The last safe place isn't safe at 2:00 am

Edit. Story here. "Lone State Star" is the new name of the huge club formerly known as "City Streets" by Barnes and Noble.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Breaking this morning: The unemployment rate fell to 8.3%.  President Obama's only problem now is that November can't get here soon enough. 
• (1) Why would anyone care that Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney? (2) Why in the world did Romney show up by his side to accept the endorsement yesterday? They just handed the Democrats a photo-op with the caption: "They both are rich and they both like firing people."
• The news broke last night that Josh Hamilton had a "relapse" because he drank at Sherlock's in Dallas. It wouldn't surprise me if the Rangers heard there were pictures about to be released so they leaked the story to get in front of it. Last time Deadspin knocked them senseless with the photos of Josh going full throttle during spring training. 
• And what in the world is he doing in a bar much less drinking in a bar? You'd think that he'd grab a bottle of liquor and check into a hotel.
• I wonder if abstinence is the best way to handle his problem.
• I've gone basically 100% Healthy Choice dinners and salad for the last three weeks. And I haven't stepped on the scale -- I'm going by the feel of clothes. 
• Something that I care absolutely nothing about: Who anyone's Super Bowl pick is.
• Have you seen the story of the group of high school girls who have all suddenly exhibiting symptoms of those with Tourette's syndrome? I can't tell you enough how much I think they are faking it. 
• Someone asked yesterday if I was on the "court appointed lawyer gravy train." No, I'm not. And if it's a gravy train, I was never able to find the station. 
• It's not fun paying for a vacation months in advance. It is fun taking a vacation realizing you've already paid for it. 
• Heck, even I'm surprised that the Susan G. Komen Foundation is taking such heat for no longer funding Planned Parenthood. 
• One time high school football power Stephenville dropped to 3A yesterday.
• A neighbor girl ate dinner with us last night while dressed in a ballerina outfit. I think that's a first for me. Unless Mrs. LL did it once that I don't remember.

Tarrant County DA's Office Announces Brags About 99 Years For Dope

Drug problem in Fort Worth solved! Everyone sleep with your doors open tonight! Public demand for drugs also mysteriously disappears!

Link. (PDF).

Man, they sure are working that new PR gal who is being paid with taxpayer money.

This Could Be Wheels Off

As the Super Bowl halftime performer, Madonna is obligated to hold a press conference in front of a bunch of sports writers, radio guys, and broadcasters.  She walked out on stage shortly after 1:00 p.m. today (one of The Ticket boys twitpic'd it)

There's no way she doesn't get mad at some point.

Breaking: Kelly Brook Is Hot

Re-Alignment Announced For UIL

Five teams in the district? Is that normal?

Remind me. How many teams make the football playoffs from each district?

All announced realignments here.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• There was a meteor over North Texas last night and one of the strangest pictures of it was sent into WFAA by Tully Hannah of Bridgeport.
• The best photo of it (if real) is here. (Facebook.)
• American Airlines is shedding jobs while BNSF Railroad will spend almost $4 billion on capital improvements in 2012 alone. This is 2012, isn't it?
• Had a report that a Boyd student held up a "Got Meth?" sign at the Boyd/Paradise basketball game on Tuesday night. He was allegedly kicked out. 
• Rick Perry's buddy and fired Aggie gets a "newly created" position at DPS for a salary of $147,500.  Who do I report this crime to?
• "Phil? Hey, Phil? Phil! Phil Connors? Phil Connors, I thought that was you!"
• Rich guy adopts 42 year old hot girlfriend as his daughter so she can get 1/3 of the money from a trust fund set up for his children because he's being sued for killing a guy while driving drunk and the lawsuit can't touch the trust fund. Got that? 
• From the Update this morning regarding Northwest High students signing scholarships yesterday: "Allen Young will head to Truman State to play football. Christian Davila inked with Friends University and Dominic Stewart with Southern Nazarene University for football." I don't think I've heard of any of those schools. 
• I heard Madonna's Borderline this morning. Nothing wrong with that.
• $10,000 bets. He likes firing people. He's not concerned about the very poor.  When Mitt Romney spends all of his time saying his words were "taken out of context," he might want to spend some time thinking before speaking. 
• On Twitter this morning: "Over 100 die in Papua New Guinea on a sunken ferry last night and there is barely a news blip. Sixteen died on the Concordia cruise ship and we can't look away."
• I think I saw the Decatur guy who was involved in the fatality accident in Rhome running on the shoulder after the wreck yesterday. I feel sorry for him.  People pull out in front of traffic on 287 all the time. 

Breaking Out Of Egypt: At Least 40 Dead And It Has Nothing To Do With The Arab Spring

It has to do with a soccer game. Edit: Heard the number was now over 70.

(In unrelated economic blood bath news, American Airlines just announced massive layoffs. Edit: And they are closing the maintenance facility at Alliance Airport?)

I Was Prepared To Hate This

But this guy might be awesome.

John Davis Just Made A 20 Minute Presidential Campaign Stop In Decatur

Unfortunately, he was conservative but wasn't crazy. (Oh, and here's a list of the 342 people who have officially filed for the office of President.)

Edit: Just saw some Wise County guy on Facebook that the media "doesn't want you to know about" this man. Really? What about the other 300+ people on the list?

Edit: Uh. Oh. Just how excited are the Republicans about their candidates? Four years ago, 1.94 million voted in Florida's primary.  Yesterday they pulled in just 1.66 million.

Rhome Is Into Advertising

Satellite view of Rhome water tower.

Soul Train Death

Suicide?

As a kid, having Soul Train on after lunch on Saturday afternoon was a ritual.  (That's probably where I got my coolness.) "Love! Peace! And ..........SOUL!"

And that line dancing was greatness:

Random Wednesday Thoughts

• Big wreck on 287 in Rhome this morning. Car on its side. Pickup with front end damage. I saw two cops at the scene and then (count 'em . . . ) three ambulances, two firetrucks, and two cop cars heading that direction.  I know one person was two people were transported to Harris and the other to Cook's. (On the scanner I also heard "we'll need JPS at this location."  It didn't sound like "JP" which means Justice of the Peace which means there's a death.)  Edit: There is a death. 
• And good luck getting to downtown Fort Worth in a hurry at 7:45 in the morning. Ain't gonna happen.
• During the middle of it, the scanner also called for an ambulance to got to Newark due to a medical emergency. Some 37 year old lady had called 911 due to an "infected tooth."  Lady, don't call 911. Call a dentist. 
• Big win for Romney in Florida last night with almost half the vote. However, if Florida is a cross-section of America, America wants nothing to do with a conservative. But of all people to send to battle the President, they choose a white rich man who is a "former liberal."  
• Mrs. LL spent five minutes telling me about how she made a free throw at the gym. (Now believes she is Britney Griner.) 
• Muscled Georgia cheerleader doesn't do it for me.
• Bridgeport's Danny Henson interviewed but came in second for the Denton High head coaching job. Is that the first time we've ever officially confirmed he was job hunting?
• It's the nerdiest day in college football today: National Signing Day. I still remember over 20 years ago when some Dallas Carter kid announced which school he was attending at a new conference from a hot tub.  
• I'll admit that I looked up at the TV during Glee last night when a Michael Jackson performance was ongoing. But how could they not do "the lean" during Smooth Criminal? (And I realize I just complained about the choreography on Glee.)
• Belated comment: I agree with Jon Stewart on Michelle Obama's in-the-gallery-reaction to the President's failed "spilled milk" joke during the State of the Union. She had a look of, "I tried to tell you that wasn't funny."
• If you use Pfizer birth control pills, you might want to know that the company just issued a recall because a huge batch might cause "unintended pregnancy". Oh, my.
•  Weather talk is boring but, man, these temperatures are bizarre. 
• They finally put down the dogs that mauled the little boy in Fort Worth earlier this week. I'm not sure why it took 36 hours. 

Good Luck With All That

There's a story in tomorrow's Messenger about three twenty-somethings being stopped in Rhome and found to be in possession of marijuana. ("Oh, the humanity!!!!).

If that blurb above is correct, every single one of them should walk away free. You don't have to signal when exiting a highway. An illegal stop means all evidence found as a result of the stop can't be used against them.

But this reminds me of an interesting conversation with a Wise County prosecutor I had a few years back. The law is clear in this case. It's an illegal stop. No question about it. Once the file comes across a prosecutor's desk, should he kill the case or should he file it and hope the defendant comes in without a lawyer and is willing to accept a plea bargain? I think it's a no brainer: He should kill it. After all, that's what a conservative would do who honors the constitution.

Edit: The court case I relied upon is this one.  But the commenters are correct in that I assumed the boys were westbound on 114.  (The turn they would have made if eastbound on 114 is a slight loop but probably would require a turn signal.) But I bet they were westbound since the Rhome cops love that area more.

Edit: Hmmm. It does say southbound access road so they have to be eastbound. Dang it.  But that leaves us with two situations. One (as mentioned above) is the right hand turn at the 114 bridge/287 which puts you on the service road for about 25 yards and then dumps you onto southbound 287 (which is also 114 for about a quarter of a mile.)  Or the Messenger could be talking about the boys being on 287 at that point and then exiting to the right at the "Dallas 114" sign. The first one (probably) requires a turn signal. The second does not.

Messenger Above The Fold

Super Bowl Media Day Pick Me Up

"Never been a big enchilada fan, but a guy can learn!"

And Another

Not bad for North Dakota, I guess.

Dog Mauling Neighbors Fight

In an update to the Fox 4 dog mauling story, a faithful reader points out that Fox 4 reporter Lari Barager is even seen ducking in the Channel 5 footage.