This Just Got Seriously Ramped Up

First an assistant DA is shot dead in a professional hit and now this.

I've never seen anything like it.

Above The Fold

Standings

My Public Service Announcement

I was informed that Wise County’s 911 Service is down this evening.

Don't have an emergency or, alternativelty, call the Sheriff's Office land line at 627-5971.

Taking You Into The Weekend

Sweet Sixteen Finalist Oregon

Stuff I Find Funny

I don't know who golfer Jason Dufner is, but I've learned he won the Byron Nelson Tournament last year. Because of that, I suppose, he's obligated to make some public appearances this year which led him to a Dallas classroom this week.

I can't stop staring at him. (Deadspin is all over this.)

Updated Liberally Lean Standings

Complete list.

As for my run? "Welp, see ya later."

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• While you were sleeping: "4 car bomb attacks against Shiite mosques in Baghdad kill at least 19 people, wound 72." Iraq has to be Bush's legacy, doesn't it? 
• I saw the story in the Star-Telegram of the male Colleyville school counselor being indicted for "improper relationship" with a student but this one has all sorts of twists: The alleged victim is a male, and the defendant is a reserve deputy, has a Master's degree, lives in Trophy Club, and is on the Northwest ISD school board.
• So far this week, the living room has been commandeered by the Females in the House because of "The Notebook" and "The Princess Bride." I've got to get some scene control.
• Several months ago I almost bought tickets to the games this weekend at Cowboys Stadium because I thought Baylor stood a good chance of being there. I was sooo wrong about Baylor, but I'd really like to be there today. (But look what they've done to the big jumbo screen: They've added smaller screens underneath it so those close to the basketball court can see.)
• On WBAP this morning, there was a spokesman for megachurch Fellowship Church who said the modern church needs to evolve in order to "meet the needs of its members".  Is that Biblical? Since when is it the Church's role to "meet the needs of its members"?  I would expect my golf club to do that, but not my church. 
• When asked about today's progressive church which has "guitars and drums and stuff like that", he said that if the church doesn't change with the times, "It will become extinct." Think about what he is really saying. 
• Tell me I don't live the glamorous life: This morning, with the house asleep, I let the Puppy-Saved-From-Death-Row outside to go pee but that required me to remove her doggie diaper and then replace it.
• Regarding the Dennis Prager defenders: I'll admit I had no idea he did a live performance with Adam Carolla. I'll try to listen to it because I cannot imagine those two together. Perhaps one of my biggest beefs with Prager is his view that you should never attend a traditional college or university because you will be indoctrinated with worldly views. If you fear that your fellow man can't handle being exposed to other ideas, aren't you saying you don't think much of your fellow man?
• I'm a convert: I'd rather read a book on a Kindle or iPad than hold one in my hand and turn the page. I never thought I'd say that. 
• The Rangers start their season on Sunday. My prediction: I don't have one for the team. But here's a specific one: Yu Darvish will finish second in the Cy Young voting to Justin Verlander. 
• I was a little frustrated with myself for going to Destin in early March because it was a tad bit cool. But the last two weeks there, according to weather reports, makes our week a look like Paradise. 
• My office is converting to paperless. It's a fantastic idea especially with today's cheap online storage ("cloud storage".) But it is quite a shock to get used to taking a document, scanning it, uploading it, and then shredding the original. 
• Fort Myers is excited about Florida Gulf Coast playing at Jerry World tonight: 

"White people celebrate Heat loss in exceedingly white fashion"

That was the headline of this article which got criticized here.  I really don't care about the controversy (if there is one), I'm just hypnotized by the photo. As I've said before, in my late 30s I asked myself, "Why am I cheering for a professional sports team?" I've never came up with a good answer.

So I stopped cheering. 

Nike's New Tiger Ad. Too Soon?

Arnold Palmer, unimpressed, macks on Kate Upton.

Very Political Post

Dr. Benjamin Carson became the Far Right's golden child after the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year when it was believed he schooled the President right in front of him. His speech was lengthy and political as he covered everything from the national debt to welfare to self motivation. A small excerpt:

I think particularly about ancient Rome. Very powerful. Nobody could even challenge them militarily, but what happened to them? They destroyed themselves from within. Moral decay, fiscal irresponsibility. They destroyed themselves. If you don’t think that can happen to America, you get out your books and you start reading, but you know, we can fix it.

So he starts showing up on every talk show on God's green Earth, and you knew Sean Hannity would have him on for a series of softball interviews.

So this week he's on the show to talk about, what else, gay marriage.  In discussing the definition of marriage, he opined above that no group should be able to define it. That is, "And no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality" can alter the definition.

Nice grouping.

Drinking Red Wine At An NBA Game

Man Card. Revoked.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• DPS says in a new report, "Mexican cartels pose the single greatest organized crime threat to Texas." Well, as far as organized crime goes, who else could possibly be on the list? The Mafia? I suspect the release of that report during a legislative session has more to do with hopes for their budget than the danger of Mexican cartels. 
• The sports radio stations are engulfed with commercials for testosterone clinics. Is that a scam? I mean, a guy goes to to one of those clinics, I would think the chances of him being diagnosed with low testosterone is about 90%.
• Saw someone call this the greatest tennis shot of the year. Not bad. 
• Odd thought this morning: I had almost forgotten about the old Garcia's Restaurant in Decatur. Am I losing it, or did it used to be at the location where Frilly's is now?
• Someone commented yesterday that Don Jose's (formerly Armando's) has closed. True?
• Documentarian John Ziegler has been all over the talk shows promoting his new film on Jerry Sandusky. That guy may  be the biggest jerk in the history of ever. 
• I think there's only one reader who knows who radio talk show host Dennis Prager is (who I've mentioned a time or two since discovering him.) I don't think I've ever heard a more out-of-touch, naive, humorless, and judgmental man in my life. 
• BagofNothing guy believes the Irving mayor is a "Hey, Now". As far as local politics goes, definitely. 
• The Family Pup is definitely pregnant and will probably give birth in the next couple of weeks. Is it odd that I feel sorry for her? 
• I haven't followed the Amanda Knox case very quickly but I did hear that an Italian court reversed her acquittal on appeal (something that can't happen in the U.S., by the way). But I agree with this short piece: There's is no way the U.S. will ever extradite her. 
• Dallas Morning News reporter Tim Cowlishaw was on The Ticket this morning promoting his new book where he told a bizarre story about how he was in Jimmy's Johnson's home about three days before Jimmy's breakup with Jerry Jones where he saw Jimmy "dropping expletives" and "literally crying." 
• Julia Decatur was a Park Cities real estate agent and "socialite" who was sentenced to eight years in prison yesterday for literally stabbing her husband in the back. (She recorded the audio of the event on her cell phone. Bad move.)  A quick Google search led to this book in photo of her in Florida for DWI in 2010.  (They list her as Decaturschrader but she went by Decatur-Schrader.)
• The Wise County Courthouse won't be open to meetings after 5:00 p.m. to private groups based upon security reasons. Sidenote: There is nothing creepier than the courthouse basement at night. 

I Got Sued?

  I Got Sued?

And so did almost everyone else in the Wise County legal community. Good to know I had "Absolute Immunity" up to 2000.

It's A Supreme Court Protest Photo Montage ('Cause You Gotta Have A Montage)

Amazingly, true. In 1967 the Supreme Court finally changed that.  

 Ouch.

 Now that's not very nice.

 Everyone has to do a bit. 

 Mean chick with a sense of humor.

 Some high brow anti-gay marriage humor. Pretty funny.

 The Gay loves Beyonce. 

 We have a wnner! (NOM = National Organization for Marriage.)

 Law school boys in Con Law class.

 Clever.

 Someone explain this to me. 

 A "Hey, Now" joins the other team. 

Scalia will not be impressed.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Loved this sentence in a Dallas Morning News blog post yesterday: "The city filed a lawsuit two years ago to seek an injunction against XTC Cabaret, alleging in a lawsuit that it’s a place where people go for prostitution, sexual assault, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery and drugs." I guess seeking two of the five makes some sense. The other three? Not so much. 
• There was an Aggie professor who committed suicide a few weeks back. Now we know why, and a guy is under arrest because of it. Such sorriness.
• Johnny Football has decided to discontinue his Twitter account because, I presume, to keep him out of trouble. Does this mean he doesn't have the self-discipline not to post something stupid?
• What a crazy police chase last night. Mrs. LL called that the guy was dead way before it dawned on the local anchors. And I'm not sure his truck went into the median because he hit spike strips. He might have off'd himself while going down the hallway.
• By the way, is Fox 4's Clarice Tinsley the master of the obvious?
• I try to keep off Facebook because I find it an incredible beating (I have to got through a hundred posts of "Like if you love the Bible", "Like if you want to end cancer", "Share if you love your wife", before I find some actual news.) However, the number of red equal signs that popped up yesterday as profile pics in support of Gay Marriage was quite the phenomenon. I've never seen public opinion change so much on an issue in a single decade.
• The Right Wing has to be against the law to be argued today in the Supreme Court, right? The federal Defense Of Marriage Act is something that the federal government has no business being involved in since it is a State's Rights issue, correct?
• Heard on the radio this morning: Some folks at NASA knew there was a possibility that the Shuttle Columbia would disintegrate upon re-entry in 2003 but the astronauts weren't told. What if they had told the astronauts and the American people the day before re-entry. Wouldn't everyone in the U.S. have been glued to the TV that Saturday morning?
• Mrs. LL watched a movie called Compliance, and I've heard more than a handful of people comment that the film "is really bizarre and messed up." The fact that people are talking about it when it only grossed $318,622 in theaters means it must be weird.
• Britney Griner last night had 33 points, 22 rebounds, and 3 dunks in Baylor's 85-47 win last night over Florida State in the second round of the NCAA Tourney. From ESPN: "There will be more players like Griner. Maybe not tomorrow or even next year, but eventually they will come. When they do, maybe sports fans will be more ready for them, and the verbal darts that have flown these past four years will look like rusty relics, a weapon of the uninformed. Griner has surely learned that most uncut paths are lined with thorns. What have the rest of us learned?"
• I suppose its a matter of time before Wise County releases the police car videos of the big shootout last week. You know the national media is just bombarding the county with Open Records request. Edit: I've confirmed that Wise County received 40 such requests alone.

Above The Fold

Miley Cyrus' Brother

That's a little Pick Me Up for all the ladies out there.

Road Rage 101

Language warning.

You know, I think this video is fairly educational and thought provoking.

1. If you get into it with another car, don't stop. Back off. People are crazy. (I had to remind this to Mrs. LL on our Florida trip as she almost engaged an Alabama redneck. She gets behind the wheel in the Gangsta Mobile and all of a sudden she thinks she's Lil' Kim.)
2. Two against one always violates the rules of Fight Club. Fight fair, boys. This is America.
3. The older guy's wife hands him a gun? Really? This is really the point of this post. The fight was over when she did that, so is that really the smart thing to do? The guy has to be ramped up and pissed off, and I'm amazed he didn't pull the trigger.

Edit: I'll be dang. There's an update. "Deputies say what's not seen on the video is the husband firing several rounds into the pickup truck as he left."

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughs

• This is actually one of a series of pics posted yesterday by Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders who were trying on outfits in preparation for their annual photo-shoot. More here on Facebook.
• The Supreme Court hears arguments regarding gay marriage today and tomorrow. This has a 1950s feeling similar to that of segregation and Brown v. Board of Education.
• Omen?: Exactly ten years ago, the Supreme Court hear oral arguments in Lawrence v. Texas, the case that ultimately struck down the Texas law making homosexual conduct a crime. Side note: (1) That's a fascinating case regarding the "behind the scenes" lawyering which was documented in a book, (2) Even though the Texas law was declared unconstitutional, it is still on the books because Texas lawmakers won't pass legislation to officially repeal it. It has no effect. It just sits there. 
• Baylor Lady Bears basketball fact: Since the 2010-2011 season, they are 106-4. That's insane. 
• There was a crazy case in Mesquite yesterday morning where one guy follows another guy very closely for a long time believing the guy who he is following is drunk. The Followed Guy isn't, is calling 911 saying some guy is following him, and then both cars stop. The Followed Guy then fires 15 times into the car of the Following Guy. No life threatening injuries occur, and then the Followed Guy goes to the police station.  Followed Guy is then charge with Aggravated Assault. Bottom line: That case is a prosecutor's nightmare.  
• I think I just invented a new prosecutorial standard: If a case takes six lines to explain, you've got a problem.
• Funny: Assistant hockey coach takes something off his head, throws it over his shoulder, and then it lands in a fan's beer. 
• I lost my DWI case last week, but it was a tough one with a breath test of .128 and .136. And that might have been the most conservative jury I ever had to deal with (I had to take a police officer's wife because the other options were worse. But she seemed so spunky and independent that I trusted her. The facts doomed me. Not her.) 
• By biggest mistake in the trial: I'm allowed to strike three jurors off the panel for any reason. In a moment of complete idiocy as I jotted down those three names to turn into the clerk, I somehow wrote down the name of a juror I wanted to keep which caused the person I intended to strike (a lady who had a niece killed in a drunk driving accident) to initially be seated on the jury.  As the jury was being seated, I was able to freeze the proceedings and get a quick conference with the judge and the prosecutor. That prosecutor then allowed me to amend my strike list and fix my error. It was a professional thing to do although I think he also feared for my health: "Dude, you looked like you were about to have a heart attack," he said. 
• Ugh: The Family Pup and the Pup Rescued From Death Row have had a few crazy fights. It's like a Yorkie Ultimate Fighting match -- neither one will back down. I'm not sure this is going to work out. 
• I don't think Mrs. LL loves a movie scene more than the one in Bridesmaids where Kristen Wiig goes into first class on the plane.
• I saw bits and pieces of the post-NASCAR fight last weekend and Tony Stewart's post race rant about fellow driver Joey Logano: "He's nothing but a little rich kid who's never had to work in his life." Man, if there was more of that, I might watch it.
• I've got a handful of complaints that WiseCounty.com is down. It's not. Apparently, CenturyLink did something which impacts DNS resolution by some computers. I have no idea what that means but someone is going to provide me with a work-around later today to solve the issue. I'll let you know. 

Facebook Readers Chime In About Wreck Near Newark Last Night

Paradise's New Football Coach Announced

Paradise has officially named Wellington assistant Brit Hart as thier new head football coach #txhsfb
— Texas HS Football (@texashsfootball) March 26, 2013

Wellington on a map.

And here's an article that Hart wrote about the head coach.

And check out their school mascot: The "Skyrockets". Cue the Starland Vocal Band.

FBC Of Dallas Unveils New Fountain

It's like a tiny Bellagio. (It fires up at 1:20)

All The Windows In The Courthouse Are Sealed

But it looks like that is being remedied today. Never again will a kitty be stranded on a balcony. 

Never forget. 

A Golf Clip Can Be Entertaining?

Why, yes. Yes, it can.

Smooth As Butter

Ain't That America, For You And Me

Liberally Lean Tourney Update

Ain't no party like a Gulf Coast party

Well, look who's lurking around at #34.  We all knew it was a matter of time before my Expert Sports Brain would lead me to a Liberally Lean National Championship. I may start filming myself over the next couple of weeks because this is going to make a great documentary.

Full standings.

By the way, over at ESPN.com, "4 brackets out of 8.15 million entries in the Tournament Challenge got 15 of the 16 Sweet 16 teams right."

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• A new proposed Texas law will outlaw Voyeurism. I was prepared to make fun of it, but I don't think I can based upon the way that it is written. (Except for the binoculars/telescope part which seems to be a little over the top.)
• The female Texas trooper who intimately searched the two women after a traffic stop a couple of months ago has been indicted for sexual assault. That's insane. The male trooper was indicted because one of the women said her bottle of prescription medication was missing after the traffic stop. I hope they have more proof than that.
• If this story is true, it may be the most horrific crime I've ever heard.
• I created a website using Godaddy.com this weekend. As goofy as their ad campaigns have been, it is a fantastic product.
• I don't know much about Ole Miss basketball player Marshal Henderson other than people told me to watch him because he was like a cocky Eminem. (He's pretty funny. One reporter asked him if his off-the-court persona was "calculated." He responded with, "I'm not very good at math.") But I just learned he used to play basketball while in school at Bowie, Texas. 
• What a fun group at JerryWorld this weekend for the next round: #1 Kansas, #4 Michigan, #3 Florida, and everyone's new favorite, #15 Florida Gulf Coast (a school that is only 16 years old and which only began playing Division I basketball two years ago.) 
• More importantly, the wife of the coach of Florida Gulf Coast was a huge Hey, Now back in the day. 
• Decatur ambulances were dispatched to a medical emergency at Allsups this morning. Turns out a guy was simply asleep in his car "after working all night."
• We've got too many dogs. I'm not pleased. And I swear I looked up on Sunday and saw they were all wearing diapers. 
• "Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." That has to be the most ignored of all of Jesus' words, right?
• Sheriff David Walker in a Chicago paper pointing his finger at his head. 
• I don't know if it is true, but I read yesterday that Subway now has more restaurants than McDonald's. I believe it. You can't go a mile in the metroplex it seems without seeing one. 
• A Baylor student died during a half marathon at the school this weekend. 
• I turned on one of the ESPN channels on Friday night and saw a soccer game between the United States and Costa Rica being played in Denver -- and in a snowstorm. Pic. It was beyond bizarre. I think they switched from a white ball to a colored one so they could see it. 
• I watched the 30 for 30 documentary on the North Carolina State 1983 Championship Team: Survive and Advance. For a subject I had no interest in, it was fantastic. 
• TCU's new 8-foot Horned Frog statue is more intimidating than things that are intimidating.

Wowza

Frisco house fire tonight.  But it was a house under construction.

Paradise Man Found Dead

From Facebook today:

Oh, my

Source.