Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

These were very random thoughts. And I still hold these truths to be self-evident. 

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• I'm not sure I remember a December this warm, especially in the two weeks leading into Christmas. I'm against it. 
  
  
  
•  I liked this gal on Channel 8. 
  
  
  
• This case is pretty simple, and it is no big deal. Elected DAs and County Attorneys in Texas have the right to prosecute crimes in Texas. And although they can ask the AG for help, the ultra-conservative and Republican court ruled yesterday that the legislature can't create a statute that gives the AG the exclusive right to prosecute any particular brand of crime because the Texas Constitution specifically limits what the Texas AG can do.  Here, the legislature had done just that by giving the AG jurisdiction to prosecute voter "fraud" without the consent of the locally elected prosecutor.
  
  
  
• AG Ken Paxton responded like an angry child and, like a child, he just made stuff up. To say the ruling is "devastating" is ridiculously laughable. 
  
  
  
• Ok, this was legitimately funny yesterday. 
  
  
  
• For those who don't get it.
  
  
  
• Regarding the possible hit and run by the Prosper mayor, his attorney is probably right about fault, but there's not a lot of upside in saying it while the guy is in critical condition. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Two quick hits about this story: (1) She's a Congresswoman so she's talking about federal law. This should be a state law issue. (2) Texas already has such a law, but it's a misdemeanor.  
  
  
  
• This is very weird, but this is what I think is going on (a little legal nerdy):
  
  
  
• The Defendant was arrested for murder. The charge carries with it a punishment range of anywhere between 5 years and life. 
• He couldn't afford bond (because, in Texas, the rich get out of jail and the poor stay in jail.)
• But the State couldn't announce "ready" for trial within 90 days so the judge granted the defendant a PR bond which, quite frankly, he had to under the law. See art. 17.151
• The State then upgraded the charges by re-arresting the guy for capital murder and actually signaled its intent to seek the death penalty. Why? Well one reason is that a person charged with capital murder is not entitled to bond "where proof is evident" even when the State can't announce "ready" for trial within 90 days.  By doing the re-arrest trick, they could keep the defendant in jail even if they weren't ready for trial. Or so they thought. 
• No so fast, the judge said. He got mad and dismissed the capital murder charge calling it "prosecutorial vindictiveness" because he believes he was only re-arrested and the charges upgraded to try and get around the PR bond law.
• This is all pretty wild.
• If you are interested in stuff like this below, read this thread. I think he'll be able to stay on the ballot.
  
  
   
  
  
  
• Jacksonville coach Urban Meyer was fired overnight. (I told you last week that the NFL brass wanted him gone.)  He's in year one of a six year contract which is estimated to be $10 to $12 million a year. And you know what? Jacksonville owes him all of it now. 
  
  
  
• The number one recruit in the nation signing with Deion Sander's led Jacksonville State over Florida State and Georgia because (maybe) the kid is going to get a big check through Barstool Sports is everything you need to know about the future of college football.  And if you haven't seen the kid trolling the other schools as he made his decision, here ya go: Video.
  
  
  
• I'm not against these kids being paid. In fact, I've been advocating it for years. But now that it is here, it just seems weird. 
• Keep away from the Aggie in the next cubicle today. 
  
  
  
• I never watch the NBA, but here's a wild finish from last night. Video. It's the longest game winning shot in 25 years. 
  
  
  
• That's a good photo, I think:

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

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• I finally got to sit down and talk with the DA's office about the murder trial that just took place.
• It was far more brutal than what I thought -- and I already thought it was extremely brutal.  There's a 911 tape of the victim gasping her final words. It's hard to imagine that it all happened in Decatur. 
• And although identify was never an issue, the killer slipped in her blood and left a foot trail of bloody footprints away from her body as he fled. The photographs were said to be haunting.
• The guy put a tracking device on the victim's car and activated it before he placed on her vehicle. So the first data it saved showed it at his house before he ultimately drove to her home and placed it on her vehicle. 
• I'm not sure how the employee of the tanning salon held it together during the whole ordeal. She was smack dab in the middle of it trying to help the best she could. As others have told me, "There's no way she doesn't suffer from PTSD after that." 
• I have not heard one single criticism or complaint about the way the Decatur Police Department handled the investigation. Not one. 
• Wise County primary contests (getting this info was way too hard - it's now all available for any county through the Secretary of State.):

  

  J.D. Clark is the incumbent

  
  

  

  No incumbent for County Clerk since Sherry Parker Lemon did not seek re-election. 

  

  Kevin Burns is the incumbent in Precinct 2
  No incumbent in Precinct 4 since Gaylord Kennedy did not seek re-election

  
  
• First time Wise County candidates who did not have an opponent:
  
• The District Clerk was open because Brenda Rowe did not seek re-election
• The County Attorney job was open because of COVID. Stay with me here:  Current County Attorney Thomas Aaberg, who did no file for election,  currently has the job because he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of James Stainton. Stainton had left the office of County Attorney because he was appointed as District Attorney to fill the unexpired term of Greg Lowery. Lowery had left the District Attorney job because he was appointed as Judge of County Court at Law #1 to fill the unexpired term of Judge Melton Cude.  Judge Cude created an unexpired term when he died of COVID on November 29, 2020.
• The Proud Boys were sued by the District of Columbia yesterday because of the damage caused on January 6th.  And although the legal entity of "Proud Boys International, LLC" doesn't technically exist any longer because it was dissolved, it had some official Decatur connections at one point. 
  
  
  
• Wish I could get a comment from the Baby Jesus. 
  
  
  
• I observed someone doing a bit yesterday in new Wise County government office. 
  
  
  
• The mayor of Prosper may be in trouble for a possible "leaving the scene of an accident" case. After he slammed on his brakes to avoid a collision, a motorcyclist rear-ended him leaving that motorcyclist in critical condition.  His honor attempted to put a force field up last night by saying a prayer for the biker during a council session. He also says he had no idea the bike smashed into the back of him but thought it was a car which then passed him so he pursued it. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• There's always a video rolling.  Here's one of a Louisiana municipal judge watching a surveillance video and dropping the n-word. I haven't read how the video, recorded in her own home, got released. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• As Mark Meadows is becoming the new John Dean, we've got two new metroplex resident arrests who took part in the Trump Insurrection.  Donald Hazard, 43, of Hurst, and Lucas Denney, 44, of Mansfield. These guys are pieces of work as the very detailed 42 page complaint. (Man, the Justice Department does a lot of work putting those things together.)   These boys weren't just tourists.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• With the rule change allowing college athletes being able to be paid for the "name, image or likeness" (which basically means they can be handed money without even working), I knew it would be the wild, wild West.  And it has really kicked off recently. Some organization called "Horns With Hearts" will pay offensive linemen at UT $50,000 a year if they'll just say a few kind words about a charity. And yesterday, some SMU alums, including Eric Dickerson, started a slush fund that, although now legal, caused the school to get the death penalty in 1988. 
  
  
  
• Related hot sport opinion: 
  
• Messenger: Above the Fold

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

On November 13, 2013, Sam Hurd would be sentenced to 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2025. (There's actually a "federal prison inmate locater." He's listed under Samuel Hurd.)

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• That was quick: Ronnie Brezina was convicted yesterday in the Capital Murder case involving the stabbing of Brandy Wallen outside of the Decatur tanning salon named Toast Your Bunz.
• Here's something crazy: In 1998, Brezina was convicted of stabbing a person in Denton County and sentenced to 20 years in prison. And the prosecutor involved in that case was the same one involved in yesterday's verdict when he worked for the Denton D.A.'s Office. (Trial court #F-96-0613-C  and appeal 02-98-00428-CR but the opinion must have been unpublished.)

  

  Brezina from days that weren't even better back then.

  
  
• Yesterday evening, the House Committee investigating January 6th revealed some of the text messages that Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows received as the Insurrection was ongoing. What follows is the transcript from Liz Chaney quoting them:
  
  
  
• First, if there was any question that the White House didn't know what was going on from TV, these texts from unnamed Congressional members to Meadows left no doubt. And they urged him to convince Trump to take action:
  
  
  
• And then the Fox News crowd begged their leader through Meadows:
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Finally, Trump Jr., who apparently has no way of getting his father to listen to him, texted Meadows to get some messages to his dad.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• And these are just the texts that Meadows voluntarily turned over. 
• A "Rick Perry" has filed for Governor. But it's not that Rick Perry. Nope, it is a Richard Perry out of Springtown
  
  
  
• But there is something weird about this. His application was notarized by a guy named Tony McDonald who is the General Counsel for the far right wing PAC of Empower Texans. And he's a donor and supporter of governor candidate Don Huffines. If you didn't know, the Empower Texans faction of the Republican Party despise Abbott.   
• Speculation: With Abbott leading in the polls by just over 50% against all challengers, do the Republican Abbott haters hope someone like "Rick Perry" could get, say, 5% of the vote and help force a run-off?
• Tony McDonald is no stranger to anti-Abbott sentiment. He was caught expressing his hatred for Abbott before in a recording which was accidentally released.  
  
  
  
• This current Texas COVID surge (that at least I thought was going on) has really been flat over the last week. In every single past surge, it's been really predictable with a climb almost every single day until it peaks. Once again, I always like to look at hospitalization numbers:
  
  
  

  

  Last nine days

  
  
• There's a lot going on here. 
  
  
  
• Here, too.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Sports Quick hits:
• According to the very accurate College Football Reference, eight punters just had seasons which put them in the Top Ten since 2000 based upon yard per kick. This cannot happen naturally. Juiced ball? I'm serious. (If you can be serious about punting stats.)  
  
  
  
• The Evil Empire sure seems overly excited about getting Ohio State's backup quarterback. (The other recruits they've received commitments from over the last three days, including this guy, are impressive.)
• OU's ex-QB Spencer Rattler landed with South Carolina last night. 
• Over the last 72 games in basketball, Baylor is 63-6, won a National Championship, and got back up to #1 in the nation yesterday after beating #9 Villanova 57-36 on Sunday. 
  
  
  
• The Houston Chronicle is doing a series on tax-free parsonages owned by churches. As an example, Highland Park Presbyterian has eleven homes and avoids property taxes of anywhere between $25,000 and $35,000 on each of them . . .