My Trip To Newark

For some reason, I decided to run in a 5K in Newark this morning. Not sure why. Random observations: (1) Nice people at the Seven Hills school that sponsored the event.. Although I had an awkward moment when I was greeted by a nice lady who wanted to know my name, and I replied "Barry." She responded. "Ok, Barry Green." (2) Didn't see the lady from the city court that made it on Fox 4 the other day. (3) That school is very nice. (4) The run was a little odd in that they sent you down three different roads and you had to do a U-turn and come back. (5) I had to dodge a three legged dog. (6) I had to dodge a pack of dogs. (7) At one point, three horses were running beside me on the other side of a fence. (8) I think I came in fourth. But third was a little girl. Seriously. And as I came to the finish line, I was finishing strong. And then, suddenly, I was passed by a guy who had more self-confidence and swagger than any man I had seen before. His name was . . . Ralph Hardy.

More Powerful Than A Letter To The Editor

A 16-year-old girl posted a cry for help on YouTube two weeks ago. She was allegedly drugged and raped by a 23-year-old man. In the video, she does not name the rapist, but instead focuses on her disappointment that the Florida state attorney's office refused to prosecute the case . . . . Source. One thing about being a prosecutor is that there will always be people unhappy with the decisions you make. But, man, the Internet sure changes the playing field.

If You Recognize The Name Brian Loncar . . .

. . . you'll love this. I can't remember if he used to be The Texas Hammer or The Texas Strongarm. (Thanks emailer Ken.)

Oh, My

From the DMN:

Joe Barron, 52, was arrested in Bryan, Texas, after he drove more than three hours to have sex with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl, according to police.

He is one of about 20 ministers from Prestonwood Baptist Church, the Plano megachurch.

Here's a story from the Bryan College Station Eagle. We'll have our own story up and posted as soon as we can.


Prestonwood, understandably, has disabled the information on its website as to who this guy is but a Google cache lists him as "Minister Adult Married III." Oh, my, indeed. The privates are going to be the downfall of society.

News

We have an 'unattended death' of a 22 year old in Paradise area.

Developing.

Barry (from mobile)

Edit: I'm sure this happened, I just don't have any details. (4:13 p.m.)

At the jail ...

Edit: Somehow the text didn't come through with the email. If I remember correctly, this guy was an inmate in 1993 when the jail was being expanded. Inmates who were trustees (or "trusty" as they used to be called) were assisting in the construction. I think a wall of cinder blocks fell on this guy one morning. I can't remember what he was being incarcerated for.

American Gangster

I love movies about the illegal drug trade. Blow. Scarface. Traffic. And the great documentary Cocaine Cowboys.

And I'd put American Gangster right up there with them. Except for the ending. This thing is "based on a true story" but I really haven't checked it out yet. But I find that hard to believe.

Spoiler Alert:

The last 20 minutes turns into a bad Law & Order episode. And, without ruining the ending, if you hypothetically believe a person can be a cop investigating a high level drug trade, then graduate from law school and become a prosecutor in the very same case, and then later on a defense lawyer for the guy he prosecuted, this movie is for you.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

- Think about your tax bill. Ok, Ready. Headline: "Hutchison wants $100 mil for border drug war." When did she lose her mind?
- There's a road sign on 407 headed towards Justin that warns you of "low flying aircraft." Why? I mean, I know there's a little airport there but how exactly am I supposed to react to the warning?
- Odd moment of Fox 4 News at 6:53 this morning when they were showing us a dog ts back on the carpet they wanted us to adopt: "Show us that money shot," said Evan. I thought Tim was gonna lose it.
- Speaking of Fox 4, Todd Carruth is leaving as well. I'm afraid that I'm going to turn it on one morning and see nothing but an empty studio.
- Private poll dancing mishap. Good times.
- Don't care to much about the California Supreme Court ruling paving the way for gay marriage. But the fact that hottie Portia de Rossi plans to marry is deeply disconcerting.
- And it's good to see Sen. John Cornyn was quick to suggest that the federal government will get involved in the gay marriage debate. Thank goodness the federal government comes to save us again.
- More crazy federal intervention. That crazy story where some teenager killed herself after being duped on myspace?: The lady who might have done the duping was federally indicted. Incredible. Simply incredible.
- Geekiest thing I've done in a while: Learning PHP and mySQL. Ya know, if I could earn a living being locked in a room for nine hours a day writing code, I think I would.
- It's time for The Preakness and the very wheels off Running Of The Urinals.
- If you want to understand the mortgage crisis, check out this week's podcast of This American Life.

I've Been Busy But Did Notice This

One plane lands on another plane taking off today in Roanoke. It's hard to believe it actually happened and they stayed that way.

And on a completely unrelated note, I've changed the comments to allow them to "pop up" instead of taking you to a different page. Some people complained that hitting the "back" buttom after looking at comments was one of the problems with the speed.

Edit: And I'll try something else. I'll limit the number of my posts to 10 on the first page. Previously it was limited to the last four days, regardless of the number of posts. That will at least decrease the size.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

- Channel 5 did an alarmist "Date Rape Drug" story last night: Jane McGarry says "never put your drink down."
- Law and Order in some ways is kind of silly. Saw a defense lawyer, right in front of his client, ask for a plea bargain from the prosecutor last night and then accept it immediately. Ya might want to ask your client about that, hoss.
- John Edwards endorsed Obama yesterday. I think endorsements have no impact whatsoever - unless some nutcase endorses you. Uh, I endorse John McCain.
- Anybody found the Versus network yet?
- Check out the title bar at the very top of your screen.
- Every newscast last night warned me of "Crazy Raspberry Ants." They use their dead to build bridges, or so Channel 5 told me this morning. Do they scream, "Tonight we dine in hell!!!!"?
- The other day Kay Bailey Hutchison popped on Rush Limbaugh's show on WBAP and thanked him for all that he "did for America." And to think I shook her hand at the old Decatur K-Bob's once.
- Other than maybe two people, I don't know the identity of any of the commenters on here who have Google IDs associated with them. But I do see a pattern: Someone posts a lot, gets bombarded with attacks, and then they go back to anonymous posting. Don't blame 'em.
- Tonya Harding is on The Today Show this morning promoting a new book. That poor girl's wheels are still off.
- Pic of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's yacht that Brad and Angelina just vacationed on in Monaco. I was on an Alumacraft with a 15 hp motor on Lake Bridgeport once.
- That crazy Six Flags commercial of the old lady laughing as she shines a light on the wall causing her cat to go nuts is funny.
- And I still laugh at the new/old Bill O'Reilly tape when he screams, "We'll do it live!!!!!"
- A multi-million verdict against Vioxx which was awarded by some crazy South Texas jury was overturned yesterday. That crying you heard last night was a guy was a lawyer who went from poor to rich to poor again because of a "contingency fee."
- I've had a 7 gram of fat frozen quesadilla for dinner for five straight days.
- Our Presidet honors fallen soldiers by giving up golf. Didn't he do a skit once where he looked for WMDs in his office?
- Megan Henderson "Hey, Now." (Thanks emailer and Frontburner)

Ralph Hardy On Fox 4 - But We Have Issues

Tonight, Fox 4 News did a story on Blog Hero and Legend Ralph Hardy. Below are some screenshots,and we learned the following:

(1) There are no hookers in Newark - an assertion which can seriously be questioned.
(2) Court Clerk Amy Cromer (below in burnt orange) is a rising star in city government and could easily surpass a few "Hey, nows" that have heretofore been posted. (Edit: OK. Don't even try to make comments about, uh, stuff. Not gonna post 'em.)
(3) Lari Barager must hate me. She made reference to about three blogs but Liberally Lean didn't get a single mention. Nothing. Nada. Maybe it's because I referred to Megan Henderson as the hottest girl in local news. Maybe it's because she's been wronged by someone else and taking it out on me. Developing . . .
(4) Franklin Miller has proclaimed himself the "go to guy" for Newark for any and all information. Franklin could have been my BFF if he had said, "Yeah, I know Ralph. He's a playa." (And he had the very funny line last night of, "If there were hookers in Newark, I'd know it.")

Frilly's?

Let The Legend Begin: Ralph Hardy

WorldNetDaily.com appears to be the first reputable news organization (I'm not a news organization nor am I reputable) that has proclaimed the Newark "13 year old boy and hookers" story to be fake.

There is no Ralph Hardy.

But, like the ficticious Tyler Durden in Fight Club, he may become a legendary Wise County character. Like Rook Ramsey or George Harwood or Phil Ryan. Only fake.

So, dear Wise Countians, in all decisions in the future let this be your guide: what would Ralph Hardy do?

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

- "Kaptain Robbi Knievel" will jump a bunch of Hummers at the Motor Speedway next month. Saw him on the news last night - dumb as a box of rocks.
- A" longtime priest of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas resigned Tuesday from his new post at St. Michael the Archangel Church in McKinney amid complaints about his past participation with an Internet site for gay priests." That sentence makes my head hurt.
- But I think the Baptists need to trick up their church names a bit. Maybe, the Mark the Disciple of Jesus Immersed in the Jordan Baptist Church of Flatwood.
- Our jury cards used to have potential jurors fill out their religious affiliations. Baptist was oftentimes spelled as "Babtist" by lots of folks.
- The Rangers are 13-5 over the last 18 games. Don't get your hopes up. And from the number of empty seats on television, not many people are.
- "American Gangster" is very good but not great. But I'm not done with it yet.
- I've rented "Grizzly Man" again so I can once again enjoy the magic.
- The government told us last month that one of the girls taken into custody from the FLDS was a minor and pregnant. Now they say "Uh, nope. Our bad." Government incompetence or Government lies. Take your pick.
- Various local newscasts were covering people camping out to get season football tickets for Southlake Carroll this morning. Why don't they take some of their gold bullion and build a bigger stadium?
- Speaking of Southlake, heard one local church gave out a gift certificate last Sunday to a high tone spa in Southlake.
- The presidential election will be interesting. Will America put aside years of racism to elect a black man or will it settle for a George Bush third term? But it was funny to see the right wing go nuts two days ago when McCain spoke against "global warming."
- Google Maps, which I love, is incorporating real estate listings. To see it even in the Decatur area, go here and click on "show search options" at the top. It's far from complete,

Tara Reid Ponders Blog's Slowness

Complaints Of Blog Slowness

Not being one to turn my back on monetary subscribers, I have heard your complaints about the slowness of the "The Blog." Your pain is my pain. But in a word, I'm confused. First, the darn thing is hosted by Google by its blogger/blogspot "get yourself a free blog" software, so I don't have any control over its speed. That being said, I've never seen a problem. I access it at work via Embarq DSL, from home by AT&T DSL,and through the courthouse by I don't know what. I've never had a problem with speed. (Internet or crank.) But I certainly believe you folks that complain. Do you guys have the same problem with that Google hosted Incidental Remarkings drivel? (Uh, I joke) That being said, I'll post the silly poll on the side to get a feel for the problem. In the meantime, I've limited the number of posts that can appear on the front page and I'll try to limit the embedded video (which surely slows it down.) And I'll check out (and am open to) other options. Good times. Edit: And for you techies out there, my wisecounty.com host just moved to a different platform that allows Wordpress hosting. I think I know what that means, but have never experimented with Wordpress.

Newark Worldwide News?

The Internets are full of a story involving a 13 year old from Newark, Texas who has been "convicted" of ordering an extra credit card on his dad's account to buy hookers. And the kid is named.

When did this happen? I'm putting my best reporters on this story. Sumtin' ain't right. Sumtin' ain't right-at-tal.


But, if it is true, I'm hanging out with the kid this weekend.

Edit: Since I just saw this in a parking lot very close by, I'll try and get some answers.



Edit #2: I have spoken to His Holiness, the Honorable Police Chief Gerald Wright who says, and I'm paraphrasing here, "This is crazy talk! It didn't happen!" Seems like the prosecutors up in the courthouse have never heard of the kid nor have any of the Newark townspeople down at Floyd's Barber Shop.

But it seems as the story filters out over the Intertubes that Newark City Hall is getting calls from all over the world. It's even made PerezHilton.com. Triple good times.

Hottest Woman In History Of Local News . . .

. . . might be jumping to Media Evil Empire. And I was disturbed she wasn't on the newscast this morning.

(Cue Green Day's Time Of Your Life.)

And Another

A former teacher at Early High School is accused of having sexual contact with an 18-year-old male student when she worked at the school, police said. Joy Blackstock, 23, is free on $15,000 bond after being arrested Thursday on a charge of improper relationship between an educator and a student, Brown County Jail records state.

(Story. Silly registration required.)

Holy, crap. She's hot. 23. The "victim" is 18. She's arrested only because she's a teacher and he's a student. Call Dateline NBC!! Call Chris Hansen!! Fire up the Sexual Registration list!!!! The streets aren't save with sweet Joy walking around!!!!!

There are worse crimes in a typical hockey game.

(Thanks emailer.)

Worst. Movie. Ever?

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

- Two more Fort Worth motorcycle deaths
- I don't know why conservatives freak out over the concept of nationalized health care. Everyone I know thinks it's reasonable for their HMO to pay more on their behalf than they pay in each year. And to a great extent that happens. With employer's passing along the high insurance premiums, that's closer to socialized medicine than insurance.
- I've begun reading H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man. Edit: As a commenter pointed out, I should read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Sadly, that is what I intended to download from iTunes. I'm an idiot. Who would have thought two famous novels would have the same name?
- I probably agree with the Libertarians more than anyone else. But yesterday they announced that Bob Barr would be the party's presidential nominee. That is completely stunning. He's been a conservative nut job all his life.
- Why was Tony Romo throwing out the first pitch at a Cubs game? There's something just not right about that guy.
- A client reminded me of the Rock Island Railroad company the other day. Hadn't thought of that since I saw the cars rolling through Bridgeport when I was in my baby diaper.
- There was an unassisted triple play in the Major League last night. Every time I see one (assisted or unassisted) it takes me a while to figure out what happened.
- Apple says all the iPhones are gone fueling rumors of a next generation device. Sheesh. I got mine a couple of months ago, my law partner got his two weeks ago, and I've heard the Wise and Jack County probation officers got a fleet of them two weeks ago.
- Someone commented under the "prom dress" post below that everyone just needs to "conform to society." Puhhhleeeeze.
- Pretty amazing photos coming out of China after the earthquake, but I'm surprised they have "counties" over there.
- The potential Decatur restaurant smoking ban is insane. I hate smoking as much as the next guy, but it's incredible that government can tell a local business owner how to run his business. If he/she wants to allow smoking, let the market determine whether that's a good idea.
- After a brief Supreme Court interruption, Texas is back in the Death Business. Eight inmates are scheduled to be killed by the government by the end of August.
- Speaking of death, a dog on a Formula One racetrack is not-a-good.
- Edit: Violent New York newscast F-Bomb.

That Had To Cost A Lot In Gas To Get There

The R and R blog (who has basically made me give up posting celebrity crap since he/she gets to it before me) had this gem from a day or so ago. Is that the Decatur-Beggar-In-A-Tie hanging out in Haltom City? R and R says "yes, it is."

We've Got More Injustice!!!!

Obviously, school officials are not familiar with a little old document called the United States Constitution which, the last time I checked, guaranteed every American the right to dress provocatively (as recognized by the Supreme Court in Electric Boutique and New Orleans Nights v. Decatur, Texas I.S.D.) The ACLU and I shall march upon the administration building until this injustice is cured.

High School Steeple Chase Carnage

A very funny pair of videos (that I'll link to instead of embed), and the crowd response/commentary only adds to the joy. One. Two. Trust me. Edit: And for those who like their videos a littler darker, check out this one of a guy who almost jumped off the George W. Bush freeway this morning.

The No Spin Zone

Edit: Link Of Video Here. The embedded version was acting a little wanky. I'd seen references to this video, but I finally watched it a second ago. It's all over the place today. Warnings: (1) You have to listen to Bill O'Reilly, (2) F-Bombs, and (3) You have to listen to Bill O'Reilly. I've never really hated the guy as much as most people, but he makes Obama's pastor look like Santa Claus in this thing. Get that man a teleprompter that works. Quick. What say ye?

Kinkiness Goes Horribly Wrong

New Mexico - A woman is accused of chasing her boyfriend with a knife after thinking he was an actor in a pornographic movie they were watching together.

The victim says it all started when he and his girlfriend were inside his southwest Albuquerque home watching a pornographic move at 10:30 Wednesday morning.

Full story. I'm not making this up.

One Woman Gang

This girl's accomplishments at the State Track Meet made just a tiny blurb in the Dallas Morning News yesterday. But I expect a wave of publicity now. Story.

And, for the local tie, the Jack County District Clerk told me about this gal about a month ago.

Edit: Good lord, people. Back off the comments (that I have rejected left and right.) She's a kid.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

- 95 people have already died in tornadoes in the United States this year.
- 900 students "buried" in a China earthquake this morning.
- The death toll in Myanmar has risen to 28,000
- "Carrollton's new mayor says top priority is ridding city of illegal immigrants."
- I'm overwhelmed with "Good Will Towards Men" this morning
- I scraped my knee. It takes a lot of bandages to keep gauze on a knee.
- I didn't care much about the Jenna Bush wedding (she seems very bland), but I did find it interesting that the caterers of the rehearsal dinner didn't know who they were catering for until less than 24 hours before the event.
- The first Groom/Bride dance was to this song and the first Father/Daughter dance was to the painful Joe Cocker song of "You Are So Beautiful To Me."
- Brandon Davis, the guy in the Sergeant Carter hat who was running for mayor of Rhome, received 25 votes.