Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• There was a bicyclist killed in the metroplex by a guy who was allegedly DWI. One of the odd things about it was that the cyclist was riding in the middle of the night. His wife said it wasn't unusual since he worked the night shift and he was up most nights even when not working the next day. And, what I think would be a dangerous journey, he would cycle 16 miles to work at UT Dallas from Wylie. At night.
• I fascinated by what my life would be like if I worked the "night shift." (And, side note, Night Shift is one of my all time favorite movies.)
  
• I clicked on it because I wanted to see if he was a bandit. He is. He wants $20 for that. 
  
• In all seriousness, how is Jeffress any different from the money changers that made Jesus go on a rampage? 
• Mark Davis vaguely admitting past indiscretions on Wednesday as he pointed out that he isn't "throwing stones" at any of the people being caught up in sexual scandals in recent days. I dog him all the time, but I'll finally give him credit. 
• At the U.N. Security Council table, Russia's nameplate reads "Russian Federation." That's very Star Trek like.
• Trump was especially weird yesterday morning misleading the public with a retweet of a radical right winger Brit's post of a video of "Muslim" violence. It was actually ISIS (or possibly even fake). Trump's press secretary excused the mistake by going full Orwellian: "Whether it is a real video, the threat is real." The truth, apparently, no longer matters.
• And when Trump received criticism, he continued to show he will fire from the hip without fact checking:
  
• Both The Dallas Morning News and KXAS reported yesterday that Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez had resigned to run for governor. She hadn't. (Side note: That would be the worst political decision ever.)
• Good lord, Matt! (Credit: BagOfNothing):
  
• The University of Tennessee can't find anyone who wants to be the head football coach. 
• At the courthouse yesterday, I learned that an investigator was boycotting the NFL because of the anthem protests as well as the husband of a very high ranking and super powerful office administrator. 
• Also a funny moment at the courthouse: A gal tells me she is buying her daughter a frozen sled. I had a very confused look on my face. Another lady says, "There is no way he understands." Then I hear, "Not a frozen sled. A movie Frozen sled!"
  
• Criminal defense lawyers only: I was watching a video of Advanced Criminal Law 2017. A lot of the speakers are spares but one who was fantastic was  David Guinn, Jr. out of Lubbock. His advice, paraphrased, don't worry about the "facts" in the police report -- the video is all that matters. And he is dead on. He also played a video of police interaction with one of his clients during a traffic stop to emphasize what is wrong and what's right. He started it with, "I'm not just going to stand up here and cite a bunch of cases. You can all read the seminar paper. Especially at an Advanced course. Let's do something you can actually use."
• There's not a a guy out there who has brain who has not re-examined his life over the last two weeks and asked himself, "Have I ever done anything that could be considered inappropriate and non-consensual?"
• Ticket fans only: I was in the front yard jacking around, in a frustrated fashion, with the lights when Mrs. LL pulled up. As she got out of the car, I said (jokingly), "I've got enough on my mind right now, I don't need your . . . ." Her response: "I pressed the bar!!!!!"  (Audio of what we re-created which may be one of my favorite audio segments of all time.)

Matt Lauer And The Today Show Did Workplace Sexual Harassment Bits

Throwback to 2012 when Matt Lauer was the “real victim” of sexual harassment on the Today show 🤔 pic.twitter.com/mYdnhEV2wv

— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) November 29, 2017

Not so funny now, huh?

Side note: Word is that The New York Times has been working on the Lauer story for quite some time, and NBC decided to get out in front of it. That makes sense as to how this happened so fast.

Edit: It's not the Times. It is Variety. And it is shocking.

"He [Allegedly] Got Weed! He [Allegedly] Got Weed!"

Source.

"MARIJUANA ARREST EARLY THIS MORNING ON Highway 287 N. of Pioneer RD. A traffic stop, by Officer Brown [of the Rhome Police Department], for speeding resulted in an arrest for [allegedly] transporting 42 lbs. of marijuana valued at $150,000.The arrested person, Bradley Jackson, 26, of Baton Rouge LA, was [allegedly] hauling the marijuana from California to Louisiana.

Bradley Jackson [allegedly] admitted to being courier for large distribution network.

His bond is set at $15,000.00"

(Here's the "He got weed" reference.)

Oh, My

Here is a (now very awkward) segment of a pants-less Matt Lauer exposing himself to four NBC women, saying "Drink it in ladies!" 
One of them asks "Again Matt?"
Savannah Guthrie tells Lauer "Stop it. You're making me lactate." pic.twitter.com/tuLtro5etE

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 29, 2017

Above The Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• It's been a long time since I've done a double take at my computer screen as I did at around 7:00 a.m. this morning: NBC has fired Matt Lauer for sexual misconduct. And they got rid of him at the speed of light. He made $28 million a year.
  
• Of course, the "Grab 'Em By The P" Guy had to weigh in this morning. Incredible.: 
• 
• He certainly will never be recognized.
• 
• Four hunters in Dallas County ended up lost and stranded because they were chasing a pig. #ModernDayTexas
• Let's see where we stand as the year comes to an end. A Republican president. A Republican Senate. A Republican House. And we still have Obamacare. No tax law change. No wall. And indictments coming. This is going very well. 
• Good, lord!: 
  
• Tarrant County GOP leaders don't want Joe Barton to run for re-election. I hope he doesn't because I don't want to think about that picture ever again. 
• North Korea launched another test missile. Trump said, in his normal vague fashion, "We will take care of it." 
• My brother-in-law on Mrs. LL's side picked up a guitar last weekend and played the beginning to Classical Gas flawlessly. It was enough to make get out of my chair and go watch. 
• As I get older, I'm stunned by my recognition of how naive I was as a young man and a young lawyer. I watched and read The Firm years ago and thought, "That's a good drama. Not great but good." Now I watch it and think, "This crap actually does happen."
• I began my Clark Griswald Christmas Decoration Yard Project last night. 
• My first UTEP basketball post: Last night, after the team lost, their coach quit and announced it in his post game press conference.
• Trump, for some reason, this morning retweeted a video of "Muslim Destroys Statue of Virgin Mary!"
• The Goofy Texas Supreme Court judge claims he performed the Heimlich maneuver on a man at a Chick-fil-A . Before it, he said, "[I was] hunched over my MacBook, munching some Chick-fil-A chicken strips while discussing errands with my wife on my cell.” He's a Renaissance Man! And the fact this allegedly happened at a Chick-fil-A is a nice touch.

Let's Check In On A Couple Of Girls In Australia

Wait for it... The terrifying moment a young tourist was attacked by a crocodile in #FNQ was captured on video by her friend. 🐊🐊🐊 #Cairns https://t.co/1If59Ojou4 pic.twitter.com/bqHB9B8zof

— Cairns Post (@TheCairnsPost) November 28, 2017

Although I think the description should be "almost attacked" and not "attacked."

Mrs. LL and I Did The Dallas Version Of Trail Of Tears

We recreated Oswald's journey through Oak Cliff on the anniversary of the assassination last week.

We started at his Rooming House. It was basically a "private property" but "call us to set up an appointment" type of deal. As we were walking away, a tour bus pulled up in the driveway and a bunch of people got out to look at it. I suspect they have cut a deal.

The next stop was where Officer Tippet was shot. Let me tell you, we drove it and that would be no short walk. A guy from house across the street came out to talk to us. It's apparently his bit. Nice guy.

He actually pointed out an X that had been painted where the shooting occurred.

One thing odd is that the guy said Oswald was walking West down that street. If he took the most direct route he would have been walking East. The guy might be wrong. The crime scene photos show the officer's car facing East (I think) and I had thought Tippet pulled up right along side Oswald as he was walking.

This was our view facing that direction.The "X" was by the black pickup.

Our next stop was the Texas Theater. It was fascinating. Here is a shot from the screen.

See that little white thing on the seat near the back? This is the sparest marker ever to note the seat Oswald was in when he was captured. (I could have sworn I heard that the seat had been re-upholstered black.)

One cool thing that the Texas Theater was doing that day was showing "War Is Hell", the film that was showing at the moment of the arrest. And they charged 90 cents -- the same price as charged on that day.

Mrs. LL wanted to see a little bit of it so we did. Not a bad little flick. But we were a little unnerved when we discovered before the film started that a guy came in and sat down in the chair!!! We were on high alert.

As we walked out of the theater, there was some guy holding court. He was telling a group of about seven that there were actually "Two Oswalds" in the theater that day. One was a patsy and the real killer got away. Trust me, I was biting my tongue. Then he said, "Let's go." And they all got into his SUV. Yep, he was a Conspiracy Tour Guide. One elderly lady had  noticed my fascination with the whole thing and as she walked to the SUV, smiled and said, "You want to ride on the roof?"

And that concludes the Dallas Trail of Tears. (Side note: The Ticket's Gordon Keith coined the phrase Dallas Trail of Tears about a decade ago.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• They played it on The Ticket this morning, but I can't find it to save my life: William Paul Dodd, the guy who was shot by police in the Arlington Mall, called 911 at some point before the incident. It starts of with him trying to explain, in the most Wheels Off slurred voice ever, that he had evaded arrest from the police the day before. Once the dispatcher figured out what he was trying to say, Dodd asks, "Have you heard about that?" Yes, buddy, dispatch knows of all alleged crimes that have just occurred. 
• We've got the dumbest Ag Commissioner in the history of Ag Commissioners. He posted an article that simply is not true. And a president can't "remove" a federal judge. That, my friends, is what "Fake News" means. And the Ag Commissioner should be smart enough to spot it. 
  
• Jimmy Blacklock, with no judicial experience, will be appointed by Gov. Abbott to the Goofy Tweeting Judge's Texas Supreme Court seat once the latter gets confirmed for the Fifth Circuit. He'll get $168,000 of your money, plus benefits, for a job he has no experience to have. He was "general counsel" for Abbott. Does Texas have swamps?
• A woman approached The Washington Post falsely claiming Roy Moore impregnated her as a teenager. It was a lie and part of a sting operation in an effort to get the paper to print the story Nutcase James O’Keefe was behind the effort so he could claim the paper was "Fake News".  However, the Post, checking her story out, sniffed it out an busted her. And him. Hard. 
• O'Keefe is indeed a nutcase. At the last election he followed a bus taking Democratic voters to the polls, filmed it, and proclaimed "Voter fraud!"  The action was 100% legal.
• But he's getting rich off his little organization.
  
  
• Old timers trivia: What did "Be kind. Rewind." mean? I know, but I heard it for the first time in 20 years yesterday. 
• Speaking of old, this is what the DFW TV schedule looked like in November, 1976. Those were your choices. (However, it was a Monday schedule and for some reason Monday Night Football does not appear on Channel 8.)
  
• UT's best player, offensive lineman Connor Williams, has announced he won't play in the Longhorns bowl game and will enter the NFL Draft. I don't have any problem with that. If it was a National Championship game he was balking at, I'd feel differently. But, if I'm him, I think I'd protect my ACLs from a meaningless bowl game.
• A commentor pointed out the other day that he thought it was strange that Gov. Abbott personally opened a package that could have injured him if it had not malfunctioned. I do to. There is no way the governor is opening a package -- I don't care if it looks 100% like it came from Amazon. We may have an exaggerated story on our hands, and the governor refused to answer questions about the incident yesterday. Edit: Just saw that BagOfNothing.com thinks the same thing. 
• The Plano ISD Superintendent will announce his resignation and no one knows why. I really don't care about Plano ISD but a resignation of such a high profile position mid-school year is weird. 
• The Chico library was burglarized but it was not released what was taken. If they have DVDs, I'm guessing it was DVDs. Those are currency. 

Tell Me This Did Not Just Happen!

Pres. Trump at event honoring Native American code talkers: "We have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas." https://t.co/opyDjrpBLu pic.twitter.com/7Acmjnzwee

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 27, 2017

He's At It Again

And there's a lot going on here:

We should have a contest as to which of the Networks, plus CNN and not including Fox, is the most dishonest, corrupt and/or distorted in its political coverage of your favorite President (me). They are all bad. Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2017

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The Bridgeport family dying in that Garland home fire is horrible.
• There was a shooting at Parks Mall in Arlington late yesterday, and the mall was shut down. If malls weren't in trouble already, crap like this isn't going to help it. And it looked like a scene out of Die Hard.
  
• I was stunned that the Irving Mall survived after a guy was killed in 1993 as he was eating pizza in the food court with his wife and two daughters due to a stray bullet from a gang member. (I had forgotten that his name was Kevin Bacon.) 
• The guy who shot and killed the DPS trooper a few days ago is a US Vet. 
• Who wore it better?: Crazy former Trump consultant and current Fox News lapdog Sebastian Gorka or McLovin? I'll go with McLovin. Always go with McLovin.
  
• College football: (1) Well, once again, I proved I'm a Sports Genius™. I predicted Auburn would upset Alabama. It happened. (2) OU will throttle TCU in the championship game. (3) Prediction: OU wins the National Championship, (4) I was in an Arkansas home watching TV when the UA fired its coach. The local news stations came on moments later and went nuts. (5) The Aggies fired Sumlin. I'm not so sure that's the right move. Just like I'm not sure it was the right move for the Aggies to leave the Big 12. (6) Mack Brown averaged 10.6 wins in his 1st 12 seasons at Texas. In 4 years since they fired him, the Longhorns averaged 5.5 wins a year. They have not won more than 6 games the last 4 years. (7) The Baylor/TCU fight was a really good one. (8)  But is was a good college football weekend, bruh.
  
          
•  I really don't go on road trips, but I went to Arkansas this weekend to see Mrs. LL's side of the family. In the past, I could get out of it because I could use the excuse that someone had to take care of the dogs. Then two of them turned on me by dying, and I lost my out. Honestly, it was great. They basically give me a room with a TV, give me a remote, and everyone tells me to alert them on college football scores. And, man, they all play a lot of cards.
• One thing I noticed along the way was the number of "Pilot" convenience stores. The place off of 407 in Wise County was just bought by them and, in a genius move, they put up a neon sign that can be seen from a mile away. I never thought the prior owner would make it because no one knew it was there. 
• The "Snoop Dogg Trooper" has sued DPS. (Have I mentioned that DPS head Steven McCraw is paid by you in the amount of $220,039 plus medical benefits plus a pension plus other benefits? Have I mentioned my wife and daughter spent all morning in a DPS "Megacenter" on a Monday morning just to get a Provisional driver's license?)
  
• 
  
• High School Sports: Jacksboro advanced to play New Diana in the Area Round this weekend. Yep, New Diana. 
• In case you missed it, Trump got crushed for this: 
•                                 
• I would like to point out that I was PROBABLY going to be appointed to the Supreme Court but I would have to agree to an interview and a major photo shoot. I said probably is not good and took a pass.
• The Toddler in Chief is obsessed with Time's Man of the Year. In addition to having remove the fake Time magazine pictures from his resorts which showed him on the cover (he wasn't), he also has tweeted these over the years. It's borderline bizarre: 
  
• Hot. Hunting. Opinion!: 
  
• Hot Shopping Opinion: "Black Friday", "Small Business Saturday" and "Cyber Monday" are all cons. Just shop for the best deal regardless of when it happens. Those days are meaningless.
• Speaking of cons, I talked to a pastor over the holidays who told me he absolutely agreed on my views about FBC of Dallas pastor Robert Jeffress. 
• This "Diamond and Silk" bit by Fox News is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. His base, trust me, is not entertained by those two. [If had filmed that bullet point, Mrs. LL would be beside nodding her head and yelling, "Uh, huh!" and "That's right!"]
• Stolen thought relevant to old timers like me: 'Happy Days' premiered in 1974 and was set in 1955. If a modern-day 'Happy Days' premiered in 2018, it would be set in 1999.

Above The Fold

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

Most defense lawyers after their fight talk of, "I will take this case to trial!"

Cowboys offense.

We've got a female Charles Manson on our hands!

What a Rockette does after retirement.

A look at a guy after Thanksgiving dinner and watching Cowboy game.

The President Of The United States

Two great people! https://t.co/5cVnMhnmuH

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2017

He posted this at midnight, Eastern Time, last night.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Don't Google Rep. Joe Barton photos. Don't Google Rep. Joe Barton photos. Don't Google Rep. Joe Barton photos.
• Some of his defenders (amazing that anyone would defend him) allege this is "revenge porn".  Trust me, there are serious Constitutional issues regarding any revenge porn law.  If someone tells you something, you can repeat it. If someone writes you a letter and says "don't share this", you can. If you voluntarily are dumb enough to send a naked pic of yourself to someone else, they can probably share it without repercussion. It's still a legal battleground which is just starting. 
• And if an old fat man committing adultery and sending a pic and video of his junk to another woman tries to portray himself as the "victim", that's all you need to know about him. You are who you are. 
• "The only person who has been exposed more than Dak Prescott in recent days has been Texas Rep. Joe Barton." - David Moore of the Dallas Morning News.
• Roy Moore's communication director quit. 
• In all seriousness, I know 2017 has been personally hard on many of you. It's hard to be thankful after a loss. I was thinking of you yesterday.
• Texas new ridiculous abortion law was struck down. You could see that coming a mile away. But the Clown Car in Austin would rather past obviously unconstituional laws and spend your money defending them than doing anything worthwhile. Uh, like school funding.
• Man to launch himself in homemade rocket. His goal is ultimately to prove the world is flat. Welp, see ya later. 
  
• I watched a little bit of the Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade. That is no longer a "parade" in any sense of the word.
• And Another. (Oklahoma.)
  
• "Court documents say Gov. Abbott opened the package, but it failed to explode because he didn't open it correctly. If opened correctly, says "it could've caused severe burns and death." Let's make it weirder: Cat hair lead to the arrest.
• The Tarrant County DA's office ended up with a hung jury on a capital murder case. How is that possible to charge someone with such a great offense and have a case that has so many holes in it and have such bad facts? 
• When it comes to college coaches, not one single sports personality knows the difference between a "buyout" (what another school has to pay to school who lures its coach away) and a "contract" (what a school has to pay the remainder of to fulfill its contractual promise to a coach once they fire him.)
• WFAA profiled a woman in Greenwood, Wise County who turned 107.
• Trump told the Coast Guard yesterday that the F-35 could "not be seen by the enemy" even when the enemy was "right next to it" during a fight.  And the text of the quote, in itself, is not worthy of a Middle Schooler.
• Once again, I'm a Sports Genius. way before the season started I told you take the "Under" for the total wins by the Cowboys. Honestly, I can't remember if the line was 9 or 10. 
• The trooper killed near Fairfield is shocking. I expected the facts to be that he was killed when he walked up to the car (a practice which I've always questioned), but he was gun down via rifle when he returned to his car to run the driver's license. 

Thanksgiving

I got a little blowback for not posting this as I usually do. You know, I thought I discontinued the tradition last year, but I went back and looked and I had not. Things have changed in my life, but it is still good to remember.