A.M. Links: Protests in Quebec and Cairo, Romney slams Obama over Solyndra, France expels Syrian ambassador

• The government of Quebec resumes talks with students after over a month of protests against a tuition fee increase of 80%.
  

• Protests and vandalism swept Cairo after it was learned that Mubarak's former premier, Ahmed Shafik, would face off against a Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the upcoming runoff election. Protesters sacked Shafik's headquarters chanting, "Where is the revolution?"
• Mitt Romney's campaign has released a web video attacking the President's support for Solyndra and other green energy initiatives.
• France is to expel its Syrian ambassador in a bid to increase pressure on al-Assad's government after the massacre in Houla.
• Three Spanish savings banks will vote today on a proposed merger amid Spain's worsening debt crisis. The vote comes soon after the Bank of Spain predicted a continuing recession in the second quarter.
• NATO claims to have killed Al Qaeda's second in command in Afghanistan.

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New at Reason TV: Sharon Presley on Libertarian Feminism

Comments

[Brett L]

Ummm? Now the links show up? Are these monday's or tuesday's?

[Brett L]

Thanks, Feeney. I knew it wasn't groundhog day.

[Matrix]

SWAT invades vet's home over gun. No warrant. They did not follow procedures, either. His dog lives!

[sarcasmic]

Assholes.

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

Among other things they seized were binoculars. Seriously? Binoculars?

[Rich]

You could put your weed in there.

[sarcasmic]

"Fuck you, that's why"

[Brandon]

They were really nice binoculars, and one of the SWAT guys didn't even have a pair of binoculars.

[John Thacker]

Presumably they also took his blender, if Enemy of the State is anything to go by.

[WTF]

You can bet somebody will be called on the carpet for letting the dog live. There are procedures to follow, after all.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

DC, why am I not surprised?

[sarcasmic]

Pron for John http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....range.html

[?Ex Nihilo?]

You are a sick man sarc. Off to get eye bleach.

[Hell's Librarian]

Loud and proud: Singer Beth Ditto reveals dream of launching her own plus-size fashion line

I always wonder about people who want to design clothes who manifestly display no fashion sense whatsoever.

[SugarFree]

No fashion sense? Maybe she wants to look like a giant, psychotic 2-year-old. If that's her intention, she fucking nails it. And I bet there's a market for it.

[Whiterun Guard]

I swear I've seen a movie or something where she destroyed Tokyo.

[Elspeth Flashman]

OK, I know someone who's into "fat pride" and I just want to say "So, you've given up forever, and consigned yourself to knee problem, back problems, other assorted health problems, oh yeah, and being socially ostracized the rest of your life?" Because that's what it amounts to. Wait, and playing the "victim" card somehow and shaming the rest of us.

[Silver Fox]

Fat acceptance has to be one of the dumber movements out there. Really.

[Elspeth Flashman]

and it's not as if you can hide when you're big . . .anyone with half a brain can figure out that, uh, you have emotional problems, which you try to counter with food, and then instead of trying to do something about it, you make it sound as though it's society's problem. . . sorry, try again.

OK, off my high horse.

[invisible furry hand]

Speaking of which, more on the enormous British teenager and why she's the size of Obama's ego

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

[Silver Fox]

Wow. Just wow.

I was talking with my support worker a few weeks ago about this whole fat acceptance thing, and mused "At what point does it become code for 'I shouldn't have to go on a diet just because I weigh 500lbs'?".

This poor girl looks like just that very comment [and possibly the logical end of this silly notion about fat pride].

[Silver Fox]

Or you need to cut down the portions, cut out the junk, and start moving a little more.

[Killazontherun]

Only Jack Choker's Survivor Network outranks 'em.

[BakedPenguin]

You didn't like the lime green / gold dress? Personally, it reminded me of one of these, only much less appealing to unwrap.

[Spoonman.]

My wife needed to get a new interview suit, so we went to our local mall this weekend (suburban Philadelphia). There were three plus-size women's stores there. My wife is a very small woman, so we ended up having to go to the horror that is King of Prussia.

[Hell's Librarian]

Is there a Macy's or some other department store nearby? If she's tiny she'd prolly have pretty good luck finding something, maybe even on sale. The smaller-size clothes are usually not as picked over.

[Spoonman.]

Ended up getting something at Macy's. Of the 7 or so big-name department stores at the King of Prussia mall, that's the only one that carried anything in her size.

[T]

Depending on your price point, try Brooks Brothers Women. They ended up as our only option when trying to find a nice business suit for a 00P.

[Spoonman.]

ooP? Also, definitely above our price point.

[sloopyinca]

Size Double zero, petite.

You think that's tough? Try shopping for a woman that is a size 2 with 34-F boobs. Thank God we'll be into the maternity stuff soon, because Banjos' ever-expanding bustline is making it impossible to shop for her.

/first-world problems

[Elspeth Flashman]

Get a bigger size, then go to an alterations shop.

[DesigNate]

It must be really tough to be you sloop.

[JerseyPatriot]

My fiancee finds her petite sizes at The Loft (5'1", size 4), but I don't know if they do business suits or not.

[Elspeth Flashman]

I recently have started shopping at the Loft. I have had some bad luck with Ann Taylor sizing. Bottoms are fine, tops are too big. But I like the style they have.

[Mr. FIFY]

"ever-expanding bustline"

Gosh, what a horrible life you lead.

/snark

[invisible furry hand]

I like how the white dress wittily references her rolls of fat. It doesn't make her look like a giant Shar Pei at all

[Lord Humungus]

the horror... the horror... *fade to black*

[Butts Wagner]

I went to a Gossip show once. She referred to herself as "Lunch" and at the end, stripped down to her undies.

[sarcasmic]

Tattoos anyone? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ehind.html

[Whiterun Guard]

I spent the whole article imagining it was Lucy Steigerwald instead of Lucy Challenger.

[Hell's Librarian]

She ruined a perfectly good butt. That thing is hideous.

[Pound. Head. On. Desk.]

Just looks like a giant bruise to me. A shame, really. I stopped drawing on myself in middle school.

[Killazontherun]

Flipped through Thirty Rock the other day, happened on a scene where Liz Lemon is facing Jack's desk and the camera behind her. For a thin woman she has a hideously sloppy ass. Almost spat out my drink.

[Ice Nine]

Profundis? I'm thinkin' Groovus' secret GF just got outed.

[Jerry]

She's from Britain, why does she need a tramp stamp?

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't get the appeal of tats. That having been said, mine would obviously read, "The plane! The plane!" I would like it on my penis, but I think that would send mixed signals.

[Ice Nine]

And, I'm betting you'd change your mind after "Th".

[invisible furry hand]

I'm betting the tattooist would run out of space after Th

[T]

Well played, ifh.

[Fist of Etiquette]

If that was the case, and I'm not saying that it is, the choice of tattoo would actually be appropriate.

[Whiterun Guard]

Next time I go to the head, I'm gonna tell all my workmates that I "Have to go expel the Syrian ambassador."

[Tim]

You can say that again.

[Rich]

Next time I go to the head, I'm gonna tell all my workmates that I "Have to eliminate Al Qaeda's Number Two."

/no terrorist

[Whiterun Guard]

Next time I go to the head, I'm gonna tell all my workmates that I "Have to go expel the Syrian ambassador."

[Ice Nine]

Did you eat some bad cole slaw yesterday?

[WTF]

NATO claims to have killed Al Qaeda's second in command in Afghanistan.

Umm, isn't this like the seventh or eighth time they've killed this guy?

[Brett L]

Its the Peter Principle writ large.

[Lord Humungus]

he's indestructible!

[SFC B]

It's like being the drummer in Spinal Tap.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I laughed

[robc]

As silly as it seems, once you kill one, #3 moves up to #2.

[Lord Humungus]

eewwww! /teenage girl

[Ice Nine]

The leadership opportunities in Al Qaeda are legend.

[BakedPenguin]

Are you a self-starter with a passion for jihad? Do you despise infidels to your core? Does the thought of 72 virgins in the afterlife appeal to you? If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, Al-Qaeda may be for you!

[mr simple]

They go through them so quickly, we don't even get a name anymore.

[sloopyinca]

Well, it is the start of campaign season, so this is to be expected.

The real question is: what will Romney's lead have to be on Intrade for Obama to attack Iran or Syria?

[Ice Nine]

They blow up so fast.

[Anonymous Coward]

Beric Dondarrion is member of Al-Qaeda.

[Eduard van Haalen]

So is Sheikh Yamouney Makir.

[Tim]

A Vermont State Police official says he doesn't know why an advertisement for an expensive watch was distributed by email through the state's Amber Alert system, which is designed to notify the public about abducted or missing children.

http://articles.boston.com/201.....ail-system

[Rich]

It seems Anon-Bot is branching out.

[Lord Humungus]

Four More Years?
If you think the first Obama term has been bad, just wait.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....TopOpinion

Before being elected in 2008, Barack Obama said: "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America." That belief has turned out to be wholly accurate. America has been greatly transformed by all areas of this administration's policy goals and actions.

[Lord Humungus]

Joint Effort: Reefer Roadshow Asks Seniors to Support Medical Pot
Silver Tour Targets the Over-65 Set; A Rabbi's Interpretation of 'High Holy Day'
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....ifestyle_6

Selma Yeshion, an 83-year-old retiree here, says she long considered marijuana a menace. "I thought it was something that was addictive" and "would lead to harder drugs," she says.

Then she attended a presentation at the local L'Dor Va-Dor synagogue in April put on by a group called the Silver Tour. The group aims to persuade seniors to support legislation to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes in Florida. A series of speakers, including a doctor, a patient and several advocates, argued that pot was just what the silver-haired set needed to combat conditions like chronic pain and insomnia.

[Hell's Librarian]

While the image of a bunch of stoned seniors is kind of funny, I think the appeal to that demographic is pretty smart. It's no secret that old people have a lot more health issues than the general population, and I would think in particular that medical marijuana usage could be a popular issue with them.

[The Other Kevin]

Plus, they vote.

[db]

That, and I've talked to a number of Boomers who are looking forward to a retirement without random drug testing.

[Lord Humungus]

ja, one of my friends plans on a retirement involving growing and smoking the mad reefer.

[SFC B]

The day after my final day in the Army will be like something out of Charlie Sheen's day planner.

[Restoras]

FTW!

[T]

You're not alone. When they were calling guys back up for the Gulf War, a fair percentage of the piss tests were coming back hot.

[Kaptious Kristen]

That scene in Grandma's Boy was rather hilarious, actually.

[Pi Guy]

Plus, it makes the time go slower. I'd figure our elders would be down.

[Eduard van Haalen]

From the article:

"Rabbi Silver says he is all for it. He even wrote a song that he says was inspired by the Silver Tour, a riff on the Johnny Nash classic. "I can see clearly now, my glaucoma is gone," it goes. 'Gone is the pain that comes from chemotherapy. Gone are the symptoms that had kept me down. It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright day thanks to THC.'"

[invisible furry hand]

'Pests, idiots, clowns and buffoons': What primary school music teacher insists he was right to call his pupils

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....z1wGNSggaG

[Rich]

The now-retired teacher also stands accused of playing piano in the school hall for an entire day after he was not asked to come to work

"For an entire day". Is Britain great, or what?

[?Ex Nihilo?]

'Pests, idiots, clowns and buffoons'

ifh, have you seen some of these primary school kids? He is not far off in his assessment.

[invisible furry hand]

I meant no criticism. I was at least three of those at school

[Hell's Librarian]

Wow, is that a picture of the school a bit further down the article? It looks like a prison camp.

[?Ex Nihilo?]

It looks like a prison camp.

Truth in advertising.

[Joe M]

Texas Primary: What to Watch

Democrats also hold their presidential primary in Texas today. Obama will be joined on the ballot by several challengers, including John Wolfe, the Tennessee lawyer who received 42 percent of the vote in the Arkansas primary.

[Lord Humungus]

Bush's Terror Overreach Becomes 'New Normal' Under Obama
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/.....obama.html

Critics of President George W. Bush's anti-terrorism efforts, mainly Democrats and some Republicans, rejoiced when Barack Obama was elected. They were convinced that what they considered the post-Sept. 11 trampling of constitutional rights and civil liberties would end.

As a candidate, Obama, a former constitutional law professor, promised to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as well as to end indefinite detention and the rendition of terrorism suspects to other countries, where they often were tortured. He also vowed greater accountability and transparency in the conduct of war.

[Brandon]

It's about time to start prefacing "Former constitutional law professor" with "Alleged."

[John Thacker]

The New York Times published a fine piece showing that President Obama is no different than George W. Bush in his war on terror policies, except for an emphasis on killing by drone instead of capture.

[WTF]

The New York Times published a fine piece showing that President Obama is no different than George W. Bush in his war on terror policies, except for an emphasis on killing by drone instead of capture.

And in a few months they will proceed to write an editorial endorsing Obama for re-election.

[Lord Humungus]

Austerity Bites, but Fascism Won't Snarl in Europe
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/.....urope.html

t's becoming clear that the political transformation accelerated by the financial crisis will need to be at least as deep as the economic one, and this means the end of mainstream politics. There will no longer be a once-per-generation societal consensus, as was the case throughout the post-World War II period. Instead, Europe will see a continual process in which governments, voters and civil movements renegotiate their social and economic contracts.

[Whiterun Guard]

Good lord, son. You have been saving up all weekend haven't you? I guess the wasteland gets a bit boring.

[Lord Humungus]

naw, I'm trying not to get any real work done.

[NotSure]

The problem is that austerity has not even begun to start, the only thing that has started is the reality of the money no longer being available to pay for all lot economic fantasies.

When real austerity needs to implemented (not the fake austerity that is supposedly happening), then you can expect real fireworks.

[some guy]

"Revealed: Hundreds of words to avoid using online if you don't want the government spying on you (and they include 'pork', 'cloud' and 'Mexico')"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ead_module

We should organize a day where all we do is twitter/email/facebook these words as often as possible.

[Whiterun Guard]

Didn't the Mayans say something about the world ending in a Mexican pork cloud?

[SugarFree]

world-ending Mexican pork cloud

The Beth Ditto thread is up a bit.

[Warty]

You're a sick strain of pork swine plague, you plume leak.

[SugarFree]

That's rich, coming from a lard-farting mist of piss-steam like you.

[Warty]

You toxic biological leak, don't make me give you a listeria burn.

[Mr. FIFY]

"Mexican Pork Cloud" would make a great band name.

[Brandon]

Gitmo is about to get a lot less pleasant.

[NotSure]

Beyond that, I was thinking what would be useful if there is an extension for ones browser that kept on searching for all the suspicious words the whole day (some kind of backround process that runs the entire day). If enough people had this extension governments would be overwhelmed with suspicious words and make it impossible to to track anyone.

[Brandon]

They would just start executing random people. For their own good, of course.

[Rich]

We should organize a day where all we do is twitter/email/facebook these words as often as possible.

If you check out the list you'll see this is not necessary: exercise, smart, ice, watch, ....

Just think of all the jobs this list has saved or created!

[Ice Nine]

Hey!

[Rich]

Dammit, exercise some common sense and change your handle! You're smart enough to not want DHS to watch this site.

[some guy]

I'll bet DHS has a couple people dedicated to this site already.

When one of you retires, please let me know, so I can put in my resume!

[Lord Humungus]

Revealed: Hundreds of words to avoid using online if you don't want the government spying on you (and they include 'pork', 'cloud' and 'Mexico')
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ead_module

The Department of Homeland Security has been forced to release a list of keywords and phrases it uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist or other threats against the U.S.

The intriguing the list includes obvious choices such as 'attack', 'Al Qaeda', 'terrorism' and 'dirty bomb' alongside dozens of seemingly innocent words like 'pork', 'cloud', 'team' and 'Mexico'.

and libertarian...

[Lord Humungus]

er, sorry for the 'dup, some guy.

[Brett L]

I can't tell you how many times I've typed /no terrorist into a g-chat after a rant.

[Rich]

I'll bet DHS can.

/no terrorist

[some guy]

No problem. Great minds and all that...

Funny how we were only 1 minute apart, though. Is Drudge part of your morning rounds too?

[Lord Humungus]

Drudge, Nation Review (shudder), Instapundit, and a few other random sites.

[Ice Nine]

Somehow I just don't see myself exactly quaking in my boots if I'm being threatened with "roughing up" by this.

[WTF]

Looks like the girl has a herpes sore on her lip.

[Hell's Librarian]

He really is the world's cutest lesbian. When I first read that article a couple of days ago I wondered if perhaps he had his bodyguards rough up the papparazo, rather than personally sullying his hands.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Nice socks. He looks like the Wicked Witch of the West Hollywood

[Rich]

Nice pants, too. No wonder Selena hangs with him.

[JW]

Was he on his way to his class at Grimace Academy when that occurred?

"He threw his shoe at me! His soft, kitten-like, purple shoe!"

[Brandon]

Apparently you can only put off puberty for so long.

[Brandon]

The little faggot has matching purple hat and shoes, and dollar bills on his little pirate costume pants. Has his father been arrested for molestation yet?

[Lord Humungus]

German girl locked up for years by Bosnian couple: police
http://news.yahoo.com/bosnian-.....51720.html

A German girl has been rescued by Bosnian police after allegedly being held captive by a couple for eight years during which she was forced to eat pig feed and pull a horse-cart.

[Ice Nine]

The Beth Ditto thread is up a bit.

[invisible furry hand]

Bus companies in south-east Queensland are not allowed to refuse travel to kids without the full fare, after a child was abducted from a bus stop.

Guess what happened next

http://www.couriermail.com.au/.....6368765169

[Whiterun Guard]

I often wonder why more privately owned companies don't pull the Augustus Busch tack and just either pull up stakes, or threaten to when dumb ass legislation passes.

[WTF]

Yeah, I bet no one saw that coming.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

Kids outsmart liberal douchebags, liberal douchbags STILL think they're smartest people on Earth.

[Silver Fox]

"Let me be clear: No more wars. Unless necessary."

[Rich]

"After a decade under the dark cloud of war, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,"

although it *could* be this we're seeing.

[Sevo]

Or this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/p.....156690926/

[Longtorso]

COP TELLS REDDIT: '80% Of The People We Deal With Are Trash'

[robc]

So its an upgrade from dealing with their coworkers?

[Fist of Etiquette]

But to be fair, they treat the other 20% with the same contempt.

[db]

He really needs to get out of the office more.

[invisible furry hand]

This is not a libertarian-friendly airline:

Falcons are allowed only in Economy Class and must be hooded for the entire journey.

[Brett L]

Do you really want a nervous raptor unhooded on your flight?

[invisible furry hand]

No no, hoods are fine. But if my falcon can't fly business class, then fuck 'em

[Whiterun Guard]

Seriously, half the reason to even own a falcon is to separate you from the proles.

[Brett L]

Please. If I can't exclude your falcon from my business class, it isn't exclusive enough. Let your batman or ladies maid carry her in economy class.

[Eduard van Haalen]

On a related topic:

Was Robin Batman's batman?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Or would that be Alfred?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Or would that be Alfred?

[Isaac Bartram]

Alfred was Bruce Wayne's valet (rhymes with ballot not ballet) or personal attendant. The counterpart for a woman is a lady's maid. Valets and ladies' maids outrank footman and housemaids in the hierarchy of domestic staff and are only outranked by the butler and the housekeeper. Because labor was more expensive in the US many household occupations were combined. The domestic staffs of America's great house were generally smaller than those in Britain.

A batman is a personal attendant to a British military officer. In the US military the position is called an orderly and is limited to certain Generals. I suspect that in today's British Army far fewer officers have batmen than in times past.

[Trespassers W]

What kind of cheap-ass airline doesn't have perches in business class?

[Azathoth!!]

I'm just wondering what happened to her plane.

[Silver Fox]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ZpWFTUz34

[Longtorso]

'Eco-Anarchists' Targeting Nuclear and Nanotech Workers

[Longtorso]

'Eco-Anarchists' Targeting Nuclear and Nanotech Workers

[buntpunt]

I never really even thought about it liek that dude.

http://www.Anon-Apps.tk

[Hell's Librarian]

Here we go, Daily Fail: A little something for everyone.

[Ice Nine]

The dude's tits are about five times as big as hers.

[JW]

I didn't know they made bikinis for ironing boards. Seems an odd choice for a household appliance.

[invisible furry hand]

two people I've never heard of get wet.

[WTF]

Side boob!

[WTF]

SF'd the Link.

[Rich]

Is side cleavage EVER stylish?

Ima say, "yes".

[Zeb]

I certainly hope so.

[Warty]

That dude has the most weirdly scrawny shoulders.

[Brett L]

Not doing enough presses.

[JW]

Dennis: "Okay, I hate to tell you this bro, but you do not have the core strength to scale the fa?ade of Citizen's Bank. You just don't."
Mac: "What!? I work out all the time!"
Dennis: "Yeah, but you only work out your glamour muscles, and you know it."
Mac: "I work out my core!"
Dennis: "No. You do not work out your core. You're totally arm heavy. You're all bis and tris and everything else is just? fat and ribs."
Mac: "Bro, I could do way more push ups than you and that's like 16 different muscle groups right there."
Dennis: "That is beyond retarded what you're saying right now. I could do way more push-ups than you even though I was just hit by a car."

[John]

I am thinking if I am Daniel Craig I would do a lot better than her.

[Restoras]

Almost certainly, but perhaps she was a more willing partner for certain activities than your run of the mill, God's gift to the world starlet.

[John]

There is always the technical skill portion of the competition.

[JW]

You'd think the same about Hugh Laurie.

[DesigNate]

Considering his wife is Rachel Weisz, I think he already did.

[invisible furry hand]

if only this really were made from the tears of refugee children

Cry me a condiment: London emporium launches cooking salt made from human tears

[Mr. FIFY]

Do they add the ham flavor?

[SugarFree]

Greek sex industry hit by debt crisis

Greece's once-thriving sex industry has become the latest victim of the country's debt crisis as Greeks spend less on erotic toys, pornography and titillating underwear.

[invisible furry hand]

So much to laugh at in the article, but perhaps my favourite bit is the pathos this statement:

"Five out of the seven porn stars in Greece are Hungarian," Chrysospathis said.

[Whiterun Guard]

I have always been against the technocracy, but I really think that I am the right Top. Man. to fix this.

[Hell's Librarian]

LOL. I liked this quote:

"Things look really bad," said stall holder Donatos Passaris, 38, standing in front of a long bench of vibrators, lotions and other items."

This article is gold.

[John]

When people stop buying their sex toys and lubrication, you know things are bad.

[db]

They go through fewer razors. Gotta cut costs.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Not to mention the high price of hair removal cream

[Raston Bot]

I've seen clips from that 300 spoof. Maybe Greece taking a timeout from the industry is not such a bad idea.

[John]

http://hotair.com/archives/201.....e-swatted/

This continues to be a disturbing story of liberal activists spoofing conservative bloggers phone numbers and getting SWAT teams called to their homes. What is to be done about this?

The problem is that the neither the media nor anyone on the left will address this behavior. The obvious solution is to find this Kimberlain loser and beat him within an inch of his life and tell him the next time won't be so pleasant if it happens again. But if you ever do that, that makes him a martyr and allows the left to have a good case of the vapors over right wing violence. This is how the fascists took over Germany and Italy. You get the government to over look or excuse your violence while punishing the other side any time they try to retaliate. As RC says, if you reward behavior you get more of it. I expect the left to get more and more violent as time goes on. What are we going to do about it?

[Drake]

We are going to have another civil war sooner or later. Be ready.

[o3]

this entire sub-thread is sucker-bait just waiting for someone to sell em teh survival [ESSENTIALS]

[tarran]

Frankly - and I know this is a bitter pill - you have to take a page off of Ghandi, Martin Luther King etc.

Those guys faced precisely the kind of situation you describe, and it was only through disciplined non-violence that deprived any chance for the people committing the violence to claim that they were victims themselves.

Of course, the absolute refusal of the mainstream media to cover this is a travesty, although I have a feeling that sooner or later a Howie Carr will start hammering this and the flood-gates will open.

[John]

That only worked because their enemies had consciences. I don't think that is the case here.

[Drake]

^ YES ^

Non-violence didn't stop the Nazis from exterminating Jews or save the 100 million or so killed by Communists. It didn't help the villagers of Houla last week.

Know your enemy.

[tarran]

No, it didn't work because their enemies had consciences.

It worked because their enemies depended on the support of a broad mass of people with consciences.

The liberal activist is about as common as libertarian activists.

They are dependent on a quiescent mass of decent people who unquestioningly give them money. The Speedway bomber isn't trying to intimidate people into shutting up because his supporters have no consciences. He's doing it because he fears the people he is supposed to be influencing do have consciences and he's afraid he'll get the plug pulled on him.

I have an aunt who is the quintessential Massachusetts liberal - she's literally a Boston Brahmin who lives on Beacon Hill. If she heard about this crap from a source she found to be credible, she would cease all fund raising activity for non-profits that give grants to these bozos. She wants any excuse to believe right wing people are violent. Deprive her of that narrative, eventually having exhausted all the wrong narratives, she'll settle on the correct one and do the right thing.

[JerseyPatriot]

G-A-N-D-H-I. When you think "Gandhi", think "High Five". The 'h' is the 5th letter.

[T]

Actually, the obvious answer for me is turnabout. Call the SWAT team on him and all his asshole buddies. But then I'm a vindictive bastard like that.

[John]

I like that idea too. But when that happens, the media will immediately take an interest in it and portray it as a story of right wing violence.

[T]

I also wonder if anybody on the right will pick up on this as a reason to not use SWAT teams for every single response. Erickson missed a SWAT team because they reported an accidental shooting. Patterico got a case of the vapors over the SWAT team, but he'll never admit deploying SWAT teams when somebody's dog farts too loud might be excessive.

[John]

In Ericson's case, the SWAT team didn't come out, just a couple of squad cars. In Patterico's case, a SWAT team did come out. But in that case the spoofer said he had just shot his entire family. In the case of a suspected double murder, a SWAT team seems reasonably appropriate.

[T]

I'll grant them some benefit of the doubt, since I don't know exactly what the spoofer said. But in general, a SWAT team is overkill.

[John]

Generally it is. Of course it might dawn on them that maybe calling in a SWAT team on someone shouldn't endanger their lives.

[tarran]

Really, there is no way to make a SWAT team not inherently dangerous; in cases where they reasonably believe innocent lives are at risk should they delay, they will be aggressive and make assumptions and act upon imperfect information.

There is no way to avoid this.

We rightly castigate the police in the Columbine fiasco for laying siege while the gunmen were able to continue killing people unmolested.

The police have to choose between taking threats seriously and responding to certain ones aggressively, or choosing a more relaxed response that allows people on occasion to die that could have been saved. No matter what doctrine they adopt, inevitably a circumstance will arise where the doctrine results in people who shouldn't have been hurt or killed getting hurt or killed. There is literally no doctrine that is immune to these errors.

It sucks, it's unfair, but it's the way life works.

[Spoonman.]

Is Sarah Palin somehow to blame? I assume somebody will blame this on right-wing violent rhetoric.

[Anonymous Coward]

Didn't this Kimberlin clown murder a woman and set off a few bombs back in the 70s? I guess he's eager to go back to prison.

[sloopyinca]

Google: "Speedway Bomber Brett Kimberlin" for this piece of shit's history.

[John]

He was the speedway bomber.

[mad libertarian guy]

I don't welcome conflict with fucktard leftists, but this is why the 2nd Amendment exists, and (partially) why my gun safe is well equipped.

That said, I don't expect an Occupy Wilmore anytime soon.

[John]

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2012/5/27/44552/1872

Lefty Jeralyn Merritt gets the Zimmerman case right.

Why Zimmerman reported Trayvon to the non-emergency number is a red herring. It doesn't matter if he profiled him or unfairly suspected him of criminal activity. It doesn't matter that he was a crime warrior. He didn't break the law. His neighborhood watch program, set up with the assistance of the police, instructed residents to report suspicious activity. That's what he did. He wasn't on watch that night, he had a concealed weapons permit, and it wasn't a crime to get out of his car to see where Trayvon had run off to, so he could tell the police when they got there.

All that matters legally is whether Trayvon Martin's physical attack on him caused him to reasonably fear serious bodily injury.

It saddens me that many commentators on Reason who should know better could never get over the "how Zimmerman confront someone" outrage to view the case rationally.

[sarcasmic]

But, but, but... racist!

[Restoras]

Five bucks says Merritt recants by the end of the week.

[John]

I doubt it. My sense is the Left has figured out the Martin case is no longer useful to the cause.

[Mr. FIFY]

Ten bucks says Kimberlin calls a SWAT raid on Merritt by the end of the week.

[mad libertarian guy]

My sense is the Left has figured out the Martin case is no longer useful to the cause.

Agreed. This is why it has virtually disappeared from the news.

[John]

http://thehill.com/homenews/ca.....aign-theme

Obama struggles with coming up with campaign theme. I am sure the people on here could help him out.

[Brett L]

"Bend Over"
"The Economy has to come back eventually"
"This time he really will close Gitmo"
"Michelle still has so many places she'd like to see"

[John]

I vote for number four.

[Brett L]

"Kick the football, Charlie Brown"

[tarran]

I propose:

"Bush led us to the edge of the cliff; I will boldly lead us forward"

Based on a bitter comment people used to make about Brezhnev and Gorbachev.

[invisible furry hand]

"You have my permission to vote for me again"

[Warty]

"In your heart, you know he can be tolerated."

[ant1sthenes]

Less shit than Mitt

[JW]

"This time, he means it."
"Mope and Rage"
"Are you vastly more fucked than you were 4 years ago?"

[Sevo]

"I'm Not Bush"
"Better than a poke in the eye"

[Mr. FIFY]

"I will bury you!!!"

/emphasis on shoe pounding podium

[oncogenesis]

"Not My Fault"

[Brett L]

South Beach zombie coverup continues. Now being blamed on bath salts, not cocaine psychosis.

[Brett L]

Zombie squirrels be stealin mah links

[John]

I think it is lycanthropy.

[Bee Tagger]

That has the added benefit of being able to ban something new.

[Bee Tagger]

Oh, it's a street name. The news outsnarked me.

[Loki]

Emergency room doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital said they too have seen a major increase in cases linked to the street drug called "bath salts" or the new LSD.

If they continue to cover up the zombie apocalypse by blaming "bath salts", it will be too late to stop it. We'll be overrun by this time next week. That's what the math would suggest anyway.

[mr simple]

One of the authors wrote in to clarify that though most of the authors are students as I had guessed, he is a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. And he spells his name Robert J. Smith? with the question mark on the end,

That must suck to go through life unsure of your own name.

[invisible furry hand]

so that's what he did after the Cure became terminally shitty

[db]

"Coverup" is an important early step in the Zombie Apocalypse.

[db]

With your dude-face eatin' and your bath salt tongue you get nothing done.

[John]

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

South Beach canibal apparently growled like a wild animal. Patient zero of the coming zombie plague or American Werewolf on South Beach?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Don't make light of this tragic event with ridiculous statements. The full moon isn't until next week. It's walkers.

[John]

Walkers?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Walkers is the politically correct term for the walking dead. The living challenged.

[Brett L]

Metabolically challenged.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Persons living with undeath.

[John]

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

I have no idea who Michael Buble is. But it is very good to be him.

[T]

Buble makes piano-based soft rock designed to appeal to women. Obviously, it works.

[John]

To say the lease. If selling out means having her as your wife/gf, where do I sign to start doing my Yanni covers.

[BakedPenguin]

"Zamfir, master of the muff flute"

[John]

I bet Zamfir has turned down more than most mortals will ever see.

[BakedPenguin]

Fame makes some strange bedfellows.

[JW]

Sadly, I think the same can be said about Gallagher and Carrot Top.

[Brett L]

Finally a biofuel strategy that almost makes sense

"Early attempts at biofuels commercialization were in the US and Europe, but are now concentrated in Asia and Latin America, moving 'to where the feedstocks and customers are,' said Roger Wyse, Managing Director, Burrill Co."

Yes. Thank you. Like phone service in the developing world. Just skip the old cost sunk ways and get nearly as good for cheaper.

[sarcasmic]

Justin Bieber wanted for questioning after roughing up a photographer?!?

What kind of pussy do you have to be to get roughed up by the Bieb?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....-date.html

[John]

Hell's Librarian has it. He is a she and the world's cutest lesbian. And some of the butch lesbians can be pretty rough.

[sarcasmic]

I don't click tinyurl links while at work.

[Warty]

One the one hand, good for him for taking some baby steps to manhood by punching an asshole. On the other hand, his clothes indicate that he's already too far gone to be saved.

[sarcasmic]

When did it become cool for guys to wear women's jeans?

I don't get it.

[John]

The same time it became "cool" for people to wear wool hats in the middle of summer. It is a beardo hipster thing.

[Warty]

The only hipster thing that really bothers me is the terrible facial hair. There's nothing more embarrassing to see than a pot-bellied, twig-limbed little fuck with a beard that any lumberjack would be proud of.

[John]

Everything about hipsters bothers me.

[Restoras]

Or worse, a summer beard. Some are over here, and some are over there.

[Brett L]

About the same time it became cool to look like a half-starved homeless guy.

[Brandon]

Good for him for assaulting somebody in a public space?

[sloopyinca]

What kind of pussy do you have to be to get roughed up by the Bieb?

The kind that knows how much $$$ he can get in a settlement when evidence points to Bieber assaulting you.

[squarooticus]

How many Al Qaeda #2 guys are there?

[Bee Tagger]

How many dips in poll numbers do politicians encounter?

[Hell's Librarian]

But what we really all want to know is: How many angels really CAN dance on the head of a pin?

[Restoras]

As someone upthread pointed out, when #2 is eliminated, #3 moves up. Lather, rinse, repeat...

[Rich]

In the end there can be only one.

[sarcasmic]

"Who is Number One?"

[edcoast]

You are number six. . . or alternatively . . . you are, number six.

[invisible furry hand]

I am not a number, I am a free man!

[wareagle]

it is a high turnover position.

[Brett L]

The costs of implementing the Evil Overlord list.

[John]

They have priced all but the trust fun overlords out of the evil market.

[db]

MINIONS!

[T]

Okay, the comments on that make the list.

Also, I'm not wearing Ben Sherman. I'm too tall and too fat to look good in that shit. He makes clothes for malnourished short guys.

[Lord Humungus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJoo7Tgjr8U

Punk Rock: You're doing it wrong.

or, a 90s advertisement for a "Punk" cd. If this is punk, then my mom was a punk.

[John]

I love it. And of course punk is now over 40 years old. The first punk band, the New York Dolls, are just a couple of years younger than Led Zeppelin. Nothing wrong with punk. Some of it was pretty good. But can we please stop pretending there is anything hip or cutting edge about it?

[Lord Humungus]

punk comes and goes. I have plenty of er, friends, er associates who still consider themselves punk rock. Some of them are nearing 40 years themselves, but continue to drink, go to shows, and party like they're 18.

[sarcasmic]

Have you heard some of this emo-shit they're calling punk these days?

*barf*

[Kaptious Kristen]

Must send to squeeze...I had no idea that when he was telling me about his punk rock days he was referring to the Thompson Twins!

[JW]

No, no, he was talking about moshing to Erasure and Culture Club.

[John]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bro.....ials_.html

Wes Anderson is really just remaking Peanuts specials.

[invisible furry hand]

Get naked and show your support for the Day of Bulgarian Enlightenment, Culture, and the Cyrillic alphabet

http://www.vice.com/read/abitu.....icetwitter

[sloopyinca]

Man beats shit out of woman on camera. Loses job but is not facing charges.

But according to dunphy, I'm just full of shit about the double-standard.

[John]

But he will have to get a job with another police department now. Isn't that punishment enough? You just hate cops.

[sarcasmic]

Prejudiced people like you are why people unjustly do not trust the police!
They're all selfless public servants who only seek to make the world a better place!
Besides, here in Washington state...
/dunph

[mr simple]

"Unfortunately, we've got a value system here and the value system maintains that we exercise restraint as well as have integrity, courage and be competent," Flynn added. "This circumstance it was clear to us that the officer did not exercise restraint."

Unfortunately?

[sloopyinca]

Flynn's a piece of shit. His department misrepresents crime stats, he used police resources to cover up and intimidate people reporting on his affair and routinely rubber-stamps internal investigations that gloss over violence committed by his department and stonewall FOIA requests for video and radio communications that implicate his PD in wrongdoing.

I'm certain he thinks having a value system thrust on his department is unfortunate.

[sloopyinca]

NYPD officers beat suspect and then beat and arrest bystanders that point out illegality of their actions. Taxpayers fork over $360k to settle. Officers face no charges for illegal actions.

[JW]

Are they striking the molds for the cops' medals, as we speak?

[sarcasmic]

How many times do I have to tell you?

All crimes are crimes against the state.
When an officer puts on the uniform, they become an agent of the state.
Because the state cannot commit crimes against itself, it is impossible for an officer to commit a crime while in uniform.

[sloopyinca]

**lights the dunphy signal**

[Loki]

Would that be the spot light that looks like a giant cock in the sky?

[sarcasmic]

A pig with wings!

[sloopyinca]

No, it looks like a giant:
big wave surfer
rock star
olympic-level bodybuilder
physics tutor
fireman
husband of Morgan Fairchild
laid-up chump on short-term disability riding the taxpayers coin

[Loki]

That's all the shit Dunphy's claimed to be/ do? Wow. I think we can add one more to the list: narcissistic ass clown with delusions of grandeur.

[sloopyinca]

Oh, that's not all he's claimed to do. There's a character limit on reason, so I can't list them all.

[sarcasmic]

narcissistic ass clown with delusions of grandeur

I've never met a cop that that would not describe.

[NoTalentAssclown]

not all of us are made equal...

youre' assclown-ist!

[zamoracarl711]

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