Cause For Concern

Commissioner Janak,

I was out in the orchard this evening after the rain. You could almost hear the collective sighs of some very thirsty pecan trees. My father, my family and I spent many long hours over twenty years planting, grafting, pruning, watering and fertilizing our orchard. There is a lot of sweat equity here. In the last several months I've planted Naval orange, lemon, Mexican lime and peach trees to add to the fig, orange and grapefruit trees we planted several years ago. I've also planted Sauvignon Blanc grapes.

As you might have guessed water is of central importance. Without water this place whithers away and dies! Recently the summersible pump finally gave it's last and had to be replaced. As I prepared to pull the pump I realized the entire plumbing assembly had to be replaced also. Three days later and $530.00 poorer I was showering with my well water again. Sweat equity!

Our orchard and various gardens have benefited, over the years from many pickup loads of horse manure hand shoveled and spread in an effort to mulch and use less water and commercial fertilizer. Many pickup loads of leaves and grass clippings picked up on the curb around Victoria have been composted and spread by hand. Lots of sweat equity.

I helped my father build the house I live in and five generations of my family have drank from one or the other of two wells on this place. Yes, Commissioner we have sweat equity in this place.

This place, however, as you know is in danger. An insidious danger of being destroyed by the greed and careless irresponsibility of others. I am only six short miles and down-dip in the Chicot Aquifer from the area in Mission Valley being looked at by uranium miners right now. If exploration alone has already damaged eight neighboring wells in Goliad what will happen when the mining permit is approved?

What happens to me-my sweat equity-when exploration and mining makes my well water undrinkable? In Goliad the first line of defense for the property owners was their county commissioner. In Goliad at least, the Commissioner's Court, to include the individual commissioners, did the right thing! They realized the value of sweat equity!

My Great, Great Aunt Myrtle Davis, on my Mother's side late of Talladega, Alabama was a loud, outspoken woman who always said exactly what was on her mind and so did my Grandfather, Walker Haywood. My Great Grandmother on my Father's side, Mary Dowe was the same way. Trust me, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

So I'm telling you here and now you're going to have to come down of that safe perch on the fence and decide whether you're going to represent the 99% of rural landowners in your precinct who don't want uranium mining or the 1% who do!

Kevin Janak, you are our first line of defense. This is your precinct! We entrusted it to you! I entrusted it to you when your opponents called me and asked for my support! What are you willing to allow in your precinct? Will you stand by silent while the same thing going on in Goliad happens here?

TCEQ has abandoned the people of this area in favor of permit fees! We still have Ron Paul who'll oppose the EPA Aquifer Exemption. Our Groundwater District, God Bless them, has tested a grid section of wells and proven up our historic water quality, however, we're almost a year into this mess and our Commissioner is still on the fence!

Is there not enough information out there? How about the 100% failure rate of the RailRoad Commission and TCEQ to protect us? TCEQ is about to grant an aquifer exemption basically telling those already damaged that their water was never fit to drink to begin with! That agency is a pollution justification agency for anyone with the money to pay for a permit! All of this has happened and we still don't know where our Commissioner stands! What will County Commissioner Kevin Janak do to protect my sweat equity?

I understand the political grist mill of the Commissioner's Court grinds very slowly and exceedingly fine but I believe the public record, national, state and local provide enough justification for a resolution from the Court to oppose uranium mining in Victoria County.

Perhaps I need to bring some of the brown and yellow water John Caldwell asked the UEC executive to drink so you can decide whether you want your mother drinking it! Your wife? Perhaps, your children? No! I don't want to drink it either! Nor does Mrs. Arnecke or Mr. Klotzman! Nor do the local posters on the Advocate who defend uranium mining! No one wants to drink that water! Well, guess what! I don't want to either! Nor do I want to water my trees with it! Nor would I like to shower in it!

What, Commissioner Janak, will you do to protect my sweat equity! At least the Duderstadt's Commissioner stood up! Where do you stand?

I shall remain:

Wondering,

Kenneth Don Schustereit

Should we really trust the Texas Department of Public Safety?

While this is NO reflection on the vast majority of DPS officers in the field, it is nevertheless interesting reading:

Texas Department of Public Safety 6/26/08

Driver Records Bureau

P.O. Box 4087

Austin, Tx 78773

Attn: Joyce E. Stevens, Manager

Re: Correspondence dated 6/13/08 request for driving record of Kenneth Schustereit

Dear Ms. Stevens,

I sit here today totally mystified by your department’s fulfillment of my paid request for a copy of my driving record.

That the document is incorrect and the record incomplete is really no surprise to me. As public record proves I have been a victim of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s(DPS) grossly negligent practices for some 33 years.

The document I received lists five entries and I am aware that there should be at least seven from the first date mentioned to present day. You are missing at least two citations.

As I mentioned this is no surprise to me. In 2004 the DPS sold an obviously flawed criminal background on one, Kenneth Don Schustereit to ChoicePoint, Inc. which eventually led to a loss of employment.

That information listed one, Kenneth Dale Schustereit as a convicted felon failing not only to get the name correct but to relay the fact that he was convicted only of a misdemeanor! This, in spite of the fact that my drivers license clearly uses the middle name “Don!”

No! There are no surprises when dealing with the DPS in Texas. In a 2005 interview with Wired Magazine DPS admitted that up to “…29% of our records are either incorrect or incomplete.” An Open Records Request I filed that same year revealed that DPS took in more than $58 million in revenue selling both driving and criminal records!

Are you aware that when an officer calls in a driver’s license he is placing his life in your hands to provide the correct, up-to-date information he needs to complete his duty? Those officers in the field depend on you! What about them? Are they now supposed to believe anything you say?

In light of the miserable, irresponsible, and I believe criminal, nonfeasance DPS record keeping displays, how can anyone be confident in your ability to provide the correct information?

By DPS’ own public statement you are convicted, in the eyes of the people of this state, of gross incompetence and flagrant irresponsible actions!

How, in the name of Almighty God, do you people sleep at night? The State and National flags that fly over the DPS campus in Austin should be lowered and replaced with simple black flags until the Texas Department of Public Safety can be overhauled to protect the people of this state from the likes of you!

I shall remain:

Still seeking justice,

Kenneth Don Schustereit

275 Baass Ln

Victoria, Texas 77905

CC: Senior Patrol Officer, Victoria PD

Senior Patrol Officer Victoria County SO

Senior Patrol Officer, Victoria DPS

Rep. Geanie Morrison

Sen. Glenn Hegar

Texas Sunset Commission

Robert D. Brown, Attorney at Law

Blog Post on the Victoria Advocate