Man Jumps Over Barricade On Today Show This Morning

But the cameras were cut away. What do you think the odds are that someone else filmed it?

(And it's been a while since I've dogged my nemesis Ann Curry. I've started leaving for work before 7:00 so I never see The Today Show anymore.)

I'm Changing My Name To "Don't Know" and I'm Headed To Washington

Source.

Sadly, I bet Dewhurst ends up winning that thing. (And the Dallas mayor is crazy if he thinks he can win it.)

But let the race begin:

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Boy, Fox News won't back off dogging the teacher protests in Wisconsin.  But when you have government workers and unions in the same group, you'll be in their proverbial cross-hairs.
• Great site for weather geeks.
• Forgot to mention yesterday that 53 people were killed in Juarez last week from Thursday through Saturday. Amazing. 
• Some people dog me for not mentioning the Decatur ISD and its proposed budget cuts. Frankly, they haven't pushed the panic button like everyone else -- and I'm not sure why not.
• Mrs. LL oddly fired off the statement, "It smells like updog in here" this morning. If I had responded with "What'supdog?" I think she would have laughed for hours. (I think I responded with something like "What's updog smell like? Do you smell something? We can't have some odd smell in here!!") 
• Weird: We've all driven by the Coors plant off Meachem Boulevard and I-35 in Fort Worth. Well, Sunday night a cab crashes into a parked 18 wheeler on the service road and the passenger is killed. 
• Jerry Jones made his first appearance since the Super Bowl: He gave a brief speech at some PBR event/Toby Keith concert at Cowboys Stadium on Saturday night. (Pic)
• Carnage!: The Update reports this morning that the Bridgeport varsity cheerleading squad will be reduced from 16 to 10!
• The NFL owners will royally screw over the players' union in the upcoming NFL labor talks/lockout.  Those guys have such short careers, none of them are willing to hold out for one year or two. They have to be paid. And now. (Baseball players, on the other hand, would sit out for three years knowing they'd recoup it all when the owners finally caved.)
• With Libya on the brink, I recall Ronald Reagan's order to bomb Libya with one hard 10 minute strike in 1986. It was the first real "we aren't going to take it anymore" action by the U.S. in my lifetime. And the public loved it.
• Speaking of retaliation: CNN just reported that four Americans captured by Somali pirates over the weekend are now dead. They didn't deserve to die for it, but that was a foolish, foolish thing to take a boat into those waters. (They were delivering bibles. Edit: Source.)
• Silly Ticket humor this morning: Gordon: "7-11 University is in town this weekend and they are planning on rolling out some specialty dishes." George: "7-11 University? What conference do they play in?" Craig: "The Big Gulp." 
• Yankee's co-owner blames 2010 flame out on players "concentrating on their mansions." Jeter has a nice one:

Teacher Lay Offs In Chico

From a trusted source:

I'll have numbers on Chico teacher layoffs tomorrow. They have been putting the fear of god in them for weeks and there is a board meeting to decide tonight. The teachers are up in arms because they have added like ten administation-coordination positions the last few years and the super is supposed to get a raise tonight yet they are cutting teachers. Packed house at the board meeting.

[And as I completely drive this post off the road, the above image came up when I googled "chico, tx" images. What the heck is North Texas Outfitters? I'm no hunter, but does that sound particularly sporting?]

For years I've griped about a statute in Texas called "Unlawful Photography". Apparently, some judges aren't to fond of it either as this opinion begins:

Before MORRISS, C.J., CARTER and MOSELEY, JJ.

OPINION

Opinion by Justice CARTER.

In the 50s, before the advent of video cameras and cell phone videos, a popular song advised us that standing on the corner and watching females pass by was acceptable conduct and that "you can't go to jail for what you're thinking." Watching may still be acceptable conduct, but recording that parade may violate the law in Texas today.

William Allen Cooper was convicted by a jury of an offense entitled Improper Photography or Visual Recording. The offense is a state jail felony, and on two counts, he was sentenced to the maximum punishment: two years in a state jail facility on each prosecution and a $10,000.00 fine. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 21.15 (Vernon Supp. 2010).

I. Issues on Appeal

* * * 

[T]he statute criminalizes the act of photographing/recording a visual image of another at a location not a bathroom or private dressing room without that person's consent, and with intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.

II. Facts

Cooper was convicted for making video recordings (shot through a window) of females walking down the sidewalk, or down the street, in front of either his home or business. The subjects were fully clad and were not in a private area. We have duplicates made by the State of the only two tapes involved, containing several hours of video, which the State edited into a short "best of" video for the jury's perusal. All of these were introduced into evidence and made available to the jury. The videographer used the zoom function on the camera at various times to obtain close-ups of specific parts of female anatomy. Those close-ups are what the State relies upon to prove intent—the statute requires the video to have been made with the intent to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of a person. The State argues that this choice of subject matter would allow a jury to find the requisite intent, and counsel does not argue to the contrary.

Incredible. You can be convicted of photographing the opposite sex as they walk down the street in public.

The Court reversed his conviction because although there was evidence that the tape was filmed from inside his property, there was no evidence that he was the one who did the filming. If they had been able to prove that, it looks like he would have been headed to jail for two years. (And for that level of offense, there is no early parole.)

President's Day Tribute

Man, That Was Tense

WORCESTER —  An online video allegedly showing the beating of a patron inside the locked bathroom of a Southbridge Street strip club last year has led to the arrest of a bouncer at that club. 

Easton Byfield, 35, of Thayer Pond Drive, Oxford, was arrested Friday night and charged with assault and battery, kidnapping, unarmed robbery and filing a false crime report. Records show he was arrested at Platinum Premier, 241 Southbridge St. He is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in Worcester Central District Court. 

The video, which was on Youtube.com and other Internet sites yesterday, shows a man being punched several times and money allegedly being taken out of his wallet by the strip club employee. 

Police received several anonymous tips Thursday referring to the video of the Platinum Premier employee allegedly assaulting a patron, police said in a press release. The information police received included the date of the incident and the suspect’s name. Mr. Byfield was then arrested. 

After reviewing the video and obtaining information, detectives tracked down the victim, a 25-year-old Worcester resident, police said. Police were told during the investigation that the incident occurred May 25, police said. (more.)



Let me tell you, this was right out of Pulp Fiction.  I felt like that Jules Winnfield wannabe was going to yell, "What? Say what again! They speak English in What?" at any second.  But you have to love the bouncer's real motivation (as he explained), it's not that he's against selling drugs. It's that he's against people spending money on the drugs because that's less money that's going to be spent in the club. 


And language and (obvious) violence warning if you click on the video. 

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• True Lies is a silly movie that sucks me in every time.
• Was getting my oil changed yesterday when I was accosted in the waiting room by a little girl who insisted on getting one foot from from my face and dang near yelling: "My dad and brother are getting their oil changed in the truck!!!" "What are you doing here!!!" "Are you playing a game on your phone!!!" "I like Angry Birds!!!" "Do you want to watch me play Angry Birds???!!!"  So there I was, watching her play Angry Birds.
• What's Tech got against Baylor? On Saturday, they beat the #1 women's team as well as the men's team (basically eliminating them from the NCAA tourney)
• Horrifying: Having a four year old fall off of a fifth store apartment balcony in Addison over the weekend. 
• The neighbor's cat is huge and hangs around outside most of the time. But now it spends all its time peering in a window at the Family Cat. You want to know chaos? When somehow it got in the house through the the front door in the middle of the night on Saturday and was then confronted loudly by the Family Pup and Family Cat. Let me tell ya, that'll wake you up.
• Lots of hubbub today about the Texas Legislature being poised to allow Concealed Handgun License holders to be able to carry the weapon on college campuses. I seriously doubt that anyone who is over 21, took the time to get licensed, and is enrolled in college is going to cause some random problem. 
• When the pick-up-your-kid time after a slumber party keeps getting pushed back and back, you kind of become a free babysitter.
• It seems like I've got 1,000 TV channels and most of the time I still can't find anything good that's on. 
• I don't see how a NASCAR race that lasts over four hours, involves cars so similar that they can't get away from each other, and having a twenty year old nobody win its premiere race is supposed to be entertaining. 
• But I should be a fan: I had to do some concealed car body work using a zip tie yesterday.  That just felt wrong.
• The official DPS twitter feed posted this on Friday: "All driver license offices are CLOSED on Monday (to allow our employees to take advantage of all the department store Presidents Day sales)." So now government employees are taking a paid taxpayer day off and mocking you at the same time. 
• I can't believe I'm saying this but Justin Bieber looked like a legitimate athlete in the NBA celebrity basketball game. 
• Cowtown Half Marathon is this weekend, but they've moved it to Sunday -- I don't like that. 
• Britney is accused of ripping off the rock ballad "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me" by the Bellamy Brothers?  I don't think her new single sounds anything like it. 
• Saw a very young couple waiting in line at the grocery store on Saturday night while the dad entertained their baby. Mom had all the signs of a meth addict and looked as unhappy as anyone you've ever scene. It was one of those "how did I get to this point?" looks. 

Idiocracy Part 1021

As I've said a million times, I don't watch the NBA because it's a cure for insomnia. (And, to reiterate my earlier prediction, your Dallas Mavericks will go one or two rounds into the playoffs and then be booted.) But, getting back to my point,  apparently the All Star Game Slam Dunk Competition was last night which ended with Blake Griffin jumping over a car while a choir (yes, a choir) sang "I Believe I Can Fly".

You guys over in the Middle East having revolutions? The heck with that -- we've got a guy dunking over a car!!  [Insert song from Team America: World Police.]

I know one thing, however, if I'm the owner of Blake's team, the Clippers, I'm having a heart attack at the risk of injury.

Fox 4's Mike Doocy: The Man, The Myth

Hanging with Fiona and some chick from Channel 5.

Arkansas Frat Boys Perform Katy Perry's "Firework"

After watching that, I feel more manly than I ever have in my life.

What Am I Thinking Of?

I originally thought that Micky and the Motorcars was a one hit wonder from the 1990s. What band am I thinking of? Killing me.

(Bono's is in Decatur.)

Friday Morning Pick Me Up

But you might not want to be her passenger.

Punishment News

That's on the No Body Murder Case

And a Wise County jury is deliberating punishment on the Intoxication Manslaughter case right now. Edit: He received 20 years. The maximum. (The prosecutor asks for no less than 12.)

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• I think we're having the 5,000th slumber party to night at the house. That is, after they all get back from the Justin Bieber movie. Think they'll be ratcheted up? 
• The Texas Senate has passed the Sonogram Bill. It's comical that Rick Perry has designated it as "emergency" legislation.
• If all the school districts have to layoff people for the next school year, they'll have to make that decision pretty quickly, won't they?
• Azle motorcycle death.
• DPS had a press conference yesterday and released surveillance footage of a potential suspect in the fire at the Governor's Mansion. Hey, that fire took place in 2008! What took you so long?
• I updated the post yesterday but you may have missed it: The guy who was arrested for poisoning the trees at Auburn says on his Facebook page that he is a former Texas DPS Trooper.
• Preseason Rangers prediction: They won't make the playoffs.
• I jogged with an OU T-shirt yesterday and met a guy wearing a Longhorn T-shirt. He looked genuinely angry with me. Funny. (I bet I've got 20 different T-shirts with random college names on them. I even got one for Vanderbilt.) 
• The Star-Telegram has a headline/story today that says a jury has "recommended" a 25 year sentence in case involving the death of a baby.  A jury never "recommends" a sentence. What they say is the sentence. 
• Weather talk is boring, but is this not the craziest February ever? One week in the deep freeze and then two weeks of the warmest February weather I've ever seen. 
• I've preached for years that conservative Republicans will lose power in the future for one simple reason: Demographics.  Yesterday's Census data proves the point. And is there any doubt that the percentage of Hispanics will be significantly greater in the 2020 Census?
• Other Census nuggets: Bridgeport is 42% Hispanic. And Bridgeport has only 66 less people than Decatur.
• Did you realize that Jerry Jones hasn't been seen or heard since the Super Bowl?

Dallas Officer Reprimanded --- Wise County Ties

Channel 8 had a story last night on a Dallas police officer who posted some "inappropriate" things on her Facebook page. She lists herself as a 1996 Bridgeport High School graduate.

Another Reason Obama Will Be Re-Elected

I can write his campaign speech: "At the time I was sworn in, the stock market had plunged unlike anything since the Great Depression. But from that moment, based upon my Administration's sound economic policy, the market has recovered. The American People truly believed in Change That We Can Believe In, and we are once again the economic power that the world can look up to."

Yeah, it's all BS, but it'll work.

Jury Deliberates Punishment On No-Body-Murder-Case

Yeah, I'm borderline obsessed with this case. It's because we have rules that we live by, and one of those rules is that no one will be convicted unless, after considering all the evidence, there is no doubt about that person's guilt in any of the juror's minds -- that is, no doubt that they consider to be reasonable.

My problem with this case is that (1) We don't know the lady is dead, (2) If we assume she's dead, we don't know she was murdered, and (3) is we assume she was murdered, we don't know who did it.

Nothing proves my point more today than the prosecutor's argument during the punishment phase today.

In summation, prosecutor Cary Piel told jurors that he was not going to presume to tell them the number of years they should assess as punishment.

He told them to close their eyes and imagine the murder.

"You don’t want to do it, but you have to,” he said so quietly that those not in the jury box barely heard him.

“You know it was some sort of hand-to-hand thing.”

He said she likely knew she was dying and suffered.

What a load of crap. If every juror, at that moment, didn't realize they have no idea what happened because the government failed to prove it to them, they aren't smarter than a 5th grader. But I think the prosecutor realizes that.