1.02.2026

It's Friday -- Let's Get Out of Here






Random Friday Morning Thoughts





The big "question" was whether police officers could ask those visibly carrying guns to present their permits (which were still needed under the new law.)  I don't recall a single case where that was ever an issue. 


  • A couple has pled guilty in federal court of basically being a fake Chris and Joanna Gaines, and I was surprised to see three of victims were in Decatur and hit for a big chunk of change. The couple lived in Keller, and she used to work in a dental office.  DOJ press release



    • And this is from the indictment which lists the Decatur victims (although not by name.) Source

    • Odd paragraph in the original criminal complaint since none of the victims appear to be in Runaway Bay. :

       

  • This appears to be the image of the fire beginning in the Swiss nightclub. That's acoustic paneling on the ceiling.  And here's a video from seconds after that photo.

  • I've seen lots of images of vehicles just stopped on the major freeways in downtown Dallas to watch the fireworks at Reunion, but here's a video of a couple of folks just firing off their semi-auto weapons to join in the celebration. 

  • We've got a mystery going on in Ohio. Authorities believe an unknown assailant is out there. 


  • We're doing great.

  • Trump:
    • America first? 

    • He continues to want you to belief this: 

  • So the Dallas Stars run a promotion for the chance to win a T-shirt with a corporate logo on it? 

  • College football: 
    • I feel bad for Tech but, they never could get that offense going. Never fear, their big donor says he will "double down" for next season. 

    • The Georgia/Ole Miss game last night was fantastic, although it had the most unnecessarily tortured ending
  • Lauren Whitener Clock: 6 years and 183 days.

1.01.2026

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts






  • Overnight in Switzerland. The fire damage, even from inside, amazingly doesn't look widespread. But a four second video, which is unverified so far and all over the Internet, shows huge flames.   



  • All we know is what is in the headline. 

  • You don't think a certain someone would project their image onto the Washington Monument sometime in the near future, right? Right? 

  • The biggest game in the history of Texas Tech kicks off at 11:00 a.m.

  • There's a new mayor in New York City, and the New York Post can't stand it. 

  • This about as warm of a winter as I can remember. 

  • Get ready. 

  • Extremely nerdy legal stuff: I've ranted for years that proving "recklessness" or "criminal negligence" is ions tougher than a lot of lawyers realize. Case in point, yesterday the Dallas Court of Appeals reversed and acquitted a man who was convicted for Endangering a Child when three children in his care got out of the house while he was sleeping - on three different occasions.  Opinion here. 
  • My favorite bowl season photograph was taken yesterday. 

  • It's been a rough decade so far. 

  • THWMISB™.

12.31.2025

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts




Let's bring that back. 


  • And that opinion comes from the new 15th Court of Appeals which is composed of only three judges and all appointed by Gov. Abbott
  • When I first saw this story last night, I thought that's pretty surprising result from the appellate court in  Austin. A reversal with an acquittal? You don't see that very often. He had been sentenced to two years in a state jail. 


    • But then I tracked the opinion down. The appeal was transferred from Austin to Amarillo as part of docket overcrowding distribution. And it began like this:

  • From yesterday afternoon:


    • Update from yesterday evening. "The body was found in a field roughly 100 yards from Olmos’ home, which authorities had previously searched."

  • This may be the craziest video I've ever seen, and that's not hyperbole.  Story. Full video.


  • New this morning from the Washington Post.  Keep an eye on ICE and this moment in history.  It's quickly becoming large, more untamed, and it is all Trump's. I saw someone refer to the agency the other days as the Ice Storm Troopers. 


  • Marijuana? The U.S. is killing people over marijuana?


  • Yesterday we had another day of Orwellian information from your government:
    • Trump posted a picture claiming is was a bald eagle killed in America by a windmill. It was actually not an eagle, and the picture was taken in Israel in 2017. Original here

    • AG Pam Bondi posted a graph to tell us how great Trump's war on drugs was going.  But the graphic only had data ending in 2024. She later deleted it. 

  • The Wall Street Journal this morning has a warning about the phones killing, of all things, dancing. 

  • Flashback: 
  • Messenger - Above the Fold