12.09.2016

Above The Fold


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



Housewives of Wise County?
Fast and Furious: Three Stooges Edition
Those stitches might hurt that blossoming modeling career.
Not kicking the ball doesn't mean you're not a jerk
Double Fake Tony Hawk
Double Fake Rage?
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Double Take Of The Day


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Let's Go To The NFL Game Last Night


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Random Friday Morning Thoughts


  • Free Judge Reinhold!
  • Art Briles has sued Baylor for defamation. He might be a in a win-win situation here: (1) If he wasn't defamed, Baylor will still probably settle to keep the details of the sex scandal from becoming public. And they would pay a lot for that. (2) If he was defamed and made a scapegoat, Baylor should be scared to death. Briles' damages are astronomical. What would a scandal-free Briles be worth on the open market? 
  • Trump appointed a lawyer and the head of Carl's Junior as the Secretary of Labor. Once you get past the fact he seems to hate employees and the working man, we have to get to the great Idiocracy connection. In the movie, one dumb guy introduces himself as, "I'm Secretary of State - brought to you by Carl's Jr." 
  • It won't be public, but there will lots of finger pointing between DPS and the Wise County Sheriff's Office after yesterday's wreck. 
  • There are reports from across the metroplex on Twitter about a weird rumbling last night. And no one has an answer.
  • Our brand new dishwasher has gone completely out. It's under warranty so we have someone coming out today to look at it. Mrs. LL and I came up with a possible diagnosis last night: We have a few electric sockets in our house which have a reset button. The cord to the dishwasher and socket is behind the dishwasher, butt there is no way I'm pulling out a professionally installed new dishwasher to look. (The service call might cost me if it is not a dishwasher issue, but at least I'll know where to cut a hole under the sink to be able to get to the socket next time.)
  • The Austin attorney who was sanctioned for abusing the American Disabilities Act comes on the heels of a 60 Minutes segment about the issue last week. In most states (and I don't understand why state law gets involved), you can just see a violation of the ADA and file suit even if you aren't disabled.  
  • New this morning: "The pilot of a hot-air balloon that crashed last summer in Texas, killing himself and 15 sight-seeing passengers, had taken a cocktail of prohibited drugs including the opiate pain-killer oxycodone, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News." That is a very, very vague statement. "Prohibited" as in you need a prescription or he didn't have a prescription?
  • I don't know anything about Tomi Lahren, and I don't know a single person who watches Glenn Beck's The Blaze networrk.
  • In a crazy night at the Supreme Court, they denied a request of a last second stay of execution, then granted it, and then vacated it. The guy was then executed. One crazy thing about this case out of Alabama: The jury recommended life in prison but their state law allowed the judge to override the recommendation and sentence the defendant to death. That is insane.

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12.08.2016

Chase Goes Horribly Wrong


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You Boys Need To Respect Those Of Us Who Wear Jackets


I'm not sure what could happen in the checkout line to cause this to go down, but I hope it was a major transgression.

That guy might be the most intimidating figure in the history of Pharmacy Fights. Doesn't even think about taking the jacket off, and just pulverizes the guy without showing any sense of panic that he's in a fight in freakin' Walgreens! And using the magazine rack was a nice touch because it was the equivalent of throwing a wrestler into the turnbuckle if a turnbuckle was covered with People and Cosmopolitan. And then after a blow to the back of the head (clearly a violation of ethics in this type of situation), he finishes him off with one final smooth move and slowly walks back to pay the cashier to probably pay for his Viagra.

Shout out to the gal doing the squeals -- she seemed to be more entertained than horrified.

Edit: They took the video down. A slightly different angle (and worse quality) is here.


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Watch Ted Cruz Talk Very Oddly About Queso




The funniest part is John Cornyn in the background deciding that he'll just get the heck out of there at the end.
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Funny Year Old Tweet


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Database Of Texas Deaths Of People In Custody Is Now Online


Here.

It certainly includes people who die once arrested, but there's also some listings which involve police shootings. (The guy who was killed by troopers about a decade ago in Decatur by the hospital is listed.) But there isn't a listing for Evan Ebel (the Colorado guy who fled from a Montague deputy and was killed in a shootout on 380 in Decatur) nor does it include Alan Alverson (the Montague case which involved the death of the Wise County drug dog.)
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Random Thursday Morning Thoughts



  • For the second time this year, we have a student found dead in an Aggie fraternity house.
  • Trump, unlike myself, is no Sports Genius:
  • So we are going to have an oil friendly guy as head of the EPA, a military guy on the we-spy-on-Americans NSA, and the former CEO of WWE will head the Small Business Administration. Ummkay.
  • I was wrong. Cornyn and Cruz actually lost that queso challenge. Note: If you are going to do a publicity stunt, don't embarrass yourself. 
  • College Sports (1) Alabama's offensive coordinator Lane Kiffen is reportedly taking over the head coaching job at Houston. Why? I'd rather be the OC for Alabama. (2) Baylor's new head football coach is the son of a Baptist minister and you can tell. (3) Former Aggie and Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie is retiring mid-season from his gig at Ranger College. He sites health issues, but there's been a lot going on with that guy in recent years, (4) And this . . . 
  • A bill has been introduced in the Texas legislature to "teach 9th graders how to interact with cops to 'reduce escalated and too often deadly' encounters." I bet it will be 100% "You will respect their authority!" and 0% "know your rights." 
  • That rollover wreck in Wise County yesterday that killed a woman and injured her four year old daughter is heartbreaking. I'm pretty sure she worked for a real estate agency in Dallas. 
  • And that wreck that killed a man at the Decatur baseball fields is really bizarre. The day after, there were a lot of people looking at the scene trying to figure out how it could have happened and how the car ended up in the infield. 
  • "AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin attorney, who filed nearly 400 lawsuits against local businesses for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, has been slapped with more than $176,000 in penalties for his actions and conduct in federal court, according to an order filed Wednesday." You don't see that very often

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12.07.2016

Get Me This Dog!


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"Lay off the hamburgers and french fries'"




That's not quite like, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid."
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And War Wasn't Even A Certainty

But the President actually did it right back then. He asked for a declaration of war. He just didn't go do it.

"I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire."

 (Congress has never declared war on Iraq or Afghanistan.)

Edit: Some of you need to read one of the headlines.
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Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts


  • There are 28 cases of mumps in Johnson County. Any chance this is due to the anti-vaccine wackos?
  • If you want to see a modern day "run on the bank", follow the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System story. Even George Bailey couldn't stop that thing from going belly up. 
  • I'm not sure what has happened to my life. After planning and developing an elegant Christmas light presentation for the house, Mrs. LL had me add an inflatable "Disco Santa" last night. 
  • The Waco DA is under fire by the local paper after a reporter watched his office announce "not ready" time and time again on a random day when many cases were set for trial. As a result, the courtroom sits empty. (It should be noted that we are now about a year and half after the Twin Peak Bikers mass arrest. No trials. No plea bargains. Nothing.)
  • And now would be a good time to mention the Montague County DA has still not released the records in the WCSO drug dog death case to the Messenger.  There is no legitimate excuse. It's been almost two years since the event. There will be no litigation, criminal or civil, which would exempt the records from the release to the public.
  • Gov. Abbott has appointed a new DA who is a former judge. As a judge, she received horrible, horrible ratings by those who practice in front of her. And make no mistake about it, there is no more accurate gauge of a lawyer than what his/her peers thinks about him/her. 
  • The alt-right leader, St. Mark's own Richard Spencer, spoke at Texas A&M last night. What a nutcase. But I'm not sure why DPS showed up in riot gear. They are Aggies. They aren't going to riot. But the best way to start a war is to come dressed for one.
  • Someone on here wanted me to bet Baylor against Boise State in the, ugh, Motel 6 Cactus Bowl. No way. I'm really surprised Baylor even accepted the bowl game invitation and didn't just let the coaches go on their way. (But can we bet on basketball - men's or women's?)
  • Pearl Harbor: I've been to the USS Arizona. Few things will move you more than seeing little specks of oil still float to the surface to this day. I've also seen the original transcript of FDR's speech in the National Archives in D.C. I remember just staring at how he scratched out the original text and wrote "infamy" above it. I had never heard of that when I saw it in the mid 1990s.
  • Former Heisman Trophy winner and Bears' first-round pick Rashaan Salaam hasdied at age of 42. Suicide is suspected.
  • No surprise this morning:
    #TheBigCon

  • Weird story out of Tarrant County: A juror was "assaulted" by a homeless man outside of the courthouse, she chased him across the street, makes contact with the cops, they don't arrest the guy, say they will refer it to an investigator for "assault by contact" ( the equivalent of a traffic ticket), and then a mistrial was granted in the case she was serving on. 
  • Today there will be a blindfolded "queso challenge" between the two Texas senators and the two Arkansas senators. Let me tell you how it will end: The Texas senators will miraculously pick the Texas queso and the Arkansas senators will choose the Arkansas queso. It's rigged. It's a publicity stunt. 

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12.06.2016

Above The Fold


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Oakland Manager Of Property Where 36+ Died Gives Emotional Interview

     


I saw him giving interviews last night, and I said out loud, "Shut up."  He has no idea about the wrath of the government that is about to come down on him. The DA out there is already talking about "murder" charges -- which is insane since we might want to figure out the cause of the fire first -- but that should put them on notice that they will be out to get him.

Stop talking, man. Stop talking.
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Someone Might Want To Do Some Fact Checking


Edit: The only contract currently in place is for $170 million. Granted, that's for the planning phase. But someone tell me where the "more that $4 billion" figure came from. And the contract is for two planes, not one.

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This Is Kind Of Hypnotic




I don't know what the back story is on this because I didn't read it, but the short video is funny. But I'm pretty sure I'm safe in saying that kangaroo could kill the guy if it wanted to.
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Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts




  • Fort Worth PD has a new recruiting video where they use Star Wars characters. What are the chances they paid a licensing fee?
  • I know what that missing and now found California jogging mom story reminds me of: Gone Girl
  • I was talking to Lewisville police officer yesterday, and he told me they had removed the Intoxilyzer machine completely from the department. They now simply ask for blood, not breath, after a DWI arrest.  He thought there were two or three other DFW agencies which have done the same thing. 
  • I almost got killed this morning by a ten inch thick metal pipe that fell off a trailer in front of me as I was driving down the highway. When I heard the pipe's multiple loud "clinks" as it bounced off the pavement like an onside kick, I knew it could get dicey. It missed me.
  • The popular vote is now in Clinton's favor by 2.6 million. That's a staggering number. 
  • We had our first same-sex divorce is the district court in Wise County last week. 
  • Al Gore was at Trump Tower yesterday to talk to Trump about climate change?
  • For 4 News had a horrible graphic snafu last night. They meant to say "deed":
  • The 9th Circuit has held that if the cops provoke a violent confrontation, and then deal with you violently, they can be held liable. And now the Supreme Court has agreed to hear that case.
  • Sinkhole in San Antonio yesterday:
  • Disturbing paid ad that showed up on my Twitter timeline. Good, lord.: 
  • At least three different Ticket show hosts have awkwardy gone out of their way to mention they have seen Arrival. That's an embedded paid ad. Edit: At 12;22, Jake Kemp on The Ticket, who never goes to movie, reviews a movie he saw yesterday: Arrival.
  • Client to me as she signs a docket sheet in court the other day: "Oh, I'm sorry. I smeared your name." (I had signed it seconds before her.) Very funny court personnel who shall remain nameless: "That's not the first time someone's done that."
  • I feel horribly for Brian Loncar's family but what in the world was he driving a Rolls-Royce? Yeah, you are free to do whatever you want with your money, but what you do with it also tells us a lot about you. (Side note: Wasn't he in a pretty bad wreck in Uptown a few years back when he was driving one? I couldn't find anything on that after a quick look.)
  • That last sentence in the first item in the Update is shocking. 


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12.05.2016

That's Some Serious Flames


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They Handle Ice Like Texans




(I don't know who "Cedar Rapids Chiller" is but it's kind of a cool name.
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Honorably?




He wants the free press to treat him "honorably"?  You're not king. You're not a czar.
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A Reporter Went Into Overtime


The New York Times sent a reporter to Iraan to do a feature story on the football team and everything associated with it.  This weekend, the small bus carrying the cheerleaders and sponsors was involved in a wreck causing one fatality.

The story begins: "IRAAN, Tex. — This is not the story we intended to report, about a fatal bus crash and injured cheerleaders and ecstatic celebration whipsawed into gut-punching tragedy."
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Is This The NFL or "Dance Moms"?


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Random Monday Morning Thoughts


  • You might want to hold off on that Christmas shopping. Trump may provoke China into nuking us before then. 
  • We've got a potential hung jury (a one person holdout) in the Walter Scott case. Incredible. Not only did the cop shoot him in the back which was captured on video, he tried to cover it up by planting evidence. 
  • The epitome of a sorry prosecutor is this: Indicting cases you can't prove and then not being ready when it is your chance to prove it. And the case in particular I'm talking about is a 20 year old "cold case" where a guy was indicted for allegedly drowning his wife in a hot tub. Where has it happened?  Notorious Williamson County, Texas. (The county which gave us the Michael Morton disaster continues to embarrass those prosecutors who are honest, decent, and hard working.)
  • Do they teach typing in school? Mrs. LL thinks the answer is "no." Is that true? I find that crazy.
  • And Another - Plano
  • Sarah Palin on Trump's Carrier deal: "Republicans oppose this, remember? Instead, we support competition on a level playing field, remember? Because we know special interest crony capitalism is one big fail.”
  • There are some great and practical legal issues regarding the former NFL player killed in New Orleans in a rage road incident. The shooter was arrested and then released the next day. Can police "unarrest" someone after the fact -- even 24 hours later? Sure. It rarely happens but they can. And just when is someone "charged" with a crime? I have always taken the position its the moment an indictment has been handed down. Until then, a person has simply been the subject of an arrest.
  • Rave of Death: That Oakland fire death count is now up to 36.
  • Many people think there is something fishy about the pastor/naked wife photos/dealership case. I do, too. But in addition to the civil suit, the guy has been criminally charged. I would hope there was an adequate investigation. If there wasn't, we've got a heck of a story on our hands.
  • This Papini kidnapping case (the  jogging mom), however, is still very, very weird.  And conservative radio talk show host Mark Davis agrees.
  • Mrs. LL, due to an eye issue, wore an eye patch all weekend. Kinda hot. Not Kill Bill hot, but pretty hot 

  • ESPN floated a rumor on Saturday that Art Briles was being considered for the University of Houston job. UH then issued a press release saying Briles was not being considered. When a school scrambles to tell the public you aren't a candidate, I'm not sure you are going to coach anywhere. 
  • We've got a relatively new "smart TV' with Amazon and Netflix video packages. I become paralyzed by the options. 
  • Troy Aikman's A Football Life was really, really good. But I can't believe more people aren't talking about the never before seen footage of him being mic'd up during a preseason game and going off on Switzer on the sideline. (Link stolen from BagOfNothing without consent or permission.)
  • RG3's wife went off, and I do mean off, on Twitter. 

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12.04.2016

Oh, My!


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The President Elect Of The United States Of America

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