A Sign Of The Times

Hey, Now

Here, baby. Over here.

"And He Failed A Series Of Field Sobriety Tests"

This is an actual Wise County case. Guy gets stopped for speeding (72 in a 65) and asked to do a series of field sobriety tests, the results of which are above.

Note: The "Walk and Turn" requires a series of nine heel to toe steps, pivot, and nine heel to toe steps back.

And that got him arrested.

Guy Dies From Taser

Kid did something stupid. Cops probably acted appropriately. Just a freak incident.

I still think Tasers are a great invention.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

- "NEW YORK (AFP) - A businessman who sold Viagra-laced chocolate as a food supplement called'Boom' was indicted Wednesday for mail fraud by a federal judge, and faces 20 years in jail if found guilty." There goes my afternoon snack.
- Texas is getting 29 new federal prosecutors. That federal government just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
- The NFL draft is tomorrow. There was a time that I used to stop down for the NFL draft. No more.
- Rhome has certainly replaced New Fairview as the most wheels off community in Wise County.
- And today the great Bud Kennedy of the Star-Telegram gives us a little background on how the now famous agenda came to be.
- The above pic is Denise Richards at the beach last weekend. It's enough to make me want watch "Wild Things" for the 1,000th time just to bring back old memories.
- I'm giving the movie "Once" another shot. I might have dissed it too hastily.
- I'll say for the 100th time: Jim Cramer of of "Mad Money" is a hack and reckless.
- It widespread news by now, but have you seen the video of the homeless man robbing an ROTC cadet who was having a seizure in Dallas? It made The Today Show this morning.
- Watched a documentary the other day called "And The Bible Tells Me So." It was basically about how main stream religion treats gays - and pointed out that a few verses before the Bible calls homosexual conduct an "abomination" that it also said the same thing about eating fish. That Old Testament sure be confusing.
- The Rangers have lost 7 straight and are 7 games out of first place. And it's still April.
- I addition to "at the end of the day", the phrase "why don't you tell me what you really think about it" (after you just have) drives me nuts.
- Edit: Case of the week I just saw: Statue of Baby Jesus qualified as "deadly weapon."

The Award For . . . .

. . . biggest headline, above the fold, in the Morning News not worthy of a big headline. Uh, 1%?

(From today's paper that I read while eating a Lean Cuisine sandwich.)

Silliest Contest Ever

1. Sign up online at WBAP and agree to get your arse whipped with text messages.
2. Listen for your name to be selected at 6:15 a.m. every morning.
3. If selected, you have 10 minutes to call.
4. If you call within 10 minutes, then you only have to do the following: Predict, within 100 hundredth of a point, the change in the Dow Industrial Average for the day. (i.e. +83.45)
5. Then you win $82,000

That's soooooooo easy!

Source.

Best Entertainment In The County On Saturday: Rhome City Council Agenda

Click to enlarge. (Sorry it's cock-eyed.)

Edit: Uh, oh. The boys in Dallas have caught wind of this.

Edit: A faithful reader points out this pdf Fort Worth City Council Agenda which, in comparison. looks like a BEAT---ING.

Edit: As a commenter pointed out, the Star Telegram has picked up the story (with a mention of this little ol' blog. Good times.)

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

- I can never remember what the "dew point" means.
- Crowley really got hit by the storms last night. I'm not sure where in Dallas County that city is located. [Edit: Let the dogpile begin.]
- And can any weather guy break into programming without going nuts over a "this could be a circular rotation!!!!"
- The Abercrombie & Fitch crowd love Obama.
- If you ever install the Stumble Upon toolbar, you'll waste time forever. And you'll love it. (Be sure to set it to your preferences/interests.)
- There's a rice shortage? Rice? A shortage of Crisco I could understand.
- When I wrote this about Pacman Jones over a year ago, I never dreamed he'd be a Dallas Cowboy. Which, as of this morning, he is.
- The sixth inning of the Rangers' game last night was not-a-good.
- Edit: Rant by a normally whip-my-arse-criminal-defense-lawyer that I kind of agree with.

One Of These Ladies Is Jennifer Aniston

The Mean Streets Of Denton

Source.

(Thanks emailer Jennifer.)

Supreme Court Hysteria

Supreme Court News This Morning: Facts: Cops violated Virginia law by arresting a guy for driving on a suspended license instead of writing him a ticket. They then searched his car "incident to the [illegal] arrest" and found crack cocaine. Defendant then tries to have the trial court suppress the evidence of crack as an illegal search under the U.S. Constitution. What The Case Says: Just because the cops broke a state law doesn't mean the federal 4th Amendment was violated. Crack cocaine comes into evidence. Impact In Texas: None. First, cops can lawfully arrest you for any Class C violation with the exception of Speeding and Open Container. In the event the cops break the law and arrest you for those two offenses, any evidence they find will be suppressed because a state statute says so (unlike Virginia.) See Texas Code Of Criminal Procedure 38.23 (any evidence found as a result of a violation of state law can't be used against you.) So the evidence will be thrown out not because of the the 4th Amendment, but because of a state statute -- At least if your lawyer objects on the basis of 38.23 and not the 4th Amendment. Caveat: At least that's my gut reaction.

Random WBAP Thought I Just Heard

"The Mavericks will not win a championship until they are led by an American black guy."
- Mark Davis, 8:29 a.m.

What Does This Mean?

The always confusing role of EDC just confused me more. Why does the resignation of the director cause the movement of offices? I'm sure there's a reason. Just don't know what it is.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

- I always wonder about the morale at DPS. The fact that one trooper just won $900,000 in a discrimination suit by a trooper can't help.
- Speaking of discrimination, Avery Johnson and Ron Washington won't have a claim once they are let go.
- If an agency or company is ever involved in a scandal, all they need to say is, "We will conduct a complete and thorough investigation and, thereafter, will take the appropriate action."
- Moving those kids from the polygamist compound to foster care is simply awful. Why we just sit back and accept governmental abuse of power is beyond me. (And the best summary of the situation is here. Simply shocking.) Heck, go look at the check out line in Walmart and you'll see kids in worse situations than those kids being forced from their moms.
- Twenty years from now we will think about how close the Mavericks were to a championship in 2006.
- The Messenger publisher will have a quick letter hand delivered to me every now and then. It's always positive. Always cool.
- I used a $30 electric hedge trimmer from Home Depot for the first time yesterday. Worked like a charm. I had to contain myself from making a shrub sculpture of an elephant.
- Regarding the weather over the next four days, I don't think the weather guys have a clue.
- Me loves me some Erin Andrews.
- George Lopez is 47 today. I watched his show once and am pretty sure it was written by a fifth grader (but not those smart fifth graders on that game show.)
- Bear carnage. Just saw that a huge bear that was in Will Ferrell's movie last movie has killed its trainer.
- The cliche, "at the end of the day" drives me nuts.
- Edit: Greatest one page lawsuit against Mark Cuban ever (here - one page pdf). And I love how the author copyrights his name: Jonathan Lee Riches©

Random Rumor

K-Bob's to take over the place currently held by Buck's BBQ? (Heard it at the courthouse. Like most of my stories, it is uncomfirmed.)

Most Exciting Moment At Rangers Game Yesterday

And it involves a foul ball.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

- The video of the alleged killer of the Best Western clerk in south Fort Worth is chilling.
- The Rangers played at 10:00 a.m. yesterday. I think I'd go to a couple of games if they started at 10:00 a.m.
- I hate the "weather tease" at the first of a newscast. Just show me the 5 day forecast.
- I like Rosa's - the Mexican restaurant that's not quite fast food and not quite dining.
- I tried to watch the John Adams mini-series on HBO but I never got into it.
- I'd hate to be a teenager and have to buy gasoline. Then again, I'd hate to be a teenager. Period.
- Family members of court appointed clients are the most demanding people I deal with.
- I was in a Lowe's in Keller this weekend. It seemed significantly larger than the one in Decatur.
- KXAS's Meredith Land is kind of hot.
- The Mavs are in New Orleans (probably the last team they'll play this year.) Bourbon Street, which I've been to, looks like it would be a beating.
- For the first time every, beer and wine will be sold throughout the course at the Byron Nelson golf tournament this week. That might ruin the atmosphere of one of the greatest people watching places ever: The Pavilion.
- But said Pavilion, also for the first time ever, will be open until 10:00 p.m. Most. Drunks. Ever.
- The trial in the County Court at Law was probably won by this defense theory: Brothers that slug each other should probably handle their problems outside of the courthouse. It's not in the Penal Code but it's good law around these parts.
- A lawsuit has been filed less than 30 days after some guys from Roanoke died in Arkansas in a scaffolding accident. I don't know if the Texas Hammer or the Strong Arm are involved.
- One lawyer in Decatur, as a joke, actually has an email address that begins "wisecountyhammer@". That's funny.
- I was in a judge's office yesterday when a list was being passed around of every war that the U.S. has been involved in with beginning and ending dates. Just when, historically speaking, will the ending date of the current "war" be? Or did it actually last about three days and now is nothing more than an "occupation."?

Aggie Mustard?

A faithful reader threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't mention an Aggie Tradition occurring tonight.

One For The Ladies

See it happen live here.

Like A Country And Western Song

Just watched part of an assault case trial going on in the County Court at Law. (You can see some of my worst on the spot reporting ever by clicking on the Twitter link to the right.) I think: The jury will decide whether a brother can slug his half brother after said half brother (maybe) sloshes a beer into his face. To complicate matters, the half brother was entering onto the brother's property and allegedly had a "power of attorney" to care for their mother which was in the brother's home. Brother said he stopped half-brother from entering because half-brother had been ordered to stay off the land. Confused? Me, too. Edit: Just got a call from the court reporter who points out this critical error: The two guys are full brothers - not half brothers. Makes this whole thing better.

Hot Economic Prediction

Based upon prices in Fort Worth this weekend, $3.43 will seem cheap in a few days.

Maybe It's The Nice Weather

Link.

(And I'm going to try this "tagging" thing again so I can keep track of all the crap I post that is related.)

Tony Romo Celebrates 27th B-Day Last Weekend

Kisses whats's-er-face. Need shave. I see mysterious blue thing. Cowboys doomed.

Edit: Sir, the Blue Man Group comment that went unposted was not fit for this family blog.

In The Middle Of The Night . . .

. . . on Saturday, when I was either doing the Cabbage Patch at 8.0 in Fort Worth or fast asleep - I can't remember, this gal won her first Indy race in a country known for bombing the bejebus out of us in Hawaii. (Which I guess we owe them a bit of gratitude or we never would have had that movie starring Ben Affleck.)

Anyway, Danica Patrick drives me nuts. The woman has no personality. None. She could be a superstar by now even a sport that no one cares about, but most of the time during an interview I'm worried she might be flatlining.

But I got a chance to post this picture, so forget about all that.

Jesis Jesus Stops Theft. Except Donation of $10

A faithful-reader-police-officer in the western part of the county sent me this link this morning. Since I'm still trying to get my wheels on from waking up late, it's a nice starter. And, kids, don't be spending your money on whiskey. Edit: My very bad on the original title screw-up.

Random Monday Night Thoughts

- I hate it when I oversleep by an hour because I was too stupid to set my alarm.

Greenwood Last Saturday Afternoon

Thanks emailer.

Random Pic Of Knee That Doens't Work That Way

(AP) -- Tennessee fullback David Holbert has undergone the first of two surgical procedures to correct ligament damage in his left knee . . .

Uh, you don't want to see the bottom of the pic I cropped out.

Story.

Edit: Someone said the photo was photoshopped. Honestly, I don't know. I don't think so but I'm looking.

Ate Their There Yesterday

Across the road from Lowe's in Decatur. Very authentic. Pretty good.

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