Talk:T. Boone Pickens/Archives/2013

NPOV
part of this article seems to be a bit critical of Pickens, especially his dealings with buying other other companies and his dealings with OSU in the "The takeover years" section. In fact, the section's name seems to not be NPOV. -- Ash Lux ( talk 18:30, 2 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Looks like several folks have addressed these concerns, and the result looks pretty balanced to me.--Qball6 03:24, 18 July 2006 (UTC)
 * There is NOTHING balanced about this puff piece; it is not biography but hagiography -- and an embarrassment to Wikipedia. Theophilus Reed 16 Nov. 2007
 * Interested to know how you consider this an embarrassment to Wikipedia. Seems to me his accomplishments are very well balanced with his criticisms. 68.12.110.233 (talk) —Preceding undated comment was added at 22:13, 13 November 2008 (UTC).
 * It is indeed a hagiography. His main claim to fame is that he funded a lie in 2004 election. If anything, that should be in the first paragraph of his introduction. He is so desperate to be on the winning side that when he saw writing on the wall, he refused to give any political donations in 2008 election, so that he will not be associated to the failing McCain campaign. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.55.21.146 (talk) 23:18, 16 November 2008 (UTC)
 * I disagree with your premise, Pickens was very prominent in the oil and finance industries in the 1970s and 1980s, well before the 2004 elections. That being said, everyone should work toward objectivity. Racepacket (talk) 16:47, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

"raked in"?
"In 2006, the Financial Times reported that Pickens had personally raked in $1.4 billion as head of BP Capital Management the previous year." Somehow, I doubt that the FT used the phrase "raked in," which sounds too slangy, neither journalistic nor encyclopedic. --Christofurio 21:02, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Since nobody's replied, I'm going to change this. --Christofurio 04:54, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

In Forbes magazine, March 26, 2007, "World's Billionaires," T. Boone Pickens was ranked #369 in the world and #131 in America with an estimated net worth of $2.5B.

Anon comment moved from article space
"Ironically, though, they are both avid big game hunters" -This quote is untruthful. Mrs. Pickens is not a hunter of any kind and Mr. Pickens is a bird hunter, he has not shot a big game animal in almost two decades. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.206.111.75 (talk • contribs).

This article is an obscene hagiography that excludes the litany of evil for which this man is responsible. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.41.163.240 (talk) 05:07, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:BoonePickens.jpg
Image:BoonePickens.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

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BetacommandBot (talk) 04:52, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Doesn't make sense
The last two paragraphs are, in order, Interest in Bobwhite Quail and Animal Rights Activism. It states that Pickens is still a hunter today, to go off saying he is an animal rights activist. Now, since the reference for the animal rights activism is no longer on the site, I am going to take the animal rights paragraph out to keep it from conflicting with the previous text. 69.148.158.112 (talk)

It doesn't have to make sense
It doesn't have to make sense. People can hold contradictory ideas. Maybe Pickens' concept of "animal rights" is different than yours.

In any case, both paragraphs have citations so they both need to stay.

Don't censor the information in the article. You can't delete material because to you it doesn't make sense.

Let people draw their own conclusions and make their own judgment about Pickens' interests and ideas.

Best regards,

Reservoirhill (talk) 16:08, 19 April 2008 (UTC)


 * The site that they put in doesn't exist, so therefor cannot be held as a suitable citation. Thats like me saying, here I have a source, and just handing a person a blank page. Since the citation is no longer valid, I will retake the quote out unless there is anything else to debate. 69.148.158.112 (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 06:14, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Here are some more citations
There are plenty of citations showing Pickens is a vocal opponent of horse slaughter. Just do a google search.
 * Billionaire Texas oil man T-Bone Pickens is among the opponents of horse slaughter. "The whole thing, it's a boondoggle on the American people," he told NBC5. "People that are for the slaughter should be forced to go down on that kill floor." NBC5 "llinois Horse Slaughter Makes Way To Senate" November 9. 2006


 * On Tuesday, July 25, 2006 at 2:00 pm Pickens, a legendary oilman and philanthropist, will testify before a U.S. House of Representatives Energy & Commerce sub-committee to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503). "The brutal slaughter of horses for consumption by wealthy diners in Europe and Japan cuts against our moral and cultural fiber -- it's just plain un-American," said T. Boone Pickens. Equestrian Magazine. "T. Boone Pickens Takes on Horse Slaughter Issue with Congress"  July 24, 2006.


 * During the first hearing to ban the transport and sale of horses for slaughter, Pickens, a major Republican contributor, chastised his own state for being home to two horse slaughter plants. "This is a black eye on our state and nation that demands action," Pickens told the congressional panel.  Pickens said nearly all thoroughbreds, Arabians, quarter horses and wild mustangs sent to the plants are healthy young horses that he said the USDA has said are in "good to excellent" condition. He questioned why the state allows foreign countries, that he said pay little taxes, to slaughter American horses for consumption abroad.  "They should slaughter their own horses, not American horses," he said. CBS11.tv  "T. Boone Pickens Joins Horse Slaughter Fight" by Brooke Richie.  July 25, 2006.


 * Pickens, who owns a ranch in West Texas, says more than 100,000 horses are slaughtered in the U.S. every year for consumption as a "delicacy" by diners in Europe, mostly France and Belgium, as well as Japan — an idea that repulses and outrages him. "I can't imagine slaughtering a horse [to eat]," says Pickens, "It's absolutely un-American." The horses are slaughtered at one of three plants, two in Texas and one in Illinois, all owned by a Belgian entrepreneur. "We don't eat horsemeat here, so it does seem peculiar that someone from Belgium owns the kill plant and the meat is sent to Europe," he says. "Why not in their own countries? Why come to America to do the dirty deal?" Time Magazine. "T. Boone Pickens To the Rescue" by Cathy Booth Thomas.  July 25, 2006.

I'll go ahead and incorporate them into the article. Take a look at them and convince yourself they really exist.

Best Regards,

Reservoirhill (talk) 13:53, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

NPOV Issues
An editor wrote the following above: "There is NOTHING balanced about this puff piece; it is not biography but hagiography -- and an embarrassment to Wikipedia." Just want to point out that eight months have passed and that assessment still holds true. This article needs some serious work. Watchsmart (talk) 06:17, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
 * The entire article has NPOV issues - both directions. This article should be taken down or completely re-written.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.222.185.103 (talk) 02:21, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I pared down the "early life" section. It read like an account of how T. Boone Pickens became so awesome.  I don't think Wikipedia needs phrases like "...but there was always food on the table." What do you think? 211.114.59.33 (talk) 04:44, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Whoops... that last one was made by ME. I made the changes. Forgot to log in. Watchsmart (talk) 04:47, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I just carried out a major re-write and culling of the article. Would love to hear other editor's opinions on the work. Watchsmart (talk) 13:33, 9 July 2008 (UTC)
 * A lot of work and clear edit summaries...very helpful in overcoming POV issues. I wonder if some of the well-sourced but overwritten info (trip to China to find natural gas partners and his observations on smog, some the interesting quotes and descriptions related to the quail stuff, etc.) could be moved here as resource information. I'm definitely not questioning any of your edits, but what may be overkill now may be useful down the road as this article evolves. Flowanda | Talk 23:52, 25 July 2008 (UTC)
 * The fact that there are so many 'editors' in this article screaming about the 'evil' of this man, and the degree to which the acquisition of property is portrayed as "extremely" controversial, really speaks volumes to the derangement and hatred rampant in this community of folk who seek to impose their own version of the world on everyone else. I know this should be obvious, and it is, but it is still stunning to run across it when I bother to click on the discussions tab of WIki articles.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.169.116.251 (talk) 05:37, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

Sourcing
You can't source a statement with a source that doesn't even support the assertion made in the statement!

"On 22 June 2008, a group of Vietnam veterans accepted the challenge and sent a 12-page letter — with a 42-page attachment of military records to support their case — that rebutted not one but several of the accusations of the Swift boat group"

The statement above sources a NYT article that simply reports that the vets in support of Kerry accepted the challenge made by Pickens. It certainly may infer that it "rebutted not one but several" of the accusations (since it is obviously written from a non nuetral pov), but as it contains no independent analysis, it cannot make the claim (nor does it even attempt to, on it's face) that the accusations were "rebutted" by this group. It's nitpicky - but this statement should rightly read "claim to rebut" or something along that line.

The way it reads now, Pickens appears to deny the legitimacy of something that has been proven, making him look like a buffoon - when the fact is that we don't know. Maybe he's right - maybe it didn't rebutt anything at all. The source doesn't tell us anything conclusive - so why are we making the assumption? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackomon (talk • contribs) 19:43, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

I removed the sentence in the first paragrah that stated "His takeovers put many independent oil producers out of business." This was a blatantly incorrect statement. When he took over a company, it was merged into his company, not put out of business. When he bid for a company that someone else took over (instead of his Mesa Petroleum taking over) that company was merged into the acquiror, not put out of business. No one takes over a company for millions or billions of dollars to put it out of business. Usually when Mesa tried to acquire a company, it was because it had good assets but was run poorly by management. As a result of Mesa's pursuit, whether successful or not, the shareholders of the target company usually benefitted greatly by a large increase in the share price of the target company. The way the sentence was written it implied his takeover attempts destroyed or made target companies disappear (go out of business) much the way a company in Chapter 7 liquidation does. This was not at all the case. To the contrary, the owners of these targeted companies usually received a well deserved gain while the target company ended up being better managed by a stronger management team of ther acquiror. by wankat —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wankat (talk • contribs) 19:52, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Article Name Change
The article of the name should simply be T. Boone Pickens because that is name he goes by, with no junior. Just as Barack Obama (Barack Hussein Obama II), Trina (Katrina Laverne Taylor) or Britney Spears (Britney Jean Spears). To follow this correct standard, an article should be tilted after the persons common name they go by and the full name mentioned in the article. --Cooljuno411 (talk) 12:15, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

Added a Pop Culture Reference Section
I noticed the reference to Mr. Pickens in American Psycho yesterday. The reference link to the script should work fine, and I hope that the phrasing works.

Regards, DaSharknSJ (talk) 10:09, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

In response to the poster who changed the name back to T. Boone: that's fine, but you are incorrect in some of your usage that follows that explanation. It is NOT Barack Hussein Obama II. A son named exactly after his father is Jr., while his father is alive, and traditionally drops the Jr. after the father's death. The designation II is NOT a replacement for Jr., but rather is used when a boy is named after another male family member such as a grandfather, uncle, etc. So, I don't know if President Obama was called Barack Jr. before his father's death; probably not as they had little contact and "Jr." was using an americanization (Barry) of his name during some of his youth. I'll look into it. 72.131.17.208 (talk) 00:09, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

Lou Dobbs Town Hall special show
Maybe we should add Lou Dobbs compliment towards Pickens on his special Town Hall show just aired tonight (September 9th) where he calls Pickens out for his great business leadership and criticizes the chamber of commerce's lack of leadership. It's a good one and gets to the heart of what Pickens is providing. Right? Dobbs's quote was in the last few minutes of his interview with Pickens. I like this Pickens guy. He's a thinker.Once on a vending machine (talk) 23:48, 9 September 2008 (UTC)

Please Watch for Vandalism
I just corrected TBP's name. Some @$$ had changed the lead/summary 'graf to read "Thunder Boone Pickens", when it is common knowledge (and verifiable across the Web) that TBP's name is "Thomas Boone Pickens". Anyone with spare time should track this page and check for future vandalism, IMHO, considering Mr. Pickens' regular media appearances and relatively high public profile. 68.12.110.233 (talk) 22:07, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

Investment decisions
Wikipedia can report on specific investments made by the subject of an article if it is news worthy, particularly if it involves a change in corporate control. However, it is impermissible syntheses to report on subsequent changes in the investment after it was sold, unless it is relevant to the subject. Every biography of a 20th or 21st century American could list all of the stocks he/she bought and then track those stocks for arbitrary periods after they were sold. Whether they go up or down after the sale depends on the period chosen. It would be fair to say that someone who bought $100 of Mesa stock at the date of its first public offering would have it grow to a peak of $x, and then have it drop to $y at the time Pickens left Pioneer. It is not fair to say that Pickens bought Yahoo, sold it, and then x happened during the y days after the sale. People buy and then sell stocks for a variety of reasons, including having better use for the money. Racepacket (talk) 16:39, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

amount of Pickens' contribution to Swift Vets and POWs for Truth
This article said Pickens contributed $3 million to Swift Vets and POWs for Truth, the wikipedia article on Swift Vets and POWs for Truth says he gave $2 million. Following the footnote in that article thru to the info on Picken's donations, the amount is $2 million, so I will correct it in the article. Stephengeis (talk) 13:23, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

military service
why is it important to mention that he did not serve in the army? 67.176.160.47 (talk) 17:08, 20 July 2010 (UTC)

If he was of age during WW2 then I would think it appropriate, but as WW2 came to a close, he was only 17 or so. What bothers me more is that the citation doesn't actually state that he didn't serve. 71.42.114.34 (talk) 16:33, 29 November 2010 (UTC)

Corporate Raiding in the 80's
T. Boone was the premier corporate raider of the 1980s. I'm in the process of collecting resources for a detailed description of take overs and failed take overs. His company actually made a lot more money for the "failed" take overs by driving the price of stock up, after rumor spreading that he was buying it, and then selling the stock at a premium. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.109.101.103 (talk) 02:58, 18 January 2012 (UTC)