Reason Morning Links: FEMA Lurches to Life, Colt Gets its First Lobbyist, Boehner Begins to Resemble Pelosi

• Congress is "pushing a $1 billion aid package for the Federal Emergency Management Agency." Presumably, some of this money would also go to people in the Great Plains region. 
• Colt Defense hires its first lobbyst in over a decade to preserve its deal with the DOD. 
• Former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell will not be Miami's next mayor. 
• Big Labor to fight E-Verify. 
• More on  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the U.S.: "The idea that Congress would openly side with a foreign leader against the president of the United States seems too far-fetched to believe."
• Will moderate Republicans run against Speaker John Boehner the same way Blue Dogs ran against Speaker Nancy Pelosi?
• Don Delillo reads from a CIA memo.

New at Reason.tv: "Independents Day is June 28! Pre-Order Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch's libertarian manifesto today!"

Comments

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

Stuff Gay People Like: Quoting Anti-Gay Politicians
Public figures are constantly saying idiotic things about gay people. Airwaves abound with warnings that the "gay lifestyle" leads to the end of society as we know it: today it's just male cheerleading and re-runs of Golden Girls - but tomorrow, rampant bestiality and a socialist revolution!...

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

"rampant bestiality and a socialist revolution" can be SugarFree's third album, after "Dead White Girls Act" and his debut, "Broken Links".

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

So Take
These Broken Links
And Learn to Surf Away
Surf Away With Me.....

[Fist of Etiquette]

You can't set yourself up for a joke like that. The setup should have been posted by a sockpuppet.

[pancakes]

Yeah! lern2puppetry

[Mr. FIFY]

But... but... Lawrence O'Donnell says socialism is coooooool! An' he's on TV an' stuff!

[OO]

not only corporate socialism, odonnell contends we're all socialists.

[Platypus]

He's wrong.

[interstate highway system]

really?

[Au H20]

Feministing: Two rapes don't make a right.

[Apple]

I thought that was one of the funniest skits I've seen on SNL in a long time, even knowing the rape joke was coming from the very beginning.

"Bitch, you know I got no love for Portugal."

[Mr. FIFY]

Never thought I would see feminists defending a rapist.

I may faint.

[Joe M]

Didn't they do that for Clinton?

[Mike M.]

Get a load of this: our doofus president thinks it's still 2008!

That is really quite sad. I could maybe cut the guy a little slack if he had written 2010, but it hasn't been 2008 in almost two and a half freaking years. The guy is obviously in a time warp, still caught up in his own election. This is WAY worse than George Bush Sr. not being familiar with a supermarket price scanner in the late '80s.

[rather]

Please

[Mike M.]

Please what?

[rather]

Please start an impeachment petition.
WTH

[T]

I's love to, based on his ignoring the War Powers Act. You in?

[Barack Obama]

Let me be clear. There are those who say it is 2011. and that writing 2008 in a stupid tourist logbook is a mistake on the order of ordering Kinetic Military Action? in Libya.

To those people I say, the year is what I say it is. I'm the President, bitches! Kiss the ring...

[Restoras]

Fuck you, Barack.

[Spoonman.]

Sometimes soon after my birthday I forget my own age (took me a sec to remember I wasn't 21 anymore at a doctor's appointment last week) but I've never been off by three years.

[Mike M.]

Nobody ever gets today's date wrong by three years. Except for this guy apparently.

[Pro Libertate]

It's not that surprising when you realize that Obama has time travel technology. Jeri Ryan gave it to him in exchange for him humiliating Jack Ryan.

What most people are unaware of is that it took Obama fifty-two times attempting to change history before he could swing the election.

[SugarFree]

He keeps shooting Mohammad in the face and it never changes anything when he gets back.

[Pro Libertate]

As he learned when trying to alter history, it's all about butterflies. That saying about butterflies changing weather patterns thousands of miles away? Science.

Ray Bradbury referenced the importance of butterflies to the timeline in "A Sound of Thunder."

Zhuang Zi also addressed the butterfly:

Once upon a time, I, Zhuang Zi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called the transformation of material things.

[SugarFree]

Stamping Butterflies

[Pro Libertate]

That's just a title. I'm talking established, accepted science. How do you think all those climate scientists know the world is going to be destroyed by AGW? They made a deal with the butterflies.

[SugarFree]

I heard all the butterflies called in sick the morning of 9/11.

[Pro Libertate]

Go ahead, examine all the footage of the attacks. Find me one single butterfly, dead or alive.

[Au H20]

Sam: Al, why haven't I leaped yet?

Al: Ziggy says you have to get this dumbass elected.

Sam: Oh boy.

[Skip]

I never saw what the big deal was with the supermarket scanner. George Bush Sr. probably hadn't been inside a grocery store since the 70s. Vice Presidents and CIA directors don't normally make their own food runs. Just the Left using the class warfare card as if Ted Kennedy etc. knew the intricacies of grocery stores.

[Mongo]

I guess the real story is that the barcode was torn into pieces and then successfully scanned (then GHWB made his comment).

Some mainstream, anti-GOP journalists were talking about this, saying how they knew the real story but let it slide for political purposes.

I heard this on NPR (I think) a number of years ago....

Anybody hear the same or know the story?

[Mongo]

I recollected correctly:

http://www.snopes.com/history/.....shscan.asp

[mitch]

Snopes has the story on Bush the Elder and the supermarket scanner: they showed him the latest version of the technology and he acted all polite and impressed, and the NYTimes basically made up the "this guy's never seen the inside of a grocery store" angle.

http://www.snopes.com/history/.....shscan.asp

[mitch]

gotta learn to type faster

[Walter Duranty]

The New York Times? Make shit up? Shocking, shocking.

[CaptainSmartass]

2008 was the best year of his young life. He won his campaign, but wasn't yet faced with the realities of what being President really mean. So let him daydream that he's still in those halcyon days. What harm could it do?

[PapayaSF]

The Bush 41 scanner thing is a myth/NYT hitjob. He was being shown an advanced scanner that could read even damaged barcodes. http://www.snopes.com/history/.....shscan.asp

[Somalian Road Corporation]

2008 campaign mode never switched off.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Will moderate Republicans run against Speaker John Boehner the same way Blue Dogs ran against Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

The Capitol aisles will run red with the blood of the pretenders to the throne, or run clear with the tears of the current king. Come to think of it, either way, his tears will come.

[Ska]

When you play the game of thrones you either win or you die; there is no middle.

[Fist of Etiquette]

That better not be a spoiler. I'm only up to episode six of the show. (I have no idea what's going on but it's fun to watch.)

[SugarFree]

I am curious about how comprehensible it is for people who have never read the books. I can certainly recognize the richness of characterization that they are leaving out.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Reading is for gay people. (If my secretary read your comment correctly, you read the books.) I was worried at the beginning that the only thing I was going to get out of the series was the occasional pair of titties, but I think I'm finally understanding things.

So, in conclusion, go Team Lannister!

[SugarFree]

You have a gay secretary? How progressive of you.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I have two. It's only worthwhile if you have two.

[SugarFree]

The "it's not gay if it's a threesome" rule doesn't count if all three are guys.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Depends which slice of bread you are.

[SugarFree]

To me that's like arguing that being the head of the human centipede is not so bad. You still have someone sutured to your asshole. It could be worse, but you are still part of a human centipede, dude.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You're just full of hangups, aren't you? Free your mind to new experiences, man! (Except book reading; that's gay.)

[Urkobold?]

IT'S ONLY NOT GAY IF THEY'RE ALL WOMEN. ANY NUMBER.

[Dave]

House Stark 4 Life!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Stark? Stop embarrassing yourself.

[Dave]

I guess incest isn't embarrassing where you come from?

[Fist of Etiquette]

We're picking winners here, not saints. Anyway, I'm switching to Team Dothraki.

[Dave]

Alright, I can get behind that too.

[Ska]

It's a line of dialogue (and will most likely make the script too). I wouldn't call it a spoiler....it's not divulging anything other than the underlying theme of the universe.

[db]

Goddamn zero-sum fallacy!

[Au H20]

Sadly, I was busy recieving my diploma Monday, so I could not offer another installment in my popular series:

I read Paul Krugman so you don't have to: Blah blah Austerity is bad blah blah blah Thank God we have Obama and Bernanke blah blah blah ECB and Germany are mean blah blah blah Greece leaves the Euro.

[proegg antichicken]

first line of the article, krugnuts wants you to DRINK!

I often complain, with reason...

[Au H20]

After last night's Bulls game, I'll take any excuse.

[shrike]

Fuck you, Au. Krugman is a wonderful man, unlike you capitalist stooge Christ-fags.

[Trespassers W]

From the immaculate punctuation and grammar, I can only conclude this is a spoof.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Congress is "pushing a $1 billion aid package for the Federal Emergency Management Agency."

Careful, everyone! This is Clinton's final move to use FEMA to take over everything and remain president past his two terms.

Presumably, some of this money would also go to people in the Great Plains region.

The flyover states? Yuck.

[Au H20]

Slate on Male Breast Feeding. Yes, you read that last phrase correctly.

[Some Call Me. . .Tim]

You're gonna make Johnny jealous of your web searching ability.

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

Yea, they're too nuanced to think something so simplistic. Granted, whenever they want something they come up w/ some convoluted excuse as to why they can do it, and they will never conclude they can't do something they want, but if you connect the dots and conclude they think they can do whatever the hell they want, you're a conspiracy theorist.
America's 10 Biggest Constitutional Myths
1. Conservatives believe only in "original intent" and others believe in a "living Constitution," meaning whatever they want.

[West Texas]

Big Labor to fight E-Verify.

This makes no sense to me.

Why would a labor union - devoted to artificially constraining the supply of labor and raising its price - fight something like this? It's almost as if they're more interested in craven political alliances (and opposition to anything promoted by the bad guys) than actually taking care of the special interest their assigned to take care of.

[Cheeseburger]

Because other than government goons, the service industry is the only other growth area for unions now.

[MNG]

Iirc read that government union membership has not so much grown as it has remained steady while private sector membership has rapidly declined so that the share of the former is larger now.

[John Thacker]

Iirc read that government union membership has not so much grown as it has remained steady

As a percentage of government employees, yes, because either everbody's covered or in a few cases aren't allowed to be covered (Intelligence Community, etc.) The only real change is with the Obama Administration loosening the rules to let the TSA unionize.

The number of government employees has gone up, so government union membership has gone up that way.

[MNG]

The labor establishment (apart from the rank and file) has long courted immigrants. It's stupid, but there you go.

[Scott66]

Because they live in such a bubble that they do not believe supply of labor should affect price of labor. Their position is, hire more union labor and vote yourself a raise.

[MNG]

Part of it is the establishment are liberals and support immigration, part of it is that immigrants often take the kind of crappy work that organizers aim to organize.

[John Thacker]

Part of it is that the unions are part of the Left, which has a more developed system for policing its ideological borders, and making sure that the unions don't go outside those limits.

If they did support immigration restrictions, it would cost them support from the rest of the Left and split the Democratic Party's standard coalition.

Luckily for the Democratic Party, the interest groups and the politicians are far better at working in unison than the fractious Republican Party, which has factions that aren't afraid to noisily disagree on immigration.

[OO]

course police & firefighters often used to support the gop. witness walker in wisconson exempting the firefighters, who supported him, fm his bill stripping union rights. course walker eventually turned on the firefighters as well.

[MNG]

The unions had a big internal debate decades ago about two strategies: oppose immigration because it threatened members jobs or be pro-immigrant and organize them. Some, like me, think the former, but the other camp thinks that traditional union areas like autoworkers are going down no matter what and that immigrant heavy fields like service and farm workers is where the action will be at, so they are willing to sacrifice/alienate the traditional members to get at that.

I'm not sure the Left's tail is wagged by its interest groups like the Right is. Unions couldn't get striker replacement from Clinton nor stop him from NAFTA, likewise they couldn't stop Obama's tax cuts or trade pushes and didn't get card check. However the pro-choice groups can sink any pro-life national candidate as easily as the pro-lifers can for the GOP.

[West Texas]

I think this is quite close to the truth.

[Au H20]

6 things "you" won't believe were banned by the government.

The list? Not too shocking, but its good to see this kind of shit on a mainstream site.

[SugarFree]

Dead link, yo.

[Au H20]

Nutrasweet'd

[John Frost]

sorry, that site is questionable.

[proegg antichicken]

for me it's tasteless.

[CaptainSmartass]

I think it's r-rated.

[Fist of Etiquette]

E-Verify is bad for the American workforce, and our allies in organized labor understand that. It probably also doesn't come as a surprise, but those members in Congress who support E-Verify also have the worst records on labor issues. In addition to being vehemently anti-immigrant, they're also anti-worker.

Jesus. This style of rhetoric is actually pushing me to support a bill I currently dismiss as terrible.

[CrackertyAssCracker]

Hey if Unions can notice that a law that makes it harder to hire people results in less employment, lets not bitch too loudly. Don't point out all the other laws that suck and also make it harder to hire people or you'll confuse them, because they are probably for all those laws.

[Not Really A Link!]

But they click it anyway!

[Steve Teve]

STEVE TEVE NEVER SUGARFREE LINK LIKE YOU DUDE. NOT REASONABLE. LOL

http://www.steveteve.anonbot.com.tools

[Some Call Me. . .Tim]

Is Qaddafi dead yet?

[OO]

he's in an "undisclosed location"

[rather]

How many?

[MNG]

"The idea that Congress would openly side with a foreign leader against the president of the United States seems too far-fetched to believe."

This reminds me of the father of American conservatism's quote on neoconservatives and Israeli policy.

"Not seldom has it seemed," Kirk declared, "as if some eminent Neoconservatives mistook Tel Aviv for the capital of the United States."

Take Palin's slavish comments about how many Israeli flags she had in her office and home. Imagine the hullabuloo if a major political figure had bragged about flying the flags of any nation other than ours and Israel's in their office and home. WTF?

[OO]

for wingnuts, the likud coalition is infallable.

[John Thacker]

Strange that it's the realists siding with the Likud against the neoconservatives when it comes to Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, etc. The Likud, like the realists, prefer the devils that they know currently.

The Likud wasn't that down with invading Iraq either, for that matter.

[MNG]

The Likudist in the NeoCon movement were.

[proegg antichicken]

I agree. Israel is like a really cute Rotweiler that is "oh so precious" and needs to be protected from the mangy mongrel dogs in the neighborhood. When the other dogs get torn up and abused America is as quick to defense as a dog owner who's precious has just gnashed on the kid down the street.

But since we fund both sides, maybe the United States is more Michael Vick than SPCA. Regardless, I don't have a dog in this fight and America should just get out of the dog-fighting racket altogether.

[jtuf]

Proegg, your opening paragraph shows that you do have a dog in this fight. So does your failure to show up in the Pakistan post today and suggest ending USA aid to Pakistan.

[Au H20]

Quick! Move this thread before we get another 50 posts of John and MNG hate fucking over Israel!

[Fist of Etiquette]

"The idea that Congress would openly side with a foreign leader against the president of the United States seems too far-fetched to believe."

If we could get the Supreme Court to rule on Netanyahu's constitutionality, we could get all three branches in on this.

[Louis Farrakhan]

Yo... FUCK Israel.

[Random Skinhead]

Yo... FUCK Israel.

[Kreel Sarloo]

Most skinheads think Israel is fine.

It means the Jooos will live over there instead of here.

Israel exists primarily because enough Americans don't want any more of "those people" around.

[Platypus]

Riiiiiight.

[OO]

there are more jews in NYC than israel

[jtuf]

There are 1 million Jews in NYC and 7 million Jews in Israel.

[jtuf]

Israel exists primarily because enough Americans don't want any more of "those people" around.

FDR's policy of letting Holocaust victims die rather than letting them move to America and work here was the straw that broke the camel's back. However, the modern move for a state of Israel started in the 1840's, when America had an open immigration policy towards Jews.

[jtuf]

This year, there's a USA Supreme Court case about whether or not an American citizen born in Jerusalem can have Israel listed as his country of birth. Congress says "yes", but the State Department says "no".

[John Thacker]

"The idea that Congress would openly side with a foreign leader against the president of the United States seems too far-fetched to believe."

Yeah, pretty disgusting statement. It's like accusing some of those opposed to the war in Iraq of openly siding with Saddam. (Like McDermott and others.) Or accusing Cynthia McKinney of openly siding with Qaddafi and Iran because of her recent comments on Libyan and Iranian state TV.

[jtuf]

It's as shocking as the prospect of the British Parliament cheering Obama when he speaks there this week.

[jtuf]

MNG, you mean like a politician marching in the the local Saint Patrick's Day Parade? Give me a break. The USA is a patchwork of ethnicities. It's standard for politicians to celebrate friendly non-USA nations. Of course, it only bothers you when the nation in question has a large number of J-J-Jeeewwws.

[jtuf]

This was a response to:

Take Palin's slavish comments about how many Israeli flags she had in her office and home. Imagine the hullabuloo if a major political figure had bragged about flying the flags of any nation other than ours and Israel's in their office and home. WTF?

[SugarFree]

E-Verify would also cause an undue burden on small businesses

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Unions... get this... unions are concerned about burdens on small business!

We are through the looking glass, people.

[MNG]

I always find it equally amusing when the Chamber of Commerce talks about how measures they oppose will harm employees and consumers.

[West Texas]

I thought the use of the phrase "administrative quagmire" was particularly rich, myself.

[MNG]

Gingrich's mistake was his failure to understand that particularly at this stage of the race, no question is more important for a presidential candidate to answer than this: Are you one of us?

This question is crucial for both progressives and conservatives. Politics in America is deeply tribal and always has been. But in today's political world, the right has a more highly developed system of policing its ideological borders. And since only Republicans have a primary race this election, that system is operating more swiftly, efficiently, and effectively than anything the left could dream of.

There are plenty of activists on the left who would like nothing more than to have the same power the right's base has. But they don't. None of the components of the liberal base -- union members, minorities, non-Christians (those of other faiths and the secular), urbanites, single people -- inspires even a shadow of the fear in Democratic elites that the Tea Party, the Christian right, or gun advocates produce in the Republican elite. Nor do progressive media figures have anything comparable to the power within their movement that someone like Rush Limbaugh has

http://prospect.org/cs/article.....ght_police

[OO]

mount rushbo's audience is in decline...figuratively & literally

[Almanian]

Keep telling yourself that, Urine. Whatever it takes to sleep at night.

[Platypus]

CITATION NEEDED

[OO]

Rush Limbaugh's Ratings Have Fallen 30% In The Last Six Months
Jen Ortiz | May 23, 2011, 5:35 PM
>The just-released Arbitron report reveals that a lot less people are listening to right-wing talk radio.
>With a lull in ratings since November, Rush Limbaugh had a 3.0 share of listeners for his radio time slot, which is a 33% slide from October and from last April, reports Crain's Business.
>Meanwhile, The Sean Hannity Show was reported to be down 28% from its peak numbers in the fall.
http://www.businessinsider.com.....ngs-2011-5

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com.....z1NNKxbg00

[PapayaSF]

So political talkers have had an audience drop compared to the time around the mid-term elections, and you think this indicates an important trend?

[Platypus]

Radio ratings go up, and ratings go down. They are never constant. I'm not a Rush fan, so I hate to defend him. Arbitron's data is also proprietary so there can be no publication of their data -- which is why no article can point to their data. Neat, huh? When Rush's ratings go back up, what will you say then? And who will report it?

[Some Call Me. . .Tim]

They seek their dream candidate, the intelligence of a W. Bush, the charisma of a Gingrich and the wisdom of a Palin, all bundled into a seventy five plus, cranky insider Senator. Who can answer the call?

[capitol l]

You forgot the downhome folksiness of Gee herbertwalker Bee.

[TRTB]

Ha

[John Thacker]

But in today's political world, the right has a more highly developed system of policing its ideological borders.

No, the Left has a more highly developed system of telling people to sit down and shut up, even on things that they disagree with. You are the same guy who admitted that the union leadership has long favored immigration, despite it being stupid from a self-centered union point of view.

Why do you think that is? Because, as you admit, it's that the unions are part of the Democratic Party/ Left, and they're forced to stay within its carefully constructed ideological borders in order to ensure that the rest of the Left supports them on their other issues.

The Right argues more.

None of the components of the liberal base -- inspires even a shadow of the fear in Democratic elites that the Tea Party, the Christian right, or gun advocates produce in the Republican elite.

That's why you can point to all the things that President Obama has done to upset the unions. And that's why a few Democrats broke ranks with the urbanites to say that, yeah, maybe spending money on a radio station mostly listened to by wealthy educated people isn't the best use of money. And that's also why the unions have supported restricting immigration and support E-Verify, despite what the Latino pressure groups say.

Oh wait, none of that happens.

[MNG]

I think I gave two reasons the leadership was for it and one was self-interest. I said it was stupid, but they don't think that.

"That's why you can point to all the things that President Obama has done to upset the unions."

Wow, that is one of the more innaccurate statements you've made in a long time. As someone who has frequent contact with union organizers and sympathizers I can tell you they are incredibly dissatisfied with Obama, as they were with Clinton (remember NAFTA and MFN for China?).

http://www.alternet.org/newsan.....n_growing/

[jtuf]

Um, for comparison's sack, Sean Hannity's audience is still bigger than the audience of every American pulpit rabbi combined.

[jtuf]

None of the components of the liberal base -- union members, minorities, non-Christians (those of other faiths and the secular), urbanites, single people -- inspires even a shadow of the fear in Democratic elites that the Tea Party, the Christian right, or gun advocates produce in the Republican elite. Nor do progressive media figures have anything comparable to the power within their movement that someone like Rush Limbaugh has

That's because the leaders on the left know that the various parts of their coalition will never stop supporting them. Consider the antiwar movement. It went silent as soon as Obama took charge of the wars. Now we have the Libyan War. If you want to affect your party, you will have to challenge it once in a while.

[MNG]

"Will moderate Republicans run against Speaker John Boehner the same way Blue Dogs ran against Speaker Nancy Pelosi?"

There are moderate Republicans? Where?

Seriously though it makes no sense for a GOPer to oppose Boehner, he's coming in on a GOP win, it made all the sense in the world to oppose Pelosi's ruinous leadership. Sadly, not many Dems had sense.

[prolefeed]

It makes sense for GOPers in Boehner's district who don't like his actual policies to try to replace him. It's not like there isn't any other person who can be the Senate Majority leader.

[Au H20]

BTW, MNG and John, let's just get this over with NOW: Israel. You guys disagree. Now go hate fuck and get over it.

[rather]

Not a good idea, you know they will fight over someone hogging too much space on the bed

[jtuf]

John will want to use a barrier, and MNG will insist of removing it.

[Apple]

Parents keeping kid's gender a secret in order to raise a "genderless child".

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_.....nder-wraps

We would rather our child be judged on his/her race, attractiveness, stupid name and douchiness of his/her parents.

[MNG]

What assholes.

[Almanian]

It's PAT!

That's pretty awful

[rather]

The older kids in the family know the gender. I have a feeling the kid will not be the last to know

[Apple]

Yes, they've entrusted their very important secret to a two year old. Anyone who cares will know soon if they don't already.

[Fist of Etiquette]

What are kids for if not for social experimentation?

[T]

I am constructing my Skinner box in the garage right now.

[rather]

lol. Put epi in it

[Montani Semper Liberi]

The baby's name is Storm. Obviously a female, and obviously going to be a stripper.

[SugarFree]

And have weather-related superpowers.

[capitol l]

If I hadn't f5'd all over this motherfucker we'd a had that comment show up twice.

+1 Tubez for great minds thinking alike.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You know, DC Comics had a Storm character, too, and it was a boy. But all anyone cares about is Marvel.

[N Kwiring]

During Witterick's pregnancy, her son Jazz was having "intense" experiences with his own gender.

Do tell. Were they as "intense" as those had by, say, Larry Craig?

[Mean Boy Next Door]

Hey, .... JIZZZZ!!

[mad libertarian guy]

But the email sent recently by Kathy Witterick and David Stocker of Toronto, Canada to announce the birth of their baby, Storm, was missing one important piece of information. "We've decided not to share Storm's sex for now--a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a stand up to what the world could become in Storm's lifetime (a more progressive place? ...)," it said.
That's right. They're not saying whether Storm is a boy or a girl.

Yea progressives!

Please tell me that this is not the future of humanity.

[KWebb]

It's a cover for progressive hate of third person pronouns.

[Warty]

But as Stocker puts it: "If you really want to get to know someone, you don't ask what's between their legs."

Qua?

[Almanian]

To really know someone, you have to skull fuck them? Is that it?

[SugarFree]

Do people really do that? I'm an incredibly blunt person and have never--even drunk--asked someone about their genitalia before getting to know them.

[rather]

If you ever met me, you'd probably have to ask. And yes, I have both.

[rather]

fuck you spoof

[Rich]

Stocker obviously meant "know" in the Biblical sense.

[Shan Yu]

"Live with a man 40 years. Share his house, his meals. Speak on every subject. Then tie him up, and hold him over the volcano's edge. And on that day, you will finally meet the man."

[P Brooks]

unions are concerned about burdens on small business!

Work rules and job classifications, man; imposing burdens on small businesses is the union's job, and don't you forgit it!

[HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN]

THE PURE JEWISH STATE ? The Holocaust of non Jewish religious sites
[The Last days of the Dome of the Rock]
Now , the fact of the matter is that the American - Israeli Military Industrial
Complex ? the [EMPIRE ] is made up of two parts the Pure Jewish
Theocratic State , from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea , the Nile
to the Euphrates, made up of only those of Pure Jewish Blood, a state of
Pure Theocratic Zionism, and those living in the [ EMPIRE] , the Plutocracy
of Hypocrisy , a form of government where power effectively rests with a
small elite segment of society distinguished by wealth . It 's the biggest con
ever perpetrated upon a people in history , basically controlled by [ AIPAC /
AZC] the American Israeli Political Action Committee / American Zionist
Committee . And they are tide together by an Iron Clad , Unbreakable ,
union of [SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP ] , so they are two peas in the same pod ,
and as such must both be held responsible for the Holocaust of non
Jewish religious sites that must be expected with the final solution to the
problem of those of non - Jewish Pure Blood within the Pure Jewish State .
What do you mean the by the Holocaust upon non Jewish religious sites ?
The Dome of the Rock as it is widely know a monument of structural
architectural style and beauty , will be torn down an replaced by the New
Jewish. Temple , to say it won 't be is simply a pipe dream; the days of the
Dome of the Rock are numbered .
[Pure Theocratic State Religions ]
This in turn leads to other non Pure Jewish Religious Sites , in a Pure
Theocratic Zionism State , as with any other Pure Theocratic State Religion;
there can be no room for any other Religion as it undermines the State,
this has been thru time immemorial on every continent on the face of the
globe, any and all signs of deviance from the Pure True and singularly
correct Religion of the State must be eradicated, without exception . This
therefore must apply to the Pure Jewish Theocratic Zionist State . So , let 's
put this in to words that everyone can understate , once the Jewish State
has been established [ ALL ] non Jewish Religious Sites must be done away
with within that State, this applies across the board , regardless of the
religion. Otherwise the State risks its Purity, power , control, and authority .
You are no longer talking about a non Secular State, basically a State
without a singular State Religious Structure , but a Theocratic State that
controls its citizens based upon after life punishment for crimes against
that state after death , a State that in fact controls thru after death pain
and suffering , for not being a Theocratic State Citizen , the State is the
Religion, the Religion is the State, and the Citizens are its Subjects .
[The Worst of both worlds ]
The Pure Jewish Theocratic State is becoming a reality under the
protection of the [ EMPIRE] via the Unbreakable , Iron Clad , Union of
[SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP ] , controlled by [ AIPAC /AZC] the American Israeli
Political Action Committee / American Zionist Committee , it can not be
touched, controlled or stopped , and either they act in support of each
other or they both fall together , which means they must act with concern
to all matters in a unified way , one supporting the other , one must back
the acts of the other and both must be held to account as a singular unit .
The Religion of Profit is tied to a Theocratic State for mutual benefit ,
power, and self interests , the worst of both worlds . And, to the question as
if other Religious Structures outside the Pure Jewish Theocratic State will
be destroyed , they would be held hostage to destruction , by that State and
its protector , but not being within the boundaries of that State , would be
of little or no concern to either State, but those within the Theocratic Pure
State must and will be done away with , a Holocaust of non Pure Jewish
Theocratic State Religious Sites .
HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN

[Pro Libertate]

Just so I'm clear, is the United States or Israel the dominant member of this empire?

[Barack Obama]

Let me be clear.

I can state unequivocally, yes.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't understand the various use of the brackets. Did Babelfish put those in there?

[rather]

It's art

[SugarFree]

Wiki formatting for active links.

[T]

Okay, now I'm sad. I thought it was crazypants unique attempt at emphasis. I mean, let's face it, ALL CAPS has been played for a long while. Now you tell me it's not his own unique style?

I am disappoint.

[Au H20]

Are you the time cube guy?

[Some Call Me. . .Tim]

It cannot be that without another inglorious earth based entero gastric,,,and another thing. If elected I will not only brighten. You guys are great! Let's not forget the little people. Yes.

[Some Call Me. . .Tim]

I can't make up gibberish more ridiculous than what he spouts. How humbling.

[SugarFree]

Steppin' on Warty's Turf... Sweat Loaf

[Rich]

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) signaled support for the disaster aid, noting that "any time we have a natural disaster, we take care of the people."

But any time we have a human-created disaster (e.g., the looming financial crisis) -- not so much.

[Goldman Sachs]

Oh, the RIGHT people get taken care of!

[John Thacker]

You missed out on the PATRIOT Act update-- Harry Reid used procedural tricks to table the original Patriot Act extension bill, thus killing the amendments. He then brought up a House bill on small business that has special privileged status, and amended it with the entire Patriot Act reauthorization text. He then moved to cloture.

The special status of the House bill (under rules previously agreed upon for considering it) prevents debate or amendment of it, other than the Majority Leader's special amendment to add all the Patriot Act stuff to it.

[John Thacker]

Here's The Hill's version of the story.

Reid apologized, of course, saying that, well, sure the Senate should have an open debate and amendments and all that, but it's about to expire, so we simply must have a four-year extension.

[Mr. FIFY]

Why are Democrats supporting the whole of the Patriot Act?

It's almost just like having Republicans in power.

[John Thacker]

Republican drawing up bill to legalize and regulate online poker sites

Of course, this is one of those issues that doesn't break along partisan lines anyway. Specifically, with the House flip, Financial Services went from pro-poker (Barney Frank) to anti-poker (Fred Upton), but Commerce became more pro-poker.

[John Thacker]

Crap, no, Fred Upton is pro-poker, it's Spencer Bachus that isn't. I really wish that Bachus hadn't gotten Financial Services, he's terrible.

[John Thacker]

I do like The Hill commenter who, in trying to defend Obama about poker, says "The White House does not tell the Justice Dept what to do."

[P Brooks]

The special status of the House bill (under rules previously agreed upon for considering it) prevents debate or amendment of it, other than the Majority Leader's special amendment to add all the Patriot Act stuff to it.

Don't worry, the Constitutional-Scholar-in-Chief will veto it. He adheres to his oath of office.

[Solanum]

Colt Defense hires its first lobbyst in over a decade

Why the hell are they picking up lobbyists? They need help in the middle and at cornerback.

[FlyoverCountry]

And what about special teams?! Why can't they get the appropriations for a short bus? They need a lobbyst

[P Brooks]

However, if Paul insists on using all 30 hours of post-cloture debate he is entitled to under Senate rules, he could force the Patriot Act to lapse for a day.

And the WORLD WILL END!!111

[CoyoteBlue]

The alquada hordes will swarm over the borders and feast on our defenseless children!

[P Brooks]

FEMA has already deployed more than 4,300 workers this year in response to dozens of federally declared disasters and has distributed about $149 million in aid. But it is carrying more than $17 billion in debt from storm-related aid in the past six years.

My advice: file for bankruptcy.

[joplin missouri]

we already have

[Solanum]

Take child abuse seriously and license clowns, activist urges

Beaudoin is spearheading a campaign for legislation that will make it mandatory for anyone working as a children's entertainer ? Santa, clown or Easter bunny ? to be given a criminal-background check and be required to have a licence to make sure he or she is safe to work with children.

"Exotic dancers need a permit; so do massage therapists," pointed out Beaudoin in an interview. "So why not children's entertainers?"

Bonus: Concerned head-tilt picture of said activist

[DJF]

If having a government permit makes someone safe, why not have the parents hire already licensed strippers and massage therapists to entertain the kids

[Chupacabra]

Exotic dancers need a permit? Really?

[SugarFree]

It's just a medical check to make sure that don't have any frankenberries. Like they do with the Pope.

[SugarFree]

I forgot to append: Pedant Alert!

[P Brooks]

"The American people are by your side," Obama told storm survivors early Tuesday from London. "We're going to stay there until every home is repaired, until every neighborhood is rebuilt, until every business is back on its feet."

Wait, what?

[Pro Libertate]

If that's not a prelude to invasion, I don't know what is. Guess we're going back to the beginning.

[Spoonman.]

As fuzzy and cuddly as it sounds, I don't think "until every home is repaired, until every neighborhood is rebuilt, until every business is back on its feet" is a sensible or realistic goal.

[sevo]

It's not easy bei... (Oh, SHUT UP!)
The Governator sets 'green' goals before he finds out if they're possible! Imagine!
"California can meet its mandate to slash greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels within the next 40 years - but only with a virtual revolution in energy production and use,..."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....1JKAP7.DTL

[jtuf]

More on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the U.S.: "The idea that Congress would openly side with a foreign leader against the president of the United States seems too far-fetched to believe."

Not really. Half the American politicians are on the team that is competing with Obama for power. Netanyahu is competing for power in a different country, so it is easy for American politicians to support him. The same thing happens in reverse. Levin from the Kadima party has been praising Obama and criticizing Netanyahu all month. You would know that if you read Israeli newspapers.

[Dan]

My favorite part of that article was its description of "an unusual violation of the unspoken rule that members of Congress should refrain from criticizing the US government while on foreign soil".

Obama himself did it back in 2008. In fact it is easy to find plenty of members of both parties who have done this since the end of the Cold War.

[prolefeed]

Re: the NY-26 special election and all the talk about it proving that everyone needs to suck up to Medicare and not change and damn thing about it -- seems like some people are a bit challenged by math:

With 91 percent of precincts reporting, Hochul held a commanding 48 percent to 42 percent lead over Corwin. Tea party candidate Jack Davis received 9 percent.

That's 51 percent of the vote going to candidates who favor reforming Medicare. The message of this particular special election ought to be that ignoring the concerns of Tea Party voters is something GOP candidates do at their peril.