit spending (hovering around $200,000,000,000.00 per month). He just wants to freeze it at the current level.

Imagine your worst identity theft nightmare. Imagine that East side crack whores have stolen your I.D. and your Visa and Mastercard. They know your ATM and bank account passwords, and they are running wild through every mall in the DFW Metroplex.
You know they're doing it, and the police know they're doing it.
The police come back to you, and say that the crack whores have agreed to keep their spending at a certain ridiculous level, and that you should be pleased by their heroic self-sacrifice.

Feel better? I didn't think so.

How much longer are you going to keep putting up with it?

Bud Kennedy on The Tea Party Protester.

Bud Kennedy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article in yesterday's paper about the Libertarian Party, the Tea Party movement, and the 9/12 project.

The political "Newcomer of the Year" must be the Tea Party protester.

But when you peek behind the new "Don’t Tread on Me" flags, some of the local Tea Party and 912 Project groups are looking more like the same old political factions.

When you sign up for e-mail from the supposedly nonpartisan Common Sense Texans network of Tea Party members, you’re giving your address to a Dallas Republican lawyer and social-networking-campaign expert who has been an activist for private-school vouchers.

Note to Bud: Almost everyone I know in East Fort Worth is an activist for private-school vouchers. If Barack Obama had a typical Eastside income, he too would be an activist for private-school vouchers.

Turns out I’m not the only person who’s leery of these fake grassroots activist groups sprouting on every block.

Robert Butler is the new state Libertarian Party executive director. He sounded frustrated Tuesday.

"The Libertarians started this thing, and now Republicans want to get ahead of the parade and take it over," Butler said by phone from Austin.

"Their brand name is held in such disregard that they’ve started marketing under the Tea Party banner. Then, behind the scenes, their organizers are getting in there and co-opting the Tea Parties."

Hit the link at the top to read Bud's entire column, with more Robert Butler quotes.

I've had many fine moments related to this website, but one of the best was when I ran into Bud at a 9/12 meeting a few weeks ago. We'd met a couple of times before, but hadn't talked much. I re-introduced myself, and Bud said "Oh yeah. The Whited Sepulchre."

You have to understand....Bud Kennedy is a big deal in Fort Worth. I'm not.

Anyway, the remainder of Bud's article makes note of the strange bedfellows, many who have sworn that they'll never vote for another Republicrat, who are trying to find a way to oppose the Chicago Machine currently looting the treasury. Very difficult when the Crips and Bloods have a stranglehold on the ballot access and debate mechanisms.

If you want some more info on the uneasy alliance between the Fort Worth Libertarians, the 9/12'ers, the Tea Partiers, the Campaign For Liberty folks, and the Republicans Party others, well, I might be the only person who has been to every rally and lived to type about it. If you don't mind wading through my schtick, you can go here to read the Top 10 signs that some of these refugee Republicans might not really be Libertarians, and the Top 10 reasons that members of another party (ahem...) might soon join our ranks.

Here's some hand-wringing I did about the Tarrant County Libertarian Party being invited to participate in a 9/12 rally. The butt-whoopin' I took in the comment field (from across the political spectrum) is worth noting.

Here are our folks in the 9-12 parade.

This is an account of the Tea Party rally held at LaGrave Field in Fort Worth. I've since become friends with the local businessman mentioned in the post. Adrian Murray. He's good folks.

And this one is about the original Fort Worth Tea Party, thrown together back in February.

Ok, everybody, take a deep breath and remember this: Our enemy's enemy is our friend.

Stimulus Plan Works ! ! And costs Texans only $545,000.00 per job saved ! !

Don't even bother reading this rant. It's just a collection of links that I want for future reference.



From Darren Barbee and Aman Batheja, writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

Texas gained 19,572 jobs created or saved by federal stimulus funds, at a steep cost to taxpayers: $545,000 per job, according to data from a new but flawed government report.
The information, available on recovery.gov, shows that 376 contracts worth $608.9 million created 1,458 jobs. Grants totaling $10 billion contributed 18,114 more.
Administration officials argued that it was "calculator abuse" to figure the cost per job because many contracts haven’t been completed so additional people could be hired....

So we can now pile "calculator abuse" onto the mound of logic abuse that was required to pass the Porkulus bill. Are calculators members of a protected category in the new Hate Crimes Legislation? Just wondering.....

....A company called Affiliated Western received a $2.6 million contract to repair hangar doors. Total jobs created: a single position. Or two, since an interactive map on recovery.gov counted the contract twice.
The city of Arlington reported that $853,342 in stimulus money for "new pedestrian infrastructure" — a sidewalk — and a van service would create 130 jobs. Though the city reports that the project is less than 50 percent completed, it claims that 100 of those jobs would come from providing more transportation options to low-income residents.

Let's go back to basics here. Look at what you pay in taxes. That's money that you can't spend on something else. Look at the $2.6 million that the government printed to create two garage doors. That's money pumped into our system that dilutes the buying power of the money already in your wallet.
What they're doing is preventing you from spending your money on your preferred purchases, and giving it to their supporters.
Does anyone doubt that Affiliated Western, who got $2.6 million in porkulus, is now a huge financial supporter of whichever legal whore wrote them into the porkulus bill?

In another case, Tarrant County got credit for a contract awarded to B.W. Strayhorn of Wichita Falls worth $2,559,791. But zero jobs were created or saved, according to recovery.gov. The contract calls for the company to conduct embankment repairs at Bardwell Dam and shoreline erosion repair at Lavonia Park and Lavon Lake.

Which brings up another issue....How in the hell can someone directly credit, or not credit, this stimulus money for saving a job? Jobs are being lost by the tens of thousands because investors are worried about which insane card checking/earth saving/wealth transferring/red taping/productivity penalizing scheme that our Spreadsheet Messiahs are going to roll out next.

Here's The Gay Patriot:

Last week alone, more Californians filed for jobless benefits for the first time than the number of jobs created by the “stimulus” since it passed nearly nine months ago. The Golden State had largest increase in claims for benefits (of any state) with 5,774 citizens asking for government help after being laid off (H/t Instapundit).
According to recovery.gov, the “so-called stimulus” created (or saved) 2,260 jobs in the Golden State since the President signed the bill in February. At that time, the Golden State’s junior Senator, Barbara Boxer, heralded Senate passage of the legislation, promising it would “put Californians to work“.
Hey, Ma’am, it doesn’t seem to be putting Californians to work. You said, “This bill will put Californians to work now building the highways, bridges, transit and rail systems, and renewable energy sources of the 21st century.” The data show layoffs “in the construction, services and agricultural industries.” So, maybe 2,260 Californians are building bridges for the state. 5,774 fewer are building other things (or otherwise engaging in productive and remunerative activities).
Let me repeat: More than twice as many Californians lost their jobs in just one week in October than the number of Californians put to work by the “stimulus.”

So please, please, please, please, please..... Can all government busybodies, saviors, messiahs, and earnest hand-wringers call in sick for the next year? We'll get through this thing just fine if you promise to do so. Please. Think of the children.

Here's Caroline Baum, of Bloomberg.org:

....the government has no money of its own to spend; only what it borrows or confiscates from us via taxation. Oops.
“Government job creation is an oxymoron,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Business. It is only by depriving the private sector of funds that government can hire or subsidize hiring.
That’s why “jobs created or saved” is such pure fiction. It ignores what’s unseen, as our old friend Frederic Bastiat explained so eloquently 160 years ago in an essay.

Lordy. Even CBS News is calling bullshint on this mess.



I got most of these links from Instapundit.

From the best hometown newspaper EVER - The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

This article was on the cover of today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the greatest daily newspaper on this (or any other) planet:

By DEBORAH YAO
The Associated Press

I've never met Deborah, but I've made a followed her fine work over the years. She specializes in media issues. You can read more of Ms Yao's fine work by going here. It's worth the time and effort. Deborah Yao and The Associated Press - the only way to start your morning.

The Federal Trade Commission will try to regulate blogging for the first time, requiring writers on the Web to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.

I don't understand how people can live without the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I mean, can you really claim to have experienced a Dallas Cowboys game until you read Randy Galloway's analysis the next morning? Can you call yourself a "Fort Worther", and not read Bud Kennedy every day? The great Paul Harral has left the editorial page, but it still carries the lingering aroma of Paul's greatness. Sometimes when I finish reading my Fort Worth Star-Telegram, I spread it on the floor and roll around in it.

The FTC said Monday that its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final Web guidelines, which had been expected. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could bring fines of up to $11,000 per violation. Bloggers or advertisers could also face injunctions and be ordered to reimburse consumers for financial losses stemming from inappropriate product reviews.

The last time I went hunting in west Texas, I was walking through some brush and another hunter (a lawyer from Dallas) thought I was a deer. (BTW, have you bothered to look through the Dallas Morning News? What a substandard product!) Anyway, this guy shot at me with a 30-06, and the bullet entered my hunting vest at about 3,000 feet per second. I should've been dead.

What saved me? Tucked away inside my hunting vest was an old Fort Worth Star-Telegram ! The bullet went through the front pages, the comics, sports, life & arts, and finally stopped at a Molly Ivins column.

Did I take this as a sign? You betcha.

The commission stopped short of specifying how bloggers must disclose conflicts of interest. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC’s advertising practices division, said the disclosure must be "clear and conspicuous," no matter what form it will take.

My Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I love it, love it, love it. You should too.

All the pics of the great Fort Worth Star-Telegram logo came from here. Go there. It will make you a better person.

"State Of Play" and why we need the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

I saw the new movie "State Of Play" Sunday night.

Ben Affleck essentially plays Congressman Gary Condit, (corrected on 4/21/09) Maria Thayer is Chandra Levy, an evil military contractor called Point Corp stands in for Blackwater, Russell Crowe is the entrepid reporter, and Helen Mirren is his editor, whose job it is to sound so British that Russell Crowe sounds like an American.


The movie is great until the last 15 minutes. Then the screenwriters become afflicted with what Roger Ebert has called Keyser Soze Syndrome, in which everything logical about the film is sacrificed for a plot twist at the end. The clue that tips off the Russell Crowe character doesn't make a lick of sense. This info doesn't even deserve a spoiler alert. It makes no sense. But then, a lot of people like the stimulus package, and I didn't understand that either.

But enough about the plot.
One of the subtexts of the movie is the competition between newspapers and the internet. Russell Crowe's character is paid to run around gathering information. Until he prints his stories, bloggers have nothing to write about, nothing to disagree with, and little or no basis for blaming the lamestream media.
This guy is vital.

Have we ever needed dedicated, objective reporters more than now?

When's the last time you can remember a TV journalist breaking a major story?

I spent a lot of time during this movie thinking about our beloved Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which has fallen on hard times since being bought out by the McClatchy organization.

Without the Star-Telegram, I wouldn't have known about the Department of Homeland Security spending a jillion dollars and seals and logos. I wouldn't have known about Jackie Chan wanting to bring back the good old days of Chairman Mao.

I have friends who believe the Star-Telegram has gotten too cozy with City Hall, and has gone too easy on Chesapeake. In all honesty, we need to thank the Startlegram for what little we do know about City Hall and Chesapeake, don't we?

Craigslist and Ebay have taken away the classifieds, Fandango has taken away the need for movie ads, bloggers have decimated the editorial page, and that's what has happened after the televised teleprompter readers did their damage.

We're going to miss the Fort Worth Star-Telegram if it goes under.

Please subscribe.

The Best That I Could Do

Today the Star-Telegram is supposed to feature this site in an article about political blogs.
I have no idea what angle they're going to take.

So if there are a lot of new people dropping in today, let me show you a few things so you'll have a general idea about what goes on here......

Here's a link to the Tarrant County Libertarian Meetup. My friend John Spivey runs the group, and it's the best way to learn more about the Libertarian Party and meet a lot of great people.
Here's a link to the Tarrant County Libertarian Party Website.

The following are links to the most popular things I've ever typed.

I've made five trips to China, and many of these next posts began their life as emails to friends and co-workers. Here's what it's like over there if your car hits a dog.
Here's what it's like in China if your washer/dryer is possessed by Satan and won't release your laundry.
Here's what it's like over there if your driver gets lost while driving you through a Typhoon.

I haven't written the one yet about getting intestinal parasites. The memories are too painful.

Lots of borderline heretical religious opinions are explored on this site. (I totally despise the influence of politics in religion and vice-versa.) Here's a representative sample called "Teaching Truth As Fact".
Here's a rant brought forth by Fox News Commentator Cal Thomas claiming that Barack Obama isn't a Christian.
If you make it that far, you may wonder if The Whos Really Can Hear Horton.
(If you found these posts even remotely interesting, opinions like these are tolerated every Sunday morning at 9:30 in room 306 at Broadway Baptist Church, just south of downtown Fort Worth. I'm in a class called "Exploring The Christian Faith". We have Deists, Theists, Apostates, and even a few traditional Baptists who meet there. If you think you've given up on the Christian Church, come give us a try. Sometime around Thanksgiving, we'll begin reading Why Christianity Must Change Or Die by John Shelby Spong. Great stuff.)

I run the shipping/freight operation for a Fort Worth manufacturing company. We have a safety consultant. One night I started wondering what would happen if jihadist martyrs had safety consultants. This is the result. I hope you enjoy it. Our safety consultant didn't.

One of the fundamentals of libertarianism is a respect for basic Human Rights. Here's my post for "Blog For Human Rights Day". It's the only thing you'll ever read that combines Norman Rockwell paintings with atrocity photographs.

Here's a test you can take on the subject of Global Warming. When you're finished with that, hit the label at the bottom for Al Gore. I'm obsessed with the guy, and my friend Dr. Ralph thinks I need to find a new boogeyman. But read this one about America's Richest Vice President. (Hint: it's not Nelson Rockefeller.)

Brent Rinehart, an Oklahoma County Roads supervisor, recently mailed out a gay-bashing campaign comic book to the voters in his district. It's one of the most wonderful things I've ever seen, and I don't mean that as a compliment.

Here's a post about the song "Dixie", and my great aunt Libba, and Confederate Memorial Day.

My first NASCAR race.

Here's an unlikely analogy that holds up well.

I believe that Jerry Jones, owner of The Dallas Cowboys Football Team, is one of the tragic figures of our age. He wants to be known as a football guy, not a finance guy. But he's only won Superbowls with Jimmy Johnson as coach - therefore Jimmy gets the credit, which is how it should be. Jerry Jones and the City Of Arlington have used Eminent Domain laws to build a monument to.....Jerry Jones. And as of November 1, 2008, the Cowboys are stinking up the field. Which is how it should be.

I hope you enjoy these. Hope you like the site. Check out the other bloggers in the column to your right. I think I've got a category for just about everybody.

And one other thing.....

Go Bob Barr ! ! ! !

The Apples Didn't Fall Very Far From The Tree

Somewhere high above Drew and Merigold Mississippi, my father is rubbing his hands together and enjoying himself.
(My father believed that heaven was located directly over his farm in the Mississippi Delta. I'm grateful that, if he had to die, he was able to die while working on that Mississippi farm. He was able to go straight up to his eternal reward. Had he died anywhere else, he would've had to veer.)

Why is he laughing and enjoying himself so much, you ask?

My baby sister, Amy, My sister, Dr. Amy Cooper, recently had an editorial published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It's called "I Am Not The President. I Just Play One On TV." For a few months, you'll be able to read it on the Star-Telegram's site by clicking here. After that, click here, where I've saved it for my nieces to read 40 years from now.

(Hello Lexie, Hello Shelby. If you happen to read this in 40 years, please tell the attendants at my nursing home that I do NOT like fruit in my Jello.)

Please read Dr. Cooper's editorial when you get a chance, and get back to me.

Pretty good, wasn't it? Especially the last paragraph....

Over the next 10 days, as these two men rehearse their lines, choose their ties, and apply their makeup, Americans can only hope each man wants to govern, wants to restore moral authority to our country, wants to be president and not just play one on TV.

Hey, I'M supposed to be the family cynic.

I haven't discussed this with her, but if Dr. Cooper was published in the Star-Telegram on the 25th, she probably had to submit her piece by the 21st. That's the same day that I posted something comparing the presidential candidates to actor Heath Ledger. (Click here if you want to read it. It's nowhere near as polished as hers, and doesn't make nearly as much sense, but mine has far better pictures.)

So what's my point?

Neither one of us had talked to the other about politics. She didn't tell me she was working on something for the Star-Telegram. But we simultaneously wrote something comparing political candidates to actors.

Here's what's weird about it. Every word we wrote was a variation on constant themes espoused by our father: Politicians are actors. They say what their handlers tell them to say. When you vote, your decision is based on an image, rather than substance. I rode in a pickup with our father for 15 years, and it was like listening to Talk Radio without any troublesome callers interrupting the host's monologue. I can no more get rid of his influence on me than I can change the color of my eyes, and I can't imagine wanting to.

My baby sister Dr. Amy Cooper wasn't exposed to as much of it, but the influence is definitely there.

Our father was probably the best man I've ever known, and he was a deeply spiritual person. But if he'd seen Obama's infomercial last night, he would've laughed all the way through it. Politics was the only part of his life where he allowed cynicism to enter. Boy, was he cynical about government. Dadgum gubmint....that was usually the phrase.

So Pop, if you're up there watching and listening, we're doing the best we can.

It's Not How Well They Bowl Or Drink

My little sister, Dr. Amy Cooper, has once again made it onto the Fort Wort Star-Telegram's editorial page.

Click here to go to the Star-Telegram's site, and read "It's Not How Well They Bowl Or Drink".
Or you can click here, just in case they ever take the link down, like they did with her previous one.

In this wonderfully written editorial, Amy marvels that the next leader of the free world might be chosen because of his bowling ability or lack thereof. Hillary's barroom shot of Crown Royal is also ridiculed.

I'd give almost anything for our (now deceased) father to be able to read this essay.

I can't remember which of her "two white grandmothers" used to iron out used aluminum foil to reuse it, but I don't doubt the story. I don't remember seeing an Obama sign in her yard, but it apparently didn't last very long.

If they put a Hillary sign in their yard, I'll make sure that one doesn't last long either.

Amy also displays an impressive knowledge of Brazilian and Argentine iron ore pricing. You'd think she married someone in the metal business.

It's all good stuff. Since I started blogging, she's been on the editorial page twice and I've only made it once. (She's on the Community Columnist Panel.) Not that we're competitive or anything.

I can beat her at Bowling and Drinking.

Yes Virginia, There Is A......Lot of Miscellaneous Stuff Out There

Here's a heartwarming webpage based on the famous 1897 editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus".

The Clintons did not win Texas. Or, they haven't yet. Due to our bizarre "Two-Step" combination of primaries and caucuses, Obama now has 4 more delegates than The Clintons. We're still working on the exact number. But where are the headlines? Why am I still hearing about Hillary's comeback? Wait...It was in the Star-Telegram the day after I started this.

Harvard's Greg Mankiw explains Free Trade for us Muggles....He also provides me with a GREAT compliment for Al Gore, should David G. ever again request that I do so. I didn't know this story that Mankiw references, and it's a good one.

Soobdujour has a 1950's cigarette ad.

Fort Worth Blogorrhea suggests that our current President's romanticizing of military service in Afghanistan is a matter of convenient timing. It was hard to get misty-eyed during the Tet Offensive.

Wolf Howling gets worked up over The Clintons' 3:00 a.m. ad, as attacked by Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson.

And I was delighted to learn from "The American Review" that Jesus was the first Libertarian. The Lord Jesus Christ First, True Libertarian; His Coming Most Important “Political” Event In History

And, wonder of wonders, The Daily Kos has had it with The Clintons.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

My beloved Fort Worth Star-Telegram has endorsed Barack Obama and John McCain as the Democratic and Republican candidates for President.

It's going around.

Here are some more letters to the Star-Telegram on the topic about which I will not speak.....I met DeLores Jones a few days ago. Barrett worked for me a couple of decades ago, but has probably blocked out that part of her life.

They're also doing a 24-part series called "To Catch A Killer" that is so addictive it should be illegal. It's about the investigation of a 1997 murder. The newspaper version features graphics, photos, and plenty of sidebars. If you go online, they have videos, recordings, PDF files of old Star-Telegram coverage, and crime scene drawings. Altogether, they're slowly releasing a DVD ROM.

Perhaps projects like this one, which combine traditional and online content, might be the new direction for journalism. I already feel like I know these people. Sam Elliott, Robert Duvall, and Tommy Lee Jones could play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" to determine who gets the role of detective Curt Brannan in the movie. It takes the non-fiction/True Crime genre to a different place.

On a less grisly note, they've published an editorial by MY LITTLE SISTER Dr. Amy Cooper about a book called "The Geography of Bliss". Funny stuff.

The Star-Telegram has been on a roll lately. If Paul Harral played pro baseball, I'd think this was a contract year.