Sandusky Found Guilty -- Led From Courthouse By Rangers GM Jon Daniels

Anna Faris Taking You Into The Weekend

I've Got New Respect For Speedo Man

The source of the text is always dead on accurate.

Sandusky Jury Watch

A real photo. A real T-shirt.

Edit: Pretty crazy logo in the background (but also posted because he uses the phrase "attention span of a gnat" which was used in Random Thoughts today.)

Most "Interesting Man In The World" Parody

OK, I'll admit it. That's pretty clever. The Biden line was really golden.

That's what having an open mind will do for you -- seeing humor in the world where others cannot. It's a gift, really.

Now where's an ad showing Romney as Gordon Gekko? I feel dirty.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• A video was released where George Zimmerman re-enacted what happened on the night of the shooting. If this had occurred two months ago, it would lead every newscast. Now it's a bit of an afterthought because we all have the attention span of a gnat. 
• I heard a discussion on the radio about how football could be fazed out of high schools not only because of the risk of injury but because of the cost -- and they specifically cited liability insurance cost. Schools carry liability insurance? 
• My worlds collided: WBAP's Hal Jay was a guest on the The Ticket's morning show (and revealed that many years ago he had lunch with Gordon Keith in an effort to hire him).
• Texas Ranger GM Jon Daniels is now in James Wood Motors TV ads.
• After that kid yelled "Good job! God effort!" at the Miami Heat they won 6 of 7.
• Chris Berman will do play-by-play on ESPN's Monday Night Football game on 9/10. At least it will put me in a coma before 9/11.
• Fox 4 has a new report named "Calvert" and "Calvert" is a girl. She's got a little "Hey, now" to her. 
• Watch the Plano Bombing suspect tear up a 1040 tax form. Preach on, bruther! Edit: Link fixed.
• I'm conflicted about the 50 year plea bargain in Wise County yesterday. The facts sound so bad that he would have probably received a greater sentence than that. But under the parole laws, he becomes eligible for parole when he had served half his sentence or 30 years, whichever is less. So he now becomes eligible after 25 years instead of, under the worst case if he had gone to trial, 30 years. It's basically pleading to the maximum. 
• I'm only two chapters into my new Mormon book but it is really, really good. And, when discussing the hard line Mormon factions that still believe in polygamy, there was a casual reference to Warren Jeffs even though the book was written in 2003. Jeffs, you may recall, would later set up a compound in Texas before being sent to the pen. It seems his dad basically ruled a fundamentalist Mormon town back in the day. 
• Last night in the house, because of sleepovers, there were five females in the house and me. 
• I'm no CSI guy, but does this blurb about the jogger death off of 287 yesterday make any sense at all? 
• Mark Cuban told The Fan's Richie Whitt via email that he does not own a yacht called The Fountainhead. 
• The Bus Monitor's vacation fund is now up to $470,000.

And Another - Indiana

Boom! Just when a teacher in Nevada brought down the average score for 2012, we have this assistant cheerleading coach bringing the felony heat.

And I'm so glad I wasn't the jailer that had to take that book-in photo. All she would have had to say was, "I think I'm leaving now -- be a sweetheart and don't tell anyone," and I would have stood there in a hypnotized stupor as she walked right out of Crossbars Hotel.

****************

Edit: And (A Male) Another Out of Holliday.

Random Snake Of The Day

Close up:

A faithful reader sent these two pics into me which he said he took while sitting on his couch. He called it a "coach whip" although I'm not sure I know what that means.

Curious little thing, isn't it?

The Bus Monitor And America

The video went viral yesterday morning, and I didn't post it because it was just too sickening. Some older lady has the job of a "bus monitor" (which seems self-explanatory but I didn't know the job existed) and the video captured a bunch of kids just mocking her in an ungodly way. And I do mean ungodly. I don't know how I feel about corporeal punishment these days, but I wouldn't mind seeing these kids getting their butts beaten while I contemplate my position. Everyone seems to feel the same way.

But this story has taken a strange twist. Some guy wanted to help her out by giving her a "vacation of a lifetime" so he set up a website to raise $5,000.   Ok, nice gesture I guess.  Then her story gets national media attention and the whole thing goes crazy. The last time I checked, the total raised is up to $185,000 and hitting "refresh" on that site is like watching the Jerry Lewis MD Telethon Tote Board. It's insane.

Supreme Court Opinion This Morning On FCC Regulations

Gotta love this excerpt where Cher is referred to as "the singer" and then the Court goes on to minimize Nicole Richie's place in this world.

And Another - Neveda

She would probably look pretty good if they'd give the girl a little time to prep for a mug shot.

Story.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Two people killed in wrong way wreck in Grand Prairie last night.
• Motorcycle death this morning near White Rock Lake (when the rider decided to bypass slowed cars and struck an obstacle for which the cars were slowing down for in the first place.)
• If we would have had someone hit a parked police car, we'd have the Trifecta.
• I dreamed I was smuggling three duffle bags full of rifles back from Mexico by checking the bags with an airline and then trying to walk them through customs.
• Review of Van Halen concert last night by the Dallas Morning News.
• Mrs. LL is watching the first season of Lost after staring at the "pilot" screen and asking, "Do I really want to start this?" I'm wondering how long she'll stick with it. (But that first season was great.)
• This "Fast and Furious" thing would seem more significant if every vote wasn't straight down party lines. (And I had no idea the program began under the Bush Administration when it was called "Wide Receiver.")
• Man, a Sandusky "not guilty" verdict would be a shocker, but I don't see it happening. Penn State will be so happy for all this to just go away. 
• If the thought of a Pulp Fiction remix song piques your interest, you'll love this. 
• I wonder what the guy is thinking who won the signed Lebron James jersey during the Liberally Lean Pick 'Em Tourney.  It's value is going up. 
• Just hitting the news wires: A fatal auto/pedestrian hit and run right off of 287 on Willow Springs (about  five miles after leaving Wise County). 
• Update is here. (It leads with the Pete Hart news that was in yesterday's Random Thoughts.) 

Looks Like I'm A Media Expert As Well

All they had to do was ask me. I've been ranting about her since at least 2006.

Story.

Afternoon Radio Pick Me Up

The producer of the Mark Davis Show on 660 AM.  But, look out, she hung out at lunch today with that liberal Bud Kennedy!

Another Sign The Drug War Is Becoming Vietnam

Houston: 50 out of 130 people on a jury panel said they would not convict someone of a felony for possessing one-half a gram of cocaine even if the State proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. They got kicked off the panel and the defendant was still found not guilty.

These times, they are a-changing.

7 On 7 Football -- Asking The Masses

Longhorn (Struggling) QB David Ash Back At A 7 On 7 Tourney

I saw a post on Facebook the other day of a Wise County mother complaining of how much running and conditioning her son was going through for 7 on 7 football.  It dawned on me then that I really know nothing about it other than (1) it's no contact, (2) it's great for quarterbacks and receivers, and (3) it is supposed to be completely separate from high school coaches.

But I wonder if there's a seedy underside to it.

But for those of you familiar with it:

• Who coaches these teams?
• How many would Bridgeport or Decatur have? 
• Who decides who gets on each team?
• Are high school coaches completely detached from this thing?
• Is there a cost?

Let me hear from you.

Edit: A Faithful Reader emailed me that Channel 8 did an investigative report on this subject in 2010:

Right Wing Red Meat Alert

Story.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I've started a new book: Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. A true crime book with a look at the Mormon faith. I love that author, and I've got to study up on what makes Romney tick. 
• I watched the end of the Heat/Thunder game last night. LeBron suffered cramps and came out of the game as the Thunder tied it up. He then came off the bench, hit a three, and then went back  to the bench. Even if he had had a compound fracture, he had to at least try.  LaDanian Tomlinson still is haunted for not coming back in the game after an "injury" during a Chargers' game. 
• I'd like to see a chart of the number of jobs held by travel agents and stockbrockers over the last 15 years.
• The Shiner dad who killed the man allegedly molesting his daughter was no-billed by the grand jury yesterday --  the most predictable news ever. But I haven't heard a single news organization question what proof there was of the molestation.
• The Fan's Gavin Dawson last night said he thought Ranger announcer Dave Barnett's strange fifth-base-robbery-henchman comment was just a flub and that the migraine headache story was just a cover. What an idiot. 
• When Mrs. LL resent her passport in for the name change because the government screwed it up the first time, it was reissued and received back within seven days.
• Fox 4 had two cops in studio last night to demonstrate how those spike strips are used to stop someone evading the police.  I thought that would be a failed bit, but it was fairly interesting. 
• Actor Nick Stahl went missing last month, was found, and now has gone missing again. 
• The defense calling Jerry Sandusky's wife to the stand serves no purpose. And she may be in as much denial as he is. 
• Bridgeport coach and former Chico head coach is going to Alvord to be defensive coordinator. 
• I'm not sure what reality show was on my TV last night, but I think Mrs. LL has a crush on Jenny McCarthy. 
• Not much of a mention of Juneteenth yesterday.
• Update can be found here if you are having trouble this morning finding it. (All Chico high school students are receiving iPads?  I'm beginning to think there is some country wide Apple conspiracy going on.)

Messenger Above The Fold

Mark Cuban Has A Super Yacht Named "Fountainhead"?

And it has to be named after that silly Ayn Rand book. And, yes, it's silly. Any book that is (1) a krillion pages long (2) ends up with an architect on trial for blowing up a huge housing construction project, (3) with that architect representing himself, (4) and deciding to give a closing argument where he justifies his conduct based upon "individualism" because the project was not built as he had designed it . . . is silly.

Source.

Just Your Normal Miley Cyrus Fan

 "Obsessed" and "Breakout" are Miley Cyrus songs.

 Coincidence: I've got "Britney Spears" on my chest.

For the win.

Follow him on Twitter.

I'm The Unofficial Update Linker For The Southwest Proper

Today's.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• I've had crazy dreams lately (although that's not unusual.) Last night one started with me and Mrs. LL talking to some park ranger as to whether we had time to take a particular hiking route. "Yeah. It'll be steep and dangerous, but I think you can make it." And so it began. 
• Try to explain to a Third Grade Girl why the Rangers pitchers are batting in San Diego.  And that will automatically lead to a request to stay up just a little later to see Matt Harrison bat. Request granted, by the way.
• My car got diagnosed as having a battery on the verge of going out. Not sure I believe that, but I trust the "diagnoser." Every battery I've ever replaced was completely dead, so when you take a wrench to the positive connection of one that still has some life in it, are sparks normal? Or should I grab a hazmat uniform?
• And have batteries gone up in price dramatically over the last couple of years?
• Creepy: Facebook acquires a facial recognition company from Israel for $60 million.
• The story about the guy in Plano who had a bomb go off in his face while apparently trying to blow up a residential gas line is one strange story. I'd be surprised if the FBI didn't jump in on that one.  Edit: I meant I would have been surprised if the FBI didn't jump in. Poorly worded. Saw they were out there shortly after it happened. 
• Bob Costas interview with Jerry Sandusky was historic but it is absolutely amazing that NBC sat on footage which was even more shocking. What were they thinking?
• I carry my driver's license and one credit card in an iPhone case and nothing else. (I was going to link to the case made by Case-Mate but I'm not sure they make it any longer.)
• Walmart and Aisle-Blocking-With-Cart-By-Oblivious-Customer go hand in hand, don't they?
• I don't know if it is a big deal, but teenager Cassie Smith out of Bridgeport is currently second in the West Texas Junior Open. 
• The Messenger's website is still having problems. Even the home page was gone this morning.  (I dont' even remember if the Mineral's Club or Wise County Singles Club are meeting this week.)
• The pic below is from yesterday . . . . ?

Rangers Play By Play Man Talks Gibberish. Kind Of Scary.

The bottom of the eighth inning of [last night's] Rangers-Padres game from San Diego turned weird  . . . on Fox Sports Southwest as longtime broadcaster Dave Barnett appeared to completely lose his mind, claiming a runner was at "fifth" base and then trailing off into a story about a "botched robbery."

Fox Sports even cut his mic after they realized something was going horribly wrong. 

Link. (Edit: A little more about it here.)

Another Example Of Crazy Prosecutors

And of truly big government.  Congress butts in to something it had no business getting involved in and then a bunch of federal prosecutors decide to charge Clemens with lying to a group of habitual liars.  During jury selection the overall reaction from the potential jurors was, "We are here over this?"

TCU Slapping Down High School Graduating Seniors Who Turned Into Slackers

College-bound seniors beware: If you slept through your classes this semester and have the failing grades to prove it, your university may soon threaten to rescind your admission this fall.

For students admitted to Texas Christian University, a notice informally known as the “fear of God letter” will read something like this:

Dear Joe:

We recently received your final high school transcript. While your overall academic background continues to demonstrate the potential for success, we are concerned with your performance during the senior year, particularly in calculus. University studies are rigorous and we need to know that you are prepared to meet T.C.U.’s academic challenges. With this in mind, I ask that you submit to me, as soon as possible but no later than July 31, 2012, a written statement detailing the reasons surrounding your senior year performance.

Joe, please understand that your admission to T.C.U. is in jeopardy. If I do not hear from you by the above date, I will assume you are no longer interested in T.C.U. and will begin the process of rescinding your admission.

Please realize that your personal and academic successes are very important to us. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Raymond A. Brown
Dean

(Rest of NY Times article.)

What in the heck is up with TCU? First they start kicking out students for marijuana use, and then they start subjecting incoming students to a very flamboyant "Call Me Maybe" presentation. Now they are slapping graduating high schoolers up the side of the head because they blew off their last semester of high school.  What's next? Water boarding? 

You just thought government was turning into Big Brother. Ol' private TCU is laying down the law. Daddy's watching. And Daddy is TCU.  Now whip out that laptop and write on that virtual blackboard why you were such a screw up last Spring.  Just like Bart Simpson at the beginning over every episode. Only different. 

Man, ever since they got in the Big 12, the Administration is flexing more muscles than my six pack. 

Just An Average Girl Putting On Make Up

Messenger's Update

For those that didn't see it, they've moved it to an ad free location here.

Get Me This Duck!

(First seen on bagofnothing.com)

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Dez Bryant was supposed to be on Fox 4 last night but apparently didn't show. Sports anchor Mike Doocy said on camera that he should invest in a GPS next time. I think Dez is a big time knucklehead.
• Anyone else think Jim Furyk wearing a "Five Hour Energy" cap at the U.S. Open was a little cheesy? (But not as cheesy as someone yelling "get in the hole!" which was tiresome 10 years ago.)
• And I was really rooting for the 17 year old Beau Hossler. Then he broke out his University of Texas gear on Sunday and faded away. (Interesting note: When Tiger Woods won his first Master's, that kid was two years old.) 
• Mrs. LL and I went to a batting cage on Friday. I took one turn and mentioned I hadn't swung a bat in 20 years. "You're not going to hurt yourself, are you?" she said. I didn't but it was close on one swing.
• Wrong  way driver kills a woman on I-35 on Saturday morning. It destroyed two cars.
• Fox 4 had a story of how and off duty cop was a "hero" for breaking a window out of a vehicle where a baby had been locked inside. I was more interested in how the driver and others tried to get the baby out of the vehicle for 10 minutes before the window was broken.
• Man, the Republicans are fearful of angering the Hispanics. Romney won't denounce the President's new immigration policy.
• I ate at P.F. Changs yesterday and got slapped on the back followed by a "keep up the good work on the blog."
• Adam Sandler's new movie, That's My Boy, bombed over the weekend. His comedy days may be over. 
• Beginning to think the "starter" is going out in my car (which has been trouble free for two years.) But that means I'm driving the Gangsta Mobile as Mrs. LL takes care of it. I'm stylin'.
• Hal Jay actually had a funny line this morning when he learned that Dale Earnhart Jr. won the NASCAR race yesterday: "Everyone else wreck?"
• Mrs. LL and I have been landlords for a bout year. Good tenants = Basically hassle free. 
• Peaster ISD employees allegedly force 8 year old to bathe. Get sued. Who knew cleanliness was next to the courthouse? 
• The Messenger is having major trouble with its web site. Your "Above The Fold" will be delayed accordingly. 

And It Kind Of Looks Like Steve Carell From "Anchorman" In The Background

I Mentioned Watching The LA Riots Documentary And Look What Happens

He was only 25 at the time of the beating.

And, nope, we still can't all get along.