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Leaky White House, Paul Krugman Pwned, Frisky NYPD: P.M. Links

J.D. Tuccille | 6.7.2012 4:30 PM

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  • Convenient leaks of national security information that paint the president in a positive light are raising eyebrows and sparking investigations. High-level material, including conversations in the situation room, have fingers pointing at the White House.

  • Members of Congress concerned about the "fiscal cliff" looming at the end of the year  when tax cuts expire and automatic spending cuts (theoretically) kick in are quietly meeting and crafting bills to spur their colleagues to do something.
  • Staring fiscal reality in the eye and daring it to blink, France's new Socialist President Francois Hollande issued a decree lowering the retirement age for many workers from an already-low 62 to 60. Businesses and economists call the move damaging to the country's finances and competitiveness.
  • After Paul Krugman castigated his country for pulling itself out of a recession with fiscal discipline, Estonia's President Toomas Hendrik Ilves took to Twitter to tear the New York Times pundit a new one for pontificating outside his field of expertise and being "smug, overbearing & patronizing."
  • As the controversy over New York City's stop-and-frisk policy grows, dissenting city officials are meeting with members of Congress and Justice Department officials in hopes of prompting a federal investigation. The NYCLU offers a smart phone app for tracking the practice.
  • Supposed links between criminal activity and marijuana dispensaries are used by prohibitionists to justify crackdowns in defiance of public support for medical marijuana, but a UCLA study found no such association.
  • An Australian scientist hs found a way to prevent mosquitoes from spreading dengue fever. He infects mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria, which prevents the insects from carrying dengue, and then releases them into the wild.

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NEXT: UKIP Pulls Libertarians in the Wrong Direction

J.D. Tuccille is a contributing editor at Reason.

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  1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    No response yet from Krugman.

    He’s still trying to figure out how to delete Ilves’ tweets.

    1. Tonio   13 years ago

      Nice.

  2. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    A growing number of lawmakers are alarmed that Congress’s do-nothing posture ahead of the year-end fiscal cliff could provoke a massive voter backlash and economic catastrophe if they don’t start laying the groundwork right now to cut a deal.

    The others are afraid of the massive voter backlash if they do cut a deal. Election year!

    1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

      (And they all should be afraid of the voter backlash caused by anything crafted in the shadows.)

    2. Pi Guy   13 years ago

      Why is passing a budget the only thing the government sees being undone and not a one of them seems to get to “Something’s got to be done!”

  3. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    On Wednesday, Hollande’s government presented a draft decree at a cabinet meeting that reverses the retirement age to 60 for those who enter the workforce at 18 or 19 years old and have contributed long enough to the pension system. The right to retire at 60 was long seen as a pillar of France’s social benefit system.

    A pillar is usually used to prop something up, not speed its collapse. Hollande isn’t alone in his short-sighted stupidity. Plenty of Frenchies voted for this.

    1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

      If they could get it down to forty, is there any reason I can’t retire in France? Without actually moving there or anything?

      1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

        You think those sweet French pension bennies are going to be available much longer the way they’re going?

        1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

          Sure, the Germans will pay them.

    2. Isaac Bartram   13 years ago

      See old Hollande has the right idea, if only he can get all those old geezers to quit bogarting those jobs there will be plenty of jobs for the kids.

      People really believe this stuff. Really.

      1. Somalian Road Corporation   13 years ago

        The Scrooge McDuck moneybin theory of capital accumulation. Rich people just hoard their money instead of trying to use it to make more.

        1. Isaac Bartram   13 years ago

          Actually. it’s the old canard that if we subsidize retirement for geezers we’ll make their jobs available to young’ns.

          Not exactly the same thing.

          1. EDG reppin' LBC   13 years ago

            The Scrooge McDuck…

            Actually. it’s the old canard…

            En Francais, canard means “duck”.

            /high school French

  4. Banjos   13 years ago

    Banjos!

    1. Randian   13 years ago

      Randian!

      1. Brett L   13 years ago

        Hodor?

        1. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

          And my axe!

        2. Ska   13 years ago

          Holder?

  5. fish   13 years ago

    alt text: Come Mr. Bigglesworth!

    1. R   13 years ago

      alt-alt-text: I don’t expect you to talk, Mr. Ilves. I expect you to die.

      1. xenia onatopp   13 years ago

        +1

  6. Brett L   13 years ago

    No wonder the Kings have only lost 1 playoff game at home.

    1. sage   13 years ago

      They should take that twat-for-hire on the road.

  7. Brett L   13 years ago

    Texas highway raises minimum speed signs to 85.

    1. The Hammer   13 years ago

      Nobody tell John.

  8. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

    Facebook users duped

  9. A Serious Man   13 years ago

    When you play the Game of Thrones you either win or you shell out $30K and buy this life-size replica.

    1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

      I am more in need of an iron love seat.

      1. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

        “Hey baby, why don’t we come back to my place where you can sit on a sword?”

        DOUBLE MEANING

      2. A Serious Man   13 years ago

        But people will try to kill you so they can claim it for themselves. I personally wouldn’t mind letting Emilia Clarke have it if I could sit next to her.

    2. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

      The show has diverted from the books enough now, it’s as if George Martin had a 2nd chance to write the series

      1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

        ****SPOILER ALERT****

        On the season finale, has there been a thread around here that I missed where someone explained why the Stark boys had to abandon Winterfell? And why was it burned in the first place? I thought it was surrounded by Rob’s bannermen. When the Iron Islands fools turned over Theon (presumably), the immunity deal would certainly be voided by setting the place on fire on their way out the door.

        1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

          This was answered in the book but apparently won’t be answered till next season on the show.

        2. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

          Here’s how it happened in the book
          http://towerofthehand.com/books/102/067/index.html

          http://towerofthehand.com/books/102/070/index.html

          1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

            YOU AND APATHEIST BOTH KEEP YOUR WHORE MOUTHS SHUT WITH YOUR SPOILERS. But thanks because it was bugging me. I thought maybe I was missing something. I’ll wait for HBO to spoon feed me the explanation next season.

        3. Sudden   13 years ago

          Bran and Rickon abandoned Winterfell because it had been burned, and because they were still presumed dead and safer presumed dead until they reach the Wall.

          Not sure if the show addressed this, but in the books, Rob’s bannermen actually get routed outside Winterfell when one of Theon’s men returns with villagers who sneak attack and beat Rob’s forces. In the books, Theon’s men don’t sell out to Rob, but rather Theon’s sister commands them to abandon Winterfell.

          1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

            Lock it down! I stopped reading your comment at the point where you tell me about the books. I will assume what you wrote will be told to me in moving picture form next season. I will also assume you called me a handsome devil toward the end of your comment.

            1. Sudden   13 years ago

              Well, the show has already deviated from the most significant portions of that spoiler. Theon never sent his guy out to get villagers to fight for him, so that’s a red herring. The only thing I really revealed was what Theon’s fate was and why Winterfell was abandoned and burned, and the show may very well re-interpret that.

              1. Bill   13 years ago

                I don’t remember it that way from the books as what you describe anyway.

            2. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

              My reply was spoiler proof. Jesus people, it’s obvious that he hadn’t read the book yet.

              1. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

                I spook easily on spoilers. I don’t know if I’m going to regret watching the show before reading the books. At this point I guess I could start reading the first two.

                I got the Blu-Ray of Season One and it had a lot of interesting extras like the history of the First Men and the giants and the Andals and whatnot that my brother claimed were not even really covered much in the books.

                1. Bill   13 years ago

                  No spoilers: I saw Season 1, then read all 5 books and now am watching season 2. It’s still good and the small changes keep it interesting. I think there were clues on hbo since Bolton told Robb that his bastard would help re-take Winterfell and you could see Bolton questioning Robb about his girlfriend (now wife) and unhappy with Caitlin letting Jaime go.

          2. A Serious Man   13 years ago

            Cannot….unread. Although screw it, I probably won’t remember this information come next April when the show returns.

  10. sage   13 years ago

    Krugman is likely beside himself. And that is a large pair.

    1. A Serious Man   13 years ago

      He’s likely preparing a one paragraph blog entry about why debates on Twitter are pointless. No matter, as long as he tells the left-wingers what they want to hear he’ll always have a job at the NYT and synchphantic supporters.

    2. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

      Like that fuck cares. Most people couldn’t point out Estonia on a map; for all their pretensions and internationalist aspirations, NYT readers might as well be reading about Middle Earth when Krugman references foreign countries: Estonia is a one-off villain in their little fantasy that they probably won’t remember a week from now.

      1. Atanarjuat   13 years ago

        Just an anecdote, but shocking enough to repeat: my lefty MIL once said “I know they speak Portuguese, not Spanish, in one of those South American countries, but I don’t know which one.” So yeah, geography and foreign affairs may not be their strong point.

      2. Broseph of Invention   13 years ago

        For the Baltics, just remember: alphabetical from Russia west. Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania.

  11. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

    Who’s ready for the Euro Cup?

    1. Brett L   13 years ago

      I’m certainly ready for more naked feminist protesting of it.

    2. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

      I’m picking Germany to win.

      1. John   13 years ago

        REally? I hope so. I am tried of the Spanish winning everything.

        1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

          I’m just happy to have some soccer to watch. The premiere league was fantastic this season and trying to watch the mls afterwords just doesn’t work for me. Though I am excited to get out to the Dynamo’s new stadium.

          1. John   13 years ago

            In the day and age of satellite the MLS doesn’t stand a chance. If you were a basketball fan living in say Germany, what would you do, watch the NBA on satellite or watch some crappy German league full of guys who couldn’t make the NBA? Same with MLS. Why watch that when you can watch Champions League or EPL?

            1. Sudden   13 years ago

              Not only does MLS stand a chance, but in a generation, it will be able to compete with EPL, Bundesliga, and the sort for players.

              Recent ESPN polling shows soccer as the #2 favorite sport (behind NFL) for the under 30 demo. MLS is starting to get television time on networks, and the games are starting to sell seats too. The quality of play in the MLS is heads and shoulders above what it was only 5-10 years ago, and will continue to advance.

              No shit, if I had the money to spend right now, I’d buy an MLS team in a heartbeat. Its growth potential is obscene.

              I just can’t wait until soccer really takes off stateside so we can start kicking some Euro and dirty SurAmericano ass in the internationals.

              1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

                MLS is getting better and I could see if surpassing the SA, the Mexican league and possibly some lesser European leagues but the top Euro leagues are getting better (and richer) as well. No way it catches up to the big 4 anytime soon.

                And really the gap in the quality of play is huge still.

                1. Sudden   13 years ago

                  Fair enough. But as the game grows in popularity here, the demand for quality play in the states will grow as well, and the money that follows with it. On top of that, a generation growing up to love soccer will also become a generation of Americans more inclined to participate and make a career in it, and a lot of them will take the opportunity to stay in their native country. The quality gap is still massive now, and will be for the foreseeable future, but in a generation’s time, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see some of the MLS teams be able to match up toe-to-toe with EPL’s finest.

            2. Timon 19   13 years ago

              John, you haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about, as usual. European club basketball is pretty huge in several countries, complete with large crowds that don’t need a “hype-man” to get people to give a shit.

              And if MLS doesn’t stand a chance, then why are they growing and pushing their attendance numbers up continually? And why do they have a package on DirecTV like everyone else?

              1. Timon 19   13 years ago

                No way in hell MLS ever competes financially with the EPL or the MFL. Remember, the MFL is by far the richest league in the Western Hemisphere.

                On the field, the gap will gradually narrow, but as long as teams here can’t carry 40+ players on their books, they will never be able to hold up over multiple competitions to teams of greater pedigree.

            3. Robert   13 years ago

              Never mind them, come out and see the 2 seasons undefeated (which happens to coincide with when I was coaching them) Miller Tire Blue Devils in the Warriors Football Club, Pee Wee Div.

              1. EDG reppin' LBC   13 years ago

                Two seasons undefeated? Damn that’s awesome. What, you got some young looking 20 year-olds playing for you?

                1. Robert   13 years ago

                  In 2010 we drafted very well (hardly any of that due to me) and our HC’s experience in special ed helped with some players. In 2011 I think it was largely the players winning to please the new HC and his bro-in-law; we were tied in one game that year.

          2. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

            See the QPR / Man City game?

            1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

              Sure did, I dvr every game on FSC and ESPN2 and then watch a couple of them. That shit was crazy.

        2. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

          Spain is on a 2 tournament winning streak.
          I just want England to lose all 3 games by an embarrasing margin.

      2. Sudden   13 years ago

        Bold prediction. Although they’re certainly one of the better squads, they’re stuck in a hell of a group with only Denmark looking weak (relatively). Portugal and Nederlands could easily emerge from that one.

        1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

          Portugal always sucks in big tournaments. Netherlands depends on if RVP keeps up his hot streak. Germany is young and good. They’ll be even better in 2014.

  12. Brett L   13 years ago

    Just because the emails say “fast and furious”doesn’t mean that they were referring to “fast and furious”.

    1. Loki   13 years ago

      Maybe they were talking about the movie instead? /sarc

  13. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

    An Australian scientist hs found a way to prevent mosquitoes from spreading dengue fever. He infects mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria, which prevents the insects from carrying dengue, and then releases them into the wild.

    …and then all the gorillas will freeze during the winter!

  14. Ska   13 years ago

    Paul Krugman in desperate need of soda ban; cat upset about losing front porch.

  15. Paul.   13 years ago

    Mr. Tuccile… that picture and alt-text are the combo of the year. Well played, sir… well played.

  16. The Hammer   13 years ago

    Krugman is not handling the transition to old age very well. He’s gone from a Nobel Laureate to a fat, pathetic douchebag who hides his quivering chins behind a beard and shrilly screeches at anyone who disagrees with him.

    1. Paul.   13 years ago

      That beard means he was there in the 60s.

      1. Zeb   13 years ago

        Or that he has no chin.

  17. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

    Is life without plastic bags even worth living?

  18. Dr. Sam Johnson   13 years ago

    Holder Claims Emails Using Words ‘Fast and Furious’ Don’t Refer to Operation ‘Fast and Furious’

    http://cnsnews.com/news/articl…..n-fast-and

    He said the Attorney General’s near.

    1. Scott S.   13 years ago

      Lots of Vin Diesel fans at the DOJ.

  19. Hugh Akston   13 years ago

    Apparently we’re freedomating the Philippines now?

    1. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

      Been doing that for a while. The Philippine MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) has been a target in the GWoT for some time now.

      1. John   13 years ago

        I think the government ought to leave Philippine MILFs alone.

        1. Ska   13 years ago

          Or send them over here. I don’t know Tagalog, but I doubt that matters much.

          1. SIV   13 years ago

            My blog addresses the issue

            1. Paul.   13 years ago

              I can’t look away!

      2. Loki   13 years ago

        the GWoT

        Shouldn’t that be the Total War Against Terror (TWAT)?

      3. Brett L   13 years ago

        Has any group been fucked harder by the pornification of search engines than the Moros?

        1. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

          Everyone named Santorum who is not related to the PA piece of crap ex-Senator.

  20. John   13 years ago

    http://www.slate.com/articles/…..tics_.html

    Gail Collins thinks Texas is horrible. And worse it is growing in economic power.

    1. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

      You mean the 2nd most populous state in the Union has a proportionate effect on the nation’s politics and culture?

      That’s unpossible!

      1. John   13 years ago

        The best part is her total lack of self awareness. Texas is horrible, but its economy is good and people keep moving there. Maybe Gail it is not so horrible?

        1. A Serious Man   13 years ago

          It’s horrible because it’s a state that has low taxes, low regulations, and a generally small government mindset and is thriving while the People’s Republic of California is faltering.

          1. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

            Well, Texas does put hard-working honor students in jail for missing school because they work two jobs to support their brothers and sisters after their parents abandoned them.

            There’s that.

            1. BarryD   13 years ago

              Served her right!

            2. Brett L   13 years ago

              The JP dismissed her conviction after realizing he couldn’t be re-elected if he let it stand.

        2. BarryD   13 years ago

          More like, Texas IS horrible, in many, many ways, but its economy is SO good that people keep moving there ANYWAY, and dealing with all that horrible.

          Meanwhile the out-migration numbers from objectively beautiful Progressive Paradise California make it look like there’s a large-scale evacuation going on.

          1. John   13 years ago

            Kind of funny isn’t it? Texas is hotter than hell, a good part of it is a fucking wasteland, another good part of it has storms the likes of which God has never seen, the other part has hurricanes. Yet, people keep moving there and moving out of California which is damn near paradise on earth.

            Why could that be?

            1. BarryD   13 years ago

              There is no place nice enough that Progressive polices can’t turn it into its own sort of hell?

              Greece is objectively a pretty nice place, too. People chose to live there thousands of years ago already, back when there was plenty of real estate to be had.

              1. John   13 years ago

                Greece is spectacular. So is Argentina. Argentina should be as rich as the United States. It actually was at the turn of the 20th century. Then the socialists sunk their fangs into it.

                1. tarran   13 years ago

                  Cuba too.

                  1. John   13 years ago

                    Tarran,

                    Imagine if Cuba had fallen along with Eastern Europe and had become like Estonia only it was 90 miles away and everyone there spoke English and Spanish. Cuba would have an immigration problem coming from the US.

                    1. robc   13 years ago

                      I doubt they would consider it a problem.

                  2. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

                    Cuba and Japan had the same per capita GDP in 1950.

                2. JerseyPatriot   13 years ago

                  That last sentence is way off. Peron and the military coups ruined Argentina, and neither were socialists.

                  1. John   13 years ago

                    Yes they were. Peron was a fascist. He believed in central planning and “economic independence” and every other goof ball leftist economic idea of the 20th Century.

                    1. tarran   13 years ago

                      But… but… but… fascists aren’t socialists! They’re racist right wingers! ;@

                  2. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

                    Governments since Peron (who was a fascist) have alternated between fascism and straight socialism, neither of which is known for being “hands off” economically.

                    It’s rated #156 in the Index for Economic Freedom.

      2. T   13 years ago

        Maybe we can counter some of California’s more noxious influence.

        1. Killazontherun   13 years ago

          Bountiful resources and gorgeous weather and geography, but they wont be satisfied until they have what North Koreans have.

          1. T   13 years ago

            They could have had it all, but the desire to meddle was just too strong.

    2. fish   13 years ago

      Someone alert Ken Schulz…… I’m about to use the “K” word!

      1. Banjos   13 years ago

        I have a Warty signal and a Dunphy signal, but no Shultz signal.

      2. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

        I probably shouldn’t try to imagine what the Shultz Signal looks like.

        1. Warty   13 years ago

          It looks pretty much like this.

          1. Mad Scientist   13 years ago

            Right on, boss!

    3. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

      I read that yesterday, then I read the comments section and barfed. I believe that one said the state was a homophobic redneck wasteland around the island of Austin. Yet here I am sitting in the first major city with a lesbian mayor and crazy fuck Sheila Jackson Lee as my congresswoman. These people don’t know jack about shit.

      1. John   13 years ago

        It is amazing how isolated and stupid they are isn’t it?

        1. mad libertarian guy   13 years ago

          They aren’t isolated enough, alas.

      2. rac3rx   13 years ago

        Don’t forget the whole “home of one of the largest gay pride festivals in the country (which is a blast BTW).

        I continue to hope that people think Houston is a hell hole. It keeps them the fuck out of here.

        Oh, and unfortunate that SJL is your Congresscritter; that’s just gotta suck…or be wildly entertaining, depending on how you look at it.

        1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

          I’m literally across the street from Culberson’s district. I’m used to crazy congress critters, I’ve voted against Culberson, Lamar Smith and SJL in my short voting career so far.

        2. mad libertarian guy   13 years ago

          Houston is a hell hole.

      3. Apple   13 years ago

        And my hometown has had as many Jewish mayors as NYC, only unlike NYC, they were Jewish women.

        (Dallas, in case you were wondering)

    4. Loki   13 years ago

      So, according to this stupid cunt everything bad that has happened the last 25 years is all Texas’ fault. Un-fucking-believable.

      And I just loved this little gem: The model had certain flaws, such as the assumption that every state could scrimp on higher education and just build a large professional class by importing people who went to college in other states. Right, because it’s not like Texas has state funded universities. Nope, The Univ. of Texas, Texas AM, Texas Tech, Texas State, and all the other smaller state schools are just figments of your imagination. Also, apparently people from Texas don’t go to college. Again, I must have just imagined going to college and getting a degree in Aerospace Engineering.

      Texas presidents have led the country into every land war the United States has been involved in since Vietnam.

      Newsflash: George H.W. Bush was born and raised in Maine, not TX. He moved there later, you stupid cunt.

      California has more people, but it’s hit a bad patch and it’s struggling.

      Let’s not even bother stopping for 5 seconds and asking ourselves why that is. Nope, it’s just a “bad patch”.

      God what a cunt.

      1. DesigNate   13 years ago

        My alma mater is UTA and a few years ago the architecture school was ranked the second best in the south. Fuck this bitch.

      2. Ted S.   13 years ago

        Grenada doesn’t count?

      3. Syd Henderson   13 years ago

        George H. W. Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts and grew up in Massachusetts and Connecticut. I’m sure he spent vacations in Maine because his grandfather had a house there.

  21. John   13 years ago

    http://www.jammiewf.com/2012/w…..shian-jab/

    White House butt hurt over Limbaugh “Barrack Husein Kardashian” remark.

    Don’t these people get the idea of not lowering yourself? Is it a good idea for any President to care much less respond to something a radio host says? How thin skinned does the Big BO have to be to, given all of his problems, be worried about a Rush Limbaugh remark?

    1. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

      If I were Barry, I would be more concerned over the fact that I told a group of potential political donors that my wife doesn’t deep throat.

      1. John   13 years ago

        Was he saying that or was he saying she just won’t give any oral?

        And yeah, I think I would be concerned about the ass whipping Michelle is no doubt going to lay on him for that remark.

        1. tarran   13 years ago

          Dude, wookies don’t spank.

          They rip people’s arms off.

          And if she pulls them out at the joints, there’s nothing to tourniquet. He’ll bleed out faster than you can say “Alienating the Poles.”

        2. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

          Actually it’s worse. The full context makes it clear he was referring to his wife “not going all the way down” on Ellen DeGeneres.

          The blogosphere has been all a-buzz over a joke Obama made Wednesday at a Beverly Hills fundraiser with supporters of the LGBT Leadership Council. (The L.A. Times called it a “gathering off [sic] the ‘who’s who of gay Hollywood”). The quip was about Michelle Obama doing push-ups on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show,’ but it was interpreted as a crack about oral sex.

          “I want to thank my wonderful friend who accepts a little bit of teasing about Michelle beating her in pushups ? (laughter) ? but I think she claims Michelle didn’t go all the way down. (Laughter.) That’s what I heard. I just want to set the record straight ? Michelle outdoes me in pushups as well. (Laughter.) So she shouldn’t feel bad. She’s an extraordinary talent and she’s just a dear, dear friend ? Ellen DeGeneres. Give Ellen a big round of applause.”

          1. John   13 years ago

            You are right. Wow. Why would he say that? Were Michelle and Ellen getting it on and BO just let it slip? Am I reading that right?

            1. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

              Considering the jokes he’s made about gays before, it’s clear Obama hasn’t gotten past the sophomoric view of homosexuality that most teenage boys have due to lack of life experience and comfort about their own sexuality.

              And yet, most LGBT folks will worship at his altar with the fervor of zealots.

              1. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                Considering the other side is still debating wether they want to kill us, or just throw us in jail, is that really that suprising?

                1. Heroic Mulatto   13 years ago

                  The enemy of my enemy is not always my friend, yes?

                  1. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                    I’m not saying it’s a good idea. I’m just saying it shouldn’t be a suprise.

                2. John   13 years ago

                  Stormey,

                  The voices in your head don’t count. Last I looked no one on either side advocates killing gays.

                  Sorry but saying you can’t get a permission slip from the government to get married isn’t the same as shooting you.

                  1. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                    Sorry but saying you can’t get a permission slip from the government to get married isn’t the same as shooting you.

                    Actually, I believe the most recent proposal was to put us in death camps and let us starve to death.

                  2. BarryD   13 years ago

                    Some people might suggest that letting someone get marries is morally equivalent to shooting them, even.

                    1. Anacreon   13 years ago

                      I have friends who have implored me, “If I ever start thinking about getting married again, please shoot me.”

                      And I know exactly what they mean.

                3. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

                  Who’s debating that, again?

                  Seriously, I want links to mainstream Republicans from the last, say, 5 years, saying that they want to imprison or kill homosexuals.

                  Not that Republicans haven’t said a whole lot of stupid things, but I’m pretty sure we won that particular fight.

                  1. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                    How about the 2012 Texas Republican Party Platform?

                    http://s3.amazonaws.com/texasg…..atform.pdf

                    Homosexuality ? We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown
                    of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the
                    fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country’s founders, and shared by
                    the majority of Texans. Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable “alternative” lifestyle in our public
                    education and policy, nor should “family” be redefined to include homosexual “couples.” We are opposed to any granting
                    of special legal entitlements, refuse to recognize, or grant special privileges including, but not limited to: marriage between
                    persons of the same sex (regardless of state of origin), custody of children by homosexuals, homosexual partner
                    P – 14
                    insurance or retirement benefits. We oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out
                    of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.
                    Texas Sodomy Statutes ? We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority
                    granted by the U.S. Constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy.

                    1. John   13 years ago

                      WTF do you care if people you don’t like think your lifestyle is presentable or not? No one says they have to like you. And they are the last people on earth you should care if they do.

                    2. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                      We are opposed to any granting of special legal entitlements, refuse to recognize, or grant special privileges including … custody of children by homosexuals … We oppose the legalization of sodomy.

                      Yes, why would I care that someone wants to take my children and throw me in jail?

                    3. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

                      You said there was a “debate” — presumably, between people. Wrangle up some of these folks. That same document also says some stuff about fiscal responsibility that Republicans by and large don’t give a damn about.

                      Find me some mainstream Republicans.

                    4. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                      So you’re saying no Texas Republican politician is mainstream?

                    5. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

                      I’m saying the document you cite ain’t mainstream.

                    6. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                      It’s the document that was voted on by the Texas State GOP as representing their views. Rick Perry ran on that document in his last gubernatorial race. Unless you’re going to argue that the Texas State GOP is not a mainstream organization, it is a mainstream document.

                    7. rac3rx   13 years ago

                      I’m still looking for the “kill ’em” section…

                    8. Loki   13 years ago

                      As bad as that is, especially the part about “opposed to any granting
                      of special legal entitlements, refuse to recognize, or grant special privileges including, but not limited to: marriage between persons of the same sex (regardless of state of origin), custody of children by homosexuals, homosexual partner P – 14 insurance or retirement benefits.” (have they ever even looked at the 5th and 14th ammendments?), but I don’t see anything in there about putting gays in “death camps” and letting you “starve to death” (those were your own words).

                      Like I said, not granting equal rights under civil law is pretty fucking terrible, but come on, this isn’t some plan to implement a gay “final solution”.

                    9. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                      By that I was referring to the recent widely publicized sermon by Pastor Charles Worley calling for precisely that.

                    10. Loki   13 years ago

                      Then Pastor Charles Worley is clearly a dumbshit, but until he gets elected to higher office, it’s just words. Words that will come back to bite him in the ass were he to ever run for office. Even TX isn’t so backwards as to actually elect someone like that governor (I hope).

                      IOW I wouldn’t worry too much about that shitstain ever gaining any actual political power.

                    11. Hell's Librarian   13 years ago

                      I think a more interesting question than why gay people don’t like republicans is why they don’t like libertarians. Is it because many gay people have jumped on the socially progressive bandwagon (which has been co-opted by Team Blue, for the most part), and see libertarians as being essentially allied with republicans?

                    12. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                      I think part of the problem is that a lot of libertarians spend too much time apologizing for bigots.

                      The upstream thread is a good example. To suggest that calls for the legal repression of homosexuals aren’t still mainstream in parts of the GOP is ridiculous, yet there they are, arguing that the sky really is green.

                      And it’s not even a case of “well yes they are bigots, but they have a right to have that viewpoint”, no, it’s an outright denial that the bigots even exist.

                      When you spend time arguing things that are obviously false, people tend to assume, rightly or wrongly, you’re just as wrong about other things.

                    13. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

                      Dunno about Texas, but he could still be a state representative in Mississippi:

                      http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..28716.html

                4. The Hammer   13 years ago

                  You know there’s more than one side, right?

            2. Enough About Palin   13 years ago

              Ann Althouse shows the clip on her blog and it would seem it wasn’t intentional.

              http://althouse.blogspot.com/2…..owjob.html

              1. Warty   13 years ago

                What a dork. A few weeks ago, a guy told me that Obama was the suavest motherfucker on the planet. He was serious, too. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

                1. tarran   13 years ago

                  Maybe he was a racist guy who can’t tell the difference between Billy Dee Williams and Barry?

                  1. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

                    He was thinking of Barry White.

                  2. Loki   13 years ago

                    The Barack Obama Story starring Billy Dee Williams.

                    *barf*

          2. Warty   13 years ago

            What the fuck?

          3. Hell's Librarian   13 years ago

            Jesus Christ. It isn’t as if he hasn’t said any number of questionable things, but that is quite the eyebrow-raiser.

          4. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

            It’s going to hurt but I’m going to step in and defend the fucker. He was obviously talking about cheating at push ups by not going down all the way. I don’t see this as a dirty joke at all.

            1. Mad Scientist   13 years ago

              Yeah, I gotta say this sounds completely innocent. He was teasing her for cheating is all.

              1. Anacreon   13 years ago

                I agree with you, but on the tape it sounds like everyone in the room took it the other way. Their was hysterical laughter for a few moments that interrupted his speech.

          5. Red Rocks Rockin   13 years ago

            I despise BO as much as the next person, but why the hell should any grown person get a blowjob reference out of that, unless they have the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old?

            He’s clearly joking about Michelle cheating on her pushups by not going all the way down to the floor, not sucking him off. What an infantilized society this is.

            1. Robert   13 years ago

              Then use some Right Guard or something.

        3. Loki   13 years ago

          Was he saying that or was he saying she just won’t give any oral?

          No, he just meant that his cock is so huge she can’t take it all. For confirmation, just ask Chris Mathews.

          1. rac3rx   13 years ago

            No, he just meant that his cock is so huge she can’t take it all. For confirmation, just ask…Shriek…

      2. Dr. Sam Johnson   13 years ago

        Would you want that shovel-face anywhere near your junk?

        1. Ben the Duck   13 years ago

          Not even with Rachel Maddow’s dick.

      3. NoVAHockey   13 years ago

        what? I missed that. thank god.

    2. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

      Gravitas!

  22. Zeb   13 years ago

    You would think that with Socialists thing for workers, they would actually want them to work.

    Or is Hollande’s another silly idea to reduce unemployment, like the 35 hour work week?

  23. John   13 years ago

    http://minx.cc/?post=329895

    I had no idea about this. Apparently Tom Barrett was one of Obama’s earliest and most vocal and important supporters for President. And he runs for governor of Wisconsin and didn’t get so much as a phone call.

    1. The Hammer   13 years ago

      He got a tweet, which means he’ll still be voting for Obama in November.

  24. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

    How cute, it thinks it’s a moon

    1. Brian D   13 years ago

      That’s no moon…

      /Kenobi

  25. Killazontherun   13 years ago

    It appear that after stinking it up in economics, Krugman is now pursuing a career in bounty hunting:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?f…..8VJ9aeB_g#!

  26. Arcaster   13 years ago

    So I went to The Blaze today (coworker emailed me a link), and I found this story. Then I found the comments. I almost feel sorry for these people.

    http://www.theblaze.com/storie…..ks-uproar/

    1. John   13 years ago

      Wow. You are not changing those people’s minds no matter what you say. But it would be nice if they would at least grasp reality enough to understand that only 2% of the population is gay. So the chances of them taking over the military is pretty slim.

      1. GozWa   13 years ago

        I’m assuming based on that article and the “hero” flap from Memorial Day weekend that the heterosexual people who sign up and get a uniform are more heroic than the homosexual ones?

        1. John   13 years ago

          No.

      2. Enough About Palin   13 years ago

        He may be small, but he’s wiry.

  27. BarryD   13 years ago

    I would love to hear the President of Estonia call Krugman a “stupid, sniveling little cocksucker!”

    President Al Swearengen. I like the way that sounds.

  28. Ben the Duck   13 years ago

    Zombie Bullets In High Demand Following Flesh-Eating Attacks

    Now this, goddammit, is how you do a P.M. link!

    1. fish   13 years ago

      That guy is dead! Head shots only! One per zombie!

      I’m surprised he doesn’t know that!

      1. John   13 years ago

        No stupid. Two in the head makes sure their dead. Never just shoot them once.

        1. Ben the Duck   13 years ago

          Rule #1: “Cardio.”

          Rule #2: “The Double Tap.”

          Rule #3: “Beware of Bathrooms.”

          http://www.zombielandrules.com…..and-rules/

        2. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

          Ideally. Inpractice I’m sure it also depends on how many there are, and if they’re slow or fast moving. C’mon John.

        3. fish   13 years ago

          It’s a .45 (and the AR if things go bad)….if he doesn’t flinch one is enough.

  29. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

    Dutch Ingenuity/Insanity Turns Dead Cat Into Helicopter

    1. John   13 years ago

      That is just a reminder to anyone who was entertaining the idea that wherever they lived was weirder than Amsterdam. Not a chance.

    2. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

      I heard this guy on the radio.
      He went on a rant about how roadkill means civilization sucks.

    3. Jerry on the road   13 years ago

      Don’t give Krugman any ideas, before you know it he will turn Mr. Bigglesworth into a full-blown drone able to attack austeritarians around the world.

    4. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

      Oh yeah? Dildocopter!

      1. Kaptious Kristen   13 years ago

        HAhAHAHAH! I love how security moves in to protect the dude from the super-dangerous dildo.

    5. sage   13 years ago

      2 lazy.2 click is it a quadrotor

    6. mad libertarian guy   13 years ago

      I’ll be in Amsterdam in a couple of weeks for a day or so before sailing on a Norwegian cruise.

      Besides the coffee shops, this is the only thing I want to see. I can’t imagine anything better than getting stoned to bejesus and then watching a dead flying cat.

      1. Atanarjuat   13 years ago

        I heard foreigners can’t legally buy pot in coffee shops anymore.

    7. Robert   13 years ago

      I resisted when I first heard of this, but couldn’t resist a link from a HyR commenter. When I first heard of it, I assumed the cat, in rigor mortis, had itself been turned into the propeller.

  30. Bags   13 years ago

    Krugman is a cat person. I should have known.

    1. Loki   13 years ago

      Of course he is. Because he’s a pussy…

    2. A Serious Man   13 years ago

      He’s like Ozymandias: he has two pet ligers and is plotting to usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity by destroying large portions of the US and its global competitors.

      1. ant1sthenes   13 years ago

        And he thinks faking an alien invasion would be a perfectly acceptable way to trick everyone in the world into doing what he knows is best for them.

  31. Loki   13 years ago

    Alt-text: “You’ve made me very angry Mr. Ilves, and when I get angry Mr. Biggleworth gets upset. When Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, people DIE!”

    1. 0x90   13 years ago

      “…When Mr. Bigglesworth gets upset, people‘s currencies DIE!”

  32. John   13 years ago

    I decided to share this story with you guys after all the hilarious, in-depth ones you’ve shared with me. Please try to overlook or disregard how I learned the information I have and just appreciate the “WTF!” factor. I found out recently that my ex is sending pictures of me to online dating profiles of swinger couples seeking another couple, claiming we’re an item looking for some fun! When my ex and I were dating, I was aware that he had previously been very active on online dating sites (note: this is not how we met). He does not own his own computer (uhh, *red flag*) and at one point got his email account locked and called me to unlock it, therefore revealing pages and pages of past online dating website’s emails with updates of new matches. Now, these weren’t your typical plentyoffish.com messages; they were “adult friend finder” searchers and the like. I tried to overlook this since we had been together for about six months by that point (stupid move number 2), plus he clearly hadn’t accessed any of them since we had been together.

    When we broke up, I went back on his email to delete all the risqu? photos I had emailed him over the course of our relationshit. He also didn’t have a smart phone, so I was safe knowing he hadn’t been able to save the pictures anywhere. (I know, never send naked photos, mistake number a million with him). So the evidence was gone.

    http://dearwendy.com/my-ex-is-…..r-couples/

    1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

      He’s a real keeper and she’s not much better. These two deserve each other.

  33. Ben the Duck   13 years ago

    “Rescuing” this from an earlier thread, ’cause it’s just too blamed good to be lost in the shuffle:

    Morrissey: Obama ‘Useless,’ Just ‘A Set of Teeth’

    Dissed.
    By.
    Fucking.
    MORRISSEY.

    That’s like having the Starland Vocal Band calling you a “a whiny little pop-bitch,” isn’t it?

    1. John   13 years ago

      That is about like getting your manhood called out by Micheal Cera.

  34. Kinsey   13 years ago

    I wouldn’t normally dare speak for my whole state, but in this case I feel comfortable saying Texas is very happy to have Gail Collins’ contempt, and we hope all her readers share it, because we’ve already got way too many New York and California douchebags down here, thanks.

    Also, Paul Krugman and other NYC dwellers of his type seem like cats, themselves, to me. I thought about this when OMG THAT HUGEST HURRICANE TO HIT THE US SINCE KATRINA (if, you know, you ignored Ike, but that didn’t count because it only knocked Houston offline for a few weeks and come on, it’s not like Houston is signficant or anything) was headed towards the Upper East Side and all those co-op and condo dwellers were sitting there ready to get washed out and I was thinking – those people can’t last 2 days without water or electricity, could they? What would become of them without doormen and elevators and take out and all the other stuff that you have to go without in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane? They can’t drive anywhere. They can’t stockpile anything. They’re way too fat to walk more than a few blocks and with no power, there will be no subways. What if looting breaks out? They’re not armed. There won’t be anyone around to stroke and pet them and tell them how smart they are. Yeah, they have opposable thumbs, but other than that, they’re as dependent on other people for every single thing they need as any cat is.

    Sorry. Off topic.

    1. John   13 years ago

      That is not fair to cats. Any self respecting house cat can hunt its meals if it has to. I like the cat’s chances under those circumstances a lot better than I like Krugman’s.

      1. fish   13 years ago

        Cat could live for a long time on Krugmans carcass.

        Probably wouldn’t care for the taste much.

    2. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

      As a Houstonian I laugh at people who get scared of hurricanes. Bunch of pussbags.

      1. Brett L   13 years ago

        Floridian here. Anyone who runs from less than a Category 4 is a pussy. Anyone who stays for a Category 5 is an idiot. It is acceptable to leave and visit friends in other parts of the state or surrounding states for a Category 4, but under no circumstances should you “evacuate”.

        1. rac3rx   13 years ago

          Agreed, but by the time these things hit Houston, they’re around Cat 3s and unless you’re in a trailer on Galveston Island, you shouldn’t be going anywhere. I was raised 7 miles from Galveston Bay. We don’t leave.

          A friend of mine who was living in NYC at the time was telling me about a few years ago when some hurricane came within 300 miles of the place. She said people were seriously talking about needing to leave. She was in awe of the stupidity.

          They’re fucking idiots.

    3. Coeus   13 years ago

      What if looting breaks out? They’re not armed.

      After Ike, the police cordoned off my entire neighborhood. No one in or out for a week (I managed to sneak in and out a few times). There were so many people firing guns it sounded like the 4th of July for a while. I just said “fuck it” and went to open carry.

      1. Kinsey   13 years ago

        We have a generator, which we left going 24/7 in the back yard. Windows stayed open all day, whether we were home or not. We weren’t the only ones who did this and, AFAIK, there was no looting in our Meyerland/Westbury-area neighborhood.

        I agree about the Cat 4/Cat 5 thing except when you’ve got a young kid.

    4. Stormy Dragon   13 years ago

      Before you get too full of yourself, I was once in Dallas when they had half an inch of snow and everyone was acting like it was the start of the apocalypse.

  35. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

    Trophy Time for Germany

    1. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

      wrong link
      don’t click on it

    2. Archduke PantsFan   13 years ago

      real link
      http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16000758,00.html

      1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

        I look forward to reading the original link when I get home from work.

        1. Apatheist ?_??   13 years ago

          *barf*

    3. Hell's Librarian   13 years ago

      Sorry to say, those are not vaginas.

  36. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

    Bob Welch, early Fleetwood Mac guitarist, passes away

    1. Anacreon   13 years ago

      He was part of Fleetwood Mac 2.0, after the “Green Manalesha” blues-band era and before the girls. As soon as I saw your note his “Ebony Eyes” solo tune ran in my mind, it was a popular AOR tune in the 70s.

  37. The Immaculate Trouser   13 years ago

    Another Krugman slapdown courtesy of another Baltic country (this time Latvia).

    http://www.businessinsider.com…..uth-2012-6

    1. BakedPenguin   13 years ago

      Old Town in Riga is beautiful.

  38. Alack   13 years ago

    Ran some numbers on Estonia’s GDP numbers. Gov’t spending as a % of GDP fell from 30% in 1995 to 18.6% in 2011 (although spending in absolute dollars increased by 30% over that same period).

    Estonia’s GDP more than doubled from 1995 to 2011 (+110.16%), while the non-governmental portion grew even faster (+144.47%). Since beginning austerity in 2009 GDP has increased by just over 10%, while the I+C portion has gone up 12.5%.

    I’ll upload my excel sheet somewhere, and all the numbers are in real terms (indexed 2005 Euros) from the Estonia Statistics site I linked to earlier.

  39. Robert   13 years ago

    A thought just occurred to me minutes ago while I was making a medallion of pork sandwich: Remember how the FTC made them stop calling it Hollywood Diet Bread? Said it was misleading because it was just like regular bread, but thinner slices, so fewer kcal/slice. But…what’s misleading about that? That’s what dieting to reduce is all about, eating less. Since people mostly use bread for sandwiches, same no. of slices = less energy, hence “diet”. Just like Bloomberg with his 16 fl. oz. soda thing.

    Some people were also bugged that it was from Hollywood, Fla. rather than Hollywood, Cal. So what, you don’t want thin ladies on the beach as much as you’d want them in movies?

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