Reason Morning Links: Weather Disasters, Technological Disasters, Political Disasters

- Snow shuts down D.C.

- Uncertainty after a deadly explosion in Connecticut: "They're calling the hospitals, hospitals tell them to call the police, police tell them to call the Red Cross; nobody has this information."

- One of the most scandal-ridden candidates in recent memory withdraws from the Illinois lieutenant governor race.

- Haitians protest corruption in the distribution of aid.

- No surprise here: Self-proclaimed spending hawks don't want to cut their favorite spending.

- South Carolina requires "every member of a subversive organization" to register with the government.

Comments

[Johnny Longtorso]

While you mere mortals were spending your weekend on The Man's bread and circuses, I looked over my notes and boiled down my epic CRA article to a short post (much, much sorter than my original article) about the two government actions that gave us the housing crash. I made a connection I had missed earlier.

Watch in awe and horror as I treat two hapless Fed economists the way Steve Smith treats a Match.com blind date.

Could y'all do me a favor and check it out, to give me feedback from the collective wisdom of the Reason commentariat?

http://limitedmodifiedhangout......rding.html

[Suki]

Good Morning reason! Sorry I'm late to the party.

Morning Links Illustrated: Superbowl, Analysis and Obama; Snowpocalypse, climate change, Obama from Jan 2009 on snow; other.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Succinct and well done. I'd like to offer more constructive criticism, but that article is still sloshing around in my head.

[Johnny Longtorso]

Thanks. My obsession w/ this issue may actually pay off. 🙂

[Hugh Akston]

I hate to say it, but your simultaneous disdain and self-promotion invoke shades of HeWhoShallNotBeNamed.

[Suki]

JL posts good stuff and the morning links post has been a post what you want for a while.

The one you are talking about spamsed irrelevant crap on random threads. Not the same.

[Johnny Longtorso]

I do try to keep this to morning links/open threads, and most of my posts on this subject are links to things I found, not things I wrote.

[Suki]

See? He even wrote that better than me.

[Suki]

Try adding illustrations for your readers.

[Jonas]

Disdain and self-promotion... He Who Shall Not Be Named... I can't tell if this is a reference to Lord Voldemort or Barack Obama.

Not that there's really that much of a difference, now that I think about it.

[Suki]

He means the 24ahead person I think.

[Heartland Henry]

Snow shuts down D.C.

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

[ed]

'Historic' snow shuts federal government

Obama blames Party of No.

[Barack Obama]

Now, I asked Congress to come up with solutions to this blizzard problem. Find a way to end this. But there are those in Congress who have no solutions. They're not bringing anything to the table, and they don't want to do anything about this blizzard. They tell me, Mr. President, we can't do anything about this. It's a blizzard. It's weather. We have no control over this.

Well, we're not going to solve this problem by saying no, by throwing our hands up and saying we can't do anything about this snow. I am personally calling Congress out to figure out a solution to this blizzard by the end of June, 2011.

[wylie]

1. The Seattle Times? I guess all the papers closer to the snow were closed because of the snow, but Seattle? Nothing this side of The Mississippi was open?

2. costs the government roughly $100 million to close for the day How does that work? Are they talking vacation/holiday pay? ie Money that would've been spent anyway had they remained open... I just can't see how being closed "costs" money instead of "saving" it. Then again, i bet the lights and computers in all the govt buildings are sitting there in the On position, ready and waiting for workers who will never show up. So we're not really saving on power either. I guess it "costs" because we're still paying for everything as if it was open, but not getting the "product" we'd be getting if they were open. This reminds me of an idea i had in my younger days: lets pay congress and the rest of our govt boobs to stay home and do nothing. Yes, its parasitic and slightly unfair, but think of how much better life could be if we kept those idiots doing nothing on a continuous basis.

Oh well, least we get one day where we don't have to worry about some dumbass legislation being crafted.

[Rich]

Spending Cuts Meet Selective Support

A modest proposal.

[Hardware Hank]

The snow article linked to claims it costs the govt $100 million to shut down like that. I refuse to believe it's more expensive to keep that place open for the day than to let them go home and *not* do their regular jobs.

[Bill C]

From the linked NYT story:

"Every federal program has a constituency, and even lawmakers who profess to be alarmed by rising deficits will go to the mat to preserve money that provides jobs and benefits to their constituents."

Leading Federal Senate Candidate Rand Paul will attach an amendment with specific spending cuts to every unbalanced budget to make it balanced.

Support Rand Paul and his
moneybomb on the anniversary of Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty" speech on March 23rd.

[Rich]

By "subversive organization," the law means "every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States [or] of this State."

"Every group of two persons which practices conducting the government."

Gee, that's a slick way to milk another $5 out of married citizens.

And SC seemed like such a *nice* state.

[BakedPenguin]

This would have applied to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, James Madison, et.al.

Next time SC decides to secede, I hope the US allows it.

[SugarFree]

necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States [or] of this State.

So... all voters basically. Or are there also sins of omission?

[wylie]

LOL! So they duplicated voter registration, nice.

[P Brooks]

the law means "every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons

Individualism is still free!

Woohoo!

[P Brooks]

Aid agencies are doling out food to women to prevent men from dominating distribution sites, and because they believe women are more likely to share it with children and relatives.

Can you say, "Culture of dependency"?

[Hear Me Roar]

Nurturing is my nature.

[wylie]

Besides, the men would just rape the supplies anyway.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

LOL @wylie

[SugarFree]

You didn't see the way that bag of rice was dressed.

[Rich]

You notice the aid groups never hand out melons.

[dbcooper]

Why not Donate your old yoga mat?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Are those good to sleep on?

[dbcooper]

Presumably not.

[P Brooks]

CIT hires John Thain.

I wonder how many people see the irony encapsulated in the shot of him arriving for work, and entering the building via a revolving door?

[TP]

I thought CIT was dead when they were denied a second round of TARP money. But, I guess since BHO said he wants to use repaid TARP money to give to banks that lend to small businesses, CIT is back in business.

[SIV]

Kochtopus' "little brother" sues to clean up fraud in the rare wine markets.

[SugarFree]

Fallout: New Vegas trailer.

[Pro Libertate]

Hey, not an MMO! Great!

Until then, I must choose between Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2.

[SugarFree]

[cough] Dragonage [cough]

Anyway... Brutal Legend is hilarious. Imagine if you made a video game out of all those YouTube links Warty always posts. You could get it cheap from a used video game place at this point.

I'm getting Bioshock 2 Tuesday. I've been replaying the first one in anticipation.

"A man creates. A parasite asks, 'Where's my share?'"

[Ska]

Also picking up Bioshock 2 tomorrow. Can't wait to get in some multiplayer where you're gunning people down and incinerating them. Should be pretty sweet.

[Warty]

all those YouTube links Warty always posts

You mean all those awesome links I post.

Dragonage is awesome. Get it and Brutal Legend.

[wylie]

Allow me to 2nd the demand for more single-player, non-online games.

[Pro Libertate]

To repeat myself, I'm in.

[Ska]

Ah, don't knock the multiplayer experience. For a lot of games it adds a little something extra for the diehard fans.

[wylie]

I'm not knocking it. I have lots of fun online. But lets have some stuff we can play alone. Or for when a blizzard knocks out your net for a day.

C'mon Warcraft 4! Daddy needs a new RTS! DoW2 scared me off by dropping base-building, so I'm stuck playing Age of Myth and DoW1.

[JW]

Unless the game freezes every 5 minutes or so, it's not really Fallout.

[Pro Libertate]

Works okay on my Xbox 360.

[deluded1]

Dragon Age

Mass Effect 2 is a shooter dressed up in dirty RPG drag.

Disappointing

[Pro Libertate]

Really? It's been sounding so good, too. Oh, well, I was leaning towards Dragon Age: Origins, anyway.

[Ska]

Stupid work web filters. The one morning post I'd really want to read.....

[Pro Libertate]

It's okay--just video, no gameplay.

[SugarFree]

The main thing is the reveal that the New California Republic is going to play a part in the game.

[Pro Libertate]

I know which side I'm on already.

[Suki]

Wait, is this a Napoleonic Law only Spanish speaking one or another one?

[Suki]

SF, Warty gave you a tribute on the Super Bowl thread and I added it to weekend links illustrated 🙂

[Warty]

They'd better find some way to get Harold un-treed and back to the west coast. Fallout without Harold? More like Shitout.

[FrBunny]

Will the slots take bottle caps?

[Pro Libertate]

Wouldn't be Fallout, otherwise!

[T]

Sweet. At the rate I'm going, I should finish Fallout 3 and all the expansion packs just in time to start this one.

[R C Dean]

Almost through Dragon Age. Two thumbs up, although the combat system is a little clunky - definitely more of a PC game ported to console.

Next up: Mass Effect 2.

After that? Who knows. Probably BioShock 2. Maybe Assassin's Creed 2.

Truly, this is an awesome year for video games.

[Pro Libertate]

Sure is. If Star Wars: Old Republic comes out this year, 2010 will go into the record books.

Strange how good game sequels can be as compared to their cinematic cousins.

[SugarFree]

Also... Darksiders, Dante's Inferno, and God of War III.

And I'm intrigued by Singularity based on the descriptions of gameplay and story.

[Pro Libertate]

Haven't played Gods of War, but I've heard many good things. Too much professional and family life to play every good game.

[Ska]

God of War and God of War 2 were both awesome - and they were PS2 games. I can't wait to see what a PS3 GoW will be like.

[SugarFree]

They are PlayStation only, so that probably kills it for you as well. Gameply and combat physics are nice, as well as the rudimentary puzzles, but the storytelling is just epic.

Dante's Inferno is going to be 360's attempt to imitate. Just like the Resistance line was the PS answer to Halo.

[Pro Libertate]

Ah, didn't know that. Is there a PC port?

My brother has a PS3--I'll have to note this as an option.

[SugarFree]

Nope. PS only. They did release parts 1 and 2 in a PS3-playable double pack.

[Pro Libertate]

Grumble.

[wingnutx]

This one was made by a bunch of ex Black Isle developers.

I'll have to take a week off of work when it comes out.

[Pro Libertate]

Didn't South Carolina start the Civil War?

[Pro Libertate]

As a Southerner, I amend that question to read "fire the first shots."

[Isaac Bartram]

I think in their version it was justified because Lincoln and the Republicans had seized the federal government.

[Death Panelist]

Hey! Only winners get to write history.

[Pro Libertate]

Winners, like North Vietnam?

[Suki]

North Vietnam BOOOOOO! Biggest creators of slavery since Maoist China.

[Pro Libertate]

You dare to doubt John Cleese's authority?

[Suki]

Huh? What did he say about those raping slaving bastards?

[wingnutx]

He said they won, or at least his character did in "A Fish Called Wanda."

[Suki]

LOL, totally missed that.

Yes they won and look what happened! At least we didn't let North Korea win.

[brotherben]

South Carolina is like North Georgia but with the Baptist equivalent of hillbillies.

[J sub D]

"every corporation, society, association, camp, group, bund, political party, assembly, body or organization, composed of two or more persons, which directly or indirectly advocates, advises, teaches or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States [or] of this State."

That would include the Democratic and Republican perties.

Libertarians get a free pass because they aren't serious. 😉

[The Art-P.O.G.]

by force or violence or other unlawful means

Well, at least they had the sense to throw that on.

[J sub D]

Not counting Washington's two terms, can you name a presidential or senatorial election where unlawful means were not used?

[Aresen]

+10

If I might add: It would seem that, considering how much Congress has acted to subvert the constitution, it would probably have to register.

[R C Dean]

Hey, speaking of Steve Smith, apparently he's one of the mascots for the Vancouver Olympics, under the nom de rape of Quatchi.

This can't end well.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

That's not Steve Smith. If it was, the other mascots already would've been sodomized.

[jessie jomo]

Tell me about it, really makes you wonder whats going on with the world right now!

Jess
http://www.private-surfing.be.tc

[Mike M.]

Crop production in north Africa to be cut in half by 2020? Nope, it's just another bogus, fabricated claim from the increasingly laughable IPCC.

[Suki]

Is it being cut in half by denying them the benefits of the Green Revolution?

[Mike M.]

Heh, good one, sir.

And it kind of pisses me off that we have to rely almost entirely on the British media in order to even get these stories. Even the hard-left Guardian has lately been devoting a lot of attention to the near-total collapse of the credibility of the IPCC, but from what I can see none of this is being covered hardly anywhere in the United States. Our liberal, state-controlled American media has become totally fucking worthless.

[J sub D]

Our liberal, state-controlled American media has become totally fucking worthless.

I call shenanigans.

[brotherben]

To be fair to the U.S. media, they have been busy discussing Sarah Palin's use of her Palm Pilot in that interview.

[Suki]

She distracted them from her placenta with her palm?

[wylie]

The hand is quicker than the placenta?

[Suki]

Who you callin' sir?

[Aresen]

"One of the most scandal-ridden candidates in recent memory withdraws from the Illinois lieutenant governor race."

Since we're talking about Illinois, one has to admit that is setting a pretty high standard of corruption. [or low, if you prefer]

[R C Dean]

You have to realize that, in Illinois, abuse of office is more of an expectation than a scandal. So those don't count.

Although threatening your hooker "girlfriend" with a knife is unusual, even for Illinois.

[Mike M.]

Just breaking: democratic congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania has died.

[Warty]

About fucking time.