Northern New Mexico Conservation Project: Nothing Sacred

Northern New Mexico Conservation Project: Nothing Sacred

Picture of a veterans cemetery next to a frac pit. One would think that the two aren't related, but haven't some made a correlation that the push for invading the Oil Rich Desert is directly related to the need to have that oil?

Dangling dollars doesn't diminish death.

Marc Hall Jailed For Being A Conscientious Objector

Conscientious Objector, Marc Hall, finished his tour of duty in Iraq and expected to be honorably discharged from the military. Then can you blame him when he gets a tad bit upset with the information, that "No, Marc...you're not getting out like you're supposed to...you have to go BACK TO IRAQ!" To let off a bit of steam, Marc Hall wrote a little ditty about his objections and feelings of having to have his time extended beyond the normal date, by something that's been referred to as the Stop Loss Policy. Here's Marc's Song posted at Courage to Resist Website. You take a listen and see if it warrants him being arrested and jailed.

Express Energy Emerges Easily

I'd not given much thought to who or what Express Energy is, but in the light of it's recent mafia like characteristics I decided to do a bit of research. Oh, so you think I'm being a bit harsh, well before you judge me follow the link and observe the treatment of my friend Durango.

Well, let's discuss exactly what organized crime is. Organized crime is any group that has an organized structure of bosses--advisers and working members--whose main goal is to obtain money and PROPERTY through illegal activities. Durango has been searching diligently for signs of a permit that grants Express Energy the right to siphon water from the Trinity River. Since we see NO PERMITS posted then we can only assume that Express Energy is obtaining property from the Trinity River illegally.

Organized crime uses extortion and force to gain money and property. Wouldn't you say that pinning someone in is an example of a threat?


Organized crime activities negatively impact a community or region. Wouldn't you say that the damage being done to the levees of the Trinity River fall into that category? And the damage being done to the ecosystem of the area fall into that negative impact zone as well?


Photo by Don Young.


Express Energy was a small start up in 2000 that in the beginning dealt in coil tubing for offshore services. That business grew into a diversified oil field service company with 1200 employees and 30 service locations.

Express Energy filed chapter 11 claiming that in July of 2008 they started to see a downward spiral in profits. Really? Hmm...July of 2008? Then explain why they expanded operations? Express Energy borrowed 325 million dollars in July of 2008 to pay off lenders because in 2007 they borrowed 189 million dollars to acquire H2S Safety, Byrd R&S Oilfield Services Companies, Ace Rathole Services, Laydown, LTD, Brazos Oilfield Services, LTD, J&L Tank Services, and CST Drilling Fluids. And in September of 2008 they leased the penthouse, ya know...the real expensive part of a building.

"Express Energy Services Operating, L.P. signed a long-term, full-floor lease for 25,113 square feet at Phoenix Tower. The 34-story, 629,000-square-foot office tower is located at 3200 Southwest Freeway."

Then in June of 2009, Express Energy decided not to pay their bills anymore. By this time, Express Energy owed creditors 330 million dollars. Do you think Express Energy ever had any real intentions of paying that back? You want to know what your beloved giver of the community did to make a dent in what they owed? They made their workforce take a 10 percent reduction in salary and then laid off 850 employees. Yeah, the oil & gas industry is good for our local economy.

And under the Chapter 11, who do you think isn't going to be paid? Nope, you're wrong...the big banks are going to get their money...here's the short list of local companies that have been wronged and won't be receiving a dime for services:

Acadian Monitoring Services
Aramak Uniform
Cannon Copier
Cintas Corporation
FNCC
G&K Services
Unifirst Corporation
1stel, Inc.
American Ice Machines
ATNI, Inc.
FSP Phoenix Tower Corporation
Midland 5, LLC
MHS, LLC
RAM Lands, LLC
Randy Davis
Red Diamond Energy Services
Santosh Skariah
Warehouse Opportunities
Xerox Corporation

When you play with snakes, you can guarantee...you're gonna get bit.

Driving Way Too Much, New Fractures & Stolen Tailgates

I've had a busy driving day. First I drove to work over in Pyote, twenty three miles. Before leaving the house though, I dressed in lots of layers. First an under shirt, a sweater shirt and finally an over shirt. I wore tights covered by a pair of slacks. I then had gloves, a scarf and a wool coat. I dressed warmly for the occasion of below freezing weather made to feel even more below freezing due to the wind that kept whipping through the West Texas landscape.

You may wonder why I clothed myself so warmly if all I was doing was driving. Upon arriving at work, it's a good half a mile walk past the education building to the vocational buildings where us teachers now have taken residence in order to facilitate learning. Did you happen to notice that I said "past the education building"? On December the 14th, the education building at West Texas State School in Pyote experienced a power failure. A few lights, some outlets and phones were working, but there was absolutely no heat or computers.

The boys stayed on the dorms where there was electricity and of course heat. Us teachers stayed, sitting in the dark and the cold for several hours waiting for information regarding our dire situation. Being the brazen outspoken one that I am...I decided I was taking an early lunch across the railroad tracks at the Pyote Cafe and Grocery. Others decided to join me. At lunch we met up with TYC employees who informed us that the transformer had blown and another would need to be ordered, it could take a week before getting the problem fixed.

Long story shortened, the powers that be in Austin, you know, all those lovely representatives chosen by us voters, decided not to fix the problem, but instead have us the teachers move into the warehouses behind the education building. Do I need to tell you that I was not pleased? None of the moving occurred until after we returned from the holiday, so the rest of the week was spent in the partially lighted, extremely frigid building.

That explains why now I walked past the education building this morning after arriving to work. After working a few hours, I then drove to Iraan, one hundred seventeen miles, to meet with the superintendent to discuss worst case scenario in regards to my soon to be unemployment. Worst case scenario is that the school will close in March and to work out my contract and still receive a paycheck, then I and the other teachers would need to drive to Iraan everyday to work.

I then drove home to Wink, one hundred forty two miles thinking about the possibility of driving two hundred eighty four miles every day to collect a pay check. I'm really hoping the school stays open until the end of May, that would be super sweet.

A few updates and a public service announcement before I go. Seems that a former student of mine has been nabbed by the Odessa Police for stealing tailgates from pick up trucks. Apparently, there's a high demand for tailgates and now the police have suggested that those of us with these valuable tailgates should park our rears up against something so that the perps can't make off with our tails.


The comish told me at the gym tonight that County Road 201, the one leading to the predicted third sink hole has developed a few more fractures. He's picking me up tomorrow at 4:30PM and taking me out to get some pictures of the ever spreading problem.

Dancing With Old Man Winter

Coming off a two week holiday hiatus, has the kids and I back in school and soon to be facing the full onslaught of Old Man Winter. I've got my dancing shoes on and I'm ready to tango with the old fella. I've stocked up on a bit of water, organic chips and salsa, cans of water packed tuna, instant coffee, apples, oranges and I've made a few quarts of soup. I've wrapped exposed pipe, gave my trees a drink to insulate the ground, rounded up all the furry creatures and made cozy beds for them inside the house, left the shed door open for any wild creatures that may need to take shelter for the next two nights and have rented a movie just in case the worst case scenario presents itself.

Grandma Mohler phoned me just a few minutes ago. We wished each other a Happy New Year and then she began excitedly to tell me about a mishap, some sort of explosion by the airport near Jackson. She was worried because it was a gas line and her kitchen stove functions with natural gas. I found the article and read it, told her they had turned off the gas and extinguished the fire quickly. I also told her there were no injuries reported. She wanted to know who owned the company, I told her Gulf South and that they were based in Houston. She said, "Well, that figures, they do all sorts of things wrong in Texas."

Well, I didn't argue with her, I mean she is my grandma.

Was Feeling Under The Weather Now Feeling Much Better

Last Tuesday, I could not gain warmth. I wore slipper socks, slippers, sweatpants, sweatshirt and a sweater. I crawled under three blankets, piled the pets on top of me and hoped for a bit of warming. Finally, a few hours later the coldness in my fingers and toes subsided and a coziness spread all over.

Around 5:30AM, I awoke to a stabbing pain radiating from my shoulder, under my breast into the ribs and was felt in my back on the right side. It hurt especially bad to take a deep breath or stand up straight, so I hunched over and breathed rather shallow to minimize the pain.

Straightaway, I ruled out a heart attack. No numbness and I was able to walk. I took three 800mg Motrin and waited patiently for the pain to subside and it did. I then considered that more than likely, I'd experienced muscle spasms. I didn't think about it again, although I continued to pop more Motrin and had the feeling that someone had punched me in the back.

What concerned me, was during the hike on Saturday at the Tandy Hills, I became winded quite suddenly. I didn't tell anyone, because I didn't want anyone thinking I wasn't a wild woman or that I was suffering from Gar the Texan's vapors.

I decided that maybe I hadn't experienced muscle spasms after all and a trip to my doc was in order. So, here's your public service announcement:

If it doesn't feel quite right, then it isn't!

My supposed muscle spasms diagnosed by moi, was actually a touch of PNEUMONIA! Yikes! Now, I'm on a healthy round of antibiotics and all should be well soon again.

ExxonMobil Adding Some Hmm? To The Benzene Symposium

A few weeks ago I blogged about reading an article that had an environmental oil & gas spokes person say something really incredulous. I also remember thinking how similar that was to what the tobacco companies had done. Didn't the tobacco industry fund their own health studies to prove that there were no ill effects from smoking? If I remember correctly the method the tobacco industry used was erroneous thus leading to provide false conclusions that smoking didn't lead to lung cancer.

Imagine my surprise then when finding out that at the 2009 Benzene Symposium, two members on the organizing committee happened to be ExxonMobil employees from their BioMedical Division. Hmm...makes one wonder what the heck they had to say about Benzene?

The document I read was 63 pages in length, and a lot of it discussed the tests that were run and how they were conducted. I read and processed a bunch of information from it, and on page 36 I read this:

Benzene causes a spectrum of hematotoxicity ranging from reduction of peripheral blood cell counts to aplastic anemia and leukemia in humans.

I've heard about Benzene before. Isn't Benzene found in the toxic emissions of oil and gas drilling operations? And hasn't there been evidence showing that high levels of Benzene have been found in the air over the Barnett Shale? And isn't there quite of bit of oil and gas drilling going on in the Barnett Shale? Curiouser and curiouser...

Now, as I put two and two together...like those two ExxonMobil employees at the Benzene Symposium, Michael Bird and Robert A. Schnatter,...what do ya suppose they were posing as? Concerned benefactors of society? Shocked and amazed polluters turned environmentalists? Unbiased and impartial contributors? Eh, I highly doubt it.

Being De Christmasized

I've spent the afternoon taking down the Christmas tree, putting away holiday decorations and removing all things Christmas like. Being de Christmasized didn't hurt that much and it definitely wasn't at all what I had expected, but it had to be done.

Having lunch with Durango and Annie yesterday after the hike on Tandy Hills gave me good soup ideas. We had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, a lovely little salad, soup & bread/pizza place. I love soup, and I love salad, but not necessarily in that order. Since I'm on the HCG Diet, I sorta strayed a bit from my narrow list of foods, but not too far from home. Anyway, after having that most pleasurable lunch, I decided that in the woes of undecorating that I'd put a pot of soup on. Mine was caramelized onions, garlic, beef broth, brussels sprouts, broccoli, parsley, sea salt and a bit of lean stew meat. I was thinking of calling it the 3B soup, but I haven't decided yet.

Then there was a rap rap at the door. It was Ms. Jones. Sometimes I help Ms. Jones with her newspaper software, something called Adobe Indesign CS4. I have some kind of innate ability to intuitively know how software will behave...er wait, that's not me that's this fellow. I just read very well and am sometimes able to figure things out, after a few hours or days. Well, she was not coming by to solicit my help for the newspaper, but to write a grant for the Rig Theatre.

The Rig Theatre was built in 1925 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It was a fully functioning movie house way back in the 20s in Wink and now the group that owns the theatre would like to bring it back to life. Ms. Jones had a lot of great ideas for uses...family reunions, summer playhouse, classic film festivals and maybe even special premieres.

I'm in the market for a new job, this has me wondering. Do you think I can get work as a grant writer?

Doing The Hills With Durango, The Youngs and Many Others

I received an invitation from Mr. Don Young to attend the Wild Women and Manly Men hike at the Tandy Hills. Anyone could have attended, in fact I believe that Mr. Durango blogged about it and made it a well publicized event. The kids and I had two weeks off for the Christmas Holidays and by the beginning of week two Annie had this to say, "I just want to go somewhere and do something fun." I responded, "How far are you willing to drive and what kind of fun."

The invitation from Mr. Young made sense. A little driving and sight seeing, a little hiking and running around was what Annie and I needed and boy did we ever get it!

Not only did we get to meet Mr. Young and his lovely wife Debra, but we met a whole host of other people. I only have one picture from the event it's of Olive the Prairie Dog, Kimberly Clark and Ariel posing with Annie. I forgot to charge the camera, thus no other pictures could be taken.

Annie and I got a special treat, we got to hang out with Mr. Durango. Did I tell ya I find physical fit white haired men irresistible? Mr. Durango is such a wonderful tour guide. We got to see all sorts of sites and also saw things that weren't so wonderful such as some of the damage done by the oil and gas drillers. I don't understand the treatment the Trinity River gets. Why if we had such a nice river in Wink, I don't think we'd treat it so badly. Well, I'd hope we wouldn't.

Annie and I liked our visit to Ft Worth so much so, that we plan on visiting again.

Below is a YouTube video put together by Mr. Marshall, a wonderful Tandy Hills supporter, of the Manly Men & Wild Women hike.

Broken Coffee Pot and Dancing With Regina

An old wives' tale from long ago says that whatever you do on the first day of the New Year will be what you'll be doing all year. Here's my morning so far:

Fed the kitties. Made coffee, except the coffee pot went kaput, but not to worry I keep several spares. Washed clothes. Folded and put clothes away. Texted some friends. Sent some emails. Fed the kids. Washed dishes. Read a chapter in a book. Did some lunges. Chased the kitties off the kitchen counter. Danced and sang to Fidelity.

How am I doing so far?