Random Friday Morning News

• “Every girl wants to be swept off her feet. It’s when you put her in the trunk that she starts to freak out.” - Facebook post of a Denton City Councilman.  It was deleted and he later blamed his 16 year old stepson. I think I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that one.
• I'm not sure what class it is, but the Junior in the House has a project where she has to plan a wedding within six months and come in under a budget of . . . wait for it . . . $25,000.  (I almost went all George Bailey like he did after ZuZu got sent home from school in the rain. I'd change the line to, "What do you mean talking marriage to a Junior and what about that crazy budget???!!!") Mrs. LL laughed at me saying, "So this particular project now makes you care about their school assignments?"
• Random thought about fines in criminal cases. In plea bargains, prosecutors are pretty consistent about the fine for a particular case.  That sounds fair but it really isn't. For example, a fine of $1,250 on a Class A Misdemeanor is petty cash to some and financially crushing to others.  And even without the extremes, that punishment is different to some degree for everyone. I don't have an answer unless a prosecutor is required to review someone's tax return before making a plea bargain.
• We watched a Modern Family episode last night where heavily accented Gloria told her older husband Jay that he never goes out and has fun anymore: "You go to bed at 9:00 o'clock right after you get mad at the news!" I think Mrs. LL laughed a little too hard.
• That kid in Parker County who killed his mom and sister took a plea bargain of 45 years. He will be eligible for parole after serving one-half of the sentence.  (The Supreme Court has ruled that a juvenile cannot receive the death penalty or even life without parole.  This kid was 17 at the time of the crime.)
• NFL Draft thoughts: (1) I didn't watch or listen to much of any of it yesterday and I used to love it, (2) I think #1 pick Jameis Winston will be a colossal bust, but I am awful at QB predictions despite being widely known as a sports genius, (3) Commissioner Roger Goodell, who made $44 million in 2012, didn't know how to pronounce the name of the second person chosen, (4) I've always thought "take the best player available" regardless of need was the dumbest thing ever. That is based on the 100% wrong assumption that you know who the "best player available" is. (5) The NFL draft has an odd slave auction feel to it. "You are coming to work for me and we now have a rule which tells me exactly how much you will be paid. There is no negotiation."
• In the past, rioters would be countered by police with a fire department sized water hose. (I'm talking about just arcing the stream into the crowd).   Just spraying the crowd with water changes the dynamics because an individual rioter no longer felt shielded by the masses because he was being personally effected by getting wet. It was more of a mental trick than a physical one.  But I guess there is no way a water hose will be used in this day and time because there would be unfair comparisons to images of Alabama. 
• There was a carjacking case in Dallas last night where the suspects were apprehended after a chase. Their ages were 13, 15, and 17. And the 13 year old was driving. 
• I see so many 18 wheelers around Wise County which look like they are being driven by someone who is getting groggy.