A.M. Links: Unemployment Falls to 8.2 Percent, EPA Approves More Corporate Welfare for Ethanol Makers, Marine to Be Discharged for Criticizing Obama

• "The country's employers added 120,000 jobs in March as the unemployment rate fell to 8.2 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday."

• If you thought E10 was a waste of money (and hell on your car's internals), wait until you try E15.
• Key Democrats aren't donating to Barack Obama's super PAC. 
• Who will be the Republican vice presidential nominee?
• Marine who criticized Obama likely to be discharged (not honorably) after nine years of service. 
• Author of "Three Cups of Tea" to give $1 million back to the charity he scammed.

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New at Reason.tv: "What We Saw at the San Francisco Marijuana Rally"

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Author of "Three Cups of Tea" to give $1 million back to the charity he scammed.

While 2 girls 1 cup continue to walk around scot-free.

[Groovus Maximus]

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Troy]

I don't understand that shit.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

You don't want to

[sarcasmic]

Lisa Robin Kelly (Forman's big sister on That 70s Show) is NOT still hot.

(John would fuck her though)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....rrest.html

[Groovus Maximus]

I already saw the photo: It's a cure for priapism.

[Troy]

Sure as fuck better than a knife or a needle to Mr. Happy.

[sarcasmic]

This dumb Southerner decides he doesn't want anymore kids, so he goes to his doctor and says "Doc, I don't want anymore kids."
Doc says "Just take an M-80, light it, put it in a cup, and count to ten."
Our dumb Southerner thinks this is weird advice, so he goes to a Yankee doctor.
He says "Yankee doctor, I don't want anymore kids."
Yankee doctor starts explaining how a vasectomy works, and our dumb Southerner asks "Wait a minute. You're gonna be using a knife on Mr Happy? My doctor back home said all I have to do is take an M-80, light it, put it in a cup, and count to ten."
Yankee doctor asks "Where you from, son?"
Southerner says "West Virginia."
Yankee doctor says "Go back to West Virginia and buy an M-80".
So he does.
He takes the M-80, lights it, puts it in a cup, counts "One, two, three, four, five... oh shit" tucks the cup between his legs to free the fingers of his other hand "six, seven..."

[Groovus Maximus]

*rimshot*

It was better when Carlos Mencia stole it.

[fried wylie]

It was better when Carlos Mencia

that statement never evaluates as True.

[Alack]

What about if Mencia offed himself while claiming to be a worthless hack? I can imagine, under those circumstances, it being true that it was better when he did it.

To be sure we'll have to see it in action, of course. Empiricism demands it.

[fried wylie]

fuck, seems I hadn't considered every possible input.

[sarcasmic]

Thieving cops ordered to return $12K tip!

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

[db]

Good for her. Now she needs to watch her back.

[Troy]

Yeah, but she probably had to spend 1/2 of it on fucking lawyers to compel the fucking pigs to give it back.

[Troy]

Yeah, but she probably had to spend 1/2 of it on fucking lawyers to compel the fucking pigs to give it back.

[sarcasmic]

Six grand is still six grand. Well, no. More like three and a half after taxes.
Still, three and a half grand is still three and a half grand.

[Randian]

"ordered"? I didn't see that.

[sarcasmic]

I assume a judge was involved. I may be wrong.

[Randian]

They filed suit and the police backtracked on their story. Which, IMO, makes it even worse: they didn't even bother to challenge her when she called them on their BS.

[sarcasmic]

Take it for granted that cops lie about everything with impunity and your life will by less frustrating.

[Groovus Maximus]

Admittedly, it does streamline the process.

[Loki]

How long until here about Stacy Knutson and her family being the victims of a "wrong door" drug raid?

[Loki]

*we here.

Can't type worth shit today.

[R C Dean]

Apparently not. "we hear", perhaps?

[fried wylie]

*he're

[Bardas Phocas]

... and dogs will die.

[Lord Humungus]

MPAA Chief Dodd Hints At Talks To Revive SOPA
http://tech.slashdot.org/story.....evive-sopa

"Christopher Dodd, the former Connecticut senator who now leads the MPAA, hasn't given up on his dream of censoring the Internet. In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, he said that Hollywood and the technology industry 'need to come to an understanding' about new copyright legislation. Dodd said that there were 'conversations going on now,' about SOPA-style legislation, but that he was 'not going to go into more detail because obviously if I do, it becomes counterproductive.' Asked whether the White House's decision to oppose SOPA had created tensions with Hollywood, Dodd insisted that he was 'not going to revisit the events of last winter,' but said he hoped the president would use his 'good relationships' with both Hollywood and the technology industry to broker a deal."

[wareagle]

this is either bad writing or Dodd is truly delusional. There is a quantum leap between censoring the Internet and addressing copyrights.

[DA]

If the end result of SOPA is censorship of the internet, then I don't see how it is bad writing.

[Bee Tagger]

many major Democratic donors still have not given to such political groups because they are dismayed by how PACs are being used in the presidential campaign.

When your candidate is the sitting President and has the most money for the upcoming election despite not officially entering campaign mode yet, it sure gives you freedom to have principles.

[sarcasmic]

Gun sales booming. Is it fear of Obama being reelected or fear of a zombie apocalypse (is there a difference?).

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

[Fist of Etiquette]

Combined with the preppers is the growth in popularity of Zombie shows such as 'The Walking Dead' which has led firearms manufacturers to produce themed guns and bullets.

I admit, a few weeks ago I went to Dunham's to buy a box or two of ammo for plinking around, but the guy had megaboxes of ammo on sale. I remember thinking, extra ammo wouldn't be bad to have when the zombies come. I honestly had that thought.

[sarcasmic]

When is Walking Dead coming back?

[SugarFree]

They are supposedly just now starting on writing the 3rd season, last I heard.

[sarcasmic]

I'm not going to miss Shane, though it is a shame Dale had to die.

[invisible furry hand]

+1. Never understand why Darryl doesn't recover and reuse his arrows, or why they don't make more crossbows, as ammo will be running out - any explanation?

[SugarFree]

You often see Darryl recover his arrows, but he never had that many to start with, which is why he has been making them.

[invisible furry hand]

do you? I'll have to rewatch, but he didn't in the last two, which is when I became a little obsessed with this issue

[Randian]

He did it in all the other ones. The horde explains why he didn't in the last one, and I think it probably got a little tiresome showing it every time. It's pretty much implied (to me) at this point unless it is physically impossible.

[I, Kahn OClast]

I was under the impression that Darryl often recovered his arrows but in the season finale he could not due to the overwhelming horde. While I think they could make more bows, crossbows might be on the complicated side for them to make from scratch. What they should do is raid a sporting goods store for both bows and and crossbows and load up on arrows. Then they could market the show to the Hunger Games crowd.

[Randian]

If they hadn't hosed up the character of Dale so badly as compared to TWD The Comic, I would agree with you. As it is, the show made Dale look like a total idiot.

[JW]

As it is, the show made Dale look like a total idiot.

This. I haven't read the books yet (the compendium is on its way as I write this), but I cheered when Dale was killed. What a festering gob of self-righteous drudgery that character was.

Shane was tiresome as well. Still, looking forward to season 3.

[Ice Nine]

Shane was tiresome as well.

Yep. He was just an excitable boy. He was also the only one of the bunch with a scintilla of sense.

[JW]

He was just an excitable boy. He was also the only one of the bunch with a scintilla of sense.

Nah, he was a hayseed with a hard-on. Every. Fucking. Episode.

I am fully on board with the Ricktatorship.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I disagree on Dale. I liked his character. Therefore, you are wrong.

[Kaptious Kristen]

My ideal season opener would be Carl getting killed, re-animating, eating Lori, then Darryl shoots both of them in the head.

[Randian]

Carl's a tough character to crack when it comes to television. He says the sorts of things Comic Carl says, but the problem is that he is a kid. When I read Carl's lines, I don't read them as a whiny kid - they're just sort of neutral and fine. The problem with the show is that a child's delivery of serious lines is almost always going to sound whiny and ridiculous.

[JW]

My ideal season opener would be Carl getting killed, re-animating, eating Lori, then Darryl shoots both of them in the head.

I approve of this plot change.

[DA]

If only Carl stayed in the fucking house.

[Proprietist]

Thanks for the SPOILER ALERT guys. I'm only in the middle of watching it.

[Randian]

You're really not missing much in the way of dramatic tension.

[Ice Nine]

Gee, who could have guessed that four pages down a Walking Dead thread there would be a discussion of what happened in The Walking Dead?

[Proprietist]

I was responding to the fourth post about it which spoiled the ending of S2 with no warning.

[Resto Druid FTW]

You're on heroin Sarc. You actually miss that sanctimonious little shit Dale? Fuck him and his pathetic clinging onto a society that no longer exsisted. /end rant. However, I agree that I will not miss Shane either.

[Ice Nine]

It's shark-jumping time. They are going to hole up in that prison and it will become Dawn of the Dead II.

[Tim]

The show doesn't jump the shark until they have a baby.

[sarcasmic]

Lori is pregnant. Though she better put on a few pounds if she hopes to carry the kid to term. Otherwise it will die, reanimate, and eat its way out.

[Ice Nine]

Incidentally, the gang of guys that the kid that Shane killed belonged to will be led by Darryl's one-handed brother. They will attack the group. They will try to carry-off Carol and Darryl will face the huge dilemma of losing Carol to an ugly fate or, in the process of defending her, killing his brother. Bro gets one of Darryl's crossbow bolts.

[Randian]

Which means T-Dog will finally die a valiant death, thus giving the character a purpose he completely lacks.

[Ice Nine]

His purpose is to be Black.

[JW]

Carry off Carol? Bye boys! Enjoy your prize!

They really need to come up with characters who annoy the living fuck out you less and give a shit about more.

[invisible furry hand]

Isn't this a weird sort of realism? A random bunch of survivors is pretty likely going to prove hell really is other people. The agony of the situation in TWD is that, asshole or no, you will make an effort to save them, because the alternative is worse for most people. That, and there's no Hit & Run or toilet paper

[Randian]

Yes, the issue is that the show is almost too realistic. The complaints that the characters aren't consistent? Well, that would probably be how people wind up in a post-apocalyptic world - jumping at shadows and doing things that make sense in their own minds, but not to us the omniscient viewer.

[Ice Nine]

Enjoy your prize!

I suspect that they would; they live in a tang-less world. The ol' desert island principle kicks in pretty fast.

Your last point is spot on. They can't kill those dicks off fast enough for me.

[JW]

They can't kill those dicks off fast enough for me.

If they can stop playing "Stay in the fucking house, Carl!" long enough to kill off everyone but Rick, Daryll, Glenn, Maggie, Hershel and *maybe* Andrea, it could be much more tolerable.

T-Dog is just a menu item at this point, waiting to be ordered.

[sarcasmic]

I thought the black guy was always the first one to die.

What's up with that?

[Ice Nine]

Really? Hershel, Rick and Maggie are hovering near the top of my eat-them-soon-please list. And if Glenn doesn't grow a pair real quick he'll join them.

[JW]

Not Lori? I can leave off Carl, just because I have "don't kill kids" rule and my son is his age.

But, dear fucking Zod, Lori has become the less flaming Dr. Zachary Smith of the show.

[Ice Nine]

Absolutely Lori; she's at the top. I was just commenting on your list.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Latest version of "get in the house, Carl"

[Troy]

Ihave no idea about the validity of this meme, but apparently the DHS has purchased a lot of ammo. 450 million rounds is a lot of ammo. Well in my universe it is.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/after-hug.....ooths.html

[Obama Voter Zombie]

CHAAAAAAAAANNNNNNGEEEEE!!!!!!!!

YES WE CAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!!!

[Lord Humungus]

Poll: Trayvon case shows 'blacks, nonblacks' split
http://campaign2012.washington.....lit/467071

"The average black American has strong views on the case, perceiving that Zimmerman is guilty of a crime and that race has played a major factor in the case," Gallup reports in a survey of how "blacks [and] nonblacks" view the Martin case. "Nonblacks, by contrast, are much less likely to think Zimmerman is guilty and are substantially less likely to believe that race was a factor."

"It is clear that the case struck a highly responsive chord with blacks across the country," Gallup added "and that blacks' immediate judgments are that this represents still another example of a racially biased criminal justice system."

[John]

The media took a local case, lied about it and blew it up into a national story so that they could convince black people the country really is racist. I am sure they are so proud.

[WTF]

Nothing like a good race riot to take the focus off of Obama's record.

[Bardas Phocas]

Com'on. Let's go! Race War!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....SC-MiiFu_w

[Troy]

I am getting tired of all the crackers in NW Arkansas whining about the Mexicanization of Sprindale, Bentonville, and Rogers. The home of the Wal-Mart empire has changed a lot since I lived here in the Mid-80's when it like fucking all white people. Since then, there are 1/3 hispanics, stores with spanish signs, and a pretty substantial Indian population (I assume they are logistics and marketing wizards getting all that CRAP to you from China.)

You can spot that natives easily. They are these mousy, pallid, ball-cap wearing fucks. And teasing them about their camaflouge apparently crosses some sort of line. They whine about getting "White-man hours" and "free" health insurance. Oh,yeah, and the reason you can't get a job is that these beaners have the temerity to work two jobs.

[fried wylie]

the temerity to work two jobs

There should be a law against that sort of criminal thievery.

I'm not feeling creative enough to give the imagined bill a full, acronymed name. The nickname would be Obamajobs though. "One Person, One Job, One Nation" can be the tagline.

[Alack]

PROSPER Act: Protecting the Region's Outplaced Specialists and Promoting Economic Reform

[fried wylie]

Wow, Alack.

*80s Movie Slow Clap*

[Alack]

I have sort of a problem when it comes to backronyms...

[anon]

so YOU'RE the fucker coming up with all these names for pieces of legislation.

[invisible furry hand]

Seriously, WTF is it with US statute names? When did this bizarre acronym thing come in? Is it just Congress or do State legislatures do it too? It's really adolescent and cutesy, and surely only fools a few mouthbreathers.

[Alack]

It's really adolescent and cutesy, and surely only fools a few mouthbreathers.

Yeah but they're only trying to get the votes of their fellow mouthbreathers, so it's a totally rational approach.

[Groovus Maximus]

Not failure but aim low the crime.

[DA]

When your opponents vote against a bill, you get to run a media smear campaign against them that reads something like, "Senator Bob voted AGAINST the JOBS Act! Senator Bob doesn't want YOU to have a JOB!"

[A Secret Band of Robbers]

My wife subs in those towns, and always prefers to work in the hispanic schools. The worst students, surprisingly, are at the private schools.

[James Hatt]

the best part of the mexicanization in NWA is the food though. columbiamex (run by hispanics) in fayetteville blows mexico viejo (run by some white dudes) out of the water (you can also buy beer there on sunday to bring home)

[SugarFree]

PB&J Vodka

I think it sounds gross, but their next offering, Chicken Salad Gin, sounds delicious.

[Joe M]

Yawn. We crossed the rubicon with bacon vodka.

[sarcasmic]

Bacon bourbon is the bomb!

http://www.fieldandstream.com/.....ed-bourbon

A drip of real maple syrup in the bottom of a shot glass, toss it back, get the bourbon burn, the smoke from the bacon, and the sweet trickle of syrup at the end... YUM!

[Zeb]

I think I'd have to give that one a try, though.

[sarcasmic]

Do. It's really good.

[Alack]

I actually think that would taste pretty good. Bourbon with a nice stack of pancakes and bacon is a pretty great breakfast.

[The Assman]

Hell, Bourbon is a pretty great breakfast.

[fried wylie]

the pancakes and bacon are just garnish, you're not supposed to eat them, Silly.

[anon]

Blasphemy. Bacon is God's gift to food; not eating it is simply unpossible.

[R C Dean]

Damn, that sounds good. If the bourbon would be good without the bacon flavoring, of course.

[AlmightyJB]

Makers Mark 46 which is awesome if you haven't tried it already has a little background smokiness going on. I'd give this a shot. What the hell.

[Ska]

Basil Hayden seems like a good breakfast bourbon. Doesn't pack that 100+ proof punch, but it is silky smooth. Save the Bookers, Bakers and Blantons for lunch or later... 😉

[WTF]

Damn! You assholes are making me want Bourbon and it isn't even lunch time!

[Alack]

So what if it isn't lunch time?

[Troy]

I never got into the everything bacon meme. A thong made out of bacon would be cool though.

[R C Dean]

So . . . edible.

[Zeb]

I like liquor that tastes like liquor.

[Pro Libertate]

Yeah, bourbon-flavored bourbon.

[I, Kahn OClast]

Yes. But not bourbon that tastes like scotch which I had the misfortune of having the other day.

[Randian]

WTH kind of bourbon was that?

[Pro Libertate]

Scotch-flavored bourbon is an abomination.

[Zeb]

There's some pretty good scotch that taste's like Bourbon.

I'm more of a Scotch guy myself (though not at all exclusively), and I contend that there is no particular thing that scotch, generally speaking, tastes like. A heavily peated Islay is as different from a very clean Highland malt as it is from Bourbon.

[R C Dean]

Scotch in cooler weather.

Tequila in warmer weather. Although I've been trying some sotol lately - R C like.

Straight up, of course - no rocks. Although I've taken to adding just a wee drop of water to my Scotch this year.

[John]

fucking hipsters. Let me guess, it is considered ideal for drinking at kick ball games.

[SugarFree]

Only the co-ed games.

[Randian]

I had no idea kickball was the new hipster thing. Now it's roont for everybody.

[John]

It is in Washington. All of the hipsters working on the Hill living on daddy's money have kickball leagues that go on on the Mall.

[Loki]

I think hipsters are pretty much hell-bent on ruining everything from their childhood. It's probably some kind of weird self loathing compulsion they have. In an "ironic" way.

[John]

Maybe it is the result of helicopter parenting. They never got to do fun things when they were kids, so now they do childish things as a adults to make up for it.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Down on my end of the Mall, they're still playing rugby. But it's really swampy & muddy down here, which keeps the hipsters and their vintage-style Adidas away.

[fried wylie]

I think hipsters are pretty much hell-bent on ruining everything from their childhood.

"Up next, something something Nintendo something."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"

[R C Dean]

I think hipsters are pretty much hell-bent on ruining everything from their childhood.

Probably because most of them seem to be arrested development cases, who can't get past their childhood.

I really don't care to spare another brain cell on why this might be the case.

[Lord Humungus]

a few years ago, I went to a two or three kickball games. At first it was the aged punk rock crowd and involved lots of drinking and laughs. It was actually pretty fun.

[mr simple]

Oh, you kickball? Kickball is over. Nobody kickball anymore. It's over!

[mr simple]

reference

[mr simple]

reference

[mr simple]

Maybe it will work the third time:

Reference.

[kibby]

I love me some gin & could happily live on chicken salad for the rest of my years, but EWWWWWWWWWWW.

[Lord Humungus]

Canada abolishes long gun registry
http://volokh.com/2012/04/05/c.....-registry/

Yesterday the Canadian Senate voted 50-27 to abolish the long gun registry. Bill C-19 received unanimous support from Conservative Senators, and some support from Liberals. The bill had previously passed the House of Commons. It became the law of the land today, with the Royal Assent of Canada's Governor-General.

The bill does not change Canada's registration system for handguns, which has been in effect since the 1930s. Nor does it change the registration system for certain long guns which have been classified as "prohibited" or "restricted" weapons. Likewise unchanged is Canada's complicated and burdensome system for licensing gun owners, which was created by a Liberal government in the 1990s.

[Zeb]

Good for them. It's a small thing, but it is nice to see that gun control is not always a one way process.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Marine who criticized Obama likely to be discharged (not honorably) after nine years of service.

Nine years in the Corps means he should have known the consequences of talking smack about his commander-in-chief.

[WTF]

Lese Majeste - the King's foot soldiers dare not criticize the King.

[Randian]

Breach of contract. Maybe next time dipshit jarhead will listen to the JAG briefs he has to hear twice a year.

[wareagle]

it's not about a king, this POTUS or any other one. An odd thing about the armed forces is that you (voluntarily) give up certain things that most of the public takes for granted. Then again, I suspect many civilians who publicly trash their bosses would also face consequences.

[Groovus Maximus]

Then again, I suspect many civilians who publicly trash their bosses would also face consequences.

Yep, ask anyone who shot off their mouth WRT to their boss/employer on The FaceBook and it was confirmed.

[AlmightyJB]

I like the comments from one MajorRay1:

"This sgt should be dismissed outright for criticizing the President. Does anyone really believe that President Obama is worst than the Bushes? The Republicans wanted to blast their way through Lybia and get more Americans killed, Bush wasn't even looking for Bin Ladin. Why are the standards always higher for Blacks."

Every ignorant response possible rolled into one.

[Groovus Maximus]

I was not aware the US Marines allowed an army of strawmen to serve in the military.

[fried wylie]

they don't. the strawmen are officially under the command of the 81st airborne.

[Mr. FIFY]

I'm surprised there are that many Obama fans in the Marines.

[Lord Humungus]

is that MNG's outfit?

[kibby]

Where's Lybia?

[sarcasmic]

You can't turn an X into a Y!

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

[invisible furry hand]

Ain't got no problem with transexuality, so why am I creeped out by the pic of her with Babs Walter?

Also, who wins: Jenna or Samantha Brick?

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

Ain't got no problem with transexuality, so why am I creeped out by the pic of her with Babs Walter?

The bikini shots show there are some real artists out there, but closer up the face has that (carved on/space alien) look that a lot of plastic surgery victims end up with.

[invisible furry hand]

ahem...

[invisible furry hand]

I am trying to link to an amusing picture to illustrate your thesis, but it is being blocked as spam. I AM A REGISTERED USER, DAMN YOU!

[Groovus Maximus]

Also, who wins: Jenna or Samantha Brick?

IFH.

[invisible furry hand]

Oh, Doc...!

[WTF]

"That's a man, baby!"

[John]

Who are you kidding. You know you would fuck her. You might not want to, but you couldn't help yourself.

[sarcasmic]

You're projecting again.

[Randian]

We had a whole thread on this already, didn't we?

[John]

Admit it. She or he is your ideal woman.

[WTF]

I'll freely admit I would happily fuck 'her' if I didn't know 'she' was XY. However, knowing puts me into the 'no fucking way' zone.

[Proprietist]

As long as the hardware's anatomically correct, who cares? I really don't get why people would be creeped out by some invisible genes they can't see and are irrelevant to who she is.

After all, I'm sure many people who are made queasy by Jenna don't have a problem with breast augmentation, which isn't a natural reflection of that person's genes either.

[Groovus Maximus]

I really don't get why people would be creeped out by some invisible genes they can't see and are irrelevant to who she is.

In my arguments, I never once said I was creeped out. I made the argument challenging the veracity of the XY to XX claim.

Also, genotypes (so-called "invisible") are expressed outwardly (phenotypes) as well an internally and macroscopically.

[Mr. FIFY]

Yeah, we had a thread about this already, and I still prefer OEM to aftermarket parts, to use an auto-restoration analogy. Who would want a Duesenberg if it had a Pontiac engine?

As for the breast augment argument, as was sayeth on Seinfeld:

"If I can touch them... they're real."

[Groovus Maximus]

To add to this IFH posted a story the other day about two male siblings carrying on. The only thing that bothered me about the story was the incest. Yeah, I know they can't breed, so there are no issues of consanguinity, but incest?

Sorry, incest creeps me out.

[Mr. FIFY]

As it should, Groov. Though it did wonders for the Kennedy family.

Aww... too soon?

[invisible furry hand]

Hmm... incest creeps me out if I am contemplating my own family members, but between other consenting adults? Not quite as creeped out. And when it comes to adult identical twins, the idea of incest is (for me) less disturbing than the far more common phenomenon of merged identities. In fact, it seems a form of masturbation

[Groovus Maximus]

I get all that, consenting adults, none my biz, not affecting me personally, self-ownership and such. Merged identities are disturbing, agreed. I'm just not the type to watch the Doublemint Twins carry on, of either gender. Just the way I'm built.

If I had a choice of my twin or an IFH. Sorry, the Sheila is going to win every time.

[Joe M]

Isn't this a case of turning a Y into an X, though?

[sarcasmic]

whoops

[Lord Humungus]

Savings come slowly for hybrid, electric car owners
http://www.bizjournals.com/nas.....ybrid.html

Buyers who choose Nissan's all-electric Leaf ($28,421) over its approximate gas-powered equivalent, Nissan's Versa ($18,640), will likely wait nearly 9 years until they break even, according to a new report by The New York Times that examines the cost of fuel efficiency.

For drivers of the Chevrolet Volt ($31,767), the wait is even longer? 26.6 years.

[db]

Anyone with a copy of Excel and knowledge of present value analysis should know this. It's a shame that this is news. Good link though! My GF was buying a new car last year and settled on the TDI based on our analysis of payback times.

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

It's also good news that it's news. I can't even remember how many people have told me they're getting smaller/hybrid cars to save money on gas.

[John]

The other issue is maintenance. You buy a car like a Honda Civic because you want basic, reliable transportation. Those things run for 250,000 miles without a hitch until the engine burns out like a disposable lighter. All that hybrid equipment is just more shit to break down. It totally defeats the purpose of buying a small cheap car.

[db]

This is true. I would hope that the reliability and maintenance issues would get solved over successive generations of hybrid vehicles. It happened with IC-only cars. The difference is that with IC cars, the high end, rich customers paid the development costs that benefited all customers down the road. They paid these costs by the price reflecting the development costs to the manufacturer. Today, everybody pays through subsidies to car manufacturers, which is guaranteed to be less efficient.

[Alack]

To be fair, they WILL save money on gas; they'll just be losing out on the whole for cost of transportation.

[db]

I agree it's good that people are being exposed to this. I just wish more people had the training (this is high school level stuff, and we don't teach it in high school) to do good analyses on their own.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

NPV and ROI analyses are also handy for putting big money sports contracts in perspective. That being said, $2 Billion for the Dodgers was way overpriced.

[John]

But that doesn't include the present cost of smug.

[wareagle]

and can you really put a price tag on that warm feeling of self-righteousness at having done the right thing for Mother Gaia.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Like this lovely lady

[invisible furry hand]

FFS she's complaining about not getting fresh air or peace and quiet in a car park.

[Mr. FIFY]

Love this comment re: the bitchy Prius owner:

"all that money she's saved on gas? she seems to have spent on food"

[AlmightyJB]

Wow.

[JW]

Smug is the only sustainable resource for elec/hybrid drivers.

[Groovus Maximus]

Dare I say, smug is the new Fart-in-a-Jar?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Wait a minute, the NYT is using math? I thought math didn't have a significant enough emotional component to be worthy of use in one of their columns.

[AlmightyJB]

9 years is at least showing an improvement. I remember my wife wanting a Prius when they came out. Compared to the regular Toyota sub-compact it was something ridiculas, over 50 years payback, might have even been longer. That was a hybrid though.

[anon]

I don't think those cost calculations include maintenance.

Hybrid battery packs last about 5-7 years (like pretty much all batteries), and cost anywhere between 1500 and 5000.

[Lord Humungus]

It's come to this:

Germany set to tax young
http://www.smh.com.au/world/ge.....1wfh3.html

GERMANY is proposing to levy extra taxes on the young to pay for the costs of the country's growing numbers of old people, under government plans for a ''demographic reserve'' levy.

Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats have drafted proposals that, if law, would require all those over 25 to pay a proportion of their income to cushion Germany against a looming population crisis.

The German Chancellor's ruling party is seeking extra sources of revenue to pay for soaring pensions and bills for social care costs as Germany's ''baby boomer'' generation ages amid a decline in the birth rate.

[Longtorso]

Thus killing the Blue Social Model forever, by turning the next 2 generations against it.

[VG Zaytsev]

Do they call it an insurance mandate?

[gaijin]

Time for a 'Carousel' in Germany to reverse the flow of energy from old to young...or at least under-30s.

[robc]

Lets tax those who havent made any money yet, to pay for those who have made a ton of money over their lifetime.

Brilliant!

[#]

"Lets tax those who havent made any money yet, to pay for those who have made a ton of money over their lifetime."

You talking about social security?

[wareagle]

no, SS at least implies you getting back what you have put in. Trouble is, its business model dates back to a time when life expectancy was < retirement age. This one is basically the "proof the welfare state does not work but we'll tax you more anyway" tax.

[db]

I have a feeling the Germans might have a bit of a harder time convincing the young that they should sacrifice their retirements to make good on promises made to their elders by lionizing their "Greatest Generation."

[kibby]

This made my day. Thank you.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Excellent point.

[Lord Humungus]

Obama Regulations Hand a Strategic Mining Monopoly to?China
http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012.....-to-china/

It currently takes up to five times longer to get approval to mine for minerals here than it does in other countries, driving investment, production and jobs away from America. From the time a project request is submitted to the time a final ruling is made, a decade can slip by and paperwork as much as 6 feet high filed and reviewed ? repeatedly. Not surprisingly, when investors are ready to move on a project, they turn to countries that are ready to do business, rather than tackle the Byzantine regulatory review process here in the United States.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Long rumored as a Romney favorite, Rubio would carry the swing state of Florida, appeals to Hispanics and makes Tea Partiers and conservatives swoon in a way the former governor never could. But Rubio lacks experience, and Romney has indicated he'd prefer a governor.

...and certainly not someone more interesting than himself.

[Joe M]

That's a short list.

[Groovus Maximus]

But Rubio lacks experience, and Romney has indicated he'd prefer a governor.

Quick, someone grab a box of Twinkies! Crispy Christ Christie -- The Corpulent Jesus (TCJ) -- must be lured into this scheme! Flopney looks trim and fit, and is an LDS; TCJ is Catholic and is...stately. And both love the idea of State based HC and are totally copacetic with the expansion of Cronyism. Swoon, it's a match made in Heaven!

[John]

But would Christie's horrible record on guns cost more votes than he would gain from the fat obnoxious guy vote?

[Groovus Maximus]

He's got more than just shitty 2nd amendment views; however, the media loves this big ole teddy bear, and people still remember his verbally smacking around individual teachers, as apposed to calling out their union leaders. He is seen as moderate and fiscally conservative and tough on crime.

His direct, plain spoken, "fat obnoxious guy" Fred Flintstone everyman approach looms large.

[John]

It does. And conservatives love him even though he isn't nearly as conservative as they think he is.

His record is less of a problem than it should be. The Democrats spending the entire fall painting him as an evil Libertarian bent on throwing grandma out in the street, will prevent people from understanding how liberal he actually is.

[wareagle]

the only thing that makes Christie more appealing to conservatives than Romney is that the former is NOT a Mormon. Period. On substance, there is virtually no difference. But Gov Bluster has some stylistic appeal with the tough guy BS.

[mad libertarian guy]

The Democrats spending the entire fall painting him as an evil Libertarian bent on throwing grandma out in the street, will prevent people from understanding how liberal he actually is.

America, meet the status quo treatment for everyone who isn't a tax-n-spend card carrying member of Team BLUE.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It would probably depend on what kind of anti-gun lawmaking ability a VP has.

[R C Dean]

Is NJ in play? If not, Christie is a non-starter.

I've been pretty much assuming it would be Rubio. He just ticks too many boxes to say no to.

[Tim]

Is Rubio Hispanic, White-Hispanic, Hispanpic-White-Hispanic,...

[wareagle]

if you look at his voting record in the FL Leg, it is that of "okay with some parts of big govt hispanic".

[Lord Humungus]

"How Can I Forgive Him for Sexting other Women?"
http://dearwendy.com/your-turn.....her-women/

Recently, I came upon my husband using his phone and he was getting the text tone. When I asked him who was texting him, he became very evasive. I took the phone from him and made some unpleasant discoveries. Long story short, he has been having online flirtations and sexting with a number of girls from all over the country. This has been going on for almost eight months. None of the girls is local and he says he has never met any of them or even talked to any of them on the phone; it was all just typing back and forth. I've talked to a few of the girls and believe he's telling the truth about that.

[mr simple]

In a feature I call "Your Turn," in which you, the readers, get to answer the question, I'm presenting the following letter without commentary from me:

I wonder if she gets paid for this. It's a great way to keep the column going while she goes on vacation, not that this is a difficult column to put out.

[Lord Humungus]

In a feature I call "My chance to be a lazy-ass", I let you, the reader, write my column for me. Now where did that box of bon-bons go?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Relax. Most of those pen pals weren't even really girls.

[John]

^^This^^

[Tim]

Exactly.

[WTF]

I took the phone from him and ..

Dude never should have let her get away with that shit in the first place.

[anon]

Immediately upon seizure of my phone, I'd pack my shit and git.

If she's that suspicious of what I'm doing, fuck her.

[R C Dean]

I took the phone from him

He's obviously a beta male, prompting two questions:

(1) What are the chances he actually has the cojones to bang one of his sext-buddies?

(2) Why would she care if he did?

[Randian]

This Alpha/Beta pop sociology needs to die in a fire.

[AlmightyJB]

It's no doubt overused but it's certainly a valid concept.

[JW]

What was that, Gamma?

[Groovus Maximus]

I fear the Zeta. You know that has to be bad.

[anon]

By all accounts, you define his sexting as cheating on you (which I think is completely accurate, personally).

Sounds to me like the husband needs to leave his wife. What a cunt.

[gaijin]

The country's employers added 120,000 jobs in March as the unemployment rate fell to 8.2...

Labor participation rate is back to all time lows...if we can push the participation rate down to 0, unemployment rate will be 0 too. Recovery for all!

[R C Dean]

Yeah, the drop in the rate was the result of people giving up.

To break even with (what should be) new entrants to the workforce, we need to create something like 200,000 jobs a month, minimum. And that's net of exits from the workforce to death and retirement.

[Mike M.]

If you thought E10 was a waste of money (and hell on your car's internals), wait until you try E15.

God damn motherfucking EPA. Now we're all going to get even less mileage at the same time that we're headed for five bucks a gallon. I detest these loathsome bastards so much.

[gaijin]

What was that Obama said about unelected groups of people determining American's welbeing?

[Zeb]

It's not even so bad for a newish car. But for 2-cycle engines it's fucking terrible. I can't find real gas anywhere.

[Groovus Maximus]

You live in a state with harbors or lakes, Zeb? Real gas has to be sold there, since motorboats can't use these new fancy corn-blends.

Also, check out phone apps for stations that offer "real gas."

[Zeb]

Unfortunately, even on the lake, it is hard to find. I have a boat and it hasn't killed it yet, but I have to do some major overhaul this year, and I'm always really nervous in the spring that there will be some pocket of water that I didn't manage to get out of the fuel system. The overpriced on-the-water gas might be real gas, but I'm not sure.

[Drake]

http://www.buyrealgas.com

Look here for real gas stations.

[db]

Yeah, I can't get my chainsaw or weed eater to run properly on E10. I have a vintage 2-stroke motorcycle that seems to run OK (albeit at lower power) but I'm worried what the long term effects on it might be.

[Zeb]

Some of the additives intended for 2-cycle engines seem to work OK. It's still harder to start and lower power, though.

[Drake]

According to the article, E15 gas has to be clearly labeled at the pump. So now I have to check the ethanol content before filling my car - or drive away if it is E15.

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

Anybody thought about grain prices? 40% of US corn goes to ethanol. They'll be sucking up 60% with this change.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I own hundreds of small engines and I despise ethanol with a passion.

Here's my recommendations:

Use Star-Tron treatment on your gas.

When you're done with the equipment, cut the fuel off and run it dry.

Keep the tank full when not in use so that air has minimum contact with the fuel.

For long term storage, empty the tank, run it dry, and drain the carburetor bowl.

[DesigNate]

Didn't Obama just a while ago demand 40mpg fuel efficiency? How does he expect that to happen when the EPA is doing shit like this?

[Lord Humungus]

You only age twice: Fifty years after the first 007 film, whatever happened to those Bond girls...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....-film.html

Being a Bond Girl can be a curse. For many, the handle 'former Bond girl' led to a series of insubstantial cameo roles or a date with the plastic surgeon.

That doesn't stop actresses from clamouring for the role. In Skyfall, out later this year, French actress Berenice Marlohe takes the challenge opposite Daniel Craig. But whether she will live up to her sexy predecessors remains to be seen.

Here, in words and pictures, we reveal what became of them...

[John]

For their age, most of them look pretty good. They look especially good when you compare them to other aging party girls, like old Playboy Playmates, of similar ages. All of them looked like attractive older women. And more importantly didn't look like they had been rode hard and put up wet.

[Ice Nine]

Most of them have aged better than Gere has.

[John]

Jane Seymore is still hot. And so are Carole Bouquet and Pam Bouvier.

[Lord Humungus]

Jane Seymour was great (looking) in Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. A great jem for any young man.

[Groovus Maximus]

Peat moss ages better than Richard Gere.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

To be fair, Gere's got to be pushing 70 by now. Not every guy can age as well as Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston, and Christopher Plummer.

[invisible furry hand]

Oh please. The true gold standard is Leonard Cohen

[Groovus Maximus]

That's true! Van Morrison, though slightly paunchy, as aged quite well. Must be something about composers.

Paunch does not mean aging poorly.

[JW]

The Shat is 81.

I presume he's had work done, but aside from the paunch and rug, the guy looks fucking amazing for 81.

[invisible furry hand]

meh. I'll see your Shats and Van and raise you a Bowie

[JW]

Now, that's not fair, dragging non-human contestants into this.

[Groovus Maximus]

I'll see your Shats and Van and raise you a Bowie

Sean Connery, Robert DuVall, and Clint Eastwood.

Three of a kind beats ace high, Spunky.

[JW]

Where does Ernest Borginine fall on this curve?

[invisible furry hand]

over, on his arse

[invisible furry hand]

Robert Plant. Jeff Bridges. Samuel L Jackson. Harrison Ford (without the earring). Eric Clapton.

Full house I believe

[Groovus Maximus]

Sophia Loren. Ann-Margaret. Raquel Welch. Julie Christie. Helen Mirren.

Royal Flush, IFH high.

[invisible furry hand]

Huh.

[puts down brand new stetson hat, goes home, gets her 44, and goes to the barroom just to pay that debt she owes]

[nicole]

+50

[Ice Nine]

To be fair, Gere's got to be pushing 70 by now.

To be fair, did you catch the ages on the Bond women?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Pussy Galore
Plenty O'Toole
Holly Goodhead
Honey Ryder

God bless the early Bond films and their unashamedly chauvinistic names for women.

[John]

The first four or five films were by far and away the best ones.

[invisible furry hand]

And Honey Ryder the best Bond girl ever. Great name, cool, competent, groovy clothes

[JW]

Nope. Pussy Galore. Honor Blackman was the cat's ass.

Diana Rigg is a good second.

[invisible furry hand]

Goddam, I was thinking Pussy Galore - my bad. I'm a pilot, and a damn good one!

[JW]

I will say that Ursula Andress is a force of nature that is tough to reckon with.

I recall, years ago, Playboy did a quick 3 nude picture spread of John Dereck's wives: Ursula Andress, Linda Evens and Bo Derek.

It was like looking at 3 pictures of the same woman who never aged in 30 years. Same rib cage, cheekbones, curves, breasts, everything. Spooky.

[Groovus Maximus]

Yeah, but all three of 'em have outlived him.

[JW]

True that, but what a life that man led. You'd die young-ish too.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Probably die of dehydration.

[LibertyWolf]

Zero Hedge already has a good post up on the unemployment numbers:

The unemployment rate drops to 8.2% for one simple reason: the number of people not in the labor force is back to all time highs: 87,897,000.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

You hate poor people, don't you?

[SugarFree]

Camila Vallejo, the World's Most Glamorous Revolutionary

Camila Vallejo, the 23-year-old president of the University of Chile student federation (FECH), a Botticelli beauty who wears a silver nose ring and studies geography, was the most prominent leader of a student protest movement that had paralyzed the country and shattered Chile's image as Latin America's greatest political and economic success story. The march that Thursday afternoon in November would be the 42nd since June.

[Groovus Maximus]

Meh, doesn't hold a candle to a Spunky Sheila.

Colour me unimpressed.

[wareagle]

because nothing screams "revolutionary" louder than being a 23-year old geography student.

[mr simple]

She knows when she pouts men give her everything she wants, so why can't the government?

[kibby]

So is having a nose ring one of the reasons she's "revolutionary"? I have my tongue pierced, does that mean I'm EXTRA revolutionary?

[Mike M.]

In important news that you won't read anywhere in the so-called mainstream media, Egan Jones has just downgraded the United States again, from AA+ down to AA, with a negative outlook.

[Pro Libertate]

It's funny how we're flipping out over the S&P downgrade one minute, then we're acting like nothing happened ever since.

[Pro Libertate]

About that unemployment decrease. I heard the news this morning, but in that broadcast, they noted that the number actually wasn't good news, as most of the decrease was attributed to people not even trying to find employment anymore. I'm not sure how anyone knows that or why someone would stop trying, but there it is.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Barack Obama is G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate personified.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

True that. And when the Reavers are about to eat him, he'll weep "we meant it for the best".

[Alack]

That is one obscure Firefly reference, Fist. I applaud your efforts.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

Mid-level obscure, maximum depressing/pointed.

[Lucy Steigerwald]

Wait, the above comment! You're right, you're right, that was obscure.

[Pro Libertate]

We should do a day called "Most Obscure ____day." Who can make a reference that is verifiably public information but that is the most insanely obscure?

[John]

I like that idea.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Did someone say Firefly?

Time for a gratuitous Adam Baldwin pic!

[Pro Libertate]

Jayne!
The Man they call Jayne!
He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor,
He stood up to the man and he gave him what for.
Our love for him now, aint hard to explain,
The hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!

Our Jayne saw the Mudders' backs breakin'
He saw the Mudders lament
And he saw that magistrate takin'
Every dollar and leavin' five cents
So he said, "You can't do that to my people"

"You can't crush them under your heel"
Jayne strapped on his hat
And in five seconds flat
Stole everything Boss Higgins had to steal

He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne

Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The man they call Jayne
He turned 'round his plane
And let that money hit sky
He dropped it onto our houses
He dropped it into our yards
And the man they call Jayne
He turned round his plane
And headed out for the stars

He robbed from the rich and he gave to the poor
Stood up to the Man and he gave him what for
Our love for him now ain't hard to explain
The Hero of Canton, the man they call Jayne!

[Lucy Steigerwald]

It's really a damn catchy song.

[Pro Libertate]

One of my favorite Firefly moments, especially everyone's reaction to Jayne's apotheosis.

[Loki]

No, this is what going mad feels like.

[mad libertarian guy]

No, this is what going mad feels like.

[bostonaod]

It makes me think of the song Big Iron, as heard in Fallout New Vegas

[Groovus Maximus]

The number of real unemployed will always be a hidden number. As more people drop off the unemployment rolls, as far as the offical numbers are concerned, they don't exist. Unless they are actively looking for work, then they show up in the statistics. Are there areas of the economy coming back? Yes. Are they very concentrated and specialized? Yes. Is the overall real unemployment rate down? No. And with increased dependence on social service welfare, there is little incentive to try and find employment. If nothing else, at least keep trying to find employment to keep the statistics accurate.

[Loki]

If nothing else, at least keep trying to find employment to keep the statistics accurate.

But if they did that their messiah might look bad.

[Alack]

Here's the data from the BLS, which shows that since January the number of unemployed has decreased by 900k, while people not in the labor force has increased by over 2.2 million. So, you know, it's totally a real recovery.

[Groovus Maximus]

while people not in the labor force has increased by over 2.2 million

And that number of people not in the labor are the ones that are, dare I say, documented to be not in the labor force. I wonder what the true number is...

[Pro Libertate]

Ye gods, that's worse than I thought.

[Alack]

SF'd the link, here it is again.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.a.htm

[Alack]

Correction on my previous point, the numbers I listed are for between Mar '11 and Mar '12, not Jan and Mar '12. My apologies for looking at the wrong column.

[R C Dean]

I'm not sure how anyone knows that or why someone would stop trying, but there it is.

Some people make a token effort to keep the unemployment checks coming in, and give up the token effort when they roll off unemployment insurance.

Other people just flat give up.

How do they know? They do surveys. There's an employer survey and a household survey.

[Pro Libertate]

It's bad either way. People defrauding the system? Bad. People giving up because the economy remains weak? Bad.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

They said that on NPR this morning as well. The 120K jobs that were supposedly added wouldn't be enough on its own to actually drop the U3 in terms of job increases.

[Alack]

Which is why I generally prefer U6; U3 is too easily thrown off by prolonged economic shitstorms (although not counting long-term unemployed can be a useful measure in short-term analysis).

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Checking the U3/U6 spread can be pretty useful as well. Generally, the greater the spread, the worse things actually are.

I actually prefer looking at the employment/population ratios, since it shows a more realistic picture of the whole unemployment figure, and is also critical when it comes to government tax revenues. That one's still in the toilet, incidentally.

[Solanum]

Raped by Bigfoot

[SugarFree]

This is what I have been warning you people about for years.

[Groovus Maximus]

"I tried to warn them...but they didn't listen!"

[Solanum]

I hope the registration process hasn't scared him off. At least when he was posting, he could be observed and tracked.

[Groovus Maximus]

Oh crap...is The STEVE SMITH tagged?

[Solanum]

Shhh... he hasn't noticed the huge titanium tracking collar around his neck. Yet.

[Longtorso]

All you gotta do is wink, wink, nudge, nudge people into going on disability and bam!, unemployment problem solved.

[invisible furry hand]

Germany Considers Instituting a Veterans Day, Perhaps Forgetting Many of Its Veterans Were Nazis

[WTF]

Sure, they 'forgot' that part; sure they did.

[Ice Nine]

That will only be a problem for a few more years.

[Groovus Maximus]

Yes, when they die off, Argentina will be rid of them.

[Lord Humungus]

I have an early John Keegan book - The Asphalt Soldiers - about the Waffen SS. According to the book, a number of SS members are angry at being thrown in the same category as the Totenkopfverb?nde (concentration camp guards), saying their duty as front-line soldiers was honorable.

[John]

They say that. But it is a bunch of horseshit. The concentration camps were not the only Nazi atrocity. The SS killed millions of innocent civilians in the occupied territories. Fuck them.

[Loki]

But lining up men women and children in front of a mass grave, shackleing them together, then shooting every other one to save bullets is totally honorable. /sarc

[Pro Libertate]

That's a load of crap. They were killing people like crazy before the camps were even operational. Ask the Russians.

[Groovus Maximus]

For a more recent example, ask the Bosnians.

[John]

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/.....aspx#page1

Justice department probing widespread stimulus fraud. I guess if you are a crooked contractor, you better be paying up to Obama 2012 or expect a call from Eric the enforcer. The timing of this being in an election year with Obama's fund raising way down from expected is just too much of a coincidence.

[John]

But this one went to 11. RIP

http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2.....at-age-88/

[Enough About Palin]

I thought it was the football player.

[John]

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

Poor Peggy Noonan has a sad. Obama just isn't as much like JFK as she thought.

[R C Dean]

Christ, what an idiot. These aging Boomers with their bizarre obsession with JFK and their yute during the '60s are just fucking tedious.

[John]

I don't get it. Noonan is not stupid woman in that she clearly has some intelligence. Some of the stuff she writes can be quite smart. But she is possessed of blind spots where she believes things that only a raving idiot could believe.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

As cruel as this is to say, JFK getting killed was the best thing that ever happened to him and his family. A death cult was instantly established around him, his brothers rode that event to all sorts of acclaim down the road, and it made him the template of all Presidents that have followed him since.

And all this for a glorified frat-boy who the Russians completely dominated during his brief time in office.

[Enough About Palin]

"his brothers rode that event to all sorts of acclaim down the road"

I'm pretty certain RFK disagrees with this.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

He would have gotten the Dem nomination in 1968 if he hadn't been shot himself.

[mad libertarian guy]

Yeah.

Getting missiles out of Cuba was DEFINITELY JFK being owned.

I agree that he is praised as some sort of god, wrongfully and for many of the reasons you stated, but let's not get too out of hand.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Getting missiles out of Cuba was DEFINITELY JFK being owned.

Well, yeah, it was.

Kruschev not only compelled JFK to pull missiles out of Turkey, the Soviets maintaind control of Cuba as a satellite state.

And lets not forget the Bay of Pigs, which led to the whole fucking crisis in the first place.

For all the hosannas JFK got over the Cuban Missile Crisis, empirically speaking, he got rolled.

[Alack]

Today on the AM Links: H&R commentariat attempt to redeem themselves in the eyes of Lucy by providing links, and saying as little as possible about banging weird British women.

[John]

Lucy is the conscience of the board.

[Longtorso]

I saw Lucy's skeleton when it was on display at the local natural history museum. Or did you mean a different Lucy?

[John]

I saw that too. But I though the Linus skeleton was even more impressive.

[Groovus Maximus]

Rerun's skeleton was the most complete. Excellent preservation. It makes haz sadnezz though: the stocking cap was preserved along with him.

[Dwayne]

Hey, hey, hey!

[Dee]

Ooooh, I'm tellin' mama!

[Groovus Maximus]

This Rerun. Not that one. Sheesh!

[Lord Humungus]

I must have missed the memo.

[Fluffy]

I guess I missed that incident.

Did Lucy take the board to task or something?

[Alack]

Nah, she just tweeted about it and (presumably) hoped our consciences would kick in.

Little did she realize, Libertarians have no conscience.

[Fluffy]

Oh, OK. Checked out her Twitter feed.

Calling our sexism occasionally hilarious will only produce even more sexism.

[Elspeth Flashman]

have to say most of the time at H & R is like hanging out with a bunch of guys in the garage. Dirty jokes, sex talk, bs about sports . . . Oh yeah, and some political stuff in there. Only occasionally do I get the urge to roll my eyes.

[John]

And a dash of guy history stuff, i.e. military.

[mad libertarian guy]

Guns too, on the odd occasion.

[Trespassers W]

Ah, speaking of the munter of the week, this was pretty funny:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life.....good-looks

[invisible furry hand]

ahem

http://bodygeeks.com/2011/08/p.....t-for-men/

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Real-life Disney chicks:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....shoot.html

Scroll to the last pic. You won't be disappointed.

[Fluffy]

Gotta go with Snow White over Jessica Rabbit.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

She's pretty, but I've never been a fan of the bobbed hair look.

Belle's really my favorite, but the Jessica Rabbit pic is uncanny.

[Randian]

I am going with Jasmine, myself. Or Aurora.

I prefer small (or normal) over large, though.

[John]

I like Belle.

[Groovus Maximus]

Pocahontas FTW. To me, it's the most lifelike in both facial and body type.

I am remiss Cinderella was not pictured.

[Troy]

Jasmine and Pocahontas are bangable. Jessica's tits are too big.

[Fluffy]

I now will not be able to watch Aladdin without rooting for the villain. This photographer has convinced me that Jasmine is actually a Kardashian.

[Joe M]

She's not bad. She's just drawn that way.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Forget the tits--that Veronica Lake peek-a-boo hairstyle is awesome.

[Trespassers W]

I'm telling Lucy that you're all looking at girls!

[Groovus Maximus]

Oh and every once in a while there might even be midriff exposure! Teh HORROR!

[Clich? Bandit]

What is up with this attempt at SOPA again?

They just don't quit.

[John]

And the Republicans really are the party of stupid. The Republicans should be crushing Hollywood. Fuck them. If I were the RNC chair, I would tell Hollywood, have fun with making every movie lefty propeganda and giving millions to the other party. Because the day we take back Congress and the White House copy right is going to be reduced to the greater of 30 years or the lifetime of the author and never more than 75 years.

[Pro Libertate]

The problem is that there's a huge amount of money that comes from the copyright holding companies. And, as with most corporate donations, the GOP gets theirs, especially when it looks like they'll be calling the shots.

[R C Dean]

Yeah, but on net, they lose to the Dems.

If I was a middle-of-the-road Repub looking to score cheap street cred with the so-cons, and maybe pick up my negatives with the yute, I'd go after Hollywood and copyright.

[Groovus Maximus]

The Republicans should be crushing Hollywood.

TEAM RED is the nerdy boy and Hollywood is the Out-Of-His-Leauge-Hawt-Girl: TEAM RED figures if he keeps being nice to her and acquiesce to her fondest heart's desires, she'll eventually see the error of her ways and fall for his nice guy nerdy ways. She ends up using him like a latex glove during a rectal exam and bleeds him dry emotionally and economically.

Yeah, that's right! You pinheads weren't expecting something so poetic in it's simplicity so early in the morn, were ya? 🙂

[invisible furry hand]

She ends up using him like a latex glove during a rectal exam

Presumably that's better than using him like a rectum during a rectal exam. But I defer to your professional expertise

[Loki]

Listen, and understand. That terminator The MPAA is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead it's illegal to download anything from the internet.

[Joe M]

CISPA replaces SOPA.

[mr simple]

Is there anything in that bill that isn't unconstitutional?

[GozWa]

I assume they're going with Congress passes+President signs = Constitutional

[Translucent Chum]

Remember that CA Iraqi hate crime?

An Iraqi-American woman who was beaten to death in her home was having family issues and planning a divorce, but her brother said he has not drawn any conclusions about the identity of the killer.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/art.....z1rH8wXck5

Seems relevant to a recent article here on Reason.

[MorinJulio]

my best friend's mother-in-law earned $13464 past month. she been working on the laptop and bought a $413500 condo. All she did was get fortunate and use the instructions written on this site (Click on menu Home more information) http://goo.gl/RzRp3

[LambMaritza]

my buddy's mom brought home $19328 past week. she works on the internet and got a $538200 condo. All she did was get lucky and apply the clues leaked on this link (Click on menu Home more information) http://goo.gl/F0otA