Two Texas Lawyers Running Against Each Other For Congress Out Of Dallas Are Less Than Truthful

First comes this handsome family man who definitely lied to the Dallas Morning News (despite the author's defense) about having never being arrested.  (He may also have lied about being involved in a "criminal proceeding" thereafter depending on the nuances of Virginia law -- at least per the comments.)

"And to think I just wanted to take a selfie"

And then comes this Ted Cruz looking guy who says he has been issued a "probationary law license" because he disclosed to the Board of Legal Examiners before he took the bar that he had decided to "abstain from the use of alcohol." Huh?

His first name is "Chart". Really

I don't know if this is a lesson of "always be truthful" or "who would want to run for public office and put up with this crap."  And the icing on the cake may be that the Dallas Morning News endorsed the guy at the top without disclosing that he's done legal work for the paper.

Johnny Weir's Outfit Of The Day

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The Republican controlled House of Representatives voted yesterday to raise the debt ceiling -- no strings attached. 
• I don't mind a 15 year old edging out Shaun White for the silver medal in the halfpipe - a "sport" that looks like it belongs in the X-Games instead of the Olympics.
• One thing about Decatur football coach Kyle Story's new Frisco Independence job: It should be relatively stress free. Taking over as head coach for a school that has absolutely no history or tradition doesn't exactly load you down with expectations. (And the fan base of your typical 5A or 6A school doesn't take football near as seriously as your typical rural small Texas town.) 
• Frisco High's coach makes $104,000. Frisco Centennial's coach makes $103,000.
• Callback: Someone challenged me on thinking it was surprising that Dallas Carter, of Friday Night Lights fame, has now dropped down to 4A. Baloney. Consider: 3A was recently renamed as 4A.  So, under the old naming system, Carter has gone from 5A, where they won a state championship in Texas' then largest division, to 3A. 
• AG Eric Holder is urging the lifting of the ban on felon's being unable to vote saying the current law is "a vestige of the racist policies of the South after the Civil War." WBAP brought the issue up this morning with Hal Jay and Brian Estridge. They first said it had nothing to do with race. Then Hal Jay suggested that the ban maybe should not apply to things like "white collar crime." Then Estridge suggested the repeal of the ban would help the Democratic Party. This prompted Hal Jay to ask if most felons vote Democrat and Estridge replied, and I'm not making this up, "Yeah, just look at them." 
• A "wire fox terrier called Sky" won Best in Show last night.  Want to know what Sports Illustrated's Peter King tweeted this morning about it? "Q: 'Sky, what was the Best In Show competition like out there?' Sky: 'Ruff.'" And you wonder why I think that guy offers nothing.
• The Kids in the House have an afternoon snack which is typically big enough to be a meal. I don't think that's typical.
• I wonder if there is a story behind the Northwest High School girl involved in the fatality wreck being named "Shyann" instead of "Cheyenne". 
• Mrs. LL got a new vacuum cleaner. You would have thought she acquired a diamond watch based upon her excitement. 
• Based upon a brief experiment, you can watch VH1's Top Twenty Countdown and pretty much be caught up on the playlist of KISS radio for the next four months.

Above The Fold

Breaking? This True?

Decatur, which is in football district with Hirschi, Graham and Burkburnett, needs new coach as Kyle Story heads to Frisco Independence.
— Zach Duncan (@zduncansports) February 11, 2014

He's a reporter for the Times Record News in Wichita Falls.

Edit: Yep, true.

Snowflake Alert

At 2:45 p.m., we are receiving one heck of a snowstorm. Not sure it's sticking, but those are some big time snowflakes coming down.

And Another

2014 is coming out throwing haymakers.

Story.

Edit: A repeat? Some Liberally Lean reporter is getting canned.

The 16 Year Old Northwest High School Student Who Was Killed Last Night In Car Accident

Her friends have taken to Twitter with #SmileLikeShyann

Awkward. Pauses.

But give him credit. When given the opportunity to bail out, he bails out.

Ex-Skater Johnny Weir Is Just Killing It As An Olympics Commentator

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Closed: Decatur ISD, Chico ISD, Alvord ISD, Boyd ISD, Slidell ISD, Bridgeport ISD, Paradise ISD. #IceForceLevelOne
• The tough call for schools this morning is the possible second wave of ice after 10:00 p.m. And with at least four deaths in the metroplex in the last 12 hours (including a Northwest High School student), I'm glad it's not my call. 
• Shirley Temple has died. 
• For you Bill O'Reilly fans, how long have they been doing that  "The Watters Factor" bit with Jessie Waters?  Although he is basically stealing from The Daily Show, I'll agree it's well executed. Not clever. But well done. 
• The high tone Keller lady, who was first charged with murdering her husband, but later pled guilty to only Tampering with Evidence and Deadly Conduct, really screwed up her case by talking. Since she had not yet been sentenced, once she proclaimed openly that she wasn't guilty, the judge had no choice then to reject her plea of guilty. Now the murder case is back on the table. But the prosecution has already expressed doubts about the strength of that case -- that's why they initially agreed to a lesser plea. What a mess. 
• There never has been arrest in that "hit", likely orchestrated by a drug cartel, in the Southlake Town Center.
• Junior Miller on The Ticket raved about The Americans this morning. Better than House of Cards?
• The Lego Movie has a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $69 million on its opening weekend. (It more than doubled The Monuments Men which doesn't look nearly as good as it should.)
• Look at this couple who ranked second in a list of "Texas Most Generous Families in 2013". He looks like a teenager. 
• BagOfNothing made a reference to Neil deGrasse Tyson this morning. That made me feel a little dumb in that I've never heard of him.
• I watched the Olympics on and off last night, but I did perk up when a guy won the gold medal in a speed skating event and then was booted down to the silver medal less than thirty seconds later due to a "timing error". Truly, the guy spent half a minute in sheer joy believing he had won the gold medal. 

o

What Exactly Are These Things?

The Joys Of Running In The Snow

Wait for it.

(I completely missed this yesterday.)

Bobsledder Trivia

The bobsledder who destroyed a bathroom door is (1) From McKinney, (2) used to play football for the University of North Texas, and (3) was almost killed by Baylor's punter.

NBC Guy Is Not Impressed With This Luge Gal's Pre Race Routine

And Another - Washington State

Link.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I'm not sure how it can be misting in Decatur this morning with the temperature at 29 degrees. 
• Does everyone else think it's ridiculous when someone seeking a state elected office has an ad which says "I'll stand up to Obama."
• I'll never not like Aerial America.
• With the end of football, I watched too much TV this weekend. But I'm glad I did. I'm three episodes into House of Cards which, based upon politics and the media -- with an edge, is beyond fantastic, Despicable Me made me laugh out loud at times. And the documentary Mitt, about the two Romney presidential campaigns, is a must see for any political junkie. Finally, I've got the CBS Beatles special from last night on my DVR.
• More thoughts about Mitt: (1) From what I've heard, he pretty much let a friend film non-stop. That's what makes it great. It seems so real. (2) We should all have a family like that. (3) He never seemed to get angry whenever he faced harsh criticism. (4) There was a scene of him listening to the This American Life podcast. That was pretty surprising. (5) During any presidential campaign season, CSPAN or CSPAN2 will just follow a candidate or a candidate's wife during a campaign stop. No narrator. Just film. I recall watching it six years ago as Mrs. Romney went into some Podunk coffee shop to meet with about 50 people in New Hampshire. What a beating. I thought about that a lot as she teared up several times at the end of the movie. (6) It was fascinating watching the Romneys' say good-bye to their Secret Service bodyguards. "Thanks for protecting her," Mitt said after his wife hugged one guy.
• "The Wise County Republican Party will host a candidate debate 6-8 tonight at the Decatur Civic Center." A debate? With all the candidates? This has potential for comedy gold. Someone record it!
• I warn you Tarrant County, you do not want Sharen Wilson as D.A.  Dallas County has Henry Wade in its history. You don't need her. (That being said, one of her opponents has the most horribly written web pages in the history of ever.)
• A Dallas district judge, already accused of domestic assault, is (maybe) in the news again. The Dallas Morning News reported that a sexual assault allegedly occurred at his condo but carefully danced around saying he was involved.. (Oddly, there's a lawyer "representing" both the domestic assault and sexual assault victim even though they technically don't need representation. The State is in charge of the prosecution.)
• The lawyer fees in the American Airlines bankruptcy are ridiculous. I've worked in a "big firm". I've seen how it is robbery.
• There was a link on the Drudge Report this weekend to the Jacksboro gas/heating problem (the local CBS affiliate got the jump in web traffic). Someone commented as to whether a Wise County town had ever made Drudge before. Good question.
• Shout to a guy in the Wise County IT department who pretty much hacked, with the prosecution's permission, a DVD for me with surveillance tape video on it. Smart guy.
• The Messenger had a story of a former Bridgeport football player, Blake Mahon, who broke a vertebrae during his freshman year. He signed with Baylor last week. I had no idea.
• Someone explain to me this Twitter picture from the Bridgeport men's team basketball victory on Friday with the caption "Flint, Michigan Mega Bowl Champions"
• The Olympic opening ceremony was fantastic. That floor which served as a video screen was fascinatingly bizarre.
• The finish line of the women's biathlon (the odd combo of skiing and shooting) looks like all the contestants have been taken out by a sniper. 
• A college football player who should be drafted comes out as being gay. Yawn. 
• Great lines from an article on the death of Phillip Seymour Hoffman: "Heroin addiction, like a lot of addiction, is secret. Addiction is like a secret club where you don't even know the other members until something bad happens to them."
• Complete Time Waste: The Family Pup vs. The Family Turtle.
  

A Segment Last Night On "60 Minutes" About Philip Seymour Hoffman

Beginning question by Steve Cross "[One of your past director says about you] He works himself into a state of crisis and distress worrying that people are going to know he is a fraud and that his career is over"

Hoffman first laughs then drinks from a water bottle. He then jokes by saying, "He talks too much" and his face suddenly evolves into this incredible expression of internal pain.

I know people like that.