Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

Ted Cruz entered the presidential race. 

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• Wise County Criminal News Yesterday: Robert A. Moriarty pled guilty to the capital murder of his 11 year-old daughter and was sentenced automatically to life in prison without parole. The way I read this, he pled to the maximum sentence due to the fact that the only thing worse, the death penalty, wasn't available because of this law passed in 2019.  It both giveth to the State and taketh away.
  
  
  
• In a shocking breach of security, the top people in Trump's administration, in a group chat within unsecured commercial app Signal, discussed in detail the plans for the bombing in Yemen which took place a few days ago. If that wasn't bad enough, the accidentally included the editor of The Atlantic to the chat and no one even noticed. They are going to get soldiers killed with this kind of recklessness.
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
• And when secrets weren't being revealed, they texted like teenagers.
  
  
  
  
  
• As the Administration was confirming the story, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth -- whose qualification was being a Fox News host -- got off of a plane in Hawaii and lied to us all. And he did what MAGA always does: Attack the media. Even Fox News' Brit Hume couldn't believe it. 
  
  
  
• Trump attacked the media as well and has since seemed disinterested in the security breach. As long as those involved are loyal to him, nothing else matters.
  
  
  
• You won't believe the way Fox News handled the story last night.  Or maybe you will. Here's the quick video intro which almost has to be seen to be believed.
  
  
  
• Elon was at another cabinet meeting yesterday and, as always, was dressed to kill.
  
  
  
• This silly threat to take over Greenland continues to get ramped up.  The visit by Usha Vance is not at the invitation of Greenland and, in fact, its prime minister said it was a "very aggressive" provocation.  Despite this, Trump told us all yesterday she was "invited." (Video.)
  
  
  
• Trump doubled down on his authoritarian attack on law firms yesterday: "Behave yourself,"  he warned. This comes on the heels of his memo on Friday to the Justice Department to, in essence, target "despicable firms" who challenge his actions.  This is only going to get worse, and he'll move on to the media next.  It's over. 
  

  

  
  
  
  
• In the Alien Invasion Act case (where the alleged gang members were summarily rounded up and shipped off in planes without the right for innocent people to say they were picked up by mistake), the judge wants to know when those planes were in the air since he had ordered the deportations to temporarily stop. Last night, Trump's Justice Department refused to answer the judge by invoking a privilege that doesn't apply.  This is just defying the court order.
  
  
  
• Seems like a big deal. And he hasn't been seen since. Edit: Reportedly free this morning. 
  
  
  
• An Amber Alert was issued last night for a 15 year old Rowlett boy (who was found a few hours later), but it didn't sound like an abduction.  Aren't those alerts supposed to be limited to abductions?

Random Monday Morning Thoughts

This was just the beginning. She last lasted 20 months in office.

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• The superintendent of Slidell ISD said good-bye to her students as she heads off to her new job at Decatur ISD. There's a couple of great pictures here -- and they just seem incredibly authentic. And yet another reason to oppose vouchers which will gut public schools.
  
  
  
• This was awful.  At around 6:00 p,m. on Saturday a car, for some unknown reason, went off a bridge on Beach Street just north of I-30 in Fort Worth and landed in the Trinity River. The female driver was taken to the hospital in critical conditions. But it got worse.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The guy who wants $100 million just had some broken bones. Recall that five other people, however, died. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Fox4Terry was hard at it at one of the many wrecks this weekend that shut down freeways seemingly everywhere in DFW. 
  
  
  
• With the legitimacy of the courts being the only thing left standing between us and a dictator, Trump continued his attacks on the judiciary this weekend as he tried to snap that final thread.  This one is explained here.
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
• Regarding that "gang member deportation" case, on Friday Trump very oddly denied signing the actual deportation order which was based upon the Alien Enemies Act, Instead, he attributed it all to Marco Rubio. (Video) Why wasn't he taking credit? And the White House press office had to immediately walk back the "I didn't sign it" statement since his signature under the order was in the Congressional Record. 
  
  
  
• This is where we are.  Video. And we are not talking about using the deportation system here. We are talking about literally snatching people off the streets and putting them on planes to prisons or worse.  And the public cheers simply because he tells you they were gang members. That's not the point. At all. 
  
  
  
• Update on "Putin wants peace."  "KYIV — Nearly 150 Russian drones hit Kyiv Saturday night killing three, including a 5 and 80 year old, and injuring ten.  
  
  
  
• Trump announced a "next generation" fighter jet the F-47 (named after him), but was suspiciously short of any details. And do we need manned fighters at all?
  
  
  
• The Commerce Secretary stepped in it by saying the only ones who would complain about missing a Social Security check are the "fraudsters" because no one else would mind. Video
  
  
  

  

  
  
• This Easter Event Will Be Sponsored. "The sponsorship offers range from $75,000 to $200,000, with the promise of logo and branding opportunities, according to a nine-page document sent to potential sponsors."  Sponsorships within the White House were literally in the script of the movie Idiocracy.
  

  

  
  
  
  
• He's so weird. Elon Musk decided to entertain himself with a cutlery trick at Mar-a-Largo over the weekend (with Trump just to his right at the same table.)
  
  
  
• Trump is big mad about this photo hanging in the state capitol building in Colorado so he dedicated a long post about it yesterday. This is what he is worried about. Certainly not the conduct and mindset of a dictator, right? 
  
  
  
• The Business Second™.  I meant to post this last week.    You can now finance the food that you are too lazy to go pick up. A clear cut sign we are entering a dystopian world.
  
  
  
• If those plaintiffs lawyers get my Roundup banned, I'll scream.  
  
  
  
• But the lawyers for Roundup  normally win. 
  
  
  
• Standings of the prestigious Liberally Lean Pick 'Em tourney.
  
  
  
• Public service for my Bridgeport friends: The timing for red light on 380 by Love's is royally screwed up.