Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I still can't see the comments which are submitted. Google, which runs this platform, has acknowledged the widespread issue and is allegedly working on it. 
• Weird: A driver of a U.S. mail truck was shot and killed on the mix master in Dallas this morning.
• The indictment by the U.S. Government of 13 Russians cannot be understated. They deliberately infiltrated social media, in a sophisticated manner,  to fool you with lies. And, interestingly, there is a paragraph in the indictment that says they communicated with a Texas group who told them to focus on three states. 
• Now remember that he won't impose sanctions on the Russians and remember this: 
  
• But that news on Friday completely buried the story that Trump cheated on Melania (again)  -- this time with a Playboy bunny.
  
• Trump is running scared. The following is a complete lie. He called it a "hoax" multiple times. 
  
• Tell your kids that if they want to watch Watergate in real time, this is their opportunity. 
  
• Mitt Romney is running for Senate. He's a Republican who despises Trump, and he will win in a landslide.
• Mrs, LL watched a portion of Airplane with me. She laughed. I don't even know her any more. 
• Black Panther brought in $192 million on its opening weekend. 
• There's a growing sentiment for an organized student march in support of gun control. (One date being considered is 4/20).  The other date is a Saturday, 3/24. I would rather see it on a school day.
  
• I haven't heard it, but Fergie must have butchered the national anthem last night.
• I didn't know Joel Osteen supports "speaking in tongues."
  
• If you are the superintendent of Desoto ISD, I'd be nervous after this agenda came out.

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

 Here is some Hypothermia Comedy

 Once I move to the jungle, this will be my jungle recliner and my jungle dog.

 So now we have to trick up bungee jumping?

 Amazon's home delivery is getting out control

 "Hey, mister. I would like to give you this consolation prize for being 

extremely slow today."

Get me this dog!

I Can't Load The New Comments Today

My crack IT staff is working  on the issue.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Did you know DPS has a program where older troopers can "retire and then be rehired in order to collect retirement benefits and a salary." And that's your money.
• "I don't care who is president. We are all doomed anyway." - Wise County probation officer yesterday speaking some wisdom at the courthouse
• A Plano West student brought a gun to school yesterday.  I'm sure that didn't freak anyone out. But wait, there's more: A Flower Mound Marcus student brought a gun to school yesterday as well.  And coming in with the Silver Medal is a kid from South Garland high school. Does this happen every day but we are just hearing about it because of Parkland?
• There was news yesterday that the Parkland shooter was a member of a White Supremacist Group, but later people were tapping the brakes on the claim. Apparently the group is know for being attention seeking Nazis.
• The way I feel before any ice skating routine.
  
• There is always news about mussels invading Texas lakes. When I was a kid, there were mussels the size of your hand all over the shores of Lake Bridgeport.
• "Just over 1 in 3 millennials in North Texas have a college degree, which ranks next to last among the metros selected as finalists for Amazon’s next headquarters."
• The Parkland shooter had his first court appearance yesterday. Here's a photo. I can 100% predict a comment that's forthcoming.
  
• The Fourth Circuit struck down Trump's travel ban yesterday. This, without even getting to the almost 300 page opinion, gives me Tired Head:
  
• A Kansas guy running as a Republican for Congress thinks it is a good idea to have an AR-15 giveaway.
  
• Let's go with a double front page today:

The More Things Change . . . .

It's "lets talk about gun laws" today after what happened in Parkland, Florida, and it reminded me of this Time magazine photo spread which came out in 1998. (You can see all the photos here.)

I love the guy in the mullet especially because he had on a "Young Country" t-shirt. That was the name of the leading Dallas country and western station at the time.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Notice three things about this graphic: (1) Columbine no longer makes it in, (2) Three of the top ten have occurred within the last five months, and (3) an AR-15 was used in Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, and Orlando.
  
• This should be a lasting image but America will forget about Parkland by next week.
  
• The Valentine's Day Massacre of 1929 (insert "irony") left only seven dead (all adults) yet led to the ban on Tommy Guns in 1934.
• The footage of the robbery of a "game room" in Fort Worth is insane. 
• It's complicated procedurally, but the Fifth Circuit ruled against Harris County and its standard bail bond fee "schedule" yesterday. The court ruled, in essence, that if the standard bond for a Class B misdemeanor is $2,000 for everyone, then a man with money can get out and a poor man sits in jail. Thus, the Equal Protection Clause is violated. The whole concept has bothered me for years. (Wise County doesn't have a standard fee schedule. Each bond is set by one of four JPs and the amounts are insanely inconsistent.)
• What a waste of resources. Too many cops? Too many prosecutors? “This should be a notice to sex buyers out there,” said HCSO Vice Commander Jesse Inocencio.  “That you may just find your mug shot on the 5 o’clock news.” Sting arrests for the purpose of public shaming is not your job.
  
• At least the Harris County DA's office has one less prosecutor. 
  
• This was from yesterday. It reads like it is 1960.
  
• Trump will address the nation at 10:00 a.m. What could go wrong?

2018: The Year of The School Shooting

Breaking news on CNN: pic.twitter.com/FJPDG6dtQ8

— CNNBreakingNewsBot (@ATTENTION_CNN) February 14, 2018

And it's only Valentines day.

Edit: Good lord. Seventeen dead.

Worst Burglary Attempt Ever

Above The Fold

Full page pdf.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I the the "attack ad" on Angela (and Ken) Paxton by Phillip Huffines is pretty good -- at least as far as attack ads go.
• 
• Christmas Eve might not be an official holiday, but I think it is extremely underrated.
  
  
• Check out Birdville ISD's  "How Comfortable Am I" questionnaire for sixth graders. 
  
• The Olympic "medal count" should be broken down on a per capita basis to make it fair.
• Denton PD is doing bits this morning: 
  
• This is amazing: Trump's lawyer (who might be the worst lawyer in the country) said in a statement to the New York Times that he paid an adult film star linked to Trump $130,000 out of his own pocket. There is so much wrong with this: (1) He tacitly admits that Trump had an affair with her, (2) It's an illegal back door campaign contribution, and (3) He violated the attorney-client privilege if he consulted with Trump about it -- something he certainly did.
  
  
• The guy accused of killing the Richardson police officer has an oddly shaped head (and a history of mental problems.) 
  
• Twin Peaks Biker update: The DA has dismissed 13 cases (that had been pending almost three years), refused prosecution in eight others that had not been indicted, and recused his office in another. After the recusal, the Texas AG's office refused to take his place. What a disaster.
• The Denton County DA's office is getting sued again by one of its own prosecutors.
• I saw someone post a video of a basketball game in Paradise where there was quite the foul/take down (which I think wasn't called.) But now it's gone.
• If you look at the Fox 4 website and scroll down you can never get to the bottom. The site keeps loading click bait after click bait (all with headlines that don't obviously indicate they are all ads.) 
• The Southlake school board sure is leaving the high school football coach hanging.

I've Found A Good Ruskie

Meet curler Anastasia Bryzgalova.  And for you Russian hackers who undoubtedly have been spying on me for the last couple of years, that's Анастасия Брызгалова to you.

But keep her in your thoughts. She busted it today.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Former Cowboy and Baylor running back Lincoln Coleman has gone missing for the second time in a year. Edit: He's safe. He was in a homeless shelter. 
• This is real: 
  
• No question that he has never seen Blazing Saddles.
  
  
• Or met this guy:
  
• Johnny Football is on a redemption tour. I wish him well, but he'll never be on an NFL roster again. 
• Trump submitted a $4.4 trillion budget to Congress yesterday which would increase the national debt by $9.84 billion. Fortunately, Congress will ignore it. (And the budget needs a line item of "Cost to print budget.")
  
• Random Sports: Frank Reich has been named coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Most remember him as the QB of the Bills who brought the team back from a 35-3 deficit against the Oilers in a playoff game. But did you also know in college he came off the bench for Maryland when Miami had them down 31-0 and he led Maryland to a 42-40 win? 
• And another. (She's also the wife of a Texas high school athletic director and former Baylor player.)
  
• The painting of Obama was unveiled at the "National Portrait Gallery" yesterday. Is that where it will stay? Will there be a different one for the White House? 
• A Texas police department originally posted this with the phrase "Let the memes begin."
  
• The Fort Worth mayor was in Washington yesterday for Trump's announcement of his infrastructure "plan." Question: Who paid for her travel?

The Future Is Going To Be Weird

This is one of the most terrifying things I’ve seen in all my life pic.twitter.com/Yp9xlhdKC9

— Alan White (@aljwhite) February 12, 2018

Obama's Official Portrait Just Unveiled

Well, this is, uh, different.