Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

The 2014 bi-district game between Decatur and Stephenville was a wild one. Stephenville tied the game on the very last play of regulation. Then, in the fourth overtime, Stephenville won by converting a 4th and 22 for a TD, and then winning it outright on the mandated 2-point conversion by a halfback pass. 

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• This is a five alarm fire for democracy unlike we have ever seen in our history.  I was waiting for the the Attorney General appointment -- without question the most important one Trump would make - and I feared it would be a dangerous one, but I didn't think it was going to be this stunningly dangerous.  
  
   
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Someone called me "hysterical" for writing last week that I would be very concerned if I were Jack Smith or Letitia James or any of the other Trump prosecutors.   Well, I'm already at the "I told you so phase." 
  
  
  
• Under Gaetz, who has no legal experience as either a prosecutor or a defense attorney and basically none as a practicing lawyer, he would serve as Trump's attack dog in the Justice Department which would no longer have its historical independence.  Instead, it would be lead by someone serving as Trump's personal lawyer following insane edicts from the füher without questioning them, and having all the power of the federal government behind him. 
• I cannot stress enough how insane this is. 
• Get ready for political round-ups.  
  
• Heck, that pick over-shadowed what would otherwise be a shocking pick in the appointment of Tulsi Gabbard, a Russian sympathizer, who will be the director of national intelligence. And her qualifications are just the same as others: Loyalty to Trump. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Surreal moment yesterday.
  
  
  
• Afterwards, Trump met with Republicans in the House.  Uh, he wasn't joking. I'm serious. He's not joking:
  
  
  
• Told ya. 
  
  
  
• Cornyn is up for election again in two years. I bet AG Ken Paxton runs against him. Flashback: 
  
  
  
• Out of place random thought: A lot of "Say What?" in the news this week. Add this one.  
  
  
  
• This, which was announced moments ago, is glorious. 
  
  
  
• Oh, my.  This is a pretty wild story.  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Thank God for new incoming Wise County rep Andy Hopper. I was so tired of getting pulled over going to work and having a vaccine injected into me by a deputy.  Oh, and welcome back polio and measles to your schools. 
  
  
  
• Random flashback to July, 2022.
  
  
  
• The Business Second™.
  
  
  
• Don't do that. 
  
  
  
• Messenger - Above the Fold

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

Found this from an old post. It was from the first ever Bridgeport Index published in 1910. Don't worry about that bank, they said, if they rounded up every cent they had there would be $187,000

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• I saw some pundits last night and this morning saying that the Senate might not confirm this talk show host for one of the most complicated jobs in the world. Are you kidding me? They will rubber stamp anything Trump wants. Plus, Trump's already told the Senate that he wants recess appointments so that he doesn't need their approval at all. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• That story overshadowed a bigger story that broke in the afternoon.  Now Trump wants to make sure the military is only full of yes-men. Like wanting to bypass the Senate, it's all about consolidation of  complete and absolute power in one branch.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Also announced last night: A made-up department which requires two chiefs and is named the "Department of Government Efficiency" has a very Monty Python feel to it.
  
  
  
• This guy's influence is getting weird. 
  
  
  
  
• Get ready. It's the beginning of modern day concentration camps. And private prisons will make money off of it (of course.) 
  
  
    
  
  
  
• No. He's not the right kind of American. 
  
  
  
• Ted Cruz even turned on him (again) this morning. 
  
  
  
• Predictable breaking news from the Times this morning. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A Baptist minister will be ambassador to Israel.  You think he'll care about the carnage that Israel is doing to Gaza or its incursions into the West Bank? He has said, "There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
• With "little Marco" Rubio nominated to be Secretary of State, there are strong rumors floating around that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint Laura Trump in his place as a Florida senator. And look who weighed in on it: 
  
  
  
• A bullet of point about sports seems quant. But I'll do it anyway: This was a wild experiment in the 1980s. Notre Dame chose a high school coach with no college experience to lead the Fighting Irish.  I knew it didn't work out well, but he actually had a winning record (barely) over four years. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Didn't I just say that Democracy dies gradually, then suddenly? 

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Everything about the above seems like a long time ago. 

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• A 26 year old Chico woman pled guilty, without the benefit of a plea bargain, in district court to Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child in August and was to be sentenced on November 18th.  But I noticed she was sentenced last week, perhaps as part of a plea deal worked out at the last minute, to 50 years. If that's a plea bargain, it might be the longest one I've ever seen here.  Or it could be that the sentencing hearing before the judge was moved up. I'll find out. (Cause no. CR25070.)
  
  
  
• Locally: Say what?
  
  
  
• Nationally:  Say what? "Ryan Borgwardt disappeared on Aug. 12 after he took out a life insurance policy and communicated with a woman from Uzbekistan, the Green Lake County sheriff said."
  
  
  
• Haiti isn't exactly a vacation destination these days.
  
  
  
• The fact that the Michelin restaurant rankings (which apparently are a really big deal) are associated with the tire company might be one of the most confusing things ever. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• With Trump's naming of these two guys, if you think he was kidding about a mass deportation/roundup, you are sadly mistaken. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• New this morning: The dog killer got a job - and its Homeland Security. 
  
  
  
• The only election denier who can't win again is Kari Lake. But it's probably because she is so unlikeable as opposed to being a MAGA nut.
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
• Texas prosecutors, get in line. 
  
  
  
• I thought cancel culture was over?  Side note that I've said this before: I don't know when it became in vogue to put your hand over your heart during the National Anthem.  We never did it in elementary school or at football games in high school back in the day.  Pledge of Allegiance, yes. National Anthem, no.  It was perfectly Ok to stand as a method of showing respect. 
  
  
  
• Here's a video still from Jerry World regarding what I mentioned yesterday. 
  
  
  
• Former Cowboy great. 
  
  
  
• Sun Bit. The Cowboys put up a a device to block the sun for the press conference yesterday. 
  
  
  

  

  For comparison. (I don't know who that guy is
  by the way.)

  
  
• If you ever start making it a point to pay attention to every ad you are bombarded with from all sources, you'll loose your mind.