Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• A Texas kid posted a 9.98 time in the 100 meters last weekend. Video. It was wind aided but that's still amazing. 
  
• The Texas House approved bill 63 yesterday that moves personal marijuana possession for a Class B misdemeanor to a Class C (the equivalent of a traffic ticket with freedom from arrest.) The chances of it getting past the Senate look bleak, however, because of opposition from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. 
• It used to be a running joke that "I-35 was always under construction." It's really not a joke. It literally is always under construction. 
  
• A guy has been arrested for allegedly planning to bomb a White Supremacist rally in Long Beach in retaliation for the massacre of fifty peaceful Islams worshiping in New Zealand. (For long time readers you've heard my rant before: Once every year or two the federal government will focus all its energy on some smuck who posts crazy stuff online but who has absolutely no way of carrying out his alleged desires. This American Life featured the way this type of federal operation works way back in 2005. The same scheme was used in Dallas in 2009.)
  
• It was a dark day yesterday. (But in another photo coach Kim Mulkey at least seemed to grimace at hamburgers being served.)
  
• I've got an informal Bridgeport history research project going on. Tidbit I learned: Elementary school kids from Paradise were bused into downtown Bridgeport circa 1941 to view Gone With The Wind showing at the movie theater which was on the south side of Halsell Street. Side note: There were no bathrooms. (I've got some information that the very first movie theater was actually in a building more to the east on the same block but it isn't listed by the Bridgeport Historical Society.  I'll figure it out.) Photo below of where Gone With The Wind played compared with most recent Google street view shot.

  

  1008 Halsell Street.
  

  

• Speaking of downtown Bridgeport, it's been the worst kept secret in the county that there has been a run on downtown property over the last few months. 
• Trump and The Family are so frightened of Deutsche Bank turning over documents to Congress that they filed a lawsuit late yesterday to try and stop it. Not a chance in the world this will work.
  
• The 911 tape in the Amber Guyger mistaken shooting case has been released. I'm standing by my earlier prediction: She won't be convicted of a single thing. Nor should she. This is, practically speaking, an accident. Legally speaking, it is the intentional killing of another (murder) with what should be a slam dunk defense of "mistake of fact". 
• I've mentioned this show before and now we have an update: "In the month following the debut of 13 Reasons Why, there was a 28.9% increase in suicide among Americans aged 10-17, says a new study." Schools were sending out advisories to parents about it. 
  
• A wreck in Dallas had the routine chase and routine alleged car theft angles but also had this crazy fact: "There were nine young people, 5 males and 4 female believed to be from 13 to 16 years old, inside the Escalade."
  
  
• Konni Burton, who amazingly was able to screw up and lose her Texas State Senate seat as a Republican and with the financial backing of Empower Texans PAC, has launched a "news" site in order to avoid "fake news." It's subscription. It will die a quick death unless she wants to do it for free. She needs to learn to lose with class. 
• Bruton's buddy, Rep. Jonathon Stickland, looks to be promoting anti-vaccinations campaigns online.  As if his love for Open Carry wasn't enough, he now wants all Texas to walk around with guns while they are dying of measles?
  
• The Alamo, let's face it, is a boring visit. But at least they are trying as they put up six big bronze statues yesterday.