Obama Backs Mosque Near Ground Zero

This is a mosque

After avoiding the controversy for weeks, President Obama endorsed the plan to build a mosque and Islamic center blocks away from New York's Ground Zero. "Ground Zero is, indeed, hallowed ground," Obama said at a White House dinner commemorating the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances."

For those that honor the Constitution's "Freedom of Religion" amendment, can you really disagree with that?

And I'll give him credit: The politically astute thing to do would be to please the masses and oppose it. Props to him.

What Could Possibly To Wrong?

"You're going the wrong way!"

"Yeah, you're not using the crosswalk!

A Rare Brit Sighting

Always a "hey, now."

Another Article On Wise County Neekidness

Link.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Give me a second. I have an explanation. Kinda.
• No, not gonna tell you.
• Anyone who goes es to an NFL Preseason game is crazy. Anyone who tailgates a Preseason Game is delirious.
• Keish$a was on the Today Show today. Mom was in the audience. Mom needs to get control of that girl's scene.
• I got locked out of Google Gmail and Blogger yesterday. For a few moments I thought I had been hacked and it kinda freaked me out. But Google has a system where they will send a new password to your phone in such a situation. Thankfully.
• I don't feel good.
• I still despise Ann Curry.
• I bet I haven't had a Big Mac in 15 years. And I love Big Macs.
• It's Friday the 13th and the 13th day of 100 degree temperatures.
• Developing. My wheels are off.
• I've always had a crush on Tiffany Amber Thiessen.
• The Messenger's Update looks as wheels of as me. Short. Abrupt. Rhome banned K2? Really?
• No store in Rhome sells K2.
• Worst guy in the world?
• Hey, I'm about to change this here blog's URL to www.liberallylean.com.
• I'm getting new carpet installed in my game room this morning. There's only one guy who showed up to do it. Seems like there would at least be two.
• OK, the "Inferior Blogs" section might be screwed up. Working on it.
• Dr. Laura (is she still on the air?) is in hot water for dropping the N Word. Over and over and over again.

Workout Thursday

Dumb Laws: Surcharges

Thanks to your Texas Legislature, there are now 1.2 million Texans running around without a driver's license and without liability insurance (which impacts you if you happen to get hit by one of them.)

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Rush Limbaugh posts his wedding pics. He married a "Hey, now."
• Rangers blew one last night. Big time. And remember when I told you yesterday that Frankie Fransisco is a train wreck? He confirmed it again.
• And why would Cliff Lee ever re-sign with the Rangers? He can pitch anywhere in America and he'd choose to pitch in this heat? No way.
• Nightmare: Toddler dies after snakebite at Possum Kingdom Lake.
• By the way, that's one of the worst names ever for a lake.
• I never heard of Bar Refaeli until about a year ago. Now the gal is in a bikini ever day on the Intertubes. And for that, I thank her.
• Schools no longer give out "Ds"? (I've heard that on two different radio stations this week.)
• I got to the grocery store a lot. Oddly, I kind of like it.
• I wonder who the Decatur woman was that was killed in the one car wreck last night.
• Fox 4 News led last night with the two day old story of the flight attendant bolting out of an airplane -- complete with an interview of a psychologist on "today's frustrated worker." Puuhleeze.
• Ben Quayle, son of Dan, is running for political office and fires off a TV ad sounding like he lives in Wise County.

Hood County Courthouse News?

They get rid of security officers because so many folks working there are packing heat already.

If that's going on in Wise County, I'm calling a couple of people out for a duel on Main Street tomorrow at noon. You know who you are.

(Credit: Bud Kennedy.)

NBC 5's Kim Fisher At Decatur High School This Morning

My Nemises (She blocked me on Twitter)

She's there do a story about "laptops for everybody" or something.

(Thanks, Clay!)

Wednesday Morning Pick Me Up

Link.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Rangers notes: David Murphy has been great lately (including a game winning hit against the Yankees last night in extra innings.) Reliever Frankie Francisco is a train wreck every time he takes the mound.
• Either the Rangers will win the West or suffer one of the greatest collapse in the history of baseball. Either way, we're guaranteed to be entertained down the stretch.
• After three attempts, I was finally able to match my generic ceiling paint for touchup work. It's not supposed to be that hard.
• Saw a "galaxies collide" photo on CNN this morning with the report that it was 62 million light years away. Meaning, of course, that once that moment in space happened, it took 62 million years for that light to travel to our eyes. Or, put another way, we are looking 62 million years into the past. Fascinating.
• That explanation makes me a dumb downed Stephen Hawking.
• Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens died yesterday in a plane crash. He was remembered, among other things, for the "Bridge to Nowhere" and saying the Internet was a "series of tubes."
• When you see people write "Intertubes," that's the source of the joke.
• Someone made me a T-shirt.
• Got the Family Truckster started. I bet it's good for another 30,000 miles.
• The viral "girl quits job by using eraser board" that went around yesterday was sooooooo fake.
• Levi Johnston is running for the Mayor of Wasilla. Godspeed, son. Godspeed.
• Exactly 6 months ago we received the record snowfall. And me a separated shoulder.
• I bet my electric bill is about to set a record --- especially since I haven't been able to keep the house warm during the day when I'm at work.
• Home sale economic news always seems confusing. On the Morning News home page right now, there's a story about how second quarter pre-existing home sales rose, and the next story talks about how they "fell off a cliff" in July.
• I think Tammy Dombeck has lost some weight.
• It just seems too seedy to post, but Lady GaGa's crowd surfing at Lollapalooza over the weekend was insane.
• Channel 5's Jane McGarry is going to be on The Ticket this morning at 9:15. Fox 4's Fionna is going to be on The Fan this afternoon. See, guys are obsessed with on-air females.

He Got Weed!!! He Got Weed!!!

Cops use helicopter to find plant!!!! From the Messenger's "Breaking News".

Hello Christmas Gift

Man, get me one.

Every time those sneaky prosecutors try to pull something, I'd just slip that thing onto the counsel table. Look down at it. Look up at them. Look down at it. Look up at them. That would keep them on the straight and narrow like nobody's business.

Hello, "not guilty" verdicts.

We're finally on a level playing field.

SI Will Have Four Regional Covers On Its Preview Issue

And the Empire makes the cut. (Boise State is one of the other three.)

I love this time of year -- sports wise --- not weather wise.

Give This Woman Her McNuggets!!!!

Fast forward to 1:10.

Back story.

As Seen In Criminal Court This Morning In Wise County

T-shirt says "Stupidity Is Not A Crime."

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Very obscure Baylor/Tea Party News: U.S. Senate Candidate Rand Paul was a Noze Brother involved in "kidnapping" and weed? Sounds more like a silly prank than a news story.
• Did you know former Dallas Cowboy coach Jimmy Johnson is 67?
• Everyone is slapping Jerry and Jimmy on the back this weekend for "moving up" to draft Emitt Smith. But I've said it time and time again, Jimmy was after Baylor LB James Francis but had to settle for Emmitt.
• I would like to have seen this: A flight attendant can't take rude passengers any more, deploys the inflatable slide, grabs a beer, and slides down to the tarmac and takes off. And for that, we salute you.
• My occasional effort to keep the female readers happy.
• Had a sweet kid moment last night. A moment of sweetness sure does buy them a lot of tolerance. Is that some trick?
• Ugh. Car issues this morning. For the last time, I promise to get rid of the family truckster.
• And that problem caused me to get to work early without office keys. Hello, sitting in parking lot.
• Finally listened to this last week: The Antoine Dodson "High Your Kids, Hide Your Wife" Remix. Over six million hits so far.
• Justin Bieber gets nailed with a water bottle. And they say there is no justice.
• Had to go TV shopping last night. It's amazing what you can get for your money compared to 20 years ago.
• Good news: Mortgage interest rates have never been lower. Bad news: No one can qualify.
• Presidential visits in Dallas history: FDR once spoke to a full Cotton Bowl in 1936.

Obama In Austin Today

And this one was sent in by a faithful reader:

County Law!!!!!

Lost Cat Giggle

Link.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• The Messenger sent out a tweet of Friday evening after seeing a "double rainbow all the way." Funny.
• Emmitt Smith, known for butchering the English language, did fantastic at his Hall of Fame induction speech.
• Jerry Rice, on the other hand, did not. (It was like listening to a little kid read a book.)
• The Rod Blagojevich jury has been deliberating almost two weeks? Really? Any of those folks heard the term "reasonable doubt?"
• I tried to eat at a new Mexican restaurant off of Western Center Blvd in Fort Worth on Friday night (near 377 and named Fogata(?)). Worst experience ever. Everyone (staff and customers) seemed hostile. Customers complaining everywhere. We left before even being seated.
• It's funny to see all the cities scramble to ban the sale of "K2". Please, government, save us from ourselves!!!
• It's cricket season.
• Tim Tebow's shocking "welcome to the the NFL" haircut.
• Fall from grace: Baylor alum Mark Hurd resigns as CEO of Hewlitt Packard after an investigation revealed "improper relationships."
• Don't feel too badly for him. He made over $100 million over the last three years and is getting a severance package of over $12 million.
• Five exhibition games for the Cowboys? (One of my longtime favorite lines comes from Dale Hansen when doing color for a preseason game in the 1990s: "When I'm on my death bead, I hope they replay the last quarter of this game because it'll feel like I'm living forever.")
• I don't care, but a lot of people do: Emma Watson chopped her hair off.
• I was in a Decatur grocery store on Sunday where the cashier never said a word. Not a greeting, not the price, not a thank you. Incredible.
• Did some more moving stuff out of Mrs. LL's house on Sunday. What a beating.
• President Obama will visit Dallas today and attend a fundraiser at the home of Russell Budd. Budd has become rich in the asbestos litigation world and is the former partner with Fred Baron (who died last year but became infamous for funding the housing of former presidential candidate John Edwards illicit lover.) I would distance.

And Another Thing That Won't Make You Happy

Story.

The 14th Amendment: All persons born . . . in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside . . . .

Random Denton County Book In Photos From The Weekend