Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• I've dogged Dallas Morning News columnist Jacquielynn Floyd for years because she normally writes drivel. But big kudos to her for her column on FBC Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress over the weekend as she took on "the gay-baiting, Obama-bashing, Islamophobic, end-times-a’-comin’ politico-theological extremism" pastor. 
• Backstop project: Initial softball blasts into the net at half speed were beyond successful, but I wasn't going to press my luck so I abandoned the test. There was no way I wasn't going to ruin the greatest day of my life. Background: It's a ridiculous homemade backstop using PVC pipes -- attached to steel poles of a privacy fence -- which can be raised telescopically about six feet in the air to catch the (hopefully) rare errant softball pitch.
• The Dylann Roof, the Charleston Church Shooter, appeared via camera on Friday for a bond hearing. For some reason, the family members of those killed were allowed to address him. That was odd. It was a bond hearing not a post guilty verdict victim impact statement. News reports said that was allowed by South Carolina law but a cursory search couldn't back that up. 
• A Mabank, Texas volunteer firefighter thought it would be a good idea to post that Roof "needs to be praised for the good deed he has done."
• The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina is within five miles of Fort Sumter. (And on a more lighthearted note, when's the last time you've seen "Methodist" and "Episcopal" in a church's name?)
• Someone pointed this out from Friday's Update: "JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION – The annual Juneteenth Celebration begins 10 a.m. Saturday in downtown Decatur with face painting . . . . " Yeah, we know what they meant but still. 
• The U.S. Open was shown in prime time this weekend. What a great idea. Put it on the west coast during the longest days of the year. Good stuff. 
• An Oklahoma criminal defense lawyer shot and killed a former client at his home after a "confrontation". The deceased was released from prison last year after two decades.  There aren't a lot of details but this sure seems reminiscent of Cape Fear.
• I saw an odd commercial for the Texas Veterans Land Board with Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush in it. It had a very campaign ad feel to it.  Probably genius on his part. Lawfully spend taxpayer dollars to promote himself. 
• "Dallas - One man was killed and another was wounded after a robbery and shootout outside a popular North Dallas restaurant. Police said just after 10 p.m. Sunday two men tried to rob two people as they were leaving Benihana on Banner Drive." Two points: (1) One of the victims had his own gun. (2) There are still Behihanas?
• After two hours of yard work and seeing a bird hang around on the ground since it obviously couldn't fly, I couldn't stand it and rounded it up. The Evil Neighbor Cat was lurking nearby.  From there, I turned it over to Mrs. LL. Not sure what happened after that.