10.10.2015

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Detroit woman's Halloween decoration prompts repeated police visits fxn.ws/1jgDAsE pic.twitter.com/4bs5sJkPPM


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10.09.2015

Random Friday Morning Thoughts





  • There was a shooting at Northern Arizona University this morning. But I've only  seen a news blurb. It's obviously too early for classes. 
  • I'll be in Kansas this weekend for another crazy football trip. Baylor and TCU will join me. And there are other sporting events going on if I can pull it off. After all, time is not your friend. 
  • So Kevin McCarthy withdrew from the House Speakship because of a veiled threat of impropriety? The GOP needs to relax. 
  • I feel like I'm the only one who thinks of a radio host when I hear the name Kevin McCarthy. 
  • If you saw the video of the lady trying to fight off the purse snatcher in Dallas I hope your thought was "give him the purse and live". 
  • The re-enactment of Kennedy assassination yesterday in Dallas creeped me out a little bit. But women do need to bring back the pill box hat.  That's a good look. 
  • I had an email conversation with a Houston lawyer yesterday regarding a potential statewide scam. And he provided a theory which I had not thought of 
  • That crazy pillow gift I received a couple of days ago may be my favorite gift ever simply because of the puzzlement it provided me. 
  • I'm sitting on a plane right now next to an Eric Dickerson lookalike who won't shut up and is doing a comedy routine. I never thought I'd have a moment listen to George Lopez. 

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10.08.2015

The Liberally Lean Position: I Always Support The Bull



Bull fighting is a blood sport. I assume the guy will be fine.

But that's a heck of an effort from our horned friend.
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Let's Check In On the Dysfunctional Washington Family


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Random Car On The Courthouse Square In Decatur This Morning


Credit: Tara.

And for a conspiracy theory: I posted out of the blue yesterday about Faith Hill's music video filmed in Decatur over a decade ago. That wall in the background was what was used in the video. I'm not sure what it would be a conspiracy about, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

A closer look:

Cue Blue Oyster Cult
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Let Me Whip You With A Couple Of Old Photos I Saw Last Night

I love both of them for completely different reasons.

This is from when I went to College Game Day in Fort Worth last year. I will always believe that baby was working on his Tomahawk Chop:

And this from when I was in a plane at the crack of dawn coming back from Baylor's loss against West Virginia. Cloud cover below. A different plane in the distance.  I think I heard Ronald Reagan saying, "touch the face of God":


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Random Thursday Morning Thoughts



  • I dog WBAP's Brian Estridge a lot but he did a good job this morning doing a couple of interviews about the Waco Twin Peaks Police/DA/Judges Massive Screw Up (my words, not his.) The only way the DA's office gets any conviction out of the more that seventy that are arrested will be if someone takes a plea bargain to avoid being unjustly convicted. The DA is incompetent, but the the Waco Police are lying about what happened. 
  • "[Dallas DA] Susan Hawk admits she felt paranoid. Admits she made her employees feel uncomfortable. Admits that in the darkest moments of her life, she was not the best district attorney she could be. No more, she says." I believe all of that except that last four words. 
  • Two guys carrying fake rifles scared a lot people along Dallas' Katy Trail yesterday. And you realize the could have carried a rifle, shotgun, or an AR-15 and they wouldn't be breaking the law, right?
  • When I was at Love Field a couple of weeks ago, two twenty-somethings were running around the terminals using the modern day equivalent of a hover board. The only thing that made me think less of them was when I heard them speak, and I realized they had no idea what "conversation" means. 
  • For some reason, I'm getting slower and slower to recognize when I'm sick. 
  • The Ticket's Junior Miller got called back to the dermatologist for more skin removal after a mole tested positive for melanoma. He's fine and was joking about it on the radio this morning, but that would have scared the heck out of me. 
  • This has to be a Texas Monthly Bum Steer award, right?: Tarrant County Tax Assessor will no longer encourage employees to donate to the United Way because the organization has "ties" to Planned Parenthood -- even though the United Way does not provide any funds to Planned Parenthood. But here's the kicker: Although the thinks the United Way does some good,  he will “remind all of [his employees] that Hitler made the trains run on time."
  • I'd love to be a fly on the wall if Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton, Konni Burton, Jonathon Stickland, and Dan Patrick were all in the same room. I just imagine the kid from Step Brothers being in the room and saying, "What these guys' deal?" 
  • I had a Bridgeport banker tell me yesterday that his son wanted to debate me on my proclamation that Superman would crush Batman in a fight. Why? Batman, who has no special powers, has incredible human courage.  (I actually pondered this for a while.) 
  • Allen High School has won 49 straight football games. The Texas record belongs to Celina with 68. I'm going to guess the Wise County record has to belong to Boyd since they went on a state title run back in the day, but I have no idea what the number is. 
  • There's a 25 year old from Alvord who died. I haven't heard the cause. Edit: Motorcycle accident.
  • I don't understand: "Yemen (CNN)- Airstrikes hit a wedding celebration in Yemen, killing at least 30 people and leaving dozens more unaccounted for, local officials said . . .  It wasn't initially clear who had carried out the strikes." Huh?

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10.07.2015

Application Today For Court Appointed Attorney In Wise County


That job market must be as tough as Wordkyle said it is.
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What Is This Gift!!!!!!!!!??????

I just received it. I have no idea!!! Furry on the outside. Insulated but not waterproof. The person who sent it promises it is not some type of obscene contraption.

Our office just wasted an hour studying it.

Edit: And the crazy answer is this.






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Ads Disguised As Content


Hey, I've ranted about this for over two years much to the mockery of my loyal readership. It is one thing for a radio host to transition into an ad seamlessly (See Hannity or Limbaugh), it's another thing when the news is peppered with what is obviously a commercial.  Hey, if Deadspin thinks the same, I feel pretty, pretty good about my position.




Key phrase: "integrate the company directly into EPSN programming". Wow.

Start listening for it!

The other day, The Ticket had (the very spare) Peter King on for his weekly segment and he referenced a website that focused on analytics twice in quick repetition. It was the equivalent of, "I looked at the news about Wise County  on Liberally Lean dot come the other day and it was really interesting about what is going on in Rhome. Liberally Lean dot com said . . . ."

It's like Inception. Peter King gets paid to do weekly segments across the nation and he gets paid by advertisers to mention them within the segment.
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Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals Rules Today You Can Destroy The Texas Flag!



Opinion.

Which, of course, is a no brainer. Your property. Your right to free expression. How in the world could the government ever tell you that you could not do that?

But it almost hurts that they have to apologize for the holding:


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Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • Very funny comments yesterday about the office toilet wearing a shirt and tie after I wrote a horribly crafted sentence. I admit my grammatical error. As you know, there will be many more to come. Probably even today. 
  • This will be a little shorter today since there was another "walk out and see a flat tire" issue. What a beating. 
  • "Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton each lead their party's respective primary race in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania . . . . " And it is October which means it is getting real. (And I apologize to Reagor Dykes who advertises on The Ticket and who is goofy enough to think that "I gotta keep it real" will make anyone buy a car from him.) 
  • I've not looked into the scandal of the "insider betting" of the gambling fantasy football sites of DraftKings and FanDuel but what we are seeing is unprecedented. Congress basically made gambling legal for fantasy football in 2006, it took everyone almost a decade to realize it, and those companies are now exploding with money (and spending a fortune on ads.)
  • Ameritrade bought 78 acres in Southlake. Ameritrade is still in business? There are 78 acres available in Southlake? 
  • On my trip to El Paso  two weeks ago, I flew on Southwest. Those seats were nicer and roomier than an American Airlines seven hour flight I took earlier this year. (Cue orchestra music.)
  • I hate small talk, but I love those very rare moments in life when you confide in someone with extreme intensity. There's is the underlying implicit agreement of, "We trust each other." 
  • I think DPS replacements for the border have arrived. I got a report of at least four DPS cars patrolling 380 this morning. 
  • Seinfeld voice: And what's the deal with the Wise County Sheriff Deputies making traffic stops on 287? 
  • WBAP's and TCU play by play man Brian Estridge tweeted naked booties this morning. 
  • I've never met or talked to BagOfNothing but I think we are amazingly similar. Then I read his Sierra Mist vs. Sprite bullet point today and think we could not be any more different. 
  • I talked to two guys at the courthouse yesterday and tried to convince them that the two part Wired article on Silk Road was one of the greatest things I've ever read. I've mentioned it on this blog at least three times, but I've yet to hear from anyone who actually read it. Hey, the online graphic alone is enough to suck you in:
  • And now to today's front page . . . 


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10.06.2015

Rhome Government Will Get Reviewed By The Texas Attorney General (Assuming He's Not In Prison)

From the list of request for opinions from the Texas Attorney General:


Full request here.

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Chicks Fighting While Rafting



(That would be a great band name by the way.)

Language warning.

I have no idea what's going on here, but I was almost expecting Burt Reynolds to show up with a bow and arrow to end this thing.
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Just Your Random Moose Fight In Alaskan Neighborhood



That's so bizarre that I now want to move to Alaska.
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In Oklahoma Today . . .


From June: In a 7-2 decision, [the Oklahoma Supreme Court] found that the statue violated Article 2, Section 5 of the state’s Constitution, which says: “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, donated, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary, or sectarian institution as such.”

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12,000 Sneezes A Day: It's Deja Vu All Over Again



ANGLETON, Texas– It’s baffling doctors and leaving a 12-year-old girl in a lot of pain. According to KRIV, Katelyn Thornley can’t stop sneezing. She sneezes up to 12,000 times a day; that’s about 20 times a minute. Katelyn and her family spoke to KRIV and said it’s so bad that Katelyn can’t go to school.  It started just a few weeks ago. “I just started in little spurts, sneezing…I’m constantly in pain with my abdomen; my legs are weak. I can barely eat,” Katelyn said. The family has talked to six doctors, who have ruled out viruses and allergies. Some experts think it may be stress-related. Katelyn told KRIV the only relief she gets is when she is able to fall asleep after taking Benadryl.  “Sometimes I wish I could leave my body for a little while so I could watch myself sleep and be at peace because even in my dreams, I sneeze.”

 Wait a second. That sounds familiar -- From 2009 (and I could have sworn this turned out to be a hoax but I guess I'm wrong). She was on The Today Show a couple of times:


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Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




  • I fixed an office toilet wearing a white shirt and tie before 7:00 a.m. this morning. If that doesn't scoreboard all you, I don't know what will. 
  • Washed up columnist Randy Galloway is the epitome of angry old man syndrome. This is what he wrote in March of this year about the Rangers: "But keeping it real, the ongoing demise of the Rangers actually comes down to one thing, one name. Yes, it’s a curse. The Curse of Jon Daniels . . . But even as the anointed love child of [the owners], there has been no baseball joy for Daniels. Nothing goes right any more."
  • A Hurst cop shot a man last night, handcuffed him, and then the guy died. 
  • I finally read the D Magazine piece about Dallas DA Susan Hawk. It is fantastically frightening. And now I've got to move on to the great Skip Hollandsworth's new article about her in Texas Monthly. #GoneGirl
  • Speaking of crazy,  the changing story about the female dentist shot to death over a month ago in an Uptown parking garage is over the top bizarre.  It's an insane murder for hire story where the female who did the hiring, who just happens to be smokin' hot,  has not been found even though cops know who she is. 
  • But even if you have the same name of a smokin' hot suspect and live in Dallas and have a Facebook page, you would prefer that people would not confuse you with her.
  • Radio host Mark Davis went off on a caller last week yelling, "We can NEVER compromise on the Second Amendment!" Ok, fine. I guess the right to gun ownership is absolute. After all, we don't compromise of the First Amendment either . . .  uh . . . except for libel, threats, disruption of public meetings, child porn, copyright, etc. 
  • I almost want to go to Dealy Plaza today in Dallas as they recreate the setting for the upcoming mini-series based upon Stephen King's book 11-22-63.  But I bet it would be hard to even get close to it. 
  • I wish I could re-live the Friday that Faith Hill shot a music video on the Decatur courthouse square and one of her flunkies told me I couldn't take photos. Really? I'm standing on a public sidewalk and you, who has no more rights than I do, are telling me I can't take a photo? (I did anyway -- although I can't find any of them.) The video is here and any scenes of Decatur happen very early with some CGI trickery. The song was a forgettable one for the movie Pearl Harbor. 
  • South Carolina is in shambles as a headline writer does a bit  . . . 


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10.05.2015

Get Me This Little Dog Who Takes On Bears!

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They Are Hiring. Will Pay To Train. Benefits Listed.


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Weirdest Legal Note From The Weekend



Famous Fort Worth Lawyer Dee Kelly died a few days ago. He founded a large law firm in 1979 which is still in existence in Cowtown.  Bud Kennedy scanned the Star-Telegram for references to him.  This note got may attention:


When did Dee Kelly have an apartment? And John McBryde was over there with his dog?

John McBryde became a federal judge in 1990. He's best know for being pompous (and I'm being kind) which will get an article written about you entitled "Temper, Temper" and have the very conservative 5th Circuit suspend you "for intemperate conduct and abusive behavior." And if you question his integrity in court, he'll recommend you be arrested and criminal charges pursued.

But at least he had a Family Pup.

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D Magazine's Cover Story On Dallas DA Susan Hawk: "A Woman On The Verge"


Link.
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Random Monday Morning Thoughts (As I Finally Realized I Didn't Title This Until Late Afternoon)




  • Weirdest moment of the weekend: I was sitting on a bench in my front lawn listening to 10,000 Maniacs and getting angry at Natalie Merchant for not performing Because The Night with the orchestra behind her at Bass Hall two years ago. Then two guys get out of their car and walk up to me, point at the Senior In The House's car, and ask, "You want to sell that?" 
  • How hard does the Texas Supreme Court -- full of twittering judges -- work? October 2nd: No opinions issued and no new cases granted to be heard. September 25th: Same. September 18th: Two boilerplate decisions. No new cases granted to be heard. September 11th: No opinions issued, and no new cases granted to be heard. And the number of majority opinions written by Justice Willett over the last calendar year: 4. Salary excluding benefits, health care and pension: $168,000.
  • Ads disguised: On Friday, The Ticket's Hardline spent a weird amount of time on a "Supper Club". Over the weekend, the Dallas Morning News did the same. So how do I know it is a paid ad? This line from the DMN story: "The second dinner on Oct. 15 will feature six courses from Joel Orsini, sous chef at CBD Provisions in downtown Dallas. The $95 per person dinner is already sold out, but the guest list is always open [and here was a hyperlink I deleted where you could go to pay]". Ummkay. If you consider that the The Ticket and the DMN are in a partnership, that Cumulus and Belo are bleeding money, you will have your answer.
  • BagOfNothing documented his trip to Walt Disney World over the weekend and it was good stuff. The most amazing thing? He bought a soft drink that had a chip embedded in the cup that would limit the number of refills. And it had a timer so there was a fixed cutoff time 
  • Interesting comments on Friday when I said I wouldn't listen to Dennis Prager on "relationship advice" since he's on his third marriage. Some said should a person not listen to drug addiction advice from someone who was once a drug addict? Sure they should. But I would only listen to him if he openly admitted being a past drug addict. Prager never admits to past failures at relationships. That's what makes him a simpleton and/or a con man.
  • Sports: (1) Was that the lowest moment in UT football history being down 30 points in the first quarter to TCU? (2) I remember an article once about UT beating of TCU in 1974 by a score of 81-16 as "They Day TCU Football Died". I looked up the box score of that game this weekend and noticed that UT had total yardage 334. So how did Texas score 81 points? I finally saw it: TCU had 7 turnovers. (3) Who would buy a "Western Division Champions" t-shirt even if you were a big Rangers fan? Do you think an Alabama fan would buy an "SEC West Champion" t-shirt? (4) I'm not saying Baylor will win the National Championship, but I am saying this is the best chance they will ever have to do so for the rest of my life. (5) DFW television ratings from yesterday: Cowboys, 37.3, Packer game, 12.8, Giants game, 9.8, and critical Rangers game, 6.0. 
  • I had a weird dream involving a 10 foot rope thin snake that had wings by its head. Pretty creepy. 
  • GQ magazine long read: "The Untold Story Of The Texas Biker Gang Shootout". 


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This Monday Morning


Edit: Well, this turned out horribly . . .



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