Above The Fold

Taking You Into The Weekend

How's That Texas Small Government Working Out For You?

(More)

The Texas Supreme Court handed down an opinion today which really concerns practice and procedure in Summary Judgment proceedings but before you fall asleep: Read those facts. The State of Texas is trying to take a Lincoln Navigator and over $90,000 in cash because some dumb drug dog "alerted" on the money during a traffic stop. Puhleeeze.

And how in the world can the State justify detaining the guy in the first place to wait for the drug dog? Everyone loves the Second Amendment around here but no one cares about the Fourth.

Incredible.

Someone Steal Some Booze?

40th Anniversary Of Roe v. Wade

I'm not sure I understand this. At all.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• A Girl Scouts meeting banished me to one of the corners of the house last night. That was OK.
• The Dallas Police actually had a heck of a rescue this morning after some incapacitated drunk/fool/poor-in-health driver went into Bachman Lake. I'm not sure what I would worry more about: The lake water drowning me or the lake water's pollution. 
• "Stunt airplane in Lancaster swoops near people on runway in video, raising safety concerns."
• We had the neighbor cat sit on the ledge of our upstairs bedroom window which caused quite the commotion once it was discovered in the middle of the night.
• I was surprised to see former great UT placekicker Russell Erxleben charged by the Feds yesterday for running a Ponzi scheme. I was even more surprised when I read the story to find out he's already spent time in federal prison for the same thing years earlier.
• Mrs. LL is sneezing like a fool, and I have diagnosed the problem as records levels of Mountain Ceder (which used to kill me but which I've suddenly become immune to it.)
• A 22 year old was killed by police after shoplifting at a Target in Grand Prairie. Hope that was justified. I think this may be the kid's Facebook page. Lots of Christian thoughts on it as of late.
• Bridgeport's Kassandra Davila's book in photo in the Update yesterday was a happy one. 
• Not so fast: Now it sounds like it was a female impersonating Te'o's girlfriend. (Mrs. LL was reading Deadspin in bed this morning. I don't know her anymore.)
• Drug bust for meth in Newark yesterday. Other news: Sun will rise in the East today.

Hey, Paradise Folks!! Don't Hang A Man In A Red Van!

Let's Mourn The Passing Of Booger Pruitt

Royce "Booger" Pruitt has died. Best known (or at least is now known) for being the longest serving Sheriff in the history of Texas. "He started working as a Deputy Sheriff for Glasscock County in 1958 and was appointed Sheriff in 1962. He retried in 2008 after 47 years and was the longest serving Sheriff in Texas and the United States." In the 2010 census, Glasscock County had 1,226 residents..

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

Revised due to duplication error

• I got hauled off to the doctor against my will by Mrs. LL yesterday. Maybe its just a sudden drop in blood sugar but this is getting a little tricky to diagnose. But she seemed really scared yesterday so I went along. 
• Listened to in house mini-concert of someone playing the recorder last night. I didn't even know that instrument was still around. 
• Women are going to be allowed to fight on the front lines in our military. I suppose how it is implemented will be the key. (But radio guy Mark Davis was blowing a gasket over the subject this morning.)
• I'm not certain, but I think the current hot spot (and a spot which is ripe for abuse) for Plaintiffs lawyers it patent litigation with ground zero being the federal courts in East Texas.
• I bet Jay Ratliff is going to look pretty good on the Field Sobriety Testing but that dang blood test might doom him. 
• Foggy 380 this morning. 
• There was a story yesterday of the countless hours Manti Te'o spent on the phone to his fake girlfriend (as documented by phone bills.)  As nutty as that makes Te'o, it also makes the perpetrator at the other end a nutcase. And the story got weirder at Te'o's lawyer now claims the fake girlfriend was voiced by a guy.
• I've never thought of this: Is there any actual law that prevents a man from going in a public woman's bathroom or visa-versa?  
• What's the current status of the Waggonner Mansion in Decatur? And what about the huge house at College Street and Hale which seems to have been vacant for years?
• We've had "An Another" but it involves a man. And, unfortunately, a former Baylor pitcher.
• It would drive me nuts to be a school superintendent (two stories about them in the Update today.) Your fate is determined by a small group of school board members every couple of years who each have their own agendas.
• A story came out yesterday that the national Democrats are now focusing on Texas with  the chance that it will soon become a blue state. If so, experts believe, "the Electoral College math is simple. We won’t be talking about Ohio, we won’t be talking about Florida or Virginia, because it won’t matter. If Texas is bright blue, you can’t get to two-seventy electoral votes. The Republican Party would cease to exist."
• Some tried to take shots at Hillary yesterday to get their soundbite or a question on the news but she fought back like crazy.  Heck, she might be the Democratic nominee in three years.

Fire and Possible Wheelchair

That's A Pretty Good Argument

You may remember this kid, 17, who is accused of Capital Murder in Parker County of his mom and sister. It sounds pretty cold-blooded.

But his lawyers were in court today arguing that the indictment should be quashed because if he were to be found guilty of the charged offense there are only two possible punishments under Texas law: (1) death or (2) live without parole. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has recently held that it is cruel and unusual punishment for either of those sentences to imposed on a minor defendant. So the lawyers argued he was charged with a crime that he can't be punished for.

Above The Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I can't stop sweating this morning. That can't be good. And it will make these thoughts abbreviated.
• The Collin County Sheriff says he will not enforce any federal gun laws that he believes are unconstitutional. I wonder if he has a copy of the Constitution?
• You would think Cowboys noseguard Jay Ratliff would be smart enough to not get a DWI but he went so far as to have it involve a wreck on 114.  (Just like Josh Brent.)
• Stolen from Twitter: "Welcome to the home of the Dallas Cowboys, where safety comes first! ___1___ days without an accident."
• A lot of movies blow right past me (or go straight to DVD). Case in point: Last night I saw one called Limitless from 2010 starring Brad Cooper and Robert De Niro.
• Why is everyone dogging Beyonce about lip syncing the National Anthem at the inauguration? Did Whitney Houston do the same at the Super Bowl one year?
• People gripe about the criminal justice system but over the last couple of decades Wise County has a pretty good reputation. Really. 

Decatur Begger

Spotted by a faithful reader by Lowe's in Keller.

When Did The Messenger's Facebook Page Turn Into The Liberally Lean Comment Section?

This is the reaction to the lockdown today.

Shooting At Lone Star College

What's "Lone Star College"?

Link.

Gov. Perry vs. The Supreme Court

And from last week's Time magazine.

Secret Service Pick Me Up