Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Get ready for Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas 2.0. If you missed the first one, you'll get to see its next version on Monday when Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser appear before the judiciary committee. (And a lot can happen before next Monday.)
• I want to hear Mark Judge testify. He's the guy who is said to have been in the room during the alleged drunken assault and the author of this book: 
  
• LBJ would be working the phones calling every Senator to get his Supreme Court nominee confirmed. Trump does not have the inclination nor the influence to do the same. 
• A great quick read on what all went into UNT's  Double Fake (Not A Fair) Catch Play on Saturday, and the one guy who almost figured it out:
• 
• "Coca-Cola announced its interest in a statement on Monday . . .  to develop drinks infused with cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana." This will be just the first step to develop THC drinks in those states which have legal marijuana. And it's probably a violation of fiduciary responsibility to the the stockholders not to consider going all in.
• I should have mentioned yesterday the incredible marathon feat that occurred over the weekend. A world record was set in the marathon where the guy averaged 4:38 per mile. Over 99% of the world's population couldn't run one mile in that time during their lifetimes.
  
• I watched a portion of the Emmy's last night and realized that I don't really watch any popular TV shows.
• Pretty funny pics out of the Star-Telegram. A photographer gets crushed on the sideline and captures the picture of it right before it happened.
  
  
  
  
  
• I hate Ezekiel Elliott's "Feed Me" motion.
• This new data from Texas  for misdemeanors is baffling to me.
  
• Shout out to a dentist in Fort Worth who I don't know, a Dr. Malone, who asked a patient once he found out she lived in Wise County, " What's up with that guy that has that blog?" He has an office near Hulen Boulevard.
• Cows in Southlake -- yes, Southlake -- this morning. Video.
  
• Do not search for a tidbit from Stormy Daniel's new book which was revealed this morning. And if Trump issues a tweet to refute it, my head will explode.
  
• "Rice University officials announced Tuesday they will provide full tuition scholarships to undergraduate domestic students from low- and middle-income backgrounds starting in the fall of 2019 . . . . [The new program] will allow full-tuition scholarships and grants to be offered to undergraduate students whose family incomes fall between $65,000 and $130,000 a year and who qualify for need-based financial aid, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the university." This seems like a big deal. (And I'll say it: Is $65,000 to $130,000 is low to middle income?)
• I didn't expect to have a 7:00 a.m. conversation this morning in a parking lot with the Wise County Democratic Chair but I did. 

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• This is beyond bizarre: A FEMA "Presidential Alert" test will be sent to your cell phone on Thursday at 1:18 p.m. CST.  
• Bryson, west of Jacksboro, had a tough time Friday night: "BRYSON – Strawn is the defending Class A Division II champions and looked the part Friday in a 72-7 shellacking of Bryson. The game was called at halftime for the 45-point mercy rule."
• The Coast Guard removed this member (in red circle) after flashing a White Power symbol on MSNBC last week. If you watch the video, there is no question it is intentional.
  
• 
  
• I don't know anything about this mega-church in Grand Prairie but the fact that a former pastor can win $4 million from it in a lawsuit doesn't exactly seem what Jesus had intended. 
• A Harvey joke by Red Raider fans (which probably didn't go over well):
• 
• And Trump wants the border patrol to protect us against MS-13. Who knew we needed protection from the border patrol instead?
  
• And lord knows I'm no journalist, but I don't have any problem with the AP referring to the women as prostitutes. They backed off of that even though they believe the assertion to be accurate. If he was targeting prostitutes, that's relevant to the story. 
  
• For local media fans only: WFAA has blocked TV Critic Ed Bark on Twitter. Some in local media are the biggest babies. 
• TCU lost to Ohio State, 40-28, but they looked so good I don't who would win between OU and TCU right now.  (And I'm always amazed by the Vegas Line. Ohio State was a 12.5 point favorite.) This week it is TCU vs. Texas and TCU is a 3 point favorite which seems too low.
• I'd be remiss in not celebrating UNT's win over the Root Hogs without reflecting back to the the great 1970s "Flying Worm" helmet.
  
• Legal but very shady: 
  

• The woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of groping her came forward and identified herself over the weekend. (The nomination may now actually be in trouble.) She also named an accomplice: Mark Judge. Someone found his high school year book, and he seems like a real charmer. 
  
• The details don't matter, but the Dallas Morning News endorsed someone named Williams for a state district judgeship after saying this about her: 
  
• Texas! And, Snowflake (yep, that's the cat's name) was stabbed 12 times.
  
  
• "The US State Department issued a new travel warning for Mexico on Wednesday night after authorities found eight dead bodies in the popular resort town Cancun within the span of a few days." This isn't going to help tourism. 
• Soon coming to Arlington. But, man, that name and graphic.
  
• I had no idea the comic's mother sang, "Lovin' You" -- that crazy 1970s hit which has her hitting a note that no one else can hit. 

• Happy Constitution Day (to what's left of it.)
• Every time I hear the name of the victim Botham Jean (pronounced JON), the victim in the Mistaken Apartment case in Dallas, I hear "Elton John."
• Messenger: Above The Fold.

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

 What you picture when you go to get a cat.

 This is what you get.

 I would have done this all day as a kid. Heck, I'd do it all day right now.

 Nope. Nope. Nope.

 Bits are fun.

 It's a Liberally Lean blog metaphor. (Me pictured on right. Trumpsters on left.)

Exclusive footage from Whispering Wheels in  Decatur.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• It's been a wild week. A Fort Worth police officer was shot in the head last night after a robbery attempt at a "sports bar" on Biddison off of I-35. He is in critical condition.
  
• Let me says this with 100% conviction: I don't care. (And, man, Fox 4 News got crushed for this Twitter post seen below. Nice job posting it on the day of his funeral, by the way.) Fox 4 ran with the story live at 6:03 p.m., Steve Eagar anchoring, even though the tweet had well over 3,000 angry replies at that point. (The number has since increased to 32,000 as of this morning.)

                                       

• Some people wrote that the cops "leaked" the fact there was marijuana in the apartment. It was no leak at all. It was contained in a document which is a public record. 
• Here's a response from the son of the Dallas Mayor:
  
• A reader emailed me to point out I was wrong about the arrest warrant affidavit in the above case. I said yesterday it was not the Texas Ranger's recitation of the facts, it was only the Ranger reciting what the off duty cop had told him. Nope. It wasn't written that way. The Ranger wrote it as if it was his belief of what the facts were. Why? I don't know.
• Can we have a report on the Uniform Instability in this pic, too?
  
  
• In Bexar Country (San Antonio), there have been 19 deputies arrested this year.
• Nike stock closed at $83.47 yesterday -- an all time high.
• Either the Russian bot invasion is still alive and well or the Cruz campaign has taken a lesson from their playbook:
  
  
• Wait. Someone found more: 
  
• Uh, they thought Willie was a Right Winger?
  
• The most depressing cover series you'll see if you're a teacher (and maybe even if you're not.)
  
• In a very bizarre case, the Tarrant County D.A.'s office lost a sexual assault trial yesterday. The prosecutor's blamed the jury. The office spokesman blamed the judge. It didn't help that the alleged victim, a psychiatric patient, "began rambling [during cross-examination] about being awoken in the hospital by the voice of the angel Gabriel and being used as a tool by God for 'work for the United States of America'.”
• I recorded Tucker Carlson last night as soon as I learned Stormy Daniel's lawyer was going to be on. Fox News went with this shocking graphic from the get go, and the segment didn't disappoint. The lawyer eventually asked Carlson, "How do you have a show if you're this ignorant?" and asked Carlson if he watched porn. Watch it.

                                             

• Is it to early to say Hurricane Florence was a dud? BagOfNothing linked to this live cam off of Cape Fear yesterday. (Cool name. Cool movie.) I just checked it. It is an absolutely beautiful morning. Edit: A faithful reader has already pointed out that the camera may have failed and something else, although beautiful, is being broadcast.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a Category 2 this morning. Our interest level is about to plummet (which occurs immediately after every hurricane hits anyway.)
• But the Weather Channel is at DEFCON 1:
  
• Al Roker giving me predictions on Hurricane Florence makes me realize what a professional a teleprompter reader he is. He's good at that aspect. But to think he is some weather expert is beyond belief. 
• I was talking yesterday  to a guy who works in the current oil boom in Odessa. It sounded insane. There are so many people that an Allsup burrito goes for $6.50 and pallets of water bottles are bought here and shipped since you can't find them there. He told me he went to Walmart the other day at 1:00 a.m. to avoid the crowds and it was packed and the shelves were picked over.
• I just noticed this story in the Dallas Morning News. (And I'm reminded of that New York Times op-ed that says this current oil boom is the next dot.com bubble or mortgage crisis.)
  
• When a guy who likes storm tracking is also an art lover and is reminded of something:
  
• The University of Hawaii travels to Army this week to play a game starting at 12:00 Eastern. So the trip includes a 10 hour flight and a 6:00 a.m. kickoff Hawaii time. 
• These news stories of advisory panels recommending that Texas school curriculum not refer to the Alamo defenders as "heroes" or that the law of Moses playing no role in the forming of the Constitution cause are nothing more than a Tempest in a teapot. And the right-wingers are wound up.
  
• This random story disturbs me so much. Asleep in bed, a tree falls, and a wife and dog die.
  
• Someone said I picked The Under for total Ranger wins but I can't find the post where I did it. (I'm sure I did.) It looks like the line was 77.5. They sit at 62 wins with 16 to go.
• Call me cheap, but $1,099 for an iPhone (announced yesterday), seems a little pricey. Shouldn't phone prices be going down?
• It's back to Orwellian speak this morning. 3,000 is just some made up number? Remember folks, “The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
  
  
  
  
  
• In the Dallas Wrong Apartment Case everyone keeps referring to the arrest warrant affidavit that the Texas Rangers obtained as "their version" of the facts. Nope. The affiant simply swore that the off-duty police officer said x.