1.30.2015

That Kind Of Surprises Me




He was sure sounding like he would.
at 10:00 AM

Big Man With A Little Parachute



Actually the parachute looks normal. It just didn't act normal.

And I can't think of any greater panic than having to scramble to look for the cord to my backup parachute as I'm plummeting to an otherwise certain death.

Hey, are there places which let you parachute by yourself after a crash course, or does that not exist any longer?  Every parachute place for novices seems to be that tandem jump.

(You can skip to the 55 second mark.)
at 9:53 AM

Kid, Just Be Glad That Wasn't Texas



We'd have you in Huntsville by the end of the year.

(And what does all that get the kid? A 25 cent plastic piece of junk?)
at 9:45 AM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts



  • I confirmed yesterday that Decatur PD arrested a man for the Class C offenses of "no seatbelt" and "defective headlamps" on Wednesday night. (Actually I got a call from an irate person who said, "Can you believe this!?" I then looked the guy up to verify it was true.)
  • It was odd that the cops couldn't immediately "confirm" the ID of the man killed in Sunset this week. (They could, of course, they just didn't release it.)  Trust me, I've had two cases over the last two years where officers in Wise County got a quick glance of a stranger in the dark and wear willing to swear who it was within two hours. (Both guys got arrested. Both cases got dismissed.) 
  • A loyal reader posted a "Police Dog's Oath" yesterday.  I'm not sure those dogs all agreed to that.
  • From the Update: "A memorial service for Pepper is being planned for next week at Grace Fellowship Church in Paradise."
  • I'll admit I've never heard of the Meridian Highway but Decatur was a part of it and the Texas Historical Commission is celebrating it -- including an "outreach meeting" here on February 3rd
  • Listening to every sports radio station broadcast from Radio Row at the Super Bowl has done something I didn't think was possible: It has made me believe that the non-profit and tax-exempt NFL is  even more corporate, corrupt and sterile than ever.  Hey, Mark Cuban is always wrong these days, but I actually hope his prediction from earlier this year is correct: “I think the NFL is 10 years away from an implosion. When pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they’re getting hoggy. When you try to take it too far, people turn the other way. I’m just telling you, when you got a good thing and you get greedy, it always, always, always, always, always turns against you.” 
  • And The Ticket boys expressed their displeasure yesterday when comparing the current state of affairs to years gone by: Radio Row is less populated, potential guests roaming Radio Row (whose sponsor pay for the access) are just hawking stuff, face value of game tickets being $1,000, and the press conference with the halftime music guest has turned into a staged unfunny bit (only reporters from major networks or shows get to ask a "random" question -- which they probably paid for the right to get.)  And NFL officials confiscated two very funny one-tooth Mexican puppets at the Katy Perry press conference who had been hanging out all week. 
  • And if it's greed doesn't destroy it, when an NFL player dies on the field from a hit, it's over. 
  • 615 people died while confined in Texas prisons and jails last year.  I'm guessing most of them were those who are truly a threat to society: The elderly. 
  • There was an Islamic prayer before the Fort Worth rodeo and people were upset about it? This State has done a tremendous job of embarrassing itself this week. 


at 8:38 AM

1.29.2015

Lived In Alvord At One Time




Wise County criminal history (he also had a robbery arrest in 2011 but the case doesn't appear to have been indicted):

Edit: The robbery was arrest to Assault. He was on probation for that at the time of the new incident.
at 5:37 PM

My Eyes!!!!!




I thought this was a joke but it is real.

But I'm not sure why some "Arizona business owner" would pay for that.  But, of course, Sheriff Joe just has to be on the up and up, right?
at 3:31 PM

Get Me This Dog Who Loves Tennis . . .



. . . or the Australian Open . . . or Maria Sharapova.  
at 2:30 PM

A Story That Is Not A Story


I've seen this story popping up in places today and some people are expressing shock. A Texas lawmaker has proposed a bill that would allow teachers to use deadly force in self defense against students. And the bigger headline is that the bill allows deadly force to be used to protect school property.

I looked at the bill and guess what? It only says a teacher can use deadly force when any other person would be justified in doing so against anyone else under existing Texas law. It changes nothing. (You could replace "teachers" with "Republicans" and "students" with "Democrats" and that's the current state of the law right now, too. Hey, that would really get some headlines!)

What people should be shocked at is that Texas has for decades allowed for deadly force to be used in some situations to protect property.
at 1:07 PM

It's "Texas Muslim Capitol Day" . . . And Some Don't Seem To Like It







Freshman state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, is not in Austin today to celebrate Texas Muslim Capitol Day. But she left instructions for the staff in her Capitol office on how to handle visitors who are, including asking them to declare allegiance to the U.S.
"I did leave an Israeli flag on the reception desk in my office with instructions to staff to ask representatives from the Muslim community to renounce Islamic terrorist groups and publicly announce allegiance to America and our laws," she posted on Facebook. "We will see how long they stay in my office."
Story. 
What an odd, odd lady.  She's also had two abortions but don't want others to have that option. 

at 10:41 AM

"Lesson Learned"


Random pic of Wise County Courthouse guestbook.

He might have come back to relive the moment and to send a message that things are so much different now. Good for him.
at 9:00 AM

You Normally Think "Impaled" Refers To A Person




But that car is impaled.
at 8:49 AM

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts


  • The Super Bowl was in Dallas a few years back and we had a week long ice storm. And now we have this week with near perfect weather. 
  • There was a Senate confirmation hearing yesterday for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch. I kept hearing that news story and thinking Loretta "Lynn" all day yesterday. There's has to be some clever word play on Coal Miner's Daughter, right?
  • Goofball and Tea Party darling Jonathan Stickland has already been named to a "Worst Legislator" list. 
  • "The future of work will be Time Arbitrage  you will get paid by people who can earn more from your time than you can." - Mark Cuban on Twitter yesterday.  Even his fan boys called him out for stating an obvious truth that has been known for centuries. 
  • We receive a flyer for Coach purses from time to time addressed to "Ashley Green" at our address. I don't know an Ashley Green. Mrs. LL will cock an eyebrow and has begun to suspect I'm buying some gal named Ashley purses on the side. (Note to Ashley: Can we keep this on the downlow?) 
  • Sports: (1)  Wade Phillips somehow got a job with the Denver Broncos. (2). I've not watched one Mavs game this year but from what I heard there will be a lot of people joining me if they keep it up. (3) After just recovering from an Achilles injury, an aging Kobe Bryant is out for the year with a shoulder injury. He will make $23.5 million this year and $25 million next year. (4) Of all 22 starters in the Super Bowl this week, none were ranked "5 stars" coming out of high school. 
  • A University Park "mother of five" is upset that a non-fiction book, The Working Poor: Invisible in America, is being used in a high school English class. She calls it "socialist" and "Marxist."  Anyone have a picture of her? I have a stereotypical image in my head, and I prefer to deal in facts. 
  • The Decatur School Board killed new turf from a possible bond proposal. The battle continues. 
  • The guy shot by police in Sunset yesterday on the Montague/Wise County line had warrants out of Tarrant County. But I don't see even a mention of it in the Star-Telegram this morning. That seems odd. 
  • Yesterday I saw a black Dodge Charger on 287 with red and blue lights flashing in its grill. No markings were on it whatsoever. Anyone ever seen that? I'm assuming it was headed to Sunset. 
  • WBAP Hal Jay quote of the day about all press secretaries for Presidents of the U.S.: "They are all idiots." 
  • It is buried in this story, but today the Texas Historical Commission will vote on whether to give Wise County a historical marker for Machine Gun Kelley. As well as two others named "St. John the Baptizer Catholic Church" and "Lake Bridgeport WWII Training Site". 
  • "Every time travel movie ranked." (I noticed Mrs. LL had recorded Somewhere in Time which was a huge player with the girls back when I was in high school.) 

at 8:38 AM

1.28.2015

Police Shooting of Man In Montague County (May Involve Wise County Troopers)



A police dog was also killed. Always hate the death of a puppy dog. RIP Pepper.

But a very odd report as the news was breaking: "Now what we know through our experience and you as viewers here at the station -- is that a K-9 dog is a police officer. If you assault a canine dog you are assaulting a police officer. And that would take deadly force into response." - Steve Eager, Fox 4 News with a tortured attempted explanation of the Texas Penal Code of which I was not aware.


at 5:51 PM

The Internet Is So Evil

Mrs. LL and I are thinking about having some tile put down in place of carpet in a room or two and she sent me a link from Home Depot in a Gmail message. I clicked on it.

A few days later I looked on Facebook (which I rarely do) and the same tile she had referred to in the Gmail shows up as an ad on the side.


Yeah, I've seen stuff happen like this before and I know if can be done with "cookies", but it is still weird.
at 2:31 PM

The Criminal Justice System Is Getting Out Of Control




These special prosecutors are stealing from the State.

Defense lawyers for Perry have already billed him over $1 million which is mind boggling and, in my opinion, close to a robbery of whatever PAC is paying for it.

(And, yes, I agree the prosecution is beyond ridiculous.)
at 12:00 PM

"I Will No Longer Tinker With The Machinery Of Death" *


The DA in San Antonio announced that he (and his staff) will not seek the death penalty against a suspect accused of killing a cop.

I don't have a problem with the decision, because the death penalty needs to be abolished outright. But what a crazy system we currently have. A DA has the right, without any oversight or rules, to decide whether someone lives.   Truly.  If this DA had sought the death penalty, we can't rule out the fact that he might have received it from a jury. But it he doesn't ask for it(based upon whatever reason he wants), it cannot happen.

One guy. A government worker. He can decide to shield a man from death. Heck, it's a one man death panel.

And for the life of me, I don't know how to fix it. Other than to abolish the death penalty option all the way around.
______
* Words from the greatest dissent in the history of the Supreme Court.
at 10:09 AM

This Really Is Amazing


Not an opinion of the law about Open Carry. But it is just shocking that so many states allow you to walk around with a handgun without a permit or a license.
at 9:41 AM

Nerdy Kicking Stat


Source.

We've come a long way since when we thought this was next to impossible. (With a straight on kicker with half a foot.)

at 9:15 AM
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