3.24.2023

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

at 2:30 PM

Random Friday Morning Thoughts




Shaq visited Gov. Chris Christie on March 21, 2013.

  • This seems a little concerning from overnight:

    • And if that gets your attention, wait until you learned we've already responded with airstrikes. 

  • My highly paid and trained weather team was spot on with its prediction this morning.

     

  • Two people were found shot to death in a car at an apartment complex in Denton not far from the mall early this morning. 

  • The leader of the Republican Party went full Hitler on his social media platform all day yesterday and into the middle of the night:
    •  He posted a picture of him holding a baseball bat next to the Manhattan DA.

    • He called the black D.A. an "animal" (good lord!) and also said he was "Soros backed" (read "Jew backed.")

    • And he promises "death and destruction."  I cannot believe what I'm seeing. It's all out in plain sight.  It's a call to arms to the Stormtroopers. 

    • And he even posted this computer generated picture yesterday.  

  • Meanwhile, we still are having the fallout from his last Insurrection.  One of his groupies received three years in prison yesterday. Not enough. 


  • But the alternative candidate was making headlines yesterday on Fox News as well:

  • Since the district judge in Montague County is stepping down, Gov. Abbott will get to appoint a successor. Applications are currently being submitted.

  • This is nuts and should be on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Last week, the wife of the Tarrant County D.A. stood up in front of a crowd with a microphone, introduced herself as such, and told them the way to get school librarians arrested for having objectionable books in the library is to bypass the D.A. and go directly to the grand jury. And, disturbingly, she added that the strategy would work because grand jurors "look a lot like us." Video (with captions).

  • Dak Prescott got a new full leg tattoo. That's dumb, but knock yourself out.

  • There is no way Zeke Elliott has offers from these three teams. I'm still not convinced anyone will want him.  

  • Liberally Lean Leaderboard.
  • 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, 263 days.

at 8:30 AM

3.23.2023

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




We are "celebrating" the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq this week, but just 10 years ago it was still a mess over there. In 2013, there were 8,955 people killed in acts of violence. 

  • In one of the weirdest plays in Maverick's history, the entire team failed to guard the Warriors after a time out, allowing for an uncontested dunk. Video.

    • So this is what happened: The ball gets knocked out of bounds on a play and the refs indicated it was the Warriors' ball. Instantaneously, the Mavs called a time out and, in response, the ref then pointed at their bench to grant that time-out. The Mavs claim that they thought the pointing at them was an indication the ball had really been awarded to them.  That's why they were unprepared for the Warriors just throwing in the ball after the time-out with no one guarding them.
    • Of course, that doesn't explain why all five Mavs were at the other end of the court. If they truly thought it was their ball, they were going to need at least two players on the other end of the court. 
    • Coach Jason Kidd cited "confusion." Yep, for you. Mark Cuban said he would "file a protest" of the game. That's embarrassing.

  • Liberally Lean Weather Forecast: It will storm in Wise County around 4:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. 
  • School shootings momentarily shifted to Colorado yesterday.

  • Long time Rangers play-by-play man will miss the start of the season. You never know what is going on in someone else's life. 


  • He was convicted because of a photo-lineup.  Photo-lineups are rarely, rarely used any longer for this very reason.


  • This case was a dog in 1986 and certainly isn't any better now. The defendant, now 65 years of age, was 22 at the time.  

  • This story is picking up a little steam. I would expect this from private Abilene Christian but not from a public university. And we live in a weird, weird world when drag shows can go from an obscure after-thought to Public Enemy #1 instead of, say, school shootings. Culture wars are so brain-numbing.  

    • And he really leaned into it in his statement. 


  • The Texas House passed a harmless and thoughtful resolution yesterday -- one of hundreds of routine resolutions they will approve this session -- extending Muslims across the state the legislature's best wishes as the holy month of Ramadan begins. 

    • Of course, I expected someone like Tony Tinderholt to be of only two legislators to vote against the measure when it came up for a vote. And you knew he would use it to do some self-promotion as an Islamophobe. (I should note that the fact that Tinderholt being on his fifth marriage has nothing to do with this.)


    • But what I couldn't believe was that our own Rep. Lynn Stuckey, and Jack County's rep, David Spiller, had the official legislative journal of the vote reflect they changed their vote to "no."  I'm stunned and disappointed. Not at the journal procedure -- that's common -- but by their ultimate vote. Both of the men are of greater character than to pander to the lowest common denominator by voting no.  They are both better than that and should be ashamed.

  • Who is the world believes it is?
  • John Cornyn, every now and then, remembers what it was like when Congressmen were statesmen. 
  • Messenger: Above the Fold

at 8:34 AM

3.22.2023

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts






I had forgotten about the great cat rescue from 2013.

  • It's been a crazy news week in Wise County. We've had the Heritage Museum burn down, the alleged road rage death in Rhome and now the ensuing arrest, and a juvenile and a 17 year old arrested in an alleged murder case.  All just allegations, of course -- except the fire.
  • And yes, I've been aware of the "hazing" allegations with the Bridgeport High School soccer team, but the wild rumors you might have heard about are simply not true. 
  • This is a picture of the 16 year old Arlington Lamar student who died from gunfire.

    • Those elected in Texas to make laws, and who are actually in session right now to make those laws, instead offered their thoughts and prayers yesterday.

    • And there was another shooting yesterday.

  • Last night I actually watched online the Book Banning Committee Public Education Committee as they held a hearing on House Bill 900 which is about banning books. It was painful to watch. We are so doomed. Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report was watching it, too: 



  • Latest polling data for Republicans:

  • Re: License plate readers:
    • The City of Wichita Falls is getting in on the action. 

       
    •  A faithful reader saw this nugget in a story where the trooper doubted the driver's story as to her path of travel because "a license plate report showed the SUV northbound on 287 in Wise County around 2:30 p.m. on March 17, and southbound in Childress County around 7:20 a.m." Troopers can instantaneously pull the data from LP readers.

      • Side note: When an officer asks you "where you are headed?" feel free to decline to  answer. It really has nothing to do with any traffic stop and, regardless, you don't have to do anything other than hand over your DL and insurance. 
  • That's actually not the city banning the flags, that's a private entity banning the flags within its own private parade. There's a difference.




  • Legal nerdy stuff: Last Friday Trump received an adverse ruling in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, but late yesterday the federal appellate court in D.C. stayed the ruling. I'm not smart enough to understand the nuances of what is going on, but look at these crazy deadlines that were put on the lawyers around 6:00 p.m. yesterday! (Here's a pretty good explainer thread.)

  • Gwyneth Paltrow is actually in a courtroom this week where she is being sued by a guy who claims she negligently ran him over while both of them were skiing. He's allegeding injuries of broken ribs and "brain damage."   Color me skeptical. 


  • Long time local TV news personality Jane McGarry posted a very honest photo this morning. 

  • The Fed should raise interest rates by .25% today.

at 8:29 AM
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)