Above The Fold

Full page pdf.

Oh, My

One of the most racist ads in Tarrant County memory features an Obama imitator pretending to “endorse” Republican candidate Mamie Bush Johnson, an African-American: “She’s a liberal like us.” Judge Deborah Nekhom is the incumbent. #txelex #tx2018 pic.twitter.com/GEodoBilDL

— Bud Kennedy (@BudKennedy) February 21, 2018

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Billy Graham has died at age 99. This is the cover of Time in 2006:
  
• Trump moved to ban bump stocks yesterday. They were used in the Las Vegas mass murder not the most recent school shooting. Keep up. 
• A guy named Benjamin Kelly works -- well, did work -- in Florida state government. He thought this would be a good idea to send out this email. By the end of the day Monday, he was fired.
  
• My comment section is still down. I'm having withdrawals from not seeing craziness.
• If the the Thunder Truck isn't in Wise County this morning, my faith in local news has been destroyed.
• Sports Illustrated is after the Mavericks. And the team "responded" fast by issuing a statement even before SI released the story last night. They say Mark Cuban had "no knowledge" and that they had hired an outside firm to investigate. This sounds bad. 
  
• There's a commercial on The Ticket which warns against banks offering a temporary/promotional interest rate on savings accounts which later plummets. I haven't seen an interest rate on savings accounts advertised in over a decade --  maybe longer.
• Let me state the obvious: The weather is nasty today. 
• The parole board in Texas recommended clemency yesterday for Sugar Land man slated to die for murder-for-hire plot. No Greg Abbott has to either give a thumbs up or thumbs down. 

For $100,000

But to put it in perspective, after taxes he couldn't cover Jay-Z's bar tab.

Jay-Z Went Out This Weekend

Shout out to Dayhana for a successful night.  Story.

Firing It Up

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Wise County is considering a "veterans court." I'm in support of it, but it really has some Equal Protection issues when you think about it. 
• I came across The Blues Brothers the other day and, after getting past the fact it came out 38 years ago, I was struck by the production of it. Like this scene which lasted only a few seconds but is truly artistic.
  
  
• Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was on 60 Minutes this week and refused to deny that he called Trump a "moron."
• Overheard at the grocery store yesterday: "Unless you are dying, don't call me!" I'm guessing that's the product of a relationship that didn't work out.
• What's a "death panel"?
  
• The superintendent of Southlake ISD makes $338,488.
• Little red corvette:
  
• Link for this Wise County story:
  
  
• I would presume this is a very short book: 
  
• Donald Trump has endorsed Mitt Romney's run for Senate. Let's check in on what Mitt said two years ago and what he says now:
  
  
• New this morning: A lawyer with a connection to the Ukraine has cut a deal with the special counsel's office. He will plea later today. 
• Yep, the comments section of this blog is still not working. 

Johnny Football

He posted this and then deleted it.

I'm not sure a cigarette would do it, but who knows since he is on his Redemption Tour.  Maybe it was the bandana (which is a very bad look). Or the tattoos. And who is in the back seat?

Daytona

The Daytona 500 was yesterday, and the Texas Motor Speedway opened up so you could watch it on "Big Hoss."

This screenshot was taken from Fox 4 last night. Give that camera guy a Pulitzer.

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.