Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Trump's tax plan was rolled out by two former Goldman Sach's guys who kept promising us we'll get the details later. That seems to be a recurring theme.
• The raising of the standard deduction for couples to $24,000 seems like a big deal for the common man. But the housing industry didn't like it. One incentive to buy a home is the mortgage interest deduction. But if your total itemized deductions, even with the mortgage deduction, doesn't crack $24,000, the mortgage interest deduction doesn't matter. You just take the standard deduction instead.
• Good for the wealthy: Corporate tax rate of 15%, and the elimination of the estate tax.
• And Another (Texas): 
  
• And Another who was found not guilty by a judge yesterday (Lousiana):
  
• The Texas House, in their late-into-the-night debate last night on Sanctuary Cities, approved an amendment allowing officers to ask a person legally detained about their immigration status. That law is probably unconstitutional because the Supreme Court has made is specifically clear that all actions during a detention must be limited to the purpose of the detention. Asking about a person's immigration status is unrelated to, say, a detention for a traffic violation. (And DPS has already been accused of violating that leading Supreme Court opinion in the context of handling illegal immigrants during traffic stops.)
• The feds raided TV preacher Benny Hinn's offices in Grapevine yesterday. Hey, I think most of the TV guys are modern day snake oil salesmen of The Feel Good Gospel (Joel Osteen, Robert Jeffress, Ed Young, etc.), but I get real uncomfortable when I see the government raiding a church. They better have a good reason. 
• Random Sports Observation: In the ten school Big 12, only seven schools have women's softball programs.  West Virginia, Kansas State, and (amazingly) TCU do not.
• Trump softens on NAFTA. Let me guess, we'll get the details later.
  
• DeMarcus Ware "retired as a Cowboy this week". Hot sports opinion: Charles Haley ᐳ DeMarcus Ware, and it isn't even close. 
• The Star-Telegram is working blue this morning on its home page. (And this isn't even a local story. It's out of Florida.):
  
  
  
  
• The NFL Draft is tonight, and The Ticket said this morning there used to not be a time limit on the teams to make their pick. As proof, they said Dallas once took six hours to evaluate the health of Mel Renfro before taking him. It seems to be true. What a beating. 
• A Morning News letter to the editor -- Preach on, bruther! cc: Pete Delkus:
  
• One of the funniest bits I had seen in a while were two "fake strongmen" who conned their way onto a morning local TV show. They are now being sued.

Azle Should Be In Wise County

ICYMI: A woman in Azle said her camel had fallen into her swimming pool and couldn't seem to get out. https://t.co/097b75sDXn pic.twitter.com/jP5lvexxiv

— NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) April 26, 2017

Baseball Play Of The Night

YOOOO pic.twitter.com/kJN8vX4FFC

— nick (@nick_pants) April 26, 2017

Above The Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• "MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Jail staff cut off an inmate's access to water for seven days straight before he died of dehydration, and the man was too mentally unstable to ask for help as he slowly died, prosecutors said Monday at the beginning of an inquest." Let's not mince words: Sheriff Clarke's staff murdered a man. 
  
• I haven't had a boss since 1992. That's the good news. The bad news is I'm harder on myself than any boss I ever had. 
• "WATCH: Jesse Watters on Fox News re Ivanka Trump: 'I really like how she was speaking into that microphone"' That was on the new prime time edition of The Five.  The men on that network will never learn. 
• Groundhog Day: Motorcycle death in Arlington, Fort Worth officer shoots and kills a guy, and the Rangers can't hit. 
• Trump is backing off having funding for The Wall in the spending bill which is needed by Friday to keep the government open.  One thing is clear: That wall will never be built. 
• Ted Cruz has joined the cast of Idiocracy: 
  
• Rumors abound that ESPN is going to layoff somewhere between 60 and 100 people today. Edit: Wow. The first one to just confirm he has been fired is long time national NFL reporter Ed Werder. Edit: They fired Jean-Jacques Taylor.
• First the Fort Worth PD acquired dirt bikes, now Wise County EMS is purchasing three ATVs.
• I somehow stumbled upon and Abbott and Costello movie last weekend. In it there was a scene of a young woman who just happened to be African-America breaking out into song on a bus. She was really, really good so I checked into it. Her name: Ella Fitzgerald. It was her first screen appearance. 
• If I'm the coach in Desoto, I make it secretly known to every 6A powerhouse that I'd be interested in their head coaching job if there is an opening. And if I'm a Superintendent of a 6A powerhouse who is thinking about firing their coach, I contact the Desoto coach. (Is all that legal? There aren't UIL "tampering" rules are there?)

Tram v. Car: Who Ya Got

That Tram driver pretty much had the attitude, "Well, I just ran over another car."

And maybe there's a reason for that:

"Real Lawyers Of The State Of Texas"

This is a crazy story. Be sure to follow the "Above the Law" link in the article, and be sure to check out the comments in this Texas Lawyer story where the attorney enters the fray. Trust me, after you do a little research, those comments are exactly want he would do.

Edit: This article from the Victoria Advocate is a good summary as well.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The State Department basically produced a paid ad at taxpayer expense for Mara-a-Lago yesterday and then immediately took it down. 
• In the Travel Section of the Dallas Morning News on Sunday. It was very detailed.: 
  
  
  
• A crossing guard in Hunt County was hit and killed by a vehicle about a month ago. Police wouldn't say who did it. The school wouldn't say who did it. Once the press started investigating, the police finally admitted who the driver was: The Hunt County DA.
• There is something bizarre going on in Desoto ISD. Their head coach was hired two years ago and placed on routine new-hire probation for two years. His first year, he went 6-6. His second year he went 16-0 and won the school's only state championship. As required, the school board had to vote as to whether or not to retain him last night since his probationary period was ending. No brainer, right? News started circulating that 4 of the 7 school board members would vote "no" causing tons of people and media to rush to the school board meeting last night. Why not retain him? No scandal. No fraud. No cheating. The only crazy rumor out there is that the coach is white and the district is 80% African-American. In the end, the school board backed down and took no action. Football players decided to pray about it when the board was in executive session.
  
• Yesterday I mentioned the Tarrant County DA's office win/loss record in misdemeanor trials for the week.  A faithful reader pointed out a Fort Worth law firm who got the results for two years for felony cases. The results: Of 316 cases tried, a guilty verdict was returned in 75.3%.
• The owner of Jimmy John's has a long history of killing majestic animals. I'll never go there again. Examples and more examples. 
• The City of New Orleans is taking down various Confederate Monuments. The inscription on at least one of them did not help the "Don't Remove History!" crowd.
  
  
• I thought I had remembered Jack Nicklaus saying in the late 1990s that Tiger Woods back would never hold up. Turns out the claim wasn't bold. Another faithful reader found it  (Source: Tim Rosaforte's 1997 book on Woods.)
  
   
• I don't care about this news, but I suspect a lot of Wise County will: Dale Jr. will retire after this season. This won't help the plummeting NASCAR ratings. 
• After seeing that American Airlines passenger confrontation video a hundred times, something occurred to me: The pilot or co-pilot in the background, who is in charge of the plane, sure does stand around like a dope during the whole ordeal. 
• If you can find BBC America, check out Planet Earth II.  (That show shot the footage of the critter running from a bunch of snakes on some kind of Snake Island.)
• BagOfNothing is losing it. His last bullet point today suggests Trump should invade and go to war with North Korea in order to help his re-election chances. At least that's what he would suggest if he were a political consultant. (Hiccup side effect?)

"I Don't Think That's Correct"

Dallas Police say wind caused crane to tip over in downtown Dallas, killing 1 of 2 workers operating it. They were working on cell tower. pic.twitter.com/amdWLVolpw

— Allison Harris (@allisonfox4news) April 24, 2017

This isn't a windy day. And look at some of the wind speeds in Dallas shortly after the accident. That's not knocking over a crane.

A Perfect Game In 86.9 Seconds?

I think it is legit.

(You can skip to the 56 mark for the action.)

Edit: It looks like the real world record is here.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The Tarrant County DA's misdemeanor section went 4-4-1 (the "1" was a mistrial) last week with one case still ongoing. Crappy cases need to be killed at intake. But if they are filed, misdemeanor prosecutors need the discretion to cut a deal instead of being told, "No, just got try it and see what happens." (The absolute most reckless and dangerous attitude any prosecutor can have and a guaranteed sign they don't care about justice.) Note: The DA's office always post their ongoing trials here but it is reset every week -- I don't think they archive the results online.
• Former OU running back Joe Mixon and the student he cold-cocked reach a civil settlement last week less than one week before the NFL draft. In an unusual move, they issued a joint statement where the victim praised Mixon and basically said he was a "swell guy." That was so transparent. Her lawyer said, "Look, Mr. Mixon lawyer, the draft is coming up and your guy's stock is plummeting. Give me [$xxx] as a settlement and we'll issue a great joint statement, and his draft value might rise so much that he may recoup the settlement amount immediately."
• The Dallas cop who was fired after he ran over a guy on a bicycle was found not guilty late last week. It's hard to convict an officer. 
• We had another airline passenger/crew incident -- this time on American Airlines. Here's a suggestion: Everyone calm down!  Flight attendant: Calm down. Mr. "I'll knock you flat" Passenger: Calm down. And even momma holding the baby: Get it together. 
• You'll hear the Secretary of State or Defense Secretary say, "All options are on the table" when dealing with Syria and North Korea. When are all options not on the table with any country? 
• After 100 days, Trump has won the distinction of having the lowest approval rating per the Gallup poll in the the history of the Gallup polls.  (The NBC/WSJ poll has him at 40%. Fox News has him at 43%)
  
• The Rangers released Josh Hamilton, and it appears he is done.  The Angels gave him a 5 year contract worth  $125 million in 2012. They got one and half years of work. He is in year five right now and still being paid even though the Angels got rid of him after year two.
• The New York Times reported over the the weekend that Fox News' Sean Hannity gives advice and counsel to Trump. (Once again, we are all going to die.) Anyway, Hannity had a paranoid response: 
  
• I didn't know Hannity, champion of Family Values, went to the Bunny Ranch one time.
  
• This is a big week for Republicans. (1) They promised Tax Reform within 100 days, but will allegedly only announce the plan this week, (2) the White House shockingly said there would be a vote on Repeal and Replace this week (it won't happen and that was an insane assertion) , and, (3) A government shutdown could happen on Friday. The shutdown might occur if Trump is presented a funding bill that does not include funding for The Wall so, as a consequence, he won't sign it. (Don't worry about that "Mexico is going to pay for it" thing.) 
• Erin Moran, Joanie from Happy Days, died over the weekend. I didn't know she had her home in California foreclosed on a few years back and was living in a trailer in Indiana. 
• The Waco DA's office continues to kick the Twin Peaks Biker cases on down the road. They now say that can't try any of the cases because the Feds have a case pending against one of the biker gangs. That's nothing but an excuse. Oh, and you want to know how much this fiasco has cost the taxpayers? The county has spent $208,239, and the federal government has kicked in $268,527 to the city of Waco and $248,941 to the county to cover other expenses. And not a single trial or plea after almost two years. 
• Random college sports note: In lacrosse, the men wear helmets. Women do not. 

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

"Me like Chicken McNuggets."

I don't feel bad for hoping that she came in last. 

When you trust your buddy to know the 

difference between lighter fluid and gasoline. 

"I'll do it. I will do it!"

To add insult to injury, I think that blow was preceded by the ol' tail to the face routine.

Girl Posts Selfie

Heard it was sundress season pic.twitter.com/TXbXrtLFKe

— Shelbs (@_shelbizzle) April 18, 2017

Gets destroyed in the Replies for having the messiest room in the history of ever.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• In Art Briles last year, he earned $6,234,905 (only the head coach at the public institutions of Michigan, Ohio State and Alabama made more.)
• This is quite the tribute. Cones? Sheesh. You can't find something other than what just happened to be in the back of a truck in the parking lot?: 
  
• Payouts tied to harassment allegations at Fox News total $85 million of which $65 million of that has gone to the men who were ousted. That's right. The women gets $20 million and their harassers get the rest.
• Trump had the Italian Prime Minister in the White House yesterday and mentioned Pavarotti in front of the press calling the famous tenor "a good friend of mine". Pavarotti died 10 years ago. 
• Ridiculous standard? You released a "Contract With The American Voter" during the campaign which included a "100 Day Action Plan."
  
• And he "accomplished" South Carolina?
• Tiger Woods had back surgery in Dallas. He's done. I could have sworn that Jack Nicklaus said way back when Tiger first hit the tour in the late 1990s that there was no way his back would hold up with that violent swing, but I can't find the quote. 
• Now we've learned our Attorney General Jeff Sessions isn't very bright. Yesterday he said,  "I really am amazed that a judge sitting on an island in the Pacific can issue an order that stops the President of the United States from what appears to be clearly his statutory and Constitutional power."  That "island" would be the State of Hawaii and that judge would be an appointed federal judge pursuant to Article III of the Constitution. 
• I would have hoped his "military training" would have taught him not to drive in front of a train. 
  
• "WISE COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – Thousands of people living around Lake Bridgeport in Wise County will start paying 66 percent more for water next month. The West Wise Utility District says the higher bills are the only solution to a water quality issue that has plagued the area more than two years." Ouch.
• Alabama is one step away from allowing a mega-church to have its own police force. Think about that. A church with police who have all the power of the government including detain, arrest, and search when lawful.  Talk about blurring the line between church and state. That law will never survive. 
• A three judge federal court found that Texas Republican in Austin gerrymandered a couple of districts to suppress minority voting. That's the third time there's been such a ruling in recent weeks. 
• I'm beginning to think John Wiley Price won't be acquitted. We may have a hung jury or a conviction on only tax evasion. 

This Is Right Out Of Final Destination

Wheel takes off from moving vehicle in Turkey's Adana, rolls into nearby pharmacy hitting two peoplehttps://t.co/mdzh0kj7AJ pic.twitter.com/dmc3ItcvOF

— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) April 19, 2017

Even The Kid Does Comedy At The End

Florida mascot saves little kid from foul ball! pic.twitter.com/dYOB9Gx5H5

— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) April 20, 2017

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Trump fired every U.S. Attorney a few weeks back. He has not named a single replacement. There are 93 positions sitting empty. (It might have helped the John Wiley Price prosecutors if they had a boss.) Edit: Correction. He fired 46 U.S. Attorneys who were "Obama-era holdovers." They have not been replaced.
• A police officer in Austin in charge of running the Intoxilyzer machine did a routine "self test" which showed 0.064 and 0.065 (the machine requires two samples.) Yep, he had been drinking. He immediately reported it to his superior. Was that a noble act? Nope: (1). The DPS technical supervisor for the machine downloads the data once a month and she would have seen it. (2) The testing data for the machine is discoverable by defense lawyers who are defending DWI cases and they would have seen it. Without knowing the facts, their position would have been: A sober officer blew a 0.065? The machine is screwed up. Then the officer would either have to come clean or jeopardize thousands of cases. 
• I'm clairvoyant. Yesterday I posted a picture of Aaron Hernandez with Tim Tebow where Tebow had "John 3:16" under his eyes. There are reports Hernandez drew "John 3:16" on his forehead before dying. 
• I also correctly predicted the demise of Bill O'Reilly who got fired yesterday. (What a miserable human being.) And who will take his time slot? The guy I've been dogging for the last two days: 
  
• O'Reilly used to work at Channel 8 in Dallas:
  
• Speaking of Channel 8, they covered Decatur ISD's consideration of random drug testing. 
• If weed had run against Trump, it would have of won. In every state that voted to legalize it in November, the "for" votes garnered more votes than Trump. 
  
• Oh, my! Sarah Palin, Ted Nugent, and Kid Rock in the White House! (No word on whether or not squirrel was served.)
  
• I've not been to a high school track meet in forever although I love track. Yesterday, Decatur held the "Area Meet" which comes after the District Meet but before the Regional Meet for those who qualify. I always thought you went from district to regional. How long has this been going on? Let me guess, twenty years. 
• Unrelated: I bet I haven't seen someone write a check at a store in twenty years. 

Goose vs. Detective: Who Ya Got?