Wendy Davis Harvard Law School Photo

Then:

Yesterday:

Source.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• What a violent and bizarre afternoon/early evening in the Metroplex yesterday (1) A small girl's body was found under a tarp in the middle of a residential intersection in Saginaw, (2) A fatal triple shooting in Fort Worth which included a 10 year old boy and a pregnant woman, and (3) A couple in their 50s were found dead in their Grand Prairie home.
• And all the while, this guy (accused of sexual assault of a child) was threatening to jump off the the High Five in Dallas for hours. (Previous mugshot here.)
• And what was the name of the Wise County guy in the 1990s who was mentally challenged and was convicted of killing Opal Jennings in Saginaw after a very questionable trial? 
• My personal experience with Obamacare: I got a check yesterday from Blue Cross. It seems Obamacare requires that no more than 20% of insurance premiums can be used on administrative costs instead of actual healthcare. And the new law, and I didn't know this, requires that any amount over 20% be refunded to policy holders. In 2012, Blue Cross received $1.038 billion in premiums but spent 22.3% of that amount in administrative costs.. So 2.3% of my total premiums which was refunded: $38.13.
• The Family Pup threw up three times yesterday and was lethargic. I was stunned how concerned I was about her, but I guess I shouldn't be. 
• If you ever hear an attorney at a Wise County Docket call use a booming voice you know (1) he's from out of town, and (2) It's his first time in a Wise County court.   
• There has been a personal injury verdict of $53 million in California. If you want to see a disturbing photograph to explain why, click here. 
• Lots of Pro-Life/Pro-Choice folks in Austin yesterday (with the Pro-Choice far outnumbering their opponents).  And in connection with that issue, and if you have the time, listen to this short "Call of the Day" to the Mark Davis show from a a very emotional woman who had an abortion.  Anyone spot a huge contradiction from her?
• Raising Cane's offers free agent Dwight Howard lifetime chicken if he'll sign with the Mavericks. What a publicity stunt. And it worked perfectly. (But that signing still ain't gonna happen.)
• I've followed the George Zimmerman trial fairly closely, and I don't know how in the world he can be convicted (unless some bombshell is coming.)  Every juror has to have a doubt about what happened out there, right? And if that doubt is reasonable --- which it absolutely has to be --- they can't convict.
• It'll be DWI Vampire Extended Weekend in Wise County beginning tomorrow. 
• I had never heard of this crazy buyout: Yesterday former New York Met Bobby Bonilla received a check from the Mets for $1,193,248.20. He hasn't played for the Mets since 1999, but the Mets bought out his contract on a deferred basis with annual payments of $1,193,248.20 which began two years ago. He'll receive those annual payments until 2035.

Well This Walmart In Oklahoma Footage Is Insane

Police have released surveillance video from an Oklahoma Walmart of a man who allegedly took a 2-year-old girl from a mother’s shopping cart and held a knife to the child’s throat.

Surveillance cameras at the Midwest City, Okla., Walmart were rolling June 17 when police shot and killed the suspect, Sammie Wallace, in the head at point-blank range and safely returned the toddler to her mother.

In the dramatic video, Wallace, 37, takes the toddler hostage while her mother, Alicia Keating, had her back to the shopping cart. Keating began to scream and pleaded with the suspect to return her daughter.

Keating’s older daughter was also present as the incident unfolded in front of panicked shoppers.

Law enforcement quickly moved in and evacuated the store. Police began more than 30 minutes of negotiations with Wallace and, at one point, even offered him a chair.

“He had a weapon in his hand. A knife-type weapon holding up against the child, threatening the child’s life,” Midwest City Assistant Police Chief Sid Porter said.

Police say Wallace was uncooperative and the situation quickly deteriorated, with the suspect making odd demands. The tipping point came when Wallace started an ominous 60-second countdown with the knife still close to the toddler’s neck.

  More.

Porn Wars

More.

But what's up with that one year deal?  Is that a concession "forever" isn't possible?

Sign up here guys. (Although when you click on the link to "Get On The Wall" you keep getting kicked back.)

Running From Something.

Pretty fascinating out of Dallas. 

Rich People Suing Their Kid's Rich Private School

If I'm following what is going on here, the wife is a "renowned artist" and donated a piece of art (which sounds like something she threw together) to their kid's private school for the school's fundraising auction. Since they couldn't attend the auction, they decided that they wanted to be the winning bidder so they had the school (I think) bid on their behalf. They figured that the high tone folks at the auction might cause the price to get around $3,000 tops. (Tuition for the school runs $39,000 a year.)

But these New Yorkers now say that the school rigged the auction in their absence to cause the price to be driven up -- ultimately causing their winning bid to become $50,000.  The school told them that a deal was a deal so pay up. The couple found Jackie Chiles and sued the school.

The story is here. But you have to get past some crazy lines like the one that said the couple claims their damages include one of their kid's "$60,000-a-year chauffeur, whose job they want to save."

Is it OK just to hate everyone involved in the story?

Doggie Almost Causes Pile Up At Tour De France

Photobomb Silliness

What is that? Beaker Face?

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• While you were sleeping: Nineteen firefighters dead in Arizona. Horrible. 
• Another massive water main break in the metroplex this morning. Photo. I suppose it's the heat causing all the breaks, but it really hasn't been hot. 
• Watched a little bit of Joel Osteen this weekend. In his sermon he said that God's blessings on a family can be built up from generation to generation and will only be released when you are worthy. "The first generation that breaks the negative cycle is the generation that gets paid back for everything that should have been yours . . . . Some of you have a whole lot in your account. It's been building up for generations and I believe it's about to be released into your account."  Somebody want to point out a basis for that statement. 
• And then I flipped over and ran across some preacher named Keith Craft out of Frisco who read a poem that he had written in preparation for his sermon. But, he proclaimed, "If you've never had anyone write you a poem just know this one is from God." He said that in a couple of different ways and made it very clear that the the poem had equal weight to scripture. 
• And at the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Sen. Ted Cruz got a standing ovation when he said that the IRS should be abolished.
• What's going on with churches these days? 
• The Empire State Building turned gay this weekend. 
• My Chris Davis watch: He hit three home runs this weekend bringing his total to league leading 31.  (Josh Hamilton has 10.)
• I'm a huge fan of the The Ticket's Gordon Keith but he's a great writer. His last column in the Dallas Morning News on fear is fantastic. (Compare that to the junk that Steve Blow and Jacquielynn Floyd have been churning out for years.) 
• Mrs. LL finally bought into Arrested Development this weekend. 
• I think this is shocking. Some company named Fidelity Investments now employs 4,500 people in the small town of Westlake. 
• David Dewhurst thinks the media might be responsible for the "mob" that followed the Wendy Davis filibuster. “We have reports, and I have my staff taking a look at the video,” Dewhurst explained, “and if I find, as I’ve been told, examples of the media waving and trying to inflame the crowd, incite them in the direction of a riot, I’m going to take action against them.” What the heck is he going to do?

Oh. My

PIC - Up-close picture of the wrecked Ferrari from the Fort Worth accident. Yowch! #dfwnews #ferrari pic.twitter.com/rYYVgU3QjP
— DFW Scanner (@DFWscanner) June 30, 2013

James Woods and His 20 Year Old Girlfriend Taking You Into The Weekend

@RealJamesWoods no one is cuter than you
— Kristen Reaves (@KrisTurken) June 19, 2013

Young Man And The Sea

Worth watching until the end.

Not To Beat You To Death With Twitter Posts . . .

@dallas_da Watkins leads collaboration with local law enforcement to combat DWI offenses for the July 4th holiday. pic.twitter.com/5zJMXKmwbd
— Dallas DA (@dallas_da) June 28, 2013

. . . but this one got my attention. How much of your tax dollars are going to waste in this press conference? There are ten guys in the picture and there's no telling how many didn't get in the shot.

Edit:

Rural Police News

BREAKING: Two peace officers shot and suspect dead in shootout on border of Granbury & Hood County says Sheriff Roger Deeds.
— LARI BARAGER (@laribaragerfox4) June 28, 2013

Edit:

Shootout on Town Square in Granbury ends with a police officer and sheriff's deputy wounded and the suspect dead http://t.co/ovSCEbEIWx
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) June 28, 2013

Two police officers injured in Granbury shooting this morning; suspect reportedly dead http://t.co/pftKVrFVyH pic.twitter.com/qOHt4lcVrL
— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) June 28, 2013

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• I thought that Parliamentarian Karina Davis seemed pretty cozy with Dewhurst during the Wendy Davis debate. Turns out her husband was Dewhurst's senior policy advisor on redistricting in 2011.
• "Zebra Mussels Larvae Confirmed In Lake Bridgeport."
• Current Twitter followers for Wendy Davis: 111,289.  For wannabe governor Greg Abbott: 16,892.
• NBA draft thoughts -- read #4 if nothing else: (1) The greatest afro from last night -- that's a cap on top of it, (2) The ESPN crew had no idea of trades being made until 15 minutes later, (3) Take it to the bank: There is no way that Dallas signs Dwight Howard, and (4) Great Wise County trivia: The first player taken in the first ever NBA draft was Clifton McNeeley who graduated from Slidell, Texas and Decatur Baptist Junior College. He opted not to play professional  basketball and would later be principal of Bridgeport High School.
• Another Fort Worth police officer arrested for DWI. This happens about once every four months. 
• Obscure tweet this morning about the Doobie Brothers appearing on Fox and Friends: "Someone needs to check and see if Rerun has a tape recorder." I feel like I might be the only other person in America that understands that. 
• Amarillo paper: Elaine Hays, who "grew up in Bridgeport", is considering a run for Congress. She's 55. Anyone know her maiden name?
• Zimmerman trial: (1) The defense lawyer got off to a rocky start with that dumb joke, but he's done well since then, (2) This seems like a crappy case for the State so far, (3) I figured Nancy Grace would take Zimmerman's side but I was wrong -- I forgot she's always against whomever is accused regardless of the facts. 
• The Chico school board deadlocked 3-3 last night on naming a new elementary school principal. They will vote again when board member Pancho Redwine can attend. So it comes down to him. In trying to make a point that "every vote counts", I tried to find how many votes he won by last year. But I can't find it. Anyone? 

Witness In Zimmerman Trial Taking You Into Thursday Evening

Obviously credible.

"Ambulance Chasing Comes To Twitter"

Story and more examples.

Talk About Being Dressed Down

Military Times – Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill, lost her legs and the use of her right arm as a helicopter pilot in Iraq in 2004. She was awarded a Purple Heart for her combat injuries. Braulio Castillo broke his foot in a prep school injury nearly three decades ago at the U.S. Military Preparatory School, which he attended for nine months before playing football in college. He owns a technology business certified as a service-disabled, veteran-owned company eligible for government set aside contracts. The two met at a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing Wednesday in an exchange neither will forget anytime soon. For background, what brought them together was a months-long House probe into whether Castillo’s company won IRS contracts thanks, in part, to help from a top contracting official and friend inside the IRS named Greg Roseman, who pleaded the Fifth Amendment when called to testify.While much of the hearing delved into questions about Roseman and Castillo’s friendship, lawmakers from both parties wondered aloud how a prep school injury suffered so long ago could result in Castillo’s company getting special set aside contract status from the government at a time when so many injured veterans are looking for work. But among hours of testimony, Duckworth’s questioning of Castillo stood out.

And this is her first year as a Congressman.