California Pot Ruling, Mitt Romney for the Win, Chicago Teachers Prep for Strike: P.M. Links

• An important marijuana ruling in California used by municipalities to justify banning dispensaries has been tossed out.

• A study at the University of Colorado predicts a Mitt Romney win in November. Their system has correctly predicted every president since 1980.
• State lotteries would make more money (and therefore reduce the need to raise taxes) if they were privatized.
• Summer of Unrecovery: Jobless claims still going up.
• FBI and DHS worry about ridiculous amounts of anarchy at the Democratic and Republican conventions. At least something interesting would happen.
• Chicago teachers prepare to strike. How much would it cost to get them to never come back?

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Comments

[Archduke PantsFan]

4:30

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Chicago teachers prepare to strike.

But what about the children?

[Pip]

Just how much preparation does it take to get ready to not go to work?

[Ska]

I thought you would ask how much prep is required to punch kids.

[db]

Teachers preparing to strike: FDR would have called in the Pinkertons.

[Killazontherun]

He was not without at least a few virtues.

[db]

He would have called them because the strikers defied the power of the State.

[Ken Shultz]

At least something interesting would happen.

One of the interesting things that happened at recent conventions was Reason staff walking around asking the question, "Why should a libertarian vote for [insert candidate]?".

Bush's delegates had a hard time giving a coherent answer to that question. I'd love to hear various Obama delegates' answer.

Please send somebody to ask that question again. Why should a libertarian vote for Barack Obama?

[wareagle]

Why should a libertarian vote for Barack Obama?

because that person wished to see the end of empire sooner rather than later.

[Rich]

Their system has correctly predicted every president since 1980.

Oh, would that Paul the Octopus were still predicting.

Also, the squirrels are seriously disrupting my logging in. Anyone else?

[Ice Nine]

Unimpressed. It's obvious that Paul didn't know shit about soccer and simply dug red and yellow stripes.

[Apatheist ?_??]

Gold standard and Audit the Fed to be on Republican platform

Link from drudge gets past registrationwall somehow.

[BakedPenguin]

Funny, because Romney's economic adviser is not disappoint in the Ben Bernank.

[Rich]

As will be Slavery, I trust.

[Concerned Citizen]

Dems and Repubs already support Selective Service, so what's your point?

[SIV]

When was the last time it was up for a vote? I recall Republicans ending Selective Service and Democrats re instituting it.

[ant1sthenes]

Ending it, I hope. That's the historically accurate Republican position.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

OK, that's it - no donation this year.

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES, SQUIRRELS!! HAHA!

[A Serious Man]

Wisconsin landlord wants to know if it's okay to evict his tenants for lying about being Chicago Bears fans. The house is located only a few blocks from (Harry Kalas voice)historic Lambeau Field.

[MP]

Discrimination straight up.

Landlords shall not discriminate based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age, or fandom. It's right there in the law.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Did the lease specify they had to be Bears fans?

[MP]

"An important marijuana ruling in California used by municipalities to justify banning dispensaries has been tossed out."

wait Wait WAIT just one fucking minute here. This means just about nothing and is being spun wildly. The Pack decision may be dead, but all that means is that the current bans will be re-litigated. It in no way put the issue to bed.

[OldMexican]

Chicago teachers prepare to strike.

"Kids all over Chicago will finally receive an actual education... by staying home."

Summer of Unrecovery: Jobless claims still going up.

But.... But Obama created more jebz than Reagan! His deputy campaign manager (Stephanie Cutter) said so! So it must be true!

[wareagle]

that Cutter claim has been repeated by others, usually with a straight face, and almost always without someone calling bullshit. It's like either interviewers are stupid or hoping we are. Maybe both.

[sage]

Last time I saw a mouth like that it had a hook in it!

[Pip]

All of the Left's diverse manifestations, from radical communism to the more complaisant forms of soft-focus socialism, are actuated by the mystical lure of a harmonious society posited as the end-goal of History--a society in which the elements of conflict have been banished and sufficient wherewithal is assured for all its members. The Hegelian assumption--partially adopted by Marx--of the "end" toward which the forces of History are tending is the secular version of the Gnostic reverie of the benign blueprint that was somehow botched. The Leftist dream of ultimate "ends" mirrors the Gnostic illusion of first beginnings, of a pre-existent purpose. For this psychology, only the Ideal is Real, and the Real is recognized as something that is opposed to the actual, to what is presently the case.

http://pjmedia.com/blog/gnosti.....epage=true

[PapayaSF]

Thanks for the link. Interesting, with some very good comments.

[Pro Libertate]

Star Wars as a spaghetti western.

[A Serious Man]

If they do get around to producing the Star Wars live-action TV show it needs to be like a spaghetti western in space with Boba Fett as one of the main characters as well as the Rebellion, the Empire, and organized crime as a major factions. Imagine what a talented team of writers could do with a concept like that.

[Pro Libertate]

I agree with every single thing you said but one. Fuck Boba Fett.

[A Serious Man]

I think you mean fuck George Lucas for writing those scenes in RotJ that demean and diminish Boba Fett's character. It was a fluke that a blind Han hit his jetback and caused it to malfunction.

Vader obviously respects Fett since he doesn't try to fuck him over like he did Lando in altering their deal. Fett even talks back to Vader when Vader orders Han frozen in carbonite ("What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me.") So I think with good writing Boba Fett can be a badass like we all know he is.

[Mad Scientist]

No way is Boba Fett a bad ass. They cloned an entire army of Fetts and those guys couldn't hit the broad side of a swamp rat with a space parsec.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, no way. Boba--which is a stupid name, incidentally--was a capital L loser.

[A Serious Man]

Two things: one, there is an obvious contradiction in the movies since Obi-wan says "only Imperial stormtroopers are that precise", indicating that they have a reputation for being good shots.
So that's only Lucas, not Boba Fett.

And two, their poor marksmanship can easily be the result of faulty training, faulty weapons, and a general reliance on strength in numbers. That's why the TIE fighters are no match for the X-wings and the stormtrooper armor doesn't deflect blaster bolts.

[Pro Libertate]

I wonder if Sith lords like the emperor are financially corrupt? You know, skimming contracts for their own personal gain, resulting in faulty equipment, that sort of thing?

That would explain an awful lot--why armor doesn't stop, well, anything, why blasters don't hit much, why the Death Stars were so easy to destroy, etc.

[A Serious Man]

I would imagine the Empire suffers the same problems as most authoritarian states: the rigidity of leadership and the reliance on patronage from decision makers to obtain bureaucratic positions both breeds corruption and prevents constructive criticism and problem solving.

I mean think about it, if you're an Imperial officer your best career move would be to sabotage your superior so that when he fails Vader will force choke him and you get the promotion.

[Pro Libertate]

So, in other words, Star Wars was a libertarian film?

[A Serious Man]

It could have been, but Lucas was too liberal to see that the Republic runs problematically, with even a centralized republican government an impractical way to run an entire galaxy.

Nor does he ever really address why the Separatists wanted to secede and why that was such a bad thing. He just showed us the fish-headed space-Jew capitalists as the bad guys leading the Confederacy and assumed we'd root against them.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Nor does he ever really address why the Separatists wanted to secede and why that was such a bad thing.

Ironically, they actually covered this a little bit in the Clone Wars comic books--the warlord of one of the planets the Republic invaded pointed out that the central government was more than happy to exploit their natural resources, but when a plague struck the planet, the government did nothing to address the problem.

That's the one time in the whole Star Wars canon where the Republic is shown to be just as exploitative as the Empire.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Five Leadership Mistakes of the Galactic Empire:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/al.....ic-empire/

[robc]

Lack of safety rails in the death star.

[Fluffy]

Wasn't it Jango Fett that they cloned?

[Pro Libertate]

Whatever. Another loser.

[Mad Scientist]

It's been a while, but if I recall Boba and the whole clone army were all clones of Jango, which means they're all identically useless.

[Pro Libertate]

Fetts, any version, are kind of like Riker from TNG. People keep talking them up on screen, but when you actually watch them do stuff, they're obviously incompetent.

[Mad Scientist]

Worf takes the incompetent cake though. Having him around made Riker look great.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, to be fair, sometimes Worf was very competent. But he said some dumb things, and he got his ass kicked a lot for a supposed badass.

[Episiarch]

Yeah, well, no Star Trek has ever done violence well, ever. At least TOS made it hilarious.

(knocks ProL down with a flying leg kick)

[Pro Libertate]

[Shirt tears in exactly the same way as the last ten fights; I turn and give Episiarch a space karate chop to the back of the neck.]

[Episiarch]

(rolls away to the music of Amok Time, then leaps to feet and hits ProL with both hands clenched together like a club)

[Auric Demonocles]

hits ProL with both hands clenched together like a club)

This literally made me laugh.

[Pro Libertate]

[Applies Vulcan death grip, also to Fighting Music.]

[Auric Demonocles]

Hey guys, I'm going to stand over here with this phasor and do nothing, okay?

[Episiarch]

This is all we need.

[Pro Libertate]

Love that "Star Trek Fightin' Song."

[Mad Scientist]

Yeah, well, no Star Trek has ever done violence well, ever. At least TOS made it hilarious.

Inconceivable! That fight with the Gorn Captain was easily the best choreographed scene in all of TV or movie history.

[Auric Demonocles]

Worf did fairly well in DS9. Though that may be partially due to the fact that the basic idea for DS9 was "let's make a new spin off where everyone is badass".

[Pro Libertate]

This is almost correct. DS9 became badass only when Sisco was replaced with a man called Hawk.

[Auric Demonocles]

DS9 became badass only when Sisco was replaced with a man called Hawk.

God you're old.

[Episiarch]

He may be old, but Hawk was cooler than a refrigerator in Antarctica.

[Pro Libertate]

Sorry, but if you don't know about and love Hawk, you can turn in your libertarian card right now.

[Auric Demonocles]

Sorry, but if you don't know about and love Hawk, you can turn in your libertarian card right now.

I make it a point not to love anyone that could speak before me. That's why my girlfriend isn't quite 24.

[R C Dean]

So of course she'll get the last word.

[Auric Demonocles]

On the other hand, for the original point: They made the transporter chief into a badass.

[Pro Libertate]

I like him a lot. He's a heck of a character actor.

[Episiarch]

Think of how cool it was when Data Hulked out on the Borg in First Contact and then realize the combined, total lost potential for extremely cool violence in all of Star Trek. It just does violence, badassery, and shootouts terribly boringly.

[Pro Libertate]

It's a fair point. Star Trek sucked at violence. In the old show, that was probably because they couldn't afford to injure the leads or the stuntmen or break, well, anything. Not sure what the excuse was for later on.

[Episiarch]

The candyassedness that permeated TNG sort of made violent resolutions totally anathema, and I think that influenced all subsequent series, even if unintentionally. They also seemed to be completely uninterested in training their actors to at least look moderately versed in combat techniques. And it was especially egregious to not do that with people like Data (who could have been made out to be an absolute badass because of his speed, power, and precision), Worf, or the Vulcans.

[MattJ]

And it was especially egregious to not do that with people like Data (who could have been made out to be an absolute badass because of his speed, power, and precision)

Scene: Picard, Riker, and three nameless security officers are exchanging phaser fire but essentially pinned down by 15 villains-of-the-week in some warehouse on our planet-of-the-week. Troi is wounded and unconsious.

Enter Data, who, without breaking stride, crosses the distance from the door to the captain while shooting first every bad guy who manages to draw a bead on him. By the time he gets to the captain's position, 12 of the 15 VOTW are dead, and the last three are behind cover.

Data: "3 VOTW remain. Do you need assistance carrying Troi out of here, or shall I get medical assistance?"

Picard: "Yes, Data, I..."

(Picard is interrupted by Data shooting a 13th VOTW from the hip and without looking, which turns the VOTW's head into a canoe just as he tried to peek over the top of his cover)

Picard: "How did you know he was there?"

Data: "I knew his location from seeing him dive behind cover. I have a model of his behavior and ran a Kalman filter to predict his current location with a mean error of 7.8 cm/second. Also, I intalled radar, sonar and infrared sensors in myself. Besides, I can hear the VOTW's breathing and their hearts beating. Only two remain breathing."

[Sound of 2 VOTW's weapons clattering to the floor]

Data should have been the 1st River Tam.

[Coeus]

Well, to be fair, sometimes Worf was very competent. But he said some dumb things, and he got his ass kicked a lot for a supposed badass.

He got his ass kicked so much because he was a badass. It was a cheap way to increase the sense of danger to the crew. This is known as the Worf Effect.

[Pro Libertate]

I'll concede that one. Still, they went to that well an awful lot.

[Coeus]

Agreed. That's why the trope exists in the first place.

[Fluffy]

The ONE episode where violence is done well features a Worf ass-kicking that exemplifies the Worf Effect - "The Hunted", where Roga Danar kicks Worf's ass in the course of kicking everybody's ass.

That episode should have been a two-parter, so they could include even more ass-kicking. They could have ended the first part on a cliffhanger where everyone in the crew had at least one broken bone in a cast, and Troi was knocked up.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, why couldn't they reboot TNG instead of TOS?

[Auric Demonocles]

Wasn't it Jango Fett that they cloned?

Well played. Which means that Boba is even crappier, as he is a clone himself. That means he's a copy of the guy who sucked.

[Episiarch]

I am completely, totally bored with the Star Wars universe. Why waste a good team of writers on something where they have to be chained down by canon? There are countless better candidates in the science fiction world for being made into a live action TV show.

[Pro Libertate]

I agree, but the fact is that this will happen at some point--too much money at stake.

[A Serious Man]

I am completely, totally bored with the Clone Wars nonsense. On the other hand, the time period between episodes 3 and 4 are ripe with possibilities for good TV for the reasons I mentioned.

[Pro Libertate]

Perhaps if they did them while ignoring the prequels altogether?

[Episiarch]

Or they could find a new and better candidate to make a scifi show out of.

[Pro Libertate]

Again, I agree. Just if they're going to do it, why acknowledge the crap?

My first choice would be a miniseries set in The Caves of Steel universe. The first two books, for sure, but they could maybe risk some original shows around Baley and the Cities.

[A Serious Man]

Why would the network want to do that when most sci-fi shows suck or if they are good only find a niche audience and face cancellation? Star Wars has the name appeal, a bunch of devoted fans, and the potential to go into darker territory by focusing on the time period of the Empire.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, science fiction dominates film to an insane extent when it comes to revenues. Not to mention the insane DVD sales of even failed science fiction series.

Also, the success of Game of Thrones is something that got some attention. Yes, it's fantasy, but the same issue applies to that genre, lately.

[A Serious Man]

HBO has the advantage of not relying on advertisements for revenue, which gives them two benefits: no commercials to interrupt shows, and no fear of being too provacative and facing a backlash from sponsors. As a result, they can provide top-quality entertainment that you can't see anywhere else on the letter networks or cable.

[Pro Libertate]

If HBO does The Caves of Steel, Daneel Olivaw will be a woman that has sex with Baley more often than not.

[Brett L]

Guys, what will happen is already obvious. They'll hire Kevin J. Anderson to ruin the TV universe just like he ruined the Star Wars and Dune books.

[Pro Libertate]

You lie! You lie! [Runs sobbing from room.]

[sage]

So long as Han shoots first you do whatever you want.

[Pro Libertate]

With Lee Van Cleef playing Han, I think that's a given.

[Proprietist]

Awesome. I think they could actually redo it as a Western and the story would still make almost perfect sense.

Is it racist to replace Ewoks with Comanches?

[Pro Libertate]

I can't decide if I want it to be set as a western, or with that cast and by Leone still as a science fiction film. Either would rule more than this universe deserves.

Fortunately, under the multiverse theory, these films may have actually been made.

[Episiarch]

Your...I mean the Urkobold's casting picks are genius. And look at that fresh, clean white background!

[Pro Libertate]

Thanks for the white background, Episiarch. And they're mine. The Urkobold is in Japan, casting his new porn version of The Electric Company. He did get Morgan Freeman, so the studio is on board.

[Episiarch]

Is he gonna turn it on? Is he gonna give it the power?

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, and he's going to play Spidey-Man.

[OldMexican]

Cool. I like the red poster.

[A Serious Man]

Gawker wants you to help them shift through thousands of Bain documents to try and find something embarassing and or illegal about Mittens. Why? Because they admit they don't know shit about finance:

The documents are exceedingly complicated. We don't pretend to be qualified to decode them in full, which is why we are posting them here for readers to help evaluate?please leave your thoughts in the discussion below.

[wareagle]

didn't they or someone else do something similar with a cache of Palin emails, only to find less than nothing?

[Pro Libertate]

Gosh, maybe they should get around to vetting the fucking current wielder of supreme executive authority first, before they work on the next one?

[Atanarjuat]

Maybe when you don't know what you're talking about, you should shut the fuck up.

[Fluffy]

We don't pretend to be qualified to decode any of them in full at all

FIFY

[Anonymous Coward]

Gawker Barbie: Finance is hard!

[End Child Unemployment]

Did those University of Colorado guys run their study before Todd Akin reingnited the GLOBAL GOP WAR ON WOMEN? Judging by facebook image memes, nohuman will ever vote TEAM RED again.

[Pro Libertate]

Crap like that, especially with the economy in neutral or worse, could possibly push me to vote for Willard. Still very unlikely (plan to vote for Johnson), but that shit annoys me.

[End Child Unemployment]

Don't you know womyn with the same experience, education, tryhardness, professionalism, network connections, and NICER shoes make THREE CENTS ON THE DOLLAR compared to men?

Don't you know that the rethuglicans want to genetically engineer the sentience out of females so they can go back to being chattel property used strictly for breeding?

Haven't you heard that someone asked Hilary Clinton about clothing designers? As if an important womyn like her would waste her time on fashion! Fucking cisprivilege!

[SIV]

Needs more "rape-racks".

[End Child Unemployment]

Holy shit Rape Racks were a real thing

[SIV]

LBJ awarded Henry Harlow the National Medal of Science.

[SIV]

"Harry Harlow"

[End Child Unemployment]

I like to consider myself a feminist, and I really don't care for TEAM RED or Mittens, but holy shit this WAR ON WOMEN crap is getting way out of hand. I'm considering becoming a misogynist in protest.

[mad libertarian guy]

I like to consider myself a feminist, and I really don't care for TEAM RED or Mittens, but holy shit this WAR ON WOMEN crap is getting way out of hand. I'm considering becoming a misogynist in protest.

Agreed.

But the point is that Team BLUE must maintain the War on Women meme, because without them bringing in the Kultur WARZ at every turn, people might actually start to focus on trivial things like the economy, lack of jobs, and debt.

[VG Zaytsev]

And endless war, drones over america and the all spying government.

[Brian D]

But they can treat Hillary Clinton like crap if she gets in the way of Black Messiah's campaign for the presidency, and run articles commenting on how effectively Sarah Palin would be able to care for Trig if she became VP.

[PapayaSF]

Is Bill Clinton going to make a convention speech about how women should be respected?

[Pip]

Nichole Kidman is still hot!

http://www.nydailynews.com/ent.....-1.1141956

[A Serious Man]

NSFW, but damn.

[R C Dean]

There's enough photoshop there to turn Warty into an attractive woman.

[Mo]

Privatizing a lottery monopoly is nothing but cronyism. If you want to privatize the lottery, make gambling legal.

[Pro Libertate]

There's no gambling at Bushwood, sir. And I never slice!

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Okay, you can owe me.

[Ska]

"Here - keep it fair, keep it fair."

"Oh I couldn't."

Caddymaster pockets money

[Kaptious Kristen]

You do drugs, Danny?

[Mad Scientist]

All the time.

[Kaptious Kristen]

*facepalm*

[Anacreon]

Good, so what's the problem?

[Brett L]

Lotteries used to be private. It was called a numbers racket.

[Archduke PantsFan]

The newest fad: Coconut water
http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....le4492017/

[Atanarjuat]

If you're taking a wooden raft across the Pacific, bringing a crapload of unripe coconuts for their water is a good idea, fad or not. And some ripe ones to plant when you get there, of course.

[Ska]

No shit - I see a lot of people in my office drinking it regularly.

[Proprietist]

I drink coconut water simply because I like the taste more than most other energy drinks.

[sage]

I've seen cage fighters drinking it right after weighing in. Something about being a better way to hydrate than straight water.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

it has a good complement of electrolytes

sure, it's faddy right now, but just like fish oil (which was referred to as faddy) that doesn't mean it's not a good nutritional product

imo, it is.

i used to drink it all the time (from the coconut ) when i lived hawaii, but when you have something free and readily available growing on your property that's tasty and refreshing - why not?

i can tell you it's VERY popular amongst the paleo people at my crossfit. it is THE sports drink of choice

when i cut water to make contest weight, i have historically rehydrated with pedialyte, but i would certainly give coconut water a try now that it's readily available.

[Atanarjuat]

Contest? Are you a bodybuilder? If so, I assume it's a "clean"/tested contest?

[Dunphy (the real one)]

i do weightlifting (commonly referred to as Olympic Style Weightlifting), and have done powerlifting in the past. i recently did a supertotal (combined olifting powerlifting meet plus a strongman log press even in the same day), which was the hardest day of exertion i have ever done (definitely worse than the marathons i ran).

i am currently recovering from a bout of encephalitis. i lost 20 lbs. so, right now, i'm weak as a kitten and making my way back.

yes, USAW conducts drug testing as do the powerlifting orgs i competed in

i've never done bodybuilding. i wouldn't completely eliminate the "possibility" of doing a bbing contest at some point in my life, but it's not really my thing

i'm old as fuck, so i compete as a master's in USAW. as a master's i do very well. i would not be competitive with the open division, which is not surprising considering that people near 50 tend not to be as explosive (and explosiveness vs. limit strength is THE key attribute in OLifting) as those who are 22.

also really important in my sport are flexibility, timing, etc.

it's much closer to an event like throwing the javelin than a pure strength sport (limit strength) like powerlifting.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

He has so much going on that I honestly don't know how he finds the time to bullshit Terry stop people.

[SIV]

It's how Dunphy meets chicks.

[The Hammer]

Just ignore the fact that it tastes disgusting.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I'm not even going to dignify these links with a comment.

[Archduke PantsFan]

Rodney King had been drinking and was on drugs when he plunged into a swimming pool and accidentally drowned in June, a coroner's report released Thursday concluded.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....le4495649/

[Anacreon]

Wow, didn't see that coming.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

some choice bits:

"Ms. Kelley could not swim and attempted to revive Mr. King by prodding him with a pitchfork and hoe before authorities arrived, the report states"

man, if she was a cop. imagine. "the officer tried to revive mr. king by PRODDING HIM WITH A PITCHFORK AND HOE before authorities arrived". (rolls eyes)

not saying she did anything wrong, just amused by the use of a pitchfork as an instrument to try to revive somebody. from the bottom of a pool

"Toxicology tests showed that Mr. King had a blood-alcohol level of .06 and amounts of PCP, cocaine and marijuana in his system, the captain said.

"Mr. King was in a state of drug- and alcohol-induced delirium at the time of the terminal event and either fell or jumped into the swimming pool," Capt. DeAnda said. "Obviously, the effects of the drugs and alcohol combined precipitated some kind of cardiac arrhythmia, thus incapacitated Mr. King, and he was unable to save himself
"

that waste of skin was STILL doing PCP? jesus christ. and of course the polydrug combo and the use of the term "delirium".

HEY, "excited delirium", the medical condition that doesn't exist, claims another life. (hint: it exists)

"It was an unusually positive view for a man who symbolized the problem of police brutality and had long since lost the $3.8-million (U.S.) he'd been awarded in a civil suit against the city over the beating.

Ms. Kelley was a juror on the civil trial.
"

[Dunphy (the real one)]

kind of proves yet again, that throwing money at people (the liberal solution) doesn't work when they are complete fuckstick losers.

3.8 million? and he blew it all (after taxes). jesus

IF ANYBODY had the means to get over their addiction (he certainly had the monetary means to afford the best clinics available and god knows he was a sympathetic figure to many who would try to help him) and start a productice second stage of their life - it was king

but it just goes to show you can throw a bunch of money, public sympathy and second chance opportunities at a thug and they will usually just remain a thug

the desire and discipline to change comes from within. no amount of external factors can overcome it, if the person either doesn't seek to change for the better themselves and./or is just a complete piece of refuse.

[Atanarjuat]

Between the notoriety and blowing that much money, I bet he at least had a good time watching it go.

[The Hammer]

I guess that unprovoked beating robbed him of any will to live or improve himself, knowing that no matter what he did he might just get beaten within an inch of his life by any bored cop who happened to be passing by. Again.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

lol. this is sarcasm right?

setting aside the absurd claim that his beating was unprovoked (which is laughably absurd... ) it was clearly EXCESSIVE imo

what is ironic to me is that imo the first trial (the state charges) the cops (some of them) clearly were guilty as fuck, but they got off

it was the second trial that imo was both the functional equivalent of double jeopardy, as well as they had no chance of a fair trial because no jury wanted more rioting if they ofund not guilty

it was an example of the double standard ( a negative one) that cops routinely face dual sovereignty prosecutions and/or more retrials upon a hung jury than civilians

i personaqlly believe the concepot of double jeopardy is violated by such court shenanigans but case law says otherwise

that aside, rodney king was a piece of shit thug, as his record CLEARLY showed - before he was beaten by LAPD and the idea that his beating, which was probably the best thing that ever happened to him (fame, talk shows, 3/8 million, etc.) when it was all said and done couldn't change the fact that he was a thug, destined to be a thug and had either not the willpower or the desire to turn his life around.

[The Hammer]

Yeah, it was pretty much sarcasm.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

fair enuf. like i said, i think they WERE guilty of the state charges.

i think the second trial was a process injustice, even if as a result it led to a conviction , but then i don't view justice from a results angle (end justifies the means iow) but from a process angle

nobody should face the functional equivalent of double jeopardy, but the case law says it isn't double jeopardy, so they get away with fucking over (mostly cops) with this dual sovereignty bullshit

but we can probably both agree that the cops (some of them) committed the crime of assault in beating rodney king BEYOND what was reasonable under UOF guidelines.

[VG Zaytsev]

Needs more imo.

[wareagle]

or maybe he was just sorry and the beating gave him a doorway out of that, but he refused to take it.

[Coeus]

"Mr. King was in a state of drug- and alcohol-induced delirium at the time of the terminal event and either fell or jumped into the swimming pool," Capt. DeAnda said. "Obviously, the effects of the drugs and alcohol combined precipitated some kind of cardiac arrhythmia, thus incapacitated Mr. King, and he was unable to save himself
"

that waste of skin was STILL doing PCP? jesus christ. and of course the polydrug combo and the use of the term "delirium".

HEY, "excited delirium", the medical condition that doesn't exist, claims another life. (hint: it exists)

A cop claimed it was excited delirium. I don't think anyone here disputes that the cops say it's real.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

i am the first to admit it is a controversial subject amongst medical professionals. some think it describes a condition, and some don't

personally, based on what i have seen and what i have read, i think it's real. and i think recognizing the symptoms and being trained that it IS a medical condition that needs IMMEDIATE treatment can very well save lives. iow, my training tells me what to look for AND how to handle it. the first priority is always making the scene safe. medics can't treat the guy anyway, if he is not restrained.

if people don't think it's real, and they are not trained that it is an urgent medical condition requiring immediate medical intervention, imo more people will die vs. less

that's bad.

but i am the first to admit that the concept of excited delirium is controversial. i have my work laptop available and since our policies are public record, lemme see if i can post some excerpts

[Dunphy (the real one)]

well i found the manual section. in brief, it describes

signs and symptoms ot look for
as a matter of policy, requires that officers get EMS dispatched and staged (they won;'t come in until the scene is secure) seconds count.

has policy about dispatch responsibilities.

establishes the incident should be managed as a MEDICAL emergency vs. simply the underlying crime (if there is one) or disturbance reason for the call. framing is crucial

it recommends a lot of things like trying to clear bystanders from within proximity of the person (which can help calm the subject down as well as helping to protect the public), trying to maintain a reactive distance and trying to talk the person down vs. using force right away.

that the second the subject is DETAINED that their breathing must be continually monitored. no excuses there

that the person SHOULD (note: should not shall, which is interesting) be transported to a medical facility. ultimately that will be the medic's call

here are some quotes:

[Dunphy (the real one)]

2. The subject's ability to focus, sustain, or shift attention is impaired, and he/she is easily
distracted.
3. The subject's speech may be rambling and incoherent, and it may be difficult or impossible to
engage the subject in conversation.
4. The subject may also be disoriented, misinterpret perceptions, be delusional, and/or experience
hallucinations.
5. Due to an elevated body temperature, many of these subjects remove one or more items of
clothing, and they often appear impervious to pain.
6. A subject in an excited delirium state may exhibit one or more of the following:
a. Physical characteristics.
Dilated Pupils.
High Body Temperature (hyperthermia).
Sweating Profusely.
Skin Discoloration.
Extremely Agitated.

Behavioral cues.
Seemingly unlimited stamina.
Impervious to pain.
Intense Paranoia.
Violent and/or Bizarre Behavior.
Attraction to glass, water or shiny objects.
Removing Clothing.
Violently Resists During Control Attempts.
Continues to Resist After Being Restrained.
1,000 yard stare.
Muscle Rigidity.
Incoherent Speech ? Guttural Noises.

the critical things are that the officer recognizes signs and symptoms and GETS EMS rolling, that discretion/valor etc. and it may often be preferable to de-escalate and try voluntary compliance, that if and when officers are going to go hands on, that a minimum of 4 officers is recommended, and that prolonged struggles are to be avoided if possible.

good stuff.

[Coeus]

And all this is caused by the taser? Or is everyone who dies from the taser is already like this? I forget what the excuse is.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

jesus, i provide data and discussion and you want to play these games?

taser doesn;'t cause excited delirium and the literature is FULL of cases where people who were never tased, suffered excited delirium and deaht

the only time i deal with it, the guy stopped breathing (he was revived) after we wrestled him into handcuffs. iow, it's about the syndrome COMBINED with fight or flight adrenaline dump COMBINED with physical exertion

taser causes the latter two, but it is not necessary for excited delirium death to occur, nor is it sufficient (the person has to be suffering from ED in the first place).

naturally, because tasers are so often used with violent aggressive irrational people AND violent aggressive irrational people fit the profile (as noted above) of those WITH ED, given the advent of tasers it is predictable that tasers and ED incidents would correlate

but tasers don't cause ED and if you simply want to play snark vs. rational dsicussion, spare me

[Coeus]

jesus, i provide data and discussion and you want to play these games?

You don't think that the triggering mechanism for this syndrome is relevant to a discussion about it? Seems relevant to those of us on the other side of the blue line, though I know the petty concerns of the plebes usually elicit a "waahhh!!" post from you. Thanks for actually giving an answer, though. So the person must already be exhibiting signs of excited delirium before the tase in order for it to occur. Glad we got that nailed down.

So my next question about this syndrome is just how much impairment does it cause? Would the person be able to do basic math? Drive? Ride a bike?

[Anacreon]

One of our ED docs is beginning work on a meta-analysis review article on excited delirium. I'll post a link when it gets past the peer reviewers and is published.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

i would be very interested in this. please poke at me in a thread so i make sure to see it.

i go with what i have seen with my own eyes, as well as the studies, etc. but i realize there are a LOT of agendas behind the concept of excited delirium. those that think the cops are just killing people and using a fake medical excuse won't accept it as valid.

one of the top 10 scariest moments of my career was wrestling the guy into handcuffs, turning him over and he had completely stopped breathing. thank god we had medics on scene and the guy lived

and OF COURSE he was morbidly obese, had a polydrug combo on board, etc. etc.

[Coeus]

One of our ED docs is beginning work on a meta-analysis review article on excited delirium. I'll post a link when it gets past the peer reviewers and is published.

I would love to see that. The one dunphy had that was written by a cop was biased as all hell. He either didn't read the research he cited, or he deliberately lied about it. I get real tired of this being used to describe every needlessly violent and negligent action on the part of government employees. Pinning down specific facts would reduce their ability to use this as a swiss-army-knife-like excuse.

[Fluffy]

Actually, I think we should note that the guy was full of PCP but somehow was not rampaging through the city killing and raping and knocking down spitting high tension wires and blasting out nuclear fire breath.

So maybe that whole "Hey, we had to beat the guy almost to death, because he was on PCP and everyone knows that makes you a crazed killing machine impervious to pain!" argument offered about King back in the day maybe wasn't true.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

have you ever dealt with somebody on PCP?

there is no disagreement in the medical literature that people on PCP do sometimes exhibit absurd levels of strength, that they often are seemingly impervious to pain, etc

like i said, i agree that their force was both excessive and criminal and they should have been found guilty of the STATE charges.

cops aren;t making this shit up, fluffy. it's ALL over the medical literature e.g.

Over 50% of adult patients present with the classic toxidrome of PCP intoxication: violent behavior, nystagmus, tachycardia, hypertension, anesthesia, and analgesia.1, 7, 22, 23

"The clinical picture may wax and wane between extreme agitation and sedation, because PCP can produce CNS stimulation and depression through its different clinical effects in the CNS. With increasing concentrations, the drug binds to NMDA receptors, acts as a monoamine reuptake inhibitor, stimulates ?-opioid receptors, as well as nicotinic, muscarinic and GABA receptors.6, 18 Sedation and loss of inhibition tend to occur with ingestions of 1 to 5 mg, with the CNS findings of slurred speech, violent behavior and blank staring, horizontal, vertical, or rotatory nystagmus, ataxia, hyperthermia, and seizures at these doses (Table 2).3, 6, 9, 14, 23
"

[Dunphy (the real one)]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm.....MC2859735/

"The most disturbing behavioral effects of PCP are violent, aggressive and bizarre behavior with self-mutilation tendencies."
excited delirium IS controversial. the effects of PCP are not. there are literally dozens, if not scores of similar articles well researched in medical databases, as well as thousands of officers, EMTs, ER doctors etc. who ALL report these signs and symptoms

note that PCP causes, among other things 'analgesia". hint: that means impervious to pain.

seriously, i realize that you are naturall suspect of the cops, but PCP intoxication is scary as fuck and the medical literature completely supports the syndromes that cops report

[Coeus]

seriously, i realize that you are naturall suspect of the cops, but PCP intoxication is scary as fuck and the medical literature completely supports the syndromes that cops report

Except, every time I see a cop list it as a reason for violent behavior in the news, it ends up not being on the toxicology report. It's a cop fantasy that the drug warriors tell themselves every fucking time someone acts like an crazy asshole.

Almost everything you just listed can be caused by alcohol as well.

[Anacreon]

I saw a guy on PCP once, who had wrists, ankles, and waist restrained by leather straps connected to a metal four-poster bed which was sunk in concrete. He managed to pull the bed out of the floor and began bouncing around the room, hammering the walls with the bed frame and the concrete-caked bed legs.

[Dunphy (the real one)]

alcohol does not, for example, cause cns stimulation

hint, the reason why my weightlifting org, the antidoping admin , etc. and the olympic committee etc. ban stuff like clenbuterol and ephedrine for athletes is that strength is very tied to the NEUROMUSCULAR state. people don't understand that it's not just about muscle fibers. it's about the nervous system. the stimulatory effects of PCP on the nervous system are nothing like alcohol (which is a depressant)

sure, alcohol can cause analgesia. duh

but PCP also causes (often) insane strength (with of course attendant serious muscle damage after the fact because when you disinhibit golgi tendon apparatus, spindle reflex, etc. there is a cost)

i'm being 100% stone cold serious here, man

PCP is scary as fuck and people on it can be really fucking scary strong, and comparing it to alcohol is simply silly.

alcohol can certainly disinhibit people, give them some buffer against pain, but cops are not making this shit up. nor are dr's, emt's, etc.

it is a scary fucking drug, and some of the scariest moments in patrol i have ever had were dealing with a sherm head tweaking on PCP.

those stories are true.. shit like guys on PCP taking a razor blade and cutting their face off. that shit doesn't happen with alcohol like it does with PCP

[A Serious Man]

Axe ad featuring a headless, walking set of boobsdraws predictable outrage from feminists and culture critics.

[wareagle]

the church of the aggrieved and offended is never at a loss for congregants. The richness is the irony - advertising and publishing are heavily populated by liberals, exactly the folks who are then outraged. Self-awareness is not big thing there.

[Killazontherun]

I can still smell a bit of Axe on me from this morning. Love the Axe. Currently taking there classes to become a certified Axe evangelist.

I guess i have a duty to defend them here.

Boobs are awesome.
Axe is awesome.

That sweater though, it's okay as a puppy wrapper, but not they should be swinging free.

[VG Zaytsev]

The hairball is disturbing.

[wef]

A study at the University of Colorado predicts a Mitt Romney win in November. Their system has correctly predicted every president since 1980.

But, but, but... Intrade has Obama win probability at 57 percent.

http://www.intrade.com/v4/home/

[Ska]

So what are the current odds on Romney?

[SIV]

Prediction markets are worthless.

[Generic Stranger]

Pretty much. All that that tells me is that the people who use Intrade tend to favor Democrats, which is a somewhat worthless metric.

[mad libertarian guy]

Dense friend is dense. From an email exchange:

**********

Me: We had a conversation about just this when you were writing that article [about industrial hemp].

*Link to Kentucky dot com article about Rand Paul's stand for legalizing industrial hemp.*

Friend: Well, it's nice to say, but let's see if anything happens, and then, if something does happen, let's see if Paul et al. stand up to the feds.

Me: Does co-sponsoring a bill in the Senate count something "happening"?

*Link to a separate Kentucky dot com article showing that Rand co-sponsored a bill in June to legalize industrial hemp (co-sponsored with a Dem from Oregon).*

And Paul has spent his entire tenure pissing off the DC establishment. See his proposed bills on spaying The Patriot Act, NDAA, the TSA, etc. Standing up to them isn't something he's afraid to do.

Friend: His dad has a co-sponsored a bill in the House every year for years now. I'm unimpressed by co-sponsoring bills. I'll be impressed when a bill passes. That takes actual work.

And that's a lot of tough talk about standing up to this, that, and the other. What's passed?

**********

So it's Rand's fault that other senators refuse to vote along with him.

The fuck motivates people to undergo olympic-level feats of mental gymnastics to justify the hatred of a particular person, particularly when that person is doing EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE ADVOCATED?

[Warty]

This is what you get for having friends.

[Archduke PantsFan]

What if this was your Dad?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?f.....GXzT1FdJsk

[sage]

Linky no worky, but it could be my stupid phone.

[Archduke PantsFan]

http://youtu.be/qGXzT1FdJsk

[sage]

Aaaand I wish I still didn't work.

[Mad Scientist]

If that was my dad I would assume the only reason I existed was because my mom was a hooker.

[Archduke PantsFan]

Game of Thrones theme sung by CATS

[Kaptious Kristen]

Tomorrow I get to experience the anti-libertarian double whammy: 1) TSA at BWI (yes, I will opt for the grope as always) and 2) Sheriff Joe's Maricopa County.

Wish me luck!

[Dunphy (the real one)]

christ!

i have two relatives, both former cops and both pretty conservative and they think arpaio is a complete loon. one of his minions approached them to see if they wanted to join the county citizen's "posse" that he runs and they told the guy to pound sand.

i've also met two (former) deputies who worked for him who thought he was a total fuckstick. could be sour grapes, but they seemed reasonable

i guess his schtick flies with the people of maricopa since he gets re-elected, but at least amongst the cops i know who have knowledge/contact with him, the opinion is that he sucks

[pmains]

The county attorney, Bill Montgomery is very conservative, a West Point graduate and a big-time drug warrior. I think he more or less sympathizes with Arpaio on policy matters, but he was caught on tape saying that visiting Arpaio, at one point, "was a little bit like someone coming in to a nursing home room and saying visiting hours are over now."

(I would post a link, but the ampersand squirrels are sugarfreeing it up.)

[Dunphy (the real one)]

heh. awesome. arpaio is such a grandstanding, civil rights ignoring, waste of space.

fwiw, he is a little emperor in his dept. supposedly. he is an authoritarian (surprise surprise) task master who tends to (according to my sources) treat his employees like shit, much like he tends to treat criminal suspects.

i think he has had a FEW good ideas, but they pale in comparison to his lack of respect for due process, civil rights, innocent until proven guilty, and frankly - BASIC HUMAN DECENCY

[Atanarjuat]

Go for the grope!

I have a young kid so we still get to use the metal detector.

[Coeus]

Sheriff Joe's Maricopa County.

If a dog tries to hump your leg while you're there, it might be best to kill all the witnesses.

[Archduke PantsFan]

Every year since 1998, Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, has published a list to help instructors understand the mindset and life experience of the incoming freshman class. It helps put everything into perspective.
Here is this year's list
http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2016/

[Atanarjuat]

I was expecting something as tone-deaf as the dorky dad dancing at the electronic music show, but some of those "for them, X has always been this way" were kinda interesting.

Women have always piloted war planes and space shuttles.

My older co-workers are always astounded by the fact that I don't know how to work a rotary phone.

[Atanarjuat]

"For these young freshmen, feminists have always been bitching about things that don't matter, since women achieved complete equality long before they were born."

[Brett L]

Yay, the kids are back in Tallahassee. I think I'll go down to the Strip Friday night and see if they're still going home with any dude who buys them drinks.

[Generic Stranger]

My older co-workers are always astounded by the fact that I don't know how to work a rotary phone.

How the hell do you not know how to use a rotary phone? The things are simple as hell. And don't tell me it's your age; I'm 26 and I know how to use one.

[Killazontherun]

Southern strategy*, Obama edition

On Monday, a "team member" named Laurence De Palma, who lists his location as East Nashville, presented volunteers with some talking points to convince Southern Christian voters they shouldn't vote for a Mormon. The message was available under "Resources" and tagged "persuasion."

"I'm thinking that even though we don't LIKE campaigns to get nasty, we in the south (TN) come to EXPECT it," De Palma began. "What we also know is that we have a very 'rigid' view of Christianity, and apparently, Mormonism isn't anywhere in our views. This could easily win TN/SC/AL/GA, etc."

* What is commonly understood about the original one is a load of revisionist bullshit, but so as to not complicate matters, lets leave it at that for now.

[SIV]

This could easily win TN/SC/AL/GA, etc."

lol

[Virginian]

Seriously that's fucking hilarious. I will bet anything this guy cares to that Obama loses all four of those states.

[SIV]

I'd wager $10k against $1k and consider it stealing.

[Paul.]

A study at the University of Colorado predicts a Mitt Romney win in November. Their system has correctly predicted every president since 1980
'
This is exciting. I wonder what I'll get if I'm right and they're wrong for the first time since 1980.

[The Rantin Arkansan]

Four more years of Obama?

[Coeus]

Hooray for the male biological clock!

Dem be some catty bitches. Bonus: most of the article is refuting straw-man anti-feminists.

[Christina]

My younger sister and I often say that we dodged many bullets in the circumstances of our births.

When I was born my dad was 61 and my mom was 41. When Sis was born Dad was 66 and Mom was 46. And there was no need for frozen sperm or donor eggs. We are all natural. Boo-yah!

[Coeus]

My parents were old as well. Not that old, however. Which is good, considering most of those bullets seem to have hit center mass.

[Christina]

Nobody ever has a dad as old as mine. I've met people with similarly large families, but they were always religious. Not Dad. He had 13 children over 45 years simply because he could.

[Coeus]

How very Heinlenian of him.

[Coeus]

Time for yet another Fark response to a Reason article.

And this is a good one too. You can play cognitive dissonance bingo on the first page alone.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Habitual criminal allegedly breaks into wrong house:

"A man charged with breaking into LL Cool J's home Wednesday morning faces a long prison sentence if convicted because of his previous convictions, the prosecutor's spokeswoman said Thursday....

"Arraignment for the suspect is not yet set, because he is still hospitalized for treatment of injuries inflicted by LL Cool J when he "physically detained" him, she said."

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/23/.....index.html

You might almost say he knocked him out.