4.28.2021

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts




Exactly 10 years ago yesterday, we were dealing with this silliness. The White House link is still active.

  • The media trying to cover the oral arguments in Amber Guyger's appeal yesterday found out just how unexciting oral arguments are. (You can watch a recording of it here.)
     
  • DPS needs to come clean with what happened in Haslet on Friday. An plain-clothes DPS "special agent" was shot as he was approaching a house by a guy who didn't know who he was. In fact, the shooter had actually called 911 about being followed and by a "man with a gun."  The officer survived, but the shooter hasn't been charged. But on Friday DPS spokesperson Lt. Lonny Haschel kept referring to the shooter as "a suspect" and said he was "in custody."  I wonder if the DPS agent followed the wrong guy and almost scared him to death. There's more to this story than they are telling. 




  • I know absolutely nothing about the case below, but it has been set for a relatively unusual "sentencing hearing" in the Decatur district court yesterday and today. Look at how old the offense dates are. 

  • I'm telling you, everyone in the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office is going to be fired after all is said and done. The local defense bar is now rightly demanding an independent investigation into the office's recent screw-ups. 

  • Not getting the vaccine is a political statement. It's an attitude of (1) COVID was overblown, (2) big government used it as an excuse to take away my rights, (3) the liberal media used it to help defeat Trump, so (4) I'm not doing anything that "they" tell me to now.  Either that, or you believe the government wants to secretly implant you with a computer tracking device. 

  • I still haven't rehired my Liberally Lean Weather Staff after their failed snow predictions over the past year, so I had to steal this graphic for today. This is updated as of 8:00 a.m. Edit: Frankie has issued a warning for today. 

  • Crazy Randy Quaid has announced he may run for governor in California. Yet he, just like Caitlyn Jenner, incorrectly thinks that the governor appoints district attorneys. 

  • The family of Marvin Scott wants the names of the jailers in Collin County who were involved in his death after those jailers "tried to strap him to a restraint bed, pepper-sprayed him and covered his face with a spit hood until he became unresponsive." But the Sheriff won't give up the names. As every law enforcement officer does when they try to hide something, the Sheriff has requested an Attorney General's opinion on whether they had to release the information. There is a slight Wise County connection, however: The Sheriff submitted "a written statement to the attorney general’s office from Texas Ranger Jeremy Wallace that said release of the names 'would interfere with the Custodial Death investigation and potential future prosecution of crime/crimes related.'" Ranger Wallace used to be assigned to Wise County and assisted the Wise County Sheriff's Office in the Aric Maxwell/Lauren Whitener case.  

  • Random old photo that appeared on Twitter last night: WFAA's Dale Hansen with some extremely short shorts. 

  • The Musers on The Ticket were talking about this "revenge porn" case this morning and, infuriatingly so, they were in favor of the lady being sent to prison.  (Long time readers know I think there is a huge First Amendment issue with revenge porn statues, and I have predicted that the Texas Court of Appeals is about to strike down the Texas revenge porn statute in this case.)  Anyway, host Gordon Keith agreed with the sentence saying "you can't be doing that" because "the pictures were sent with an expectation of privacy."  Host Craig Miller agreed, but added how he thinks it's nuts to send nude photos to someone because "it will come back to haunt you."   So which is it? If you send nude photos to someone, do you have an expectation of privacy or do you know it can come back to haunt you? 

    • For those that think it is wrong for the woman to share the photos: Do you think it should be a crime if she had simply described the photos to her friend in excruciating detail? Should the government be able to put you in a cage for that? 
  • Remember the couple attacked by the bobcat in the viral video? Well, I always heard that rabies shots were painful, and the couple now attests to the fact in a recent article in USA Today. As to the number they had to take, they "had to get single shots in the arm five times after the initial shots, which totaled 35 shots in 14 days." (That's a confusing way to describe it.)

  • A crazy Georgia Sheriff was indicted for civil rights violations with emphasis on a special "restraint chair" that he used. One of the allegations involve arresting a guy for "harassment" who had called one of the sheriff's deputies to collect on a lawn care debt. After his arrest, he was then strapped in the chair. It's all insane.

  • Messenger: Above the Fold


at 8:32 AM

4.27.2021

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




That bullet point from 10 years ago (4/26/2011 to be exact) is really relevant today. In case you missed it, last week "Wise County Judge J.D. Clark and Weatherford College President Tod Farmer announced Wednesday the refinancing of the $22.5 million of bonds left on the construction of the campus, with a drastic cut in the interest rate from between 7 and 8 percent to 2.36 percent."    

  • I heard that Wise County will purchase four drones for around $35,000 or so. Those things are amazing and useful, but I'm not sure why we need four of them. 
  • States gaining and states losing representatives after the 2020 census results were announced yesterday: 


  • Quick loading video of a car exploding on 114 in Southlake yesterday. It's pretty amazing, and this screenshot captures just the beginning: 
  • There are lots of allegations of a lobbyist in Austin using a date rape drug on a "legislative staffer."  I looked at the stories in the Dallas Morning News and Texas Tribune and they didn't name the lobbyist. But the conservative Texas Scorecard, founded by the Empower Texans PAC, outed the alleged wrongdoer. They better be right. 

  • Dallas Cowboy Sean Lee has retired. He appeared in all 16 games only once in his eleven seasons. For every two games he played, he missed one.  

  • The State Bar of Texas sends out an online newsletter out every day. I question their sources when they include stories that erroneously treat appellate arguments like trials. (Incarcerated defendants never appear at oral arguments on appeal nor are there ever "witnesses" at the Supreme Court or any other appellate court.)  

  • How many racist stereotypes do you have to hold to believe this?

  • Legal stuff: The Supreme Court yesterday agreed to hear a case on whether New York's onerous (or vague) requirement before obtaining a concealed carry permit for handguns is constitutional. (New York requires proof of an "actual and articulable" need before they will issue a license.) 
    • There is no question the Supreme Court will say that the States have the right to require a license in order to carry, but will they say that the requirements to obtain that license can't be too strict? That's the question.
    •  Here is what Scalia said when he authored the last big gun case in Heller in 2008 -- State's restricting the right to concealed carry is well settled:

    • But could the Supreme Court say that the States, if they are so inclined, can prohibit concealed carry completely either by doing so expressly or making the requirements so tough that its the functional equivalent of a complete ban? I mean, in order to strike down the New York law, they'll have to say a person has a constitutional right to carry which is only subject to reasonable restrictions. 
    • I'd think that the Trump dominant Court will rule against New York, but that's not a no-brainer. The Supreme Court isn't exactly the NRA. 
  • Law school applications have soared this year. Editor's note: Don't do it. 

  • No, President Biden is not limiting beef consumption, and VP Kamala Harris' book is not being handed out to immigrants at the border. Sheesh. 

at 8:31 AM

4.26.2021

Random Monday Morning Thoughts




The deputy's name was Clifton Taylor, age 31. He had responded with other deputies to a domestic disturbance near Venus and was told the subject of the call was in a shed in the back. They went to it and opened the door, and the man inside "says, 'I can't,' and then he comes up with a gun and opens fire."  The man, Wesley Davis, was killed by other deputes.  A portion of I-35 near Alvarado to Burleson was renamed in his Taylor's honor in 2017.

  • There was lots of blowback last year from COVID deniers as to what constituted a "COVID death." But now we have pretty dramatic proof of the power of the virus. Just look at the total raw death numbers in America per year.  For the last four years we've tallied, 2.8 million, 2.8 million, 2.9 million, and then jumped to 3.5 million last year.

  • After 21 years and three national championships at Baylor, women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, 58, is leaving for LSU. Even though Mulkey is a Louisiana girl, I really don't understand this at all. Then again, if you're bored and want a new challenge, knock yourself out. But this might not work out like she thinks it will. 


    • In kind of unrelated yet interesting connection, Mulkey got into it on the court in 2006 with the LSU women's coach at the time, Pokey Chatman, who had said something to Mulkey which pissed her off before the game.  What was said? We still don't know. But Mulkey said later, "You don't say things like that. She hasn't earned the right to say something like that to me" because "she hasn't been coaching long enough."  Chatman, despite being a fantastic coach, was fired the next year because of an "alleged inappropriate sexual relationship between Chatman and a former player." Even back then, the Waco paper speculated then that LSU would come calling, but they didn't. They sure did now. 
  • On Friday, a tornado(s) near Lockett (southwest of Vernon) combined with a rainbow for some fantastic photos. There's a bunch of them out there. 


  • A couple of Trump Insurrectionists from Montague County have been arrested. 

  • A small town Texas mayor had a bad night. Probably the most interesting tidbit is that he was arrested by his own police department.

  • I've got lots of questions about this story. "[The little league coach] was working his nightshift in Dallas when he walked out to find his van up in flames" in the parking lot. He says someone stole the team's gear out of it. (Fox 4's report on Youtube is here.) A GoFundMe page, set up an assistant coach, has been set up here with the note "***Any excess funds will go towards a new vehicle for the Marlowe’s as insurance will not be covering a replacement.***"



  • Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotten weighed in on D.C. statehood.   Why doesn't he just come out and say Wyoming is white and D.C. is black? 

  • Transgendered Caitlyn Jenner will run as a Republican in the California governor recall race.  Regarding the issues, she might want to first figure out that District Attorney's are elected and were not appointed by current governor Gavin Newsome. 


  • This scam for birthday gifts would not worth the potential payoff. 

  • For some reason I watch the remake of True Grit this weekend. Thoughts: I think I like anything that has Jeff Bridges in it, Matt Damon can't act, and that was a tiny, tiny role for Josh Brolin. 

  • The movie also had the most accurate courtroom scene ever as it depicted the futility of objecting to leading questions even when you are right. 

  • Today at 2:00 p.m., the Census Bureau will announce new state populations which will change how many representatives an how many votes in the electoral college each state gets. That's a big deal.


at 8:31 AM

4.23.2021

It's Friday -- Let's Get Out of Here

at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts




It didn't turn out good.   Susan Loper was abducted from her Pilates studio in Plano at around 6:00 a.m. when she arrived for work, and her body was found along the tollway later that morning,. Her ex-boyfriend, Terrance Deering Black, was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison out of Collin County. All of the facts, including how they solved the case, are detailed at the beginning of an appellate opinion in the case here. The signed jury verdict is here. 

  • This bill sounded like I could idea, so I looked it up to see what the consequences would be for failing to intervene. Answer: Nothing. 

  • The Arby's in Decatur is struggling this week. 

  • Random carjack report I saw yesterday:

  • President Biden is considering advocating for an increase in the highest tax rate to 39.6% for every income dollar over $518,400.  In looking at the story I came across this chart. Man, look at the rate in the 1940s and 1950s. (The orange blocks just highlight when the rate has been 39.6% -- the same rate Biden is considering.)

  • Ex-Lubbock car dealer Bart Reagor, famous for his commercials on The Ticket where he sounded like a con man, has been indicted. (His meeting with salesmen which was secretly recorded is right out of Glengarry Glen Ross.)    


  • There aren't many details, but one person was shot early this morning in the fashionably hip West 7th Street area in Fort Worth at a place called Trinity College Irish Bar. "Two groups of men exchanged gunfire . . . ."

  • I'm telling you, Texas vaccinations might not ever get above 40% of the population. Basically everyone who wants one has received one. 

  • And that townhouse on the ocean will run you $4.2 million.  

  • Let's check the vote count in the House of Representatives yesterday on giving statehood to the District of Columbia (Note: It won't pass the Senate): 

  • College football rule change: Teams will now be required to run a 2-point conversion play after a TD when a game reaches a second OT. Also, if the game reaches a third OT, teams will run alternating 2-point plays.  They have been tinkering with the rule in the 1990s. 
    • If you want to see your team's record in overtime, here's a comprehensive list. The Evil Empire has only been in 7 overtimes going 3-4.  (And 3 of the 7 were last year!) Aggie has been in 20 overtimes going 14-6.
  • Legal stuff: Trump's impact on the Supreme Court was felt yesterday where the Court did a 180 from just a few years ago and will now allow juveniles to be sentenced to life without parole. Justice Sotomayor was not pleased:

  • Time which has passed since the Wise County Sheriff's Office has failed to solve the murder of Lauren Whitener in her home at Lake Bridgeport: 658 days.
  • Messenger: Above the Fold



at 8:31 AM
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