I'm Conflicted

This lady lied about having breast cancer (very bad) only to raise $10,000 and use the cash on breast implants (good) only to then have this book-in photo taken (bad). And we just had Breast Cancer Awareness Month (triple bad timing.) (Story from near Waco.)

Holy Cow

Background.

Monday Afternoon Pick Me Up

Scariest Play In College Football This Weekend

I said a couple of months ago that I think we'll see someone die in pro football. Heck it might be in college football. But this kid will be OK.

Messenger's Bridgeport v. Decatur Video

Game winning catch @ 3:50 mark.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma is huge. (At least it is from the road.) And they've built, or are building, a pretty swanky looking hotel.
• For some reason, my iPod screwed up on my early morning run yesterday so I had to do without it. Listening to the birds, my breathing, my steps, and everything else around me was not a bad thing.
• ESPN's College Gameday is coming to TCU, who somehow is now ranked #4, on Saturday. That may not happen again. Ever.
• "Muslim" does not equal "bad person."
• "Different from you" does not equal "bad person."
• I removed caulk from my shower yesterday which was a tremendous beating. But I giggled when I found out that a product called "Krud Remover" that I had purchased from Home Depot actually worked.
• Book-In Photo fun: Fairly hot 30 year old was arrested for Public Intoxication in Denton yesterday.
• But hotter.
• I actually walked in a Michael's store yesterday because I had to. Not fun.
• On the afternoon of the Fort Hood shooting, everyone was referring to the shooter as the "alleged gunman." I understand the qualifier "alleged", but on that afternoon who exactly was it that was making the "allegations?"
• It's amazing the military reported that he had died before that was confirmed.
• I forgot to mention that there was a four jet flyover at Arkansas game this weekend. Me loves me the flyover.
• I think I saw this weekend's NASCAR winner (whoever that was) firing the fake pistols he is given for winning the race. Even with blanks, that seems dangerous. Wasn't some kung fu movie star killed by a blank once?
• Cowboy fans might want to tap the Super Bowl brakes. December is coming.
• Five teens beat a 28 year old man to death in his front yard over the weekend in Wylie. Allegedly.
• In Fayetteville around 10:00 p.m. I went into a convenience store and spoke briefly to a stressed and young female clerk who was worried about whether her replacement for the third shift would show up. "I have a kid to take care of," she told me. I wonder if she has health care?
• WBAP's Mark Davis says he is wearing a Demarcus Ware jersey this morning. I was laboring under the delusion that he was a grown man.
• A Messenger reporter used the word "methodically" in two separate stories this weekend.

While You Were Sleeping

We need health care reform, but no one of those Senators knows what's really in the monstrosity. As I told a buddy of mine the other day, lawsuits are fought every day about one sentence of one bill. And this thing is what? About 2,000 pages?

Fayetteville Is A Long Way Away

• I thought I was a fan of driving. I'm not.
• On the was home I went through Southern Arkansas and Southwestern Southeastern Oklahoma. I had no idea it was that beautiful. I had no idea it was that desolate.
• Before the game, I got there really early and found a parking garage. It had an automated credit card pay system that I used. When I returned my car was booted by a private company. Sheesh. I called the number on my sticker, a guy shows up in five minutes, believes my story (which was true), and lets me go on my way. Amazing.
• The University of Arkansas has a crazy and cool tradition. Every graduate gets his or her name etched into a sidewalk on the campus. That's a lot of names, but they have lots of sidewalks. You walk upon names everywhere you go.
• Most of the leaves had fallen but not all of them. I also came across a section of Evergreens in southern Arkansas which surprised me.
• And after a krillion hours on the road yesterday. I got stuck in a 30 minute traffic jam on LBJ (and kicked myself for missing the George Bush Tollway). I almost went all Falling Down on everyone.
• And the pic below may be my favorite. I snuck out the game early and came across a couple in their forties laying out a blanket on the campus grounds.

Gold

Link.

Greetings From Fayetteville (While I Should Have Stayed Home To See the Bridgeport/Decatur Game)

• I couldn't resist the temptation of doing something I've wanted to do for a while: See an Arkansas Razorback game in the Fall
• I think it's beautiful up here in the hills, but it was dark when I drove in so I'll tell you tomorrow.
• Why do I do this? I have a football stadium fetish.
• I'm staying in a new Candlewood Inn which is pretty dang nice.
• On the hotel elevator, one guy was telling another guy that his wife has an elevator/claustrophobia issue. He said that once, in a crowded situation, "we had to wait an hour until the elevator was empty before she would get on it." His buddy and I both looked at him like he was nuts for putting up with that.
• As I was driving up, I passed the NASCAR race in north Fort Worth, saw all the campers, and said out loud, "You guys are freakin' nuts." Then it dawned on me that that I was driving six hours for a college football game that I have no connection to.
• The game is on Channel 21 tomorrow at the very odd start time of 11:21 a.m.
• I love my GPS device. Truly, I typed in the address of my hotel, left Texas, and never looked at a map. When it tells you to turn, you turn.
• And I leave town and Bridgeport beats Decatur with a TD pass with 42 seconds left? 24-21. Holy cow. (Decatur led 21-0)

I Didn't Know Chico Had A Port-O-Potty Farm

But they do.

Cat Fight!

I've got me a couple of new candidates for the future Mrs. Green.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• The Ft. Hood shooter ending up being alive was a shocking development, but Sean Hannity on Fox News read the bulletin like he was reading his grocery list.
• On 287 yesterday afternoon, I saw three big military vehicles pulled off to the side of the road with about 12 soldiers out of the vehicles -- some on cell phones. I'm sure they had heard about the shooting and were trying to get info.
• You knew the Redneck Panic Meter would go off the chart once it was learned that the shooter's name didn't sound 'merican.
• The shooter's family says that he had been hurt by being called a "camel jockey" by fellow soldiers.
• Killeen now has two huge mass killings on the list of America's worst. (Although I couldn't find the list.) The other was the killing of 23 people at a Luby's in 1991.
• Judge Andrew Napolitano, the consultant to Fox News, is either reckless with the truth or an idiot. He said this morning that Texas law requires "planning" and "premeditation" on the part of a defendant before he can be sentenced to death for capital murder. That's simply wrong.
• This tragedy will add to the Texas I-35 Trail of Tears list: Dallas (JFK assassination) to Waco (Branch Davidians) to Killeen (the Luby's mass murder/Ft. Hood) to Jarrell (tornado) to Austin (the UT Tower shooting) to San Antonio (the Alamo.)
• The Fox 4 morning weather guy says the temperature gauge in Decatur is messed up (reading too high) and he's going to start ignoring it until it gets fixed.
• Weird pet peeve: Someone saying something so outrageous that it is obviously a joke but then feeling the need to follow it up with "just kidding."
• Crazy Texas Tech coach Mike Leach made a cameo on Friday Night Lights. Pretty funny.
• Just announced this morning: The unemployment rate has now reached 10.2% Somehow that is going to be Obama's fault.
• Those apartments in Decatur on College Street that burned earlier this year? They are actually rebuilding them instead of tearing the structure down and starting over.
• Think I'm the only one that thinks baseball is a beating? Out of 56 TV markets, DFW ranked 53rd in viewership of the World Series.

Rare Thursday Evening Pick Me Up

Real News

Latest at 2:31 p.m.: Seven dead. Twelve wounded. Two shooters. (That's Fort Hood, Texas by the way) Updates here. Edit: Those numbers above will be changing. Edit: 12 dead. Three shooters with one of them now dead. Edit: (Sheesh) 12 dead including one shooter. Two others taken into custody. Edit: (Uh, oh) The name of the shooter: Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan Edit @ 8:29 p.m.: He's ALIVE!

Allow Me To Rant

Here's how it works. A person gets arrested (whether it be for a first degree felony or an outstanding traffic ticket) and then are taken to the Wise County Jail. From there, they are told the Justice of the Peace will be there tomorrow morning to set his or her bond. And they aren't getting out of the hoosegow until they post bond. The problem is that at least one of our JPs has a hard time showing up at a reasonable time. Case in point was today. Something stupid happened in Runaway Bay yesterday that caused a 17 year old to go to jail (for swearing) at around 5:00 p.m. The charge is a Class C misdemeanor of Disorderly Conduct punishable by a maximum fine of $500 (it's like a traffic ticket.) His non-Wise-County-living parents, obviously, were frantic last night about having a teenaged son arrested but were told that "the judge will be in here in the morning." This even prompted two lawyers to contact me last night to see if there was anything I could do. Nope. Nothing. So this kid gets to hang out with a bunch of meth heads last night. Does the judge show up at 8:00 a.m.? Nope. 9:00? Nope. 10:00? Nope. 11:00? Nope. 12:00? Yep. (To be fair, it was shortly before 12.) I've known a JP to show up in the afternoon to set bonds. Do you know how many people this tardiness inconveniences? You might not care about a 17 year old or anyone else arrested, but misdemeanor arrests can lead to job loses if people don't get released. There are also concerned family members who are inconveniencing jail staff members by trying to determine if a bond has been set. They are either bugging those sweet ladies in the reception area, or another receptionist is answering the phone and then transferring the call to the jail area where another gal has to answer the question of "Has a bond been set on xxxxx" for the millionth time. And when a bond is set around noon, you have the mass bond writing process and bookout procedure occurring at the same time the jail staff is trying to feed over 100 inmates. Which JPs are guilty of this? Not all. I have an idea of the worst offender(s) but don't have any personal knowledge of this. Those that are part of the process might have some insight.

Thursday (Yep, Thursday) Afternoon Pick Me Up

(Kate Hudson)

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• The TABC raid of the gay friendly Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth has lead to a ton of knee jerk reactions. How far has it gone? A city-sponsored diversity task force recommended yesterday that city insurance cover sex-change operations.
• Our Sheriff had a 5 pound 14 ounce bundle of joy yesterday. Well, his wife had the baby.
• The Yankees win the world series with nine players who make over $10 million a year and a total payroll over $200 million. And this is supposed to be a competitive sport? You baseball fans are crazy.
• The serial killer I mentioned yesterday now has a body count up to 11.
• I'm looking forward to Sarah Palin's book tour. There's no way she won't say something crazy.
• In my endless journey to attend football stadiums, I thought about seeing an Arkansas game in Fayetteville this weekend. Except there is no easy way to get to Fayetteville.
• And the fact that the Decatur County Court at Law scheduled hearings for late Friday afternoon didn't help my planning schedule.
• Whataburger in Decatur now has some drive through traffic go to the outside lane where an employee will come out, deliver your food, take your money, go back inside, and come back with change. That beats me down and makes me feel compelled to tip.
• Motorcycle death yesterday. Cooler weather = more bikers = more of these stories.
• Saw a lawyer at a driver's license hearing in Fort Worth yesterday who had no idea what he was doing. And I see him in Decatur from time to time.
• Huge Wise County employer Devon had a tough third quarter: They saw net income fall to half a billion dollars. Did I say half a billion? Yes. Yes, I did.
• Two actresses I love that haven't had any fun girl roles lately: Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.
• Runaway Bay officers arrested a 17 year old yesterday for cussing. Yep, cussing. He spent the night in the Wise County Jail.
• In 2002, Troy Aikman was called during halftime of a game he was broadcasting and offered the job of quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. Really.