10.14.2019

Random Monday Morning Thoughts


  • Fort Worth, you have a problem.  If the Amber Guyger case gave rise to all sorts of intricate and nuanced legal issues, the murder of Atatiana Jefferson does not. This is a bad. Real bad.  (Here's the bodycam video if you haven't seen it.)
  • I was actually the subject of a welfare check once that began very similarly. Somehow my front door came open during the night and neighbors called the cops early the next morning because they were concerned. I woke up to some yelling and impulsively threw open my bedroom door to see two cops in my foyer.  Neither had their guns drawn. In fact, one immediately walked outside to some neighbors and laughingly (and loudly said), "Well, he's up now!"
  • Unless he condemns it, he owns it. A bizarre, graphic and violent video shown at Mar-a-Lago in front of Trump supporters at a campaign event showed Trump engaged in a church shooting of media outlets and critics. What is wrong with those people? 
  • The abandonment of the Kurds has turned into full scale ethnic cleansing. Twitter was full of videos of executions of innocent people including bombings, stonings and beheadings.   ISIS was set free. Mothers were holding dead children. The Pentagon called it all war crimes. This was a decision by Trump without support. He went it alone. There is blood on his hands. 
  • And this news got buried but Trump announced late Friday he is sending 2,000 troops to Saudi Arabia and was excited simply because they'll (allegedly) pay for it. Yep, your sons and daughters are being turned into paid mercenaries. The U.S. military is for hire.
  • Let's check in on Trump this morning. 
  • Heck, I'm surprised he even knows it's Columbus Day. Oh, wait a second . . . . 
  • The commissioners of Rockwall County, the smallest county in Texas, voted themselves a 23% raise, with salaries ballooning from $77,766 to $96,000. They are all Republicans.
  • Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn wanted the spotlight on Thursday at the White House to warn about immigrants in jail being released, getting drunk, and coming to "your neighborhood." Over the weekend, his son got drunk near Jerry World and . . . 
  • By the way, the Sheriff greatly exaggerated the problem he feared. There are 4,744 DWI cases pending in Tarrant County. Only 60 are being held on immigration reviews. 
  • Sports: (1) Some say OU's Jalen Hurts hurt his Heisman chances. He rushed for 131 yards on Saturday -- the most any OU quarterback as ever rushed against Texas. And think of all those great option quarterbacks. (2) Baylor's 6-0 is a very shaky 6-0, (3) Junior Miller made this point on The Ticket this morning: Doesn't it seem like you haven't seen the chains brought out onto the field for a measurement this year -- either in college or pros? (4) The Aggies fell out of the Top 25 but that doesn't seem fair. Their three losses are to #1, #3, and #11 teams with a combined one loss. (5) The older I get, the less I care about pro sports. (6) Decatur had a long scoring drive this weekend where they went for it three times and converted each time on fourth down. Always go for it on fourth down. (7) Trust me, this is the greatest highlight of the weekend. 
  • That guy knows so many secrets. 
  • Billy Joel can still pull in 40,000 people in Arlington. Here's a really good video shot of the crowd as someone in the audience pans their camera.
  • Messenger: Above the Fold