Reason Morning LInks: Conference on New Financial Regulations, Tax Day Poll, Arizona Considers Tough Immigration Bill

• Obama, leaders of Congress meet to discuss new financial regulations.
• Tax day poll: Most Americans believe most of their tax dollars are wasted.
• Tuscon school bans all processed food.
• Arizona bill would deem illegal immigrants "trespassers," give police the authority to arrest them.
• Russia suspends U.S. adoptions after family sends back adopted seven-year-old.

Comments

[CoyoteBlue]

Yes, if you support our troops, you have to support the work of the Internal Revenue Service

Dionne has decended into total self parody.

[affenkopf]

Yes, if you support our troops, you have to support the work of the Internal Revenue Service

Thank god then that I could not care less for the troops.

[The Troops]

The feeling is mutual, troll.

[Rough-As-A-Cob April]

We're marching, marching to Shibboleth, with the Eagle and the Sword!

[FLAPPY THE EAGLE]

I WILL EAT THEIR LIVERS!

[mr simple]

Obama, leaders of Congress meet to discuss new financial regulations

After RTFA, it's nice to see that most of our leaders and press are completely clueless when it comes to financial and economic concepts.

Sensing momentum on their side, administration officials have encouraged Democratic lawmakers to forge ahead and not concede too much to Republicans or financial industry lobbyists.

Translation: We're going to force through whatever the fuck we want while we still can, for your own good.

[Rich]

"The dark days of deals are over," [Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)] said

ROFL

[Mike M.]

Too late Blanche. Enjoy your remaining time in the Senate, because you're not going to be there much longer.

[Big Pharma]

"The dark days of deals are over," [Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)] said

No they ain't.

[Big Labor]

You got that right.

[TP]

it's nice to see that most of our leaders and press are completely clueless when it comes to financial and economic concepts.

Funny. I read that article earlier this morning, and that was my first impression, also.

[Cabeza de Vaca]

"Arizona bill would deem illegal immigrants "trespassers," give police the authority to arrest them."

I thought it was just Maricopa County that was crazy & racist. Turns out it's the whole state of Arizona.

[cmace]

"illegal immigrants "trespassers" = gringos?

[Cabeza de Vaca]

You obviously haven't read the article.

[cmace]

Read some history, say the 1840's

[Cabeza de Vaca]

What???

[T]

Yeah, we own Arizona because of 1840s history. Seeing as how the Mexican government relinquished all claim to the territory under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, it's ours now. Piss off.

Or we could just occupy Mexico City again to drive the point home.

[Colonel_Angus]

When you conquer something, you're supposed to keep it.

[SugarFree]

That's what I keep telling participants of "Take Back The Night" rallies, do they just don't listen.

[cynical]

Trespassers? Doesn't that mean the state of Arizona will be asserting property rights over all privately-owned land in the state?

[prolefeed]

Will be? Future tense? Heard of eminent domain?

[Warty]

What kind of mental disability is required for you to think that tax dollars are spent wisely? Christ.

[Bob #2]

All those earmarks have to go somewhere. If I owned a gravel company and got three quarters of a million dollars dumped on it for a "defense" stimulus, I'd probably be pretty enthusiastic about government spending myself.

[Michael Ejercito]

All those earmarks have to go somewhere. If I owned a gravel company and got three quarters of a million dollars dumped on it for a "defense" stimulus, I'd probably be pretty enthusiastic about government spending myself.

Nothing wrong with accepting what the government is already offering, nor does accepting the government's offer imply that you believe the money is spent wisely. After all, if the government is already offering this money to you, you might as well put it to a better use than they did.

Also, how are taxes theft? Back in medieval France, farmers and merchants had to fork over a share of their crops or sales to the local lord in order to have the privilege of making a living in his territory...

[SugarFree]

The desire to be a thief without the courage to do it yourself.

[Episiarch]

Whatever disability joe had.

[joe]

It's called being vertically challenged, you insensitive jerk.

[joe]

Being 4'11" isn't a disability, jerk.

[SugarFree]

+1

[ed]

Tuscon school bans all processed food

That's one creepy school. At all costs, avoid the Restorative Justice Cell:

Students ARE held accountable for their actions, and negative incidents must be corrected and "restorative justice" must occur. After that, students go back to class and continue with their learning and practicing of positive actions.

[Warty]

"Practicing of positive actions"

There's no doubt that sugar is terrible for you, but fuck that school.

[ed]

Meet the Staff!

http://www.authentic-loving-re.....uravi.html

[Meet the Flock]

Gee. You. Are. You.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I can't believe this Love Guru reference. I can't believe anyone else watched that lousy movie.

[Ben Rosengart]

You sure it isn't another Firesign Theater reference?

[Isaac Bartram]

Yeah, sugar is terrible for you, but it's just as bad if you get too much of it in fruit juice and honey.

And just wait until they give one of those peanut butter sandwiches to some kid with an allergy.

[Cabeza de Vaca]

That's exactly what I was thinking. They don't even allow peanut butter in a lot of schools anymore.

[Pablo]

This illustrates a problem with restrictive food laws/regulations--often the people issuing them don't know what the fuck they are talking about, and the recommended substitutions are just as bad or worse. Starting in the 70s fat and cholesterol were demonized so everyone started eating more carbs (sugar) and look where that got us.

I don't think juice is any healthier than a sugary soft drink, except maybe having a few vitamins. And peanut butter is usually loaded with sugar and franken-oils.

[ed]

Smart Balance? Chunky is pretty awesome on white bread with mayo.

[ed]

Of course, the white bread and mayo part would get me sent to...The Restorative Justice Cell!

[BakedPenguin]

It's not quite as bad in fruit juice, because you also get vitamins and anti-oxidants. They help repair some of the damage that the sugar does.

[Isaac Bartram]

True. Some things can still get overdone, though.

[Lt. Col. Frank Slade]

Sounds like you haven't forgotten the taste of REAL HONEY!

[R C Dean]

Jumping radioactive Jesus, that is Orwellian, with a heaping helping of neo-juche delusional totalitarianism.

Who would send their kids there?

[ed]

Lots of bewildered Mexicans, apparently.

[Isaac Bartram]

You know, I could see a market niche for a private school like this, but after googling the school's name I found from its website that it is a public charter school.

If it were private I'd say, "whatever" and leave it at that. Since it's a charter, at least parents have a choice about therir kids going there, but I agree, who would want their kids there?

And yes, I do have a problem with public funds supporting what is essentially a religious viewpoint.

[ChicagoTom]

You know, I could see a market niche for a private school like this, but after googling the school's name I found from its website that it is a public charter school.

If it were private I'd say, "whatever" and leave it at that. Since it's a charter, at least parents have a choice about therir kids going there, but I agree, who would want their kids there?

I thought for sure this had to be a private school. How on earth can a public school get away with something like this. If it were me, I would sue the fuck out of them. I could understand if they had their rules for the schools cafeteria, but they are policing what the parents give them.

To me -- and I must admit I think SOME of the rules are good ideas that people should voluntarily follow -- this is worse than the ridiculous zero tolerance policies.

How is this even allowed to go on in a public school?

[John]

Processed foods are cheap. They are really discriminating against poor kids.

[robc]

Its a charter school. Basically a private school with vouchers. Sorta.

[Episiarch]

My thought exactly. I mean, even in a private school, you gotta have some balls on you to take away what their own parents gave them.

[BakedPenguin]

How is this even allowed to go on in a public school?

It's because it is a private school that they can get away with this shit.

See: underpants searches, ibuprofen.

[BakedPenguin]

Argh. Replace "private" with "public" in my first sentence.

[SugarFree]

Your confusion over public and private got you that indecent exposure charge when you were at the children's museum, right? Those kids will never be able to look at a geode the same way again, you monster.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

LOL

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Just so you don't think I'm being glib, I actually laughed out loud at that last post.

[BakedPenguin]

Well, that was totally unfair, anyway. I was trying to flash the hot tour guide when the stupid kids came in...

[SugarFree]

The Interactive Colon is not the best place to set up a tryst.

"Oh, baby... I'm going to bend you over a polyp and interact with your colon."

"Please, sir! There are children watching!"

"That's why they called it an 'Exporitorium,' baby."

[STEVE SMITH]

STEVE SMITH LOVE RAPE AT EXPORITORIUM!!!! SETS MOOD!!!!

[Tulpa]

The underpant search wasn't at a private school. In fact, the principal would have been in much more trouble immediately if it had been.

[Enough About Palin]

"restorative justice"

I'm reminded of what they call punishment where I work: Positive Discipline.

"Thank you corporate overlord. May I have another?"

[TP]

Fuck it. I say serve them cold pizza and warm beer. Hell, I lived on that through college.

[SugarFree]

On this saddest of days, where libertarian mourning is at the greatest, I pledge to not respond to any trolls. Not even to insult them.

On Tax Day, any troll on this board is the moral equivalent of Fred Phelps, scummiest fuck on Earth.

[Scotch Hamilton]

Just shut your hole and pay your share, you whiny little bitch. Step up and be a man for once in your life.

[Joe Biden]

This.

[The Libertarian Guy]

Hey, SF, dig that Scotch - he came right along and proved your theory. Right on cue.

[Steff]

Wherein Scotch proves that he has, indeed, sampled the wares in the local prison population and gained a taste for it.

[Forrest]

Don't feed the troll, Scotch. The troll said so.

[Warty]

So that rules out Epi, unless he's getting up at 6 to insult his favoritest butt-buddy. The mystery deepens.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

That mystery not only deepens but gets danker.

[SugarFree]

Carl: You ain't thinking of getting rid of the dank, are you, Moe?

Moe: Ehh, maybe I am.

Carl: Oh, but Moe: the dank. The dank!

[Episiarch]

You don't know my powers, you revolting dunderwhelp. For all you know, I can post with my mind from my dreams. It's like Dreamscape, but without Dennis Quaid, and you're David Patrick Kelly.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

+50 points for use of "dunderwhelp". Propbably more points for bringing up Dreamscape.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Please ignore my typos. I mean well, but I'm using the second-worst keyboard I've touched in my life.

[Rabbit Scribe]

I'm not too proud. What was the story with the worst?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

It was actually this keyboard I used in my office in Iraq. It was a small keyboard on a laptop and had clearly been overused because the keys were coming off and it was missing the letter 'n' entirely.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

But you could still hit the green nub to type 'n'.

[SugarFree]

If the nub is green, I think it might be time to take your lady friend to a vagina doctor.

[ChrisH]

Please tell me you changed it to Dvorak before you passed it on to the next person.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

That's the first I've heard of the Dvorak keyboard. Veddy, veddy interesting.

You're right though, SugarFree, the nub shouldn't be green unless we're talking about the Statue of Liberty.

[SugarFree]

And she doesn't have a nub... it's really move of mound or, perhaps, hillock.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Good point.

[Tulpa]

I always suspected Warty could transform into a Lizard Man. Or does the Lizard Man transform into Warty?

[Warty]

What's the difference?

[Teh Gummit]

Warty, if you simply paid your. fair. share. we wouldn't have to waste what you do cough up.

[Rich]

"I will get them peanut butter and honey on whole wheat," Moreno says, taking away the offending meals.

*Peanut* butter?! This school-sanctioned child abuse is horrible. (shivers)

[ed]

The kids are allowed to bring their own peanut butter, but it must be sugar-free. How they verify this I do not know. Force them to bring in the labels?

[SugarFree]

They have an official taste tester that eats half of any food a child brings in with them. Of course, hidden cookies or non-ass-tasting peanut butter are often only found after the slow and through strip-search of every child in front of a bank of one-way mirrors.

[ed]

a bank of one-way mirrors...

...that reveal the horrors of the Restorative Justice Cell.

[Xeones]

Saccharine One, i'm sure Scotch, Tony, Forrest et al. will be along eventually to contribute their usual inane yammerings. For now, though, they're all too busy masturbating gleefully at the thought of confiscation.

[SugarFree]

Their day will come. And sooner than they think.

[Scotch, Tony, Forrest et al.]

Uhh ... Coming, Mother!

[SugarFree]

Comic Relief

Which Veggie Burgers Were Made With a Neurotoxin?

In order to meet the demands of health-conscious consumers, manufacturers of soy-based fake meat like to make their products have as little fat as possible. The cheapest way to do this is by submerging soybeans in a bath of hexane to separate the oil from the protein. Says Cornucopia Institute senior researcher Charlotte Vallaeys, "If a non-organic product contains a soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, or texturized vegetable protein, you can be pretty sure it was made using soy beans that were made with hexane."

If you've heard about hexane before, it was likely in the context of gasoline?the air pollutant is also a byproduct of gas refining. But in 2007, grain processors were responsible for two-thirds of our national hexane emissions. Hexane is hazardous in the factory, too: Workers who have been exposed to it have developed both skin and nervous system disorders. Troubling, then, that the FDA does not monitor or regulate hexane residue in foods. More worrisome still: According to the report, "Nearly every major ingredient in conventional soy-based infant formula is hexane extracted."

[KRS One]

Veggie burgers are also processed food, of course. People who eat "real food", as in non processed whole foods, do not eat that veggie burger fake meat shit.

I try to eat only non-processed food, and I enjoy a lot of meat.

[John]

I have a friend who gives out his deer and turkey meat he gets from hunting every year as "free range organic", which of course it is. But somehow his liberal friends are still disturbed by it.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

KRS_One? Big fan of your work.

[SugarFree]

He's kept a pretty low profile over the last few years.

By the by, did you see this yesterday?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I missed that one. Thanks for sharing, man. Scotch is a terrible, terrible troll. If his trolling is just tongue-in-cheek, though, that's really quite clever.

[Clich? Bandit]

How on earth did I miss that mastery yesterday. I guess I was too busy at work but damn, that thread was top notch.

EPIC!

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Wait, so was that Tulpa or Epi sockpuppeting Scotch?

[SugarFree]

It was pretty funny, so I doubt it was Epi.

The way I read it, I think at least 4 people jumped in as Hamilton over the course of the thread. But I really can't tell if the "real" shitbagassfucktwat was there or not.

I got there too late to do anything but go to the after-party.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

I haven't seen someone so completely dismantled via lampooning since the halcyon days of The LoneWacko. That was just a quality, quality thread.

[ChicagoTom]

How can I get some? That sounds rather tasty!

I've never eaten deer that was killed by an acquaintance. Is it more gamy than the venison found in restaurants etc?

[SugarFree]

Slightly more gamy, but different because almost all the venison in US restaurants is farm-raised in New Zealand because of US laws about inspection and Chronic Wasting Disease, a type of spongiform encephalopathy like Mad Cow Disease.

Prions hate us.

[John]

Depends on where it was hunted. Out in the wilds of the Texas hill country, they tend to taste gamy. If you go to the midwest where the deer eat with the cattle, it might as well be domesticated.

Also, a lot of the gamy taste comes from how it is prepared. I like the "gamy" taste. I think a lot of domesticated meat is kind of flat tasting. I would do it myself except that I find deer hunting more boring than watching paint dry, at least you can drink beer and talk while watching paint dry.

[robc]

The even bigger problem with deer hunting is that it occurs at a time of day when humans arent awake.

Its a tasty hobby, I will get it that. I prefer homebrewing. I will gladly trade results with any deer hunters. I especially like deer sausage.

[John]

I don't mind the early mornings. And I like doing it the old fashioned way on a horse where your flush and stalk them. But, sitting in a deer blind not moving for three hours has to be the most boring form of entertainment known to man.

[Pope Jimbo]

You have to adapt to the terrain. In the wooded hill country that I grew up on in MN shooting from a tree stand is the best way to do it. As my father told me, "it is 5 minutes of the most intense excitement of your life followed by 8 hours of drudgery."

When I hunt Mule deer in N. Dakota or Montana you can see them miles off and the trick is to sneak up close enough for a shot. I honestly like this hunting more than sitting in a tree stand.

Also, the way venison is processed is crucial to how it tastes. The fat on a deer isn't like the fat on a cow, it much more like tallow and tastes like shit. If you want good venison, you need to bone out the meat and cut ALL the fat off. People who bring their deer to a butcher that cuts them up just like beef are doomed to disappointment.

[Clich? Bandit]

I just kegged and carbonated my "Old Persnikety" made with tracle syrup...yowzers. Wasnt prepared for 5 gallons of that.

Homebrew threadjack!

[Clich? Bandit]

Ohh, and living in CO deer is like Velveta cause we eat Elk which is like Brillat Savarin.

Just sayin

[Episiarch]

Same here. I'd love to get me my own deer, except the idea of standing in the woods at 5AM in the cold waiting for a deer to come by is...highly unappealing to me. But I take any venison I can get from any hunter who is willing to give me some, because it's great.

[T]

I'm with you, Epi. I have enough guns and gear, but I gave up wandering through woods trying kill things when I got out of the Army. I value my time more highly than to sit in a tree waiting on lunch. But damn, it's good.

Leftover venison chili for lunch today, actually.

[Ska]

I will say this - some of the best venison I've had was prepared like souvlaki by my Greek friends. Really tasty.

[R C Dean]

For me, hunting, like fishing, isn't really about the actual acquisition of protein. I haven't kept a fish, or shot a deer, in years. But I still love it.

I get bored stiff outdoors without a purpose. Hunting and fishing gives me a purpose. I catch-and-release fish because I don't necessarily want to clean the little buggers and pick their bones out of my teeth (and because a lot of the best fishing spots require it).

I haven't shot a deer in a couple of years because I haven't seen a prime buck that I wanted to take. I'll probably snag a doe or two this year for the food pantries, though.

[BakedPenguin]

This seems appropriate here. Considering Jello Biafra's politics, ironic, too.

[Solanum]

Fuck. Yes.

'Gears of War 3' unveiled, slated for April 2011 release

[R C Dean]

Wooo-Hooo!

Right now, I'm stuck at 98 of 100 feathers in Assassin's Creed 2. Aaargh. I have never been able to resist a scavenger hunt in a video game.

[Ska]

Dude, it's bad enough to get all the treasures with the maps. 98 feathers? You are a mad man.

[Ska]

A lot of people hyped up for this one.

I'm looking forward to next month's Red Dead Redemption. It's Rockstar's take on westerns (think GTA IV set in the wild west). Bonus - 8 player multiplayer, with free roam, where you can go hunting animals, other players, and other gangs' hideouts. I'm expecting nothing short of amazing.

Also, Fallout: New Vegas. Whenever the hell that comes out.

[SugarFree]

New Vegas is slated for Fall '10.

[Ska]

If anything can restore my faith in humanity, it's this.

Alright, not really, but I'm so pumped for a new Fallout. I can't wait to see how it gets treated since NV wasn't hit by a nuke.

[SugarFree]

New Vegas is all about three words: Grenade Machine Gun.

[BakedPenguin]

The Mk 19? My brother told me about it when he was in the Army. He said firing it was the only time joining the Army didn't feel like the biggest mistake of his life.

[SugarFree]

Yes, although it it's belt-fed from a backpack, like the Mini-gun or the Gatling Laser.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

The Mk 19 is pretty doggone awesome.

[JW]

I'm having shitloads of fun playing Borderlands right now.

Fallout3 without all the melodrama and much less running around.

[Chris]

http://politicalticker.blogs.c.....F7sSzlAOCR

Watch out, we're also Obama's kids.

[Rich]

"[I]n my household, you know, we try to establish a set of guidelines and rules that make sense - no computers, phones, television during the week," the first lady said

1) Rrr...ight.

2) How about "making sense" in arenas outside your household?

[Rich]

Please drop quotes in 2). Don't want to wrongly encourage Michelle, 'cause I know she reads H&R regularly.

[John]

Susana Breslin completely destroys Femisting. This is great. I can't imagine summing up that website any better.

"These days, feminism isn't a movement at all, really, but a collection of blogs obsessed with the pop culture it claims to be victimized by, a forum for women who promote themselves as victims of a patriarchy that no longer exists, a pretend movement that contains within it no forward movement at all, only a fetal-like desire to curl up on itself, muttering Women's Studies jargon, and handing out trigger warnings like party favors at a girl's-only slumber party."

http://trueslant.com/susannahb.....heres-why/

[dbcooper]

Oof, brutal. Breslin's been an interesting blogger for some time now.

[BakedPenguin]

Is she Jimmy Breslin's daughter?

[Isaac Bartram]

Apparently not.

I wondered the same thing. She is not mentioned as one of his kids in his wikipedia entry.

[John]

http://trueslant.com/susannahb.....the-f-out/

Here is the original post. It is very well written and beyond brutal.

[ed]

Contemporary feminists are like contemporary labor unions. A great deal of self-delusion is required to nurture and perpetuate the myths in their heads.

[Chris]

It's easier to fight something than it is to create something. This is why 'movements' outlast their relevance.

[TRIGGER WARNING]

Great piece of work.

[SugarFree]

Switzerland's Evil Clown Service

Trigger Warning for coulrophobes.

[Ragin Cajun]

Are the Swiss beta-testing their latest weapon in the War against Terror?

[SugarFree]

Isn't really a War of Terror?

Weaponized evil clowns would scare the bejesus out of any country you released them on.

[Ragin Cajun]

I guess they are deciding to fight fire with fire. Maybe there are clowns roaming around Pakistan now, leaving little notes for Bin Laden to find.

And I imagine in a few years, there will be a VERY interesting video posted to Wikileaks.

[SugarFree]

"YOU'LL ALL FLOAT DOWN HERE, IRAN!"

[hurly buerhle]

+1!

[Ragin Cajun]

Iran is not afraid of your evil clowns....unless they are homosexual.

[SugarFree]

I guess the mullahs think the giant space turtle that is powered by 12-year-old gangbangs will save them. Fools.

[Ayman al-Zawahiri]

Can't sleep, clown will eat me!

[Groovus Maximus]

Weaponized evil clowns would scare the bejesus out of any country you released them on.

WE AGREE

[I can't hear you!]

'most kids absolutely love being scared senseless.'

Especially *little* kids.

BWAHAHAHAA!!

[Taxpayer]

'most kids absolutely love being scared senseless.'

I know I do.

[MadrasAdder]

Wait. He removes the candles prior to hitting someone in the face with that cake...right?

[SugarFree]

Only for the little sissy kids.

[Groovus Maximus]

I, for one, am thoroughly disgusted and mortified that there are no references to this movie.

All of you coulrophobes need therapy and truly sicken me.

[cmace]

He's no scarier looking than any other clown

[Solanum]

I miss Evil Clown Comics. One of the few bright spots in the post-PJ O'Rourke National Lampoon.

[Chris]

Not a headline, but I came across this last night while reading The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell. It was written in 1947.

"Sometimes, Baird, I think there is only politics left for you - the last refuge of the diseased ego. You notice how all the young men are burning to reform things? It's to escape the terrible nullity and emptiness and guilt of the last six years. They are now going to nationalize everything, including joy, sex and sleep. There will be enough for everyone now because the government will control it. Those who can't sleep will be locked up."

Speaking of Larry, one of the most libertarian characters I've encountered(in spirit if not stated explicitly in political terms) is Pursewarden from The Alexandria Quartet. I highly recommend it.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Sounds booklist worthy...

[John]

Thank God for the second amendment and the NRA or this would be happening in the US.

http://corner.nationalreview.c.....M3YmIxMTU=

Not in the United Kingdom anyway. I've written in the next NR about the remorseless descent of modern Britain, but this story from today's Daily Mail captures a lot of the salient features:

Full-time carer Rodney Knowles, 61, walks with the aid of a stick and had used the Swiss Army knife to cut up fruit on picnics with his wife.

Knowles from Buckland, Devon, yesterday admitted possessing an offensive weapon at Torquay Magistrates Court.

In the Nineties, Britain banned guns - and, despite being a small island with rigorous port-of-entry checks, found itself with more gun crime than ever before. However, it also found that, instead of shooting each other, Britons started stabbing each other - to the point where makers of school uniforms now offer them in Kevlar. So naturally the government began cracking down on knives. As this commenter notes:

I can remember debating this when the law first came out. We all said what about the little old lady with her fruit knife or the old man and his fishing knife.

People argued that common sense would be used so inncents would not be prosecuted.

Not in modern Britain. Her Majesty's Constabulary are among the laziest, most overpaid, most obnoxious and most useless in the world. It was entirely predictable that, given the choice between taking on violent ne'er-do-wells or harrassing harmless old-timers with pocket knives, they'd choose the latter:

Prosecutor Philip Sewell told the court that Knowles was stopped by police when he left a local pub on February 24.

He was arrested for suspected drink-driving but a breath test showed he was under the legal limit, the court was told.

But Knowles was charged with possession of the knife, which was found in its pouch in the car glove compartment...

Defence solicitor Jolyon Tuck said Knowles, who is a carer for his wife, had used the knife to cut up fruit on picnics with his wife... 'He admits possession of it and he had no good reason for having it.'

Britain has rampant property crime to which the police are entirely indifferent. But they have all the time in the world for this. And, when the micro-regulatory statists assures you that of course they'll wield their vast powers with a sense of proportion, always remember that pettiness is their default mode.

[UPDATE: Not unrelated:

As a gay man who is also a Buddhist I never thought I'd vote for the BNP.]

[SugarFree]

Defence solicitor Jolyon Tuck said Knowles, who is a carer for his wife, had used the knife to cut up fruit on picnics with his wife... 'He admits possession of it and he had no good reason for having it.'

Except for the cutting up of fruit for his invalid wife, you shitbag.

[Jolyon Tuck]

Chew up the fruit for your wife, as normal folk do.

[Pablo]

Well that requires one to have teeth. This is Britain after all.

[Isaac Bartram]

I was a little confused whether the quote was properly attributed.

But if it was, holy shit! If your defense counsel starts out with this you've lost already.

[BakedPenguin]

It's like the "trials" of the old Soviet Union, where the "defense" lawyer would add to the testimony against the accused.

[Forrest]

Was his wife in the car? Was there fruit in the car?

If he had been caught with it at a picnic with his wife, you may have had a point. As long as the knife was kept disassembled in a locked container during transportation to and from the park and when it was stored at home.

[Zeb]

Wow. You can't carry a knife in the UK? What the fuck to people use to cut things?

[TRIGGER WARNING]

Their acerbic wit.

[TrickyVic]

Get stopped with a knife in NYC and you might get arrested too.

[PapayaSF]

In the glove box of your car?

[John]

That Tuscon story reminds me of the Todd Marinivich story. Marinivich was the son of a former middling NFL player. The dad decided that he was going to breed an NFL quarterback from birth. The kid started a training regimen when he was like five. He literally never ate so much as a hamburger or any sort of unhealthy food up through high school.

He ended up washing out of the NFL in a couple of years and becoming an heroin addict. Those poor kids are going to have some seriously weird issues with food.

[J sub D]

Moreno is a teacher at the Children's Success Academy, a 10-year-old school on Tucson's south side for children in kindergarten through the fifth grade.

Okey dokey. Yeah, I think it's a stupid overreaction and I'm sure that their guidelines rules are less than optimal.

Still, it's a charter school* that parents have volunteered to send their rugrats to so excuse me if I don't get my tits in a flutter over this.

* My public education prescription is vouchers for every child. Some public schools, both charter and conventional, will survive but the worst of them will dry up and blow away.

[John]

It is a free country. And they are free to run whatever school they like. And the rest of us are free to be horrified and disturbed by it.

[ChicagoTom]

Still, it's a charter school* that parents have volunteered to send their rugrats to so excuse me if I don't get my tits in a flutter over this.

Charter schools are still public schools no?

Saying that parents have volunteered so they have to live with whatever the school decides strikes me as off.

You wouldn't make that same argument with public Colleges -- why would charter schools be any different?

[John]

Schools can set rules and get a lot of leeway. I think a suit would be hard. But I think the best bet would be disparate impact on minorities and handicapped kids.

[capitol l]

Not to be pedantic but, Tucson is spelled wrong.

I, frankly, am more disappointed than angry.

[SugarFree]

? I'm not mad, I'M DISAPPOINTED!
Oh, my aching head.?

[capitol l]

Just read the article, and to quote the esteemed barfman; "barf".

Here are some nice tidbits, gluten free tidbits naturally.

Aiken, a scientist who holds a doctorate in cell physiology

"The studies don't substantiate that additives or preservatives would cause behavioral problems in children. However, there is anecdotal evidence,"

Preventing obesity is only one reason behind Aiken's rules. Overall health is the key factor - particularly for children who, like many of her students, have behavior problems. emphasis added.

Scientist indeed.

[ed]

The Guru fills in where "science" fails.

http://www.authentic-loving-re.....duals.html

[capitol l]

Ooh Ooh! Who do I make the check out to?

[Enough About Palin]

I think they meant Tuscan.

[Sandi]

I took a shit in Tucson once.

[TRIGGER WARNING]

^ THIS IS A GOD DAMNED IMPOSTER.

[J sub D]

... and make lawbreakers out of U.S. citizens who invite immigrants they know to be "illegal aliens" to dinner in their homes, drive them to church, host them as overnight guests, teach them in school, or otherwise "harbor" them. The bill prohibits day laborers from seeking work on Arizona sidewalks and other public places, and allows Arizona citizens to sue local police agencies whom they deem ineffective in sending all those hotel maids and dishwashers back to Mexico.

Arizona has it's own Bull Conner (Sheriff Joe) and is now emulating the worst of the Alabama legal code circa 1963.

I'll bet the ignorant intolerant dickheads who support this (apparently a majority of the citizenry), like Alabamans back in the '50s and '60s are all righteously proud of themselves.

Fuck Arizona and the burro it rode in on.

[Mike M.]

This is the sort of thing that happens when you start crossing the border and murdering decent guys on their own property in cold blood.

Anyone who thinks that Arizona is just going to sit back and allow itself to be turned into a war zone or something is insane.

[MikeP]

It's too bad legislation outlawing murder is unconstitutional, or Arizona might be able to pass laws they can really hold against them.

[Zeb]

Yes, and when I do that, I will expect to be put in jail. But when I just cross a border peacefully so I can work, I don't expect such treatment.
The best way for Arizona to get turned into a war zone is to pass aggressive laws like this and maintain the status quo on the drugwar and immigration.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Out of curiosity, do you think Arizona has more or fewer problems with IllegalImmigrants than CA, NM or TX?

[Mike M.]

I don't know, but I do know that the dirtbags who murdered Robert Krentz really screwed up big time. He was by all accounts a good guy and highly respected in the region, and people in the state are seriously pissed off.

Something needs to be done to get the situation under control down there, otherwise pretty soon the ranchers and people in the border area are going to start shooting at the trespassers out of fear for their own safety, and we'll end up with a bloodbath.

[Michael Ejercito]

Arizona has it's own Bull Conner (Sheriff Joe) and is now emulating the worst of the Alabama legal code circa 1963.

I'll bet the ignorant intolerant dickheads who support this (apparently a majority of the citizenry), like Alabamans back in the '50s and '60s are all righteously proud of themselves.

Fuck Arizona and the burro it rode in on.

So now you compare the treatment of black American citizens with the treatment of illegal aliens (of whatever origin)?

[MikeP]

I know that kidnapping, imprisoning, and forceably transporting hundreds of thousands of people a year based solely on a condition of their birth didn't happen to black American citizens, but that doesn't mean we should downplay the egregious violation of rights that racially biased laws and much of the government's resistance to the civil rights movement entailed.

[Barack Obama]

You're on your own...

Feds Warn: Nuclear blast victims would have to wait:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/w.....lans_N.htm

[SugarFree]

A 10-kiloton nuclear explosion would level buildings within half a mile of ground zero, generate 900-mph winds, bathe the landscape with radiation and produce a plume of fallout that would drift for hundreds of miles, the guide says. It was posted on the Internet and sent to local officials.

Woo! No more global warming!

[Solanum]

Meh, who cares. I just purchased a vault from the good folks at Vault-Tec. Have fun being dinner for the raiders, losers.

[Andrew S.]

Fry: This snow is beautiful. I'm glad global warming never happened.

Leela: Actually it did. But thank God nuclear winter canceled it out.

[Pope Jimbo]

Thread Jack

Here in MN we have proved that the Tea Partiers are evil!

How could anyone object to so patriotic a sentiment as the government union's idea to Tax The Rich?

[Pip]

The National Guard helicopter patrols Camden frequently, during evening shifts, to assist Camden police officers in pursuing and capturing individuals who commit crimes in the city.

http://cbs3.com/local/Camden.Laser.Light.2.1630942.html

[John]

If they are on state duty status and the state is paying, they can do that. In state active duty status the National Guard, in most states, is no different than the highway patrol.

[Warty]

A song for tax day. "I hope you choke on it..."

[Charles]

Arizona might be my least favorite state.

[Chris]

Any state with a z in its name can't be taken seriously.

[graygoose]

Arizona bill would deem illegal immigrants "trespassers," give police the authority to arrest them.

About f'ing time.

[TrickyVic]

Will not survive federal review.

[Colonel_Angus]

What the fuck is processed food, anyway? All food involves some kind of process.

[Warty]

Peter Steele, Singer of Type O Negative, Dead at 48

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Damn, that sucks. I love "Christian Woman." R.I.P.

[T]

"Black No 1" has always been the best muscial summary of my dating history. RIP.

[prolefeed]

Jumping radioactive Jesus, that is Orwellian, with a heaping helping of neo-juche delusional totalitarianism.

Who would send their kids there?

Parents who don't want to subject their kids to the government re-education camps regular public schools to receive a shitty education plus socialist indoctrination?

Compared to that, a bit of food Nazism might seem tolerable.

[prolefeed]

Charter schools are still public schools no?

Saying that parents have volunteered so they have to live with whatever the school decides strikes me as off.

You wouldn't make that same argument with public Colleges -- why would charter schools be any different?

Charter schools are publicly funded schools -- a different beast than regular public schools, which is why teachers' unions try their damndest to shut them all down.

The whole point of charter schools is to innovate and provide parents options to the homogenized BS of regular public schools.

And yes, that innovation includes repressive innovations like this -- which the parents volunteer for, and can unvolunteer for if they don't like it.

My oldest daughter is in a charter school, and wanted out because of the socialism and boring teachers -- until she tried a regular public school.

She lasted 1.5 days there, and then went back to the charter school, chastened but wiser.

[Hacha Cha]

how can anyone trespass on public property that is open for public access (ie not closed for construction or curfew)?