7.14.2021

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts





Kelli Cox was a UNT student who vanished during the day in July of 1997 after touring the Denton Police Department jail.  Ten years ago the case was unsolved, but no more. In 2016, a Texas inmate, who with the help of DNA had recently been discovered to be a serial killer, would lead authorities to her body in Brazoria County. And just last month he was sentenced to death in Oklahoma in connection with the murder of another young woman. 

  •  Nice lede by the Messenger today regarding the chaos surrounding the Decatur School Board. 

  • The Texas Democrats are in D.C. and are grabbing national headlines. And, no, they won't be arrested.

        

  • A new lawsuit in Texas challenging the new restrictive abortion law has been filed, but the Supreme Court will rule on a 15 week ban out of Mississippi before this one gets finally adjudicated. The Supreme Court decided to hear that case on May 17th and, with the new conservative majority, all the rules may soon change.

  • It's a Family Affair: Five members of the same family from Borger, Texas were arrested for their involvement in the Trump Insurrection. They, by their own admission, "are Q."


  • Texas has seen 10 straight days of hospitalizations increasing due to COVID. We went from 1,589 on July 2nd to 2,282 yesterday.  That's nothing close to our peak of 14,000 last January, but still a trend which is worth noting. 

  • But just keep on following the anti-vaxxer right wing leaders. For instance, the Jewish Space Laser theorist is full of misinformation to guide you down that path.

  • Alabama's own Roy Moore, who is basically infamous now, predictably has lost his lawsuit yesterday against Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen tricked him into an interview and then brought out a "pedophile detector" device which went off when he hovered it around the former judge and failed Senate candidate. Video here.

  • I saw this and was skeptical, but then a rabbit trail led me to Harry J. Anslinger.

  • Personal note: Shout out to Decatur Attorney Mark "The Decatur Hammer" Howell for a tremendous batch of home grown tomatoes that he personally delivered to me. 
  • Sports: The Los Angeles Angels drafted a pitcher in every single round in the 20 round MLB draft.  I love this. And I think it's smart. 
  • Messenger: Above the Fold





at 8:31 AM

7.13.2021

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




2011 might have been peak prosecutor arrogance in Texas, and I took time back then to rail against this lead story in the official Texas prosecutor publication. It was basically bragging about convicting a man with no evidence (look at the sub-headline). I was just slightly ahead of the curve. Later in 2011, the Michael Morton scandal would break revealing the practice of illegally withholding of evidence, and everyone began to look at D.A. offices in a brand new light. 

  •  Texas Democrats have fled to Washington D.C. to prevent a quorum in the legislature in protest of proposed more stringent voter laws.

    • Their excuse to "save democracy" may not sit well with some Texans, but I suppose it's more noble than fleeing to Cancun while the masses are freezing to death. 
    • Heading to the airport yesterday.

    • You can taken exception as to whether Texas' proposed new voter laws is "the new Jim Crow", but this is a lie:

  • The federal court hearing yesterday -- all six hours of it -- where a judge is considering sanctions against the "Kraken" election lawyers was brutal. And glorious.  For all my professional life I've been fearful of putting anything in a pleading which wasn't true, yet I watched Sidney Powell and Lin Wood blatantly lie last December and January about conspiracy theories. I was stunned they could get away with it. Now they won't. I just don't know why it has taken so long to slap them down. 


  • Everyone complaining about gas prices need to remember they were higher in 2005 and, on average, many years thereafter. From 2011 to 2015 they were always over $3.00 a gallon. 

  • I rewatched JFK the other day. That's one wild movie which is notorious for playing fast and lose with the truth.  And that 10 minute scene where District Attorney Garrison meets with mysterious Mr. X in D.C. where, in a rambling 10 minutes, the guy reveals all sorts of government secrets is unbelievably ridiculous. 

  • Speaking of ridiculous, Mr. X would probably have brought up this with Kevin Costner if he had a little more screen time: 

  • I completely missed this video of a pretty powerful firework being thrown into a convertible at a stop light. Good lord. 

  • Funny.

  • I had a leaky copper pipe coming from a hot water heater that a neighbor was able to replace with the skill of a licensed plumber. I would tell you his name, but I had to give him Blog Immunity because he didn't want everyone and their dog in Wise County calling him for help.



at 8:30 AM

7.12.2021

Random Monday Morning Thoughts




It's easy to forget that Roy Williams ever played receiver for the Cowboys, but I certainly didn't remember that he sued his ex-girlfriend because she wouldn't return an engagement ring that he mailed to her.  The case was immediately settled when she returned the ring.    

  • With the slimmest of margins last night, the Decatur School Board voted, for all intents and purposes, to fire its superintendent. The chaos continues. 

  • Richard Branson news from yesterday morning: 

  • Breaking down a headline. Here is the offensive clothing story. Here is the duct tape story. Here is the "Hands on head" story. 

     



  • Las Vegas on Saturday. 

  • Trump was revising history this weekend, and he's going to get a police officer killed or start another insurrection. (Audio with Mario Bartiromo who is an accomplice.) 


  • Keep your eye -- especially a large percentage of Wise Countians -- on this Delta variant. We are beginning to see the slightest of upticks. 



  • For some reason, CPAC in Dallas was the home of anti-vaxxers this weekend.
    • This pastor provides some dubious advice. Video.

    • I'm really having a hard time understanding this crowd's flirtation with death. Video. 

    • And you've always got to ramp it up a notch. Video.

  • Don, Jr. was at CPAC and had a bizarre moment. I'm not exactly sure what he was saying about Texas here. Nor did the audience.  Watch.
  • On Saturday morning, the statue of Robert E. Lee was taken down in Charlottesville, VA. You might remember that's the location of the Unite the Right rally which left a lady dead and the origin of the "fine people on both sides" comment. 
    Still shot from a video made by someone simply sitting on their porch.
    A haunting image from Charlottesville in 2017.

  • I'd feel a letter better about Texas sheriffs if they didn't all dress like they were at a wild west cosplay convention. 

  • Decatur's own Bryce Elder is off to a great in his first year as a professional pitcher. (The Mississippi Braves are the Double A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.) He currently has a 2.66 ERA.

  • There's a sanctions hearing going on at this moment in federal court over one of the bogus presidential election "Kraken" lawsuits. Lin Wood, Sidney Powell, and others were ordered to appear. 



at 8:32 AM

7.09.2021

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

at 2:30 PM
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