Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• As I predicted, since I'm a legal genius, the Farmers Branch cop was convicted.
• But the Fox 4 legal consultant last night reminded me of a statute I've never seen invoked in Wise County and who most don't know about. You can use deadly force to protect property and prevent some seemingly minor crimes so long as it is in the "nighttime." It really is an insane law.
• The homes are very nice, but the traffic on Bonds Ranch Road off 287 during rush hour is insane. There is no way I'd live there. 
• I can't talk about the details because I'm sworn to secrecy, but I witnessed the greatest act of personal kindness yesterday. It made me cry. It made someone else cry. It would make any of you cry. 
• We've got some hard hitting journalism in the metroplex: 
  
• The very weird 2017 even impacts the Texas Rangers in winter. 
  
• Having a new puppy in the house at Christmas might be the greatest thing any family can do. It's insanity. (All three Females In The House For Christmas took a vote to name her, were unanimous, and then looked at me if I would agree. Daddy didn't raise no fool. I agreed.)
• If you haven't read the New York Times story on the UFO incident and viewed the video you might want to to. Ms. LL went to Roswell and saw the museum last summer, and I fear how much she will be locked into this. I don't know what to think.
• There has never been a press secretary who has lied so much. That statement is ridiculous.
  
• Fox News with some hard hitting news this morning about someone who is a private citizen:
  
• I made Mrs. LL watch Smokey and the Bandit last weekend. Let me tell you something: It still holds up. She even laughed from time to time again.
• Ever since he got fired from Fox News for shocking incidents of sexual harassment, he's been acting weird. And this is weird. Buddy, you are probably just getting fat. 
  
• I saw some of the heaviest rain ever as I was driving down US 287 yesterday -- both morning and evening. And people were driving like fools and causing wrecks. Slow down. And if you have bald tires, spend your last dime to replace them. 
• As I was researching something for a future trip last night, Mrs. LL walked by and said, "I love that you are such a nerd." I think that was a compliment. But it did cause me to do the cock your head to the side and look confused move. 
• I wore jeans to the office this morning (not wearing my normal lawyer suit and tie), someone drove by and saw me walking to the office, and then called my Administrative Assistant within 30 minutes to ask what was going on. Small Town Texas. 

Raise Your Hand Wise County If You Fit Into That Demographic

Under #TaxCutsandJobsAct a married couple earning $100,000 per year ($60,000 from wages, $25,000 from their non-corporate business, and $15,000 in business income) will receive a tax cut of $2,603.50, a reduction of nearly 24 percent.

— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) December 19, 2017

What a tone deaf goofball.

And you guys understand that even personal tax cuts will slowly be cut back each year (called "sunsetting") while corporate tax cuts are permanent? #TheBigCon

Firing It Up!

21 Pounds Of Cat Power

Finally a picture that shows how massive our cat is. #Obesity pic.twitter.com/g4OVSKPRPN

— Mrs. LL (@kbug) December 19, 2017

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• This vehicle has been seen around Decatur. Real or just a funny bit? 
  
• I received the most heartfelt handwritten thank you note yesterday. I greatly appreciated it. 
• In a (kind of) weird move, attorney Pete Schulte, who you'll see on the news all the time, has decided not to run for Dallas County Sheriff after saying that he would. But sometimes the best decisions are made upon reflection. 
• That Trump federal judge nominee who couldn't answer basic questions at his hearing decided to say, "No thanks. I'll go away."

  

  The Executioner (Who Is Also A Republican)

• For those not familiar with litigation, civil or criminal, asking "What is a Motion in Liminie?" is the equivalent of asking, "What letter comes after C?"
• A Fort Worth police officer has been terminated for unnecessarily roughing up and ordering the tasing of a black woman.
• That derailed Amtrak train was doing "80 in a 30" mile per hour zone? 
• I'm no foreign affairs experts, but reports early this morning that Yemen rebels fired a ballistic missile into the capitol of Saudi Arabia, who claims to have shot it down, is not good. Not good at all. World War I started because of far less. 
• There's now a Trump talking robot in the "Hall of Presidents" at Disney World. (Which, by the way, prevented me from seeing the entire show a few weeks back because he was being installed.)

  

  Some have noticed a similarity 

• And Another:
  
  
  
  
• Jerry Jones' defense of the Carolina Panthers owner who has to sell his team because of sexual misconduct is not a good look. And Jerry probably needs to "tread lightly."

Chris Farley Died 20 Years Ago Today? We Are All Old.

And from the Carol Burnett Show to SNL, I love it when one actor makes the other one start laughing.

Uh?

Y’all. My cousin’s kid climbed up the claw machine at our family Christmas and we had to call 911 😂 pic.twitter.com/LnWsaiZVmp

— Macy Hollingsed (@macyhollingsed) December 17, 2017

Who amongst us hasn't had a kid climb into one of those machines?

My "fake" factor has gone through the roof.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• High Crimes:
  
  
• This guy is losing it. I don't even know what that means. Edit: Man, I had no idea how many of you "New Covenant" guys like to pick and choose from the Old Testament. (My favorite verse is that eating shellfish is an "abomination".)  And I kind of remember something about Jesus saying, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's." But what do I know? And that First Amendment thing actually means something. 
• 
• Speaking of losing their minds, Junior is truly losing it. And Cruz isn't far behind. 
  
• And Ted Cruz thought it would be a good idea to attack Mark Hamill on this of all weekends. Hamill responded by pointing out that Cruz misspelled his name and reminded him that his Twitter account has tweeted out porn before. Specifically, "Maybe you're just distracted from watching porn at the office again."
• I have, amazingly, never seen What's Eating Gilbert Grape. I caught the last 20 minutes of it over the weekend and it looked great.
• Boise State receivers doing a dance move before a play was bizarre. And, even though they scored, it really didn't have any impact on the defense. (And the one guy needs to learn how to tackle.)
• It doesn't look good for John McCain.
• The Ecstasy Ewok is one weird guy: 
  
• Sarah Palin's son was arrested for domestic violence. 
• We now have a federal appellate judge resign after "inappropriate sexual conduct or comments." 
• Of all the weird moments in the Cowboys game last night, the fake punt might have been the weirdest. That might be most non-Jason Garrett call I've ever seen. 
• Sometimes you just have to think things through. 
  
• The Carolina Panthers are up for sale after allegations of "sexual misconduct" surfaced. I wonder if any other NFL owners are nervous. (Side note: And it will be great to learn the fair market value of an NFL franchise.)
• One of the most interesting things about the Precinct 3 Constable election in Wise County is that someone is running named "Terry Terry." The campaign should simply be, "Terry Terry! Dilly Dilly!"

Above The Fold

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

I think we now have a common theme on Friday:
That was not well planned out.

 And I'm worried about the nutcases in the left lane. 

 Me getting out of my lawyer monkey suit every evening.

 Ms. LL this week when I pulled out my "Living Abroad in Costa Rica" book. 

"I'm not your average horse. I have reservations for dinner. Step aside, sir."

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• This headline in itself got my attention. But my jaw dropped once I saw the lead lawyer has the same name as a lawyer in Decatur. I presume it is him.  I'll give him credit. Trying to get a jury worked up over a "luxury home builder" who is mad at a bank seems like a pretty big task. 
• 
• And Another (Texas.) But to be fair, she did meet him in church.
  
• An Alamo Draft House is coming to Denton. And it looks like it'll be near the I-35 split.
• Dear DPS: Tell me why when I watch one of your videos using the software "WatchGuard" included in your DVD I see this: 

  

  Propriety software screenshot

• . . . but if I'm smart enough to root out the video file on the DVD (and I am) and play it with a free downloaded program I suddenly see onscreen data? I am not making this up. Is there a button I'm not clicking or is something amiss?
  

  

  Free downloaded program screenshot

• EDIT: This is from a commentor. Is this true? HOLY CRAP! They have been withholding evidence? 
  
• There is no way this story is true. The bank won't cancel the draft and issue a new one? They want an indemnity agreement in case the original is "illegally cashed"? 
  
• The AG Paxton aide who I posted about yesterday no longer has his job. He was an assistant DA back in the day and continued to work for the government. You make inappropriate comments about women in that position you should lose your job. He was paid $151,000 a year, plus pension, plus medical, plus expenses.
• There is a huge difference between humor and offensive comments in the workplace. And it is not hard to see the difference. 
• As I predicted after watching just 30 minutes of the trial, Rhome Police Chief Brandon Davis was found not guilty. The AG's office, who was in charge of the prosecution, had subpoenaed over 30 witnesses. If there was ever proof needed that they have no idea what they are doing, that is it. Those people are not trial lawyers. 
• This might appeal to only a few but it is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. One of Trump's federal judge nominees gets grilled for five minutes in a Senate hearing. He admitted he had never tried a case, never argued a motion, had never conducted a deposition and, shockingly, didn't know what a Motion In Limine was. He had ultimate Shake Voice. It's almost a "Must Watch." 
• Scandalous Pajama Guy can't do anything right. The crazy part is I think Texas voters might re-elect him. 
  
• I thought the official White House Christmas photo reminded me of something. 
  
  
  
  
• I've said this many times. I don't, in any form or fashion, like Star Wars. It's simply boring. (And I went and saw the original in the theater with my dad.) But if I watch any Star Trek TV show or movie, so long as Captain Kirk is in it, it is great. 
• I told a friend at the courthouse the other day that most cemeteries are owned by funeral homes and they make money from selling the plots. I was wrong. I had no idea the Eastside Cemetery in Bridgeport was owned by the city (according to information provided by a reliable source.)
• I hate This Is Us. It's a fantastic show but my job is to deal with people in crisis. I don't need to go through it again at night. 

But His Credentials Are Good. Right?

This goofball thought it would be a great idea to mock female victims at 2:00 in the morning on Facebook. 

Story.

Jeff Foxworthy voice: "You might be a right wing nut case if . . . . " 

War On Drugs! War On Drugs!

Here’s a photo of the pot discovered in Georgia LB Natrez Patrick’s seat, which led to his arrest on Dec. 3 pic.twitter.com/STPMn27ULK

— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) December 14, 2017

"The district attorney's office of Barrow County, Georgia, has dismissed criminal charges against Georgia linebacker Natrez Patrick, his attorney told ESPN on Thursday."

And this is why you have smart prosecutors rejecting these kind of cases. And when they notify the arresting agency in writing they want to write, but won't, "Are you kidding me? We kind of have our hands full over here without having to prosecute this crap."  

This Is One Weird Story

His final Facebook post.

Story.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Don't even ask about the Random Thought Girl. The photo simply made me laugh. 
• Dogs are the best in animated Christmas specials. Snoopy in the Charlie Brown episode. The dog in the Grinch. Why doesn't someone create a Christmas special with all dogs? #PatentedIdea
• Two Trump federal judge nominees, who were completely unqualified, have backed out. You never see that. 
• There is a murder trial going on of a former Farmer's Branch police officer who killed a guy while off duty. Prediction: That guy will get convicted.  
• I really didn't know anything about Trump's former Apprentice candidate Omarosa Manigault, but the fact that she is no longer employed at the White House is odd. And she said this morning that what she saw at the White House “profoundly” disturbed her. What is odder is that the Secret Service issued a statement that she was not physically removed. 
  
• I've watched thousands of police videos, but I have never seen an officer tell a female to "Shut your mouth." That is, until yesterday. 
• Alabama coach Nick Saban finished third in the Senate race in Alabama. 
• This is from yesterday: I would think so. 
  
• You wanted to see a picture of the new puppy? Here you go. The lone surviving Yorkie is having nothing to do with her. 
  
• Roy Moore won't concede. He will "wait on God and let this process play out." Anyone know what Bible verse controls recounts from Heaven?
• Sunnyvale ISD was shut down because of the flu. I need my old Bridgeport friends to help me on this: When I was in the Sixth Grade, didn't we get shut down because of a flu epidemic? (Side note: We were all part of an educational experiment. Every class in the entire grade was held in one huge room with four "classrooms" in each corner. In retrospect, that was insane.)
• Just happened. Gone!
  
  
• Brett Shipp, running for Congress, was on with radio guy Mark Davis. Question: "If Democrats take the House back, will you vote for Trump's impeachment?' Shipp: "Yes, I will. absolutely."

County Law! County Law!

Or it might be City Law.

Looks like there was a huge police presence on the 2300 block of Fair Oaks Drive in Bridgeport this morning. Two high school girls arrested. A very Faithful Reader tells me there were 14 cop cars.

I always told you guys I grew up on the mean streets of Bridgeport.

And, plus, this gives me the opportunity to repost one of my favorite videos.

Obviously A Dirty Lib

Incredible. #flexonem pic.twitter.com/WV3ve27kly

— Kmarko (@Kmarkobarstool) December 13, 2017

I was half asleep last night as this was on and Mrs. LL fired off a "What the heck? Did you see that kid?"

Above The Fold