Random High Tone Dallas Gossip

What a wheels off divorce. Story.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I guess I can't dispute these reports of an influx of women and children illegal crossing the border but, if true, shouldn't there be a shocking number of reports of dead women and children that are found dead from heat stroke and lack of water?
• I wrote the above point last night, and then on the news this morning I heard that all of these folks want to be caught because they believe they'll eventually be allowed to stay. That makes sense. 
• But maybe the above revelation hasn't hit Rick Perry yet who yesterday announced that DPS troopers will be deployed to the border at a cost of $1.3 million a week. No question they'll spend 95% of their time catching those who made it across than preventing the crossings. That's not solving any problems. 
• And the last time I checked,  DPS is not a group of women and men who signed up to be deployed like an army at the whim of someone who is trying to mount a presidential campaign. Say goodbye to your spouse and kids for awhile.
• I was completely unaware of the Dane Lancaster incident mentioned in the Update. Here's a Facebook page on his recovery.
• State Rep. Jonathan Strickland might want to worry as much about gluttony as he does about telling others what to think. (The Tea Party darling has for some unexplained reason become a Fox 4 darling over the last couple of days.)
• This "Redskins" thing is really weird. Why even fight about it? 
• Putting on my headset hooked up to a ridiculously small iPod Shuffle and hand watering the lawn is one of my favorite things to do.  (And I'm not a fan of the Shuffle. The thing is too small. It's almost impossible to clip to your belt while playing without accidentally hitting some button that screws everything up.)
• I bought a burner cell phone to have for emergency purposes. (Although I'm going to have to have Mrs. LL figure out how the whole concept works.)
• Heard Dennis Prager say the other day that we shouldn't call those who who have gone to college "educated" but instead call them "the indoctrinated." Incredible. 
• The young Dallas sportswriter whose death I mentioned yesterday died of an aneurysm. And I also learned his wife is pregnant. And, from what I've also heard, if any one was involved in "clean living", it was him. 

Above The Fold

Random GIF: "Hey, I Caught You With A Sad Face On TV!"

Edit: This is a few years old, but I had never seen it until yesterday. I think it is really funny. After I posted it, the BagOfNothing guy sent me this as some background on it.

Comprehensive World Cup Coverage

Breaking Political Correctness News: Trademark Held Since 1967 Revoked

Story.

New Opinion This Morning

In the area of statutory rape in Texas (sexual contact with someone under 17 years of age*), it is no defense that the "victim" represented herself as being 17 years old or older. And the fact that the defendant truly believed she was 17 years old or older does not matter.

The case was a constitutional challenge which criminal practitioners had been waiting on. The opinion, that is. Not the result.

But the case is noteworthy because I've never seen "jailbait" and "16 will get you 20" in an appellate opinion before.
___________
*Most people think the law pertains to victims under 18 years of age. Nope. Under 17 is the law.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The mastermind behind Benghazi has been captured. (I had to look for the story in the fine print of the Fox News home page.)
• I was asked to help out in jury selection in a big civil case that was set to go to trial yesterday in Decatur. It settled. But before it did, I was reminded of what a beating civil litigation is. Too much paper. Too many people. Too many issues. Too unpredictable.
• Dr. Oz. was grilled before Congress yesterday, but I'll admit that I have never heard of the guy. He was in trouble for promoting some magic pill to lose weight. Man, I fly by those shows without stopping. But I suppose a TV show promoting exercise and watching your fat grams really wouldn't get ratings. But this isn't rocket science.
• I loved the recent Jon Stewart show reviewing the Republicans' position on Iraq over the years (complete with video proof). It began with "weapons of mass destruction" and then transformed a few years later into "we needed to plant the seed of democracy."  And if radio guy Mark Davis is any indication, it has now transformed into "we took the War on Terror to a part of the globe where they want to kill us."  You know, you could have put Toby Keith in charge of the talking points and it would have been a more consistent (and honest) philosophy.
• But I'll give credit Davis for stuff like this: Yesterday, a redneck called him and said that the influx of women and children crossing the US/Mexican border is actually an orchestrated distraction to cover-up for the young men who are also illegally crossing to secretly join "Obama's private army." Davis went off on him. I could almost feel his pain as he thought, "Good lord, we may never win another presidential election again." (The call ended with Davis saying, "You're smarter than that." The caller replied, "No, I'm not because . . . ." Davis cut him off and said, "And that's why we'll end this right here.")
• Another odd tweet by that Texas Supreme Court justice.
• The Chico stabbing victim listed in the Update has been in the news before. 
• That crazy double tornado in Nebraska touched down briefly and beat the heck out of Pilger, Nebraska. This photo is amazing as you can see the center of that tiny town destroyed with miles of nothingness around it. 
• Richard Durrett, former Dallas Morning News sports columnist and current ESPNDallas.com writer, died suddenly yesterday at 38. I was looking at Twitter when the news broke and it caused a shock wave throughout the Dallas sports media. He left behind a wife and a six and three year old. 
• Looking at his Twitter account, he was just actively doing his job up until the end with his last tweet being about a Texas Ranger minor league trade. You just go about your business and, suddenly, it ends.
• The Family Pup is almost human. If I come home and he's alone, he normally acts like a dog and goes crazily happy. If he has made a mess, he'll be on my chair with his head down looking up at me with the saddest eyes. (But, hey, stupid dog! If you know it is wrong then why do you do it?)
• I tried to watch the extra inning college world series game with TCU last night but I couldn't stay awake. They lost in the 15th. They are now one game away from elimination. 
• Just announced: There is now the Bitcoin St.Petersburg Bowl. My head just exploded.
• BagOfNothing.com posted a now deleted-by-user video of two Rosenburg, Texas police officers lip-syncing to a Katy Perry song while in their patrol car.  The video can still be seen here. I thought that perhaps the officers were in trouble but based upon the Rosenburg Police Facebook page -- which looks like it is managed by a teenager -- that place is wheels off. Maybe the city council got involved. 
• Regarding the death of the creator of Cadillac Ranch, at least the criminal allegations die along with him . . . (Edit to commenter: Might want to read the fine print called the "story". The criminal charges do, in fact, die.)

Breaking: Helicopter Down At Decatur Airport

North end of the runway. "One male subject on ground. Possibly in shock."

Sketchy details from the scanner. Sounds like it was called in around 3:10.

"Major damage to the top. Looks like everyone is out."

No leaking fuel.

They have some concern about incoming aircraft. (But it might be on the taxi way)

Developing . . .

Edit . . .

UPDATE: Helicopter tail rotor strikes runway @ Decatur Municipal Airport; pilot walks away.
— WFAA TV (@wfaachannel8) June 17, 2014

Edit: Two with minor injuries. Helicopter is owned by Bell per KXAS.

Proof That Someone Is Having A Day Worse Than You

On Highway 183 in Irving today.

No injuries.

Is Kyle Orton (Brain) Dead?

This is the backup quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys who is scheduled to make over $3 million this year to carry a clipboard. He's been AWOL this Spring  and yesterday missed a mandatory physical and today a mandatory practice.  If he is thinking about retiring, so be it, but he will be obligated to repay the Cowboys $3.4 million in a previously received signing bonus if he does.

This is now officially weird.

Texas School Tries A Different Approach

Source

Brian Williams Rap On Jimmy Kimmel

It's all most hypnotic.

(And I wonder how long it would take to put that together.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• That was a really entertaining U.S. soccer game at the World Cup yesterday although I don't understand why a guy has to be hauled off on a stretcher for a hamstring injury like he's been shot. (But that broken nose suffered by Clint Dempsey looked like it hurt. Badly.)
• Someone explain this to me: The Rangers Double AA Frisco team is being purchased by Chuck Greenberg? So a minor league team is owned by someone who doesn't control which players are on his team? I've always thought the owner(s) of the major league franchise owned all the minor league teams as well. 
• 660AM's Mark Davis wants to send troops back into Iraq. Even his crazy right wing listeners are calling in to tell him he's nuts. 
• Man, some guy on Hannity's panel discussion last night said that if a lawyer believes his client is guilty then he is obligated to withdraw. That's idiotic yet no one called him on it. (They were dogging Hillary for representing someone in a criminal case 40 years ago.)
• The person who failed to yield the right of way in Arlington and was then involved in a crash that ended up killing a baby in a stroller on the sidewalk will only receive a citation. It's amazing because I was beginning to believe law enforcement no longer believed that sometimes accidents simply happen. 
• I didn't know that a Howard Stern fan prank called Peter Jennings live on the air at the end of the O.J. Simpson chase. (Today is the actual 20th anniversary.) 
• Random DWI book in photo from Denton: She looks like she was in a cat fight. 
• When I heard former Cowboy Marion Barber was being observed for mental issues, I thought about this gal I saw in line at Cowboys Stadium five years ago. 
• Motorcycle death at 820 and I-35 last night. Edit: Okay, make that a motorist killed. My bad. Although there was a bad motorcycle wreck at 35 and University in Denton this morning. 

Crazy Sight In The Land Of The Children Of The Corn

NOW: Powerful duel tornadoes on the ground near Wisner, Nebraska - @ABCNewsLive pic.twitter.com/vrKOATTTtP
— ABC News (@ABC) June 16, 2014

Duck!

Hey, How Do You Know You're Facing Mecca?

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• There is an obituary notice out of Ohio which lists a survivor as "Mark Schomburg of Oklahoma". I bet that's the guy that was convicted of murder in Wise County two years ago.
• There was  couple of lengthy sentences out of Tarrant County last week in connection with the very bizarre murder at a Tanglewood home a couple of years back. It is a crazy, crazy story.
• I watched a little bit of Pet Semetary yesterday. Man, I had forgotten how dark it was -- not often do you have a movie allowing a little boy to be killed twice. (But it made me look up the great Fred Gwynne where I learned (1) he had a very high tone upbringing, and (2) The Munsters was only on for two seasons but those two seasons consisted of 70 episodes.)
• The Wise County Democratic Chairperson is after Phil King for not reporting $37,000 in campaign donations.
• For some reason as I was going to sleep last night Mrs. LL decided to check everyone's blood pressure and sugar count. 
• Yeah, keeping troops in Iraq would be the exact same thing as keeping them in Japan and South Korea. That's idiotic. 
• And I got mad at Bush all over again as I thought about his "Let Freedom Reign" note in response to learning that Iraq was "sovereign" in 2004.
• Casey Kasem died over the weekend. I was an incredible American Top 40 fan when I was a kid and couldn't wait to turn on the radio after I got home from church. 
• If the Family Pup does something wrong and we say, "Bad dog!", she'll wait until we aren't looking and then go to an upstairs bedroom and sulk. It may be one of the saddest/sweetest things I've ever seen.
• World Cup: That diving header from the guy from Spain was fantastic -- and the ball traveled 50 yards in the air before it happened. 
• Johnny Football dropping an F Bomb and looking like a guy who will be a disaster in the NFL. And I'm now at the point of wanting that to happen. 
• I'm trying to make Mrs. LL watch The Wire, and I got her through the first episode. I'm telling her to stick with it but it would help if fifty major characters weren't introduced at a rapid pace. (I started making a flow chart to keep up. And I've seen it before.) 
• But she did laugh at one line about the War on Drugs: "You can't even think of this [deleted] as a war." "Why not?" "Wars end."
• For some reason on Friday I decided to record A Football Life on the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers and then their coach died over the weekend.