Posted on

110 years ago today in our town — 110 years later in our world

” … and up from the ground came a bubbling crude, oil that is, Black Gold, Texas Tea.”  From “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” written by Paul Henning

That description of good fortune found by Jed, of “The Beverly Hillbillies” fame, fits to a “tea” what happened in real life about three miles from where I live. The crude began bubbling — exactly 110 years ago today (January 10, 1901) — at place known as “Spindletop.” A very informative article about the history of Spindletop that was written by Robert Wooster and Christine Moor Sanders, and published in Handbook of Texas Online describes the pivotal moment of the World’s most important oil gusher ever:

“The startled roughnecks fled as six tons of four-inch drilling pipe came shooting up out of the ground. After several minutes of quiet, mud, then gas, then oil spurted out. The Lucas geyser, found at a depth of 1,139 feet, blew a stream of oil over 100 feet high until it was capped nine days later and flowed an estimated 100,000 barrels a day.”

It is pretty safe to say nothing of such far-reaching magnitude ever occurred since in Jefferson County, Texas, located on the easternmost Gulf Coast of the Lone Star State. Although I wasn’t around for Spindletop, I bet that not even Janis Joplin’s triumphant return in 1970 to her 10th graduation anniversary at Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur could have matched Spindletop as a colorful and raucous event. And, from what I saw on local TV, Janis coming home freaked out a lot of folks.

The geyser, simply stated, started the modern petroleum industry as we know it. Some of the world’s most important oil companies had their start within a 25-mile radius of Spindletop: The Texas Company, later Texaco; Magnolia, later Mobil and even later ExxonMobil; Humble Oil, later Exxon and ExxonMobil, Gulf Oil, Sun. The companies read like a who’s who list of the petroleum industry.

Some who share my occasional liberal thoughts seem to believe “oil” is a four-letter-word. But the truth is not even those people can with any type of ease live without the fruits of hydrocarbons. While the oil industry made some people filthy rich and others just filthy, many modest livings — read: above average middle class — came from refineries, drilling and other facets of the petrochemical world. Why yours truly has made even a very modest amount of dough off oil and gas wells that I inherited. Certainly not much, albeit the low five-figure range over 25 years.

Most of the folks in the area I grew up in certainly knew the worth of oil as the industry paid for a lot of those people’s pickup trucks, bass boats, nice houses and for the most part a comfortable life. But other than immediate jobs, those who lived in the area I am from and now live in had no clue 110 years ago how Spindletop would transform the worldwide economy.

Those were certainly heady times, back in 1901.

But all was not quiet.

In September at a state fair that year, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt first mouthed his foreign policy mantra: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Four days later, President William McKinley was shot at the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo, N.Y. He died eight days later.

McKinley’s assassin, 28-year-old Leon Czolgosz, was an avowed anarchist although none of the known anarchist groups would claim him as a member and some reportedly thought him to be a spy for the government. Before the month of September was out, a jury convicted Czolgosz. In really swift justice he was executed in the electric chair at New York’s Auburn Prison about a month later, his last words being: “I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people – the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime.”

The new Republican president, Roosevelt, showed that year that he would not be  easily buttonholed as a politician when it came to his actions. There was  his bully pulpit rhetoric about carrying a big stick, but after becoming president he also told Congress he wanted trusts curbed reasonably and he also invited noted African American Booker T. Washington to the White House. The latter sat off riots and other unrest in the South.

On Saturday, January 8, 2011, almost 110 years to the day Spindletop blew in, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, allegedly shot almost two dozen people at a congressional meet and greet outside a Safeway store in Tucson, Ariz. Six people were killed including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge. The target of the shooting appeared to be U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat. Giffords was shot in the head and remains in critical conditions although doctors say she shows encouraging signs that could signal improvement.

Loughner has left a lot of crazy writings behind as he sits in jail. The alleged assassin appears to be anti-government but like Czolgosz  also appears to be a lone nut job.

Perhaps in the days ahead we will learn just what were the motivating factors behind these shootings. Was the act because Giffords is a Democrat, or that she is Jewish, or that she supported President Obama’s health care plan even though she supported tough immigration measures and is pro-gun? Did the relentless cacaphony of political argument that passes for entertainment on cable news and talk radio play a part in driving Loughner over the edge?

We may never know. But just as the world turned 110 years ago today in the town in which I reside, giving rise to the world’s most important — although sometimes exasperating — industry so does our planet keep revolving where it seems no amount of good can ever completely snuff out the anger that lives in mankind.

I am painting broad brush here. But sometimes it does a body good to look at the world through the macro lens inward. Perhaps one must speak softly and carry a big magnifying glass.

Posted on

Another lone nut? Inspired by Rush and others?

Another lone nut? If this You Tube is still up by the time you read this, you be the judge.

The rambling statement rails against the government controlling grammar and how the U.S. currency needs to be backed by gold. Jared Lee Loughner, who authorities say is 22, is reportedly in custody for a shooting spree in a Tucson Safeway parking lot this morning that has as of now killed five and wounded more than a dozen. Among those shot, Democratic Rep. Gabby Giffords of Tucson. The dead include federal judge John Roll.

Loughner, on the You Tube posting, begins with “My Final Thoughts: Jared Lee Loughner.” Sounds as if he expected the goofy statement to be his last on Earth. Surprise! He was arrested. If this person committed this heinous act and is convicted, perhaps he will eventually get his wishes.

Loughner writes as if he was or is in the military and is anti-God. Although I am not Atheist, it seems such actions would give Atheists a bad name. One can only wonder if all the craziness spurred by the nastiness in politics contributed to this tragedy, especially with the vile words which flow each day from people such as the extreme right wing radio jerks.

My good thoughts go out to Rep. Giffords, the other injured and the families of those who died.

Posted on

Dance, dance, little sister (of the poor) dance

Read the article, see the sign. If you think the statement Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee made dissing the Texas Christian University’s legitimacy in Bowl Championship Series play was absurd, then you will laugh at the poetic justice. It’s enough for the Little Sisters of the Poor to break out the Rolling Stone’s 1974 LP (like a CD only vinyl and smaller, kids!) “It’s Only Rock and Roll” and play “Dance Little Sister.”

One still has to wonder: What if? Had things worked out differently for Oregon and Auburn. What if TCU had been the only top ranked BCS school to go undefeated? There would have been a good chance the Horned Frogs would not have played for the Tostitos National Championship Game Monday evening in Glendale, Ariz. even if they were alone the undefeated. How much of a travesty would that have been? Probably, just as much a travesty as the  BCS itself.

Of course, we the football viewing public would not have been treated to 75 mostly meaningless bowl games like the Maxipad El Perro Bowl or the Preparation H Mosquito Bowl. Money, that’s what I want. Or rather, that is what the BCS powers that be want.

A college football playoff system for Division I schools as is done for smaller schools would make too much sense. It would make the fans, most likely, happier in the end. It could still make tons of money. You could still have the Ex Lax Tomato Bowl and all the others.

Division I college football should be saved from itself.

Posted on

The House GOP gives us “Constitution Light”

Constitutions are checks upon the hasty action of the majority. They are the self-imposed restraints of a whole people upon a majority of them to secure sober action and a respect for the rights of the minority — William Howard Taft

The 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft (1857-1930), who was also the 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court after his stint in the White House would probably not recognize his Republican Party of this day. Of course, the party that just took over the U.S.  House of Representatives would have probably had the same reaction voters had to Taft after his serving a highly active — in the governing sense of the word — presidency. That reaction made Taft and one-term wonder. Big Bill, weighing more than 300 pounds, spent a lot of his time in the White House on issues such as trust busting, civil service reform, creating the Interstate Commerce Commission and, dread upon dread, passage of the 16th Amendment. That constitutional amendment allowed:

“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”

Heresy.

But as a gimmick, the new House majority spent several hours today reading the U.S. Constitution, supposedly wanting to make the point that the nation’s guiding governing document is central to what Congress does. The Republican had redacted some of  the more controversial portions of the Constitution which were later undone by amendments. This included the passage saying slaves were considered “three-fifths” a person when apportioning the population for taxes and congressional representation.

Funny that a party that almost makes taxation hate a religion would allow even a redacted Constitution to state that the great document allows the government to collect taxes.

I don’t know, but if it wasn’t for the fact that the Republican House comes off both holier than thou and so transparent in the most negative sense the reading of our Constitution might be seen as a noble act. In this sense, it wasn’t though. It was cheap political theatrics. It allowed some ignoramus to shout from the House gallery a dig at our “Kenyan-born” president. The birther crap is not only ridiculous, it is plain silly, a silly means of theatrics, and the Republicans can be some of the silliest people alive.

So today we see with the Republican-led Constitution reading that stupid not only is what stupid does, it is alive and well in our new House of Representatives.

Posted on

Here’s hoping the new Hall of Famers live up to the real thing

Damned if I can tell Fred from A.J. The two guys who liven up the local Houston-Beaumont or Beaumont-Houston sports talk radio channel in a noon-2 p.m. thing called “The Blitz.” Sorry guys. Not that Fred or A.J. read my blog, but it’s just difficult sometime telling one from the other on the radio. With that said, a little baseball talk, but more a small bit o’ discourse on dignity.

Today, this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced. The winners, nominees, selectees, chosen ones, whatever are Robbie Alomar and Bert Blyleven. Alomar is considered one of the best second basemen in baseball history while Bert “Be Home” Blyeven, as he was dubbed by longtime ESPN commentator Chris Berman, is known for the wondrous curve ball he chunked as mostly an American League pitcher.

While I remember Blyleven only a bit, when he played for Minnesota and Texas, about the only thing I remember about Alomar was when he spit on umpire John Hirschbeck during a dispute during a 1996 game. One of the Blitz radio guys, and again I am sorry I don’t know which one, spoke today about when his father took him to a Texas game when Blyleven was pitching. They later saw the pitcher in a restaurant and the then kid wanted to get Blyleven’s autograph. The radio guy said his dad told him to wait until the future Hall of Famer had finished eating, which is what the then kid did. Seeing a napkin on top of the plate, the kid approached Blyleven. Then, said the sports announcer, the pitcher jumped his s**t for bothering him while he was eating. That was even though the pitcher appeared to be finished with his meal. From that point forward the kid felt bitter toward Blyleven. Go figure.

While I was never a fan-atic in any sport, I nonetheless have enjoyed many games of different sports and admired athletes for both their sporting ability as well as those who showed some semblance of character. That seems hard to find these days with some modern-day jocks.

I have only asked for and received one autograph in my life, other than having authors sign a couple of books. The signature was from baseball Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, one of the guys who knocked an impressive number of longballs (lifetime 574 HR), during his more than 20 years mostly with the Minnesota Twins and its predecessor Washington Senators. I probably shouldn’t have asked Hammerin’ Harmon for his autograph even though he was signing them at the time for veterans at a VA hospital. I say I probably should not have because I was covering the event as a reporter and that would be seen by some as “unethical” or “bias.” But screw it. Harmon was one of the best, not only players but human beings. He did that kind of thing, going around visiting VA hospitals around the country, all the time. I put in a shadow box the reporter’s notebook I asked Harmon to sign on the back cover. He said: “Thanks for everything … ,” meaning my coverage. What a guy.

The World has learned this week that Harmon Killebrew has been diagnosed with a rare malignancy, esophogeal cancer. I remember that as nice a man Harmon, now 74, was, he was also an old-time, hard-as-nails hitter. He said in an interview he is preparing, along with his wife, for the toughest battle of his life.

I wish the best to Harmon, the only person whose autograph I asked and received, and to his family as they face this rough road ahead. If class were a prerequisite of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Harmon Killebrew would win every time on the first ballot.