"Conflict of interest" Interesting phrase, isn't it? 🤠 Especially when people are so QUICK to question everyone else's motives. Or perhaps the more interesting words are MONEY, BUSINESS, LOYALTY and REVENGE. Welcome to West Texas. If you've watched Taylor Sheridan's LANDMAN, starring Billy Bob Thornton, you'll appreciate why I find the politics of the oil business, fascinating (and want nothing to do with it). In smaller sized places like Midland, Texas, business relationships can span generations. Families know families. Competitors become partners. Partners become adversaries. And yesterday's commercial dispute can cast a long shadow over tomorrow's relationships. Reminds me the birthplace of Vendettas, ancient Greece (Crete and Mani). Crete has a deep-rooted vendetta tradition, although “birthplace” is more poetic than historically precise. Blood feuds arose in multiple societies, including Crete and Mani (located South of Sparta). The distinctly Cretan mechanism was collective honour: an injury to one person could be treated as an injury to the entire family. Responsibility, and the OBLIGATION to retaliate, could then pass across generations, with families alternating between victim and perpetrator. Anthropological research on mountainous Crete documents precisely that pattern. Now, here's something worth examining. Meet the Slocums. In February 2022, Texas news outlets reported that Tom Slocum Jr., then running for Texas Railroad Commissioner, was a cousin of John Harvey Slocum, who was running for Texas House District 14. Interesting family connection. Now consider the historical court records involving VON Directional Services and VON Energy Services. Federal litigation filed in April 2017 by Scientific Drilling International named both companies as defendants. The docket subsequently recorded bankruptcy notices involving VON Directional in July 2018 and VON Energy in February 2019. Another federal case identifies a John H. Slocum in litigation involving the VON businesses. These are matters of public record. And then we have Tom Slocum, who has been particularly vocal in his criticism of Greg McCabe, a central figure in the Next Bridge Hydrocarbons and $MMTLP story. Here's where the conversation becomes educational. When evaluating someone's commentary about a business dispute, I believe there are three important questions: 1. FOLLOW THE MONEY. Who stands to gain or lose financially from the outcome? 2. FOLLOW THE RELATIONSHIPS. Are there previous business dealings, professional associations, family connections or financial interests that might provide useful context? 3. FOLLOW THE HISTORY. Have the parties previously been involved in commercial disputes, litigation or failed ventures? These questions do not presume wrongdoing. They help distinguish independent analysis from commentary/trolls/opinions that might be influenced by interests the audience cannot see. And there's a fourth question that's sometimes overlooked: WHEN DOES A COMMERCIAL DISAGREEMENT BECOME PERSONAL? Anyone who has spent time building businesses knows that money and reputation can provoke powerful emotions. A failed deal can destroy a friendship. A lawsuit can leave lasting resentment. A bankruptcy can affect an entire network of business relationships. Occasionally, business disagreements can become personal vendettas, especially in smaller places like Sicily, Crete, Sparta, Midland Texas. That doesn't establish that this has happened here. But it is precisely why understanding the historical relationships matters. So, Tom, I have just a couple straightforward questions: 1. Are there any historical business dealings, financial interests or personal relationships relevant to your criticism of Greg McCabe that shareholders should understand? 2. Can we establish the complete history between the relevant businesses and individuals, rather than relying on selectively presented narratives? Specifically, is Mr J H Slocum your cousin (1st or other degree) by blood? Are you aware if G McCabe was one of the 99+ creditors that formed the committee to take Mr Slocum down? Remember, i am not passing judgement here, just want to understand where you are all coming from. If the answer and the data reveals no "conflict of interest", excellent! I will be more than happy to take this post down and issue an apology when requested. THE BIGGER LESSON FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Don't confuse opinions with credibility. Don't mistake confidence for independence. And never assume that the loudest person in the room is necessarily the one with the least at stake. Investigate the incentives. Examine the documents. Understand the relationships. Because sometimes the most important part of a story isn't what somebody is saying. It's what they may have experienced LONG before they started saying it. As for West Texas? They've already made a television series about what happens when oil, money, family, POLITICS and business rivalries collide. It's called LANDMAN. And sometimes the real business world has more complicated relationships than anything Hollywood could ever write. 🍿 I'll leave just three public records and sources below (there is plenty more for those who want to look further). 1.dockets.justia.com/docket/te… 2. KBTX reported during the 2022 Texas Railroad Commission Republican primary that “Tom Slocum, Jr.” was an engineering consultant and added that he was “the cousin of John Harvey Slocum,” who at the time was running for Texas House District 14. kbtx.com/2022/02/22/death-nu… 3. the bankruptcy chronology is quite specific. VON Directional Services filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition on July 9, 2018 in the Southern District of Texas, case 18-33794. It was converted to Chapter 7 on September 25, 2018 after the unsecured creditors' committee sought appointment of a Chapter 11 trustee and the parties instead agreed to conversion. Public docket summaries show the case as an asset case and record its eventual termination in April 2025: scribd.com/document/38360908… #MMTLP #MMAT #MarketIntegrity #BlueLedgerAI