Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Sheriff Joe is in the Christmas spirit: All face to face inmate visits have been discontinued and the only way to visit now is via video conferencing at a rate of $12.95 for a 20-minute chat.  (The only upside is that relatives can also visit remotely from a home computer -- that's probably a fair trade off that he didn't anticipate.)
• That kid who is now running North Korea had his uncle, who had been second in command for years, executed for treason.  If he's trying to prove he is crazier than his dead daddy, he's making a good case. 
• The finals in the Texas six man football playoffs take place tomorrow in Cowboys Stadium.  I've never seen a six man game and am tempted to go. (I'm also tempted to go see 14-0 Graham vs. 14-0 Argyle at Northwest -- except it's a night game.)
• It was in the low 40s this morning and felt balmy. 
• Lawyer stuff that I find fascinating: Mark Bennett of Houston runs a blog and, man, he takes no prisoners.  That is, he's smart but making friends isn't high on his list.  That led to a blog post a few days ago where he crucified a brand new lawyer for ridiculous (and false) statements on his website promoting his new practice. (i.e. "pre­mier DWI lawyer", "the assassin of suppression"). That new lawyer actually responded in the comments. Good stuff. Then comes a follow-up post after Bennett discovered that the brand new lawyer had been hired on a capital murder case! The comments are golden and even Grits For Breakfast has picked up this fiasco that is about to happen.
• Every time I post an animated GIF I get a comment, heavily laced with profanity, yelling at me for doing so. But most of the words are misspelled in a comical way. I don't if the guy's ignorant or if it is someone brilliant doing a pretty funny bit. Keep 'em coming. 
• Good grief: That Texas judge who had to resign after texting the prosecution tips during a criminal trial has signed up to run for DA. At least she's discovered her true colors. (Dang it. Now that Cyndi Lauper song is stuck in my home.)
• The bride who pushed her brand new husband over a cliff pled guilty to a lesser offense yesterday right before closing arguments were to begin. She now faces up to 20 years in prison instead of life. (I didn't realize the case was in federal court because the death occurred in a national park.)
• I didn't publish a comment yesterday that claimed I had responded "8 times" as anonymous in the comments. Not true. I never do that.
• Sports: (1) Gambling? Baylor's best and fastest receiver, who broke his wrist in the Oklahoma game, has been cleared to play in the bowl game.  Vegas might want to adjust the line accordingly. (2) TV ratings for every college football game this year. (3) The Rangers drafting Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with an obligation to pay $12,000 was nothing more than a publicity stunt. And a brilliant one at that. (4) The terms of Aggie coach Mike Sumlin's new contract were released yesterday and he's making $5 million a year. Imagine what he'll make if he ever wins the SEC West Division. (5) I don't know who former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield is but a mansion he bought is in such bad shape that officials are going to burn it down. (6) I'm pretty sure Mack Brown is going to retire but part of me is beginning to believe a huge cluster is breaking out in Austin. (7) Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery, who torched the Cowboys last weekend, was once recruited by then Tennessee coach - and spare - Lane Kiffin when Jeffery was committed to South Carolina. Kiffen told him that "he would end up pumping gas for the rest of his life" if he went to South Carolina. Jobless Kiffin is much closer to pumping gas than Jeffery is. 
• The Hawaiian official who approved the release of the President's birth certificate has died in a plane crash. Let me save someone some time: "It looks like that Kenyan Obammy had that Hawaiian killed. Speaks volumes, doesn't it?"
• Random and Obscure Observation: I've never come close to be charged with a crime but that would rapidly change if I were locked in a room with Courtney Kerr (Google her) for five minutes. And I'm talking about a crime of violence. 
• The Nancy Graces of the world (and even local wannabes) are jumping on the probated sentence for the kid from Keller in the Intoxication Manslaughter case. Let me say what I said three days ago: He's sixteen!
• I don't want to say anything, but it looks like Santa is double booked in Wise County on Saturday morning according to the Update.
• Singer Ray Price knows he will die in the next few days from cancer. With that in mind, he's decided he'll leave the hospital in order to be allowed to die at home. 
• [In a deep movie preview type voice] "In another battle on the War on Drugs, Operation M-pact took place in Texarkana . . . "