Random Monday Morning Thoughts

"Even after Justice Antonin Scalia did not respond to a knock at the door of his suite at the Cibolo Creek Ranch at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, John B. Poindexter, the property’s owner, thought little of it."

---

• Tanner Horner jury selection progress (from the Star-Telegram): 
• "About 57 individuals out of a pool of 300 were omitted Jan. 29 after indicating they’d already made up their minds about Horner’s innocence or guilt. The 243 who made the cut filled out an 18-page questionnaire, which attorneys used [last week] as the basis for their examination."
• "This phase of the selection process is expected to take several days. Presiding Judge George Gallagher said they will narrow down the jury pool to around 55 people, who will return March 31 for the final selection."
• After a man allegedly stabbed his mother to death in Decatur last week, the same thing happened in north Fort Worth over the weekend. And in a nice neighborhood identified as 4800 Cargill Circle.
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Dateline: Collin County.  Story.  (PDF of jury verdict form here.) I'm not sure I understand this whole thing. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• "As officers tried to execute the warrants, the suspect opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon, sheriff officials say. One Wood County deputy was shot multiple times, and a DPS trooper was also struck, officials said."  Side note: It's odd for a trooper to be serving warrants. 
  
  
  
• I see it all the time where someone receieves a pretty fair sentence but they appeal the verdict anyway seeking a new trial. This guy received 23 years in prison in his first trial.  Upon retrial, which happened last week, a jury gave him 40 years. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Nancy Guthrie "updates":
• They searched a home and towed a car on Friday night, and it all led to nothing.
• 
   
  
  
  
  
  
• And Savannah Guthrie is understandably looking beaten down in a new message last night.'
  
  
  
• Big Brother on steroids. "Google, Meta and Reddit complied with some of the requests, the government officials said." (Gift link.)
  
  
  
  
• Election warnings are over the place: 
• After claiming she has the authority to identify “vulnerabilities” in the election system and implement “mitigation measures” to make sure local and state elections are “run correctly", Kristi Noem said this on Friday: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• This doesn't even get a headline.
  
  
  
• This one included one of the dumbest and confusing statements ever. Trump says he's searching out "the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated."
  
  
  
• Probably would have thought twice before buying that. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• More details are emerging about the planned concentration camps. 
  
  
  
• What could go wrong? Story.
  
  
  
• Legal stuff: First they came for Roundup, then they came for Pam.
  
  
  
• Sports oddities from over the weekend:
• I didn't think this was possible. Just having the opportunity to pull is off (bases loaded three times and coming up to bat) seems astronomical. 
  
  
  
• This is a softball score.  (And it ended on the run rule after five innings.)
  
  
  
• Heck of a photo of a foul that led to a brawl and a suspension.
  
  
  
•  Maybe we should rethink Presidents Day.