Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Breaking: 
  
• More Breaking: The chaos continues. Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Calling Trump a "moron" probably didn't help with his job security, but how that decent guy didn't quit before now is a mystery.  (Shockingly, a Secretary of State Department spokesman just said Tillerson didn't know it was coming and had no idea why it happened. If true, Trump fired Tillerson via Twitter this morning.)
• Flashback from 12/1/17:
  
• And yesterday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldn't name or blame Russia for poisoning an ex-spy in the U.K. with nerve gas. Their Prime Minister did. Tillerson did. 
  
• Package bombs are going off at homes in Austin. We may have a modern day Unabomber on our hands. 
  
• The helicopter crash in the East River which took the lives of two young Dallas men was more than preventable. The pilot "told investigators that one of the passenger's bags may have inadvertently bumped the emergency fuel shutoff." 
• And this is just in the primary: 
• 
• They just keep coming: 
  
• The Stormy Daniels scandal is delicious. Now we learn that she lives in Forney and that a notary public might have screwed up in not signing Trump's Don't-Tell-The-Public-About-Our-Affair-While-I-Was-Cheating-On-My-New-Third-Wife agreement. 
  
• There sure looks like a lot of fighting during Spring Break in Port Aransas.
  
• A Denton police officer was arrested on allegations of domestic violence (uh, biting) at 5:30 a.m. in the morning. Remember kids, nothing good happens at 5:30 in the morning. 
• The Republican on the committee made a decision without consulting the Democrats. That made Trump go ALL CAPS. You never go all caps. (And he doesn't quite realize the Mueller doesn't care about the committee or that Mueller has information they do not.)
  
• Just when I'm about to hit "publish" another one breaks. "Mr. McEntee was removed from the White House grounds on Monday afternoon without being allowed to collect his belongings." What's up with this?:
  
• Don't Forget about the $20,000 Liberally Lean Pick 'Em Tournament. Sign up here. 

The Liberally Lean Pick 'Em Tournament

The annual event has arrived. I think this link will work to sign up. In the spirit of Warren Buffett, I’ll reward a prize of $20,000 to anyone who picks a perfect bracket. And by that I mean EVERY single game. (That will never happen. Then again, a similar wager was made on Trump’s election.)

(The above is an ad in today's Dallas Morning News. I highly suggest picking one of those two teams to win it all.)

High School Basketball.

Would be DQ'd from further athletic competitions in any sport. https://t.co/RhzK3HlW4f

— "The Big D" Rusty Shackleford アダム (@TwoBitWhackJob) March 10, 2018

This is a crime. A literal crime.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Well, I survived my umbilical hernia surgery. They had some trouble cutting through my six pack, but all went well. 
• My surgeon did bits. Once it was done he told Mrs. LL that I now had an "innie" and could wear a Speedo again. 
• I got a prescription for hydrocodone. I took one. I haven't taken another since.  I hate that stuff. It makes me feel doped up but doesn't really change any pain. That seems to be what "pain killers" do. 
• On Friday, a U.S Citizen and a veteran killed three workers (all of them involved in mental health treatment and two of them doctors) at a VA Center in California.
• Someone yelled, "Does your husband play, too?" yesterday when Tiger Woods left a put short. 
• Told ya: Per Sarah Sanders Huckabee, the meeting between Trump and North Korea will not happen unless there are "concrete and verifiable" actions by North Korea. Yep, the White House is already backing off. 
• I'm still not sure what this was from UT's safeties coach ushering out the team for spring break:
  
• I'll get my Liberally Lean March Madness Pic 'Em Tourney up later today.
• In Trump's wheels off "rally" in Pennsylvania on Saturday (those are so weird), he said  "that allowing prosecutors to seek the death penalty for drug dealers . . . is 'a discussion we have to start thinking about. I don’t know if this country’s ready for it.'” He's the most constitutionally illiterate president in history.
  
• The Bowie Jackrabbits won a state championship in basketball as did Northwest High School. Edit: I shot 50% on that bullet point.
• A guy caught at 15.48 pound bass at Lake Fork earlier this month. I just buy lures at Walmart and throw them it the lake. What did he use?:
  
• There may have never been more felony criminal trials in a two month span in Wise County than over the last two months.
• Someone explain these American soccer attendance figures this weekend. One of these things is not like the other. 
  
• 
  
• Every educator in America needs to watch the 60 Minutes interview of  Education Secretary Betsy DeVoss from last night. She's clueless. For example, what does this even mean?: 
  
• The dumbest lawyer in the country, Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, is considering seeking an injunction to prevent 60 Minutes from airing its Stormy Daniels interview. Dude, ever heard of "prior restraint"? Ever heard of the Pentagon Papers? (Side note: What does she know? Trump normally wouldn't care about evidence of an affair. Is there something else?)

Above The Fold

Full page PDF.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• It might be slow around here today. I'm having MAJOR surgery. (Actually, it's a minor hernia repair but everyone around me is freaking out which makes me want to freak out.)
• Jaywalker, who just happens to be black, beaten by cops in North Carolina. Those guys are going to be indicted -- unless the South is trying to rise again. 
• There was a note from a Wise County jury to the court yesterday which, if what I heard is true, is amazing. I'll try to get a copy. 
  
• Trump is going to meet with the North Korean leader? That will never happen. Flashback:
• 
  
• And this guy will die on Trump Cross:
  
• Who would have thought something could go wrong?
  
  
  
  
• The over/under line on the Texas Rangers for total season wins is 77.5. Take the under. #SportsGenius
• Lawyer to client in the Wise County courthouse yesterday: "What I want to do is resolve this case today [by a plea bargain.]" Buddy, I know you are from out of town and hate driving up here, but what you want is irrelevant. 
• I guess the nation is already tired about the gun control issue. We have the attention span of a toddler.
  
• Rick Carlisle calling the new allegations against Mark Cuban "fake news" and a "proven non-event" are over the top and irresponsible. The only logical response is, "I don't know what is true." He would never say that -- that's why he needed to keep his mouth shut. 
• Uh, oh. The Fort Worth judge story regarding his order to shock a defendant in court has been picked up by The Guardian with over 7 million Twitter followers.
• Justin Northwest, which is going to the state basketball final, has a center who is 6'7" and 336 pound center who comes off the bench. He also has signed with Oklahoma as an offensive lineman in football. 

I Want To Be On The Austin City Council

What's #atxcouncil up to today? We've had two people singing songs at the podium and now this.
"Let's put the den in density"
.... "I love this city" @MayorAdler says. pic.twitter.com/v3MCfAgcZp

— Elizabeth Findell (@efindell) March 8, 2018

I love bits. And those speakers have a lot of bits.

What's The Point Of This?

This move was 100% necessary, absolutely needed, and yea definitely the only way to do it

A post shared by Starting Nine (@starting9) on Mar 6, 2018 at 9:45am PST

And since I'm a softball genius (with one year of coaching experience which almost got me hired by Alabama), isn't she out of the batter's box?

Random Thursday Morning Thoughs

• Rep. Jeb Hensarling decided to get out of Congress. Someone named Bunni Pounds is in a  runoff to replace him. I'll leave it at that. 
• The Star-Telegram finally reported about the judge getting reversed on appeal after ordering a defendant to be shocked in court. In the story it says, "Texas Lawyer first reported the ruling Tuesday."  I would like to point out that the hardest working man in show business wrote about it on this blog on Friday.
• A few weeks ago I said that Trump's lawyer might be the dumbest lawyer in America. I also said, in regards to the Stormy Daniels, "What's Trump going to do? Sue her to say she is violating a confidentially agreement regarding adulterous sex?" Well, the lawyer did it. He obtained a restraining order to prevent the porn star from disclosing any details about the affair which he claims didn't happen. And Sarah Huckabee Sanders admitted the "arbitration win" yesterday in the press briefing. It's a Confederacy of Dunces. (Prediction: Sarah is in trouble.)
• Stolen quote: "Donald Trump cheated on his pregnant 3rd wife with a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who’s now suing him. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the man who won the Evangelical vote."
  
• There's a Texas court reporter shortage. Old timers like me know the cause of it: There is no longer a demand because of (1) worker's comp reform and (2) tort reform. If you your chances of getting a a job are low, you don't go to court reporting school.
• Say what? 
  
• There's nothing legally interesting about it, but the Fort Worth Court of Appeals affirmed a Wise County case late last week. It deals with the legality of how the Sheriff's office handled the case. 
• Nothing makes me laugh more than Fox and Friends trying to be "hip" by using "Diamond and Silk." ("Uh, huh! That's right!")
  
• The Colonial golf club has lost its sponsorship for its annual tournament. They unveiled a new logo yesterday for this year's tournament which might have been created with Microsoft Paint.
  
• There are parts of Fort Worth which now have flashing yellow left turn lights at heavily used intersections. A NASCAR driver could probably handle it. Everyone else is in a death trap.  
  
• For criminal lawyers: Here's a great roundup of the Texas results for the election for DA and Court of Criminal Appeals.

Oh, My!

#BREAKING: Human remains have been discovered in Anna. Authorities confirm this is an area they have been searching for Christina Morris. @FOX4

— Gillian Jones Hughes (@GillianNJones) March 7, 2018

Being A Member Of The Utah State Bar Has Its Privileges

Link.

Texas only sends out a worthless Bar Journal once a month.

Above The Fold

Full page PDF.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• What a crazy election night: 
• The Wise County turnout was embarrassing. 
• The Messenger's website was great last night for returns (although it did get overloaded at one point.)
• Look how close these Wise County races were. 
  
• In the JP#4 race, I'll give Todd Bailey credit. He actually knocked on my dad's door during the campaign. 
• Pat Fallon crushed, and I mean crushed, Craig Estes as our state senator. I didn't think you could beat an incumbent that badly. But he threw out red meat and it worked.
• The Waco DA got beat.  How's that ridiculous Let's-Indict-Every-Biker-At-Twin-Peaks work out for ya?
• The "propositions" on the Republican ballot were either written by a child, an intern for Fox News, or Trump.
• How on God's green earth does Dan Patrick get 76% of the vote in the Republican primary? Isn't there a better option?
  
• Meet who will be almost certainly be the next Dallas County D.A. Look at that platform. These times, they are a changing. Edit: I screwed this up. She lost, once the late returns came in, by about 500 votes.
  
• Former WFAA investigative reporter Brett Shipp failed to make the runoff for Congress.
• Former KXAS anchorman Mike ("I Love You, Jane") Snyder did make the runoff for Tax Accessor-Collector in Tarrant County.
• "It's always been about the program. Never about winning." - TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson in defense of the lawsuit by a player. It's never about winning?
• If you have allergies, get ready. 
• Trump is now a book promoter at the crack of dawn? 
  
• Another member of Trump's inner circle quit last night. His economic adviser decided it's time to jump ship because of Trump's tariff threat.
• BBQ talk whips me to no end.
• Mark Cuban is having the worst year ever. And it is just March. 
• 
• Fox 4 had a segment on how Park Place Lexus held a party for an army reserve before he is deployed. Isn't that amazing that the camera just happen to be there to film it? #PaidAd

Wise County Election Results

The Messenger is on it. Link.

"Kaaah, Kaaah!!

Edit: Early voting shows we are in for an insane night.

Edit: As the Messenger site crashed due to traffic, the Publisher and Owner announced the results via Instagram. 

A Pastor, Deputy, and A Restaurant Owner Walk Into A Massage Parlor

Four arrested in connection with Central Texas massage parlor raid include pastor, former deputy https://t.co/Rwby3bu4RL #BadPastor

— brian rogers (@brianjrogers) March 6, 2018

Waco. Oh, Waco.

Never A Dull Moment With This White House

JUST IN: Special Counsel finds Kellyanne Conway violated federal law against using office for partisan politics https://t.co/96v4H6KOGQ pic.twitter.com/vEulhP13aG

— The Hill (@thehill) March 6, 2018