Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• The Wise County Sheriff said last night that 85% of "our inmates are jailed due to meth related charges", and had a message to Congress: "Fund the danged ole wall." There's a lot to process there. (I was interested in looking at the jail's pdf of current inmates and their charges, but it hasn't been updated since 11/13/18.)
• A power plant near New York City last night caused lots of people to freak out as to why the sky was blue. I've seen those alien movies. I'd freak out, too.
  
• Shout out to a reader who found this news pic from Arizona. Check out the truck in the background going by the wreckage yesterday. The whole pic is a Cheeze-Its Bowl metaphor.
  
  
• The Secret Service has already spent  $54,020 for tents to be used at Mar-A-Lago's New Years Eve Bash where guests will pay $1,000 to attend. What was that swamp phrase?
• I don't know what to think about this report from McClatchy that Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in Prague during the campaign based upon cell phone records. If true, its a bombshell because it lends more credence to the Steele Dossier, but (1) I don't recall "McClatchy" breaking any huge news before, and (2) Cohen, who has been cooperating with Mueller and has every reason to do so, denies it. 
  
• The Dallas DA is throwing down some big news and he isn't even on the job yet: (1) He will fire 12 people, including heads of divisions, which most believe is because he "was explicit on the campaign trail that he will not tolerate overly aggressive prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct", (2) He will authorize the dismissal all first-time charges for possession of small amounts of marijuana, and (3) Announced he believes the length of probation for misdemeanor offenses, with the exception of family violence or DWI, should not exceed 180 days in most cases. I like this guy. 
  
• There's a surprise new Black Mirror episode released today, and it's interactive meaning you can alter how it plays out.  I'm a fan of the series but not a fan of that bit. 
• As for bowl investor winners, so far Cheeze-It (for sponsoring a laughable game) and ServPro (for sponsoring a cancelled bowl) have gotten there money's worth from a publicity standpoint. 
• The local news has been referring back to the tornadoes three years ago on December 26th. I may be losing it, because I barely have a memory of that.
• Can sports broadcasters come up with a new phrase for pushing and shoving between two teams other than "It's getting chippy out there"?
• The price Wise County paid to run the multi-page ad of registered sex offenders around Halloween when there was no obligation to do so: $4,362.90. (Here at p. 3.) Those monthly county-wide expense reports have lots of interesting tidbits in them. 
• Trump threatened to "close" the border this morning if he doesn't get His Wall.  If he can "close it", why is he so crazed about the The Wall?