6.27.2016

Random Monday Morning Thoughts



  • The Supreme Court will issue a Texas abortion ruling this morning. Prediction: They'll find that the restrictions imposed by House Bill 2 are unconstitutional and they'll take a shot at Texas for even trying to assert that the restrictions were all about "women's health". 
  • The tweeting Texas Supreme Court judge (yep, still goofy) bragged on Friday that the court had wrapped up its work two months early. That's nothing to brag about. The court decides which cases it wants to hear. They don't have to take everything that walks through the door. So not only do they control their own workload, they control their vacation time. 
  • The Rockwall County judge was arrested for DWI.
  • Former Bridgeport star point guard Caleb Smith signed with Texas aTm. The Dallas Morning News headline said that he signed "from controversial Bridgeport team."
  • I was stalked by a drone while fishing on Lake Bridgeport this weekend. (It was so bizarre I'll probably make it a separate post.) And I'm not saying it is related, but I noticed someone posted some pretty cool drone footage from Lake Bridgeport -- including following a skier -- this weekend on Twitter. 
  • A bird drove me crazy all yesterday afternoon. It was in a tree within feet of a window, would see its reflection, and then would crash into the window to get the "other" bird. Over and over and over again. 
  • I take great pride in this: Since 2014 I have mentioned here no less than five times that I thought there was something suspicious about the company Breitling Energy and its CEO Chris Faulkner. And then this happened on Friday: "The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . . . charged Breitling Energy Corp, its chief executive and seven other people with defrauding investors out of around $80 million by misleading them about the value of oil and gas assets."
  • Faulkner first got my attention when he would by ad time as a lead-in to the Mark Davis Show podcast. The ads made no sense, and he had the air of a snake oil salesman. Faulkner was also a frequent contributor to Fox Business News appearing as recently as March. 
  • I hated Independence Day. Its sequel debuted this weekend and made less money than its original. 
  • I'm seven episodes into Game of Thrones. I can't tell you the number of times I have thought, "Oh, my!"
  • I noticed KXAS has gone to 10 day weather forecasts. How long before WFAA goes to an 11 day forecast? (It's like from Something About Mary: "That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?")
  • Trouble in Trump Land: "A new Washington Post/ABC poll published on Sunday found Trump trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by double digits in head-to-head matchups nationally among adults. Support for Trump fell from 46% in May to 39% in June, while Clinton's support jumped from 44% to 51% - a 14-point month-to-month swing."
  • On my death bed I might ask to be moved to the Decatur Lowe's checkout line in the home and garden section.  It will feel like time is standing still. 
  • With Brexit happening, there were a ton of stories that Texas needed to secede from the U.S. And, once again, there were the stories which yelled, "That can't happen because it would be illegal."  I've ranted about this before, if Texas chose to do it (it will never happen) they could do it. It might be the equivalent of an act of war, but no law of a country can stop a section of that country from leaving.