The politicians are coming...to Haltom City??

Thursday afternoon Wendy Davis is expected to announce her run for governor in Haltom City.  Many may be asking WHY Haltom City, the small town political hotbed of Tarrant County.  Well, back in the day, Haltom and Richland High schools both graduated at the Wiley G. Thomas Coliseum.  So, she's making her announcement from the same place she graduated high school.

Don't think this will go unnoticed, as we have already received emails on the protest that Republicans are planning to host at the "church across the street".

Yep, they should all fit right in around these parts.

The showdown starts tomorrow at 3:00, though the protesters ask that you be there early.

Wendy Wins Again

With folks like Senator Cornyn, Kay Granger and Joe Barton supporting her opponent, some would say it’s easy to see why.

We like Wendy, apparently we aren’t alone.  There were Republican’s all over town supporting her, even former Republican Lt. Gov Bill Ratliff endorsed her.

It was so evident that the Fort Worth Star-Telegram even noticed, “It wasn't uncommon to see yard signs touting Mitt Romney's presidential bid next to a Wendy Davis for Senate sign.”

So cheers to Wendy, someone willing to fight for our kids education, no matter what the bullies say.

Fort Worth Firebomb

It's being reported that Wendy Davis' office was firebombed this afternoon. 

Luckily, Wendy wasn't present and no one was hurt. 

WHO would do such a thing? 

What's the ETA on karma?

People in 2011

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram put out it's 2011 DFW Newsmakers.

We'd like to salute the citizens that ended up on the list.  THE PEOPLE who ended up there by standing up for what they believe in and protecting their neighbors.  A firefighter, a veteran, an urban gas drilling opponent and a man teaching our youth a better way of life.  These real people make a difference in our world.  Kudos to them all.  As for the rest of the list...we applaud Wendy Davis for again, standing up for THE PEOPLE.  Too bad there aren't more like her.

The meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service, Bill Bunting, also made the list.  His "standard line" on North Texas weather - 

"Episodes of drought punctuated by periods of catastrophic flooding."

Wonder WHO and what 2012 will bring...

Kids vs. Industry

We've said it before, if your kids can't get an education...they won't learn to stop buying the BS. 

WHO should get YOUR taxes?  Schools or refineries?

"With Texas schools already facing cuts of more than $5 billion over the next two years, we cannot afford to allow political maneuvering to bleed even more resources from our children's classrooms," state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, said last week. "Favors to political cronies should never be allowed, particularly where they trump the interests of Texas' schoolchildren."

Read the article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  YOUR children will thank you. 

"We understand what is at stake for the school districts and our children's education," Valero Chairman and CEO Bill Klesse said in September. "Our children's education is extremely important, but it is also important to have a fair property appraisal. Even after our exemption is granted, Valero will remain one of the largest taxpayers -- if not the largest taxpayer -- in all the areas where we have refineries."

Valero's exemption request was initially rejected by the commission's staff, which reported that hydrotreaters don't reduce pollution at the refinery, but rather when consumers use fuel from refineries.

"The environmental benefit of these projects occurs when the consumer uses the low sulfur content fuels," commission staffer Ronald Hatlett wrote in 2007. "These projects do not provide an environmental benefit at the site."

You go, girl!

Wendy Davis has never been known to back down or be quiet.  And while we don't always agree with her, we do say - more power to her!  We couldn't be prouder she's from Texas.  We need more like her.  Those that aren't afraid to stand up to the good ol' boys and their threats, in order to protect the citizens and their children.

Maybe the good ol' boys can learn some manners from Ms. Davis while in special session. 

Read about it in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  We'll skip commenting on the classless responses of the Texas Governor.

Texas Politics

The redistricting is causing quite a stir.  Seems just like before it's politically motivated. Surprise! 

WHO does it involve?  Tarrant County, who else.

Some don't want to take the time for a special session.  Isn't that their job?  Aren't their constituents worth the time?  Don't answer that...

How is it that when someone says something about the President, they are racist, but when someone wants to "divide and conquer" one race or another in redistricting they are called a politician? 

Read about the drama in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 

"There's no doubt that the minority community is divided and conquered," Veasey said.

Veasey said the shift would place most of his African-American and Hispanic constituents in a largely rural and predominantly Anglo district, where they would have no opportunity to influence the outcome of elections.

"I feel we're put in the basement and shut off," said Veasey, the only African-American in the Tarrant County House delegation.

Veasey and Davis have contended that the new plan violates the federal Voting Rights Act, but Solomons defended it.

Senator Davis sets the record straight

What happens when you make stuff up about what Senator Wendy Davis said?  She'll set you straight one point at a time and she'll even make you a timeline for the bungled TCEQ air quality testing.  Maybe Arlington Councilman Mel LeBlanc should have seen that coming.  WHEN is he up for reelection? Ask him.

Below are some clarifying points from Senator Davis.  Read her entire statement at TXSharon.

•Even though TCEQ became aware of data that made their initial statement to the Fort Worth City Council inaccurate, the agency failed to correct their earlier inaccurate statement – both to the public and me – for four months.

Anthony Spangler, a member of my Senate staff, did not introduce himself at a recent TCEQ air quality meeting as my Chief of Staff; rather, he introduced himself as the Communications Director for my office. (See the video starting at the 4:52 mark:)

You are invited!

To the Shale Energy Forum in Fort Worth next week.  Details in the Fort Worth Business Press.

Also, in the Fort Worth Business Press, more information on the TCEQ blunder.

“I have worked diligently to be certain that TCEQ will do its job to protect us, and I am extremely disappointed that they have damaged their credibility so badly,” State Sen. Wendy Davis, District 10, said following the revelations that an anonymous fraud complaint filed led to the investigation and new data analyses showing benzene – although nothing was disclosed to the public.

“It is disappointing that TCEQ has violated the public’s trust and now local officials are being forced to spend scarce local dollars to perform their own air quality tests,” she said.

Really?

Kathleen Hicks is again trying to take credit for the Carter Avenue pipeline move. This is the councilwoman WHO would not return emails or phone calls to the residents on Carter. She has not attended any of the Carter Avenue gatherings. She did her interviews about Carter Avenue from a gas station nearby. One of her people did go put letters in the mailboxes the day AFTER the Carter Avenue rally last week.

Lon Burnam sent a representative to the Carter Avenue rally last week, and a letter telling the residents he stands with them.

Wendy Davis tried to pass a bill to protect them that Governor Perry vetoed. She also said-

"Particularly, they need to back away from the condemnation against Steve Doeung," Davis said. "I feel like his family has suffered a lot of emotional trauma."

Read the article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Rescheduled - Be there Wed!!

North Central Texas Communities Alliance is a broad-based coalition of individuals, organizations and communities throughout the Barnett Shale area working on local, state and national levels for positive solutions to the problems related to natural gas drilling and production.

FEATURED SPEAKERS FOR JANUARY
This time of the year weather does not always cooperate, so we must therefore reschedule our meeting to the date listed below:

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Where: Hotel Trinity - Inn Suites
IH30 @ Beach Street

Doors will open at 6:30pm for coffee, networking
and news interviews.
Meeting will begin at 7:00pm and end at 8:45pm


Senator Wendy Davis

One of our featured speakers will be Senator Davis, who has historically been an advocate for responsible mineral exploration and production in the Barnett Shale. Because of recent evidence of harmful chemicals produced from gas drilling, she and other state elected officials have been calling for additional testing and controls with natural gas drilling and production, and has been a statewide leader for stronger controls, both local and statewide, governing natural gas pipelines.
Mayor Tillman's video remarks

Mayor Calvin Tillman - Dish, Texas

Mayor Tillman has been on the front lines of the battle to keep his town safe and clean from the effects of uncontrolled pipelines and gas drilling within the city limits of Dish Texas. Much of the time being the Lone Ranger in he battle to save some of his town. His views and unique experiences with these very important issues are a must to hear in his own words.
Gas drilling trumps citizen protections?

As the time honored saying goes, you can be a part of the solution or continue to be a part of the problem. Only by working together for the common good can we even begin to protect our communities from unwanted and/or unneeded industrial activities that continue to harm the air we breathe or the water needed to sustain our quality of life.

Please join with us to help protect our future and the continued safety of our families. Our goal is to Communicate, to Educate and to Mobilize north central Texas citizens into action when the need arises.

North Central Texas Communities Alliance
Esther McElfish, Pres.
Gary Hogan, V.P.
Louis McBee, Treas.

www.nctca.net
Quick Links

Can you hear HER?

Senator Wendy Davis has called for a Senate investigation in the great state of Texas.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

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.

Right or Wrong

June 4th the Fort Worth Star-Telegram daily newspaper had an article that said,

"State environmental officials say that an SMU researcher was correct: Gas drilling in the Barnett Shale contributes about as much air pollution to the Dallas-Fort Worth area as car and truck traffic".

Today the same newspaper has an article that says the state believes that the Al Armendariz study is flawed. How quickly they forget.

"As debate continues about how much gas drilling contributes to air pollution in North Texas, state regulators want to make sure it’s clear that they disagree with a study that concluded that drilling creates about as much pollution as car and truck traffic.
The study by SMU professor Al Armendariz used data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s inventory of air pollution. Commission officials say that although his numbers might be correct, Armendariz took them out of context, and they think his conclusions are flawed.
"I don’t know that we agree nor disagree with the numbers," agency spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said. "We certainly don’t agree with the conclusions."

Say what? First he's right, then he's wrong. His numbers are correct but they don't know if they agree with them or not. Who are these people???

Is this about face due to the fact the state is taking heat over saying Al is right but they aren't going to do anything?

Or is it once again, all about the money?

Thank goodness for people like Al and Wendy Davis, she was quoted in the article as well,
"State Sen. Wendy Davis, a frequent critic of the commission, said it is ignoring the fact that a lot of Barnett Shale gas production is taking place inside Fort Worth. She said the agency might be hurting the effort to fix the Metroplex’s ozone problem.
"For TCEQ to respond that they are simply going to ignore those numbers when we are in a nonattainment area — doing everything we can do to get into attainment — it’s absurd," Davis said."

Lon & Wendy at it again

State Representative Lon Burnam and Senator Wendy Davis are at it again. Calling out for what is right. They have requested an independent investigation of the Fort Worth gay bar raid. The outpouring from the gay community has spread across the country and put Fort Worth in the negative media limelight.

CBS 11 talked to city leaders this week:

Many at Fort Worth City Hall worry there is a rush to judgement against Fort Worth. After all, some city leaders say, the photo from the raid apparantly shows TABC agents on top of a man, and that agency remains silent. And city leaders say, many of the online articles quote people demanding an investigation that is already underway.

"I'm concerned that people are getting the wrong impression," said Fort Worth mayor pro-tem Kathleen Hicks. "Obviously, we called for an investigation and that's exactly what's occuring. We will get to the bottom of this. And I don't want anyone to feel like they are not welcome in this city and we're not an inclusive city, because that's simply not the case."

One other worry city leaders express is that the officers are being judged in the public eye before an investigation is complete. Lounge management doesn't share that concern. "They know they did wrong," Norman said. "There's no question in my mind that they did wrong. So, I can't see them coming back and saying that at all."

We don't really understand why you raid a new gay bar. After hearing witnesses and seeing pictures, we don't want to be raided in any bar. Thanks anyway.

We respect officers and the job they do each day, however, if they were out of line, it needs to be addressed by someone other than themselves.