1.22.2014

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • I'm really surprised there wasn't a verdict in the Josh Brent case yesterday. (And I swear I dreamed I was on that jury last night -- In it, I fell asleep in the jury room during deliberations only to awake to find my 11 fellow jurors all gone.)
  • I received a few comments yesterday that a young man in Bridgeport had died from the flu. If that's true, that brings the county's number up to two deaths, but I'm not sure we have anyone who officially makes such a report. 
  • Mark Davis lambasted Wendy Davis yesterday for not staying with her husband because they had children together.  He doesn't come to that argument with clean hands, does he?
  • A huge outlet mall is coming to north Fort Worth. I'm not sure I've ever been in an outlet mall.
  • The much troubled Prime Prep Academy received about $600,000 in "federal start-up grants" and now over 100 computers are missing.
  • A Houston area "And Another" has received a year in jail.
  • Those who traveled to Austin yesterday, including a handfull from Wise County, in order to have the Texas Railroad Commission "stop the operation of injection wells temporarily to see if the earthquakes stop" don't know the Texas Railroad Commission. 
  • Ricky Gervais in 1983 looked like he could be a member of the Backstreet Boys.
  • Attorney General candidate Barry Smitherman has been calling himself the only one in the race who is a "proven prosecutor." That caused someone to research the claim and discovered he was with a D.A.s office for only 15 months and had only 20 jury trials -- losing nine of them.
  • And David Dewhurst, not thinking about whether teachers vote, said during a debate on Monday that they are paid a "very fair salary".
  • "I'm a little skeptical of those Wendy Davis ads where she boasts of going to community college and then, with the 'help' of some scholarships, she went on to TCU and Harvard Law School." - Me on October 11, 2012. 
  • Sean Hannity had a "round table" discussion last night after the First Lady made positive comments about Jane Fonda. One graphic on the screen read, "Hanoi Jane."  Good grief. That was 42 years ago. 
  • A federal appellate court has ruled that someone can't be removed from a jury panel by a lawyer solely because the potential juror is gay.  (The same rule has applied based upon race or sex for years.)
  • Uncle Nate (the Johnny Football hanger-on) is selling a Rolex via twitter? Later on he said he had been "moving watches" as a "hobby" for about three years. 
  • The propeller fell off a single engine plane yesterday afternoon and the pilot was still able to land it near Weatherford.
  • Steve Stockman, the Tea Party "challenger" (and I use that term very loosely) to Sen. John Cornyn. is basically missing in action (at least when he's not unveiling a website with a photoshopped Cornyn shaking hands with the President.)
  • Great PR stunt announced yesterday: Warren Buffett offers $1 billion for anyone who can pick every game in this year's March Madness tournament. (The odds are astronomical at 9,200,000,000,000,000,000 to 1.) But, wait. It's actually Quicken which is offering the money. No, wait. Buffett is acting as an insurance company for Quiken in case someone wins the prize.  Source.
  • Texas beat K-State last night on a crazy three pointer at the buzzer, but the reaction of shooter/junior forward Jonathan Holmes really oozes "I'm too cool to celebrate".  That is what Charlie Strong wants to exorcise from the football program.