Reason Morning Links: WaPo Slams Obama's Auto Bailout Speech, Love Letters Help a Syrian Survive Torture, Margaret Thatcher Tells Sarah Palin to Get Lost

• The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler details President Obama's "phony accounting" of the Detroit bailout. 
• Roughly 46,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq, and still dying. 
• Al Jazeera reports on "a young man's account of sadistic torture in a Syrian secret prison, and how a girl's note helped him through his pain."
• Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has declined to entertain former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. 
• The war between Mexico's Gulf Cartel and the Zetas gets even more obscene, with Zetas hanging GC supporters from bridges, and the GC developing "narco-tanks." 
• Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tx.) woos food industry workers.

New at Reason.tv: "Jefferson Memorial Dance Dance Revolution"

Comments

[Name Nomad]

In Johnny Longtorso's absence, I give you this link. Hopefully it helps to fill the void.

[Almanian]

Based on your corporate access policies, access to this web site ( http://damnyouautocorrect.com/.....llow-talk/ ) has been blocked because the web category "Tasteless & Offensive" is not allowed.

Aw, c'mon Corporate Nanny! The whole H&R BLOG is "tasteless and offensive" and you let me go THERE!

Stupid Nanny-bots...

[Draco]

Finally someone on TV who understands what Draco's been saying for a couple of years here on Hit and Run.

If you've had a hard time understanding why deficits are currently still too small, and why the US debt isn't a problem per se you might do worse than to watch Mike Norman explain it on Russia Today - Matt and Nick's favorite network.

[robc]

Barro.

You and Norman are wrong.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has declined to entertain former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Maybe Sarah can meet with one gawdawful Thatcher puppets from the 80s, although personally I didn't find those particularly entertaining.

[OO]

im interested in puppet sexting

[sage]

I think the former PM refused because Sarah wasn't sure how she was going to be getting there. Let's see...one if by land, two if by sea...gee golly, whose side am I on again?

[Almanian]

Paul Revere rode the countryside on a snowmobile to warn the British that Sarah Palin was coming to visit Margaret Thatcher.

True story...

[Also True]

They call them "snow machines."

[Mongo]

'Snowcats' where I come from -- Arctic Cat country.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Paul, who is running for president again, seems to be gaining momentum with bartenders and wait staff. The congressman has introduced a bill called the Tax Free Tips Act of 2011, which would make gratuities to servers tax free.

The food service industry lobby is strong. They don't tempt politicians with money so much as promises not to spit in their food.

[Tyler Durden]

The people you are after are the people you depend on. We cook your meals, we haul your trash, we connect your calls, we drive your ambulances, we guard you while you sleep. Do not fuck with us.

[PantsFan]

Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, the Toronto parents who became an international media sensation for their decision not to reveal the sex of their baby named Storm spoke to CBC radio Q yesterday.
It turns out they are also fans of Unschooling.
The insanity portrayed by the parents should be a warning to CFS.
Listen here: http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2011/.....h-a-nerve/

[SugarFree]

I bet I could name 5 of their bumper stickers with only 8 guesses.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Make Love Not Sense"

[zoltan]

Unschooling: still better than public schooling.

[oncogenesis]

Really, what's wrong with unschooling?

[Lord Humungus]

maybe this is good news
http://thehill.com/homenews/ad.....-disappear

[sage]

See? He's the most transparent president evah!

[The Other Kevin]

Yep, most people can see right through him.

[Almanian]

It's an illUUUUUUUsion!!

/that bucktoothed Doug Henning

[Gob B.]

A trick is something a whore does for money, Michael

[JoshInHB]

At some point during the first two years of his administration, President Obama stopped receiving the daily economic briefing that he requested when he took office.

They were making him miss his tee times.

[P Brooks]

The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler details President Obama's "phony accounting" of the Detroit bailout.

No "Season's Greetings From the White House" pen-and-pencil set for you, dude.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Everyone knows that The Washington Post often operates almost as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party.

[The Gobbler]

They give Whitehouse commemorative ornaments.

[Ken Shultz]

If the Iron Lady thinks Sarah Palin is a "frivolous figure unworthy of an audience", then I wonder what she thinks of Barack Obama?

A "socialist figure unworthy of an audience?

Yes, I think Thatcher would call Obama a "socialist".

[Almanian]

HIYO!

[P Brooks]

Missus Thatcher sez: "Shove off, Quitter!"

[John]

Sex drugs and Republicans. I am surprised this is only getting play in the British press. Warning though, the thought of Ari Fleischer having sex with anyone, let alone the very comely author of the tell all will make you want to vomit.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....oters.html

[Abdul]

I saw this in the WaPo the other week. It struck me as "meh" because 1) she had only nice things to say about Ralph Reed and everyone wants him to be more Elmer Gantry than Ned Flanders; 2) she nailed Ari when he was single = so what? You have low standards?

[John]

Very low.

[Abdul]

Her book may be more proof of the Kissinger Effect.

I can't find any pic's of Mrs. Fliescher, but they were married about a year after the author nailed him. Mrs. F was 26, and Mr. F was 42. I'm close to his age and 26 year olds only pay attention to me because i have interesting historical anecdotes about why we call it "dialing" a phone.

[free2booze]

"Narco-tanks". Sheriff Joe must be jealous.

[P Brooks]

I bet I could name 5 of their bumper stickers with only 8 guesses.

Volvo only put the station wagon into production so people could display more bumper stickers.

[SugarFree]

One should never underestimate the numerous flat surface of the Subaru Outback when looking for a car to bumper-sticker or kill all the sexual passion in your heterosexual marriage or come out as a lesbian... or all three.

[John]

And to express your desire to COEXIST

[SugarFree]

College campus and professor parking pass. I've seen them all. COEXIST might be No. 1.

Also frequently sighted:

Blessed Be
They aren't hot flashes, they are POWER SURGES
IM:UU:RU
My other car is a broom
Monolinguism Can Be Cured
War is bad for children and other living things
IMAGINE

[John]

My personal favorite

NPR Mind in a Fox News World.

You actually see those in suburban Washington occasionally.

[SugarFree]

I will say, there is one license plate in my regular parking lot that I envy:

NO2EMO

[Almanian]

SF, you can't hug a child with nwecular arms.

[Azathoth]

but can you suckle one with Newcular Titties?

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Were you temporarily blinded by the smugness upon viewing it?

[John]

The anti Bush ones were always good too.

Somewhere in Texas a Village is Missing an Idiot.

[SIV]

My favorite is the pairing of "Meat Is Murder" with "I'm Pro-Choice And I Vote".
I've seen just those two several times. Well there might have been a rainbow sticker but no other text.

[John]

LOL. Or the "I'm too poor to vote Republican" sticker on the expensive European import. I have seen that a couple of times.

[Almanian]

My mom and sister have "I'm A Librarian and I Vote" stickers on their cars.

Yeah, they're both librarians. My sister teaches "library science" at a Univ in Bahston.

(yeah, so THAT's how I ended up being interested in Reason - librarians run in our family)

[robc]

I saw a devout catholic hippy communist car once. It was the only thing that could explain the mix of bumper stickers.

[Almanian]

robc, that is so awesome, it's awesome

devout catholic hippy communist - YES!

[DJF]

Shouldn't a liberal bumper sticker read

Somewhere in American occupied Mexico a Village is missing its intellectually impaired person?

[John]

^^This^^

[x,y]

Just in the last few days I've seen a lot of the "Endless/this War" stickers next to an area where a bumper sticker used to be very recently. I can only guess the empty space used to be an "Obama 08" sticker?

[sage]

If you aren't outraged then you're not paying attention

I think that one got peeled off around the beginning of 2009.

[John]

Regime Change Begins at Home.

Another classic that had to be peeled off on January 21st 2009.

[The Gobbler]

Know New Nukes.

[Lord Humungus]

^^lulz^^

and they are usually aggressive drivers too.

One of my er, friends is a flaming liberal UAW union-member that drives a newer VW Beetle (UAW VW, huh?) festooned with bumper stickers of the "right persuasion".

[OO]

beetles are chick cars like mini SUV's

[Lord Humungus]

which is funny since my friend is a rough-n-tumble Union guy who works on the factory floor. I want to point out that the car is of uh, questionable sexual orientation, but I get my personal lulz out of it.

[Kristen]

In the DC area, all the pussyish drivers have the COEXIST stickers, and the speed demons and lane changers have the Bush/Cheney stickers.

[mad libertarian guy]

Are you kidding me? My (stickerless) Outback gets me laid by my wife all the time.

Don't hate. Though perhaps a liberal staple (which is weird considering they don't get good gas mileage), Outbacks rule.

[Fluffy]

Bumper stickers are an abomination in the eyes of God and clean design.

The car is a complete work on its own. Adding a bumper sticker to it is like painting a moustache on the Mona Lisa.

Seriously, there could be an official government body handing out "The driver of this car has a huge dick" bumper stickers and I still wouldn't put one on my car.

[Citizen Nothing]

On my vehicles, bumper stickers are more for holding parts together than making ideological statements.
(I credit my current relative affluence on 25 years of paying cash for junkers and driving them until they die.)

[wylie]

has -> is

1-3mins to make the change, months of fun before people actually notice the change.

[Pope Jimbo]

I grew up in a tourist town and there was a shop that sold little square pictures of a screw that were mini-bumper stickers. The way they worked was that they were the same size as the hearts on other bumper stickers.

My buddies and I would walk up and down the beach and put the screw pic over the heart of the tourists so that they could proudly proclaim that "I Beagles"

[Ted S.]

A picture (safe for work) is worth a thousand words

[Kristen]

I had a couple of libertarian stickers on my old POS, and every once in a while people would honk at me and start waving and giving me the thumbs up. Being the cynical urban beyotch that I am, I always glowered at them and mouthed "what the fuck?". It always took me several minutes to realize they were fellow libertarians who had seen my stickers. I guess I just don't expect to encounter like-minded folks in and around DC.

[John]

Obama not coo on college campuses anymore. BO may have provided more education in two years to those snot nosed little hipsters than 20 years of formal schooling has.

http://www.theatlanticwire.com.....ore/38531/

And the update at the end is funny.

Update: The Obama campaign pushes back against the idea that young people have stopped caring, pointing to its summer organizer program, which got more applications this year than any other--including 2008.

Gee you think the fact that none of them can get jobs may have something to do with that?

[Dr. Evil]

I'm with it, I'm hip.

[Scott]

Get AWAY from me!!!

[Abdul]

Yeah, when you've lost Oberlin, you probably also lost Reed and Bowdoin.

[Spoonman.]

So, since the cartels have tanks, does that mean we Texans will be allowed to purchase RPGs?

[Fist of Etiquette]

That's a civil war Texas should stay out of. And if Texans don't already generally own RPGs then the Lone Star State ain't what it markets itself to be.

[Lord Humungus]

ok, maybe I've been playing too much Red Orchestra, but I want to see the return of the Panzerfaust.

[OO]

make that kinetic-faust

[Restoras]

Too short-ranged...or rather, range-challenged.

[Lord Humungus]

I'm nostalgic for WW2 technology - lol

[cynical]

Fuck, they banned Dungeons and Dragons there? I knew Texas was conservative, but wow.

[wylie]

Rocket Propelled Gnomes are a serious threat to public health.

[John]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tech.....i-informer

One in four hackers on the FBI payroll. Duplicitous little bastards.

[cynical]

Most of the rest are on China or Russia's payroll.

[Virginia]

http://arstechnica.com/securit.....nymous.ars

NATO planning to infiltrate Anonymous. Watching the nation states squirm over network attacks by bored kids has easily been the most fun ever.

Afraid of Stuxnet, nation states? Then maybe you should not have developed it.

[Number 2]

"Roughly 46,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq, and still dying."

So where is all the media coverage of the corpses coming home, now that Obama lifted the Bush-era ban on same? Funny how easy it is to accommodate the media when you know that the media will accommodate you.

[John]

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

Dr. Lara and Chris Mathews one and the same. Who knew?

[John]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theno.....this-.html

Picture of our political class in action. Notice how fluidly Wiener lies and claims to be a victim. Wow.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

He's had plenty of practice.

[John]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/.....Went-Down-(updated-wsmoking-gun)?via=sidebyuserrec

The running KOS post on Weiner's press conference may be the greatest convergence of stupid in the known universe.

[Almanian]

John, Thanks for pinch hitting for Johnny Longtorso ({}{}{}{}{}{} place those wherever they belong)

[John]

LOL The Daily Mail Republican tell all above is great. I can't believe no one has read it.

[Fluffy]

I just read it and you know what? I would have volunteered to serve in the Bush administration had I only known.

[John]

Me too. They were all a bunch of noxious frat boys. Yeah, there were probably some good times to be had though.

[proegg antichicken]

So it's all a conspiracy? then who took the pictures?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I notice there haven't been any recent updates. What a pretentious moron.

[Irresponsible Hater]

"The war between Mexico's Gulf Cartel and the Zetas gets even more obscene"

How so? They been decapitating people, hanging people, and handing decapitated people for, like, years now...

[SugarFree]

Neck-stump fucking.

[Almanian]

Yawn...SF, that's weak sauce this AM. PLEASE come up with something truly disgusting.

Come on - DO IT.

[SugarFree]

You sad, sick, poor-ass, broken shell of a shambling husk of a man.

That there is a genuine Hit & Run throwback joke!

[proegg antichicken]

throwbacks!? Give me some future jokes!

[SugarFree]

"I'm only your memory, proegg antichicken. I can't impart any new information."

[John]

http://pajamasmedia.com/michae.....fantasies/

Great interview with Claire Berlinski about Turkey. She lives in Istanbul. I kind of have a thing for Claire. She is not classically pretty by any means. But she is so smart and exotic, she manages to be sexy anyway.

[SugarFree]

Alaska is releasing all emails the Palin sent as Governor. All 24,199 pages of them.

[John]

I guess we know where Andrew Sullivan will be for the next two weeks.

[Pro Libertate]

Why? He wrote most of them.

[Almanian]

That is an absolute ASSLOAD of emails. i'm sure it will be fascinating reading...

[SugarFree]

T,

Caribou for dinner?

S

P.S. You seen Bristol this week?

[Restoras]

+1

[Abdul]

Aug 28, 2008: Todd, You think the Cubs have a shot at the pennant? LOL! And I'll be Vice President!! LOL!

Aug 29, 2008: Todd, put down 100K on the cubbies!

[P Brooks]

NO2EMO

Nice. I am sorely tempted to go for "SOMALIA" but that plate should be on something like a Maybach, or a Bugatti, neither of which is in my collection. It would have worked on the black jaguar, though.

[Pro Libertate]

You know those ichthys (fish) symbols and their Darwin counterparts that magnetically attach to cars? How about one that's a stylized man with a monocle and tophat?

Those things are branching way out, anyway. For instance, there's one for Star Trek

[John]

Those are always noxious. But the Trek one is so geeky it works. And the monocle and top hat is a great idea except that the 12 of us who post here would get it.

[Pro Libertate]

All the better.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't get it.

[Pro Libertate]

We don't need common folk understanding our secret symbols. Kinda like the Masons.

[wylie]

*driving*

"Hmm, this guy in front of me must really like Mr. Peanut."

[Clich? Bandit]

FUCK ME! I never realized the Mr. Peanut is a 34th degree Libertarian...Awesome.

[Pro Libertate]

Now that this thread is dead, I have a cunning plan. We've been going about this libertarian business all wrong. We should become a secret society.

[Almanian]

I like the monocle and tophat idea!

I also like the SOMALIA idea.

I'm in.

[John]

or ROADS!! or Teh Childrens!!

[db]

All ROADS!!! lead to SOMALIA!!!1!

[Restoras]

AWESOMENESS!!!

[Mike Laursen]

Please do the top hat and monocle fish for real. Please. I'll order at least a dozen.

[P Brooks]

GET OFF MY ROAD!

[P Brooks]

How about one that's a stylized man with a monocle and tophat?

Your wish, et c.

[Pro Libertate]

No. Too stylized.

[SugarFree]

Yes. Needs to be more economical in its semiotics.

Like...

[proegg antichicken]

perfection. a hat, a dot, a circle, and a stache. It's all you need.

[Pro Libertate]

Works for me. It does need to all be connected somehow to be a magnet, but that's a quibble.

[proegg antichicken]

4 magnets is fine.

[wylie]

or just stick a monster Nd magnet inside the trunk, and turn your car into one of those metal-sculpture-desk-toy things.

[Lord Humungus]

Mr. Peanut - the ultimate Libertarian?

What about the ties to the peanut oil subsidies? Huh? HUH?!?!

[MNG]

And he bikes on roads!

[Restoras]

Mr. Peanut is a rent-seeking, subsidy-whoring corporatist.

[MNG]

Notice the monocle and top hat?

[John]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....story.html

Another Obama economic adviser decides to spend more time with his family. From the storyAround Washington, Goolsbee was known as an effective communicator of economic policy and gave many of the White House's "whiteboard" lectures on its Web site. He gave stand-up comedy performances around town."

That is one way to refer to administration economic briefings. The jokes write themselves don't they?

"

[MNG]

I'm curious John, what should Obama do to turn the economy around? I grant the stimulus was stupid (if you recall I opposed it, must be because it was proposed with people with a D beside their name).

But what? Tax cuts? I love tax cuts, but is that going to turn it around? That worked great the past five years...

[Pro Libertate]

Dramatic reduction in government spending. Savings used to pay down debt. Tax reform and overall reduction in tax burden. Deregulation where possible.

[Lord Humungus]

and some sensible health care regulations - at my company, we're expected to see a double-digit percentage in costs. That increase gets passed down to me since we are an 80-20 company. Less money in my pocket means that I spend less.

Which means less audio and auto goodies for me...

[db]

How is The Humungus to rule waste without sweet accessories for his badass ride?

[Lord Humungus]

this nitrous-oxide isn't free

[MNG]

I guess the Keynesianism runs strong in my veins. At least in the short term wouldn't austerity measures hurt the economy?

I can see deregulation and tax reform.

[Abdul]

That's never work. Give more power and money to a handful of Ivy-League economic brainiacs!

[sarcasmic]

How do you cut spending?

The military is sacred. Can't cut spending on the troops or you hate freedom.
Can't cut military contracts, that costs American jobs.
Can't cut entitlements or you want to kill grandma.
Can't lay off government workers. There will be riots.

Spending cuts are impossible.

[MNG]

Hell, spending FREEZES are impossible.

[Pro Libertate]

They are for the cowards we put in office. If I were in office, I'd do nothing but try to reduce the size and scope of government. Whether that meant one term and out or not.

[sarcasmic]

You would never get elected.
Everyone wants spending cuts, as long as the cuts don't affect them.

Since any cut will affect someone, all cuts are politically impossible.

[MNG]

You're right, but the strange thing is that every spending effects someone too...That money don't grow on trees as my parents said.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, and taking away the money affects people, too. And the economy. As far as SS and Medicare, I'd be fine with a phaseout/opt-out system, or even grandfathering in older people if that were the only way to make it happen.

[Restoras]

That money don't grow on trees as my parents said

Too bad Timmy Geithner isn't your brother.

[John]

We are doomed. We should have taken our medicine in 2008 and let the economy crater then. Everything he has done since then has been to delay the inevitable and make it worse.

Let me give you five things that would help.

1. Repeal Obamacare. Just give up on it and tell businesses their health costs won't be subjected to huge numbers of yet to be written regulations.

2. Stop stonewalling on free trade agreements.

3. Allow drilling in ANWAR and everywhere else.

4. Put baseline domestic spending back to 08 levels.

The biggest things he could do is agree to real spending cuts so the bond markets recover some faith in the government and assure business that there is not going to be any major new regulation so they know that their costs are not going to change.

[John]

5. would be declare a two year moratorium on any new regulations. Just stop making new regulations so businesses don't fact uncertainty.

[MNG]

"We should have taken our medicine in 2008 and let the economy crater then."

I don't think I can blame public officials for wanting to stave off a cratering of the economy...

I actually agree on number one, the uncertainty alone is likely hurting business. And number 5. It may be even better than 'reforming' regulations just because of the sheer uncertainty.

I don't think free trade agreements do much to help.

I think number 3 is hard to do considering we just had a catastrophic oil spill.

[MNG]

I would add disavowing any cap and trade bill. Appease the enviromentalists left by a set of tax breaks for 'green energy,' but swear off any new regs in that area.

[John]

I will blame them when staving it off makes things worse in the long run. That is what leaders are supposed to do, look beyond short term gain and think for the long term benefit.

And why does one oil spill mean we shouldn't drill? So what? I think when people start getting jobs they won't care about the oil spill if they even do now.

And I would add one other thing, stop printing money and destroying the value of the dollar. That is half of what is driving up oil prices and cratering the economy.

[Restoras]

A+

[MNG]

I don't think it is irrational to be hesitant to engage in something that has recently brought on disasterous events.

[Restoras]

While I agree with your sentiment, they really should have known better. Printing money, pretending the business cycle doesn't exist, bailing out your Wall Street buddies at the expense of the average American - this is not the stuff of leadership, wisdom, and foresight. It is the stuff of CYA and holy-shit, I better do something because owtherwise I might be held accountable and lose my phoney baloney job, not too mention all the perks of unbridled power.

[MNG]

" bailing out your Wall Street buddies at the expense of the average American"

This was shitty (as a liberal it strikes me as more shitty, think about it, they essentially engaged in a massive "private profits, socialized costs" scheme). But I think at the time they honestly thought that a catastrophe awaited them if they didn't. There were all these stories about how even McDonalds couldn't get credit to replace broken fryers, and the idea was the credit market had to be propped up because without it the economy would grind to a halt.

[Restoras]

Yes, I remember well but instead of letting the banks fail they bailed them out and we still have an economic catrastrophe.

I have no doubt that the short-term effects would/could have been more dramatic had the banks been allowed to fail, but since nature abhors a vacuum, especially when there is money to be made, other banks would have stepped in to take on the credit-worthy customers as clients and all the rest would have had to pound sand.

This would have had the extra benefit of all the fucking jack-asses on Wall Street who helped get us into that mess actually losing their jobs.

The clowns in government that enabled the whole thing, well that's a different story and if we had media outlets that would actually shine the light on those cockroaches maybe they would feel the wrath of the public - but I'm not holding my breath.

[MNG]

"we still have an economic catrastrophe"

I'm not sure I'd call it a catastrophe, though it ain't good.

"the short-term effects would/could have been more dramatic had the banks been allowed to fail"

This is the catastrophe I spoke of...

"This would have had the extra benefit of all the fucking jack-asses on Wall Street who helped get us into that mess actually losing their jobs."

This I agree with.

[Restoras]

The benefit of letting it all collapse as it should have is we would be more likely to be experiencing economic growth right now, including job growth, instead of the economic stagnation at an extremely high level of unemployment that we now have. Given the choice between two catastrophes, and a catastrophe was inevitable, I think the former is preferable.

[Gabe]

I don't believe that Mcdonalds franchises wouldn't have french fries if Goldman Sachs didn't get paid for the Credit default swaps they bought from AIG. Paulson might not have been happy, but JP Morgan and Goldman could both go bankrupt along with 30 other banks and we would still have french fries.

Do you know any owners of Mcdonalds or Burger Kings/Taco Bells? The guys I have known that own these franchises all own 5-50 restraunts. They are millionaires. They do use credit to start new franchises, but they pay down debt and build up equity as they go. They have the ability to share equipment and or use old friars or have a good repair guy if one of the machines breaks. They have a million dollars in the bank if they are desperate to get a new machine. They have motorcycles, boats and extra houses if they need to raise cash or barter.

The ones that don't have some cash reserves and contingency plans need to go bankrupt. If you believed the BS excuse to rob the american people then you are a weakminded Gamma.

[Fluffy]

The problem is that the Fed went into the business of directly buying commercial paper anyway.

That, to me, says that they can't use a paralysis of the commercial paper market as their excuse for saving the money center banks.

If they were just going to buy the paper themselves anyway, why not let the market liquidate the worst performers?

[WTF]

But isn't that kind of like canceling all air travel because a plane crashed?

[WTF]

That was to MNG|6.7.11 @ 10:40AM re: drilling for oil. Damn threaded comments.

[Anvilwyrm]

Stop trying to shore up house prices. Let them hit bottom and they will come back up. The slow slide is much more destructive!

[Fluffy]

It's too late.

The right thing to do was liquidation. But it's too late for that.

He could pursue legislation forcing the Fed to shut their window on insolvent banks regardless of their size. That would require a simultaneous massive refunding of the FDIC, though, so he wouldn't do it.

The problem is that there is no scenario to improve the economy that doesn't involve entrenched interests taking it on the chin in the short term.

[Pro Libertate]

Could we sell something? Like, for instance, the Moon?

[MNG]

It's got our flag on it, it's ours to sell.

[MNG]

We can't sell it to any Arab nation, it would leave Israel totally defenseless. They would have the high ground and drop mortar shells on the airport all day.

[Shorter MNG]

JEWS!!!!!!11!!!

[SugarFree]

Moon sells, but who's buying?

[Pro Libertate]

Dude, it's the Moon! Who wouldn't want to own the Moon? Credit is available, for qualifying entities. Asking price? $20 trillion. Act now, because at this price, it won't be available for long!

[MNG]

Any good evil genius would be willing to buy. Who doesn't want a moon base from which to launch their plans of world domination?

[sarcasmic]

$20 / acre

[sarcasmic]

http://www.lunarregistry.com

Some people are.

[Pro Libertate]

That's a scam. The U.S. landed men there and planted flags. I know the rhetoric, but the bitch is ours. In fact, anyone using the Moon is violating our intellectual property rights. That's the real source of the enmity between the U.S. and some Muslims--we want they to pay us a fee for using the crescent moon on images.

[Pro Libertate]

they = them

[MNG]

It would probably turn into some kind of Moon Homesteading Act.

[Lord Humungus]

Fry: Where are we going?

Leela: Nowhere special. The moon.

Fry: The mo - the moon? The moon moon? Wow! I'm going to be a hero, like Neil Armstrong and all those other brave guys no one ever heard of.

[MNG]

Always be the first, that's the lesson there.

[Brett L]

Would have been better if a robot controlled by Buzz Aldrin's head had punched him out.

[mad libertarian guy]

We need to hire Gru.

[Restoras]

A+

[James Ard]

Dilling for oil would be a good start.

[MNG]

Dill here, dill now!

[proegg antichicken]

mmm...pickles.

[Butts Wagner]

Obama is in a pickle when it comes to energy policy

[Lord Googoo]

LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA!

[junior]

He's the one who liked to pretend that the president could fix the economy. He's supposed to have the answers, not us.

I'd be fine with him just coming out and admitting he was completely full of shit.

[Pip]

In other words, he pulled a Weiner.

[MNG]

"Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tx.) woos food industry workers."

Let me liberate you from the tyranny of minimum wage and workplace safety laws!

[J_L_B]

workplace safety laws

Those are passed mostly by the states. Especially with regard to food safety. Ron Paul wants to prevent Federal government intrusion to areas better left to the states.

I don't get your complaint.

[SugarFree]

I have never understood the bumper-sticker impulse. They are sort of like tattoos to me; I'd rather not tell you anything about me up-front.

[MNG]

I see a lot of libertarian bumper stickers where I live, and certainly a lot more since RP ran in 08.

I've never understood bumper stickers. I don't want to deface my car, and more importantly I would think it would suddenly set me up as a representative of my stated cause and then I'd have to drive around like some model citizen.

[MNG]

In theory people should put the sticker of movements they hate on their car and then drive like care-free assholes. That they don't shows you that bumper stickers are more about advertising yourself than your cause ("look at me I didn't vote for X")

[Lord Humungus]

I run sticker-free - keeping it anonymous.

[Lord Humungus]

On the other hand, my wife always wants goofy Japanese Manga/Anime stickers on her car - but since she drives a Honda Element, it can work since when you drive such an ugly car, it feels like you are delivering parts for Mobile Suit Gundam.

[wylie]

awesome.

[proegg antichicken]

I've always thought that car (and the Fit) is like driving Optimus Prime's head.

[l0b0t]

Wifey drives a Fit and I have grown to love it. The seats fold in multiple ways giving a surprising amount of cargo space yet it's small enough to easily park in the increasingly anti-automobile city of New York. My one complaint would be the wheel diameter, not very pothole resistant.

[Pro Libertate]

No bumper stickers. Homey don't play that.

[sarcasmic]

I put a bumper sticker on my car once. It was to support a referendum to repeal a new tax put in by liberals.

I removed it after my car was vandalized.

[SugarFree]

I had a friend that had a lot of car stereo equipment, thousands and thousands of solid 1990-dollars worth of it. Finally put a Rockford Fosgate sticker on and his car was robbed within three days.

If you've ever want to see a cop truly not give a shit up-close, report a car that's been broken into for stereo equipment.

[sarcasmic]

If you've ever want to see a cop truly not give a shit up-close, report a car that's been broken into for stereo equipment crime that has a victim (as opposed to a victimless crime against the State).

[Abdul]

"Leads, yeah, sure. I'll just check with the boys down at the crime lab, they've got four more detectives working on the case. They got us working in shifts!"

[SugarFree]

Told this story before...

One of the parts of my wife's work are these video editing bays that have big flat screen TVs. 6 of them were stolen one night and she had to have the cops come in an investigate, for the insurance to kick in. The cop did nothing, of course. Took some notes, blah, blah.

My wife pointed out that to unhook the TVs, the thieves would have had to disconnect this cable, and it had a nice flat surface on the connector. She asked if they planned to see if there were any fingerprints as he was leaving.

"Ma'am," the cop replied, "you watch too much TV."

[sarcasmic]

If it had been a marijuana grow operation, a distillery, or some other crime against the State, you can bet they would have checked for prints.

When the crime is against a citizen the cops couldn't give two shits.

[mad libertarian guy]

Prints? They would have vacuumed that bitch Gattaca-style.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Yeah, in my experience cops couldn't give a shit about dealing with stolen property reports. After all, there are speeders and people with 1/10th a gram of marijuana they could be happily busting instead of real criminals.

[Abdul]

No matter what kind of sticker you put on your car (Pro-choice, pro-life, pro football) you're just giving some jackass all the reason he needs to vandalize your car.

[Restoras]

So you're saying I shouldn't have a Red Sox magnet on the back of my car, here in Westchester County, NY?

[PoliteEdward]

I'm not saying anything, but sometimes houses burn down all on their own.

[mad libertarian guy]

If I were to put a sticker on my car, it would be the same way that I placed my tattoos. In a place where no one could see them unless I purposefully showed them.

[P Brooks]

Goolsbee pulled the red handle?

I'm surprised he waited this long.

[P Brooks]

Put baseline domestic spending back to 08 levels.

Only if you mean 1808.

[John]

Got to start somewhere.

[Lord Humungus]

1708 would be better still.

[Ted S.]

In Johnny Longtorso's honor:

Andrew Gold, writer of "Golden Girls" theme dies.

Some of you might remember Gold better for the Top 10 hit Lonely Boy.

[Cytotoxic]

Surprised there is no mention of Peru's election.

Bad news: choice is between potentially authoritarian pseudo-right winger and moderate (?) leftist. Worse news: Lefty wins. Ameliorating news: lefty may be genuinely moderate. He has refused to join Chavez's ALBA and is advised by his son who is a...libertarian economist.

[Cytotoxic]

This is interesting: Palestinian refugees try to storm Syrian HQ of PFLP-GC; get shot. I'm sure the coming outrage from the UN will be commensurate to the outrage Israel would get for this. /sarc

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43313513