10.21.2024

Random Monday Morning Thoughts





And it still is worthy of a double-take. Side note: Sheriff Joe is still alive in case you were wondering. 

  • The Star-Telegram has this story about high water bills from the Walnut Creek Special Utility District which serves Rhome. 


  • Roberson update:

    • As we learned Friday, the reason he wasn't executed was because of a  the very unusual subpoena issued by the legislative committee. Well, today at noon he will testify before that committee. AG Ken Paxton has stepped in and said that the hearing should be by Zoom. His lawyers want him there in person.  
    • The hearing will be livestreamed here. Edit: Or here on YouTube
    • But I think I was wrong on Friday when I wrote that I believed he could be executed at anytime after he testifies.  It may be that the district court will have to sign a new execution order and, if so, there is a statute which says there must be a waiting period of 91 days from the date of the order until the execution. The Dallas Morning News had this headline on Saturday, but I've noticed that the headline is gone on its site online.

    • Developments that didn't work: On Sunday, Paxton, probably the most despicable man in the state, tried to get the Texas Supreme Court to withdraw its stay of execution completely, but it refused. 
  • Weekend headlines:
    • Seven people died in Georgia.


    • Cuba has had two complete blackouts throughout the entire country. (Guantanamo Bay has its owner power supply.)

    • Despite killing the leader of Hamas, Israel continued the bombing of both Gaza and Lebanon.

    • Houston: A helicopter hit a radio tower last night killing four. Video captured it.

    • They didn't find her in the landfill:

  • Trump:
    • Yep, this happened. Video. 

    • He worked at McDonald's for a few minutes, and we learned why he never takes off his jacket.

    • He got mad at Mark Cuban. 

    • Good lord. The lying never ends. 

    • Fascism is funny to Elon Musk.

    • Trump "re-Truthed" a  belief that January 6th was an inside job. 

    • How is this election even close? 
  • The Evil Empire was fined $250,000 when its fans revolted by throwing beer cans and water bottles onto the field in protest of a call. It worked. The officials got scared and changed the call.

  • The greatest paint job on college helmets ever occurred by the University of Illinois. 

  • You can go vote beginning today. 

at 8:30 AM

10.18.2024

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

at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts





I was going to just say that he had been having a stellar 2014 season, averaging 6.7 yards a carry which was second in the NFL at the time. Then I looked at his Wikipedia page and learned that his life took a tremendous turn for the worse in the years that followed. 

  • Decatur High School had some issues yesterday getting students to the football game.

  • Robert Roberson, who was scheduled for execution at 6:00 p.m.  last night in a "shaken baby syndrome" case, is still alive. For now. Here's what went down. Stay with me here. 
    • Late in the afternoon, a district judge in Austin, after a Zoom hearing, stopped the execution by granting an injunction sought by state lawmakers who had subpoenaed Roberson to testify before it on Monday. Note: We've got to important legal concepts here: (1) This is a civil, not criminal, proceeding, and (2) this is a temporary injunction. 

    • Moments later: In the criminal case, which still had some proverbial life left, the United States Supreme Court chose not to stop the execution. A dissenting opinion urged Gov. Abbott to step in. 
    • Gov. Abbott does not step in.
    • But the execution can't occur at  6:00 p.m. It's still on hold because of the temporary injunction out of Austin earlier in the day in the civil case.
    • That civil proceeding is then "appealed" to the Texas Court of Ciminal Appeals. There is a fight over who has jurisdiction over the civil temporary injunction out of Austin. Should it go to the CCA which has jurisdiction over criminal cases? Should it go to the Texas Supreme Court which has jurisdiction over civil cases?  (And some scholars online point out the the newly created 15th Court of Appeals might be the right forum.)
    • 8:30 p.m.: The Court of Criminal Appeals, in a vote to 5-4 but without an opinion, says it has jurisdiction to review the Austin district court's temporary injunction, vacates it, and says (paraphrasing), "Let's kill him."
    • The Texas legislature lawyers then take the case (PDF of petition) to the Texas Supreme Court saying that it's truly the court with jurisdiction over the temporary injunction. 
    • 9:40 p.m.: The Texas Supreme Court stops the execution. There is no written opinion but a concurring opinion (PDF) for three of the judges who try to explain what is going on. Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what's going on now myself.

    • So where does all this stand? Right now, the district court in Austin still has the case and will decide whether to issue a permanent injunction to stop the execution until the defendant testifies before the committee.  Does your head hurt? It should.
    • This part seems really important that no one is talking about: The defendant is scheduled to testify on Monday. If that occurs, then all of this will be moot and the execution could occur immediately after he testifies, right?  At least I think I'm right. 
    • That is, unless the legislative committee then issues another subpoena for him to come back again? 
  • The biggest news of the day was this. Will it stop the war and the bombings by Israel? Nope.


  • Politics:
    • Kamala Harris had a very good moment when she retorted to Trump supporters which tried to interrupt one of her rallies yesterday. Video.

    • Melania finally showed up with Trump at a campaign event as she joined him at the Al Smith Dinner Catholic charity banquet.  Later, he dropped an S bomb while he was speaking to the group.

    • Trump wasn't the only one working blue. Earlier in the dinner, the featured speaker had quite the joke. Video

    • Fox News Bret Baier apologized for running the wrong clip in his interview of Kamala Harris where Trump called Americans the "enemy from within" and threatened to unleash the military on them. 


  • Legal nerdy stuff. Twitter has updated its Terms of Service to say all disputes will be heard in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (where he'll end up in Judge Reed O'Connor's court) or in Tarrant County state courts. 

    • O'Connor currently has $50,000 invested in Tesla despite presiding over one of Elon Musk's high profile lawuit.
  • Time which has passed since the Wise County Sheriff's Office, despite having a full male DNA profile, has failed to solve the murder of Lauren Whitener in her home at Lake Bridgeport: 5 years and 105 days.

at 8:30 AM

10.17.2024

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




I was reminded that I documented  gas prices on 10/15/14 -- a price which is basically the same as today.

  • We now know the name of the new judge who will preside over the Tanner Horner capital murder case: Judge David Hagerman of the 297th Judicial Court in Tarrant County . Horner got the right to a new judge once the case was transferred to Tarrant County on his Motion to Transfer Venue --  a motion which was granted by local judge Brock Smith. 

  • I can't say I can name a One Direction song, nor was a familiar with this guy, but I know a big story when I see one. Sidenote: TMZ initially published some (very) cropped photos of the body but then deleted them. 

  • Told you this would happen yesterday. 

    • But in a bizarre move, a conservative committee of the Texas legislature has subpoenaed the man facing execution today to also appear before them in Austin since that would prevent him from being strapped to a gurney in Huntsville.  



    • But the subpoena also smells of a publicity stunt by Rep. Jeff Leach (far right, above) who is shameless.
  • So why was this Blue Alert which woke us all up cancelled yesterday you ask?  "The Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to inquiries about why the Blue Alert was canceled."

  • I'm no fan of this guy, but I'm stunned his lawyers haven't learned the names of his accusers yet.  If someone wants to allege you of a heinous crime against them, you kind of want to know who is doing the accusing, right? Never mind that pesky Sixth Amendment right to confront your accuser.

  • Fannin County is giving Wise County a run for the most dangerous rural county to drive in. If the headline below seems familiar, it is because there was another wreck there earlier this month which also, amazingly, claimed five lives. 

  • Another military domestic aircraft accident.

     
  • So when does a headline say "brothel" and when does it say "sex trafficking"? 

  • Politics:
    • Kamala Harris went into the hostile confines of Fox News and, depending on which echo chamber you are in, either (1) did poorly or (2) was subjected to an ambush-like interview where she performed fantastically. 


    • But earlier in the day, Trump also appeared on Fox News but it was in front of a we-are-humbled-to-have-you-in-our-presence crowd.  I thought his ill-timed joke at the expense of a woman who died under the Georgia abortion ban was really cringy. 

  • The Business Second™. "A federal jury in Fort Worth awarded American Airlines $9.4 million on Tuesday in the airline’s suit against Skiplagged Inc., a website that promotes bargain fares through 'hidden city' ticketing, a practice that saves many fliers money but, American contends, costs airlines millions in uncaptured revenue."

    • "Hidden city" explained. This seems like it should be legal. 

  • Messenger - Above the Fold

at 8:30 AM
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