Reason Morning Links: ObamaCare Appeals Panel Unveiled, Juan Williams Joins Ron Paul's Revolution, AP Goes to the Mat for OBL Photos

• A computer lottery has chosen two Obama appointees and a Clinton appointee to hear Ken Cuccinelli's ObamaCare appeal.
• EX-NPR analyst Juan Williams believes "we are living in the political age of Rep. Ron Paul."
• The New York Times profiles the only child of a meat packer and a secretary named Callista Gingrich.
• Duke Study: Chinese students are not flocking to Chinese branches of Western colleges.
• Obama will promise immigration reform in El Paso today, will not set timeline.
• The AP makes the non-conspiratorial case for releasing photos of Osama bin Laden's corpse.
• Athiest Bart Centre offers post-Rapture pet-sitting.

The latest from Reason.tv: Michael Moynihan's Reason Exit Interview.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

A computer lottery has chosen two Obama appointees and a Clinton appointee to hear Ken Cuccinelli's ObamaCare appeal.

Skynet now realizes Obamacare is the fastest route to human demise.

[Bee Tagger]

Wow, you got a Skynet reference as the first comment to the Morning Links thread.

I blame Skynet.

[Fist of Etiquette]

If you are coat-tailing the top comment of Morning Links, you are The Resistance.

[proegg antichicken]

http://www.greenfieldreporter......ent-Slain/

Art Student killed trying to trade his iPad for heroin. This is the grim consequence of inflations. You can't shoot up an ipad!

[Brett L]

20 bags of heroin, I'm assuming these are $20 bags. He was getting face value. Of course, if the guy's gonna shoot you and steal your shit, I guess he can afford to quote you a good deal.

[John]

I don't know. Would you feel better if he had been killed trading his backpack for heroin?

[proegg antichicken]

The apple bit just makes it more topical. Wasn't some Ezra Klein type yakking about how inflation isn't real because ipads cost less now? Heroin isn't in the consumer price index, but it should be...uh yeah.

Plus his backpack would be worth 1 bag, not 20. Still, to get shot over an iPad, yech. Too bad he couldn't just go down to Walgreen's to get his kit, he'd be less dead. Still, perhaps nothing of value was lost.

[John]

There is a great Onion story about a mugger being pissed at the punk ass music the Yuppie he mugged had on the IPOD he stole. I am thinking the heroin dealer probably didn't like the music or aps on it.

[proegg antichicken]

Another day, another hipster killing. When will they learn?

[Solanum]

SEAL team was given the ok to fire on Pakistani troops

[John]

What a nut roll that would have been. There were only 80 SEALS. Had the Pakistanis showed up with heavy weapons, the SEALS would have gotten their asses kicked. The Pakistanis killing the SEALS who were killing Bin Ladin. I would have been like one of those pictures you see of an anaconda eating a crocodile. What a mess.

[OO]

actually rangers were responsible for perimeter security which isnt the seals strong point. remember there were 4 (overloaded)choppers. the rangers wouldve most likely had shoulder-fired anti-armor & anti-aircraft weapons in addition to snipers.

[Restoras]

I'd put my money on the Rangers and SEALs. Pakis would have encountered stiff resistance and withdrawn to regroup, leaving (perhaps) a window to withdraw.

[Mongo]

400 quatloos on the newcomers!

[CaptainSmartass]

I'm pretty sure those Blackhawks would've had heavy machine guns, in addition to the squad automatic weapons the Rangers almost certainly had. I think 80 special forces guys could've easily performed an effective fighting withdrawal against a company or two of Pakis.

[OO]

no doupt

[mad libertarian guy]

80 SF guys (combo Rangers, SEALs, and whoever else they had) could easily defend themselves against a MUCH larger force, perhaps several hundred.

[Rich]

Obama insisted that the assault force hunting down Osama bin Laden last week be large enough to fight its way out of Pakistan if confronted by hostile local police officers and troops

Well, if he'd just stop saying "Pocky-stan" the police and troops might be less hostile.

Seriously, more oops.

[John]

I read there were 80 people on the raid? That is really more of a Ranger operation than a SF one. Of course fat chance the Squid who was in charge would have let anyone but the Navy in on the show.

[l0b0t]

Isn't that pretty much what got SEAL Team 4 shot to hell in Panama? Sending 3 SEAL platoons to take down an airport, a target much better assaulted by a Ranger battalion.

[John]

Yes.

[The Gobbler]

You know who else says "Pocky-stan"? The people who live there.

[Barack Obama]

Let me be clear.

Today, we are all Pocky-stanis.

[Kristen]

Mmmm....Pocky.

[The Gobbler]

I just discovered Pocky Almond Crush last Friday. Can't wait to try it!

[PapayaSF]

So what? The people who live in Germany call it "Deutschland." Does that mean we should?

[der gropenfurher]

vaderland vill do schweinhund

[Montani Semper Liberi]

Awesome. We were an itchy trigger finger away from war with a nuclear power. I guess we can laugh at this now since everything turned out OK.

[Rich]

Obama will ask for legislation that will provide illegal immigrants in the U.S. with a path to citizenship

A path already exists.

[PapayaSF]

No no no, he means a faster, skip-to-the-head-of-the-line path that Democrats can take credit for as they create millions of new voters who will vote against libertarian ideas.

[mad libertarian guy]

I'm not convinced they will "vote against libertarian ideas". Every Mexican/South American I have known to come here is hard working. Moreso in fact than most of the Americans I know.

[PapayaSF]

Democrats like Latino immigrants because they are usually poor and poorly-educated people from societies which promote socialism, and can be used to further their multicultural dream of destroying WASP America. Republicans often like them because they are socially conservative. There's little for libertarians in there, beyond the theoretical economic benefits, but that doesn't do much good when the immigrants overwhelming vote socially conservative and economically liberal.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Athiest Bart Centre offers post-Rapture pet-sitting

Maybe they'll load them onto an ark.

[Cy Nickelfuque]

More likely a grill.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I am very much looking forward to May 22. Can't wait to hear what those people will have to say when they wake up and find absolutely nothing has happened and everything is the same as it was on 5/21.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You'll be one of those people stuck in a 5/21 mindset in a post 5/22 world.

[.]

5/22 changed everything!

[CaptainSmartass]

They'll say their prayers delayed the Rapture and will expect us all to thank them. Seriously.

[Not an industry shill]

Duke Study finds Methane gas in well water near fracking sites
By Sandy Bauers INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
>A Duke University study has found that methane levels in private water wells are, on average, 17 times higher in wells that are within 1,000 feet of a natural gas drilling site.
>The researchers sampled the water from 68 wells in northeastern Pennsylvania and New York, and found methane in 85 percent of the wells.
>When they fingerprinted the methane itself ? comparing the chemistry of the methane in the water wells with that of the gas from natural gas wells in the region ? "the signatures matched," said Robert B. Jackson, Nicholas Professor of Global Environmental Change at Duke, one of the study's authors.
>The peer-reviewed study was published Monday in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
>The authors said it was the first "systematic evidence "of methane contamination of private drinking wells in areas where gas extraction was occurring.
>Industry, which has said the methane gas in wells is mostly naturally-occurring, disputed the study, saying that the data set was insufficient, there was no adequate baseline for comparison and that the conclusions were flawed.
>The researchers agreed that more work needs to be done. Jackson called the study "a strong starting point" but added that "people need to do this in many other locations. I suspect the answer won't always be the same."
http://www.philly.com/philly/n.....sites.html
_
getting ever closer to the inevitable scientific conclusion.

[Brett L]

Wait, there's more methane near the drilling sites? I wonder why they chose to drill there.

[Tim]

He is leading the discussion with strong evidence.

[OO]

peer-reviewed strong evidence. plus there's an earthquake record to investigate.

[CaptainSmartass]

Bonus points for using the fracking word "fracking" in a newspaper article. Fracking.

[Lord Googoo]

"Reason Morning Links"

It's about fucking time.

[Misty Mountin]

It's our right as Americans to have them delivered promptly.

And free, of course.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Riggs is going to have to learn to get his ass out of bed.

[proegg antichicken]

This. Riggs, alarm clock! Or are you one of those shiftless California-types?

[Riggs]

Shiftless Florida type, actually.

[Murtough]

I'm gettin' too old for this shit.

[Solanum]

Man jailed for tortilla dough

[Hernandez] found himself in the Buncombe County jail under a $300,000 bond on charges of driving while intoxicated, failing to heed police lights and sirens and possession of 91 pounds of cocaine.

He was released four days later after sheriff's deputies realized Hernandez, who said he doesn't drink at all, wasn't intoxicated and that what was in the back of his truck was exactly what he had said ? $400 worth of cheese, shrimp and tortilla and tamale dough meant as a gift to his sister.

"It's one of those things when you go back and look at it, it does seem a little harsh," the Sheriff's Office spokesman said.

[Brett L]

I would get the meanest lawyer I could find and make sure that the county took a multi-million dollar fucking over this. Straight racist authoritarian dicks.

[Rich]

It's not clear why deputies originally thought the food was cocaine.

Right.

[Brett L]

They didn't watch enough 80s shows to do a taste test?

[Libertymike]

"Straight racist authoritarian dicks."

Authoritarian dicks? Absolutely.

Public sector trash? Absolutely.

Parasites? Absolutely.

Racist? Hispanic is not a race.

[The Gobbler]

Where in the article does it say he was Hispanic, you racist asscunt?

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Yeah, just because his name was Hernandez, you jump to such an unfounded conclusion?

[Libertymike]

Since when do you jump to the unfounded conclusion that the slimy cops were racist?

[The Gobbler]

My point is that if the piece doesn't say he is Hispanic, then for Libertymike to choose the word Hispanic and then argue it is not a race is clearly the act of a racist asscunt. He might as well have said that Mexican is not a race.

[Libertymike]

Mexican is not a race.

My post was in response to Brett calling the cops racist. How can you call them racist?

[Brett L]

Maybe they were only discriminating on a socio-economic basis. To arrest a guy for possession and intoxication when he wasn't drunk and only in possession of food is breathtakingly discriminatory. Even for cops. A bunch of Tennessee deputies busted a tired California man who doesn't speak English perfectly. I'm sure they'd have done it to me with my fair skin and Southern accent, too. Oh wait. Nope. They'd have told me to be careful driving that last hour and have a good visit.

[The Gobbler]

"Mexican is not a race."

And just like the word "Hispanic" it is nowhere to be found in the article, you dense moron.

This serves as living proof that racists, such as you, are ignorant asscunts.

[cynical]

People use "racist" to mean prejudice against ethnicity or nationality. They also use "bigotry" to mean prejudice in general rather than religious prejudice specifically. Deal.

[PapayaSF]

Who gives 91 pounds of perishable food as a gift? His sister must be a big eater.

[Warty]

Hasta la vista

Get to the choppa

[Name Nomad]

Warty Challenge of the Day: find me a music video involving beating up LARPers with implements made of beer cans. This one is trickier, because you need to have seen the video rather than just listened to the song.

[Name Nomad]

And as an additional hint, the band has a two word name and is American.

[Could it be ...]

Foo Fighters?

[Name Nomad]

Nope, Green Day.

[Name Nomad]

Ooo! My first spoof.

As I was talking to Warty, I was only in the realm of metal. I was thinking of Prehistoric Dog by Red Fang.

[Warty]

This was a new one to me. I fail.

[Warty]

Quite good, however. I love me some stoner-metal.

[mad libertarian guy]

Meh.

I need me some musicianship, and those guys have very little.

[John]

http://www.pastemagazine.com/b.....sters.html

Star Wars Propaganda Posters. Eight shades of awesome.

[Warty]

Reminds me of this: The Case for the Empire

[John]

That was a fun one. I want to own those posters. Sadly that bastard Lucas would no doubt shut down anyone who tried to sell them. The "He can't do it alone" Darth Vader one and the "Fight Wookie Slavery" one are just great.

[sloopyinca]

The "He can't do it alone" Darth Vader one and the "Fight Wookie Slavery" one are just great.

Jesus. With Barack as President (He Can't...) and Michelle as first lady (Wookie), don't you think those two are a little dated?

[proegg antichicken]

That's just more proof that the prequels are a godawful abomination and a sin against storytelling. I stopped reading at midichlorians, yuck.

[Pope Jimbo]

Apathy is what let Anikin get away with rampant midichlorian doping. Going over to the dark side? Classic case of midi-rage if I ever saw one.

[Rich]

I always wondered what those Stormtroopers looked like.

A lotta guys might join even if it's not their duty.

[Brett L]

Isn't she a little short for a storm trooper?

[John]

See action now!!

[Tim]

Where were the Rebels' weapons of mass destruction?

[sloopyinca]

But the stormtroopers were all clones according to the second trilogy. Those Kamino never stopped making them, and if you remember, they were talking about the "first shipment" with Obi Wan, not the total shipment.

That's why Leia said, "Aren't you a little short..." He should have been of uniform size and shape.

[Anonymous Coward]

Those are the original clonetroopers. After the Clone Wars wrapped up, the Empire started recruiting normal humans to fill in the gaps as the clones were starting to break down due to rapid aging.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"This information is important for the historical record," said Michael Oreskes, senior managing editor at The Associated Press. "That's our view."

It's not as if the photos of bin Laden's corpse won't eventually be on display that the future Obama Presidential Library.

[P Brooks]

It's not as if the photos of bin Laden's corpse won't eventually be on display that the future Obama Presidential Library.

Right next to the Peace Prize, hopefully.

[rather]

The case for not releasing
Osama's photos

[proegg antichicken]

Are you proud of yourself?

You must be.

[rather]

Mr. Creative,

yes, I am little boy

[rather]

OH, and bite me

[proegg antichicken]

No. I should know better. I don't want to end up like Epi. But thanks for the offer.

[rather]

resistance is futile

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

Resistance is volts/amps.

[rather]

Come on, big boy. You know you want some of my poopy.

[.]

If it's as boring as your crappy blog, no thanks.

[rather]

., are you slow? That's a spoof.
My boring blog stats
Referrer Views
reason.com 3,390

[Tim]

Oppositional character sighted!

[John]

I don't know what the hell she does or why I know her name. But I am glad I know who Katy Perry is, whatever it is she does.

http://www.vanityfair.com/maga.....nts-201106

[proegg antichicken]

She was great on Seasame Street.

[AU H20]

Naw, bitch tried to steal the scene from Elmo.

NO ONE STEALS ELMO'S MOTHERFUCKING SCENE!!!

[Brett L]

I'm sure Elmo has a strong pimp hand.

[Anonymous Coward]

An attractive woman who failed to make it as a Christian music artist (yes, the Christian music industry was too hard for her) so she started singing songs about kissing girls, teasing women, waking up in Vegas, and other songs that piss off the Moral Minority.

And she performs in 1940's lingerie inspired outfits. Double thumbs up for her.

[Jeffrey]

Triple thumbs up

[mad libertarian guy]

She is part of the godfuckingawful Pussycat Dolls.

[John]

http://www.slate.com/id/2293526/

Elliot Spitzer and the Republican War against the weak. The comments are an amazing pile of stupid. I encourage everyone to log in and make a hooker crack.

[Barely Suppressed Rage]

I don't know how to make crack, for a hooker or anyone else. Nor do I want to.

[Lord Googoo]

It's actually pretty easy. I've seen it done in a kettle on a kitchen stove.

[db]

The DEA has a howto on their web site.

[OO]

john - pls explain how the following quote fm the article is an "amazing pile of stupid". thanks~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And, finally, conservatives abandoned their oft-claimed allegiance to federalism by ignoring established California law in order to eliminate the right of consumers to join together in class-arbitration, the arbitration analog to class-action law suits. The concern asserted by the conservatives on the court was that such a mechanism might exact "unfair" settlements from the major corporations on the other side. In open disregard of a clear state law that permitted such claims to go forward, the court eliminated the only mechanism small claimants would have to proceed when the value of their individual claims made separate arbitrations impossible."

[AU H20]

Yeah, my Morning Links were better, but somehow, whenever I typed the site into my browser, I did not see Reason's morning links. ANYWAY...

Record Flood Rock Memphis.

[AU H20]

The Gates is coming! Microsoft to buy Skype for 8.5 billion.

[proegg antichicken]

oh man, you did put on quite a morning links.

[AU H20]

Tomorrow, Riggs won't know what hit him.

[AU H20]

Ahnold, Maria to separate.

[Haatztu Sayit]

He probably got to thinking about what he'll be looking at as she ages.

[Butts Wagner]

You don't need a joke picture when the real thing works.

[Haatztu Sayit]

For the love of God, do not click that link.

[P Brooks]

Now he's out of politics, Ahhnult can drop the millstone overboard.

[John]

Of course he is 65 and shot roids for God knows how many years. I am not sure they make viagra strong enough for the poor bastard to have a good time.

[R C Dean]

What a coincidence, that his marriage to a political family ends right after his political career.

The only question is, did he dump her because he no longer needed stroke in the upper echelons of the Dem Party, or did she dump him because he doesn't have any political juice anymore?

[Libertymike]

He dumped his then girlfriend in 1977 after meeting Maria's muff. Perhaps he regrets that now.

[AU H20]

UN attempts to "pause" Libya fighting.

[UN]

Time out!

[AU H20]

Slate shows us a dream: The last issue of the New York Times ever.

So, Reason editors, where's my job offer? My morning links just pwned yours.

[AU H20]

Almost forgot. Here we go again: Greek finances to be re-audited.

[SIV]

9:27 AM EDT ?

Jeeze Riggs, Most people start a new job by showing up early for the first 6 weeks or so.

[AU H20]

Also, somehow, the only way I saw it was by refreshing. Every attempt to go from my bookmark just caused me to see the conspiracy stuff, hence the homebrewed morning links.

[Martin Riggs]

"Oh, I got the job done! What the hell do you want?"

[P Brooks]

Holy shit.

I just tried to slog my way through that Spitzer thing; what a heapin' helpin' of incoherent nonsense.

[John]

It is well reasoned compared to some of the comments. What do you say to that?

[Nipplemancer]

I got to the fourth or fifth paragraph and gave up. How did that smug prick ever get elected?

[John]

Because the people in Manhattan are brain dead.

[Nipplemancer]

There is more to the state than Manhattan. I don't understand how he convinced enough of the rest of the state to get elected.

[The Gobbler]

"Athiest Bart Centre offers post-Rapture pet-sitting."

Fucking. Brilliant.

[John]

Rapture only takes half of the Christians. The better idea is for "Christian pet sitting" provided by the half that stays.

[OO]

after the "christians" float-off into the ether, what happens to the tax-exempt church properties & investments?

[proegg antichicken]

Brothels, all of them.

[Jersey Patriot]

Rapture only takes half of the Christians.

Huh? The idea is that the dead Christians are resurrected, and then together with the remaining living Christians, they are transported into heaven. I grew up pretty low church, and I never heard that only half were going to make the Rapture.

[Tim]

Wait pets don't get raptured? How can it be Heaven without Mr. Tibbles?

[Sean]

God is a dick and cares not for the soulless Mr. Tibbles.

[John]

PEts are in a prefallen state. They have souls. They are just pure souls without the knowledge and responsibility of knowing good and evil. As Milan Kundera says "Dogs are our link to paradise".

[Tim]

What about pet rocks John?

[The Gobbler]

"Milan Kundera"

It's been a few years, but I really like his work, especially Slowness.

[AU H20]

Goddamnit, I wish my Links had gone up at 9:20, just to outflank reason. Damn you FIREFOX 3.0

Then again Riggs, if you pull this shit again- I'm coming for you! I'll drink your milkshake!!!

[Teenage Girl]

Eeeewww!!

[Mike M.]

Whackjob NASA "scientist" James Hansen trying to get children to sue federal government over nonexistent manmade climate change.

[Vermont Gun Owner]

I am so disappointed I missed the VT single payer thread. On the plus side, at least I'll get to avoid it by going with Romneycare instead.

[Virginia]

EPA backs off Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule for milk... because it's fucking milk.

[Devil Inchoate]

Yeah, don't cry.

[P Brooks]

Give me a fucking break

The charities undoubtedly are worthy causes. Redirecting the money to them would fulfill the bounty's original purpose, according to Nadler.

The reward money "was allocated for 9/11 victims in effect, and this is simply saying, use it more effectively for the purpose that it was set up in the first place," he said at a May 8 press conference.

But if the money is redirected to 9/11-related charity, who would determine what groups are eligible for money? That could be a contentious process in itself.

"Contentious"? No shit.

We simply cannot let a day pass without shoveling money at some victimhood advocacy group, can we?

[P Brooks]

I don't understand how he[Spitzer] convinced enough of the rest of the state to get elected.

I think it was the midget with the broom who pushed him over the top.

[Nick]

He won in a landslide. My fellow New Yorkers are morons. On the bright side, it's typically very easy (and fun) to be the smartest person in any given room.

[Brett L]

Like winning a medal in the Special Olympics.

[Ted S.]

I didn't vote for him.

I knew from his grandstanding days as the AG that he was a wicked monster.

Sadly, I was right.

[FlyoverCountry]

We'll have to get us some of that re-form...

[shep the herd & his brass band]

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver announce separation

[Is this true?]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s9StxsFllY