The Romney Fundraiser Mess, the Embassy Attack Mess, and the Iran Mess: P.M. Links

• 
  

  Jimmy Carter's grandson helped get the Romney fundraiser video out, hoping to help Democrats get elected and as revenge for the way people criticize his granddad. Also, some conservatives are defending the content of Romney's comments.

• Innocence of Muslims protests in India have turned violent. Egypt wants to arrest the movie's makers and promoters. Meanwhile, U.S. talks to provide financial aid to Egypt have been put on hold.
• U.S. and British naval vessels are amassing in the Persian Gulf. Is a pre-emptive strike on Iran imminent?
• A court ruling striking down Wisconsin's ban on public employee collective bargaining has left municipalities baffled about what rules to use when planning their next budget.
• E-mails show that the Department of Justice has been collaborating with Media Matters by providing tips to discredit Obama Administration critics.
• Neil Young has a very modern take on music piracy, embracing it as a way to get music heard.
• St. Cloud, Fl., cops used the Internet to lure in and arrest 40 for prostitution. Anybody who has lived through the irrational hatred Central Florida's law enforcement departments have toward all things sexual will not be surprised.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and don't forget to sign up for Reason's daily AM/PM updates for more content

Comments

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Neil Young has a very modern take on music piracy, embracing it as a way to get music heard.

Great Job Neil!

[Bumpersticker]

Live Music Are Better!

[JW]

Peter Gabriel has a similar quote from years ago, about what he would do if he found out that his music was being pirated in Indonesia. "I'd go and do concerts there."

[Fist of Etiquette]

That money-grubber.

[Fist of Etiquette]

E-mails show that the Department of Justice has been collaborating with Media Matters by providing tips to discredit Obama Administration critics.

Well, someone had to.

[Killazontherun]

Reading it is much worse than described above. There actions were designed to keep reporters from investigating Fast'n'Furious and New Black Panther's voter intimidation.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Peanut Butter And Jelly Racist? Portland School Principal Ties Sandwich To White Privilege

[BakedPenguin]

Seth McFarlane will be aghast.

[Mad Scientist]

It was a different time. Back then, we didn't know peanut better and jelley was racist. We didn't know!

[The Immaculate Trouser]

What it should be tied to is an incredibly tired and uninspired running joke.

[Randian]

I think it's come back around to funny again.

[Mad Scientist]

The sandwich was reportedly mentioned in a lesson plan last year. Verenice Gutierrez from the Harvey Scott K-8 School used it as an example of a subtle form of racism in language, according to the report.

"What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?" Gutierrez said, according to the Tribune. "Another way would be to say: 'Americans eat peanut butter and jelly, do you have anything like that?' Let them tell you. Maybe they eat torta. Or pita."

No, she has it all backwards. It's those racist tortas and pitas who've discriminated against PB and J and othered them right the hell out of certain kitchens.

[Alack]

Right, 'cause it's not racist to assume that people from other cultures have never had a fucking sandwich.

[BarryD]

Once upon a time, PBJ was tied to white poverty. What changed?

[Heroic Mulatto]

Ummm maybe because PBJ tastes so damn good?

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

This wasn't funny when it was on "RedEye" a few days ago.

[Mickey Rat]

Someone's confusing recognizing lowest common cultural denominators with race. Guitierrez betrays in himself a discomfort with the idea that the USA has a common culture.

[Killazontherun]

Guitierrez should be deported to Nutzville.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Nic Cage's career death in posters

[Francisco d Anconia]

Watched Drive Angry last night. Not winning any awards, but it killed 2 hours and I walked away entertained.

I respect the guy for not falling into the mind set that "I'm too good to play bad roles".

I LOVE B movies.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

He's basically becoming the Dennis Hopper of this generation--and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

Dennis Hopper made "Waterworld." Well, plus that hot chick Kevin Costner was with.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I ordered medium rare!

[Rich]

Free markets FTW!

[Episiarch]

U.S. and British naval vessels are amassing in the Persian Gulf. Is a pre-emptive strike on Iran imminent?

Honestly, I wouldn't put it past Obama if he thought it would secure his re-election. Which it probably would. Yay! War!

[Tim]

Yar! Heave to or I'll blast ye to Osama's locker!

[John]

I don't see how it would get him re-elected. People voted for him thinking he would end the wars not start new ones. But I would not be surprised if he is dumb enough to think it would. And that is all that really matters.

[Episiarch]

The expectation would be that people would feel like they had to rally behind the president in this time of conflict. It would certainly shore up his base, as they have shown time and time again they are not anti-war at all, they are just anti-TEAM RED war, and would feel like they had to support him.

[John]

He has already shored up his base. And do they honestly think Americans don't think Republicans are willing to fight a war?

I think a big reason why a lot of independents voted for Obama in 2008 is that they just wanted things to quiet down for a while. If they wanted new wars and more conflicts, they would have voted for McCain. A war with Iran undercuts any reason for independents to vote for Obama.

[Randian]

No kidding. Obama's election was a referendum on the Iraq War.

[Cytotoxic]

I think the economy was much more important.

[JW]

It's a suckers game to think that *any* Coke or Pepsi presidential candidate will do anything to "quiet things down." They're all fucking bloodthirsty, if you give them any reason to spin it to their benefit.

[R C Dean]

The early (and apparently short-lived) Yay-Blue meme on the embassy kerfuffle was that it would help Obama because Americans won't vote out a President during a foreign policy crisis, or somesuch.

So, these people definitely have wag-the-dog on the mind. And they stink of desperation.

So, yeah, I'm thinking Obama and Bibi may be cooking up a li'l sumthin for Ahmadenijad.

[The Last American Hero]

So around the first of November he's going to cock an eyebrow and shout:

Can U smell what Barack is cookin?

[Randian]

I swear by Ayn Rand's ghost that an Iran War is going to make me go off the deep end.

[T]

Go?

[Cytotoxic]

Ayn Rand's ghost wants nothing more than the termination of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

[VG Zaytsev]

Too late.

[Sam Grove]

Maybe he's aiming for another Nobel Peace Prize.

[JW]

Most people who voted for him, voted for him because he had a 'D' after his name on the ballot. That was about as far as the critical thinking went.

[John]

And he was black. It felt so good to be a part of history and vote for a black man.

[ant1sthenes]

On the plus side, history was made, so they never have to feel that way again.

[BakedPenguin]

"Don't change horses mid-stream!"

[Gray Ghost]

He's late. I thought he'd have manufactured some cause a few days earlier. Guess it'll still be dark enough at night for the bombers.

FWIW, it's been in the news for the last 2 weeks or so that they're supposed to be in the Gulf for a fairly large naval exercise/dick wagging show.

Failing to see how bombing the shit out of Iran is supposed to distract us from a bunch of largely Sunni Muslims from rioting in a dozen other countries, but w/e.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

Hey, look over there! A chicken!

[wef]

To a large extent the mass of his subjects would confuse the swarthy screamer persians with the swarthy arabs doing all the yelling and embassy burning and such. The average-attention-paying voter would likely be happy to see right now some lightening bolts of Nobel Peace drones raining from the sky on these yapping sand monkeys. The psychological terrain has been prepped, as it were.

[Randian]

No way. This country is simply not in the mood for yet-another war.

[$park?]

HA HA! Good one.

[Pip]

"Nobel Peace drones"

Sweet.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Jimmy Carter's grandson helped get the Romney fundraiser video out, hoping to help Democrats get elected and as revenge for the way people criticize his granddad.

The latter being the more legit reason.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

Typical.

GW Bush starts a fucking WAR that's still going four years after he's out of office cause "they came after my daddy!"

Carter's fucking grandson releases a MEAN VIDEO of Romney's own words to get back at him!

Advantage - they're both eejits

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Never too young for Jihad

[Coeus]

That's a shame. Never go full Jihad.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well little Ruqaya,

According to your fundalmentalist friends, you're also never too young for a grown man to place his penis between your thighs.

How do you like them apples, shaheeda?

[VG Zaytsev]

HM

I've heard from a number of sources that one of the preferred ways for muslims to kill gays is by collapsing a wall on them.

And then I just saw in your linked Wiki article that people killed in falling buildings are martyrs the same as people killed in war.

WTF is going on with that dichotomy?

[BarryD]

Carter's grandson, recognizing that Obama's reputation isn't quite bad enough to make his grandfather look like he was only the second worst President in living memory, wanted to do what he could to help Obama get a second term.

[rts]

A bill that would make it illegal to wear a mask during a violent demonstration is nearing its final hurdle in the House of Commons, with just two hours of debate left.

Bill C-309 would make it a crime for people rioting or at an unlawful protest to conceal their identities. ...

An unlawful assembly is a gathering that causes fear. It's up to city officials to decide what constitutes a riot.

No way to abuse this vague language, nope.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

YAY HARPER GOVERNMENT

[Tim]

If it gets creepy giant puppets off of the streets I'll support it.

[BarryD]

Wait... Is a violent demonstration legal?

It would seem to make more sense to wear a mask and take your chances, than to expose your identity, given that you can be charged with a crime anyway.

[rts]

Participating in a riot carries a maximum 2 year sentence.

This bill makes it 10 years if you're masked at a riot, 5 if it's an unlawful assembly.

[BarryD]

How many rioters are ever arrested or prosecuted?

Most rioters simply run off and are never caught, I'd bet.

So your odds are still better if you don't wear a mask. They're better still if you disguise your face from cameras, in a way that doesn't violate the letter of the mask law.

[BarryD]

Should have said "your odds are still better if you DO wear a mask"

[The Last American Hero]

Pretty vague -

Do Guy Fawkes masks count?

Is the language sufficiently vague to include the SWAT dudes on riot duty?

[Cytotoxic]

If our Supreme Court has any sense, they'll kill it. And they do have some sense.

[Atanarjuat]

You're Canadian? Hoser.

I wonder (TLTRTFA) how they plan on dealing with women who are required to cover all or part of their face/head for religious reasons.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A court ruling striking down Wisconsin's ban on public employee collective bargaining has left municipalities baffled about what rules to use when planning their next budget.

Give it to the public employees union leadership. Give it all to the leadership. There's your budget, dummies.

[John]

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/.....ld-economy

Chinese banks finding out that steal put up as collateral for loans never existed.

[R C Dean]

Sweet, sweet RC'z Law there, J.

[BakedPenguin]

Oh, the steal existed, all right.

[John]

Fair enough.

[Cytotoxic]

I think John doesn't get it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Meanwhile, U.S. talks to provide financial aid to Egypt have been put on hold.

So that youtube video could end up saving us money?

[Rich]

FTFA: Several American officials, however, indicated that any delay in aid was expected to be temporary, and that no significant change in U.S. policy in regard to Egypt was expected.

I suppose we *could* hope for a slight decrease in the rate of increased aid.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Maybe they'll get back aid with interest.

[John]

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

Gallup Obama 47 Romney 46. But Joe Scarborough assured me this morning that Romney lost the election this week.

[BarryD]

Scarborough should shake your hand. I'm not sure if anyone else was watching.

[Randian]

oh em gee, he's a vaxer and an Alabama fan.

I nominate Joe Scarborough worst human being in existence.

[John]

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

Selma Blair's son tries to grab lunch in front of the paparazzi. Shows what makeup and good lighting can do. Blair doesn't look ugly in those pics. But if I saw her on the street, I wouldn't go "wow" or anything. But she looks "wow" in movies.

[Karl Hungus]

What kind of person do you have to be to stalk some woman around town and shoot pictures of her as she tries to go about her business with her baby in her arms? And what kind of person is this crap marketed toward?

[John]

The kind of person who reads the Daily Fail, which is pretty much all of mankind.

[Episiarch]

I wouldn't say she looks "wow" in anything, John.

[John]

I thought she was pretty hot in Hell Boy.

[Karl Hungus]

I thought she was pretty hot in Hell Boy.

She's got a nice body, but she has that mannish lantern jow thing going on, which kinda throws me off.

But isn't she a little too skinny and hairless for your tastes, John?

[John]

No. She has a nice body I think.

[Episiarch]

OK, good point, not bad in that.

[$park?]

Holy crap! You mean to tell me that actors and actresses look like normal people if they don't cake on 10 pounds of makeup?!?!?

*MIND! BLOWN!*

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Update on the Honduras charter cities:

http://chartercities.org/blog/231/honduras-update

I lived in Honduras for a spell, and I have to say that this is one of the few positive developments in the country for a long time. Libertarians should be very excited about this.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

It is interesting. Market Urbanism had a blog posting about this with some pro/con libertarian arguments.

http://marketurbanism.com/2012.....er-cities/

[Karl Hungus]

Bad man ambushes and shoots (and apparently uses a grenade on) two unarmed policewomen in northern England.

The article also mentions an earlier shooting in which an unarmed policewoman, who was unarmed, was killed after responding to an armed-robbery call, even though she was unarmed.

[John]

But I thought no one had guns in the UK?

[Karl Hungus]

But I thought no one had guns in the UK?

Exactly. Criminals can get guns at will in Britain, and it's my understanding that gun crime there has skyrocketed since the 1997 gun ban (before which they didn't really have much of a problem with gun crime).

They're in denial over their gun crime, and keeping their police unarmed is a byproduct of that denial.

[Episiarch]

The UK police have traditionally never been armed with guns, at least most of them. This is nothing new and is not a result of their gun hysteria.

[Gladstone]

Yeah, arming cops was regarded as a threat to people's liberty. This was back when many Brits thought that having a police force was too French for their liking.

OT: I remember seeing a trailer for Time After Time on TV showing a scene of Jack the Ripper telling H.G. Wells how in 1970s America people can walk into a store and buy guns which was an example of how violent the 20th Century is and how Jack the Ripper fits in with this time period. That line always struck me as off. Where the Victorians big into gun control?

[Episiarch]

No, the Victorians were not at all into gun control. In fact, supposedly if a policeman was chasing an armed suspect, they would often stop passers by and ask to borrow their gun for the chase if they had one.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Are you kidding?

The Victorian idea of entertainment was tying a dwarf and a pit bull together to see who would die first.

The fighter, named 'Brummy', was a middle-aged dwarf about 4.5 feet (1.4 m) tall, with oversized features, and bowed legs. He had apparently agreed to fight the dog for a bet, on his theory that no dog "could lick a man". His "opponent" was a white bulldog named Physic. Held by its guardian, the dog apparently did not bark, but was excited to the point where tears ran from its eyes. The fight, watched by an audience of about 50, occurred at an old inn at Hanley, Staffordshire, in a large guest room, its windows closed and its floor covered in sawdust, with the ring cordoned off by a line.
During the fight Brummy was bitten deeply several times on his arms, and the Bulldog was dealt several heavy blows to the head and ribs. After ten rounds the Bulldog's head was heavily swollen, it had lost two teeth, and one of its eyes was closed. The fight lasted until round eleven when Brummy knocked the dog out.

I mourn the loss of this golden age.

[Atanarjuat]

Wow. Brummy was a bad mofo.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I remember seeing a trailer for Time After Time on TV showing a scene of Jack the Ripper telling H.G. Wells how in 1970s America people can walk into a store and buy guns which was an example of how violent the 20th Century is and how Jack the Ripper fits in with this time period.

Whoever wrote that in the screenplay was monumentally ignorant. You could do the same thing in 1880s America, too--Christ, you could order rifles right from the Sears catalog with no background check(:wistful:)--so apparently Jack the Ripper would have been fit right in regardless.

[Generic Stranger]

You could do so in England, too. Their gun control laws didn't get off the ground until the 1900s.

[Cytotoxic]

Gun crime only exists in America comrade. You're not applying your CrimeStop. It's not gun crime in BritainAirstrip One, it's values failure. Or something.

[Episiarch]

Most police in the UK are unarmed (as in no gun). Only special "gun squads" are armed. You know, so they can kill Brazilian immigrants in the Underground.

[BarryD]

I could see that working in Canada, but not the UK.

[BarryD]

Unarmed cops, I mean.

[rts]

Even the transit "cops" who check fares and write tickets on SkyTrain are armed here.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Anybody who has lived through the irrational hatred Central Florida's law enforcement departments have toward all things sexual will not be surprised.

They all wanna be Tubbs or Crockett.

[Pro Libertate]

I have to object to this. Tampa's in Central Florida. We are the world leader in lewd sexuality. And our cops love it.

[Karl Hungus]

I visited Tampa for the first time late last year (even though I'm only a couple hours away), and I loved it there. Even Ybor was pretty cool. Definitely has its seedy side, as you say.

[Randian]

I almost got killed in a riot at Ybor once.

Good times, good times.

[Pro Libertate]

I like it here very much.

[Karl Hungus]

While I was there, I watched my first sunset over the ocean since I left California. I can drive 5 minutes to see a sunrise over the water, but there's just something nice about a sunset.

[Pro Libertate]

Sunrises, though nice, are insipid. Sunsets are glorious.

[Paul.]

As a west coast dweller, I admit I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of the sun rising over the water.

Sun sets on the ocean...

You folks in Florida have it both ways though.

[Pro Libertate]

We're bisolar.

[Paul.]

We're bisolar.

This should be a threadwinner... there is no justice.

[Pro Libertate]

Game, set, match.

[Spartacus]

I grew up on the east coast of Florida, so I'm used to having the water to the east. I have lived on the west coast (of FL) for almost 20 years now and I still get directions backward sometimes because I still think that the big water is supposed to be eastward.

[Pro Libertate]

One of my college roommates was from New Smyrna Beach. We regularly argued about sunsets vs. sunrises. He was an idiot on this point, and he would always finish with there being an advantage to his shitty beaches because you could drive on them. Also idiotic.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Please tell me they drive cigarette boats with crocodiles.

[Episiarch]

Did you just say "crocodile"?

And the alligator must be named Elvis and be fed bags of dog food!

"If I twitch, she dies."

"Maybe you won't even twitch."

(BLAM)

[Karl Hungus]

Please tell me they drive cigarette boats with crocodiles.

No, the alligator goes on the sailboat, which is where we live. The cigarette boat is strictly for the daily commute.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

The cigarette boat was "seized" when the owner was "caught" carrying "suspiciously large" amounts of cash [approximately $2,000], for which he is being "held on suspicion of [some crime]" and will be "tried" at "some point" in the "distant future".

Till he's found NOT GUILTY then - POLICE BOAT FTW!

[Pro Libertate]

Actually, it's not alligators anymore. It's pythons. When they reboot Miami Vice as a TV series, that adjustment will be made.

[Brett L]

Anybody who has lived through the irrational hatred Central Florida's law enforcement departments have toward all things sexual will not be surprised.

I blame The Mouse.

[Pro Libertate]

Someday, there will be a strip club in Downtown Disney.

[Brett L]

Imagine how much money a girl could make starting from a slutty Disney princess costume and stripping down. I mean, sure The Mouse would probably take 80% and prevent them from ever mentioning where they work, but still, a girl could get filthy rich.

So which slutty Disney princess would you blow the family's souvenir budget on?

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Jasmine
Ariel
Snow White

[Archduke Pantsfan]

crap was that out loud

[A Serious Man]

Jasmine would most likely be performed by an Hispanic woman and not an actual Arab woman, so it kind of deflates the exotic aspect of her.

[Pro Libertate]

Not at all. They have people from the actual countries at EPCOT, for instance.

[Calidissident]

I'm ok with watching a hot Hispanic woman undress. Who cares what she was dressed as before? And aren't Hispanics generally considered exotic?

[John]

Little Mermaid. Who doesn't love a redhead?

[Pro Libertate]

They've got that Scottish princess now, too. My daughter and I saw the film (Brave) just a few months ago.

[Robert S]

Huh, I would have guessed Ursula for you.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Belle. Her standards are not very high.

[Coeus]

This^^^^. She reads a lot and she likes big and hairy. I'm in like Flynn.

[T]

Get a stripper that was a dead ringer for Maleficient and I'd sign over my house.

[nicole]

You guys are fools if you don't go for Tinkerbell. I mean, dat ass.

[Coeus]

You're lucky I'm at work. That post is just screaming for some rule 34 grossness, and given that its disney, it'd probably take less than 30 seconds to find it on google.

[nicole]

Yeah, it was harder to find the real pic than some pretty nasty ones.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Or this.
Possibly NSFW.
http://www.flickriver.com/phot.....ags/comic/

[Cytotoxic]

I cannot believe you're actually talking about this.

[nicole]

You clearly underestimate the importance of the Disney princess phenomenon.

And possibly overestimate the HundR commentariat.

[Heroic Mulatto]

nicole, If I didn't already have a first-born, I'd ask you to bear it, just on that comment alone.

[nicole]

Why thank you, HM. I'm just glad I could share my love of a great booty-shake.

[Heroic Mulatto]

As far as animated booty-shaking, nothing beats this.

[nicole]

Wow the peeps on YouTube really hate that video. I have a sad.

[Atanarjuat]

Anybody who has lived through the irrational hatred Central Florida's law enforcement departments have toward all things sexual will not be surprised.

Meanwhile, Orange Blossom Trail swarms with (mostly disgusting) hookers.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

America must stay in the ME in perpetuity because it is a Great Power. America is a Great Power because it stays in the ME in perpetuity. More logic from our foreign policy courtesans:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/a.....e_new_boss

[Pro Libertate]

What would happen if we just walked away? Seriously. Yes, maybe some more wars there, perhaps with other powers intervening, but most likely, the Israelis and the other countries would fight and eventually figure out a way to live without constant threats of violence.

Our and our predecessors' involvement in the region is just dragging out the problem.

[John]

We could still aid Israel enough to keep them from being overrun. As far as the rest of it, they have to sell the oil. They can't drink it.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Israel won the Six-Day War without our help, and would, with France and Egypt, have joint control of the Suez if not for our intervention. Israel would do just fine if we sold them arms and did little else.

[Pro Libertate]

Things were different when the Cold War was on. But that problem is gone.

[tarran]

Actually, Israel doesn't need U.S. aid to be overrun.

IIRC the money the U.S. govt gives them covers the cost of colonizing the occupied territories and with a tiny bit left over.

They could abandon the settlers and do just fine.

[Cytotoxic]

colonizing pacifying

Civilizing would also be acceptable.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm not sure Israel needs aid anymore. They're a going concern and are armed to the teeth.

[Chris Mallory]

Jerusalem Post:

In an apparent reference to the public spat between the United States and Israel, former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told the Calcalist conference on Tuesday that preserving strong ties with the United States is an Israeli security necessity.

"We must preserve ties with the United States. I believe this is a security necessity," he said.

In the past three years, he noted, US taxpayers have contributed more to the Israeli defense budget than Israeli taxpayers.

[Pro Libertate]

I would imagine that Israel could shift money to defense if we weren't in the picture. Besides, it's not like we wouldn't still be a trading partner or sell them weapons.

[Chris Mallory]

Israel is not our responsibility nor are they an ally.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

My thoughts exactly. The end of the Cold War provided us with an excellent opportunity to withdraw from the region, IMO.

[ant1sthenes]

What would happen if we just walked away?

Maybe there could be an end to the horror. We could just leave the oil there, and walk away.

[Pro Libertate]

You heard what he said! It sounds reasonable! We don't have to die! All we have to do is walk away!

[Cytotoxic]

We need to bomb and otherwise kill some enemy groups in the region with some tactical action and depose Iran's government. Otherwise, time to go.

[Jersey Patriot]

depose Iran's government

We did that in the 50s. It didn't go well. Learn some history.

[Pro Libertate]

Maybe we should just surrender to Iran. You know, kind of like The Mouse that Roared, but in reverse. We wouldn't really concede that much, but they'd gain face.

[Cytotoxic]

WRONG the people of Iran were largely responsible for oeverthrowing Mossi; the CIA coup failed. And it worked great: no Iran for the USSR they were a good ally.

[Calidissident]

Yes, let's give the government the power to kill enemy groups with no oversight. How soon till they extend this to US territory? We've already had fucksticks like Lindsey Graham tell us that the "homeland" is part of the "battlefield"

[Cytotoxic]

We'd have Congress do the whole procedural yada yada.

[Calidissident]

That instills a lot of confidence

[A Serious Man]

Meet the Fokkens: Amsterdam's oldest prostitutes, 70-year-old twins.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Not clicking.

[Pip]

But they're twins, AP. Twins!

[A Serious Man]

They aren't terrible looking, I just wouldn't pay for them.

[Karl Hungus]

They aren't terrible looking, I just wouldn't pay for them.

No, they're terrible looking. I would feel like I was fucking Benny Hill, times two.

[BakedPenguin]

His theme music started playing in my head. I won't describe the visual that went along with it.

[Atanarjuat]

You, Sir, are no Sugarfree.

[Proprietist]

Nothing about the coming Sino-Japanese war over some stupid islands that we will expectedly get roped into due to our security obligations with Japan?

[A Serious Man]

Japan technically only has a 'self-defense force', but it's equipped with state of the art destroyers and guided missile cruisers. The Chi-Coms are severely outclassed in that regard.

[Pro Libertate]

Yeah, why no press to speak of on that mess?

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Fresh anti-Japan protests have erupted in China over disputed islands amid raised tension on the anniversary of Japan's invasion of north-east China.

Thousands of protesters chanted slogans outside the Japanese embassy in Beijing as riot police lined the streets.

Japan's coast guard says several Chinese ships are in waters near the islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, Japanese media report.Fresh protests in China-Japan row
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worl.....a-19632042

[Pro Libertate]

Great, an Asian war. With us and another nuclear power that's a little crazy. Good.

[Proprietist]

These are UNINHABITED islands too. Which would make any sort of war all the more absurd.

[Pro Libertate]

Say, why don't the Occupiers do something for peace and go occupy those islands? Too much clarity in the issues for them?

[John]

http://mrctv.org/blog/videotap.....lorida-law

I pointed this out this morning. The secret video tape may have been illegal. If this had been a video of Obama, that would be the story.

[Proprietist]

It was revenge for the "cling to guns and religion" recording at the 2008 Obama fundraiser.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

The MSM did not think that would cost Obama the election because the MSM agrees that those yucky people in flyover country are stupid. But if you say that those yucky people in flyover country are welfare queens, then you have committed a gaffe, because the MSM very much wants to give welfare to those yucky people in flyover country.

[BigT]

Romney:

"There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them."

Obama:

"The one thing that we absolutely know for sure is that if we don't work even harder than we did in 2008, then we're going to have a government that tells the American people, 'you are on your own,'" Obama told a crowd of 200 donors over lunch at the W Hotel.
"If you get sick, you're on your own. If you can't afford college, you're on your own. If you don't like that some corporation is polluting your air or the air that your child breathes, then you're on your own," he said. "That's not the America I believe in. It's not the America you believe in."

They are saying the same thing and arriving at different conclusions.
Romney: dependency is bad
Obama: dependency is good

[A Serious Man]

Dear Prudence: My boss routinely walks out of the bathroom with his zipper down and his junk hanging out.

And also make sure to read the second letter about the guy who's afraid he can't date a girl because she has two dads and he doesn't believe in gay marriage.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

You know who else had two dads?

[Episiarch]

She actually looks better than I thought she would.

[Rich]

What with having two dads and all.

[Episiarch]

Yes, she's less masculine than I expected, which I'm sure will be a disappointment to sarcasmic.

[Randian]

I liked this one too:

My spouse has an opposite-sexed friend who doesn't behave well. This person has tried to snuggle with my spouse and hold my spouse's hand while socializing with the two of us. My spouse agrees this is not OK. My spouse clearly rebuffs the friend when physical contact is initiated but the friend does not take the hint...What should I do?

How about knock that motherfucker out? Does that sound like a good plan?

[A Serious Man]

Yeah, the wife must think he's a real wuss. Or maybe he's one of those 'sensitive' guys that certain women like. Well, here's where that can lead you.

[John]

That is jaw dropping.

[JW]

Your spouse is screwing around on you with this friend and the friend is too stupid to ix-nay on the uggle-snay, or just wants to rub it in your face.

[John]

Yup. And if he won't do anything about it, he must like it. Some guys are into that kind of stuff. NTTAWWT

[ant1sthenes]

Dear Pussy,

That guy sure sounds like a dick. Unfortunately, you sound like a total fucking pussy (hint: if you're male and talking to an advice columnist, you're a pussy).

Despite what the abundance of lesbian porn out there might have you believe, most women prefer dicks to pussies. If your wife isn't fucking this guy, she's at least thinking about it and sending him mixed signals.

Here's what a woman who wasn't interested in the guy would do about this situation:
A) Tell him to get the fuck out.
or
B) Demand that you be a man and defend her honor by making him get the fuck out.

Did she do either of those things? No? Then her only problem with his behavior is that you noticed.

Recommended course of action: beat his ass senseless. If she swoons over your manliness, she was just having bad boy fantasies, and your marriage is saved. If she's horrified and angry, she was fucking the guy, and you have absolute proof that you can take to divorce court. If it turns out you can't take him and he kills you or beats you into a coma and carries your wife off to his cave, it's still a win for the human gene pool.

[Atanarjuat]

Best. Advice. Ever.

[Paul.]

Oh wait, all this vague non-othering language: spouse, partner, opposite-sexed...

We don't even know who's the male, who's the female... so confusing.

[The Hammer]

I choose to believe that spouse=husband. Cat fight!

[John]

I like this one

Q. Baby Things: My SIL had her first child recently and I miscarried my second child. We're planning to try for a baby again next year. My SIL knows about my miscarriage and has been badgering me to lend her baby items and clothes because we're not using it at the moment. I've politely declined and instead gave her a $250 voucher for a baby shop. She keeps saying she doesn't want to waste money buying baby things and insists I should share what I'm not using right now. I know how much baby things wear and tear and I don't want my future child to use thirdhand items used by both his/her brother and cousin. Am I being selfish?

Holy fuck women are evil.

[Episiarch]

Yeah John, because all women would do this. Do you realize how stupid collectivist statements like that sound?

[John]

Don't be so literal.

[Episiarch]

Don't be so general.

[Brett L]

A remarkable number of women who write to Prudie ARE like this.

[John]

The letters about women getting married are the best. People go batshit insane before weddings.

[nicole]

Wait, so I'm a little bit confused--who is evil, the woman who miscarried, or her sister-in-law?

[Paul.]

Yes.

[Chupacabra]

You are, Nicole.

Wasn't that obvious?

[nicole]

Indeed

[Heroic Mulatto]

I think nicole is a pretty cool guy. Eh reads books and doesn't afraid of anything.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

This from the guy with the TEAM schtick. Priceless.

[Episiarch]

TEAM members actively and specifically join a group, moron. I know such subtlety is too much for your soft brain, but do try and keep up.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

And everyone in the group acts the exact same way on every topic. Cognitive dissonance and rationalization, thy name is Episiarch.

[Episiarch]

TEAM RED sympathizer is butthurt. What. A. Surprise. It's good to know you cannot tell the difference between joining a group and having loyalty to that group become predominate above everything else, and being born into a group defined by things like borders, skin color, or gender that you cannot control. It's just a nice coda on the stupidity of your comments.

Keep up the good work, buddy!

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Yeah, I'm a TEAM RED sympathizer in favor of legal drugs, prostitution, dismantling the total state, fighting only defensive wars, eliminating income tax, etc. God, you're a clown.

Look, you constantly collectivize people who may or may not hold the same positions when it suits you and then you call out people who collectivize people who may or may not hold the same positions when it suits you. Just buck up and accept that you're the pot in this pot/kettle scenario and move on.

[gulo gulo]

TEAM members actively and specifically join a group, moron.

Sure they do, asshole. Sure they do.

Jesus, what a stupid attempt to justify an intellectually vapid point of view...

[Episiarch]

Another TEAM RED sympathizer is butthurt. Is today butthurt day for you guys? Or is every day butthurt day for you?

[gulo gulo]

Is today butthurt day for you guys? Or is every day butthurt day for you?

Episiarch| 9.18.12 @ 5:01PM |#|?|filternamelinkcustomrehide

Yeah John, because all women would do this. Do you realize how stupid collectivist statements like that sound?

Looks like you got all the butthurt you need troll.

[gulo gulo]

BU...bu...bu...COLLECTIVIST!!! WHINE!!!!

[Episiarch]

You seem very excited about this. Do you have an erection right now? I bet you do.

[gulo gulo]

BU...bu...bu...COLLECTIVIST!!! WHINE!!!!

[Episiarch]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Super butthurt. I love it.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

Don't you mean that you - AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS - love it, Epi?! EPI THE COLLECTIVIST!!!

I KNEW it!

[SugarFree]

Stop feeding the troll, please. You know better than this, Epi.

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

SugarFree, let me know if you need a hand putting him back in his cage.

[SugarFree]

I don't blame him for not wanting to go in, Warty's sleeping one off in there. And by "sleeping" I mean "growlurbating" and "one" I mean "he raped a stop sign" and by "stop sign" I mean all of them.

[Cytotoxic]

Haha Epi butthurt over stepping on his own dick.

[Episiarch]

Hey NutraSweet, what about the sociopathic Canadian Objectivist retard troll? Can I feed that one?

[SugarFree]

Knock yourself out. Tell him you're swarthy, that should get his blood up.

[Cytotoxic]

AHAHA now the Axis of Gliberty shows up to support one of their butthurted comrades.

[SugarFree]

He asked, I answered. Isn't there some demolished school you could be giggling over? You don't get quite as hard once the bodies cool, right?

[Episiarch]

I thought he got harder after they cooled, but maybe I misinterpreted that.

[SugarFree]

I thought he got harder after they cooled

That's just stupid. You're stupid.

[nicole]

Um, is stepping on your own dick an insult?

[SugarFree]

Um, is stepping on your own dick an insult?

It certainly sounds like a nice problem to have. Especially if you like women screaming in terror.

[nicole]

It certainly sounds like a nice problem to have. Especially if you like women screaming in terror.

What do you want me to do with it?

[The Hammer]

I use mine as a belt to avoid that problem.

[gulo gulo]

Hey look ?ts one of epi's sockpuppets, er, i mean, one of his always present sycophantic jock sniffers.

But why are you telling him to starve himself?

[gulo gulo]

Jesus, you're STILL whining about this?

[Proprietist]

When we rant about teams, we're talking about the specific individuals who shill for their team and their team's politicians' actions, especially when those actions are not consistent with purported values or previously helded positions.

I've never said all Republicans or all Democrats are evil statists or hypocrites. But I will criticize John, Tony, etc. for hackery and hypocrisy when they are being hypocritical Team Red or Team Blue hacks.

John always tries to accuse us of hypocrisy and always falls flat on his face. Like earlier today when he called Johnson supporters hypocrites for criticizing Paul Ryan's Medicare stances. Of course, Johnson, unlike Paul Ryan, never voted for and wants to repeal Medicare Part D. Romney-Ryan on the contrary, want to return unfunded spending reallocated to Obamacare to Medicare instead of cutting it. But since he's got partisan blinders on, Johnson's stance is totally equivalent to Romney-Ryan and we're hypocrites for calling Ryan a hypocrite.

[Cytotoxic]

Fair enough but there is just too much spillover and 'I'm too cool/smart to play by your rules' nonsense from the AoG.

PS I get hard as the bodies are being blown to pieces. When they're cooling? That's just sick.

[gulo gulo]

Do you realize how stupid collectivist statements like that sound?

Do you realize how tiresome it is reading this shit from you?

[Episiarch]

Wow, really butthurt. Are you going to cry?

[gulo gulo]

Is today butthurt day for you guys? Or is every day butthurt day for you?
Episiarch| 9.18.12 @ 5:01PM |#|?|filternamelinkcustomrehide

Yeah John, because all women would do this. Do you realize how stupid collectivist statements like that sound?

Looks like you got all the butthurt you need troll.

[Killazontherun]

Dear Prudence: My boss routinely walks out of the bathroom with his zipper down and his junk hanging out.

You ask if he is doing on purpose. Of course he is, as a man, I can tell you that he is aware of exactly where his junk is and whether or not it is exposed to air at all times. The good news is there is a way to prevent this from happening. Anytime you see him going into the bathroom you should follow him, apply a hand to his junk until it spurts. There will be no need for him to display his wiener for cheap sexual gratification at that point. Plus, bosses have been known to give raises to gals who are helpful in such fashion.

[John]

Someone on Instapundit made the point that the LA Times has this video tape of Obama at some dinner celebrating some Palestinian. No one knows what is on it but the LA Times refuses to release it so it is safe to assume it is embarrassing to Obama. The LA Times is currently in receivership. Someone needs to crowd source a few million and offer the receiver the money for the tape. The receiver couldn't turn down the money without breaking his fiduciary duties to the creditors.

[Coeus]

You're not gonna believe this. I found a policeone article where I agree with the majority of the commenters.

But then I found this: Miami police fire cop pulled over by FHP and read the comments. Those motherfuckers really, really value their above-the-law status.

[John]

Read this one?

Reading some of the post, there's a misconception. Maybe I missed one but I have yet to see anyone defend or condone Ofc. Lopez for driving in the manner he did. The vast majority of us seem to be on the same page that Trp. Watt's actions were far worse, particually drawing a weapon on a police officer, handcuffing and keeping him handcuffed. Her crossing the line is what has us outraged!

She treated him like a criminal or something!!

[Coeus]

I'm more concerned about this one:

Posted by JSkiSR on Friday, September 14, 2012 08:50 PM Pacific Report Abuse
Lastly - I especially agree with joe319. I don't care what the circumstances - That trooper was DEAD WRONG. She could've filed a complaint with Professional Standards at a later date. Instead, she chose to point a loaded gun at a uniformed police officer and then handcuffed/ arrested him. What if that officer had opted to resist (within his rights to do so), and also pulled and pointed his weapon (also within his rights to do so)??? That bad situation could have easily turned tragic !! I can't help but think (with all the animosity btwn the 2 agencies) that there has to be many other (local) officers who would not have submitted easily !! The alternative outcome wouldve been horrific - God forbid... Uniformed cops, shooting at uniformed cops !?!?! God forbid !!

Is that true? Can an off-duty cop legally resist a legal arrest in Florida?

[John]

Ah No. Of course the law is only as good as the person willing to enforce it.

[Coeus]

Well, we now know of at least one cop now that thinks it's true. I don't know what I was thinking anyway. Like a cop would know the law. Stupid of me.

[John]

It would have been one hell of a LULZ if he would have resisted and gone for her gun and she had shot him. The cop whining would have been epic.

[Coeus]

Yeah, where would they land on that? Defend their right to shoot over traffic enforcement or defend their right to be above traffic enforcement? I'm gonna side with the right to be above enforcement. They love them some professional courtesy, and they know they can always just shoot a dog for no reason.

[John]

They would want her hung. One of the first comments on that thread was how this woman is now out of the club for daring to enforce the law against another cop.

[Coeus]

Holy shit, look at this:

Posted by joe319 on Friday, September 14, 2012 12:43 AM Pacific
I didn't see this guy lasting no matter what. Sure, the union will fight for him and there's a chance he may get his job back but he would have a lot of pressure on him that may prove too much. Because of what he started that resulted in a subsequent investigation by the Sun-Sentinel using the officers own transponders while traveling on the Fla. Turnpike, dozens of officers have been suspended or disciplined from the City of Miami, Miani-Dade County PD and several other agencies. Even FHP wasn't immune and dozens of troopers were disciplined.

But I hate seeing this happen to Ofc. Lopez and Trooper Watts gets nothing. I have my suspicions that if she signed the citation and put on it that Lopez was doing 120, that she possibly perjured herself.

Unfortunately it seems FHP didn't look far enough into just how she established he was going 120. Forward radar has severe limitations which and I doubt she even realized Lopez was coming up on her. Even if she turned on the forward mode, he distanced himself rather quickly, not to mention he was 2 lanes over from her cruiser and there was an SUV between them when he passed her. She never got a pace clock and was too far ahead to establish a minimum speed. So how did she conclude he was going 120 and not 110 or even 125?

Can I subpoena this guy if I ever get a speeding ticket?

[Fatty Bolger]

Sofia Vergara's first commercial, 22 years ago.

[Rich]

Clever girl.

[Atanarjuat]

Jurassic Park reference? Nice.

[JW]

Mother of Zod...

[tarran]

OMG!!!! I REMEMBER THAT AD!!!!!!

[Archduke Pantsfan]

So happy with today's Champions League results - NO SPOILERS

[Jerry on the road]

Yeah, Messi scored like 6 goals again.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Barca didn't play today

[Jerry on the road]

He even scores when they don't play, he's that good.

[A Serious Man]

More teenage girls having breast reduction surgery as bustlines rise and costs fall.

[Coeus]

I'm OK with this.

[Arcaster]

A local cop goes to the wrong house while investigating a stolen ladder. I'm sure everyone can guess what happened next.

http://www.disclosurenewsonlin.....n-eldorado

[A Serious Man]

The cop apologized for his mistake and left without incident?

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

I'm sure everyone can guess what happened

"nothing else"? No?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Jimmy Carter's grandson helped get the Romney fundraiser video out, hoping to help Democrats get elected and as revenge for the way people criticize his granddad.

"It gets under my skin-- mostly the weakness on the foreign policy stuff," James Carter IV told NBC News. "I just think it's ridiculous. I don't like criticism of my family."

What a pussy. I wonder, in 40 years, if Malia and Sasha's kids will be infiltrating Republican fundraisers looking for gotcha quotes because people had the audacity to call President Not My Fault a crying-ass chump.

[John]

Did you notice he is unemployed? How the fuck bad must the economy be for the grandson of a President to be out of work?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Christ, you'd think Grandpa could get him a job cutting grass at the Carter library, at least.

[The Late P Brooks]

Is a pre-emptive strike on Iran imminent?

Peace is Our Profession

[A Serious Man]

We won't let them contaminate our precious bodily fluids.

[ant1sthenes]

He kept us out of war.

[John]

Romney apparently is standing by his comments. Good for him

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrew.....a-for-1998

[Cytotoxic]

Smart too. He knows his back is against a cliff on this one. Nowhere to run.

[Coeus]

It's not smart, it's just not dumb. But I suppose that's the most we can hope for from him.

[Cytotoxic]

I have low expectations for Romney.

[Paul.]

I have low expectations all around.

[Old Johnnie Goggabie]

He should. A fact check by CBS news corroborates his statements.

[John]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/....._blog.html

Democrats in the Senate looking to ditch Obama and make a deal on the Bush tax rates and spending.

[A Serious Man]

And in "we already knew that" news, a video has surfaced of Obama saying in 1998 that he, 'actually believe(s) in redistribution'.

[John]

Does Obama really want to play the "hey lets dig up old video of each other" game?

[A Serious Man]

I actually Believe in Redistribution and Obama in 1998 are currently trending worldwide on Twitter.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

What next, Obama sat in a church that preached "God damn America" and attended dinner parties at the home of former Weather Underground members? Nah, that'd be crazy.

[Pip]

You know Tony has been saying there are more Dems than Repubs. This Summary of Party Affiliation done by Rasmussen should be shoved in his face the next timew he trots that out.

http://www.rasmussenreports.co.....ffiliation

August 31, 2012
Republican DemocratOther R - D Quarterly
2012
Aug 37.6% 33.3% 29.2% 4.3%
Jul 34.9% 34.0% 31.1% 0.9%
Jun 35.4% 34.0% 30.5% 1.4% 1.8%
May 5.7% 33.8% 30.5% 1.9%
Apr 35.1% 33.1% 31.8% 2.0%
Mar 36.4% 33.4% 30.2% 3.0% 3.3%
Feb 36.0% 32.4% 31.6% 3.6%
Jan 35.9% 32.5% 31.6% 3.4%

[John]

If those numbers are right, Obama is toast. All the polls are nothing but fool's gold.

[ant1sthenes]

It isn't the voters who decide the election, it's the person who counts the votes.

[Alack]

A 3 percentage point shift toward Republican since Nov 2010 is huge. Even huger is the 11.9 point shift since the 08 election.

[Alack]

Er, that's for the size of the party advantage, not overall party enrollment.

[T o n y]

I haven't said that, at least not recently. But Rassmussen is an agent of the GOP, a fly in the soup of poll aggregators everywhere.

[Cytotoxic]

A fairly accurate fly.

[Chupacabra]

Does that include dead people, cats, dogs and sheep?

[John]

http://legalinsurrection.com/2.....e-serious/

Think about it. Just a few days after trying to deprive a man no one had ever heard of from enjoying his free-speech rights because some foreigners claim they were offended, the President of the United States flies off to party with another man who's earned a pasha's fortune exercising his own free-speech rights with language that offends many more Americans than not.

[Atanarjuat]

Meh. Some musician is liked by youngsters, and offends oldsters. Shocking. Not sure how this connects to the Youtube guy. Obama's been fucking up majorly lately, but doing a fundraiser with Jay-z isn't it IMO.

(P.S., Chrome thinks "Youtube" is a typo, but accepts "Jay-z"!?!?)

[The Late P Brooks]

Self-reported party affiliation numbers are completely meaningless. I know self-described "Independents" who would not vote for a Republican if you put a gun to their heads. They are as deep in the Hope and Change kool-aid as anybody could be, but they just want to believe they are being "rational".

Fucking personality cultists. I hate 'em.

[John]

The numbers are overall pretty good indicators of how people vote. Both Romney and Obama are both getting 95%+ of self identified Rs and Ds in pretty much every poll. The issue is how many Rs and Ds there are out there.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Ya know John, you really should re-think the whole Youtube thing.

I keed.

[John]

I am blocked from youtube. But I don't think I want to watch that.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Closed captioned for the Youtube impaired:

[Some bat-shit insane bearded non-traditionally Jewish guy, named John, rants about the MILITAN HOMO JIHAD and how gays are using NATO(!) to push their homosexual agenda so they can rape boys.]

[Jerry on the road]

I don't think John is Jewish even though he likes to flaunt his legal expertise.

[Killazontherun]

Grizzly Adams got wifi. How 'bout that. Shame the hermit life style has embittered him.

[The Late P Brooks]

What if that officer had opted to resist (within his rights to do so), and also pulled and pointed his weapon (also within his rights to do so)???

Whoa, whoa, whoa....

Resisting arrest, with a firearm! is legal?

eeeeexcellent!

[Almanian's Evil Twin]

oh boy, the derpfee signal is BLAZING now...

[Coeus]

Resisting arrest, with a firearm! is legal?

It is for him, cause ignorance of the law is a valid excuse for a cop.

[T]

It is in Texas. But the wording requires lawyers to parse through.

[Coeus]

It has never been successfully used in a defense case. Even when it was obviously applicable.

[The Late P Brooks]

Here I go, off to exercise my rights!

*loads all 1911 magazines, fires up Porsche*

Don't wait up.

[SugarFree]

BAAARRRRRFFFFFF!

Just when I thought io9 had no more depths of depravity to sink to...

[Warty]

This would have fit nicely in that post about the Howard Hughes dictator movie.

[Cytotoxic]

*UNCONTROLLABLE VOMITING*

[Killazontherun]

Nice rant from my favorite Hollywood observer:

http://www.wwtdd.com/

So no, fuck you 'Revolution'. If you're already doing stuff this stupid, I'm out. Fuck you to everyone who planned that, to all the producers and writers and executives and crew who knew that was gonna happen and thought, "yeah, this will be badass." Because, no, it's not badass, it's fucking retarded. It makes no sense whatsoever. Even if you don't know that crossbows have half the power of vertical bows and that the force of a bullet is the same as the recoil (meaning the guy shooting the bow should have flown backwards about a mile) we've all see arrows in movies before, and we know what they can and can't do, and I don't have time for your idiotic bullshit. Well, I mean I do, but you get the point.

[Paul.]

Yeah, I scrolled down and saw those pics of Jennifer Simpson. For the love of pete! Someone give that woman a pork cutlet!

[Killazontherun]

That was Alessanda Ambrosio, and she looks niiice.

http://cdn.wwtdd.com/wp-conten.....sandra.jpg

[Killazontherun]

Well, okay, that hand is a little Alien-y looking fucked up, but those abs are rocking it.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Just watched it. I'll do a few more episodes. Has potential. Too dark at times (light wise). The nighttime scenes were impossible to see.

[Generic Stranger]

Even if you don't know that crossbows have half the power of vertical bows...

Err...WTF? Some cheap ones might, but most crossbows have much, much heavier draw weights than regular bows. It's their major advantage over a regular bow, as they are much slower to fire, due entirely to their draw weight.

[Generic Stranger]

Just to prove my point: this is the cheapest hunting crossbow I could find on Cabela's. It has a draw weight of 150lbs, which almost twice as much a standard hunting bow (which typically have draw weights between 45 and 75 lbs).

Crossbows designed for war would have draw weights several hundred pounds heavier than that and require special cocking mechanisms.

The heaviest war bows, on the other hand, had draw weights of no more than 185 lbs, and it takes a lifetime of training to use them.

[Atanarjuat]

Interesting. I just read Bernard Cornwell's Archer's Tale, which involves some interesting Hundred Years' War battles from the perspective of an English archer, who occasionally faced crossbowmen. It seemed that the English longbow turned the tide of many battles, I guess it was more effective because the crossbow takes so much longer to reload. Not sure how the distance and accuracy compare. He did describe, as you say, that the English archers had all trained with a bow since childhood.

[Generic Stranger]

Yeah, the English longbows were pretty much as heavy, in terms of draw weight, as they got. They've dug up skeletons of English archers, and their skeletons actually mutated to handle the stress of drawing those massive bows over a lifetime.

The crossbow still had an advantage in range, but they took while to reload. A good archer is said to be able to have several arrows in the air at once, where as a crossbow took almost as long as a musket to reload. The invention of the cranking mechanism helped, but it still wasn't as efficient.

I'd also say that the English archers were probably more accurate, simply due to lots and lots of training that the crossbowman likely didn't have. The downside that is a new English longbow archer took many years to train, while a crossbowman could be trained in a few weeks or months.

[Gray Ghost]

Even though the crossbow had a much higher draw weight than the longbow, didn't the much longer limbs on the longbow even things out? What's the "muzzle" velocity on a English longbow vs that of a hand cranked crossbow?

All else remaining equal, I'd guess the longer longbow arrows would retain their velocity longer than quarrels.

Rate of fire was a giant bonus, as has already been noted. IIRC, the English kings let their yeomen spend a great deal of time practicing archery, having contests at every feast day, etc... That yeomen could supplement their incomes with plunder from each campaign, equal to ~a year's salary or more, probably motivated them as well.

[Atanarjuat]

In the above-mentioned novel, plunder was a motivation for the poorest soldiers all the way up to noblemen, and they were allowed to plunder women as well as valuables, which ranged from rape to actually taking a wife from among the conquered people.

[The Hammer]

HuffPo: Completely fucking shameless.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....92456.html

Once again, real life imitates South Park, to our detriment.

[ant1sthenes]

It's good to hear from someone with a higher mental age than most other progressives, at least.

[Heroic Mulatto]

You're domestic plans (birth control, gay rights etc.) are horrible! Women should get to manage their own health, and if you wonder why you're not appealing to many women voters, rethink your birth control and women's' rights plans. And people should be able to marry whom they want.

I call bullshit. No 12-year-old doesn't think gays (and women's 'health') aren't icky.

[The Hammer]

I am most appalled about the fact that this was clearly either written or dictated by the kid's parents, and they used the kid's name for publicity. That, and the horrible grammar, spelling, and quality of the writing.

[Cytotoxic]

*UNCONTROLLABLE VOMITING*

[Alice Bowie]

Mitt Romney is funny.

I think the bad thing in his message is that he is NOT a representative of the so-called government freeloaders like crippled people, retired citizens, police officers, etc.

However, I'm 100% sure that there are white, unemployed, foreclosed-on, on public assistant losers that will still vote for Mitt.

[The Hammer]

Really? You can't find anything to criticize Romney for that's actually true? Are you that lazy, or that dumb?

[Heroic Mulatto]

And crippled people, retired citizens, and police officers have the right to take food out of my kid's mouth because...?