A Town Hall meeting is taking place right now (Saturday morning, 11/3/07) at Morningside Elementary School in Fort Worth. The special guest speaker is Dr. Melody Johnson, Superintendent FWISD.
Here is a question Don Young of FWCanDo has for Dr. Johnson:
Why is it OK for the FWISD to co-sponsor the Barnett Shale Expo Energy (Poster) Contest that glorifies the gas drilling industry, (see below) and it is NOT OK for the FWISD to partner with FWCanDo for an art opportunity that tells the other side of the story? (see below)
Look closely at the wording of the Barnett Shale Expo Energy (Poster) Contest and the topics from which students can choose. All topics are meant to present urban drilling in a positive light. Students are not free to express any of the many legitimate concerns involved in urban drilling.
click to enlarge:
Dr. Johnson rejected an art contest giving students an opportunity to express the other side of urban drilling claiming that it was too political:
Since Fort Worth residents mainly hear only the highly exaggerated benefits the Barnett Shale brings to the city, what, you might ask, is the other side of urban drilling.
- Urban gas drilling is unprecedented on the scale now happening in Fort Worth.
- Fort Worth zoning ordinances are null and void when it comes to gas drilling.
- The city gas drilling ordinance was co-authored by representatives of all the main gas drilling companies.
- The gas industry is EXEMPT from the Federal Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.
- Most city parks will be adjacent to industrial gas drilling activities.
- In some cases, gas drilling can take place within 200 foot of a residence.
- The City of Fort Worth declined to conduct an environmental impact study of gas drilling.
- Some Fort Worth Public Schools will be within the blast radius of a gas well blowout.
The next question you might ask is why Dr. Johnson is invested in not educating Fort Worth Students about the other side of urban drilling.
Could it be we need to follow the money?
$$$ Most people don’t yet know that the FWISD has or will lease the mineral rights under all their property which is considerable. We’re talking many millions in royalties from Barnett Shale drilling companies. (If they have all this anticipated money coming from oil and gas royalties, why are Fort Worth voters being asked to vote Tuesday on a bond package for the FWISD?)
$$$ DALE RESOURCES DONATES $3000 TO FWISD SCHOOLS
Davis, Mitchell Blvd and OD Wyatt Schools Each Receive $1000
$$$ Dozens of Fort Worth students taking part in Main Street Arts Festival
“Art on Tour” Collection – MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival has received the support of Chesapeake Energy and the FWISD to present the Art on Tour Collection (ATC).
“Young People’s Art Fair” presented by XTO Energy – Over two days, Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22, more than 150 FWISD students, ages 7 to 17 representing 19 schools, will bring their paintings, sculptures, photographs, jewelry, baskets and more to display and sell.
According to the following quote from the above article, Dr. Johnson does not believe in stifling student’s creativity and she is willing to set new trends in fostering that creativity:
“We are fully aware that our decision goes against the trend,” says FWISD Superintendent Dr. Melody Johnson. “We have incredibly bright and gifted students. Our charge is to nurture – not stifle—creativity.”
It seems that Dr. Johnson is only interested in fostering creativity if it meets her agenda of spreading propaganda for oil and gas companies.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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“Where does natural gas come from?” and “What is the Barnett Shale?”
Those are not exactly slanted or distorted questions. Sounds pretty straight forward to me.
Boy, we sure don’t want companies to donate money for education or …ooooh, sponsor an art contest! That does sound sinister. Better put a stop to that!
Just because Melody Johnson doesn’t think drilling for the cleanest, lest polluting fossil fuel on the planet is tantamount to the Tribulation, you think she must be the anti-christ.
You need to quit seeing boogie-men behind every gas rig and recognize it for what it is. Free enterprise providing clean-burning fuel for the nation. You do still like heat and electricity right?
Mr./Ms. Anonymous-
It would be foolish to assume that Dale Resources and the others donate money to schools and sponsor art events as acts of philanthropy. They do it for the same reason they donated to the campaigns of Texas Railroad Commissioners. They want something in return. In the case of FWISD, they want those minerals under our public property. The FWISD erred when they decided to play along by partnering with these companies. That’s where the problem lies. They are buying influence, not gifting. When they do that with public institutions it’s wrong and possibly criminal.
You show your radical side by using the word “anti-christ” in reference to Ms. Johnson. I have nothing against her. She’s actually quite charming. But she’s the boss and needs to get her staff in line with her touted philosophy. I’m just doing my duty by giving her a little push in the right direction.
Finally, I don’t believe in boogie-men, but I do believe in corrupt men and women and they are much scarier.
NIce try, Anon, but you can’t make this hog smell like anything but what it does. May I suggest that you do a little independent research into your favorite fossil fuel (off company time, of course). You might be surprised at what you learn and, who knows, get creative and enter your masterpiece in the Buzzworms show. Deadline is Dec.1.
DY
The comments of Anonymous are sad in their degree of ignorance and sloppy thinking, and probably in their prevelance too.
The problem over the Barnett Shale is not the “clean” burning of natural gas (yet another finite fossil fuel) but the pollution and destruction associated with its production. (I will not detail that here, but if open minded, intelligent or curious people are interested they can visit fwcando.org for the truth.)
At the risk of guiltily dignifying his/her idiocy with a response, I can’t let the “free enterprise” comment pass unchecked. Capitalism is great, but that chest thumping jingoism in so easily deflated with just the mentioning of a few little things like prostitution, marijuana, child labor etc.(Oh, wait, capitalists are for child labor, aren’t they; just so the children aren’t theirs. A lot seem to be for prostitutes as well, but that’s another story.)
Heat and electricity are great too, but I would love the opportunity for this nation to go on a diet AS A WHOLE and find some actually clean and sane method to produce them.
Don & Roger, thank you for your comments. Anon is likely an oil and gas company employee.
Anon: It makes no difference how much money a school has if that school withholds true education from our children. When they are only presented with one side of an argument, they don’t learn to reason things out which is, I believe, a big part of our problem today. People don’t seem to be able to reason so they follow blindly just like the lemmings going off the cliff.
Our society is slowly committing suicide by continuing to beat the hydrocarbon energy dead horse© until what little water we have is toxic and our air makes us sick. I am not a willing participant in that suicide. In that regard, I am literally fighting for my life and that of my children and their children. If you want to commit suicide, then you had best stay the hell out of my way.
As for how I feel about heat and electricity: I can live without it but I can’t live without air or water. I use very little electricity. My central heat and air went out over a year ago and I decided not to get it fixed. I dress warm in the winter and, when I absolutely must, I use a small heater in whatever room I’m in. In the summer I don’t wear much and use fans or a small window unit in one room. I drive a car that gets 34 – 40 mpg. I have no outside security light and I even took the blub out of the porch light.
We need to right now turn out the lights at night. This one act would go a long way to conserving energy. Turn out the lights on bill boards.
I’m ready! Peak oil can’t get here fast enough for me. We need to make drastic changes and turn this boat around. And this is coming from a woman who owns over 40 acres and holds the mineral rights to that acreage. I stand to gain a great deal more than most in FW. It’s not worth it!
I am afraid you are correct in these companies motivation in providing some funds for this, propaganda. They want us to believe their answer for our energy needs is the only one we have.
Just last week I caught a PBS program about solar energy in Germany. Very shortly they will be obtaining 30% of their electricity from solar. Ask these energy CEOs in America and they will claim there is no way we can do that. Why? Because, if we do it will cut their billion dollar pay checks.
Every major city in Europe has prototype buses running on hydrogen cells. Berlin will open it’s first hydrogen “gas” station soon.
FWIDS needs to encourage discussion of all energy possibilities, not just provide a propaganda outlet for drilling companies.
RandyT
http://dailyscuttlebutt.blogspot.com/
Corporate Stockholders would not allow a charitable donation or “anonymous” donation to any place unless they get some kind of benefit or reward for it. It is against the law as Don Young has said. Why are we not questioning why they feel it neccessary to do such Advertising in these very “freindly” environments. In Wise County, Devon Energy is sponsoring an “Oilman’s Wild Game Cookout”. I guess they are appealing to what they feel Wise County is “Friendly” towards.
Nice Diary!
2:45, I like the electricity provided to heat and cool my home from the natural gas provided by the Barnett Shale. The energy does not come from Iraq or Iran making us more energy independent. Taxpayers do not have to pay for a war to make sure we have the resources.
What is so wrong with allowing a company to sponsor a art contest?
Attacking credible people with false accusations does not get your message across.
It only makes you appear to be a weird, freaky liberal. People will not listen to you.
Anon 5:36 You said: The energy does not come from Iraq or Iran making us more energy independent.
See how well they have propagandized you?
The United States does not get any natural gas from the Middle East. Most of our imported natural gas comes from Canada. Yet they have convinced you that wrecking our environment is making us safer.
Further, you expose your lack of morals and and reasoning when you say: Taxpayers do not have to pay for a war to make sure we have the resources.
It is immoral for us to war and kill innocent people to take that which does not belong to us.
If you reasoned this out you might find that a better, more moral way to spend taxpayer dollars is research and development of alternative energy sources. Soon enough, there will be energy shortages anyway–we are running out of fossil fuel. We can’t kill everyone in oil and gas rich countries just to take their resources.
I find it ironic that YOU ask: What is so wrong with allowing a company to sponsor a art contest? THAT is precisely MY point! Thank YOU for agreeing with me! Why allow a company to sponsor an art contest with rules intended to present only the positive and not allow an organization to sponsor an art contest intended to present the other view? To only present one side of the picture is purely propaganda and is not in the best interest of education and of teaching our children how to reason which seems to be your very downfall in this argument.
Please illuminate me regarding these credible people of which you speak.
If I appear “weird, freaky and liberal,” as you suggest, I can live with that as long as I don’t appear ignorant and STUPID!
dr.johnson and fwisd have eliminated the special education classrooms,mainstreaming them with the regular students. Reference ‘Timmy’ from the tv show Southpark. What this means is that for those unfortunate enough to not have enough money to send their children Country Day,Trinity Valley,etc. their children that could learn in what was once a regular school environment are mixed with retarded children that drool,will NEVER get up to speed,and the teacher must divide his/her time teaching regular subjects and keeping the ‘Timmys’ occupied. If you are a parent of a non retarded child,please visit your child’s school and sit in for a day with your child in the classroom and see what is going on. It is called ‘Mainstreaming’. In my opinion the system does not want the average citizen to become educated,and this mainstreaming is an excellent way to further water down the schoolday. In all fairness to fwisd,this program was sent to all texas schools from our governor Perry and his people. check me out on this,and again if you can do anything to keep your child out of public schools,do it. so much for Melody’s goal of making fwisd the best by 2008.
Dr. Tocco exited the fwisd as perhaps the token criminal in stealing bond money when he was at the helm. But guess what ,another bond election is under way,or rather it was accepted by the citizens of fort worth in November of 2007. Will Melody enrich herself with not only Barnet /Shale goodies,but also offshoots of the new bond money? Tocco left but if he played his cards right he is on a beach somewhere drinking Pina coladas or at the very worst he is superintending some district somewhere in the U.S. with at least some of the abscouded perks. My viewpoint is that the same auditors that surely saw what was occurring with tocco and his cronies during the spending spree are still there and the same will occur again. even if Melody becomes the scapegoat,which I doubt as she surely learned from her friend,Tocco to be a better thief,the $300,000 and car is nothing compared to what is waiting around the corner because the bond money has been ok’d ,is appropriated,and she and her henchmen are busy hiring and spending this free tax money. She is a sweet looking ,smooth talking package. Similar to Bush,she is but the figurehead of this regime. There are Carl Rove type people within the FWISD doing the same thing,all the while usurping education for the Fort Worth masses as is going on all accross the nation and world. An uneducated populace is easier to hoodwink than the enlightened.
Dr. Johnson has a definite political agenda. She is not interested in what is best for FWISD teachers or students — only power. The warm, friendly face she displays is nothing like what is in her true motivations. She surrounds herself with people and organizations with money. Big money has followed her around everywhere she has been. I understand that it takes big money to run a big district, but more people need to look at where this money is really going, and how Melody is personally gaining from it.
The truth will come out about FWISD. Sooner rather than later. Just wait and see.