Rich on the Road

Thursday night in Addision -- at the Kaboom Town celebration -- instantly makes my Top Ten 4th of July (even though it was, technically, on the 3rd of July) Memories -- probably Top Three.  More on why in a moment but, first, let me recap the contenders.

1986.  Grand celebration for the re-furbished Statue of Liberty in New York.  KDFW-TV (then a CBS affiliate) sent Clarice Tinsley and I and a crew of 4-5 others to cover it.  We had a blast doing stories in the days leading up to the 4th.  I sailed into New York harbor on a foggy morning aboard the historic tall ship Elissa from Galveston.  I featured Texas rockers at a famous New York nightclub.  But, it was all topped off by watching fireworks over Lady Liberty from a park in New Jersey on the night of the 4th.  Exploding lights framing the Statue of Liberty with the Manhattan skyline in the background and all reflecting off the water.  What a memory!

2004.  County Fairgrounds just outside Yosemite National Park in Mariposa, California.  Old-fashioned fireworks with Catherine and the Nugents (sister, brother-in-law, beloved nieces) on a perfect summer evening. 

Sometime in the 90's.  Catherine, daughter Kristina and me in the back of my pickup at Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville with the fireworks exploding right overhead.  The oohs and aahs of a pre-teenaged child on a night to savor.

2008.  Might be the best ever.  Catherine, oldest son Nick (wife Simone, unfortunately, had to work) and I were invited by Kevin Raulie and the folks at the great Cavanaugh Flight Museum to a hangar at Addison Airport and one of the best 4th of July celebrations ever.  The Cavanaugh provides most of the vintage War Planes for the Kaboom Town celebration every year and we had the best seat in the house to watch them warming up, flying overhead and then returning to the hangar.

We got to meet an American hero -- Dana Bowman -- after his sky diving feats.  Dana is a former special forces soldier and member of the U.S. Army's elite parachute team, The Golden Knights.  He lost parts of both legs in a 1994 accident but went on to earn "worldwide recognition as a motivational speaker and skydive demonstrator."  Dana and his family live near Weatherford and I hope to do something with him someday on Fox 4 News.

But, the topper to the night was, of course, Kaboom Town fireworks.  Again, we had a ringside seat. 

And, when it was over, we beat most of the traffic out of Addison. 

A 4th of July to remember -- even if it was on the 3rd..

Rich

   "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."  1 Timothy 6:17-19

I find myself ending a lot on conversations lately with "thankfully, that is not where my true treasure lies."  Talk about the stock market, about a disappearing 401 K  (which some now refer to as 401 Not OK) and the general state of the economy can put us all in a real funk.  It is comforting to know none of that is our "true treasure."

Paul's letter to Timothy, written 2000 years ago, is perfect for Americans today.  We are all 'rich in this present world."  The poorest among us lives like a King by the world's standards.  Even by the standards of our forefathers.  Just a few decades ago only the rich had indoor toilets, private telephone lines and automobiles.  Now, look at the wealth virtually all of us possess.    

The Bible verses above came from "Our Daily Bread," a daily devotional that I have been starting my day with for years.  You can find it online or RBC Mnistries will send you a monthly booklet.  Today's lesson -- about enjoying the earthly riches God has blessed us with, BUT not relying on them -- is so timely.  As, it most often is.  Our true treasure is the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  Now, that we can rely on.

Rich

The U-S Army is displaying remarkable courage and candor -- with the release today of a 696-page report, called "On Point II: Transition to the New Campaign."   It is the Army's historical account of the 18 months following President George W. Bush's declaration of the end of major combat in May 2003.

"US military operations in Iraq following the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein suffered from poor planning and lack of vision."

The study is the second in a series -- the first On Point covered the start of combat through to the ouster of Saddam in April 2003 -- and is described by the authors as "neither triumphant nor defeatist."

"Military leaders and civilian officials were fixated on military triumph and removing Saddam from power, but paid too little attention to the phases that would follow."

This largely backs up what a large number of dissident generals have been saying for several years -- that Donald Rumsfeld and others in the administration totally misread the situation, sent in far too few troops, should never have disbanded the Iraqi Army and generally botched the whole situation.   It's particularly tough on Generally Tommy Franks.

Some who read this will surely be tempted to blast me for having dared to write on the topic.  Go ahead if you must.  But,  I just think this is really remarkable -- that Army historians clearly have not tried to sugar coat anything.  They have truly (it seems to me) tried to provide "military professionals with a means to understand important and relevant lessons from the army's recent operational experience."

The conclusion that we botched the end game in Iraq is no longer a partisan one.  In fact, John McCain has been saying the same thing for years now. 

What this report says about the United States is that even when we make mistakes we are capable of admitting them.  Hopefully, learning from them.

Rich

Let me be clear about one thing.  If I had any dirt to dish on this subject I would simply say nothing at all.  But, I think, a little perspective is in order.  Fox 4 News has lost some reporters in recent months -- and some of the other Blogs in town are portraying that as some sort of ominous trend.  But -- with the clear exception of Rebecca Aguilar -- all our departing staffers have left to pursue other career options.  Unlike the other stations in town -- Fox 4 isn't laying people off.  Jason Overstreet left to take a great job with the professional bowling people, Scott Sayres landed a good PR job and Jeff Crilley started his own business, something he tells me has long wanted to do.

In fact, in the almost 25 years I have worked at KDFW-TV, we are the only local station that has not had massive layoffs at one time or another.  Channel 33 has hired and fired three complete newsrooms in the time I've been in Dallas/Fort Worth.  All of the other stations (8, 5, 11) have laid off dozens of people at a time -- and more than once.

Arguably, we've had one layoff in 25 years -- an excellent videotape editor who is now freelancing with us.  I say "arguably" one layoff because the contract of an excellent Sports anchor/reporter was not renewed about five or six years ago and it's debatable whether that was a layoff.  (He went on to get a network job at a much bigger salary - and he's doing just Mark Fein thank you).

This is a tough time in the TV news business.  Good people are losing their jobs all over the country in layoffs.  Do some of us BLEEP about our bosses here at Fox 4 News?  Does the sun rise in the East?  Of course, you can find people who are unhappy with some of what goes on.  I've been guilty of bitching and moaning just like everybody else.  In fact, I've never worked anywhere that there wasn't somebody unhappy with something.  Those trying to make something more of this are often found in the comment sections of various blogs -- without identifying themselves.  That's one of the things that really bugs me about this whole Blog thing -- how easy it is to leave nasty or mis-leading comments and to do so anonymously -- on Ed Bark's UncleBarky.com blog, for example.  I enjoy reading Ed but I should skip the comments section.  I promise you this.  If I comment anywhere I use my name.  Or, I say nothing at all.

Rich

I was toying with writing something about George Carlin today -- an encounter I had with him a few years ago at the airport in Amarillo.  I'll write about that in a moment but first I wanted to share an exchange I found on the Dallas Morning News website and its religion blog.

A reporter named Bruce Tomaso posted this:

Praying for Carlin? No, thanks.

10:34 AM Mon, Jun 23, 2008 | Permalink
Bruce Tomaso 

Some who responded to an earlier posting about the death of George Carlin said they would keep the comedian in their prayers.

Carlin would have guffawed. He was an emphatic atheist, and there's just about nothing that he would have valued less than knowing that people were praying for him.

His onstage rants against religion were legendary. Most contained language unsuitable for a family newspaper (or its Religion blog). If you're interested and won't mind the R-rated vocabulary, go to YouTube and search for "Carlin" and "religion."

Here are a couple of the responses that I thought were on point -

Posted by alex @ 11:04 AM Mon, Jun 23, 2008

Doesn't matter, as a Christian you pray for those in need and who have passed on leaving loved ones behind. That is the way it is and should always be. God Bless you George...if you want it or not. You need it you crazy, funny b****d.

love you

Posted by Dave @ 11:15 AM Mon, Jun 23, 2008

I bet he wants a do-over about now.

Posted by john @ 11:16 AM Mon, Jun 23, 2008

But does praying for a man who is a known athiest who has already passed make a difference? We know where he is. I know our prayers at this point are fruitless, but we can definately pray his family and friends who might have a chance to find GOD.

 I met George Carlin at a Southwest Airlines gate while waiting for a flight from Amarillo back in the 1980s.  The plane had been delayed.  He was without entourage and I was, frankly, surprised at how open he was to talking with me and my photographer, Max Stacy.  We just chatted.  Nothing heavy.  He was pleasant and funny.  Seemed a little shy.  But, genuine and not at all pretentious.  Rare in a celebrity.

Count me as among those who said a prayer for George Carlin -- even though he often ranted against God and those who believe. One never knows about a mortal soul. 

The Bible makes it clear that those who are called at the last hour receive the same reward as those who have labored all their lives. 

 Rich

It's a tough story to tell.  I can only imagine how difficult it is for friends and family to grieve through it.  Christy and Geoff Hart, their 12-year-old daughter Rebekah and two little foster girls (ages 5 and 6) all killed minutes after leaving church Sunday morning in Plano -- broadsided by a young man who ran a red light and is now hospitalized in critical condition.

Geoff and Christy On a Mission in Mexico

It was my assignment today to go out to the church, Custer Road United Methodist, and update the tragic tale.  It is always difficult to report this kind of story but this one, a little more so.  The Harts, it turns out, were very active in the Missions Ministry.  The kind of folks that, I'm sure, if they were in my church would be among my closest friends.  Debbie Pomponio, who heads up the children's ministry, shared with me a brochure that Rebekah recently designed, to help raise money for mission work in Mexico.  She told me stories about how the whole family had rolled up their sleeves in Matamoros and worked hard to better the lives of people there.

 Rebekah in Mexico

The two little foster girls (sisters with different fathers who have not yet been publicly identified by Child Protective Services) had been with the Hart family just a few months.  Debbie told me a story about a mural of Jesus at the church, about hearing one of the little girls say "I love Jesus."  

I've been doing the Lone Star Adventure series now for more than a decade and, yet, I've never done a golfing story - until tonight.  But, this is a special golf course that we're featuring -- maybe the "greenest" in Texas. 

Tierra Verde Golf Club is a municipal Arlington course that has won a host of awards (state, national and international) for its environmentally friendly design and maintenance schedule.

 Rich Swinging Away on Driving Range

Texas Parks & Wildlife just gave Tierra Verde its prestigious Lone Star Steward award and has this to say about it:

Tierra Verde Golf Club in Arlington was uniquely designed to maximize the natural areas of the facility while accommodating golfers of all skill levels. Corridors of native vegetation throughout the property provide habitat for a variety of birds and other wildlife.

A minimum 20-foot buffer area of native plants, established around water bodies, reduces runoff and provides wildlife cover. Carefully constructed brush piles provide additional cover and dead trees are maintained for cavity nesters.

Nest boxes for wood ducks, purple martins, and bluebirds have been erected throughout the property and basking logs are placed in the ponds for turtles. The irrigation system monitors weather and plant condition to determine daily water requirements. Areas of native grass are mowed to a height of 12 inches every 3 years to simulate grazing.

Turf grasses are maintained with organic fertilizers, and both ground and surface water quality are monitored. The facility conducts environmental tours throughout the year for local schools interested in sustainable development.

 Groundskeeping Naturally

Above all, it's a great course.  Country club quality turf.  Excellent layout.  Check out the story tonight at 9pm (it will be on the web earlier than that) and try out the course if you get  chance.

Rich

This should come as no surprise to anyone;  DFW is a traffic mess.  5th worst in the country, according to INRIX National Traffic Scorecard.

What did surprise me about the report that is most of the top 10 worst bottlenecks are in Tarrant, not Dallas, County.  Northeast Tarrant County has some real doozies. 

Here's a map that shows (in red) where the worst of the worst traffic jams are

You can read more on where and what is going on at:

http://scorecard.inrix.com/scorecard/Scorecard/INRI
X%20National%20Traffic%20Scorecard%201-25%205.pdfp>

Rich

The wildest governor's race I can remember is back in the news -- nearly two decades later.  In 1990 Republican oil man Clayton Williams came out of nowhere politically and won the GOP nomination.  He roared to a 20 point lead over Democrat Ann Richards in the polls.  And, then.  He. Blew. It.

Told a terribly offensive joke about rape.  Refused to shake Ann Richards hand at a Dallas event.  Said and did a whole series of things that turned voters off.  On election night (with the polls still showing him in the lead) he was shockingly defeated.

What's brought Clayton back into the spotlight is a decision by Senator John McCain to cancel a Williams led fundraiser in Midland today -- apparently because reporters raised a few questions about some of the controversial things Clayton said back in 1990.  The rape joke, for example.

Okay.  Claytie (always a pleasant guy to be around, no matter what you thought of his politics) made mistakes and said dumb things.  But, he didn't do anything illegal.  He just made political blunders.  I'm, frankly, surprised that Senator McCain would cancel the fundraiser.

We'd like to ask him about it while he's in Dallas tonight (for a couple of fundraisers he didn't cancel) but his Press people tell us there will be "no media availability."  I'll be stalking him anyway.  And, filing reports at 5 & 6.  Probably for 9 & 10 too.

See you on TV.  Meantime, I thought this might spark some discussion.  Do you think McCain is overreacting on this one?  Or, maybe not?

Rich

I've been asked to pontificate a bit on the ongoing Veepstakes for John McCain and Barack Obama  -- to pick five candidates for each.  Something the web team is working on.  I tried to have a little fun with it.  Do not try this on TV.

Democrat Veep Stakes -- Five Candidates

Senator Hillary Clinton
Pro
I wrote weeks ago that, in the end, Senator Obama will swallow hard and put Senator Clinton on the ticket.  It's all about uniting the party and securing Democratic women who've invested so much in Hillary.  They probably won't vote for John McCain.  But, they might stay home and not vote at all.
Con
You'd certainly have to keep Hillary and Michelle on separate schedules. 

Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico
Pro
This might solidify Hispanic support for Obama, which still looks a little shaky.  Richardson is experienced and well liked (except by the Clintons who see him as traitorous).
Con
Richardson is not  well known and does not have an Hispanic surname so for voters who aren't plugged in it may not make much difference.  And, he doesn't solve the disappointed-that-Hillary-isn't-on-the-ticket problem.

Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona
Pro
She's a woman.
Con
She's not Hillary

Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas
Pro
She's a woman.
Con
She's not Hillary and Kansas has a lot less electoral votes than Arizona.

Virginia Sen. Jim Webb
Pro
War hero.  Conservative democrat.
Con
Not a woman.  See above.

Republican Veepstakes - Five Candidates

Mike Huckabee
Pro
Could get Evangelicals excited, the folks who helped elect George Bush.  He and McCain genuinely like each other. 
Con
Most of America (see President Bush's approval ratings) is pretty gun shy about the last Evangelical they elected.   And, Presidential candidates almost never choose somebody they actually like.

Mitt Romney
Pro
Conservatives like him even if McCain really doesn't.
Con
He's changed positions so many times on issues like Gay rights and abortion that he might be vulnerable to flip-flop attacks.

Condoleezza Rice
Pro
She's not Hillary
Con
Her first name is really hard to spell and, well, you got that people-want-change problem.  She's been hanging around Dick Cheney a lot.

Florida Governor Charlie Christ
Pro
Florida is a crucial swing state.
Con
Charlie Who?

Ron Paul
Pro
Hey, he would be interesting!  He can raise a lot of money.
Con
The rest of the GOP would vote for the Libertarian candidate. 

Rich

This video comes from Christ Hillside Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas and is a powerful eight minutes.   Rosaline, one of my church friends, alerted me to it.  Thanks Ros.

It makes me wonder what my Cardboard Testimony should be.  I'm going to pray about it and come up with one.

Rich

Not a day goes by that someone here at Fox 4 News doesn't ask me about the love of my life.  "How's Catherine doing?" is usually the question.  "I miss her," often follows.

For those who don't know, Catherine decided not to sign a new contract when her last one ended in October.  After nearly 20 years at KDFW she had risen to the position of Supervising Producer at Fox 4 News.   But, management was not her first love.  Producing was.  And, she was worn out.  TV News will do that to you.  So, for the six months before she quit we cleared the decks financially.  Paid off the house.  Eliminated the bills we could eliminate.  The goal was to make sure she didn't have to work again, if she didn't want to.

Well, she's not employed.  Calls herself "retired" but she's busier than ever.  Today she was elected to "Church Council" at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Carrollton which will add to her already full schedule.  A lot of her time is spent volunteering at church and now she'll have more responsibility for budgeting and decision-making matters.

She has also started a business "Crossroads Christian Tours."  It's an effort to recruit Pastors and promote travel by Christian groups to Israel and other religious sites.  Pastor Oscar Benavides of LINC is hoping to lead the first such trip to the Holy Land this fall.  Catherine and I will be putting together a group trip in the spring that will start in Egypt, go to Petra, Jordan and then on to Israel.  She hopes to organize future trips to Ethiopia and elsewhere but, mostly, to Israel.  You can check out her website at:

www.CrossroadsChristianTours.com.

Masada, Israel with Dead Sea in Background

That's what she's up to.  That's how she's doing.  She's a happy camper.  And, "the best wife in the history of the Universe!"  I know.

Rich 

One of our terrific web producers, Alice Kalthoff, has posted a video of a man going absolutely beserk and tearing up an office.  Several web sites now identify the guy as a worker in a newspaper office in Moscow.  One site, at least, reports the video showed up earlier on Russian TV.  Hard to confirm but that seems to be the back story.
If you haven't seen it yet -- you really should.  It's on www.myfoxdfw.com at:

www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=
6696338&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1
.1.1

I've worked around a lot of really volatile people but never seen anything like this.  The occasional screaming hissy fits.  A little pushing and shoving.  A prominent DFW TV sports anchor was once fired for throwing a typewriter at somebody in another market.  But, all of that pales in comparison to the Russian MELTDOWN - as Alice characterizes it.

Tonight at 9pm my weekly Lone Star Adventure feature will again focus on close-to-home travel options this summer -- and how to find them.  I'm zeroing in on White Rock Lake -- but promising to help you find whatever is close to you.  You start by getting on www.myfoxdfw.com and then finding the Lone Star Adventure page (search box works)

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;js
essionid=5FC01E9D1C8423BBBF13AEA0187C890B?contentId=769
98&version=186&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=1.1.
1&sflg=1 

Bookmark it, please! 

Anyway, once you get there, you will find a cool tool box with Google Earth and Google Maps tabs.  A web producer here (best in the world) named Tracy Delatte has plotted all the Lone Stars from the last couple of years on Google Maps and it gives you a terrific way to navigate around and hunt for them. 

Here's the really cool part:  last week the Lone Star Adventure page with the Google map features won an Emmy Award!!

Tracy Delatte won yours truly (and herself) an Emmy.  I can always use the added hardware.  It looks good in the office at home.  Thank you Tracy.  And, check out the Lone Star page.  It's Emmy worthy.

Rich

During the Contra War in the mid-1980s I had occasion to fly in and out of Tegucigulpa, Honduras about half a dozen times.  I'm not a nervous flyer, generally, but Tegucigulpa's airport is scary!  It's like landing in a bowl, high in the mountains. 

That's why I have followed with some interest the news of a TACA Airline crash there Friday.  The plane slid off the runway, killing five.  Those of us who flew in and out of Central America back in the 80's jokingly referred to TACA (El Salvador based) as Take A Chance Airline.  I'm not sure what their safety record was but the planes always looked as if they were in need of repair. 

The accident Friday happened, reportedly, during bad weather conditions.  But, it doesn't matter when you take off or land there, it has to be near perfect.  There's no green space between the airport and the city and there have been at least two other accidents I know of where cars and buildings were clipped by planes taking off or landing.

Someone posted a great video on YouTube of a big jetliner coming into Tegucigulpa.  It illustrates what I'm talking about.

Rich