Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I watched mostly CNN last night during the Iowa Caucuses.  It was so ramped up. So over the top. They had a reporter watching the handwritten ballots being put into baskets and you would think he was watching a last second Super Bowl field goal.
• Why does Iowa go first?
• And who wins Iowa often doesn't matter. But I'd be a little concerned it I was Hillary. But I can't imagine Sanders winning in the South. 
• It's Groundhog Day which only makes me think of Bill Murray.
• Mike Huckabee dropped out of the political race today. A guy who had a Fox News program with all that exposure never gained any traction. 
• "I normally think poles are for strippers and cross country skiers." - Sarah Palin regarding political polls. 
• Crazy ex-Cowboy Joseph Randle may have bet on games while a Cowboy.

Get Me These Pants!

Cam Newton arriving in San Francisco for Super Bowl

Edit: Apparently this is Cam leaving for San Francisco. The Liberally Lean editorial board regrets this error that offended a couple of you. His location was obviously the focus of this post. 

Very Random UIL Re-Alignment Thought

Welcome to District 3-6A for the 2016 and 2017 UIL district alignments. @HSwfaa @CHS_Nation pic.twitter.com/Bv18lT2SSS

— Keller Central HS (@KellerCentralHS) February 1, 2016

How would you like to be Abilene? Good lord. The travel.

I'm looking for Bridgeport and Decatur.

Edit: Oh, my! Bridgeport and Decatur have divorced again.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Ted Cruz was called an "anchor baby born in Canada" by Donald Trump. That's a goofy line but kind of funny. 
• I've been interested in the "legal" gambling of Draft Kings and Fan Duel and how states have tried to shut them down. But the fatal blow may just have happened: The leading payment processor for them said they will walk away. 
• Two Plano East girls commit a double suicide?
• New theory out there: O.J. Simpson's problems were caused by brain injuries from football. You know, I won't outright dismiss that all. Lack of judgment and impulse control are factors.
• I'll say it again: If you have license plates from the southern states driving southbound on 287, either the DPS or Sheriff's Office will look for a way to stop you. And if they do and tell you that you are coming from Colorado, get ready to be detained -- most of the time illegally based upon a strong Supreme Court case from last year.
• There is a new trick that law enforcement is using. If they suspect drugs during a traffic stop where the passengers are traveling, they ask them to identify their luggage and put it beside them and then ask consent to search the luggage. That way there won't be an issue as to whose luggage belonged to whom. (Not a bad trick, by the way.) Here's a trick if you get stopped: Shut up. There is no deaf, dumb and blind man in prison.
• Along those lines, I was reviewing a video of a marijuana traffic stop this weekend and heard an officer say this to a person who was being detained: “Marijuana is still illegal in Texas and we don’t recognize any kind of cars or nothing like that.” Riiiiiiggghhhhtttt.
• Our goofy tweeting Texas Supreme Court justice outdid himself on Friday. He decided to offer a concurring opinion in a rather complicated procedural issue regarding the "Texas Cheerleaders Religious Football Banner" case. The concurrence was not necessary, he sent a strong message on how he would rule in favor of the cheerleaders (inappropriate since the issue was not before the court), and started out with a reference to The Lion King. 
• I went and dropped off a flower at my mother's grave yesterday since it was her birthday. It was hard but went much better than I thought it would. From there, Mrs. LL and I walked around Bridgeport Cemetery, and I begin to say time and time again, "This man worked as a . . . " "This lady was . . ." "This man lived on . . . " I went on and on as I recognized names. She finally said (in a very loving way), "This is not possible unless you grew up in a small town."
• For some reason I stumbled upon Charlie Sheen in the old movie The Chase this weekend. That movie was way before its time and almost a bit of Idiocracy. Cops over the top. The media over the top. Politicians over the top. (And with a very hot Kristy Swanson in the film as well.)
• Yes, I know Baylor was the focus of ESPN's Outside The Lines yesterday.
• I have to stop watching "pastor" Keith Craft. I don't know what gets me more worked up: His horrible preaching, his ramped up style, his begging for money, or the empty seats in the congregation. 

Wise County Connection

SAGINAW - A man attacked a woman, an elderly couple and two police officers in a residential neighborhood late Saturday before one of the officers shot and killed him, police and neighbors said.

The man was identified as Michael Brown, 25, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s website Sunday. More. 

His Facebook page. 
Edit: The more I read about this and the more I see my mutual friends who know this guy, I'm almost obsessed with wondering what the hell happened here. 

Wise County Connection

SAGINAW - A man attacked a woman, an elderly couple and two police officers in a residential neighborhood late Saturday before one of the officers shot and killed him, police and neighbors said.

The man was identified as Michael Brown, 25, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner’s website Sunday. More.

His Facebook page.

Johnny Football May Have Gotten Into Trouble Early This Morning In Fort Worth

News feed.

Above The Fold

Early Edition Of "Let's Get Outta Here" (Although I'm Still Here)

Hey, What are you guys looking at?

Oh. 

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

What is going on here?

• Fox's Charles Krauthammer is the biggest Power Down guy on TV.  What a miserable and unhappy human being.
• Man, that Republican debate last night was crazy. Trump is a genius. He wasn't there yet he was mentioned several times in the first 10 minutes. (And Cruz needs to not try to be a comedian.)
• Ted Cruz challenged Trump to a "mano a mano" debate (nice touch for a guy who is Hispanic - but I still can't believe that he is Hispanic -- He was born in Canada and acts whiter than me.) And he wants the person moderating the debate to be Mark Levin or Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh. (Good lord. Talk about pandering to the far right wing) Trump responded “Even though I beat him in the first six debates, especially the last one, Ted Cruz wants to debate me again . . . .Can we do it in Canada?" Genius.
• I teased Mrs. LL yesterday about the Senior in the House about to leave for college in the Fall. Note to self: Don't do that again. 
• When my brother left for college, I was in the car and saw my mother cry all the way back home from Waco. When I left for college, my girlfriend drove back with my parents as a passenger. I asked her later, "Did mom cry the whole way home?" Her response: "Not at all."  I still laugh about that. 
• I want you to pay attention to the commercials on Fox News and the radio station "660 The Answer". They are scamming on the elderly. 
• Mrs. LL broke our tiny drone. Then fixed it. Then flew it next to my head. 
• I don't believe this incredibly warm weather is any evidence of Global Warming, but I was hoping the goofy guy who used to comment on here when we had a cold day in the spring about Global Warming would comment again.
• Fox's post-debate "Focus Group" conducted by Frank Luntz is comically ridiculous. Let's get a group of white people together and prepare them on what to say and act like it is authentic? It is scripted beyond belief.
• How much do you think Google paid to sponsor that debate last night and have their name always on the screen. $5 million? $10 million? More?
• Zika virus . . . ?

Speaking Of Idiocracy

Fort Worth city bus stuck under bridge at Lancaster and Foch, few blocks south of W. 7th @startelegram @DFWscanner pic.twitter.com/KeLboYAhJW

— Ryan Osborne (@RyanOsborneFWST) January 28, 2016

I'm not sure how this is possible.

Update:

Fort Worth FD is deflating the tires of a bus wedged under a Lancaster Avenue bridge: https://t.co/lZ1gTivDid https://t.co/iQaoIlFkiO

— WFAA-TV (@wfaachannel8) January 28, 2016

Releasing air from the tires? Yo! Science!

Is This Real?

I guess it is because if the guy is truly that smart he would know there is no way the bullet would reach him.

Link.

(And for Breaking Bad fans, you must be thinking this.)

Random Scene Outside My Office This Morning

But I'm a 9 1/2!!!!

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• This Fox News vs. Donald Trump war is the craziest thing I've ever seen in politics. It's like a married couple who should love each other came to the realization they actually hate each other. And his appearance on O'Reilly last night was fantastic TV. The guy is a master politician.
• Trump, if you don't know, is boycotting the Republican Debate tonight. Why? One reason is this insane official statement from Fox News: "We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president — a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings." We are living in Idiocracy.
• A cop killed himself possibly to avoid prosecution and then his wife tried to make money off of it. She has been indicted.
• There appears to be a shooting on I-30 in Arlington that was part of road rage. I don't jack with people on the highway because oftentimes you can tell if you are dealing with a nut. And I don't want to find out too late. 
• I stepped on my shoe lace and face-planted in the front lawn yesterday afternoon. It dawned on me I didn't break my fall (even if I could) because I knew my shoulder would pop out if I tried. (I have shoulder issues, and I fear some day I'll end up looking like Larry King.) Anyway, I had a little bit of blood on my face and tried to sneak past Mrs. LL by putting my hood up as I went into the house to clean up. It didn't work. She gave me that look of, "What am I going to do with you?"
• "DALLAS - A Texas father who was accused of theft after he confiscated his 12-year-old daughter's cellphone over an inappropriate text has been acquitted of the misdemeanor charge."  Read that again. Too many cops? Too many prosecutors?
• Speaking of: "LEAGUE CITY, Texas — A recent prostitution investigation in Southeast Texas has led to the closure of six massage parlors in League City and nine arrests."
• Mrs. LL will not walk on a sidewalk grate when we are in any city. She fears the collapse. 
• Troy Aikman's appearances on The Ticket over the years have gone from boring to fascinating.
• It's amazing to think 30 years has gone by since the Challenger disaster. I still remember being in my apartment in Waco listening to the news on the radio (I was even a nerd back then), and had KRLD break in late to the already breaking national news feed. I can still remember Christopher Glenn's voice (host of the short In The News segments between cartoons on Saturday): "Something has gone horribly wrong here." I picked up the phone and called home. And then I went to the TV to wait for the "breaking news" caption.
• A lot going on in the front page below: (1) The first headline is not news, (2) Baylor and diversity is like TCU and diversity. It's whiter than white. (3) But look at the headline regarding the Twin Peaks biker shootings. The DA wants a continuance and the defense attorney says, "No. Let's go." Love it.

Wow: A Sheriff In Oregon May Have Just Called Out The FBI

How did he die?

Police state?

Story.

Edit: OK, I may be wrong. I thought he was referring to how his agency tried to use restraint but the crazy Feds went guns blazing. "We don't arm and rebel . . . This can't happen in America." The fact that I thought that he was referring to the federal government makes me stupid . . .  but proud.

Above The Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I have CenturyLink internet issues this morning in Decatur. It's down. Edit: Back up at 8:45 a.m. Edit: An earlier version of this bullet point referred to CenturyLink as CenturyKink -- which is actually kind of funny.
• Name that location in the photo.
• Hot Republican Opinion: Keep your eye on Marco Rubio. He might end up the Republican nominee once Trump and Cruz go down. And he could win it all.
• I had a man ask me about "reverse mortgages" the other day. My only response was, "Honestly, I know nothing about them but the number of commercials promoting them makes me feel very uneasy about them. It feels sleaszy." I might be wrong but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
• I want to know the background behind an "accelerated appeal" in the Fort Worth Court of Appeals case named "The Carmichael Family Trust by and through Michael G. Carmichael and Jeanette C. Carmichael, Husband and Wife v. Krone Medical Properties, LP and its General Partner Krone Property Management, LLC" out of Hood County
• Look I have no opinion on the indictment of the two people investigating Planned Parenthood. But for those of you out there that say, "the law is the law", you might want to sit down and think a bit. "It ain't so fun when the rabbit got the gun."
•  That indictment could be because of the new grand jury selection process. The "good ol' boys system is gone." 
• Hey, for the one Dennis Prager fan out there: He is now doing commercials for personal loans. Fraud. An absolute fraud.
• Round up of Texas bad cops and Wise County gets a mention. 
• Weird moment last night: I was handed the Senior in the House's phone with a picture of two guys. All three Ladies In The House asked me which one was hotter. And I answered. (My life is over.)
• The guy currently on The Bachelor looks like Peter Brady from the Brady Bunch. Mrs. LL: "You just ruined it for me!" (Did I mention my life is over?)
• 76 on Sunday?
• Rick Perry is being Ted Cruz's lapdog in Iowa but in this photo he looks a little sick.
• The crazy Oregon standoff with the Bundy's has ended in a death?
• On ESPN at 6:47 this morning they were interviewing Mexican wrestlers in masks.

Well, The Official Liberally Lean Girl Is Out There Killing It Again

A video posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on Jan 25, 2016 at 2:29pm PST