Reason Morning Links: Fish and Whips

• The largest party in the Iraqi parliament walks out.
• Passengers rebel against TSA gropers.
• Was an innocent man executed in Texas?
• Newsweek and The Daily Beast plan to join forces; the new combination will not be known as The Weak Beast.
• The G20 summit comes to an end; it most notable achievement was to provoke a protest for goldfish rights.
• Making this announcement now is the political equivalent of putting out the Christmas displays in September.
• Three high school basketball players accuse their coach of whipping them.

Comments

[Rambo]

"Newsweek and The Daily Beast plan to join forces; the new combination will not be known as The Weak Beast."

NewsBeast? The Daily Week?

[DanD]

Greece already has a "newsbeast," so no go there.

"The Daily Beast" is a completely retarded name. It sounds like an oblique reference to defecation.

[Jesse Walker]

C'mon, the name is the best thing about the site.

[sloopyinca]

That's a real news site? This whole time I just thought it was the Onion's political tab.

[Suki]

Jesse, you missed the big Better Business Bureau story.
Better Business Bureau gives Hamas an "A-" and Starbucks an "F".
Hamas girl: "In yo' face Hezbollah! BOOM!"
Barista: "F-you BBB, I'm not even a F'n member!"

[Just Dropping By]

I think it's a literary reference to the Evelyn Waugh novel Scoop; IIRC, one of the newspapers in the book was called "The Daily Beast".

[cynical]

I voting for "The Daily Week".

[Joe M]

The Beastly Week

[TeamBarstool]

Beastiality Weekly?

[Fiscal Meth]

Anogram
Weak Bad Shitty News Eeel

[Mo]

The Beast Week Ever.

[Montani Semper Liberi]

TSA groper is a great job for a sexual deviant. In what other job can you molest people with impunity? Well, I guess you could be a police officer, too.

[Brett L]

Prison guard.

[Rather]

So they grope you. If you don't want to have an orgasm, take the fucking bus.
http://rctlfy.wordpress.com/20.....odern-era/

[Montani Semper Liberi]

Ah, yes, if we don't want to suffer a ridiculous invasion of our person because we want to easily travel from one place to another, we should just massively inconvenience ourselves instead of trying to get rid of the ridiculous personal invasion. Nevermind that there aren't buses that go from the US to the UK or any number of other destinations.

[shrike]

only a Christ-fag Republicunt would run down honorable government employees in the TSA.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

No, you got the tone all wrong. Try again.

[Jozef]

At least the TSA agents have a sense of humor...

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

It's not THAT creepy until you notice the anticipatory leer on the blond guys's face.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

"Have you ever been in a Turkish prison, Timmy?"

[Rather]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related

[Atanarjuat]

A Howard W. Koch production, according to the credits at the end.

[Clich? Bandit]

"Do you like movies about gladiators?"

Excuse me, I speak Jive.

[sloopyinca]

may she Rest In Peace.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Damn, I recognize that place from the picture - I've walked past that booth at least a dozen times or more. I have to fly to Indy about once per month to visit a client's site.

Fucking TSA.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

The group urged any pilot who feels unfit for duty afterward to "call in sick and remove themselves from the trip.

What do they put down on the form? Vaginitis?

[Montani Semper Liberi]

I would go with, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." Although that might be hard to fit in the box.

[AlmightyJB]

If you don't like it, maybe you would rather go on a trip to Guantanamo. Huh?

[?]

Montani Semper Liberi|11.12.10 @ 9:12AM|#
TSA groper is a great job for a sexual deviant.

Yeah. Patting down ugly, sweaty, obese travellers all day long is every deviant's dream.

[Tulpa]

Hear hear. I probably couldn't make it an hour without vomiting if I was the one inspecting the nudie scans.

[10 year old boy]

Yep Tulpa, girls are icky!

[Ted S.]

Some people have odd fetishes.

[Brett L]

No grant dollars were wasted to learn how cats drink.

Also, warmer temps and higher CO2 levels caused rapid rainforest growth and diversity in the past, but should NOT be used by skeptics to argue for a naturally damping climate system.

[Brett L]

*diversification, not diversity. Diversity is the resultant state not the result.

[Garfield]

I'd say this settles it: Cats are smarter than dogs.

[gook]

maybe, but the meat's not as tasty.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

No grant dollars were wasted to learn how cats drink.

According to the researchers, you're right!

"We did it without any funding, without any graduate students, without much of the usual apparatus that science is done with nowadays," said MIT's Roman Stocker.

[Pip]

"A strand of light-colored hair prosecutors insisted linked career criminal Claude Jones to the robbery-murder of a San Jacinto County liquor store owner likely came from the victim, not from the accused killer, DNA testing revealed on Thursday."

Likely? Likely? Isn't DNA testing supposed to be a little more conclusive that "Likely"?

[Kolohe]

I thought that excerpt was an overly convoluted blonde joke at first.

[J sub D]

Sorta.. DNA testing of a good sample will give you astronomical odds that two samples came from the same person/goat/peach tree.

Likely is an understatement, surety would be an overstatement.

[Abdul]

the November 1989 murder of Allen Hilzendager during the stickup of a Point Blank package store.

Not to blame the victim, but you took a job at the "Point Blank" package store?

[Brett L]

Point Blank might be the town. Like Cut'n'Shoot, another excellently named Texas town.

[gaijin]

wouldn't Shoot'nCut be more aligned with the usual process?

[sloopyinca]

Pretty sure it has to do with cutting horses.

[JD]

Point Blank, Texas

[Keanu Reeves]

I think you meant Pointe Break

[John Cusack]

I think you meant Grosse Pointe Blank

[Gray Ghost]

Or Gun Barrel City. http://www.gunbarrelcity.net/

[Wesley]

It is a town, on Lake Livingston in East Texas.

[Point Blank Tourist Guide]

It's more a state of mind, really. A place you can go to relax. Take a load off. Unwind. Decompress.

Point Blank - You're In The Kill Zone Now

[PapayaSF]

The article is so poorly written I can't tell what the facts of the case are. It seems to be saying that the executed dude was part of an armed robbery, but may not have actually pulled the trigger...?

[Ted S.]

It's only certain if it fingers the accused. If it would exonerate the accused, it's a much cloudier issue.

[bortion]

Considering that that story was from Mississippi, wouldn't it have been illegal for the coach to not whip them?

[Mango Punch]

More in high school sports: HILLARIOUS via gawker.

[Barack Obama]

Let me be clear.

That is truly inspiring.

[John]

Having once gone to my nephew's state high school track meet, it is not funny it is sad. For boys getting to the state high school track meet even in a small school class in a rural state is a big accomplishment. All of the boys events are competitive and show a good level of competence. The girls events in contrast show that only at the large school level or in a very few of the other competitors. This video is not out of the ordinary. It is pathetic. But schools have so bought into the PC "girls can" ethos that they refuse to enforce even basic standards of excellence on these events.

[Abdul]

John, if girls want to bang their shins, who are we to stop them?

[John]

Yeah but there ought to be a minimum level to advance past an ordinary meet or even compete at the varsity level. The girls evens consisted of one or two girls who could actually do the events and five to ten others who couldn't at all. The girls 5K was horrific. There was one girl who walked some of it. This is at the state track meet. It is just that girls participation is so low (because gasp girls as a group are not as interested in sports as boys) that anyone who wanted to compete got to state. That sucks.

[robc]

My sister is a HS track coach. She mostly coaches boys, but she has coached girls in the past, and I think its safe to say she wouldnt put any girl (or boy) in the 100M hurdles who didnt know how to do block starts (much less ability to clear hurdles). She doesnt coach at the big schools in her state, I think her current school is one level below the top (like AAA with AAAA being the top or something like that).

[robert]

Dollars to donuts this involved somebody convincing a couple of those girls that "You always run better a little bit buzzed."

[Nick]

Nothing builds self esteem like falling down repeatedly in public. Way to go, Title IX!

[gaijin]

That video is NOT from a competitive race (who runs in hoodies?).

While I get the gist that boys vs. girls is a ridiculous comparison in general terms, I think if you look at the times that State -level high school girls run in distance and sprint events, you'll see that most of the people here--boys--can't beat the times of competitive high school girls.

[sloopyinca]

Whatever you say, but that was one of the best videos I've seen in quite some time.

Oh, and maybe the girls in red go to Central Muslim, hence the hoodies. Of course, were that the case, the hoodies would have been up so I am likely incorrect.

[gaijin]

Upon re-reading my post, it fails to reflect the humor that I found watching the video. The girls should have been wearing sweat pants...or knee pads!

[robc]

I felt bad laughing at that.

[Leroy]

I didn't.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

Thank you, Title IX!

[H&R Douche]

KULTUR WAR!

[?]

What does it have to do with Title IX?

[Brett L]

Trickle down effects?

[Ragin Cajun]

Three high school basketball players accuse their coach of whipping them.

In fairness, Spoelstra probably felt they deserved it.

[Name Nomad]

Brits riot after being told that the government isn't going to pay as much of their "uni" bills as they used to.

Now I really, really want to see them cut social security. An oldster riot would be... well... a riot.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

The part that made my day was seeing these sniveling little nanny-staters spray painting the anarch logo on buildings.

"I do not think that word means what you think it means."

[Montani Semper Liberi]

What? I always was under the impression that anarchy meant getting things paid for with money that is extorted from other people.

[waffles]

it's rude to count other people's money

[Rich]

Passengers rebel against TSA gropers.

National Opt-Out Day should be entertaining.

[Rich]

More amusement, courtesy of the Washington Examiner.

Members of a key panel created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act ... have scheduled a meeting on November 22 to consider ways to prevent "fraud, waste, and abuse of Recovery Act funds." The meeting will be held at the super-luxe Ritz Carlton Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.

According to the Federal Register notice, members of the public who want to attend are instructed to send their comments to [e-mail] and write "November 22, 2010 RIAP public comment" in the subject line.

[SugarFree]

TSA releases security video to refute libertarian radio host's claim of abuse.

[Dagny T.]

I was about to link that. Cue the "hurr durr hot/crazy" and "libertards!" chorus. Blech.

[0x90]

She is kinda hot, though. Not so much in the statuesque, angular way that you are, but still...

[robc]

I didnt watch the video, but the comments around dont seem to suggest it does what they say. She is escorted out, so she wasnt allowed to fly. It isnt complete, so was her ticket torn up during the part of the video we dont see?

The only thing it seems to show is that she cant count.

[Cyto]

The TSA video fully supports her statement that she was selected for the Naked People scanner and opted out. It also supports her statement that she declined the manual pat-down and was eventually escorted out. There was more to it than that, though.

Her account was significantly more "brutal" than the video supports. It appears that she was wrong about the claim that she was the only one singled out for the naked-view scanner (it was in steady use), the amount of time she was delayed (20 minutes, not over an hour), the number of cops involved (1-4 depending on if you count the guys who appear to be loitering in the area no matter what), the number of TSA agents, possibly the handcuffing to a chair, possibly the ticket tearing.... that's quite a large percentage of her complaints.

After all, the point wasn't that if you refuse screening you can't get on a plane - everyone knew that going in. The point was that if you refuse the scanner they'll ratchet up the pressure and make it very unpleasant in a very public way. I didn't see her getting yelled at - it looked like she quickly got very uncomfortable with the situation and said she didn't want the pat-down (with some emotion behind it). It looked like a couple of people tried to explain the policy to her - which is pretty much all they are able to do at that point, they can't really waive the policy at that level.

I didn't see anything that outwardly looked like her description of a bunch of people yelling at her loudly. I didn't see what appeared to be agitated thugs intimidating her, I saw what appeared to be relatively bored bureaucrats processing a situation without much personal involvement. The lady who has the ticket doesn't appear to be too personally invested in the situation, she's just wandering around most of the time - we can't see if she ducks behind the cabinet and rips the ticket in the second half of the video, but it doesn't seem to fit with what is happening.

The combination of the video and her statements seem to suggest that she was a little hyped up about the enhanced screening going in, made a last second decision to refuse the scanner and clearly didn't want any part of the pat-down and then got quite upset as she encountered a bureaucratic brick wall. It seems that with all the emotion involved in the encounter, her version acquired a few embellishments that convey more about how she was feeling than about what the TSA was doing.

[Tulpa]

What I'm taking from this is that, whenever there's an accusation of abuse by the TSA and they don't release the video, the accusation must be true.

[SugarFree]

+1

[Almanian]

when she's escorted out, McClain is escorted by only five officers

(emphasis mine) Cause she must be, what, all of 5'2", 110, a buck twenty max?

Tough guys.

PS I'd hit that. Her. Not the 5 cops...

[Joe M]

I dunno, she's kinda got the crazy eyes workin.

[prolefeed]

Crazy good sex generally involves more than a little crazy elsewhere in your date's life.

So, some upside to the crazy eyes.

[Cyto]

It doesn't look like that either. She's got a couple of them acting as porters carrying her stuff and a couple of cops who appear to be "along for the ride" - they are loitering about 20-30 feet away and join the procession on the way out.

I don't know why they didn't just hand her her stuff and point the way out... it could be a policy thing or they could have been being nice about it. It is tough to ascribe motives to a bureaucracy.

It certainly doesn't look like they are being intimidating or muscling her out of there with a show of force. Although, that being said, I would be intimidated by a couple Sheriff's office deputies walking me out the door - even if they weren't trying to be intimidating.

[5 cops]

Almanian, Ok you be the catcher 😉

[Atanarjuat]

A letter a guy wrote to his boss while stuck on public transit.

[Nick]

That's a pretty good attempt to get sympathy from your boss while you're skipping work to be at an amusement park.

[sage]

An oldster riot would be... well... a riot.

Uh huh, until they decide to go fatwah on everyone's ass by driving their Buick through a farmers market.

[Brett L]

At 18 mph, its not like we won't have ample chance to get away. Channel your inner squirrel.

[Nephilium]

Mostly hippies go to farmer's markets... mostly. So it wouldn't be too big a loss.

[John]

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/loc.....93.html?dr

Denton Texas Police,

If you cut our budget we will starve this cute police dog.

[Lost_In_Translation]

*whistle* Here PETA, here PETA. Look, those officers are threatening to starve their cute little police dog...and GO!

[P Brooks]

"Pilots are not the terrorist threat," said John Prater, president of the Air Line Pilots Association and a veteran pilot for United Continental. "Seeing scarce security resources being used on pilots makes absolutely no sense."

They have no problem with putting the cattle through these inspections; they're just outraged by the TSA's refusal to recognize their specialness.

[John]

Pretty much. But as a passenger, I don't really give a shit what screens they put the pilots through. Everyone needs to fight their own battles. And the fact that the TSA can't figure out that the pilot can fly the damned plane into a building if he wants to, goes a long way to showing the public what morons they are.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

That was my point above, and then Montani had to go and drag out the 4A.

[Montani Semper Liberi]

I thought you were trying to make the same point as Rather. I hope you can understand my confusion.

[Mo]

In the pilot's defense, all the pilot should have to do is prove that he's actually the pilot of a plane. If a pilot wanted to cause trouble with a flight, they could easily do it without sneaking anything on.

[sage]

Don't be this guy.

[John]

the small man boobs and the low slinging tank top just scream tranny hooker.

[prolefeed]

They're not a tranny if they don't even slightly resemble a chick, and aren't wearing an actual dress.

[this guy]

Crap! Too late!

[Dagny T.]

Oh Seattle. I'm in Dallas right now, and am very much enjoying men dressed like... men.

[John]

I live in DC. I love dressing as an updated version of my rancher grandfather sans the stetson hat which I am increasingly tempted to buy. The asexual hipster look drives me nuts.

[Dagny T.]

Seattle is especially bad for hipster dudes. I sometimes forget that not all cities are infected with the skinny jean/dudes in eyeliner plague. It is refreshing to see men who aren't trying to convey their "ironic" worldview through their clothes.

[John]

I don't get that Dagny. What are they being "ironic" about? Seriously. I dress like a slep too much when I am not in a suit. But that is more because I am lazy. But when I do try to dress outside of work, I am thinking look as good as possible as in wear something that I can pull off without being anorexic skinny, make sure the colors match, and it is something that doesn't make me look like a sharp dressed gay man. I am not getting how you dress ironically.

[Joe M]

The word ironic has been destroyed and no longer has any meaning. I am starting a campaign to remove it from the dictionary.

[sloopyinca]

It is a bit ironic how that happened, donchathink?

[Spoonman.]

The weird-ass way dudes dress up North is just bizarre. It's nice that in Houston I am perfectly normal for wearing a polo shirt and cargo shorts.

[Nick]

Do you pop your collar, too. Douche.

[Joe M]

It's because of the ridiculous heat we get half the year.

[Cyto]

Come to south Florida and you can trade those cargo shorts in for some plaid dress shorts. You can even wear your black dress socks and white leather shoes with your ensemble if you are in Boca Raton....

[Butts Wagner]

It's the northwestern, tie-dyed variety of Andrew WK.

[Corduroy]

Look at me! I'm an individual! I'm unique! My overpriced crap clothes scream individuality and specialness! Just like that other guy shopping for Spandex in this store.

[Corduroy]

I find that more disturbing than your average People Of Walmart subject. At least you know that they generally just don't care about their appearance. That guy went out of his way to look like a moron.

[Charlotte Sometimes]

This guy went out of his way to look like my sister in 1988.

[Pope Jimbo]

Shouldn't he be holding a can of Four Loko? That could explain the wardrobe.

I also have to bitch about #5. I hate it when douches try to blouse their trousers to look like those butch army dudes, but don't know how to do it.

Note to douches, you don't just tuck them into the top of your combat boots.

[Slut Bunwalla]

How is that done then? I've wondered.

[Pip]

No toys in your Happy Meal, but you get to keep your foreskin:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news.....78.html?dr

[Rich]

"a misdemeanor to ... mutilate the foreskin, testicle or penis of another person who has not attained the age of 18."

1) Be gentle, Honey, or it's prison time for you!

2) At least you can still do yourself.

[Joe M]

Oh god, please don't get another circumcision war started.

[sage]

The war is over. Covered wagons are ugly, and that's that.

[Iron my skirt]

Sage, I'm so disappointed
! 😉

[PapayaSF]

That link taught me the word "meatus." Thanks, I suppose....

[Rather]

LOL. Come to my site, and you'll learn a whole new vocabulary 😉

[hmm]

They'll have to pry my foreskin from my cold dead hands!

[Rich]

Passengers rebel against TSA gropers.

Just wait'll the passengers realize these "gropings" are PPACA-mandated wellness examinations.

[P Brooks]

I think it's a literary reference to the Evelyn Waugh novel Scoop

Conceivable, but unlikely.

[PapayaSF]

Why unlikely? Tina Brown is a Brit and might well have known the Waugh novel.

[P Brooks]

Scoop was a great book, as I recall; I read it a looooong time ago.

Not as good as The Loved One, though.

[Spoonman.]

China to impose price controls on food: Link

Food riots in China soon, then?

[Dagny T.]

PC Thanksgiving guide!. AKA, how to try to please everyone, please no one, and end up with inedible food (or no food, in the case of eating disorder survivors).

[John]

It is amazing what self centered assholes people have become. I was always taught that when you were someone's guest you politely ate the food provided unless you had a serious religious objection (that means you actually follow a dietary restriction as part of your religion all the fucking time not just when you can show off about it) or you had some kind of allergy issue where the food will make you sick. And even then you eat what you can and be polite about. If it is so important that you can't compromise or find a way to eat what they have to offer, you politely decline the invitation. The idea that I should show up at your house and tell you I only eat free range chicken or I can't even eat the soup because I am strict vegan who can't suck it up and eat chicken stock one fucking time to be polite and make you fix me some separate meal or ruin yours is just appalling. What the hell is wrong with people?

[Dagny T.]

My favorite part was the suggestion to make Thanksgiving "not centered around food" for people with eating disorders. Trigger warning! Thanksgiving is the best holiday because it is all about the food.

My parents are sorta vegetarian (they eat fish but not chicken or red meat- go figure). So when I was a kid, I was a vegetarian by default. But they at least had the sense to teach us not to inconvenience anyone. Like, eat what you can and say thank you. (I became a bloodthirsty carnivore as soon as I could, for the record.)

[John]

"My favorite part was the suggestion to make Thanksgiving "not centered around food""

Because the fatty might gorge themselves and the bulimic might revert back and end up puking. And the anorexic I guess they will live vicariously. No one can have a good time because someone else can't. And the idea that as a recovering whatever I need to learn to be around my compulsion without falling off the wagon is never discussed.

[Ted S.]

Maybe the fatty can eat what the bulimic purges. It's the perfect symbiotic relationship.

[Johnitalia]

That's Vegequarian to you

[Tulpa]

Why should religious objections to certain foods be privileged over objections stemming from other types of beliefs?

Demanding free range chicken because you believe animals should be treated humanely is no more rude or irrational than demanding kosher chicken because someone wrote it in a book 2500 years ago.

[John]

It probably shouldn't be. In both cases you should turn it down and make due with something that doesn't violate your beliefs or not show up at all.

[sloopyinca]

demand implies rudeness, Tulpa. The way around that is to decline the invitation. It's called courtesy, and too many people in identity groups lack it.

[DJ Drugs]

Or just sort of push the food around on the plate.

Why not show up and have a roll? Who cares?

[Tulpa]

What are you saying about Jews?

[DJ Drugs]

Some people call it gravy, but yes, it's proper to serve it in a little boat or tureen, leaving to the individual to determine as much or as little her or she desires.

[Pope Jimbo]

Why try to avoid confrontations at Thanksgiving? That was one of my favorite parts of eating at my maternal gramma's house. There were 10 kids (my aunts and uncles) who all disliked each other and were willing to mix it up over the smallest things.

I should also note that PETA/vegetarians would have had a tough time at my gramma's. She lived on a farm and all the men/boys would go rabbit hunting with beagles in the morning. The thanksgiving meal always included a couple of rabbits that had been shot that morning.

[Nick]

Rabbits are evil, filthy little bastards. They should be shot just because they are evil.

[DJ Drugs]

If anything has ever tasted just like chicken to me, it's rabbit.

Perhaps given that I've only eaten it prepared in a manner that is normally reserved for chicken, perhaps if I found a why to hold the flavour variables constant I could discern rabbit's underlying flavour.

[DJ Drugs]

The above is a setup for someone to follow with a Praxeology joke.

[Warty]

I think people forget exactly what foods are vegan, and they end up serving salad or bare pasta to vegans. A good rule of thumb is: if it isn't making your mouth water, it probably won't make ours water, either. Of course we appreciate any special effort you put into cooking for us, but you can feed us food that everyone loves, like chili or curry.

No, you stupid cunt, we cannot feed you vegan chili. Do you know why the fuck we can't? Because it doesn't fucking exist, retard.

[Dagny T.]

Thanksgiving at the Warty household: meat, metal, and a big helping of shut the fuck up.

[Warty]

Don't forget about shooting Bambi the next day.

[Almanian]

Sounds like my kinda people - happy hunting

[DJ Drugs]

Has any one eaten a fawn? Is it like a veal version of venison?

What about a foal?

[Leroy]

Fawns taste the same as any other deer but are more tender... absolutely delicious.

[DJ Drugs]

And now to connect the above message with the one below it:

Did you make Bambi jokes whilst eating aforementioned fawn?

I'd end up choking in the process of trying to eat and crack one liners at the same time.

And thus the circle remains unbroken.

[hmm]

Bambi gun season starts today for my state.

[John]

And everyone wants chili for Thanksgiving. If I came to that bitch's house and demanded she cook me meat, she would throw a fit. But she has no problem demanding other people change their meals for her.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

If I came to that bitch's house and demanded she cook me meat, she would throw a fit. But she has no problem demanding other people change their meals for her.

That's what really aggravates me about crybabies like her. They can't grasp the simple concept that respect is a two-way street. And yet they're the first ones to toss around the word "selfish".

[hmm]

I love shellfish.

[Pip]

Not to nit-pic, but chili is meatless. Chili con carne on the other hand...

[Warty]

What are you, some kind of Mexican? Chili is a meat-delivery system, and that's that.

[Brett L]

Not to nitpick, but you're wrong. Chili is meat in spicy red sauce. No beans, no tomatoes.

[Warty]

Complaining about beans in chili is all well and good, but complaining about tomatoes is just stupid. It's obvious that tomatoes belong in chili.

[Brett L]

Them's faghtin' words.

A typical recipe

"Now, if you've never had a true bowl of Texas Red, let me warn you?this is a fiery, thick concoction. It doesn't take much to fill you up and stick to your bones. But oh boy, is it a mean and meaty mouthful. If people complain because there's no beans or tomatoes (or?I shudder to think?pasta, if they're from Cincinnati), just tell them you'll be making a pot of beans with tomatoes next weekend. And they're all invited."

[Warty]

You eat chili with coffee in it? You are a disgusting monster. You are worse than Commodus.

It is claimed that he often mixed human excrement with the most expensive foods, and he did not refrain from tasting them, mocking the rest of the company, as he thought.

[Brett L]

Coffee AND beer. Its probably illegal to make such a concoction in Washington State.

[EscapedWestOfTheBigMuddy]

Chili means Chili con Carne.

The Chilies and the meat are non-negotiable.

Mine usually has a little saut?d onion, a little tomato, and occasionally even has some beans in it. I've been known to use a couple of finely chopped new potatoes as a thickener.

I make no claims to ideological purity in this regard, but likewise issue no apologies.

[Gray Ghost]

Isn't the difference:
Chile = meatless, and either green or red. I guess Old Mexican can go into more detail. Love some of Sadie's pork adovada with a side of more red chile. Of course, I can't sit down for two days afterwards...

Chili = stew with ground, roasted chiles, onions, and (take your pick of any and all) beans (kidney, pinto, black, whatever), meat, hominy, and whatever that crap is that they eat in Cincinnati. Mmmmm, venison chili.

It is possible to make a decent vegan chili; I've done it using tempeh and TVP, though I prefer versions with meat.

Really crass and rude for both hosts and guests to make demands about what people will or will not eat. Your vegan girlfriend won't eat the turkey? Fine, more for the rest of us; no need to bring everyone's attention to it.

[Azathoth]

What they eat in Cinncinati is a Greek meat sauce that they call 'chili'. Restaurants with names like 'Acropolis Chili' and 'Athens Chili' don't seem to give them a clue.

[Joe M]

"Everyone" loves curry? Don't get me wrong, I adore Thai curry, but last time I checked, it wasn't all that popular amongst my family and friends. And it's definitely not Thanksgiving fare.

[Cyto]

Yeah, most places replacing the turkey with a ham is "edgy" for the Thanksgiving holiday. Serve up a big tray of massaman curried tofu at Thanksgiving? Yeah, not so much...

[DJ Drugs]

Ugh.

I really dislike turkey.

Thanksgiving steak? A new tradition?

[Nick]

I've been to Thanksgiving dinners where the primary meats were Prime Rib and lobster tail. They had turkey as well to appease the traditionalists.

[DJ Drugs]

I really want to start celebrating thanksgiving with Objectivists.

Not to mention Christmas.

Ayn Rand's A Selfish Christmas (1951

In this hour-long radio drama, Santa struggles with the increasing demands of providing gifts for millions of spoiled, ungrateful brats across the world, until a single elf, in the engineering department of his workshop, convinces Santa to go on strike. The special ends with the entropic collapse of the civilization of takers and the spectacle of children trudging across the bitterly cold, dark tundra to offer Santa cash for his services, acknowledging at last that his genius makes the gifts ? and therefore Christmas ? possible. Prior to broadcast, Mutual Broadcast System executives raised objections to the radio play, noting that 56 minutes of the hour-long broadcast went to a philosophical manifesto by the elf and of the four remaining minutes, three went to a love scene between Santa and the cold, practical Mrs. Claus that was rendered into radio through the use of grunts and the shattering of several dozen whiskey tumblers. In later letters, Rand sneeringly described these executives as "anti-life."

[CrackertyAssCracker]

Had it smoked or fried?

I don't really like it cooked in an oven either. But smoked or fried its good I think.

[Leroy]

Replacing?

At my thanksgiving meal we get served a large plate (or two) of both!

[Tulpa]

According to my current Choose Your Own Adventure book (a Car Wars special edition, no less), you can make chili from algae.

[generic Brand]

What happens if you choose not to make it from algae?

[Nick]

Since when does everyone like curry?

[NoVAHockey]

People think that going to a dinner party means the host has agreed to be a short-order cook.

[Pope Jimbo]

As an aside, how cool would it be if Obama refused to pardon the turkey this year? I'd almost like him if he decided to butcher it himself. Sort of the carnivore version of that stinking white house vegetable garden.

Think of the valuable lesson it would serve to our kids if they saw where those delicious turkeys came from.

[NoVAHockey]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....playnext=1

1 minute mark.

[sloopyinca]

He's probably got a focus group working on the decision and a group of monkeys writing two speeches as we speak.

Seriously, though, based on his opening day pitch at the ChiSox game, do you think he could even swing the axe hard enough to do the bird in?

[Cecil]

"...a group of monkeys writing two speeches as we speak."

RAAAACIIIIST!!!11!

[Butts Wagner]

Why make a big deal about being a vegan or veggie or whatever? The advice was spot-on: Tell the host beforehand, find out if they can accommodate you, and if not, bring your own food.

The writer is too embarrassed to do this with her family, so she felt the need to help others like her. The writer feels like coming out as a vegan will ostracize her from her family. Thanks victim mentality.

Of course, I don't know her family, maybe they are all big dicks.

[JD]

To be fair, if a member of my family came out as a vegan and demanded tofurkey at Thanksgiving, I'd mock them mercilessly. I have faith all of you would do the same too.

[Leroy]

I probably wouldn't say much, but I wouldn't need to. I have an uncle that would take care of it for me.

[Slut Bunwalla]

Usually, a phone call is best. If a person can hear your voice (unless you're talking in a really snotty way) then they are less likely to feel put out or defensive.

Wait, it's possible for vegans and those "chic" gluten-free freaks to NOT talk in a really snotty way?

[John]

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....ue-de-rugy

I am pretty much ready to quit my job and go work for the Christi for President campaign if there ever is one. This is just fucking awesome.

"Let me help you pack." That's what Gov. Chris Christie told one of the state's top administrators when that administrator commented publicly that he could leave New Jersey and go to another state if his $242,000 total compensation were to be capped under the governor's proposed rule.

[Brett L]

The only better thing would have been "your resignation has been accepted". When did losing a public pissing match with your boss stop being a fireable offense?

[Old Mexican]

The State of Maine requires people to show their birth certificate before RENEWING their valid driver's license:

http://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/licenses/citizen.html

Legal Presence U.S./Naturalized Citizen

You must provide proof of legal presence in the United States to obtain or renew a drivers license or state ID. You must present a legible, unexpired document from the list below:

U.S./Naturalized Citizen

Birth Certificate - must be a certified copy from a State Office of Vital Statistics or equivalent agency showing the individual was born in:
a State of the United States,
District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico after January 12, 1941,
Virgin Islands after January 16, 1917,
Guam after April 11, 1899,
American Samoa after February 15, 1900,
Swains Island after March 3, 1925, or
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands after January 8, 1978;
Passport or Passport Card from the United States
Consular of Report of Birth Abroad, Certificate of Report of Birth or Certification of Report of Birth
Certificate of Naturalization,
Certificate of U.S. Citizenship,
United States Citizen Identification Card,
Identification Card for Resident Citizen in the U.S.,
American Indian Card, or
Northern Mariana Identification Card.

Did I say that laws like Arizona's so-called "anti-immigrant" law are really meant to harrass American Citizens? Well, Maine residents - welcome to hell.

[Tulpa]

You already have to have one of those things to get a job in the US. Passport or birth certificate is not terribly burdensome.

[sloopyinca]

Agreed. Any Dept of Vital Statistics will give you one free of charge in about 3 days via US Mail. I actually see no problem with this as it will cut down on identity theft and insurance fraud.

[hmm]

I don't know where to start making fun of this.
Latest story of stuff silliness.

Someone needs to spoof this and have a caveman come club that chick and drag her off.

[Corduroy]

Summary: Electronics are bad because the reuse/recycle possibilities are low due to ever accelerating design cycles. This is obviously a corporate plot to make money and destroy the world.

Resolution: Force everyone to fill out everything in No 2 pencil and to use the USPS for all communications.

[Almanian]

You bastard...that sucked. However, this comment did give me cheer:

aylesmerep (5 hours ago)

@RIEKSONE I had a look. This is a libertarian economic site. The main problem with libertarians is they believe that the sum total of everyone making free choices adds up to the best (on average) outcome for all. One might as well call them anarchists. Clearly libertarianism only works if all people are completely rational and aware of all the? facts and all the log term consequences of their choices. Come on! We are humanity! Biased, irrational, greedy, stupid, impetuous, ignorant humanity!

So why don't you start by killing yourself, aylesmerep? I'll capture it all on video...

[DJ Drugs]

Expand the "Bagge solution"?

[PapayaSF]

We are humanity! Biased, irrational, greedy, stupid, impetuous, ignorant humanity!

So because humans are stupid and irrational, we need more government control of things, and just find some non-humans to run the government?

[DJ Drugs]

Don't you know that bureaucrats are of course immune to any cognitive biases that afflict us plebians?

[robc]

It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."

"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"

"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like to straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."

"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."

"I did," said ford. "It is."

"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"

"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."

"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"

"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."

"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"

"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in."

[generic Brand]

What is this from?

[Slut Bunwalla]

One of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. I don't remember which one.

[Tulpa]

It's from So Long And Thanks For All The Fish.

[P Brooks]

Cue the "hurr durr hot/crazy" and "libertards!" chorus. Blech.

You forgot, "Let her ride with evil America-hating terrorists who decline the scan; I prefer to ride with the nodding, complacent sheep. It makes me feel all warm and happy inside"

[rawdawgbuffalo]

Appears we have quantitatively eased into a tradeware lol

[Warty]

Limeys explaining why they're broke

[hmm]

lollipop ladies

[P Brooks]

Don't forget about shooting Bambi the next day.

From the couch on the front porch?

Because that would be pretty awesome.

[Warty]

Someday I will live in such luxury. Someday.

[DJ Drugs]

Just as soon as we pay off Dad's shooting car. Just three more installments and it's ours.

[Warty]

"That's my driving gun!"

[Warty]

"That's my driving gun!"

[Brett L]

Spotlights are often considered non-sporting; as is shooting while moving.

[Tulpa]

What's wrong with having a couch on your front porch?

[car repos]

Have you guys ever heard of comment moderation????

[Airlines]

Thanks for ruining our sales. Do you know how many Reasonoids are cancelling their flights?