The Shield: Cowtown Edition

Story.

We've got three possible situations here: (1) Cops intentionally lying against cops, (2) Cops making reckless allegations against a cop without being sure they are right, (3) Cops being punished for busting a supervisor.

Sadly, none of the three options would surprise me these days.

Note: One of the officers suspended has the same first two initials and last name of a Fort Worth cop who was an undercover officer in the media generated mountain-made-out-of-a-molehill TCU football drug "scandal." (Edit: Confirmed that J.C. Williams was involved in the TCU bust. And also I've learned that another officer involved in the suspension story, Carlos Cespedes, was also a big part of the TCU busts. In fact, TCU360.com reported that, "In the months following the first complaint, police received multiple tips from 'reliable and knowledgable informants' that led to various undercover stings headed by Officers J.C. Williams and Carlos Cespedes.")

And I am doing all I can to not go on a tax dollar waste rant. Cops (on the clock) vs. cops (on the clock). Internal affairs investigation. Prostitution investigations. Not to mention the TCU "six month" investigation which amounted to nothing but short probations and kids kicked out of school. How much did all that silliness cost?

Coyote and Bobcat On Arlington Jogging/Biking Trail

Saw this on the news last night. Pretty cool.  But I'd think I'd be a little anxious to be on a bike while the bobcat walks by. Heck, I don't trust The Family Cat when she walks that close by.

More Thoughts On Synthetic Drugs

After reading about the feds arresting the father and daughter who own the Gas Pipe stores (after taking all their money last year), I was reminded of the silly state of Texas law on synthetic drugs.

I don't want to give you tired head, but the Texas Health and Safety Code 481.1031 lists a ton of synthetic drugs by name that are illegal but adds this huge kicker: It includes anything which   “consists of any quantity of a synthetic chemical compound that is a cannabinoid receptor agonist and mimics the pharmacological effect of naturally occurring cannabinoids.”  Huh? So something is illegal if it is a cannabinoid receptor agonist that isn't actually marijuana but effects you like marijuana? That's the difference between legal and illegal?

The spokesman for the very conservative (but funny) Texas District and County Attorney's Association has said this about the "catchall provision": "That’s a judgment call that no lab chemist can make in court . . . The lab folks say, ‘We can diagram this chemical compound for you, but we can’t tell you whether the effect was similar’”

So how is a person who walks into the Gas Pipe wanting to buy fake weed know what is legal or not?  Hey, if I possess a bag of cocaine but don't know it's cocaine, that's not a crime. (Trust me, I'm right).  Hey, if I walk into Walmart and see a drink labeled "Cocaine Soft Drink", I have every right to believe it doesn't contain real cocaine.  And I would think someone who walks into the Gas Pipe has every right to believe that what he buys is legal as well.

To drive home the point, here's an actual lab report in Texas in a synthetic drug case:

Wow. Think about that. "[I]t has been reported in scientific literature" to be a cannabinoid receptor agonist? That's the exact same thing as saying that it has been decided in scientific literature to be illegal based upon Texas law.  That's how we are supposed to know what violates the law? What literature? Who wrote it? When was it published? Before it was published can we all assume that we had no notice the substance was illegal?  A person could go into a store, buy synthetic weed which has a chemical compound that has never been declared to be illegal, puts it in his drawer and then two years from now a "scientific" magazine in New Jersey comes out and reports that compound is a cannabinoid receptor agonist and that person now possesses something illegal in his drawer? You kidding me?

The War On Drugs is on drugs.

Edit: And somehow, once again, a post like this get interpreted as meaning I support K2.

 

Kiss Cam From Last Night's Wizards/Hawks Game

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I was corrected by a higher up at Wise Regional after I said yesterday they were shutting down the Bridgeport Hospital: "Wise Regional is working towards applying for a separate license to operate the Bridgeport facility as an outpatient surgery center." He also said, "You might be surprised to find Wise Regional currently operates 47 locations in eight counties including Wise, Denton, Tarrant, Cooke, Grayson, Collin, Dallas and Johnson." Yes, I am surprised. 
• I kept hearing that the conductor/engineer in the Philadelphia Amtrak crash has "lawyered up". Well, he gave a blood sample and turned over his cell phone to authorities so I'm not sure that's correct.  (And, by the way, getting "lawyered up" simply means a person refuses to talk because he's smart enough to understand those government employees asking him questions aren't there to help him.)
• Along those lines, I bet I've watched thousands and thousands of DWI videotapes. And time and time again I see an officer walk up to the driver, introduce himself, and then ask, "Where you headed tonight?" Just once I want the driver to say, "That's really none of your business. Here's my driver's license and insurance".
• I stopped by Hannity last night and saw that he spent two segments justifying his show running footage last March of scantily clad women during Spring Break. It seems Panama City had now changed some its ordinances regarding alcohol consumption on its beaches and Hannity was taking credit for the chang.  Of course, during these two segments, they did a split screen showing . . . you guessed it . . . scantily clad Spring Breakers.  (But my favorite part was when Hannity called Jon Stewart a "sanctimonious jackass" for pointing out Hannity's perversion and hypocrisy.) By the way, here's a Google image search for "Hannity Spring Break". Oh, my. 
• Wise County Judge J.D. Clark sent a letter to Gov. Abbott yesterday in an effort to get Wise County declared a disaster area because of the flooding.  (I hope he added the sentence, "By the way, I've got a couple ranchers who have told me that they seen some Obama Gun Boats on the flooded areas as part of Jade Helm 15.  Just thought you'd want to know.")
• Mrs. LL and the Sixth Grader in the House were late getting home the other day, and I asked the Junior In The House where they were. Softball practice, she said, but they were running late. Then she pulled out her phone to look at an app to find out where they were via GPS.  Apparently, it works in reverse since she then mumbled, "I hate that app."  (Honestly, that technology would have driven me crazy as a teenager.) 
• Last year, DEA agents seized 10 Gas Pipe locations and nearly $3 million after federal "agents"alleged that they had purchased synthetic marijuana there. (I loved this odd logic to justify the raids: "They label it is not for human consumption, do not smoke, yet they're selling a 3g bag of this 'incense' from anywhere from $25 to $40," said Dan Salter, DEA special agent. "It cost them less than $5 to make." Translated: "I know we can't justify our jobs in this case because it's just fake weed, but they are ripping off the consumers!") Now the feds have arrested the owner and his daughter of the stores.  Too many cops. Too many prosecutors. 
•  Dallas Morning News today: "Editorial: Prison rape can’t be tolerated."  Way to take a stand. Sheesh. 
• The reference to "Mudville" below reminded me of just how great Casey At The Bat is. (And rec league softball and baseball leagues are in chaos because of the weather.)

"Turn Around. Don't Drown."

We have said it in words, but wanted to give you a visual! Please don't be that person. #dfwwx pic.twitter.com/g7t1jcGmAa

— Johnson County EM (@jocotx_em) May 13, 2015

Johnson County Emergency Management clears it up for everyone.

If We Would Have Kept The Family Pig . . .

. . . This would have happened in our living room by now.

Hey, Remember That Crane High School Chlamydia Epidemic?

Didn't happen. The Superintendent learned from a local physician that twenty kids had been "tested" for the disease but somehow heard that twenty kids had been "confirmed" to have the disease.

But mistake that might have been happily forgotten in a remote West Texas town isn't as easily erased on the worldwide web. "It was a misunderstanding but people go for—for lack of a better word—BS," Rumage said. "I was trying to inform our parents and somehow the media got a hold of it and blew it totally out of proportion."

Wise County Living

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Big Amtrak wreck in Philadelphia last night that killed six.  (Oddly, I just keep thinking of Bruce Willis walking down the hospital hall in Unbreakable.)
• I've got a commenter who has fired off a "you refuse to publish my comment" a couple of times.  Since you mentioned what the content of it was, I went back and checked. Nope. Not submitted and not in Spam comment folder. I think we have a YP instead of a MP.
• I'm not sure about this: If I see high water on the road should I turn around? 
• And I was just struck with a crazy old memory from the old Dick Van Dyke show where Rob or Buddy were having a pants crisis requiring one of them to remove his pants. They told Sally who was in the room to "turn around." She did a full 360 and said, "Ta-Da!"
• Lake Bridgeport is now 14.66 feet low. With rain predicted over the next week, if a storm would park itself on the saturated watershed, you would actually see what everyone always says: It can fill up in two days. 
• "A Wichita Falls woman is behind bars after police say she and her boyfriend were smoking meth in the Rathgeber Hospitality House at United Regional." I'm more worried about the boyfriend who said he gulped down nine grams of meth as security was knocking on the door. 
• An "apparent stripper" from Oklahoma is seeking a protective order against a Tea Party Texas State Senator. Who knows if there is any merit it to it, but when the AP uses the phrase "apparent stripper", I'll run with it. (Her twitter account is a one hot mess.)
• Odd discussion up at the courthouse yesterday when three buddies I was talking with had already ranked the ways to commit suicide. Then we debated the pros and cons to various methods. (Trust me, the conversation was not dark but funny.) 
• I'm not sure where I saw it last night, but Jeb Bush is taking heat from fellow Republicans for saying he would have fought the Iraq war all over again. I was stunned that so many Republicans now finally acknowledge what a horrible mistake that war was. 
• The 37 lawyer firm of Hermes Sargent Bates in Dallas will (oddly?) disband after six "equity partners" couldn't agree on a long term lease for the firm. (Story - probably behind paywall.) By June 1, the firm is done. (There's something that rings a bell with me about that firm, but I can't recall it.)
• Serious question: Why did the Wise Regional Hospital buy the Bridgeport hospital only to close it? (And here's the latest financials on Wise Regional. Sounds to be in pretty good shape but it is interesting to note it lost $2.4 million in 2014 on its new Parkway Surgical and Cardiovascular Hospital in North Fort Worth.) 
• The Sixth Grader In The House is a pretty good softball pitcher but she will launch a ball over the neighbor's fence from time to time. I'm envisioning creating my own temporary safety net with PVC pipe. 
• Note to goofy Texas legislature: If the Supreme Court decides there is a constitutional right to gay marriage next month, you can't "thwart" that ruling with a state law. 

Oh, My

Taken by @MonicaDPD, who's at the multiple fatality crash near Sunset High in Oak Cliff http://t.co/Er8kF8ehvs pic.twitter.com/JK6QEmj1Cq

— Robert Wilonsky (@RobertWilonsky) May 13, 2015

Can't Decide On The Title: "Idiocracy" Or Just "Morons"

Patriots protesters handcuffed themselves together in lobby of NFL offices. Expecting police arrival. (@LAKEdwards) pic.twitter.com/ZOvB2Vx5vD

— Breaking News Feed (@PzFeed) May 12, 2015

Anyone Seen Maverick And Goose?

JUST IN: US Navy: F/A-18 jet crashes after launch from USS Theodore Roosevelt in Persian Gulf; 2 on board ejected, rescued - @LMartinezABC

— ABC News (@ABC) May 12, 2015

My expert Google skills tell me the jet has a sticker price of $55 million.

 So?

Ego? Check? Body? Cashed? Ring a bell, Scientology boy?

[Editor's note: Never did understand this.]

Let's Check In On The The Mean Streets Of The Bishop Arts District

She says she's just a regular white girl in the "hood" who got thrown out of a country show because of lesbians.

Story and video.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Someone offered Mrs. LL free Colonial golf tourney tickets, and she asked me if I would want to go. I told her "maybe" and pointed out that it would held over Memorial Day weekend. She did the Google and told me that it wasn't. "I'm pretty sure I'm right, babe," I replied (actually meaning "You aren't talking to the guy in the next cubicle. You're talking to a Sports Genius. And Colonial is always on Memorial Day weekend.") Then I learned that for the first time since 1964 the Byron Nelson which will be played after the Colonial on Memorial Day.
• I didn't see it, but Channel 5 interrupted a PGA tourney on Sunday to show two goofballs stuck in high water in Dallas. The Ticket had one of the guys on  yesterday where he revealed he was 17 years old and only got stuck in water because a "levee broke." Riiiighht. He had named his truck "VortecXpress."  (His Twitter feed is about what you would expect from a high schooler from Sanger with a big truck.)
• Fort Worth police killed a guy yesterday because he left a home suspected of being a place where hydrocodone and xanax were being sold. (!!!!!!)  He allegedly backed up in the direction of officers, allegedly striking one offiver who was not injured, so they shot him.
• The Patriots get fined $1 million for "Deflategate" so fans created a GoFundMe account to pay it for them. You kidding me?
• And it is amazing that Deflategate led most national evening news shows last night.
• The 16-Year-Old-In-The-House is now the 17-Year-Old-In-The-House.  Many years ago I used to gig Mrs. LL by sarcastically saying, "They grow up so fast."   I feel silly now.  As is so often the case, we don't understand some things until we experience them. 
• Interesting item in the Update: Wise County spends $30,000 a year on "indigent burials" while Denton County spends $40,000.  Regardless of how someone qualifies for an indigent burial, I'm more stunned that Denton County only spends $40,000 than any potential "waste" by Wise County. 
• Two hosts of a former WBAP weekend show are being sued by the SEC for "telling customers that interests in life settlements they sold were 'guaranteed,' 'safe as CDs' and federally insured.'”  There is nothing worse than some radio "talk shows" on the weekends. They are obviously nothing more infomercials, have fake/planted callers, and just reek of lies.  
• Is this real? A University of Houston student posted a pic of himself with a handgun making a joke about gangs and had his placed was searched by police? 

Random Texas Bus Driver

This got the attention of Texas Monthly.

Things That Make Me Shake My Head But Probably Shouldn't

Here's a friendly reminder to get your mom and wife a special surprise to brighten their day tomorrow. 😊 pic.twitter.com/2SxgER39P7

— Arlington Police, TX (@ArlingtonPD) May 10, 2015

I've always dogged the Arlington PD twitter account.  It's more silliness than public information, and it drives me nuts that someone is being paid with tax dollars to run it.

But this tweet got my attention over the weekend. OK, it's funny. It's cute. But are those guys on duty? I've seen public official get indicted over the alleged theft of $250. So how much taxpayer money is being wasted if these guys are on the clock?

Random Bar Exam Passing Rate Results

Either the test was much harder this year or there is something different about those taking the test.