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

 Based upon the way she was acting, she sheep was justified.

 Fake? Drunk? Opiods? Sleepy? Medical Condition? Demon Possession?

 How'd they make it that far?

 Kudos to the back leg for the reflexive reaction to get out of the way of the bite.

 The flying flip flop adds insult to injury.

I posted this because I thought it was funny, 

but now I'm a little worried about that kid's arm.

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• This photo from last Friday in a game involving the Rangers that deserves a prize. (The link has a better quality of the image, and a video which demonstrates a very sweet move put on by the guy a second before the photo was snapped):
  
• Former Baylor coach Art Briles has a new football coaching gig in Italy. Road trip! (But I don't know if I can put it on my "stadium journey" list since the team's stadium capacity is 1,000. Yep, this is it. That's all of the stands.)
  
  
  
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• Lawyer Kris Kobach had a great gig: Go to gullible municipalities and tell them he could craft ordinances to get rid of the those illegal immigrants and then, when those ordinances were challenged in court, he'd collect legal fees to help defend the cities. By any reasonable standard, the cities always lost. Farmers Branch, under the city council "leadership" of Plaintiff's lawyer Tim O'Hare, was one of the taxpayer money-wasting cities to the tune of $7 million. (That article from the Kansas City Star about Kobach, who is now running for Governor of Kansas, is scathing.)
  
• O'Hare went on to be a one term Republican Chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, but didn't run again because he was "just having a hard time juggling being a husband and father of four with running a law firm and real estate venture, serving as a Sunday School teacher and a Deacon at church . . . . "
• The college football Coaches' Poll is out: OU comes in at 5, TCU at 16, West Virginia at 20, Texas at 21, and OSU at 25. No Aggie. (Side note: At home games this year, UT will wear black cleats with black socks.)
• Don't look now, but we've got another big Ebola outbreak in the Congo with 20 dead.
• We're getting really close to Idiocracy's President, Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, as we had Trump pose with a UFC fighter and his championship belt yesterday in the Oval Office.
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• Speaking of, this former wrestler won the position of mayor (our County Judge equivalent) in Knox County, Tennessee last night running as a Republican. Really.
  
• Anyone heard from the head of the Department of Energy, Rick Perry, lately? Is there any chance he is sitting around just collecting a government paycheck? And do you think that $28 million budget and 13,000 employees (not to mention the 90,000 contract employees) are being used efficiently?
• Sarah Sanders, who I absolutely believe has no soul, refused to say the press is not the "enemy of the people" yesterday. (And why does she read from notes whenever she goes on an anti-Free Press rant?)
  
• Even Ivanka was smarter than that.

• This following can't be understated. These Trump officials showed up unannounced at the White House briefing yesterday to announce that Russia's attempts to interfere with the 2018 elections are "real and ongoing", that "Our Democracy is in the crosshairs", and "We continue to see a pervasive messaging campaign by Russia to try to weaken and divide the United States.": Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, FBI Director Chris Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, National Security Adviser John Bolton, and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone. 
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• I think stats like this are silly. They are an anomaly but not impressive. Countless other lines would be better: What about four walks, a single, and a home run? Three walks, a single, and two doubles? Five singles and one walk? You get the idea.
  
• Fox News was disappointed with the job numbers released this morning. 
• From BagOfNothing this morning: "I was surprised at how easy and close parking at DFW Airport was. Any available spot was identified by a green LED light above and we literally parked across the street from the terminal entrance. For three nights the total cost was a reasonable $26 which was charged to my TollTag." Wait a second! Terminal parking at DFW is $24 a day. Edit: I'll be. He told me about this trick.
• Legal nerd stuff: Look at this short opinion just released by the Fort Worth Court of Appeals where the court, it would seem, accused a lawyer via footnote of being unethical. (And I'm not sure I've ever seen an appellate brief with one paragraph under the "Argument" section.) 
• Buried in the Update this morning is this out of Bridgeport ISD: Delinquent property tax payments are at an 11-year high. I'm telling you, there is something going on out there. People from everywhere seem to be struggling more than ever. 

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• There is a "person of interest" in the shooting death of the Houston doctor who treated George H.W. Bush. Let me correct that: The Chief of Police said, "We believe that this man is absolutely the killer." He better be right. 
• I don't know the kid, but Decatur's star athlete has decided to sit out this Fall's football season where he played QB last year at a very high level (3,887 yards and 37 touchdowns.) He'll play baseball for Oklahoma State next year. Probably a smart decision in the grand scheme of things, but you don't see this very often.
• Trump will do another campaign rally tonight (at your expense), but he is up this morning with his same old tired bit as the walls are caving in on him. This is not normal. 
  
• Fun fact: Justice Scalia actually smoked a pipe during his confirmation hearings. (You can see the smoke.)
  
• If you listen to the Ticket, you have been beaten down with Reagor Dykes commercials where Dykes comes across as the ultimate stereotypical "car salesman." Perhaps the listeners' prayers have been answered:
  
  
• Someone is stealing my bit! (h/t to faithful reader in Houston.)
  
  
• This is a great photo out of Austin:
  
• Legal nerd stuff: I've been involved in many, many jury selections, and I thought you had to speak English to be qualified to serve of a jury. My quick research this morning is a little stunning: You have to be able to "read and write" to be qualified but it doesn't say "in English." (Texas Code of Criminal Procedure 35.16(a)(11)). However, it is an Exemption if there is an "inability to comprehend or communicate in the English language that makes it impossible or very difficult for the person to serve on a jury." Texas Government Code 62.109. This is important: An exemption must be "claimed" by the juror. It is not an automatic disqualification. (And to "claim" that exemption there is the ridiculous requirement that he must file an affidavit sworn to before the district clerk.) For that Austin case above, it looks like the jury had already been empaneled and sworn when the guy brought the English problem to the judge's attention. Legal issue: Can a juror claim an exemption after being placed on a jury? The judge above seems to think so. I don't know if that is correct.
• We live in a new world when the head coach of Ohio State can be taken down within 12 hours of a Facebook report (by a laid off ESPN reporter) of not disclosing domestic abuse by one of his assistants. Urban Meyer is on paid administrative leave but it doesn't look good for him. But this old Nike T-shirt probably sold out in Michigan. 
  
• These articles always drive me crazy. Seceding is a dumb and ridiculous idea, but Texas has the absolute right to do it. It's called a civil war where one territory decides to break away. To believe otherwise is also to believe Lincoln could have ended the Civil War by telling the South, "Hey, you can't legally leave the Union! Stop it!"
  
• Talk radio fans my age could not avoid Art Bell back in the day. He was a conspiracy theorist who let his callers identify themselves, for safety purposes, as being from the West or East of the Rockies. For callers who were really paranoid and didn't want to be that specific, they could call in on "the wildcard line." (Funny bit.) Bell died in April and yesterday it was revealed it was due to a prescription overdose. Or so they say.
  
• Trump has been beaten up online for saying in Florida two days ago, in support of voter I.D. laws, that you even have to show a picture I.D. "if you go out and you want to buy groceries." 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• If these are Zebra Mussels, I'd like to exclusively report and present this photo I took proving Lake Bridgeport is currently being invaded. (They are about nickle size.)
  
  
  
• Messenger: Above the Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• That parking garage collapse in Irving (especially the second one caught on video) was insane. The rest of the cars in that thing are probably goners, because I don't know how you risk getting them out. If I'm the insurance company, just bite the bullet and write a check for the fair market value of the cars plus the loss of use and thank your lucky stars no one was hurt or killed.
• I'm assuming this is the new floor for basketball at TCU for the upcoming season. That's a little bizarre.
  
• Dad and mom(?), stepmom(?), sister(?) embarrass a kid at a ballgame. She's giving it the proverbial "what for".  Worth a watch.
  
• Here's an update from yesterday on the Change of Venue motion: I was right. 
  
• Update from yesterday on 3D guns:  (1) A judge stopped the distribution of the plans for the AR-15 type gun but it is practically too late. Once it is out there it's out there forever, and (2) Trump, your administration agreed to this! And why do you have to check with the NRA for marching orders!? 
  
• Seriously, Pete, how many people do you think called someone at 7:30 a.m. and asked, "You want to carpool today?"
  
• Random Big 12 thought: I don't know where to place West Virginia which has the best QB and WR in the conference. I've seen them projected as a Top 10 team behind OU, and I saw yesterday that a sport betting site places them behind OU, Texas and TCU.
• Other sports thought: All the sports talk radio shows are in Oxnard for Cowboys training camp. Do you think we want to hear countless interviews with players who never say anything of substance?
• Trump had a campaign rally in Florida last night, and this guy's observation is spot on.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• I'm insane now. List of figures from left to right: Nikki Haley, James Mattis, Ben Carson, Trump, Jeff Sessions, Mike Pence, Melania Trump, Mike Pompeo, Sarah Sanders, Ivanka Trump, John Bolton, Kellyanne Conway, John Kelly.
  
• The Manafort trial began yesterday. The most impressive thing to me was in Day #1 they completed voir dire, opening statements, and got to the first witness. Federal courts don't mess around. (Speed is not a good thing sometimes.)
• Wait a second! That guy is an Aggie? 
  
• Worth a read by the great Skip Hollandsworth in this month's Texas Monthly: 
  
• This morning, Trump approved of the Florida crowd chanting "CNN sucks" last night and, shockingly, said AG Sessions "should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now . . . ."
• Messenger: Above The Fold [not available at the as of 8:31 a.m.]

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4's Mike Doocy cancelling an interview with Jerry Jones because Jones would not talk about the anthem controversy seems like the biggest non-story of training camp. 
• Jerry Jones seems to be getting angrier and angrier as time goes by. We all wondered when he would turn in to Al Davis and it might be happening right now. 

  

  Toe on the line, and cap on the head.

• The number of times Trump has tweeted the words "witch hunt."
  
  
• This motion will be denied if (1) the judge knows what he is doing, and (2) the State was smart enough to know the law that they have to file counter-affidavits. Texas Code of Criminal Procedure art. 31.04. 
  
• Things I simply do not understand: 
  
• This 3D Printable Gun issue gives me Legal Tired Head. A guy comes up with a way to create a printable gun (you have to buy a couple of metal parts), and wants to upload the plans to the Internet. He and President Obama's State Department get into a fight as to whether that's legal. And this is important: The government won at the Fifth Circuit in late 2016 declaring that the practice would be a crime. (Opinion here.) But the Trump Administration came in a couple of months back and said, "That's fine, go ahead and upload the plans." Now everyone is freaking out. The legal issues seem endless: (1) Can the parties simply ignore the Fifth Circuit opinion which, if not overturned, should be the law of the land? Was the appeal still pending or the judgment final? Does that matter? (2) Does anyone else have standing to sue the federal government and the 3D company alleging the practice is unlawful and cite the Fifth Circuit opinion as authority? (For a deep dive, this is a good article.) And if that gun works (it does), the availability of the plans to make it has world wide implications. 
  
• "So sad" this morning:
  
• Funny: Trust me.  
• A small Texas town's ISD voted last night to go to six-man football down from twelve-man eleven-man. Someone posed a concern which might either be ridiculous or spot on.
  
• Everyone thought Rudy Giuliani was crazy yesterday when he said he didn't even know if collusion was a crime. Now this morning Trump shockingly begins to float out that alternative defense as well. This is insane.
  
• What's the old legal defense logic chain? "My client's dog did not bite you. If he did bite you, it didn't hurt. If the dog did bit you and it hurt, my client did not know his dog was dangerous." And if all that fails you default to: "My client doesn't even own a dog."
• There are bandits everywhere: So the FBI raids Michael Cohen's office and a federal judge appoints a private law firm to review all the documents to give an opinion as to which documents are privileged and which ones are not. The bill? $368,081.56.