Thoughts and Links on Independence Day

Happy Independence Day! I'm enjoying the day off, celebrating 236 years of American independence from British rule. Yesterday was Fluffy's birthday, and I told her that I brought Brave Combo to Lewisville for a concert for her. Yeah, that's it. It wasn't Melinda and all the other great staff at the city; it was me. Luckily, she loves me for my sense of humor. Anyhow, one of our friends there mentioned her birthday to the announcer, and Fluffy got a happy birthday in front of the whole crowd, which totally made her night. Good Job, Tim for not announcing her age - which this year has an official "and-holding" attached to it.

We'll be cooking out today, and probably going over to Bakersfield park in Flower Mound for Independence Fest. Hope to see some of you there! I'll be the one with a beer in my hand yelling "GET SOME!" as the fireworks detonate. Remember to keep your pets INSIDE this evening. It's the number one day of the year for dogs to run off. The fireworks scare them. Last year, I wrote some thoughts on patriotism, and I feel like sharing them again, because they still apply.

Speaking of fireworks, I have this idea for what I think the City ought to do instead of just outright banning them: "Sparks in the Park" Basically the idea is that you set aside an acre or two at Railroad Park, mow it really short, then soak it with water on July 3rd. You fence the place off, park an ambulance at the gate, then charge $5 a head to come in and set off fireworks to your heart's content. The city could even operate its own sales booth at a decent distance away, and require that approved fireworks be purchased there. You could even sell beer - all the better! Let people go in and have a blast; just make them sign a waiver first. What could possibly go wrong?

This is where media does not need to go: Matthew Creed, of Shawnee Kansas is apparently blackmailing people by publishing mugshots and arrest information, then soliciting the people to remove the info for $200. Because of the stir it caused, Creed says that he will be making some changes, notably to change the company to a non-profit that donates a percentage to charity, but still pay him a salary. The $200 fee is still advertised prominently. The site doesn't perform a public service, or provide any benefit, but exists solely to extort people with criminal records. It's worse than vigilante, because even if Creed truly believed publishing the info is a public service, he's plenty happy to waive his extra-judicial punishment to line his own pockets. Lewisville Texan Journal occasionally will publish mugshots or arrest information when it is a serious crime, or there is a compelling public interest. We have a deletion policy, but do not charge for removals. We have refused advertising in the past from similar websites to the one that Creed is running. This post will be our 2,815th post over the years, so sometimes it is difficult to keep track of what is out there and what needs to be removed, so we hope you'll help us out on that.


The WeatherBug weather station has been installed at Creekside Elementary School in Lewisville. You can view its camera here. Central Park Area Neighbors Association worked with the Lewisville Education Foundation to provide the grant for the station.

How much do you know about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? Test your knowledge with this quiz from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Read CNN reporter Anderson Cooper's letter, in which he states that he is gay. All of the reasons he states for his past silence and his current openness make me respect him even more - though I already think he is a damned good reporter.

Lewisville Police Chief's weekly update.


Radio sports talk personality Bob Sturm, of Lewisville is taking a leave of absence to go to Guatamala and adopt a child. God Speed, Mr. Sturm.

Got an extra $2 billion handy? That's what it will take to fix Texas roads damaged by gas well drilling activity, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Here's a hint: Quit giving the oil and gas industry tax breaks; they don't need them.

Got $10 to $25 handy?
You can become a supporting member of Keep Lewisville Beautiful. The Lewisville Texan Journal is happy to be a sponsor, and we're happy that our readers have been so generous with their time and labor over the years as we've chipped in to clean up our city.

Wendy Hundley has a story about Farmers Branch's plans to expand the Camelot Landfill. At a proposed height of 267 feet, it would be more than double the height of Mount Lewisville (DFW Landfill). By the way, Fluffy and I were talking this morning about who was first to coin the term "Mount Lewisville". Where did you hear it first? We think it might have been us, since we've been using it for years, but it's entirely probably that multiple people arrived at it independently. In 2009, we posted a fake postcard saying "Ski Mt. Lewisville". Fluffy thinks that would make a great T-shirt. What do you think?