Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• Radar from last night: 
  
• High school football schedules for this Fall: Decatur. Bridgeport. Boyd. Chico. Paradise. Sorry Alvord, yours was not listed.  Someone get on the ball up there and send the schedule in here.
• Cotton Bowl around 1930. Wow. I guess I just learned why "bowls" were named bowls.
  
• I think we can all easily say, "That's Azle." 
  
• That Machete Case just seems weird to me as the jury yesterday quickly sentenced him. In barely over 48 hours we have had a full trial and a life sentence. I'm not saying that wasn't much of an effort by the defense, but that didn't seem like much of an effort by the defense. 
  
• "So I was wrong on that case. They weren't seeking the death penalty. Do you have to declare the death penalty beforehand? That seems a little weird to me. Are there different rules when you seek the death penalty" - My hero Gordon Keith of KTCK on the radio this morning making me bang my desk and pull my hair out.
• Below is from the home page of the Dallas Morning News. There probably are few things more dangerous than simply driving on a freeway. Seriously. Once you throw in regular traffic accidents on top of road rage, there's no question it trumps death by all things we are taught to fear: tornadoes, right wing terrorism, Islamic terrorism, MS-13 (!!!), illegal immigration, sharks, lightening strikes, etc. 
  
• When I was a kid, I remember there being a paperback copy of the The Presidential Transcripts of the Nixon tapes published by The Washington Post laying around the house. I also remember thumbing through it and seeing "[expletive deleted]" for the first time in print. They didn't print dirty words back in the day.
  
• When we go full Idiocracy, the McNaughton paintings will be hanging in museums and considered fine works of art. I, for one, can't get enough of them. 

  

  She's touching him? 

• On this day in history and still dead:
  
• Crazy idea that I'd watch: Turn the Academy Awards into the NFL Draft format. Basically outdoors and open to the public with celebrities upfront in a protected area. Have a countdown clock with the Best Picture being the first award. Don't have any real host or anything happening on stage as we wait, but have the hosting network have a panel bat around which film it will be with prepackaged video clips. Just moments after we see "The Pick Has Been Delivered" there would be two previously undisclosed celebs walk to the podium (audience goes crazy). They say very few words but maybe play to the crowd with a shoutout,  just open the envelope, and say, "With the first award in the 2020 Academy Awards, the 'Best Picture' goes to . . . . . ".  Winner then goes up for photos and applause but gives no acceptance speech -- that'll be handled by a quick interview by a floor reporter. And then we see a graphic of "Best Actor Award is on the clock."  The ratings will certainly go down as the show goes on but that opening hour would be through the roof.
• I heard a radio commercial this morning for an email product about preventing "sexplotation."  Then I saw this headline below for a story in the Morning News today. The unwritten/unspoken fact is that you'll only fall for the scam if you think there's a pretty good chance someone has a compromising video of you. 
  
• After yesterday's embarrassing performance in the Senate hearing, AG William Barr is a no-show this morning at a House Judiciary Committee hearing.  The Democrats, moments ago, played it perfectly at the hearing. They all showed up. There was an empty chair where Barr was supposed to be. And Chairman Nadler called him out with a blistering statement. "We cannot let these moments pass."
• This ignoring of subpoenas and requests from a branch of government which has proper oversight in our Constitutional form of government has far more of a Watergate feel than anything we've seen thus far. It was the cover-up, not any incident, which brought down Nixon.
•  The only thing that I would done this morning if I were the Chairman of the committee would be to have my first words be, "Mr. William Barr? Mr. William Barr? Is there a Mr. Barr present?" I'd then turn to the Sergeant-at-Arms, and say, "Mr. Sergeant-at-Arms, please sound the hallway for a Mr. William Barr." That guy would then go into the hallway, stand at attention with cameras flashing, and yell: "William Barr? Mr. William Barr?" He then would go back in and formally say, "No answer, Mr. Chairman." Then I'd open the committee up for a Motion on Contempt of Congress.
• Edit: Robert? Who is Robert?