Is anarchy in our near future?

I was on the phone with a Harris County Deputy Sheriff the other day for 35 minutes.  The initial reason for his call was he needs his computer repaired.  We are longtime friends, as I've known him since he was a kid. 

Eventually the conversation turned to the state of affairs of police shootings and the general unrest across the country.  Now being a Harris County cop and according to him, he literally wrestles with someone every day.  The reason for this is because they fail to follow his instructions and he is forced to make them obey.  It’s as simple as that.

They become argumentative and combative and ultimately it is because they are prone to violence, have something on them that is illegal, or they have warrants.  To a bystander, it often appears the cop is being too aggressive, but what they fail to realize is the cop often has inside information that makes them very wary of the person they are attempting to arrest.  Or, their body language alerts the cop that everything is not as it may appear.

I know this guy.  I know him and I know he isn’t out there trying to bully anyone.  He explained to me the mountains of rules and regulations he and every cop must conform to.  He said it is almost impossible to remember everything they are told to learn.  Due to these restrictions in almost every instance, the criminal has the advantage.

I told him I believe we are on the brink of anarchy.  All it takes for anarchy to evolve is for the police department to be unable to answer calls and maintain law and order.  We saw this after Hurricane Katrina and in Ferguson, Missouri.  Can you imagine this happening all across the country?  These giant demonstrations draw police away from their duties allowing the criminal element to act with near impunity.  He agreed that a few simple acts of terrorism could create this environment.

Mass irrational terror, organized and violent demonstrations, and the criminal element run amok and we suddenly are reduced to a Third World environment.  Armed citizens will be territorial and jumpy as grasshoppers.  Criminals will prey on the weak and the few cops who are still able to patrol will be drawn back to their own families to stand ground.  Nighttime will be ruled by the violent and our streets will be empty.

It’s a horrifying scenario to be sure, but to believe it couldn’t happen here is just plain ignorant and frankly, stupid.  In the recent December demonstrations in New York City, 25,000 demonstrators drew almost every cop in the large city away from actual crime related issues.  Does anyone believe that criminal activity outside of this area actually decreased?  Heck no and the proof is there.

Many of the signs being carried by the protesters of the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” and “I Can’t Breathe” demonstrators are provided by RevCom.us (which is printed at the bottom of the signs).  “RevCom” is short for “The voice of the revolutionary Communist Party, USA”.  RevCom is using social unrest to further their own goal of over-throwing the government and no one in the assembly seems to be aware.  They make no bones about it on their website.

I am for peaceful demonstrations, but understand they drain police resources.  Be very cautious what causes you support.  Quanell X loves to be portrayed as a human rights activist and proponent, but in reality is a member of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense and the New Black Muslim Movement with their own agendas.  According to Wikipedia, the Anti-Defamation League, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights consider the New Black Panthers to be a hate group.

Anarchy can be prevented in the USA, but it will take a revelation like the one Reverend Jarrett Maupin got in Phoenix, Arizona.  As a local civil rights activist outraged over the Maricopa County police shooting of an unarmed man, he accepted a request by the PD to attend a shoot /don’t shoot class.  

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“I didn’t understand how important compliance was… people need to comply with the orders of law enforcement officers, for their own safety.”   And that is the solution to stop anarchy.

If our country falls under terrorist attack, as France did the past few days, stay calm and assist the police department until a safe and friendly environment is restored.  This is not the time to make a social statement or collect a debt.  People will be skittish and the criminal element will be active and by all means, do what the police tell you to do without argument.

The Blue Heron Parkway Revisited

I wish to officially retract my many derisive statements about the Baker Road Extension.  I didn’t vote for it and I sure as heck fire didn’t see where anyone would profit from it except the land owners.  On top of that, I didn’t see the intensity of exponential growth this little tri-city oil town was going to suddenly experience.

The Blue Heron Parkway/Baker Road Extension

Well, to be honest, I suspected we were going to see major growth.  Anyone traveling the Fred Hartman bridge from the Baytown/La Porte Tunnel days knows the amount of vehicles going over the bridge has went from, “Boy, this sure is a lot of bridge for this few cars,” to “Mine Gott!  Where is the cow-catcher I ordered for the front of my pick-em-up truck?”

Living directly behind the expansion, I’ve taken a very personal interest in what is now named, the Blue Heron Parkway - a cool sounding water-loving bird name and very fitting for our multiple bay town.  My interest has been serious enough to get the skinny from the workers, engineers, city officials, and our mayor as I ride my bicycle up and down it.

Nick Woolery, Asst to the City Manager, has been a plethora of information.  Many believe the project is stalled and hearing the machinery every day, I know it’s not.  “The project is on track and we are anticipating the project to be completed by the beginning of March.  The reason you haven’t seen much activity on the project near North Main is because of work being done near the pipeline that runs just east of North Main.  Once this work is complete and traffic signal improvements at North Main and Blue Heron Parkway (BHP) are done, you will start seeing more progress from N. Main.”

There are three detention ponds being built.  Pond A is north of the extension and behind a N. Main storage facility.  It will be visible from the extension.  Pond C is on the curve on Hartman Drive and these two are to handle the current drainage needs.  “Once the project is completed, these ponds will be conveyed to the Harris County Flood Control District and they will be responsible for maintenance. “

Behind my house is a giant retention/detention pond.  “The larger detention pond on the east side of the project (Pond B) is to handle drainage needs from future development along BHP.  You are correct that it will drain into Cary Bayou.”

Detention/Retention Pond B

“North of Detention Pond B is additional detention area that will be used for recreational purposes.  As of now, it’s planned for future recreational purposes like softball and baseball practice fields and a

small parking area, but this is not currently funded.  We will construct these amenities at a later date.  We have received donations to plant new trees in this area, however.  Once the construction is complete, we will proceed with planting new trees in this detention area.”

“Along BHP will be 5-foot sidewalks on the north side of the road and 10-foot sidewalks on the south side of the road.  The larger sidewalk is suitable for walking and biking.  As you mentioned, there is also an 8-foot sidewalk that will run from the intersection of Blue Heron Parkway and Barkuloo road, down to the pipeline easement and over to Detention Pond B, passing through Barkuloo Park on the way.”

When I asked about a walking trail around the pond, he told me:  “There are plans to extend the trail around the new Detention Pond B in the future, but it’s not part of this project.  As funds become available, we’ll construct a trail around the detention area and build the recreational amenities.  The same goes for extending the sidewalk across Sjolander Road and the railroad tracks to Jenkins Park.  We certainly have future plans to make this happen, but it’s not a part of this road construction project.”

Crockett Elementary Expansion

In response to the Crockett Elementary roadwork, he replied: “…this is a separate project, but it’s being done in connection with the opening of BHP.  The school is re-configuring their driveway to accommodate more vehicles and help keep the vehicles that are waiting off the public streets.”  They will also put up a heavy-duty fence along the parkway to protect the children.

“As for the medians in the project.  Our Parks and Recreation staff designed the medians for Blue Heron Parkway.  They used similar design standards as you see throughout Baytown (see Baker Road, N. Alexander, etc.).  The project you see on North Main, north of I-10, is a county project.”

Giant mound of dirt belongs to Angel Brothers

 The giant mound of dirt at the end of the airport runway has caused much speculation.  “The dirt from the project will belong to the contractor, Angel Brothers.  I don’t know what their plans are for the dirt, but that’s not something the City is involved with.”

“You asked about annexation in the area.  There are no immediate plans to annex the general area into the City.  As is the usual practice, annexation will happen as development occurs and is generally limited to the area developed.  Sometimes it is necessary to annex across undeveloped property to reach a new development.  As is the case with all annexations, when they are proposed there will be plenty of notice and opportunity given to residents to provide comment throughout the process.”

 Finally, I addressed the rumor that once the BH Pkwy is finished, the airport runway will be lengthened:  “In regards to East Cedar Bayou Lynchburg being closed to lengthen the airport runway, this is not true.  East Cedar Bayou Lynchburg is a County road and is under the jurisdiction of Harris County.  However, there are no plans to close this road, even after Blue Heron Parkway opens and the City would be opposed to any such closure.”
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Geocaching the Haunted Humble's Forgotten Geocache

Photo by Douglas Jackson  9/24/2010 - the area looks much worse right now due to the drought killing so many trees

Baytown Bert at the abandoned kerosen tanks next to cemetery

MuddyWaterGirl, Rambetta, and I visited this one in Humble the other day and it is a very interesting area.

GC3FN6F ▼ Humble's Forgotten N 30° 00.448 W 095° 15.641

This cache is just east of a very old cemetery named "HUMBLE NEGRO CEMETERY" and currently is being kept up by a local church. It is a very old history piece of Humble. Many graves here are unmarked or have been vandalized over the years. This area was undefinable for a long time till an incident occurred and brought *public attention to the cemetery. The only reason the cemetery is here is because a local businessman named Mr. Bender employed many black families and when Humble evicted them from their lives and even their graves, he let them live near here and bury their dead on his land. There are also remains on the north side of a old kerosene refinery, two concrete storage tanks and some concrete tank supports. Please use caution if you go exploring these areas. Its also said that this area is HAUNTED!

**HOUSTON (AP) *Three Kingwood teens have been arrested and accused of digging up a secluded grave and removing a skull in Humble, a city north of Houston. They dug up a grave, removed the skull from the coffin and converted it into a "bong," a device used to smoke marijuana, according to court documents.

MuddyWaterGirl, Rambetta, & Baytown Bert at the abandoned kerosene tank next to cememtery.

The photos show each of us at the abandoned giant cement kerosene refinery holding tanks. Supposedly Texaco operated these and lightning hit the open top tank, causing a horrendous fire. The fire killed many black laborers who were burned so badly, there was a mass unmarked grave in the area, but it may not have been the one next to it. The area has a history of paranormal activity, just one of the interesting places geocaching takes us. I started out on this journey to locate some hard to find caches and after not being able to find a very difficult cache, I texted MuddyWaterGirl (She grew up in Bay City) and she appeared shortly afterward.

She knew of this geocache, but had never been there and after a bit of plotting, we figured out a way to access it - just one part of this remote cache. It had many DNF's (Did not find) and after about fifteen minutes, I spotted it. We made our way back to her truck and Rambetta pulled up. She is from Baytown and an Army Bird Colonel and a friend of mine. After MWG left, Rambetta (Female Rambo) and I proceded to jump some ditches and straight-lined to the cache by the cemetery, since it was only about a quarter of a mile away from where we were currently parked - as the crow flies. We took photos and went our separate ways after returning to our vehicles.

Humble Negro Cemetery

The Humble Negro Cemetery is located in Harris County, Texas, just north of the City of Humble, Texas. It is located about 200 yards north of the FM 1960 by-pass which runs along the north side of Humble, Texas and east of the railroad tracks and U.S. Highway 59. (GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 30.006264, Longitude: -95.261829).

History

The City of Humble, Texas incorporated as a city in 1933. At that time, by vote of the City Council, racial segregation was invoked to make the town "lily white". The black population was forced to relocate their families as well as the graves of their dead to another location, outside the city limits. Starting in 1933, blacks began to move out of Humble. By 1935, almost everyone had moved.

There used to be a sawmill north of Humble that was owned by Mr. Bender, one of the founders of Humble. Blacks migrated from Gladysville, Cleveland, Splendora and Fastoria to work there. He was kind to the African-American people and gave them some property to live on and a place to bury their loved ones. The entire area is now referred to as Bordersville (informal), because the African-Americans were made to live outside the "border" of incorporated Humble.

Time took its toll on the cemetery over the years and the entire cemetery became overgrown. In 2005, the members of Grace Church, a multicultural church located in Humble, sought for permission from the owners of the land to clean and restore the land. This is something the descendants of the deceased had hoped and tried to do for a long time. After receiving clearance from the City of Humble and the Texas Department of Transportation, Grace Church spent many thousands of dollars putting in a road, clearing hundreds of trees, and working with local historians to restore the cemetery. In order to honor the veterans of war that are buried there, the church also installed a flag pole and U.S. flag station. Currently the church is pursuing a historical marker to be placed at the site. While hoping to turn the cemetery back to the loved ones of the deceased, the church continues to cover all maintenance and up keep at its own expense.

In 2008, however, there was an incident that involved disturbing one of the graves and descrating one of the bodies interred there. This incident brought the cemetery back into the public eye. The pastors of Grace Church oversaw the re-interment of the body.

The gravesites here are not arranged in rows or plots and only a few stones remain. They are randomly placed. Many of the graves are unmarked, or the stones have been removed. Very few, if any records were kept and several people have since desecrated the graveyard by reducing the graves themselves to a pile of rubble.
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Baytown Trash Bash & Kayak Mash-Up!

Whew!  My abs feel like I did five hundred crunches after joining other members of the Baytown Photo club yesterday to pick up trash in our designated area on Tri-city Beach Road.  I think this is my fifth time to do this farthest stretch of road, which runs past Evergreen Road to the cow chute a third of a mile further on out and the worst of the five times, as far as the amount of trash I found.

Baytown Photo Club Grubbers on Tri-city Beach Road.

 The temp was “hot” to say the least with our normal humidity and what?  No wind?  I sweated buckets and it didn’t help that a bush-hog had mowed, shredding every bit of litter it encountered.  By far, the worst thing I saw was copious pieces of chopped Styrofoam coffee and cola drinks.

Gary Erwin working the back forty.  He was almost hit by a truck pulling a boat, that swerved over close by.

 People who drive this road appear to have a passion for McDonald’s and Burger King, Bud and Miller light – cans, not bottles, and cigarettes.  On one side of the road was an explicitly labeled porn DVD case and on the other, a page out of the King James Bible in the book of Luke.

A beautiful sunrise greeted us while we prepared to launch.

Kayaking geocachers prepare to launch at George White lake

The "Smilies" mark the location of the geocaches.  You get the smilies to appear after you find and log them.

 Today, I met with a good group of people on Highlands Shores Road at George White Lake, in the Kathryn J. Whitmire Preserve to go geocaching in kayaks and canoes.  We came from as far as Willis, Houston, Beaumont, and of course, Baytown.  Beaumont has a group of “cachers’ who love to travel all over and geocache and they are very pleasant people I enjoy bumping into.

Safety is paramount and we take safety very seriously.

 We launched a little after seven AM and were back to the starting point before ten, just as the sun really began to beat down.  It doesn’t sound like much, but my forearms are cramping as I write this Blog.  The series of caches, which number fourteen are “owned” by Bryan Wilpitz, with the exception of one and are not meant to be difficult to find.  The adventure part is paddling to find them and Bryan found the perfect place to put these “soda tube” type containers.  A soda tube is an unexpanded soda bottle and is very firm and water-tight.

The water was beautiful and my son-in-law, Cache'magnet drove our yak like a pro in his new Tilley hat.

I was sweating bullets (not literally) and loving every second of our adventure.

  One again my son-in-law and I were in the company of veteran cachers (and kayak'ers) who have a vast storehouse of experience under their geocaching belts and it was a real pleasure to join them.

"Blindzman" Jason Sosa paddling his awesome kayak.

BizzyB digs her paddle into the water and heads her canoe toward the next cache.

Elisa (Georeyna) in her new kayak dubbed "Salty" by an "expert" geocacher.

 I think our next mash-up will be on bicycles in north Harris County and since I bought a new helmet and bracket to carry my GPSr unit, I am really looking forward to it.

Dying Trees Felled In WL Jenkins Park!

Big trees are down all along the Jenkins Park gravel well-traveled trail which connects WL Jenkins Park with JC Hollaway Park.  They were dead due to the drought and marked in the same hot pink color which for the last few years has brought folks together to fight breast cancer.  In the case of the trees, the bright color meant just the opposite.  Doomed to the earth.  I love this park and hate to see it defoliated.

They lay everywhere like fallen sentinels and the skyline and buildings outside the park - which were recently hidden from view, are now obscenely exposed.  At least that is the way I view it and I am sure others who daily use this refuge from concrete and asphalt are equally dismayed.

I understand only the trees, which could fall across the path, were aggressively chain-sawed down.  I know it and understand the reasons behind it and I applaud the Parks Department for being proactive.  We have very good parks and Scott Johnson should be applauded for keeping them up.  You can't go too one of our parks without seeing city workers doing maintenance.

Two weeks ago I wanted to follow the chain-saw gang around, but didn't want to pass the "Keep Out!  Men at Work!" barricades.  They were felling trees and with each crashing sound, I envisioned an Ent soul ascending toward the heavens.  Maybe Fangorn was in there somewhere - who will ever know?   I had to wait until today to see the damage, as I worked a long string of 12-hour days at the Plant where I live most of the time.

As of today, the plan is:  "Those that can be moved easily near the trail will be removed.  Those deep in the woods will be left in place to let nature do its thing."  Personally, I would like to see some seedlings going in as soon as possible, but there is no plan at this time to replace the fallen majestic pines of Jenkins Park..

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A Trip Up Cedar Bayou

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My buddy Jim McDonnel took his circa 1971 John boat up Cedar Bayou today, launching from the boat dock at Roseland Park.  We motored all the way to the I-10 bridges, occasionally bumping an underwater log as we neared the bridges.  We saw many different birds, including great blue herons, night herons, white egrets, caracara, anhinga,  cormorants, kingfishers, and vultures.

We also found about 5-6 boats completely destroyed.  I wonder who is responsible for their removal?

We discovered Cedar Bayou for the most part is unspoiled and beautiful.  It will be a real shame to see it ruined by the noise and traffic pollution caused by the proposed barge terminal.

Baytown Bert in a rare self-portrait

The bridges under I-10.  Its very beautiful here.

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Ken "The Dauber" Pridgeon revisited

Paintings a Memorial to Fallen Heroes: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

It was my pleasure to be visiting with Ken at his new studio when Fox News 26 Houston reporter Ned Hibberd and cameraman came by for an interview.  In my book, Ken is as much of a hero as the "boys" he paints.  Ken is bringing healing to thousands upon thousands through this gigantic effort.

Bayland Guards Historical Marker - Baytown, Texas

The Harris County Historical Commission,

Baytown Historical Preservation Association, and

Total Petrochemicals, La Porte Polypropylene Plant

cordially invite you to attend the

dedication of an Official Texas Historical Marker
honoring the 

Bayland Guards Saturday,

September 18, 2010, at 10 a.m.

at Bayland Park

2641 SH 146 Business, Baytown, Texas

Reception Follows
Lawn chairs welcomed for seating will be limited
For additional information, call 713.864.6862

The Bayland Guards were organized by

Dr. Ashbel Smith of San Jacinto fame,

with men from eastern Harris County  and Chambers County. 

 It later became Company C, 2nd Texas Infantry. 

The Bayland Guards, with no previous military experience, under the command of Dr. Ashbel Smith, scholar, statesman, and skilled physician, registered their original Muster Roll at the Harris County Courthouse in Houston on April 29, 1861. Mustered into Confederate service on July 31, 1861 as Company C of the Galveston Infantry Regiment, in Galveston.

The Galveston Regiment was redesignated on October 12, 1861 as the Second Texas Infantry Regiment. Seeing battle at Shiloh, Corinth, and Hatchie Bridge, with the Second Texas Infantry, the Guards served bravely and distinguished itself for the defense of a crescent-shaped fortification at Vicksburg.

They faced “forty-seven days and nights of daily shelling and nightly bombardment in a narrow ditch, exposed to the scorching heat during the day and the often chilly air and dews of night” from two Union assaults. The Bayland Guards, as part of the Second Texas Infantry, was surrendered at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 and was paroled within the week. They were exchanged September 12, 1863, reorganized in Texas during the fall of 1863, and surrendered May 26, 1865.

Three sons of Republic of Texas presidents Sam Houston and Anson Jones served in this unit: Samuel Houston, Jr., Charles Elliott Jones, and Samuel Edward Jones.

As part of the Second Texas Regiment, the Bayland Guards served with distinction and honor, and upon returning home from the war, shaped by their wartime experiences, helped to shape the future of the communities they represented. They continued to distinguish themselves as the bay area began to rebuild itself and go through Reconstruction. They were the farmers and ranchers, teachers, doctors and dentists, business owners, and several served in elected offices.