Oh, How I Wish The Tea Party Would Understand "The Big Government" They Should Really Fear

The seminars offered police officers some useful tips on seizing property from suspected criminals. Don’t bother with jewelry (too hard to dispose of) and computers (“everybody’s got one already”), the experts counseled. Do go after flat screen TVs, cash and cars. Especially nice cars.

In one seminar, captured on video in September, Harry S. Connelly Jr., the city attorney of Las Cruces, N.M., called them “little goodies.” And then Mr. Connelly described how officers in his jurisdiction could not wait to seize one man’s “exotic vehicle” outside a local bar.

Story. 

Al Roker Trying To Set World Record For Continuous Weather Broadcasting?

He has to follow specific rules in order for the record to be verified by Guinness:

• He must talk about weather for the entirety of the time, outside of breaks.
• He can talk about current weather, and weather seven days in the past or seven days ahead.
• For every 60 minutes completed, he can take a five-minute break. The breaks can carry over and be combined, so if he goes four hours without stopping, he can take a 20-minute break. 
• Two independent witnesses must also be there at all times. 

Link. (I can't get the video to work. For which, I'm eternally grateful.)

Index 1968

• Loved the hot opinions of Shootin' Blind in the 1960s.
• Shooting!
• "Girl of the Month"? They were doing Random Thought Girls before Random Thought Girls were cool.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Let me tell you something: It was crazy cold yesterday afternoon with the wind chill. And for some reason, I thought about high school football teams practicing for the playoffs. 
• I'm borderline sick. But I swear by Advil Cold & Sinus even though the government makes me show my driver's license to purchase it. I always want to ask the pharmacist, "So how many of these do I need to make a nice batch of meth?"
• The Junior In The House doesn't ask me for much. But last night, with her mother not around, she sheepishly came to me and said: "Uh, I have to build a catapult for Physics and it is due on Friday morning."  I would love to have a photo of us as we looked at each other in silence for the next few seconds. She runs off and comes back with the project rules: No springs. No rubber bands. Just wood and weights. She'll have three chances to hit a target five feet away. As far as I was concerned at that moment, the competition might as well have been: "Build a nuclear weapon."  
• But, I'll be dang, with the help of the Internets and Home Depot, we built one last night (with the exception of that critical aspect of actually testing it.)  The only thing that's left is coming up with the proper weight and proper projectile to land five feet away. What could possibly go wrong?
• Odd not-Bob Vila moment for me to Mrs. LL: "I've got to go buy so wood clamps." Her: "We have wood clamps." 
• There's news that there is another Cold War starting between the U.S. and Russia. I support that because that is not a "war" in any stretch of the imagination. It's peacetime. 
• Tom Craddick, Texas House rep, was on the The Mark Davis Show yesterday advocating a cell phone texting ban. He actually used the mindless phrase, "If it saves one life . . . ." And I'll be dang, Davis told him how dumb that phrase was and he didn't even fight back. 
• Reports are that President Obama is about to take executive action on immigration. [I'm sitting back, smiling, got my popcorn ready.]
• Sports: (1) I'd be scared to pay Dez Bryant big money. He's great. He's competitive. But he's stupid. And that stupid thing scares me. (2) The Troy Aikman segment on The Ticket is a snoozefest. (3) UT QB Tyrone Swoopes isn't great but he's a heck of a lot better than I thought he would be. (4) It doesn't bother me that Intoxication Manslaughter convict Josh Brent is back on the Cowboys. (5) Other Ticket thought: I agree with Junior Miller on almost everything, but his views on criminal justice are Nancy Grace-like. 
• Fox News: "Kim Kardashian's full-frontal pics hit the web." I expected to see a condemnation of this sin and anti-family values conduct from that fine conservative site. Instead, I got NSFW links. I guess they wanted their readers to decide. 
• Oh, come on. That photo on the front page? They have to be doing a bit to recreate this famous photo. 

Sooooooo Texas

Quoting from its website (they are based in San Antonio):

• 80-90% of terrorist attacks occur while the victims are traveling by automobile.
• In recent years over 4,000,000 violent crimes have occurred in the United States alone.
• It is believed that between 40,000-60,000 kidnappings take place each year. . . Almost 70 percent of those kidnappings are resolved by paying the demanded ransom.
• Typical kidnapping-for-ransom payments range from $500,000 to $3,000,000 USD. . . with no guarantees of survival.
• Phoenix, AZ is the kidnapping capital of the United States, second only worldwide to Mexico City.
• A properly armored vehicle can help you disarm potential terrorists and prevent kidnapping threats.

(Thanks, emailer.)

Let's Create More Crime (Episode 1,245)

You know, I linked to this story today in Random Thoughts but hardly even read it. A buddy at the courthouse pointed out to me the insanity of the whole thing so I went back and checked it out.

So a guy brags about being a Navy Seal, cops get pissed off when they find out it is a lie (even though he is a veteran)  and is then invited to a gun store by the cops where he is given a gun and then arrested for accepting the gun?  You kidding me? Who cares if he walks around a lies about being a Seal?

If Sheriff Larry Fowler is the mastermind behind this great sting, Sheriff Fowler needs more things to do. And needs to retire.

Edit: Some of you guys might want to check out United States v. Alvarez.  (Trying to bypass it by giving someone a gun probably isn't going to cut it.)

Proof Of My Athleticism

Although I'm not sure why, playing second base, I'm tagging a guy from that position.

Get Me This Baby Elephant!

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Pete Delkus is talking about the possibility of snow for Christmas. (I bet he wakes up every morning and sits on the side of the bed, head in hands, and thinks, "My job is so irrelevant.")
• Paradise model with lots of hair products.
• Kinda Sports: (1) I love the new college football playoff format. I was standing in front of the TV at 6:30 last night much to the confusion of Everyone Else In The House. (2) Not impossible: Both Baylor and TCU ending up in the Final Four. Delicious. (3) Made Mrs. LL watch "A Football Life" about Earl Campbell last night. He looked 75 when he was 50. (4) I actually met Earl once and talked him into recreating his "Skoal, brother" commercial as he walked away. 
• I think I'm sick this morning. It always takes me about 30 minutes to realize it. Weird. 
• I can't tell you how many people write me or stop me on the street to tell me how much they love the old Index posts. Note: I knew about their existence but I didn't delve into them until old high school friend Marilynn Andreasen started posting single pages on Facebook with a caption. 
• "And this idiot was fool enough to come to Parker County, Texas, and try to pull this nonsense? He got a ride to the jail. And I got his uniform." - A (shaking) Sheriff Robert Fowler on the "capture" of a guy posing as a wounded Navy Seal.
• I'm getting old: When I have a day off, I prefer to just sit around with dogs in my lap. (On the National Geographic channel last month, I learned dogs "hug you" with their eyes.) 
• Watching Jeopardy yesterday with the Sixth Grader in the House after seeing a category of "Movies From A Decade Ago". Me: "Oh, that'll be easy." Her: "Uh, I was two years old." 
• Maybe the biggest moron in the Texas Legislature: Jonathan Strickland. (And keep away from the cheeseburgers, buddy.)
• A "bulldog" lawyer is someone who is compensating for not being very smart. 
• Craziest thing about Mrs. LL and The Kids: They don't care about celebrating their birthday on their birthday. The slightest acknowledgement is all they require so long as there's a dinner/party within the next month. 
• Governor Elect Greg Abbott appointed a Secretary of State yesterday. I would have been more impressed if the anti-big government Abbott had abolished the silly Secretary of State office. 

Above The Fold

Abbey Road

I can almost understand someone getting hit by trying to recreate the Beatles album cover. Not sure I understand someone running across the street like a fool.

Wise County's Last "Legal Hanging"

It sounded like a party. Incredible. Just incredible.

Index

• That was a horrible, horrible wreck. 
• Contrasted with the triplett cows. 
• You can tell that oil exploration was booming.
• I'll admit I'm not sure I knew of the Texas governor who signed the proclamation. And I was always confused as a kid of the "Odd Fellow" donations that were listed in the Star-Telegram during the holidays. 
• Never heard of Sam Wilds, attorney.
• There's a reference in the story about the weather about folks who bought new clothes for Easter and washed their cars.

Out of curiosity, I tracked down the oldest newspaper archived. It's in 1910. Not much to the front page, but I love the movie ad fo for The Alamo: "Costs a dime lasts an hour."

But the bank was booming . . .

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Ted Cruz said yesterday that Net Neutrality was "Obamacare for the Internet." You guys proud of that? (Or maybe he isn't wildly confused and uniformed but is simply coming around on Obamacare?)
• That oft reported number of veteran suicides occurring at a rate of 22 a day seems high. And if it it is true, how is that not a national emergency? I'm mean, compare that to Ebola in the U.S.
• Were post WWII or Vietnam suicide rates equally as high? 
• Most underrated memorial in D.C.: Korean War Memorial. Haunting. 
• Saw a house yesterday with outdoor Christmas lights up. I mean full-throttle Christmas lights. 
• I forgot to mention the question I had posed to me late last week by many individuals: "Why in the world do you have two new car batteries just sitting around?" 
• Very Random Thought: The words of Dr. Seuss and Yoda bugged me at about the same level.
• Someone wrote yesterday that I "couldn't keep a job" as a prosecutor. Might want to check your history books. That was two undefeated terms, sir. As a Democrat. In Wise County. People sit around the campfire talking about that!!
• Kinda sports: Mrs. LL wants to marry WVU quarterback Clint Trickett. After much deliberation, I'll allow it. 
• Who should be ranked higher: Baylor or TCU? Consider this quote after Baylor beat TCU: “We didn't think we could stop them." – TCU coach Gary Patterson, on why he went for it on fourth down late in the game. (But, I'll admit, the rankings dilemma is a heck of a debate.)
• "Duncanville Teen With Cancer Shot and Killed" is a headline that's hard to get your head around. 
• And there's so much news from Duncanville ISD (teacher fired for twitter rant) that former Fox 4 reporter and now Duncanville ISD spokesperson Lari Barager made an appearance on Fox 4 last night. 
• I had no idea that the minister at United Methodist in Decatur is named Brian Bosworth. They have to call him "The Boz", right?
• Not to sound like Hints from Heloise, but the trick of wiping down the stainless steel 'fridge with baby oil after it is cleaned is the greatest helpful hint ever. 
• Stephen King has just released his 63rd book. Quality? Quantity? Both? Neither? (Well, I guess it is definitely quantity.) 
• Looking back on one of the Indexes I posted yesterday, I saw they had a "who checked into/out of the hospital" report. That's just amazing. But the Update did it in the 1990s. 
• Regarding the front page below: If those officials in Fort Worth had simply walked away from that fireball with a cool strut, they'd look just like Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek in Desperado. Really!

Full Throttle

Can't believe the PO-leece car caught up with him (twice).

That's like a video game. A video game that can kill someone, but a full throttle video game.

Index 1955: So Close

According to the Internets, $25,000 in 1955 is the equivalent of $222,043.84 today. But I think a counterfeit $25,000 is worth the same.

I Want A Lost Doggie Humanitarian Of The Year Award!!!!

Obviously A Death Penalty Case

Accused of selling marijuna (!!!!!!!) to an undercover officer.

Prosecutor: "He had no problem whatsoever hitting on the undercover officer on the audio tape -- trying to pick her up and saying, 'Girl you're thicker than  bowl of oatmeal." His expression is priceless.

#TooManyCops #TooManyProsecutors