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

I LIVE WITH A TINY PREDATOR (sorry for my shriek) pic.twitter.com/nOjzbH5Pwf

— Summer (@summer95) October 11, 2018

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Let’s add a bull to zorb football, what could go wrong? pic.twitter.com/lL4tcMgNHi

— Darwin Award 🔞 (@AwardsDarwin) October 14, 2018

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Pup is upset with Karen pic.twitter.com/YTrg5hSkHw

— Oregon I.T. not IT ⚾ (@OregonJOBS2) October 17, 2018

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If you're wondering what the Boston Dynamics Robot will look like dancing to Smooth by Santana featuring Rob Thomas, I've got you covered. pic.twitter.com/LoDNAT0Po0

— cuppycup (@cuppycup) October 18, 2018

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Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• The Baby Jessica 2.0 event was not a TV ratings blockbuster.
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• This mannequin in a window in Decatur, right off the square, is one of the creepiest things in the history of ever.
  
• It drives me crazy when announcers in the football booth butcher the standard for overturning a play on the field when a play is under video review. You'll hear them say there must be evidence "beyond a reasonable doubt" or "absolute evidence" or "overwhelming evidence." Nope. They are making stuff up. In the NFL it is "clear and obvious evidence"   (recently changed from "incontrovertible visual evidence.") In college it is "indisputable video evidence." In sports and law, unlike politics, words have meaning. 
• Baylor and Tech abandon Jerry World starting next year and return to campus play in 2019 (Waco) and 2020 (Lubbock.)
• Attorneys not eligible to practice in Texas sorted by last name and county. (I don't know the majority of the names associated with Wise County.)
• Trump was off the rails last night at another rally -- this time in Montana. As people with a soul wait to figure out what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, he voiced support for violence against journalists. You might remember the crime he is referencing.
  
• Despite people telling me for years that I would have loved The West Wing, I had never seen an episode. Until last night. I watched the twenty year old premier, and I might just watch the whole series.
• Out of nowhere, the Fox News and Republicans are parroting a talking point that "Democrats are mobs." In other news, a White Nationalist Proud Boy was arrested in D.C. for mob violence.
• I was curious how Wise County voted in the 2016 Republican Primary for President since I had forgotten, so I looked it up: Cruz, 49.7% and Trump, 31.4%.
• That's a depressing photo.
  
• I had forgotten that Herschel Walker used to return kickoffs for the Cowboys. Here he is returning one but being run down by kicker Adam Vinatieri . Uh . . . Vinatieri is still playing in the NFL today.
• I've got a crazy idea: How about plea the case or try her?
  
• The Chief of Police for Fort Worth is quitting to take the top job in Baltimore. He has obviously not watched The Wire.
• Front page from Black Monday on October 19, 1987. That would be a drop of 5,583.46 points today.
  
• I turned on Dennis Prager for the first time in a couple of weeks and heard him say " . . . well that just goes to the moral state of the Left." Who knows what he was talking about. Five minutes later he had Bill O'Reilly on to promote his new book. You know, that O'Reilly who paid $32 million to settle sexual harassment claims and was fired from Fox News.
• Mark Cuban says don't take the lump sum if you win the lottery. Remember, this is advice from a guy who took $3 billion in 1999 and has parlayed it into the same $3 billion today.

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• I don't think I've ever seen a picture of a guy wanted for misdemeanor theft in the Metroplex posted so often. It's does have a comedic theme to it, however.
  
• "AUSTIN — Lacking a good source of high-speed internet, Bridgeport kids have resorted to hanging out at fast-food restaurants to get online and do homework. That could change soon, thanks to a new cable that’s coming to town under a public-private partnership between the small Wise County city and a private company. " This is part of a vague story about upgraded Internet service that appeared in a Cleburne paper.
• If the dead and dismembered Jamal Khashoggi, a permanent American resident and Washington Post journalist, had been white and of European descent instead of originally from the Middle East and a Muslim, would Trump be acting differently? The question doesn't even need to be asked.
• Remember, folks, every life is precious but apparently not priceless.
  
• It looks like we had a Steve Bartman Incident in Houston last night when a fan may have (or may not) interfered with an Astro's home run which was then called an out.
  
  
  
• I think baseball ratings would be better if they played both the ALCS and NLCS at the same time (or at least overlap by an hour or so) so we could switch back and forth during the dead time. Crazy? I'd be more inclined to watch. 
• This was a tweet from the Official Spokesman for the City of Dallas PD about a Southlake observation. I've got a question. What the heck is a "modified felony traffic stop"?   I even Googled it. The best I can tell it is a made up term when cops draw down on a driver.
  
• Travis County is considering merging the County Attorney and District Attorney's offices, and they are also considering creating a Public Defenders office. Regarding the latter, the always informative Grits For Breakfast has penned a post entitled: "Ignore self-interested complaints by defense bar over Travis County public defender creation."
• Speaking of Travis County, one judge shut his courtroom down for one day in protest over Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. That's a little silly. But this tidbit got my attention: "Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, the county’s top elected official, said the protest was inappropriate and cost taxpayers $58,000 — the cost to run a courtroom for a day." That is some creative/false/ill-informed accounting right there.
• Sheriff Joe is suing the New York Times for $147 million for an opinion piece entitled: "Well, at Least Sheriff Joe Isn’t Going to Congress -- Arpaio’s loss in Arizona’s Senate Republican primary is a fitting end to the public life of a truly sadistic man." There is a 100% chance that Sheriff Joe will lose this campaign, too.
• There were three misdemeanor and two felony Not Guilty verdicts (so far) in Tarrant County this week. One guilty verdict in a marijuana case had this odd sentence: "0/12 + $1 fine".  (See Trial Board.) Translated it means "no days in jail which is probated for 12 months." Yep, that's odd. That person could blow off probation and then be punished with zero days in jail.  Maybe a single digit was left off in front of the "0". 
• Ted Cruz forgot to buy TedCruz.com. It was originally sold in 2004 and has been used to troll Cruz since that time. This is what you see today:
  
• Messenger: Above The Fold (I forgot yesterday.)

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• Well, yesterday we had the President of the United States called a porn star he had an affair with  "Horseface", and she responded by calling him "Tiny." It's been a good run, America. 
  
  
• If you are going to have an affair with a porn star while your wife is pregnant you should at least spell her name correctly. (And it's funny how Trump unwittingly called himself "a total con" in the last sentence.)
• Fun fact: On September 15, 1991 Troy Aikman had 11 completions on 25 attempts for only 121 yards. He was sacked 11 times. He is one of only seven quarterbacks to have as many sacks as completions in a single game. (Minimum of 10 attempts.)
  
  
• Quick loading video "Raging Llano River destroys bridge in Kingsland (Llano County)". The Hill Country is an active flood zone. 
  
• A faithful reader who was looking for a massage in Weatherford thinks she has found my doppelganger. 
  
• Even Brian Kilmeade had to abruptly clarify: "Great people just but bad leaders."
  
• "If you work in one of the many institutions through which addicts often pass — rehabs, hospitals, jails, courts — and treat them with the compassion and respect they deserve, thank you. If instead you see a junkie or thief or liar in front of you rather than a human being in need of help, consider a new profession." - Obituary of Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir, 30.
• The owner of the Bunny Ranch and HBO star Dennis Hof abruptly died yesterday. Included in the  people who were the last to see him alive (and I am not making this up): Sheriff Joe, Tucker Carlson, and porn star Ron Jeremy.

  

  Speaking of odd groups:
  Joey Buttafuoco , "Kato" Kaelin, A Ticket Guy, and Dennis Hof.

• Weed becomes legal across Canada today, and yesterday it was announced that citizens with a conviction for possession of less than 30 grams (a tad over an ounce) would be pardoned. 
• Found footage: Former Dallas DA Henry Wade discussing prosecuting adult movie theaters and book stores in 1971. He said he had no problem getting convictions but the problem was that the juries weren't giving jail time. He didn't seem to understand that the juries were sending him a message. Those prosecutions exist nowhere in Texas today.
• Saudia Arabia is like Kavanaugh?
  
• "I don’t want to talk about any of the facts and they didn’t want to either." - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after being asked if the Saudis said Jamal Khashoggi, a permanent U.S. resident, was alive or dead. Do we have one competent person in that Administration? He traveled 12 hours to get there and they gave him an hour of their time including this yuk-it-up photo op.
  
• About three Twitter comments prompted this headline and story in the Star-Telegram:
  
• Breaking: Melania's plane had to go back to Andrew Air Force just now when smoke filled the cabin. All is well.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• ATT's Internet and TV services went out yesterday for most of North Texas due to a simple lightning strike at one building in Richardson. Doesn't make you feel very good about a cyber attack, does it? 
• "Rouge killers" got in the Saudi Embassy?
  
• And the Saudis are preparing to say he was killed because of "interrogation gone wrong." That's just a different version of "rogue killers". (People much smarter than me say this is the King Henry II defense in the death of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.)
• Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is dead at 65. Steve Jobs died at 56.
• The U.S. embassy in Australia accidentally sent out this cat photo instead of a meeting invite. I support this. We could all use more Cat in Cookie Monster Pajamas Eating Cookies in our lives. 
  
• Things like this doesn't even get on our radar any longer: "Authorities in Texas have arrested one man and are searching for his father in the fatal shooting of four people -- a 62-year-old man and his three grandsons in their 20s -- at a toddler's birthday party."
• "I couldn't get back to sleep because it was raining too hard so I got up at 4:30 and decided to do this project: Look up all Dak's runs and determine if they were scrambles or planned." - The Ticket's Bob Sturm yesterday. And you thought you lived a a full throttle life.
• I had to turn the heater on last night. That has to the quickest I've ever gone from running the a/c to running the heat. 
• The jury is deliberating in this Tarrant County case. It was a three week trial and this is the first coverage of it that I have seen. 
  
• We always lag behind:
  
• Owners of the Gas Pipe were found not guilty in federal court of the most serious charges of knowingly selling illegal synthetic marijuana. The jury had a reasonable doubt as to whether they knew what they were selling was illegal because of ever changing and complicated laws that only a chemist could understand. Texas state law is no different and it is next to impossible to prosecute some simple user who has every right to think he is buying legal stuff in one of those places. 
  
• Greg Abbott has now gone to fear-mongering commercials about MS-13. Your chances of being killed on 114 are greater than meeting an MS-13 member. 
• Two companies you may have never heard of, Harris Corp. and L3 Technologies Inc., have agreed to a merger that will create a $33.5 billion company. What business are they in? Defense contracting. The Dallas Morning News has an article on how the ever growing American War Machine is worth billions to the private sector. 
• I say it from time to time: If you think the American economy is pure capitalism, you're out of your mind. Think of the number of people you know who work for the government (either directly like a teacher or cop) or indirectly (like an employee for Lockheed.)
• Right on cue for the midterms, Fox News is running with stories of "hundreds" of people from Honduras headed to the border. And now watch Trump jump on it. Oops ... it is already starting. He will never give up on the Fear The Brown People message.
  
• The Honduran government needs to "stop" them and taken them "back"? It's not a prison escape.
• Elizabeth Warren is taking it on the chin for being 1/1024th native American. I'd like to see 1/1024th of Trump's taxes.

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

• At least he didn't take a knee.
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• Rev. Robert Jeffress skipped church at FBC Dallas to be on Fox News and say the prayer at Talladega (to a bunch of other people who skipped church.)
• A lot of truth to this:
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Hot Sports Opinion: The Big 12 just isn't very good.
• Dumb Texas Government: Hey, prosecutors, did you know you now have to go to an extra step to get fingerprints on TDC "pen packets" because DPS won't let TDC release them? More work at taxpayer expense for everyone!
• Regarding "gender reveal" parties: Could you just post something online that I could ignore instead?
• Decatur, which had been giving up 56 points a game, had a big win on Friday night by beating #10 Wichita Falls Hirschi. Somehow that led me to the Top 10 in 2A and "How They Fared." I'm too lazy to calculate the average victory margin but I think they've got the Top 10 pretty well pegged.
  
  
• Krum High School is about to implode due to allegations of grade weight shifting with blame alleged at the feet of the Principal and her husband teacher. Check out this story in the Record Chronicle where you can just feel the incredible tension. When the Mayor - that's right, the Mayor -goes to Facebook and begins a post with "I spoke tonight at the KISD board meeting related to an issue many asked me to speak on, and my comments were cut short by the President of the board . . . . " you know trouble is brewing. And they are just begging for a Whistleblower lawsuit when "administrator Bernard Lightfoot was asked to resign by Monday — and threatened with firing if he didn't . . . . "
• Trump was on 60 Minutes last night. The best thing to come out of it was that we learned he has this "painting" hanging in the White House. I'd have more respect if he had Dogs Playing Poker hanging on the wall.
  
  
  
  
• The Proud Boys Took Manhattan and got caught on video. They beat a small group of protesters Friday night following an appearance at the Metropolitan Republican Club by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes. They even posed for a picture after the attack. (Notice that hand symbol if you didn't think that is a "thing".)
  
• A plea bargain deal for four years deferred adjudication is on the table, but I'm not sure the judge has approved it yet: 
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• In looking at an old Texas Monthly over the weekend I saw an article on the deserved demise of drug task forces across Texas. Remember Tulia? This was the last paragraph  of the article, stressing it was all about money, referring to the Cross Timbers Task Force (which was "Denton-based") of which Wise County was a member. 
  
  
  
• "Bank" on it: America won't do anything to the Saudis. 
  
• As a Sports Expert, I'm obligated to tell you to tap your brakes on that Cowboys' win.
• Messenger: Above The Fold
• Trump owes Pocahontas one million dollars . . .  (Edit: Moments ago he lied and said he never said it.)