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This publication is dedicated to & maintained by those of us who really care about this city. We are many --- (and growing stronger with more people joining our ranks everyday). We are the nameless , faceless city, county, state, federal, and corporate taxpaying citizens & workers who are sick of the "good ole boy system" here in Houston, Texas --We were born on 7-30-1999. We are --- married & single-male & female, maintenance worker to Deputy Directors. We are the faceless civil servants who year after year do our job. We are the one's who see the hard earned tax $$s of the citizens in this area used & abused and given away to enrich a few greedy people with each new administration. Our hobbies include: Watching our backs---as we try to bring you the truth of what is happening in Houston, and getting the REAL information out to the public.
An UPDATE:
If ya'll go to the Archives down there...we'd like to give you an update on a story we did back on October 10th. The Article was
"THE
POLICE CHIEF
RESPONDS TO
HOUSNITCH".
Housnitch received a phone call from Houston's Chief of Police C.O. "Brad" Bradford On October 10th, 2000. WE WERE GIVEN PERMISSION TO QUOTE HIM. The Chief called to let Housnitch know that he had issued an order stopping any and all shift changes, and he had further ordered the investigation (seen here in the archives ) expedited. The investigation which usually takes 2 months has been ordered to be ready for the Chief in a month.
Chief Bradford did expedite the matter, however it took more than the 30 days Housnitch was promised. Housnitch did contact the Chief on the 10th of November concerning this fact. Chief Bradford was not in the City. Housnitch was informed that his mother had suffered a stroke & that he was with her at the time.
Housnitch understands all about family, and couldn't possibly fault the Chief with his mother being ill. A very nice Lt. Silva , explained that it the investigation was taking longer than anticipated, because after IAD got into interviewing people, more names of people to be interviewed came out of it. All in all, some 35 people have been interviewed concerning the incident of harassment based on sexual orientation at Central Division. (you guys know how it is...one thing leads to another)
Some changes have occurred in the ensuing month also. Poor officer Allsbrooks asked for days as the tension was so great after Sgt. Crain came back to his squad. He is now monitoring a radar unit....(such a waste of a good tact man).
Lt. Lakind, finally received that job in Northwest Tact he had been wanting for quite some time (ain't it funny how soon he got it after this stuff hit the web?)
There is a new man in Central Division. A nice veteran, real calming man. No allegiance to either side in the dispute. A very nice Sgt. Roman is now with Sgt. Garza, so Garza and his men aren't left vulnerable to any retaliation that might have a chance to rear it's ugly head. (stay together guys...and you'll be alright!)
The IAD report is complete. Chief Bradford is expected tomorrow, Tuesday November 28th.....and the IAD briefing is to begin at 3:00 pm.
As soon as all parties have been notified, Housnitch has been guaranteed a breakdown on the outcome.
The report is supposedly 400 + pages .
Housnitch wants to thank the Chief for settling this in such a swift manner....Now...let's get Ruston Allsbrooks back on Tact where he belongs & see that the bad guys are punished....We'll let ya'll know guys, as soon as we do.
The people, in delegating authority,
do not give their public servants the right to decide
what is good for the people to know
and what is not good for the people to know.
That statement, from the Texas Public Information Act summarizes the intent of open records and meetings laws: to insure that government remain, "for the people and by the people"
In that regard, Housnitch is issuing the following Freedom of Information request to Mr. David Fred Martinez, President of ATSER CORPORATION (see ARCHIVES)
But before we do..... just a note...no really a question.......why doesn't this company have any active tax responsibility?
Also....David Fred Martinez is listed as registered agent for ATSER PROPERTIES INC.....which by the way....ISN'T IN GOOD STANDING WITH THE STATE OF TEXAS
Another of Fred's businesses is ATSER SYSTEMS INC....he's registered agent & President.
But NO ATSER LP, or ATSER LLC which we find on invoices submitted to the City for payment....oh well...so much to look at...so many questions about how our money is spent.
For those of you who haven't followed Housnitch too closely...let's recap about David Fred Martinez. He hasn't been on the scene with city contracts too long, but made it really big under Mayor Brown. He & Hilda Garza Scott were "best buds"...well that is until Hilda was indicted & eventually fired by the city. We believe many a contractor has had the "squeeze" put on them by Fred. He is known to be a member of the so called "Hispanic Alliance" formed by Hilda to back "their kind" of candidates, and it is believed that if you make Fred a sub on your contract....he'll make sure that his bud, THE MAYOR sees to it you get the big one. (Actually we think he's just sweet talked Carol Alvarado into NOT seeing what is really going on) For those of you who missed it last week....Fred made the Houston Press... (Burtman's the man!)
We believe we have evidence to file a federal complaint against Fred's company....(Companies?) to that end...and with the help of the Freedom of Information Act...we submit the following request to David Fred Martinez:
Brenda Karen Flores
"Housnitch"
P.O. Box 55423
Houston, Texas 77255
713-722-9258
D. Fred Martinez
8520 SWEETWATER F-57
HOUSTON, TX 77037
Dear Mr. Martinez,
Under the Texas Public Information Act (Tex. Gov. Code Ann 552.001 et seq) Chapter 1, Section 1 Subsection C, part ..
1. SOME PRIVATE CORPORATIONS COVERED
An Attorney general's ruling has held that private corporations which contract with a governmental body to perform governmental functions would be covered by the Public Information Act.
This request is being made under the Texas Public Information Act, Chapter 552, Texas Government Code, which guarantees the public's access to information. Housnitch respectfully requests:
Dates employment began and dates employment ended also, the title (job description) each held ...salary for each of the following employees:
Bennie Flores
James P. Bell
Samuel Cadena
David Edwards
Gary McKinney
Juan Arriaga
Sivarama Sakamuri
Jerry Flores
Robert Arizola
Currie Byrd
Damian Galinato
In the interest of expediency , and to minimize the research and/or duplication burden on your staff, I would be pleased to personally examine the relevant records if you would grant me immediate access to the requested materials. Additionally, and since time is a factor, please communicate with me via e-mail or by phone rather than by regular mail. My e-mail address is Housnitch1@aol.com or Snitch@Housnitch.com. My phone number is 713-722-9258.
Disclosure of this information is in the public interest because providing a copy of the information primarily benefits the general public.
I shall look forward to hearing from you promptly, as specified in the law. Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Brenda Karen Flores
HOUSNITCH
Ya see dear readers, the law doesn't allow us to sue the City for wasting our tax dollars, but it does allow us to file against a contractor who we believe does. Mr. Martinez' company, receives LOTS of federal funds to manage our sidewalk & asphalt overlay projects. We believe with the photos & videos we have amassed along with receipts & invoices, that something just isn't Kosher about the level of services being provided to the citizens & the amounts of money we pay out. Mr. Michael Ho & Herb Lum of our own City's Public Works & Engineering Dept. fail to hold Mr. Martinez accountable. Time after time we have pointed out problems with this contract & nothing has ever been done. Perhaps if the federal government takes a look at what we have found, better management of our tax dollars & the level of service we receive will improve. (one can only hope!)
LET'S GET OUR MONEY BACK...THREE FOLD!
(All letters and e-mail correspondence become the property of HOUSNITCH
and housnitch.com. Unless otherwise expressly requested, we are entitled to
publish all such correspondence. We reserve the right to edit letters for length
and clarity, and for content that might get us sued, or to withhold their
publication. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of our editors or
sponsors.)
The more I examine and analyze how government operates, the more
discouraged
I become. I do not favor elitist, arrogant leaders who think they should
run
my life, but I am also not comfortable with "popular" decision-making
by
clueless, effortlessly manipulated people, ie: "Punch one hole on every
page." The more the issues are analyzed, the less clear solutions
become.
How does one apply the conventional "wisdom" that majority rule
ensures the greatest number of satisfied citizens, when an increasingly
fragmented
society possesses no substantial majority? And of what use are votes
motivated by greed and self interest, and elected officials with similar
motivations? Ethics, we need more ethics.
I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion.
---Thomas Jefferson
Great job, keep up the good work. It seems Lee P. or his puppet string
holders are attempting to feed the public misinformation or incomplete
information. Regarding his press release 11/8, where stated 4 person crews
were "ideal" and not a requirement, any layperson can read the studies
done
by numerous cities and independent auditors, and realize the tremendous
variance in injury and fatality rates of Firefighters between 4 member crews
and 3 member crews. Many cities have adopted 5 and 6 member crews due to further
reductions in both as well as the decrease in task completion times RESULTING in
decreased property loss rates and civilian mortality. However, the BIGGEST
percentage change by far is between 3 and 4 member crews. This information is
open for the public in the I.A.F.F.'s report on Safe Fire Fighter Staffing,
copyright 1993. I.S.B.N. 0-942920-16-3 as well as Audits and analysis of Dallas
FD and Chicago Fire Dept in the last 3-4 years or so.
The mayors comments on 19 firefighters being sent to a standard structure
fire are MISLEADING. It is not the total accumulative complement that is at
issue, it is the speed at which a sufficient force is mustered. Adding 2
extra apparatus onto the response (as was the stop gap solution), instead of
4 per company, increases the risk to both the firefighters as well as the
citizens. MOST FIREFIGHTER DEATHS occur enroute to or returning form an alarm.
These 2 additional apparatus (of which cost nearly 1,000,000 dollars combined)
would be unnecessary if all apparatus had minimum manning of 4.
And furthermore, adding 2 additional apparatus to the running schedule,
increases call volume (Tri-Data says is already too high for 10 and soon 20
more engine and ladder companies)and decreases response times as more
apparatus from a wider geographical area are being committed for a ROUTINE
response.
BOTTOM LINE!!!! Unless something is done soon, HFD will never be able to provide
the services necessary or that we should provide to the citizens of Houston on a
regular basis, much less for some large event such as the Superbowl or Olympics.
I still speak in an opportunistic tone to my
colleagues, but many of them are starting to feel I should seek psychological
assistance since I keep saying, "Someday, someone in Politics will make the
RIGHT decision". Have a Happy Thanksgiving Brenda.......
A Proud Member of Houston's Bravest
| Subj: | What's Up in B.S> |
| Date: | 11/23/00 11:38:04 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: Housnitch1@aol.com |
|
things are moving and things are changing but it's still b s in
the bs
department. ms monique got city council to approve $500,000 for
"renovations" to the 611 walker building. most of this money is
going to be
used to get the 16, 17 & 18th floors ready for bs staff. plans for ms
monique's suite are complete and it will certainly be large. but then ms
monique and her deputy director trinh pham don't need to comply with the
departments standrads for office space. trinh's office is already about 30
feet bigger than she' supposed to have, and she even has a mint green color
for the walls, no standard white color for her. the kick in the ass
though
is that ms monique is haveing second thoughts about moving to 611 walker.
she likes it at the annex, she's close to uncle lee p out of town brown.
she likes being able to reaach out and touch the beautiful people with
power. she's found a home. speaking of home, where do you suppose ms
monique and trinh pham are during the day. they're certainly not at work.
could it be they're taking a cue from the mayor. when she's there ms
monique likes to make her self known, when she calls a managers meeting no less
than 30 people are required to attend, almost a third of the department are
considered managers! these 2 hour bull shit marithon sessions cost the
city a fortune. but then ms monique is a total control freak, to the point
that she actually instructs her extended staff on where to sit before the meets
start! trinh was upset becasue her staff could not get together and plan
for a thanksgivng lunch, what happedn to the team effort. ms monique
didn't invite trinh's staff to her lunchon, what happend to the department's
team spirt. bets are on the whole bs department will be dismanteled by the
next mayor. its just a matter of time. it only makes sense. the
problem will be that the city will be stuck with all the incompetents ms monique
has hired, they'll just be put in other departemnts. and the cycle will
continue until the citizens of houston say enough is enough.
| Subj: | Education |
| Date: | 11/22/00 8:58:10 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: housnitch1@aol.com (housnitch) |
|
| Subj: | Address List |
| Date: | 11/25/00 9:53:55 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: Housnitch1 |
|
Thanks to Housnitch a list of 52 people at city hall can be found and sent e-mail messages by bringing up the Housnitch website and clicking onto the "City Hall" link at the very end of the Housnitch column. Y'all can thank Housnitch by sending her a generous donation.
GENEROUS or not ANY donation would be greatly appreciated
| Subj: | Metro's Money Grubbers and the Sierra Club's Tree Huggers |
| Date: | 11/26/00 4:28:44 PM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: Housnitch1 |
|
| Subj: | The ant and the grasshopper |
| Date: | 11/27/00 6:36:27 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: | |
| To: | Housnitch1 |
THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER CLASSIC VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long,building his
house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool
and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is
warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out
in the cold.
THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, Building his house and
laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he's a fool and laughs
and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper
calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be
allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
CBS, NBC and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next
to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of
such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Kermit the
Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing
"It's Not Easy Being Green."
Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house
where the news stations film the group singing "We shall overcome".
Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.
Al Gore exclaims in an interview with Peter Jennings that the ant has gotten
rich off the back of the grasshopper, and calls for an immediate tax hike on the
ant to make him pay his "fair share". Finally, the EEOC drafts the
"EconomicEquity and Anti-Grasshopper Act", retroactive to the
beginning of the summer.
The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and,
having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the
government.
Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit
against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that
Bill appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.
The ant loses the case.
The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's
food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old
house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has
disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug
related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of
spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.
Sequel:
Bush appoints a blue ribboned committee to study the problem of the decline of
morality in the grasshopper community. Tom DeLay, representing the
National Association of Pesticide Manufacturers demands a tax break for the ant
pesticide industry now suffering serious business downturns due to the
infestation of grass hoppers.
Pat Buchanan leads a crusade against the Red Ant menace claiming that illegal
Mexican ants are being subsidized by the Commie Clinton Camp to undermine the
moral fibre of American Bugs.
LMAO!
From:
Date: Tue, 03 Oct 2000 12:21:45 -0500
To: Lee Brown <mayor@ci.houston.tx.us>
Subject: Metro: The problem, not the solution
Mr. Brown:
What do you intend to do about Metro's fouling of Houston's air?
Please don't say the Main Street Trolley Folly, which is years away from
completion will solve the problem. Shirley DeLibero's three hundred million
dollar boast about taking 1200 diesel bus trips off of Main Street and
moving those buses elsewhere several years from now, while currently adding 486
new diesel buses to Metro's fleet of 1400 diesel buses is not the way to cleaner
air. We need buses that burn cleaner fuel right now. Shirley DeLibero and her
people are misleading the public and wasting the taxpayer's money. Wake up to
these facts and do something before we all choke!
| Subj: | Fwd: 3rd world election in the US? |
| Date: | 11/18/00 8:24:12 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: | |
| BCC: | Housnitch1 |
1. Imagine that we read of an election occurring anywhere in the third world
in which the self-declared winner was the son of the former prime minister and
that former prime minister was himself the former head of that nation's secret
police (CIA).
2. Imagine that the self-declared winner lost the popular vote but won based on
some old colonial holdover (electoral college) from the nation's pre-democracy
past.
3. Imagine that the self-declared winner's 'victory' turned on disputed votes
cast in a province governed by his brother!
4. Imagine that the poorly drafted ballots of one district, a district heavily
favoring the self-declared winner's opponent, led thousands of voters to vote
for the wrong candidate.
5. Imagine that that members of that nation's most despised caste, fearing for
their lives/livelihoods, turned out in record numbers to vote in near-universal
opposition to the self-declared winner's candidacy.
6. Imagine that hundreds of members of that most-despised caste were intercepted
on their way to the polls by state police operating under the authority of the
self-declared winner's brother.
7. Imagine that six million people voted in the disputed province and that the
self-declared winner's 'lead' was only 327 votes. Fewer, certainly, than
the vote counting machines' margin of error.
8. Imagine that the self-declared winner and his political party opposed a more
careful by-hand inspection and re-counting of the ballots in the disputed
province or in its most hotly disputed
district.
9. Imagine that the self-declared winner, himself a governor of a major
province, had the worst human rights record of any province in this nation and
actually led the nation in executions.
10. Imagine that a major campaign promise of the self-declared winner was
to appoint like-minded human rights violators to lifetime positions on the high
court of that nation.
None of us would deem such an election to be representative of anything other
than the self-declared winner's will-to-power. All of us, I imagine, would
wearily turn the page thinking that it was another sad tale of pitiful pre- or
anti-democracy peoples in some
strange elsewhere.
| Subj: | Comfort Humps |
| Date: | 11/16/00 4:41:50 PM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: housnitch1@aol.com (housnitch) |
|
Looking at the photos of shoddy work by Houstonıs paving contractors brought
to mind the obstacle course laid down on Hillendahl between Westview and Long
Point, in the shadow of Councilman Bruce Tatroıs office building.
Anyone associated with that project, from the drafts person to the people
pushing shovels, should be required to walk the plank. Itıs is so obviously
dangerous thereıs no excuse for it leaving the drawing board, let along being
constructed.
I jokingly mentioned to Councilman Tatro that it appeared Mayor Brown was
getting even, and that the contractor who did the installation would now charge
twice as much to remove it.
Learning the history of this this project should prove interesting. Iıd like to
know how Houstonıs fire fighters like it.
Actually that's a left-over Helen Huey job.....she lives right around the
corner & they really wanted gates...(gotta keep those poor people off their
streets ya know). I drive it twice a day with my grandson...taking that turn
thingy as fast as i can...he loves it...he calls it the crazy streets!...and
they are!
| Subj: | LB DEFENDING HOUSTON AIR |
| Date: | 11/16/00 5:03:37 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: housnitch1@aol.com |
|
| Subj: | Re: Check out DeLibero, recall? E-Ones,Lead Base Paint.... |
| Date: | 11/15/00 9:14:14 PM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: Housnitch1@aol.com |
|
baptist church use his pulpet to defend delibero. It was even more
sickening to hear his plea that she deserved some sort of special
consideration because she is a black female. Are all black females to be
viewed like the Virgin Mary, not capable of sin? How can we continue to
look the other way when individuals who have been hired or elected to
positions of authority lie and abuse the system they are supposed to
represent? If delibero were a white male, he would have been run out of
town on the next grayhound bus. Delibero lied, plain and simple. She
lied
on her resume. She lied in not reporting the accident she was responsible
for in a metro owned vehicle. She holds her employees to a standard of
honesty and integrity which she herself cannot meet! Shame on her.
Shame
on bill lawson for condoning her actions. Shame on the mayor for not
having
the strength to seek her resignation. Shame on metro's board of directors
for being so spinless and weak and afraid to fire her. Shame on the
citizens of houston for looking the other way and not having the integrity
to demand more of our officials. Shame on us one and all.
Actually
the citizens are angry....and are demanding more....we just elected the wrong
man to represent us...Remember it in 2001!!!!
| Subj: | Lee Pee and Metro |
| Date: | 11/15/00 11:55:59 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: housnitch1@aol.com (housnitch) |
|
Lee
Peeıs $300 million Trolley Folly will require that Metro award a large
percent of that money for tearing up streets and laying track on 7.5 miles
of right-of-way. A Monorail system will eliminate most of that work.
No one has ever explained why a Monorail system, which was the preferred
system of a previous Metro Board, was not evaluated by Metro. Metroıs Robert
Miller said Monorailıs cost would be 3 times the cost for light rail.
That
statement was untrue. Monorail will cost less than light rail. The other
advantages of Monorail are tremendous. Comparing light rail to Monorail is
analogous to comparing the Wright brotherıs aeroplane to a 747.
Metroıs John Sedlak told a private citizen that Monorail was prohibited by a
city ordinance. That story was proven to be untrue, but even after the truth
came out John Sedlak and Robert Miller told a Monorail supplierıs president
that Monorail was not allowed by city ordinance. Thatıs a conspiracy!
Itıs a reasonable assumption that Monorail is not being considered because
the project will not allow Lee Peeıs contractor buddies to share the spoils
for Metroıs right-of-way work.
Not enough TRUE statesmen on Council...
| Subj: | Metro |
| Date: | 11/14/00 9:42:17 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: housnitch1@aol.com (housnitch) |
|
Heard the latest on Bld. Services? Police and Health building have been added to the family of BSD .I heard she tried to get Aviation, but could not do it. You know..Aviation does not like anyone telling them what to do with their buildings, Or anything for that matter............... Or anything for that matter............... She has an excellent Deputy Assit. Director on her staff .That is about the only smart thing she done when staffing her area with the biggies. Larry Baker ,Believe it or not...he's the best thing that happened to BSD . Been with the city for over 20 years...has a record of excellent service. And he can fix the screw-ups of those above him! Make's Lee Pee's appointee look REAL good!
| Subj: | Metro |
| Date: | 11/14/00 8:32:07 AM Central Standard Time |
| From: To: housnitch1@aol.com (housnitch) |
|
| Subj: | Re: Check out DeLibero, recall? |
| Date: | 11/9/00 9:11:00 PM Central Standard Time |
| From: | |
| To: | Housnitch1 |
Racism....the
last refuge of scoundrels!
Bumper sticker seen on a Florida car:
"Don't blame me, I voted for both of them."
UP TO THE MINUTE TRAFFIC REPORTS
WE NEED YOUR HELP ... This is your page ..... help us keep it going ....BAD government is well funded .... the pursuit of good government isn't. ANY DONATION WILL HELP.... PLEASE ...... P.O. Box 55423 Houston, Texas 77255 713-722-9258
"He who joyfully marches in rank and
file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake,
since for him the spinal cord would suffice."
-Albert Einstein
tell em what you think darlins, we get tired of telling them by ourselves.......
