10.21.2016

It's Friday. Let's Get Out Of Here.

 In honor of the WNBA season coming to an end
 When ATVs Attack
 "Back and to the left"
"Respect"
I'm not sure the Five Second Rule works here
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Netflix Made An Original Movie About Me?

Presenting: Barry
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Watch For This Impending Texas Disaster


There's a lot of talk about education this week in Austin with much focus on school vouchers. Forget about vouchers. Remember the following two things which could rock Texas.

First, we are horrible at providing special education:



But what if the legal obligation of Texas not only to provide those services but what those services are to be has been wrong, inadequate, and illegal? The U.S. Supreme Court this term just decided to hear a case which might throw education in states like Texas for a loop:

If Texas is currently cheating the system by preventing students from having special education services, is there any question that the services they do provide is woefully inadequate?  It's simply refusal to pay the money. And the Supreme Court may tell schools next spring that they need to open up their pocketbooks.
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P.S. I Screamed Like A School Girl



From youtube: I was traveling from Indianapolis to Whitewater, WI for a practice weekend with Machine Ultimate. I was going 70mph (speed limit) on I65 north. I travel the 3-4 hours by myself every time and use singing as a way to pass time, and critique it later. At this point I was practicing a nasal type voice on a Casting Crowns song when the crash happened. I was watching the road and saw nothing that caused me to worry. Simply hydroplaned in a heavy rain. My car slid sideways, and then was completely backwards by the time I slid off the road and went down a small hill. I hit a mile marker sign (230) on my way off the road. Here are two of the most amazing parts: I sustained NO injuries. Not even a scratch. And my car took NO mechanical damage and is completely driveable. Only body damage.
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Random Friday Morning Thoughts




  • That Al Smith Charity dinner last night was better than all three debates.  I had it on and really didn't intend to watch it but it suddenly became can't miss TV. Mrs. LL noticed my "Oh, my!" face when I couldn't believe what I was hearing. 
  • Overall, Hillary and Trump took great and funny shots at each other. Trump's routine, however, had about a three minute section which caused him to be booed and some speechwriter to ultimately be thrown off the Trump Tower. Lines like “Here she is tonight, pretending not to hate Catholics,” did not play well. 
  • But the unintentional star of the show was Fox Business reporter Maria Bartiromo. It was mesmerizing. 
  • It used to be really weird that within a couple of days of when a guardrail was damaged there would be "Warning: Guardrail Damage" sign put out and then repairs would be almost immediately made. (It was weird because guardrail damage shouldn't be someone's #1 priority when driving.) Anyway, now guardrail damage lasts for months and months. The guardrails around the 380/287 exchange in Decatur look like a battle ground.
  • Former Tech coach Mike Leach said publicly that Arizona State steals signals and was promptly fined $10,000.
  • If you have any interest in whether the Cubs can reach the World Series, you have to find and see the 30 for 30 "Catching Hell" on the Steve Bartman incident. It covers everything from who Bartman was, how he ended up sitting there, what the rules are for fan interference, how the media inadvertently made him a target for horrible Cub fans, and where he is now. 
  • "Arlington police say pictures taken with phones stolen from a car were apparently backed up to the victim's computer."
  • The Supreme Court Effect of this election is in play because of the elderly age of some of its members. We all just assume that those positions are kept until death. Even I had forgotten that David Souter simply retired from the court seven years ago and is still active today.
  • Someone give me the names of the three Tarrant County assistant DAs who have left over the last couple of weeks. 
  • A girl claims to have found Bryan Cranston's new book in a bookstore at Love Field which was signed by him with an inscription and a receipt saying the book was free. Being the skeptic, I thought it was a genius publicity stunt by his publisher. (And it could be done in other airports as well.)  But Cranston was in Dallas on that date so it could be a single quirky gesture. 
  • The Palo Pinto County Sheriff was indicted. He was involved in a car chase that ended in a death that seemed a bit odd to me at the time. (I'll have to find my old link.)

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10.20.2016

We've Got Chico News

Although I think the fact that we've got a train off the tracks is a little bigger news than a road being blocked.  (And where exactly is that? And why in the world did they make a hashtag out of "Wichita"?)

And I have a reason to remind everyone of the rock quarry pits south of Chico. The railroad track splits them and runs through Chico.


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Real Life Russian Superhero



This is a strange one. Some guy comes up and sucker punches a gal causing all of us to recoil. And then, when certainly all hope is lost, what must be Chuck Norris' long lost Russian cousin just walks off the bus and takes care of business.  Even had a little visit with the guy before picking up the girl's belongings and walking away.

The guy just saw a situation that needed a little perestroika.
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Trump Clarifies Stance Like You Would Expect


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Random Thursday Morning Thoughts



  • If it weren't for anti-lock brakes this morning, I would have been in a wreck. Someone just pulled right out in front of me from a side street in heavy traffic. There's no question I would have gone into a long skid without those brakes. And afterwards, with my heart pounding and the Youngest In The House in the passenger seat, I felt like I had just lived a commercial. (I saw the same thing happen two other times and saw a pickup getting pulled out of a ditch. People be driving crazy.)
  • And at that moment moment, the results and analysis of last night's presidential debate didn't seem important at all. 
  • But the debate did happen. And I think it will be remembered like that Ali/Frazier fight where they beat the crap out of each other but just one famous moment comes to mind beyond all others: Frazier knocking Ali down hard and then Ali popping right back up. Last night, Trump knocked himself down with his silly position that he may not accept the results of the election. That is what will be remembered.
    Trump hats in background?
  • How self inflicted was that? Trump didn't have to say it. There are a million ways to answer it and the moment gets lost to time.
  • But Trumps' "such a nasty woman" line took me aback more than anything. 
  • I didn't know Trump has a sister who is a federal appellate judge on the Third Circuit.
  • The local paper in Waxahachie was the third paper in the nation, and first in Texas, to endorse Trump.
  • This was a bad week for DPS to claim they are monitoring school buses. From Austin yesterday: "An armed man posing as a policeman Tuesday tried to stop a school bus with an Anderson High School student on board . . . . "
  • My one and only admin assistant is in Vegas to see the Rolling Stones. That show was cancelled yesterday less than 24 hours before it was to start. 
  • My team of experts is projecting that Decatur will face Brownwood in the first round of the state football playoffs. 
  • I didn't know that the Wise Regional Health System had a mascot and that you can own the same outfit for the low, low price of $982.44. (They aren't selling it. I just found it.) 
  • Queen of "And Another" turned stripper turned Dr. Phil guest.
  • In an incredibly rare move yesterday, the conservative Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled 6-3 to reverse the conviction of a couple for Injury to a Child by burning the child in hot water. They had both been sentenced to 25 years in prison. What is more newsworthy is that the case was not ordered to be retried but instead they were acquitted. The reason: Insufficient evidence or, in practical terms, there is no way a juror could believe beyond a reasonable doubt that they were guilty.
  • If your initial emotion about that is anger, you must believe the couple is guilty. Why? 

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10.19.2016

We've Got A Cat Killing Vet In Texas!


Daily Mail – A vet who used a bow and arrow to kill a neighbor’s cat which had wandered onto her home and then boasted about it online has been suspended.

 Beneath a shocking image of her holding the dead animal, still with an arrow in her head, Kristen Lindsey wrote: ‘My first bow kill… lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it’s (sic) head. Vet of the year award… gladly accepted.’ 

 She was judged by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to have been cruel to the animal, named Tiger, and was banned from practicing for a year.

 After the picture emerged, Lindsey was fired from the Brenham animal clinic where she worked.

 And the Internet will not tolerate it!


Wait. Is that Jesus holding a cat?

It used to be a simpler time back in the day.

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High School Football Character Building Didn't Work Out


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Fun With Math And College Football




And we wonder why Texas won't give up or make any concessions on . . .

ESPN is on Year Six of a 20-year, $295 million contract
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Above The Fold

Full readable page.
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Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • How odd it is to have four young metroplex girls go missing or killed where their male friends are suspects or more: (1) The victim in the recently completed Arochi trial - never found, (2) Jackie Vandagriff, the TWU student - found dismembered and burned near Lake Grapevine, (3) Typhenie Johnson  of Fort Worth who went missing about a week ago - not found, and now (4) Zuzu Renee Verk of Keller who is/was attending Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas - not found.
  • "ZuZu" was the name of the child in It's A Wonderful Life. Several sites tell me it means "lily" which reminds me that a petal fell off  of ZuZu's flower in the movie which caused her concern. I wonder if that was a coincidence.
  • There was lots of talk yesterday that Hillary was tightening the race with Trump in Texas.  It won't happen this time, but Texas will eventually turn blue. Can you imagine four or eight years from now if Florida becomes firmly Democratic and Texas becomes "the" swing state which decides it all?
  • WBAP's Steve Lamb yesterday: "Tony Romo will come back sooner or later but we don't know when." You know, that "sooner or later" part is not necessarily true at all. 
  • I kept hearing about the Texas 11 and 12 year old Texas football team which had their "season  cut short after taking a knee". Here they are:
  • That area of Runway Bay which burned yesterday has been the general location of multiple unrelated fires over the years. (Condos, apartments, homes, etc.) And I'm not sure high winds/tornados haven't destroyed a couple of building right around there as well. It's like the Wise County Bermuda Triangle of property damage.
  • Anyone remember the Bermuda Triangle?
  • The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas wants Trump to come by and renew his vows before tonight's debates.  That place has been the site of the weddings of such famous people as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Michael Jordan, Britney Spears, and me. Decatur criminal lawyer Paul Belew was also married there. 
  • "The Legislature in 2015 approved $800 million over two years for border security and shifted the focal point of the campaign from the National Guard to the DPS, which is set to hire 250 new officers by the end of the year . . . . DPS Director Steve McCraw said the [new] $1 billion funding request for the 2018-19 budget is necessary despite competing demands for state resources. 'We wouldn’t ask for it if it wasn’t needed'." Incredible. Give it a few years and DPS will pull out of the border business but won't see its budget decreased by one dime.
  • Never forget: 
  • That "rodeo" scandal with Decatur connections has been settled per the Star-Telegram. (But even though they put the story on its front page, a link to the story is not on its home page --- a home page with a ton of links. I don't understand that.)


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10.18.2016

Actual News


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Reefer Madness 2016



As the states begin to legalize marijuana for personal use across the nation, opponents are taking one last stand.   I'd hate to see this lady's expression when she learns you can come to Texas and pick up some Pampers and a case of beer in the same store.
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Attempted Robbery In Houston



Did that glass break because the guy ran into it or did a bullet shatter it?


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Sign Abuse (And Loneliness) In Decatur Back Alley


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Callback From Yesterday and DPS' Press Machine




Remember that DPS announced they would have troopers in school buses or following them for this week? Let's take a look at that announcement.

Just like there was no trooper around or in the bus that was involved in the wreck this morning in Fort Worth, DPS probably isn't doing anything different this week. And you can't say they are lying in the press release. It just said:
  • troopers (plural so two would suffice) 
  • in "many areas" (how vague is "many" and "areas")
  • will either be 
    • riding on buses OR 
    • following them. 

That wouldn't take much, if anything, to satisfy the promise.  But they got the free and good PR out of it. 

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Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts


  • Big 12 Expansion: Texas and OU are at a bad dinner party with the Big 12 and are just buying their time until they leave. And then expect to hear they got a quickie divorce themselves.
  • We've got a fake clown on a lawn in Decatur with the sign "Free Hugs" above it. We support funny current events humor.
  • Did you see the insane dripping-blood-finger from pitcher Trevor Bauer during last night's ALCS? I heard this morning that the umpires may not have had a right to keep him from playing. I could actually be an idiot on that -- I have no idea.
  • Time magazine lost its mind yesterday.
  • No one outside of their teens should utter the words "throw shade."
  • "Does this microphone work?" - Jason Garrett yesterday getting frustrated with QB questions. The Dak/Romo discussion has already given me Tired Head as well. 
  • For a while there was a rash of motorcycle deaths and wrong way drivers in the metroplex. It's picked up again with one on Central this morning where the wrong-way driver, identified as Lauren Cordova, 27, died along with the other car's driver, Hussein Zaybek, 23. There was a combination of both in Rowlett two days ago involving a motorcycle going the wrong way and colliding with a car.  Then there was the passenger motorcycle death in Fort Worth on early Saturday morning. 
  • Late yesterday, a Wise County jury was -- for the first time to my knowledge --assessing punishment for Possession of Marijuana < 2 ounces, a Class B misdemeanor. (I think it was a guilty plea.) Court records this morning show that he was sentenced to 180 days in jail but that the sentence was probated by that same jury. The probation term is for one year. I don't see  a fine as being part of the punishment.  (Court costs will run around $300, probation fees $720, and a multi-hour "drug class" to get his license back which for some reason is suspended by the State because of any drug conviction. And I'm leaving out some other fees, costs and hoops.)
  • I'm not sure I understand Hillary doing a one week ad buy in Texas. I would understand it if the buy had been done by DNC or some Democratic SuperPAC with the ads focusing on  Dallas, Houston, El Paso, and Austin because those are places Democrats lower down on the ballot can win. 
  • We've got a six week trend of NFL ratings being much lower than past years.  Could Mark Cuban have possibly been right when he said the NFL was "greedy" and "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered"?
  • Let's check in on a Trump rally in Green Bay yesterday and pray this all ends soon:
  • Moment of silence for Billy Bush. 
  • The most recent text you sent is now your presidential campaign slogan. Go. 

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10.17.2016

Potential Terrorism News Out Of Austin Turns Out To Be Double Fake





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Oklahoma State Coach Has Hot Opinion On Phones


I'm not sure I follow this, but in the end we might be able to blame everything on smart phones.  Go to any location where there is a crowd with a few minutes to kill and everyone is staring into a screen. So Gundy might have a point. (And how can you disregard any words from a man who wants yelled at a reporter, "I'm a man! I'm 40!")


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Random Monday Morning Thoughts


  • "Thousands of DWI cases potentially at risk as credibility of DPS lab expert questioned" - Dallas Morning News. The guy has testified in Wise County before. (And there seems to be, or at least should be, more to the story than one incident of "conflicting" testimony. The story wasn't all that clear.)
  • The Messenger's headline seemed a little matter of fact for the case just being at the indictment stage. 
  • I'll refer to Mark Davis show on 660 AM  from time to time but I'm  worried about his radio station. Their website for the last week looks like someone forgot to pay the bill. (The home page redirects you to a page with "suspended" in the URL.)
  • Steve Eagar, the mild mannered Fox 4 anchor, can be a grumpy old man on Twitter. He fired off a tweet on Friday that sounded a little sensational. I called him out on it -- which is dumb on my part because twitter wars are dumb. He responded.


  • I still question that a detective just happening to drive up on a gunfight. (Dallas PD will later vaguely report that "The officer was in plainclothes driving an unmarked police vehicle at the time of the shooting.") But the officer wasn't shot in the foot. #LivingTheReclinerLife #SomewhatInaccurate
  • I'll give Eagar credit -- he's an entertaining follow. Most of the reporters on the station will tweet out something like: "Taco Shells! Flour or corn!? Fav for flour or retweet for corn!" 
  • In between Trump calling the election "rigged", he was able to solve a crime in record time over the weekend. 
  • And he got a little weird this morning and is still going strong:
  • Sports opinions: (1) I bet the Cowboys will run Elliott into the ground under his rookie contract and then let him go to free agency. It's the new NFL way. (2) I'm not sure UT's Shane Buechele can throw the deep ball. (3) They shouldn't allow blitzing in pee wee football. (4) Alabama will throttle unbeaten aTm this Saturday. (5) How much did Microsoft spend on the Surface campaign which is everywhere during an NFL game? And does anyone own a Surface? (6) Heard in the house during Packers' game: "Look, there's Jo Jo's brother-in-law." (7) I don't want to see Romo giving Prescott advice on the sidelines. (8) The Big 12 makes an expansion decision today, and know one knows what the crazy school presidents will decide. I'm not sure they do right now as they eat breakfast.
  • Risky Business was on the other night. I have never thought for a second that Rebecca De Mornay was attractive. 
  • Man, there are a lot of troopers: "According to the DPS, troopers will either ride on school buses or follow them as they make their rounds during National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 17 through 21 . . . ."

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