Everybody’s favorite holiday whipping boy is the much-maligned traditional fruitcake.  Well, Red for one is not ashamed to admit that he likes fruitcake – in fact, likes it a lot.  So if you have one that you don’t want, send it my way. But  if you agree with Red and are in the market for the best fruitcake made in America, find your way over to the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana.   https://www.collinstreet.com/

They could use your business having been the target of a massive embezzlement by their trusted corporate controller Sandy Jenkins.  Jenkins, who pleaded guilty earlier this year, stole over $16 million using his ill-gotten gains to purchase a home in Santa Fe, expensive jewelry, luxury cars and to pay for lavish vacations.  The company was slow to catch on to Jenkins’ massive swindling.  The discovery came to light when a newly hired employee noticed irregularities in some of the payments made.  The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an excellent article on Jenkins’ bold thievery.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/03/11/5640532/feds-iconic-east-texas-bakery.html

After being found guilty for the murder of Cynthia McLelland the wife of slain Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland, the jury now will determine if former Justice of the Peace Eric Williams will receive life in prison or the death penalty.  The murders of McLelland and his wife in March of 2013 were part of a plot of revenge hatched by the former jurist who lost his JP bench after being convicted of stealing a county computer.  He is also accused of killing assistant prosecutor Mark Hasse outside of the Kaufman County Courthouse in January of 2013.

ABC News reports:

“An assistant prosecutor shouted “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” in the moments before a gunman bent on revenge shot him repeatedly last year in North Texas, according to testimony in the punishment phase of the capital murder trial of a former justice of the peace. 

The jury began hearing testimony Monday to determine whether Eric Williams, 47, should receive life in prison or the death penalty for the March 2013 killing of Cynthia McLelland, the wife of slain Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland. The couple was found dead in their home east of Dallas.

But prosecutors Monday turned their attention to the death of assistant prosecutor Mark Hasse, whom Williams is charged with killing in January 2013. Testimony is set to resume on Tuesday. ‘You will see the patterns of his anti-social behavior and his violent tendencies,” prosecutor Bill Wirskye said while standing near Williams. “You will get a glimpse inside and see what lies beneath this facade of normalcy.'”

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/penalty-phase-begins-texas-justice-peace-27441042

This week’s NFL Prediction Six-Pack

“It wasn’t until after I became famous that people noticed I played in the NFL. I kind of snuck in!”    Terry Crews

As usual, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is right on target.

For Week 14 it was a mediocre 3-3.  For the season 27-33.  Running out of time to right the ship.

Your “We Got this Guy Not Sure” Pick of the Week.

Texans over Colts.   I am certainly not sure which Texans team will show up from week to week.  The team that can whup up on the weaklings of the league or the team that folds under pressure to better teams.  Oh wait, that’s the same team.  Can the Texans finally break through after 13 seasons of frustration in the Hoosier State?  And what the hell is a “Hoosier” anyway?  And why would I possibly pick this Texans team to beat the Colts on the road?  And where are my car keys?    Houston 31 Indianapolis 29.

Your “I thought Your Head Would Be Bigger” Pick of the Week

Eagles over Cowboys.   Eagles made Cowboys look foolish on Thanksgiving.  Red sees no reason to call this one any differently.  Philadelphia 38 Arlingtonton 25.

You’re “We Are Running out of French Fries and Burrito Coverings” Pick of the Week.

Bengals over Browns.   And I am running out of steam to write about games that are too damn hard to pick this late in the season. There you have it.  Cincinnati 23 Cleveland 20.

Your “He’s Got a Higher IQ than any Man Alive” Pick of the Week.

Patriots over Dolphins.    Yes, the Hooded Wonder probably does have a higher football IQ than any man alive.  Anyone who can make LaGarrett “the Fat Pig” Blount look like a serviceable NFL running back is a certifiable genius.  It often seems that the Patriots are doing it with smoke and mirrors, but the wins just keep coming.  I like the Dolphins, but as I have said all year, they are at least another year (and a Tom Brady retirement party) away from competing for an AFC East division championship. This one will be closer than you might expect, but not close enough.    New England 27 Miami 23.

Your “I Got a Solution” Pick of the Week.

Cardinals over Rams.   Is your NFL team sucking more than any other?  Here’s the solution.  Move your team to the Mountain Time Zone.  The only two teams that play on Mountain time have the two of the three best records in the league.  Coincidence? I don’t think so.  Cards continue to get it done this week and come close to wrapping up a playoff berth.  Jeff “Enormous Stick up his Butt” Fischer comes close to wrapping up his retirement package after a loss.   Arizona 17 St. Louis 10.  

Your “I Understand Everyone’s Shit’s Emotional Right Now” Pick of the Week.

Panthers over Buccaneers.  The pathetic state of the NFC South can be summed up by this – It’s Week 15, the Panthers are 4-8-1 and they are not out of the race for the division championship.  In fact, they are in the thick of the playoff race, mostly because the 4 teams in the NFC South have won exactly 16 games between them.  So in honor of that sad state of affairs, Red is passing over entirely worthy match ups between the Giants/OTNA’s, and the Jets/Titans games to award the Week 15 Shit Bowl to this beastly bowel battle.  And since Red picked the Panthers to win this sad excuse for a pro-football division, he has to stick with the Panthers.   Carolina 12 Tampa Bay 10.

Tunnel of Love by Dire Straits

Great Song – Incredibly awful video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrDK0UoAkfY

The Houston Chronicle reports that two teenagers were apprehended after a car-jacking.  One problem for the youths was that they apparently did not know how to drive a car with a manual transmission and after a brief chase were caught when they had to flee on foot.

Don’t do the crime, if you can’t drive the car.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-carjackers-thwarted-by-car-s-stick-shift-5932400.php

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports that another law enforcement official involved in an unprovoked choking incident has resigned.

“A Nueces County district attorney’s office investigator who placed a woman in a chokehold has resigned to avoid being fired, and a Corpus Christi police officer has been disciplined after asking the woman to delete a video of the incident. Video showing Investigator Gary Witherspoon placing the woman in a chokehold recently went viral, drawing more than 112,000 views on YouTube by Wednesday. He resigned Wednesday afternoon, according to District Attorney Mark Skurka, who had promised to look into the incident.”

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20141203-investigator-resigns-after-putting-woman-in-chokehold-officer-who-wanted-video-deleted-is-disciplined.ece

USA Today reports that over 100 brains have disappeared from a University of Texas research facility.

“Some 100 jars of brains,possibly including one from infamous UT sniper Charles Whitman,have gone missing from a psychology lab at the University of Texas at Austin. The missing organs, which represent about half of the university’s collection, had been stored in jars of formaldehyde in a basement because the lab did not have enough room for all of them. The brains have been used by neuroscience students to study everything from Huntington’s disease to Parkinson’s disease, depression, strokes and other disorders.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/03/texas-missing-brains/19819601/

My favorite Saxophone player, Bobby Keys, died today at the age of 70.  Keys was legendary among rock musicians for his bluesy, hard-edged saxophone style.  Keys was born in Slaton, Texas and got his start at age 15 playing with Buddy Holly and the Crickets and also touring with Bobby Vee.  He is best known as the sax player for the Rolling Stones with his signature solo from Brown Sugar.  He was close friends with Keith Richards sharing the same birthdate.  He first met the Stones at a Teen Fair in San Antonio in 1964 and was with them except for a hiatus in the late 70’s allegedly caused when he missed a show after downing a bathtub full of Dom Perignon.  His other notable solos include the incredible romp on John Lennon’s Whatever Gets You Through the Night.  It is impossible to imagine that song as a Number 1 hit without that solo.

My first awareness of Keys came from watching the Joe Cocker’s classic rock concert film Mad Dogs and Englishmen.  After one viewing I was a fan.  Condolences to all who knew and loved him.

Convicted murderer Bernie Tiede has won a new sentencing hearing after being granted relief by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.  In what can only be described as a terse opinion, the Court granted Tiede’s petition for writ of habeas corpus and remanded his case to Panola County for a new sentencing hearing.  The Court noted that in an extensive hearing, Tiede had alleged that “newly available relevant scientific evidence that contradicts the scientific evidence relied upon by the State at trial, and that false evidence was presented at trial.”  Although not discussed in the Court’s per curiam opinion, the thrust of Tiede’s argument for a new hearing is that he was suffering from a dissociative period that resulted from childhood abuse when he murdered rich widow Marjorie Nugent in the garage of her Carthage home.

Tiede has been out on parole for several months living in the garage apartment of filmmaker Richard Linklater whose film “Bernie” made Tiede (portrayed by Jack Black) something of a celebrity.  It is believed that Panola County District Attorney Danny “Buck” Davidson (portrayed by Matthew McConnaughy) will not seek another life sentence and will recommend that Tiede be sentenced to time served.

For the Court of Criminal Appeals Opinion see   http://www.search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=f9c7bb7d-35fb-4ff7-aeb7-b3a02799558c&coa=coscca&DT=OPINION&MediaID=4d54a00a-ad90-49bf-9d12-177b3a2d2a18