Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

This was nutty because a McDonald's in College Station was sued for wrongful death after a couple was attacked by third parties in its parking lot. But the woman (and maybe even the man) weren't killed there. Instead they were pronounced dead after a wreck that occurred while a friend was driving them to the hospital. The case was settled three years later for an undisclosed amount while on appeal.  

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• So Trump thought it would be a good idea to appear before a convention of black journalists?
  

  
  
  
• It started off with a bang after a long initial question. Video.
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
• The big news is that for some reason he decided to go with the "She ain't black" campaign platform. It took him 10 whole days to get there. Keep playing that card and see how it works out for you. Video.
  
  
  
• He actually said that illegal immigrants were taking "black jobs" Again! And there of all places! Video.
• He said he would pardon those who were convicted of beating peace officers on January 6th.  He's a full blown Insurrectionist.  This stuff drives me off a cliff more than anything else. 
  
  
  
• So after it was over, how he think he did?
  
  
  
• Kamala'a response: "The American people deserve better." 
  
  
  
• Drudge's take this morning: 
  
  
  
• After decades in prison at Guantanamo without a trial, this guy finally pleads guilty. He avoids the death penalty with a life without parole deal. 
  
  
  
  
• We've got a couple of people out of a Russian jail this morning. And this might be more than just these two -- possibly a "massive" prisoner swap is going on.
  
  
   
  
  
  
• More fallout at Gateway church.
  
  
  
• This occurred at the currency printing plant off of 287. She was a "disgruntled employee." 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• High schools in Keller ISD generally let seniors paint their parking spots. They'll let this one stay. And there's really no reason they shouldn't. It would be a dicey constitutional proposition to limit anything a kid does based upon its content. Plus, this isn't even remotely objectionable.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Random weirdness: A post by Skip Bayless last night.
  
  
  
• Olympic photo of the day. Turkey sent a 51 year old guy with no specialized lenses, eye cover or ear protection, and he got the silver medal
  
  
  
• The Wise County jail has about 50 people more than normal this morning. It might be housing inmates from other counties for a fee.
• Messenger - Above the Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

(From Random Thoughts on 8/1/14.) I just knew there was was something about that guy. And I was right. In 2021, he would be sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for scamming people in the oil and gas industry.

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• Two big stories out of the Middle East that make you want to hold your breath.
• Israel pulls off an assassination inside Iran. 
  

  
  
  
• Israel pulls off a rocket strike of Beirut.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We've got a dog assassination by a security guard inside the Kenneth Copeland compound close to the Wise County line. "According to Sylvia Clark, a family member of the owners, the dogs were shot by a security guard on the property of Eagle Mountain International Church. Both dogs were wearing their collars, and it should’ve been obvious they were pets, Clark said told the Star-Telegram . . . ."
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Crime quick hits:
• The Derby Desperado bandit has been identified and arrested. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A car theft ring, centered in Grapevine and targeting luxury vehicles, was broken up. When of the guy's homes was raided, they found a Corvette and Lamborghini in his garage. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Some guy either mentally unstable, high, or drunk destroyed a bunch of potted plants in downtown Fort Worth. Video.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Kamala hit the road and pulled no punches against Trump. Megan Thee Stallion served as the warm-up act in the rally in Atlanta. The campaign has changed dramatically in just one week.  (Video of the crowd.)
  
   
  

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Trump seems a little worried.
  
  
  
• The Fifth Circuit is absolutely insane. It was an en banc opinion yesterday evening and a 9-2-7 vote.
  
  
  
• I don't believe his claim at all. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• There's something ironic about America, of all places, not being able to win an Olympic shooting contest. 
  
  
  
• It took a while to get here, but it has arrived.
  
  
  
• England is torn up over a mass stabbing, but there have been riots in the last 24 hours "fueled by misinformation" . . . 

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

The verdict would be released on appeal although the case would be settled in 2017 for an undisclosed amount. Ventura sued Chris Kyle for a passage in Kyle's book where he wrote that Ventura had said in a bar that the Navy SEALs “deserve to lose a few” in Iraq. Kyle was killed while the suit was first pending.

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• I'm surprised this story didn't get more pub yesterday: Local law enforcement were aware of the sniper some 45 minutes before Trump's shooting with one of them even snapping a picture of him and sharing it in a group chat with other officers.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A sinkhole developed in the middle of an "upscale apartment complex" in Houston yesterday.
  
  
  
• I didn't have room for this yesterday: This is exactly the real-life plot of the movie "Open Water" except it has a happy ending for this Oklahoma couple. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• This guy died in March, but his family didn't announce it. The media just figured it out this week through public records.  (Gift link here which quickly summarizes the whole mess. The Wikipedia entry on the My Lai Massacre is incredibly detailed and incredibly good.)
  
  
  
• Maybe the best photograph from the Olympics so far. Story behind it. 
  
  
  
  
• Trump waffled last night in an interview with Laura Ingraham on whether he will debate Kamala Harris. He got one part really right, though: "I want to do a debate. But I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am."  Oh, yes, we do. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• They had the disaster at Uvalde, and you can't get an easy appointment at the DPS office, but they spend their time promoting a meaningless contest for best looking equipment? Equipment that your tax dollars paid for? 
  
  
  
• The Business Second™. And we don't drill enough? "Key pipelines that transport barrels produced in the Permian Basin to the Port of Corpus Christi are more than 90% full, and companies that operate some of these lines say the congestion is likely to get worse. . . . Demand for the limited pipeline space comes at a time when the US is producing more crude oil than any other nation . . . ."
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I've always been in the "I want my coaches to be in shape" camp. New Cowboy defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer doesn't meet that criteria. 
  
  
  
• I knew that singer Chris Brown was sued over some alleged weird brouhaha at Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth, but I just learned that the Plaintiffs' lawyer is Tony Buzzbee. Yeah, that guy.