Check Out The Big Brain On Dave

And the crazed Self Appointed Savior of Texas Criminal Justice agrees: District Attorney John Bradley of Williamson County said he supports Dewhurst's call for more prison beds. "I completely, philosophically disagree with the premise that someone shouldn't be punished if they have a drug or alcohol problem," Bradley said. "It's very easy for a legislator who doesn't want to build prisons to say in broad strokes, 'There are too many people (in prison) who have drug or alcohol problems.'" Source.

I Can't Hear . . .

Warning: S-Bomb at the 34 second mark. (And it's not the best reproduction in the world as some guy has to point his video camera at his TV to capture the chaos. But, man, I love the look on the faces of the studio hosts.)

Penelope Cruz Went Swimming! Penelope Cruz Went Swimming!

Taboo

We had a suicide in the county yesterday but there is an unwritten rule that the media won't print a story about it (unless it involves some very public facts - like jumping off the High Five in Dallas.) I've always thought that was a little unusual. I mean, the lack of coverage is simply done out of respect. I suppose that makes sense in a goodness-and-mercy sort of way, but I don't know any other aspect of society which is treated with such deference by the media. The mainstream media is normally not concerned about privacy, hurt feelings, or compassion. (But the facts will likewise not be printed here.)

Former Dallas QB . . .

. . . and Ivy league grad Jason Garrett interviewed at Valley Ranch yesterday for either the head coaching position or the offensive coordinator position. (I really just wanted an excuse to post the pic.)

Rhome

Rhome PD had its silly little camera out on 287 this morning taking pictures of speeders. I'm telling you, this is going to be a disaster. It's a matter of time before WFAA, Fox 4, KXAS, etc. are all over this thing. Where does that lead? We'll see cops, city council members, and local Rhome residents being interviewed on camera and doing one thing: giving a bad impression. That's all Wise County needs, more bad press. And it's coming. I was also talking to a local law enforcement friend of mine yesterday and he described the camera as this: "Lazy police work." Amen, bruther.

freevacations_formoms

Pretty rough story in the Star-Telegram tonight about a former Denton County constable that was sentenced for solicitation of a minor in Colorado. And from the screen shot of the story above, he put some thought into it. His former government web page is archived here.

Nikki McKibbin

I really don't remember this girl from American Idol Season One (she came in third) but Fox 4 did a profile on her tonight. She says she turned down a record deal with a $375,000 signing bonus. Things have gone notagood since. (Top two pics are current day, bottom two or are from Season One.) And that's all I'm observing. Really.

Law? Blog About Law?

Since I now at least have some protection for the Lawyer Haterz out there, it dawned I me I can throw out a law topic every now and then. For example, did you know that for purposes of DWI (and, yep, Texas still calls it DWI and not DUI), the definition of "intoxicated" is:

(2) "Intoxicated" means:

(A) not having the normal use of mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol . . . into the body; or

(B) having an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more.

On a related note: The billboards that say "Drink. Drive. Go to jail." are simply wrong. They should read "Drink. Drive while Intoxicated. Go to jail."

Insomnia Relief

I've never "gotten into" hockey and that hasn't changed. At this very moment, the NHL All Star game is going on at the AAC in Dallas. How spare can it get? It's on a Wednesday night. It's on the Versus Network (good luck finding it). And the Dallas Morning News thinks its a good idea to have a "live blog" covering the event. Pray for BELO (parent of the DMN). Those in charge are dazed and confused. In other news, I'll be live blogging from the Decatur Swap Meet in a couple of months.

World Trade Center

I finally saw Oliver Stone's World Trade Center and I'll give it a resounding "not bad." It has some very moving parts but I wasn't necessarily overwhelmed. I don't think anything can recreate what it would have been like to have been there that day. I still love United 93, however. (And I didn't know the 9/11 Commission determined that Todd Beamer probably never said, "Let's roll.)

I've Had Three People Send Me This

It's pretty funny. Gladys from Austin chats with Ellen. There's a tremendously funny line that comes at the halfway point - you'll know it when you hear it.

I Must Share

This is what I see when I get to "approve" a proposed comment. I just got this one in connection with the most recent State of the Union post. (Click to enlarge.) Now, see, if you would have just toned down the language a bit I would have approved the post without any trouble. I don't mind the attack, just drop the F Bomb, the S bomb, the A bomb (oh, that's probably ok), and the Dip-S Bomb then you would have gone right to the post. But, sir, I don't chase ambulances.

Strangest Moment At Last Night's State of the Union

Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo was pimped by President Bush as he stood by Laura and some Asian lady. That's like me standing next to Decatur Municipal Judge Ed Winfrey.

Lindsay. Presumably Before Rehab.

Lost Cause

Gabs?

As I'm back from Fort Worth (and having Decatur PD officer Delvon Campbell ruin my day by showing up at the hearing), I just had a strange conversation. A person whose identity I promised not to reveal, claimed that the new Decatur high school term for female . . . uh . . . breasts is "gabs." (As far as the multitude of questions that just formed over your head, don't ask). I questioned whether that was truly new slang since I had never heard of it. I am, after all, the King of Pop Culture. So I told him/her that I'd throw it out to the masses for confirmation or repudiation.

I'm Leaving A Note

I'll be in Fort Worth this early-afternoon so everybody don't get pissy if Comments don't appear promptly. (Sheesh, I hate this process.) But I did see a funny sight on Monday at one of these driver's license hearings that I am going to. The whole process, which isn't fair, is to have an Administrative Law Judge determine whether someone's license should be suspended after a DWI arrest. (Trust me, it's like watching paint dry.) Nevermind that this hearing occurs BEFORE the criminal case ever gets filed in Decatur, but I digress. Anyway, on Monday there was a guy down there who had been arrested and was now representing himself. I understand why he was doing it, but that place is a field of land mines if you don't know what your doing. Anyway, there he was waiting for his case to be called before the judge. I noticed that he seemed neatly dressed until I looked more closely at his button down shirt: On the front left were the words "Jack Daniels." I am not making this up. Sir!