Reason Morning Links: Pentagon Downplays WikiLeaks, DoD Lost Track of Iraq Oil Money, President Wyclef?

• Pentagon says it has found no threats to national security in WikiLeaks documents.
• Defense Department can't account for $8.7 billion of $9.1 billion in Iraq oil revenue between 2004 and 2007.
• Thousands of graves mislabeled at Arlington National Cemetery.
• Reports say Wyclef Jean to run for president of Haiti.
• June home sales up higher than expected.
• Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says Muslims may not deserve First Amendment protection.

Comments

[Jordan Elliot]

"Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says Muslims may not deserve First Amendment protection."

And I say anyone that holds any type of public office should be required by law to completely memorize the Constitution in its entirety to include the Bill of Rights. They can be tested on this knowledge at anytime and if they fail, removed from office and charged with Treason.

[Fatwa Issuer]

Muslims in the World, 1570 million.
Americans in the World, 308 million.
Now, about this "cult" assertion ...

[Azathoth]

Oddly, this may illustrate why Islam may not be covered by the 1st Amendment.

Muslims in the World, 1570 million.
Americans in the World, 308 million.

Look at the things being equated here.

One is purportedly a 'faith'. The other is a nationality(not even an ethnicity yet).

This comparison is frequent. It, possibly unknowingly, highlights a fact about Islam. Islam is a theocracy--'faith' is one aspect of a total state. America, despite prattle about 'Christian nations' is not. It is a secular notion--religion is deliberately kept seperate(As Christianity demands--render unto Caesar).

Belief in Islam is, in essence, "allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty'--something forbidden in the oath one takes to be a citizen.

Now, that's something of a technicality--particulary since plotting against the government is a wholly protected pastime in the US, but it is there.

The 'cult' thing is just silly.

[Fluffy]

I never took an oath to be a citizen. How about you?

[GoNavy]

[I took an oath to] support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;

Though I've been out for 27 years (and am not a retiree), I still don't think that part of the oath has an expiration date.

[zoltan]

Citizenship is not dependent on military service, moron.

[Suki]

We are still early in the Maobama administration.

[guy in the back row]

No, but it does show that a person is willing to put their life on the line for their neighbors.

[JFK]

Belief in Islam is, in essence, "allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty'--something forbidden in the oath one takes to be a citizen.

They used to say the same thing about me and the Pope. I never paid much attention to the Pope, though, because he kept riding my ass about that whole fornication thing. I just got tired of hearing it.

[Subsidize Me!]

I think he knows what them first mendment wurds is, but he don't know what they be meanin. Somehow, in his festering piss-pot of a brain Islam is more a "cult" than a religion, therefore 1A doesn't apply.

[-]

It's always amusing when Christians call Islam a "cult," as Christianity is one of the world's oldest cults. Next to Mohammed, Jesus is the best-known cult leader. But he's a hippie, and everyone knows that hippies are peaceful and full of love.

[John]

We tend to think that our part of the world is just like the rest of the world. Islam seems really aggressive and growing while Christianity seems in decline if you just judge by Europe. But in Africa and Asia Christianity is the aggressive growing religion. Gulf countries don't ban the bible and Christian proselytizing because they are confident. You can always tell who is the weaker by who is the most defensive. See French secularists banning the headscarf for an example of this in a place where Muslims are more confident.

[-]

See French secularists banning the headscarf

Or the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.

[John]

That is a good example. The Catholics freaked out and killed thousands of Protestants more than anything because they felt there was no other way to save their faith in France. It wasn't an act of strength. Interestingly, Huguenot feeling was strongest in the South, the same areas where revolutionary fervor would be the strongest in 1789. So the Huguenots got some measure of revenge I think.

[JEP]

Henry of Navarre becoming King of France after all four of Catherine's sons dying in freak accidents was pretty good revenge, too.

[Tulpa]

True, but it goes both ways -- look at English Protestant treatment of both English and Irish Catholics.

[Timon19]

John, a really big part of the religious policies of the Gulf States has to do with the fact that the majority of their populations (save Saudi) are essentially Hindu, and they have very large Christian minorities. English, along with Urdu, Hindi and Pashto are the main languages of the street. They're trying to hang on to the Arabic and Islamic culture of the natives despite opening their doors so wide to everyone. Of course they're doing it too late, since they unwisely let everyone in to do their work for them in such great numbers before realizing their problem.

But you're right that Christianity is on the rise in Africa and Asia.

As far as Muslims being confident in France, I'm not quite sure what you're smoking. They're extremely pissed off and marginalized in France, and thus very, very lacking in confidence. The French, having created the problem, are also scared and lacking in confidence. Thus, the bans, the riots, etc.

[Fist of Etiquette]

No one who disagrees with me deserves First Amendment rights, but much to my chagrin they have them anyway.

[Ron Ramsey]

So, I can count on your vote?

[Suki]

You might want to look into that one a little farther, since Reason did not have time to.

Radley's source is the Talking Points Memo. If you click through, you can find an actual complete quote by the candidate (maybe it wasn't chopped) that says what he is actually talking about.

"Now, you know, I'm all about freedom of religion. I value the First Amendment as much as I value the Second Amendment as much as I value the Tenth Amendment and on and on and on," he said. "But you cross the line when they try to start bringing Sharia Law here to the state of Tennessee -- to the United States. We live under our Constitution and they live under our Constitution."

If Reason, Radley and you are really against his position, that we should not adopt sharia law in Tennessee, or the USA in general, please stand right up and say so.

Radley, when you run down to Printer's Alley, or wherever the Nashville Cosmotarian crowd gathers, make sure to park where your "I ? Sharia" bumper sticker can be seen by all.

[WTF]

That's a bit of a disingenuous argument, because nobody is saying we should have Sharia law here, and I would go so far as to presume that nobody - except maybe some of those radical Islamists - would say they want Sharia law here.

But as to whether some Muslims can built a community center or faith center or mosque, or whatever - that is quite a different question from whether we should have Sharia law in the U.S. And it certainly has First Amendment implications.

And in fact, even if a few whackos want to say we should have Sharia law, well, it's their First Amendment-protected right to do so.

[Suki]

The Ground Zero Mosque leader advocates we should have sharia law here. Plenty of other vocal radicals do too. Should they be addressed or just ignored? I don;t think addressing them is out of the question at all.

[WTF]

In what manner are you advocating they be "addressed"? Shutting them down with the power of government? Countering their public statements with opposing statements?

[Suki]

WTF is that BS? Quoting the man accurately would be nice, rather than what Reason did. Now, argue against his statement. Looking forward to your defense of sharia, since he sounds a little against that type of law and for the kind we are supposed to have here.

[WTF]

Well I guess I'm confused as to what your point is now. I have no idea what gave you the idea that I would in any way defend Sharia law.

I agree we should address anyone advocating imposition of Sharia law in the U.S. I don't know that that's what the people building the "community center" in Tennessee are doing.

It's not entirely clear to me what you're saying, but it looks like you're conflating allowing some people to associate and practice their religion with supporting their political views. Just because I think some Muslims should be allowed to have themselves a mosque or community center does not mean I heart Sharia law.

[kinnath]

You address the issue by speaking out or writing or picketing or whatever.

Trying to shut down speech you don't like is weak and stupid.

[The Libertarian Guy]

Good idea. This shouldn't be about the use of force against Islam, but voicing opposition to anyone who wants Sharia law here HAS to be done. That's some dangerous shit.

You'd think the American feminists would be in on that fight more than they are. Sharia would ruin rights for women here worse than anyone else.

[Suki]

Exactly! And Reason's misrepresentation of what the Lt. Gov. said, with help from TMG, sure looks like an effort to shut down the speech of someone who is advocating freedom.

[Subsidize Me!]

Address them, by all means. You don't have to be a Muslim American to tell these assholes that there will never, ever, under any circumstance be sharia rule of law in the US.

The problem isn't that Muslims won't address these douchebags, it's that our erstwhile elected guardians refuse to single out the extremists for fear of reprisal.

[Azathoth]

Ah, yes the 'extremists'.

Always we are told that most muslims don't want this....but those 'most' muslims never seem to say a word.

When the APA endorsed a 'ritual nicking' of infant girls genitalia to assuage 'religious sensibilities' were they doing this to aid a tiny minority of extremists?

Somehow, I don't think so.

Islam is not freedom. It does not value liberty in any sense of the word. Why defend anything about it?

Is it the practice of libertarianism to defend those that would destroy it?

[Suki]

Awaiting the CAIR endorsement of TMG and Reason's coverage of this.

[Suki]

Grrr, TPM not TMG.

[Subsidize Me!]

I'm not defending Islam. I think that it is a bullshit belief system and it very much tries to prevent its adherents from living their lives as they choose.

However, I will defend someone's choice to practice Islam, so long as their practice abides by the laws in their place if worship. Can you give me any examples of this not being the case in America?

Always we are told that most muslims don't want this....but those 'most' muslims never seem to say a word.

Now there's a strong statement. Silent majorities don't sit well with you, eh?

[Suki]

You are intentionally attempting to confuse the subject and failing.

The issue is sharia law. Yes, it is a part of Islam, but nobody is saying Islam should be outlawed. Not even that politician being unjustly attacked by you people. My psychicness senses there are plenty of other things to attack him on if anybody wants to go dig them up.

[Subsidize Me!]

Not sure which of my comments you're replying to, but if sharia were the only issue with this asshole, wouldn't it have been a lot easier to say "Sharia has no future in TN or anywhere in the US as an addition or a supplement to law" rather than continue spouting bullshit?

I object to him pushing ordinary Americans into the crosshairs of worried americans... Which is exactly where the extremist fucktards want them.

[Subsidize Me!]

Meant to say "ordinary Muslim Americans," but I suppose my omission works as intended.

[Suki]

Maybe you should read his quote? I even posted it above.

[Subsidize Me!]

No, I did you one better: I RTFA.

"My concern is that far too much of Islam has come to resemble a violent political philosophy more than peace-loving religion," he said in an email. "It's time for American Muslims who love this country to publicly renounce violent jihadism and to drum those who seek to do America harm out of their faith community."

Hence the continuance of bullshit spouting by Lt. Gov. Fuckstick, and the reason for my suspicion that it isn't all about sharia, but also about the need for Muslims to police their own (Seeing no evidence to the contrary, I'm making the assumption Ramsey believes islamic fanatics and terrorists should be categorized with ordinary Muslims).

[Brett L]

It is illegal for an adult to have sex with an underage person regardless of the laws of their religion. It would also be illegal to practice settee and burn widows on their husband's funeral pyre. To name a few off the top of my head.

[Kat]

The appropriate response to the question of Sharia law in the US (or any other country, really) should always be to laugh in the radicals' faces.

They should be free to speak as much as they want. The only thing anyone should "address" is violence.

[Law Student]

This guy is a bigot and a moron. Don't waste your time defending him.

[Suki]

You wouldn't know a bigot if they were gibleting you.

[Brett L]

Gibbetting? Gibleting would involve making food of your innards.

[Suki]

You must have missed the discussion thread under one of Radley's articles yesterday.

[Suki]

Or maybe I spelled it wrong. Thank you for the correction.

[Suki]

Allow me to rephrase? He wouldn't know a bigot if he were sitting in the middle seat at an NAACP address by Louis Farrakhan.

[Suki]

I know Reason can't catch every story. One would think they would be all over the two day old Oliver Stone story about how he thinks Hitler has a bad reputation because of Jewish controlled media. Yea, if you hate my blog then just go to this URL http://newsbusters.org/blogs/a.....ortrayed-c but I think my post is illustrated better 😉

[Subsidize Me!]

Did you troll Stormfront for the images?

I think I have a thing for the Nazi Doublemint girls. Is one of them Meme Roth?

So Sucky took a story that distorted quotes by Oliver Stone and distorted them even more.

You know, Sucky, when you start out with an fuckhead like OS who already has given plenty of obnoxious shit to legitimately quote from you really make yourself look stupid when you make shit up.

And all you need to do to see a bigot is to look in the mirror.

[Suki]

Can't you spell? You got my name wrong twice.

[Suki]

What is Stormfront? I went straight to Google Images.

[Subsidize Me!]

It's a white supremacist den of paranoia, Mein Kampf quotation contests, SS uniform how-to's and FAQs, and other assorted neo-Nazi racist poppycock.

I think you posted some of their porn.

[Suki]

I just looked at the pictures and linked to them without reading the image URLs. Looked up a little about Stormfront after I saw your comment. I don't like them.

[Julian Assange]

Keep looking. I'm sure you'll find something.

[Take Care of THIS!]

I'm pretty sure whoever leaked those documents made sure to keep out anything that could lead directly to US soldiers getting killed. As is, he's going to be in a lot of trouble, but I don't think he wants to spend the rest of his life in military PMITA prison if American soldiers die because of what was released.

[Take Care of THIS!]

Oh, and in before the paleos take over this thread... ah, shit, too late.

[Rich]

Sales of U.S. new homes rose in June more than forecast following an unprecedented collapse the prior month, a signal the worst of the slump triggered by the end of a government tax credit is over.

Would someone *kindly* explain why "rising more than forecast" does not just mean "our forecast was bad"?

[John]

So essentially sales went back to where the market dictates they should be after being artificially high under the tax credit and artificially low in its immediate aftermath.

[Joe M]

What's more interesting is that forecasters don't seem to realize that it rose more than forecast because it dipped abnormally the previous month, which was only due to it rising abnormally the month before that. Ah, isn't market distortion fun?

[Ben Bernanke]

Ah, isn't market distortion fun?

I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Tulpa]

I don't think they calculate it that way -- this month gets compared to the same month of last year, not last month.

[Johnny Longtorso]

Mil's Mailing List Mail #51a

Easy Credit, Hard Landing

[-]

You're late, Mr. Torso.

[Johnny Longtorso]

The Eastern European woman in the pic linked to in my top link wasn't worth the wait?

[-]

Yawn.

[zoltan]

Her face is busted! But her legs compensate for that.

[Joe M]

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, currently running third in the state's Republican gubernatorial primary race, says he's not sure if Constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion apply to the followers of the world's second-largest faith, Islam.

Well that's a relief. I hope it's a distant, distant third.

[Rich]

It probably is among Muslim voters.

[Suki]

He disagrees with the sharia part. I put his full quote closer to the top of the thread.

[Grant Gould]

Wait... if there were no threats to national security in those documents... WHY THE HOLY HECK WERE THEY SECRET???

If it takes Wikileaks to get harmless government documents past the secrecy shroud, we need a million more Wikileaks.

[Jordan Elliot]

Can't have anything out that makes people look bad.

[SFC B]

If I had to guess it is because the documents were classified when they were generated, but never downgraded after they were no longer being used for current operations.

[The Angry Optimist]

Part of what you need to remember, as the Sergeant First Class alludes to, is that routine electronic reports are produced and sent out over a secure network (SIPR), and the default for much of this electronic traffic is that it is classified, if for no other reason than it was generated over this network.

Basically, you have an archaic method of declassification that does not keep pace with how fast information becomes useless or common knowledge.

[Suki]

They don't have an automated way of declassifying?

[SFC B]

You've a couple of different things involved in this. As AO mentions anything that goes over the classified net is considered classified. And even normally non-classified information is considered classified if attached to classified documents (unless it's marked for being unclas when seperate from the classified info). Once a document is classified only the classification authority, or a higher authorized authority, can downgrade it.

The authority restricting the document can mark it as automatically downgraded after a certain date or after specific conditions (for example a document discussing several non-sensitive items and one sensitive item would be downgraded once the sensitive item is removed). This is something which would be included on the information iself.

Some of the Army's regulatory guidance can be found here.

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar380-5/iii.htm

[Suki]

Very interesting. Thank you!

[The Gobbler]

I saw the founder of Wikileaks on TV. He says he has millions of documents from nearly every country on earth and he plans to release them all.

I gotta figure he'll be dead before the end of the year.

[Almanian]

I like that guy. He's weird, but I like that he's Mr. Transparency. I hope he don't get dead cause of it 🙁

[Tulpa]

He reminds me of Mark McKinney's CEO character from Brain Candy for some reason.

[yet another dave]

"Defense Department can't account for $8.7 billion of $9.1 billion in Iraq oil revenue between 2004 and 2007"

I bet Haliburton can

[Rich]

Though there is no apparent evidence of fraud, the improper accounting practices add to the pattern of mismanagement, reckless spending and, in some instances, corruption

"No apparent evidence of fraud" -- now *that's* funny!

[Brett L]

I think they mean the criminals were amateurs, not professionals.

[Stretchy]

I'm a glass half full kind of guy so, I like to look at it as "Defense department able to account for $0.4 billion of $9.1 billion in Iraq oil revenue..."

[Almanian]

It appears the Defense Dept are glass 0.043 full kind of guys...true optimists!

[TrickyVic]

So now we're rehashing 2005's news?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/jul/07/iraq.features11

[?]

"My concern is that far too much of Islam has come to resemble a violent political philosophy more than peace-loving religion," he said in an email. "It's time for American Muslims who love this country to publicly renounce violent jihadism and to drum those who seek to do America harm out of their faith community."

I don't have a huge problem with that.

[Jordan Elliot]

I agree with you on the second part of what he said there.

Still, everyone deserves the protection of the 1st Amendment. Idiots, psychopaths, and conniving bastards alike.

[CoyoteBlue]

"It's time for American Muslims who love this country to publicly renounce violent jihadism and to drum those who seek to do America harm out of their faith community."

Concern Troll is concerned.

[Jordan Elliot]

Those eyebrows...

[Almanian]

That is awesome. As Jordan says, the eyebrows...they cause me some concern.

[Subsidize Me!]

I have a problem with elected asswipes calling for private citizens to renounce anything - especially when it's only to curry favor with the expanding number of Americans who are afraid Muslims will cut off their heads on YouTube.

What the hell makes this douche an expert on Islam? Fuck him and his call to action.

[John]

Is it really that big of a deal to renounce violent extremism? Is it really the private citizens' right to call for the death of other citizens? And if so, can we really blame the other citizens for taking matters into their own hands and killing him first?

Yeah, lets have Muslims run around the country talking about how it is their duty to kill non-Muslims. If you really want to see a lot of dead Muslims, that is a great way to do it.

[Subsidize Me!]

Are there really hordes of Muslims running around the country advocating for violent extremism? Do you really think that this represents the mainstream thinking of American Muslims?

So, are we going to set up lecterns on street corners so Muslims can come and renounce violent extremism to the thunderous applause of their xenophobic neighbors?

I know quite a few Muslims here... All of them despise Islamic extremists. Many of them I met studying Arabic. I'd kind of like it if dickbag public figures would leave them alone.

This is tantamount to Bernie Sanders calling for republicans to stand up and renounce fascism. How would you feel about that?

[John]

"Are there really hordes of Muslims running around the country advocating for violent extremism? Do you really think that this represents the mainstream thinking of American Muslims?"

No it doesn't. But perception can have the same effect as reality. The fact is there are people who run around the country who do that. And it is definitely in rest of the Muslim communities best interest to be heard and to ostracize them from their community. If they don't, they run the risk of people thinking that they all believe that.

That may not be fair. But life isn't fair. Look at it this way, look at all the shit white people get for the Klan. White people, especially Southern whites have to go out of their way to say not only that they are not like that but they think people who are suck. Muslims are in much the same situation only worse since they are small minority.

[Subsidize Me!]

Trying to control someone else's perception of you always ends in spectacular failure.

As long as the real racists force whites to apologize for the klan, their racism goes unchecked. It sucks to see people who should know better to engage in the same behavior.

[The Gobbler]

I call on all Christians to denounce the Reverend Fred Phelps. Until they do, I will cling to the belief that all Christians hate gays, just like their god does.

[John]

they pretty much have to. How many times on this thread is the word "Christian" associated with the term "fundie". The atheists who post on here assume every Christian is about on the level of Phelps or maybe on a good day Pat Robertson. But they are still somehow shocked when people think Muslims might be violent.

[zoltan]

The atheists who post on here assume every Christian is about on the level of Phelps

That's the problem with your fucked-up tiny brain, John. You and others like you assume all Muslims are extremists and all atheists have this idea about Christians.

[JEP]

While I don't think that all atheists think this way, the popular atheistic movement - Hitchens, Dawkins, etc - basically equate theism with psychological disorder. We can't cope with reality, so we need a "hug." Dawkins, etc aren't exactly respectful towards theists.

If you're a theist arguing with an atheists(or vice versa), at least realize that the opposite view point has a legitimate argument even if you don't agree with it.

[Tulpa]

Perhaps the atheists who don't hate Christians should publicly denounce those who do.

[TrickyVic]

""""But perception can have the same effect as reality."""

Sounds like something the Obama admin would say in justifing regulations to prevent some unlikey disaster.

[Azathoth]

Advocating? Not a whole lot. Quietly congratulating? Probably quite a few. Accepting? A whole lot more.

Despise islamic extremists? Really? I'd have to ask them myself. There's a lot of quranic wiggle room in the few 'denunciations' of islamic extremism that have been made. Many are so vague as to be meaningless. Many rely on taqqiyah. And many more rely on interpretation--While Islam frowns on killing innocents, most neglect to point out that non-muslims are not considered 'innocent'in Islam.

And Republicans could easily denounce fascism--could Bernie?

[DBN]

Is it really that big of a deal to renounce violent extremism?

It happens all the time; it's just that bloviators like Ramsey don't go to mosque on Friday. I mean, what do you really expect? Every muslim in the country to tell every non-muslim that they're not a violent extremist? Signed statements of non-violent extremism from local muslims on file at city hall?

Ordinary muslims shouldn't have to go around all the time saying that they don't advocate terrorism any more than catholic priests should have to go around saying that they're not pedophiles.

[John]

"any more than catholic priests should have to go around saying that they're not pedophiles."

Maybe they shouldn't have to, but they certainly do. Go talk to any priest about what it is like to be a priest post scandal. It hangs like a specter over everything they do.

And I have been to a few mosques in my time and I never found there to be anything like what you are talking about. They were not radical or calling for violence. But the subject really never came up. And indeed in some mosques it does, like the one in Arlington VA, but there is is praised not condemed.

And you are building a straw man. It is not that they have to tell the world they are no violent. It is that they have to kick the violent ones out of their religion. If the extremists were not recognized it would be harder for them to operate.

[John]

http://harpers.org/archive/1941/08/0020122

An article on telling who will go Nazi in 1941. It is great. And I don't think people have changed.

[Rich]

Speaking of oldies but goodies, I (preaching to the choir for the most part) must mention The_Road_to_Serfdom. Parts of it read like they were written yesterday.

[Citizen Nothing]

Dated, but nice article.
"He believes that America is the country of Creative Evolution once it shakes off its middle-class complacency, its bureaucratized industry, its tentacle-like and spreading government, and sets itself innerly free.
The people in the room think he is not an American, but he is more American than almost any of them."
Damn foreigners.

[John]

It's datedness is what makes it interesting because we have the same kinds of people today

[l0b0t]

John, that Harper's article is the best thing I've read all week. Thanks for the link.

[Warty]

The most striking thing about, to me, that is how much better the prose is than anything written nowadays. The American English of the time had a style and dignity that ours sadly lacks. See how elegant this paragraph is, and just try to imagine one of our prominent journalists, say, Katie Couric, writing it.

There he sits: he talks awkwardly rather than glibly; he is courteous. He commands a distant and cold respect. But he is a very dangerous man. Were he primitive and brutal he would be a criminal?a murderer. But he is subtle and cruel. He would rise high in a Nazi regime. It would need men just like him?intellectual and ruthless. But Mr. C is not a born Nazi. He is the product of a democracy hypocritically preaching social equality and practicing a carelessly brutal snobbery. He is a sensitive, gifted man who has been humiliated into nihilism. He would laugh to see heads roll.

[John]

Come on Warty. You think that is better than

"take one of them ? Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares ? and call them racists. Ask: why do they have such a deep-seated problem with a black politician who unites the country? What lurks behind those problems? This makes *them* sputter with rage, which in turn leads to overreaction and self-destruction."

People back then got real educations. So when someone was from a top flight school and had good grades, it meant they really were smart and worked their ass off to get where they are. Now, such a degree just means that the person is adept at careerism and ass kissing.

This is definitely not the good old days.

[Suki]

+1

[Gray Ghost]

This is definitely not the good old days.

It will be. Just wait. Things can get a whole lot worse.

Thanks for the Harpers' article

[JOhnny MAckson]

Oh WOW! Double rainbow all the way! LOL

Jess
http://www.anonymous-surfing.es.tc

[Almanian]

Thanks for supporting teh Gaiz, Anon Bot!

[Tulpa]

I bet anonymity bots were better with language back then, too.

[?]

This was my thought. Eloquent, metered speech in textual form. It's a pity that more articles aren't written to these standards any more.

[tarran]

Wow... Just wow...

John, that is a gem.

[Jordan Elliot]

Nice read.

[Almanian]

John, epic. Thanks for the reference.

[Kolohe]

yes, great article, but total Godwin's law right of the bat.

[Hammy Jones]

LOL, of course they are gonna "down play" it. Its what they do best.

http://www.anonymous-surfing.es.tc

[SugarFree]

Cosplay girls of Comic-Con 2010

I'm only vouching for about 30% of them.

[Joe M]

You're being a bit harsh, I think. There's at least 50% quality there.

[Jordan Elliot]

I agree.

And the guy dressed up as Booster Gold rules.

[SugarFree]

Should I find a round-up up of sexy cosplay guys for you?

[Abdul]

At a sausage party like this, you have to ask?

[Jordan Elliot]

Nah. I only get confusingly aroused by Firemen and Surgeons.

When I go to Comic Con, I'm going to dress up like The Question.

And I mean Vic Sage, not Renee Montoya, smartasses.

[SugarFree]

What happens under the blank mask is no one's business but your own.

[Jordan Elliot]

Exactly.

This gives me an idea though. If I have a girlfriend at the time of hitting the Con, I need to get her to dress up as the Renee Montoya version of The Question. Then we can film a sex tape in costume.

I have to do this at some point in my life. It just became a thing.

[John]

I think more than 50% of them are very cute. There are a couple that are not. But they are the exceptions. And the girl in the G4 costume and the one in the Super Girl outfit are both gorgeous.

[Fluffy]

I think more than 50% of them are very cute.

John is absolutely right here.

I failed to begin a response to John with these magic words below, making Ape Week a terrible failure.

Oh well. It's not my first terrible failure.

[wylie]

I only recognize like 1/3rd of the characters...guess I'm just not into comics anymore.

And Daphne? Huh? When did Scooby Doo become a ComicCon thing?

Lady Fett is hot.

[Slut Bunwalla]

Holy crap. I'm in love.
http://www.geekologie.com/2010/07/26/cc-30.jpg

(If that doesn't work, I'm talking about the insanely hot redhead dressed as Black Widow.)

[Virginia]

Lots of money on the line in this war business. Americans are probably no longer high on Assange's list of worries.

[robc]

the military has spent more than $5.5 million over seven years in its unsuccessful attempts to computerize the burial records

$1 million and 1 year and I will get this done. Any congresscritters reading here - let me know.

[Corduroy]

$5.5M - 7 years

That is a truly pathetic statement on the competence of the military bureaucracy.

[SugarFree]

But health care will be another matter entirely, of course.

[wylie]

"We're still trying to figure out who got the kidney you were supposed to receive. In the mean time, just enjoy that you won't ever have to worry about appendicitis...oh, you already had your appendix out as a kid...well...ummm....OH, i'm getting paged, gotta go!"

[John]

I will do it for a quarter of a million. I won't even need any computers. A pencil and a spread sheet and an underpaid assistant hired for her type A+ personality, bubbly demeanor and cute body and nice face is all I would need.

[waffles]

it's lowball bids like your that ruin everything for the rest of us!

[Jordan Elliot]

:applause:

[John]

Thank you. This is a good example of over using technology. They buried hundreds of thousands of soldiers in US military cemeteries all over Europe after the two world wars and they got it right using a pen and paper. Now, they try to computerize it and fuck it up because they don't know how to tell who is a good code writer and who is lying to them. The would have been better off sticking to the old methods.

[robc]

The review suggested that lax management of the cemetery and a reliance on paper records to manage the burial sites were to blame for the snafu.

RTFA.

Although, to be fair, I would blame the lax management more than the fact that they were using paper.

[robc]

Both paper and computers require people to properly input the correct data. Improper inputs screws up either.

[robc]

So, realistically, the solution is the type A personality.

[John]

They need something besides old ladies who have been there since the dawn of time who don't give a shit anymore. It is a quality of workforce issue.

[l0b0t]

Actually, the old ladies are the only ones there that DO give a shit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington_Ladies

[John]

I meant the employees not the volunteers. I bet the Arlington Ladies could get it right.

[wylie]

Except those bitches dont have a pay scale grade, so they're not qualified to manage soldiers' corpses.

[Mike M.]

America may soon be getting yet another Harvard professor named Elizabeth Warren shoved down our throats.

Because apparently we just can't have enough Harvard professors and they're doing such a gosh darn bang-up job of running things.

[Brett L]

I think we should get some directional school blood in there and see what happens.

[P Brooks]

re: Comicon girls

Ow, my eye!

[John]

did you look? Some of them are surprisingly attractive and a few of them are a lot better than that.

[BakedPenguin]

Maybe my standards are falling, but I only saw a few that I'd turn down.

[Alan Vanneman]

"Sales of U.S. new homes rose in June more than forecast following an unprecedented collapse the prior month, a signal the worst of the slump triggered by the end of a government tax credit is over."

Please don't tell Tim Cavanaugh. He'll slit his throat.

[Tulpa]

Because as we all know, once something starts increasing it can't ever decrease again.

And that's assuming this rosy news doesn't get quietly revised down a month later like all the previous "recession is over!" indicators that this fucktard administration puts out.

[Fluffy]

Suki you stupid cunt:

He offered his statement in the context of favoring the use of state power to prevent the opening of a mosque.

That means that the discussion does NOT, actually, have anything to do with the merits of sharia law one way or the other. That is merely the justification he used for wanting to prevent Muslims from exercising their 1st Amendment rights.

THAT MEANS that YES, the discussion is about this douchebag not understanding the 1st Amendment, and has nothing to do with whether sharia law is a good thing or not.

[John]

Of course he never said they shouldn't be able to build the community center. And he never said the 1st Amendment shouldn't apply to them. Here is what he did say at least as parsed by TPM

"Now, you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult whatever you want to call it," Ramsey said. "Now certainly we do protect our religions, but at the same time this is something we are going to have to face."

The question, Ramsey mused, was related to the simmering topic of a new Muslim community center scheduled to be built in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Ramsey, like many conservatives weighing in on the debate, mistakenly confused the center with a mosque -- which Murfreesboro already has -- and then proceeded to foment fears that Sharia saw would be practiced by Muslims there.

"Now, you know, I'm all about freedom of religion. I value the First Amendment as much as I value the Second Amendment as much as I value the Tenth Amendment and on and on and on," he said. "But you cross the line when they try to start bringing Sharia Law here to the state of Tennessee -- to the United States. We live under our Constitution and they live under our Constitution."

I don't see anywhere where he says the 1st Amendment doesn't apply to them. He seems to be saying, in a very meandering and confused way, that he doesn't like Sharia. And he never says that they shouldn't be able to build the center. Only that they should be able to advocate for Sharia law.

It is pretty thin gruel from some politician that is of no importance to anyone outside Tennessee and probably isn't too important there. But hey, don't read the article or think or anything. Just have your usual Pavlovian response when you see the words "Muslim" and "Conservative" in the same paragraph.

[Fluffy]

The GOP establishment in Tennessee opposes the construction of the mosque. He's giving this answer as his justification for his own opposition.

He's also a Birther, by the way.

I read the article. And I Googled the backstory. Since he's currently only the Lt. Gov. there aren't a lot of references to his own position on the mosque, but the local papers are full of articles about GOP candidates trying to one-up each other on showing who is more opposed to the mosque. There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that the answer quoted is anything other than this guy giving his reason for opposing the mosque.

[John]

Fair enough. he seems to think the community center is going to advocate Sharia law for its members. Is that even true?

[Timon19]

Highly doubtful. The invocation of the concept of Sharia is the latest scare tactic, right along with the "cult" charge (which has been used against "the creepy faith du jour", i.e. Catholicism, LDS, wicca, etc.)

[John]

A district court judge in New Jersey didn't look at it that way.

http://volokh.com/2010/07/23/c.....on-appeal/

the case was overturned on appeal. But that doesn't negate the disturbing fact that a judge was willing buy Sharia as a defense to rape.

There are a lot of people out there who have no interest in the Western system of laws and liberal thought. Many people on this board don't get that since they were raised in the "only white people can ever do harm to anyone" tradition.

[Timon19]

Hey John? Fuck you for the backhanded little insult, asshole.

Also, way to dig up the exception. Hooray for your side. Bonus: the appeal ended up getting it right!

[The Libertarian Guy]

The real argument, IMO, is where this mosque is being built... and it should be built somewhere else.

The other arguments need to be figured out, but for me that's the overriding concern. Build mosques, I give a shit. But it seems like this particular one is being given the green light in order to placate people, and that's the wrong reason.

[Fluffy]

There shouldn't be a light to be either green or red or anything other color.

[J sub D]

I call on every peaceful Roman Catholic and every peaceful person of Irish descent to renounce the Real IRA.

Those that don't obviously support terrorism in a free democratic country.
-------------------------------------------
Suki,
Show us where the Imam touched you.

[John]

I do to. And the fuckheads who ran around America in the 1970s and 80s raising money for those assholes or condoning them ought to be called to account for doing it.

[Mike M.]

George Mitchell, a Catholic Irish-American, made it his personal mission to go to Ireland and to convince the murderous terrorists to put away their bomb-making kits and end their terror war against the Protestants. By and large, he was pretty successful.

Where is the brave western-born Muslim who is willing to make it his personal mission to go to the Middle East and tell the violent Islamofascists to join the 21st century, end their jihad against the rest of the planet, and learn to peacefully coexist with other people?

I have yet to see one such man express even a halfhearted desire to do such a thing.

[GoNavy]

"...and end their terror war against the Protestants Irish."

The Provisional IRA was and is a Marxist organization that indeed wants a United Ireland, but they want an Ireland united under them. The effing Provos are a problem to all Irishman of whatever religion.

[zoltan]

Ah yes, until there is some Hollywood-esque character to come out against one of the largest violent contingents on the planet, you will continue to deny reality.

[Kolohe]

"I have yet to see one such man express even a halfhearted desire to do such a thing"

Maajid Nawaz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maajid_Nawaz

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

[Kreel Sarloo]

Suki,
Show us where the Imam touched you.

And was it before or after the NAACP member touched you?

[R C Dean]

Where is the brave western-born Muslim

Obama?

who is willing to make it his personal mission to go to the Middle East and tell the violent Islamofascists to join the 21st century, end their jihad against the rest of the planet, and learn to peacefully coexist with other people?

Nope, I guess not.

[hmm]

It will be awesome when we can lower the divorce rate by increasing the stoning your wife for looking at another man rate.

Who doesn't want to reduce the divorce rate?

[hmm]

I also can't wait for the new Federal Haircut Agency to issue proper haircut information.

[MWG]

Thread Jack:

I'm waiting for Balko to post this. The very end is the worse part, but got almost no coverage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53EshiCys3g

Here's some of the local coverage:

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/local/central/deputy's-rant-spurs-investigation

[xenia onatopp]

Why the fuck should it matter to me what anybody else thinks about the imposition of sharia law? Since I'm not planning on embracing Islam anytime soon I don't have much use for that information. Presumably a Muslim in search of a new place to worship might want to know how the members and leaders of various mosques interpret Islam. I'm at a loss to think of any other context in which the question is relevant.

You want to get your knickers in a twist about radical cult members violating the constitution by using government power to impose their beliefs on the public? Then you might want to have a look at the Texas School Board and their latest proposed revisions to the content of the curriculum and the textbooks which they mandate use of in that state's public schools. You know, an actual and existing threat?

Get back to me when some governmental body somewhere in the US is actually proposing replacing even the tiniest piece of our current legal system with sharia law. Until that happens it's all just talk.

[John]

Yeah because parents demanding that they teach something in history class beyond the White man bad is just like like demanding that Sharia law be imposed.

[Timon19]

John, going to that "white guilt" well isn't helping you to look like anything like a person willing to engage in discussion. Stop being a dick and stop ascribing motives which are the product of your fevered mind to people who disagree with you on a particular issue to score cheap points with the asstrolls(TM) on this thread.

[waffles]

YOU TRADEMARKED ASSTROLLS!?

[Timon19]

Patent pending.