I'm Not A Political Expert, But I Don't Think This Is A Good Start For Her

Link.

Edit: Always love the comments about how it's soooo different because it is pain medication.  One comment on the DMN site said she wasn't doing "dope" and her problem happens to "normal" people. Good grief. Is that some kind of code? She was self-medicating. She had the resources to have a doctor who would write her a prescription (assuming she did everything "legal" and didn't doctor shop or lie about how she needed pills for physical pain.)  I suppose those who aren't "normal" and self-medicate with drugs get locked up. And for all those who scream "one is legal and one is not!", are the people behind bars really that different from someone like Hawk who put a substance in her body to alter her state and got addicted? Then again, you look at her photo and bio realize there are differences -- just none that should matter about how we treat each other.

Guy Chews Out Dog For Taking His Potato Skin

I don't know who is crazier, that moron or the fact that this made me so mad I want to beat him senseless.

P.S. Hey, buddy, clean the place up a little bit.

A Question We Couldn't Answer Last Night

On Thursday, the online superstore started offering one-hour delivery to customers in two dozen Dallas ZIP codes. The initial eligible neighborhoods are in Irving and Dallas — basically south of the company’s Coppell fulfillment center and into downtown Dallas.

The service, called Prime Now, is available to Amazon Prime members who pay $99 a year. One-hour delivery costs $7.99. If you can wait two hours, delivery is free. The service is available from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Considering that all of those zip codes are heavily populated with access to stores or every imaginable product in a short driving distance, answer this:  Name one product that you would pay $7.99 for a one hour delivery? Or, put another way, is there any situation where you would need something so urgently that you wouldn't just get in the car and go get it?

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• So an 18 wheeler hits a bridge near Salado that is under construction and a massive support beam lands directly on the car of an Arlington man and killed him?  Fear and respect the Butterfly Effect.
• Fox 4 desperately tried to get the deceased guy's mother on tape for interview last night and even promoted it before she refused. Steve Eager, in explaining had they had failed to deliver, had the strangest comment when he told his audience some viewers may be "surprised" that she "wanted" to talk about the incident. It almost came across that he was trying to say, "Some of you idiot viewers might be surprised that a relative would not want to talk about the death of loved one immediately after it happens" but bailed out of it mid-sentence. 
• Harry Reid has announced he won't seek re-election. I doubt if it is connected to that mysterious eye injury, but I wouldn't rule it out. I wonder if something is going on.
• Guy arrested after motorcycle chase in Dallas has a pretty cool book-in photo. 
• The Ticket boys were talking this morning about being packrats -- a habit which may be attributable to just wanting to hold onto memories instead of things.  Junior Miller said that he's tried to not to do that because lately he is trying to "live in the moment."  Mindfulness. 
• Had the sweetest moment with the Junior In The House last night when she walked through the door and, sensing something was wrong, I asked, "You OK?"  She said "no", sat down, and began to tell me about it. That's probably commonplace to all of you but not to me. 
• Zayn Malik left One Direction this week. 
• OK, I was doing a bit there. Never heard of the guy. Don't know any of the band's songs. Just know everyone else was talking about it. 
• It sounds like Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes will not be fired. Does he have pictures of someone? 
• Hey, DFW media, there's a story behind this news release from Keller ISD: "In response to recent social media posts regarding 'promposals' at our high school campuses, Keller ISD does not grant permission for any student, regardless of gender, to conduct public prom invitations, or promposals, on campus during the school day. Any previous promposals that have occurred have done so without District approval. Promposals, and other similar public displays, may create a disruption to the academic setting, therefore they are not allowed for any student." I'm not saying an episode of Glee is breaking out, but an episode of Glee might be breaking out. 
• Liberally Lean Pick 'Em update. 

Kids Playing On Vietnam Memorial In Front Of Veterans

Story.

I'd add a comment but I can't stop staring at the photo.

Viral Photo Of The Day From Oklahoma

Just found this after the tornado. God is with us pic.twitter.com/jinFEloPtP
— The Real Slim Chasey (@Chase__Rhodes) March 26, 2015

This made national news and I'm not sure why. That's pretty close to seeing the face of Mary in a tortilla, isn't it?

Those High Wise County Winds Have Been Explained

Their explanation:

Liberally Lean Weather Center explanation:

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• News this morning that constitutes a "Wow!": That Germanwings Flight 9525 which went down this week killing 150 appears to have been intentionally crashed by the co-pilot. 
• Flipped over to Mark Davis after the news broke and he first speculated it was part of a "Jihad". Good grief. 
• It still amazes me how a jetliner which hits the ground can cause the bodies on board to just disintegrate
• Did you hear the crazy rant of the Duck Dynasty guy at a prayer breakfast? In addition to coming up with a hypothetical which seems borderline psychotic, he also believes being an atheist means a person has no sense of right or wrong. He probably just caused that horrible show to be cancelled. Or, sadly, its ratings to increase. 
• WBAP's Hal Jay heard that rant this morning, found the comments objectionable, but said, "I understand what he was trying to say." Really? You do? 
• At 6:00 p.m. yesterday, there were six females in our house. And me. 
• Sports: (1) Jerry Jones does not look well. (2) Heard a clip of Roger Goodell on The Ticket discussing the Cowboys signing of Greg Hardy and he had incredible Shake Voice. I wonder if he's getting a bad vibe about his job situation at the owners' meeting in Arizona. (3) TCU announced they will play Stanford in 2027. (4) The NFL will change the extra point rule in some way this year -- it is still to be determined. Unlike baseball, the NFL will trick up the game. 
• Tarrant County DA Sharen Wilson tweeted this morning that she was happy to speak at a meeting of the Boiling Point Tea Party. Who? That got me interested. I went to the group's website which has a mission statement that begins with: "Our intention is to support those elected officials who represent our conservative goals for this country. They are: -protect our constitution - no Sharia Law-".  Good lord. And I love the picture in her tweet. The crowd is, as expected, older and white as well as presumably pissed off because of the "Boiling Point" name. And there's a picture of John Wayne in the background. I feel like I've just looked at a Far Side cartoon. 
• The Junior In The House missed some deadline at school, Mrs. LL expressed her frustration at her, and the Junior basically replied with, "It's in the past. Nothing can be done to change it. We just need to move on."  I had to suppress my smile for her Dr. Phil type defense. 
• I went into an Apple Store this weekend. I almost felt like I was entering the future. And I felt like I didn't belong there.
• I watched the Highland Park/OU kid's press conference complete with people who just happen to be African American in the background.  I don't know if his apology was sincere, but I do know he realizes how society can crush you.  I actually feel bad for the kid. 

And To Think I Was Yelling About Pot Holes

This was in Brazil on Monday.

How Can Listening To A Legal Seminar Presentation While Jogging Make Me Stop Down?

(She's not related to this post. I've heard her seminar presentations. I'll never do it again.)

I was listening to a legal seminar the other day and heard a fascinating one given by a prosecutor from  Tarrant County. (Actually, he referenced "Ted Talks" which I mentioned earlier.) I've know the guy for years and he is smart, very good at what he does, and I've never heard anything other than positive comments about him. His presentation was about jury selection from the "State's Perspective" in DWI cases and it was fantastic. I know that because he was making me cringe as he reminded me how tough my job was.

But one thing got my attention. He spent some time on how defense lawyers, when there is not blood test or breath test in a case, will ask the jury not to convict based upon the opinion of an officer about whether someone is intoxicated. He pointed out how he will ask the jury panel if they have ever relied  upon a doctor's opinion or, when buying a new house, a real estate inspector's opinion.  If someone has expertise in area, he said, we rely upon those people all the time. He presented it very skillfully. But his point was that he tries to have the jury understand that a police officer is an expert on intoxication and the officer's opinion should be relied upon as well. (I rolled my eyes when I heard that but I digress.)

He was speaking primarily in front of criminal defense lawyers and I'm guessing he sensed their cynicism. But, and this is the point of this post, he actually said this: "So who am I talking about? I'm talking about your police officers. Um . . . hopefully. Now again, some of our police officers . . . got to keep your credibility[*], you know. And some, some of my officers -- I'm not going to buy that house. Even after they look at it, I'm not going to do it. And I'm just going to get them on and off the stand as quickly as possible and hope that the cross [examination] is going to be limited."

That really bothered me. Is he saying a prosecutor at trial should ask an officer an opinion on intoxication when the prosecutor wouldn't rely even personally rely upon it? And pray that the defense lawyer is so bad that he won't expose that the officer is no expert at all? Should a prosecutor later argue to that jury that the officer's opinion should be relied upon?

It's been about two weeks since I heard it and it still sticks with me.
_____
*Incidental point: I'm not exactly sure what he meant by this phrase, and I've listened to the mp3 ten times. It may mean you have to keep your credibility "as a lawyer in front of a jury panel" but I'm not certain.

Random Prosecutor News

“In 1984, I was 33 years old. I was arrogant, judgmental, narcissistic and very full of myself. I was not as interested in justice as I was in winning. To borrow a phrase from Al Pacino in the movie And Justice for All, ‘Winning became everything.’

“After the death verdict in the Ford trial, I went out with others and celebrated with a few rounds of drinks. That’s sick. I had been entrusted with the duty to seek the death of a fellow human being, a very solemn task that certainly did not warrant any ‘celebration.’ “

Story.

So What's Fox News Tweeting This Morning?

ICYMI: @ainsleyearhardt exposes what goes on at Spring Break 2015 in Panama City Beach. http://t.co/dDCXXjeN3T
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 25, 2015

Allow me to repost my fourth bullet point from Monday Morning Random Thoughts:

• Fox News (Hannity or O'Reilly) this time of year will always have Spring Break stories complete with footage of girls in bikinis and then they use it as an excuse to talk about the depravity of today's younger generation. 

"Denton Teacher Remakes Uptown Funk As STAAR Test Motivation"

Original here. This one is a side by side comparison with the original.

I'm kind of surprised she didn't catch a little heat for this. (And I really don't know why I feel that way.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• I heard about "Ted Talks" two weeks ago for the first time. Now I've seen it mentioned in various places. What's this about?
• Great comment yesterday about the dueling church music in Decatur: What if it was the Muslim "Call to Prayer?" that was being blasted out? 
• "He was born in Canada. If you know and when we all studied our history lessons, you are supposed to be born in this country, so I just don't know how the courts will rule on this." - Donald Trump questioning Ted Cruz's qualifications to run for President. (I'm just sitting back and getting my popcorn ready.) 
• Speaking of Cruz, what was one of the biggest criticisms during President Obama's first run? Oh, yeah. He was a freshman senator with no "executive experience."  (I can still see Sarah Palin saying that.) 
• That OU kid who engaged in the racist fraternity chant will make a statement today. You know, that's not a bad idea.  If that moment of stupidity is going to haunt him on the Internet forever, he might as well get an apology out there which shows up on the first page of a Google search in the future.
• The Kids In The House left handwritten birthday cards for Mrs. LL around the house in various odd places.  I had nothing to do with it and it was incredibly touching. She thanked them sincerely last night and they replied with, "You're welcome! What's for dinner, mom?"  
• I spent my obligatory 10 minutes with the opening of the Mark Davis Show today and have never heard him more unprepared. He was set to question whether a Dallas teacher should be fired for displaying a nude photo of herself to a class. But once he played a Channel 5 news clip of the story on the air he realized he had no idea what the facts were. One photo? Two? Cell phone? Computer? Accidental? Intentional? Number of students who saw it? He bailed out of the segment in a hurry. 
• The first assistant DA in Dallas County who was fired sure did strike back yesterday saying the office deserved  “a leader who is stable and competent.”  Wow.  That "stable" word sure does stick out to me. Is it possible Dallas and Tarrant County have two female DA's who will damage the perception of female professionals for years to come? 
• A Van Halen tour with a stop in Dallas? Yawn.
• Do they still have the UIL academic competition of "picture memory"?
• I don't care about the Mavericks but even I can tell that's one screwed up team. It's composed of guys who respond like lazy children. You dramatically chew them out for not cleaning up their room as they have promised to do so every day so they go clean up their room. It looks good. Then they go back to being lazy children. 
• Baseball rule change suggestion: A foul ball with two strikes is an out. Three balls equals a walk. A game is seven innings. MLB has to do something to change. 

Shortest Presidential Campaign Ever?

Honestly, I'm really haven't read the details yet, but that's what he said today. His wife has taken a leave of absence from Goldman Sachs so Cruz won't have access to insurance through her any longer.

Get Me This Three Legged Abused Dog!

Although he now looks pretty happy just where is.

And In High School Baseball News

This clipped confused me to no end. The audio runs in regular time but the video goes to slow motion.  I finally figured out that the left fielder caught the ball on a ricochet off the center fielder's noggin.  But when does he throw it to second for the double play? I'm guessing at the 18 second mark when the poll blocks our view but it sure doesn't look like it. Even the guy on the audio says he didn't see it.

Checking The Highlights From The NIT Tournament

And to think it gets overshadowed by March Madness.

Old Dominion guy representin'.

Current Legislature News: It's Budget Time

#Texas House's 2016-17 budget plan = $209.8 billion, about $7.7 billion higher than current, 2014-15 budget #txlege #HB1
— Kiah Collier (@KiahCollier) March 24, 2015

That's a staggering number (which is being increased under the most conservative legislature ever). And that's just for the state government. It doesn't include county or municipalities or school districts. As I've said before, government employees are critical to our economy and we are far more socialists than anyone wants to believe.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• New Dallas County DA on why she fired her most trusted assistant after three months: “He’s first assistant, I’m the district attorney, and when there is tension between the two of us and conflict between the two of us, this office deserves more.” - Susan Hawk. Let me tell you, something beyond weird has to be going on in that office. 
• A Dallas police helicopter had its windshield blown out by a bird last night? That just seems weird to me. 
• Controversial new Cowboy Greg Hardy last night on Instagram: “I don’t Care If U Like Me, I Like Me and God knows all so I pray he Blesses America, The Cowboys and no place else #happy to have an opportunity #WorkLikeUAlwaysDo#Harder#Hardy#sackscoming#goodmorning all real Kraken fans I love u guys.”  My head is spinning. 
• The Cowboys are doing an awful job putting a spin on his signing. Instead of pointing out he was never convicted and we really don't know the facts, they paint the signing as a chance to "rehabilitate" him. Come on. Just say, "He can rush the passer. That will make us better. That will allow us to win. When we win, we make more money." In this day and time we'd all respect that since we all know it is true. 
• Two churches in Decatur close to the square have fantastic music which kicks off at the top of every hour. But they go off at the exact same time which causes the greatest noise pollution ever. We've got a Methodist vs. Baptist music smackdown going down. 
• I'm still giddy about Ted Cruz running for president. How can a guy so smart (yep, he is) not know what is about to hit him? This is going to be brutal. It reminds me of Grizzly Man -- oblivious to danger.
• I blew past Bill O'Reilly last night when he was reading email and someone criticized the Wounded Warriors Project for spending up to almost 50% of contributions for "administrative costs" when other organization take a fraction of that. O'Reilly explained the percentage was higher because the Wounded Warrior organization was "larger" so it had more marketing costs. I hit the pause button and just thought, "What? That makes no sense." (A little Googling shows that O'Reilly and that project are a little too cozy. Meaning: He and Fox News are a big part of the marketing costs.)
• Did I see where Cruz got a whole hour on Hannity last night? Fair and Balanced? How much would that cost if it were an infomercial which it basically is.
• Mrs. LL's mom saw me jogging yesterday, stopped and handed me a birthday card for Mrs. LL, and then I jogged the rest of the way holding it. (It was a short distance but I kind of felt like a super UPS guy.) 
• From the Update: "The Decatur City Council yesterday agreed to move forward with phase 2 of the initial period study for the expansion of the Decatur Civic Center which includes a Fairfield Inn and Suites which would be built next to the facility." Does this involve taxpayer funds? And does any small town have more hotels than Decatur? 
• "A 12-year-old boy was taken arrested at school on Friday on manslaughter charges. The juvenile suspect admitted to police that he had been playing with the gun at his friend's house. He said he thought it was unloaded when he pulled the trigger. 'We truly believe, that this 12-year-old believed this gun wasn't loaded at the time he pulled the trigger,' said Joe Harn of Garland police."  Whatever lawyer defends that kid has the easiest job in the world. That's the second time in a week that cops have charged someone and called the event an accident. Edit: For those questioning this, you might want to study the word reckless as it is defined in the Texas Penal Code. How can he be actually "aware of but consciously disregard" a risk when he "truly believe[d]" there was no risk?  He wasn't charged with criminally negligent homicide. And aside from any legal defense, you want to prosecute that kid after that cop's statement? Edit 2: Buddy, when the legislature defines a term, it no longer matters what you were predisposed to believe what that term means. That link above was to an opinion explaining everything you need to know between the difference between criminal recklessness and criminal negligence. I'm not being critical. Most criminal defense lawyers and practitioners have no idea about the difference. Edit 3: Let's do it this way. I put a bullet in a revolver, spin the chamber like in Russian Roulette, and fire at my buddy because I'm a moron. I don't intend for him to die (murder). I don't know he is going to die (also murder). But I'm actually aware of that risk of death and I consciously disregard it (manslaughter). But in the news story the cop said the kid didn't believe the gun was loaded. That is, he did not have actual awareness there was a risk. He maybe ought to have known of the risk (now were getting into the area of criminal negligence), but it's not manslaughter. 

Guy Does Wheelie -- Loses Bike

I think the part that got my attention is that crazy run right before he falls. But props for popping back up like a champ.

Today In The World Of Criminal Justice

From late last year from Dallas:

Today with no explanation:

And unrelated from Austin, we've got another judge arrest:

Affidavit: Judge Gisela Triana had empty alcohol bottle in SUV when pulled her over Friday http://t.co/WoKExpqfmt pic.twitter.com/KGbYXnrGHT
— Austin Statesman (@statesman) March 23, 2015

Here she is when not in the hoosegow:

I Heard Attendance Was Mandatory

PANORAMIC: 11,000 students at @LibertyU in Lynchburg, VA cheering @tedcruz as he announces his run for POTUS. #2016 pic.twitter.com/k9YeJHHm46
— Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) March 23, 2015

Seriously.

The university was founded by Jerry Falwell.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Liberally Lean Pick 'Em standings. 
• Ted Cruz is running for president! Ted Cruz is running for president! Take it to the bank: He will get crushed. 
• Conservative talk show hosts were already asking for other potential Republican candidates to not "snipe" at him. Translation: Even other Republicans are going to point out that he's a nutcase.
• Fox News (Hannity or O'Reilly) this time of year will always have Spring Break stories complete with footage of girls in bikinis and then they use it as an excuse to talk about the depravity of today's younger generation. 
• I've focused recently on what seems to be an increase in police shootings. The Dallas Morning News' Steve Blow wrote an article about the same thing over the weekend. I would suggest you read it but it's boring. Do I believe I could do a better job than that guy? Absolutely. 
• The official tax payer funded Tarrant County website has this about new DA Sharen Wilson: "Wilson remained on the bench for 23 years, developing a reputation as 'Tarrant County’s toughest criminal court judge.'” Isn't that the equivalent of an ad? By the way, there were two "not guilty" verdicts under her administration last week.  That doesn't mean the prosecutors were bad, but it might mean they were scared to dismiss the case or offer a reasonable plea bargain. 
• I'm not sure why the Update promotes the group whose focus is the "sovereignty, security and self-sufficiency of Texas and promotes its eventual independence."  Do they pay for that mention?
• There was a controversy in Austin last week when someone posted “Exclusively for White People” stickers on some businesses. It turned out to be a lawyer who has created some embarrassing videos in the past which even I have reposted.
• "Some rocks you don't turn over". - From the last episode of Better Call Saul.
• The Supreme Court today will hear oral arguments regarding whether the State of Texas can refuse to issue a license plate with the Confederate Flag emblem on it. I would think the answer is no. If the government gets in the business of tricked up license plates, it can't be in a position to decide which ones are "appropriate". 
• Which reminds me of a comment posted from Friday in response to my bullet point about the Northwest ISD's kid's fictional writings. When I say something is an interesting free speech issue, that doesn't mean I endorse the speech. How anyone cannot understand that it mindboggling. 
• I'm not a fan of The Ticket's Corby Davidson but he did a great job with Mike Doocy last night on Fox 4 when he took a shot at Dale Hansen.Texas House 
• Texas State Representative Jason Villabala filled a bill limiting when citizens can video cops and deservedly took heat for it on social media. So he began blocking all critics including a student reporter. Think about that. A government representative does not want to hear views the differ from his own nor answer questions.