"People deserve to know that kind of stuff."

Almost three years ago, we started this blog due to the lack of news we were seeing on the "news".

(There are several stories taking place in Tarrant County right now, that none of the "news" stations have reported on. WHY?)

So due to lack of "news" we decided to do something, so did Grant Stinchfield.  Here's an article on WHY Grant left "news" reporting to run for office. 

There are still reporters left in the county.  They just don't work for the "news".

Kudos, Grant! 

Here is an excerpt of what Stinchfield had to say regarding a tip he started investigating  about government spending:   “When Cowboys Stadium  was being built….General Motors, getting bailed out by the federal government,  wants to buy a suite at Cowboys stadium….a million $ plus for that suite.  I make a call, and as a good conversative I say GM shouldn’t be buying a suite with taxpayer dollars.   20 minutes later I get hauled into the general manager’s office telling me, you will not make another call on that story. ” Stinchfield says the general manager didn’t want to “rock the boat” with automotive advertisers, even though it meant not reporting on what Stinchfield felt was the inappropriate spending of taxpayer dollars.

Are Smart Meters mandatory?

We received an invitation and were asked to pass it along, be there November 5th.  And check out their website below.  Power to the people!

I have become aware of the Electrical Smart Meter (and on the water too!), deployment in parts of Texas (I live in NRHills), as well as other parts of the US and the world.  The installation is being treated as if it were mandatory by Oncor, Centerpoint and other distributors in Texas.  This is wrong!  There are many controversial aspects having to do with Privacy, personal freedom of choice, Health Concerns (serious), Over-billing, Ruined Appliances, House Fires…to name a few.

As a result – In an effort to get the word out to the public about the dangers and the infringements on their ‘choice’ and privacy, I created an event called “DFW Community Smart Meter Forum” which is taking place Nov. 5^th, 7-9 pm, at the HURST PUBLIC LIBRARY.

I wanted to know if your online blog/paper would be able to feature or insert a post about the smart meter issue and/or sharing also the upcoming meeting.

A friend and I have also created a website (still kinda new) called www.bantexassmartmeters.com where people can go to sign several petitions, read about Texas happenings etc.

More Cheers

Seems some are paying attention, read the Cheer in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Cheers: 

To Layla Caraway, Bob Lukeman and TRIP for winning the Conservation Award at the Glen Rose Film Festival! If you are concerned about out-of-control spending by your government or what's happening with your water, watch Up a Creek. Together, we can make a difference.

-- Debbie L. Sheffield,

Lovin the Letters

We love when the citizens speak. Tells you what is really going on in the Wild West. See today's Letters to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star Telegram.

Is anyone listening?
A man in Ohio bulldozes his home, believing his bank has treated him unjustly in upcoming foreclosure proceedings, while a man in Austin takes extreme measures with his issues with the IRS.

Our own institutions are not working. The government will bail out Wall Street without blinking an eye, but the common man receives no break or relief on his mortgage. Meanwhile, we have one of the most inequitable and burdensome tax codes anywhere. It must benefit the government or someone, as no politician makes any real effort to overhaul its complexity and make it more reasonable and fair.

Regardless of human behavior and emotions, in tough times like these, coupled with an unresponsive government and do-nothing politicians, these kind of actions may likely increase since no one is listening.

-- Michael E. Holland, Fort Worth

The new EPA regional administrator, Al Armendariz, brings science to his job, with a doctorate in environmental engineering. Another advantage is that President Barack Obama favors reducing pollution, unlike George W. Bush, who hampered cleanup efforts.

Texas produces more carbon dioxide, which is a major greenhouse gas, than any other state.

However, Gov. Rick Perry is squandering Texans' tax dollars in a lawsuit to keep the EPA from forcing him to reduce our emissions. Perry has a misguided belief that global warming is a myth. Despite the recent record snow, the last decade was warmer than any other since records have been kept.

I hope that the next governor, whoever she may be, will recognize the existence and danger of carbon dioxide and work with the EPA to reduce our output.

-- Ann Chambers, Fort Worth

"And that's the way it is"

Walter Cronkite has died. What a sad day for media.

Walter reported on some of the most important moments in American history, such as when President Kennedy was shot in Dallas and when man landed on the moon.

Back when the public believed in the news, they trusted "Uncle" Walter. In the 1970's a poll found that he was more trusted than any politician, religious leader or sports hero.

Brian Williams, the current evening anchor on rival NBC News, told MSNBC that "Cronkite used to address the nation; other people delivered the news."

Walter had something to say on many subjects. He saw the shift in the news coming. He also made a good point about health care.

When you're bringing in a fairly unknown candidate challenging a sitting president, the population needs a lot more information than reduced coverage provides.

We are not educated well enough to perform the necessary act of intelligently selecting our leaders.

America's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system.

Thank you Walter, for watching over America for so many years.
We appreciate your contributions.

Weekly Accolades

Last month we told you to be sure and catch the FW Weekly article "House of Cards".

Then there was the follow up.

Delores Taylor was listening and thanked the FW Weekly for their work. We do too.

Machiavellian

To the editor: Betty Brink's story ("House of Cards," June 3, 2009) is one of the best follow-ups yet to the series of exposés Fort Worth Weekly has conducted over the years. It encompasses everything from the city leaders, our so-called stewards who are elected to protect the citizens' interests, to the federal government that is supposed to investigate charges of wrongdoing. We, the taxpayers, ultimately pay the price for the malfeasance and machinations that flow like a river throughout city hall.

Of course Mayor Mike Moncrief isn't going to put his foot in his mouth by talking to the Weekly because he didn't have a script handy to answer the charges brought forth by Theresa Thomas and Lisa Weaver. Both these ladies ought to have their jobs reinstated with retroactive pay and a public apology from Moncrief.

The mentality that still operates at city hall contributed to their firing. Felony charges should have been brought against Walker and his cronies. The mayor didn't give a tinker's dam about the Thomas and Weaver allegations and used the "Don't Know Nothin'" excuse when the truth came to light. The only council members who listened with full ears open were Chuck Silcox and Donavan Wheatfall. Chuck deserves posthumous accolades, for he was an honest man, with integrity to the bone, and he listened to his constituents.

Hopefully this updated "House of Cards" will be the catalyst for a full investigation, and charges will be brought against those who orchestrated and participated in the stealing of taxpayers' money.

Without the Weekly's go-get-'em reporters who keep the public informed, we'd be paying higher taxes to cover the thefts by these narcissistic stewards of the city.

Letters...

Another stand out Letter to the Editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram today.

One narrow, two-lane road — Tiger Trail — is the only entrance into and exit out of our neighborhood. Tarrant County commissioners and other government entities have ignored our pleas for relief from the heavy traffic of drilling rigs, tanker trucks, fraccing trailers, etc. that clog this artery.

Our neighborhood of about 200 homes, located south of the Fort Worth city limits and about five miles south of Benbrook, has been ignored. The majority of the drilling is less than 600 yards inside the Fort Worth city limits north of our neighborhood. The traffic moves off Tiger Trail onto land immediately to the north (within 15 feet) of our homes, to the drilling locations.

There is plenty of easy access to the well sites directly from U.S. 377, where there are no homes, but because we were such a small voice and the drilling companies are so powerful, our recommendations that they move directly from 377 are ignored.

Only state Sen. Wendy Davis has come out and listened to our woes. We appreciate that, but still we have no relief. We need help to continue to operate and have viable passage from our neighborhood to get to and from our jobs, church, school and other activities without being stopped by large trucks blocking our narrow road. This is an emergency and possibly deadly disaster waiting to happen.

— Joe E. Rogers, Benbrook Neighborhood Estates, Fort Worth

On behalf of Joe Rogers, PLEASE SEND HELP.

A 4th of July note from Don Young

While celebrating your freedom and independence this weekend please take a moment to recall that red-blooded, Greek philosopher, Socrates, the famous war hero, revolutionary and defender of truth who proclaimed...

"The unexamined life is not worth living."

If Socrates were alive today and a Citizen of the Shale he might ask questions like:
"What matters most?
"Have we done enough to protect our children and families?"
"Why do we keep electing the same crooks to public office?" and most importantly,

"Why aren't we raising hell instead of eating hot dogs and watching baseball while the enemy is at the gate hiding in a red, white and blue Trojan horse?"

In 1776 it was the Bloody British who got people riled up. Today, "King George" is embodied in the owners and shareholders of corporations like Chesapeake, XTO, Shell, Devon, Encana and Range Resources who are spending record amounts of dirty money to buy-off your local, state and federal elected officials so they can keep polluting our Earth. Does that rile you?

Consider the Fort Worth-Dallas Shale-O-Plex that gas drillers invaded just 5 years ago:

Gas drilling operations now produce half of the dirty air in north Texas.
Gas drilling is essentially unregulated in the State of Texas.
Gas drillers continue lying to the public.
Gas drilling is exempt from the Clean Air Act.
Gas drilling is desecrating the natural world from coast to coast and border to border.

ACTION Item for this weekend.

---Contemplate what matters most to you.
---Examine whether or not the state of our environment deserves an emotional response.
---Ask yourself if apathy has stifled your righteous anger.
---Teach your children that activism against environmental tyranny is a duty.
---Work on your passion. The world needs more hell-raisers, Paul Revere's, rabble-rousers and gadfly's like Mr. Socrates

Light a Roman candle on the 4th of July to symbolically ignite your passion. Use your logic to aim it in the right direction, year-round.

Gnothi seauton.

DY

1-888-AM-I-SAFE????????????

PS: Need inspiration to fire your passion? Check out this new video from filmmaker Josh Fox...

Don Young
FWCanDo
P.O. Box 470041
Fort Worth, TX 76147

"God bless Fort Worth, Texas. Help us save some of it."

Al is back

Al Armendariz had a very interesting article in the Dallas Morning News today. (Actually two years ago, though the only thing changed so far is the EPA directors listed below).

The entire article is informative, you can read it here, for our readers that like the highlights only, see below. Especially the last section - send it to everyone you know that breathes.

"Why is the ozone problem going away? The state of Texas said so".

The state's short-term data show that ozone levels are actually increasing in Tarrant, Denton and Parker counties.

•The state has submitted numerous failed ozone plans for our area, including in 1976, 1979, 1984, 1987, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2003. Each has not only been a state failure but also a failure by the federal government, since the EPA approved each plan.

It is time for the failure to stop. We pay high taxes and deserve better service from our government administrators and scientists. The EPA should not approve the plan submitted by the state and instead require a new one with emission reductions that ensure that our area will meet the ozone standard.

Everyone who breathes should contact Steve Page, EPA director of the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards and Richard Greene, EPA regional administrator and tell them that it is time for the state to submit a real clean-air plan for our area.