Reason Morning Links: Osama Dead, Levy Law, Eurocensorship

• Osama bin Laden is dead.
• Supreme Court to Army Corps of Engineers: We won't stop you from destroying that levee.
• EU officials consider a Great Firewall of Europe.
• In Libya, crowds burn the American, British, and Italian embassies.
• Who's who in the Syrian opposition.
• Joanna Russ, RIP.

The latest from Reason.tv: "The War on Walmart."

Comments

[Name Nomad]

Rewind: 'Golden Girls' Reunion

[Mark Six]

Hey Jesse and Radley, good thing we didn't listen to you guys about our illegal wars. I'm glad we stayed and didn't fold, and dont forget:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!!

[tarran]

That's right, none of the families of any of the innocent people the U.S. killed in its rampage will seek revenge.

The big boss is dead and the end credits are now scrolling up.

[AU H20]

I'm sorry, but your terrorist mastermind is in a different mansion!

[Ska]

Worst game of Super Mario Bros. EVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lost_In_Translation]

Forgive me if I don't exactly call killing a geriatric old man in his house a decade after his last big act of terrorism a "mission accomplished" moment.

[Sorry Hope]

Wow, what a shitty little comment from a shitty little man. It's what I hate about Rainsinites worse than anything, contrary just to be contrary. The hate Bush thing really got to you left-libertarians.

[SugarFree]

Rainsinites

Clever. Did you think of that all by yourself?

[Lost_In_Translation]

If you think killing UBL made us any safer or is going to slow down the destruction of our civil liberties (because a rollback just seems flat-out impossible now), you are deceiving yourself. And if you don't care about the above, but are just happy to see Osama die, you're just letting your shitty revenginitis show.

And I like how you interpreted my comment as Bush-haterism. Its very revealing of your Neo-con defensiveness.

[Almanian]

Hoples, go see a gynecologist about the sand in your snatch - it's making you bitchy.

Also, what Lost said, both times.

[JW]

Lost, are you thinking for yourself again, instead of joining in the mob's compelling chants?

[Shorter Mark]

America--Fuck Yeah!!!!

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

Yay!!!!

[DJF]

Great News, Osama's dead and the War on Terror is over!!!!

So when will there be the victory parade for all the troops that will be brought back to the USA and allowed to return to civilian life now that the war is over?

And of course our brave TSA will now get to also return to civilian life where they can be the brain surgeons, rocket scientists and inventors they were on track to becoming before giving up that life to protect America.

[The Other Kevin]

This. My first reaction was that, though the symbolic victory is nice, nothing has really changed. Bin Laden has been in hiding for 10 years, it's not like he's been masterminding spectacular attacks. The troops won't come home, and the body scanners will stay. If anything, this is an exuse for MORE security, to protect us from revenge attacks.

Also, I expect Ron Paul to make a statement about bringing home all the troops any time now.

[DJF]

Its hard for me to get excited about "Mission Accomplished" when the it does not change anything.

[robc]

Re: The Ohio River

Its as high in Louisville as Ive ever seen it. There is a restaurant that flooded in the 90s that upon reopening painted a wave line at the water level. From pictures it doesnt look like they are as bad off yet (although they canceled Oaks and Derby reservations a week ago, which is horrible for them, losing the two biggest nights of the year). Saw one barge go under a bridge on Friday and it was close, any more rise and the river is closed to traffic.

[SugarFree]

My mom says it's as high as she's ever seen it in Henderson. The water isn't in the town yet, but it is close.

[Arcaster]

Between the Ohio and the Wabash, my area sucks right now. My town is in the middle of the worst flood in its history.

[Almanian Towelie]

Did someone say somethin' about gettin' high...?

[John]

Mayor Bloomburg's American gulag and colonization plan. No this is not a joke. He is quite serious.

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

[DJF]

And I bet he will also ban Gulag Detroit from smoking, fatty foods and sugary soft drinks.

[Almanian]

Good luck with that - those are the only things that motivate us Michiganders to wake up every day.

[Jerry]

I just read the MSNBC transcript. It is surreal that Bloomberg can issue so much crap without Gregory getting tough on him.

[John]

But he is on their side and he means well. Just imagine if Sarah Palin or Rand Paul ever said something that stupid. They would be run out of politics. Bloomburg says it and they don't even ask a followup question.

[Rhet Orical]

It's an outrage.

[MNG]

When did MSNBC start considering GOP featured convention speaker and former Republican mayors to be on their side?

[John]

Bloomburg ran as a GOP because no one else did. He is a life long Democrat. Just admit it, a Democratic politician is awful. It won't kill you. And it will make people think you are less of a hack than you are.

[MNG]

Why did the GOP have him as a principal speaker at the 2004 convention? How can a "life-long Democrat" serve years as a GOP mayor?

[heller]

Just because he goes both ways doesn't mean he isn't a partisan whore.

[MNG]

Well, it is interesting though to try to paint a man who has never spent a day in his life as a Democratic public official but has spent years as a GOP one as well as being a principal speaker at the GOP national convention as a Democratic partisan whore...

[John]

Bloomburg is a real conservative there MNG. He is just to the right of Rand Paul.

[MNG]

I thought in many ways Rand Paul ran to the left of his senate opponent (or rather Conway ran to his right).

[SIV]

No, Dumbass

[John]

Because there are no Republicans in New York City. Your contention that Bloomburg is any meaningful way not a Democrat is just pathetic. Do you really want to die on that hill? It just makes you look like a hack who will never admit any fault in any person with a D after their name. Since Bloomburg is indefensible, you claim he is a Republican and not a Democrat, even though all of his views are straight line liberal and he is Mayor of one of the most Democratic and liberal cities in America.

We got it MNG, in your world no liberal can ever do wrong. It is a prime directive. But please pardon the rest of us while we live in the real world.

[MNG]

"It just makes you look like a hack who will never admit any fault in any person with a D after their name."

The man has never spent one day of his life as a public official as with a D beside his name. He spent years as one with a R beside it though.

Die on that hill? Dude, I'll run up that hill and dance a jig!

[John]

No he just spent his life as a liberal democrat who one day registered as a Republican because it meant he didn't have to run in a primary for mayor. You are fucking eight shades of stupid on this. Actually you think the rest of us are stupid and will believe anything no matter how dumb.

Is it your contention that Bloomburg agrees with virtually anything the Republican party stands for? You are just making yourself look retarded MNG. Stop it. You are even embarrassing me for you.

[MNG]

"Is it your contention that Bloomburg agrees with virtually anything the Republican party stands for?"

How did he get to be a showcased speaker at the 04 convention? Did he sneek past security?

[MNG]

Don't look behind the curtain, where Bloomberg's positions are, he spoke at a GOP convention!

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

Zell Miller

[SIV]

Zell Miller was there

Lieberman in 2008

are you saying those guys are "Republicans" too?

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

MNG....paging MNG....

[Mike M.]

Nice, you guys shut up MNG's big stupid mouth by bringing up Miller and Lieberman; he's got no response for that one. Totally awesome.

[Joe Leiberman]

That is odd...

http://talk.baltimoresun.com/s.....p?t=157256

[Almanian]

jig!

RAAAAAAAAAAAAACIST!

[Mike Laursen]

MNG troll has got you on this one, John. Literal fact is that the guy's been a Republican for quite a while.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

I don't know why you guys even bother to argue with MNG, because I've seen him pull a disappearing act when his assertions are destroyed quite a few times.

[JD]

When did MSNBC start considering GOP featured convention speaker and former Republican mayors to be on their side?

Authority fetishists gotta stick together.

[jtuf]

As a resident of a New York City suburb, Mayor Bloomburg's proposal does not surprise me. The greater NYC-Philadelphia region just enacted a Highlands preservation program that greatly restricts development on the current edge of the metropolitan region. Most of the suburbs cannot add new homes without relaxing zoning restrictions. These policies make it impossible for poor people to afford housing outside of the cities. Since most of the folks in this area support relaxed immigration laws, the net effect is to allow poor immigrants in but restrict them to the cities. It sickens me. We should relax suburban zoning laws so that poor people can live in the suburbs too.

[CaptainSmartass]

I dunno, sounds more "home stead act" and less "gulag" to me.

[John]

http://ca.jezebel.com/5796706/.....ex-workers

Vigilantes band together to protect Long Island hookers.

[AU H20]

The Superfriends!

[John]

My God Sibileus really is the White Witch form Narnia. Look at this picture.

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....on_LEADTop

[Kathleen Sebelius]

Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as H&R buffoons mock the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

[Shorter Sebelius]

Squawk!

[rather]

No link on postponing the honeymoon?

[John]

As much fun as it is to make fun the Royals for being inbreed freak shows (and God knows Charles and Diana were freak shows), they actually seem like decent people. Diana really must have screwed around. Where did the normal person genes come from?

[Dr Duck]

UBL dead? Oh, I can hardly wait for the sense of closure to set in!

Ok, any time.

Right about now would be fine.

Dammit, where's my closure?

[Bingo]

Yeah, still waiting on the "return to normalcy" now that the big bad guy is dead.

Something tells me the WoT, and it's security state, is now institutionalized like the WoD.

[USA! USA! USA!]

There will not be closure until all firemen and cops and first, second and third responders have free healthcare forever. Take it away, Kate Smith!

[Fourth Responder]

You bastard!

[USA! USA! USA!]

Sorry, Fourth, but we're broke.
Just enough cash left for America's Heroes?.

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

The Golden Girls Take On Lesbians

[asdf]

America...
America...
America, FUCK YEAH!
Coming again, to save the mother fucking day yeah,
America, FUCK YEAH!
Freedom is the only way yeah,
Terrorist your game is through cause now you have to answer too,
America, FUCK YEAH!
So lick my butt, and suck on my balls,
America, FUCK YEAH!
What you going to do when we come for you now,
it's the dream that we all share; it's the hope for tomorrow

FUCK YEAH!

[AU H20]

McDonalds...

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

Behind the coming physician shortage

Papa was a rollin' stone. Whereever he laid his hat was his home.....
INS memos: Obama's father forced out by Harvard
...Harvard administrators, the memo stated, "were having difficulty with his financial arrangements and couldn't seem to figure out how many wives he had."...

[John]

I will actually stand up for Obama on that one. It is not his fault nor is it in any way the public's business that his father was a philandering piece of shit. I don't think they should have published that.

[Newt Gingrich]

Hey, lets not rush to judgement on that philandering business.

[John]

Didn't God tell you to do it or something Newt?

[MNG]

For Teh Country!

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

Yea it is, every politician should have his most embarrassing dirt dragged up and thrown in their faces daily, to prove to them that they didn't descend to us directly from the heavens.

[Obama]

[..]they didn't descend to us directly from the heavens.

WHAT?

[Spoonman.]

How is that embarrassing dirt on the President? It's just shit about his dad. If Barry Jr. was a philandering piece of shit, that I'd like to know.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Well, he's half way there.

[Barry II]

** laughs up sleeve **

[dbcooper]

Well there goes the reigning hide & seek world champion.

To be honest, I never expected him to beat Anne Frank's record.

[Almanian]

Grooooooaaaaaaaannnnnnnnn!!

*double facepalm*

[dbcooper]

And of course the raid was live tweeted:

Local man apparently live-tweeted Osama mansion raid

[dbcooper]

Link:

http://www.boingboing.net/2011.....ently.html

[Jerry]

That could have been embarrasing. "US Navy Seals OBL liquidation attempt thwarted by local Pakistani's fly swatter."

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

Compassion or Cover-Up? Teen Victim Claims Rape; Forced Confession in Church

[Fist of Etiquette]

Why did SCOTUS let that hurricane destroy that levee that one time? Remember?

[Chupacabra]

Commerce clause.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Because Republicans hate black people. Try to keep up, `kay?

[ev]

This is all complete bullshit.

They kill/find him and within a day he is buried at sea?! WHAT THE FUCK. They say that they did it out of religious concerns but A)when the fuck has America given a shit about Islam and B) there is nothing in Sharia, Sunni or Shi'ite law about any sea-faring nonsense.

Internet rules: pics or it didn't happen. They're gonna use this bullshit as a reason to pull out of Afghanistan (which I am obviously in favor of) and it's just the apex of political theater. Well, an apex. I'm always astounded that there are higher peaks in the range that are obfuscated in the present.

This is a god damn Onion article. I'd have paraded that body around the States, two bits a gander like the good 'ol days.

What a crock of shit.

[John]

Yeah that is why the Al Quada news service is admitting he is dead. Yeah, they would either falsely admit he was dead or end a ten year charade that he was alive out of kindness towards Obama.

Shut up. We got the bastard.

[ev]

What happened when we captured Hussein? IMMEDIATELY they release the Spider Hole picture. They publicized the shit out of it. Why, when in possession of the body, would they not react to bin Laden's death with the same fervor?

Granted I suppose they could be sitting on pics/vid but it doesn't make much sense. Why wait? It strikes me as unusual. I want further proof, more than "the American government and some Yemeni whom I don't know say so." It's not that much to ask.

[Insane Asylum]

Please call us concerning your reservation.

[Obey Your Overlords!]

I'm not even saying that he isn't dead. I would just like to see proof of his death. I don't trust the US government. I want more evidence than their say-so.

How is desiring evidence at all insane? Myself and people on this site despise the government and treat every projection, prediction an plan with skepticism. But now they utter the words "We got Osama" and all of that vanishes?

Just give me some evidence he's dead and I'm happy and content.

[Pope Jimbo]

Would the long form death certificate be good enough proof for ya?

[Internet]

Obvious joke is obvious.

[Mooner]

While we're at it, I desire proof of the moon landings. Thank you.

[ev]

Moon rocks, pictures, seismic data and reflector arrays left on the surface.

While I cannot personally hold the moon rocks, this accounts for quite a bit more than "Oh, because the government says so."

[DK]

I'm also having a bit of trouble with this. Particularly the part about how his identity was confirmed via DNA analysis. WTF? Verifying someone's identity through genetic means requires that you have a previous DNA sample to compare it to. Did they take a DNA from OBL previously? If so, why not arrest him at that point? Did he leave his DNA at the scene of some crime? I highly doubt it and I highly doubt it could be confirmed as his DNA even if this happened. So how the fuck did they verify his identity with DNA? It makes absolutely no sense.

[OO]

the DNA for comparison would've previously been secured from relatives

[DK]

Ah. Forgot about this. Thanks.

[DK]

Just out of curiosity, do you know which relatives the government got the relatives' DNA from? It seems unlikely that a DNA sample could be compelled from the relatives. Was it given voluntarily?

[ev]

Indeed, but he comes from quite an extended family. They'd be able to tell that they were related, but it seems to me (not a geneticist) that it wouldn't give you an exact identification without other markers/variables accounted for.

[DK]

I agree. I should state that I'm also not a geneticist, but do have quite a bit of experience with biotech. Details about this from the news media would be nice, but that might be pretty unlikely.

[Anonymous Coward]

Kick rocks, you Team Red hack.

In a super-secret raid with intelligence from Gitmo, the Navy SEALs raided Bin Laden's Pakistan compound where he refused to surrender and was shot him in the eye. 24 hours later, after someone had taken DNA from the corpse, but no picture or video, he was dumped in the sea because the US was afraid no country would accept his body for burial.

Have I successfully encapsulated the narrative thus far?

It fucking stinks to high heaven.

Proof of death. NOW.

[ev]

This.

If everything went as planned, why no vid/pic? As cops are so used to saying, If you have nothing to hide, why are you afraid?

[Spoonman.]

He's dead, Jim.

[John]

+100

[Spock]

One word: Genesis

[kilroy]

Wrong religion.

[rather]

I am totally disheartened 🙁

[JW]

I have been and always shall be your boogeyman.

[rather]

Boogeyman who never saw The Search For Spock

[Rich]

I'd have paraded that body around the States, two bits a gander like the good 'ol days.

This. More to have your picture taken with the body. More to piss on the body. What a great way to pay off the national debt.

[Brett L]

Don't give your enemy any targets of opportunity. Can you imagine the Al-Qaeda recruiting video of the successful suicide raid to recapture the body?

[Syd Henderson]

"B) there is nothing in Sharia, Sunni or Shi'ite law about any sea-faring nonsense."

I'm reasonably sure that a people with a seafaring tradition dating back thousands of years have some sort of provision for burial at sea.

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

I need one of these

AA12 Atchisson Assault Shotgun

[heller]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ebtj1jR7c

[rather]

Turf war
CIA VS. Navy Seals

[Confederal_Republic]

Why are mandatory evacuation orders still permissible in this country?

[CaptainSmartass]

Because the government doesn't want Darwin to feast on the souls of the stupid.

[AU H20]

Homeless woman pleads not guilty to lying to send her kid to a better school.

Remember parents: Don't you even fucking try to get around the monopoly on education. We will fuck you up.

[John]

To make that a crime is just unbelievable. The DA who brought that charge out to be shot.

[Spock]

She was homeless, and as such cannot be discriminated in her school choice-they can't keep her out of the country club school

[rather]

Who knew Spcok was for school choice!

[rather retarded]

Star Trek reference.

Do you love me now?

[MNG]

Another Side of Tilapia, the Perfect Factory Fish

Known in the food business as "aquatic chicken" because it breeds easily and tastes bland, tilapia is the perfect factory fish; it happily eats pellets made largely of corn and soy and gains weight rapidly, easily converting a diet that resembles cheap chicken feed into low-cost seafood.

"Ten years ago no one had heard of it; now everyone wants it because it doesn't have a fishy taste, especially hospitals and schools," said Orlando Delgado, general manager of Aquafinca.

Farmed tilapia is promoted as good for your health and for the environment at a time when many marine stocks have been seriously depleted. "Did you know the American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week?" asks the industry Web site, abouttilapia.com. But tilapia has both nutritional and environmental drawbacks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05.....ia.html?hp

[Bingo]

Considering the horror stories I hear about ocean fish populations being depleted I would think the environmentalists would be happy for tilapia's popularity.

[DJF]

Environmentalists are never happy. The only thing that would make them happy is the last human dying.

[MNG]

Captain Hyperbole!

[Bingo]

I await the NYT article that describes the soybean holocaust in the production of tofu and how unhappy soybeans are being factory farmed to feed the gaping maws of America's obese underprivileged classes.

[OO]

fatties dont eat tofu

[Lost_In_Translation]

you're right of course. They'd probably be satisfied with only 2/3 of the human race dying and the rest living on switchgrass and hemp.

[Moe19]

^this

[Bingo]

Oh, I see. Cheap tilapia is "not as heart healthy" as an expensive wild caught salmon and a few uncited studies that "seem to indicate" something about omega-3 and -6 ratios causing increased heart disease.

Food elitism and typical j-school skewing of scientific research, awesome.

[John]

OF course wild caught salmon helps to destroy the wild salmon population. But fuck it. Life is hard if you are a salmon and you are standing between some foodie douschebag and a meal.

[Bingo]

They hate on catfish in the article too. Next we'll be learning that smoked BBQ contributes to global warming.

[John]

I really have started to hate foodies. And No Reservations used to be one of my favorite shows. But they have really gone past the point of annoying. They will eat total crap if it is trendy but then they will dis on decent food that is too common.

[Bingo]

Agreed, I dislike the elitest, hipster-esque aspects of foodie culture. I mean sure, going down to the docks to negotiate a price on a fresh caught salmon is a nice option, but not everyone has it. Most people can't afford expensive, small batch, organic things and either have to buy the cheaper foreign-grown produce or do without it at all.

It seems like the NYT would prefer that they do without.

Also, minimum wage laws are certainly NOT helping the American agriculture industry or costs of food for consumers.

[OO]

farmers dont pay migrants min wage sherlock

[Bradley]

OF course wild caught salmon helps to destroy the wild salmon population.

Just in case you were thinking of buying farmed salmon, that's not OK either.

[jtuf]

We should not have gotten entangled in Libya. Now how do we get out?

[DJF]

Hotel Libya. "You can check-out any time you like But you can never leave!'

[rather]

Send in Riker, Data and Worf and they will figure out how to check-out of the hotel.

[Auric Demonocles]

You've got to be subtle, you unsophisticated jem hader.

[rather]

I never take advice from a new species

[P Brooks]

Our vast national thirst for revenge has been satisfied; the President has instructed Teh Trooooopz! to pack their bags and head for the airport, right?

[DJF]

Yes, but unfortunately the plane is taking them to Libya and other exotic places where "freedom is in danger".

[AU H20]

Why the hell do the Feminists now find the word "bitch" empowering?

[rather]

that ain't news

[Red Rocks Rockin]

It is rather interesting how feminism morphed into an excuse to justify the most obnoxious, emotionally retarded behaviors.

[MNG]

I'm glad we got Osama, few people deserve it like he did.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Pinochet, Mao, Pol Pot, actually there's quite a few people that deserve it like he did. He just fucked with America instead of killing his own countrymen.

[AU H20]

The oppressive, and omnipresent, culture of... thinness!

[Scruffy Nerd Herder]

Are you subbing for NutraSweet today?

[Maybe]

he is

[Theorist]

Huh. Osama dead, no sign of SugarFree...

[SugarFree]

I still here. Your old pal sugarfree not dead no way. Let us drink a Budweiser Light beer together and talk about base-ball and apples pie.

[Au H20]

Well, this seems on the up and up. Shall we give him the nuclear launch codes?

[J[o]h[nn]y L[o][n]gt[o]rs[o]]

Where do I email him my SSN and bank account numbers?

[AU H20]

One of the reasons for real estate prices: More people are doing "pocket deals" where no contract is signed but a handshake agreement is reached.

[Scooby]

There is a contract for the sale, in writing as required by the statute of frauds. There is also a contract, albeit unwritten, for the brokerage agreement.

I've bought two houses in the past that were never listed with a broker, and I paid less for them than comparable contemporary sales. I wouldn't say this is "one of the reasons for real estate prices" if you are implying that this practice causes bubbles.

[Spoonman.]

Great, Osama's dead. So we're leaving Afghanistan, right?

[Lost_In_Translation]

Of course not. Now we have to figure out who the new #1 is. We of course, are #6.

[Joe M]

If you're not looking out for number one, you're just a number two.

[MNG]

Chrysler Posts Profit: PT Cruisers For Everyone!

The Chrysler Group posted on Monday its first quarterly profit since going through bankruptcy reorganization in 2009, as the company sold more cars at higher prices.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05.....er.html?hp

[AU H20]

WSJ: The Gang of Six cometh. Also has a great char on deficit reduction.

[AU H20]

Wall Street Journal writes entire article on fan fiction and female sexuality, does not once mention slash. And we all thank god for that.

[P Brooks]

Now how do we get out?

We send Katie Couric to interview Khadiddlhopper and get his "reaction"
to the bin Laden hit.

[AU H20]

Baseball fans cheer Osama's death... and the Mets win! Double good day!

[robc]

Yesterday I saw a small clip from some wedding that occurred in London last week...the audience was singing the national anthem of Britain (a catchy tune, I thought I knew the words but they were singing it all wrong) with ONE exception: the Queen (her husband was even singing it).

Maybe its tacky or something for the Queen to sing God Save the Queen, but I still think it makes her an unpatriotic bitch. Or an atheist. Then again, as a German, she probably wants the monarch of England to die.

[Trespassers W]

Maybe its tacky or something for the Queen to sing God Save the Queen

It would be tacky. Like singing Happy Birthday to yourself. Or We Are The Champions (worse: I Am The Champion) on any occasion of championship.

[Lost_In_Translation]

I sure as hell sing "Happy Birthday to ME"

[robc]

If you take the title literally, as an appeal to God, how is it different that the Lord's Prayer, which asks for personal stuff too?

Give us this day our daily bread
forgive us our trespasses
deliver us from evil

I dont see it being tacky.

[Trespassers W]

OK, it's not any different. You've just convinced me that the Lord's Prayer is also tacky...

[Lost_In_Translation]

Well it hasn't aged well. the FSM's prayer is much better and modern.

"Our saucer which art in a colander, draining be Your noodles. Thy noodle come, Thy meatballness be done on earth, as it is meaty in heaven. Give us this day our daily sauce, and forgive us our lack of piracy, as we pirate and smuggle against those who lack piracy with us. And lead us not into vegetarianism, but deliver us from non-red meat sauce. For thine is the colander, the noodle, and the sauce, forever and ever. R'Amen. "

[Trespassers W]

R'Amen. Let us bask in His noodly goodness.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Yeah, but referring to yourself in the third person is just douchbaggery. the queen needs to sing the version substituting the royal "we/us" where queen is used. IMHO.

[robc]

I can see that. But she wasnt singing at all.

[Highway]

We were thinking that it's probably a bit self-serving for the Queen to sing "God Save the Queen".

[Brett L]

She also doesn't stand because the honor is rendered to her. Didn't you read "Stranger in a Strange Land"? This is all covered.

[robc]

Actually, I think she was standing during the Anthem.

[AU H20]

A new way to analyze NFL prospects: Speech patterns. Forest Gump not available for comment.

[AU H20]

BTW, I hope we saved Bin Laden's head. I have plan to turn his skull into a urinal, stick it in the White House visitor's area, charge a dollar a man to piss in it, and pay off the national debt in three years.

[Theorist]

John?

[rather]

will it be similar to the discrimination in dry cleaning and you'll charge females more because we take longer?

[rather]

Or, will you charge men more because of missing the target?

[Almanian]

charge a dollar a man

There will be no women pissing on/into the skull! What next, the right to vote? Sheesh!

[Au H20]

Any woman who can pee standing is welcome to take a squat.

[rather]

Why do I think I'm being tricked into a porn movie?

[Rich]

The [firewall] proposal emerged [from] an obscure meeting of the Council of the European Union's Law Enforcement Work Party (LEWP)

A LEWPy proposal, as it were.

[P Brooks]

The Chrysler Group posted on Monday its first quarterly profit since going through bankruptcy reorganization in 2009, as the company sold more cars at higher prices.

And, if you hire goons to tell the people you borrowed money from that you won't be repaying them, it's much easier to show a "profit".

[STEVE SMITH]

STEVE SMITH REGRET THAT STEVE SMITH NEVER GOT TO RAPE OSAMA! STEVE SMITH HAS BUT ONE RAPE TO GIVE FOR HIS COUNTRY!

[Trespassers W]

In a very real sense, OBL has escaped punishment.

[Lost_In_Translation]

and got to become a martyr in the process. Yay us!

[Satan]

Not quite.

[Citizen Nothing]

At the airport. I can definitely report the TSA hasn't closed shop.

[West Texas]

Hell, now they have a new excuse to grope extra deep.

[SugarFree]

Royal wedding over -> raid on Osama compound known about for months greenlit. Coincidence?

[Brett L]

Had to wait for the estrogen to dissipate before the testosterone shot.

[SugarFree]

More like they wanted to avoid counter-programming. The Royal Wedding miniseries was over, so they could now start the Bin Laden Part XVII miniseries. This is all leading up to the Grief Orgy Mega Crossover event this September.

[Warty]

THERE ARE NO COINCIDENCES

[Scooby]

Obama just wanted to save it for May Day.

[CaptainSmartass]

Elizabeth's people tortured his grandfather ferchrisakes, so you if Obama had a chance to preempt the Royal Wedding you know he would've taken it.

[rather]

+ Michelle wasn't invited but a lot of dictators were

[Almanian]

Now the important question - what are we going to call the people who don't believe OBL is dead (or at least demand pics/evidence)? We had "truthers" and "birthers".

Are these people, therefore, "Deathers"? "Funeral Homers"? "Autopsyers"? "Picturers"??

Little help, Reasonoids....

[SugarFree]

Non-Gullibles?

[Nipplemancer]

Seattle pays family of woodcarver shot by police $1.5 Million Trigger Happy cop is still not in jail

[Almanian]

Thanks a lot, Radley, I needed that nut punch in the morning.

Fuck me....

[Nipplemancer]

Radley's on vacation, someone's gotta keep you from letting your nuts get soft.

[robc]

Satterberg said there was no evidence Birk acted with malice, noting that police officers are given more protection against criminal prosecution for homicide than ordinary citizens.

I guess the idea of holding police to a HIGHER standard hasnt taken hold.

[Nipplemancer]

Prosecutors work hand in hand with the police, do you think he'd sacrifice such a friendly relationship?
we don't want our overlords public servants to not work together, that would be like Somalia.

[Mainer]

As we've seen over and over, police and public officials generally, are held to a lower standard. Also, notice how often you see the term "ordinary citizen". That pisses me off. The term "private citizen" would be prefered, I think.

[robc]

Ive suggested in the past that a cop using the term citizen is an immediate firing offense.

They are citizens too (unless they are in the guard or reserves or something).

[robc]

Ignore that post. Civilian is the firing term...citizen is fine. I was confused because they normally refer to us as civilians.

[Clich? Bandit]

damn...i gotta refresh more.

[robc]

36 minutes...in ye olden days before threads, it wouldnt let you post if it had been more than about 5.

[Clich? Bandit]

methinks you mean civilian. Even army folk are citizens but they are not civilians (yes I know there are non citizen soldiers, just work with me here)...Cops, they are civilians too (and of course citizens).

[Mainer]

..but cops aren't "ordinary" citizens...they're special.

[Dusy Jones]

I think its time for the US to stop worrying about everyone elses problem and start dealing with its own problems.

http://www.real-privacy.eu.tc

[Byron]

Apostrophe key broken, bot?

[DK]

Maybe someone can explain this to me - how was OBL's identity verified through DNA. Verifying someone's identity through genetic means requires that you have a previous DNA sample to compare it to. Did they take a DNA from OBL previously? If so, why not arrest him at that point? Did he leave his DNA at the scene of some crime? I highly doubt it and I highly doubt it could be confirmed as his DNA even if this happened. So how the fuck did they verify his identity with DNA? It makes absolutely no sense. So who fucked up here? Did the news media just add this shit to cater to stupid people? Or is the Obama administration actually saying this?

[DK]

Never mind. This was answered up-thread. I'm satisfied.

[West Texas]

Yeah, if you get enough samples from relatives you can start extracting the stuff that shouldn't be there in your subject and then build a pretty good picture of what you might expect to find if you were to get an actual sample from the guy himself. It's not as accurate as having an actual sample, but it's still statistically significant enough to provide a pretty good assurance, especially if you can get something from immediate family members like parents, siblings, and offspring.

[Almanian]

Wish I'd seen this earlier - PJ O'Rourke on class warfare - EXCELLENT!

http://www.weeklystandard.com/.....58503.html

[Confederal_Republic]

Police officers are civilians. They are granted a very select few powers to enforce the law, and if they violate their oaths, or overstep their authority, their powers are nullified and voided. It's that simple. If you see a cop raping a woman, or beating the fuck out of some kid with a baton, or shaking down a store owner, you can arrest him - it's called common law, the principle of citizen arrest.

At least that's they it was supposed to be. Nowadays, if you challenge a cop's authority, let alone attempt to stop him from committing a crime, your ass is finished.

And nobody gives a flying fuck about Europe anymore. They call all sink into the fucking ocean, for all I care.

[Confederal_Republic]

*can

[Orgazmo the Flying Chimp]

Also: CANADA VOTES TODAY

[Syd Henderson]

Sorry to see Russ go. I liked "Picnic on Paradise" and "And Chaos Died" and a lot of her short stories (and really wished she'd ended "We Who Are About To" at the halfway point." Her novella "Souls" was quite good. She was also reviewer for "Fantasy and Science Fiction" for a while, gave a very critical (and spot-on) review of "Lord Foul's Bane," which got a strong reaction, after which she wrote about the best essay on heroic fantasy I've read.

"How to Suppress Women's Writing" is a classic of its type, and isn't limited to women's literature. It's about how whole sections of literature get "written out" of history, tokenized or trivialized.

She was strongly feminist, sharp-witted, funny and often a very good writer. I wanted to invite her as guest of honor to a sf con I worked on just to meet her.

[Jose]

The "Great Firewall" has already been taken by the Chinese. Let's try something with a little more European flavor. How about the "Great Maginot Wall" of Europe.