8.08.2023

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




We had a unique funeral in Decatur.

  • We've got a Liberally Lean™ exclusive:
    • Remember back in the Spring during the Decatur ISD school board elections when a mass marketed text message followed by a flyer went out? Eyebrows were raised because the flyer was paid for by a mysterious PAC named Decatur ISD Parents Unite. It even was the main subject of a Messenger article. The text, which focused on "woke" being within Decatur schools, also upset the Superintendent.  And the whole thing became even a little more uncomfortable when . . . 
      Above, from the Update 
      The text message

      The flyer

    • Well, we have finally learned about who was the major funder of the PAC.  A required campaign filing with the Texas Ethics Commission for the PAC shows that "Printed Materials," "Direct Mail," and "Digital Communications" was paid for by Montgomery Bennett of Dallas. He commonly goes by Monty Bennett. 

    • So who is he and why is he contributing to a PAC involved in a couple of obscure school board races for Decatur ISD?  

    • Bennett is a very wealthy man who invests in hard right politicians and/or PACs. By doing so, he gets engaged in culture wars at the local level even though he may have no direct ties to the community. He's kind of like the West Texas Oil Men but on a smaller scale. 
    • Bennet has thrown money in other flashpoint school board races in North Texas as well. In the last election, in addition to donating in Decatur, he supported PACs or candidates in the following (larger) district school board races . . . 
      • Keller ISD ($20,000),
      • Plano ISD ($15,000),
      • Northwest ISD ($7,500),
      • Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD ($2,500),
      • McKinney ISD ($10,000), 
      • and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD ($5,000). 
    • Sidenote: He's not limited to school boards. He recently donated  $20,000 to Tim O'Hare, the new right wing Tarrant County judge. He's also donated $1.1 million to Trump.
    • He also was mentioned in a a recent Texas Monthly article 

    • He also can get a little testy. Described by D Magazine as "a wealthy hotelier named Monty Bennett who was near the steps of the Capitol on January 6 and has said the insurrection was overblown by the mainstream media," he sued a publication called the Dallas Weekly and lost.

    • He also became front and center in the controversy surrounding the PPP during COVID -- even getting mentioned by then candidate Joe Biden. 

    • So is there anything illegal or unethical about this guy getting involved in Decatur school board politics to help a couple of designated candidates? Of course not. It's not illegal to be rich or illegal to use that money in any campaign you choose.  But it's a wild development that as "culture wars envelop schools" in North Texas, they seem to have made inroads into Wise County by way of a big Dallas wallet. But the question remains: How in the world did Bennett end up getting connected to Decatur? 
  • Quick hits on other news:
    • We've got an an arrest of a Jacksboro teacher on an "improper relationship" charge. 
    • Lots of charges being dropped in Tarrant County based upon a couple of headlines in the last 24 hours. 


    • Last night, the judge in Trump's January 6th case ordered a hearing be held this week regarding what should have been a routine protective order. It will be the first time the actual federal judge in charge of the case will speak face to face with the lawyers. Trump's arraignment was handled by a magistrate. 

    • I wonder about this, too.

    • KERA has bought the Denton Record Chronicle. Seems like a big deal. 
  • The first USA Today/Coaches poll for college football has been released.

at 8:28 AM

8.07.2023

Random Monday Morning Thoughts




Remember this? As his final year began, there was a massive controversy because Johnny Football had allegedly made money for signing his autograph. Sounds almost quaint today. Relevant: A new Netflix documentary on Manziel has just been released, and it sounds pretty insane. 

  • A Northside hangout of many a Wise County resident, the Cadillac bar, burned on Saturday night. There are a ton of photos out there, but this is one of the first ones which was taken. 

  • Horse carnage near and far:
  • After being warned at his Arraignment regarding his conduct, Trump spent the weekend defying the judge's order. It will be very interesting to see if a no nonsense federal judge will put up with this.  Trump might actually end up in jail on a bond condition revocation -- anyone else would.  Regardless, I'd come down hard on him right not and not let this get normalized in the January 6th case. 
    • Threatens everyone.

    • Attacks judge.

    • Attacks prosecutor.

    • Attacks witness.

  • And Trump still has random yet nutty posts. How the Republican Party has just embraced conduct like this is insane to me. Are they trying to lose? The man is not OK. 

  • Abbott will sign the transgendered sports bill (a bill to solve a problem which doesn't exist) at TWU today. Choosing TWU is an interesting choice  -- it's public so they can't refuse him. He's looking for a protest just to get some press. 

  • Local radio news: The Ticket has sued Dan and Jake, citing a six month non-compete clause, for starting a podcast after the station let them go last month. (PDF of lawsuit). I note that the filing misspelled the local VP's name but he signed the verification anyway.


  • Other local radio news: WBAP has parted ways with afternoon host Rick Roberts -- a guy who sounded like a Nazi most of the time and never rebuked his many blatantly racist callers. ("Good call!" he would always say.)  Interestingly, in their new job posting, they don't want "another political talk show." What else is there on AM radio these days? 

  • Random Drudge Report featured headline: "How Dallas-Fort Worth became America's boomtown . . . "

  • College football is basically the only sport I follow these days, and the implosion of the PAC 12 on Friday was one of the most bonkers things I've ever seen. In the blink of an eye, Oregon and Washington fled to the Big 10 while Arizona, Arizona State and Utah defected to the Big 12.
    The Big 12 in 2024.

    This is really mind-blowing
    The Big 10 is really spread out. 


    • Maybe one of the greatest hires of all time was the Big 12 hiring the very aggressive and very shrewd Brett Yormark last year. What he has done is nothing short of amazing. And the PAC 12 commissioner, George Kliavkoff never saw it coming: 

  • Legal stuff: A panel of the Fifth Circuit went all progressive on Friday and stuck down Mississippi's law which bans people convicted of a felony from ever voting again.  (Prediction: The rest of the court will overturn this en banc.)

  • The brawl on the riverfront in Montgomery, Alabama is wild.  But it's important to watch the clip that started it all for context. 
  • Just got a tip on Decatur ISD political candidate financial filing. I'll have it tomorrow. 


at 8:31 AM

8.04.2023

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

Bonus (but linked only because of language.)
at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts





A decade later, I still love that teaser/trailer/commercial. And here's a breakdown of Ozymandias on Wikipedia.

  • I don't think we yet realize just how a significant day yesterday was. It's the most significant prosecution of Trump yet, and it has to be done. The consequences of letting him get away with all that led up to January 6th is too great.   

    • The courtroom sketches seem to cement the need to have cameras in the courtroom. 


    • He's still a clear and present danger to the United States.

  • Pretty emotional video clip filmed while fighting the Runaway Bay fire. 

  • Greg Abbott's buoys have already killed a child. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in."


  • Did the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office just kill another one? 

  • "THROCKMORTON (KFDX/KJTL) — Throckmorton County sheriff resigns, blames lack of help. Doc Wigington, resigned unexpectedly Thursday blaming a lack of help with law enforcement. According to a social media post, he said that for 8 months, he has been without a full-time deputy and only a couple of part-time deputies and that the trooper and game warden are being deployed to the border and Austin."  I'd quit, too.

  • I love that the Justice Department is still rounding up the Insurrectionists. We learned yesterday that they got this guy from Brady on Monday.



  • So your just paying $1 million when you didn't do anything wrong?

  • Wise County Courthouse renovation: I can't get it to work on my laptop, but when viewed from a phone, you can get a panoramic view of the third floor of the courthouse which is now gutted.  For those familiar with it, you can now walk straight from the jury/commissioners room all the way to the other side. All the walls are gone.
    Taken from jury room looking east. The two doors are the bathrooms.

  • Legal/local stuff: A Wise County criminal case was affirmed on appeal late yesterday.  Very legal nerdy stuff: The decision deals with an interesting "commitment question" during voir dire regarding the range of punishment.  The the trial judge ruled, and the appellate court agreed, that you can't ask this:

    • Nerdy stuff continued: The defense lawyer was trying to get the hard-liners stricken for cause. The way to do it seems to be limited to asking: "Could you assess the minimum punishment of 25 years." That question is OK.  From the defense standpoint, you hope they will be honest and say "no." Then the judge would have to remove them for not being able to consider the "full range of punishment" of 25 years to life.
  • 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: 4 years and 30 days.

at 8:30 AM
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)