Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• WOW: An investigator in the Dallas County DA's office took a $50,000 bribe from a defendant in 2013 to persuade a prosecutor to drop a case. 
• BagOfNothing posted an old clip of Buddy Ryan running up the score on the Cowboys in 1987.  That truly gave me "good old day syndrome" -- the NFL was much more authentic back in the day. (And that's Lindsey Nelson on the play by play, right?)
• I was in Brookshire's and looked for a college football magazine. There were none. But there was one on Doomsday Prepping and one on self preservation via guns (with a pretty kick arse cover photo of a guy with a hand cannon defending himself against car-jackers.)
• Someone asked yesterday if you can leave the county/area/country if you are out of jail on bond (the Johnny Football trip to Cabo brought it up.) Answer: As for Wise County -- and I bet almost every other Texas jurisdiction -- 99% of the time there are no travel restrictions.  The only limit is the private contract between you and your bonding company which might have limitations. But normally if you call them and say, "I'm want to go to Cabo for a week. Is that OK?" they will say, "Sure."  (The 1% are the unusual/high profile cases which is why they make news. That's when you'll hear about someone having an ankle monitor or surrendering their passport.)
• Former TCU star QB Trevone Boykin was indicted yesterday for assault which allegedly occurred while on the team. A few months earlier "TCU senior defensive end Mike Tuaua and redshirt freshman wide receiver Andres Petties-Wilson was arrested . . . for allegedly kicking and punching a student in the face on Friday night and stealing 'a case of thirty Keystone Light beers'." In 2011, TCU "came to a confidential settlement with a former female student who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two members of the men’s basketball team and a member of the football team." There were at least seven sexual assaults on the TCU campus last year. There were 18 drug busts involving TCU in 2012 causing several football players to be kicked off campus. It's a culture of crime! Fire coach Gary Patterson! Fire the university President! Or you can just realize that TCU is like every other campus.
• "HOUSTON - A chase ended with a Houston police helicopter crew member taking down a burglary suspect in north Houston right after he was run over by a police vehicle." I personally liked the "put up your dukes" move. 
  
• Did I miss this epic "And Another" out of Houston (or am I going senile)?:
  
• Note to Republicans: I don't think this Benghazi angle is going to be the political sledgehammer that you want. 
• I forgot to mention that conservative columnist/commentator George Will has left the Republican Party because of Trump.
• "AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fitch Ratings has affirmed its 'AA-' underlying rating for Bridgeport Independent School District, Texas' $23.8 million unlimited tax bonds outstanding." I got Tired Head when I got to "AA-" and stopped reading. 
• I saw Baylor coach Kim Mulkey on Fox 4 last night talking about Pat Summitt. I love the gal but she's looking a little rough these days. (It will be of little interest to most, but here's a pic of Summitt coaching Mulkey in the Olympics.)

At Least 50 Dead In Turkey Airport Bombing

Wow the police actually shoots one of the suicide bombers before he blows himself up. #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/7kJzWJycyP

— Gilgo (@agirecudi) June 28, 2016

Edit: Death toll revised to 41.

Funny Bits

Original:

And the humor begins (more):

I Don't Know Much About Trains But . . .

Injuries reported in head-on train collision in Texas https://t.co/aUUbBk0Rk2 pic.twitter.com/t3s6vYTAMN

— Austin Statesman (@statesman) June 28, 2016

. . .  how exactly does this happen?

Man Found Not Guilty -- Prosecutor Might Be Delusional

Here's three paragraphs lifted from the story of the murder of a guy who spent 16 years in prison for robbery, got out, fathered a child, and helped the mom of that child shoot up heroin:

[The prosecutor] had a difficult case: no witnesses to the 4 a.m. shooting that awoke many in the Arbor apartments, no recovery of the weapon and no forensic evidence that could place [the defendant] at [the victim's] window.

Critical prosecution witnesses either admitted they lied to police or had such credibility problems some in the courtroom laughed.

On the stand, [a prosecution witness who was] a young construction worker from Dallas, addressed [the prosecutor] as “bro,” referred to the victim with a racial slur, and used a vulgar expression several dozen times as he talked about buying meth and marijuana from [the defendant], who he called “homeboy” and who sat expressionless at the defense table.

And that's just the beginning.

It's understandable that the jury had a reasonable doubt. Who wouldn't? My question is how didn't the prosecutor have that same doubt? How does he know the defendant was guilty? Why use questionable evidence to try and convict a man in the first place?

We Have All Turned Into The Paparazzi

Mom and dad are traveling to Cabo and Johnny Freaking Football is on their plane pic.twitter.com/ewwUJsbBQ7

— greg (@Gjd1986) June 28, 2016

That being said, Cabo needs to be warned.

But I'd "wanna get away", too  . . .

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The Ranger game ended at 2:45 a.m. New York time last night.
• For years I've loved to identify the "Oh, yeah? What about you?" rebuttal to any argument. It sure seems to be in fine form these days because it appears that any of Trump's well deserved criticism is hit with a retort of, "Oh, yeah? What about Hillary?" 
• The South Texas College of Law announced it would change its name to Houston College of Law and then was promptly sued by the University of Houston for trademark infringement. Maybe they'll just go with Law Hawk School Of Law.
• I joked yesterday that WFAA would go to 11 day weather forecasts to one up KXAS. Well, Pete Delkus tweeted last night to promote their new 10 day forecasts. It's just a matter of time.
• I think I control the weather. Every time Lake Bridgeport is still and I take a long kayak journey, the wind will eventually kick up in a violent fashion and blow into me on the way back. (Last night I had to take cover behind an island for a while). 
• I guy up at the courthouse yesterday was complaining that his son didn't know how to address a letter. That could be a common problem. 
• The bird who keeps flying into the window because he sees his reflection is still at it. Dumbest. Bird. Ever.
• The Red Cross had to apologize for this safety poster. (Click here for larger version). 
  
• The Tweeting Texas Supreme Court judge yesterday pointed out that his court has never had a decision reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court since he's been in Austin. That's not an accomplishment. The Texas Supreme Court doesn't have criminal jurisdiction and in only the rarest of circumstances deal with federal questions. Bottom line: They don't issue any decisions that the U.S. Supreme Court would typically have jurisdiction over or interest in. (Even yesterday's Texas abortion case didn't go through the Texas Supreme Court.)
• Donald Trump, who has a hot political opinion about everything, was strangely silent yesterday about the abortion decision. 
• The Texas Republicans cannot with a straight face say the abortion restrictions were all about women's health. That's a lie but they had to say it to even have a snowball chance in hell of fighting off any court challenge. But former Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who didn't get the memo, tweeted on the night of passage that the purpose of the restrictions were for the purpose of essentially banning abortion. 
• I don't know if it is true about smartphones but I wouldn't doubt it: "The study found that the average person swipes, taps and pinches their display about 2,617 times a day."
• The murder by Fort Bend mom of her two daughters on Friday evening is beyond disturbing. The current information is that she reloaded, was set to get married on Monday, and the sheriff's office had been called to the home 12 times in 2012.
  
• Buddy Ryan, father of the crazy Ryan Brothers and known for the "Bounty Bowl" and slugging another coach on the Houston sideline, has died.
• Legendary Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, 64, has died after a battle with dementia. I loved her fire. (On Saturday, at around 12:15, I was listening to ESPN radio where a couple of hosts were talking about her. There was an awkward moment after the female host praised Summitt when the male host replied with, "When anyone battles cancer . . . .". The female host quickly corrected him with, "She suffers from dementia!" He tried to recover by talking about the profound things people say on their deathbeds when their priorities are finally in order. At that point I yelled, "Dude, she has dementia!!!")
• In 2012, I had a Random Thought about Summitt after Baylor beat Tennessee. She was still the coach but was in such bad shape that she didn't speak in huddles and an assistant handled the post game press conference. 
• John Wiley Price's trial is delayed again. What happened to the days when if the feds indicted you there would be a trial within three months? 
• I'm beginning to think I should always wear some type of glasses, safety or otherwise, while fishing. I've had a couple of close calls with a lure flying past my head. 

It's A New Trump Offensive!

Kid Does A Bit During College World Series

My Prediction Affirmed

Breaking: Supreme Court strikes down TX law regulating abortion clinics, 5-3 decision. https://t.co/dv66sf7aWs pic.twitter.com/Hmc98xxCx7

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 27, 2016

This was the case that began with this . . .

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The Supreme Court will issue a Texas abortion ruling this morning. Prediction: They'll find that the restrictions imposed by House Bill 2 are unconstitutional and they'll take a shot at Texas for even trying to assert that the restrictions were all about "women's health". 
• The tweeting Texas Supreme Court judge (yep, still goofy) bragged on Friday that the court had wrapped up its work two months early. That's nothing to brag about. The court decides which cases it wants to hear. They don't have to take everything that walks through the door. So not only do they control their own workload, they control their vacation time. 
• The Rockwall County judge was arrested for DWI.
• Former Bridgeport star point guard Caleb Smith signed with Texas aTm. The Dallas Morning News headline said that he signed "from controversial Bridgeport team."
• I was stalked by a drone while fishing on Lake Bridgeport this weekend. (It was so bizarre I'll probably make it a separate post.) And I'm not saying it is related, but I noticed someone posted some pretty cool drone footage from Lake Bridgeport -- including following a skier -- this weekend on Twitter. 
• A bird drove me crazy all yesterday afternoon. It was in a tree within feet of a window, would see its reflection, and then would crash into the window to get the "other" bird. Over and over and over again. 
• I take great pride in this: Since 2014 I have mentioned here no less than five times that I thought there was something suspicious about the company Breitling Energy and its CEO Chris Faulkner. And then this happened on Friday: "The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . . . charged Breitling Energy Corp, its chief executive and seven other people with defrauding investors out of around $80 million by misleading them about the value of oil and gas assets."
• Faulkner first got my attention when he would by ad time as a lead-in to the Mark Davis Show podcast. The ads made no sense, and he had the air of a snake oil salesman. Faulkner was also a frequent contributor to Fox Business News appearing as recently as March. 
• I hated Independence Day. Its sequel debuted this weekend and made less money than its original. 
• I'm seven episodes into Game of Thrones. I can't tell you the number of times I have thought, "Oh, my!"
• I noticed KXAS has gone to 10 day weather forecasts. How long before WFAA goes to an 11 day forecast? (It's like from Something About Mary: "That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?")
• Trouble in Trump Land: "A new Washington Post/ABC poll published on Sunday found Trump trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by double digits in head-to-head matchups nationally among adults. Support for Trump fell from 46% in May to 39% in June, while Clinton's support jumped from 44% to 51% - a 14-point month-to-month swing."
• On my death bed I might ask to be moved to the Decatur Lowe's checkout line in the home and garden section.  It will feel like time is standing still. 
• With Brexit happening, there were a ton of stories that Texas needed to secede from the U.S. And, once again, there were the stories which yelled, "That can't happen because it would be illegal."  I've ranted about this before, if Texas chose to do it (it will never happen) they could do it. It might be the equivalent of an act of war, but no law of a country can stop a section of that country from leaving. 

It's Friday. Let's Get Out Of Here.

 Link to animated gif

Link to animated gif

Dateline: Cincinnati

Story.

Every Wise County Employee Got Paid Twice Today

Yep. Twice. As in double the amount they were supposed to be paid. An email has already been sent advising county employees to not spend it.

We Live In A Very White Area Even For Texas

Source. Dark blue means a high concentration of whites . . . 

 Percentage white (Wise County in yellow)  . . .

Fort Worth's Texas Law Hawk Has A New Commercial

My head just exploded.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• "DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Dozens of people were burned Thursday night after walking over hot coals at a Tony Robbins motivational seminar in Dallas, and at least five of those hurt had to be hospitalized, officials said." Did they not learn anything from Dwight in The Office?

• And Tony Robbins is still doing that shtick?
• I'll admit that I really don't understand the European Union vote (but prepare to see the U.S. stock market in a free fall this morning and then quickly recover.)
• Funny sports humor line I saw: The European Union should immediately invite BYU to replace Great Britain. 
• When I went to sleep, most of the major media outlets were saying the vote was "razor thin" close at 51.5% to leave and 48.5% to stay with half the vote counted. Boys, you need to take a statistics course. If you have a sample size of 50% of the vote, the result is known. 
• All three local sports shows had live NBA draft coverage last night. So much media effort. So little public interest. (And Mavs fans had to wait until the 46th pick to see how they would screw it up.)
• A 19 year old was sentenced to 25 years for meth over in Grayson County.  The War on Drugs continues.
• That story says he will be eligible for parole after he serves 1/4 of his time. Not true. It's actually quicker. (Technical point: I bet 90% of criminal lawyers and prosecutors in Texas don't understand the wording of the "1/4 parole law" for non-3g crimes.)
• The former McKinney Police Officer who tried to crush the unauthorized pool party from last summer was not indicted by a grand jury. Although he shouldn't have been, every criminal beat reporter should have Microsoft Word autocorrect "gjnb" into "Grand jury no-bills police officer" because it happens so often.
• But I don't understand the teenager suing the police agency. Even assuming it was a civil rights violation (doubtful), you weren't hurt. 
• This image alone cost him his job: 
  
• Evil Empire acceptance rate by race (source):

• I always have to link to the Texas Tribune because they called me out once for potential copyright infringement. 

Official Liberally Lean Girl Just Killing It On Twitter

Twirling for all the haters pic.twitter.com/gB5cD46V9B

— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) June 23, 2016