The Belly Button Ring

Good? Notagood?

I Think I Saw This Defense In The Penal Code

"Conservative Republican Leader"

Let's see. Education is a problem. The government is the solver of all problems. So . . . . let's introduce legislation in Texas to make it a crime, punishable by a fine up to $500, for missing a Parent-Teacher conference. At least that guy did. Source.

I'm So Against Hiring . . .

. . . the over the hill Wade Phillips as the Cowboys coach. (He's in the mix.) I'm so in favor of hiring Wade Phillips' granddaughter for any job she wants.

After The New Stadium Is Completed . . .

. . . an Albertson's stock boy could land a Super Bowl in Arlington. (No offense to stock boys everywhere.)

Decatur Lunch Time Bumper Sticker

"Half Of My Heart Is In Iraq"

I Sooooo Want To Find the Found Photos

STEPHENVILLE - The president of the Tarleton State University chapter of the NAACP said Wednesday that he and other students are upset about a Martin Luther King Day party where students ate fried chicken, drank malt liquor and dressed in faux gang apparel. (Story.) Edit: Thanks to a commenter, the pics can be found here. Edit #2: The Morning News now links to the pictures but actually has this disclaimer. "Warning. Some may find offensive." Now that's some sensitive readers! Edit #3: After thinking about it for few hours, the most offensive aspect of the pictures is that it looked like a really bad party.

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.)