SE OK Water: tussling with OKC (intrastate), or Texas, or commercial interests and ecological concerns, water's the word

(Richardson, Texas, blog)

Whiskey's for drinkin and water's for fightin.

Here is a video about one of southeast Oklahoma's major water sources, the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer, narrated by Dennis Weaver before he passed away in 2006. Even if you are not interested in water (but you should be), it is a relaxing lunch time or whenever time nature type video to watch if you have twelve minutes.

A few things in the courts and lege have happened over the last five years in regards to SE OK water but some of the most hotly contested items are in the pending stage. It's worth a watch for anyone interested in water resources.

I had posted a link earlier in the year about Tarrant (Texas) Regional Water District (TRWD) and its try at getting ahold of OK Water. (In that case, trying to get Red River bound water before it crosses from OK into Texas. It picks up salt once it crosses over or into the Red River making it more expensive to prepare for use so grabbing it further north is one plan still at hand. The SE OK/Sardis Lake to OKC municipal water contract battle comes into play because TRWD here is opposing the language in the intra Oklahoma transfer of water rights contract because their contract inside of Oklahoma says out of state water sales are prohibited, which TRWD (who is out of state) argues is unconstitutional when it comes to a reservoir that was federally funded (similar "federal/this water is our water too" argument OKC used in the first place to get the water contract between the Oklahoma locations in the works, to get the Corp-built Sardis Lake water. Most residents around Sardis Lake are opposed to the water from their location going to Oklahoma City area because it threatens their poor (unwealthy) county's economy and environment. OKC is set to have 90% rights to the Sardis Lake water).

Some accuse that TRWD itself wants Sardis Lake water too, not only OKC, no matter who TRWD can buy it from, but wanting it for the Barnett Shale operations in Texas, not for mere thirsty Texans, a claim denied. OK is working on its state water plan, as should some other states be).

SE OK sources like Sardis and Hugo ( see, Irving Texas) and Arbuckle-Simpson are eyed for use beyond SE OK, so it's like a case of, "You too? Get in line." That reminds me, I have a clip I will share soon about the documentary called, Gasland (directed by Josh Fox).

Oklahoma claimed to have the distinction of being the first state in our union to vote a ban of Islamic sharia laws from being ...(Richardson TX blog)

used by judges to decide cases. Not only Sharia law but also the judges are not (were not, according to OK lege and voters) to consider international law in making rulings.

Some unintended things would come of that in my opinion, with impacts to businesses (who do business internationally), other religious precepts that are respected in arbitration and civil areas, and Native American rights ("legal precepts of other nations and cultures") that do not offend law. By the definition, it could be said that the Ten Commandments (voted to be posted on OK state grounds otherwise) and English Common Law are outters.

So this may be what Muslims and Native Americans (and Jewish and international business and some other people and practices) have in common in Oklahoma. Now you might wonder how this (would have) impacts us (water, rights, Texas, etc.). It does (if they get the measure back on, as some are hoping). Maybe more about that later.

The Oklahoma law (State Question 755, passed by 70%, but stopped before certification) has a permanent injunction, the last I heard or read. At least seven other states (mostly Southern plus Utah) have proposed laws similar and two more have some limited regarding outside law. And Newt wants it to go federal.

It (that amendment put up in Oklahoma by representatives and passed by voters but stopped by courts) is not constitutional.

Unless what a lot of pretend conservatives want to do is accomplished and that is to change the parts of the constitution that get in the way (like the Bill of Rights, Establishment Clause).

On the other hand, those who scoff at the worries of many who wanted such an amendment, or who thought they did, badly constructed, short sighted, unconstitutional as it may have been, are too quick to dismiss and mock every concern behind it (such as U.S. sovereignty, rule of law, keeping government out of religion ((well maybe not that one)), domestic terrorism, violence against women and girls justified through religion).

(Maps may be clicked to enlarge for improved viewing)

Second. A comeback. (Blogging from Richardson, Texas)

37 seconds


About his first tv interview, funny


Guess who? If you are the first to guess this charater's name below without googling, you win a prize. Seriously.



Or, right now

Mountains of chat. I was surprised to find that the road stopped at a sinkhole.

I was standing on ground zero... 25 miles from my front porch. And I had never heard about it.
Matt Myers






Tornado hit in '08 and wiped out a bunch of homes on top of it all.

Operators dump drilling mud onto pasture lands. Oklahoma week on the blog continues. (Blogging from Richardson, Texas)

newsok.com story

Woody

(still picture: "this machine kills fascists")

Press play. 2 mins, 40 seconds

Train 45

The train I ride on is a hundred coaches long,

you can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.

If that train runs right, I'll be home tomorrow night,

cause I'm nine hundred miles from my home

and I hate to hear that lonesome whistle blow.


Walkin down the track I got tears in my eyes,

tryin ta read a letter from my home.

If that train runs right, I'll see my woman Saturday night,

cause I'm nine hundred miles from my home

and I hate to hear that lonesome whistle blow.

Oklahoma Anti-discriminatory Mascot Act 2009 (Senate Bill 765), blogging from Richardson, Texas

Oklahoma week on the blog (part deux) continues.

The school nickname of the Dartmouth College team called Dartmouth Indians could just as easily be called the Dartmouth Africans.

Or the Dartmouth Chippendales (like a reverse sexualization of those trucker mud flaps but only put them all over the place, in front yards, on flag poles, on t-shirts and uniforms, saturating the stadium on game night. School spirit!

Why stop there? Put them on government vehicles, like it would look cool if the Post Office used something like that, some tricked out logo flaps to compete with the lurid attraction of email. And school buses could use some spiffing up too, proudly flapping around).

Or, the traditional Indian cane bought (at a pretty price) and passed out at commencement could be a wood stick with an African representation on it, something that looks like Miss Jane Pittman (as portrayed by the incredible Cicely Tyson near the end of the movie when she gets really, really old), for instance. Why should generic "Indians" from North America get all the attention?

The term "The Reservation" used for a Richardson, TX, neighborhood with streets that have names like Mohawk and Cherokee is not being used as an effort to be offensive these days, but I can see how it could come across that way and especially so in future times or to people who may not get why a non Native American, non exclusive housing area would use a Native American symbol and have labels in masonry calling the place, The Reservation. The neighborhood already had a name (now what was that?) but the slang name of "The Reservation" stuck because the *honky population thought it was fun and appropriate?

(*By honky, I partially mean *rednecks. *And by rednecks, I slightly mean hardworking engineers and who-have-you from Oklahoma state and family farms of various mid-westerny and westerny names like Durant, Tulsa, Sallisaw, Okemeh, Eufaula, Neosho Falls, Shawnee...).

The historical connotation (and present day harsh reality of some) of the reservations isn't necessarily a calming thought, to everyone. Thankfully, it is losing that connotation (somewhat), but it's not there yet probably, or else why any fuss at all.

Maybe it has something to do with religion or spirituality, and the use of cultural symbols that aren't of the culture of the people using them, even if meant in homage or respect. Or something else. Another point of view: Indian Reservations: The Last Remaining Bastians of Segregation.

The context and collaboration by which something is used can make all the difference. It's like bffs can call each other stuff, but if you don't have a club membership, someone could go all Kanye (Con Yay) West on you (not that anyone is very sure what's up with that).

In this video below, near the end, the face painting, much like when light skinned people would paint their faces black to mimic, is not seen as offensive in the least, by those doing it that is. The phrase "well, I didn't know" and the phrase, "well, now you know" is used.

Is it hypersensitive for anyone concerned about this kind of thing? (It's not like when I stuff my bra and pretend I'm triple D, right? No offense against you big breasteses people). It's not like when a group makes one of themselves their mascot (self-named).

Or is it insinsitivity and ignorance on the part of those who do this kind of thing?

Anyway, pretty soon, it will be mainly women who can still be stereotyped to the point of being excluded (or negatively included or flapped around) institutionally (like in government and schools and corporations and car design and history and language) if we have to give up our other institutionalized stereotypes. No wait, there's always the Amish (those fake fire flicker real heaters work but boy do they cost more. Way to go, you Amish!).

Here is a positive comforting picture of actors acting like hard working Amish (as opposed to foreign Chinese in China where the guts of the heater are made) right before the Amish load the heaters onto the horse drawn wagon one at a time, with the regular horse acting like an Amish horse. I know the part about the horse drawn wagon is true as I saw it in the infomercial.

I don't think America's institutions and employers are post discrimination, yet. When they are, I can call you a whore at work like Gov. Jerry Brown's campaign and get away with it.

Seriously, I hope America is never without diversity, which probably means at least some discrimination against people based on color, ethnicity, race, gender, sex, etc. is here as opposed to more appropriate discrimination, like against violent criminals and extortionists and theives (sick) (sic).

Anyway, how 'bout those Slaves! I heard they lost 7-0! I'm going to sit on my roof until they win one.

As for you Amish, get back to work because I am cold (and I've run out of insulation for my house cracks) and also because you don't pay into the Federal Social Security system, so I hear, and that makes you either extremely clever or anti-government.

Also, I would like to start my own casino but instead of playing with plastic, I would deal in chocolate covered potato chips (chips I like) from Bedre (like I bought ten years ago at Neiman Marcus, which I think they still had the hyphen or dash between the words in their name like this, Neiman-Marcus, but didn't realized that you Indians* made the chips up in OK. Tricky. Very tricky. *And by Indians, I mean Native Americans, not necessarily the majority of people staffing the store in public, OK.)

Watch the video all the way through, OK.

P.S. I am waiting to see if the J.J. Pearce HOA will approve my counter intuitive plea to put a menorah ensignia on at least half of the sign toppers in the neighborhood, to stay competitive with the adjacent neighborhood and their Native American spiritual symbol (thanks, you Reservation People for causing more work for the rest of us). The majority has not objected (although, technically, the vast majority know nothing of this, or of the other things they know nothing of).

I am also waiting to see if the two Richardson, TX, councilmen who have regularly used the phrase, "he's off the reservation, again" (to describe the two double A battrees and a couple of other guys in town, three who don't even live on The Reservation) will feel as comfortable saying that phrase, as in, what different phrase will they use in public now, one that will feel as comfortable but still be macho, and pleasingly non PC, and insulting, in a fakey-conservativey way (like, "he's being a b_ _ _ _, again" perhaps). Lots to choose from.

Turner Falls (Davis, Oklahoma) is a great place to take the kids (and the big kids). Also there's Chocolate and Toys in the Land of OK, alright.

It's two hours north (from Richardson, Texas). Going off season means you won't be swimming in the falls, but the admission is significantly less expensive.

And you could throw in a visit to the fledgling Toy and Action Figure Museum (for the kids of course), $6. It's 35 minutes more north. It was through a community visioning exercise that the Museum came to be and it is an example of a small community trying to bring in tourist dollars. Around the same area (Pauls Valley, OK) are the little Amtrak station (Heartland Flyer runs OKC to FT Worth) and Bedre Chocolate Factory (Chickasaw Nation).

Big Tesla Coil of Oklahoma, Three Hours From Here