10.12.2018

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


















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Random Friday Morning Thoughts


  • Capital Punishment is now "dead" in the State of Washington as the state supreme court ruled yesterday it was unconstitutional under their state constitution. The number of people on death row in Washington had been eight. (I'm surprised the number was that high.)
  • I had a stop down moment yesterday when I looked up an saw Kid Rock at the White House. #Idiocracy
  • Then I decided America was doomed when I saw Kanye, who admittedly suffers from mental illness, was allowed to go on a six minute incoherent rant in an office which Americans used to revere.  America elected him. We get what we deserve.
                                      
  • Let's check in on who Fox News brought in this morning to defend that disaster. It's the deep thinking duo of Diamond and Silk! "Uh, huh!" "Oh, that's right!"
  • We are all gonna die anyway. (Video)
  • Cowboys' Cole Beasley says "other teams" will see his value when he becomes a free agent because he gets "open on tape." See ya.
  • Based upon the officers' on-the-scene conversations, something is going on here. One said to another who was considering getting a blood search warrant: "[Officer] Rountree had [Judge] Crane sign a blank [search warrant] one time. No narrative. Signed it. Put whatever you need in there."  The "no narrative" would mean there was no probable cause affidavit submitted before the judge just signed a blank warrant. A blank warrant would allow the officer to fill in the name of the person who would be stuck with a needle against his will.
  • Big win by Tech over TCU last night. (The potential that the TCU quarterback has is so far being crushed by the poor decisions -- and turnovers -- he makes.) The conference is now down to OU, The Evil Empire, and West Virginia.
    Female Surrender Cobras
  • Texas State was on one of the ESPN channels last night as well. I didn't realize its stadium was as nice as it was. It would also be nice if any of its 34,000 students would show up.
  • Trump is killing it on the appointment of federal appellate judgeships. No president has appointed more than he has in the first two years.
  • In reference to my question this week of why we need the $90+ million F-35 when we have drone technology moving forward . . . 
  • Oh, honey. 
  • But I will agree with her on one point: It should be "on the world" instead of "in the world" when you really think about it. 
  • I did that, too, but I didn't turn into a White Nationalist.
  • I can't get enough of this photo (and I hope Secret Service got between Trump and the lady in red):
  • Some people say criminal defense work is a young man's game. 
  • I've been in my weather lab again. Sunday, at 4:17 p.m., a massive cold front will hit. We plummet into the 40s and won't get out of it until Wednesday. Book it. (And to think they pay Delkus to get things wrong.)

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10.11.2018

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts


  • This has appeared right off the courthouse square in Decatur. I don't know if it is functioning or just art. I'll check for a dial tone. Edit: It's art. I've been informed the Messenger had a story about it last week.
  • "It's like a big tornado, a massive tornado." - Trump describing Hurricane Michael.
  • Tarrant County DA Sharen Wilson, who without question will win the general election against a Democrat, spent $46,998.45 in a little over two months on a consulting firm called Murphy Nasica out of Austin. Why? Seems like a ridiculous waste of money. Heck, for $100 I would have told her to lay low and keep out of any big scandals and you're home free. (Campaign report is here if you want to check my always questionable math skills.)
  • Trust me, those guys ain't giving out their THC. 
  • Austin Powers star Verne Troyer’s death has been ruled a suicide by alcohol poisoning six months after his passing. How can the medical examiner distinguish between accidental and intentional?
  • You barely notice that the baseball playoffs are going on right now.
  • Tech/TCU is a nice Thursday night gift. Side note: TCU's "dead frog" play of having a player lay down in the end zone during a kickoff only to surprisingly jump up and return to the action is now illegal.
  • Two years after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando it occurs to me that Panic! At The Disco might be a bad name for a band.
  • For those of you which have been to Top Golf, you'll get a kick out of the scene this morning in Georgia. Photo posted by local cops.
  • The stock market took a hit yesterday. I've been waiting for a huge "correction" for three years. If the DOW went to 21,000 it would be completely understandable for one simple reason: It is due.
  • This New York Post headline is getting a lot of attention. The story isn't quite as sensational. Only three cases that were possibly related to sex trafficking, and one kid was homeless. No arrests were made. The rest were simply runaways who were found by visiting "last known addresses, friend's homes and schools."
  • The first story in the Update seems odd. We go on a huge manhunt because a guy was on a motorcycle which was "running terribly and also did not have a license plate" and  “[t]he guy started to take off and fell over”? He got away, by the way.

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10.10.2018

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts



  • Pretty wild story out of Fort Worth (although I'm not sure what the definition of "rich" is these days.)
  • Kanye is having lunch with Trump tomorrow at the White House. As Jimmy Kimmel said last night, I wish that was on pay-per-view. I'd pay.
  • Do we have to treat every hurricane like a pending Armageddon? 
    "She was not treating it like Armageddon."
  • You've seen the "Stop Forced Annexation" signs in Wise County. To do so, would you vote for or against this proposal as it appears on the ballot?: "Changing Wise County from Tier 1 county status to Tier 2 county status for purposes of municipal annexation as described by Chapter 43 of the Texas Local Government Code." Confusing? A bit. You have to vote "for" to be "against" forced annexation. That's why the ad campaign tries to clear it up:
  • There have been 114 Supreme Court Justices. All but three have been white. All but four have been male.
  • We know. We know. We know. 
  • At least the "Proud Boy" Texas lawyer (who made an appearance in Wise County a year or so ago) is honest about Trump being his fascist leader. But he sure doesn't like people saying mean things about him:
  • In four weeks, a Texas high school football record will be set: Allen (the largest school in Texas at 6,664 students) plays Plano West (the second-largest school in Texas at 5,654 students). With a combined 12,318 students, there's never been a larger face off. In other news, Boyd will play Paradise this Friday.
  • Pulp Fiction's dance scene set to Devo's Whip It
  • Of all the elected District Attorneys in Texas, only four will face an opponent in November.
  • What's the cost of that treatment? (I might have to chair a Death Panel in my home -- with the Chair yielding unlimited power -- if this happens. Uh, too dark?)
  • UN Ambassador Nikki Haley shockingly announced she will be leaving at the end of the year. Her and Trump promise everything is great between them, but there's a tweet for everything: Flashback to 2016 when Haley was a "Never Trumper". 
  • "I'll take an extra R, Pat." 
  • What would you do if you are a Plaintiff's lawyer, won a million dollar verdict for your client against an apartment complex, and lost on appeal in Dallas where two of the three judge panel who ruled against you had received political donations of "$2,000 from the Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC and the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas PAC" a month before they were assigned the case? Answer: Criticizing the judges didn't work out. (Warning: The link goes to the Dallas Observer so your web browser will slow down to a snail's pace due to all the crap they have on there.)
  • It's becoming clear that the Saudi government murdered a Washington Post contributor in Turkey. And, of course, we won't do anything. Saudi Arabia always gets a pass.
  • This government search warrant affidavit, linked to by a USA Today reporter yesterday, is almost a primer on buying illegal stuff on the darknet (i.e. Silk Road.) You learn about Tor, Bitcoin, a list of sites that sell drugs, and pitfalls to avoid. The feds are after a U.S. citizen who spends an inordinate amount of time in Costa Rica.
  • Messenger: Above The Fold.
  • What? People decided to go to the State Fair yesterday?:




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10.09.2018

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts



  • Out of nowhere, Mrs. LL is binge watching Downton Abbey. Great. Now she'll school me in the "Early 20th Century History of England" category on Jeopardy.
  • Lookout! Trump watched State TV/Fox News this morning! They had a wacko guest on who said that not only had George Soros paid for the protesters at the capitol last week, but now they hadn't received their checks. Trump bought it and sent out a tweet forty-five minutes later. 
  • Interesting question posed to me over the weekend: "Would you really want to be the swing vote on the Supreme Court with all those burdens or have a pretty good gig as an associate justice on a federal appeals court?"  I think I'd take the lower court gig. 
  • We should eliminate Columbus Day and create a Voting Day.
  • This trial started two weeks ago. I haven't heard a word about it. Is it over? (I'm scared the Star-Telegram can no longer afford to dedicate a reporter for complete coverage of cases like this.)
  • That Limo crash that killed 20 is so disturbing. This is the Google Street View angle of it. The limo moved down the street from the left and crossed the highway into the parking lot and beyond.
  • What am I missing?: The amount of money spent on advertising for the one Congressional seat held by Pete Sessions and sought by Colin Allred is astonishing. You can't avoid the commercials. But other contested races (take for example the 24th District between Kenny Marchant and Jan McDowell) which covers parts on Dallas, Tarrant and Denton counties seems completely off the radar. They are both one seat.
  • I'm an idiot on military warfare (other than to know "Space Force" is stupid) but look at these drones below. I'll ask it again and with all due respect to my friends at Lockheed Martin, do we really need F-35s at over $90 million a piece when we have those things? And they'll only get better.
  • Here's a crazy "Fire Ted Cruz" ad produced by a PAC and directed by Richard Linklater (Bernie, Boyhood, Daze and Confused.)
  • It's supposed to rain all day. Are there people who are going to the State Fair today and are completely oblivious to the rain forecast? I'm guessing yes. 
  • Of course he does. (Side note: I hate that his name is on every gas pump with a message that begins "Howdy Neighbors!")
  • Can someone explain to me how Elmer Gantry is qualified to give an opinion on law and judicial philosophy.
  • I've always loved R.E.M.'s "Fall on Me" performed on MTV's Unplugged. I watched it again last night and realized (1) I still love it and (2)  that I'm old. (Love how his eyes roll back in his head at the 1:18 mark.)



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10.08.2018

Random Monday Morning Thoughts



  • Anyone else think the auction house was in on this self-destructing Banksy painting bit, and that the "buyer" will never be out a dime? Just one big publicity stunt? (Link to the moment.)
  • Mrs. LL was over in Dallas this weekend and saw this in her tire. (Artistic photo, by the way.) She ran by the first repair place she saw (Sears) and they told her she needed a new tire. You won't be shocked to learn that a second opinion led to a different conclusion and a simple patch.
  • If you agree with the police taking the sign, you have zero comprehension of the First Amendment. (The image first appeared in the Washington Post when Republicans endorsed Roy Moore who, as an adult, liked to pick up young girls in malls.)
  • Republicans have every right to celebrate Kavanaugh's confirmation, but what was John Cornyn thinking? Are there no statesmen left? 
  • I'll give BagOfNothing credit for tipping me off to the most disgusting and exploitative ad Greg Abbott has ever run.
  • "It's a lot of work—maybe they don't want to do it." Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on why there has never been a Republican woman on the committee.
  • Paul McCartney was down at Austin this weekend but waved the Chilean flag thinking it was the Texas flag.
  • College football development that drives me crazy: The running back being stood up but then two offensive lineman (or more) start pushing the back of the pile forward for five yards or more. I'm seeing it more and more, and UT is the master of it. (It used to be illegal.)
  • What a cluster: "An officer killed a police dog in Waco on Friday after it bit its handler while police were attempting to serve an arrest warrant. Authorities had converged on a house in the 2000 block of Seneca Avenue just after noon. As they walked up to the home, the Belgian Malinois bit its handler.  Another officer then fatally shot the dog." The guy they were looking for wasn't at home.
  • Melanie Trump went all Raiders of the Lost Ark this weekend.

  • Technically, since the production is called "Jesus", it is not false advertising. It is a trip to indeed go see Jesus. (Not sure the Messiah would approve of the prices, however.)
  • They were also doing a different Jesus bit in College Station.
  • Other (unintentional) Aggie humor: "He caught it! Touchdown! He caught it! I'm looking right at it!"
  • Trump actually said this at a "rally" of Friday night. It is a 100% blatant lie. But no one cares. 
  • I haven't listened to Dennis Prager, the pseudo-intellectual, for quite some time, but I tuned in on Friday for just long enough to hear him call this device a "protractor". 
  • Messenger: Above The Fold


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