Saturday, May 31, 2008

Yesterday's full page ad in "The Messenger"

Please check out the full page ad in yesterday's "Messenger". They got it right this time. (For free.)

Friday, May 23, 2008

Grrrrrrr......

Trust me. That ad was NOT what I submitted.

Stay tuned.

Full page ad in today's "Messenger"

Two weeks ago, a local resident placed a full page ad in "The Messenger" about urban gas drilling. It contained a number of inaccuracies, which I didn't think should go unanswered.

So, I prepared a full page ad of my own. In contrast to the prior ad, I believe this one is factual, non-emotional and will hopefully serve to educate residents as to why urban gas drilling in the highly residential areas of Flower Mound is such a bad thing for all of us. It's in today's "Messenger".

I hope you will encourage your friends and neighbors to read it. The cost of the ad was $2,249.10. If anyone wants to contribute to its cost, I'd really appreciate it. You can send your check to me at 2900 Aberdeen Dr., 75022.

Thank you very much,

Beckie Belcher
Flower Mound Citizens Against Urban Drilling

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

"Say NO to Urban Gas Drilling" signs are here!!

I just got in a huge order of "Just Say NO to Urban Gas Drilling" signs. They're $3 each and I'm hoping that each of you would be willing to take 10 or more. (You know, Cherokee Horn pays people $100 to put "Gas is Good" signs in their yard. We need to demonstrate that we don't have to be paid to express our opinion.)

Please put one in your yard and ask your neighbors if they would, as well. These signs are a great way to let folks know that there's a group of us out here that's not going to just roll over and let the drillers destroy Flower Mound with drilling in our highly residential areas.

I know that many of you have HOA's whose covenants supposedly prohibit signs. While I am not an attorney (and I am NOT offering legal advice), other attorneys have told us that these signs ultimately come down to freedom of speech and as such, cannot be prohibited. Plus, they are NOT commercial and they are in the public interest.

Please let me know how many signs you would like to have. I would love to quickly run out and have to reorder!

You can email me at: stopthedrilling@gmail.com

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Random Observations about the Town Council Elections (Post-Election)

I'll save the discussion about the full page ad in Friday's "Messenger" for another day. If I hadn't used all my "special interest" money on a campaign contribution, I'd buy an ad to rebut all of the uh..."inaccuracies" in it.

Well deserved congratulations to Al and Virginia for running a clean campaign. It is an honor to know them.

Wonder why Jody felt it necessary to put up signs at the last minute--all strategically placed between the Dixon and Levenick signs?

45 votes. Wow. Every vote really does matter. Virginia ran a heck of a campaign even though it started late and didn't have the "influential" backers that her opponent had.

Kudos to Virginia for bringing the drilling in highly residential areas issue to the forefront. I'm sure the seniors won't mind.

Lastly, for those of you that think the drilling issue is going to just "go away" now, be forewarned. I just got 400 new "Just say NO to urban drilling" signs. We're just getting started.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Random Observations about the Town Council Elections

Did you see Jean Levenick's flyer which included her statement that "It offends me, a resident and voter of Flower Mound, that she [Virginia Jellison] now asks for your vote." What?!?!

Have you noticed that the large campaign signs for Jean Levenick and Steve Dixon generally are placed on large landowners' properties?

Have you noticed that many of the Al Filidoro and Virginia Jellison yard signs also have a "Say NO to urban drilling" sign next to them?

Have you seen any of the "Say NO" signs next to Dixon and Levenick signs?

Please vote on Saturday. 7:00am to 7:00pm at the Police & Court Bldg.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Town Elections

Through Saturday (May 3rd) only about 900 people have voted in the Town elections. This means we're on track for about 2,400 voters total.

What does this mean?

It means that very few votes will decide this election and YOU have the opportunity to make a difference. How?

1) GO VOTE!! (See below for dates, times and the location.)

2) Call at least 10 of your friends and remind them to vote.

3) Explain the importance of this election to anyone that you can--a neighbor, a co-worker, or someone at church.

We believe that this election is a referendum on the issues that face us today. Do we want to continue down a path that will have us looking like Odessa before long? Or, do we want to maintain the character and the uniqueness of Flower Mound?

This matters. Please vote.

Early Voting: Monday, May 5th and Tuesday, May 6th
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Flower Mound Police and Court Building
4150 Kirkpatrick Road

Election Day: Saturday, May 10
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Flower Mound Police and Court Building
4150 Kirkpatrick Road

Note: As some of our "friends" have so graciously reminded us (repeatedly), we (FMCAUD) cannot endorse a particular candidate, since we are not registered as a PAC. So, we're not doing that. This is simply a reminder to vote and to make your voice heard.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

The Water

The drilling companies continue to say that the water used in the fracing process is completely safe. Nothing more than water and sand.

Here's an article worth reading. . Several people in Hill County are having serious problems with their wells. Wells that have produced clean, healthy water for years. All of their properties are within a couple of hundred yards of two gas wells drilled by Williams Production-Gulf Coast Co. Hydrologists have tested the water and the residents have been told not to use the water for anything, not even watering the grass. Of course, Williams has denied any problem and the RRC has been of no help.


FM citizens have raised many concerns about our water supply but those concerns have been dismissed by The FM Oil and Gas Board.

Some quotes from Chair Murphy taken from the minutes of the March 12 meeting:
"And you talk about polluted water. Well, there's a thing called a closed loop system that's being used. The water is not eroding the ground."

"And with the closed loop system and even if the trucks have to be brought in, it's still much safer for our environment and for our water than the fertilizers or the the aerated septic tanks on the two-acre estates that water the grass that runs into Lake Grapevine;"

Best case, WE DON'T KNOW YET. We don't know the full impact of drilling in an urban setting. No one has all the answers yet, not even FM's Oil and Gas Board which claims to be so much smarter than us.