11.06.2019

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts


  • Well, once again I have proven that I'm the most trusted man in news and speculation. How am I not paid for stuff like this?:
    • Remember my bullet point from just six days ago?
    • Well look what happened last night!: 
    • All of this comes on the heels of  the sheriff's office in the Greenville announcing they were "100% sure" they had the right guy. All the while, the defendant was screaming to anyone who would listen that he was innocent. 
    • It's truly amazing that an arrest for capital murder could be made on such flimsy evidence. But credit to law enforcement (which I truly suspect, behind the scenes, means the DA's office) for killing that case right away. In any high profile case where a deputy goes off half-cocked or a sheriff may have authorized an arrest for his own political purposes, it needs to fixed and fixed immediately by those in authority who are smart enough to realize the cluster which has occurred. 
  • A big story this morning out of the metroplex is that four high school students from Community ISD were killed last night in a wreck near Lake Lavon. I had never heard of Community ISD which I learned is in "southeastern Collin County and includes the towns of Copeville, Josephine, and Lavon." It actually sits in a tiny town called Nevada. 

    The wreck occurred at Lake Road and State Highway 78

  • Regarding the Fort Worth cop who shot the woman who was in her own home: Am I the only person to think that was a really odd question to ask? That wasn't an interview to join the military or be a hit man. 
  • The Virginia legislature turned Blue last night, and the Republican governor of Kentucky, Matt Bevin, was defeated. (Trump campaigned for Bevin at a rally two days ago and said, "If you lose, they're going to say Trump suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world. This was the greatest. You can't let that happen to me!”) Fox News is not handling the election results well and is in denial this morning. 
  • This guy won a place on the Granbury ISD school board last night. He's concerned about "Beta" coming for your guns and churches. (h/t Bud Kennedy)
  • Texas approved all of its constitutional amendments last night except the one concerning elected municipal judges holding more than one position. The amendment was actually complicated and limited in scope, but I'm guessing it was defeated by the average voter thinking, "I'm voting on allowing a judge to hold multiple judgeships and make more money? Aren't judges also lawyers? I'll vote no." Or maybe people just hate municipal judges.
  • I told you yesterday those prostitution arrest at the Radisson hotel off Meacham Boulevard seemed to be focusing on the wrong people. Someone agreed with me yesterday afternoon:
  • One faithful reader contacted me about Cassidy's which is the club/bar located in that Radisson. It's been notorious over the years as a pickup joint for middle-agers. But my super secret confidential source told me the last time he was there it had the very odd crowd of older biker-type guys and a huge group of young females who just happened to be Asian. And they didn't seem to know each other  -- at least when the evening began.  I offer this, of course, without judgment.
  • The right wing crew on WBAP were questioning the conviction and upcoming execution of Rodney Reed this morning. To their credit, they had serious concerns. Yesterday, however, the lead Texas prosecution association, TDCAA, mocked everyone's concern in a tweet they have since deleted. Somehow, oddly, it invoked Michael Jackson which caused a nun to tell them to "delete their account." (I'm confused, too.) The snarky account then showed about as much contrition as possible with the tweet below (and then got crucified in the comments.)
  • Sheriff Joe, who was pardoned by Trump, can't catch another break. What I can't figure out is how any lawyer is dumb enough to take these cases to start with. (Side note: Despite losing two elections in a row, he's running for sheriff again.)

  • Impeachment Shocker: Somehow in all of the news it gets buried that the ambassador who was in Trump's corner,  Gordon Sondland,  had to actually revise his sworn testimony before the Impeachment Inquiry to say, yes, there was a quid pro quo. He said his "recollection" had been "refreshed" after reading the transcripts of the other witnesses.  (That means he feared a perjury charge.)
  • I'm not sure I've heard of this before: A Texas appellate judge has submitted her resignation because of complications from Alzheimer's.
  • Messenger: Above the Fold. 

at 8:34 AM

11.05.2019

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts





  • In response to my question yesterday of "Do people not value their time?" (when I saw the pic of people standing in line to get a chicken sandwich), I had a wise guy immediately send me this message:

  • The Star-Telegram has a big story about potential growth in Wise County. A lot of the focus is on the 3,000 homes which are part of the Sendora Ranch project right on the Wise/Tarrant County line off 287. (The link is OK to read on a mobile device. On a laptop or desktop, your browser will slow to a crawl.  Dear, ST, you have got to get a hold of that problem.) 
  • There was also a Star-Telegram story on a prostitution bust at the Radisson Hotel off Meachum Blvd on I-35. I expected to see it to be the typical crime-creation sting operation where guys are lured to cops posing as prostitutes. Nope. Twenty-two females were arrested. I'm guessing cops were responding to online ads and getting the gals to pay them a visit in the hotel. But aren't a lot of those ads placed by traffickers who are using the girls? Are they targeting the right people?
  • Met Life Cat!  (When he crossed into the end zone, I knew the crowd would erupt.) If you haven't heard the radio call, it's pretty funny.
  • The cat didn't surpass the touchdown run and its play-by-play call of a squirrel from a few years back.
  • We are getting closer to getting Trump's tax returns. A federal appeals court ruled with lightning speed yesterday that they must be disclosed. Unless the Supreme Court steps in, we'll finally get to see what he is hiding. (Unless he just ignores the ruling with impunity which somehow he always gets away with.) 
  • State troopers showed up yesterday in Austin to oversee the throwing out of the homeless from a homeless camp under an overpass. I wonder if any trooper ever says to his buddies, "I didn't sign up for border patrol, I didn't sign up to patrol the streets in South Dallas, and I dang sure didn't sign up to babysit homeless removal." 
  • Trump welcomed the Washington Nationals to the White House yesterday. 
  • Roger Stone's trial starts today. It'll be bonkers. Yesterday the judge ruled that the government can introduce a portion of the script of The Godfather II, but can't actually play the clip (unless the testimony of the defendant or another witness changes things.) That's a heck of a start.
  • Yeah, I now the "Now This" videos have a liberal slant, but the one about Trump's new spiritual advisor, Paula White, is worth a watch. She's a nutcase and right out of The Righteous Gemstones. Fun fact: She's married to Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain. 
  • A faithful reader sent me this screenshot of her monitor from somewhere in communist America yesterday!
  • More shady Texas judge appointments you'll never hear about: Republican Judge David Evans lost his job on the Dallas appellate court fair and square in the last election. Yesterday, one year after losing that election,  Greg Abbott put him back on on the court via an appointment to fill a vacancy. (And Abbott had already helped him out by appointing him to a district judgeship in February.) There's no one else qualified?
    Flag Code violation and, worse, a Fashion Code violation.
  • Trump will attend the Alabama/LSU game where he certainly will not be booed. Nixon's staffers had the same strategy as well.
  • Hey, look! Trump got worked up by Fox News this morning so now he's going to send troops into Mexico to fight their internal war and we are going to pay for it! (Spoiler alert: I'll never happen. You know by now his words mean nothing.)
  • Seriously, he got all of that from Fox News. Here is the segment that he watched.
  • All of this Mexico/Cartel talk has been prompted by the story of nine people of a Mormon clan with Mexican and American duel citizenship being killed in Cartel territory. The killings are awful and senseless, but that group has an interesting back story: Just Google Ervil LeBaron and his lineage and ancestors. (I first heard of the LeBarons in Jon Krakauer's book, Under the Banner of Heaven.)
  • It's behind a paywall, but The Athletic has a feature on Bridgeport's Colin Jones . . . 
  • I avoid texting, but I learned yesterday most people text with their thumbs. I don't. I tried it. That's easier. 


at 8:32 AM

11.04.2019

Random Monday Morning Thoughts


  • Do people not value their time? A fast food sandwich is worth that much to you? 
  • Trump went full Orwellian this weekend (again.) You know the upcoming release of the Impeachment Inquiry transcripts which will confirm Trump strong-armed the Ukraine in exchange for dirt on a political opponent? Well, Trump says they won't be real. No need to believe your eyes, he tells us.
  • Ok, what about those same witness who will soon be called in front of the Judiciary Committee soon on national TV for all to see? Can we believe them then? He has an answer: 
  • Bridgeport's own Colin Jones converted a fake punt for the Carolina Panthers yesterday. Video.
  • Here's a tidbit from reading the Dot Babb book - the firsthand account of being kidnapped by the Comanches: After getting older, he moved from Decatur to Wichita Falls. He wrote there were no more than three families between the two towns and that Wichita Falls had a population of 15 families. This was in 1874. (Side note: The book is on Amazon and cheap.)
  • I hope this was real on Halloween. 
  • Sadly, this was real. (I wonder if they had a Mexican kid off to the side handing out the "bricks" saying, "He made me pay for your brick. Here it is. Promises made. Promises kept.")
  • The next time you run into a cocky lawyer, tell him about a new guy. (And going to an out-of-state law, even Harvard, school puts you at a disadvantage in taking the Texas bar with Texas law specific questions.)
  • Texas Congressman Chip Roy celebrated a milestone of our National Debt. This year they added $984 billion to it -- a 26% increase over the year before. 
  • Here's a very hot Class 2A, Division I, Texas high school football opinion: I think New Deal was overrated.  (I sometimes look at how the "Top Ten Fared" in the lower divisions this time of year because normally every team wins in a thrashing.) For those with a thirst for trivia: New Deal is in Lubbock County with a population of 794.
  • I sometimes feel I'm on an island going after Robert Jeffress but he finally got the attention of the masses over the weekend when he fired off this theologically challenged tweet. Trump represents "traditional faith values?"  Over 1,000 people dogpiled him. (He really enjoys the attention. He double-downed this morning.)
    Friday
    The double down.
  • Legal nerd stuff: If you ever need a brief challenging the silly "science" behind blood splatter expert opinions, here ya go.
  • Texas Monthly has a fun article on the background of the The Toadies' Possum Kingdom and the history, and myths, of the lake. 
  • One of the strangest positions of the far-right which has emerged over the last few years is, "Don't send your kids to college because they might be exposed to 'concepts' which I've spent years sheltering them from." Not only is it wanting to keep your kid in an information deprived bubble, it also a very condensing position of, "Sure, I would be smart enough in college to discern what's true and what is not, but most kids aren't."  Here's an example this morning from radio guy who's scared of college (with a disturbing racial overtone to boot):
  • Messenger: Above the Fold.

at 8:32 AM

11.01.2019

It's Friday. Let's Get Out Of Here.







at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts



  • A former Bridgeport resident, Elaine (Taylor) Hays, is running to replace Congressman Mac Thornberry who decided to not run again. The district includes half of Wise County. (I wonder if we are the smallest Texas county to be split by a congressional line.)
  • Texas requires what?! (Story.)  It's not quite as diabolical as set forth below. A dog, like all surplus "property", could currently be given to a charitable organization as well. The new law creates a loophole which will allow the dog to be given to the dog's handler, a practice -- albeit illegal -- which has probably been going on without complaint for years.
  • The Southlake PD twitter feed is pretty funny when they make an arrest (here's a thread from yesterday involving a branch of First Financial), but one of these days they are going to embarrass someone on Twitter who was wrongfully arrested and are going to get sued.  Throwing in a a mocking "allegedly" one or two times won't save them from a defamation claim. 
  • Idiocracy.
  • There are people like Jonathan. Don't be like Jonathan. (He not only deleted it, but he also deleted his account.) Edit: Wow. This story from 1016 is about Jonathan. The victim just happened to be Hispanic. The Internet mob is reacting as you would expect.
    Even had to throw in the white power hand sign.
  • And don't be like this Congressman.
  • Decatur's own Bryce Elder is the featured player of the University of Texas this season. Last season he "finished the year with a 2.93 ERA in 83 innings pitched over 13 starts...led the Longhorns with 86 strikeouts during the season."
  • The former weather gal over at Channel 8/WFAA has freed herself from the bondage of meteorological maps.
  • I still think this is all a house of cards. I bet this sentence never comes true: "The 23-story, 470,000-square-foot office tower will house thousands of Uber workers when it opens in late 2022."
  • As I've been reading again about the Comanches in around North Texas, it is still stunning that the most famous Comanche of all -- the leader of a group that did savage and almost unspeakable things -- began wearing formal wear and became "a regular invitee to public events in Dallas and Fort Worth, including the Texas State Fair, the annual convention of the Texas Cattle Raisers’ Association and the annual Fort Worth Fat Stock Show."
  • Baylor remained unbeaten last night in an ugly game. I'm not sure how you hold West Virginia to 14 yards rushing, 219 total yards (83 of that on one play), and only win 17-14. I bet Baylor will be underdogs when they play TCU a week from Saturday.
  • It's November 1st. Get ready.
  • All school districts had to turn in their attendance/"snapshot" numbers by today. Most already have. Two years ago, Bridgeport was at 651 but is now down to 618.  Other numbers for 2017/2019 comparisons are Decatur: 1054/1022, Chico 163/162, Alvord 212/214, Boyd 401/411, Paradise 349/355. (Source)



at 8:32 AM
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