Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• On May 8th, I wrote that I had finally read the Texas Monthly article on the in-house theft of millions of dollars at the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana. The story wasn't recent, and I'm not sure why it had got my attention. But the story also caught the attention of someone else: Last weekend it was announced a movie about it, Fruitcake, will be made starring Will Ferrell and Laura Dern. Another weird coincidence: I told Mrs. LL as I was reading the article that the story reminded me of Bernie. Then my dad told me three days later the story reminded him of, uh, Bernie. And this morning, Craig Miller on The Ticket said the story sounds a little like . . . Bernie.
  
   
• The Acting Secretary of Defense is gone hours after a USA Today story broke about a domestic violence incident.  We've not had a Secretary of Defense in months. #BestPeople
• I saw this story but couldn't read it because it's behind a paywall. But I did notice in the sub-headline that the County Attorney's name was Todd Durden. Wait a second. Wise County had a County Attorney named Todd Durden in the 1990s. Same guy? Yep. (Regarding the "Pay-to-Plea" system, Durden requested for an AG opinion on the practice. PDF here.)
  
• Durden won the County Attorney job in 1996 when he ran as a Republican and unseated incumbent and pro-weed Democrat Stephen Hale. And he barely won. (I think it was by about 500 votes, but I can't find the results right now.) The Dallas Observer story from back then is as if it was written about a different world. Here's an excerpt: 
  
• Oklahoma government IT guys aren't messing around. Is this a thing for government workers? You mess around to much on the Internet and your overlords are automatically tipped off?
  
• You've shared an office with a guy since 1988, and he is now $5,417 delinquent on this month's rent, so you sue him and make the Texas Lawyer. (The lawyer doing the suing is one of the  special prosecutors of Ken Paxton -- a prosecution which has stalled due to Collin County commissioners refusing to pay the prosecutors' submitted six-figure fee.)
  
• Former Ranger Michael Young will get his number retired. Must not take much. (I remember him whining when he had to move to second when Elvis took over shortstop and when Beltre was acquired.)
• The "lost hiker from Fort Worth in the Arkansas park" was on the Ticket this morning. He said he considered suicide by "bashing his head on the rocks" but he heard God say, "Where do you want to go, heaven or hell?" and then "I stood up and that's when I heard" those looking for him. He wasn't found then despite him shouting back. He blamed it on the echos.  I have no evidence that the guy is lying and I'm not saying he is, but something feels wrong about this whole story. (They didn't ask him about the GoFundMe page.)
• Yesterday Trump said he didn't regret calling for the death penalty of the now exonerated  Central Park Five.  It's not amazing that he wouldn't admit he was wrong -- he never does -- but it is interesting/bizarre that he said, "There are people on both sides of this."  Those are the same words he used to defend the Unite The Right neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. 
• The Proud Boys showed up at Trump's Orlando re-election rally yesterday flashing the White Power hand symbol. More.
  
• The probation department in Wichita Falls is in chaos. (It made the front page below)
• Messenger: Above the Fold.