12.06.2019

It's Friday. Let's Get Out Of Here.








at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts



  • The guy involved in the murder case out of Granbury didn't help himself with a jailhouse interview.  He said he used three guns to shoot his young wife. "So I bam, bam, bam shot her. That didn't even phase her.” (Dear WFAA: Your website is awful. Why are all media websites so bad?)
  • An innocent UPS driver and a bystander were killed by police in an insane shootout on a Miami highway yesterday shown live on local TV and the Internet. This video shows a portion of from someone in a nearby car (although I have no idea why someone would be rolling video at that moment.)
  • The Wichita Falls case where the son of the lottery winner is accused of sexual assault, and who is represented by lawyers who allegedly are charging $600,000, was derailed during jury selection this week. A rare halt to the trial was ordered by the Fort Worth Court of Appeals because of a defense claim that one of the prosecutors is also a witness. (Story.)
  • Have I mentioned "house of cards"?
  • Before we get to the Cowboys' game, can I mention what a cool view it is from that stadium? (But as a kid -- way before the stadium's renovation -- I remember seeing those columns above the opposite grandstands. I always thought that confusingly cool.)
  • Well, the Cowboys have ruined my 100% lock prediction of having an over 9 win season. If there is any proof needed that this is the most underachieving team in the history of teams, there you have it. I'm never wrong. 
  • Is Jason Garrett capable of making any changes as the game goes along? Nope. Over the last five years, the Cowboys have lost every game they have trailed at halftime except five. Only two teams are worse over that time period.
  • If I'm a crazy seventy-seven year old billionaire and the owner of an NFL franchise where I've spent a fortune to put together a team that should win, I'd do something drastic to try and save this season and scare the beejebus out every player and coach who is capable of being frightened for their job. Here's my plan:
    • First, I fire Jason Garrett today and appoint someone as interim coach. It doesn't matter who. Promote someone. I don't care. He'll just a caretaker. But keep the same offense and defense coordinators.
    • I then  hire Urban Meyer, not as a head coach, but as the most unique consultant in the history of the NFL. And this is the critical part: For the rest of the season I want him everywhere to just look, listen, and report back. No coaching. (I'll money whip him to do this gig.)  And this is just a contract for the rest of the year. There's no discussion of him being the next head coach. 
    • I want every player and every coach to know that no matter what is going on, Meyer has the absolute right to be anywhere he wants to be. A player might be in a one on one meeting with a coach and Meyer might walk up and listen and no one is going to tell him to leave. He has the right to be in all places at all times.
    • And I want him everywhere: On the sidelines with a headset on -- not saying a word but just listening, and walking around the bench area listening to every conversation coaches have with the players. To start the third quarter, I want him briefly in my owner's box so the cameras can see him talking to me. Then I want him to move to the coaches booth once gain listening, watching, and hovering over their shoulders. I want him out at the Star going in and out of every coach's meeting. 
    • And Meyer never talks to the media. He's just like the Grim Reaper looking for slackers and incompetence. And everyone on the team knows it.
    • Heck, it might not work, but at least it might put a fire under a team which can, because of a ridiculous division, make the playoffs. 
  • I make fun of screenshots of Fox and Friends all the time. MSNBC had one yesterday that got my attention.
(Probably explaining why he left Atlantic.)
  • How can people be so dumb? Nothing like Nazi Prison Guards. Story. (I don't know why their faces are blurred.)
  • If you want to see bad lawyer conduct by an attorney suing Allstate, go here. Extreme language warning. He is about to be royally slapped down by a federal judge.
  • Impeachment or not, re-election or not, Trump has already had an impact that your children's children will feel. Almost 30% of federal appellate judges are now Trump appointees. That's a staggering number.
  • Yesterday in a three hour period I had a windshield replaced, oil changed, car inspected, and got a haircut. You know what that's called? That's called getting "squared away."


at 8:33 AM

12.05.2019

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts



  • The heck with the War On Christmas, we had a War on Law School yesterday at the Impeachment Hearing. 
  • There was a great deal of discussion at that hearing as to what the Founding Fathers thought about impeachment.  If we could ask them, we'd probably have to wait for an answer as they composed themselves after learning that somehow the slaves were freed and women can vote. 
  • The suspension seems a little extreme. (I had someone tell me that in high school his offense had an African-American running back who would wear white tape around his wrists for deception. The football had white stripes on both ends.)
  • I've got questions. A lot of questions. (This is out of Granbury).
  • And you know who represents him in this nonsense? The founder of "Judicial Watch" which I just happen to make fun of yesterday in a bullet point.  (Side note: I had forgotten that Zimmerman sold at auction his gun he killed Martin with.)
  • Hey, you guys want to be beaten down by hearing Margaritaville for the billionth time after fighting Dallas traffic while you pretend to be living the Salt Life? (Sorry, just the mention of that song is enough to put me into intensive care.)
  • Yes, Virginia, the War on Christmas continued this morning. It was in the news. 
  • Speaking of news, I wonder if 40 years ago she would have thought she would stand in front of screen reading reader's tweets and Facebook posts that say things like, "Good job, that was perfect," "I hope he's OK," and "You go, girl!" 
  • That did remind me that Channel 4 used to be CBS and Channel 11 was a mishmash of syndication -- and a pretty, pretty good bit of mishmash at that. Then one day you walked in and turned on Channel 4 on and there was something called Fox. 
  • I decorated the outside of the house this year in all white lights but left inflatable Disco Santa in the box while realizing that I would incur Mrs. LL's wrath. Much to my surprise, she later said, "I don't think we should put it in the yard because the lights looks so elegant right now." I've been preaching that for years. (And I always wondered if the manufacturer of Disco Santa paid rights fees to the intellectual property owners of Saturday Night Fever. )
  • I don't hate Disco Santa, but I spent a few years cringing -- and I do mean cringing -- when Mrs. LL made me put out a giant inflatable monkey. 
  • From D Magazine:
  • Former Wise County Attorney Todd Durden, who ended up in Kinney County, became County Attorney there, and got into a crazy fight with the county judge, has filed as a Republican to become district judge. (Politics are interesting down there: The incumbent is Judge Enrique Fernandez who ran unopposed as a Democrat last time.)

at 8:31 AM

12.04.2019

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts


  • It has come to my attention that we've had a "Wise County Government Thanksgiving Dinner Fiasco of 2019" which might very well be the last county Thanksgiving Dinner. 
    • Every year all county offices are invited to a Thanksgiving dinner with everyone being strong armed to bring a dish. The only thing that is a constant is that the County Commissioners provide the turkey. This year it was held at the Women's Building on November 18th. Everything went well with a good time being had been all until about 48 hours later when sickness beset the masses. The fallout according to my highly placed sources of impeccable character is as follows:
      • 40 to 50 people ended up missing work due to sickness.
      • At least 1/2 of the county offices were impacted.
      • One county office had to completely shut down for a day.
      • "Probably 10 people" felt ill enough to "take a trip to the hospital."
      • One person, who I believe required overnight hospitalization, had a confirmed diagnosis of salmonella.
      • "It would hit you within 48 hours but would then knock you on your butt for a week and a half," said a source who spoke with Liberally Lean under condition of anonymity. 
    • The source of the illness appears to be the turkey but they don't know if more than one bird was the offending source. 
  • The incident gave rise to one of the great legal discussions of all time yesterday:
    • Would worker's comp cover the medical bills? Was it an illness incurred in the "course and scope of employment?" Does it matter that attendance was voluntary?
    • Then the discussion went on to a general discussion of liability for pot luck dinners in general. One county employee was basically of the position that unless someone was intentionally trying to kill you, you are taking your life into your own hands with any pot luck dinner.  She kind of had a point. Then she ruined her position by saying the same holds true for Panda Express because "accidents happen." (Editors note: Panda Express, if they were to be contacted, would say, "Keep us out of this stupid discussion. We didn't kill anyone.")
  • Since the commissioners brought the the turkeys, the most entertaining thing to happen would be for an Impeachment Inquiry to fire up. Let's have a full fledged TurkeyGate. We could have county employees called as witnesses in front of the cameras.  There might be a Whistleblower. We could have certain commissioners trying to "out" the Whistleblower. We could get claims of a "Witch Hunt." If the heat got to hot for a particular commissioner, he could release the cooking instructions for his turkey and say that he's had expert cooks look at it who  have called it a "perfect" recipe. And how has this scandal been swept under rug for a whole week? Is there a cover-up?  Is Rudy involved? This has potential. The founding fathers of our county, men who respected the turkey, would demand it. Amen.
  • We sure are involved in a lot of wars.
  • A Texas state representative running for re-election, Rep. Rick Miller, 74, dropped out of the race yesterday after all the state Republican big wigs turned on him for his comments below about his opponent. I'm surprised they went after him for that. (Miller won the district by only 4% last time. The chances of it now turning blue just increased.)
  • Trump is at the NATO meeting and the rest of the world leaders laughed at him behind his back.  Breaking: He found out about it this morning (our time) and is pissed. He said he's leaving (but his schedule hasn't been officially updated to reflect that.)
      Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, and Boris Johnson,
  • It sure looks like he's gone. Edit: Trump is now backtracking about leaving early.
  • Things weren't going too well before that. He was 100% confident in his answer below. Within the hour he had to emergency tweet that he didn't mean it. 
  • UIL re-alignment was yesterday. The only Wise County school effected was Chico which drops to 2A Division II. I would like, however, to announce my support for Runge:
  • So the Impeachment Inquiry Report was released yesterday revealing phone calls by Rudy, indicted Lev Parnas, Nunes(!), the White House and the OMB (who withheld the Urkaine aid.) I've said it before: Why don't they just admit that Trump withheld the money from Ukraine in order to get dirt on Biden, but just take the position it's no big deal? Why deny it and look dishonest and foolish? 
  • Dude, you're in deep. You're the worst lawyer ever. You need to shut up. 
  • The president of Judicial Watch isn't very smart.
  • Messenger: Above the Fold. Top headline: "Hunters kidnapped by cartel". 


at 8:37 AM

12.03.2019

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts



  • Two Decatur men were kidnapped over the weekend by a Mexican cartel during a hunting trip. Or maybe they weren't. This is all very confusing. Regardless, the story made it to Breitbart.com. For my Spanish speaking readers (or those who know how to cut and paste into a translation site), the story is here.
  • The Denton Record Chronicle obtained the arrest warrant affidavit in the murder case where an Alvord man is one of the accused. It provides more details. 
  • Felipe Gallegos of Rhome, 39, fell of a ladder on Saturday while hanging Christmas lights  as part of his business. He later died at a Denton Hospital. A GoFundMe page which had a goal of $20,000 has raised over $34,000 as of this morning. (It's really confusing as to where exactly the accident happened. The Medical Examiner's site says it "occurred" at "320 Private Rd. 4441, Rhome, Texas 76078" which is the same address listed as his residence. The Star-Telegram relies on that in its story by saying, "Officials with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that the Wise County man died of blunt-force injuries caused by accidentally falling off his roof." But KXAS says the incident happened "while hanging Christmas lights for a client in Rhome." To add to the confusion, the video story from WFAA, which has the credibility of an interview with his wife, has the reporter saying the fall happened in Argyle and actually shows a still shot of a home.)
  • One of Dallas' largest homes has been sold to "Mehrdad Moayedi’s Crescent Estates Custom Homes." Am I wrong here, or aren't residential homes normally bought by individuals or couples  instead of a company? Can a partnership/corporation/other entity claim a homestead exemption for residential property taxes? We are talking about a chunk of change of a property listed for $28 million.
  • A Waco JP told the local paper that as a “Bible-believing” Christian, her conscience prohibited her from doing same-sex weddings. That earned her an official rebuke. But that decision by the State Board of Judicial Conduct is really interesting. It's not a decision saying she must marry gay people upon request. Nope, it's a decision saying she created a perception that a gay person who is a party to a civil or criminal case in her court has a reason to now be concerned he or she will be treated fairly.   
  • Man, that Peloton ad is getting roasted everywhere. (Here's a language-warning parody version.)
  • I actually bought a workout bike a year ago and use it every other day. But there was no way I was buying a Peloton. Why would I spend almost $3,000 to have a guy yell at me for motivation? I bought the one below for under $300 -- it's built like a brick and is quiet. (On sale now from Amazon for $239. #NotAnAd.)   There's actually a higher priced one by the same manufacturer which uses magnets for tension. I bet it's sweeter, but I'm totally satisfied with mine.
  • Things were different when I was a kid.
  • I'd like to meet these "legal scholars" who said this. 
  • I'm finally getting around to watching The Americans and am now into season four.  The fact that I'm watching it when Russia is front and center in the news might make it better than when it first aired.
  • I've listened to Troy Aikman do a segment on The Ticket for years. There is no one -- and I mean no one -- who has less of a personality than that guy. 
  • National Park Rangers now have to patrol the border? You kidding me? They didn't sign up for that. 



at 8:29 AM

12.02.2019

Random Monday Morning Thoughts


  • I ventured out on Black Friday to get something unrelated to Christmas. I'd like to report that Wise County seems to be in a very, very foul mood. I, on the other hand, was a ray of sunshine.
  • There was an attack on the London Bridge where the guy was subdued by, get this, people using a fire extinguisher and a "nawhal tusk." Fun American fact:
  • Also regarding the London Bridge, this is not a fun fact:
  • Decatur lost its playoff game on a last second field goal. You can see the kick here. Oh, and the game was played in the fog:
  • If Decatur would have won, they would have been playing Springtown at some nearby location. Instead, the Porcupines continue their road trip that never ends.
  • Who do you think is telling the truth?: Trump or the Taliban? We are at that point. (And the Taliban seems to be a no-brainer answer.)
  • A police officer in Oklahoma received a coffee from Starbucks with "PIG" on the label. The employee was fired. Then things got crazy. News started coming out that Starbucks has filters on its software which would prevent "PIG" being used as a name unless that name was set up by the customer on his app. The cop's daughter went scorched earth on her father. (Below.) And the police chief now says the employee shouldn't have been fired (but really won't say why.)

  • Finally we are seeing the truth come out! And I shall lead them! (Fox 4 is still calling it the "busiest" day, but at least they are providing proof to the contrary.)
  • This old photo of Danny White was floating around this weekend. I had never seen it before, and I have no idea what the story is. I want answers.
  • Good lord. (That's by College Station.)
  • Jerry Jones' bad football Thanksgiving weekend: (1) Cowboys lost, (2) Arkansas, where his grandson is quarterback, lost to Missouri, and, adding insult to injury, the grandson didn't play. The two quarterbacks who did play in his place went a combined 11 of 31 for 77 yards, (3) Three time defending state champion Highland Park lost in overtime at Jerry World to one of the million high schools in Frisco. (I thought he still had a grandson there, but I might be wrong.)
  • I'm started to read Lonesome Dove. I never saw the TV mini-series.
  • Joe Biden nibbled on his wife's fingers? Mrs. LL says you guys need to leave this man alone! (I'll check with her later to ask if she really did.)
  • A law professor from the University of Baltimore becoming a judge normally wouldn't make a bullet point, but it's for the country of Palau. That jogged my memory.  Former Williamson County DA John Bradley, who got caught up in the Michael Morton scandal, got a job there as the country's attorney general.  Seinfeld voice: What's the deal with attorneys getting cool jobs in Palau?
  • College football thoughts: (1) UT coach Tom Herman is firing everyone except himself, (2) With Alabama losing, I now think Baylor could get into the Final Four with an (unlikely) win over OU -- that's a sentence I never expected to write, (4) The Big 12 Championship game starts at 11:00 a.m.? (5) The PAC 12 Championship game is on Friday? (6) Very random stat: Kentucky rushed for 517 yards in a win over Louisville, (7) Alabama would beat Auburn 9 out of 10 times even with a backup QB, (8) TCU isn't bowl eligible, and I've got a weird - and crazy -feeling about that Gary Patterson might want to finally go somewhere else,  (9) Most disappointing season: UNT, (10) Hot sports opinion: UNT's quarterback has been extremely overrated, (11)  The Aggies and Arkansas need to join/come back to the Big 12, (12) It's weird how Michigan's single level stadium holds so many people -- it had an announced attendance of 112,071 on Saturday for the Ohio State game, (13) Charlie Strong has gone from the coach of the Evil Empire to being fired by South Florida, and (14) Ole Miss fired its coach for going 15-21 over the last three seasons. Remember when they fired now LSU coach Ed Oregon after three season in 2017?
  • Monday Safety Tip: Don't wire your handgun to your front door as a way of providing home protection:
  • The BagofNothing guy just casually throws in an attempted murder story this morning. 
  • Messenger: Above the Fold

at 8:32 AM
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