10.28.2016

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

Leaving the office can be difficult.
Bits are fun.
"I suddenly feel you have something for me."
Not impressed, kid. Little short on the landing. 
Bouncing off cars ain't no big thing to this guy.
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Let Me Explain This

There are the existence of emails. They are probably nothing. (Edit: They may not even be Hillary's emails.) But if the mere existence of the emails is leaked before the FBI says anything, the FBI looks bad. So they went ahead and got ahead of the story and any potential leak by simply sending a letter to Congress.  And all they are saying is: We are going to look at the new emails. To call it "re-opening the case" is a reach.

Edit: And, once again, I'm being proven right. Just didn't think it would happen so quickly.


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Big Capital Murder Case Reversed



There was a huge case a couple of years back where two females were found dead in a Granbury restaurant parking lot. I could have sworn I wrote about it and thought there was a Wise County connection. The defendant was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life without parole.

The Fort Worth Court of Appeals just ruled the evidence was insufficient and ordered an acquittal. Barring further appeals by the State, he will be set free and can never be retried.

Edit: Found the connection from a prior post.

Further edit: I thought the case was weak back then

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Random Friday Morning Thoughts




  • Mike Pence's plane skidded off the runway. He'll probably get a replacement plane but it won't have the Trump/Pence paint on it. Where does one go to get a custom paint job for a jet?
  • Two odd things about the middle school teacher double murder case: (1) His wife, who was arrested for tampering with evidence yesterday, started a GoFundMe page Wednesday, labeled “Mom needs help raising boys alone." (2) I didn't know after her husband allegedly shot the two guys he also is alleged to have beat the men with the butt of the gun. What a weird case.
  • Everyone was posting their favorite Vines on Twitter yesterday and it was a huge, fun time-waste.
  • DPS has really ramped up its drug interdiction. There was a time in the late 1990s they basically got out of the drug business. However, they've had three unrelated stops over the last two days resulting in finds of 50, 63, and 67 pounds of marijuana. Yep. Marijuana. (None of the stops were in Wise County.) 
  • I had to buy Mrs. LL some Jell-O and learned you really have to look at the package to see what you are buying when it is a gelatin that doesn't have the Jell-O brand. Seriously. Those companies have a hard time coming up with a name.
  • Donald Jr. just happened to help a motorist in traffic. And then he just happened to tweet about it.
  • "Hundreds of American kids suddenly became paralyzed – and doctors don’t know why" a headline in the Star-Telegram.  That's either a sensational headline (if paralysis happens all the time) or a shocking story. 
  • I think I heard a radio ad for Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian this morning wanting us to not import oil from those "countries who hate our flag." That's just a funny way to insert the Colin Kaepernick controversy into that political race. 
  • Funny Second Amendment exchange (early in the week former congressman Joe Walsh said that he would grab his "musket" if Hillary was elected):
  • Hillary would probably prefer the news that the polls are "tightening" instead of the exact opposite. The news helps defeat voter overconfidence.
  • "Bridgeport Parks and Recreation’s Spooktacular Fall Festival is 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday at the Bridgeport Community Center . . . . The Texas Rangers mascot, Rangers Captain, will be there." Serious question: What does it cost to get that mascot there?
  • We have a Bundy acquittal and a big loss for federal prosecutors. (Sounds like they overcharged them.)  And I love the second sub-headline:


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10.27.2016

In Light Of Twitter's Announcement To Kill The Vine Video Service




We remember Baylor's (almost) dead kicker.
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Gig 'Em

And I feel safe in saying that the Internet Punishment she will receive is punishment enough.


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Wikileaks Has Stolen Footage Of My Golf Practice

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Random Thursday Morning Thoughts





  • Didn't there used to be "mobile" or "temporary" early voting locations? Didn't we have one in the Walmart parking lot in Decatur once? I always thought it was weird and probably illegal. Where you put that location in some races in some counties could directly impact the election. 
  • If you haven't seen the NBA's Double Bird Guy video, you probably should. I think I'm more entertained by Westbrook's reaction than seeing a middle aged man child. 
  • Saw a long ad on Fox News or CNN for some medical product for Hepatitis C which "may have been lingering in the bodies of Baby Boomers for years." That is praying on fear. And it is directed at the older demographic of America. 
  • I'd tap the brakes on the "polls tightening" in the presidential race.  I'm not sure that Bloomberg group didn't fudge Florida's numbers for Trump just to break from the crowd and get a ton of publicity yesterday  -- which it did. And even if Hillary wins Florida, they can point to their margin of error and still say they were accurate.
  • Selfies aren't banned at the polls in some states, cameras are.  And even that seems to have some constitutional free speech issues. 
  • Trump caught heat yesterday for being in D.C. to open up a new hotel instead of being in a swing state. I don't have any problem with him being there. He was all over TV so that worked. And his bit of "look what I can do in this city of do-nothing" was a smart theme. 
  • There's a trial I haven't followed very closely going on in Collin County which is a who-done-it. It's a circumstantial case where a woman is found dead in her garage and the husband is later arrested.  But this tweet from reporter Valarie Wigglesworth caught my attention yesterday as she covered the trial: "[Detective] spoke to neighbor Stephen Brockway who lives on Newport Dr; Brockway arrested 2 mo later on unrelated murder for hire."  Good grief. That's one heck of a neighborhood.
  • I don't know how to fix CPS in Texas but it seems a lot more complicated than simply paying the current staff more money. I'm sure they might need a pay raise, but that shouldn't impact the performance of the current make up of CPS. 
  • Watching a girl have a panic attack on Survivor was fascinating depending on how much you know about them.
  • The hunt for ZuZu has taken a couple of turns. The police are saying they are "focusing" on Brewster and Presidio counties means they have no idea where she is. Secondly, the Alpine police called the boyfriend and his "family" the dreaded "persons of interest" until yesterday when the boyfriend, who had retained an attorney, suddenly became the "suspect." 
  • Let's look at that situation from a different perspective. The Alpine police have a high profile case on their hands which they can't solve. The police chief feels heat. The last person the girl was with is the boyfriend. So let's name him a "person of interest" to send the message that we are actively working on this case and making progress. (And we all know that term officially doesn't mean suspect.) Plus, the police named his family as "persons of interest", too, to give them wiggle room. Ok, for the sake of discussion, let's assume the boyfriend is innocent. He is now widely known as the focus of police. Let's say he knows of how people can get railroaded in Texas (see Michael Morton) and gets scared and hires a lawyer. The lawyer tells him not to talk to the cops because who in their right mind would? The cops, now with a greater opportunity to take the heat off them, name him a "suspect" pointing out how he has retained a lawyer and call it "not cooperating."  See how the boyfriend's reputation has been ruined? But here's the ultimate question: Why are the police naming anyone a "person of interest" or a "suspect." They know where he is!!! What's the purpose -- other than to take off the heat?
  • Mrs. LL had her Katie Couric Procedure at a facility that was dedicated to that procedure. Five doctors on staff and they were churning out three to four people an hour. All professional, however. We even had a brief doctor's visit and written report before we walked out the door.


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10.26.2016

Let's Check In On Mark Cuban's Mavs




I've told you this mess was coming for years.
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This Couple's First Kiss Was At Their Wedding


I'm not sure how I discovered this. She tells the Twitter world that they were 29 years old and dated for 11 months.
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Always Interesting




I remember when we all freaked out when the Aggies agreed to pay Jackie Sherrill around $1.7 million on a six year contract.
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Above The Fold


Full readable page.
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Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • Former NFL player Dennis Byrd died last week. He was famously paralyzed for a time after an on the field which  at the time, as Sports Illustrated recounted, the first player to speak to him was Bridgeport's own Kyle Clifton. 
  •                         
  • There was a story making the rounds yesterday of a Whataburger mascot being a girl's Homecoming date. That's a planted, paid ad. Someone check the girl's family tree and see if anyone is associated with Whataburger's PR department. 
  • I didn't realize Boyd was having a beer and wine election.  At this point, why not? 
  • Frisco building four schools but not having the money to open them is beyond bizarre. 
  • Losing my desire to care about professional sports is something I wish never happened. But it finally dawned on me it makes no sense.  I can be entertained by a professional sport, but I no longer care who wins. I think age 35 was my point of transition. 
  • I might be out of pocket this morning as I tend to Mrs. LL who is having, uh, what I will refer to as the "Katie Couric Procedure." There will be no live telecast.
  • There was fake news about voter fraud in Tarrant County yesterday. Get back to me after 11/8 and tell me the Democrats won in Tarrant County via voter fraud. 
  • In this day and time when you can watch any type of entertainment on any type of platform, why is the only place you can watch Tower, the documentary on the UT shooting, is at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth for three days in early December? Put it online and I'd buy it. 
  • I just learned this week that I have mispronounced "gyro" all my life. Fortunately, I think I've only said it three times. 
  • Man, Megyn Kelly of Fox News and Newt Gingrich got into it last night. Gingrich told her she was "fascinated by sex" (her expression was great) and she ended the interview telling him he could go work on his anger issues. (Political advice: A man berating a woman and mentioning sex is not exactly what the GOP needed right now.) 
  • Remember Wendy Davis? 
  • The ex-wife of Jared Fogle sued Subway and alleged on Monday that the sandwich chain knew about its former spokesman's interest in minors as early as 2004 but didn’t do anything to stop it. Am I missing something? Why is she suing? I think I missed that class that says an employer is liable to the spouse of an employee for not telling the spouse her husband is a bad guy. 
  • The former producer of Mark Davis' radio show is a Never Trumper as she reiterated last night. 
  • Whatever happened to Kay Bailey Hutchinson?
  • I'm a baseball idiot and looked up last night at the World Series game to see a pitcher for the Cubs with "Wood" on his jersey. My gut reaction was "Is that Kerry Wood?" whom I quickly discovered retired in 2012. Random news: While paddle boarding the next year near Chicago, Wood came upon a dead body the next year.
No Front Page
Because They Weren't Available
When I Left The House Before Dawn




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10.25.2016

Let's Analyse This, Shall We?


Baltimore Sun — A Connecticut man was charged with drug possession Saturday after Maryland State Police say they found 124 pounds of marijuana in his car.

John Paul Demorest, 67, of Waterbury, also faces drug kingpin charges and is being held at a Baltimore County jail on a $1 million bond. No attorney was listed in court records.

Police said that shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday, officers pulled over a Chrysler minivan on northbound Interstate 95 near White Marsh, which was going above the speed limit. The trooper saw "several indicators of criminal activity" and called for a K-9 to inspect the car.

The K-9 alerted officers to the presence of drugs, and police said five loaded trash bags containing suspected marijuana were found in the van. The street value of the marijuana is about $620,000, police said.
 So what have we learned?

(1) There actually is a charge in Maryland called "Drug Kingpin"? That's a first. And you know, that's not a bad charge as charges go.  If the government is going to go after someone its only fair they formally call him a "Kingpin". I'd probably get a tattoo of the name later on.
(2) That phrase "several indicators of criminal activity" needs some exploring. They stopped a guy for speeding and then detained him on a drug investigation. That detention is only legal if they developed a reasonable suspicion in order to hold him for the drug dog. If they didn't have it, this guy is going free.
(3) Everyone have confidence in a "drug dog"?
(4) Why in the world are you speeding with 124 pounds of weed in the vehicle? That's enough to get his Kingpin card revoked. And if that's not enough, driving a Chrysler minivan should be.
(5) A million dollar bond? You kidding me? The Fort Worth middle school teacher charged with double murder has a million dollar bond.
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Story Is Mildy Entertaining But The Brief GIF Ad Is The Real Star





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Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

  • I used to ask people if they recognized the vacation spot by looking at the background in the pic of the Random Thought Girl. Anyone? 
  • Oh, Walmart: 
  • A middle school teacher in Cedar Hill was arrested for a double murder in Fort Worth. Almost no facts have been released but I'm guessing that it is far from a cut and dry case. It involved a neighbor dispute, police originally detained a different person, the teacher wasn't arrested until the next day, and the teacher is a 13 year Air Force vet. (Side note: Fox 4 told me this morning that the victims had not been identified. The incident took place on Sunday! The ME's office would have published the names within hours. Heck, a 22 year old Azle man was shot and killed last night and we already know his name.)
  • Whether you agree with it or not, the interactive and constantly updated map of the projected winner of each state by FiveThirtyEight.com is fascinating. It doesn't take long to understand how the presidential election is all about a handful of states and which ones they are.
  • If Florida goes to Hillary, I bet every network will project her as the President the second that state's polls close. It could be a very early night -- as in 7:00 p.m. (Did you know Florida covers two time zones?)
  • There's a long read in D Magazine that looks interesting: Dr. Death - "Plano surgeon Christopher Duntsch left a trail of bodies. The shocking story of a madman with a scalpel."
  • I couldn't have named the lead singer of Dead or Alive (Pete Burns) who died yesterday, and I certainly didn't know he looked like this:
  • I'd like to know the amount of the settlement received by Ebola nurse Nina Pham. The lawsuit was a bit iffy to start with and her damages seem small (she's been healthy and back at work for a long time now.). I bet it's not that much. 
  • Former Tech coach Mike Leach had a hot sports opinion on Cubs fans: "Every yuppie with a BMW or some special attachment to its computer or some designer set of jeans or something like that is a Cubs fan, and refers to it as ‘my Cubbies'."
  • My nemesis Sheriff Joe may finally get beat in two weeks. 
  • I'm not real sure why a criminal defense lawyer running for DA is worthy of Texas Monthly's attention. That happens all the time. The fact that he's a Democrat and could beat a long time Republican incumbent is the story. 
  • I don't know what to take from the record breaking early voting that we are seeing. 


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10.24.2016

Tree Arrest News




The cop looking through the branches at the very end is my favorite part.
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Would Have Loved To See Clarice Tinsley Handle This


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Get Me This Dragon!



Daily Mail story.


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Gary Player and Yao Ming This Weekend



Not photoshopped.
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Random Monday Morning Thougts



  • Channel 5 had a story on . . . 
  • Compare and contrast: College football: Oklahoma 66, Texas Tech 59. NFL: Arizona 6, Phoenix 6.
  • Talk show host Mark Davis this morning told his listeners to vote straight ticket Republican. I'm stunned by the straight ticket part. Incredible. But so many people who should know better do it.
  • First overall draft pick Jared Goff has not played a single play. And the guy starting ahead of him is horrible. There was an episode of Hard Knocks which showed Goff working after practice on the end zone fade. Without the a defense, Goff took about 10 attempts before he actually made a completion. He may be just that bad. 
  • Trump this morning: The election and the polls are rigged.

  • I replaced the outdoor wall light fixtures this weekend. You know, that's a pretty good bang for buck investment. Side note: Any of you guys recommend a particular outdoor sealant?
  • I never watch The Walking Dead but based upon the buzz this morning the season premier may have crossed the line last night.
  • "The reward for information on Zuzu Verk's whereabouts or her safe return was raised Friday to $100,000."  Two things: (1) I can't find the actual details on providing information on her "whereabouts". It's got to have some qualifier or someone could just say, "Texas" and hope she is found in Texas. (2) Who in the world would now come forward when the reward reaches $100,000 when they wouldn't do so when it was at $1,000 or lower? You would either do it for free or not at all.
  • Baylor has played an easy schedule, had two bye weeks, is unbeaten and #6 in the Coaches Poll.  Hey, they could lose every remaining game because they may not be any good. But its fun being in this position all the way through October when almost all teams have at least one loss.
  • Amazon has an ad on the front page of the Star-Telegram website where it is seeking employees. I'm not sure I've seen such a high profile "help wanted" ad.


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