2.24.2016

Rick Perry Vindicated By Texas' Highest Criminal Court

Opinion.

"Yahooty!"
But not all of the judges are pleased:

Edit: And a concurring opinion starts off with a quote from The Wire:

Edit: A faithful reader reminds me of a clip of Omar being on the witness stand (that I have posted before). Greatness. "I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase."

"Omar's coming!" (Cue Farmer in the Dell.)

Above The Fold


Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • Trump wins Nevada! (And yesterday he said, "I love the poorly educated.") Greatest. Political. Race. Ever. Oh, and Ted Cruz finished third.
  • And Trump will be at the Fort Worth Convention Center at noon on Friday. I kind of want to go. 
  • Random musical thought: The first time I was ever at the convention center was when I was a Junior in high school and me and my buddies went there to see Boston in concert without tickets. We bought them from a scalper for $7.00 each. That was below face value. 
  • "JoJo" from Dallas is still a finalist in The Bachelor. (I live in a house full of females. I know stuff like this.) But when I hear the name I think of the Beatles song, Get Back, and/or the young female singer.
  • BagOfNothing is on drugs!!!
  • "But I will say this: Any police agency is a paramilitary organization." - Sheriff candidate Brandon Davis at a Wise County forum yesterday. You kidding me? Good lord! 
  • "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott endorses Ted Cruz for president." That just might sink him. 
  • I have a friend who worries about water poisoning. She thinks that is the way terrorists or rival nations attack us instead of bombing. I laughed at her. Well, we had the water shut down around Bonds Ranch Road a couple of weeks back and now we have this: "Dallas ISD plans to have the water tested at Lakewood Elementary as parents continue to have concerns about whether their children are safe at the school. The district had a third-party vendor check Lakewood’s air quality on Monday after parents complained of sick children. A teacher also fainted Monday for reasons not immediately made clear." I always love a good conspiracy theory.
  • Of all the people we have held at Guantanamo Bay for over a decade, the number of them which have been afforded an American jury trial is: Zero.
  • The Senate Republicans yesterday announced they would not hold any confirmation hearings if President Obama nominates a replacement for Scalia. Are they trying to lose the election? If I'm President Obama, I nominate a moderate Hispanic. If they won't hold a hearing, I hold a press conference to dog them and then I nominate a female moderate. If they won't hold a hearing, I'd do another press conference. Then I would nominate an African-American. Ditto. And then the Democratic nominee gets to dog the Republicans through out the summer and fall. Politics 101. (Right out of House of Cards.)
  • The Liberally Lean Weather Center would like to announce it did not foresee that weather yesterday evening. Man, rain and wind and cold made for a miserable day. I need to re-calibrate my instruments to protect my dear readers. 
  • Once again, I may die of allergies. 
  • Up at the courthouse yesterday, I was hanging out with a professional divorced couple (who shall not be named) who always argue. They are both friends of mine and we joke all the time. She thanked me for talking to her on the phone the other day, and I looked at him and jokingly said, "We got a little sumthing sumthing going on." His joking response was, "You aren't the only one." She then jumped up and beat his shoulder repeatedly while he laughed uncontrollably. Just when I think this job is a beat down, I get wildly entertained. Love 'em both.
  • There's a new on-the-scene reporter for Fox 4 News. Who did she replace?
  • "Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler apologized today for his role in a fight between who TMZ describes as his girlfriend and the mother of his child." And that was one serious fight. 






2.23.2016

Oh, My

Oh, my.

It's The Anniversary Of The Bobby Knight Chair Throw



I'll admit, I had never seen the full version before today. It's so insane. The ref "called for the athletic director!"

Bernie Sanders Volunteer Cries Over Trump Supporters Being Mean To Her



Girl, I'm not sure you need to be involved in politics.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




  • I saw a white car yesterday on the way to a hearing in Fort Worth that was white, had the Texas seal on it, and a with logo that simply said "Texas Law Enforcement". What the heck was that? Why wasn't the agency named?
  • Then on the way back I saw a Fort Worth police car which had "Abandoned Car Division" on the side of it.  Faithful readers know what I'm thinking right now, Too many . . . . 
  • One part of my job is to watch a ton of DWI videos from various agencies around the county. I'm going crazy because they now all have their own program which I have to install before I can watch it. That's a little scary to start with but practically the applications rarely work. Boyd PD and Decatur PD are the worst. Just go back to the simple DVD.
  • The Dwaine Caraway and John Wiley Price fight was gold.  I'd bet on Caraway on humor but Price in a fight.
  • I keep saying that if Trump wins Florida, it's over. But it looks like the election is in mid-March. Didn't it use to be earlier? The vote for Texas is March 1st. That's changed, right? 
  • In Dalworthington Gardens, a mother got shot and called 911. Her daughter answered the call. I'm not saying the 911 tape of that incident should be released but the police are refusing to so so since it involves their dispatcher and her daughter. You cannot justify that on that basis.
  • Josh Hamilton is hurt even before spring training begins. The most fragile body in the major league.
  • I don't do many jail visits these days (because I rarely have any clients in jail awaiting trial) but when I do, I'm greeted by the greatest Wise County employee who screams out, "Barry!!!! Where have you been?!!" That happened last Friday afternoon when I was really beaten down. It cheered me up immediately. I love that woman.
  • Hey, to you goofballs who think you don't need any instructions on using a kayak: If it takes on water, what do you do? Are there drain plugs? What about the paddle? Do you attach it to anything or do you risk letting it get away? What if you fall out or want to jump out to swim? How easy is it to get back in it? The fin? Is that the first thing you need to protect most when getting it in out of the lake? How about storing it if you have to outdoors? Does it matter how it is positioned? What about fishing pole attachments? I appreciate my readers but a couple of you are absolute morons.
  • One thing I've learned in life: Listen to people who know more about a subject than you do regardless of what that subject is.
  • Speaking of, I might need some rod and reel advice.
  • How the Republicans don't understand that Trump or Cruz cannot win the presidency is beyond bewildering. If Rubio doesn't get the nomination, it's over. Rubio, however, could win.
  • Cruz firing his communication director after a series of lies shows one thing: Chaos. 
  • Call back from yesterday: You guys really see guys riding horses in Wise County on the paved shoulder?
  • A home on College Street in Decatur looks like its garage (and more) was destroyed by a major fire. When did that happen? 
  • The accused Bridgeport ISD bus driver has made the Dallas Morning News.
  • And to the person who commented yesterday that "you are no Atticus Finch", you have no idea what my life is like on a daily basis. It is gut wrenching day after day if you care about the people who are scared and have put their faith in you to help them. By the way, don't hide behind your "anonymous" status. Come say that to my face.










2.22.2016

You Want To Be A Teacher In Public Schools?: Girl Beats Up Boy



Video link.

ABC7 San Francisco – The fight between two students happened at Sonoma Valley High School in Sonoma last week.

Let's Just Say I Might Retire And Play 3rd Base For The Red Sox




I'm in better shape. (And other than the fact I can no longer hit or field, I'm a shoo in.)

106 Year Old Meets The Obamas


The Rangers Had A Great Promo


The Texas Rangers came up with a great promo. Hit a home run and win season tickets. (You could not have been a prior or current professional or a college player.)

Video. Home run comes at 2:25 mark.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts



  • I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout-out to a guy who only knows me through this blog who responded to my thoughts about wanting to buy a kayak. He had a used one, offered it at a below market price and then delivered it before 9:00 a.m. on Saturday at Lake Bridgeport. And he threw in a life jacket, a fantastic paddle, and (importantly) instructions on how to use the thing. 
  • And, in the middle of it all, he asked, "How is your dad doing?" You, sir, have a heart of gold. 
  • Mrs. LL immediately got on the kayak and, get this,: She paddled from Twin Hills to that small little island next to the 380 bridge as you enter Runaway Bay. (You have to be from Wise County to understand that.) And people think I'm crazy. Side note: A friend of the 7th Grader In The House stared out the window and said with a defeated voice, "Your mom is much more adventurous than my mom."
  • I forgot that you have to have a fishing license to, uh, fish in a public lake. Think about that. You have to have government approval to fish? And a legal question I don't know the answer to off the top of my head: Does that apply to fishing off of your own private property? 
  • Me to Mrs. LL this weekend: "It's hard to catch a fish in February but come April I'm going to slay it." Her expression: "I don't even know you anymore."
  • Trump wins. Cruz comes in third. Jeb quits. Hillary wins.  It's on. 
  • The author of To Kill A Mockingbird has died. Perhaps my favorite line, and I'll admit I'm biased because of what I do, is:  "Miss Jean Louise," kindly Reverend Sykes gently admonishes [after the guilty verdict]. "Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passing."  You fight the good fight that only some people can understand. Video from the movie.
  • Then again, the O.J. Simpson mini-series is campy but great. 
  • Terrell Owens gave an interview at "Ticketstock" this weekend and he actually sounded sane. But he called out Jason Garrett for leaking false information to the media back in the day.
  • Steve Martin, one of my favorites, gave a surprise stand-up routine. His first joke was along the lines of (and read it with his voice and pauses), "I was was in the bathroom before I came out here, and I must say I'm a little angry.  I saw a sign that said, 'Employees must wash hands'. I want to tell you, I could not find one employee to wash my hands!" 
  • There are so many commercials and billboards about varicose veins. Why should you care? If you are alive and healthy, the last thing you need to worry about is how your legs look.
  • Weirdest thing I saw yesterday: Someone riding a horse on the shoulder of highway 380 just outside of Bridgeport.







2.19.2016

Hillary With The Official Liberally Lean Girl Britney


Random Thought Girls!

That Old Rodeo Bit Did Not Go Well



And for you two guys sitting at the table at the end: You didn't realize this bull was straight out of Compton?

Louisiana Law Enforcement Is Seriously Insane



h/t BagofNothing

How much taxpayer money was spent on that? Production costs? Time waste of guys standing around? And if that guy has an elected position, he just had the taxpayers pay for an over the top ad.

Note to self: Be careful when you go to Louisiana.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts




  • It looks like law enforcement in the metroplex is engaging in their fake pay-your-fine-or-we-will-arrest-you ruse this weekend. Do the math. Do you have any idea what it takes to process one person? It's a bluff. (And, once again, I'm not saying to not pay your fines. I'm saying law enforcement is lying to you.)
  • Nothing makes me giggle more than Texas political ads and now they are coming fast and furious. If someone had trademarked the word "conservative" he would have made a fortune. 
  • My allergies may kill me. 
  • Baylor reported no sexual assaults between 2008 and 2011. Not one. Not a single date rape? For a school I adore let me say this: You are lying. And it is getting very close for an apparently clueless and naive President Kenneth Starr (who got really worked up about a consensual relationship between a President and an intern) to be fired. And if I'm this worked up, trust me, the other uptight Baylor natives are even more restless.
  • Update on the Rhome situation: The Chief of Police disputes that he is on administrate leave. This is right out of Idiocracy. Mayor: "Yes, you are". Chief: "No, I'm not". 
  • Touching: John Kasich hugs a college student at a campaign rally who is obviously upset. Disgusting: They immediately turned it into a campaign ad.
  • Two dead after a shooting this morning at a high tone Las Vegas hotel. 
  • Ethan Couch's case will be heard today as to whether he will be transferred to adult court. Once again, if there was a Vegas line on this I'd bet the house. (And MADD is already there for a press conference. They are the equivalent of PETA in looking for press. And money.)
  • There was a tour helicopter crash in Hawaii. One of the craziest declarations my mother ever had was "Never take a helicopter ride in Hawaii!!! They always crash!" She might have been right. 
  • Police have shot and killed a man in Parker County after a "stand off". Do we not have enough officers to go in shifts and simply wait him out? He has to eventually sleep. Or, after hunger, just give up.






2.18.2016

Forget About Trump v. Cruz, We Now Have Pope v. Trump!!!! It's On!



And Trump responds! We have the craziest GOP race in history.


Oh, My