Words to Live By
Given a choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier.
- Blore’s Razor
Wednesday Roundup: Taste the Creamy Filling
- The corporate mandated pot-stirring from Belo for the People’s Hotel is bad enough — read any of Steve Blow’s bought and paid for house advertorials? — but is it so bad that writers aren’t putting their bylines on their assigned hit pieces?
- Grits for Breakfast explains why Shanda Perkins — she of the anti-dildo crusade — should not be on the state parole board.
- DUI checkpoints a-comin’ unless they get derailed. “Your papers, citizen.”
- Coinciding with the posting of my Star Trek movie review, there’s this bit of awesome — the instruction manual for the USS Enterprise.
- Ye Olde Butcher Shop in Plano makes the top 5 burgers in Texas. Totally agree.
- Yes, but what about the local anchors now that the Great Hamthrax Panic is over? Won’t someone think of them?
Finally, U.S. Rep Pete Sessions, R-Oh God It’s Dallas, has been partying it up at Tao in Las Vegas. Here’s the billboard for one of the GOP venues — “Always a Happy Ending.” (h/t Ed Cognoski.)
Friday Roundup: I’m Going to the Special Hell for Item One
- Yeah, it’s real fun to be the guy who “defends” a convicted sex offender. This is going to make me real popular. But I’m just a little troubled that this guy is facing 10 years not because the law regards what he did as a danger to children, but rather because of a technicality. “John Joseph Stuart…faces a felony registration-violation charge that could send him back to prison for up to 10 years. Stuart, 32, wouldn’t have had any trouble with police if he had disclosed his job at the SAT and ACT Prep Center, which he co-owns with his wife, Frances Stuart.” If a sex offender is an imminent threat he shouldn’t be let out at all, but the sex offender registration laws go way overboard and do almost nothing but make the state pols who pass them sound tough on crime. They’re ineffective mainly because 95 percent of child sex abuse victims know the perpetrator, i.e. Uncle Don, not the stranger in the trench coat with a pack of Smarties on the end of a fishing line.
- Conflicting reports on how the Richardson city council race for Place 4 is getting a little ugly, which means it’s suddenly interesting to me. In a race pitting a more hardcore conservative against an Establishment country club type Republican, I hear it two ways. Ed Cognoski — the classic example of the guy who can’t believe McGovern lost since “everyone I know voted for him” but who’s been following the races in his ‘burb closely — says the unfortunately named Tom Bache-Wiig is acting all douche-baggy. A trusted friend who is also following the race tells me it’s the other way around: “The ‘Richardson Coalition’ PAC sent a mailer with some really shitty remarks about Tom Bache-Wiig. The RC supports Gary Slagel, the former mayor, and class-A elite jackass. TBW is a true conservative, and quite frankly, his mere appearance in the race scare the country club set to death.” Is this Richardson’s version of Huckabee vs. McCain?
- Yes, the media is the problem in everyone panicking over swine flu. I’m looking at you, Ms. Anchorwoman.
- OK, this is ridiculous. This is what the city of Dallas is resorting to make ends meet. And yet they want to build a half a billion dollar People’s Hotel.
- Good. Because I don’t care what you think about illegal immigration, national security, the need for a border fence, the environmental impact, or any other issue except this: the government needs to respect private property rights. Period. Full Stop.
- Finally, from a dear friend Down Under:
Thursday Roundup: Does This Look Like a ‘Q’ to You?
- There’s no part of this story about Ryan v Margolin that I don’t love. Keep. It. Coming.
- Meanwhile, Bud Kennedy shows that the Guv is really going after the mouth-breathing crowd. I mean, yeah, I believe it’s been 100 days/100 epic fails, but are we really going to continue hearing this “Obama’s not a citizen!” stuff for the next four years? This is the right-wing’s version of the water-headed left-wing’s “the 2000 election was stolen!” whine.
- Well, it was lousy weather, and they only had 21 red umbrellas, so there’s slack to be cut.
- “Authorities then apparently forgot that [the chronically truth-challenged police officer] should not be allowed to testify.” Uh huh.
- This will not help those who want to use the swine flu panic to close the borders.
- Seriously though, if you are really worried about the swine flu epidemic, your risk factors, and possible symptoms, here’s a web site that will help you self diagnose — http://doihaveswineflu.org/
- Simple and to the point — skip to the second item. Most cogent argument yet.
- And in two bits of Twitter news, first, if you’re not following the anchors and reporters from all three of the primary local network news stations, plus NBC, then you’re missing dozens OF cheery “morning” updates!!!! LOL
that … well, it’s like getting a new blog post from Jane McGarry every 10 minutes. Or having Steve Blow text you.
- Also, I’m getting love tweets.
Daily FB (and other) Comments Thread
Here it is again. Speak your piece on FB items such as the running Burl Osborne commentary on whether the new media will destroy the old. (Initial post, and yesterday’s first follow up.) Or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Also, check Matt Pulle‘s latest story for Texas Watchdog on how the Republicans are striking back at the man who brought down Rep. Tom DeLay.
Or get into whether a mere girl who sometimes blogs American Idol can also provide witty commentary and depth insights into bigger issues. (My vote is yes.)
Then there’s the debut tonight of Dallas DNA which looks at the ongoing exonerations from DNA evidence of now a score of Dallas prisoners. Can’t wait.
Sound off.
Monday Roundup: Late Edition
Look, I know it’s wrong to stereotype — but recruiting for the Border Patrol at a NASCAR event? What could possibly go wrong?
Calling all fatties — a reality show featuring porcine men and women is casting in Dallas. “More to Love.” Something about showing the joys and love of those courting types 2 diabetes. And they say TV is a wasteland.
You know, maybe the problem isn’t tax professionals versus tax software. Maybe the problem is a tax code that not even the Secretary of the Treasury understands (or obeys.)
Pfft. Johnny-Come-Latelies and survivalist wannabes. (“Sur-wannabes” we call them. Or something.)
Friday Roundup: DWI Checkpoints, Good Cop, Hotel Vote On & More
Robert Guest uses the video of a DWI stop from a pretty infamous ex-Dallas cop to show why the new bills authorizing DWI roadblocks — despite their promises of protections that require reasonable suspicion — are no protection at all, given that some cops will outright lie in the field, lie under oath, and lie as often as they accuse suspects of lying. I’m sorry, but it’s true. In the video, the officer admits he smells no alcohol but would administer a field sobriety test anyway. Then the officer testified in court, under oath, that he did smell alcohol. As Robert notes, jurors automatically give cops the benefit of the doubt and trust them, versus those accused of drunk driving. And most cops are smart enough not to admit they don’t have reasonable suspicion or probable cause on video.
After a couple of weeks of bad news, do you want some good news about the Dallas Police Department? Here you go.
Who wins here? Dallas voters. Regardless of the outcome, they will get to decide whether the city of Dallas should go into the hotel business. (Somewhere, Philip Jones and Ron Natinsky are holding each other, alternately cursing and weeping. The power of this blog surprises even me.)
You know, with as many fat little kids as you see waddling around and just using common sense that says kids shouldn’t be cooped up in a school house eight hours a day — why the heck do we have to make it a state law to have recess? But I’m glad someone’s pushing it. Drop the homework for kids below high school level, abolish TAKS, and let the kids play.
Creepy guy at Woodrow Wilson alert. Bonus: He’s a teacher.
Just for fun, watch this:
Thursday Roundup: Wait, Bacon Lube?
I think at this point, Mayor Tom Leppert ought to consider throwing in the towel on both the Trinity Parkway and convention hotel projects, and moving on to something else. Because right now it’s not going to be a very good legacy — or re-election platform — if that’s what he’s going to throw all his capital into. Even local coverage is tilting against Leppert now.
There’s a move afoot in Austin to get rid of red light cameras for good. In committee today.
Despite initial misgivings, I’m beginning to like Holly LaFon’s work over at the NBCDFW website. Her take on the proposed sobriety checkpoint bill — which violates the entire spirit of the Fourth Amendment — is pretty darn well done.
Finally — bacon improves everything. This is one of the three fundamental, eternal truths of the universe. However…this is for real, I think, from my homeys who brought us the miracle of Bacon Salt.
