Hurricane Katrina Refugees: How many to Brownwood ?

Utah May House 1,000 Hurricane Refugees
By DEBBIE HUMMEL, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah is ready to accept up to 1,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, Gov. Jon Huntsman said Wednesday. The state of Louisiana asked for help housing the refugees, he said.
"We did a quick calculation as to what we could accommodate immediately and we came up with 1,000," Huntsman said. "I'm glad Utah is seen as a community that will reach out charitably."
The displaced residents would likely stay in housing at the Army National Guard's Camp Williams in Draper or at an overflow shelter in Midvale, both Salt Lake City suburbs.
The state can provide such basic services as shelter, food, clothing and schooling for children.
source:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050901/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina_utah_hk4
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Waco church to house Katrina refugees

By Tim Woods Tribune-Herald staff writer
Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Volunteers at Seventh and James Baptist Church were scrambling on Tuesday to accommodate overflow refugees from Louisiana.
The Waco church, which has offered to shelter those displaced by Hurricane Katrina, expects to be at capacity within the next couple days, according to Mary Darden, coordinator of the site.
The volunteers were expecting about 50 people Tuesday night from Bryan, where the shelters were too full to house them.
Darden said that the church can hold about 100 people, with each family assigned their own room, but she expects many more will need housing because all of the shelters in New Orleans were being evacuated on Tuesday after flooding from the hurricane.
She said that those evacuations will leave an additional 15,000-25,000 in need of shelter. Because most of the shelters between New Orleans and Waco are at capacity, Darden expected some of them to arrive in Waco in a day or two. She said she heard from the American Red Cross that there may be as many as 1,000 refugees heading to Waco, but was not sure if that was true.
source:http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/31/20050831wacrefugees.html

Brownwood Poverty & Pocketbooks..........

More in U.S. fall into poverty
Average salary stays same in Census survey

By Mary Deibel / Scripps Howard News Service
August 31, 2005

Despite robust economic growth and record corporate profits, the average American household's income held steady at $44,400 for the third straight year in 2004, the government reported Tuesday.
Another 1.1 million Americans fell into poverty last year, bringing the total to 37 million people living below the poverty line, defined as $19,307 for a family of four, the Census Bureau said in its 2004 income and poverty report. The poverty rate was 12.7 percent last year, up from 11.3 percent in 2000 before the beginning of the last recession.
The Texas poverty rate was 16.5 percent in 2004, up from the poverty rate of 15.4 reported by Census 2000. Texas' 2004 poverty rate ties it with New Mexico for the fifth-highest rate in the nation.
''Texas has traditionally been in the bottom 10th,'' said Steve Murdock, the Texas state demographer at the Texas State Data Center in San Antonio. ''I think it's because we have a diverse population and a history of discrimination against minorities. Certainly immigration plays a role. Immigrants to Texas tend to have lower incomes and tend not to have educated backgrounds.''
Murdock predicted that the percentage of Texans who live below the poverty line will continue to rise, at least in the short term.
Frances Deviney, a senior research associate with the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin, agreed.
''I think it's a safe assumption that the poverty rate in Texas will continue to increase,'' Deviney said. ''We've lost a lot of jobs that we had 20 years ago, good blue-collar jobs, and we've outsourced a lot of jobs.''
CPPP is a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank dedicated to improving public policy and private practices for the economic and social betterment of low-income and moderate-income Texans, according to its Web site.
source: http://reporter-news.com/abil/nw_state/article/0,1874,ABIL_7974_4043403,00.html
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CEO pay: Sky high gets even higher
A new report shows top-dog pay bites shareholders, and alleges war profiteering among some CEOs.
August 30, 2005: 12:24 PM EDT
By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – If sky-high executive pay at publicly traded companies gives you vertigo, you might want to read this sitting down.

In 2004, the ratio of average CEO pay to the average pay of a production (i.e., non-management) worker was 431-to-1, up from 301-to-1 in 2003, according to "Executive Excess," an annual report released Tuesday by the liberal research groups United for a Fair Economy and the Institute for Policy Studies.
That's not the highest ever. In 2001, the ratio of CEO-to-worker pay hit a peak of 525-to-1.
Still, it's quite a leap year over year, and it ranks on the high end historically. In 1990, for instance, CEOs made about 107 times more than the average worker, while in 1982, the average CEO made only 42 times more.
The cumulative pay of the top 10 highest paid CEOs in the past 15 years totaled $11.7 billion.
And though the specific individuals in each of those annual top 10 lists changed year to year, many bosses did pretty well throughout the entire period. Citigroup's Sandy Weill, for example, has made $1.1 billion since 1990.
"Pay" in this instance refers to total compensation – including salary, bonuses, restricted stock awards, payouts on long-term incentives and the value of options exercised during the year.
The report also compares the growth in average CEO pay – which was $11.8 million in 2004 – to the growth in the minimum wage. Had the minimum wage risen as fast as CEO compensation since 1990, the researchers calculated, it would now be $23.03 an hour instead of just $5.15. And the average production worker would be making $110,126 a year instead of $27,460.
to read the entire article go to: http://www.rawstory.org/
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Coffee, Religion, Health, and sooooooo much more !

Monday, August 29, 2005 - Page updated at 09:54 AM

Tempest brews over quotes on Starbucks cups
By Lornet Turnbull
Seattle Times staff reporter
THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Critics of some of the quotes on Starbucks' cups want balance.

Starbucks: The Way I See It
Talk About It: What are your thoughts on Starbucks' "thoughts"
Starbucks says it was hoping to inspire old-fashioned coffee-house conversations when it introduced a campaign this year featuring the words of notable Americans on its coffee cups.
But at least a few of those words are sparking more discord than discussion.
A national Christian women's organization is accusing the Seattle-based coffee maker of promoting a homosexual agenda because of a quote by author Armistead Maupin, whose "Tales of the City" chronicled San Francisco's homosexual community in the 1970s and 1980s.
Maupin's quote — one of several dozen in "The Way I See It" promotion — says his only regret about being gay is that he repressed it for so long.
"I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short."
Concerned Women for America, which promotes itself as the antithesis of the National Organization for Women and boasts 8,700 supporters in Washington, says most of those quoted on the coffee cups are liberal.
The group believes corporations have a responsibility to reflect the diversity of their customers by taking a balanced approach — or staying out of divisive social issues altogether.
And while the group is not calling for a boycott, its position nonetheless raises questions about what role — if any — corporations should take on potentially sensitive matters, especially at a time when the nation is divided, largely along religious lines, on issues such as gay rights.
The way they see it
A sampling of contributions to Starbucks' "The Way I See It" promotion
Michael Medved, radio talk-show host "Americans spend an average of 29 hours a week watching television ... which means in a typical life span we devote 13 uninterrupted years to our TV sets! ... Cutting down just an hour a day would provide extra years of life — for music and family, exercise and reading, conversation and coffee."
Rita Golden Gelman, author, "Tales of a Female Nomad" ... "Without risk, nothing new ever happens. Without trust, fear creeps in. Without serendipity, there are no surprises."
Alice Randall, novelist and first black woman to write a No. 1 country song "Mother-love is not inevitable. The good mother is a great artist, ever creating beauty out of chaos."
Erykah Badu, musician "The wise healer endures the pain. Cry. Tears bring joy."
Nikki Giovanni, poet "Hot allusions. Metaphors over easy. Side order of rhythm. Message: If you want to be a poet you've got
to eat right."
Jonah Goldberg, editor, National Review Online "Everywhere, unthinking mobs of 'independent thinkers' wield tired cliches like cudgels, pummeling those who dare question 'enlightened' dogma. ... Cliches begin arguments, they don't settle them."
J.A. Jance, crime novelist "When I began writing, the words that inspired me were these: 'A writer is someone who has written today.' If you want to be a writer, what's stopping you?"
Source: Starbucks
"Corporations have deeper pockets and therefore more influence than individuals do," said Maureen Richardson, state director of Concerned Women for America of Washington.
"I think it's wiser for them to stay out of these issues so that they don't offend conservatives and people of faith."
To these companies, she says: "If you want my money, support some of my causes."
But experts say that on controversial issues, no company can please all its customers all the time. Corporations, they say, need to pick their battles, staking out a position on issues they believe to be just.
"There are many religious-based social issues that are so hard for society to address right now — things like abortion and capital punishment — they're better left for another time," said Leo Hindery, author of "It Takes a CEO: Leading with Integrity."
"But there are a couple of places where it is clear to me that there should be no ambiguity of corporate responsibility — the environment and civil rights," Hindery said. "As a corporation, you cannot let the desire for unanimity override your obligation for fairness."
"The Way I See It" campaign does not set out to take a political stand but rather to encourage discourse, Starbucks spokeswoman Audrey Lincoff said.
"If you think back to the history of the old coffee houses, before the Internet, these were places to converse," she said. "That's part of what the coffee culture has been for a century or more."
Lincoff said the company does not characterize the personalities quoted on its coffee cups as liberal or conservative, but rather as a diverse group of artists, musicians, educators, activists and athletes.
Among them: actor Quincy Jones, New Age author and alternative-medicine doctor Deepak Chopra, radio host and film critic Michael Medved, rap artist Chuck D and Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan.
The coffee company won't be pulling the Maupin quote — or any other — from the campaign, but in fact will expand it to feature quotes from regular customers.
"Embracing diversity and treating people with dignity is one of the guiding principles of our corporation," Lincoff said.
Richardson, of the women's organization, cites possible support by Starbucks for pro-life clinics and the Boy Scouts of America as ways the company might offset its support of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and gay pride.
But Starbucks spokeswoman Lara Wyss said decisions about sponsoring gay-pride events and other causes are made at the store or regional level, not the corporate level. And while Starbucks matches employee contributions to charities such as Planned Parenthood, Wyss said, it doesn't make outright corporate contributions to such groups.
Other corporations have also drawn controversy over sensitive topics.
Last spring, Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, threatened to boycott Microsoft if it didn't back off its support of anti-discrimination legislation for gays here in Washington.
Microsoft withdrew, but said it had decided before Hutcherson issued his threat.
In Oregon last month, Nike withstood opposition and an e-mail campaign organized by a Christian organization over Nike's support of legislation that would have allowed civil unions and banned discrimination against gays.
Both measures passed the Senate but did not make it to the House for a vote.
And for more than two decades now, members of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which advocates for the separation of state and church, said they have complained to Alaska Airlines about prayer cards the company distributes with in-flight meals.
The airline said it has been offering the cards for 30 years and has received positive responses along with complaints. Passengers are free to give the cards back or turn them over if they don't want them, the carrier said.
John Hoover, a national business consultant and author who has advised such companies as IBM, Delta Air Lines and Boeing on the art of confrontation, said, "It's not incumbent on corporations to operate with balance" as Richardson suggests.
"But when they stand by their conscience, they must be willing to accept the consequences."
Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com
source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002455480_starbucks29m.html
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Java Joy: Study Touts Coffee's Benefits
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID
The Associated Press
Sunday, August 28, 2005; 7:08 PM

WASHINGTON -- When the Ink Spots sang "I love the java jive and it loves me" in 1940, they could not have known how right they were. Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday.
Of course, too much coffee can make people jittery and even raise cholesterol levels, so food experts stress moderation.
The findings by Joe A. Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania, give a healthy boost to the warming beverage.
"The point is, people are getting the most antioxidants from beverages, as opposed to what you might think," Vinson said in a telephone interview.
Antioxidants, which are thought to help battle cancer and provide other health benefits, are abundant in grains, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables.
to read the entire article go to

read more here...

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Last Updated: Monday, 16 May, 2005, 10:56 GMT 11:56 UK
Tales from the coffee shop
By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine
A new campaign hopes coffee shops will be the vehicle for community action, in a project encouraging people to meet and tackle local problems. But the precedent for this was set 300 years ago, when coffee houses were places of intellect, scientific discovery and debate.
It may seem like there's a Starbucks on every High Street, but Britain is still regarded as home of the pint and the cup of tea.
Yet it's coffee that a new campaign hopes will encourage people to get together locally to do something about issues facing their communities. BBC iCan and the Royal Society of Arts have launched the Coffee Shop Challenge, with public events around the country to mark it.
This choice of venue may have been made with an informed glance at the past, because although the names Costa, Caffe Nero and Starbucks have made coffee shops more visible in the past decade, the coffee house has played a vital role in the nation's social history.
Coffee was first introduced to England in 1610 and the first coffee houses were in Oxford in 1650 before spreading to London.
The arrival of a coffee house culture, where party politics, Whigs against Tories, began to be played out, marks the real start of informed public opinion
Andrew Marr
BBC political editor
This mirrored a new culture that was developing across European cities like Paris, Venice and Amsterdam. By 1663, there were 82 in London, rising to more than 500 by 1700.
Entry to London's coffee houses cost a penny and they became a hotbed of ideas shared between writers, politicians, businessmen and scientists. They discussed news and spread it, with the larger coffee houses publishing their own newsletters.
In his book My Trade, Andrew Marr says the country's first newspapers, in the 1700s, were kept in coffee houses and read out loud.
"The arrival of a coffee house culture, where party politics, Whigs against Tories, began to be played out, marks the real start of informed public opinion. And for public opinion there must be journalists too," he writes.
Genteel only
Coffee houses offered an antidote to the rowdy gin and beer houses, both in décor and in atmosphere. They had bookshelves, mirrors and good furniture, and the mood was calm and disciplined.
The popularity of coffee was partly due to the demand of the new middle class, the clerks and merchants who needed their brains, rather than their limbs, to be alert.
Coffee originated in Ethiopia
But it was expensive, which meant it was only the genteel and educated who were visitors, says Professor Allan Chapman, a historian at Oxford University.
"When it said on the door 'Open to all', it meant 'open to all like us'. If you were doing back-breaking work in the dockyards, you didn't want a coffee, you wanted a few pints of very strong ale."
Different professions became associated with coffee houses in particular areas. Will's in Covent Garden was popular for the literary-minded such as John Dryden, who regularly led a discussion of the latest poems. Westminster had the politicians and Lincoln's Inn the lawyers.
Isaac Newton, Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke held a series of coffee house meetings to discuss the motion of the Earth, and the first time the notion of flying to the moon was mooted was by Dr John Wilkins over coffee, says Professor Chapman.
Sleaze
The intellectual strength of this scene also contributed to its reputation for political dissent, and King Charles II tried and failed in 1675 to thwart their power by closing or levying fees on the houses.
But the decline of the coffee house was well under way by the 19th Century, when many shed their open door policy and turned into gentlemen's clubs serving tea, coffee and alcohol. And their role as a communication centre was eclipsed by an improved press, transport and postal system.
In the sanitised, lactified form of the branded chain, the coffee house is no longer oppositional, rebellious and dissident
Markman Ellis
Author
The coffee houses that remained took on a slightly sleazy nature, associated with gambling and prostitution and characterised in the novels of Dickens and Trollope, says Professor Chapman. Mass production, driven by the East India Company, also meant swigs of coffee could be bought at street stalls and tea could be drank at home.
Long before modern coffee shops arrived, there were popular chains such as Lyons Corner Houses which thrived in the inter-war period, then the classic Italian-run Formica cafes emerged in the 1950s.
But in the past 10 years, there has been an explosion of coffee shops on the High Street. Despite the success of Starbucks, Costa and others, commentators say the unique atmosphere of the 17th Century houses is gone.
"In the sanitised, lactified form of the branded chain, the coffee-house is no longer oppositional, rebellious and dissident. This is their profit, but our loss," says Markman Ellis, in his book The Coffee House: A Cultural History.
Organisers of the Coffee House Challenge hope the passionate debate of old, at least, will be reignited.
source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4550669.stm

Bus canceled; local residents will drive to Crawford for rally

Friday August 26, 2005
News
Bus canceled; local residents will drive to Crawford for rally
From staff and AP reports
A caravan of a few vehicles, rather than a chartered bus, will take Brown County residents to a pro-Bush rally in Crawford on Saturday, Brown County Veterans Services Officer Billy Murphey said.
Murphey said Thursday that he had decided to cancel the bus because there weren't enough riders to help defray the $1,300 charter fee. Riders would have been asked to donate $25 each toward the cost.
Murphey, who is helping organize the trip, had made tentative plans to charter the 55-seat bus, but said Wednesday that only seven riders had signed up.
to read the entire article please go to http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/26/news/news05.txt
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other voices...

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Friday September 9, 2005
News
Brownwood Bulletin
Oregon group questions Murphey's caravan involvement

By Steve Nash -- Brownwood Bulletin
The founder of an Oregon-based veterans' rights advocacy group asked Brown County Veterans Services Officer Billy Murphey if he used government resources to "(organize) a rally in support of George W. Bush and the war in Iraq."
Murphey responded to Jeffrey Trueman, founder of Veterans Equal Rights Protection Advocacy (VERPA), Inc., that he helped organize "a caravan of vehicles of private concerned citizens to travel to Crawford, Texas, to attend the rally organized by MoveAmerica Forward.org."
"I did not use the auspices of this office to do so," Murphey wrote in his letter to Trueman.
Brown County Judge Ray West also wrote a letter to Trueman stating that he believes Murphey was involved with the rally "as a Marine Corps veteran and he did not participate in his capacity as our (veterans services officer.)"
West brought up the topic of Trueman's letter at commissioners' Sept. 6 meeting. Commissioners signed West's letter to Trueman.
"I find it somewhat contradictory for you to state that your organization does 'not take political sides,' and then you devote an entire page of your two-page letter criticizing the current administration in its handling of the Iraq conflict," West wrote. "You are obviously less concerned that (Murphey) participated in the rally than you are in the message the rally promoted."
Murphey said earlier that he was helping organize a small caravan to travel to Crawford to attend a pro-military rally.
According to the Associated Press, activists and military families were en route to Crawford from California that week on a tour called "You don't speak for me, Cindy!" The tour was in response to anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and her supporters. The caravan from California, coordinated by Move America Forward, held the pro-Bush rally in town.
In his letter to Murphey, Trueman, referring to the "rally" he believed Murphey had organized, asked Murphey "what, if any, statute allows you to engage in such conduct?"
" ... What concerns us is whether you took it upon yourself to organize this rally on your own personal time," Trueman wrote. "Did you use a government phone at all to organize this rally? If so, we believe it to be most definitely unethical and an abuse of public funds.
" ... I am greatly disturbed by your political activities ... I hope you will respond to set the record straight. If I do not hear from you, I will proceed with a formal complaint with the Texas Veterans Commissions and the (Brown County Commissioners Court)."
Murphey wrote back that he used his home telephone and personal cell phone, and received and placed a few calls related to the caravan from his office.
"Should we not, as veterans advocates, show support for our military and our country as we see it should be supported?" Murphey wrote. "I do not stop being a county veterans service officer when the bell tolls 5 p.m.
" ... Your (letter) has been the only negative aspect to come out of this rally to support the troops and their mission. Pro-troop supporters and pro-Bush supporters are taxpayers also."
Murphey said on Thursday that he has not heard back from Trueman.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/09/09/news/news03.txt

Wyman Meinzer Visits Historic Downtown Brownwood

Wyman Meinzer Visits Historic Downtown Brownwood
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Acclaimed photographer Wyman Meinzer to visit Brownwood

Friday August 26, 2005
News

Meinzer sets book signings, open house

Wyman Meinzer will be at the grand opening of Newman Farms Unique Art, Etc., next to Steves' Deli, 110 E. Chandler, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Meinzer's book and note cards will be available for purchase. Steves' Deli will be also open during the same hours. For more information, call Novella Newman at 646-6361.
Meinzer will also be at an open house at Gallery One Fine Arts, 504 Center Ave., where his books and prints will also be available. For more information, call 646-3520 or (800) 847-4316.
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Friday August 26, 2005
News
Acclaimed photographer Wyman Meinzer to visit Brownwood
By Gene Bering -- Brownwood Bulletin

Wyman Meinzer knows a thing or two about cowboying, so he didn't hesitate when offered the chance to capture the spirit of one of Texas' legendary ranches.
"Getting to shoot the Four Sixes Ranch, I felt it was almost a reflection of the life I had as a youngster," the photographer said. "I was real excited when I was asked to do this. I'd started out in my career shooting wildlife and moved into other areas, but I always wanted to to have a chance to interpret the heart and soul of a working ranch."
He teamed up with author Henry Chappell to document life and legend at the 290,000-plus acre ranch headquartered in Guthrie, and the result is "6666: Portrait of a Texas Ranch," his 18th book, published earlier this year by Texas Tech University Press.
And Saturday he'll be making a pair of appearances in Brownwood to sign books and visit with admirers of his art.
Meinzer will first be at the grand opening of Newman Farms Unique Art, Etc., adjacent to Steves' Deli at 110 E. Chandler, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The visit is slightly more than a business venture -- hosting the event is Novella Newman, the mother of Meinzer's wife, Sylinda.
Then from 6 until 8 p.m. Meinzer will be featured at an open house at Gallery One Fine Arts, 504 Center Ave.
Meinzer grew up near Benjamin, north of Abilene, and learned early about ranch life -- his father for 30 years was the foreman of the League Ranch, a 27,000-acre spread in Knox County. He learned to hunt and was trained to be a cowboy, but after graduation from Benjamin High School he entered Texas Tech, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in wildlife management in 1974.
"I was doing research on coyotes and Texas Tech loaned me a camera," he said. "I was immediately attracted to the capabilities of a 35mm camera."
He had plans to become a government trapper in Reagan County, but the job fell through, so he decided to continue hunting and trapping on his own.
He became a "professional coyote trapper" for three years, living in a half-dugout on a ranch, trapping and shooting coyotes and selling their pelts. All the while he improved his photography skills and upgraded his equipment, absorbing everything he could about the craft.
Meinzer's photography started drawing notice in the late 1970s, and he became a regular contributor to Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Before long, his work began appearing in National Wildlife, Texas Highways, American Hunter, Audubon, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream and Sports Afield, as well as in magazines in Europe and Japan.
In 1978, near the end of his hunter/trapper days, he discovered a roadrunner's nest near his father's house, and began to document the bird's life. A few years later he found another nest, then a third. The result in 1993 was "Roadrunner," his first book, published by Texas Tech University Press.
Since then, his books have focused on topics including Texas' coyotes, playa lakes, skies, canyons, seasons and its vanishing natural heritage.
After an estimated 250,000 images and 18 books, he's not one to pick a favorite title or theme, but Meinzer said he is slightly partial to "6666: Portrait of a Texas Ranch;" 2002's "Texas Rivers," with text by legendary Texas author John Graves; and 1998's "Texas Sky."
And set for release in February is "Between Heaven and Texas," which Meinzer describes as sort of a "sequel" to "Texas Sky," but featuring poetry by a number of contributors, principally acclaimed poet/essayist Naomi Shihab Nye.
Meanwhile, the accolades have accumulated. Meinzer was voted "Outstanding Alumnus" in 1987 by the department of Range and Wildlife Management at Texas Tech University for contributing to the field of range and wildlife management through writing and photography. He was the recipient of the "Distinguished Alumnus" award in 1995 from the School of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University.
In 1996, Meinzer received the "John Ben Sheppard Jr. Award" from the Texas State Historical Foundation for contributing to the preservation of Texas History through writing and photography. With Andrew Sansom, he received the 1997 National Literary Award for their work on the book, "Texas Lost: Vanishing Heritage."
"Roadrunner" received the San Antonio Conservation Award, and in 1997, then Gov. George W. Bush and the 75th Legislature of Texas designated Meinzer "State Photographer of Texas."
Most recently, Meinzer has been near Alpine, shooting production stills for "Texas Ranch House," the latest offering from New York PBS affiliate WNET/Thirteen that places contemporary people in the settings of earlier times. Previous such miniseries have included "Frontier House" and "Colonial House."
"It's all about families and cowboys living on a Texas ranch in 1967," Meinzer said, "and everything is consistent with the period -- the dress, the tools, the living conditions. It's a tough period, primitive. They're raising goats, horses, and have about 120 head of cattle. Right now in the show they've been driving the cattle to sell to the military, the way they did it back then."
As far as his craft goes, Meinzer has embraced digital technology. "I still enjoy shooting film, but digital has a place, and it's a big place. It's quick, immediate, and you can review instantly and edit what you don't want."
On the other hand, he said, "I'm glad I learned photography using film, because film teaches you to be almost perfect... Regular film photography teaches a certain discipline that you won't be able to get with digital."
Meinzer and his wife Sylinda still live in Benjamin, in the 1887-vintage Knox County Jail they remodeled. Three years ago they completed an annex addition to the jail "compound." The jail can be booked for weekend getaways or events like weddings or receptions.
The Meinzers have four children: Sarah, studying nursing at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth; Hunter, a horse trainer in California; Pate, a horse trainer and cowboy at the Tongue River Ranch near Paducah; and Maggie, majoring in pre-veterinary studies at Texas Tech University.
Meinzer said he realizes his has been an extraordinary career, with its own rewards.
"My photography has given me countless opportunities to see regions of the state that most people will never get to see," he said, "and to meet a multitude of people, some of the finest people that I'd never get to meet otherwise. There are some special souls in the most obscure locations."
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/26/news/news02.txt

Blogs & Main Stream Media: "mischaracterized my perspective"

"I was very disappointed that the New York Times so badly mischaracterized my perspective, but fortunately we now have blogs so that errors can be corrected, and I've posted my response there,"


Thursday, August 25, 2005
Professor says reason he quit Bush team not reported correctly
By NIKOLAUS OLSEN
NikOlsen@coloradoan.com
Climate Science: http://climatesci.atmos.colostate.edu
New York Times: www.nytimes.com

The globe isn't the only thing warming.

A Colorado State University professor who quit a Bush admission science advisory team researching the causes of global warming said his reasons for leaving the committee were "mischaracterized" in an article published Tuesday in the New York Times.
Roger Pielke Sr., a respected atmospheric science professor and also Colorado's state climatologist, on Wednesday issued a retort to a Times article in the form of an open letter to reporter Andrew Revkin.
"The reference to my perspective and to the reasons I resigned from the committee are mischaracterized and erroneous in the New York Times article," Pielke said in an online posting on a departmental Web log, or blog, called Climate Science.
The New York Times could not be reached for comment Wednesday by the Coloradoan.
Pielke was on Bush's Climate Change Science Program committee to examine trends of recent surface and troposphere (a layer of Earth's atmosphere) temperatures. He left the committee in a disagreement about views presented in a chapter for which he was the lead author.
Pielke took exception to the Times' characterization that, as a scientist, he has "long disagreed with the dominant view that global warming stems mainly from human activity," as written in the lead paragraph of the article.
"I was very disappointed that the New York Times so badly mischaracterized my perspective, but fortunately we now have blogs so that errors can be corrected, and I've posted my response there," Pielke said in an e-mail statement sent from Tucson, Ariz., where he is attending a conference, after speaking with the Coloradoan by telephone.
"The fact is that science is complicated and sometimes doesn't easily fit into views that are black or white," Pielke's statement said.
In his blog post, hosted through the CSU Department of Atmospheric Science, Pielke said: "The committee was supposed to investigate spatial as well as temporal trends of recent surface and troposoheric temperatures, which, in the last version (of the report) that I saw, it failed to do."
Pielke, in his post, also disputed a line in the Times article that said he "contends that changes in landscapes like the spread of agriculture and cities could explain many of the surface climate trends, while most experts now see a clear link to accumulating emissions of heat-trapping gasses like carbon monoxide."
Pielke responded to that sentence in his posting by saying: "This is a completely bogus statement of my conclusions on climate."
He cited, through a hypertext link, an article he wrote explaining his position.
"Landscape change is only one of a number of climate forcings. I can only assume that this statement is written out of an intentional attempt to mischaracterize my work or simply a failure to comprehend my various peer-reviewed papers on this subject," Pielke said.
Pielke made mention to an "inappropriate shadow version of the chapter that I was convening lead author on that (Revkin) was aware of ..."
In the end, Pielke said readers of the Climate Science blog will be provided a correction to the Times article.
"I am simply aghast at the major errors and mischaracterizations in this article," he wrote.
"I welcome (Revkin's) response."

Originally published August 25, 2005
source: http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050825/NEWS01/508250319/1002

Brownwood Police Vests ?

Bulletproof vests not fail-proof
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY Thu Aug 25, 7:36 AM ET

Bulletproof vests similar to those still worn by thousands of police officers failed to stop at least one of six bullets fired at them 58% of the time, according to a new analysis by the Justice Department.
The findings from the department's review of 103 vests containing the fabric Zylon comes two months after the nation's largest vest maker, Second Chance Armor, urged police agencies to replace nearly 100,000 vests containing the fabric. The company - which two years earlier recalled 130,000 vests partly because of problems with Zylon - said the fabric could break down, weakening the vests and potentially resulting in deaths.
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050825/tc_usatoday/bulletproofvestsnotfailproof

Brownwood: Patriotism, PTSD, Bush & Crawford Texas

Thursday August 25, 2005
Op Ed - Brownwood Bulletin
Other sacrifices not so heralded

Reasonable, logical and thoughtful debate on issues should be an art form in a democracy, but it seems that eventually it becomes personal. Sometimes that happens very quickly.
The summer story of Cindy Sheehan and her campaign near the presidential ranch at Crawford has arrived at that stage, but several larger "issues" have gone largely unnoticed as reporters keep track of which celebrities are lining up on which side of the argument.
The anguish the Sheehan family has felt and experienced is well documented, but it's a story which hundreds of other families have also known. Among them is the family of a Brownwood resident, Mario Castillo, the Marine who was killed in Iraq on June 10.
But the sacrifices made by families of men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces is not limited to those who love the ones who pay that ultimate price. Other hardships are less dramatic, and much less heralded, but they forever alter lives nevertheless.
Most Americans are unaware of the daily sacrifices military families make, even when they aren't called to duty in the world's hot spots.
Active duty career service men and women move on an average of once every two years, and in some cases it's more often. Families are sometimes separated for months at a time, and problems associated with divorce, depression and low-incomes were a problem even before the war in Iraq. With extensive use of Reserve and Guard troops in recent months, such difficulties have been compounded in the citizen-soldier ranks.

Then there are the emotional problems which members of the military can bring home with them after being in a war zone. No matter how well they cope, what they have seen leaves them changed human beings.

Lifestyle sacrifices are also common. Military housing is not always the best, but it is at least more affordable to live on base than in the neighboring city. Life in the military is not without benefits, and commissary and health care privileges help offset the negatives. Plum assignments in places like Hawaii or Europe remain, but that's not where the action is right now. And even orders to serve in the choice locations don't always totally make up for the times families must endure months of separation.
Military leaders, by most accounts, are commanding their enlistees in a more "family friendly" fashion, at least as much as the tough missions they face will allow. But at a time when a smaller military force is being asked to assume more of the burdens of war, more definitive steps should be taken to lessen the great sacrifices they and their families are called upon to make.
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Brownwood Bulletin
Thursday August 25, 2005
Op Ed: Letters To The Editor

Ghosts of the fallen give voice to peace

Dear editor:

While preparing for our vigil in support of Cindy Sheehan, I printed out page after page of the names of military dead from the war. My eye caught on "Spc. Casey Sheehan, 24, Vacaville, Calif."
I touched his name and said, "Young man, look what you've done." I thought how proud he would be of his dear mother's efforts in his name.
At the vigil we held here in Brownwood, a friend told me that as we sat in silence, holding our candles, she saw in her mind's eye the long road to the president's ranch. It was lined with the ghosts of our fallen sons and daughters, innocent Iraqi men, women and children, the wounded and the maimed. She said they stood among the living there to give voice to peace.
Each of us left last night, feeling like we took part in something honest--something that was so much bigger than Red and Blue.

Sheila Richardson
May
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Thursday August 25, 2005
News
County residents head to Crawford
Bulletin Staff Report

Some Brown County residents will travel to Crawford Saturday to attend a rally in support of President Bush and the military effort in Iraq, while others have already expressed their opposition to the war and their support of Cindy Sheehan.
Billy Murphey, veteran services officer for Brown County, said he is helping organize a trip Saturday, either by bus or by caravan, of people who want to attend a pro-war rally.
Murphey said the rally will be from 1 to 3 p.m. in the town's community center.
Murphey said he has made tentative arrangements to charter a 55-passenger bus, but he may cancel the bus if too few people sign up to ride it. He said some people have already said they want to take their own vehicles regardless of whether the group keeps the bus. If organizers cancel the bus, the trip will be made entirely by caravan, Murphey said.
He said it will cost $1,300 to charter the bus, and organizers are asking for $25 donations from riders to help defray the cost.
Murphey said he'll decide today whether or not to cancel the bus.
Attenders will meet at the Brownwood Coliseum at 8:45 a.m. and leave around nine, and leave Crawford at 4 p.m., Murphey said.
Murphey said he did not initially object to Sheehan's protest because she was a mother who'd lost a son in Iraq and wanted to talk to the president.
He said he began to feel opposed to Sheehan when the event "snowballed" and other organizations and celebrities got involved.
"It took me back to the Vietnam era," Murphey said, saying the public "never stood up to the war protesters."
Murphey said he can see that the public's support of the Iraq war is fading. He said that's because "people have forgotten about Sept. 11, 2001. That's why we're there. They've just forgotten what it's like to see Americans attacked on their own soil."
About a dozen area residents gathered in Brownwood last week for a vigil in support of Sheehan.
Sheila Richardson of May said attendees came from De Leon, Comanche and Zephyr as well as De Leon. No public announcement of the event was made in advance.
They sat in silence, holding candles, and reflected on the lives of Casey Sheehan and others whose lives have been lost in Iraq.
"It was very dignified," Richardson said. The vigil was held at the building that has served as the county's Democratic Party campaign headquarters during the election season, but she said it wasn't a political activity.
"It wasn't about George Bush," she said. "It wasn't about political parties. I looked at the print-out of the names of those who have died, and it was just so sad. They are real human beings. And there are even more who have been injured.
"I feel we simply must develop a plan to get out of Iraq as soon as we can."
Richardson said she recognizes that supporting Cindy Sheehan may not be very popular in predominantly Republican Brown County, but that such sentiments are quietly held by numerous citizens.
"I think President Bush will find Cindy Sheehans in almost every community in the nation," she said.
source: Brownwood Bulletin
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Why I Went To Crawford

click here...

all things are local...

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Tuesday August 30, 2005
Op Ed: Letters To The Editor

Making the choice to support president, troops

Dear Editor:
Each of us, as Americans, has the right to protest against anything we want to. That is one of the freedoms we have in America. We can stand on a street corner and protest fire ants, if that happens to be our cause. The protest against the war in Iraq and against our president is no exception. People have that right in America.

Last night while I was thinking about the war in Iraq, I also saw the long, dusty dirt road leading to the President's ranch outside Crawford. It was lined with the ghosts of 3,000 men and women who died at the Twin Towers in New York City, and the ghosts of 2 million Iraqi men, women, and children who were raped, tortured and murdered by the chief of all terrorists, Saddam Hussein. Each one was there to say, "Thank you, Mr. President, for standing up for what you believe in! For making sure generations of our families yet to come will live in a more safe and peaceful world! Thank you, Mr. President, for letting the terrorists of this world know beyond a shadow of a doubt that their deeds will never again go unpunished!"

Yes, each of us has a right to protest what ever we want to. I choose to stand up for what I know is right. Supporting our country, president and troops, during this difficult time is right!

Greg Stewart
Blanket
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Sunday September 11, 2005

Op Ed: Letters To The Editor
Support the war that was forced on us

To the editor:

I read the letter Judy Allen wrote to the editor, and I could not let go of the malicious and viciousness of the text.
She states Americans should be loyal to their nation. My son just retired from the United States Navy as a lieutenant commander. He had 13 straight years of hazardous pay. For those of you who do not know what hazardous pay is, it means he was in harm's way for 13 years. He did not lay his life on the line for George Bush, Bill Clinton or any other president. He lay his life on the line for his country, as did all his forefathers before him.
Terrorists know no allegiance to any country! They must be fought wherever they exist! The one fact we can all agree on is the radical Muslims, the world over, have vowed to kill all Americans, be they men, women, children, combatants, or civilian.
What is it about Muslim terrorists you do not understand? The world needs to unite, and get behind the war that was forced on us, so we may fight it in the Muslim countries, not in the USA!
God bless those who volunteered to join the armed forces, and God knows those soldiers need our support, so get off your soapbox, and close your mouth, and stop giving the enemy propaganda fodder, and support our troops, instead of making their job harder!
What you say here, in protest to the war on terrorism, is used by the Muslim radicals to recruit followers! If you want your sons and daughters home quicker, then make their job easier!
God bless and protect our fighting forces wherever they may be. Help us understand that why they stand is their love for liberty and God and country.
So teach it to our children and to all that understand, that peace on earth is wonderful, but freedom is not free.

Jodi Sedam
Ladies Auxiliary VFW, Dist. 8 president
Brownwood

http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/09/11/op_ed/letters%20to%20the%20editor/letter02.txt

Brownwood Ear Filter ?

hear no evil...

August 25 — Kiss-And-Make-Up Day

other special days...

Robertson: American Mullah, Taliban, Terrorist ?

American Fatwa: Pat Robertson's remark calls for full rebuke

04:29 AM CDT on Thursday, August 25, 2005
Like some self-styled American mullah, popular Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson has issued forth to his television audience how the U.S. should deal with a combative foreign leader – assassination.
American clergy, after catching its collective breath, has a responsibility to marginalize the foggy and off-kilter Mr. Robertson. The world should hear mainstream religious leaders in the country condemn his blather, lest it be interpreted as some 700 Club fatwa that the nation takes seriously.
Leading voices in this nation have been beseeching responsible Muslim leaders to take responsibility for corrosive speech among their faith's fringe. The same goes for leaders of all Christian denominations now that a well-known TV preacher has advocated the killing of leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
Mr. Robertson was backpedaling yesterday, insisting that he was misinterpreted after he uttered these words on Monday:
"I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it."
By late in the day, he issued a flat-out apology on his Web site. Good. But the effect of his words will linger abroad and do America no good.
Thanks to the Robertson threat, sympathy will accrue to Mr. Chávez and possibly benefit him in national elections next year. He maintains a cozy relationship with Cuba's Fidel Castro and has blamed a coup attempt in 2002 on the U.S., which he terms the "grand destroyer of the world." The Bush administration rightly considers him a force for instability in Latin America.
It stands to reason, then, that the Robertson remark may be interpreted abroad as an outgrowth of Bush White House policy. The two men are from the same political party, and Mr. Bush's election depended on solid support from the evangelicals to whom Mr. Robertson has long given voice.
The Bush administration has denounced Mr. Robertson's remark through two top officials. Either the White House or surrogates should elevate the level of criticism beyond the current "inappropriate." The word "incendiary" comes to mind for advocating state-ordered murder.

Dallas Morning News Editorial
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-robertson_25edi.ART.State.Edition1.18c5b622.html
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Dallas Morning News Letters to the Editor

He could just pray ...
Re: "White House rejects Robertson's call for assassinating Chávez," yesterday's news story.
It seems to me that Pat Robertson's public call for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is unwise because of the controversy it stirred up.
Couldn't Pat Robertson simply ask his Christian God to make this happen? He could make a silent prayer to his god and ask him to end the life of Mr. Chávez – peacefully in his sleep or through a painful heart attack, or perhaps a prolonged, painful fight with cancer.
The rest of the world would be unaware that the perpetrator was the Almighty Assassin.
William McEwen, Arlington

... but this isn't right
Pat Robertson's call for assassination is unbelievable. No matter what we think about Hugo Chávez, he is the leader of a sovereign government and should be dealt with accordingly.
This only goes to reinforce my contention that the "religious right" is neither.
Roger Howe, Whitewright
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/DN-thuletters_0825edi.ART.State.Edition1.18c7e8aa.html

Does President Bush have any credibility left ?

Wednesday August 24, 2005 / The Brownwood Bulletin
Op Ed: Letters To The Editor

Does President Bush have any credibility left ?

Dear editor:

Americans should be loyal to their nation. George W. Bush is a man who condones acts of evil, who harbors and encourages those who commit them in his name.
The war we are now in is a farce based on nothing but lies after lies, and our young men and women are dying for nothing except an arrogant, delusional and incompetent President who cares nothing for anyone but his cronies, big corporations and liars who put him in office.
But some people listen everyday to the deceptive propaganda of pill-popping Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and the such and take it as the truth. Wake up America. We should be in the streets demanding the impeachment of George W. Bush, who is destroying our nation's credibility. His only claim to credibility is that he says he believes in God, but I wonder if God doesn't believe in him? I wonder if God finds him a loathsome creature who betrays the teachings of Christ? I wonder if God long ago abandoned Bush, because Bush long ago abandoned God in deed and practice?

Judy Allen
Bangs
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Tuesday August 30, 2005

Op Ed: Letters To The Editor

Creditable beyond a reasonable doubt

Dear Editor:

In response to the letter from Ms. Judy Allen:

President George W. Bush having any creditability?

I guess if you would be in his shoes, you'd be the first female president of the United States, and we would be fighting the war on terrorism in our own backyards. After all, he was sworn into office by the majority in January 2001, and re-elected by the majority on Nov. 2, 2004. Before that he was our governor for six years.

Guess the majority (including myself) can't trust anyone who has a bachelor's degree from Yale, who has a master's degree in business from Harvard, and was a fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard and owned the Texas Ranger baseball team at one time, not to mention all of the competent Cabinet members he picked. If you have better credentials, you should have run for the position.

I'm surprised you found the time to write this editorial. After reading it, I would have figured you'd be on the outskirts of Crawford, Texas, with Ms. Sheehan who lost her son. He was a very brave and courageous soldier dying for his country so you and I could live in freedom. Many have passed away before him, and I'm sure many will pass away in the future to secure our way of life.

I presently have a son who wants to join the U.S. Marine Corps, and I am very proud of him in doing so. May he and others preserve our freedoms, including your letter to the editor, and I hope mine.

David Lindsay
Brownwood

Brownwood and Homeland Security ! Air & Rail Issues....

Pilot invades Bush air space, briefly lands in Abilene
By Jerry Daniel Reed / Reporter-News Staff Writer
August 24, 2005

A pilot who apparently infringed on restricted air space near President Bush's Crawford ranch home Tuesday, then failed to identify himself to authorities, landed briefly at an Abilene airport before taking off again.
President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush were in Idaho on Tuesday, vacationing between two public appearances to rally support for the president's policies in Iraq.
Detective Chuck Griffis of the Taylor County Sheriff's Department said he responded to the report of the plane landing at the private Elmdale Airpark in east Abilene early Tuesday afternoon, but arrived just in time to see the pilot take off again. The Secret Service requested someone try to contact the plane's pilot.
The pilot of the light private plane did not refuel during his stop at Elmdale Airpark because all employees were at lunch, said fueling station operator Sam Hunt.
From a brief glance into the cockpit, Griffis said it appeared that the lone occupant was a white male with ''nothing extraordinary'' about his appearance.
The incident appeared not to be a big deal, Griffis said, because no military planes pursued the light aircraft from Crawford.
Griffis said he wasn't certain that the plane had flown over the Bush ranch.
''The way it was given to me, he flew over Crawford air space,'' Griffis said.
After leaving Abilene, the plane headed north, Griffis said.
A check of the tail number given for the plane showed it is registered to a Florida company. A company officer said Tuesday afternoon that no immediate information was available from the firm.
Contact staff writer Jerry Reed at 676-6769 or reedj@reporternews.com.
source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_4025643,00.html
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on the rails in Brownwood...

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Wednesday August 24, 2005
News

Warning sirens to be replaced with emergency phone system
By Steve Nash -- Brownwood Bulletin

Brownwood residents soon be getting weather-related and other emergency warnings from computer-generated phone calls rather than from the familiar, shrill warning sirens.
Brownwood City Council members approved an agreement Tuesday with Emergency Communications Network, Inc. for a system called CodeRed. The agreement is for a system in which an Internet-based, high-speed emergency telephone calling system will deliver customized, pre-recorded messages to homes and businesses at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour.
The city's bioterrorism grant will pay for the system, so the city won't pay anything for CodeRed, according to a memo to council members from City Manager Kevin Carruth.
CodeRed will replace the city's 11 sirens, which cost more than $12,000 a year to maintain and operate. The city also would need to replace a siren destroyed in a storm earlier this year at a net cost of $2,000 (after insurance) and would need to install a new siren in the Southgate annexation area for $9,000.
With CodeRed, messages can be delivered to the entire city, or to specific areas. Messages can tell residents about a number of topics from weather issues to water main breaks, street closures and even messages telling employees to stay home because of icy roads.
According to Carruth's memo, residents who are inside often don't hear the sirens, and when they do hear the sirens, they don't understand what the sirens mean. When that happens, residents flood emergency dispatchers with calls for seeking information, the memo states.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/24/news/news01.txt

How are you handling the Gas Prices ?

Drivers use credit cards to manage gas pain
Survey finds surge in use of plastic to pay at the pump

Updated: 5:41 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2005
NEW YORK - Drivers are relying more on credit cards to cushion the pain of high gasoline prices than they have in the past, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.
Convenience stores, which sell about three-quarters of all gasoline sold in the nation, have seen the use of credit card purchases for motor fuel rise to 70 percent from about 54 percent last year, according to the industry group.
And drivers are seen reaching into their pockets for plastic more often as they try to stretch their budgets.
go here for the entie article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9054975
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Wednesday August 24, 2005
News
Pain of fuel price surge widespread
By Candace Cooksey Fulton -- Brownwood Bulletin
Photo by Candace Cooksey Fulton -- Fuel purchases are becoming major business transactions as the price per gallon rises.
John Q. Public is already saying "ouch" from paying $2.50-plus at the gas station. But with the far-reaching effects of high-priced fossil fuels, the pain may have only just begun.
Service providing businesses that deliver, haul goods and transport people or products are doubly hit and are weighing options for continuing the level of service with the fast-paced and rising cost of fuel. Public entities such as state, city and county agencies are at the tail-end of budget planning for '05-'06 and most didn't have any "wiggle" room earlier in the summer when fuel was 20 to 30 cents cheaper.
to read the entire article go to: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/23/news/news01.txt

US radio host canned after anti-Islam rant

Mon Aug 22, 6:30 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US conservative radio talk-show host said he had been fired after reportedly branding Islam a "terrorist organization" in remarks slated by Muslim groups as "hate radio."
Michael Graham said bosses at WMAL-AM in Washington, owned by the Walt Disney Company, sacked him after he refused to apologize for the remarks, for which he was suspended last month pending investigation.
"I find it absolutely outrageous that pressure from a special-interest group like (the Council on American Islamic Relations) CAIR can result in the abandonment of free speech and open discourse on a talk radio show," Graham said.
"As a conservative talk host whose job is to have an open, honest conversation each day with my listeners, I believe caving to this pressure is a disaster," Graham said in a statement.
Graham, part of a line-up of conservative talk-show hosts at the station, did not repeat his incendiary remarks, referring instead to "Islam and its tragic connections to terrorism."
He reportedly claimed last month that blame for recent acts of terrorism lay not with Islamic radicals alone but also with Muslims generally.
"The problem is not extremism," Graham told listeners. "The problem is Islam." He also said: "We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam."
Executives at WMAL were not available to comment on the issue but said last month that the star host had "crossed the line."
"We do not condone his position, and we believe his statements were irresponsible," WMAL-AM President Chris Berry said.
Graham's departure is a victory for CAIR, which last month responded to the London bombings by joining other North American Muslim groups by issuing a fatwa against terrorism.
"Just as Michael Graham has the right to hold bigoted views, so, too, does our society have the right to live free of hatred and incitement," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad in a statement on Monday.
"We are saddened that Michael Graham would not take responsibility for his hate-filled words, but we do welcome WMAL's action as a step toward reducing the level of anti-Muslim bigotry on our nation's airwaves."
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050822/ts_alt_afp/afpentertainment_050822223050;_ylt=AsmA0_0JNCWG8vPGohYhNoas0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MjBwMWtkBHNlYwM3MTg-

Strayhorn ad raps Perry: Are They playing on the Brownwood Airwaves ?

Strayhorn ad raps Perry's leadership
Governor's aide says comptroller's criticism is short on solutions
10:35 PM CDT on Monday, August 22, 2005
Associated Press
AUSTIN – Republican Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn launched a radio ad attack Monday against Gov. Rick Perry, claiming he's trying to tax Texans and chiding him for failed special legislative sessions.
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/082305dntexstrayhorn.d32222c.html
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What's Kinky Friedman about all of this ?

Talk to Kinky here...

Some people sign their names to their opinions !

our response to COB...

As it is !

Monday August 22, 2005 Op Ed - Brownwood Bulletin

Growth shown in variety of places
Brownwood residents know about growing pains. They have endured them for several years as improvements have been made -- and are continuing to be made -- along Austin Avenue, in Camp Bowie, in the downtown business district and along Commerce Street and Early Boulevard. Based on short- and long-term plans and projects already announced or funded, the detours and delays for motorists are far from over.
source: www.brownwoodbulletin.com
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and now read for yourself John Ivy's comments regarding Downtown Brownwood that were posted at his/hers/their "Unofficial" City of Brownwood Website (www.cityofbrownwood.com):

"admin
admin
869 Posts
Posted - July 28 2005 : 21:56:29

Our Downtown is not significant enough to sustain a real tourism factor, Nor is efficient enough to sustain a real commercial aspect. It is Tight , dingy, Unattractive, surrounded and made up of old withering contruction. Now the genius engineers have turned Center Ave into a blinding dangerous avenue to travel. The lights are too low to the ground right in the line of sight of the driver and about 50x to bright. The parking now has cars backing blindly into traffic. This so a couple of old bags can say they accomplished something to make Brownwood better. They could have resurfaced 200x times the length of roadway as it took to fix that small section of Center Ave. Now Center Park, Wow go there stand right in the center look north and east what do you see? I don;t know if the weater still runs on the wall or not but it is always funny to put or see it after soemone has loaded it up with dish soap ....................................."
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Note from Steve: I do agree with the lighting issues ( color tone and intensity ! ), but I would have probably written a letter to the editor and signed my own name to it ! I work in the "light" of day. A freaky concept for some im-posters @ COB ! Come on COB, repost the entire thread regarding Historic Downtown Brownwood ! By the way, I disagree with John's "old bags" reference. Who is John referring to as "old bags" ?

40 years of neglect...

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Is Downtown Brownwood Important to you ?

have you seen this...

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Sunday September 11, 2005
Op Ed
Company's coming: Put best foot forward

The Fifth Anniversary Brownwood Reunion Celebration next weekend promises to be bigger and better than ever, with activities and attractions for every age and taste. That is not a simple feat, because every year's Reunion has been an incredible exhibition of planning, scheduling and fun. But year after year, the Reunion committee successfully tops itself, building on the foundation already established and enhancing the reputation of a community festival which continues to garner statewide accolades.
Hundreds of volunteers make it happen, and thousands of local citizens are joined by increasing numbers of guests, visitors and former residents who have had the third weekend in September marked on their calendars for months. It is time for Brownwood to put its best foot forward.
The eyes of the entire state, and through the Internet the entire world, will be on this city when the Brownwood Reunion Celebration opens Friday. Since tourism is an important part of the local economy, it's fair to say that the welcome mat is always out. But during the coming week, more than any other during the year, the community needs to make an extra effort to shine.
Company is indeed coming, and all of us need to be ready.
The Brownwood Reunion Celebration has become a delightful weekend of fun for all those who participate, but it is also a time when the spotlight will be shining. As it does, what the glare of those lights finds should be favorable and complimentary. It shouldn't take much work to ensure that our guests will be impressed if everyone assumes some role to cleanup and beautify the places where we work and live.
Perhaps it means cutting down some unsightly weeds, or painting over some graffiti. Debris that needs to be hauled off should be handled now, and anything else that can be done to make the community more appealing will tell our guests "welcome" in ways they will long remember.
The Brownwood Reunion Celebration has in five short years become one of the premier festivals in Texas, and that does not happen by accident. An attractive, beautiful community doesn't happen by accident either. Taking the extra effort to polish our appearance, especially in the areas where our guests will be spending the most time, is a good way every one can play a part in the success of this year's Brownwood Reunion Celebration.

Brownwood Bulletin

http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/09/11/op_ed/editorial01.txt

Company's Coming To "Historic" Downtown Brownwood !

Some folks appreciate Downtown Brownwood and Visitors are always welcome............

Who's coming for a visit ?

?????...

FYI for www.cityofbrownwood.com im-posters/readers

I agree with the Archbishop as it relates to the ongoing discussion.

"If a person expresses his view, his first and last names should appear.
If ... not ... he either is afraid or wants to manipulate the journalist."
Archbishop John Foley

our response to COB...

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``There were 18,000 people living there when I was a kid, there are 18,000 there now and everybody down there talks about everybody else because there's nothing else to do,"

Hey, who said that ?...

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" There was enough desperate history in that little town in one summer to make a whole library of dime novels. "

Libbie Custer ( wife of George Armstrong Custer as in " Custer's last stand fame " )
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How long has it been since you had a Fletchers Corn Dog on the State Fair of Texas Midway ? Well pardner, that's too long .............

bite here...

Brownwood - It Takes A Village

Brownwood - It Takes A Village
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Brownwood KUDOS.....

Sunday August 21, 2005
The Brownwood Bulletin - News
Beverage controls implemented for Reunion concerts
By Bill Crist -- Brownwood Bulletin

When it came time to plan the Fifth Anniversary Spectacular, organizers of the Brownwood Reunion Celebration wanted to resolve one issue that had been brought to their attention at each of the previous events: "Can you do anything about all the coolers at the concerts."

At each of the previous Reunion Celebrations, concert-goers were allowed to bring coolers filled with the drinks of their choice, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, to the event. That situation, or BYOB, led to problems of over-consumption, underage drinking and excessive littering, Randee Green, Reunion's executive director, said.

"Reasons for this change are based on two primary goals -- ensuring public safety and better control of alcohol consumption," Green said. "The Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) and other festival venues have found that by controlling access to alcohol, consumption rates and minors in possession are lowered, both of which improve public safety. Last year, the area surrounding the concert became a hazard due to all the discarded glass bottles."
-------------------
HPU improves ranking in American's Best Colleges
From Bulletin and university reports

Howard Payne University has climbed four slots to number 13 in the "Top Schools" category of comprehensive bachelor's colleges in the Western region of the United States, according to "America's Best Colleges 2006" published by U.S. News and World Report.
The report, published shortly after midnight Friday, positions HPU in the top 20 schools overall in the Western region. HPU was ranked 17th in the same category in the 2005 publication.
The news came just after students began arriving last week for the fall semester, for which classes will begin Tuesday.
HPU is also again ranked favorably in the "Best Value" category for 2006. The university holds the fifth slot among bachelor's degree-granting colleges in the Western region of the country.
-----------------------
Sunday August 21, 2005

Op Ed: Columnist
Putting 'good stuff' to read in schoolchildren's hands
Robert Brincefield

The face was familiar, his forehead a little higher and the remaining hair considerably more gray, but there he was a folk music icon of the 1960s on the cover of Update, the publication of the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. Peter Yarrow -- one third of the legendary Peter, Paul and Mary trio -- is still using his music to promote social advocacy and create a better community. The trio was associated with songs like "Blowin' in the Wind" and "If I Had a Hammer," two songs that became anthems of the civil rights movement. Today, Yarrow's solo effort is directed at helping kids feel safe at school.
"Operation Respect: Don't Laugh at Me" is dedicated to creating safe, caring and respectful environments for children. The non-profit organization was founded by Yarrow in 2000 and is devoted to promoting a bully-free atmosphere. The cornerstone of the approach is "Don't Laugh at Me," a song written by Steve Seskin and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The ideas promoted in the song have been used to create a character development curriculum that incorporates music. According to the magazine, the organization disseminates educational resources that are designed to establish a climate that reduces the emotional and physical cruelty some children inflict upon each other by behaviors such as ridicule, bullying and in extreme cases violence. Yarrow said that every day, as many as 160,000 children are afraid to go to school because of bullying.
Through music, video and classroom activities "Don't Laugh at Me" helps sensitize children to the painful effects of ridicule, disrespect, ostracism and bullying. The program focuses on fostering four characteristics of a caring community: the healthy expression of feelings; caring, compassion and cooperation; creative resolution of conflicts; and appreciation of differences.
--------------
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/

What's being written !

Couple accused of selling teenager for packet of cocaine

Richard Luscombe in Miami
Monday August 22, 2005
The Guardian
FBI agents have thwarted an alleged plan by an Ohio couple to sell a 15-year-old girl in exchange for a packet of cocaine.
Police say Pamela Tilley and Gregory Lowery drove 70 miles from their home to hand the girl over to a drugs dealer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she was destined to become a child prostitute.
"This is the worst type of crime that can be perpetrated on a child, to turn the child into a sex slave," said US attorney Mary Beth Buchanan. "They were selling this child to an adult male in Pittsburgh in exchange for drugs."
--------------------
Published on Monday, August 22, 2005 by the Los Angeles Times
Republican Senator Says U.S. Needs Iraq Exit Strategy Now
The war has destabilized the Mideast and created a potential Vietnam, Nebraska's Chuck Hagel says. Other lawmakers express frustration.
by Josh Meyer

WASHINGTON - As President Bush prepared to hit the road this week to bolster public support for his policies in Iraq, a senior Republican senator said Sunday that the United States needed to craft an exit strategy because its continued presence had created a potential Vietnam.
U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Ne) (R) said on Sunday the longer the United States stayed bogged down in Iraq, the more the conflict looked like another Vietnam War. A decorated Vietnam War veteran, Hagel also said the war in Iraq had further destabilized the Middle East and the White House needed to find an exit strategy for Iraq. (William Philpott/Reuters)
"We should start figuring out how we get out of there," Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska said on ABC's "This Week." "I think our involvement there has destabilized the Middle East. And the longer we stay there, I think the further destabilization will occur."
read the entire article here: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0822-08.htm
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Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuela's president
Pat Robertson, host of Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club and founder of the Christian Coalition of America, called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
source: http://mediamatters.org/items/200508220006
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August 22, 2005
George W. Bush's Job Approval Ratings Drop

George W. Bush's overall job approval ratings have dropped from a month ago even as Americans who approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president are turning more optimistic about their personal financial situations according to the latest survey from the American Research Group. Among all Americans, 36% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 58% disapprove. When it comes to Bush's handling of the economy, 33% approve and 62% disapprove.
Among Americans registered to vote, 38% approve of the way Bush is handling his job as president and 56% disapprove, and 36% approve of the way Bush is handling the economy and 60% disapprove.
read it all here: http://americanresearchgroup.com/economy/
----------------
Published: Aug 21, 2005
Modified: Aug 21, 2005 6:20 AM
Copters recalled from boneyard
Wars eating away at Marines' fleet

At Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, a retired Navy helicopter is towed off a C-5 transport plane. It is one of three copters stored roughly 10 years in the Arizona desert that were flown to Cherry Point to be rebuilt for the Marine Corps.
Photo by Larry Conley

By JAY PRICE, Staff Writer

CHERRY POINT MARINE CORPS AIR STATION -- Earlier this month, a pair of hulking transport planes touched down and disgorged the newest additions to the Marine Corps helicopter fleet: three MH-53E Sea Dragons that had been sitting in an aircraft "boneyard" in the Arizona desert for about a decade.
The civilian maintenance workers at Cherry Point's Naval Air Depot will clean, strip and transform the worn-out helicopters into the Marine version of the aircraft, the Super Stallion, a process that could take 20 months. This is the first time that retired choppers such as these have been resuscitated, and the challenges are unique: Not only have the helicopters been outside about 10 years, but the Super Stallion has evolved with continuous major upgrades.
Restoring the helicopters, which have been out of production since 1999, is an extraordinary step; but the Marines have little choice: They're running out of big choppers.
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are taking a bite out of their deteriorating helicopter fleet, not just in aircraft lost -- six Super Stallions have been destroyed in crashes since 2001 -- but also in hours that the helicopters are flying.
"They're coasting on legacy fleets," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, an aerospace and defense consulting company in Fairfax, Va. "They planned to coast indefinitely ... and it would have worked just fine if it hadn't been for Afghanistan and Iraq."
The Super Stallion is the Corps' only heavy lift helicopter, and its workhorse. It moves large amounts of cargo and troops long distances and performs rescue missions. It can carry up to 55 Marines and can use slings to transport heavy equipment such as Humvees or even small armored vehicles.
The Marines' fleet of 150 is working hard.
The two wars have pushed helicopters into a bigger military role than at any time since the Vietnam era. In Iraq, choppers are vital not only for the usual reasons -- because they can quickly move troops, supplies and equipment between points without runways -- but also because roadside bombs have become the insurgents' deadliest weapon. In Afghanistan, roads are few, and broad swaths of rugged territory are impassable by ground vehicles.
read the entire article here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/2741511p-9179104c.html

Congratulations Brownwood Native & Restauranteur Gene Street

Restaurant celebrates 30th year
Original Black-eyed Pea opened on Cedar Springs Road in 1975
By Tammye Nash
Staff Writer
Original Black-eyed Pea opened on Cedar Springs Road in 1975
By Tammye Nash Staff Writer
The original Black-eyed Pea restaurant, located in Oak Lawn, will roll the clock back to 1975 to celebrate the restaurant’s 30th anniversary for five days beginning on Monday.
Chad Francis, general manager, said the chain’s founders, Gene Street and Phil Cobb who opened the restaurant at 3857 Cedar Springs Road in 1975, will be on hand to help celebrate.
The celebration includes prices rolled back to 1975 levels, with a different entrée featured each day. Ben E. Keith Beers, a distributor for Anheuser-Busch beers, is participating in the anniversary party, Francis said. The restaurant will offer special prices on all Ben E. Keith beers throughout the week.
The big parties are set for Aug. 19 and Aug. 20, Francis said.
The restaurant have a guest DJ playing 70s music; the staff will all be dressed in 70s clothing, and the restaurant will be decorated with a 70s theme, he said.
Street, Cobb and their wives — Leisa Street and Janet Cobb — will be special guests for the celebration from 7-9 p.m. on Aug. 19, he added.
“We are throwing a big party all week, and those two days especially. It’s what we do best,” Francis said. “Anyone who has ever been in here on Pride Parade Day or Halloween or New Year’s Eve knows we know how to throw a party.”
Francis said Cobb and Street opened the original Black-eyed Pea in 1975 when the Cedar Springs strip was “a different place than it is today. Back then, there were a lot of pool halls and bars and nightclubs. It was kind of like Harry Hines is today.”
Over the years, the Oak Lawn area has come to be the heart of a thriving GLBT community, and Francis said his restaurant has always maintained close ties with the community that has helped make it successful.
“Our two main philanthropic efforts go to Bryan’s House and to the AIDS LifeWalk. I would say we have raised more than $15,000 overall for Bryan’s House, and we have been recognized multiple times as a major donor to Bryan’s House,” he said.
“Last year, we received a glass sneaker from LifeWalk recognizing our participation,” Francis continued.
The restaurant has also helped organizations and events including Sequoia, which works with developmentally challenged adults, the Women’s Chorus of Dallas, Turtle Creek Chorale, the Big D Classic bowling tournament and the Miss Gay Texas pageant.
“Basically, any group around here that asks for our help, we help them if we can,” he said.
Francis said the restaurant appreciates the recognition and honors it has received because of its contributions and its unique status as the only national chain restaurant located in Oak Lawn.
D Magazine listed having a chicken-fried steak at the Black-eyed Pea on Cedar Springs on its list of 50 things all Dallasites should do earlier this year, and in the past it was declared one of the “gayest” restaurants in the country by Genre magazine.
“It is nice to be recognized as a Dallas institution,” Francis said. “At a time when a lot of restaurants, especially a lot of chains, are really struggling to get by, we are seeing a 10 to 20 percent increase over last year, just in this location. I think that says a lot about the restaurant, and about the community we serve.”
source: http://www.dallasvoice.com/articles/dispArticle.cfm?Article_ID=6441
---------------------
Do What ?

``I am one of the only people who left there and became successful and I guess they don't like that."

read more here...

Bush: "His "9/11 link" pro-war offensive is getting offensive. What he's selling, America ain't buying."

read more here...

--------------
GOP Senator Says Iraq Looking Like Vietnam

By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 21, 6:36 PM ET

WASHINGTON - A leading Republican senator and prospective presidential candidate said Sunday that the war in Iraq has destabilized the Middle East and is looking more like the Vietnam conflict from a generation ago.
Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), who received two Purple Hearts and other military honors for his service in Vietnam, reiterated his position that the United States needs to develop a strategy to leave Iraq. Hagel scoffed at the idea that U.S. troops could be in Iraq four years from now at levels above 100,000, a contingency for which the Pentagon is preparing.

read more here...

Bullying is Expensive !

Court awards teen $250,000 from school
By Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas teenager was awarded $250,000 Thursday in his federal lawsuit claiming that he was so badly bullied by classmates that he quit school.
Dylan Theno, now 18, claimed Tonganoxie school district officials knew about the taunting and did nothing to stop it.
The district said it dealt with all the incidents Theno reported, noting that the harassment stopped before Theno dropped out. He has since earned a GED and plans to enroll in community college this fall.
The lawsuit, heard in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., sought $700,000. Theno claimed the harassment deprived him of an education.
Theno’s attorney, Arthur Benson, said he is unaware of any other verdicts in same-sex, student-on-student harassment cases in federal court won by a student.
The lawsuit was filed under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The verdict is important, Benson said, in that the law has been used mainly to curb discrimination in athletics programs on the basis of gender.
“That is what this case is about,’’ Benson said. “Dylan Theno was for years called very ugly terms based on what was the stereotypical expectations of the masculine student, and Dylan Theno did not meet those expectations.’’
Theno testified that a rumor started in seventh grade by another student that he was gay continued into high school, where classmates called him derogatory names for homosexual men. Theno testified that he is not gay.
The school district’s attorney, J. Stephen Pigg, of Topeka, said in closing arguments that name-calling and crude comments are something that boys — and men — do all the time.
“Guys think things are funny that ladies don’t think are funny,’’ Pigg said. “In the seventh grade that is enhanced. ... It just happens. It is just part of the joking and kidding of seventh-grade boys.’’
Pigg also said administrators addressed taunting that Theno told them about but didn’t suspend the offenders as Theno and his parents wanted.
Groups working to curb violence in public schools settings identify the reluctance of school officials to take action as a major obstacle.
source: http://www.dallasvoice.com/articles/dispArticle.cfm?Article_ID=6484

" Amen, Amen, Amen "

Thursday August 18, 2005
Op Ed: Letters To The Editor

Bible, Quran all subject to interpretation

Dear editor:

An article in the July 21, 2005 Dallas Morning News (by a self-styled moderate Muslim journalist who is based in Toronto, Canada) is titled, "What does Islam have to do with it?" The journalist, Irshad Manji, had just returned from a visit to England where her moderate Muslim friends insisted that Islam had nothing to do with the London attacks. The moderate Muslims in Britain produced a statement, which contained this line: "The Quran clearly declares that killing an innocent person (is) tantamount to killing all mankind." Irshad Manji points out that the complete verse in the Quran has exceptions, which the radical Muslims use to justify their killings of innocents.

This brings to mind radical Christians in our country: The evangelical chaplains in the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for instance, told the cadets there that unless they were "born again" they were bound for hell -- even if they were members of various other Christian sects. These chaplains supposedly took their narrow view from the same Bible used by all other Christians and used their authority to impose it.

Remember -- whether it is the Christian Bible or the Quran -- it's all in the interpretation. Religion has a bloody history caused mainly by religious fanatics. Frankly, I am terrified of anyone, whether Muslim, Jew or Christian, who is absolutely sure he/she knows the correct moral beliefs for everyone on earth. And I think that such a person is deranged.

Ruth Lilly
Zephyr

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/18/op_ed/letters%20to%20the%20editor/letter01.txt
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Susan B. Anthony

" I always distrust people who know so much about what God wants them to do to their fellows. "
------------
Blaise Pascal:

" Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. "

Iraq Vets & PTSD: After the fact reporting !

Iraq War Vet Arrested in Vegas Killing — (08/15/2005)
LAS VEGAS (AP) _ An Iraq war veteran is being held on murder charges in Las Vegas.
Authorities say Matthew Sepi was carrying an assault rifle on his way to buy beer early Sunday when he killed a woman and injured a man.
The 20-year-old says he was ambushed, and reacted in keeping with military training: engage targets and retreat.
But police have not been able to make out exactly what happened.
The army says the soldier was honorably discharged in May. His mother says he's been trying to get help for post-traumatic stress disorder

as it relates to the Big Country and Returning Soldiers....

Brownwood media blackout?...

Iraq Reality Check: " Instead of Saddam we now have thousands of Saddams, "

read it here...

You tell em Ace !

Ace Cook, Fort Worth-area bar owner, who exchanged a few words with Kinky during a campaign stop:

"I'm for you," Cook said, sitting down to write the campaign a check. "I'm sick of these assholes who don't represent me, or represent people." By now, this sentiment had become a common refrain. "They represent A.T. & T. and Enron. How you gonna come and beg for my vote and then have nothing to do with me? Did Enron elect you or did I? I'm paying your salary, hoss. How'd it be if someone went up to the capitol and did what they said they would?"

"It'd be a first," the candidate said.

"I believe it, hoss," Cook said. "That's why you're gonna win."

read it here...

Texas Marine told he's not state resident, must pay higher tuition

AUSTIN, Texas

A decorated Marine doesn't qualify as a Texas resident any more because of the time he spent serving in Iraq.
That's what Carl Basham says officials told him when he tried to enroll in Austin Community College.
He's registered to vote in Texas, has a Texas driver's license and does his banking there. But he says officials told him that's not enough to qualify him for the lower tuition Texas residents pay.
That means he'd have to pay around 26-hundred dollars a semester in tuition, instead of about 500 dollars.
Basham did two tours of duty in Iraq.
Officials at the college will only say Basham didn't meet state requirements. They say privacy laws prevent discussing his case.
source: www.rawstory.org
----------

Note from Steve: Of course Brownwood James Williamson, Brown County Republican Party Spokesperson and KXYL Talking Head, blamed this on the Democrats on his show today. Now really, if you understand James, his spinning did not surprise you !

Crawford Cross Desecration: This does not surprise me !

Army veteran arrested in destruction of soldier memorial

By Tommy Witherspoon Tribune-Herald staff writer
Wednesday, August 17, 2005

If a 59-year-old Speegleville man had not been arrested Monday night shortly after he reportedly destroyed a roadside memorial to fallen U.S. soldiers near President Bush's ranch, McLennan County Sheriff Larry Lynch would have known where to find him later this week – in Lynch's Sunday School class.
Sheriff's office investigators said Larry Chad Northern drove his pickup truck over hundreds of small wooden crosses bearing the names of soldiers who died in the war that peace activists had placed along Prairie Chapel Road.
Northern, an Army veteran who reportedly earned a Purple Heart in Vietnam, is free on $3,000 bail after his arrest Monday night on state jail felony charges of criminal mischief over $1,500 but less than $20,000.
Lynch confirmed Tuesday that he and Northern both attend Columbus Avenue Baptist Church.
“I am not going to talk about it,” Lynch said. “I know his family. This is sad for his family.”
Northern was arrested shortly after 9:30 p.m. Monday after he was spotted changing a tire on his pickup, authorities said. Small white crosses were found stuck in the truck's undercarriage, according to sheriff's office reports.
The memorial was set up in an area known as Camp Casey and featured American flags, crucifixes, Islamic Crescents and Stars of David affixed with the names of servicemen killed in Iraq.
Cindy Sheehan, whose son, Casey, was killed in the war, started a protest vigil on Prairie Chapel Road on Aug. 6. She said she was shocked that someone would deface a tribute to the troops overseas.
“To me, the memorial crosses we have in Crawford honor the fallen heroes ... (They're) nonpolitical, they're nonpartisan. No matter what you think of this war, you should honor the troops. That's what we were trying to do,” said Sheehan, who has pledged to remain in Crawford until Bush meets with her or goes back to Washington.
Precinct 4 McLennan County Commissioner Ray Meadows is also friends with Northern, a retired real estate company owner. Meadows defeated Northern in the 1986 Republican primary to win his first term in office, but said Northern recently played at a golf tournament held to raise money for Meadows' latest re-election bid.
“I think emotions are just a little high about what is happening out there,” Meadows said. “It has everybody stirred up and it might have pushed him a little too far. He is an Army veteran and a war hero as far as I am concerned and this may have just pushed him over the limit.”
Northern did not return phone messages left at his residence Tuesday.
source: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2005/08/17/20050817waccrossmemorial.html

Downtown Brownwood RV Park

Downtown Brownwood RV Park
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Ex-FBI Whistleblower to Join 'Peace Mom'

By PATRICK CONDON, Associated Press Writer Wed Aug 17, 1:18 AM ET
OAKDALE, Minn. - Former FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley, along with a state senator whose son died in Iraq, are headed to Texas this week to join a growing anti-war demonstration near President Bush's ranch.

Demonizing Cindy Sheehan on the Airwaves of Brownwood Talk Radio

Pro-War Folks' Attacks Show Desperation
By John Nichols
The Capital Times

Thursday 18 August 2005

While debating conservative pundit David Horowitz on Ron Reagan's MSNBC show the other night, I was struck by the desperation with which supporters of the war have turned their fury on Cindy Sheehan, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq who has been trying to get an audience with President Bush.
Horowitz, the former left-wing zealot who is now a right-wing zealot, described the woman who is camped out near Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch as "hateful," accused her of dishonoring the memory of her son, and promised that if Sheehan and other anti-war activists succeed in bringing an end to the occupation of Iraq, then "rivers of blood" would flow in the streets of America. It was a remarkable performance, so much so that even Horowitz admitted that he was "emotional" about the subject.
Of course, Horowitz is wrong, on every point. But it is difficult to get angry with him, or even to take his ranting seriously. When Reagan asked me if I wanted to "dignify" Horowitz's comments with a response, I declined, except to express a measure of sympathy for Horowitz and others who have become so frenzied in their need to defend the Iraq imbroglio that they feel they must attack a grieving mother who wants to make sure that no more parents will have to bury their sons and daughters as a result of the Bush administration's arrogance.
The rapidly dwindling minority of Americans who continue to search for some rationale for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq have been driven to the brink of breakdown by the success of Sheehan's protest. Go to the Web site of William F. Buckley's National Review magazine, and you will find Sheehan described in headlines as "nutty," dismissed by columnists as "the mouthpiece ... of howling-at-the-moon, bile-spewing Bush haters" and accused of "sucking up intellectual air" that, presumably, would be better utilized by Condoleezza Rice explaining once more that it would be wrong to read too much into that Aug. 6, 2001, briefing document that declared: "Bin Laden determined to attack inside the U.S."
Human Events, the conservative weekly newspaper, dismisses Sheehan as a "professional griever" who "can claim to be in perpetual mourning for her fallen son" - as if there is some time limit on maternal sorrow over the death of a child.
Fox News Channel spinner-in-chief Bill O'Reilly accuses Sheehan of being "in bed with the radical left," including - horrors! - "9/11 families" that are still seeking answers about whether, in the first months of 2001, the Bush administration was more focused on finding excuses to attack Iraq than on protecting Americans from terrorism.
And Rush Limbaugh was on the radio the other day ranting about how "(Sheehan's) story is nothing more than forged documents. There's nothing about it that's real ..." (Just to clarify for Limbaugh listeners: Cindy Sheehan's 24-year-old son Casey really did die in Iraq, and his mother really would like to talk with President Bush about all those claims regarding WMDs and al-Qaida ties that the administration used to peddle the case for war.)
The pro-war pundits who continue to defend the occupation of Iraq are freaked out by the fact that a grieving mother is calling into question their claim that the only way to "support the troops" is by keeping them in the frontlines of George W. Bush's failed experiment. Bush backers are horrified that Sheehan's sincere and patriotic anti-war voice has captured the nation's attention.
What the pro-war crowd does not understand is that Cindy Sheehan is not inspiring opposition to the occupation. She is merely putting a face on the mainstream sentiments of a country that has stopped believing the president's promises with regard to Iraq. According to the latest Newsweek poll, 61 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's handling of the war, while just 26 percent support the president's argument that large numbers of U.S. military personnel should remain in Iraq for as long as it takes to achieve the administration's goals there.
The supporters of this war have run out of convincing lies and effective emotional appeals. Now they are reduced to attacking the grieving mothers of dead soldiers. Samuel Johnson suggested that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. But, with their attacks on Cindy Sheehan, the apologists for Bush's infamy have found a new and darker refuge.
John Nichols is Associate Editor of The Capital Times. E-mail him at: jnichols@madison.com.
source: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/081805Q.shtml
-------------
Sure do miss Brownwood Talk Radio bringing in call-in-guests who have a different viewpoint than the stations owner or its talking heads ! But then that would be intelligent Talk Radio ! That's why I listen to XM Satellite Radio as well as local talk radio ! Apples to Oranges !

Blogging in Crawford .........

blogging in Crawford...

Ed Schultz Coming to Central Texas

Ed Schultz Show goes to Crawford
Larisa Alexandrovna

The Ed Schultz Show will be heading to Crawford Texas to broadcast its Wednesday and Thursday show a few miles from Camp Casey, Raw Story has learned.
According to Ed Schultz, the host of the Ed Schultz show and one of the biggest voices in progressive radio, the show is going to show support for Cindy Sheehan. "We are going for our listeners, there are a lot of people from across the country who want to be [in Crawford, Texas] but can't be there," said Schultz in a conversation with Raw Story earlier today.
Cindy Sheehan, the mother of fallen solider Casey Sheehan - killed in Iraq in April 2004 - has spent the last ten days holding vigil near the Crawford, Texas ranch of President Bush, who has taken a five week vacation.
The location where Cindy has set up vigil has been called Camp Casey and has been joined by military families and veterans from across the nation as well as local vigil areas, also called Camp Casey in cities from Boston, MA to Portland, Oregon.
Schultz stands in solidarity with Cindy and what he describes as the sentiment in middle America, if not the nation: 62 percent of [of Americans] believe we have the wrong policy in Iraq,” said Schultz. "Ordinary people connect with Cindy, ordinary people who cannot be there," continued Schultz. "We are going on their behalf".
The show will air during its regular schedule of 3 PM EST - 6 PM EST from Crawford. When asked if the show will be taking calls from the Crawford location, Schultz chuckled and said "You bet. Our listeners can call 1-877-We Got Ed"

Silver Streak Entering Crawford

Silver Streak Crawford
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Voices from Brownwood in Crawford ?

Who from Brownwood has been to Crawford since Cindy Sheehan has set up camp near President Bush's Ranch ? The list includes JC Mclaine (Watts Communication Talking Head), Jon-Erik Beelby ( letter to the editor- Brownwood Bulletin- "support the president peacefully, prayerfully", and myself representing the Brownwood Human Rights Committee ( taking the message of ensuring that returning troops to Brownwood receive the medical treatment that they deserve ). Did anyone from Brownwood attend the Republican fundraiser BBQ at the Broken Spoke Ranch (see below) ? It's been very interesting hearing and reading the differenct perspectives that folks from Brownwood have.
---------------
Bush passes war protesters en route to fundraiser, but doesn't stop
Associated Press
CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush and his motorcade passed the growing camp of war protesters outside his ranch Friday without incident.
As Bush passed on his way to and from a political fundraiser, law enforcement blocked two intersecting roads where the demonstrators have camped out all week. Officers required the group to stand behind yellow tape, but no one was asked to leave.
The motorcade didn't stop.
Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who started the vigil along the road leading to Bush's ranch, held a sign that read: "Why do you make time for donors and not for me?"
---------------
" On Friday, Bush arrived before noon at a neighbor's ranch for a barbecue that was expected to raise at least $2 million for the Republican National Committee.
About 230 people were attending the fundraiser at Stan and Kathy Hickey's Broken Spoke Ranch, a 478-acre spread next to Bush's ranch. All have contributed at least $25,000 to the RNC, and many are "rangers," an honorary campaign title bestowed on those who raised $200,000 or more for Bush, or "pioneers," those who have raised $100,000 or more."
source: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/08/12/build/nation/27-bush-protester.inc

Why I went to Crawford Texas........

30% of Returning Iraq Vets Suffer Mental Ills

source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-07-28-iraq-vets-health
-------------------
‘The most important thing we can do for service members who have been in combat is to help them understand that the earlier that they get help when they need it, the better off they’ll be.’

DR. CHARLES W. HOGE
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5334479/
------------------------
Troubled Iraq veterans face impediments to mental health after returning home
2005-07-03 / Knight Ridder / By Chris Vaughn
Brownwood, Texas./Knight ridder
Private First Class Jacob Hounshell wrote his goodbye on notebook paper, wrapped it around a photo of himself in uniform, left it on his bed and climbed into his pickup.
He was supposed to be heading back to Fort Hood. But he had no plans to make it that far. He'd already figured out what he would do - drive as fast as he could into an oncoming 18-wheeler. Less than three months after returning from a 14-month hitch in Iraq, Hounshell had come undone.
He could barely remember the excitement he carried to Iraq in early 2004. He was an excellent soldier, by most accounts, even though he was only 18 when he left. On one memorable night, his quick thinking helped his platoon defeat a group of insurgents in Baghdad.
Today, the same soldier, now 20, is wanted for desertion, a particularly loathsome act during wartime and one that could bring a prison sentence.
No where to turn / His family is desperate to get him help, but they have no idea where to turn. "We're not trying to hurt our soldiers overseas, and we didn't want this fight with the Army," said his mother, Bobbie Hounshell. "But my son had problems when he came home, and all he was told was, 'Drive on.'"

source: http://www.etaiwannews.com/Perspective/2005/07/03/1120361748.htm
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US Soldiers from Iraq with PTSD are not Getting Treatment
From Leonard Holmes, Ph.D.,
Jul 6 2004
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that large numbers of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanastan suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and other mental health disorders. Soldiers who were in Iraq were more likely to be exposed to combat, and they had more PTSD symptoms. Between 23 and 40 percent of those suffering from mental health problems had sought help, and many reported that they feared seeking treatment would make them appear weak or cause their peers treat them differently.

source:http://mentalhealth.about.com/od/traumaptsd/a/iraqptsd604.htm
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Rural America carries a heavy burden in Iraq
By KURT ULLRCH
Posted: Aug. 6, 2005

“ It appears that small towns and farms have become major war suppliers.”
--
“All too many soldiers will return home to take their final rest under small tombstones in family plots on windswept hills overlooking the quiet countryside.”

source: http://www.jsonline.com/news/editorials/aug05/346381.asp
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Veterans returning from Iraq with problems too serious for local help

Need for counseling after Iraq,
Afghan service expected to rise

By KEVIN DOBBS - REGISTER STAFF WRITER - August 11, 2005

Many central Iowa soldiers have returned from combat in Iraq with health problems that Polk County veterans officials say they are not equipped to address.

"Almost every single Iraq vet who walks into our office has some kind of serious problem, many with mental health problems. So we just have to refer them on," said David DeBolt, director of the Polk County Commission on Veteran Affairs .

source:http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005508110370

Republican stalwart "on a rampage" against the president and the war...

photo here...

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Iraq war: tragedy of errors
Honorable Marine died in dishonorable war
By Missy Comley Beattie
He is number 1,828, 1,829 or 1,830. We don't know for sure, because so many died last week.
Marine Lance Cpl. Chase Johnson Comley died when his vehicle was hit head on by a suicide bomber. His death admits his family to a club no one wants to join: the grieving, questioning families who have heard the dreaded ring of the doorbell followed by a messenger's words, "We regretfully inform you that your son ..."
You realize that nothing you've thought, done or felt has prepared you for this reality. The feeling is so much worse than a broken heart. It is an evisceration.
As I write, Chase is being flown to Dover Air Force Base. His 6-foot-4 body is in a coffin draped with the American flag. He loved his family, his country, his Sayre classmates and his life, but we don't think he loved his mission in Iraq.
When he was recruited, he told us he would be deployed to Japan. He called every week when he wasn't in the field to tell us he was counting the days until his return. He tried to sound upbeat, probably for our benefit, but his father could detect in Chase's voice more than a hint of futility and will never say, "my son died doing what he loved."
For those of you who still trust the Bush administration -- and your percentage diminishes every day -- let me tell you that my nephew Chase Johnson Comley did not die to preserve your freedoms. He was not presented flowers by grateful Iraqis, welcoming him as their liberator.
He died fighting a senseless war for oil and contracts, ensuring the increased wealth of President Bush and his administration's friends.
He died long after Bush, in his testosterone-charged, theatrical, soldier-for-a-day role, announced on an aircraft carrier beneath a "Mission Accomplished" banner that major combat was over.
He died in a country erupting into civil war and turned into a hellhole by Bush, a place where democracy has no chance of prevailing, a country that will become a theocracy like Saudi Arabia.
Have we won the hearts and the minds of the Iraqi people? Apparently not.
Have we spent more than half a trillion dollars -- an amount that continues to rise -- in a war that King Abdullah advised Bush against because it would disrupt the Middle East? Apparently so.
Consider what the money spent on this could have done for health care, our children's education or a true humanitarian intervention in Sudan. And then think about Bush's inauguration. Picture the lavish parties, the couture gown worn by Laura Bush. And imagine the cost of the security for the event.
And then think about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when he visits our troops. Picture his heavily armored vehicle, a machine impregnable to almost anything the insurgents toss in its path, while our troops are not provided sufficient armor to survive an improvised explosive device.
Think of the mismanagement of this entire war effort. Consider what we've lost. Too much. Think of what we've gained. Nothing.
And think of someone who says, "We will not cut and run," but who did just that years ago when he was called.
Think about a man who speaks about a culture of life when the words fit a wedge issue such as abortion or the right to die when medical effort has failed.
Then think about this war, Bush's not-so-intelligently designed culture of death.
Think, too, about naming a campaign "Shock and Awe" as if it's a movie and, therefore, unreal. And then think that this, perhaps. is one of the problems.
For many Americans, the war is an abstraction. But it is not an abstraction for the innocent Iraqis whose lives have been devastated by our smart bombs. And it certainly is not an abstraction for those of us who have heard the words that change lives forever.
So think of my family's grief -- grief that will never end. Think of all the families. Think of the wounded, the maimed, the psychologically scarred.
And then consider: The preservation of our freedom rests not on U.S. imperialism but on actively changing foreign policies that are conquest-oriented and that dehumanize our own young who become fodder for endless war as well as people in other countries who are so geographically distant that they become abstract.
The answer is not Bush's mantra: "They're jealous of our freedoms."
And, finally, think about flowers: The flowers for Chase Comley will be presented not by grateful Iraqis but by loved ones honoring him as he's lowered to his grave and buried in our hearts.

Missy Comley Beattie of New York is the aunt of Marine Lance Cpl. Chase J. Comley of Lexington who was killed in Iraq last weekend.
source: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/12364399.htm
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Grandmother Speaks:

" But on Friday, Comley's grandmother, 80-year-old Geraldine Comley of Versailles, described herself in an interview as a former Republican stalwart who is "on a rampage" against the president and the war.
She said she would like nothing better than to join Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier who has been holding a peace vigil outside President Bush's ranch in Texas.
"When someone gets up and says 'My son died for our freedom,' or I get a sympathy card that says that, I can hardly bear it," Geraldine Comley said.
She said her view, developed before her grandson's death, is that Bush pushed for war because Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had tried to assassinate the first President Bush, and to get control of Mideast oil.
"And it irritates me no small amount that Dick Cheney, in the Vietnam War, said he had 'other priorities,'" Geraldine Comley said. "He didn't mind sending my grandson over there" to Iraq."
source: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/12379489.htm

Democrats sue eight corporate donors

Candidates say ads broke law; firms say they were issue-oriented
07:29 PM CDT on Friday, August 19, 2005
Associated Press
AUSTIN – Several corporate donors, most of them insurance companies, are now defendants in a lawsuit filed by three Democrats who lost legislative races in 2002.
The suit alleges improper corporate funding of the candidates' opponents, allegations that a grand jury is also investigating.
The Democrats' lawyer, Buck Wood of Austin, added eight corporations this week to the suit against the Texas Association of Business, a trade group that spent about $1.7 million of corporate money on ads that touted Republicans and criticized Democrats.
The companies are AT&T Corp., Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Co., Ace American Insurance Co., Aetna Inc., Connecticut General Life Insurance Co., United Healthcare of Texas, Cigna Healthcare of Texas Inc. and America's Health Insurance Plans. And more still might be added, Mr. Wood said.
Republicans won a majority of House seats in 2002, allowing them to elect the first Republican House speaker since Reconstruction. But the victories of several GOP candidates have been under scrutiny of a Travis County grand jury for contributions from the business association and Texans for a Republican Majority, a political action committee connected to U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Mr. DeLay, of Sugar Land, has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is investigating whether the contributions violate state bans against corporate money being spent on campaign activities.
The association has said its ads did not violate the ban because they did not advocate the election or defeat of anyone, rather they educated voters about issues.
The contributions were made when the insurance industry was under fire from the public and state officials. Rates for homeowners insurance were climbing, insurers were threatening to leave the state, and doctors and hospital officials were complaining about the high costs of malpractice insurance.
The Legislature rewrote homeowners insurance rules the next year, though critics say the changes didn't go far enough in regulating the insurance industry.
Also, a Washington lobbyist is holding a golf tournament and luncheon Wednesday in Virginia to raise money for the three men indicted in the investigation of Texans for a Republican Majority, an attorney in the case said.
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/082005texcampaignfinance.216ec36a.html

Brownwood Native & Photographer to the Stars, John Bryson, Dies at 81

August 12, 2005

By Claudia Luther, Times Staff Writer
John Bryson, a photojournalist for Life and other magazines who assembled books on actress Katharine Hepburn and industrialist Armand Hammer, died Wednesday. He was 81.
Bryson, who had lived in Malibu and East Hampton, N.Y., died in his sleep at a retirement home in Brookings, Ore., said his daughter, Mary Bryson Baechler.
A native of Brownwood, Texas, Bryson began his career as a photographer and picture editor at Life after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. After eight years at Life, he became a freelancer in 1955 for Life, Look and Holiday magazines and many other publications.
He was probably best known for earning the trust and affection of celebrities who allowed him to photograph them as they went about their daily lives. The pictures of Hepburn, who once described Bryson as "mean as a snake and dear as an angel," became the 1992 book "The Private World of Katharine Hepburn."
For the book on Hammer, Bryson traveled with the oil magnate around the world, logging more than 175,000 miles on Hammer's 727 jet as they flew to Moscow, Beijing and other far-off places. A Toronto Star reviewer said the resulting 1985 book, "The World of Armand Hammer," revealed "the real sense of power in Hammer's life."
Bryson also took pictures of Ernest Hemingway kicking a beer can in the snow and Salvador Dali with a crown of sausages, and photographed Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Clint Eastwood, Jason Robards Jr., Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev.
"I don't think I'm a lapdog photographer, but I've orbited around them, and I've had a lot of har-dee-hars with them," Bryson said of his celebrity subjects in a 1985 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
The 1959 book "Moscow Gatecrash: A Peer Behind the Curtain" includes this story: When Khrushchev admired Bryson's camera at a party in Moscow, the photographer took the expensive Nikon off his neck and offered to trade it for a Soviet missile. Khrushchev laughed heartily.
"And this was the height of the Cold War," Bryson's daughter said.
A big man with a substantial mustache and large horn-rimmed glasses, Bryson also acted in a few films. He told his friend Charles Champlin, the entertainment editor of The Times for many years, that director Sam Peckinpah had recruited him to appear as a villain in "The Getaway" with Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw.
"I made a rude comment about his character and he made several about mine, and the next thing I knew I was in Texas with a script in my hand and cold sweat just pouring out of me," Bryson told Champlin. Bryson added, "I even have a death scene, which is spectacular." He proceeded to reenact the scene for Champlin.
He had other roles in Peckinpah's "Convoy" and "The Osterman Weekend" and played himself in John Frankenheimer's "Grand Prix."
Besides his daughter, Bryson is survived by sons John Jr. and Arthur and many grandchildren. Flowers in his memory may be sent to Maclyn House Retirement Homes, 755 Elk Drive, Brookings, OR 97415-9069.
source: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-bryson12aug12,1,6781470.story?coll=la-news-obituaries

A Birds Eye View of Bush's Crawford Texas Ranch.........

eye in the sky...

How's your pocketbook ?

Bush’s economic team is meeting at the ranch in Crawford, TX, Tuesday to talk about tax cuts and social security. What is your opinion on Bush’s handling of the economy ?

vote here...

As it relates to Brownwood Soldiers

Sticker shock over shell shock
The U.S. government is reviewing 72,000 cases in which veterans have been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, claiming that misdiagnosis and fraud have inflated the numbers. Outraged vets say the plan is a callous attempt to cut the costs of an increasingly expensive war.

By Mark Benjamin

Aug. 9, 2005 | Matt LaBranche has memories of Iraq that he does not want to have. He was a gunner who protected convoys for a National Guard company out of Bangor, Maine. Once, during his nine-month tour in Iraq, his truck got separated from a convoy headed to Tikrit. He couldn't raise anyone on the radio. Insurgents ambushed. He remembers tumbling out of the truck just as a roadside bomb went off, slamming him against the truck, breaking his coccyx and knocking loose an eye tooth. He remembers pulling the driver out of the truck and laying down fire with his M249 SAW machine gun until he thought the barrel would melt.
There are more memories he can't shake. Some are worse. Some include children. We agree that I won't print details, but he cries when he tells them to me. LaBranche, 41, also supports the war and has little patience for those who don't.
I first met LaBranche in the summer of 2004 when he was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He was clearly a troubled man. He spent a month in the lockdown psychiatric unit, Ward 54, and a year receiving outpatient treatment. He is still haunted.
source: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/08/09/vets/index_np.html
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What will Brownwoodians do when our soldiers return and are in need ?

click here...

Brownwood: The politics of Screwing the Poor

Low-income Texans to see increase in electric bills
By The Associated Press
AUSTIN — About 391,000 low-income Texans will see an increase in their electric bills because lawmakers drained a discount fund to balance the state budget.
The Texas Public Utility Commission started notifying low-income homes on Monday that a 10 percent discount on their bills will be discontinued next month.
"There's going to be rate shock next month when low-income Texans open their electricity bills," said Tim Morstad of Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports. "There is a real concern that eliminating this discount during the peak of the summer could put people in danger of excessive heat."
The average customer pays a 65-cent fee each month on their electric bills to raise about $200 million a year for the System Benefit Fund.
But the money will be used for programs largely unrelated to electricity, including Medicaid.
The discount fund began in 2002 as part of negotiations that led to deregulation of the electric utility industry in about 75 percent of the state.
At its peak, almost 800,000 Texans received a 17 percent discount on their bills. In May lawmakers eliminated the discount, beginning Sept. 1.
Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, said that shifting the funds is equivalent to a hidden tax.
"We've had so much talk this session about truth in taxation. This goes totally against the grain for integrity," he said.
Consumer groups say that using the funds for an unrelated purpose constitutes improper accounting practices.
Carol Biedrzycki, executive director of Texas Ratepayers' Organization to Save Energy, said the program's money should be removed from the state treasury to prevent another raid by lawmakers.
"It was their job to make sure that money was safe and that it was dedicated to help people pay their electric bills," she said. "There's something wrong when the people you thought would protect the money take it away."

Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com and The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
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wake up Brownwood...

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As it relates.......Posted on Thu, Sep. 22, 2005 Letters to the editor Ft Worth Star Telegram

Profits and rate increases

The Sept. 15 headline said, "TXU's electric rates will rise 12 percent." Keep breathing. Yes, 12 percent higher rates next month from TXU.
I'll have to ask for a raise again. From June through September, my TXU bill has totaled close to $1,500. I've decided to move from my 1,100-square-foot house to an even smaller one.
Paul Hudson, chairman of the Public Utility Commission, was pleased to have gotten a cap on rate increases for the past three months. He was quoted as saying: "So we've managed to avoid the immediate issue of the potential uptick in prices ... from the hurricane." (Until November, that is, and then customers can expect rates to go even higher next year.)
If we did away with the PUC, is it possible that we, the ratepayers, might be able to broker a better deal? I say let's get a better deal. And we need to get started before the higher levels begin in January.

Kay Singleton
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Am I missing something here? On Aug. 3, you ran an article about TXU profits being up 48 percent, and now the utility asks for a 12 percent rate increase, with more promised shortly.
How much profit is TXU allowed to get us for? It seems that 10 percent would be a nice rate of return. I'd love to hear from someone to explain how you justify an increase when profits are so high.

George Clark
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Am I the only one who can see that, as a consumer, I'm being exploited by TXU? The story announcing a 12 percent increase was a miserable attempt to make me feel lucky because the PUC was able to "negotiate" with TXU to avoid an 18 percent increase.
That was the good news. The bad news was that we'll get another increase in four months.
The increase was caused by a jump in natural gas prices. The fact is that natural gas is used to generate less than 50 percent of the power required. This inequity reminds us that TXU has bought and paid for enough influence in Austin to make its own rules. The PUC established a rule that allows the rate increases to be based on natural gas prices.
Why are consumers not feeling the benefits of the billion-dollar boondoggle nuclear plant at Glen Rose? We were asked to bail out TXU after it spent obscene amounts of money on cost overruns. What short memories we have.

Jim Gaddy
source:http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/local2/12711841.htm

Crawford: President Bush Ditches Mother Of Slain Soldier

click here...

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Locals join mom of fallen soldier staging protest near Bush ranch
Updated: Aug 8, 2005 5:04pm
A California woman's demand to meet with President Bush is now attracting supporters from all over. Monday, dozens of people showed up at the roadside camp after seeing her story on TV.
Cindy Sheehan says she'll continue to camp out all month until she meets face to face with President Bush.
Under a large tree and umbrellas, supporters of a peace movement continued their protest in the rain, along side the road leading to President Bush's ranch.
After the makeshift camp received national media attention this weekend, dozens are now coming in, bringing supplies and showing support.
Morgan Connery is from Lampasas.
“I just jumped in my truck and drove out with a big bucket of chicken. That was the best thing I could think of to bring. If I could do it again, I'd bring a tent.
It's all in support of Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son Casey in the Iraq war: “I am amazed at the outpouring of love and support from around the world that we're getting.”
Sheehan's story tugged the heart of Killeen resident Cathleen Fox, whose son Christopher is stationed at Fort Hood. Christopher just got back from Iraq and will ship out again in a few months. The two came to the camp to show their support.
Cathleen says, “I read yesterday that Cindy Sheehan was out here and it just crushed me.”
Christopher says, “If I had my choice, I would rather not go back. I don't feel this war is necessary.”
STORY BY MATT PENE

to read the entire article & watch video go here...

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Dallas Morning News Letter to the Editor
Sheehan has a right
Re: "Sheehan: a manipulator," by Erin Howell, Tuesday Letters.
Yes, Erin Howell is correct, Casey Sheehan did volunteer to serve and protect his country, as our own daughter has for the last nine years. My husband, since retired, was activated on Nov. 4, 2001, for a year. From World War II to now, many members of my family served their country. All would lay down their lives to protect and defend their country.
But Saddam Hussein had not even threatened our country. None of the hijackers who attacked on 9-11 was an Iraqi. President Bush admitted that Saddam Hussein had no connection to Osama bin Laden.
Ms. Sheehan has every right and duty to question the president as to the real reason her son died because the invasion of Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with protecting our country. My family supports her 100 percent.
Peg Jezercak, Carrollton
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/081005dnediwedletters.11e1b724.html

Clinton, Cornyn & Hounshell: US Military Health Needs Not Being Met

Clinton, Cornyn & Hounshell: US Military Health Needs Not Being Met
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Brownwood Senator Responds to Military Mental/Medical Help Inquiry

Cornyn Responds to my request thanks to Senator Hillary Clintons assistance. More info. to follow......

Here's the background:

click here...

click here...

click here...

click here...

click here...

All Animal Cruelty Is Local

Feline deaths a concern

Dallas: Officials don't know causes; residents fear criminal activity
08:28 PM CDT on Sunday, August 7, 2005
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
Quotes from Article:

A warning sign

She said several well-known serial killers and mass murderers, including many young men responsible for school shootings in recent years, killed cats and other animals for pleasure.
"Deliberate mutilation of an animal is much more intimate, which makes it more disturbing and suggests that the perpetrator may demonstrate behavior disorders and sociopathy," she said.
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"People who do this, there's no telling what they're capable of," she said. "It's very, very sick and scary."
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"Our concern is that these kids, if it is kids, will get tired of killing animals and their abuse and attention will turn to other things," he said. "When you start seeing dead or tortured animals, it's the tip of the potential iceberg if it's not stopped."

click here...

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Now watch the "Bush Boys" Go After Her !

Army whistleblower draws fire
By Deborah Hastings, AP National Writer | August 7, 2005
WASHINGTON --In the world as Bunnatine Greenhouse sees it, people do the right thing. They stand up for the greater good and they speak up when things go wrong. She believes God has a purpose for each life and she prays every day for that purpose to be made evident. These days she is praying her heart out, because she is in a great deal of trouble.
Bunnatine "Bunny" Greenhouse is the Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting ("PARC" in the alphabet soup of military acronyms) in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lest the title fool, she is responsible for awarding billions upon billions in taxpayers' money to private companies hired to resurrect war-torn Iraq and to feed, clothe, shelter and do the laundry of American troops stationed there.
She has rained a mighty storm upon herself for standing up, before members of Congress and live on C-SPAN to proclaim things are just not right in this staggeringly profitable business.
She has asked many questions: Why is Halliburton -- a giant Texas firm that holds more than 50 percent of all rebuilding efforts in Iraq -- getting billions in contracts without competitive bidding? Do the durations of those contracts make sense? Have there been violations of federal laws regulating how the government can spend its money?
Halliburton denies any wrongdoing. "These false allegations have been recycled in the media ad nauseam," the company said in response to a list of e-mailed questions from The Associated Press.
Now Bunny Greenhouse may lose her job -- and her reputation, which she spent a lifetime building.
She is a black woman in a world of mostly white men; a 60-year-old workaholic who abides neither fools nor frauds. But she is out of her element in this fight, her former boss said.
"What Bunny is caught up in is politics of the highest damn order," said retired Gen. Joe Ballard, who hired Greenhouse and headed the Corps until 2000. "This is real hardball they're playing here. Bunny is a procurement officer, she's not a politician. She's not trained to do this."

to read the entire article go here...

Bush & Sheehan: 5 Miles of Seperation May as well be 5 Million Miles !

Published on Sunday, August 7, 2005 by the Sacramento Bee (California)
A Mother's Vigil
Vacaville Woman Whose Son Died in Iraq is in Texas to Confront Bush
by Jim Downing

A Vacaville woman whose son was killed in an ambush in Iraq began Saturday what could become a monthlong anti-war protest outside President Bush's ranch near Crawford, Texas.
"People are dying every day for lies," Cindy Sheehan, 48, said in a telephone interview with The Bee. "The only way we can support our troops at this point is to bring them home."
Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., center, whose son died in Iraq, listens to Capt. Ken Vanek of the McLennan County (Texas) Sheriff's Office, left, as he discusses the procedures for a peace protest by Sheehan and others to confront President Bush at his ranch, in Crawford, Texas, Saturday, Aug. 6, 2005. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Sheehan, who was supported Saturday by more than 50 marchers, said she plans to stay in Crawford until the president comes out to speak with her so she can deliver that message - or until he returns to Washington at the end of the month.
Bush, who is vacationing at the ranch, did not emerge Saturday. But two White House aides - Steve Hadley, national security adviser, and Joe Hagin, deputy chief of staff - met with Sheehan for 45 minutes.
"They said they'd pass on my concerns to George Bush," she said. "I said, 'Fine, but I'm not talking to anybody else but him.' "
Any meeting with the president would be her second.
Sheehan first spoke with Bush at Fort Lewis, Wash., in June 2004, two months after her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq, she said.
The president's comments that her son and other soldiers had died for a good cause angered rather than consoled her, Sheehan said Saturday.
He "was supposed to express his condolences. He said a lot of hurtful things to my family and we felt worse after talking to him," she said. "I don't know why I want to repeat (meeting him). But now that I'm thinking more clearly, I think it's important that ... he knows that he can't use my son's name to condone the killing anymore."
Since her son's death on April 4, 2004, Sheehan has devoted herself to protesting the war and the Bush administration.
She has spoken on Capitol Hill, demonstrated at military recruiting centers in Sacramento, and was featured in a campaign ad during last fall's presidential campaign.
"She's a mother, and this has completely changed her life," said Natalie Womeli, a Davis organizer with Code Pink, a grass-roots peace and social justice movement.
"Right now, this is her job," said Womeli, who has worked with Sheehan. "It's not a glamorous job in any way. She's sleeping on people's couches and depending on the kindness of other activists."
Sheehan is also co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, a group of 50 families of fallen soldiers.
She said she developed the plan for the Crawford protest at a Veterans for Peace convention Thursday in Dallas. She drove to Crawford on Saturday with members of several different activist groups in a caravan of a dozen vehicles led by a red, white and blue bus labeled "Impeachment Tour."
Saturday evening, Sheehan took a short break from her vigil in the Crawford Peace House, a center founded by local peace activists.
"I have a pretty bad headache" from the day in the sun, she said.
Later, Sheehan planned to return to a roadside campsite two miles outside Crawford where she and 10 other activists had set up tents. She said Secret Service agents had stopped by more than once to warn the protesters that they were camped in a dangerous location.
"They keep on coming and saying if you stay out there by the side of the road, you're probably going to get killed," she said.
Crawford Police Chief Donnie Tidmore said Saturday evening that no protesters had been arrested.
"They were rather vocal, but other than that, they were peaceful," he said.
Sheehan said that McLennan County sheriff's deputies stopped her group about five miles from the president's ranch house.
Tidmore said protests are common during the president's stays in Crawford. Saturday's march was the first of Bush's current vacation, he said.
spurce: www.truthout.org
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Where are they ?

click here...

WWSD - Brown County Attorney & Lake Brownwood PooPoo Caca !

WWSD - What Will Shane Do ?

What will Shane do with the goings on at lake Brownwood and the sewage issue. Will he stand "upright" and protect the community ( victims ) as he is charged with doing, or will he bow to political pressure that may be applied ( just look at the players involved ! ). If Shane's past history with us (see below) is any indicator, I expect very little from him and this includes honesty issues ! Shane said during his campaign that he had switched political parties because he felt the Republican Party better reflected his values. Let's see what values he was speaking of as he handles the Lake Brownwood Poopoo Caca Case !

click here...

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Here's our experience with Shane and his lack of honesty !

click here...

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We'll be praying for Shane as he makes his decisions. I know his Church Family encourages prayer from the ads I've seen in the Brownwood Bulletin. Here's their website.

click here...

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when it's enough...

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Update:

Judge plugs faucets at lake
Brownwood marina owners told to install septic system
By Celinda Emison / Reporter-News Staff Writer
August 11, 2005
BROWNWOOD - The owners of a Lake Brownwood marina may not have running water in eight cabins and a restaurant, according to a judge's decision, until they install an approved septic system.
Also Wednesday, guilty convictions in a Justice of the Peace court against one of the marina's owners who was accused of letting raw sewage spill onto the ground were tossed out - but the man was arrested shortly afterward on an unrelated charge.
Thirty-fifth District Judge Stephen Ellis granted an injunction against Lakehaven Marina on Wednesday that prevents its owners from operating an unapproved septic system. Investigators last month arrested one of the marina's owners after raw sewage spilled onto the ground.
Brown County Attorney Shane Britton and Laird Palmer, attorney for 3J's Joint Venture and owners Travis Grimes, Josh Helbart and Justin Jones, agreed to the injunction. Britton dropped Eddie and Vicki Surrett from the injunction request because they are no longer involved in the marina's ownership.
Ellis also imposed a $3,100 civil penalty, which will be suspended unless the injunction is violated. The marina's three owners also were ordered to pay $500 in court costs.
The injunction does not prevent the marina from selling gas or renting or storing boats, or operating the store there, Britton said.
Britton filed the request for an injunction on behalf of Brown County, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Texas Health Department on July 25.
Following the hearing, Grimes said his business for the summer has been ruined - ''I've had almost all my reservations cancelled for the rest of the summer,'' he said - but that he would comply with the orders. He said he plans to have a fully permitted system in place by May 1, 2006, and would be open for business then.
''We'll be up and running,'' he said. ''It takes time to make progress. We want people to enjoy this facility, and we want to make it.''
Britton on Wednesday asked that 14 health and safety violations related to the storage and disposal of raw sewage at the marina that Grimes was convicted of in Justice of the Peace court this summer be dismissed. The request, which Ellis granted, was part of a deal reached with the Lakehaven owners' attorney to accept the injunction.
Just after he left the courtroom Wednesday, Brown County Sheriff's deputies arrested Grimes on a charge unrelated to the injunction. He was charged with theft of more than $1,500 and less than $20,000,a state felony punishable by up to two years in state prison and a $10,000 fine. Grimes was released after posting a $7,500 bond.
source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3993915,00.html
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and there's more...

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UPDATE:
Friday July 28, 2006

Archives: News



Fine levied against lake marina for violating injunction

By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin






District Judge Steve Ellis levied a $3,100 fine against the manager of the Lakehaven Marina at Lake Brownwood Wednesday after ruling that he had violated an earlier injunction that required the marina to install a septic system for its cabins.

Ellis, ruling on a motion by Assistant County Attorney Ryan Locker, determined that marina manager Travis Grimes had violated the August 2005 injunction.

Grimes was one of three defendants who accepted the negotiated injunction in 2005 against 3J’s Joint Venture, which was at that time doing business as Lakehaven Marina but has since dissolved.

The injunction was sought by Brown County and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Locker argued in his motion that Grimes was renting out cabins that did not have a septic system. People who rented the cabins would use rest-room facilities in the marina’s restaurant, but doing so exceeded the capacity of the restaurant’s septic system and posed health and safety risks, Locker argued.

Grimes said while he thinks Ellis was fair in his ruling, he said he is being “strong-armed” by county officials into spending money.

“I’m trying to survive and provide a beautiful marina for the county,” Grimes said. “That last thing I want to happen is to pollute (Lake Brownwood).”

source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2006/07/27/news/news01.txt

Congratulations: Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

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Wouldn't it be great for someone from Brownwood Texas to make an appearance on their show ? Maybe the Legendary Rae Bourbon Club could be featured ? Stranger things have happened !

Brownwood & Tatoos: Who's Judging a Book/Cook/Soldier by its cover ?

Hell's Kitchen Contestant & Winner:
Michael
27
Executive Chef
Fort Collins, Colorado

"Mike decided to commit his life to cooking when he was 16. He is quite the multi-tasker and feels he is able to handle the pressures of Hell's Kitchen. He plans to implement his training in the restaurant he hopes to open one day. He admits that people can be a bit judgemental when they see his tatoos, but he loves suprising them with his great cooking."

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Note from Steve......Congratulations to Michael for a job well done and for overcoming judgemental people. Your a winner to many people Michael and some of us live/work in the Heart of Texas where much of that judgmental attitude is born, cultivated, and brought to market ! Your just another fine example of folks overcoming negative attitudes through creative outlets. Cook on brother !
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" They remembered that McNaughton was so proud of his country that he had an American flag tattooed on his shoulder. "

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You tell it Dana !

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and then of course there is this

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and some of Brownwood's "discrimanatory" tattoo history....

read more here...

Brownwood 2:46am-3:46am: Discovery returns. Who's watching the sky ?

Shuttle: Discovery
Launch Pad: 39B
Launched: July 26, 2005
Official Time: 10:39:00:07 a.m. EDT
Landing: Aug. 8, 2005 at 4:46 a.m. EDT
Duration: 13 days
Orbital Insertion Altitude: 122 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 51.60°
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If you are in Brownwood, where should you look ?

track here...

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overhead eyes here...

Brownwood: Going in Circles ?

click here...

Brownwood Meth Treatment Center ? It will take a village !

Anyone who is breathing and living in Brownwood and Brown County must realize the impact that Meth is making on this community. See our posts which contain information dating back to 1989 describing Brownwood Meth issues at that time. Will this community step up to the plate and develop a Meth Treatment Center ? How about taking one of the properties ( sitting abandoned for years ! ) that is owned by the taxing authority (city, school, county) and renovating the building into a first class Meth Treatment Center ?

Letters: Those nasty cold pills - Dallas Morning News Sunday, August 7, 2005

Meth is treatable
Re: "Cold meds go behind counter – New Texas law restricts sales of drugs that have key ingredient for meth," Tuesday news story.
Bad information makes for bad laws, and Rep. Leo Berman's information is terrible. "The problem is meth is not treatable," Mr. Berman said. "You can get off cocaine, you can get off heroin. You cannot get off meth."
This is absolutely untrue. Carol Falkowski, research communications director for the Hazelden Foundation, says, "There's a false but widespread belief that methamphetamine treatment is ineffective. ... There are effective treatments."
Putting cold medicines behind the counter will cut down on the dangerous production of methamphetamine in homes and motel rooms. The demand will be satisfied by dangerous methamphetamine imported from Mexico and elsewhere. Only regulation and treatment will solve the problem.
Suzanne Wills, Drug Policy Forum of Texas, Dallas
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Skip the fear tactics
What hope of rational drug policies do we have if fear-mongering politicians spew utter nonsense to the public and the media don't even bother to challenge them?
Contrary to the assertions of state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, methamphetamine dependence is not particularly more or less treatable than alcohol, cocaine or heroin dependence. And most meth users give up the drug voluntarily. Government statistics for 2003 indicate that of the 12 million who have tried meth, some 95 percent had not used it in the past month. Even use in the "past month" is nowhere near a description of dependency.
Like all addiction, it will have strong links to mental illness, but Mr. Berman is not talking about correcting Texas' abysmal failure to provide adequate funding for mental health. He should label his legislation, "A Bill to Increase the Profits of Mexican Drug Cartels and Bilk the Taxpayers."
Jerry Epstein, Houston
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Better than prisons
Keeping the ingredients of meth behind the counter is certainly a lot better solution than the previous non-solution of building more and bigger prisons.
Oklahoma learned the hard way that the so-called "tough on drugs" policies don't work and are very expensive. Largely because of their "tough on drugs" policies, Oklahoma became the fourth-highest state for incarcerations.
Largely because of our war on drugs policies, the U.S. has been transformed into the most-incarcerated nation in history. Even though we in the U.S. have fewer than 5 percent of the world's population, we have more than 25 percent of the world's prisoners. What message does this send to the rest of the world?
Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz.
source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/080705dnediltrmeth.22801b51.html
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Brownwood History

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Brownwood, Bush, and Meth

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Brownwood: Coke, Pop, or Soda ?

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Musing: The Brownwood Condition ?

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Rest in Peace Ibrahim Ferrer

On a humid old Havana morning,
a forgotten man kneels at the feet
of those who in more vital days
sweat through linen guayaberas,
gliding to the pulse and timbre
of this shoe shiner’s song.
Ay, candela, me quemo alli

Now an anciano, nobler in humility,
his flinty amber voice still shines,
resounding a lifetime of passion and loss,
a thousand days of concrete and dust,
nights of fateful spirit and redemption.

Ay, candela, me quemo alli

Sing now for Cuba, Angel of Havana,
for your life once lived,
for your love re-ignited,
for your street reclaimed

source: http://www.horizonmag.com/7/ibrahim.htm
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Buena Vista Social Club singer Ibrahim Ferrer dies
Sun Aug 7, 2005 7:47 AM IST

HAVANA (Reuters) - Ibrahim Ferrer, the mild-mannered singer of the Buena Vista Social Club group that took him from shining shoes to world fame late in life, died on Saturday in Havana, a funeral parlor employee said. He was 78.
Ferrer died of a heart attack after returning to Cuba from a tour in Europe, fellow Cuban musicians said.
"He died this afternoon and will be buried on Monday," Rosa Ramirez of the Calzada funeral home said.
Ferrer, a bolero singer who was compared to Nat King Cole, was born in Santiago in eastern Cuba on Feb. 20, 1927, and began singing professionally in 1941.

source: http://in.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=2005-08-07T073853Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-211854-1.xml
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Listen here

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Some Republicans are getting tired of being crapped on !

GOP missteps shame longtime supporter
First published: Saturday, August 6, 2005

I'm a disgusted conservative Christian Republican.
In your July 15 edition, I was outraged to read that the government is taking $173 billion out of a surplus in Social Security to apply toward the deficit (which President Bush is now taking credit for reducing). If all the Social Security contributions were left in the fund, wouldn't the interest alone fix the problem? Next election this should be put on the ballot; let the people cast their votes on whether or not this borrowing from Social Security should be stopped (forever).

As a longtime Republican, I want to know how my party can unite behind Tom DeLay and Karl Rove and claim that they have done nothing wrong. They should resign (or be made to) like others before them when they were a detriment to their party. I am ashamed with the goings-on of my party in the White House, Congress and Senate.

SHIRLEY B. FISCHER
Troy

source: http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=386568&category=LETTER&BCCode=&newsdate=8/6/2005

What's going on at/in/around Lake Brownwood ? A whole lot of CRAP ?

Thunderbird Bay residents say no progress made on water plant
By Celinda Emison / Reporter-News Staff Writer
February 11, 2005
Residents of four Lake Brownwood developments are waiting for improvements to their water system, but the system's owner says he is tapped out financially because of state requirements.
''There has been absolutely nothing done,'' said Malena Lindsey, president of the Thunderbird Bay Homeowners Association. ''Our water still trickles very slowly and we are starting to worry about the quality.''
In 2001, the Texas Water Development Board awarded a $1.2 million loan to rebuild the water plant that serves Thunderbird Bay, Harbor Point, Tamarak Mountain and Oak Point, all on the north end of Lake Brownwood.
source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3539671,00.html
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February 25, 2005
Kentucky Attorney General sues Texas developers
Four Texas individuals and six corporations were named in a lawsuit filed today that alleges violations of Kentucky's Consumer Protection Act during sales of resort property in Grayson and Breckinridge counties.

The complaint, filed by Kentucky Attorney General Gregory Stumbo, alleges the defendants sold residential building lots in the Green Farm Resort development while using false, misleading or deceptive practices, according to a news release. The complaint also alleges that the defendants failed to provide the promised amenities and infrastructure including road and utilities, failed to provide unencumbered title to the lots and misused required annual maintenance fees.
The complaint alleges misrepresentations regarding memberships in the Lafayette Golf Course, which is a 250-acre course in Falls of Rough near Rough River Dam State Resort Park.
The defendants named in the complaint include Samuel D. Ware, Patrick Ramsier, Charles E. Schram III, Thomas Hillsman, GF Resort LP, GF Resort GP Inc., American Resort Corp., Kentucky Investors LP, Lazarus Property Corp. and Green Farm Property Owners Association.
"The defendants have collected millions of dollars from these land sales," Stumbo said in the release. "Victims, many of whom invested all the money they had, are left with unusable lots, few or no roads and nearly worthless property."
The lawsuit seeks an injunction against further sales of lots without full and complete disclosures, restitution, civil penalties and the appointment of a receiver to assist with restitution efforts.
source: http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2005/02/21/daily43.html
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Who's connecting the Brownwood players with these dots ?

TXU, Reliant, Profits, Rates, Politics, Fraud, Fines, Publicity Stunts & The Poor ?

When I see this............
Saturday August 6, 2005
TXU donates $14,000 to Good Samaritan Ministries
By Rick Phelps
Brownwood Bulletin
In an effort to assist Good Samaritan Ministries with their energy assistance program, TXU Customer Advocacy Manager Richard Sorrell presented Good Samaritan with a $14,000 check as part of TXU's Energy Aid program.
Good Samaritan, which a TXU Energy Aid partner manages the program for Brown County residents, by helping low income families with their electricity bill.
"TXU Energy is a wonderful partner and we appreciate all they do," said Angelia Bostick, director of Good Samaritan Ministries. "This program helps us to help more people in Brown County."
Good Samaritan Ministries is a faith-based organization that assists families in need by providing food, discount clothing and limited financial assistance.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/06/news/news04.txt
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.........I think of this:

Here's a TXU Move !
" The move robbed many elderly shareholders of the dividend income that some rely on to meet their living expenses. TXU’s stock, which traded around $40 a share in the summer of 2002, sank to nearly $10. Without the dividend income, many elderly shareholders lost their life savings when they had to sell the stock at its bottomed-out price."

smell it here...

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Brownwood: Take a swig of rum as you pay your electric bill !

Enjoy yourself, you're paying for the party. You did get an invite I hope ! Wonder when Reliant Energy is going to come to Brownwood and give a check to help the poor ? How about some Bacardi give-a-ways too !

click here...

Republican on Republican: " He's a man of total inner hatred in both his heart and soul "

click here...

Hanks' hateful attitude sounds very similar to what I have witnessed in Brownwood coming from extremists in the local Republican party. I'm also not surprised that Hanks describes himself as a "minister" ! I'm in agreement with the Republican mayor in his assesment of Hanks being "a man of total inner hatred in both his heart and soul". I wonder when local Republicans will begin to challenge their own "hateful" Republicans ?

Brownwood " Banditos " ? 1989 to present ?

Note the ages of the people currently being arrested in Brown County. Many were children when this article was published in 1989. "Honest" dialogue is the only way to pull our community up. What have we, "The Brownwood Village", been doing for the last 16 years to improve the environment ?

click here...

Q: Who sent our men and women onto the battlefield with inadequate equipment ?

Friday August 5, 2005
Op Ed
Loss of Marine reservists hits hard

Brown County knows what it feels like to lose one of its own in the fighting in Iraq. It has been less than two months since Lance Cpl. Mario Castillo, a 2003 graduate of Brownwood High School, was killed in an explosion.
Now, multiply that sadness we felt here 20 times.
Fourteen U.S. Marine reservists were killed Wednesday while participating in a drive to seal Iraq's border with Syria. They died when their lightly-armored amphibious vehicle was hit by a powerful roadside bomb. All the casualties were from the same Ohio-based Marine reserve unit which had lost six other members earlier in the week when its sniper squad was ambushed.
All 20 dead were members of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment based in Brook Park, described as a blue-collar town near Cleveland's regional airport.
Wednesday's attack was the single deadliest so far in a war that has killed more than 1,800 American soldiers. For some, it revived questions about the wisdom and cost of the mission. But for even the strongest supporters of Iraqi involvement, it should resurrect strong concerns that our men and women are being sent onto the battlefield with inadequate equipment.
The personnel assigned to the 3rd Battalion in Ohio are not unlike Texas Army National Guardsmen with the 3rd Battalion, 112th Armor in Brownwood; its forces come from a larger geographic area. But the concentration of fatalities in this incident is sobering. Nine of the reservists killed Wednesday were from Lima Company, a 160-member unit based in Columbus. In May, four members of that same company died in a similar attack.
Because so much of the burden in Iraq is being borne by reserve and guard units, which train and fight together, the possibility of one community suffering multiple fatalities is increased. Preventing exposure to such tragedies may be difficult to achieve, but providing the best protection for our troops should not be.
The hearts of an entire nation go out to the families and friends of the Marines from this Ohio battalion, as well as to all others close to those whose names are being added to the casualty list. May these brave soldiers rest in peace, and may the military's mission be successfully completed soon.

Brownwood Bulletin
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/05/op_ed/editorial01.txt
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We die along with these kids'

Thursday, August 04, 2005
Connie Schultz
Plain Dealer Columnist
As Jeanette Schroeder rounded the corner of her front yard with the lawn mower, she spotted two Marines standing at her brother Paul Schroeder's front door Wednesday. Immediately, she knew.
"Oh, no!" she sobbed. "Oh, no! Oh, no!"
The two men looked at her, then stepped away from the door and started walking toward her.
She froze. Her hands released the safety bar on her mower. The street went silent.
As they walked closer, she almost told them, "You've got the wrong house." But she knew.
Fourteen members of Brook Park's 25th Regiment, 3rd Battalion Marines were killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
It was the same battalion that lost five Marines on Monday. It was the same battalion in which her nephew, Augie, served.
Jeanette just knew. She nodded when they asked if she knew the family next door in her Cleveland neighborhood.
"He's my brother," she said. "They probably didn't hear the doorbell."
She was sure her brother and his wife, Rosemary Palmer, were upstairs, hovering over their computer as they frantically searched the Internet for any news about the latest group of Marines who had been killed in Iraq.
Earlier that morning, Rosemary had given Jeanette a printout quoting skeletal news reports about the attack on Marines in Haditha. After reading it, Jeanette had a bad feeling. She prayed all the way to her doctor's appointment. She prayed on her drive to the grocery store, too, and all the way home.
Please, God, not Augie.Now, about 10:30 a.m., two Marines were standing in her yard, asking to speak to Augie's parents.
Aunt Nettie - that's what Augie always called her - offered to run into her house to call his parents.
"No," one of the Marines said gently. "We have to talk to them in person." Jeanette ran through Paul's back door and started to scream. "Paul! Paul! Get down here. Just get down here now!"
Paul and Rosemary saw the grim faces on the men at their door and they knew, too. They stood motionless as one of the Marines began to speak.
"We regret to inform you that Edward August Schroeder II . . ." And they knew.
Two weeks ago, Augie had called home from Iraq after spending 26 days in the field. They had not heard from him for five weeks, and their son's voice seemed to reflect a change in his convictions about this war.
"When he first arrived in Iraq in March, he was full of optimism about what his good intentions could accomplish," Paul said.
But Augie's enthusiasm eroded over time, and his father said he will never forget what his son told him.
"The closer we are to departure, the less 'worth it' this has become," Augie said. In a way, Paul was heartened by his son's words.
"When you first get there, you think everything's hunky-dory," he said. "But after four operations, the insurgents were still there. He didn't think they were having any effect. I heard him and thought, 'Well, the bloom is off the rose.' I was opposed to this war before it even started, and my son is a sharp kid." He caught himself.
"Was," he said, as he started to sob. "My son was a sharp kid. "Oh, Jesus."
Augie was 23 years old. He was six weeks from coming home.
While we don't yet have exact numbers, we now know that Ohio has lost about 80 soldiers and Marines to the Iraq war.
And there is no end in sight. That haunts Paul Schroeder.
In the first hours after he learned that his son was dead, Paul wrote a short statement.
"I hope people forgive me for what I have to say," he began. "I just don't care anymore."
He listed who he blamed for Augie's death. "I hold the Bush administration responsible, from the president through the secretaries of state and defense and all those who have had a hand in starting this war.
"I also hold every Democrat in Congress who voted to authorize this misadventure as accomplices."
His son, he wrote, "died doing his duty. So have some 1,800 other Americans.
"Augie did his duty at every turn, from being an emergency medical technician while still in high school, a lifeguard, a Boy Scout, an active church member, and, of course, as a Marine. For all this, we consider him a hero.
"To honor him, I no longer can sit still, just keeping quiet and being politically correct."
In her own way, Augie's mother also issued a statement. She made the call at 8:18 Wednesday morning, about two hours before she learned that Augie was dead.
Rosemary had sobbed the day Augie enlisted. She had begged him not to go to Iraq. On Wednesday, hers was the desperate plea of a mother trying to find out if her son was still alive.
She left this phone message for Plain Dealer reporter Brian Albrecht, who has steadfastly chronicled the war's impact here:
"This is Rosemary Palmer," she said. "I'm the mother of one of the many Marines who are deployed right now. My son is currently in Haditha and we just heard the news story this morning that 14 Marines in Haditha were killed.
"We are all obviously going nuts . . . I know you can't give out the names of people who haven't been notified, but if you have those names of the ones who have died, if you could let us know as soon as possible, I would really appreciate it - because we die along with these kids . . ."
Her voice broke. She recited her number. Then she hung up the phone.

To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:
cschultz@plaind.com, 216-999-5087

source: http://www.cleveland.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/living/112314795736070.xml&coll=2
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Ceremonies officially open Congressman Conaway's district office in Brownwood
By Steve Nash -- Brownwood Bulletin
U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway's congressional office opened at the Brownwood City Hall Wednesday morning following a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by several dozen public officials and constituents.
Brownwood Mayor Bert Massey said Conaway is the first congressman to open an office in Brownwood, and described the opening of the office as "a significant event in the life of this community."
Conaway, a Republican who is in his first term as representative of the 11th District, made brief remarks after a performance by the Brownwood High School band and a flag-raising ceremony by Pecan Valley Chapter of the Marine Corps League.
Conaway said he has been surprised at how fulfilling his job is as a congressman. "I'm at the center of a storm, and it's a big storm," he said.
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After cutting the ribbon to signify the opening of the office, Conaway huddled briefly with family members of Mario Castillo, the U.S. Marine from Brownwood who was killed in Iraq in June.
Conaway said later that he thanked family members for Mario Castillo's sacrifice.
He said the U.S. military is on the right track in Iraq and said the timetable for withdrawal is "event-driven." Events that must occur, he said, are the drafting of a constitution, referendum on the constitution and national elections.
"We'll be done when we're done... right now we're staying the course," he said. "We don't want to give any hint to the Iraqi people that we are faltering in our resolve."
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/04/news/news02.txt

Approval of Bush's Handling of Iraq Drops

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer Fri Aug 5, 6:05 AM ET
WASHINGTON - Americans' approval of President Bush's handling of Iraq is at its lowest level yet, according to an AP-Ipsos poll that also found fewer than half now think he's honest.
A solid majority still see Bush as a strong and likable leader, though the president's confidence is seen as arrogance by a growing number.
Approval of Bush's handling of Iraq, which had been hovering in the low- to mid-40s most of the year, dipped to 38 percent. Midwesterners and young women and men with a high school education or less were most likely to abandon Bush on his handling of Iraq in the last six months.
American troops have suffered heavy casualties in Iraq in recent days. On Wednesday, 14 Marines were killed in the Euphrates River valley in the worst roadside bombing targeting Americans since the war began in March 2003.
William Anderson, a retired Republican from Fort Worth, Texas, said Bush "has the right intentions, but he's going about them the wrong way."
source: http://www.rawstory.org/

Republican Talking Head Should've Screamed "Turd Blossom" Instead !

Novak flips out on CNN, screams "That's Bullshit!" and storms off the set
by John (temporarily) in Paris - 8/04/2005 06:36:00 PM

Oh my God. It's rather amazing. Novak just rips off his microphone and storms off the set. Jesus Christ that's unprofessional. And it's not like the exchange he was having with Carville was any big deal. Methinks RoveGate is hotter than we all realized.

source: www.americablog.org

Posted for Williamson's Brownwood Taliban

If you heard James Williamson's show today on KXYL 96.9FM (Brownwood Hate Radio), you'll understand the reason for this post. I believe "Underwood Speaks" applies to Brownwood Texas and in particular to James Williamson and his "students" !
I place special emphasis on Danny (Bangs) and Brownwood Bob.

well said...

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If you don't understand the " Taliban " part of this post, I suggest studying Republican Bill Ratliff's
( Former Texas Lt Governor ) comments regarding Religious Extremists in Texas and their tactics.

click here...

click here...

Brownwood "DittoHeads" Too ?

29 Charged in OxyContin Ring at School
Thursday August 4, 2005 8:01 PM
By CURT ANDERSON
Associated Press Writer

MIAMI (AP) - School bus drivers, attendants and other co-workers were charged by federal prosecutors Thursday with taking part in an illegal drug ring involving the powerful painkiller OxyContin.
According to the indictment, Miami-Dade school employees were among 29 people who used more than 100 forged or fraudulent prescriptions to obtain thousands of tablets of OxyContin from South Florida pharmacies.
No teachers were involved, and there was no evidence of drug sales to children, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said.
The school workers were recruited to use their health-insurance cards as part of the scheme, prosecutors said.
Of those charged in the grand jury indictment, five are Miami-Dade school bus drivers, 13 are school bus attendants and one is a former school bus driver now driving a city bus. Two school custodians, a cook and a cashier were also charged, along with a Miami doctor and five other people.
Miami-Dade school officials had no immediate comment on the 84-count indictment, which came days before classes begin Monday.
Those charged face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count of possession of OxyContin with intent to distribute, as well as additional prison time for fraud charges, prosecutors said.
OxyContin is legal if prescribed for treatment of severe chronic pain. But it has become an increasing problem on the black market because crushing the time-release tablets and snorting or injecting the powder yields an immediate, heroin-like high. Hundreds of deaths are blamed each year on overdoses.
source: guardian unlimited
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On the Net:
http://www.dadeschools.net
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say what...

"Pimps, Pornographers, Perverts, & Pedophiles": WWJK- What would James Kloak ?

What ? Indeed ! Here's some information that James is not giving you ( his loyal students ). Have you asked yourself " Why is that ? " ? I refer to his "un-original" style as : " Kloaking for Votes" ! James proclaims frequently to his "students" that he is very well read. If he is so very well read how does all this "darkness" in the Republican Party slip by his pointy finger ? Is someone ( Jeff Gannon ? ) messing with his " stack of stuff " at the KXYL Studios ? For over 10 years, on the airwaves of Central Texas, James has tried desperately to convince his "students" that the " Pimps, Pornographers, Perverts, & Pedophiles " are Democrats and vote Democratic. It's obvious to me that James is simply kloaking for the Republican Party because he puts the Republican Party over principles and morals by avoiding these stories when they involve Republicans. And to think some of his "students" are afraid to challenge him because they think he is a " prophet "! Ask Roy (from Deleon) about that one ! Follow the link below to the articles mentioned above. Carefully watch/listen for the details as you tune in to James' show broadcasting from Brownwood Texas on Watts Communications - News and Views-KXYL 96.9 FM (5pm to 6pm). I find it very interesting to listen and watch ( see "pointy finger" photo below ) the Moralist's who are holding "God's Word" (Bible,Koran,etc.) , pointing a finger at someone else and proclaiming that they are "shining light into someone else's darkness" ! Some must actually believe that "darkness" is a partisan issue ! Sound familiar ?

here ya go...

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bible & pointy finger...

Brownwood: Your Electric Bill Dollars At Work !

TXU may request another price hike for electric service

By Staff and wire reporters
August 4, 2005

DALLAS - TXU Corp., which reaped $375 million in profit during the second quarter and is heading into its most profitable time of the year, may ask customers for a second rate increase this year due to rising natural gas prices.
Twelve Big Country counties could see an increase in rates if the electric provider makes the request.
Chairman and Chief Executive John Wilder mentioned the possibility of higher electricity rates in a conference call with analysts on Tuesday.
The state Public Utility Commission granted TXU a 10 percent rate increase in May, but officials at Dallas-based TXU said the continuing rise in natural gas prices has made their retail electricity business unprofitable.
source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3976748,00.html
------------------------
Hard Line: How a Texas Power Company Got Tough With Consumers: Deregulated, TXU Enforces New Deadlines and Fees

By Rebecca Smith--Staff Reporter of the Wall Street Journal -3-22-2005

DALLAS -- Last summer, Donald Lucas found a technician from electricity provider TXU Corp. in his suburban yard. "I'm here to shut off your power," the man said. That was a surprise to Mr. Lucas, who didn't know he was a TXU customer. Moments later, the lights went off.
Mr. Lucas soon learned his former power company had dropped him because he failed to make a payment on time. As the provider with backup duty in Dallas, TXU was obliged to pick him up. But Mr. Lucas says he never received notice about the missed payment or transfer. To reconnect him, TXU now demanded $545 -- more than three times his average monthly bill. This included $164.99 that was past due for electricity, a $270 deposit, $8 disconnect fee, $89 reconnect fee, $5.29 transfer fee, $3.38 "base customer" fee, and taxes.
Mr. Lucas paid TXU the full amount, and a week later received the company's welcome packet. "That's cold," he says.
The quick disconnect and expensive reconnect are emblematic of how TXU, the largest power company in Texas, is aggressively responding to a deregulated energy market. The company confirms much of Mr. Lucas's account but says it sent him timely notice of the transfer and a warning that he was about to lose power.
source:

connect the watts...

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TXU, Shotguns and Republicans:

bang...

----------------
Follow the Money:

money talks...

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who's shocked...

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The statistics you won't hear on Brownwood's Hate Radio !

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look something like the following.

There would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans

52 would be female
48 would be male

70 would be non-white
30 would be white

70 would be non-Christian
30 would be Christian

89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual

6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth and all 6 would be from the United States.

80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read

50 would suffer from malnutrition
1 would be near death
1 would be near birth

1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer

source: http://courses.cs.vt.edu/professionalism/Discrimination/Diversity.Village.html

As it relates to Brownwood Hate Radio.......

and their mantra that all Muslims are terrorists and out to destroy our way of life ! Here's a letter to the Editor found in todays Dallas Morning News that I believe speaks to the issue of Brownwood's Hate Radio. I guess it must be tough for Religious Extremists of any persuasion to recognize in themselves what they hate in their enemies !

Eisner: tolerant voice ...

Re: "What's Islam?" by Jane Eisner, Monday Viewpoints.
Ms. Eisner takes a look at our intolerance and our lack of knowledge of Islam. I tune in to KLIF and K-SKY, and the bigotry against Muslims is just astounding.
If any other ethnic or religious group (Jews, blacks, Hispanics, Catholics, Baptists, etc.) were denigrated like that on the radio, the station's license would be pulled.
True enough, we had a 9-11, but what about "their" 9-11 caused by our bombing Iraq and the deaths of thousands of "their" civilians?
By the way, I am not only a Christian, but I have gone to church every Sunday of my life. I don't think killing innocent civilians is part of any religion whether it be Muslim fundamentalism, Zionism or Christian fundamentalism! What kind of world are we passing down to future generations in the name of jihad ?

Meg Hillert, Dallas

source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/letters/stories/080305dnediletters.12194c5f.html

Steroids: Triple Play or Speaking with Forked Tongues ?

Triple Play: Having it both ways on steroid scandal
12:05 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 3, 2005
Maybe you can have it both ways. That may well be the lesson kids take away from watching the sad saga of Rafael Palmeiro's failed steroid test unfold.

The player
It's troubling to see someone you look up to humble himself and admit to personal failure. Mr. Palmeiro said, "I made a mistake, and I'm facing it. I hope that people learn from my mistake and that the fans can forgive me." But in the same breath as this "apology," Mr. Palmeiro repeated the denial he delivered in sworn testimony to Congress, saying he never, ever, ever intentionally took steroids, period, end of story, amen. And yet, he admits, he has "no specific answer" as to how steroids ended up in his body.
So, to clarify, he didn't do anything wrong, but he is sorry for what he did.
Got that, kids?

The president
In his State of the Union address last year, President Bush urged professional sports "to send the right signal, to get tough and to get rid of steroids now." He used the presidency to persuade Major League Baseball to increase testing and penalties for players. Now his reaction suggests that evidence doesn't matter as much as his friend's words: "He's testified in public, and I believe him." Maybe baseball will revise its policy and just ask players whether they have steroids running through their veins.
To clarify, more testing is needed to hold people accountable, but a friend's word trumps all.
Got that, kids?

The promoters
The New York Times reports that Major League Baseball officials knew about the failed drug test before shining a bright spotlight on Mr. Palmeiro's 3,000th hit last month.
So, to clarify, the message for aspiring young athletes seems simple:
"Don't take steroids. But if you do, we'll still cheer you when you reach new heights."
Class dismissed.

source: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/080305dnediraffy.12199ba8.html

Chicken Salad Recipes: * Hoot_baker and Jeff Gannon !

* Hoot_baker @ www.cityofbrownwood.com. You just gotta see Hoot's posts to follow the story. Hoot seems to have a fixation on us ( he brings us up in many of his posts - but then erases them ! Sounds like COB's John Ivy aka The Tech or whatever else name he chooses to hide behind ! What's up with that Hoot / John ? Since he has commented on our chicken salad which includes juicy red grapes we make these recipes available to hoot. These creative recipes may drive hoot crazy ! He may even get confused as to which "stage name" he is posting as ! Wonder what kind of Chicken Salad Jeff Gannon likes to eat ? Let's ask Hoot_baker or other COB im-posters since he/they seem to share similar fixations !

did John Ivy send you over here?...

delicious chicken salad recipes w/grapes...

and here's to the im-posters...

-----------------
Some History of hoot ( more to be posted later )

wake up Brownwood...

------------

for real ?...

-----------
Q: Does hoot use electricity ?

Shocking...

-------------
Thank you hoot, or John Ivy, or whoever at COB for sending folks over ! Hey John, have you found out who started the Fraudulant Threads ? Just checking in with you !

Pink poo is Poo-thetic !

Posted on Sun, Jul. 24, 2005
THE INSIDER

Note to senators: Smell your mail before opening
By Jack Douglas Jr., Maria Recio and John Moritz
Star-Telegram Staff Writers
As if things in the Texas Legislature are not in enough of a stink, a Dallas gay-activist group said last week that it plans to begin mailing cow manure to senators who favor a ban on same-sex marriages.
The group, on its new Web site, said it has "begun shipping pink-painted cattle excrement" to 20 lawmakers. Republican Sens. Kim Brimer of Fort Worth, Jane Nelson of Lewisville and Chris Harris of Arlington are on the "send poo" mailing list.
If the group's not careful, it could step into a real mess, including fines and a stay in federal prison, said Amanda McMurrey, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in Fort Worth.
"Excrement, regardless of origin, is mailable only under certain conditions," McMurrey said. Those conditions, she noted, do not include a coat of pink paint.

source: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/12211885.htm

Congressman Conaway and Jacob Hounshell

Conaway eager to hear public's comments during office opening
By Gene Deason -- Brownwood Bulletin
Congressman Mike Conaway will be in Brownwood Wednesday morning to formally open his Brownwood district office and discuss his positions on national issues, but he hopes to spend most of his time here listening to his constituents.
"We hope to have a great turnout," Conaway said in a telephone interview Monday. "I'll review some of the accomplishments of my first seven months in Congress, and for the House of Representatives this has been an incredibly active legislative session. But mostly I hope to listen. If someone disagrees with me, I want them to tell me that. But maybe I can offer some details that might not have occurred to them."
The grand opening of the Brownwood office, located inside Brownwood City Hall, will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday. Refreshments will be served at the come-and-go reception, but a flag-raising ceremony and ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. hosted by the City of Brownwood and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2005/08/02/news/news02.txt
-----------
I would ask Congressman (R) Mike Conaway if he is aware of Brown Counties Jacob Hounshell. I contacted his office and have not heard back from him. I would ask Congressman Conaway and his staff to google Jacob Hounshell to read of the cases of what many returning American soldiers are facing.

On The Streets of Brownwood.......

Forgery probe leads to recovery of bonds
By Celinda Emison / Reporter-News Staff Writer
August 2, 2005

BROWNWOOD - Brownwood police got an unexpected surprise during an arrest of a woman under investigation for forgery - almost $55,000 in stolen savings bonds.
During a press conference Monday, Sgt. Dennis Weather-mon said Jessica Mae Smyrl, 27, of Brownwood, was a suspect in numerous forgeries of stolen checks. She was arrested Thursday after police spotted her driving on U.S. Highway 377.
Police Chief Virgil Cowin said officers who searched Smyrl's vehicle found almost $55,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds. They had reportedly been taken during a burglary of a residence in south Brownwood. The owner of the bonds, whose name was withheld, was out of town and did not know they were missing from a safe in his home until police contacted him.
''This was the man's life savings,'' Weathermon said.
Weathermon said the bonds will be returned to the owner after they are copied and logged.
''He said he's going to put them in the bank this time,'' Weathermon said.
Also during the search of Smyrl's car, police found meth-amphetamine, Weathermon said.
Smyrl was charged with two counts of forgery, burglary of a habitation and manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. She was in custody until Sunday on bonds totaling $95,000, but was released on a personal recognizance bond.
Angela Phillips, 28, a passenger in the car, was also arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, forgery and burglary and remains in custody at the Brown County Jail on bonds totaling $110,000.
Police also searched a hotel room where Smyrl had been staying and found numerous checks that were reported stolen.
source: http://www.reporter-news.com/abil/nw_local/article/0,1874,ABIL_7959_3971096,00.html

Brownwood 911: James Williamson and the ACLU

I'd be surprised if an AMBULANCE was not summoned to the studios of Watts Communications yesterday afternoon (to assist James with any medical needs he may have been encountering) after hearing one of his guests ( a Howard Payne Professor ) speak positively about the ACLU (and some of their cases) and even admitted to having friends who work for the ACLU ! With James' continious diatribe against the ACLU and deep hatred, I was shocked this viewpoint coming over the airwaves of James' Show. Has James ever acknowledged over the KXYL airwaves the cases that he agrees with the ACLU on ?

One day after Anniversary of Delta Crash at DFW

Plane Skids Off Runway in Toronto, Burns
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 2, 2005; 5:06 PM

TORONTO -- A passenger jetliner erupted in flames Tuesday after skidding off a runway while landing in a fierce thunderstorm at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Black smoke billowed into the air as the wreck burned.
Police said the plane was an Air France A340 from Paris that was trying to land when it ran into trouble. There was a storm _ with lightning and strong wind gusts _ in the area at the time.
Smoke billows from a passenger jetliner that caught fire Tuesday Aug. 2, 2005 after skidding off a runway in the rain at Pearson airport in Toronto in this image from television.(AP Photo/Ministry of Transportation) (AP)
A row of emergency vehicles lined up behind the wreck, and a fire truck sprayed the flames with water. The operation was broadcast live on television in Canada and the United States.
The flaming ruin was next to the four-lane Highway 401, Canada's busiest highway, and some cars and trucks stopped on the roadway after the crash.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
"They made an approach in weather that was worse than what they anticipated," John Wiley, a retired Airbus pilot, told CNN.
Leah Walker, a radio reporter in Toronto, said she saw a third of the plane fall and that the rest became a fireball. "This plane attempted to land in some very fierce weather we had today," she said.
Thunderstorms create the possibility of wind shear, the sudden, dangerous air currents that can dash an airplane to the ground as it takes off or lands.
The last major jumbo jet crash in North America was on Nov. 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 lost part of its tail and plummeted into a New York City neighborhood, killing 265 people. Safety investigators concluded that the crash was caused by the pilot moving the rudder too aggressively.
source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/02/AR2005080201333.html
-----------------------
listen to the local coverage (talk radio) @

listen here...

-----------------
aerial view of airport

find more here...

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2 August 1985; Delta Air Lines L1011-1; Dallas, TX: The aircraft crashed shortly before landing after encountering a wind shear from a passing thunderstorm. Eight of the 11 crew members and 128 of the 152 passengers were killed. One person in a passing car was also killed.

Lake Brownwood: Follow the "smelly" trail (money?) !

I don't know of anyone who was surprised to hear Travis Grimes ( Manager/Owner? of Lakehaven Marina on Lake Brownwood ) on Brownwood Talk Radio ( Watts Communication-KXYL 96.9FM ) this morning. Is one of the Lakehaven Partners related to KXYL Owner Phil Watts ? If so, it would make *sense for them to use their FCC regulated , mics, transmitter & public airwaves to make their case to the public ( Circling the Wagons ? ). To me, this mornings show sounded like one of those cheap late night infomercials ! Travis, I believe, did a very good job of painting himself as the " victim " in this " smelly " situation ! I found it interesting that he blamed some of the problems on children ! I did also notice that Travis repeated " Let me be perfectly honest " many times on this mornings show ( could just be a habit ! ). From what Travis said on this mornings show, Brown County Judge Ray West intervened ( via phone call ) at the Jail Facilities on Mr Grimes behalf. What does that mean ? The truth will probably be found somewhere in the middle of what is being reported in the media, what is being said by officials and what is being said by Mr Grimes and his partners. Maybe Reporter Jeff Gannon, KXYL's talking head James Williamson and Brownwood Bulletin Investigative Reporter Steve Nash, working together, can " uncover " the truth ? Or at least the truth from their perspective ! Note: It was also good to hear Hyphenated American's? voice from cityofbrownwood.com website attack the cityofbrownwood.com "snakepit" on the airwaves of KXYL and defend James Williamson ! Interesting to hear Hyph? speak of libel and slander (encouraging Travis Grimes to check out cityofbrownwood.com) after the remarks he posted on cityofbrownwood.com regarding our restaurant (they are documented!). Maybe Hyph should speak to Eddie Gomez regarding rumor mongers and Restaurants and libel issues ! Nice to put a voice to the posts Hyph, hoot !
-----------
* Making sense - Former KXYL Star Connie Carmichael always told her students to follow the money !
--------------------
Who is Republican Reporter Jeff Gannon ?

find more here...

-----------
Follow the "smelly" trail here

find more here...

Historic Downtown Brownwood

BlogThis!
Steve's Soapbox
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Brownwood History & Feels Like Home

BROWNWOOD TEXAS
Tuesday May 30, 2000
Old building spurs new controversy; Brownwood's plans for post office stalled
By Bill Hanna
Fort worth Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Don't ask Brownwood Mayor Bert Massey about the importance of historic
preservation. Given his choice of saving the 50-plus-year-old Montgomery Ward building or tearing it down for a new downtown post office, Massey wouldn't think twice.
"We don't care whether the building is saved or not,” the mayor said. "If they can't make the building part of the post office's plans, the building ought to come down, in our opinion."
But this month, the Postal Service backed off using the site and has begun looking for another downtown location.
That move has set off a war of words in this city of 20,000, about 120 miles
southwest of Fort Worth. Even Gordon Wood, Brownwood's legendary retired high school football coach, ventured into the fray, criticizing two locals who opposed demolition, as well as Larry Oaks, the executive director of the TexasHistorical Commission, for sticking his nose into Brownwood's business.
"It is ludicrous to me to believe that one man, single- handedly could stop the
construction of a beautiful new post office," Wood said in a letter to the editor in
the `Brownwood Bulletin' newspaper.
"... Mr. Oaks is a political appointee who came here from Pennsylvania to head
the [commission]," said the former coach, who led the Brownwood High Lions to seven state titles. "How could he possibly make such a unilateral decision?"
Oaks, who toured the 3- story, glazed terra cotta Montgomery Ward building
Wednesday with Massey, said he has been to Brownwood several times and calls the attacks a misunderstanding.
"Because the post office spent a year going into this scenario of tearing
everything down without mentioning anything to us, we're at a tremendous
disadvantage," Oaks said in an interview from Austin. "That's all people in town
have heard."
Oaks contends that Postal Service officials reneged on a promise in March to
conduct a feasibility study on using the site. Moreover, he said it did not follow
the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, which instructs agencies to "avoid
sites with historic buildings or to plan on their reuse."
McKinney Boyd, a Postal Service spokesman, disputes Oaks' assertions.
The Postal Service followed the law, informed the historical commission about the site early in the project and has conducted a feasibility study, Boyd said.
Because of some local opposition to converting the site, the Postal Service is
looking at other downtown sites, which could take 90 to 120 days, Boyd said.
Oaks called the Montgomery Ward structure "one of the finer buildings
in Brownwood" and said it is eligible for the National Register because it is
more than 50 years old, has a nice architectural design and contributes to the streetscape.
It has "exceptional decorative treatment" on the front, including elaborate
cornices, fruit-and-flower-filled urns on the roofline and a third-floor depiction of
a goddess holding a laurel wreath.
"The pattern was used around the country," Oaks said, adding, "There are not a
lot of them left."
Steve Harris, who co-owns a restaurant across the street from the old building,
has been castigated by local leaders for espousing historic preservation. Harris
said he filed a police report after receiving what he perceived as a threat. And
some angry residents have promised to boycott his eatery, Steve's Market and
Deli, he said.
"I think the attitude of city leaders is: `Do not say anything. If you do, we will boycott you and we will run you out of town,' " said Harris, 39.
"But I think the majority of the community is willing to look at other locations to
save the building. We just don't have the leadership that has the mentality to
preserve things."
Groner Pitts, a retired undertaker famous for his pranks and known as "Mr.
Brownwood" because of his civic involvement, asserted that "99.9 percent" of
residents would like to see the Montgomery Ward building torn down.
"How silly can those Historical Commission folks get?" asked Pitts, 75. "They're just wasting the taxpayers' money. We're going to get it torn down. It may take a little longer, but we will."
Regardless of what happens on the post office issue, Oaks said Brownwood
has a tremendous opportunity to save its historic downtown structures.
"What comes to mind is downtown Galveston, Oaks said. "I would venture to say there are 80 to 85 buildings from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
We certainly don't want to be spoilers; these buildings are ripe for a rebirth."
Massey said Brownwood doesn't have anyone like Fort Worth's wealthy Bass
brothers or an economic base like some other cities to rehabilitate all of its old
buildings.
"The Montgomery Ward's building has an interesting facade, a lot of pine floors
and pressed-tin ceilings," Massey said. "It could be preserved; it would be nice,
but there's not a whole lot of demand for it in Brownwood, Texas."
The mayor said he doesn't oppose historic preservation in principle.
"We're not going to turn Brownwood into Granbury," Massey said. "We're not going to turn Brownwood into Fredericksburg. We're going to do what's appropriate for here."
------------------------------------------
AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Day Trips
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD

July 7, 2000: The old Montgomery Wards building in Brownwood is
about as unlikely a center of controversy as any building could be. Not particularly
attractive or historically significant, it symbolizes the consequences of unchecked
urban renewal that is changing the look and feel of small towns around the state.
At issue is the U.S. Postal Service's consideration of expanding their offices across
the street into the block that includes the building and several other remnants of a
once-thriving business district. "Nobody ever drove a hundred miles to see a new
post office," says Steve Harris, a local restaurateur and champion for the
50-plus-year-old building.

Unfortunately, it has been a number of years since anyone drove very far to visit
downtown Brownwood. Encompassing an area about five blocks wide and 10
blocks long, what was once the central business district is now filled with empty
buildings that greatly outnumber the ones that attract clientele. Most of the
businesses have moved to the strip malls along Highway 67.

It wasn't always so.

Brownwood has seen its share of booms since it was founded in 1858 as the county
seat. The town became the largest cotton-buying center west of Fort Worth in 1920.
During the oil boom of the 1920s it was an industrial center. The population swelled
to more than 50,000 during World War II. By 1950, the population had dropped to
20,000. Current estimates put the number of citizens around 17,000 and declining.

With a collection of architecture that spans more than 140 years, the city could
capitalize on this wealth instead of letting it be destroyed. Towering above the
eclectic collection of buildings is the once-grand Brownwood Hotel, an
early-20th-century luxury hotel that now stands vacant.

The owner of the old hotel, Virginia businessman and former Brownwood resident
Mitchell Phelps, was recently fined more than $13,000 after the 11-story building
was cited for numerous safety violations. Phelps is also the owner of 60% of the
block that includes the Montgomery Wards building.

A war of words began to heat up when the State Historical Commission's executive
director, Larry Oaks, came to town and took the position that the building should be
saved. This angered the mayor, half the citizens, and even Gordon Wood,
Brownwood's legendary high school football coach who wrote an angry letter to the
Brownwood Bulletin newspaper about outsiders sticking their noses in the town's
business.

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Oaks called the building "one of the
finer buildings in Brownwood." The three-story structure has a faux block exterior
capped by an ornate roof line with decorative urns filled with cement flowers and
fruit. Still structurally sound, inside the floors are thick pine with pressed tin
ceilings. Probably the most impressive part of the building is a depiction of a
goddess holding a torch and standing on top of a globe on the front façade. "The
pattern was used around the country," Oaks told the Star-Telegram. "There are not
a lot of them left."

Harris, whose restaurant is around the corner from the buildings on Center Street,
worries that the destruction will continue. "We've already lost 20 buildings in the
downtown area," he says, "Where will it stop?" For his troubles, Harris has
received a death threat and a boycott of his business. He says he's lost a few
customers and gained a few new ones because of the controversy.

Celinda Emison, who has covered the story for the Bulletin, says the town is split
about 50-50 on saving the old store fronts. "The amazing thing is that it seems to be
the young people and the newer residents who are in favor of saving the buildings,"
she says.

"We're not going to turn Brownwood into another Fredericksburg," the mayor, Burt
Massey, was quoted as saying. This is the same man who, after more than 20 years
on the council, concluded a letter to Harris saying, "For many years the council and
I have wanted to look at the future of our city, but have been unable to find the time
to do so."

In the meantime, the Postal Service has backed away from the Montgomery Wards
building because of the controversy. Not surprisingly, they're not divulging what
other sites they're considering.

"It's all small-town politics," Harris says with an exasperated sigh. While the
decision on the location for the new post office should be made locally, the rest of us
can let the town know what we consider to be acceptable behavior. Once historic
neighborhoods are demolished, they're lost forever and all Texans are the poorer for
the loss.

Steve's Market and Deli is at 110 E. Chandler off of Center Avenue in a red brick
building that once housed a family grocery store. Texas Monthly recognized the
cafe as one of the best small-town eateries in the state in the March 1999 issue.
They serve a nice mix of salads and sandwiches Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-3pm.
A special dinner is served Friday 7pm-9pm by reservation, 915/646-5576.

While it is not a Fredericksburg, Brownwood does have a few interesting sites. The
Brown County Museum across the street from the county courthouse opens on
Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in the old castlelike jail and has a neat
collection of historical items.

The town is also home of Howard Payne University and the Douglas MacArthur
Academy of Freedom at Austin Avenue and Coggin Street, with its unique collection
of MacArthur personal souvenirs and historical items. To enjoy the outdoors, visit
Lake Brownwood State Park northwest of town. For area information, stop by the
chamber of commerce in the beautifully renovated railroad depot at 600 Depot St.,
915/646-9535 or www.brownwoodchamber.org.

They should've been forced to resign........

..............and should have never been included in the planning or running of the festival.

click here...

Posted For COB Rumormongers

For COB Rumormongers
Originally uploaded by photosteve.

Response to COB attacks........

NEWSFLASH:
We, and our Deli, have recently come under very intense hate-filled assaults from posters ( im-posters ) at www.cityofbrownwood.com . Those involved in this FRAUD, in some capacity include JOHN IVY ( Aka The Tech or whoever he decides to post as at the moment ! ), his family ( immediate & extended ?) & LANDMARK LIFE of Brownwood and others yet to be identified (hoot_baker, hyphenated american, etc. @ COB). The attacks ( see terrorism as you follow links ) have included FOOD POISONING rumors targeting our Deli ( as well as Underwoods and Skillets ) and other personal attacks that include venemous gay bashing

history of hate...

. NEWSFLASH: Their has been a flurry of activity today ( Aug.21,2005 ) at the COB website that includes an apparent massive purge ( The Nuclear Option ? ) of their previous posts and new and improved site rules ( Looks Like Ivy, aka The Tech or whoever he decides to post as, may already be breaking them ! ). If you are an "outside" Reporter, interested in Tracking Down Domestic Terrorists in Brownwood, please feel free to contact us at www.info@stevesmarketanddeli.com .
For background information please read this

go here...

Our Experience with the John Ivy Administered COB (www.cityofbrownwood.com) website:
1 ) Someone assumed my name to post a diatribe against KXYL on COB site (November 18 2004 : 07:45:34) . I have never posted at the COB website. We have our own website ( you know if you’re reading this ) and blog which we use to express our opinions and post news stories w/links. We do not have to hide behind an alias ! I was informed by John Ivy that the same computer was used to make a post inviting people to listen to KXYL Talk Radio. This was our first smell of COB ! This tactic smelled like the tactic of KXYL since they use employees to call in in disguise ( often not very good ! ) to stir the pot ! It’s highly possible, if not probable, that an internal COB anomyous poster (ie: Hoot_baker or Hyphenated American, etc.) would be used to stir the pot for COB. Maybe John Ivy will re-display the KTAB report of the fraud going on at the COB website that I spoke to in my interview ! The only issue I spoke to with KTAB reporter Taylor Hemness was the fraud issues at COB. By the way, my name was not the only name to be used frauduantly at COB. A very prominent Brownwood Doctor also had his name used frauduantly on John Ivy's website during this same period. How does that happen John ?

Note: When we began investigating the COB website for ownership ( * their deception made it very difficult ! we tried the phone # (no luck), we searched the phone book for the name registered ( no luck ), and we could not find a 411 here st in Brownwood ( does anyone know where 411 here street is ? ) ! and after sending emails to the listed addresses on the COB site we began a computer trace ! ) Since the website involved the City of Brownwood name we went to Brownwood City Attorney, Pat Chesser, to speak with him about the issue. My problem was not with the name of the site (that was Mary's) but with the fradulant posts ( ID Theft which John Ivy allowed ! ) being made in my name. With the help of friends we were able to trace the computer that was being used to administer the COB site. The computer trace was tracked to a computer at Landmark Life (see below). At our request, Pat Cheser, called Landmark Life and asked Tom Munson if the Computer used to adm. COB was indeed a Landmark Life Computer. Tom Munson asked Pat Chessier how we traced it back to them ! We found that odd !
*
Domain Name: CITYOFBROWNWOOD.COM
Reseller..............: PlanetDomain
Created on............: 15 Jun 2002 00:00:00 EST
Expires on............: 14 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST
Record last updated on: 15 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EST
Status................: ACTIVE
Owner, Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact:
Concerned Citizens
cheri umowski (ID00027811)
411 here st
brownwood, TX 76801
United States
Phone: +325.4510591
Email: brownwoodsite@cityofbrownwood.com

OrgName: LANDMARK LIFE INSURANCE
OrgID: LLI-10
Address: 5750 S COUNTY ROAD 225
City: BROWNWOOD
StateProv: TX
PostalCode: 76801
Country: US
Comment:
RegDate: 2003-04-19
Updated: 2003-04-19
AdminHandle: JIV2-ARIN
AdminName: Ivy, John
AdminPhone: +1-915-646-6579
AdminEmail: john@landmarklife.com
TechHandle: JIV2-ARIN
TechName: Ivy, John
TechPhone: +1-915-646-6579
TechEmail: john@landmarklife.com
# ARIN WHOIS database, last updated 2004-11-30 19:10
# Enter ? for additional hints on searching ARIN's WHOIS database.
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2 ) It’s been very apparent that we have been the target of anomyous ( internally or externally ? ) posters at COB on a regular basis. Below is a recent example of a COB poster noticing the same tactic being employed:
baffled and bewildered
Newbie
20 Posts
Posted - August 10 2005 :  11:30:19
I realize that I am relatively new to this site; however, I did notice, right away, all the Steves' Market and Deli bashing.  From people starting food poisoning rumors, to people complaining about the chicken salad with the ''alleged" raisins.   As for the blog... I don't see anything wrong with it.  Steve takes complete responsibily for what is on it.  As far as I can tell, nothing is falsified.  As for opinions, that is what they are - opinions.  I would assume that Steve takes responsibility for what he says, since he puts his name on his comments.  So, here's a thought for you, Hoot.  If you do not like being quoted, using your fictional persona, perhaps you should tell Steve so.  Of course, in order to do that, you would have to come out from behind your big boobs.
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3) Regarding the post that was made regarding our Deli. The original post stated “ Food poisening at Steve’s Deli “. It was then changed to read “ Posible Food Poisening at Steve’s Deli ”. The post and thread was allowed to remain and be discussed. Danomyte ( a Watts Communication employee ?) made a post implicating Underwoods and Skillets as being “probable” purveyors of food Poisening. The thread was pulled later in the day as it now involved two very prominent families in Brownwood ! Did this thread get out of control ? Below are the posts that we captured from COB regarding this attack against our Deli. A note of thanks to several of the posters at COB who saw through the BS ! Did the Underwoods or Howeys make contact with John Ivy ( COB Administrator ) ? We consider these attacks to be much more than someone complaining about our food, our salads, or our grapes ( as was implied by a few of the COB im-posters ) !

Here's the posts that were made at COB that we referred to in the above writing:

Hyphenated-American
Junior Member
54 Posts
Posted?-?July 28 2005?:? 09:26:04

Did anybody else hear about 2 or 3 people getting food poisoning at Steve's last week? I heard about it at work. I wonder if the health dept. ever inspects this place.
------------------------
Danomyte
VIP Member
362 Posts
Posted?-?July 28 2005?:? 10:23:58

Like Food Poisening?wouldn't stop me?from eating somewhere. I've probably had food poisening from Underwoods, Skillets, several times...but I'm still gonna get my BBQ ribs and hot rolls and cobbler...and I'm still gonna have that late night Skillets run.?
And having some ties to the News Media, I have yet heard any official reports of Food Poisening anywhere...if I hear anything...it will be in the news.

"Valhalla waits for those who dare to dream." Mathom
-------------------------
Here's John Ivy's Post

admin
777 posts
Posted?-?July 28 2005?:? 11:51:28

I have gone to several resteraunts and either left fealing ill or soon after leaving, usually this because of my own fault by overeating. LOL
Uless it can be sttrbuted to one particular item of food or Day in question where all the patrons got severly ill I would not suspect food poisoning. Now if you said Skillets I would be more inclined to believe it.

"Do Not Feed The Bears"
------------
As it relates to the Terrorists at the COB Website:

" Experts also worry that terrorists might try to spread false rumors about unsafe foods via the mass media or the Internet."
source: http://cfrterrorism.org/security/agriculture_print.html

" They had no apologies for telling lies, spreading false rumors and immorally tricking their less well financed opponents. "

source: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=spreading+false+rumors+about+restaurant+food+poisoning&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
------------
....and according to posts at COB, John Ivy has a problem with our cut and paste ( like above ). I would link the source for you like I normally do in my other posts, but Ivy has employed a Nuclear round of deleteing threads and posts over at COB where the above comments were made ! Is massive dumping of threads and posts equivilant to massive shredding of documents ?
----

in the light...

----
Now, Here's how we speak about other hard working folks and their restaurants. Notice the difference ?

our words...

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4) It’s been obvious that we have been the target of numerous anomyous posters at COB. It’s also obvious that COB has major issues of fraud and allowing Pornography to be posted for display to the entire community ( What kind of *"Concerned Citizens" are they ? *see their registry above. How do you allow Porn to be posted to a site that you “control” ? The same way that Brownwood Hate Radio allows anything to be said on the air ( no time delay switch ! ). It’s called unaccountability by the owner(s) ! Note that it is John Ivy who has been the one to implicate Howard Payne University in the Porn equation !

Below is the post made by COB ADM JOHN IVY regarding Hoot_baker:

RESPONSE TO SLANDER BY HOOT @ CITYOFBROWNWOOD.8M.COM
Final Word!
In response to Hoot_Bakers assault on me and on the users of this site, I will validate the statement that it was Hoot_Baker later in the Post. I will not respond to further baiting and jabs by HOOT after this.

First Off I have not posted on his site, Either as Guest or Registered User, Pull your damn logs and check for yourself Hoot. If any COB User has then I will appologize for them and ask them not to do it again. Hoot you have posted much worse than the Pic I saw on your site, Can we talk about the Post you made from Howard Payne University at say, around 1:00am in the morning while the University is on Break. Must be or have been nice to work nights and have access to the University Network. I don't know if they still have night personell during the semester or not.

COPY FROM HIS SITE!
NOTICE: The admin of that site DOES read your private messages. I proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I sent 2 PMs to 2 different people and the next day, they were used in the admin's public assault on this site. You might want to keep that in mind when he goes on record saying he DOESN'T do it.

Today After noticing someone started playing the name game with what could be construde as Steve Harris's Identity, I emailed Steve and let him know what has transpired and who was doing what, I alerted him to the other site's existence. I also let him know that upon removing One user and soon to be the other, I archived their PM's just in case JTF wanted to get into the legal battles he threatend us with so many times. Upon doing so The system flagged an Anti-Gay message and a link to a doctored Photo sent From Hoot to JTF. Though it was not criminal in nature and not a threat upon any one persons life I went ahead and gave the link to Steve as it portratited him and his business. I never said going to there site will give you a virus, I merely advised of lots of possibilities and security precautions by going to a site that has no accountability and no system to deal with such threats. The big boys Yahoo and MSN will provide you with the same warnings if you bother to read the disclaimers they have. Yes Hoot even they have systems to try and protect the users but they are not 100% perfect. NO ACCOUNTABILITY = NO SECURITY.

Last night, the admin made a distateful public post on this site's forum spoofing Steve Harris's name HIMSELF. The post is still there to see.

PLEASE!, Put up or ShutUP Hoot, Last night I did what, LAst night I played enemy territory for 4 hours straight and yes I can prove that as I play on a TWL CLAN LEAGUE SERVER(tracks player stats and tournament positions). As with the Steve Posts made On this site I could track them back to the Entity they came from. In fact the night the steve posts were made here so where 3 other from the same IP, with 3 different UserNames. Just as you have a couple different User names here HOOT. I had the log entry copied and sent to the people involved. Since you accuse me can you go ahead and send me you log entry. If you are going to blame everything on me I guess I better take JTF's lead and get the lawyers ready too.

Something that is even funnier is this morning while typing my email to Steve after reading the post it said "ITS A CONSPIRACY BY ALL THE GAYS IN BROWNWOOD, LIKE THE DELI AND BATHHOUSE PEOPLE THAT JTF TOLD ME ABOUT." now it appears that You have taken it upon yourself to have the word GAY changed to 'steve harris'. It now reads "ITS A CONSPIRACY BY ALL THE steve harrisS IN BROWNWOOD, LIKE THE DELI AND BATHHOUSE PEOPLE THAT JTF TOLD ME ABOUT" and look closely, the whole message is caps except for the words injected by yourself HOOT. Get a life......

I have drafted a letter and will have the attorney that handles my site send it certified to PROBOARDS and the IMAGE/FILE REPOSITORY where the Image of Steves Deli is housed requesting their logs as it pertains to the accusations made on your site and the deflamation of the business of STEVES MARKET AND DELI.

I have already contacted the Adminstrative contacts in order that they can secure the PAGES and IMAGES in question in case altered before they can be reviewed. I don't think the Brown County Republican Party will much care for there pictures being used in the light that you have cast them in also. BTW YOUR FORUMS ALSO TRACK THE CHANGES TO THE POSTS, the person I talked with said if the post was changed by the Moderator or Admin it will show this in their system logs as well as the logged IP of the user. I will get the logs as certified by the hosting company even if it means forking out the money for a subpoena, It is a matter of principle now!

GOOD BYE HOOT!
---------------------------------------------
So I read this and emailed John:

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Puckett/Steve Harris [mailto:steve_squared@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 06:03 PM
To: johni@landmarklife.com
Subject:

Do you know the identities of just the facts and hoot_baker ?
-------------------------------
John's response to my email............

From: johni@landmarklife.com
Subject: RE:
Date: August 16, 2005 7:03:22 PM CDT
To: steve_squared@verizon.net

JTF is Joe Cooksey, Hoot Baker I believe worked as a security guard at HPU
during the summer, I believe this to be true for the following reason.
One night at around 1:00 am a picture of 3 mature gay ggays in lude sexual
acts was posted, I was called by 2 users at around 2:00 am alerting me to it
on the site. I removed it and saved the logs so I could find out who did it.
I cross referenced the POSTers IP with the USERNAMES and all the IP's they
ahve ever used to connect to the site with. It turns out that it was HPU
network IP, It also turned out the only other user with the IP associated to
there name was Hoot_Baker. I immiediatly blocked all OF HPU by 5:00 AM I
had a main page INFORMATIONAL posted saying that I blocked HPU and the
reason in vivid detail why they were blocked. Before LunchTIme the next day
I got a call at work, This gentleman claiming to have no association to the
site said HOTT was a friend of his and told him about my message. He was
afraid he would loose his job if the admin thought that it was him because
he worked nights as the security guard at HPU, he claimed it could be any of
the summer camp kids or something but not him. During the Time HPU was
blocked we did not hear from HOOT again until recently when I opened HPU
back up. I ahve the phone call on dictaphone here at Landmark I will try and
dig it up for you if you like. I really don't care for this new game he is
playing posting his own foolishness and pointing the finger at me.

I wrote you to let you know what was happening and what I know about it. I
can give you copies of all his posts or PM's that I managed to save that
show his deep hatred for GAYS and that LIFESTYLE. HOOT and his other
Identity have seemed to try and bring the Deli and your assumed lifestyles
into question every chance he got. I have defended the persons right to be
themselves on every occassion whether I agree with the lifestyle or not I
feel it is the persons given right to live life the way they want to. I
don't like peas but I don't hate anybody who does............

I am sure Mary might have alerted you to the other posts started against the
deli and such, I have tried to do roght by you since we had the very first
phone conversation. I remove and blocked your name from posts as often as I
could catch it. I will try and get logs and subscriber information from teh
free server hosts and probaords host he is using. With out legal influence
it may prove to be difficult.

John Ivy
----------------------------------------
Question: Is the below Russell S Hall a HPU Security Guard who John Ivy Claims, in his emial above, knows Hoot_baker & Hyphenated-American ? Russell seems to know alot about COB site and posters ! Does he also blame the posts on the kids ? Is he a part of cityofbrownwood.8m.com ? Is Shayne Holland ?

--- RUSSELL S HALL wrote:
To: info@stevesmarketanddeli.com
Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 20:25:52 -0500
Subject: your blog
From: RUSSELL S HALL

Steve,
You are quoting posts from the cityofbrownwood.com site and are naming
Shane H. in some quotes and I would appreciate it if you would spell his name correctly (Shayne) and his last hame is
Holland. Shane is my middle name and as you can see from my email, my last name begins with H.
Anyway, Shayne doesn't post under Shane H. He posts under "Shayner". I just don't want my name associated with anything on that site. Most of my family and friends call me by my middle name, which is Shane.
Thanks
RSH
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5) We hope John Ivy, ADM of www.cityofbrownwood.com, will work with HPU officials to unmask Hoot_baker and the others, since he was the one that implicated Howard Payne. We have requested a meeting with HPU officals and John Ivy for next week to lay the charges out on the table and for John to play the tape of his phone call. Contrary to what John Ivy has posted "This is an attempt by Steve to get the site shut down", I am simply following the leads that John Himself has given me in an attempt to identify the person(s) who have maligned us and our business.

6) In closing, we have noticed these facts at COB:

For their own stated reasons, COB ran a Brownwood Gay Poll attempting to get a count of Brownwood Gays ! Baiting a trap ?

John Ivy has often threatened to turn COB into a Gay Porn Site !

Gay Bashing seems to be one of the driving forces behind COB, very similar to KXYL.

John Ivy, and the COB website that has been administered from Landmark Life ( are Tom Munson, Terry Wilson & Putter Jarvis aware of this ?), on more than one occasion, has given us enough indicators to remain doubtful and ask questions ! Hopefully, key parts of this mystery will be solved in the upcoming meeting between John, HPU officials, and myself !
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Here's my email to HPU officials requesting a meeting.

From: steve_squared@verizon.net
Subject: regarding John Ivy Allegations
Date: August 19, 2005 5:56:29 PM CDT
To: mjones@hputx.edu

Mike, I would like to meet with you, Dr Hall, John Ivy and HPU's computer person some time next week in hopes of tracking down the poster allegations from John Ivy implicating HPU computers being used to post PORN at COB. I believe if we are all in the room together, we might be able to get to the bottom of the allegations. Let me know when we can meet. Anytime after 3pm works for me.

Regards,
Steve Harris
-----------------
Note to Michael at COB, I am in no way working to stifle free speech ( working for accountability in false posts is the goal ). John Ivy is/was administering a board (COB) which has allowed Porn and Food Poisoning lies to be posted. I've previously been communicating with John Ivy and the HPU Administration to "unmask" the im"poster" since John Ivy has implied the similarities of the posters coming out the the HPU Network ( porn and making false posts regarding our Deli ! ) Had the ADM/Owner of the COB site registered their site with correct contact information in the first place, I would have never been forced to do a computer trace to make contact with the owner/adm at the location (Landmark Life) the computer was traced to !

Here's the latest..............( why was it erased at John Ivy's former/current? website COB )

Domain Name: CITYOFBROWNWOOD.COM
Registrar: PRIMUS TELCO PTY LTD DBA PRIMUSDOMAIN/PLANETDOMAIN
Whois Server: whois.planetdomain.com
Referral URL: http://www.planetdomain.com
Name Server: NS8.LANDMARKLIFE.COM
Name Server: NS9.LANDMARKLIFE.COM
Status: ACTIVE
Updated Date: 28-jun-2005
Creation Date: 14-jun-2002
Expiration Date: 14-jun-2006
----------------

do what ?...

------------------
Here's the latest after todays (08.23.2005) meeting with HPU Officials. The taped call which John Ivy has alledged came from HPU does not match with John Ivy's email to me and to HPU officials. This is what John Ivy's email said:

" Before LunchTIme the next day I got a call at work, This gentleman claiming to have no association to the site said HOTT was a friend of his and told him about my message. He was afraid he would loose his job if the admin thought that it was him because he worked nights as the security guard at HPU, he claimed it could be any of the summer camp kids or something but not him."

The alledged HPU caller (Security Guard?) never said in the taped conversation *sent to me and HPU Administrators "HOTT was a friend of his" !
It's not adding up ! We compared John's email to the Landmark Life Dictaphone tape (that Ivy emailed to HPU officials) today and this omission is apparent. (* Was forwarded to me by HPU Officials.)
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" He showed pathological lying habits and was in denial when challenged on his prejudices and biases. He would even deny saying something he just said 30 seconds ago. He was famous for that. . . ."
source: http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Aug05/Goldsmith0822.htm