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

 Dad likes bits. 

 That is quality comedy.

"That's a bold strategy, Cotton."

 Hope that door leads to Shop class.

"Come here, big fella."

Trump Confirms He Is Under Investigation

He was on a tear this morning. 

Edit: he is still going! 

And he might want to tap the brakes:

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• A former spokesman for TDC who witnessed 219 executions has died. Texas Monthly profiled him a couple of years back. Edit: The magazine profiled his successor who has witnessed 278 executions. 
• And Another (New York):
  
• Channel 8 had a story last night on how to "find" those $39 flights on Southwest Airlines. As proven by the station's twitter feed this morning, that was an ad disguised as a news story.
  
• The oddest thing about the Congressional baseball game is that it is not a Congressional softball game. 
• Last night Texas rep. Roger Williams still had his hospital wrist band on. (h/t Bud Kennedy) Williams wasn't shot but suffered a minor ankle injury which doesn't even require the use of crutches. What's the old saying? Never let a crisis go to waste. 
  
• Earlier in the week, two prisoners being transported killed two guards in Georgia and escaped. They were captured last night in Tennessee. The mistake of the guy on the right is hanging out with the guy on the left. Mr. Right could blend in. Mr. Left might as well have an "Escaped Convict" sign on his chest.
  
• Edit: That must be an old picture. Mr. Right looked a little different yesterday.
  
  
  
• That would leave the University of Texas in a bind (at least as for as Hook 'Em merchandise is concerned) if Simmons can pull it off: 
  
• Uh, (1) There were actual witch hunts in America, and (2) your supporters literally yelled "Burn the witch" during your campaign.
  
• Reginald Kimbro, accused of murdering the lady near TCU and the lady in Plano, is now accused of a sexual assault in South Padre Island in 2014. The TCU gal's family took a shot at the DA's office: 
  
• I've had three people tell me they have or will submit applications to Austin to replace Judge Fostel. I've heard a rumor of one more, but I haven't confirmed it yet. 

Blimp Down at the U.S. Open!

Just got to the #USOpen and the blimp caught fire and crashed. People parachuted out. pic.twitter.com/1lDi3VkXCu

— madison seigworth (@msiggyy) June 15, 2017

#USOpen blimp going down on fire. pic.twitter.com/cRAX4apE7R

— Drez (@AaronDrez) June 15, 2017

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• The Washington Post revealed that the special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating Trump personally as to whether he obstructed justice. There had been rumors that Trump was thinking of firing him. He can't do it now without a political firestorm. 
• This is really interesting: The Post also obtained a copy late yesterday of the Republican "talking points" to deal with the new controversy. The two page document makes some very good points. Any Republican who goes on any radio or TV show to defend Trump will repeat what is contained in the document. I'm not saying it's wrong. Democrats have talking point documents as well.
• Trump doesn't use Talking Points (although he does admit he's under investigation): 

  

  "Nice"? Don't say "nice"! Say "sad".

• The Freshmen in the House had friends over to spend the night. That plus the existing Family Unit meant it was me and six females. 
• Of those involved in the alleged hazing at Tarleton, I've learned that four are from Wise County.
• Fox News quietly dropped their "Fair and Balanced" slogan last year. 
• The Southern Baptist Convention refused to adopt a resolution condemning white supremacy and the alt-right on Tuesday. They decided it would be a good idea to do so yesterday. 
• This has not aged well:
  
• Paul's communication director says, "The tweet . . . was part of live tweeting of someone else’s speech and it was done by a staffer. Those are not Senator Paul’s words.” If true, the communications director needs to work on how his communications are directed.
• Anyone else think it was weird that Rep. Joe Barton, who was on the field during the baseball shooting yesterday, decided to go back to the capitol (not home, not to his office) in his full baseball shirt and cap to get in front of the cameras?
  
• Twitter in a nutshell: 
  
• Every question you had about these type of signs answered: 
  
• According to the latest Texas Tribune poll, Texans love Trump by staggering numbers.

A Little Old But Post Worthy

Gotta love the name. Gotta love the charges. And he's got a little H.I. McDunnough in him.

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Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Breaking: "House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip and at least one other aide was also hit in the chest by a gunman with a rifle who opened fire at a baseball practice in Virginia Wednesday morning . . . ." It sounds like no fatalities. (A staff member of Texas rep Roger Williams was also hit.)
  
• Congress practices baseball on an early Wednesday morning?
• Also, while you were sleeping: 
  
• Here's a quick loading gif of the fire while it was in progress. And it's one heck of a fire.
• Did you know that Alex Jones' Infowars occasionally receives a day long White House press pass, and that Trump has retweeted an Infowars editor? 
• There seems to be a lot of shootings in Walmart parking lots.
  
• A couple of weeks ago I questioned what happened to the time capsule buried in Bridgeport in the 1970s. Someone called me with the answer: It was dug up in 2013 and its contents had been destroyed due to water damage. 
• Twenty-four Tarlton Students have been, or will be, arrested for hazing. Seems like overkill. 
• A Kent State football player has died during a workout. 
• So  based on AG Jeff Sessions' testimony yesterday he doesn't take notes, doesn't do memos, can't remember anything, said one female senator's questions made him "nervous", and he's from Alabama (his middle name is Beauregard .) Everything is just fine. 
• And look at the size of the font on his prepared remarks. And he has glasses: 
  
  
  
  
• A guy missed this one yesterday: 
• 
• Ken Paxton has a new district judge in his criminal case which has been moved to Houston: It's the guy who defeated Dan Patrick's son last November. 
• The arrest in Commerce of Miss Black Texas has turned out to be a cluster. There was an alleged "road rage" incident in a Wal-mart parking lot (no shooting) between her and a Commerce school board member. The board member then sees the off duty chief of police who comes over, flashes a badge, and tells her she is being detained and officers are on the way. A uniformed officer shows up and the chief tells him to cuff her. They then arrest her for Evading Arrest. The DA reviewed the case and refused it yesterday while, I'm guessing, said, "Are you guys kidding me?"
• I'm hearing, although unconfirmed, that the leader of the Republican Party in Wise County has chosen someone to recommend to Austin to replace Judge Fostel. The application process, I've also heard, is a pain. The Messenger has a link to the application form in today's edition, and I took a glance at it. Look at some things they want to know: 
  
• Ghost stories and legends from Decatur and Wise County.

Insert Obvious Headline Here

Yep. A psychic.

Story.

Your Day vs. His Day: Who Ya Got?

Standoff in Sunnyvale ends. Naked suspect surrenders. https://t.co/xPffFp8zzB pic.twitter.com/7dYuBrlsis

— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) June 13, 2017

For A Screwed Up Play . . .

God bless the Cincinnati Reds pic.twitter.com/mXZYQcGG0h

— OhVarsity! (@OhVarsity) June 13, 2017

. . . the simultaneous running in and the almost perfect circle is a thing of beauty.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• A 67 year old incarcerated for felony DWI walked away from a work crew in Ellis County yesterday and is still on the loose. How does that happen? (Side note: I don't understand why the Sheriff's Office -- which runs a jail and not prisons -- was in charge of "an alternative prison program." Nor do I understand what that program is.) 
  
• Bacsik is famous for giving up the record setting home run to Barry Bonds (who overtook Hank Aaron on the pitch) and for getting fired from The Ticket for tweeting "Congrats to all the dirty mexicans in San Antonio" after the Spurs beat the Mavs. 
  
• I was at a driver's license hearing in Denton a couple of weeks ago and saw a lawyer who had absolutely no idea what he was doing. In front of a room full of lawyers and cops, she wanted to know if DPS had subpoenaed the arresting officer (they never do and don't have to), didn't know DPS could prove their case with just documents, had never asked to see the documents prior to the hearing, and when asked if she wanted to waive the hearing or go forward, she just said, "I just don't want a license suspension."  Everyone in the room was cocking an eyebrow. The crazy part to me was that she didn't exhibit any emotion of embarrassment. 
• We've got an "And Another" who rivals all others: 
  
• Trump's fake cabinet meeting for the cameras was just weird. And it got weirder when chief of staff Reince Priebus said, "On behalf of the entire senior staff around you Mr President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing that you've given us to serve your agenda and the American people." 
• It begins:
  
• It's hard to believe Trump has been in office less than six months. You want to know what President Obama's scandal was at the same point in his administration? He and Biden had gone to a hamburger joint and the president used Grey Poupon:
  
• Trump's upset this morning:
  
• I don't understand this Megyn Kelly controversy. When did interviewing someone become the equivalent of condoning them? 

Don't Mess With Burger King Employees

Language warning.

They probably all got fired, but that was some nice teamwork.

Good Grief

HuffPo- A dramatic video has been released by South Carolina officials showing the rescue of kidnap victim Kala Brown who had been chained inside a metal crate by serial killer Todd Kohlhepp.

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Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• Talk about police overkill. That high speed chase on Friday by the 18 wheeler in Arlington led to an unnecessary standoff, and the police came out in numbers and gear which would have allowed them to overthrow a third world country.  They even had an unnecessary "sniper." I promise you, give me any of our last three Sheriffs (Ryan, Walker, Akin) and two competent deputies and that guy would have walked out of his truck in five minutes. 
• A funny moment was when Fort Worth PD tweeted that they wanted a helicopter to back off so they could hear. KXAS then said on their broadcast, "We are going to back up the helicopter so they can hear." This followed: 
  
• In maybe the worst "look at me!" moment I've seen in a long time, the Fort Worth Police Chief showed up at the scene. 
• Adam West, the original Batman, has died. Man, I had forgotten how funny that show was (although as a boy I thought it was nothing but a true drama.)  And when you have Batman surfing in a bathing suit, you know you have comedy gold: 
  
• And how can you not love lines like this: 
  
  
  
  
  
• The way-too-early discussion of who will receive the governor's appointment to replace John Fostel as district judge has begun. There seems to be one obvious choice.
• The Alvord dad/daughter photo has made it to CNN:
  
• Then again, it doesn't take much to make it to CNN these days: 
  
• What does this even mean? 
  
• Trump said in a news conference on Friday that he is "100%" willing to testify under oath. Anyone believe that? That would end his Presidency in a New York minute because he cannot speak without lying. It will never happen voluntarily.
• This is what Trump meant? 
  
• There was a very confusing "Anti-Sharia-Law" protest this weekend. Nevertheless, this trooper vs. protester vs. photographer photo makes me laugh for some reason:
  
• I almost ran over a raccoon this morning.
• The testimony of AG Jeff Sessions this week may be more entertaining than Comey's. He's admittedly lied about his past contact with Russia, and he's not that bright. He might get mauled. (But it is still up in the air whether his appearance before the Senate committee will be public.)