Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Ground Control to Major Tom: David Bowie died last night.
• El Chapo was captured, but I can't get over the shirt he was wearing. And the fact that Sean Penn was accidentally involved in the capture is crazy.
• Mrs. LL and I watched Poltergiest on Friday night and I had forgotten how great it was. Even weirder, I to told her that I thought the little girl star was dead. I was right. But she died in 1988.
• I'm not sure, but it sounds like she died from Toxic Shock Syndrome. Anyone out there remember that in the 1980s?
• Obscure sports stat: The Baylor's women's basketball team is 108-2 at home. And an even more obscure fact: They have a player who is the granddaughter of former TCU football head coach F.A. Dry.
• I mentioned that Mrs. LL has been playing with a tiny drone. At the CES convention last week, a drone was unveiled which is  designed to carry a person. That is right out of the Jetsons. And it might be the future. The bad news that for now it costs $200,000-$300,000. Then again, flat screen TVs used to cost $5,000.
• I loved the commenter on Friday who said the economy was in bad shape because of the stock market. Dude, you don't understand the stock market.
• The ending of the Cinncinati/Pittsburgh game was crazy and the fact that Pacman Jones was involved in a penalty made it very entertaining. In 2008, Pacman got into a fight in a bathroom of a hotel in Dallas. I'm trying to find it, but I could have sworn Jerry Jones said a "trinket" or "figurine" was broken.
• I didn't watch it all but I'm through four episodes of Netflix's Making a Murder. After that the first episode I thought it was over and the next episode would be about a different case. Nope. Just when you think it cannot get worse, it does. I have been  on the verge of screaming at the prosecutors on the screen. And every prosecutor, defense lawyer, law enforcement officer as well anyone who cares about justice needs to watch it. This stuff happens. 
• The official organization for Texas prosecutors issued a warning on Friday with this all caps sentence: "ALL TEXAS PROSECUTORS SHOULD READ THIS OPINION". If you withhold evidence that may not even impact a  case, you still might lose your bar card. Of course, it would require someone reporting a prosecutor to the State Bar. 
• Mrs. LL was in downtown Dallas with a friend when a person told her that the restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower was operated by Wolfgang Puck. She told him, "We ate at one of his restaurants in Vegas!" She then realized the guy was homeless. She then gave him money out of, I suppose, generosity and embarrassment. 
• The Power Ball lottery is $1.3 billion. And now people are interested?
• I accidentally came across a Donald Trump rally in Iowa on Saturday. I could not stop watching. He's a fascinating politician. 
• The Jacksboro paper has a story about my crazy campaign to run as an Independent. The reporter told me they ran the story with a "fuzzy" picture of me she got off the Internet. I told her I wasn't going to win on my good looks so that was OK.
• There was a PBS show that I recorded (it is Texas based) and  there was a segment of how Texas Game Wardens were trained at NASA how to escape from a helicopter which crashes into water. You kidding me? How much does that cost us? 
• I love the Golden Globes and Ricky Gervais. Man, he went scorched earth last night. But one of my favorite moments occurred when Sylvester Stalone won an award, and the orchestra fired up the Rocky theme on his way to the stage. And once he got up there, he said that, "I am the sum total of everyone I've ever met." What a great line. He may not have created it, but that is one great line. 

The Return of "Above The Fold"

It's The Weekend - Let's Get Out Of Here

And let's all try not to fight this weekend. 

when an egg avatar account tries to shade you but you not havin it today https://t.co/9RO9lPxBfq

— Mike Taddow (@taddmike) January 8, 2016

Greg Abbott Is Actually Radio Talk Show Host Mark "Screaming" Levin?

Abbott today:

Wait a second! Where have I heard of proposing amendments and using a constitutional convention by the states to do so? That's the same thing that Levin spends all his time on promoting his book on his radio show:

I May Stare At That Picture And Read Those Two Sentences All Weekend

ArsTechnica – A federal judge on Wednesday said that a monkey that swiped a British nature photographer’s camera during an Indonesian jungle shoot and snapped selfies cannot own the intellectual property rights to those handful of pictures. US District Judge William Orrick was tasked with hearing a lawsuit brought by the People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Big Government 3.0

Edit: Briefly Twitter had a video of a line of people coming up to huge Dallas DA after the announcement. It was quickly taken down. I'm not sure why. I've replaced it with the above photo.

Dallas DA Susan Hawk will not be suspended after a hearing this morning.

But look at the number of employees there to watch who are supposed to be working. Those are lawyers who are being paid a fortune. And I can't get over this sentence from a story this morning: "Ellis County and District Attorney Patrick Wilson, who was appointed to pursue the case on behalf of the state, filed affidavits from two top lawyers who used to work for Hawk but were fired under controversial circumstances." Wait a second. The taxpayers are paying for another government lawyer to try and remove another government lawyer? And is he getting paid extra above his normal salary or is he just getting paid by Ellis County taxpayers who are paying him to work for them?

Not to mention the judge, court reporter, court clerk, bailiffs, court space, court electricity, etc. which the taxpayer is paying for.

What a machine. There needs to be a Rage Against The Machine because The Machine has gone insane.

Edit: Oh, and we just had this happen on Government vs. Government taxpayer waste at the hands of lawyers.

Big Government 2.0

Maverick County Wardens seize chorizo sold w white tailed deer meat. Cases & restitution pending; meat donated pic.twitter.com/SOmsqoBT0d

— Texas Game Warden (@TexasGameWarden) January 8, 2016

And that may be one of the funniest law enforcement photos of all time.

Side note: Someone want to speculate about this "crime"? I thought it might be that they thought the deer was killed a few days after deer season ended but Maverick County is in the South Zone.

Edit: You can't sell deer meat? Can you give it away?

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Weirdest note of the year has already occurred: The Affluenza mom flew commercial back to the Tarrant County yesterday and Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were on same flight.
• Mrs. LL to me this morning: "I had a dream I was unfaithful." Me: "You sure it was just a dream?" Her: "Shut up. It was with [The Ticket's] Junior Miller. Then he started stalking me and opened up a restaurant next door to us so he could taunt you at dinner time as he prepared delicious meals." I had a question mark form over my head at that point.
• Speaking of, Junior had a great question this morning: Whatever happened to Hoop It Up, the three on three basketball tournament? I went and watched it once in the West End and it was wildly popular.
• A Bridgeport man who just happened to be Hispanic was found not guilty of Indecency With a Child yesterday in Wise County.  I heard opening statements and commented to someone afterwards that I hope there was more to the case than what I heard. Despite being exonerated, that man will always be associated with the charge. What's the famous saying?: "Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?" 
• I plan to watch all of Making of a Murderer this weekend.
• I walked by the IRS Building in Washington a couple of weeks ago and yelled, "Boo!" Yesterday they the headline was: "IRS Nixes Controversial Plan To Collect Social Security Numbers Of Charity Donors." Coincidence?
• Very clever tweet from an unnamed local reporter this morning: "Police scanner: Minor accident on TX 114 north of [Paradise]. Two occupants, uninjured but dazed and confused. (Alright, alright, alright.)"
• The President took a lot of tough question at his CNN "Town Hall" meeting last night regarding guns. Why didn't the NRA show up? They could have thrown at least one hay-maker.
• That was a fantastic sunrise this morning. 
• Also this morning: "The U.S. economy added 292,000 jobs in December while unemployment held steady at 5 percent."
• A guy got shot outside a Dallas strip club at 5:15 this morning. (Always a bad sign if you are in a strip club at 5:15 at any time.)  Fox 4 referred to the club as "a popular Dallas nightclub."

What Would You Do If You Won The Powerball Lottery?

Bandidos Indictment Referencing Wise County

Thanks to a faithful reader for finding this.

Hey, let me be clear. I'm not saying anyone is guilty. We all know that an indictment means nothing -- especially these days. And, throw in the federal government, and it might be even be more worthless. And throw in the moronic prosecutions in Waco, and who knows what is legitimate these days.

But if you want some crazy reading material, start at page nine whether any of it is true or not. But I kept waiting to see some big murder or bloodbath and it never happened. It's just two groups giving each other hell. And it never even mentions Twin Peaks in Waco.

Get Me This Owl!

Snowy owl spotted soaring on Montreal traffic camera: https://t.co/lzUqvdJdBL pic.twitter.com/lCHPud5rCQ

— CBC Montreal (@CBCMontreal) January 7, 2016

Car Owner Not Happy With Flooding

CBS News 8 - San Diego, CA News Station - KFMB Channel 8

This whole clip is about five seconds around the 25 second mark.  That's just a funny way to put a flooding news video together.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I can't find the story, but there is a Channel 8 tweet about a federal indictment about a member of the Bandidos and there's a reference to a rival gang's "hangout" in Wise County in the photo. 
• The Texas DPS trooper who arrested Sandra Bland has been charged with perjury.
• Trump going after Cruz's right to be President based upon being born in Canada is funny. Cruz showed some comedy as well by tweeting a picture of Fonzie and saying Trump had "jumped the shark."
• I got a part of All In The Family last night on one of the channels. That show was so shocking.
• I had an interview with a Jacksboro reporter yesterday who asked me a great question which gave me pause: "If your heart is in Wise County, why is your house in north Fort Worth?"  I paused.  I thought about coming up with some BS but decided to have some Trump-like honesty. I told her I'm a loner. I'm not a people person. After my work day in Wise County is done I simply want to get lost. Go home. Eat dinner. Watch a little TV. Spend time with the family. Go to bed. And then get up and head back to Wise County before most people wake up. But, Cherry, that was a heck of a question. 
• And to the three people which are so concerned about "residency", Mrs. LL came up with a genius idea last night. We become Bridgeport Lake rats. Summer is coming. The lake is full. And we have kids who would love to do it. And it is all set up. And maybe we never leave. 
• NFL coaches are being fired left and right. Tom Landry's record in his first six seasons: 0-11-1, 4-9-1, 5-8-1, 4-10, 5-8-1 and 7-7.
• To the one Dennis Prager fan out there: He is now doing commercials for a firm which sells gold. That makes him either a fraud or a sellout or a snake oil salesman.
• The judge in the AG Paxton prosecution has ordered Collin County to pay the multiple "special prosecutors" $300 an hour. I like that judge, and I'm stunned he did that. The county had tried to limit their fees. That amount is robbery in this day and time. I'm not sure a court appointed lawyer for an indigent defendant in Wise County gets $300 for representation from beginning to end.
• Channel 8 immediately reported the Power Ball numbers last night. The bad part was that they showed the wrong numbers. They corrected it in about 10 minutes. 
• The City of Dallas is having a debate about marijuana and none of them seem to know what the issue it. Texas law allows for an officer to write a citation for possession of marijuana under 2 ounces instead of arresting the person and making them sit in jail or bond out. Either way, the case still goes to the same county court and remains a Class B misdemeanor. In listening to some of the politicians and reporters yesterday, you would think that the decision to write a citation made the "crime" a lesser offense. 

Dateline: Kentucky Court (So Much Going On Here)

WDRB 41 Louisville News

• The racial slur.
• The defense lawyer getting slumped shoulders and just wanting to get the heck out of there.
• The judge in a beaten down voice saying, "And the New Year starts."
• The defendant trying to explain he directed it to his brother.

Big Government?

Link.

Suspicious? Yes. Crime? No. Nevertheless, the government not only arrests them but plans to take the money.

Houston Chronicle Random Headline

Trump Agrees With Me! I May Have To Be His Running Mate. Trump/Green 2016.

And both have five letters. That's aesthetically pleasing.

All I'd have to do is just go around saying, "Sometimes he talks a little crazy, but I'll keep him from going over the ledge."

Trump says Obama's tears during Tuesday's gun control announcement were sincere. https://t.co/ic23blar4X

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) January 6, 2016

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Someone told me yesterday to watch Netflix's Making of a Murderer because it would make my head explode. I watched the first episode last night. Uh, my head almost exploded. It's a documentary about a guy falsely imprisoned because of cops/prosecutors who were either incompetent, lazy, arrogant or crooked. Or maybe all of those. (And it happened in a county only slightly larger than Wise County.)
• One part made me stop down was when the documentary pointed out that "three" of the ladies in the DA's office told the DA, "We think you've got the wrong guy." 
• By the way, is Netflix streaming not the best deal in the country? $7.99 to $11.99 a month. 
• NFL: Seattle will play Minnesota this weekend and it will be outdoors. Temperatures around zero.
• The weirdest halftime show visual from any Mavs game in the history of ever is here.
• I understand people having trouble with the President's gun proposals (or the method of imposing them) but to say his tears and emotions yesterday were fake seems to come from some deep seeded hatred.
• Radio guy Mark Davis, who said the tears were fake, mocked the President this morning saying the press conference was the equivalent of standing in front of a GM plant and saying, "These cars kill people!" You know, it kind of is. Guns, like cars, need to only be in the hands of responsible people who know how to handle them. And even cars are registered.
• Oil has dropped to $35 a barrel this morning -- the lowest price in 11 years.  I'm not sure we've seen the big Texas economic hit happen yet. 
• Allen High School's head football coach has been beyond successful. "He won four state titles in 12 seasons, going 147-17, including a 57-game winning streak."  Yesterday, after 29 years with Allen, it was announced that he was resigning to go take over at Barbers Hill. My first thought was, "Where is Barbers Hill?" It's by Houston. And then I learned of a Wise County connection. The only reason Barbers Hill is looking for a new coach is because Decatur's Ronnie Gage was stepping down. 
• A marine might have killed that UNT student?
• Heard in The House last night, "It's the premier of Dance Moms!!!!!!" I headed upstairs. 
• Talk about trolling . . .