6.22.2021

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




Hey, when's the last time we've had any Masonic Lodge news? Side note: If you look at any downtown Texas town which was built around 1900-1920 and you'll find a prominent Masonic Lodge building. They were big players. And they are still big players in Amarillo which got my attention so much a couple of years ago that I took this photo. 


  • Day 10: He's Wise County's own D.B. Cooper. 

  • Oh, my! Dave Campell's Texas Football with some breaking Wise County news this morning as someone has said "no thanks" to the Boyd High School football head coaching job. Earlier this month, Boyd coach Brandon Hopkins announced he was "stepping back" and wouldn't coach football this fall. The school's in a bind. And it just got worse. 

  • In more positive Boyd news, this was a pretty big spread in the Star-Telegram. 


  • The NCAA lost big at the Supreme Court yesterday, 9-0, but Justice Kavanaugh's overreaching concurrence (no one joined him) was a little over the top.  He might as well have said "let's ban the NCAA". He might be right, but it was a far cry from the legal doctrine of "let's only decide the issue before us.":

    • You can tell he's a high tone Northeasterner since he threw "lacrosse championships on Memorial Day" into that list.
  • Las Vegas Raider Carl Nassib came out as gay yesterday --  the first active NFL player to do so. I'm not sure that's news, but I'll always remember him from Hard Knocks where he tried to act like a financial genius but actually revealed he believed you can earn 10% interest by just "putting your money in a bank."

  • We've still got the foul mouthed cheerleader case to be decided by the Supreme Court. The term will end either July 1st or July 2nd so it will be released before then. I think she'll win. 

  • WFAA gives the detail that he hit a house. For what it is worth, here's the Google Street view of the area in Lantana in Denton County. 


  • There was a California federal judge who raised eyebrows last month when he wrote, as he struck down California's AR-15 ban, that the weapons were the same thing as a "Swiss Army knife."   The Ninth Circuit put his ruling on hold yesterday.
  • This won't be a campaign fundraiser. The money will go directly into Trump's and O'Reilly's pockets. 

  • Just a standard campaign pic that no one bats an eye at in 2021.

  • This was "politically survivable."  It's been my belief that darn near anything is politically survivable these days, and Trump proved that with everything from the "grab 'em by" comment to the Stormy Daniels payoff.  The days of a Gary Hart or John Edwards type scandal are over. And the days of a John Howard Dean scream ruining a guy seem like they are from a different planet. 

  • This New York Times story was under the radar yesterday although the Star-Telegram did mention it today. 

  • It was a slow day for front pages, but these random dueling headlines in Alabama got my attention . . . 



at 8:30 AM

6.21.2021

Random Monday Morning Thoughts




I guess I went to P.F. Changs for Father's Day ten years ago.   

  • On The Run: Day 9. Hey, I won't keep this up forever, but his escape is really amazing. 

  • Incredibly, in a 4-2 vote on Friday afternoon, the Decatur School Board forced the resignation of AD and Head Football Coach Mike Fuller.
    Star-Telegram headline

    • The meeting started off with a bombshell with Trustee Jennifer Wren, who could not be in attendance, had a letter read objecting to the meeting taking place. But the Big Reveal was in the first paragraph where it was disclosed that that Board President Thomas Houchin had already approached Dr. Joseph Coburn and "ordered" him to reassign Fuller without Board approval or discussion. Oh, my!

    • Then a letter in support of Fuller was presented signed by "all coaches" in the Decatur system. (How are they feeling this morning? The ultimate vote to remove Fuller was a clear message that their opinions and concerns did not matter.)

    • And then there was a veritable Who's Who of Decatur folks, from former mayor Martin Woodruff to Andrew Rottner, who spoke in favor of Fuller during the public forum. 
    • When the Board tried to go in executive session, Fuller's attorney requested that any discussion occur in public. Despite Fuller having this legal right, the Board seemingly ignored the Government Code and went into secret discussions anyway. 
    • And despite all of the support for a coach with an outstanding record, the school board voted to wastefully write an enormous taxpayer check to get rid of him.(The spending of government funds like a drunken sailor isn't getting enough play in all of this mess.)
    • What a disaster. It may very well take years for Decatur ISD to recover. What coach will want to come here when it requires them to rely upon a promise of a  school board which has proven it is nothing less than bi-polar? And what current coach feels particularly comfortable in staying? Which one of them isn't thinking, "Are they coming for me next?"
    • And who fires a football coach with less than seven weeks before the season starts? There's a reason that is never done. There is a reason bulls aren't allowed in china shops, too. 
    • This was all so bizarre that it caught the attention of others. I noticed that it was even being watched Friday on Twitter by the lead high school writer for Dave Campbell's Texas Football. The comments to his observations were telling. 
  • We are so back woods: Gov. Abbott vetoed a bill which restricted the admissibility of testimony induced by hypnosis. 
  • Good grief. 


  • Mark Cuban is not even a good conman. Anyone seriously falling for this stunt?

  • Former Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley went all anti-vaxxer.


  • If you are looking for an Olympic "character", we've got a good one. 

  • It's a case involving civil procedure which I don't understand, but the Texas Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a case arising out of an oilfield accident in 2017 near Bridgeport. I don't think I've ever heard about the incident. (The case has been docketed as cause no. 20-0505 and styled In Re Eagleridge Operating, LLC is you are interested in stuff like this.)

  • Mississippi Burning fact for the day:

  • Random 13,917-square-foot Southlake house for sell in Southlake. "The home at 1161 La Mirada is on the market for $5,000,000."

  • I watched all of Mare of Easttown. Verdict: Slight one thumb up. (For those who've seen it, are we just going to sweep under the rug Mare's little transgression regarding evidence handling? Uh, that's kind of a big deal.)
  • I finally finished The Sopranos. It's everything you boys said it would be. 

at 8:30 AM

6.18.2021

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

at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts





These were two photos I posted from this week in 2011. The top one was an uncomfortable photo from the Maverick's parade after their championship win. The bottom was from the Toronto newspaper of the crazy rioting after a hockey series loss. 

  • Day 6: The Man on the Run remains free.  This has turned into Wise County's version of The Fugitive.  (And I've had Wings' Band on the Run stuck in my head all week.)

  • The Decatur School Board's meeting to discuss the future of Head Coach/AD Mike Fuller just got interesting. I've heard that Fuller, through his attorney, has made a formal request that any discussion about him occur in a public forum. He has that right. And an assertion of that right prevents the school board from discussing him behind closed doors in executive session.  Texas Government Code 551.074(b). 
    • Side note: There is not a single reference to this morning's school board meeting in today's Messenger. I don't understand that. 
    • This, as has been represented to me, is a Facebook exchange between a taxpayer and the school board president. This would have taken place before Fuller's request for a public session. Click to enlarge.



    • Is the Board meeting broadcast live on the school's Facebook page?
  • The Supreme Court let Obamacare stand as it threw out a lawsuit filed by Ken Paxton which had originated in Fort Worth.  How much did that silliness cost the taxpayers of Texas?
    • The Court dismissed the case because of lack of standing. Personal admission: I've never understood the doctrine of standing no matter how hard I have tried.  I can read the court made rule, I can read the case, but  I don't know what it means. Trust me, I'm not alone. 

  • Of course, there's video.

  • Greg Abbott signed the Permitless Carry bill yesterday, but why was the head of the NRA, who has led the organization into bankruptcy amidst charges of waste and corruption, sitting at the table? 

  • Here is your bi-annual reminder that Gov. Abbott doesn't need to sign any of the bills passed by the legislature. They become law unless he vetoes them.
  • Mark Cuban, who believes he is the Smartest Man in the Room, now finds himself not only without a general manager but also without a head coach. It's a dumpster fire. Ironically, the billionaire is now figuratively owned by a 22 year old player, and he will do anything that player tells him to do. And even then, odds are that the player will leave Cuban high and dry in a couple of years after things don't work out. 

  • Overstate. Understate. Whatever. 

  • This is one of the "Kraken lawsuits" which failed to overturn the presidential election because there was no proof. Now there is a Motion for Sanctions hearing scheduled against the lawyers which recklessly and unethically brought it. This order from the presiding federal judge is not a good sign for them. 

  • I always like old Texas photographs, and this one got my attention yesterday. That's Highway 287 on the way to Amarillo in 1940 just outside of Quanah. 

  • She's asking to Defund the Police, right?  Rep. Matt Gaetz is a co-sponsor. 

  • Oh, I don't know, does this sound like a pyramid scheme?  "Members were told that if they’d put in $1,400 . . .  and recruited two members, they would receive a 'blessing' eight times their initial contribution — $11,200 (later upped to $11,400) — when they wanted to 'bless out,' or leave."

  • We are surrounded by con men and nut cases. They are all around you. 
  • Time which has passed since the Wise County Sheriff's Office has failed to solve the murder of Lauren Whitener in her home at Lake Bridgeport: 714 days.
  • Messenger: Above the Fold



at 8:35 AM

6.17.2021

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




And I was sent a photo (below) within 24 hours. But I'm not sure I've heard much of Ned since then. I hope he wasn't in the fire at Aurora City Hall a couple of weeks ago.



  • Day 5: Still on the run!

  • But you won't be getting alerts on your phone any longer.

  • Not related but relevant: They found him after three hours.

  • The potential for the Decatur School Board to actually fire Athletic Director and Head Football Coach  Mike Fuller seems really bizarre. But I'm hearing the current head count on the vote would be 3-3 which means the school board president would cast the deciding vote.  From the buzz I heard yesterday, this whole fiasco is turning an unexpected spotlight on the Board.
    • Fuller's football team has made the playoffs seven straight years including a deep run all the way to the state semi-finals just three years ago. That was one win away from the championship game. Most schools can only dream of that. 
    • The school board just renewed his contract less than three months ago by a unanimous vote. What exactly has changed since then? Has Fuller done anything to breach his side of the agreement? 
    • A firing would cost lots of taxpayer money (money which, by the way, was collected from your outrageous property tax bill which we complain about all the time), and the reason for that taxpayer expense would be what? 
    • A meeting is scheduled for Friday morning. The Messenger recently railed against the abuse of "executive session" as a tool to hide from the voters. Those voters have a reason to know what has prompted the hastily called meeting and who is spearheading it. And why.
  • The House yesterday approved Juneteenth as a national holiday by a vote of 415-14. Yes, 14 representatives actually voted against it. One of them belongs to Wise County.  Yep, our own Ronny Jackson. You may remember him:


  • Greg Abbott held a press conference on his Wall project yesterday, but was instead asked about the ERCOT warnings we've received.  His answer was less than truthful. 

  • Despite the WFAA headline, this law is window dressing only. It has no teeth. There is no "offense" or penalty in the new statute for turning off a bodycam. 

  • The NFL has issued guidelines for those players who don't want to get the COVID vaccine. You think they are encouraging vaccinations? 

  • The Athletic ran a story rocking the Mavericks, Mark Cuban immediately called the story "total" BS (as he hid behind the protection of a tweet), and one day later their long time general manager is told to his the road. Don't worry, though. There will be a new episode of Shark Tank.

  • There are still big Supreme Court opinions to come, and time on this term is running out. More will be released in 30 minutes.  The SCOTUSblog twitter feed is what I monitor since it is almost instantaneous with an accurate summary of what is released. 


at 8:30 AM
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