Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

A viral book-in photo even ended up with a Wikipedia entry.

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• I think that's why we put that "establishment of religion" prohibition in the constitution in the first place.  Texas tried to pass such a law last year, but even we weren't dumb enough to do that. 
  
  
  
  
• Attaboy:
  
  
  
• Poll watch from Fox News:
• Interesting, but not really significant:
  
  
  
• But that being the #1 issue is. Is it possible that America is finally waking up to the fact that the leader of the January 6th Insurrection is actually running for president?
  
  
  
• The video I posted yesterday about the bicyclists getting hit by a car near DFW airport was  all the local news channels last night. I can't believe those guys weren't more injured than what they were. This guy looks fine -- and he's the one that ended up under the tires!
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Can't we keep these two guys on the opposite sides of the room?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• In a case that is a poster child of a broken criminal justice system and especially the corruption in deep East Texas, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals tried to make things right by declaring Kerry Cook actually innocent. That's quite the sentence from the opinion:
  

  

  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• So he's declared his own state holiday for the anniversary of Dobbs?
  
  
  
  
• While everyone else is distancing from the True Texas Project because of their white supremist leanings which recently became news, Wise County's state rep.-elect is embracing them. 
  
  
  
• I think there is, too.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• I wish this story wasn't behind a paywall. "Young Thug’s attorney Brian Steel starts his days at 4:30 a.m. with a 2-mile run. Then it’s off to the gym to lift weights and swim. After court wraps, back to the pool."
  
  
  
• Very legal nerdy stuff discovered by a great sleuthing metroplex lawyer: What did the Collin County D.A.s office do with a case of Continuous Sexual Assault case when the victim, at the age of 15, becomes\ a criminal defendant himself, murders his mother, and is sentenced to life in prison? 
• Messenger - Above the Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

This was referring to local radio host Mark Davis, but I reprinted it because of the "private army" conspiracy theory.  I was wrong the other day when I thought it was new when Trump mentioned it in his speech in the Bronx: "And if you look at these people, did you see them? They are physically fit. They’re 19 to 25. Almost everyone is a male, and they look like fighting age . . . . I think they're building an army ... they want to get us from within."  Side note: Now Mark Davis would agree with the caller if he phoned in.

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• Robert Morris of Gateway Church resigned yesterday, That Board, which probably actually fired Morris, said that they are "appalled by what has come to light over the last several days."  Up until then, it looked like they were going to support him. . 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• But I bet the departure is 100% a forced reaction to liability concerns. In a statement released by the victim yesterday, she said, "The leadership at Gateway received actual notice of this crime in 2005 . . . ." That's not good if any other abuse has occurred since then by him or any other employee.  Yep, the Board has to be behind this resignation.
• More proof this is a lawyer/liability decision: The church also announced that it had hired the very expensive "law firm of Haynes & Boone to conduct an 'independent, thorough and professional review' of the allegations to 'ensure we have a complete understanding of the events' from 1982 and 1987." 
• Here's Morris from around the time of the abuse:
  
  
  
• You know who is really sad? His son. "According to Gateway’s website, Morris’ son James was poised to take over senior pastor duties in 2025. Following Morris’ resignation, it is unclear who will take his place."
  
  
  
• When I first saw this post-DWI arrest photo of Justin Timberlake, I didn't think it was real. But it's from the Daily Mail. 
  
  
  
• I haven't seen this reported locally yet, but the timestamp on the video is 6/17/24. Note: It is horrifying, and I'm stunned no one was killed. (WFAA was in the comments asking permission to show the video.) The post says it happened at DFW Airport, and that's definitely the DFW Marriott in the background, and the police uniform is from the police department which has jurisdiction over the airport.
  
  
  
• Let's check in on Fox News. Someone needs to tell him that his network recently had to pay $787 million for just one of its many lies. 
  
  
  
• The Real Estate Fun Fact Minute™:
• I saw this story.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Which led me to this paragraph
  
  
  
• Which led me to these pictures and story of that mansion in Tampa which is going to be torn down.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Which led me to this paragraph about that property and new owner:
  
  
  
• Random civil case. You always hear about big verdicts, but you rarely hear about those cases where a plaintiff goes to trial and gets nothing after seeking millions of dollars as just happened in Waco.  But the headline is a little misleading because the key was that the jury found the company not at fault at all while also attributing fault to other defendants who I think had already settled.  That would be a complicated jury charge, but I noticed the Plaintiff's lawyer was a former editor of the Baylor Law Review so he probably knew what he was doing.
  
  
  
• If you have the day off, and even if you don't, here's 22 minutes from John Oliver's most recent Last Week Tonight show where he breaks down the horrifying plan for Trump's next term called Project 2025.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

I think this was the first inkling that DPS troopers would eventually become mainstays on the border. And do they mind? Nope. Just two years ago, they were making an average of $41,000 more a year in "overtime pay".

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• The Star-Telegram has the story on the wreck that killed a Paradise High student. We learned that the driver was 16 years old, also from Paradise, and the other two passengers were a 16 year old boy and 14 year old girl "from the Bridgeport area."
  
  
  
  
• When she went missing, police said that she was "known to suffer from several medical conditions that necessitate regular medication and ongoing medical treatments." We don't know much about the case other than the headline (which is basically the state of local news these days.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I really don't know anything about this case, but the defendant showing up on the front row of  a press conference where the prosecutor announces your indictment is a power move.
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
• "This year is the first that the police department has introduced its own set of legislative priorities to the city council." They chose two horrible propositions: One is the laziest of police work and the other is a violation of innocent people to be left alone from unwarranted intrusion.
  
  
  
• Wise County is still unrepresented in January 6th Insurrection prosecutions. I never believed we would go 0-fer in this category.
  
  
  
• Oh, my. "[O]fficers noticed the white BMW had a 'hole in the front passenger windshield' and 'an entire arm on the front passenger seat' along with blood."
  
  
  
• Wise County doesn't have its own juvenile detention facility and has to contract it out. They use Denton all the time. Is this the same one? 
  
  
  
  
  
• Random photo I came across.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• That's some next level taunting. 
  
  
  
• Breaking entertainment news: Justin Timberlake was arrested for driving while intoxicated in the Hamptons last night.