1.20.2023

It's Friday -- Let's Get Out of Here

at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts




That was a post an individual post I made that that day, but I have no idea where I got that photo.

  • I've ranted about the new phenomenon about traffic accidents being turned into crimes by prosecutors, but this is taking accident prosecution and ramping it up to a whole 'nother level. This is dumb. Incredibly dumb. 

    • He'll never be convicted. He shouldn't be convicted. 
    • You know how I know the DA doesn't know what she is doing? Well, she made the following statement during the press announcement about the charges: "Just because it’s an accident doesn’t mean that it’s not criminal.”  Words have meaning. Especially here. If it were truly an in reality an "accident" then it is not a crime. "Accident", by definition, means there was no reckless or other wrongful conduct. Heck, the jury will probably be instructed in writing that that is the law.  No prosecutor worth a dime would ever utter that phrase.

    • Legal nerdy stuff: Everyone, including the DA, has been talking about "recklessness" being the manslaughter standard -- and that's true almost everywhere, including Texas, which goes to the trouble of even defining it. But check out the actual Involuntary Manslaughter statute in New Mexico. Anyone think it gives you fair notice of what conduct is and is not against the law? "Without due caution and circumspection." That's one tricked up law.

  • I was curious about the status of this case.  The shooter, who was questioned and released on the day of the incident, is from Milwaukee of all places and is 25 years old. And I finally saw who the deceased was: 21 year old Gerrod Dorn.

  • The Supreme Court announced in a report that they were not able to identify the leaker of the Dobbs opinion by a "preponderance of the evidence." That is, they couldn't say someone was even probably the leaker.  Noteworthy, is that the report fails to state that the individual justices were asked directly if they were guilty.


  • Amber alert this morning. The three should be conspicuous. "Law enforcement officials said that they believe the girls were abducted and are looking for Jame Burns, 60, [who] is described as 5'2" tall and about 230 lbs."  Edit: That's the grandmother. 

  • A serial liar wants us to trust him.

  • Heck of a headline about a local mayor.

  • Random amphibian. A 5.8 pound toad was discovered yesterday in Australia.


  • Leaning into it this morning.

  • Time which has passed since the Wise County Sheriff's Office, despite having a full male DNA profile, has failed to solve the murder of Lauren Whitener in her home at Lake Bridgeport: 3 years, 199 days.
  • Messenger: Above the Fold



at 8:32 AM

1.19.2023

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




Just six months later, he would plead guilty to a plea bargain of life in prison without parole. The only thing he avoided was the potential death penalty.  Oh, and this was his Facebook masthead at the time of his arrest. 


  • All of the lies of George Santos probably aren't enough for the GOP to kick him out of Congress, but you would think that basically killing a veterans' dog would do it. And if not that, performing in drag shows in itself should be the kiss of death under the current version of the Republican Party.

  • The Google searches of the guy accused of killing his wife in the high-profile Massachusetts case are not good.

     

  • Oh, my. One neighbor in Allen bumped a neighbor at a pretty good clip and put her on her keister. Quick video here. 

  • I didn't believe the wording of the headline about that crazy icy crash in February 2021 around Northside Drive on southbound I-35 in Fort Worth . . .

    • . . . so I had to pull up the actual pdf report referenced in the story. It presented a graph of "average speeds" in "one minute intervals." So if only one car passes during the one minute interval, that car will single-handedly own the "average speed." It looks like for a period of two consecutive minutes right after 6:00 a.m. the average speed in one of the lanes was 103. If I had to guess, I would bet it was two cars in the fast lane, moments apart, each running 103, but with both being clocked in two separate "one minute intervals." But it can't be a single car. Otherwise, the chart shows the average speeds in the 75 mph zone were pretty normal.

  • A portion of the First Baptist Church in Stephenville collapsed while some repair work was being done. A couple of workers were injured.


  • The City of Godley has shut down due to the staff at city hall quitting. I thought it was a pretty good size town, but it only has about 1,400 people.  

  • Channel 8 is actually trying to convince you this morning that these two hosts "just happened" to wear the same outfit by accident. Don't buy it. It's a poor viral video attempt.  Video.

  • Unfortunate CBS11 tweet putting the wrong photo with the story. They deleted it almost immediately. 

  • Checking in on Fox News announcing the abrupt resignation of New Zealand's prime minister last night: “Some rare good news. The appalling Prime Minister of New Zealand Jakinda [sic] Ardern, the lady with big teeth who tormented her citizens, has just announced she is leaving office." Video.

  • That's 5% of its work force. Seems significant. 

  • Luka pulled up at the AAC in this. Really.  I may be the only guy which is kind of put off by the guy.




  • TCU did, in fact, hire Art Briles' son as offensive coordinator. 

at 8:31 AM

1.18.2023

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts




It's the 10 year anniversary of this. If you haven't seen the recent Netflix documentary about it, you should.  I, along with everyone else, roasted the guy at the time. Wrongly. 

  • Marjorie Taylor Green, a QAnon supporter who has said that 9/11 was inside job and who regularly appears on Alex Jones' show, is now on the Homeland Security Committee. God help us. This is all part of the deal Kevin McCarthy cut to become speaker.

  • The headline is about all we know.

  • The embattled Clay County Sheriff lives for another day. For now. He filed a motion is disqualify District Judge Jack McGaughey. 

  • I kept seeing the still shots of the kid wandering around apartment complex with a gun, and then I  finally watched the video. Oh, my. 

    • Dad got arrested over the incident. He denied having a gun, and said he was asleep during the day because he was home "sick." Cops had been about to leave the apartment complex until a lady came out and showed them the Ring camera video on her phone. 

  • Say what?

  • This is about the only thing I can think of which would rile today's students up enough to inspire a 1960s-like administration building takeover.

  • I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with the new Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare. He was objecting to spending $230,000 just for a study to update the commissioner's court streaming technology. "O’Hare was told the county had 245 employees in its IT department, but none has the skills to conduct such a study." You kidding me? 

    • You know how you solve the problem? Tell the IT department to submit a list of 10 links to the best county streaming sites they can find on the Internet. And then go contact those counties' vendors for a bid. And then publicly recognize the IT employees who found the best sites. This ain't rocket science. 
  • Until yesterday, I don't think I've ever seen an ATM being installed. Decatur is getting a new one by its Visitor's Center (the old post office) across from the Messenger's office. 

  • Within the last week, a man who gun downed people in the streets with an AR-15 has had an appearance cancelled in Texas and at The Venetian on the Las Vegas strip. 

  •  Kind of an odd concept. Two acres at Alliance Town Center for a place which calls itself beer-friendly yet somehow kid-friendly. And it will have no TVs.


  • Mark Cuban brow-beat the artist into painting over this mural in Deep Ellum. 

  • TCU is considering hiring Art Briles' son as offensive coordinator. He ran Baylor's offense during the high octane days but, of course, was around during the scandal.  He's currently the OC at Arkansas and, since leaving Baylor, has had the same position at Florida Atlantic (under Lane Kiffin), the University of Houston (under Major Applewhite) and at Florida State. No seemed to care about the hire at those schools. From the Star-Telegram: 

  • This is an actual text I received from Mrs. LL last week. It was, in fact, Lawrence Taylor. 

  • Messenger: Above the Fold

at 8:32 AM
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