Reason Morning Links: Arab Fall Not as Good as Arab Spring, Obama Still Wall Street's Favorite Pol, DOJ Uses Secret Order to Go After Wikileaks Volunteer

• According to the Sunlight Foundation, President Obama "has received more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the past 20 years." Take note, Occupy Wall Street.
• What do the supporters of Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Chris Christie all have in common? They hate Mitt Romney. 
• Despite Rick Perry's claim that the border has never been more dangerous, former First Lady Laura Bush plans to visit El Paso, Texas, this week. "I feel safe because I've never ever not felt safe in El Paso."
• WSJ: "The U.S. government has obtained a controversial type of secret court order to force Google Inc. and small Internet provider Sonic.net Inc. to turn over information from the email accounts of WikiLeaks volunteer Jacob Appelbaum."
• Twenty-five Egyptian protesters, many of them Copts, were killed Sunday by the Egyptian military. 
• Did you notice that the NYT failed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Afghanistan War? Well, HuffPo's David Wood spent some time at Walter Reed talking to the people that the media has been ignoring. Such as Tyler Southern, who lost both legs, his right arm, and the functionality of his left arm, to an IED. 

New at Reason.tv: "Remy's Occupy Wall Street Protest Song"

Comments

[Lord Humungus]

Recession Officially Over; US Incomes Kept Falling
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44840144

Between June 2009, when the recession officially ended, and June 2011, inflation-adjusted median household income fell 6.7 percent, to $49,909, according to a study by two former Census Bureau officials. During the recession ? from December 2007 to June 2009 ? household income fell 3.2 percent.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

You mean a 12% deficit spending rate to keep a 1-2% GDP rate isn't having any effect on household income growth? Amazing!

[SugarFree]

So... what exactly is going on in that lower left hand panel? Are those policemen having some sort of explosive anal intercourse?

[Groovus Maximus]

It's a flashbang.

[Lord Humungus]

TARP After Three Years: It Made Things Worse, Not Better
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ri.....ot-better/

The $700 billion "Troubled Asset Relief Program" (TARP) was enacted in Washington three years ago this week, and while most economists, policymakers and journalists still believe it made things better ("helping us avoid a second Great Depression," they like to say), in fact it made things much worse ? and today we're still suffering from its bearish effects. As just one example, a similar scheme, modeled on TARP ? the "European Financial Stability Facility" (EFSF) ? is being adopted abroad, further undermining bank stocks.

[Fatty Bolger]

Good find, thanks.

[DJF]

""""Despite Rick Perry's claim that the border has never been more dangerous, former First Lady Laura Bush plans to visit El Paso, Texas, this week. "I feel safe because I've never ever not felt safe in El Paso."""'

You do realize that Laura Bush has 24 hour Secret Service protection and so probably feels safe no matter where she goes.

[SIV]

You don't see her going anywhere near the frozen land of maple syrup-swilling seal clubbers do you?

[Spoonman.]

Remember Radley Balko's article about border cities (more precisely, cities with lots of Hispanic immigrants) being safer than normal ones in the US? Don't think that's changed.

And, I don't think the border's been avoiding the downward trend in violence across the country.

[Neu Mejican]

El Paso had like 7 or 8 murders last year. 1 in 100,000 ain't bad odds.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_19067901

[Brett L]

However, the Greyhound terminal there could have been used as the Mos Eisley scene in Star Wars.

[Jersey Patriot]

In fairness, that's every Greyhound terminal everywhere.

[T]

More oozing untreated sores per square foot than anywhere else in the land.

[Gimlet]

I respectfully beg to differ:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/d.....ict-876542

[John]

That is what they say. But a lot of crime in immigrant areas go unreported. If you talk to the people at EPIC (El Paso Intelligence Center) they will tell you El Paso and the border in general is a lot more statistics let on. There is a lot kidnapping and extortion and murder goes on that the police never hear about.

[Cytotoxic]

We want evidence not hearsay.

[Invisible Finger]

But a lot of crime in immigrant areas go unreported.

The first lady won't be going to immigrant areas so she has nothing to fear.

[Isaac Bartram]

It's my understanding that El Paso has had a reputation low crime rate for years.

[Isaac Bartram]

There are even theories about it being due to something in the drinking water.

Though, I guess that would have to mean that Juarez gets its water from some other source.

[Lord Humungus]

Values Voter straw poll organizers suggest a fix in Ron Paul's win
http://m.cbsnews.com/blogsfull.....i5cPunlf1w**?catid=20117696&feed_id=71&videofeed=null

Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, speaks at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, Oct. 8, 2011.
(Credit: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Rep. Ron Paul scored a decisive victory Saturday in a mock presidential election at the Values Voter Summit, trouncing fellow Texan, Gov. Rick Perry, but an organizer of the straw poll suggested ballot-stuffing may have skewed the results.

[Lord Humungus]

argh... I'll try a little html here

Better Link

[Lord Humungus]

Fast & Furious: Holder hits bottom - keeps digging
http://www.americanthinker.com.....gging.html

Yesterday, in a 5-page letter addressed to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the nation's top law official played the victim blaming Republicans, the press and lax gun control laws for the "flawed response to a serious problem." With no mention of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata or 200 dead Mexican citizens, Holder continued on the same track as Congressman Weiner. More concerned about avoiding trouble than taking responsibility for his questionable actions, Holder went on the offensive attacking the messengers.

[Kathleen Sebelius]

I cannot sit idly by as a Majority Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform suggests, as happened this week that law enforcement and government employees who devote their lives to protecting our citizens be considered "accessories to murder."

We will not sit idly by as the Attorney General swipes our style.

[Chatroom Crank]

Hmmm I thought "law enforcement" = "government employees"

Of course neither makes it a priority to protect citizens.
This is one case where charging all members of the conspiracy with first degree murder would be filled with lulz.

[Rich]

"Until we move beyond the current political climate -- where real solutions take a back seat to both political posturing and making headlines on cable news programs, and is deemed more important than actually solving our country's difficult challenges -- nothing is going to change."

I'm glad to see that Mr. Holder is on board with the investigation.

[MNG]

LEAVE HOLDER ALONE!!11!!

[Gimlet]

"Holder continued on the same track as Congressman Weiner."

The technical term is "pulling a weiner".

[Joe M]

That's amazing. It completely gives away the game, namely, that they were trying to make score political points on gun control laws with the operation. But the audacity of still trying to go after that talking point when you've been completely busted on it is astounding.

[Joe M]

Oh and this:

I have no recollection of knowing about Fast and Furious or of hearing its name prior to the public controversy about it.
Prior to early 2011, I certainly never knew about the tactics employed in the operation.

...was already shown to be untrue last week. Doesn't he keep up with the news?

[Lord Humungus]

Qwikster Is Gonester: Netflix Kills Its DVD-Only Business Before Launch
http://allthingsd.com/20111010.....re-launch/

While Netflix had to use some strained logic to explain its decision last month, this one is straightforward: It's not going to force customers to use two different services to rent DVDs and streaming video, because customers hated that idea.

Wall Street didn't like it, either. After Netflix unveiled its Qwikster plans, its stock, which had been tumbling since July, fell another 25 percent ? from $155 on September 16 to $117 last Friday.

So presumably today's announcement will appease at least some disgruntled customers and/or investors.

But not all of them: Netflix still hasn't changed the pricing plans it announced this summer, which amount to a 60 percent price hike for about half of its customer base. And that price hike is what kicked off the company's tumble from a peak of $300 a share.

[Fatty Bolger]

I don't think they have any choice about raising the price. Streaming content prices are going to go up, and there is little they can do about it. Splitting the websites was an idiotic idea, though - good to see that they realized it before it was too late.

[Lord Humungus]

I rarely used the streaming video option (I only recently got a faster speed than my old DSL), but it was good for watching National Geographic specials or some releases that weren't available on DVD.

[Warty]

LEWPWND

We all know that Reason Magazine is anti libertarian.

[Mr Whipple]

KOCHTOPUS

[Fist of Etiquette]

Did Mangu-Ward get fired for her anti libertarian act? Of course not. But everyone knows about this act of treason against the free society.

She's a modern day Squeaky Fromme.

[SugarFree]

click, click, click

[Gimlet]

She was fired? When?

[SIV]

He's right on Poole. Transportation planners are the enemy, never forget.

[Zeb]

So what is he saying? All true libertarians (or at least all who work for Reason) must pretend that Ron Paul is a shoe in for the Presidency and are only allowed to address one of many reasons why government supported rail is a bad idea?

[Citizen Nothing]

It probably all goes back to the Confederacy. It always does.

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Ha ha, Cruncher Block is a bit off-base here.

[Proprietrist]

It's an act of "treason" to admit it's highly unlikely Ron Paul will be president come 2013? And then they wonder why most people, including many libertarians, think Paulistas are nuts blinded by fawning affection.

Seriously, isn't it contradictory for radical libertarians at Lew Rockwell to have undying faith in a politician? Especially considering Paul's libertarianism stops at the Federal level?

[Citizen Nothing]

...instead, he discusses such things as costs, population density, competition from air and automobile traffic, taxes, etc...

NO!
NO! NO! FUCK NO! Poole, you statist motherfucker, now you've gone too far!!!

[Dekedin]

It seems like the LR folk can't actually understand that a lot of people don't want freedom fro freedom's sake. Yelling that the free market always trumps government isn't going to convince a lot of people. But he does not do so on the ground that the state should leave all such decisions to the private market.
That's not an effective argument to regular people. Bureaucrats and pols want proof that high-speed rail would be ineffective, not lectures on libertarian theory.

[Proprietrist]

The Lew Rockwell Plan For Political Success

1.) Purge incrementalists, cosmotarians and other non-true believers from the libertarian compound.

2.) Expunge all utilitarian arguments that might reinforce the value of libertarian ethics from every debate with non-libertarians.

3.) ???

4.) Ron Paul leads a newly enlightened America to Libertopia.

[Bee Tagger]

4.) Ron Paul leads a newly enlightened America to Libertopia.

Who consistently fails their an-cap purity tests.

[Mr Whipple]

Good point. RP is more of a Constitutional libertarian than an anarcho-libertarian.

But I guess they are trying to say is, "if we deontological anarchos can support RP, then you Koch-funded Consequentialists sure-as-shit can.

[Citizen Nothing]

Speaking of cults...

[Mr Whipple]

Seriously, doesn't Block have anything better to do than to attack the one, token, semi-good-looking female in all of Libertopia?

[Warty]

WOMEN ARE OBJECTIVELY ANTI-LIFE

[SugarFree]

I thought women were intrinsically patriarchal.

[Proprietrist]

So now Kerry Howley's on the outside looking in?

[The Art-P.O.G.]

Yup. She probably got tired of the Libertarian Male Gaze.

That, and she went to grad school.

[T]

We need a pic of Lucy S. before we can make that judgement. And that's probably why we'll never get one.

[Groovus Maximus]

No, we don't. The name "Lucy" says it all. I've never known an unattractive Lucy, and I'm extremely partial to the name.

That is all.

[Trespassers W]

Lucy Pinder. If you like that sort.

[Zeb]

http://reason.com/assets/mc/dp.....erwald.jpg

[kilroy]

Look! Isn't that a Scotsman?!

[True Scotsman]

Not really, no.

[Jersey Patriot]

Just to make sure KMW is libertarian enough, she should endlessly repeat her nostalgia for a brutal paternalistic apartheid regime.

[Cytotoxic]

Lew Rockwell: demonstrating that even libertarians can go "full retard".

[Fist of Etiquette]

Take note, Occupy Wall Street.

They will not.

[Rich]

Occupy "Occupy Wall Street"!

[Groovus Maximus]

Not without a distemper booster first, and a good worming might be in order afterwards.

[Rick Perry]

And don't forget the HPV shots!

[Michelle Bachmann]

They've already had HPV vaccines, that's why they're retarded.

[Eric Cantor]

They're retarded, that's why they're occupying Wall Street.

[Rahm Emanuel]

That's fucking retarded!

[Occupy Chicago]

We rest our case, and our asses.

[Jersey Patriot]

I walked around Occupy Philly twice already. I saw exactly one pro-Obama sign in two trips. If OWS is Obama's populist election campaign, they're hiding it pretty well so far.

[Zeb]

I think it may actually be that some on the left have grown enough balls to criticize their guy. Of course they still have no coherent message. And they will still vote to reelect Obama.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"I feel safe because I've never ever not felt safe in El Paso."

And it's just getting safer, what with the increased Secret Service presence.

[o2]

Walk this way! Yiddish sign orders women to move over
By Aaron Short
The Brooklyn Paper

Why did the Orthodox Jewish woman cross the road? Because a Yiddish sign ordered her.

A bold new religious decree was bolted to street trees this week that orders women to move to the side when a man is walking towards her on the sidewalk.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/s.....14_bk.html
_
hasidic shria law coming to a town near you !

[jtuf]

From the linked blog post:

The signs do not indicate their author, but sources said that they are part of a campaign by a rabbinical group that has printed other "modesty" decrees, including one in June demanding that women not wear tank tops.

Many Hasidic women ignored that fashion advice ? but the pedestrian etiquette warning appears to have more weight.

This week, women on Bedford and Lee Avenue could be seen allowing men to pass on several occasions.

"Sometimes a gentle reminder is needed to keep the neighborhood the way it should be and that Jewish values are supposed to be followed," said one Hasidic woman, who declined to give her name.

So some folks put up two types of signs, and half of them were ignored even by the Hasidic women. That's the great thing about a voluntary cultural norm, people are free to advocate them or ignore them as they choose. The blog post had a picture of the sign, so I translated it with Google translate. According to Google translate, the sign read:

Precious Jewish daughters
Please Wreaked you and a side when a man comes forward

Google translate has a small error rate. It translated Resh, Yud, Kaf, Tet as "wreaked" which doesn't make sense. Resh, Yud, Kaf Tet is pronounced Reyket in Yiddish. I think Google translate just picked the closest sounding English word for that one. Anyway, the sign is hardly intimidating. Compare that to Islamic-sharia that is forcing Dutch homosexuals to cross the country.

http://www.libertarianrepublic.....ainst.html

From that post:

The recent case of a homosexual couple who were forced to move from their house in The Hague after being harassed for years by immigrant-community children, received wide publicity.

Mr Krol tells De Telegraaf that there are similar examples of gay couples being forced out of homes in Utrecht and Amsterdam. He gives examples of harassment, such as "shit through the letterbox, pornographic pictures in the front garden or 'homo' scratched on car paintwork".

Judging from the reports made on the first day of the helpline's operation, it appears that homosexuals throughout the Netherlands are being verbally abused and having their lives made a misery, according to De Telegraaf. There are also reports of physical abuse.

[o2]

religious extremists have moar in common w each other than the general population whether in the NL or NYC....or r u unaware of the extremist settlers who even fought their own police?...when they weren't busy attacking palestianians acourse.

[jtuf]

O2, now you get to the crux of your anger. You equate a sign with violence, because you're irked by religion. You should learn that actions matter more than symbolic beliefs.

You bring up the conflict of Israel, because you see it as a trump card. Having the "anti-Zionist" card in you pockets made you more confident in your denouncement of Haridi Americans. Folks like you exemplify the like between "anti-Zionism" and religious intolerance. Poke an anti-Zionist, and he reveals his bigotry.

[Gomer Pyle]

Obama "has received more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the past 20 years."

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

[Post-Coital Rat]

Oh no! I think I'm a colluder in The Patriarchy, too. Does that mean that the blue pill is a boner pill?

[Lord Humungus]

Regarding OWS: This is making the rounds in FB
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4.....iggovt.png

[Zeb]

And how many think it sounds like a sensible policy idea and completely miss the extreme irony of it?

[Lord Humungus]

*cough*Tony*cough*

[P Brooks]

I suspect Laura Bush never felt Washington, DC was a dangerous place, either.

[Bee Tagger]

What do the supporters of Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Chris Christie people all have in common? They hate Mitt Romney.

[Mike M.]

Did Steve Jobs hate the state?

There are clues that he just may have.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Wenzel should not lay claim to Jobs' corpse just yet.

[Zeb]

I hear Steve Jobs died. Did anyone else hear anything about that?

[Apple Cultist]

No. He merely ascended to a higher plane of being.

[kilroy]

Those jokers on the Nobel committee do it again.

His methodology, developed in the 1970s, has been tremendously influential in subsequent decades among all flavors of economists. It helped lend credence to New Keynesianism, the theory that says that the economy can go into recession because there is not enough demand, and has been the basis of important papers by Ben S. Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, and Olivier Blanchard, the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund.

[Pro Libertate]

Surely you're not suggesting a political motive for the award? I mean, that's unpossible, isn't it?

[kilroy]

After they gave one to Obama I should be thankful they didn't hand it to "Bennie and the InkJets"* directly.

* Yeah, I stole this and I'll keep using it until there's a different loser behind the presses.

[Brett L]

Well, its tough to set objective criteria for "sciences" like that.

[NeonCat]

I guess it's a shame Nobel was Swedish and not Austrian?

[NotSure]

I don't know why so many people think there was an Arab spring ? All that has happened is that one dictator was replaced by a bunch of military dictators, the military obviously are trying to be less observed than Mubarak, but are still ruling with an iron fist.

[Pro Libertate]

Springtime for Hitler and Germany.
Deutschland is happy and gay.
We're marching to a faster pace,
Look out, here comes the master race.

Springtime for Hitler and Germany.
Winter for Poland and France.
Springtime for Hitler and Germany.
Come on, Germans, go into your dance.

[Zeb]

Don't forget Tunisia (though I'm not really sure what's happening there now). And they're still shooting people in Syria.

[jtuf]

The last report I read from Tunisia was several weeks ago in a regional news site. An annual Jewish festival there was cancelled because of the prospect of antisemitic violence. The new government in Libya recently went after a returning Libyan Jews who tried to clean up a synagogue there.

http://www.israelnationalnews......pMChN4r2so

[Mike M.]

"So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people - greedy, barbarous, and cruel, as you are."

-T.E. Lawrence

[Lost_In_Translation]

There was a reason the British were able to occupy the middle east for so long and it didn't have anything to do with overwhelming firepower.

[MG's, Artillery, Bolt rifles]

it didnt ?

[Lost_In_Translation]

Nope, the logistics were terrible. If not for the shieks and local warlords, they'd have constantly been trying to keep down rebellions. The arabs were only too accomodating to keep the locals and each other down to protect their own harems.

[Marshall Gill]

Whatever happens, we have got
The Maxim gun, and they have not

Yeah, the Arabs fighting each other was very important for the British but technology also played a pretty big part.

[Lost_In_Translation]

Technology has a way of being quickly adopted and stolen, traditions of disorganization and constant feuding are hard to overcome.

[sloopyinca]

When did Arabs invade Africa?

[jtuf]

Shortly after they invaded Israel, sloopyinca.

[Lost_In_Translation]

the sixth century I believe

[Pro Libertate]

Did Lawrence actually say that, or is that just a movie quote?

[jtuf]

The Coptic Christians in Egypt were protesting an Islamic terrorist attack on their church. Western media outlets choose to ignore the original attack. They didn't consider the clashes newsworthy until escalated into police shootings. Evil happens when good people are silent.

[Lord Humungus]

OT: It's a Big Pink kind of Monday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2jw-NcQ9s

[capitol l]

KRUGNUTS!

[Krugman's Kitty]

Wall Street's Masters of the Universe ... got rich by peddling complex financial schemes that, far from delivering clear benefits to the American people, helped push us into a crisis whose aftereffects continue to blight the lives of tens of millions

Meow.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I have to give credit where credit is due.

"The way to understand all of this is to realize that it's part of a broader syndrome, in which wealthy Americans who benefit hugely from a system rigged in their favor react with hysteria to anyone who points out just how rigged the system is."

"Yet they have paid no price. Their institutions were bailed out by taxpayers, with few strings attached. They continue to benefit from explicit and implicit federal guarantees ? basically, they're still in a game of heads they win, tails taxpayers lose."

Where he fails utterly is in his cowardice. Krugabe cannot and will not tolerate the government allowing bank failures and lenders being forced to eat their just desserts. He participates in the moral hazard by refusing the market an opportunity to take its course.

[Gimlet]

"Their institutions were bailed out by taxpayers"

And who pays the bulk of those taxes?

BTW, I oppose bailouts. Period.

[P Brooks]

As I have said, the fact that even a single gun was not interdicted in this operation and found a way to Mexico is unacceptable. Equally unacceptable however, is the fact that too many in Congress are opposed to any discussion of fixing loopholes in the laws that facilitate the staggering flow of guns each year across our border to the South.
-Eric Holder

"Loopholes" like BATF agents specifically instructing Americans to sell weapons when they knew those sales were suspicious (if not plainly illegal), in order to put traceable American weapons over the border?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Those loopholes had the noble aim of fixing the other loopholes.

[Rich]

It's loopholes all the way down.

[Groovus Maximus]

Good job, Brooks. Now you're sure to summon, as you affectionately say, the Marauding Nanny Goat.

[P Brooks]

Is Doctor Paul a libertarian?

[Attila the Huh]

Huh?

[DJF]

Since self professed libertarians can't even agree on what libertarianism is and spend lots of time attacking other self professed libertarians over various points of doctrine then the answer would be yes, no, maybe.

If you want to ask, Is Doctor Paul more libertarian then most other national politicians then I would answer yes, though I am sure that others will disagree

[Proprietrist]

I'd say Gary Johnson is comprehensively more libertarian (considering immigration and gay rights stances) but also more incrementalist/utilitarian on implementation. But yes, Paul's got to be in the top five, even though he's technically more of a Constitutional federalist than a straight libertarian.

[Jerry]

Occupy Sesame Street Gets Violent.

[Maxxx]

Justin Hoffman 3 hours 40 min ago

I love how Ron Paul supporters are part of the protests. That's funnier than Sesame st being assaulted.Ron Paul would want you exterminated and you cheer for him.Thats funny

What a dumb fuck.

[Lord Humungus]

Capitalism: The Hated Enemy of the Children of the West
http://theincendiaryinsight.bl.....en-of.html

It's time to stop demonizing an entity that we have already benefited immensely from. It's damn time for Millennials to stop taking the fashionable position of saying "capitalism does not work" when they are the inheritors of a capitalist empire. The Occupiers in, at last count, 147 cities nationwide, protest a system that has been overtaken by corporations that are already in bed with the government anyway. If they have a problem with wealth, they should aim their frustrations at a government that sucked away trillions in tax-payer money for sinfully corrupt banks. Capitalism is not the enemy here, excessive government control and regulations is.

[PIRS]

"What do the supporters of Donald Trump, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Chris Christie all have in common? They hate Mitt Romney. "

So do I and I am a Ron Paul supporter. Romney invented Obamacare - need more be said?

[Groovus Maximus]

And if you think Flopney will make any attempt to advocate repealing it, I have a deed to a certain bridge in which you might be interested.

[PIRS]

Exactly. Why would he repeal what he called a great accomplishment and he said in the hardcover version of his book (but not the paperback version) that we should do nationwide?

[Zeb]

What I want to know is who are the people who don't hate Romney? I mean, there are so many reasons for people of all political stripes to dislike him I have a hard time imagining the people who support him.

[PIRS]

+20

Voters who demand their candidates speak in vague terms about "national greatness"?

[Thomas Friedman]

Dalai Lama: China is built on lies, run by hypocrites...

http://www.reuters.com/article.....K720111008

NO WAY!

[Dumber Thomas Friedman]

This Dalai Lama character is a trouble-making rabble rouser, and should be sent to the Chinese re-education camps.

[WTF]

Dumber Thomas Friedman|

Oh, come on, is that even possible?

[Joe M]

Haven't you heard about the neutrinos?

[Clich? Bandit]

Yes, yes I have.

[R C Dean]

So, if the Chinese were to grease him, that would pretty much be OK with this administration under the Awlaki Rule?

[o2]

the lama-dude is not a chinese citizen

[Lord Humungus]

Arizona sheriffs blast gun-smuggling operation
http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-.....25527.html

The sheriffs called for the president to launch an independent investigation and for Attorney General Eric Holder to step down or be fired. They also said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' 2009 operation, known as "Fast and Furious," was a betrayal of state law enforcement.

[P Brooks]

a political motive for the award?

Confirmation bias, perhaps?

[P Brooks]

Arizona sheriffs blast gun-smuggling operation

Let me guess:

OFFICER SAFETEEZ!!!!!!

[Dekedin]

http://biggovernment.com/lmeye.....n-paradise

Here's a neat article. I've never been to Costa Rica so I can't comment, but it sounds like an inspiring place to visit.

[Brett L]

If by inspiring, you mean the country is beautiful, the people are friendly, the women are hot, the drinks are cheap, and gambling and prostitution are legal; then yes. However, be careful how you invest. While I was living there a bunch of American expats got taken in a ponzi scheme. But I guess this can happen anywhere.

[Groovus Maximus]

At least their participation in the scheme was voluntary.

Was Bernie Madoff in the vicinity at the time, by chance?

[Brett L]

Nah. Ticos are quite capable of running such a scam without help or instruction. Think of them as unsophisticated at your own peril.

[Groovus Maximus]

I was kidding Brett. Swindling others is as old as mankind; it's easier when the mark has a distorted and inflated opinion of his or her sophistication, or has a false sense of security of their surroundings.

[Brett L]

I know. Just clarifying for the general populace.

[Dekedin]

Thanks for the advice.

[kilroy]

While I was living there in the US a bunch of all American expats workers got taken in a ponzi scheme

[R C Dean]

While I was living there a bunch of American expats got taken in a ponzi scheme.

Well, yeah. As long as you are a US citizen, you are being taken in a ponzi scheme.

[Ice Nine]

Visit, maybe, but living there is not what it is cracked up to be. Costa Rica (and Central America in general) does draw a lot of anti-goverment extremist, conspiracy whack job and Libertarian dreamer ex-pats but they jump out of a pot into a different kind of fire. Costa Rica might be a paradise for them but old-timers there have been leaving in droves for the last five years because of three things:
1) burgeoning size of government,
2) burgeoning taxes and,
3) a quantum increase in personal and property crime (and guess who occupies a prominent position on the target list).

There are of course lots of nice things about CR but anyone who is contemplating moving there now is working from yesterday's news and really hasn't done his homework. (I just moved back to the States after living in Panama for five years - and spending a lot of time in Costa Rica. Knew lots of ex-pat refugees who had abandoned CR. I do know what I'm talking about.)

[Dekedin]

Hmmm, sounds like I need to take a field trip before I make any serious decisions. Do you know if it has anything to do with US influence, or is it just an isolated incident?

[R C Dean]

Dekedin, you absolutely need to make several trips to any country before you expat there.

I truly enjoyed my trip to Panama, which was a scouting trip. Wonderful people, weather, cost of living, etc. But, damn, those are still third world countries, and it was just too big a leap.

[Clich? Bandit]

CHILE CHILE CHILE!!! WOOT!

[kilroy]

a quantum increase in personal and property crime

I don't think that word means what you think it does.

[Ice Nine]

Quantum? Ah, but it does. I sense, however, that you are not familiar with the adjectival form of it.

[kilroy]

If you mean to imply very small so be it. Quantum has been popularly distorted by usages such as "quantum leap" when referring to large changes but it's meant it indicate the smallest amount necessary. As in the change of an electron quantum state.

[Ice Nine]

Ah yes, I remember that from when I was getting my minor in physics. As I suspected, you are fixating on the noun and are not familiar with the adjective.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quantum

[kilroy]

I suppose the adjective it the popular distortion I mentioned, though I had no idea it started in 1942. I'll update my lexicon accordingly and stop trying to correct people.

[Ice Nine]

Wouldn't worry about it; it's kinda fun sometimes.

[Cytotoxic]

I was just in CR a year ago and that article is a bit off. For one thing, there are TONS of cops and they have power to enforce asinine laws like having to have reflective vests and other emergency 'kit' in your car. Speeding fines are also devastating and the police get a lot in bribes. CR has NEVER been libertarian hell there are government run banks in places.

[Mr Whipple]

Who the fuck is this douchebag, Gary Andersen, over at Business Insider? I had to respond to his bullshit article.

Yes, you got us. Libertarians are closet racists. It is so perfectly obvious. We absolutely think the White race is superior to all of the other races. It is reflected in all of our writings, especially when we talk about "individual liberty". In fact, "individual liberty" is a secret code for "blacks are inferior". Libertarians would like nothing more than to completely enslave all blacks again. We need cheap labor to work in our factories. But really, it's not necessarily about race, because we would enslave anyone in our factories. We are particularly fond of little old ladies and children. They are very good workers and are extremely easy to control. They are cheap to maintain, as well.

You see, when we talk about limiting government power, what we are really saying we want the power for ourselves. It is extremely expensive to continually pay off all of these politicians to pass laws in our favor. We wish to "eliminate the middle man". When the government passes a sweeping regulatory Bill, it is really a Bill in our favor, because it crushes the small and weak competition who do not have the resources to comply. Without the government, we could simply send our private militias to these places of business and force them to shut down. No need for regulations. We can prevent smaller, more efficient and more innovative competition from ever entering the market a far lower cost.

I don't know what "we" libertarians are going to do now, now that we have been found out. I guess we'll have to become Leftist State Socialists and bow to the will of the people.

(I think I've been hanging around these Reason boards too much.)

and a follow up:

Middle ground? Worked for almost a century? That's a joke right? You are responding to my sarcasm with more sarcasm? Have you looked around, lately? Are you aware of what's going on in Europe, right now? The entire system is coming apart, and it's not because of libertarians. It is the result of failed central planning of the economy. Austrian economists have seen this coming for a a long time. But "we are all Keynesian, now", right?

To tell you the truth, I have no desire to attempt to reach any middle ground with someone who is intellectually dishonest. The comments above point out that the libertarian opposition to the CRA is on private property rights, not racism. We can argue about private property rights all you want, but to go off half-cocked and accuse us being racist is arrogant and extremely dishonest, when we have pointed out, time and time again, that we have a legitimate, valid argument against the CRA. Libertarians are the most anti-racist people I know. We despise racism and all that is associated with it. If you want to have a discussion, I suggest you stop grasping at straws to try to discredit and marginalize us. Otherwise, you are simply not worth the time.

http://www.businessinsider.com.....d329000036

[capitol l]

Jesus, I read the comments and that Anderson guy isn't even treading water. His response to every criticism is "your fancy-pants words don't mean anything because you're a racist!".

I like the latest craze of damming libertarianism by digging up some obscure writings by a random Austrian economist. Hell, one of the leading voices of progressivism in the 20th century was WJ Bryan and you don't see Ron Paul pointing out what a fuckstick that fuckstick was.

Not to mention that one could be a free-market libertarian based on NAP alone; not having ever read any Austrian economic philosophy.

Really, you shouldn't of wasted your time responding to that idiot, Whipple.

[jtuf]

Wilson was a Progressive president, and he resegregated the federal government.

[Mr. FIFY]

Fuck Gary Anderson.

[capitol l]

What do you have against the NFL's greatest place kicker?

[Ted S.]

Didn't Gary Anderson ruin the Minnesohhhhhhhta Vikings' 1998 season?

[Mike M.]

You're wasting your time attempting to engage these people in an honest and sincere debate of ideas. As you correctly noted, they're intellectually dishonest; they have no desire at all for a real debate that they can't win.

[R C Dean]

Mr. Whipple: nice post, but needs more monocle.

[Joe M]

That idiot attacked Ron Paul/libertarians a month or two ago and was absolutely shredded that time as well. He's a moron par excellence.

[emerson]

"Twenty-five Egyptian protesters, many of them Copts, were killed Sunday by the Egyptian military."

Further evidence of the War on Copts.

[waffles]

Egypt, not a beacon for freedom. Who could have guessed?

[TRAINS!]

Watchdog: Bicycle carried Minnesota couple coast to coast, but train line just gave them the runaround

In the summer of 2010, Doug White and his wife, Therese, of Shoreview took an Amtrak train to Seattle and rode their tandem bicycle from the Pacific Ocean back to St. Paul. This summer, the couple completed their tandem-cycle crossing of the country, setting out from Minnesota and reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Portland, Maine.

They returned from their trip by train, but a big mistake on Amtrak's part meant they were forced to leave the tandem bike behind.

The couple had made arrangements to leave from Boston specifically so they could bring their oversized bike as checked baggage, which cost only an extra $5, plus a couple of $15 bike boxes.

"I called six days prior to departure and received confirmation that they took tandems and they had plenty of boxes, which is one of their requirements for shipping," Doug White told the Watchdog. "We arrived at the station on July 26 and wheeled our bike up to the baggage dock, where we were met by a rude worker who said, 'We don't take tandems, and besides, we don't have any boxes.' "

When White insisted a supervisor be called, he agreed with the Whites that Amtrak takes tandems as checked baggage. But no one could come up with the necessary boxes. White asked whether friends could later send it from Boston on Amtrak Express Shipping, but he was told tandems couldn't be shipped as cargo. The Whites were forced to leave their Raleigh road tandem bicycle with a friend who had driven two hours to get them to the sation.
Customer service problems such as this are what have earned Amtrak headquarters an F rating from the Better Business Bureau, said Council of Better Business Bureaus spokeswoman Katherine Hutt.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_1.....ost_viewed

[Restoras]

Well, obviously the solution is more money.

[capitol l]

The beginning of the end of occupy wall street.

Sharpton has arrived.

[capitol l]

Sharpton has arrived. Shouldn't be too long now before these protests are over.

[PantsFan]

What should we do about our naked neighbor?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....le2191945/

[Leprechaun Fitzsimmons]

What should we do about our naked neighbor?

[PantsFan]

What should we do about our naked neighbor?

[Gimlet]

"
Enlarge this imageWhat should we do about our naked neighbour?
DAVID EDDIE | Columnist profile | E-mail
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Oct. 05, 2011 2:11PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Oct. 05, 2011 2:24PM EDT
354 comments Email Tweet Print Decrease text size
Increase text size The question

A young female neighbour recently installed a new bathroom window that seems to lack sufficient opaqueness. Our kitchen window looks directly into it, and it seems the window happens to be in the tub/shower. So every time she soaps up, voil?. We find ourselves having to close our blinds and avert our eyes most evenings."

What the hell is wrong with you???

[Lord Humungus]

Heh - at my old house - an older neighborhood - the houses were really close together. The next door neighbors sold the house to their daughter. She was uh, very loud during sex.

One time when I was painting the outside wall of our wooden house, she had her boyfriend over. I was up on a ladder, maybe only 10-15 feet away from them as they started going at it. They had a window fan on to 'cover up the noise', but I from where I was, I could hear everything. I was laughing so hard, I almost fell off the ladder.

[P Brooks]

What happens when the owners of Filthy Hippy Park in lower Manhattan start charging (market!!!!) rent?

[o2]

hipsters aint hippies

[Rhywun]

There are a lot of both there.

[P Brooks]

Wilson was a Progressive president

So Progressive, in fact, he felt it necessary to criminalize dissent.

Yay Progressivism!

[T]

Today's progressives lack only the will.

[PantsFan]

The phony 'consensus' on climate change

More than 31,000 scientists have signed a petition denying that human activity is responsible for major climate change. The petition, now under the auspices of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, asserts: "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of ... greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments."

http://www.heraldextra.com/new.....53a9b.html

[sloopyinca]

Sandi spotted in Fla!!!

STEVE SMITH still at large in Detroit (no link)!

[T]

Aren't we all serial defecators? I don't know anyone who's only done it once.

[Brett L]

Fucking Ocala.

[P Brooks]

WOMEN ARE OBJECTIVELY ANTI-LIFE

A couple of them have sucked the life right out of me (and not in the GOOD way).

[kilroy]

This is not an isolated incident.

[Pablo]

Im surprised no one has commented on the article about IED injuries. That was the saddest thing I have read in a while. Actually made me cry which happens very rarely.

The extreme measures taken to keep horrifically wounded and mutilated soldiers alive brings to mind the saying "Just because you can do something doesn't necessarily mean you should." It is heartbreaking to read about young people who are missing multiple limbs, cant move, have been castrated, and/or are so disfigured people stare or recoil in horror. No thank you, I'd rather be allowed to die. Are military personnel allowed/asked to sign a DNR statement before they go overseas?

[Groovus Maximus]

Are military personnel allowed/asked to sign a DNR statement before they go overseas?

Nope. They will fight like hell to keep you alive, whether you want to or not. DNR are only enforceable in civilian medical situations.

[R C Dean]

Keeping their metrics in line and avoiding bad publicity for deaths is more important than what the soldier wants.

[Groovus Maximus]

True RC, but military first responders are "spared" the field decision to withhold medical care, even in what could be considered a "merciful intervention".

This does have the benefit of preventing the commanding officer from arbitrarily deciding to terminate a battlefield casualty, even though the CO works with the unit surgeon in the handling of the soldier's personal medical information.

It stinks to high heaven for the reasons Pablo gave, but I can see where the potential for capricious medical decisions in the field could very easily be abused.

[Groovus Maximus]

Also keep in mind RC, and you know this well, DNR does not mean "Do Not Treat." Oh and Pablo, Advanced Directives are not recognized in the military either unless DC'd to a civilian hospital upon service DC.

The VA does, however, recognize DNRs, ADs, and durable POAs that are signed before military service is entered, but most young people and even married couples fail to plan for this before entering the military.

[Pablo]

Thanks for the clarification. I wonder how many soldiers make pacts with their buddies regarding this.

[o2]

quality of death is an important part in quality of life.

[kilroy]

The Gary Johnson Rule, Remixed

[Joe M]

Wow the last one is ridiculous. What a crazy coincidence that Johnson just missed the threshold.

[Mike Laursen]

Sonic.net started out as a little neighborhood ISP in Santa Rosa, CA and has steadily grown based on founder, Dane Jasper's, dedication to technical competence and customer service. Recently, they have become outspoken defenders of Internet privacy. And have won a big contract with Google.

I've been a loyal customer for years now.

I hope Google and Sonic.net decide to "not do evil" and fight this thing.

[Lord Humungus]

hmmm... the least posts I've ever seen on a Morning Links. You people got a life or something?

[Tone Def]

Twenty-five Egyptian protesters, many of them Copts, were killed Sunday by the Egyptian military.

Where is dunphy to decry this War on Copts?