What Then Must We Do?

I'm a little late on this one, but kudos to J.R. Labbe for an outstanding Sunday column on the homeless in Fort Worth. She wrote:

John Peter Smith Hospital spent more than $19 million during the past three years on emergency treatment and medical care for homeless people.

Otis Thornton, Fort Worth's homelessness coordinator, says that's a conservative number.

The top 10 chronically homeless users of emergency medical services at JPS last year cost $500,000.

Ten people. A half million dollars. That's $50,000 per person.

Tell me again why it doesn't make financial sense to put these people into permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services that cost between $14,000 and $17,000 a year?

An excellent point. This is a financial issue, it's a public health issue, but it is also a moral issue.

I once heard an interview with the director of the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Dallas. The director said that there are many reasons for a person to become temporarily homeless -- domestic violence, addiction, unemployment. However, 100 percent of the chronic homeless at the Dallas shelter were mentally ill. 100 percent.

I urge the city to get involved. But we also need to get involved as individuals who live in this community.

So what then must we do?

I'm not much of one for quoting the Bible, but in Luke 3:10, the multitudes asked Jesus this same question, and he answered them: "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise."

Fort Worth, that's a good place to start.

This Was Humbling

Damn you, Pete! Why did you make me try this!

And which celebrity do I most resemble? Yeah, that's right -- a dead freaking Nazi. Gawd, I need a drink. And it doesn't get much better after that. The old, bloated Billy Crystal and the old, bloated Omar Sharif. Not even the kick-ass Lawerence of Arabia or Doctor Zhivago Omar Sharif -- it's the oh-yeah-I've-got-a-bridge-column Omar Sharif.

Matt Damon and Sam Neill aren't even enough to save this one. Can anyone seriously look me in the eye and say I look like either of those guys? Puh-leeze!

Fort Worth, Meet Ricki Derek

Fort Worth, you may not know Ricki Derek yet, but you will. That's because the Dallas-based jazz singer is coming to Fort Worth in a great big way.

In December, Derek is bringing jazz back to Sundance Square, filling the void left when the old Caravan of Dreams club closed its doors in 2001. His club -- the Scat Jazz Lounge -- located in the basement of the Woolworth Building, will bring sophisticated cool to the heart of Fort Worth.

But who is Ricki Derek? In Dallas, you can catch his show at the Cavern on Sunday nights or the Library Bar on Mondays. Maybe you can see him at one of the many private shows he plays for the hip hipsters -- weddings and such. His sound is Vegas cool swinging Mid-Century jazz. It's east to say he's a little bit of Frank Sinatra, a dash of Tony Bennett. But he really succeeds at being Ricki Derek -- a local original.

So take a few minutes to get to know him before he opens in Fort Worth. Drop by his Web site and listen to his music. My full interview with Ricki is available at West and Clear. Check it out and get hip to this guy's vibe!

East Fort Worth Residents Protest Strip Club

East Fort Worth residents protested a planned strip club at Trinity Boulevard and East Loop 820 over the weekend. I wholeheartedly support the efforts of these residents to decide what kind of businesses can be put in their neighborhood.

Of course, I think it is worth pointing out that if one follows the Chesapeake Energy logic on property rights -- you know, the idea that a private property owner has the right to develop their property in any way that the city allows -- then these citizens should just shut up and go home.

And, much like the Trinity Trees case, the Startlegram has pointed out that "if the club meets the city's requirements for sexually oriented businesses, there is no process for residents to appeal."

Of course, it is also worth pointing out that although city ordinance requires gas drilling wells to be 600 feet from homes (although they can be closer with a high-impact variance), sexually-oriented businesses must be at least 1,000 feet away from homes. Or, as Sharon has already pointed out, breasts are more dangerous than gas wells.

Catching Up

I've whiffed on more than a few things around town this week, but I did want to point out a few things today:

For a good, unbiased, factual overview of the District 9 race -- not my biased, Bernie Scheffler-centric view of it -- check out the story in the FWWeekly by Betty Brink and Dan McGraw. I found it very well done. BTW, you can meet Bernie at the Rahr Brewery this Sunday night at 7. Drop by and say hi. And, of course, Vote Bernie.

The Cowtown Chronicles podcast was a lot of fun this week. We talked extensively about modern art, a topic of which we know little but express lots of opinions on anyway. In a nutshell, I like Frank Gehry, Kevin doesn't. You won't learn much, but you might laugh. Check it out!

There was an interesting article the other day in the D(a)MN regarding conflict of interest and reporting over an American Airlines story. The details of the story aren't as interesting to me as Managing Editor George Rodrigue's lead: "One of the canons of our ethical code is avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest. This week, we blew it." I was wondering if I would ever see that lead on a story about the Star-Telegram's own conflict of interest (see last item). I'm not holding my breath. Somehow, the Wizards of 400 West 7th don't think that signing a drilling lease with Chesapeake Energy on nearly 40 acres in South Fort Worth compromises their coverage of the gas drilling issue. I still beg to differ. I believe this is a conflict of interest in appearance and in fact.

Fort Worth's Newest Blog: West and Clear

I am proud to announce the birth of a new Fort Worth blog -- West and Clear.

What is West and Clear? It's the voice of the new Fort Worth.

Fort Worth is changing. We are not so much of a cow town anymore. We are wired. We are interested in how this city is changing. That why we came up with this new blog.

And who is this "we"? Those guys would be The Bastard Sons of Amon Carter, also known as:

Kevin Buchanan from Fort Worthology

Pete Wann from Cowtown Chronicles

Bernie Scheffler from Vote Bernie! and the Panther City Bikes blog.

Pete Geniella from 1/3 Stop Vignette

Me, Steve. You know me and where I blog.

And what about that name?

In 1849, the United States Army set up a strategic camp near the confluence of the West and Clear forks of the Trinity River. This location proved unwise; sitting as it was between the two forks, the camp was soon wiped out by a flood. Out of respect for the occasional violence of the river, the camp was subsequently moved up to the bluff overlooking the Trinity forks and fortified. This bluff became the present-day north end of downtown Fort Worth.

Today, the Trinity River runs through the heart of this great city. The great Texas writer John Graves once wrote that a whole river is too much to comprehend, but you can understand a piece of a river. A piece of a river has meaning. This piece of the Trinity–€“where the West and the Clear forks become one–has meaning to us.

So pull up a chair and crack open a cold Rahr beer. Stay and surf awhile. We love Fort Worth, and want to tell you why. Join us as we seek to understand our piece of the river.

More Slash and Burn at the Star-Telegram

Allow me to refer you to this post on Bernie Scheffler's campaign blog:

It's tough being a small-money, by-the-rules-playing, non-partisan city council candidate. Here's an example of what we're up against:

Most of you have probably read the story in today's Star-Telegram about City Council member Chuck Silcox bringing party politics into this campaign by questioning another candidate's sexuality.

Well, my wife got a call today from a friend of ours explaining that she had written a letter to the editor lambasting the use of party politics in what should be a non-partisan campaign. In the letter, she said she mentioned that she was friends with both me and Joel Burns and that we were both excellent candidates for the city council position.

But here's the frustrating part: the Star-Telegram called her and told her they edited her letter for space, and in doing so removed any references to the Bernie Scheffler Campaign.

This is isn't the first time the Star-Telegram has altered the message of a Letter to the Editor on a contentious issue either... I'm just saying.

No, it's not the first time -- the S-T badly butchered a letter to the editor last month to the point that they completely turned around the author's meaning.

The S-T apologized and reprinted that letter to the editor. They should do the same with this one as well.

Even though the Star-Telegram has made up its mind who District 9 voters should choose, allow me to remind the Wizards of 400 West 7th, there's still a campaign going on. Don't assume it's over yet.

21st Century Calling Chuck Silcox: Join Us

Well, I am disappointed. I thought we could get all the way through the District 9 City Council race without this.

In this morning's Startlegram, Fort Worth City Councilman Chuck Silcox urged a group of Republicans to vote for Chris Turner in the nonpartisan District 9 council race because Turner is Republican and straight.

"This is an excellent time to have Republicans get out and support a Republican: Chris Turner," Silcox told a Republican Women's Club meeting on Wednesday. "We have two people of opposite partisan politics, opposite philosophical persuasions and opposite sexual orientations.

"I didn't tell you which one was homosexual," Silcox said as the crowd laughed. Pointing to Turner, Silcox continued: "He's married to a female, and the other's married to a male. You make your own mind up."

The article goes on to explain that the other candidate to which Silcox refers is Joel Burns.

Let me be clear -- there is no place for this type of bigotry in Fort Worth. Period.

Although I believe there are good reasons not to vote for Joel Burns, this is NOT one of them. A person's sexual orientation should not be an issue in Fort Worth politics.

Joel, I'm sorry that happened to you. Although I do not support your campaign, I support what your candidacy means for Fort Worth. I thought this was a new day in Fort Worth when an openly gay person could run for office as a candidate and not as "the gay candidate." Obviously, we aren't there yet, Fort Worth.

I hope that Mr. Silcox apologizes immediately for his remarks. I also hope Mr. Turner will clarify that Silcox's remarks have no place in Fort Worth politics. Chuck, you are out-of-step with the times. This is the 21st Century. Join us. It's nice here.

That said, it is time to move past petty partisan potshots and the politics of labels. The people are tired of it. I'm tired of it.

We don't need politicians, we need leaders. We need a someone who has a positive vision for Fort Worth.

I believe there is a leader in this race. That leader is Bernie Scheffler. Please vote for him and help bring the vision to reality.

UPDATE: Huh? Pete at Cowtown Chronicles reminds us that once upon a time, Silcox helped spearhead the addition of sexual orientation as a protected category under Fort Worth’s anti-discrimination ordinance. It just makes this whole thing that much more puzzling.

UPDATE 10.25.07, 5 p.m.: Tim Rogers at FrontBurner weighs in on Silcox: "There's something even more ironic about Chuck Silcox and his playing the "straight card." Follow me here: Silcox points to Chris Turner and tells everyone they should vote for him because he likes women. Everyone laughs. Turner is a political consultant. He has a partner named Craig Murphy. Together they run a firm called Murphy Turner Associates. Murphy ran Ed Oakley's campaign for Dallas mayor. Ed Oakley likes guys. And in that race, when the Heritage Alliance urged everyone to vote for Tom Leppert because he was straight, Murphy cried foul. To me, that sounds like hypocrisy."

I'm Not Interested in the Horse Race

I missed the League of Neighborhood Associations gas drilling "education event" on Tuesday night. But when I say "missed," that's a little misleading. It sounds like I didn't miss a damn thing.

What I hoped for was an honest exchange of information based on the first-hand experiences of people who have experienced gas drilling in their neighborhoods. What actually transpired sounded more like propaganda. That's part of what I am frustrated with today. Where do concerned citizens turn for accurate, objective information about gas drilling? AskChesapeake.com doesn't count.

Maybe they need a Web site. Maybe I'll build one.

Anyway, I've got issues with what I read in the Star-Telegram. While I generally like the Barnett Shale blog and I think Mike Lee's reporting has been pretty solid, what bothers me is the underlying assumption that urban gas drilling is good for Fort Worth. The question posed isn't whether or not to sign, it's how much to sign for.

You can see it in the headlines. It's all about the horse race. Chesapeake is offering this many thousand dollars per acre or XTO is offering that much royalty. Most of the coverage centers on companies jockeying for position in certain neighborhoods.

What seems to be lost is the fact that decisions today will be lived with for decades. The functional lifespan of some of these wells could be 20 or 30 years. Most of the people who sign these leases will have moved along down the road or to the great hereafter long before these wells are gone. Yet the long-term impact seems to be little consideration.

Using the following assumptions, the average signee could expect to make a little under $50 a month in royalties, or about $11,695 over 20 years. That's about $1.62 a day, or barely enough to buy you a coffee at Starbucks.

So for most of us, the financial gain is nil. However, we will have to live with the safety and environmental impact for decades. The decisions we make will shape the Fort Worth that our children and our children's children live in.

So, please, a little perspective, Fort Worth. Please take the long view on this issue. I'd like to see the question asked: should people sign in the first place?

And Star-Telegram, a little less about the horse race and little more about the reality. Take a more aggressive approach to your reporting. Some things I wonder:

Serious questions exist about the independence and effectiveness of the Texas Railroad Commission to regulate oil and gas operations in the state of Texas. As the newspaper sitting square on top of the Barnett Shale, you should own this story. Go get it.

Injection wells in Fort Worth are in a holding pattern, but they aren't dead. Serious questions exist about using these wells to dispose of waste water from the fracing process. You have a short window to do important reporting. In the next six months, Fort Worth will know for better or worse the caliber of your reporting based on this one issue alone.

What is the long-term infrastructure cost to Fort Worth of urban gas drilling? Sure, there are giant royalty checks, but what about the stress placed on city streets from the water trucks and the oil field equipment? There is a cost attached to this. What are those costs?

And there's more, but this is a start. Actually, a start would be a lot less horse race. Feeding the gold-rush mentality does not serve your readers, Star-Telegram. Providing diligent reporting on living in the Barnett Shale in over the long term does. Go get it.

Kittens, Domo Kuns and teh Interweb

It all started out with me not going to the Wall of Sound Festival.

Instead of a music review, I gave you this, Fort Worth:


Then, a funny thing happened. People from all over the world started hitting my blog because someone out in Interwebland remixed my kitten, like so:


Wow, I thought. Poor kitten. Those are scary monsters. Well, not really monsters. Domo-kuns.

Domo-kun (どーもくん) is the mascot of Japan's NHK television station, appearing in several 30 second stop-motion sketches shown as station identification during shows. He lives with a wise old rabbit underground and he really, really likes TV. OK.

So, Japan is a weird, wonderful place. Which is a perfect segue into offering congratulation to my brother-in-law, Paul, who was selected as one of the winners of the 2007 Kintetsu Essay Contest. I don't know what that is, but he won for an essay called "The Union of Purple and Brown" about the Japanese dislike of peanut butter and jelly sandwitches. Oh, and he got an all-expenses paid trip to Japan. Not bad.

Well, done Sir! Please accept these pictures as my sincere congratulations!

Moratorium on Injection Wells Extended

The City Council voted this morning to extend the moratorium against issuing new injection well permits in the Fort Worth, District 9 representative Wendy Davis confirmed by e-mail this afternoon.

Although I applaud the City Council for this move, I would urge them to make the moratorium permanent. City Environmental Director Brian Boerner told the Star-Telegram this morning that he opposes any new disposal wells in the city, saying they are too difficult to operate safely.

However, what I fear is that this moratorium is only buying time for the gas drillers to make their case. The industry is pressing for injection well and they appear to be gaining traction at the policy level in City Hall. Stay tuned. This fight is only getting started.

Make The Injection Well Ban Permanent

When the Fort Worth City Council meets tomorrow night, it is expected to extend its moratorium on injection wells until April 30, 2008. Although I applaud the extension of this moratorium, it is not enough. The citizens of Fort Worth do not need or want these wells in Fort Worth. I strongly urge the City Council to make this ban permanent. Contact your City Council representative and make your feelings known.

More on "What's Wrong With This Picture"

I spoke to Chad Lorance at the Tarrant Regional Water District on Friday about the What's Wrong With This Picture post from last week. Lorance added to what he e-mailed last week. He said that the TRWD had their inspectors take a look at what happened and what they found were the pumps in photos are used to draw water from the river to be used in the fracing process. He says these are one-way pumps. Any water that goes through these pumps is not connected to the fracing process. Any chemicals that are used in the fracing process do not go through these pumps.

“What would be worrisome to us is if water was going from a frac tank into the river, but that is certainly not the case here,” he said.

Lorance also reiterated that the TRWD appreciates that there are people who are concerned with water quality and are willing to make the TRWD aware of potential pollution violations. The fact of the matter is that the TRWD can only react to situations like this one -- their inspectors can’t be everywhere. They depend on concerned citizens like to help protect our environment. And that is up to all of us who live here and love Fort Worth. Keep it up.

Music Notes, 10.19.07

St. Vincent at The Modern: You won't be able to sling a cat without hitting a blogger tonight at The Modern: 7:45 pm is Tame..Tame and Quiet, 8:30 pm is Sleeping States, 9:15 pm is Doug Burr, 10 p.m. is Peter & the Wolf and 10:45 pm is St. Vincent, featuring alt-rock darling Annie Clark, former member of Polyphonic Spree.

The S.P.E.A.K. Project: This Saturday at the Ridglea Theater, Black Tie Dynasty, PPT, The Burning Hotels, and the cut*off, among others, are performing a benefit concert put on by the S.P.E.A.K. Project, a brand-new ad hoc nonprofit group dedicated to raising awareness of sexually transmitted diseases among young people. Tickets are $10-$12. Doors open at 3 p.m.

David Garza at John "Beard" Brewer Benefit: David is the first artist to confirm that he will play the John "Beard" Brewer benefit show set for October 28 at Club Dada. For more information about the benefit plus some David-love, read Unfair Park.

Carter Albrecht Memorial concert: The Saturday show at the Granada Theater features Sorta, the Old 97’s, The Slack, Salim Nourallah, the Drams, Junky Southern and other "special guests." Proceeds will go to the Carter Albrecht Music Foundation being set up by Albrecht's parents through Northern Trust Bank. Tickets are $30.

District 9 Candidate Forum

I didn't make it out there -- last-minute work issues -- but I highly recommend checking out Cowtown Chronicles for Pete's take. Sounds like my man Bernie Scheffler had another good night.

UPDATE: What's Wrong With This Picture?

I finally heard back from the Tarrant Regional Water District regarding the post from the other day:

Steve,
Hi, I am the communications manager at the Tarrant Regional Water District. I was just made aware of your Oct. 14 blog post and related pictures of water being pumped back into the river near Riverside Drive. I have no idea where your original email inquiry landed, but I apologize you didn’t get it answered sooner.

We have researched the situation and this is what I can tell you…

To the best of our knowledge, there were no hazardous chemicals being put into the river at this location. The photos captured unused water being pumped back into the river. Essentially, the pumps that move water to the frac job can pull too much from the river at once, and these bypasses allow them to circulate the unused portion back into the river. The bottom line is this was excess water that never made it to the fracing process.

I hope this information helps to ease any public concern generated by the pictures. It is nice to know there are people out there who share our concern for water quality, and are willing to make us aware of potential pollution violations. We applaud those efforts.

Also, please feel free to email me directly anytime you have specific questions. I would be glad to help you any way I can.

Chad Lorance
TRWD Communications Manager

Below is my reply.

Thanks for your reply, Chad. One thing I was wondering about this issue: are permits required for this type of operation? If so, are these permits public record?


Although you explain that these pumps are just returning excess water that never made it to the fracing process into the river, are there any requirements on the equipment used for this process? Because the fracing process sometimes involves known cancer-causing chemicals, are there any guidelines in place to make sure that the equipment returning water to the river hasn't been used previously in the fracing process? My concern is that residue from hazardous chemicals could find its way into the river this way. What safeguards does the TRWD have in place to make sure this doesn't happen?

Thanks for your reply. I will be posting information about this on my blog later today.

Best regards,

Steve

I'll let you know what I hear.

Landscaping at Trinity Trees Site

No, the bulldozing hasn't begun. Chesapeake is just doing a little landscaping at the Trinity Trees site. Planting a few small trees before knocking bigger ones down.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

UPDATE, 10.18.07: See Pete's pix here. Not as good as the picture in the S-T of the guy sitting on his ass smoking a cigarette, but still good.

Doug Bryan: Mad Love

Way back in the 1980s, I was a big Paul Weller fan. Starting with his hard-edged punk riffs from his early years with The Jam and later as he became the Soul-infused conscience of Brit Pop with The Style Council, I loved his music.

So did Doug Bryan. So much so that the Dallas rocker named his band Big Boss Groove after one Weller's Style Council hits.

Doug and I have that in common -- we like the pop music, whether it is Paul Weller, Lennon and McCartney, Squeeze, XTC or Crowded House. We say bring it.

The big difference between me and Doug as that where I like the music, he can actually play it. And I mean play it.

Doug did alright for himself with Big Boss Groove. But after marrying fellow bandmate Jill Johnson, life intruded a bit. Doug owns a successful post-production shop in Uptown and he and Jill have a pistol of a little girl. But business and family life don't leave too much time for rocking out. So the music went on the back burner for a while.

But now Doug is back with his new album, Mad Love, a delightful piece of musical candy that reminds me a lot of Paul McCartney, except that it is actually good. Exhibit A, B and C: The first three tracks on the album -- "Long Gone," "Brand New Heartbeat" and "Hattie's Coming Home." You know you've heard these riffs and musical textures before from years of listening to classic rock radio, but Doug manages to take it apart and re-assemble it in a way that sounds new and fresh. And he gets BIG points from me for one line alone in the song "Know It All" -- "She loves Al Green, Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall". Freaking brilliant. Pop music for grown-ups. What a concept!

To read more about Doug, check out this feature from Lakewood Now. Or, better yet, join him on Friday night at Club Dada for his record release party. They'll go on after the Beatles cover band Hard Night's Day finish their weekly happy hour set sometime after 9.

Doug's record is available for purchase in Dallas at Good Records, CD World, and CD Source. You can also order the CD at www.moontownproductions.com or you can download it at iTunes or at www.myspace.com/dougbryanmusic.

The Best Buttermilk Pie Recipe - EV-AH!

The two words that can grab my attention faster than any other are "buttermilk pie." And that list includes "free beer" and "I'm naked."

I know. It's a sad life.

If you would like my preferred buttermilk pie recipe, it is right here in the D(a)MN courtesy of my friend, Laura Ehret. The recipe is the same one in our family cookbook, courtesy of Laura's mom, the late Gwen Honeycutt of Henderson. It's a winner.

The recommended way to serve buttermilk pie is warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the top. Try it. You'll thank me later.

BOR Q&A with Dan Barrett

Burnt Orange Report has a long Q&A with Dan Barrett, the lone Democrat running for the District 97 State House seat on my side of town. Take a look and see what you think because there are six Republicans in the running and I'm thinking Dan has an excellent chance of making it to Austin.