On Invading Iraq
Seems like a bad idea. Yeah, yeah, if ten years from now they drop a nuclear bomb in middle America we'll wonder why we didn't turn Bagdad into a parking lot when we had the chance, but the public doesn't have the gut for it right now. If Vietnam taught us anything, it should be that never go to war unless there is overwhelming public support.  Right now the support isn't even luke warm.

On American Idol
I watched some of it but not much. Major impressions: The girl from Burleson is hot. Even the girl from Grand Prairie was hot. The last guy contestant, Justin, looked like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons.  Simon was very funny. Paula Abdul gave me "tired head".

On the Dallas Cowboys
I'll bet they don't break .500 this year. Quincy Carter will never make it in the NFL and the running game is a shadow of it's former self. I'll watch, however, when Steve Spurrier in on the other sideline. (I promise I wrote this before the Houston Texans disaster).

On The Texas Longhorns
Last year was their chance to win the national championship,  and the loss to Colorado in the Big 12 Championship game was inexcusable. (I was there). It wouldn't surprise me to see them beat OU in Dallas (I was there last year) but they will lose at least two games (maybe more), thereafter. Chris Simms' brain pan is simply too messed up.

On HBO's Hard Knocks
Everyone needs HBO. Sell the dog if you can't afford it because it provides tremendous entertainment. The series Hard Knocks allowed us an "inside" look at the Dallas Cowboys. Observations: The lady that runs the cheerleading squad, Judy Trammell, has the most irritating voice this side of Screech, never have so many F Bombs been dropped by so few coaches, Richmond Flowers could not sing, Dave Campo could sing, and your average high school two-a-day practice looks more difficult than an NFL camp.

On the Scariest Thing I've Seen in a While
I'm driving down I-35 in Lewisville headed towards Dallas the other night and I'm passed by three motorcycles. Get this: They were all running at least 70 mph and one of them was in a perpetual "wheely" state. It was the longest wheely I've ever seen. Amazing and scary. To make the matter more bizarre, they were in the HOV lane.

On An Article I Saw
Michelle Deitch (I have no idea who she is) provided the following stats in last Sunday's Dallas Morning News: One out of every 20 Texans is in prison, on parole, or on probation, and one out of every 12 black Texas males is in prison. Since 1986, Texas has increased criminal justice spending by 346% while higher education spending has increased only 47%. She referred to it as "our lust for locking up people".

On Derek King, 14, and Alex King, 13
In case you missed it, these two kids were charged with the murder of their father in Florida and were found guilty. What makes the story so odd it the same prosecutor had only a couple of weeks earlier tried  another man, Ricky Chavis, for the murder. That verdict was "sealed" until the King boys were tried. What's even odder? The allegations by the prosecutor were such that both could not be true - two mutually exclusive theories.  That is, under the evidence presented at both trials, both the Kings and Chavis could not both be guilty. Nevertheless, the prosecutor tried to convince two juries that both had committed the act. When the Chavis verdict was released, we learned the jury found him not guilty. What a shame. I wish both had been found guilty so the country would have been outraged because of a false conviction. I would have loved to see the prosecutor drug through the mud for his unconscionable conduct.

On Football Sportscasters
Terry Bradshaw is a wind up monkey. John Madden "tells me what I just saw". Lee Corso is funny in a nutty kind of way. Troy Aikman would be great if he'd simply say "I could have completed that pass" once in a while. Bob Costas is getting a little cocky. Brent Musburger is still good. There's nothing better than hearing the voice of Keith Jackson on a Saturday afternoon.

On Not Writing As Much As I Used To
It seems like I had more time to write this type of silliness when I was on the government payroll.

On Random Overseas Violence
I saw two shocking things on TV this week. First, the president of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai escaped an assassination attempt that was caught on video. Bullets were flying everywhere! The other disturbing video was that of a car bomb in Israel that had been discovered and detonated by Israeli authorities. It was a frightening explosion that would have killed dozens of people.

On Augusta National Golf Club
The club has taken alot of flak lately because its policy of not admitting women. I'll go with the club on this one. So long as it remains private and receives no government funds, they should be allowed to set forth any rules they want. If I don't like it, I don't have to watch the Masters or buy a Cadillac (its only sponsor).

On Tennis
I hardly ever watch men's tennis anymore because it's so boring. Serve. Ace. Serve. Hit it back into the net. Serve. Ace.  My great idea: Have the men use only wooden racquets in order to slow the game down. It works for Major League Baseball. Women's tennis, on the other hand, is fun to watch. That is, until you realize that the Williams' sisters will be in the finals every single time.

On The Presidential Press Secretary
I can't think of a harder job than doing a daily press briefing in front of a bunch of cynical reporters. That responsibility falls on Ari Fleischer. His  job is to state the position of the President of the United States and field every possible question. You get the feeling that he knows more about the president's views than our current president.

On Morning Newscasts
All the local television networks early morning broadcasts drive me nuts. Weather and traffic are repeated over and over at a nauseating level.  Hey, I just want to see some depressing news to start my day.

On Morning Radio
Any radio station that utilizes a "Battle of the Sexes" contest in their morning drive time has a couple of DJ's with no creative thought.

On The Governor's Race
This has been crazy. I've never seen as much mud slinging as I have between Tony Sanchez and Rick Perry. It kind of makes Ann Richards and Clayton Williams look like lovers.

On Phil Gramm
The more I think about it, the more confused I am that this guy is leaving the Senate. He's been up there all of those years and he decides to leave when a Texan gets elected president? I have the distinct recollection of him at the last Republican National Convention cheering like a school boy when Bush was speaking. It kind of makes you think that he felt left out of the new "inner circle".  Or perhaps they kicked him out.  You think his bubba-like-heart would fail if Ron Kirk beats John Cornyn?  It might happen.

On Traffic
Highway 287 seems extremely dangerous as it runs through Decatur. Not only are there the death trap crossovers (see 1810 and 287), but it has been designed so that folks leaving commercial establishments pull right onto the highway. (See Allsups or Texaco or Frilly's).  If you drive towards Fort Worth, however, there are service roads and entrance ramps.

Anyway, that was what I was thinking about.