Tuesday, May 20, 2008
"See Sam Run: A Mother's Story of Autism" Reading and Booksigning
Here’s Where I’ll be on May 28th. Join me!
See Sam Run: A Mother's Story of Autism
A map to guide you through the maze when something is not quite right with your child, May 20, 2008
I preordered See Sam Run, and started reading it the day it arrived in my mailbox. The next morning, when I woke up with a stomach upset, I was thankful that I could call in sick and finish reading it.
more...
Texas Bloggers Bust Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams on Fuzzy Math
From Doing My Part For The Left:
How damn dumb does he think Texans are? We know what we are paying at the pump and no company can post an increase in profits in one quarter of 14% if profit is remaining the same. It seems Mr Williams has a bad case of Republican mathitis (any lie will do to make the corporate giants look good).From Easter Lemming Liberal News:
I am thinking the Daisetta Sinkhole must have taken part of RRC Williams brain down the drain.
The Railroad Commission under Williams has become known for passing questionable costs on to consumers, not stopping pollution caused from injecting into the ground the saltwater brines created by oil and gas drilling, allowing urban drilling for gas in the Fort Worth area, and being slow to require natural gas companies to replace faulty pipe couplings which cause explosions. All of this while members are running for reelection with donations from the people and companies in the oil and gas business that they are supposed to regulate.From WhosPlayin?:
What do I mean by "paid protector?" The Texas Railroad Commission has the primary responsibility to oversee oil and gas production in Texas and make sure that producers FOLLOW THE LAW when exploring, drilling, and producing oil and gas. Oil and gas are great economic engines for our state, and I don't begrudge them for making a profit. But it's in our best interest for us to ensure that they do so safely, and without contaminating our air, drinking water or endangering our workers, communities, crops and homes.
Get your blogger for Williams sticker here:
UPDATE: McBlogger weighs in
For my part, Williams' defense of big oil's record profits betrays a stunning naivete at best, willful ignorance (or a willingness to lie) at worst.
snip
Is this REALLY the best you Republicans can do? Really? Tina Fish, is this the man you want to be your standard bearer? Someone who's either too dumb to get how capitalism works or lies just for the hell of it?
My prediction? No one in the real world is dumb enough to believe Williams. And they're going to turn on him on November. And I'll laugh and laugh.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Texas Injection Wells and Sinkhole Make National News
Texas is in the Wall Street Journal.
Texas Sinkhole Puts Spotlight On Oil, Gas Drilling
By BEN CASSELMAN
May 19, 2008; Page A3
A stadium-size sinkhole that formed in south Texas's oil country this month is renewing questions about the effects of billions of barrels of saltwater injected into the ground each year as a byproduct of oil and gas drilling.
High energy prices have led to a surge in drilling across Texas and other states, much of it in older oil fields that tend to produce large volumes of saltwater along with crude. Meanwhile, new technologies for producing natural gas use millions of gallons of water to crack open gas-bearing rocks -- yielding contaminated water that must then be disposed of, usually underground.
The result: In 2006, the Texas oil and gas industry injected 6.7 billion barrels of liquid, mostly water, beneath the ground, and experts say that amount has been rising as new wells have multiplied and old wells are revived. Federal regulators, environmentalists and community groups worry that lax oversight is allowing some of the water -- which can be 10 times as salty as seawater and often contains oil, heavy metals and even radioactive material -- to escape from underground reservoirs. That could lead to the contamination of underground drinking-water supplies, the pollution of soil and surface water, and more sinkholes as underground structures are eroded.
"The volumes of water to be disposed of have just shot up, and the oversight isn't there," said David Frederick, an environmental attorney in Austin who has represented community groups in fights against disposal companies.
Critics have argued for several years that the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, hasn't kept close enough tabs on the state's more than 30,000 disposal sites, allowing problems to go undiscovered. John Tintera, in charge of technical permitting for the Railroad Commission, said the agency regularly inspects disposal facilities and scrutinizes companies for violations.
The issue was thrown into the spotlight this month when a 900-foot-wide, 250-foot-deep sinkhole opened up in Daisetta, a 1,000-population town about 60 miles northeast of Houston.
The hole appeared next to an oil-field waste-water disposal facility, which was then found to have been injecting nearly twice as much water into the ground as its disposal permit allowed. The Railroad Commission didn't discover the violation until after the sinkhole appeared, even though the company that runs the facility, Deloach Oil & Gas Wastewater Disposal, reported the greater-than-allowed volumes in monthly reports it filed with the commission. Deloach officials declined to comment.
State regulators haven't yet decided what caused the sinkhole. But Donald Van Nieuwenhuise, director of the petroleum geosciences program at the University of Houston, believes the most likely cause is that waste water eroded an underground structure called a salt dome, a deposit of compressed salt, and caused the collapse.
Critics have jumped on the Daisetta incident as evidence of the risks of underground disposal. In recent years, oil and gas production has moved closer to urban areas, especially around Fort Worth -- where a natural-gas formation known as the Barnett Shale has led to drilling at the airport, on college campuses and in residential neighborhoods. Fort Worth has banned saltwater disposal wells in the city limits, but they exist in surrounding counties.
Philip Dellinger, who oversees the Environmental Protection Agency's groundwater program in Texas, said he knows of only a handful of incidents in recent years in which saltwater reached the surface. But he believes there are more undiscovered cases where waste water has contaminated fresh-water aquifers.
The practice of underground disposal is a response to earlier environmental concerns. Until the 1960s, oil companies disposed of saltwater and other drilling waste in open pits, where it eventually entered waterways and drinking-water supplies. By comparison, underground disposal is considered safe when done correctly. Waste water is injected 1,000 feet or more below ground, under nonporous rock formations that prevent the water from escaping.
But if water is injected at too high a pressure, it can fracture the rock formation and escape. In other cases, waste water can flow up nearby oil wells or other permeations. Because much of Texas is a pincushion of old wells, many of them drilled before reliable records were kept, critics say it's difficult to know where the contaminated water might ooze up.
In recent years the EPA has pushed the Railroad Commission to do more testing to detect potential leaks before issuing permits. Mr. Dellinger said the Railroad Commission hasn't been able to keep up with inspections that might turn up problems before they result in serious contamination or erosion. Last year, the commission received 5,650 applications for new disposal sites, up 21% from 2005.
Write to Ben Casselman at ben.casselman@wsj.com
I told ya so!
An echo in my mind at this moment:
"I'm proud of Texas! Aren't you?" Governor Rick Perry.
Bloggers for Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams
If you want to blog for Texas Railroad Commissioner, Michael Williams, you can get one of these nifty blog buttons for your blog.
Thanks to refinish69 for the graphic.
A Disingenuous Michael Williams Whine
He has a blog but I'm not going to link. On his blog, he tries to be clever by using text from a baby oil commercial.
How to Use
To give your baby silky soft skin, gently massage JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil all over your baby’s body. Baby massage can be a relaxing, bonding experience for you and your baby.
When to Use
Use JOHNSON’S® Baby Oil after your baby’s bath, for a gentle massage, or anytime your baby has dry skin.
Then he whines about the heat he has recently received due to the fact that he receives large amounts of protection money and gifts from an industry he is supposed to--but seldom does--regulate.
I think he's worried about the upcoming election.
About that sink hole
I haven't had a chance to write anything about that and now I don't need to. My blog buddy has covered it thoroughly with pictures and illustrations.
The Incredibly Hungry Texas-Sized Sink Hole
Friday, May 16, 2008
Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief World Renown for Corruption
Well, he's famous for it in parts other than Cowtown. Or, maybe just parts pretending to be other than Cowtown. Anyway, he's famous for his corruption and conflicts of interest around these parts.
Corruption in Fort Worth, Texas?
Fort Worth started as a Fort. That is sort of obvious. What isn't so obvious is that Fort Worth is run by what amounts to being a Ruling Junta, with little accountability to the good citizens of Fort Worth.
A few years ago it was discovered that natural gas, in shale form, know as the Barnett Shale, was underneath much of north Texas, including Fort Worth. Prior to the drilling beginning, Fort Worth's Ruling Junta installed an oilman named Mike Moncrief as Mayor of Fort Worth. That is Mike Moncrief behind bars in the photo.
Mike Moncrief is a millionaire. He has holdings in all the drilling companies that have been and continue knocking holes in the ground all over Fort Worth.
Last year Mayor Mike Moncrief made an estimated $633,000.00 from his various oil and gas deals.
There's more and it's quite entertaining. Actually, it's very sad, but written in an entertaining manner.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
TPA Weekly Blog Round-up
It's Monday, and that means it's time to show some love for the best posts from the members of the Texas Progressive Alliance for the preceding week. Check out the best that the Alliance has to offer, brought to you this week by refinish69 at Doing My Part For The Left.
McBlogger has some advice for State Delegates aspiring to a seat on the floor in Denver.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme says all the fuss over 'wrongful' healthcare benefits in Brownsville, Corpus Christi and the Texas House is misplaced. Universal healthcare makes that problem disappear!
John Coby at Bay Area Houston reported on Bob Perry's attempted take over of a local City Water Authority in order to develop on our golf course. The developers lose big in Clear Lake
Off the Kuff continues his series of countywide race previews with a look at the race for Harris County Tax Assessor.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at right wing blowhards on tour, coming to a local amphitheater near you.
Doing My Part for The Left is thrilled that Another Poll Shows Rick Noriega just 4 points behind Box Turtle.
WhosPlayin notes that along with many more Republicans, Michael Burgess (TX-26) voted AGAINST supporting Mothers Day.
Dembones at Eye On Williamson has the latest on Rick Noriega's run for the US Senate with this post, Republican machine grinding for Cornyn.
The sinkhole in Liberty County catches PDiddie's attention -- not literally, thankfully -- and he blogs about it at Brains and Eggs in "Rural Texas finally
collapses from GOP 'Leadership' ".
Vince Leibowitz at Capitol Annex ponders the civil liberties thicket that Texas AG Greg Abbott could wander in to if he allows the Texas Lottery Commission to use the electronic strip on Texas driver's licenses to verify the age of gamblers at lottery vending machines.
nytexan at BlueBloggin points out Racism In The Secret Service and asks how can the Secret Service perform their jobs when supervisors write and send racist emails to one another regarding interracial sex, killing Jessie Jackson and his wife and ridiculing African American slang.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News talked to a friend of his that received a GOP Push-Poll against local Democratic judges in GOP running Scared in Harris County. He also wondered if this picture is of a Pasadena neighbor who can't spell.
Lightseeker takes a look at What Rick Perry Promised, What the Republicans Delivered over at Texas Kaos.
Don't forget to check out all the Texas Progressive Alliance blogs, too:
B & B
Bay Area Houston
Blue 19th
Blue Bloggin
Bluedaze
Brains & Eggs
Burnt Orange Report
Capitol Annex
Common Sense
Doing My Part For The Left
Dos Centavos
Easter Lemming Liberal News
Eye on Williamson
Feet To Fire
Grassroots News U Can Use
Half Empty
In The Pink Texas
Marc's Miscellany
McBlogger
MindSpeak
Musings
North Texas Liberal
Off The Kuff
Para Justicia y Libertad
People's Republic of Seabrook
South Texas Chisme
StoutDemBlog
Texas Kaos
Texas Truth Serum
The Agonist
The Caucus Blog
The Jeffersonian
The Red State
The Texas Blue
The Texas Clover Leaf
Three Wise Men
Who's Playin'?
Winding Road in Urban Area
Monday, May 12, 2008
Groundwater district to debate disposal wells
A discussion of the Upper Trinity’s evolving policy for oilfield waste disposal and injection wells, and the establishment of future water use conditions throughout the district, is expected to take place at a public meeting inside the Parker County Courthouse tonight, beginning at 6 p.mWeatherford Democrat
The RRC acknowledges dirty water pumped into injection wells has, in some cases, come in contact with ground and surface water, but maintains the occurrence does not represent a significant source of pollution.
Even though the RRC claims there are no known instances of ongoing groundwater contamination as a result of saltwater disposal activities in the Barnett Shale, Texans are concerned about the risk, as evidenced by a plethora of law suits filed by private citizens.
Love that phrasing.
Barnett Shale Pollution Pictures From Around Wise County, Texas
Just a few of dozens...
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There are several drilling rigs operating right now in Wise County
Friday, May 09, 2008
Texas Railroad Commissioners Have Ethical Deficit Disorder
WFAA report by Brett Shipp: Railroad Commissioners criticized for oil and gas relationships
Last night Brett Shipp, again, exposed the “cozy relationship” Texas Railroad Commissioners have with the oil and gas industry. I call the commissioners Paid Protectors of Oil and Gas, but I’m a blogger so I can say that where Shipp can’t be quite so blunt. Still, Shipp does an admirable job of telling it like it is.
Are Texas Railroad Commissioners too cozy with the oil and gas industry operators they are supposed to be regulating?All three Commissioners denied that the millions they receive in campaign contributions influence their decisions; but, as Shipp reminds us, the evidence does not support their denials:
All three commissioners reacted quickly to our investigation into faulty gas couplings that led to two deaths in Wylie in 2006, and two more in Cleburne last year.Dale Henry who was a candidate for the Democratic nominee for RRC says that for the past two decades, the RRC has been bought and paid for by the oil interests it regulates. In his Texans First campaign, Henry proposed legislation to prohibit the railroad commissioners from taking any money from the energy industries it regulates.
Just days after our reports aired Commissioners ordered the couplings removed from the ground.
But in the cases of the faulty couplings and the cracked pipe which killed the Holberts, past and present Railroad Commissioners had access to years of evidence that potentially deadly problems existed.
And for years no action was taken to force the removal of the potentially deadly products, a removal that would have cost industry officials millions of dollars.
Shipp gave the following percentages for protection money paid to the current commissioners in the form of campaign contributions by the oil and gas industry:
Elizabeth Ames Jones – 35% of $2 million in 2006Shipp gave other examples of protection given to the oil and gas industry by commissioners:
Victor Carrillo – 46% of $1.6 million in 2004
Michael Williams – 42% of $400,000 from January 08 report
West Texas rancher Jay Marcom is a frequent critic of State Railroad Commissioners. His ranch land is crisscrossed by a corroded, 80 year old natural gas pipeline which spring six leaks last year, polluting his soil and his wells.(I reported about Marcom when the RRCommissioner told him that he didn’t smell any benzene in the soil sample. Chemical testing proved that the sample contained significant levels of benzene.)
When he tries to get Railroad Commissioners to protect him and his land he says they almost always side with the gas company... and he thinks he knows why. “As long as the Railroad Commission of Texas is funded and influenced by the oil and gas industry of the state of Texas there will never be a change," said Marcom.
Late last year a state audit criticized Railroad Commission inspectors for being too cozy with and accepting small gifts from the oil and gas operators they are supposed regulate.I would like to see Shipp dig deeper into the inspection issues. I have presented several examples of inspection passes given to the industry and sites where no inspections seem to occur.
Railroad Commissioners have pledged to discontinue that practice.
Blatant malpractice involved in injection well inspection
Oil Spill – Where are the inspections?
more pictures
Another Spill
And Another Polluted Site
A state audit revealed that inspectors have a chummy relationship with industry:
46 percent of the oil and gas wells statewide had not been inspected in the previous five years. The report also said Railroad Commission inspectors had chummy relations with the companies they oversaw, often accepting caps, meals and gift baskets.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Fort Worth Mayor, Mike Moncrief, also has a chummy relationship with the oil and gas industry and it seems he expects city council members to get on that bus or get off his ship.
Steve-O sums it up nicely at West&Clear:
But when it comes to the gas industry in Texas, accusing people of questionable ethics is like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500. As Channel 8’s Brett Shipp reminded us again last night, the “our” representatives on the Texas Railroad Commission take millions from the industries they are supposed to regulate. This is just business as usual.
And business is obviously very, very good.
Just ask Mike.
Brett Shipp vows to continue his investigations. Stay safe, Brett!
How Would You Spend $3 Trillion?
I saw this on Texas Kaos.
Congratulations!
You can buy this entire shopping cart for 2 people!
...or you can spend the money occupying Iraq and killing over a million people.
find a new source of energy
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $100,000,000.00
High-End Laptop
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $7,909.37
Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 15.4" Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive)
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $1,949.00
Tesla electric vehicle
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $100,000.00
revamp the u.s. education system
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $100,000,000.00
marijuana growhouse
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $200,000.00
Another Chance for Horses
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $30,000,000.00
Energy Independent Home
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $200,000.00
Housing for America's homeless
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $74,000,000,000.00
Food and Vet care for low-income pet owners
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $10,000,000.00
Food, Shelter & Vet Care for Unwanted Pets
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $15,000,000,000.00
Free, Fair, and Unbiased Media
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $2,500,000.00
tropical forest protection
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $100,000,000,000.00
Clean drinking water for Africa
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $3,000,000,000.00
Switch to Solar
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $420,000,000,000.00
Universal Health Care
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $3,067.00
Reinstate the Constitution
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $50,000,000.00
prosecute Bush & Cheney for war crimes
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $50,000,000.00
End World Hunger Completely for 1 yr
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $195,000,000,000.00
End our Dependence on Foreign Oil
QUANTITY: 1
PRICE: $500,000,000,000.00
TOTAL: $1,307,343,012,925.37
I got tired and couldn't spend it all.
$3Trillion.org
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Texas Railroad Commissioners Payola Exposed Tonight on Channel 8
Tonight at 10:00 PM, Channel 8 investigative reporter, Brett Shipp, exposes the payola received by the people we elect to serve us as Railroad Commissioners.
MISSION STATEMENT
We serve Texas by:
* Our stewardship of natural resources and the environment
* Our concern for personal and community safety
* Our support of enhanced development and economic vitality for the benefit of Texans
Tonight's report will be an "education for the public on how much money RRCommissioners are taking from the industry executives they are supposed to be regulating."
Keep in mind while viewing this report that we pay the RRCommissioner's salaries with our tax dollars.
Natural Gas - The Clean Burning Fuel?
Not so much when you look at the whole picture. Wyoming is the least populated state. Why would they be having air pollution issues?
Air pollution in Wyo. community rivals that of big cities
BOULDER, Wyo. - There isn't anything metropolitan about this tiny unincorporated town in southwest Wyoming, where a few single-family homes and a volunteer fire station stand against a skyline of snowcapped mountains.
ADVERTISEMENT
But Boulder, with a population of just 75 people, has one thing in common with major metropolitan areas: air pollution thick enough to pose health risks.
"Used to be you could see horizon to horizon, crystal clear. Now you got this," said Craig Jensen as he gestured to a pale blue sky that he says is not as deeply colored as it used to be. "Makes you wonder what it's going to do to the grass, the trees and the birds."
The pollution, largely from the region's booming natural gas industry, came in the form of ground-level ozone, which has exceeded healthy levels 11 times since January and caused Wyoming to issue its first ozone alerts. Now the ozone threatens to cost the industry and taxpayers millions of dollars to stay within federal clean-air laws.
So the taxpayers subsidize the oil and gas industry and pay to clean up their messes while the oil and gas industry rakes in BILLIONS in profit.
Devon [Energy] reports highest Barnett Shale earnings to date
What's wrong with that picture?
Friday, May 02, 2008
RRC Michael Willimas Denies Human Activity Responsible for Climate Change
Apparently he's smarter than the scientists.
Global Warming Part I
May 2, 2008
Climate change is always happening. The earth’s temperature over time gets warmer, then cooler, and then warmer again. Now we’re likely in a warming trend which is a far cry from accepting that human activity is primarily responsible for such catastrophic future consequences as rising sea levels, food shortages, malaria and hurricanes.
That explains why were several hundred Texas lawyers, bankers and other big company execs huddled together making plans for a carbon-constrained world. Few believe in global warming. Most don’t care one way or the other.
They just know the federal government, under the guise of fighting global warming, is planning the biggest transfer of wealth from individuals and families to corporate America in, perhaps, our country’s history. They want in.
Americans for Prosperity, a conservative grassroots organization, estimates that the leading cap-and-trade bill under Congressional consideration will dramatically increase consumer energy bills and plunge household incomes. In Texas alone, by 2030, gasoline prices would increase between 76% and 147% and electricity between 101% and 145%. The wallets of every Texas family would be four to eight thousand dollars thinner.
Some folks are planning how to get it.
From his blog.
I can't wait to see part 2.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Drilling Waste Poisons Water, Goats Die, Railroad Commission Yawns
It's not surprising that more pollution has occurred due to Barnett Shale drilling.
Water Foul
An aquifer is at risk along with property values, livestock, and dreams after gas wells move in.
By PETER GORMAN photos by Jimmy Alford
Brian Beadle knew something was wrong when the registered Boer goats he raises on his small farm near Grandview began swelling up just after Christmas. But when three of his goats and two kids and a llama died within the next few days, the 44-year-old contractor knew he had a major problem on his hands.
He did. His well had just gone bad. Very bad: Its water proved to be loaded with sulfates and a naturally occurring hydrocarbon called toluene, a gasoline additive and solvent that is toxic for humans and animals, causing problems from nausea to deafness, blindness, and, at high enough dosages, death.
Within the next two weeks, Beadle learned that at least two of the other small-acreage landowners near him, in Hill County just south of the Johnson County line, were having similar, extremely serious problems with their wells. All their wells, which had produced clean, healthy water for years, were drilled into the Trinity Woodbine aquifer, which underlies much of North Texas.
The neighbors shared another characteristic: All their properties were within a couple of hundred yards of two gas wells recently drilled by Williams Production-Gulf Coast Co. one producing, the other abandoned and plugged after a drill bit was lost during the fraccing process.
They found toluene in the water. Hydrologists have continued testing, and since the toluene levels have not dropped over time, they have determined that the "solvent which never occurs naturally in fresh water is continuing to enter the aquifer."
Of course the drilling company did their own testing and they deny any responsibility.
And what is the Railroad Commission doing about it?
There's a lot more to the story...
Another Injection Well Fire Burns for Seven Hours
How does saltwater burn? ...for hours?
The Railroad Commission Representatives told 150 citizens at a town hall meeting in Hico, Texas, in August, 2006, that there was nothing in these storage tanks but “SALT WATER”. This “SALT WATER” burned for “SEVEN HOURS”!
Barnett Shale "saltwater" is flammable, full of toxic chemicals and radioactive.
Big blaze burns up Infinity
By AMANDA KIMBLE
Staff Writer
amanda.kimble@empiretribune.com
Published: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 11:06 AM CDT
Not much is left of the tanks, truck and various pieces of equipment owned by Infinity Oil and Gas that were engulfed by flames early Sunday morning. Local authorities say the cause and circumstances surrounding the fiery blaze are currently under investigation.
According to Chris Gable, coordinator for Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue (ECVFR), the department responded to a call reporting a fire off of CR 245 near Alexander at about 2 a.m.
It all started with a bang as tanks housing oil and salt water exploded.
When the department responded, it was determined that the property, leased by Infinity and home to a saltwater disposal facility which injects waste generated from the oil and gas industry back into the earth, posed a potential threat to neighboring property owners. Fearing things might get out of hand; residents on CR 245, part of CR 246 and one private road were evacuated from their homes.
Once the facility supervisor arrived and firefighters were on hand, it was decided that the best way to battle a fire of such magnitude was simple, let it burn. The facility supervisor turned off all wells on the property to minimize the risk and restrict the blaze.
And burn it did. Of the facilities nine tanks, only three remained when the fire was finally out.
“By about 9 a.m. all of the oil had burned off the tanks,” Gable said. “We then used foam to extinguish the fiberglass tanks. Finally, by about 11:30 a.m., the fire was out.”
Although it is not yet certain what sparked the flames, an initial assessment led officials to believe that lighting could have struck one of the tanks housing the oil and salt water mixture.
Gable said the Department of Public Safety contacted the Railroad Commission of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environment Quality and the sate run agencies have sent representatives to investigate the incident.
Not the first lie The Railroad Commission has told the public.
Not the first time saltwater at an injection well has burned/exploded.
.
Monday, April 28, 2008
TPA Blog Round-up
It's Monday, and that means it is time for another edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog round-up. This week's round-up was compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex based on submissions from Alliance-member bloggers.
North Texas Liberal analyzed the arguments from Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound, and Newt Gingrich in favor of the flat tax. See our conclusions here.
The Commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas is a monumental ass. PDiddie of Brains and Eggs has the dirty details in "Discussted".
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has This Week's Transportation Wrap-Up.
WhosPlayin resumes his watch on GOP Congressman Michael Burgess, and joins North Texas Liberal in rejecting his "flat tax" proposal as a tax increase on the middle class.
Hal at Half Empty wonders why Texas' junior senator, John Cornyn, doesn't support our troops.
Over at McBlogger, Captain Kroc has a real problem with some of the concessions the City made to a certain developer looking to build condos on Lake Lady Bird.
The Texas Cloverleaf promotes a story about more shenanigans in the Texas Youth Commission, this time forcing a Denton County superintendent to quit before she is fired.
Last week, KUHT (PBS Channel 8) in Houston ran a special on immigration and public attitudes towards it called Houston Have Your Say, which included public officials, activists, ordinary citizens, and a couple of bloggers. Off the Kuff was one of those bloggers, and he wrote about his impressions here.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the Texas Association of Business is calling for education reform and wonders if anyone else sees the hypocrisy in that situation.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin looks at yet another VA screw up and continues to ignore the welfare of our troops in the VA Caught In Suicide Coverup.
McCain: Woman Not Smart Enough for Equal Pay
John McCain is applying for a job as leader of our country and no doubt
Yet, my serenity was shattered last week when McCain said, after voting against a fair pay bill, that the pay gap isn’t due to discrimination. He said that women just need more “education and training.” Pondering this statement at considerable length, I find no way around the outrage.
A 2005 study by the General Accounting Office found no change in the pay gap between men and women despite increased levels of education among women.
Any woman who votes for this misogyny gets what she deserves. The rest of us deserve better!
Petition: Senator McCain: Stop Insulting Women
Crowd urges closure of pay gap
A 25-year-old woman, on average, will lose more than $583,000 to unequal pay during her lifetime, local Urban League President Esther Bush noted at yesterday's rally. Put another way, that woman has to work more than 15 and half months to earn what a man makes in 12.Pay Gap Between Women and Men: Same as in 1983
The pay gap between men and women remained virtually unchanged between 1983 and 2000—despite women’s increased levels of education and participation in occupations previously closed to them, according to a new report by the General Accounting Office (GAO).
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Another Wise County Chicken Express Sign
I really shouldn't stoop to their level but the owner deserves a little pay back.
Snagged it from jimmyjackearl
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Wise County Chicken Express Promotes Eating Disorders, Bullying and Breast Augmentation
Wise County Chicken Express in Bridgeport sent the wrong message with their politically motivated sign.
Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. ~Robert Fulghum
Try the Hillary Special
Two fat thighs
Two small Breasts
And a left Wing!
Let’s forget about the political message—we don’t care to do business with Democrats—and look at the many, negative messages this sign sends our youth.
As many as 86 percent of American children are bullied at school. Later in life, children who were bullied suffer from poor self image and emotional problems, while children who bully others are at a greater risk of breaking the law. On-campus homicide and suicide have increased 500 percent in the past four decades.
Men are judged by their accomplishments; women by their thigh and breast size.
If a girl is born with the genetic predisposition to have full thighs or small breasts, there is little she can do about that other than dieting or surgery.
One in five women has an eating disorder, and up to 20% of those affected will die as a result. Ninety-five percent of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25. Young women are literally dying to have thin thighs!
More than 360,000 women and teenagers underwent surgery to have their breasts enlarged with silicone or saline implants in 2005. Any surgery involves risks; and since breasts implants have a shelf-life, all of those women will face at least one more surgery. The risks from implants increase over time and include ruptures, silicone migration, bacteria or mold that can grow in saline implants and escape into the body, cognitive problems, pain, hardening of implants, loss of sensation, and financial burdens from repeated surgeries.
John McCain has male pattern baldness over which he has no more control than Hillary has over her breast size. Maybe he has a small penis but I’m sure Chicken Express would never display a sign denigrating any man because of physical attributes over which he has no control.
The Chicken Express Message was clearly sexist, immature and irresponsible. By calling it sexist, some people may call me a feminist; and that’s alright as long as you don’t call me a doormat.
I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. – Rebecca WestI hope that Wise County businesses will show more responsibility and give our children a better example to watch.
[o]ur children are watching usIf you would like to register your disgust:
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
So let's learn from our history
And do it differently… ~ The Dixie Chicks, I Hope
The store that displayed the sign:
Chicken Express
802 Hwy. 380
Bridgeport, Texas 76426
Phone: 940-683-5012
Fax: 940-683-5012
Their corporate headquarters:
Stuart Group, Inc. d/b/a Chicken Express
PO Box 1309
Mineral Wells, TX 76068
(817) 594-9300
The Wise County Messenger Letters to the Editor
Monday, April 21, 2008
TPA Blog Round Up
It's Monday, and once again time for another Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up. This week's round-up is compiled by The Texas Cloverleaf.
In honor of Income Tax day, Lightseeker at TexasKaos examines the Republican's tax cut claim here in Texas and discover that what it really amounts to is "tax shifting" and we are the ones getting shafted. Tax Shifting With Bohac's Assessment Cap as Our Example.
WhosPlayin notes that John McCain has proposed suspending the federal gasoline tax, and points out that McCain would do just as well to try to suspend the law of gravity.
The Texas Cloverleaf is helping to save the earth on Earth Day weekend with helpful tips for saving energy and your wallet, as well as picking up trash with Stonewall Democrats. Don't mess with Texas!
CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme wonders if all Republicans are Tom Craddicks in training. Listen to Nueces County Republican chair Mike Bertuzzi ignore all the 'Point of Order' calls at the county convention. Sound familiar?
John Coby of Bay Area Houston has the real press release from Rick Perry about his run for Governor in 2010.
Here are local activist Jose Orta's Impressions Of T. Don Hutto, Williamson County's immigrant detention facility, that were posted at Eye On Williamson after his recent visit.
At McBlogger, barfly analyses what's really important to the American voter in this hour of cultural brouhaha.
Off the Kuff takes an early look at the race for District Attorney in Harris County, which is sure to be one of the hottest local races this year.
Today is San Jacinto Day and PDiddie of Brains and Eggs will be at the commemorative ceremonies taking place at the battlefield near Houston.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin points out that Your $300 - $1,200 Economic Stimulus Payment Cost $767 Million
Hal at Half Empty questions whether one person running for President is actually temperamentally fit to be in that office.
Vince at Capitol Annex thinks it is terrible that Texas teacher salaries are so low that that more than a quarter of all teachers must work a second job to make ends meet.
North Texas Liberal reports on a homophobic journalist's question to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, and the smackdown she gave in response.
George Nassar at The Texas Blue takes some time out of Friday's morning news roundup to point out that were the Bush administration to use a logical metric, it would be clear to them that the surge has failed.
