Burnham Requests Public Meeting

District 90 State Rep. Lon Burnham sent the following letter yesterday to Richard Varela, Executive Director of the Railroad Commission of Texas, to request a public meeting over the drilling permit for the Trinity Trees site. Lon wrote:

"It is my understanding that the City of Fort Worth has granted a permit to Chesapeake Energy Corporation to drill for natural gas in an area in my district known as “the Trinity Trees” (just west of University Drive). It is also my understanding that Chesapeake has filed for a permit with the Railroad Commission to drill at this location. I strongly object to the Commission granting a permit that would allow drilling at this site.

"A large number of residents of Fort Worth, and many of my constituents, have expressed their opposition to this particular permit application. The proposed drill site is very close to a public park, including a trail heavily used for recreational activities. Drilling in this location presents threats to the safety of park users, as well as the environment.

"I am writing to request a public meeting in Fort Worth on this permit application so that residents have a chance to express their opposition and concerns. I would also like to meet with you as soon as possible. I will be in Austin on Friday of this week. Please call my Austin office to set up a time that is convenient for you."

Trinity Trees Public Forum

A funny thing happened at the Trinity Trees Public Forum at Capstone Church in Fort Worth last night. Civility broke out.

A crowd of around 400 people watched as speaker after speaker had their say on the whether the eight-acre tract of old growth urban forest would be preserved or go to the bulldozer. District 9 City Council representative Wendy Davis, the event's emcee, struck the tone early: "We want to have a constructive dialogue with Chesapeake." After all, she said, once this grove of trees is lost, it is lost forever.

And, as the different sides had their say, the tone of civility prevailed. Julie Wilson, the spokeperson for Chesapeake Energy, gave a slick presentation about how drilling on the Trinity Trees site is actually a good thing for the City of Fort Worth. She explained how the company believes it can minimize the environmental impact and make improvements.

Jim Bradbury with Trinity Trees explained the group's position: urban gas drilling has unknown consequences, connected tree canopy is important and alternative drilling sites exist on the Union Pacific site next door. They aren't against drilling, they are in favor of finding a third way, an alternative.

But that wasn't the funny thing. The funny thing was this -- the only extremist in the room is the guy who should know better, Tom Price, Jr., the Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Chesapeake Energy. He's El Jefe for Chesapeake on this deal. But he comes off like Montgomery Burns -- corporate fatcat who always says the wrong thing and then doesn't understand why people get angry.

Price is shocked that the community would suggest that Chesapeake would "take" Union Pacific property and that moving the site wouldn't work. "For all of you to say that the answer is for Union Pacific to give up their property, I think is overreaching," he said.

The response was whatever the opposite of a standing ovation is. Honestly, I've never seen that many people boo someone who wasn't wearing a referee's uniform.

That's sort of where things got off track for the Chesapeakers. Wendy Davis immediately jumped on Price's comment. "Colonial and Union Pacific stand to benefit greatly from this, yet the community will bear all of the burden." Davis seems to be more and more outspoken on this issue as her tenure on the Council grows shorter. I like this side of Wendy Davis, and I hope to see more of it in Fort Worth, and maybe in Austin if she wins in her run for the State Senate.

Fort Worth State Representative Lon Burnham (pictured above) also encouraged finding a third way and scolded Union Pacific for not helping offer an alternative. "Union Pacific has not been a good corporate citizen in Fort Worth over the last year on this issue," he said.

Last night confirmed a couple for things for me. There is a growing base of community support against drilling on this site. The issue for these people isn't about drilling -- it's about drilling right there. And these people aren't a bunch tie-dyed, unicorn-hugging wackos, these folks look like your neighbors. Probably because they are your neighbors.

Also, Chesapeake has committed to a strategy: portray this as inevitable and portray this as infringing on the rights of private property owners.

In truth, it is neither.

Folks, this ain't a done deal. The insiders I spoke to last night indicated that the mood on the City Council seemed to be moving toward trying to slow this thing down. Chesapeake can't do anything until they get a permit, and a permit may not be coming quickly. As Wendy Davis mentioned, there is City Council meeting on Tuesday night. Folks need to get down there and let the Council know how they feel on this issue.

This also isn't infringing on the private property rights of anyone. When throwing out ideas for a third way, what's mentioned is a land swap or buying the land or finding some way to compensate Chesapeake of Union Pacific for the inconvenience. What Chesapeake wants you to imagine is Tom Price is a minuteman uniform, defending private property rights for all good Americans. The reality is this: when it comes to protecting private property rights, we the people have more to fear from gas companies than they do from us. Exhibit A: The Case of Billy Mitchell, or "Who's that guy with the eminent domain billboard?"

So who's the victim here? Well, as it stands right now, Chesapeake's reputation as good corporate citizen in Fort Worth appears to be teetering. As Bernie Scheffler, an opponent of urban gas drilling and a candidate for Wendy Davis' District 9 seat on the council said, "Why would Chesapeake Energy, who has spent millions polishing its public image in Fort Worth with commercials and billboards ... why would they blow all that goodwill on this?"

Why indeed. That is a funny thing.

To read the Startlegram's take, click here.

P.S. Big, big shout out to Jenna for helping me take notes. I'm buying you dinner, girl!

Rick Noriega in Dallas Yesterday

Rick Noriega isn't officially running for the U.S. Senate, but you'd never know it by watching him yesterday.

He was here in the Fort yesterday afternoon for a lunch at Joe T's where he spoke to a group of 50 over enchiladas, picking up campaign contributions and the endorsements of Tarrant County State Representatives Lon Burnam, Paula Hightower Pierson and Marc Veasey before making his way through the rain to Far North Dallas for event at the home of Lenna Webb and Bob Franklin.

Noriega's had a good week for endorsements. Governor Dolph Briscoe, Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and State Senator Rodney Ellis gave him their support, as did the Texas State Association of Firefighters. An endorsment from Daily Kos appears to be forthcoming next week.

Why the endorsements? Why are all of these people lining up behind him now?

Because in the reddest of red states, in the heart of maybe the most Republican state in the country, Rick Noriega looks like he can do the unthinkable: run as a Democrat for a statewide office and win. And after listening to him last night, I'm more convinced than ever.

Part of his appeal is his military bearing. The Texas National Guard lieutenant colonel and Afghanistan vet isn't vulnerable to accusation of being "soft" on security. He can talk about running a convoy and setting up checkpoints because he's been there. As he puts it, he knows the difference between an M203 and an M&M.

"I just got back from two weeks of training at Fort Benning, and when you look at these 18- and 19-year-old kids who will do anything their country asks them to do, you realize they deserve better. They need leadership that is willing to be held accountable."

After six years of the dodge and deflect strategy from Republicans, it's kind of refreshing to hear that. But Noriega also knows that the Republicans aren't going to take this lying down.

"Are we as Texans ready to take a step forward? Our state is off track and if we are going to set things right, we must be ready for the campaign of misinformation that John Cornyn and the Republicans are ready to unleash. They'll use this to divide us so they can maintain power. We have to reject that, but it will be a tough fight."

I can't help but wonder how long will it take before Dallas' own Merrie Spaeth finds a way to swift boat Noriega and tell us he wasn't even in Afghanistan?

But Noriega was there. And he's also served with the Guard along the border, and was tapped by Houston Mayor Bill White to manage the care for 30,000 Katrina evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center. That, combined with his background as a legislator allows him to speak knowledgeably on defense, security and immigration issues. If that's what you want, he can do the wonk thing.

But he also has the one-liners down, too. When someone asked the inevitable Larry Craig question, he knocked it over the fence -- "Republicans give gays and lesbians a bad name."

Of course, that wasn't the only bit of Republican hypocrisy that he skewered. He got plenty of shots in at the junior senator from the State of Texas. "John Cornyn voted twice to build a wall along the border. When he's speaking in East Texas, he tells them he voted for it. When he speaks in the Valley, he says he voted against. But he's changed his position on lots of issues since this little chihuahua started nipping at his heels."

And that is part of what makes Rick Noriega such a formidable candidate -- he's an experienced legislator with a significant military background who also happens to be Hispanic. And because he's so strong with issues that Republicans have traditionally owned, he can talk about education, healthcare and social issues without appearing to be "soft" on anything. As he puts it, "Compassion isn't a weakness." Amen, brother.

So who is Rick Noriega? He's the guy Republicans have worried about for years. And he's the guy Democrats have been waiting for. He's a winner.

Help Rick Noriega Today
Today, grassroots activists across Texas are launching a petition to put Rick on the March 2008 Democratic Primary Ballot. The election code gives candidates the option of obtaining signatures or paying $5,000 to qualify a candidate for the ballot. Many candidates opt to just pay the fee because it's the "easy" way to go.

Not Rick. He's building a grassroots campaign, and here's our chance to show the strength of the Noriega grassroots. Texas requires a candidate to obtain 5,000 signatures. Rick wants 25,000 signatures. You can help him get there by signing a petition. Download one here or drop me a line and I'll sign you up.

Also, take time to tell someone about Rick. And, if you are able, send him a few dollars. A small investment in time and money today could mean a Democratic senator from Texas in 2008.

Is There A Blue Texas in the Future?

When I attended the Breakfast With Burnham event last month, Lon said something that I dismissed at the time at partisan-speak. Lon believes that the Democrats have a chance to capture the State House in the next election cycle. I've more or less resigned myself to living in a Red State for the foreseeable future, so I really just wrote off the comment. That is until I read this op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.

Royal Masset, a political consultant and longtime political director for the Republican Party of Texas--who played a key role in organizing the grassroots support that took the GOP from marginality to an overwhelming majority--has been predicting a reversal for years.

"There's a certain inevitability in demographics," he told the WSJ. "We knew that if we could win 40% of the Hispanic vote," as Mr. Bush did in 2004, "we'd control Texas until 2030." But in 2006, the number of Texas Hispanics who voted Republican fell to between 30% and 35% (depending on the poll).

This shift alone spells trouble for Republicans. Many conservatives may not want to hear it, but Mr. Masset puts the blame on talk radio and cable TV reaction to immigration reform. He says an uncompromising attitude toward comprehensive reform and appeals to fear sometimes carry a whiff of racism that alienates Hispanics.

And if the demographic shift continues to gain momentum, there's a real possibility that Democrats could achieve a majority in the Texas House by 2010. In 2003, Tom DeLay helped redraw the state's congressional districts to give Republicans six new seats in Congress. In just a few years, Democrats could turn the tables. Mr. Masset sums it up this way: "This thing with the Latino vote is deadly serious."

Wow. Could this be true, or is this some doom-and-gloom prediction designed to whip up the Republican base? I haven't been able to imagine a Democrat who could win in a run for a statewide office until I saw this guy -- State Rep. Rick Noriega (pictured above). He'll announce today the formation of an exploratory committee leading up to a U.S. Senate campaign.

Noriega, a five-term House member from Houston and a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, is a 26-year veteran of the U.S. armed forces, who spent most of 2005 running training facilities in Afghanistan as part of the Texas National Guard. Noriega also ran a National Guard border-security operation in Laredo, and Houston Mayor Bill White had him manage the housing of Hurricane Katrina evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

"As Americans, it is our duty to stand up and speak when things have gone off the rails," Noriega, 49, said in an Independence Day posting on several Democratic-leaning Internet blogs. "It is in our very fabric, our soul; it is God's requirement of us as heirs to the legacy of this country, to exercise the right to speak out as our forefathers taught us."

This guy looks like a world-beater, or at least a Cornyn-beater. And it looks like he'll be in town Thursday to help Lon Burnham celebrate his birthday at the Botanic Gardens. I think I'll try to drop by and check that out. For more information on Rick Noriega, check out the Draft Rick Noriega blog.

Is Texas Swinging Left?

Jim Schutze had some interesting musings on this topic at Unfair Park. I actually met Emil Reichstadt at the Lon Burnham breakfast a few weeks ago. Can this guy beat Cornyn? My thought was "Hell, no. This guy is cannon fodder." The Republicans may be dead in Dallas, but Big D is only a very small blue spot in a very red state.

Breakfast with Burnham Update

I wanted to give you an update on the Breakfast with Lon Burnham event from Saturday, and I'll need to start off with an apology. I don't have my notes with me so I'll have to do this off the top of my head.

I joked with my wife before I left that I was going to have breakfast with the three other liberals in Fort Worth, but actually, the turnout was about fifty people -- many of the them the usual suspects (Democratic Party faithful, activists, labor organizers). When I met Lon on the way in, I thanked him for his efforts to prevent further infrigements on civil liberties in the state. I also thanked him for his work in a hostile environment. "It wasn't hard at all," he said. "In fact, it's a lot of fun."

He then went on to answer my burning question coming in to the breakfast was this: how can you hope to get anything done for your district when you probably the least favorite House member of the autocratic Speaker, Tom Craddick?

Lon has long since accepted life in the wilderness. If Tom Craddick could "disappear" one person in the House, it would probably be Lon. So Lon has gotten used to life wearing a bull's eye. His bills will rarely -- if ever -- get out of committee. His life is one of not so much trying to get bills passed to help his constituents as it is trying to stop legislation that would hurt those in his district. And there is plenty of bad legislation to deflect. He used a point of order to derail a bill allowing the state broad use of wiretapping. He also help defeat the Voter ID law -- a 21st Century version of the poll tax -- that would have successfully disenfranchised many poor and minority (read Democratic) voters.

But his work wasn't all defensive. He managed to get the state to divest from companies doing business in Sudan and pass a law approving a sales tax holiday on environmentally friendly household items like longer-life light bulbs and insulation.

But he was most upbeat about the possibilities of having a new speaker in the House. Craddick's act has worn thin with Republicans. Lon hinted that the Craddick D's -- the House Democrats that have sold out to Craddick -- will all face tough primary fights in the next election. The foundations that Craddick has built his leadership on are looking a little thin.

And there was even strong evidence of bi-partisanship with Lon having more than a few positive comments about a couple of House Republicans from Fort Worth -- Todd Smith and Charlie Geren.

I really left with a sense that there is some sunshine in Texas for those of us on the left side of the political spectrum. Sure, this is still the reddest of the red states. But if we engage and get involved in this next election cycle, maybe we can begin to turn some things around here in the Lone Star State.

Breakfast with Burnham

I got an e-mail from my new e-friend, Lon Burnham -- or at least the person who answers Lon’s e-mails. Mark your calendars now for Breakfast with Burnham – at 8:30 a.m. this coming Saturday, June 2, at Tunero Mexican Restaurant, 1549 N. Main Street, in the 76106. If you have questions, call 817.924.1887. The discussion will be on the highlights (or lowlights) of the 80th Legislative Session. Lon is one of the consistent liberal voices in Austin who still believes in accountable government and civil liberties matter. I’m looking forward to thanking him in person for killing HB 13.

UPDATE: Ooops! I just thought HB 13 died. You know, Scott. I love your blog but I just scares the shit out of me every damn day.

Good News / Bad News

Scott at Grits for Breakfast reports that Fort Worth's own Lon Burnham successfully used his point of order (discussed here) to negotiate the expansion of phone surveillance out of Senate Bill 11 - the House and Senate authors both agreed to a deal to cut out the entire wiretapping section. (See coverage from the Texas Observer and the Startlegram.) But Burnam did not get Chairman Corte to remove the provisions making emergency plans and "security audits" secret. Thanks, Scott, for keeping tabs on this and thanks to Lon for derailing this infringement on the civil liberties of Texans!

Don't Give Barney Fife Another Bullet

Scott at Grits for Breakfast says it so much better than I can:

I don't get it. How did we get past the post-9/11 session in 2003 without expanding wiretap authority (at the time David Dewhurst declined to pursue it saying he wanted to respect civil liberties), but NOW in 2007 it's urgent Texas do so?

I don't know if it is too late, but contact your House member immediately and let them know WE DON'T NEED THIS BILL PASSED! Fort Worth's own Rep. Lon Burnam called a point of order on the bill because the bill addresses more than one topic. SB 11 was pulled down and postponed until Monday morning, which may mean the POO is sustainable (I'd hope so, it's entirely valid - the bill's a hodge podge). Please contact your House member and let them know how you feel about SB 11 today.

Privacy and Packing Heat

In Texas, you need a license to drive a car or cut hair. And these are public record.

You also need a license to carry a concealed handgun. But if the Lege gets its way, this won't be open to public scrutiny. I'm always one for more transparency, so I'm not favorably inclined toward this.

Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, said Texans who go to the trouble of getting fingerprinted and licensed to carry a concealed handgun should enjoy complete privacy.

“They’re law-abiding, they’re hard-working, they’ve gone to extraordinary steps to protect themselves and their family,” Rose said. “I believe they ought to have their privacy protected.”

Rose’s legislation, House Bill 991, had strong backing from the gun lobby but was opposed by advocates of open government. It was approved in a matter of minutes on a vote of 135-7. It is up for a final vote today; its fate in the Senate is less certain.

Only one legislator — Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth — rose to speak against it Wednesday. ...

Joel White, immediate past president of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, said more is at stake than an individual’s right to know about a neighbor or co-worker.

“There is another broad purpose to keeping this information public, and that is to oversee law enforcement and determine whether they’re actually following the law,” White said. “There is no way to know if they’re passing out permits to convicted felons if you don’t have access. That is not hypothetical, because in the past DPS did hand out hundreds of permits to felons.”

Thanks for at least trying to stop the juggernaut, Lon.