8.03.2022

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts




Basically the last old-fashioned gas station in the county shut down 10 years ago.  Dennis Hudson had just won back his long-time side gig as constable, and decided to close his place in Decatur.


  • Since Dobbs, we had the first state-wide vote in the country over the right to choose last night. And in one of the most conservative states in the land, the right to abortion won in a landslide

    • Trump beat Biden there by 15 points. But even there, the abortion vote wasn't close. This is a big deal. 

    • Every Texas state politician should be asked this question: Do you support letting the people decide the abortion issue by allowing a state-wide vote on whether the Texas Constitution should be amended to reflect the will of the people regardless of the result?
  • Dallas County seems to one of the few jurisdictions where judges allow the prosecutor to display the victim's photograph in a prominent location in the courtroom throughout the trial. The cynic in me says the judges allow it because they get name recognition points from photos like this. 

  • It's the one year anniversary of the escaped Grand Prairie cobra being on the run. His owner, who looked like you expected him to look, was arrested on a misdemeanor, but I don't know whatever happened to that case. 

  • The city of Wichita Falls and Wichita County are making news for high government salaries.
    • A city councilman in Wichita Falls was shut down after he tried to speak at the "public forum" part of the agenda. He was arguing against salary increases for the top city earners, and argued that the money should be distributed to "the workers bees -- the people that are out there on the streets and deserve it." 

    • And the county was under scrutiny over the weekend. Look at this excerpt which lists some salaries.  (As always, click to enlarge.)

  • Jon Stewart single handily shamed the Republicans into passing the Burn Pit Bill yesterday. They quickly caved last night with only 11 holding out.  Ted Cruz, as he tends to do, took a beating in this fiasco.


  • Parker County has done a Parker County thing by declaring its residents "under and imminent threat of disaster" due to the "invasion" of illegal immigrants. Even a representative of the small band on Wise County Conservatives, who meet in a church, showed up to support it.  

  • Random things I learned at the courthouse yesterday:
    • Normally, at this time of year, crickets are overwhelming the place. But this year there isn't a single one to be seen.  Speculation by an elected official: A drought is bad for crickets.
    • Someone drinks this stuff:

  • Vin Scully passed away last night. My earliest memories of him are of his play-by-play calls of the Cotton Bowl game.  He was also the TV voice of Dwight Clark's "The Catch" against the Cowboys (video) as well as Kirk Gibson's home run in the World Series in 1988 (video.)

  • I suppose there was a reason six Porsches were lined up in a parking lot behind Sweetie Pie's in Decatur on Friday. 

  • Did you know there's a public database of you, your address, and whether you've voted in the general election over the years?
  • Messenger: Above the Fold