11.11.2017

Above The Fold


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11.10.2017

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

 I'm not laughing at the uppercut. I'm curious that an industrial dumpster 
is designed like a kitchen trash can. 
 Get me these dogs! 
 What the heck is going on? (1) Earthquake? (2) A drill of getting back on the bar in the event you fall off? (3) Why do two girls land on a soft mat and act like they've just hit pavement? (4) And I'm giving that one girl my thoughts and prayers. 
 This will be taught in High Five School for years.
 Get me this dog, too! 
 I don't know. I think the guy has potential. 
This is the way I perceive Mrs. LL leaving the driveway every morning. 
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Random Friday Morning Thoughts


  • The jury in the Twin Peaks case, after deliberating for hours, said they were deadlocked, but the judge will have them come back today. But the jury did send out a bombshell note. Remember, this prosecution is not about a murder but about the leader of the Bandidos at the Waco restaurant being accused of Engaging In Organized Criminal Activity.. Also recall the gun fight was between the Bandidos and the Cossacks. The jury note: "Mr. P indicated he has personal experience with the Cossacks and his opinion won't change." How did he get on the jury, Mr. DA?
  • I just looked back at an old article, juror questionnaires were sent out and, "They also will be asked what they know about the Bandidos and Cossacks . . . ." It would be interesting to know how Mr. P answered that.
  • I'm going Roy Moore heavy now. This is fascinating. 
    • Republican Alabama Senate candidate and all around nutcase Roy Moore sent Washington into a tizzy yesterday when allegations of sexual assault of a minor (a long time ago) were published.The person making these very old allegations against Moore is now an assistant district attorney. Oh, my. Edit: I was wrong. It was Moore who was assistant DA when this allegedly occurred. (And there are three other independent accounts from legal-aged teenagers that said he pursued them when he was in his 30s.)
    • Cruz and Cornyn endorsed him against Luther Strange who was Trump's boy. There were many, many Republican Senators yesterday saying he should step down if the allegations are true. There is no way that stubborn old man is going to step down. He's been so stubborn before that he was removed from the bench in Alabama. And he was also later suspended from the bench for unethical conduct. And this is in Alabama!
    • So what are the Republicans to do? Support an alleged pedophile? Well, I suppose they did support the Grab 'Em By guy so that's not much of a big next step.
    • But if he did step down, the Dems get a Senate seat. The ballots have already been printed and if Moore were to receive more votes, they simply are not counted. 
    • And now his dissenting opinions seem to make a little more sense: 
    • But this is my favorite defense of him by an Alabama elected official. It'a almost like saying he believes God is a pimp. Oh, Alabama.: 
    • The official Texas Prosecutor Twitter account did not approve Sean Hannity's defense of Moore. That's a bold statement: 
  • Changing gears, Junior's been acting a little crazy.
  • OJ got banned from a Las Vegas casino after allegedly being drunk and unruly.  Lay low, guy! Lay low!
  • This is one of the craziest cat-fishing stories you'll ever read. (Via Deadspin)
  • What? A Nazi passed a bad check? You can't even trust the Klan these days. 
  • Trump is in Vietnam. Radio guy Mark Davis, who is getting crazier and crazier, said the other morning is that the only way we could have won would have been to "drop a nuke on them." Good lord, man. Plus, we lost the war and what were the consequences of South Vietnam falling? Nothing. The war itself, not Communist Vietnam, was far worse on that country. 
  • Nice touch: Baylor lights up the Administration Building green when they win. For the first time all season, they got to do it last weekend. You know who got to throw the switch? Jalen Pitre  -- the only recruit from the 2016 class who didn't bolt after the scandal broke. 
  • I watched the 30 for 30 on Rick Flair. I didn't mean to, it just happened. I had no idea who he was because no "sport" has been off my radar since high school more than "wrestling." But I'll tell you, that was one fantastic documentary. And that guy is Wheels Off.
  • There has been an arrest in the Dollar General shooting of the clerk: A 15 year old boy. Two days ago on Fox 4, a detective said he thought the guy didn't mean to shoot her but that the gun went off when he reached for the money (1) Even if he believes it, I can't believe he said it. If evidence turns up to the contrary, he is now married to that statement. (2) The kid is still screwed. Even though he might not have intended the death, there is still a way to be creative and charge him with murder. 



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11.09.2017

Wow


They didn't rule from the bench like Judge Judy, but they might have ruled walking down the back hallway.

That was quick.

Here's the status: Now the case goes to a full appeal on the merits. This was about the injunction to stop the suspension while the appeal is pending. But if the appeal takes more than six weeks (the length of suspension), it becomes moot. It is interesting to note that the Court's short decision said it would hear the appeal on an expedited basis. 
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The Tank: A Story I Missed



Tony Buzbee is a big time Texas plaintiff's lawyer and a big Aggie. He bought a tank. He put it in front of his home.

A lot of people loved it, but not all. The HOA stepped in but struggled a little bit since the rules didn't say anything about tanks.

He finally relented. Texas Monthly has the story.
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The Russians Are After Me!


I just got this. See that ".ru" at the end? That's out of Russia. You think I'm clicking on that Word document? Not a chance in the world.

Putin has met his match. Sad. So sad.
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Random Thursday Morning Thoughts


  • Obama showing up for jury duty yesterday was great. (Quick three videos here.). It would be more fun being an ex-president than being a current president.
  • Nothing makes you feel dumber than trying to help with a kid's math homework. I gave up years ago. 
  • Nothing makes Mrs. LL clean more than having a guest over. It's almost enough to make me want to be sociable. Almost. 
  • A trooper's task of knocking on someone's door to tell them of a death has to be the worst aspect of the job.
  • Jerry Jones consideration of hiring Harvey Weinstein's ex-lawyer, who is brilliant but oversaw Weinstein's "spies" of his accusers, is a bad look.
  • Garth Brooks won Entertainer of the Year? Country music must be in bad shape.
  • WFAA had a feature on Randy Travis last night. I had no idea he was in such bad shape.
  • It was a self check-out scam. But you have to love this quote:  "The computer is for my husband. Since he just got me a Coach purse, I figured he deserved something nice, as well."
  • The Second Circuit will hear oral arguments in the Zeke case today. As I've said before, there will be no ruling from the bench. It ain't Judge Judy.
  • The director will reshoot all of Kevin Spacey's scenes in All The Money In The World. That movie is supposed to be great, but it also has a release date of December 22nd. Christopher Plummer will replace him in the role of J Paul Getty.
  • Mrs. LL saw this last night. I presume that's a cut out picture but in this day and time you never know. 
  • I had a client killed in an accident this week (it is unrelated to the funeral today in Paradise.). 2017 is making a run for the worst year ever. Edit: A commentor accurately stated that I might want to re-write that first sentence. 
  • The three UCLA players arrested for shoplifting (idiots) might be facing charges and reportedly cannot leave their hotel rooms until a decision is made. It might be a good thing that Trump is there at the same time. (If Trump is aware of it.)
  • Yep, we certainly have a handle on gun violence in this country: 
  • The Twin Hills Biker Trial is being broadcast on Facebook Live. I'm not sure I've ever heard of that before in Texas. (Although if court is not in session, I think it just fires up the last three hours or so that was broadcast.)  Edit: Obviously, Twin Peaks. Not Twin Hills. I've been at Lake Bridgeport too much.

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11.08.2017

I'd Like To Have A Transcript Of This



As always, language warning.

The manager need a Golden Taco Award.  Fine job. And if I heard it correctly, when she tries to calm Ms. Einstein down by saying, "Let's turns this around", Ms. Einstein says, "I don't have problems in my life, really." Oh, you do honey. Oh, you do.
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Above The Fold


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Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts


  • It was a Republican blood bath last night in Virginia with the Dems taking the top three state positions and the New Jersey governorship going back to the Democrats as well. Regarding losing the governor's race in Virginia, Trump was not pleased as he Tweeted from South Korea: 
  • It is amazing he lost because Trump said earlier in the day Gillespie could make crime "be gone."
  • The funniest race was for the Virginia legislature. She beat "a 13-term incumbent who called himself Virginia’s 'chief homophobe' and earlier this year introduced a 'bathroom bill' that died in committee." That is the definition of being "owned." 
  • It's going to be a beautiful day today. Get outside and enjoy it!
  • The new tax plan eliminates the deduction for teachers who buy their own school supplies. 
  • I'm confused:
  • "Hillwood Communities, a division of Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood, has closed on its largest residential development yet — a 1,157-acre tract near Interstate 35W and FM 407 in Northlake that will bring more than 3,000 homes to North Texas."  The traffic going into Fort Worth on I-35, morning or evening, is already insane. It just got ramped up. 
  • I'm the worst businessman in history, and I always shake my head on how they can pull the trigger on deals like that. But if the price is right on the land, that's really all they need. They'll contract out the home building and won't have any risk. And if there is a real estate crash, they'll just wait it out. It's just shifting money from a cash account to a land account. (And it's probably just a low interest loan and not even their cash. If you were a bank, would you lend to Hillwood and take a lien on that property if the Perots' say, "This will work"? Oh, yes, yes, yes.)
  • Funny line from a Defendant, who might be a little unstable, up at the Wise County Courthouse (not my client) to a court administrator: "Why do I have to pay court costs? I didn't bring the charges! The State brought the charges!" Strangely, he has a point. 
  • How can you tell these days?:
  • Someone broke into home last night and was shot and killed by the owner. You might hear some discussion about the Castle Doctrine. You can ignore it. If someone breaks into your home and you kill them, no Texas jury will ever convict you. 



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11.07.2017

We Still Have Dinosaurs?




And old Ricardo is probably beaten down by that woman.

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Pure Sorriness Right There



Story.
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This Is Comforting




People are driving around with grenades? That would certainly up the ante on road rage cases.
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Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts



  • There are reports TCU is on lock down this morning. There was a road rage incident where one driver shot at another (but missed.) Has the country gone crazy?
  • The Church Shooting guy lived with his parents in a high tone home.
  • Our governor is an idiot. He said yesterday that all these tragedies seem "heavy right now but put this in context of history, look at what happened with Hitler."  So if you kill less than 6 million, just "put it in context"? Austin is a clown car.
  • There's actually something to this: 
    L
  • Loved this line from Mark Davis' new column where he is mad at people who want gun control after all of these mass shootings: "Many of us favor addressing the actual problem, which is not a gun problem any more than drunk driving is a car problem." Uh, so why does MADD advocate ignition interlock on even first time offenders? 
  • Rand Paul was attacked by his neighbor over a long time dispute over leaves. Yep, leaves. Everyone thought it was a little funny until we learned his injuries are pretty bad. He'll be out of commission for a while.
  • If you are hard core into politics and followed the Carter Page story yesterday, you know that guy is going to get indicted.
  • In maybe one of the most shocking moments in a criminal trial I've seen in a long time was in the Twin Peaks Trial yesterday. The DA and his assistant said they didn't turn over exculpatory evidence they heard in a witness interview because they didn't believe the witness. That's not how this works. That is not how this works it all. It should cost them there jobs -- and that is just for starts.
  • Fox News: 
  • I've got a huge internal clock and this time change is really messing me up because my body won't acknowledge it.
  • Why don't we just keep the flags at half staff all the time? 
  • There are reports this morning that Secretary of Education DeVos will resign.  
  • The two women killed in the parking lot in Parker County were extorting money from the alleged shooter. 

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11.06.2017

I Give Up



Well, if you are going to get shot, the best place to get shot is in church. Call me crazy, but I think I'd choose a hospital emergency room.

I think it is funny that Brian Kilmeade is staring at the ceiling at the end.
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This Truly Is Amazing



I have an actual serious post. This was on 60 Minutes last night, and the introduction is exactly right: "We don't know enough about how the human brain works."
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Quality Comedy




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Random Monday Morning Thoughts



  • A 26 year old white guy kills 26 people in a First Baptist Church in Texas. And this comes on the heels of Las Vegas at a country concert.  And comes on the heels of Orlando. But let's just focus on Radical Islamic Terrorism. (And the service, according to their Sheriff, was recorded. I don't want to see it.)
  • Gov. Greg Abbott, who I'm convinced is oblivious to reality, became "emotional" discussing the shooting. Two years ago: 
  • I stole these lines: The second amendment was written 226 years ago. Think about writing an amendment right now that governs gun laws in 2243.
  • The dumbest "legal expert" in the history of legal experts was on CNN giving an opinion on whether the shooting could be a federal crime. Good lord, woman. (1) The guy is dead, and (2) If he were alive, what do you think a Texas state court jury would do to him?
  • The 911 tapes in the children killing case involving the East Texas woman are chlling.  She is mentally ill but the Sheriff said she had planned it out. If daddy is haunted by this for the rest of his life for doing nothing, he needs to be.
  • A lot of people were upset that Bowe Bergdahl was not sentenced to prison. Trump thought he should have been executed.  (1) It was a military court so there are facts we do not know. There has to be a reason for the sentence because military courts aren't known for being lenient, (2) This proves the military is not sharing facts with Trump,
  • At the same location on 287 that the young man was killed early Friday, an 18 wheeler pulled right out in front of me for the other direction later on that day. Wait until the coast is clear! Use the shoulder!  It is there for a reason!
  • Zeke's fans say,  "There is no proof" he did anything wrong. You have no idea how many people are in prison simply because one person said it happened without any corroborating evidence. One person's statement counts as "proof."
  • TMZ Sports caught up with Yu Darvish on the street. We learned that after years of using an interpreter in Texas, he can speak English. 
  • George H.W. Bush called Trump a "blowhard" and said, "I'm not too excited about him being a leader." And this was in a new book -- it wasn't an off the cuff remark.
  • Odd: Two women were found murdered Saturday night in the parking lot of First Financial Bank in Parker County.  It turned out to be a white guy who was arrested.
  • I had forgotten about the Twin Peaks Trial going on in Waco but there's a reason. It keeps getting stopped because the DA didn't turn over evidence. It has been over two years! That guy is incompetent. Amazing: Dumbest DA's office in the State. 
  • College football: (1) I don't know if this is true, but one of the announcers in the Baylor game said Baylor had a 70 player traveling crew to Kansas and 20 of them were walk-ons. (2) The OSU/OU game was wildly entertaining. Even Mrs. LL was locked in. (3) A great moment was after Penn State lost and one  player just headed to the locker room. The coach ran him down and told him to get back out there and congratulate them. (4) TCU is good. Very good. (5) Hot sports prediction: Both UT and Baylor will be good, very good, in two or three years. (6) Fun fact:  The USC/Arizona game ended at 1:30 a.m. in the both East and Central time zones. (7) And, finally, what is going on?:
  • Obviously, I'm not a fan of Trump but I do admire his stamina -- especially at his age. That travel schedule he is on over the next few days is brutal. And throw in the fact that he spends his days in front of the cameras and not sitting on the beach, and it makes it almost amazing. Mrs. LL and I remarked to each other on Thursday of last week that we still hadn't recovered from our Florida trip. 
  • Then again, he made it to Japan and said they were a "Warrior Nation." Good lord, man. There is no greater warrior nation than the U.S. over the last 200 years. We've fought The British. Mexico. The Civil War. World War I. World War II. Vietnam. North Korea. Iraq (twice). Afghanistan. Missile strikes on Libya. Grenada. And that's off the top of my head. 
  • Someone in Austin fired at multiple cars on I-35 in Austin early Sunday morning injuring four, including a seven year old boy.
  • Local: I saw  K.C. Schoenthal, 54, funeral notice in the Update. He served as my investigator for awhile when I was D.A. but haven't talked to him in years. Was he sick? 


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11.05.2017

Uh, Oh




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