Reason Morning Links: First Lady Flight Aborts Landing, Texas Aflame, Better News in the Gulf

• Jet carrying Michelle Obama aborts landing after coming too close to a military cargo plane.
• Wildfires scorching Texas.
• Members of Congress considering "club in the closet" maneuver that would force spending cuts, tax increases.
• Gulf oil spill damage so far is less extensive than anticipated.
• New airline regulations address tarmac waits, lost baggage.
• New from Reason.tv: "Atlas Shrugged's Makers Speak!"

Comments

[Old Mexican]

Ta-da!!!!!

[First of Etiquette]

Lame.

[Old Mexican]

Jet carrying Michelle Obama aborts landing after coming too close to a military cargo plane[...]

... loaded with Twinkies.

[db]

Win. Win. Win.

[Old Mexican]

New airline regulations address tarmac waits, lost baggage.

The regulations will finally establish standards on how much lost luggage is acceptable inside boxes of cereal.

[First of Etiquette]

Luggage issues = solved.

[dbcooper]

Attention The Atlantic:

You really, really should not call a commentary feature "the smart set." It makes you look like self-regarding fools. Also, if your idea of "smart" culture is discussions of Tina Fay then you should be beaten to death with a comically large adjustable spanner.

Attention "the media":

Please ignore Donald Trump!

[dbcooper]

eh Fey not Fay.

[sloopyinc]

If you were part of the "smart set," you would have already known that.

[dbcooper]

😀

I'm a founding member of the grumpy pricks of the internet set.

[dbcooper]

🙂

I'm more of a member of the "grumpy bastards of the internet" set.

[Almanian]

GET OFF MY LAWN, dbcooper!! I'M GRUMPIER THAN YOU ARE!!

*shakes fist, poops Depends*

[dbcooper]

Depends nothing buddy. I'm posting this while sitting on the shitter and the door of this bathroom is wide open!

[waffles]

I think Tina Fey is pretty bright and very capable of "smart" type humor. Maybe self-deprecation only seems intelligent and is grating for some. Meh, I understand picking on the atlantic but Tina? Double meh.

LEGALIZE IT.

[dbcooper]

She's pure SNL/Steve Carrell mediocrity. The kind of bland shit that rises to the top on network TV. Middlebrow dullness.

[waffles]

I'm guilty of enjoying 30rock, lo siento.

[dbcooper]

Eh, there's nothing wrong with that, but if you have the audacity to call yourself the "smart set", then you'll have to do better than Tina Fey and Steve Martin.

[Screw the bullet hole]

dunno, steve hosts aristocrat parties & one cannot repeat anything previous.

[dbcooper]

Dude, Martin is about as has-been as they come.

[sloopyinc]

I thought Chevy Chase had that crown firmly planted atop his head.

[dbcooper]

Nah, Community has been a bit of a comeback for him.

[Almanian]

I thought the "smart set" was more Daniel Tosh and suddenly hating on the Blackeyed Peas (while quickly deleting all their Blackeyed Peas iPod downloads)?

Shows ya what I know - clearly not part of the "smart set".

[SugarFree]

"I'm hot and my balls are touching a zipper."

[Sarah Palin]

adjustable spanner

Speak American

[Brett L]

monkey-wrench

[sloopyinc]

RAAAAAACIST. The correct term is crescent wrench.

You probably call Brasil nuts something else, too.

[Brett L]

Monkey-wrench has an honorable history that has nothing to do with race.

[Almanian Crescent Rep]

Crescent? refers to a specific brand. We appreciate you using our brand as the best example of the breed, but, technically, the REALLY correct term is "adjustable wrench".

/pedantic fuckhead

[sasob]

Yeah, and a Crescent brand adjustable wrench is definitely not a monkey wrench - don't even look alike. The angle of the jaws in relation to the handle is different; monkey wrenches have the jaws at right angles to the handle and will usually open much wider than an adjustable open-end wrench like Crescent makes.

[Brett L]

A monkey-wrench is formally known as a pipe wrench, while the Crescent style wrenches are a much less specific tool.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Actually, the old-fashioned monkey wrenches were meant for the old-fashioned square nuts. They have flat, smooth, square jaws for gripping opposite sides of the square nuts. A pipe wrench has toothed/serrated jaws for gripping pipes and fittings. A lot of people incorrectly refer to a pipe wrench as a monkey wrench. Monkey wrenches also are sometimes referred to as "Coe's" wrenches, after the most well-known patented design.

I know these things because I are an antique tool collector and user, among other things.

[Brett L]

Awesome. I am humbled and informed.

[isaac Bartram]

Monkey Wrench is a misnomer for a pipe wrench, a pipe wrench used to be more formally known as a Stillson Wrench. This has long gone out of style but it lasted longer, apparently, in the British world. in fact, in the US it's always been known a a Pipe Wrench, even though Mr Stillson invented it.

A Monkey Wrench looks like this.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Actually, no. A pipe wrench is a pipe wrench, not a monkey wrench. As you'll note in the link you provide, the drawing to the right states, the Stillson-style pipe wrench will grip a pipe or round object, while a monkey wrench (a/k/a Coe's wrench) will not.

This is because the old monkey wrench was designed to be used to turn square nuts or grip parallel surfaces.

In short, Stillson/pipe wrench is not the same as a Coe's/monkey wrench.

Yeah, I know - I'm a nitpicky pedant. So sue me.

[isaac Bartram]

If that's a reply to me please reread.

Many people mistakenly refer to a pipe wrench (AKA a Stillson wrench) a Monkey wrench.

To show how they were wrong i provided links to the wikipedia article on the Pipe (Stillson) wrench and also to the wikipedia article on the Monkey wrench.

At no time did I say that the Stillson/pipe wrench is the same as a Coe's/monkey wrench.

In fact I took great pains to point out the difference.

[isaac Bartram]

Which proves, I suppose, that I'm a pedantic asshole too. 🙂

And having reread and rereread my comment I still believe you misread it.

But that's OK, it happens a lot. 🙂

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

< sarcasm >
What? I don't get it.
< /sarcasm >
Yeah, we're saying the same thing.

[Gus]

"You probably call Brasil nuts something else, too."

Toes of color?

[sasob]

Knuckle-buster.

[Fluffy]

At this point I think the reference to the smart set is meant to be ironic, with a dash of retro.

[dbcooper]

That's how it's normally used now (and is pass? as fuck), especially in the UK, but I suspect that the Atlantic is shooting for something higher.

[DanD]

I subscribed to the Atlantic for about four years. Then I realized I couldn't take it anymore. When they moved from Boston to DC, they took a remarkable tumble into tedium and irrelevance. The magazine suddenly became a study in deprecated design principles. The articles read like filler text. Very sad.

[SugarFree]

Should Jails Provide Sex Change Operations To Inmates?

Some the answers in the comments will surprise you... sadly, this one will not:

My first instinct is the say "Hell, no!"paying for GRS with taxpayer money...however, I do think that everyone should have access to medical care (even medical care that I may not think is medically necessary but that is psychologically beneficial *coughjustlikesomeabortionscoug...*. And while it is easy to say "let her pay for it with her own money"...that isn't possible (no income from being jail = no opportunity for fund the surgery or pay for private insurance)...so...yeah. Not really an option.

And so this leaves me without only one alternative...to suck it up and accept that my tax dollars should fund the surgery (if she passes all of the pre-op physical and psych evaluations) because I don't always get to choose how my tax money is spent. And I trust that this is something that will benefit her physical and mental well-being in the long-run (and that is what is most important). Its not my body...tax utilization is not my choice...I wish her well.

[Tim]

We should have mandatory sex reassignment surgery for prisoners. People talk about the death penalty as a deterrent but turning them into chicks would really reduce recidivism.

[Name Nomad]

A few years ago the idea was floated that sexual offenders could be castrated in lieu of lengthy prison stays to save money and have a lower recidivism rate. As I recall, men who'd been castrated for health reasons (testicular cancer, etc.), said that it would stigmatize them and their condition shouldn't be seen as a punishment.

Feministers would have a field day with your suggestion, which is why I'm all for it.

[Mr Whipple]

sexual offenders could be castrated in lieu of lengthy prison stays

That was in Texas, IIRC. I think it was ruled unconstitutional, but I thought I heard something about a new case, somewhere.

[isaac Bartram]

Castration has a long history of use against sex offenders.

IIANM the general conclusion of those who have studied its results in places where its use was extensive (I believe the most extensive study was in Denmark) is that it is not particularly effective.

That doesn't seem to stop legislators from proposing it from time to time. Poland just instituted it and its's still on the books (though rarely used) in several American states.

[dbcooper]

My friend's mother was in charge of that sort of pharmaceutical administration in her area of Switzerland. I'll ask him about it.

[isaac Bartram]

Also, Alan Turing was chemically castrated in England for the crime of homosexuality. Yes, really.

It didn't cure him, either, just drove him to suicide.

Times change, eh?

[Tony]

We should castrate tea baggers.

[OO]

teabagger cant see their nads due to beer bellies

[Teabagger]

I can see mine as they bounce off your chin - you do such a good job of taking it all the way down.

[Yuno Hoo]

Works also as a "martyring" alternative.

[Abdul]

Silly girls. There's a reason that the pro-choice chant of "Our Bodies! Our Choice! Your Money!" never caught on.

[Pro Libertate]

About that oil spill. I thought we were doomed? I mean, I was going along with the idea that the leak would be devastating, but now it seems like that's not the right word.

So, once again, the media and the left have artificially boosted a crisis for some arcane reason.

[Brett L]

A Century of Poison!!! Less life than the surface of the Moon!!! Or, you know, a year later they had detectable (by instruments), but not enough to affect anyone on 3 of 14 loads of shrimp tested.

I was at the beach over by Cape San Blas this weekend. It was beautiful, but we need the tourists back so Whole Foods will build a store in Appalachicola and put Piggly Wiggly out of business.

[No oil ?]

maybe that brown goo on recent dead marine life is PL's best discharge !

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, but the phrase was cataclysmic environmental disaster. Clearly, that wasn't and isn't remotely the case.

I'm not defending BP and am pissed at their negligence, but I don't care for misleading panic-mongering.

[Almanian]

As I noted elsewhere, and to quote Gomer Pyle, "Surprise, surprise, surprise!"

Not so much to some of us as it is to others, I'm sure.

[Tim]

Can we stop whoring for Atlas Shrugged now? At least until the DVD release?

[Ewing]

I guess I'm a bad libertarian, 'cause I don't think it's possible to give less of a fuck about AS, than I do.

[Almanian]

...ahem....

*taps Ewing on the shoulder*

[CrackertyAssCracker]

I'm really looking forward to watching it. In about 7 years. On USA. At about 3 in the afternoon on a Sunday. While napping on my couch. It's gonna be awesome.

[pancakes]

Today is National School Shooting, Oil Spilling, Hitler Day! So go out, shoot your friends, change your oil and dump the refuse in the street, then burn one for Hitler!

Yeah!

[Mongo]

It's also Bicycle Day.

[Mongo]

It's also Bicycle Day!

[Almanian]

So bike to the school to do your shooting! Everyone wins!

[First of Etiquette]

Pass the spliff and take a hit(ler).

[Hit(ler)]

Ein toke!

[Hit[ler]]

You're doing the brackets wrong.

[kinnath]

So the "link" to the airline regulations attempts to take me to the admin login in page:

http://reason.com/admin/pages/com

WTF

[Brett L]

Also, what's with linking to Bloomberg's Morning Links in the Reason MLs? Could I get a link to what the "club in the closet" actually means? Right now, I'm thinking there are pages in danger of being harrassed and molested.

[Rich]

Could I get a link to what the "club in the closet" actually means?

Still researching, but I think this is it.

[Jerry]

Leave Tom Cruise alone!

[Rich]

"club in the closet"

With all due respect, WTF?

[John]

Yeah. I thought with the repeal of DADT and letting them marry and all those sort of people didn't have to form clubs and stay in the closet. They can just do it openly now, right?

[cynical]

Ha! I got to see an embargoed article, suckers. I feel so naughty.

[Old Mexican]

(Interview with Paul Craig Roberts, Press TV)

Press TV: Russia has criticized NATO for going far beyond its UN mandate. In other news a joint Op Ed is going to be written by Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy who have said that "leaving Qaddafi in power would be an unconscionable betrayal to the Libyan people".

We do know that the mandate does not call for regime change; the Obama administration has been saying they are not in there for regime change; but things seem a little different now don't they?

Roberts: Yes they do. First of all, notice that the protests in Libya are different from the ones in Egypt or Yemen or Bahrain or Tunisia and the difference is that this is an armed rebellion.

There are more differences: another is that these protests originated in the eastern part of Libya where the oil is ? they did not originate in the capital city. And we have heard from the beginning credible reports that the CIA is involved in the protests, and there have been a large number of press reports that the CIA has sent back to Libya its Libyan asset to head up the Libyan rebellion.

In my opinion, what this is about is to eliminate China from the Mediterranean. China has extensive energy investments and construction investments in Libya. They are looking to Africa as a future energy source.

The US is countering this by organizing the United States African Command (USAC), which Qaddafi refused to join. So that's the second reason for the Americans to want Qaddafi out.

And the third reason is that Libya controls part of the Mediterranean coast and it's not in American hands.

[John]

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2.....retty.html

April 20, 2011
Obama: "Texas has always been a pretty Republican state, for, you know, historic reasons."

Can we just admit this guy is appallingly ignorant and uneducated? And since it goes without saying, I will say it, if Palin had said something that stupid, the media would be all over it.

[Red Texas]

so texas is NOT red? stupet libtard

[Hit[ler]]

Not "historically", dumb ass.

[Brett L]

Fuck me. Isn't there a Sam Rayburn building at his last job? Did he never visit a House member?

[NoVAHockey]

a senator wouldn't dare be seen in the lower chamber.

[Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Texas)]

No, I don't know. Would you like to explain?

[Almanian]

lulz

[Lost_In_Translation]

Texas has always been a pretty CONSERVATIVE state is probably what he meant to say. The dixiecrats liked to spend money, but they still hated northern social liberals.

[Brett L]

For an Ivy League lawyer, he sure misspeaks often.

[Trespassers W]

Texas has always been a pretty Republican state, for, you know, historic reasons.

More generally, X has always been Y for, you know, historic reasons.

[zoltan]

What an idiot. Obama wouldn't know that the Democratic party of the 1860s-1896 was a laissez-faire, anti-prohibition party.

[Skip]

Palin could say anything and get called dumb/racist.

[Slap the Enlightened!]

Happy Birthday, Adolf! All us White People still miss you terribly!

[Baked jews, gypsies, und gays]

not us! arbeit mach frei babieeeee

[dbcooper]

And he pretty much banned rugby (which Germany were pretty good at before WW2). What a cunt.

[Almanian]

Well, now, THAT'S just over the line. The invading and gassing and wreaking havoc on the world I can tolerate, but....

BANNING RUGBY?! A step too far.

Also, I never knew that. You never know what you'll learn at reason.com.

[dbcooper]

Yeah, Germany beat (traditional rugby power) France twice during the interwar period.

I guess that, like Dutch South Africans, they have the right build for it.

[isaac Bartram]

They probably played with Prussian military precision.

I swear that's how the West Point and Annapolis sides play.

[Zeb]

Fuck off.

[cynical]

I always suspected, but now I know.

[Slap the Enlightened!]

Very funny. I suppose that sort of a stunt spares you having to actually offer a coherent argument, no?

[P Brooks]

Maybe the First Lady should just drive around the country in a VOLT, instead of burning thousands and thousands of gallons of jet fuel every time she gets the itch to trot off to New York for lunch.

[creech]

Amtrak is just for the peasants (and Joe Biden). Probably just as well for the other Acela passengers - you can imagine the security theater involved in transporting the spouses of our high priests.

[Old Mexican]

Second Amendment Rights Once Again at Risk

Americans continue to watch their Second Amendment rights diminish, this time as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ( still known as ATF) launches a campaign to change the definition of "shotgun." According to the blog Beregond's Bar, a recently released study by the Bureau will ultimately make shotguns illegal, and may also have negative implications for all guns.

The ATF states that the purpose of the study is to "establish criteria that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will use to determine the importability of certain shotguns under the provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) ?[which] generally [prohibit] the importation of firearms into the United States."
[...]

The study concludes that there should be a "limited exception to the general prohibition on the importation of firearms without placing any undue or unnecessary Federal restrictions of burdens on law-abiding citizens with respect to the acquisition, possession, or use of firearms." Though the ATF contends that its determinations will have no impact on "true sporting shotguns," it admits that they will "certainly prevent the importation of certain shotguns."

The study also recommends that "sporting determinations for shotguns not specifically addressed by this study be reviewed by a panel pursuant to ATF orders, policies and procedures, as appropriate."

Gun death panels, ladies and gentlemen.

[Tim]

Hmm. anything over four rounds has no sporting purpose.

[Old Mexican]

Re: Tim,

Hmm. anything over four rounds has no sporting purpose.

Why?

[Tim]

Just quoting Libs. Who knows why. They just say shit.

[Old Mexican]

Ah.

[Smell the fear]

so send ur patriotic donations NOW NOW NOW...

[Warty]

This sort of crap has been going on since at least Bush 1. I want my Norinco AKs, goddammit.

[sage]

I love mine. If I could only own one gun, that would be it. I would still miss the others terribly, though.

[Warty]

I think I'd keep either my Garand or my Finnish M39. I realize that's an oddball choice, but it fits my arm dimensions better than any other rifle I own. Finns must be a tall people.

[sage]

Is your Garand the 30-06? My dad's fires a .308. That is one bad ass gun.

[Warty]

Yeah, I got a couple wartime Garands from the CMP a few years ago. Also some 1903s, including one with the cutout in the reciever for the Pedersen Device, which is pretty awesome.

[db]

Do you actually have a Pederson Device? That would be even awesomer.

[sage]

Agree on the awesomeness.

[Warty]

No, they cost something like $60K. Too awesome for my blood.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I am aware of no "sporting purpose" condition anywhere in the Second Amendment or the Constitution in general.

In fact, if you read U.S. v. Miller, the SCOTUS quite clearly implied (although admittedly did not outright state) that the only firearms protected by the Second Amendment as "arms" are those that are of a type "useful for the common defense" by light infantry forces. I.e., the Court plainly understood that the purpose and intent of the Second Amendment was so that the citizenry could be armed with military-style firearms useful in repelling invaders and fighting a tyrannical government. Under this understanding, the only "arms" that would be protected under the 2A would be things that were NOT purely "sporting" arms.

The 1968 GCA's "sporting purpose" test is pure, feel-good bullshit.

The Second Amendment is not about protecting your right to go pheasant hunting.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

It's no surprise since they make up all kinds of ridiculous bullshit about the 2nd Amendment, like that "collective right" nonsense.

[Warty]

Ron Paul, ARE YOU A BIRTHER??

[Old Mexican]

Ignore the rest of the interview, focus on that really, really, really important issue...

[Nipplemancer]

Matthews is such a prick. It started off as a decent interview and then finished off with the birther bullshit. I did like Paul's response - "I'm gonna leave that to talkshow hosts and Donald Trump"

[Fist of Etiquette]

I wasn't going to watch the interview (I can't take Matthews) but I might just to see how that line is delivered.

[Gee, I Wonder Why Costs Go Up]

A fireplace. Cable TV. Private rooms. ERs in the Twin Cities aren't what they used to be.

As a new generation of emergency rooms opens across the east metro, patients are finding amenities that might remind them more of hotels than hospitals.

Emergency patients at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul, for example, can now sip sodas while watching cable television in private exam rooms.

At nearby United Hospital, there's a fireplace in the lobby, art on the walls and a commitment to publish waiting times on a website ? sort of the equivalent to illuminating a "vacancy" sign.

Stackable wheelchairs at the Regions Hospital emergency room are parked at the front door like bellhop carts, and there are plans for a computer with Internet access in the lobby.

All three hospitals near downtown St. Paul have built new or have expanded emergency rooms since 2009. The newest of the bunch opens at 2 a.m. Thursday at United. Beyond the amenities, the ERs ? which came with a combined price tag of at least $44 million ? are designed to be both quieter and quicker.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_17885917

[R C Dean]

Out of all this, I really don't see a problem with wheelchairs outside an ER, private exam rooms, tracking wait times publicly, internet access in the lobby (what, you don't think families or patients might not want to email someone?), or even having soda available.

That leaves, what, art and a fireplace.

My guess is that the amount spent on these amenities is dwarfed by the amounts these hospitals spend on regulatory compliance.

[Warty]

The eyes ran away with the spoon

Investigators found a bloody spoon on the kitchen counter and Pogue's eyeballs in a trash can.

[sage]

Thanks for the...visual. GET IT?

[Warty]

Remember when I said I'd pull your eyes out last? I LIED

[sage]

Ugh, what were you going to pull out first?

[Warty]

Let off some eyes, sage.

[Black Dynamite]

DO YOU SEE WHERE I'M COMIN' FROM YOU JIVE MUTHAFUCKAAAAAAAAAA?

[Brett L]

Rob Long has a blast from the past for all you Friedman lovers. Tom Friedman in 1999 "Amazon.com is doomed!".

[Tim]

FRENCH TO ATTACK!

PARIS ? France vowed Wednesday to step up airstrikes on Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's forces and acknowledged that it has military officers already working with Libyan rebels on the ground.

France and Italy joined Britain in announcing their commitment of military officers to help the rebels, who have failed to rout Moammar Gadhafi's forces despite weeks of NATO-led airstrikes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....51372.html

[Brett L]

Too bad the Brits are going in. The only people who know more about losing battles in North Africa than the French are the Italians. I was kind of hoping the rebels would be routed and we could all shake our heads and go home.

[Tim]

If things don't go well, they could end up as hostages.

[P Brooks]

Investigators found a bloody spoon on the kitchen counter and Pogue's eyeballs in a trash can.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, Old Man."

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

All your smart phone data are belong to the Michigan State Police, sucka.

Another report on these "data extraction devices."

[SugarFree]

[police seize SugarFree's phone]

"Sweet Jesus... you sure do play a lot of Angry Birds."

[dbcooper]

Sure it wasn't "Sir, ambien is not an excuse for drunk-dialing multiple escort agencies." 😉

[SugarFree]

"Goddamnit, this is the third escort service I've called. Are you telling me a man can't buy a Sunday morning blumpkin in this town any longer? Tyranny! Tyranny, I say!"

[dbcooper]

Whaddaya mean you've got no brunett Uzbekian dwarf women with fetish gear! Your webpage clearly states "full service!"

[Tim]

Any sporting purpose?

[kinnath]

Yet another reason to downgrade to a Jitterbug.

[West Texas]

Beck is talking about this right this minute...

Goddamn, how craven and corrupt are these fuckers?

I really really really want to support the cops, but this kind of shit makes it really really really hard.

[Warty]

I really really really want to support the cops

Why? Pigs are scum, dude.

[R C Dean]

I'm waiting for an app that recognizes an unauthorized attempt to access your phone, and downloads a nasty virus. I hope the dev goes old school and calls it Black Ice.

[zoltan]

I'm going to give this comment a hell yeah!

[The Truth]

I hearby declare today "Spoof your favorite troll day". I have entertained myself immensely and generated massive funs. Hooray!

[Trespassers W]

I thought you were The Truth every day.

[waffles]

Nope. Today and that one other time. That's it, honest.

[Old Mexican]

Candles being recalled because they represent a fire hazard

"WASHINGTON ? More than 7 million candles are being recalled because of concerns the cup holding the candle could melt or catch fire.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the tea lights were sold under the Chesapeake Bay Candle and Modern Light brand names."

Candles... that can catch... fire?????

Uh... huh?

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

No - "the cup holding the candle could melt or catch fire."

I can see it generally would be a bad thing if the device that you are using as a candleholder will catch fire. My understanding of such things is that candleholders generally are preferably not themselves flammable.

[Old Mexican]

Re: Barely Suppressed Rage,

My understanding of such things is that candleholders generally are preferably not themselves flammable.

More likely, the problem is people leaving candles unsupervised, which is the reason for my sarcasm.

[Au H20]

OM, a consumer would never use a product improperly, and I am shocked at you for even suggesting it.

[Old Mexican]

Re: Au H2O,

OM, a consumer would never use a product improperly, and I am shocked at you for even suggesting it.

Douglas Adams described a guy in one of his books that built a beach house that was inside-out, to make the statement that the "Crazy people lived safely inside, while I live outside, safe from them." His reasoning was made obvious when he pointed out to the warning in a matchbox: "Don't use while sleeping..."

[Zeb]

The inspiration (in the books anyway) was actually the instructions on a box of toothpicks.

[Pip]

I put my trust in Jew candles:

http://www.foodservicedirect.c.....-Ounce.htm

[John]

http://www.theatlantic.com/bus.....od/237572/

Mrs Suderman can often be annoying. But occasionally writes a great post.

This is an argument to which the left-wing has a great deal of recourse whenever anyone suggests that people have a right to keep what they earn from voluntary transactions. You can only make money in the context of society, and so society has a right to regulate your transactions, and seize the proceeds, in any way that society sees fit.

And yet, the argument applies just as well to our sex lives or our political beliefs: they take place in the context of all sorts of government protections, from rape prosecutions to whistleblower laws. Without markets and the government, the "anything between two consenting adults" morality to which the majority of the elite subscribes would be impossible; the closest substitute for these things is family, and families have a very clear, deep, and persistent interest in regulating the sexual behavior of their members.

Does this mean that the government (or our employers) may properly restrict our sexual behavior to that of which a majority of our neighbors approve? That bed you're having sex in probably travelled on the interstate highway system, so standby for government inspection . . .

No? The government can't do that? Then why is this argument supposed to be a telling blow against arguments for strong property rights and freedom from interference in voluntary economic transactions?

[Warty]

You can only make money in the context of society, and so society has a right to regulate your transactions, and seize the proceeds, in any way that society sees fit.

Hey look! It's Danny! And Tony! And every other shitty liberal lickspittle troll that fouls this place!

[JW]

John Quiggin complains that what the classic essay I, Pencil actually shows is the wonders of a mixed economy, not the market.

Don't you know John? You can either be a Marxist or an anarchist. There's nothing in between. If you think there should be a minimalist court system designed to enforce contracts and prosecute violent crime, then there should be a Dept. of Regulating Everything Within an Inch of its Fucking Life.

The linked essay is a staggering display of gross bootlicking ignorance. Your roof would constantly leak if not for the Dept of Roofing, whose staff were educated in public schools and drive on gummint roads. You should be on your fucking knees thanking each and every central planner.

[John]

Somalia JW. Our choices are either Oceania or Somalia.

[mr simple]

I kind of found her argumentation style to be clumsy, and then there is this fail:

I'm certainly happy to argue that libertarians and conservatives underestimate the extent to which markets are supported by regulations and laws that shape transactions away from destructive ends.

It's just a complete misunderstanding of what markets are and how they work.

Oh and don't read the comments. These people have no idea about, well, anything really.

That's an easy one. If society had a compelling interest in what I do in the bedroom it could regulate it.

A complete subservience to the state and a complete lack of understanding of economics is a dangerous combination.

[R C Dean]

If society had a compelling interest in what I do in the bedroom it could regulate it.

You mean society doesn't have a compelling interest in one of the must fundamental human drives, an activity that is known to spread disease, etc.?

Moron.

[John]

But trade is different RC. When you have sex you are not exploiting anyone like you are when you buy something. Don't you see the difference?

[John]

And my above comment got me to thinking. If the bedroom is some expression of the patriarchy full of rapists and child molesters the way the feminists tell us, then how does the government not have a compelling interest to regulate it? I mean seriously, does this guy think rape is all right?

[Fluffy]

I think more fundamentally, the problem with that argument is that "the state has a compelling interest" is merely a euphemism for "if we intervene here, a lot of voters will support us".

It's not like there is some outside objective referent to tell judges what is and what is not a compelling interest. They're pulling it out of their ass each and every time.

That makes "compelling interest" a proxy for "voter interest". And just as many people care about your uterus as care about tarmac wait times at airports.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if some liberals would be okay with government regulation of sexual matters. Since the Democratic party controls the White House and half of Congress they figure that only policies they like would be implemented. And it's no use asking them, don't you realise that someday somebody with different views will be in charge? No, they can't see past the Great Obama.

[Zeb]

I don't know about sexual matters generally, but I certainly know some liberals who would like to regulate reproduction.

[Brett L]

I had a pretty repellent conversation with one who was in favor of mandatory abortion. For hicks or stupid people or whatever. I think "not like her" was the real qualifier.

[Warty]

That's an easy one. If society had a compelling interest in what I do in the bedroom it could regulate it.

Oh, fucking christ. The alleged thought-processes of the state-worshipper always make me feel dirty.

[John]

There are some real morons on Mrs. Suderman's comments. I keep telling you guys, Tony is a smart liberal. Him, Chad, and Max are the fucking College of Athens compared to the typical liberal on the internet. You read blogs that have more than the odd troll for liberal commenters and it is just fucking scary.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Oh there's no doubt Tony is smart--he's certainly passive-aggressive and utterly covetous, but he's not dumb. Even Chad and shrike contribute decent posts once in a while that people can engage.

Max, however, is as worthless as the bitch of a mother that bore him.

[cynical]

You can have wealth in the absence of society, though obviously not trade (assuming we're defining any group of at least two people as "society", although that is stretching things a bit).

You can only not be murdered in the context of a society that respects the right to life. And to be fair, that does indeed come with an obligation -- not to murder others. And you can only exercise property rights in a society that respects them, and that also comes with an obligation -- to respect the property rights of others.

So remember, stealing from a leftist is morally justifiable, if you can get away with it.

[Mike M.]

It turns out that Obama and his thugs tried to beg Standard & Poor's not to lower their outlook on the U.S. Government, which makes it even harder to believe believe him and his lickspittles when they say that the decision doesn't mean anything.

[Au H20]

Let me be clear: I am not inviting Standard and Poor's to the White House to beat them within an inch of their life.

I plan to just ship them to Guantanamo before they even touch down in DC.

[Cheney's faceless ghost]

the S&P thugs will be enhanced interrogated until they fess-up

[The GOBP]

BP is doling out the cash again to lawmakers on Capitol Hill~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>The company at the center of the storm in last year's Gulf of Mexico spill sent out its first checks for the 2012 election cycle in March totaling $29,000. They went almost entirely to the campaigns of a handful of House Republican leaders.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/s.....z1K4iuylch
_
gosh, who didnt see that coming?

[sage]

The company at the center of the storm in last year's Gulf of Mexico spill

Oh yeah, the spill that fouled the Gulf of Mexico forevermore?

[The GOBP]

what spill?

[Zeb]

Perhaps I misunderstand federal campaign finance law, but I thought corporations were not allowed to donate directly to campaigns. Have I got this wrong, or are those donations actually from employees of BP?

[Towelie]

Don't forget to bring a towel!

When it's 4/20, you can get so high you knock over your bong. That's why Towelie says- Always bring a towel!

...

You wanna get high?

[P Brooks]

the spill that fouled the Gulf of Mexico forevermore?

Look on the bright side; now you can drive from Miami to Cancun, right across the Gulf.

[Lost_In_Translation]

The company at the center of the storm in last year's Gulf of Mexico spill sent out its first checks for the 2012 election cycle in March totaling $29,000.

OMG, 29,000 dollars!?! I'm sure that matches the 44 million dollars the SEIU gave to democrats in 2010.

[P Brooks]

the 44 million dollars the SEIU gave to democrats in 2010.

That's different. They're saving the middle class.

[alexdroog]

Don't dare talk about good news in the Gulf with Gambit, the alternative rag down here in NOLA. They'll automatically brand you a BP apologist.

They practically had a hissy fit and declared people were making BP a victim when Pro Publica ran a story about local government officials milking BP for millions while fishermen and others out of work due to the spill were still waiting on claims.

[John]

http://www.powerlineblog.com/a.....028859.php

Tom Friedman in 1999, "Amazon is doomed".

[Pro Libertate]

To be fair, a lot of people used to pooh-pooh Amazon's model. I had a bit of a argument with our CEO at the time about that, me saying that Amazon was going to be a brilliant success (me also thinking at the time that arguing with my CEO about the matter was a CLM).

[Clich? BaNDIT]

YIKES! here is a nice article on Enviro-Totalitarianism (new word coind by a friend of mine)

This goes beyond varstiy and olympic stupidity.

The comments...my eyes burn.

I heard the butcher has a big one

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Jet carrying Michelle Obama aborts landing after coming too close to a military cargo plane.

Now, that's the last straw! Market failure! Those damn laissez-faire asshole capitalists and their profit-seeking money-grubbing ways! The air traffic control system is important and should be controlled by the federal government! Only they are efficient enough and care enough about our safety!

Oh...wait...

[????? ??????]

Thanks