Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• The Feds have taken over the case of the child kidnapped in Fort Worth. My first thought was "How is that a federal crime since everything happened in Tarrant County?"  A law review article popped up on the first page of my search analyzed how the 2006 Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (who knew?) pushes federal jurisdiction to the extreme. Summary: It's basically because he used a car.
• An Amber Alert didn't go out in that case because Fort Worth PD couldn't get their fax machine to work.
• Random Elvis thought #1: I concur with the guy below. Thought #2: For such an American icon, how come you never see an Elvis movie on TV or hear an Elvis song on the radio? 
  
• I often watch shows with closed caption on. Because of that, while watching the pilot of The Americans, I learned that the lyrics of Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight say "oh Lord" instead of "Hold on."  I've been wrong about those lyrics for all my life, oh Lord.
• He's upset and extremely weird this morning: At least 19 tweets and retweets as the sun is coming up.
  
  
  
  
• The Messenger is losing its sports reporter/editor. 
• An alligator was spotted next to Eagle Mountain Lake close to Jacksboro Highway.
  
  
  
  
• All the (currently, at least) unconstitutional abortion laws being passed have penalties of prison for the doctor but none for the woman. Hardliners gonna hardline: 
  
• John Walker Lindh is up for release from prison, and I had to ask myself, "Who is he again?" But Fox and Friends drunkenly told me. 
  
• If you struggle through the slowest loading news site in the world (sorry Star-Telegram), you'll learn it was just a misdemeanor and no one was injured (so probation is typical) but what confused me is that he elected the jury for sentencing: "During testimony in Moore’s sentencing, his pastor told jurors that the Lake Worth man has since been to rehabilitation and gotten his chemical dependency under control."  First, why not choose the judge for sentencing and bypass the jury? A judge is going to probate the case every time. And why call the pastor to bring up rehab? Stories are legendary about the effects of Ambien sneaking up people without their knowledge. Why paint the guy as some drug addict? (There has to be more to this story.)
  
• I like being able to rattle off the population of the United States. I first started doing it when it was 270 million. It's now about 330 million. (Now you can rattle off the population as well.) 
• Hey, I appreciate the students at Alvord High School putting on a mock trial about the case of Making of a Murderer, but the first sentence told me the trial had a reversible error: "A student sat handcuffed, awaiting his fate, as the prosecution and defense teams presented their arguments Tuesday." 
  
• Messenger: Above the Fold