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A.M. Links: Syrian Army and Air Force Headquarters Hit By Bomb Attacks, Warren in Trouble Over Legal Practice History, Small Businesses Pointing Fingers at Big Government, Obama Signs Executive Order to Protect Government Contractor Employees Abroad

Matthew Feeney | 9.26.2012 9:00 AM

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  • The headquarters of the Syrian army and air force in Damascus was the target of bombings that, according to state media, have not caused any injuries to senior military personnel. 
  • It looks like Elizabeth Warren practiced law without the right license. The Democratic Senate candidate represented numerous companies from her Harvard Law School office despite not being licensed in Massachusetts. 
  • The President signed an executive order giving better protections to those working for government contractors abroad in a bid to reduce human trafficking and forced labor. 
  • Most small businesses are worse off than they were three years ago, and over half of small business owners are blaming taxes and government spending on the poor state of the economy. 
  • Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner slammed the IMF in her speech to the UN. Argentina could face sanctions if it does not produce economic data that is of the IMF's standards. 
  • British conservatives have been meeting with American lobbyists in the hope of learning how best to turn some Conservative MPs on to gay marriage. 

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Matthew Feeney is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute.

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  1. generic Brand   13 years ago

    Surprise, surprise: Man shot in doorway at 1:30 AM by police ruled justifiable homicide. But the family is planning on suing, so at least the taxpayers get to cover the costs of their idiotic sherriff’s department.

    “It’s dark, there’s no peep hole, and the deputies are hiding where they cannot be seen,” said [defense attorney] NeJame. “Isn’t it reasonable, when someone comes pounding at your door at 1:30 in the morning, that you’re going to come at the door armed with a gun? And the deputies and the policies should have anticipated that before they went and killed an innocent man, and to defend that is reprehensible.”

    I can’t say I agree with asking for “millions” in a lawsuit. I always thought that a lawsuit would go for lost future wages, and most people don’t make plural millions over their lifetime. But maybe they shoot out a big number to settle for less.

    1. RBS   13 years ago

      He deserved it for coming to the door with a gun.

      /Tulpa, dunphy

      1. WTF   13 years ago

        No, they wouldn’t say he deserved it, but they would dance around saying how it was ‘justified’ in that he had a gun and ‘reasonable fear of their lives’ etc. etc.

        1. RBS   13 years ago

          There is a thread from a few months ago were dunphy’s exact words were “fuck him, he deserved it.”

          1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

            stop resisting

          2. Tulpa Doom   13 years ago

            Yes, he was out of line to say that.

            Please don’t lump me in with things I didn’t say.

            1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

              Please don’t lump me in with things I didn’t say.

              What part of “stop resisting” did you fail to understand, Tulpa?

              1. Tulpa Doom   13 years ago

                What part of “eat shit” do you fail to understand?

                1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

                  Pow!!!
                  And I even warned him, first.

          3. R C Dean   13 years ago

            As I recall, dunphy attempted to walk that back by positing a difference between “being armed” (justifiable!) and having a gun in your hand (unjustifiable! deserving of being gunned down!).

            I found it unpersuasive. YMMV.

            1. tarran   13 years ago

              I remember dunphy scampered off the moment I asked if it was dangerous enough that a cop was justified in having his gun out and ready to fire, why was it not dangerous enough for a non-cop to do the same.

              1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

                There’s no double standard. Cops are held to a higher standard. You irrational bigot!
                /d

        2. VG Zaytsev   13 years ago

          Right after this happened Dunphy literally said that he deserved it for answering the door with a gun and went further and said that “if your that afraid of what on the other side of the door, don’t answer it”.

          1. WTF   13 years ago

            Holy shit – I guess I missed that gem.

    2. robc   13 years ago

      lawsuit would go for “value of life” which would include lost future wages, but other value too.

      1. Rich   13 years ago

        Lost connubial bliss?

        Priceless.

        1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

          You know how much the wife can say she’ll have to pay a hooker to replace all the sex she was getting for free?

          1. Rich   13 years ago

            “He was, shall we say, GIFTED, Your Honor. This offer doesn’t even BEGIN to make up for my loss.”

    3. ant1sthenes   13 years ago

      They’re planning for Ben Bernanke’s money dam to eventually break and flood the town below.

    4. Tulpa Doom   13 years ago

      If the family is suing the police dept, the defense attorney is the police lawyer, so I don’t think she’s saying that.

      Also, were there witnesses to the event other than the officers? How does she know the deputies were hiding? I’ve seen no evidence of that.

      It’s very possible the police are lying about the events, of course, but if what they say is true then he didn’t merely come to the door with a gun but he pointed it at them. If they’re lying, we have no idea what happened. So the question is whether they’re lying or not.

      1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

        So the question is whether they’re lying or not.

        Did their lips move?

      2. Isaac Bartram   13 years ago

        Tulpa, Mark NeJame has a practice in Orlando specializing in criminal defense. In this case, he is acting as plaintiff’s attorney so you are correct and the bracketted insert in the quote above is incorrect.

        However, I’m fairly sure that Mark NeJame is a he not a she.

        1. generic Brand   13 years ago

          Yes my apologies. I attempted to provide background on who Nejame was and just copied “defense attorney” since that what he is, but in this case he is not acting in that role.

      3. R C Dean   13 years ago

        if what they say is true then he didn’t merely come to the door with a gun but he pointed it at them.

        The first thread on this hashed over the claims, and found the police story less than credible based on the physical evidence.

        1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

          Then the physical evidence must be questioned, because law enforcement officers never lie.

        2. sloopyinca   13 years ago

          I’ll address this here.

          The cops say he swung the door open and pointed a gun at them. For that to be the case, he would have had to have been at least 3 feet inside his apartment or so thin the door could have swung past him as he stood against the right (from the front) interior door of the house. Now, with the door being a RH Inswing, that not only maks this unlikely, it almost makes it impossible since it was later determined the guy was right-handed. He would have had to have pointed the gun with his right hand while reaching across his body with the left hand on the doorbkob opening the door. Not only would this have been unnatural, but it would have caused him to take his gun off the target, meaning he had to repoint it at the officers after the door swung past him.

          Now if that still seems plausible, which to anyone not mentally retarded it won’t, all you need to do is look at the entry angle of the bullets into the door and doorjamb. The angle of them is so severe that the door could not have been open more than a foot when the shots were fired, meaning the man would have been behind it and could not have had the gun pointing at the officers because there was no way he could have fit between the wall and the swing radius of the door to get it open.

          I suppose I could address the cops fantasy about being quick enough on the draw to pull their weapons and shoot the guy who already had the drop on them, but its not necessary with the above noted.

          1. sloopyinca   13 years ago

            If you want to look at the photo of the front door and the physical impossibility of him having swung it open and pointed his gun at the cops, here you go.

    5. Rich   13 years ago

      “It’s dark, there’s no peep hole, and the deputies are hiding where they cannot be seen.”

      Suddenly, a shot rings out!

    6. sarcasmic   13 years ago

      Rubber stamps are made of rubber.

    7. sloopyinca   13 years ago

      From the original thread: Dunphy (the real one)| 7.16.12 @ 12:48PM |#|?|filternamelinkcustom

      he’s not a victim.

      he’s a fucking moron who begged to get shot

      again, only a reasonoid funhouse mirror anti-cop bigot could think it’s ok to asnwer a door knock with a drawn gun.

      he made his moronic decision and he paid the price.

      1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

        His callous disregard for human life does not raise my opinion of the average law enforcement officer.

      2. generic Brand   13 years ago

        This was dunphy’s “jumping the shark” moment in my mind. I always want to take him at face value and think, “Hey, maybe there are some officers that believe in the rule of law and stick to somewhat libertarian ideals about life and freedom.” But now? Nope, cops are scum and do not even deserve to be gum on my shoe.

  2. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    It looks like Elizabeth Warren practiced law without the right license.

    That license, you didn’t get that.

    1. WTF   13 years ago

      Feh – rules are for the little people.

      1. Isaac Bartram   13 years ago

        Anyone who has already decided to vote for Warren will make her into a victim being persecuted by “the man”. Expect Warren’s campaign to start this meme.

        Expect plenty of undecideds to agree.

        It doesn’t matter. Scott Brown is already being portrayed as a great big old meanie for using the fake Indian thing. Expect him to be portrayed as an even meaner great big old meanie.

        1. Bardas Phocas   13 years ago

          But she’s the Queen of Consumer Protection?
          Why would she be against the public being protected from shady, back alley lawyers?
          Without the certificate from the crony professional/protection organization how can her clients be sure she knows what she’s doing and fuck everything up?

        2. MP   13 years ago

          He should’ve moved on from it by now. Yes, it speaks to her character, but we’re four weeks away and making that the centerpiece of his ads implies that he doesn’t have much else of substance to attack her with.

          And there’s so much that can be used to piss on her parade. I find the whole focus on her BS Indian heritage pointless at this point. Two months ago it made sense. Now it rings hollow.

          1. Anonymous Coward   13 years ago

            It raises the question of when will Lizzie Wigwam Warren stop lying?

          2. R C Dean   13 years ago

            I think you keep using it, maybe in tandem with the law license thing, to attack her fitness for office and paint her as someone who thinks she is above it all and doesn’t need to comply with the same rules as the rest of us.

            In conjunction, of course, with attacks on her policies.

    2. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

      You need a license to practise law?! In America? Did we lose a war or something?

    3. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

      Not an Indian, not a licensed attorney in her state. Has anyone confirmed that she actually works at Harvard?

      1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

        I think the only thing we can be sure of is that she’s a Democrat.

        1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

          Has that been verified?

          1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

            who else talks that sort of crap?

            1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

              I dunno. Maybe she’s Zelig.

          2. R C Dean   13 years ago

            Has that been verified?

            I like it. Run an ad asking “What do we really know about Lizzie Warren?

            She claims to be an American Indian, but that can’t be verified because there are no records that support it.

            She claims to be a lawyer working in Massachusetts, but that can’t be verified because she never got a Massachusetts license.

            She claims to be a Democrat. Could we get somebody to confirm that?

            She claims to have worked at Harvard. Could we get somebody to confirm that?

            Really, its hard to know just what to believe about Elizabeth Warren. “Trust, but verify.”

            1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

              “She claims her name is Elizabeth Warren. Could we get somebody to confirm that?”

      2. gaijin   13 years ago

        she actually works at Harvard?

        As opposed to being merely employed there? 🙂

        1. Pip   13 years ago

          Well I’m certainly in no position to call the kettle black.

    4. Emmerson Biggins   13 years ago

      Remember, Joe the Plumber wasn’t even a plumber, because he didn’t have a license.

    5. PapayaSF   13 years ago

      But according to her family lore, it was OK to practice law without a license.

  3. generic Brand   13 years ago

    Most small businesses are worse off than they were three years ago, and over half of small business owners are blaming taxes and government spending on the poor state of the economy.

    This just reveals the shortcomings of capitalism, and of course business owners want to blame over-regulation as a scapegoat.

    /liberal

    1. mad libertarian guy   13 years ago

      Liberals are under the belief that businesses HATE regulation. That were it not for the regulatory class, big business would just walk all over the environment, its workers, safety standards, etc.

      What they fail to recognize is that not only do big businesses (and small ones in local regulatory matters) LOVE regulations, and in many cases, write them for the regulators. It’s how they give themselves an advantage in the market.

      1. Restoras   13 years ago

        Isn’t this what we call rent seeking?

  4. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    …over half of small business owners are blaming taxes and government spending on the poor state of the economy.

    Over half of small business owners (AKA THE WEALTHY) are racist.

    1. ant1sthenes   13 years ago

      That whole story just sounded like shrike-bait.

  5. sarcasmic   13 years ago

    Dude sues maker of glass pool table because it scratched.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..-ball.html

    1. generic Brand   13 years ago

      If it comes with a full set of billiard balls (assuming they aren’t purchased separately) why would anyone use different ones? And I looked at the circled spot for the supposed scuff/scratch mark and saw nothing. The plaintiff sounds like an idiot, but what else is new in frivolous lawsuits?

      1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

        Agreed. I posted it mainly because it is so absurd.

        1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

          Hey, let those who play on glass billiard tables something something…

          1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

            Get stoned? Is that it?

    2. generic Brand   13 years ago

      The future does not belong to those who make glass pool tables that can easily scratch.

      /Obama

    3. Rich   13 years ago

      “Sorry about that, Chief.”

  6. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

    Their surname is Fokkens which seems oddly appropriate

    ‘No wonder you are suffering from arthritis!’: 70-year-old twin prostitutes reveal they have slept with 355,000 men as they talk about their retirement from a 50 year career in Amsterdam’s red light district

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem…..z27a2y2Ibw

    1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

      If we assume that the figure is the combined total (probably underselling it since a lot of the times are probably joint sessions since they’re twins), and we assume they worked every 10 for 50 years… they each got nailed by almost 10 dudes a day.

      1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

        worked every day*

      2. sloopyinca   13 years ago

        So they’re each the female version of Wilt Chamberlin?

        1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

          As much tail as he got, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t banging 10 times a day. If so, they should take some of his blood to try to make a better viagra.

          1. sloopyinca   13 years ago

            I remember seeing/reading him in an interview once, maybe it was Playboy, and he was asked about his claim to have slept with 35,000 women. he interviewer said he would have had to have slept with five women a day for like 20 years. Wilt answered, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

            1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

              5 times a day I could see, though the time to woo the women might become a problem. I guess he just had someone go out into the club and say “You’re hot. Do you want to have sex with Wilt Chamberlain?” and he just had a queue to plow through.

              1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

                there was a great Brazilian footballer called Garrincha. Even as a broken-down drunk in retirement he had no problems pulling – he was once hospitalised and nurses queued outside his room for a chance to shag him.

                Fun fact: this and other sexual tales were in his biography. His daughters took advantage of an heir’s right in Brazil to sue for defamation of a dead person. The judge found against them on the basis that no man would object to this being said about him. Ad Evelyn Waugh observed, you can say what you like about a man if you add that he’s attractive to women

  7. sarcasmic   13 years ago

    Ten most deadliest (to the workers, not general public) jobs. Guess what didn’t make the list?
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..sions.html

    1. Rich   13 years ago

      American Ambassador?

    2. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

      Thank god for our brave roofers! Those guys are heroes, I tell you. When a bunch get on a plane and the flight attendant asks us to applaud and give them the best space in the overhead, I always tear up.

      1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

        They fix the holes where the rain gets in, and stop your mind from wondering where it will go.

      2. WTF   13 years ago

        Yeah, I guess garbagemen now have the right to endanger citizens in order to ensure worker safety. Because we want them to come home to their families at night.

        1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

          I had to kill him — he was armed with a rancid package of Jimmy Dean sausages and comin’ right at me!

        2. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

          Because we want them to come home to their families at night.

          Even if their families don’t

      3. Jerry on the road   13 years ago

        Yeah, I was just talking to this roofer who has a base salary of $80k, almost doubled that with overtime and gets free pension and health care for life. Plus he can retire after 20 years on the job.

      4. NoVAHockey   13 years ago

        my great-grandfather was a roofer. and he died falling off a roof

        1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

          There’s nothing more stirring than a roofer’s funeral, especially when the bagpipes start up.

      5. Jerry on the road   13 years ago

        The median annual wage of roofers was $34,220 in May 2010.
        http://www.bls.gov/ooh/constru…..oofers.htm

    3. Bardas Phocas   13 years ago

      German dictator?

    4. generic Brand   13 years ago

      Loss mitigation processor?

    5. Atanarjuat   13 years ago

      Well, yeah, but that’s just because of the new policy that puts OFFICER SAFETY above else.

      1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

        Results is results!

      2. Jerry on the road   13 years ago

        Shoot first, don’t ask questions later.

    6. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

      Bikini inspector?

      1. generic Brand   13 years ago

        It depends where their headquarters are. A colder climate could result in a lot of eye gouging.

    7. Joe M   13 years ago

      Software developer didn’t make the list? I’m offended. I got a nasty paper cut the other day.

    8. Ted S.   13 years ago

      Reason commentator?

  8. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    British conservatives have been meeting with American lobbyists in the hope of learning how best to turn some Conservative MPs on to gay marriage.

    That’s a man, baby!

    1. LTC(ret) John   13 years ago

      +1 mojo

  9. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

    In a powerful speech this morning announcing the order, President Obama recognized that U.S. tax payer dollars should never be used to support human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery

    Other forms of modern day slavery are just tickety-boo, however

    1. Atanarjuat   13 years ago

      tickety-boo

      Peep Show reference?

      1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

        It’s cockney-rhyming slang, used to be a comedian named Fayokay Nickety-Lou, so tickety-boo/Nickety-Lou, Fayokay/A.O.K.

        Where’s me washboard?

      2. Quetzalcoatl   13 years ago

        No, she probably just talks that way in real life.

        1. LTC(ret) John   13 years ago

          They do talk funny, them folks in Oz do.

        2. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

          Quetzalcoatl / LTC(ret) John, you othering bastards

          Here is a real bit of old Australian that offer to you for your pleasure and bewilderment: a skinny man is “all prick and ribs like a drover’s dog”

          1. Quetzalcoatl   13 years ago

            Is Drover an Australian muppet?

            1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

              yes. He was up for a part in Meet the Feebles, but blew it when he was discovered after the audition raiding Peter Jackson’s secret stash of cheeseburgers

        3. nicole   13 years ago

          Never underestimate the Australians. They’re not as silly as they sound.

          1. Isaac Bartram   13 years ago

            Yes, they are. 🙂

            1. nicole   13 years ago

              If even ifh will not get my Australian movie jokes, I will just not make them dammit!

              1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

                umm, sorry… I get your other jokes, though…

                Will you put me out of my social embarrassment before I get stripped of my citizenship?

                1. nicole   13 years ago

                  “Children of the Revolution” reference. Really, ridiculously funny film.

  10. RBS   13 years ago

    Apparently Romney said something about Teachers and campaign contributions I know this because of Facebook:

    The corps who pay for political ads negotiate what is good for
    THEM without regard to anything even remotely patriotic or human. Why is that negotiation OK but not teacher negotiation? As Jon Stewart said, “I’ve seen those greedy teachers with their….Hondas and sensible shoes.”

    1. Randian   13 years ago

      Why are you posting Facebook quotes here? I mean, for shame, b.

      1. RBS   13 years ago

        I thought, after the Brickbat this morning, that morons spouting nonsense was the theme of the day.

        1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

          Morons spouting nonsense is the theme every day!

          1. T   13 years ago

            Well, maybe not the theme, but certainly the result.

            1. Rich   13 years ago

              LOL

          2. Pip   13 years ago

            “Morons spouting nonsense is the theme every day!”

            The future must not belong to those who spout nonsense every day.

    2. The Craig   13 years ago

      Hondas! They do hate America!

      Those shoes were also probably made in a sweatshop somewhere!

  11. Fist of Etiquette   13 years ago

    Argentina could face sanctions if it does not produce economic data that is of the IMF’s standards.

    Argentina uses Oracle and the IMF uses SQL.

    1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

      “Look, IMF, I had all my receipts in a grocery bag, and some guy came in and took it. I basically remembered everything and I wrote it down on this napkin. That was good enough for the old guy, come on!”

    2. KalkiDas   13 years ago

      SQL Server, or MySQL?

      1. Ptah-Hotep   13 years ago

        PostgreSQL

  12. Jordan   13 years ago

    Most small businesses are worse off than they were three years ago, and over half of small business owners are blaming taxes and government spending on the poor state of the economy.

    Impossible! Shriek says small business owners should be worshipping the One.

    1. Restoras   13 years ago

      Well the stock market is UP! so really who cares about small business?

  13. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

    Said this earlier, but just so everyone knows, I’m now not voting in November. Turns out I have to buy a stamp for my absentee ballot (last time I voted was in 2000 and I didn’t have to buy a stamp), so they can cram it.

    I will still be making my pick ’em picks though, so don’t worry.

    1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

      Last I checked the postal carrier must deliver your absentee ballot, even if it doesn’t have a stamp. Yes you are supposed to put a stamp on it, but as far as I know they’ll deliver it anyway.

      1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

        I can’t even get an envelope, I have to write my own out, like this was the stone age or something. How has it changed that much in 12 years.

        Also, without postage, I seriously doubt it will even make it out of Liberia. Even if I take it to the embassy.

        1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

          Weird. Mine came with an envelope. Well, two years ago it did. Haven’t tried this year yet.

          1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

            Yeah, it’s probably the problem. I can’t receive mail here (except by DHL and only DHL), so I have to do the ‘electronic version’. Which is basically ‘print and fill this out, then mail it to us’. But there’s no envelope to print out, I just have to make my own. Meh whatever, my votes weren’t going to count anyway.

            1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

              Meh whatever, my votes weren’t going to count anyway.

              As I like to say, I can predict the outcome of an election by taking the inverse of my ballot.

              1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

                So true. I scribble “fuck these non-choices” on the ballot paper and one of ’em gets elected and ends up fucking me

            2. RBS   13 years ago

              Vote Counter Guy: Liberia? What the fuck is that? Tosses ballot in trash.

      2. Rich   13 years ago

        Hmm. Better include a self-addressed unstamped postcard to be sure your vote was counted.

    2. Chinny Chin Chin   13 years ago

      Had to buy a stamp?

      POLL TAX!!!!!!!!

      1. T   13 years ago

        Yup. Unconstitutional tax on your votinatin’. Sue.

  14. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

    Fiona Apple on her time on jail:

    ‘Most of the people were very nice to me,’ she said.

    ‘There are four of you out there, and I want you to know that I heard everything you did. I wrote it all down with your names and everything you did and said stupidly thinking I couldn’t hear or see you.’

    Rusty Fleming from the Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Office responded to her comments by saying: ‘Just shut up and sing.’

    She looks like hell, BTW. What’s the betting hash isn’t her only indulgence?

    1. Tim   13 years ago

      She messed with Texas.

    2. robc   13 years ago

      I saw a billboard for her a few months back and was stunned she was still around.

      I didnt think she was dead or anything, just didnt realize she still had a career.

      1. Tim   13 years ago

        Apparently she can even still afford drugs.

    3. RBS   13 years ago

      Good lord, that first pic is frightening.

    4. Tulpa Doom   13 years ago

      What she needs is a good defense, cause she’s feeling like a criminal. And she needs to be redeemed to the one she’s sinned against.

      1. nicole   13 years ago

        However, I am not so sure that some Texas sheriff is all she ever knew of love.

  15. Rich   13 years ago

    So, is Romney going to come out with an ad that says “The future must not belong to those who say ‘The future must not belong to those who slander the Prophet of Islam'”?

  16. Francisco d Anconia   13 years ago

    This should get your blood pressure up. Sorry if it’s already been covered, I haven’t been keeping up.

    TIME FOR RON PAUL FANS TO SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION

    There is no more time for games, no room for hurt feelings. Ron Paul fans, you need to choose, because not voting for Romney is a vote for Obama. It’s that simple. And you could make the difference.

    They treat us like shit and then expect us to fall in line. Whoda saw that comin’?

    Anyway, here is the appropriate response:

    Breitbart Writer Begs Libertarians To Vote Romney ? Sorry, It Ain’t Going To Work

    1. ant1sthenes   13 years ago

      A lot of Republicans are still Christian, right? I think “Get thee behind me, Satan.” works pretty well too.

      1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

        as does “Get thee in my behind, Satan”

        1. Rich   13 years ago

          +1 pineapple

          1. Dr. Frankenstein   13 years ago

            +1 Excellent for the +1 pineapple

        2. LTC(ret) John   13 years ago

          +1 Andrew Sullivan?

        3. db   13 years ago

          I swear, I do declare!
          How did you get back there?

          I swear, I do declare!
          How did you get back there?

    2. generic Brand   13 years ago

      “No, the Republican Party is not a libertarian party, but it is the only party with any libertarian element.”

      Except for that other party… shoot what was its name? I thought it starts with an L… I guess he’s right, though. I can only come up with Republican and Democrat and NO OTHER CHOICES.

      1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

        No, no. “Libertarian” in “Libertarian Party” doesn’t mean libertarian. It’s like how “Socialism” in “National Socialism” doesn’t mean socialism.

    3. Ptah-Hotep   13 years ago

      It was the Republican Party that rammed through the PATRIOT Act that Obama reauthorized last year. It was the Republican Party that set the precedent for the use of indefinite detention, torture, executive overreach, and the crackdowns on government whistleblowers. It was the Republican Party that heightened the crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries operating legally under their states’ laws. It was the Republican Party that voted for Bush’s spending spree and expansion of federal powers under Medicare Part D, the No Child Left Behind Act, etc

      Best paragraph in the story. Says it all really. And I do not get this idea that you have to support the Constitution to be libertarian. The Constitution is not a libertarian document.

      1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

        Exactly. W was John the Baptist, paving the way for Obama the messiah.

        1. LTC(ret) John   13 years ago

          Hmmm… that actually works quite well.
          However, for blasphemy, you can expect a pack of frothing United Methodists to come by and behead you. Or not.

        2. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

          Each new president, each new Congressperson, each new justice. . .they all build upon the foundation of oppression established by their predecessors.

          1. Joe M   13 years ago

            Standing on the shoulders of midgets, as it were.

            1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

              Very corrupt and power-hungry midgets, yes.

      2. generic Brand   13 years ago

        And I do not get this idea that you have to support the Constitution to be libertarian. The Constitution is not a libertarian document.

        True, but the irony is that the Republican party thinks they are the party of the Constitution. If they actually followed the Constitution I might support them, but since neither major party can even do that much, I don’t see why they feel entitled to any votes.

        The Constitution has its downsides, but overall it is a very good document that embraces the ideas of natural rights. Unfortunately those started getting ignored by those in power almost immediately.

        1. Ptah-Hotep   13 years ago

          Unfortunately those started getting ignored by those in power almost immediately.

          That is the problem with any document. How to enforce it. I think they did the best they could, but when the very people who put the thing together start violating it as soon as they get power, you know you have a problem.

          Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There is never a democracy that did not commit suicide.

          John Adams

        2. tarran   13 years ago

          The Constitution has its downsides, but overall it is a very good document that embraces the ideas of natural rights. Unfortunately those started getting ignored by those in power almost immediately.

          I about fell off my chair reading that.

          It was designed to create a central government with the power to levy taxes via force on its own. It has functioned precisely as designed from day 1.

          1. Randian   13 years ago

            How does what you said contradict what he said?

            1. tarran   13 years ago

              Nowhere does the constitution embrace natural rights.

              Hell it barely gives them a shout-out.

              Read all the essays by Brutus – it’s as if the guy rode a time machine from the present into the past.

      3. R C Dean   13 years ago

        The Constitution is not a libertarian document.

        I have to disagree. If our government actually complied with the Constitution, we would be living in a much more libertarian country.

        What’s not libertarian about limited enumerated government power? Division of government authority into competing camps? Requirements for specific approval of government debt and a prohibition on fiat currency?

        1. tarran   13 years ago

          What’s libertarian about a standing army that can levy taxes by force?

          What’s libertarian about a govt that can suspend habeas corpus?

          What’s libertarian about a govt that has a standing navy to force importers to pay tariffs and to attack smugglers heroically trying to evade the same?

          What’s libertarian about a govt that allows 535 to pass laws that affect millions?

          Keep your crumbs. 🙂

          1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

            The Constitution may have failed, but it was an attempt to strictly limit government. It’s a hell of a lot more libertarian in practice than anything since.

            1. Jersey Patriot   13 years ago

              The Constitution may have failed, but it was an attempt to strictly limit government.

              No it wasn’t. It was a direct attempt to expand government power. It worked.

              1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

                Only relative to the Articles government, not to Leviathan. I don’t think a government operating within constitutional limits would be a hundredth as scary or as damaging to the economy (and society as a whole) as the current one.

          2. sarcasmic   13 years ago

            What’s libertarian about a standing army that can levy taxes by force?
            Congress rubber stamps a military authorization act every two years because the Constitution was not meant to authorize a standing army.

            What’s libertarian about a govt that can suspend habeas corpus?
            Not much.

            What’s libertarian about a govt that has a standing navy to force importers to pay tariffs and to attack smugglers heroically trying to evade the same?
            In the beginning tariffs were the federal government’s only source of income, so it made sense to have means of collecting it.

            What’s libertarian about a govt that allows 535 to pass laws that affect millions?
            As I read the Constitution, as originally drafted, the House of Representatives should be HUGE!
            Also, repeal the 17th!

          3. R C Dean   13 years ago

            tarran, you’re asking what’s anarchist about those things. There’s no such thing as a government of any kind that doesn’t raise revenue, have some kind of soldiery, have some mechanism for passing laws.

            Libertarianism, to me, means a minarchy, not anarchy. Its about more v less government, and anything that moves the needle toward less is a movement in the libertarian direction.

            1. tarran   13 years ago

              Libertarianism, to me, means a minarchy, not anarchy. Its about more v less government, and anything that moves the needle toward less is a movement in the libertarian direction.

              Okay, arguendo let’s adopt your standard.

              Do you deny that he United States Constitution moved the needle towards bigger government from what preceded it?

              1. Randian   13 years ago

                Arguing about whether a having a government is moral is, to me, like arguing about whether rain is moral. It just is and always will be.

                1. tarran   13 years ago

                  Humans have committed murder since the dawn of prehistory and will continue to commit them for the foreseeable future.

                  So Randian, do you think that murder is neither moral nor immoral, because it too is like the rain?

                  1. Randian   13 years ago

                    I do think at some point people will evolve into better natures and make anarchy possible. Those days are not here yet.

                    A particular murder can be punished as morally wrong; how do you punish the government? How do you punish rain?

                    1. Ptah-Hotep   13 years ago

                      I do think at some point people will evolve into better natures and make anarchy possible.

                      I do not think so. We may get to minarchy, but I do not think we will ever get to anarchy. Not on a large scale anyway.

                      how do you punish the government?

                      Ask King George III. The only way to punish governements is to remove them. It does not have to take a revolution, but probably close.

                      Morals are only in the realm of man, not nature (rain). So I think you can discuss the morals of government; composition, duties, powers, etc.

                2. sarcasmic   13 years ago

                  It just is and always will be.
                  “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
                  ?Benjamin Franklin

                  1. Randian   13 years ago

                    I didn’t say a particular form of government was eternally. Just the drive to create it. At least, unless we evolve in some unforseen way, which libertarians help engender.

              2. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

                I wouldn’t. I suppose the big question is whether expansion of government was inevitable or whether the Constitution had inherent flaws–possibly too few checks and balances–that made its decline inevitable.

                Personally, I suspect that the Civil War and the decline of the state participation in the federalist system played a major role.

                1. sarcasmic   13 years ago

                  The Civil War changed The United States from plural to singular.

                  1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

                    Pretty much. And the states were a very important check on federal power, including the nuclear option of secession, which was essentially taken away by the war.

              3. R C Dean   13 years ago

                Do you deny that he United States Constitution moved the needle towards bigger government from what preceded it?

                Sure, but I’m talking about today:

                If our government actually complied with the Constitution, we would be living in a much more libertarian country.

                1. tarran   13 years ago

                  Sure, but I’m talking about today:

                  If our government actually complied with the Constitution, we would be living in a much more libertarian country.

                  I take your point.

        2. generic Brand   13 years ago

          This was the point I poorly attempted to make. Thank you RC for being much wiser and more eloquent than I.

        3. Ptah-Hotep   13 years ago

          If our government actually complied with the Constitution, we would be living in a much more libertarian country.

          This is true, we would be. But since the Constitution originally allowed owning slaves that in itself would disqualify it as libertarian. The current Constitution has the 16th amendment, which is not libertarian. The fact that with enough votes, you can take away the rights of fellow human beings does not make a libertarian document.

          It is the best document anyone could have come up with for the practical ruling of a people, but I do not consider it libertarian.

          1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

            It is the best document anyone could have come up with for the practical ruling of a people, but I do not consider it libertarian.

            It’s a fair cop.

          2. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

            I accept that it’s limited and isn’t as libertarian as it could be, but these things operate on a sliding scale. It’s based firmly on the idea that government has to be limited, that no one should be trusted even with limited power, and that people have fundamental rights. Beats the crap out of most anything else ever attempted.

          3. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

            The issue about how the amendment process works is a good one. While you need flexibility on some points, it would’ve perhaps been better to have made it clear that any changes had to be within certain bounds.

        4. Jersey Patriot   13 years ago

          “But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain – that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.” – Lysander Spooner

          1. Ptah-Hotep   13 years ago

            The Republican form of government is the highest form of government: but because of this it requires the highest type of human nature, a type nowhere at present existing.
            Herbert Spencer

          2. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

            It’s not an anarchist document, no. If any government at all is an evil, then don’t look to the Constitution to solve anything.

            I don’t think it’s feasible to expect anarchy anytime soon. If that’s possible, it will take a major sea change in human expectations and behavior.

        5. VG Zaytsev   13 years ago

          The constitution was designed to allow the abuse of government or it is too weak to prevent government abuse from happening.

    4. Restoras   13 years ago

      Well, I’d vote for Romney if I thought he was going to, you know, support some causes that are dear to libertarians. It looks to me like he’s just Obama Light.

      1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

        which is an impressive feat considering Obama is a souffle

    5. db   13 years ago

      Yeah, ain’t no fucking way. Republicans have been fighting to exclude Gary Johnson from the PA ballot. No way do you guys get my vote after that. I think they’re afraid, not of people who plan to vote Johnson and will write him in, but the folks who want to vote “none of the above” by selecting a third party candidate. No third candidate on the ballot, not protest vote, goes their logic.

    6. Tulpa Doom   13 years ago

      The headline is beyond retarded/offensive, but unfortunately the logic is correct. Moving from voting for Romney to voting for third party or not voting is half as bad as switching to voting for Obama.

      1. robc   13 years ago

        No it isnt.

        Of course, Im not “moving” either. I was never gonna vote Romney. Ive voted LP in 4 straight prez elections and havent voted R since 1988.

        1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

          My last vote for a Republican president was in 1984.

          1. robc   13 years ago

            1988 was my first presidential election. Its the only vote I regret.

          2. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

            Blah blah blah.
            I’ve voted straight L whenever possible since 1980, and have only voted for a winning candidate — township trustee — once.
            That makes my record about 1 – 479. Top that, bitches.

            1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

              To be sure, many of the local LP candidates are insane.

              1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

                I’m willing to overlook such minor flaws, PL. Besides, I vote the party, not the man, especially since the man isn’t gonna win anyway.

                1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

                  Well, I have voted LP for president for decades now, so I do that, too. I’ve done it in other elections, though the number of times the LP has run candidates for Congress, etc. locally isn’t great.

                  I still think the LP should focus most of its energies on Congress and state legislatures. Not to the exclusion of the presidential election, which has some PR value, but as the focus.

                  Damned shame they can’t get Paul to come back. That might raise the LP to a real threat in elections.

                  1. robc   13 years ago

                    I will cross to the GOP to vote for Paulites.

                    Rand, obviously, and if I lived just a little bit more east, I would have a chance to in KY-4.

                    The R in KY-3 seems very typical R, but with a strong emphasis on economic issues (and he talks a good game of those). He is a CPA, so he is playing to his strength. He doesnt mention foreign/military stuff on his website at all, that I can find, and has exactly one sentence verifying he is pro-life. On the same page with paragraphs about debt/spending/taxation issues.

                    I see him being a guy that would push hard on spending cuts/tax cuts/etc, but would vote GOP party line on other issues.

                    No clue how I will vote.

      2. Restoras   13 years ago

        I’ve been doing that for years – compromising my views for the sake of political expediency. I’m done with it. right now Gary Johnson represents more of my viewpoints than any other candidate so I’m voting for him.

        1. robc   13 years ago

          And, as they all have zero votes now, you cant possibly know that Johnson wont win, so any wasted vote arguments are null.

          Technically, anyone who votes for the loser has “wasted”their vote, dont let anyone tell you otherwise.

          And voting for a winner you dont like seems even more of a wated vote to me.

          1. Azathoth!!   13 years ago

            No, because when you vote you don’t know who the loser will be.

            Unless your choice is someone that you know cannot win.

            Voting for someone who cannot win is wasting your vote. You go into the booth and make your selection knowing that, whatever happens, at the end of the night, your guy will not have won.

            You could have accomplished the exact same thing by staying home.

            That’s what makes it a ‘waste’.

        2. JW   13 years ago

          I haven’t been compromising my views in voting, but I have a perfect record of .000 in my voting efficacy.

          I’m done voting. It only encourages them by endorsing their completely fucked system.

      3. Zeb   13 years ago

        Well, assuming that Romney is preferable.

        But at least they got the math right. If you assume that the only real votes are for one of the big two, then a vote for a third party is a half vote for each candidate. At least for those of us who would rather eat shit than vote for either of the big turds.

        1. robc   13 years ago

          No, its a whole vote for the 3rd party.

          If you assume that the only real votes are for one of the big two

          This assumption is invalid.

        2. gaijin   13 years ago

          IF any vote for a 3rd party/non vote contributes to either candidate failing to get a +50.1% majority of the popular vote then that’s a good thing imo. No majority, no mandate (yes, I realize that isn’t hte best defense against tyranny, but every little bit and all that).

      4. Randian   13 years ago

        but unfortunately the logic is correct.

        Color me unsurprised that you think so. As robc said, every candidate has 0 votes right now, so your position is nonsense.

    7. mr simple   13 years ago

      That first article made me want to vomit with rage. In order to be taken seriously I have to go against my principles and follow The Party no matter what? How does that get me taken seriously again? They’re not even fucking trying anymore, just shouting “Do it!”

  17. db   13 years ago

    How the U.N. saved the Somali pirates from the brink of extinction.

    Just as the PMPF had the pirates on the run, the United Arab Emirates — under massive U.N. pressure — shut off their funding for the only anti-piracy program that had a real chance of success. As of June 6, Somali’s largest indigenous attempt to control its own security appeared to be dead. To put the nail in the coffin, the SEMG then leaked its 2012 report on July 15, which vociferously demanded sanctions against the South African contractors — but did not recommend sanctions on the pirates they were hired to defeat.

    1. Restoras   13 years ago

      Can’t we just torpedo the mother ship fer chrissakes? No one will ever know.

      1. Tim   13 years ago

        I doubt they have the required number of lifejackets aboard.

      2. RBS   13 years ago

        Would anyone really complain if their ships just started “disappearing” in the open ocean? Also, it’s about time to send the UN packing.

        1. Tim   13 years ago

          If anything was ever a proper target for a drone attack. There are no bystanders at sea.

          1. T   13 years ago

            Won’t you think of the children fishes?

            1. RBS   13 years ago

              It’s like a buffet for sharks.

            2. Rich   13 years ago

              Artificial reefs, baby! What’s good for the coral is good for the fishes.

          2. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

            our gentle teachers of the sea, dolphins, could die, you Gaia-rapist

            1. RBS   13 years ago

              I’m pretty sure the dolphins will be doing all the raping.

              1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

                They rapin’ e’erbody up in here

              2. db   13 years ago

                Dolphins get it on with anything.

                1. db   13 years ago

                  http://www.foxnews.com/scitech…..-genitals/

                  1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

                    some guy was acquitted in the UK of sexually assaulting a dolphin because he had evidence Freddie the dolphin would hook his penis around swimmers and tow them

                    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ear…..phins.html

                    1. Brett L   13 years ago

                      Dolphins are well known as the rapists of the sea.

                  2. Rich   13 years ago

                    *Japanese* dolphin, I suppose.

      3. db   13 years ago

        The article talks about how the Puntland force was going after the pirates on land during the off season when it’s too dangerous for them to operate on open water due to weather.

        1. R C Dean   13 years ago

          And that’s a problem, why, exactly?

          1. db   13 years ago

            Did I say it was a problem?

    2. Spoonman.   13 years ago

      That was a very interesting article.

      TLDR: UN do-gooders prevent UAE from crushing the pirates.

  18. The Late P Brooks   13 years ago

    “It’s dark, there’s no peep hole, and the deputies are hiding where they cannot be seen,”

    Brave, noble men, they are all that stands between us and the Abyss.

    1. Tim   13 years ago

      “We think they got joints in there!”

  19. CampingInYourPark   13 years ago

    “Household Incomes Fall In Aug., Off 8.2% Under Obama”

    http://news.investors.com/0925…..obama.aspx

    1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

      You can’t treat the government’s budget like a household budget!

      1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

        correct – I can’t force random strangers to plug the holes in my household budget

  20. Atanarjuat   13 years ago

    This is a few days old, but SpaceX’s Grasshopper made a tiny hop with a Merlin engine.

    1. db   13 years ago

      Nice, i saw that.

    2. Brett L   13 years ago

      When it can snatch the pebble from Elon’s hand, it will be ready.

      1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

        What about a pebble from the moon?

    3. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

      I saw that–very cool. They don’t stop moving, those guys at SpaceX.

      1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

        I have a couple friends that went there from grad school (for whatever reason SpaceX loves the car building team and not the satellite building team). They all work 80+ hours a week. I’m less jealous of them than I was when they got the offers.

        1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

          I’ve heard Musk can be a ass, too. But I’m glad that they’re so successful and hope it continues. If their model works, others will follow.

  21. The Late P Brooks   13 years ago

    not voting for Romney is a vote for Obama.

    I could be wrong, but it could also be an explicit rejection of Romney.

    1. Rich   13 years ago

      And not voting for Obama is a vote for Romney, so not voting at all is a vote for both Obama and Romney!

      What’s a mother to do?

      1. generic Brand   13 years ago

        +1 conundrum

      2. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

        get a shot-gun, homeschool the kids, and stock up on non-perishable food

        1. db   13 years ago

          Blow up your TV
          Throw away your paper
          Go the country
          Build you a home

          Plant a little garden
          Eat a lot of peaches
          Try and find Jesus
          On your own

          1. robc   13 years ago

            Peaches come from a can they were put there by a man
            In a factory downtown
            If I had my little way I’d eat peaches everyday
            Sun soakin bulges in the shade

          2. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

            + 15 internets for the John Prine reference, db.

            1. db   13 years ago

              That gave me an illegal smile.

            2. alittlesense   13 years ago

              Is that who wrote that drivel? I suffered through an awful folk-like rendition of that way back when, just because I was hot for one of the girl folkies in the group.

              1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

                Hey. Prine’s a fuckin’ treasure.

                1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

                  Besides, Prine wrote that song to mock the hippie movement.

                2. db   13 years ago

                  Some of the most depressing music ever, juxtaposed with light humor and uplifting themes. They guy could write a song.

                  1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

                    Still can. Saw him just this year. He can still tour, too.

    2. H. Reardon   13 years ago

      They argue that your vote for Romney is actually a vote against Obama.
      My vote for GJ will be a vote against BO and Mitt. It’s like I get to vote twice!

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        “A Vote For Almanian Is A Vote Against Everything Bad. Seriously”
        Almanian – 2012

        1. Pip   13 years ago

          The future must not belong to those who vote for Almanian.

      2. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

        The vote-to-get-rid-of-Obama argument isn’t totally without merit, but I suppose I generally disfavor the Democratic candidate more than the Republican one. If I accepted that argument, I’d never vote LP.

        Obama could cause more damage with another term, but Romney likely will do nothing better than tread water–I don’t see Leviathan being rolled back significantly. It’s well past time that the libertarian voice be heeded, and the only way to do that is to vote LP.

        I do plan to vote GOP for Congress, which, incidentally, may be more important than the presidential election.

        1. robc   13 years ago

          Ive got an “independent” on my congressional ballot. No nothing about him, if he is libertarianish, I will probably vote for him.

          1. robc   13 years ago

            Here

            Possibly the worst political website I have seen.

            Probably more a constitutionalist. Favors a consumption tax. Those numbered ovals at the top are actually the different parts of the website.

    3. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

      It’s possible that I’d have held my nose and voted for Romney if Paul and the libertarians within the GOP had been treated better. But they said fuck you to me and others, assuming that contempt for Obama would keep us all in play.

  22. Atanarjuat   13 years ago

    I found this link linked to from the last link. Male pufferfish makes sand art to attract females.

    1. RBS   13 years ago

      That’s pretty cool.

  23. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

    Not voting at all is a vote for anarchy!!11!
    I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.

    Me, I’m voting for me this year.

    Fuck Team Red and Team Blue
    Vote for Almanian – 2012
    I Won’t Fuck With You!

    1. Rich   13 years ago

      Who’s your running mate, Almanian?

      Given your lifestyle, “one heartbeat away” is a major consideration.

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        Chuck Norris is my VP.

        Did you know Chuck Norris’ teardrops cure cancer? So it’s too bad he’s never cried…

        Almanian/Norris – 2012
        Giving Republican Goverment a Roundhouse Kick to the Nuts!

        1. Rich   13 years ago

          Good, good, ….

          I look forward to seeing Chuck square off against Biden and Ryan in the debates.

    2. T o n y   13 years ago

      When everything starts going to shit, do we get to blame you?

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        Yuo can blame anyone you want, Choney.

        Personally, I blame Bush.

        1. Marshall Gill   13 years ago

          Bush has caused me the majority of problems in my life, also. Oh, were you talking about GW? Nevermind.

        2. gaijin   13 years ago

          haha. Saw a sign that said “I didn’t say it was your fault. I said I am blaming you.”

      2. Restoras   13 years ago

        Once again, you prove that yes, no matter how dumb you are you can still get more stupid.

      3. R C Dean   13 years ago

        What do you mean, “starts”?

        1. T o n y   13 years ago

          Oh libertopia will inevitably bring a level of shit you can scarcely imagine.

          1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

            I pity the next president, who will inherit a massive deficit and a horribly wrecked country.

            1. R C Dean   13 years ago

              Fuck the next President. I pity us.

              1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

                Well, we’ve been fucked for at least half a century, so it’s pretty useless to blame any recent or future president for our troubles…

      4. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

        Since the government is now responsible for all things, it’s to be blamed for all things. Convenient, isn’t it?

        1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

          To leftists, the only time government gets blamed, is the parts of it not run by leftists.

          1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

            Which, of course, is a supremely silly position to take. Under this system, there will always be an opposition party to them.

            1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

              Yeah, but we’re talking about leftists here, ProL. “Supremely silly” is how they roll.

              1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

                The evidence is compelling.

                1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

                  Just reading Tony’s posts on this one thread, is proof of the damage leftist inbreeding causes to the brain.

      5. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

        “When” everything starts going to shit?

        Where the fuck have you been living the past few decades? It’s been going to shit since FDR.

        1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

          “since at least FDR, if not before.”

          Premature striking of “Enter” button. Shit.

          1. Francisco d Anconia   13 years ago

            I gotta say it was FDR. If one must pick one person to blame for the demise of America, I can’t come up with another name.

            1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

              Woodrow Wilson deserves a lot of blame, as well.

              1. Restoras   13 years ago

                Hey, he only want the trains to run on time! Like some other leaders the progressives were so enamored of back in the day.

    3. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

      What did you promise yourself to win your own vote? Are you so cheap that a promise not to fuck yourself is enough?

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        Yes

        1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

          thanks, that means I could probably outbid you with a promise that you won’t fuck yourself (we can leave that to the professionals) and a beer

          1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

            Is the beer free?

            1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

              i will pay for it, so it will appear free. Of course, the true cost will only be revealed once you have sold yourself into my power, you poor fool.

              Damn, there I go all Bond villain, revealing my evil plans in advance,

              1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

                So you’re saying I can get beer, and all I have to do is sell myself into your power?

                Wait a minute, this isn’t like some crappy chocolate stout or something, we’re talking actual beer, right?

              2. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

                “And I’d have made it, too!!! If it weren’t for those MEDDLING kids….”

                1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

                  as one of three Australians who don’t drink beer, I will be guided by you as to what would be an acceptable beer to buy you with. I want you to enjoy choosing the beer. After all it’s the last choice you’ll get

                  1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

                    Sign me up. If it’s the correct quantity of beer, it’s the last choice I’ll ever need.

                    Here in Liberia you get three choices of beer:

                    1. Club (local) beer that has quinine in it and is disgusting.
                    2. Heineken that’s bottled in Turkey.
                    3. Heinekin that comes in a bottle with a Beck’s label.

                    1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

                      Frank Booth’s gonna be pissed when he visits Monrovia.

                    2. Francisco d Anconia   13 years ago

                      In Soviet Russia, beer drinks you.

                  2. DEG   13 years ago

                    as one of three Australians who don’t drink beer

                    Hmm… I’m skeptical there are any Australians who don’t drink beer.

                    Are you sure you’re Australian?

              3. LTC(ret) John   13 years ago

                How much beer are we talking about?

                1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

                  Almanian only needs one beer (so 1 can or whatever the standard glass size is over there), so he’s easy (as indeed he proves over and over).

                  LTC(ret) John / Whiterun Guard, neither of you have specified your minimum bribe amount, and I’m not about to overbid.

                  1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

                    I’d do it for a keg of Lagunitas regular IPA.

                    Or a single bottle of Sierra Nevada Writer’s Block if you could find it.

  24. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

    Obama, you are the worst character EVER!!

  25. Jordan   13 years ago

    So I take it that Assad still hasn’t figured out what video his people are protesting?

    1. Rich   13 years ago

      Nice.

    2. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

      Derka derka! Muhammed jihad!

  26. T o n y   13 years ago

    Obama opens 10-point lead in Ohio and 9-point lead in Florida.

    Hope everyone’s poured his coffee.

    1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

      The gridlock will be beautiful.

      I mean if I don’t win, of course.

      1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

        I just did an informal poll of my workplace, and of all eligible voters, you are up by 100% on all other choices.

        However among ‘likely’ voters, you’re tied with Obama and Romney at 0%.

        1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

          This is encouraging! Thanks!

      2. T   13 years ago

        Your ticket might be a consideration, but I’m still trying to decide between Cthulhu, Robot Nixon, and Khorne. You just don’t have what I’m looking for in a candidate this season.

    2. NoVAHockey   13 years ago

      i didn’t pour mine. someone else did.

      no really. i have people for that.

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        So you’re saying that coffee – you didn’t pour that?

        1. NoVAHockey   13 years ago

          yep. someone else did.

          1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

            So you like your coffee hot, black and laid by someone else?

            1. INFORG   13 years ago

              It figures, cause he likes his women like his coffee – ground up and in the freezer.

    3. Tim   13 years ago

      “Meh” ROmney not popular? Unpossible!

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        BUT HE’S ELECTABLE!!!!111!!

        1. Tim   13 years ago

          I am greatful to him for humiliating Newt “asshole” Gingrich. Even Tony can agree that he provided a valuable public service there.

          1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

            Obama gets the credit for that, stupid.

            1. Tim   13 years ago

              Then why hasn’t Joe Biden bragged about it? Hmm?

              1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

                He’s a busy man.

          2. T o n y   13 years ago

            I’d much prefer a Newt candidacy. It would be all the fun of a Mitt candidacy, plus moon bases.

            1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

              God, you ARE fucked in the head, Tony. No one in their right mind would want Newt for president, not even as a joke.

    4. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

      With what voter turn out model? The idea that the country is so racist as to reelect a president with this shitty of an economy, this big a deficit, only one major achievement (which a majority of people hate) and this many wars simply because he is black is very disturbing.

      1. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

        But also quite likely.

      2. T o n y   13 years ago

        It’s probably just because the other guy’s a Mormon.

        1. Tim   13 years ago

          There’s only one M in moron.

          1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

            Get a brain, morman!

    5. R C Dean   13 years ago

      And if Republican turnout is worse than 2008, and Democrat turnout is better, that result will hold.

      Of course, +10 Dem turnout would also hold the Senate and take the House. Anybody want to put money on the Dems holding all the cards after the election?

    6. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

      I heard somewhere that Obama has promised to devour fewer children than Romney, so he’s also got that goin’ for him.

      1. Bardas Phocas   13 years ago

        When he gets to the Whitehouse, Obama will have a hell of time handling the mess his predecessor left. Shitty economy, Angry Arabs, Sarah Palin still out there terrorizing America.

        PUSH THE RESET BUTTON BABY!

    7. Randian   13 years ago

      Obama opens 10-point lead in Ohio and 9-point lead in Florida.

      Do you have a link to that?

      1. T o n y   13 years ago

        Link.

        It’s just one poll. Obama’s probably got about 7 points on Romney in Ohio, unless Romney has started to completely implode. And he doesn’t even drink coffee. =(

      2. EJ Raines   13 years ago

        We call this model “The Randian”.

        1. Randian   13 years ago

          Oh look I have my own anonypussy stalker now too.

          1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

            Might be “The Derider” under a different name, Randian.

            1. Randian   13 years ago

              Probably.

          2. Francisco d Anconia   13 years ago

            No Reason commenter is complete…

            But you must admit, it was amusing.

    8. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

      That’s so incredibly unlikely. Florida’s more conservative than not. Last time was a fluke, not a trend.

      1. T o n y   13 years ago

        That’s what they said about Virginia, where Obama’s led all year. You may be right about Florida but Virginia looks to be turning into a blue state.

        The state of the race in general, I feel, can be attributed to the Mitt Romney campaign’s spectacular incompetence.

        1. Brett L   13 years ago

          FL is not quite as engaged in the status quo of Washington as VA has become. In fact, with NASA cutbacks, perhaps less so.

          1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

            That’s a good point–forgot about all of the NASA and related industry layoffs.

    9. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

      Hope we get to drink coffee in the future. The Health Nazis may make THAT illegal, as well.

      But, yeah, by all means… vote for Obama.

      /snark.

      1. T o n y   13 years ago

        Or the guy whose religion forbids coffee?

        1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

          I’m not voting for Romney, either, but I’m not going to rag on his religion, peculiar though it may be.

  27. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

    Already got my pick ’em reminder email? Damn Thursday night games. Although I feel like this week’s picks were pretty easy. Maybe I can do better than 6-10 this time.

    1. Brett L   13 years ago

      Fuck it, I’m shooting for a solid .500 this season. I could become a contender.

      1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

        How many upsets were there this past weekend?

        1. Brett L   13 years ago

          About 11. NYG won, Texans won, Jets won, Cards won, Falcons won. The rest was a shitshow.

          1. Pip   13 years ago

            Vikes upset Ess Eff.

        2. Brett L   13 years ago

          Fuck the football schedulers. GB-NO? Tampa Bay-Washington? Dallas-Chicago? I think I’ll get very drunk tonight and let the alcohol guide me.

          1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

            That’s only 3 games. I just feel like there are a lot of easy games this week.

            1. Brett L   13 years ago

              Really? Am I willing to bet that the Pats don’t continue to slide? I’m picking the Bengals to beat somebody. I’m double clutching on the Browns-Ravens pick at this point.

              1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

                The Pats lost the last two games by a combined 3 points, one of which was against the Ravens at home (who got 3 points for a kick they didn’t even make).

                And it’s the Browns.

                1. Brett L   13 years ago

                  1-2, dude. Playing a 2-1 Buffalo team. I’m telling you, at this point I’m like a character on The League. I did relatively well last week, too. (8-8).

                  1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

                    They beat the Chiefs and the Browns.

    2. Mike M.   13 years ago

      I’ve decided I’m not betting real money on any more games this season until the real refs come back.

      1. R C Dean   13 years ago

        But its the randomness that makes it gambling, right?

  28. WigFow   13 years ago

    Should be quite interesting to see how that all turns out. WOw.

    http://www.PrivacyCrew.tk

  29. The Late P Brooks   13 years ago

    Obama opens 10-point lead in Ohio and 9-point lead in Florida.

    Among people who expressed a preference. Just wait ’til they get in the voting booth, all alone with nothing to guide them and no one to watch them but their shriveled racist hearts…

    1. T o n y   13 years ago

      “Only racism can save us now!”

      1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

        http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

  30. Spoonman.   13 years ago

    Voting for Obama is voting for Romney, and a vote for either is a vote for George W. Bush.

    1. Trespassers W   13 years ago

      Sir, your logic is impeccable.

  31. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

    I don’t want to alarm everyone, but did anyone else notice the absence of SugarFree, Warty and Episiarch?

    What if they’re off planning something? This could be bad for the country world!

    I’m just askin’ questions…

    1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

      like i said up-thread, get a shot-gun, homeschool the kids, and stock up on non-perishable food

      1. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

        This does continue to be good advice for pretty much any situation…

      2. Troy muy grande boner   13 years ago

        And for god’s sake, cover your asshole and hide your daughters.

    2. Tim   13 years ago

      WHo will make rape and potty jokes? Who will link to Jezebel?

    3. Whiterun Guard   13 years ago

      Actually I think they were giving away free tubs of gravy with purchases of Valtrex at Walmart today. So they’re out being consumers.

      1. Tim   13 years ago

        THIS WARRANTY IS VOID IF PRODUCT NOT USED IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THE MANUFACTURER’S INTENT.

    4. LTC(ret) John   13 years ago

      Uh oh… I need more ammo.

      1. NoVAHockey   13 years ago

        remember people. double-taps. make sure.

  32. Almanian's Evil Twin   13 years ago

    I suppose I should go do some work now oppressing workers “rights” and gratuitously pissing off the union.

    I’ll BE BAHCK!

  33. The Late P Brooks   13 years ago

    gratuitously pissing off the union.

    No such thing.

    Fight the good fight.

  34. Morty   13 years ago

    too good not to repost:
    When did Tom Selleck become Nigel Mansell?

  35. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

    Dear old Andy Williams has died. Who will fill his easy-listening role now?

    http://www.news.com.au/breakin…..public_rss

    1. Tim   13 years ago

      Who will they they toss their panties to now?

      1. Rich   13 years ago

        What is Tom Jones, chopped liver?

        1. Ice Nine   13 years ago

          Almost.

  36. Brett L   13 years ago

    Holy Shit, the Wheel of Time series is ending! Probably with some bitch tossing her braid.

    1. Brett L   13 years ago

      In good fantasy news, Mark Lawrence’s sequel to Prince of Thorns is out, and Jorg is settling in to play the long game.

      If you like fantasy, PoT is awesome. Amoral 14 year-old brigand leader takes over a kingdom through murder, mayhem, and Machiavellianism. There’s more to it, but Jorg is one of the great characters of fantasy.

      1. R C Dean   13 years ago

        So, Prince of Thorns gets a recommendation?

        1. Brett L   13 years ago

          Yes. Definitely.

        2. Jordan   13 years ago

          Not from me. I got about halfway through it before I gave up. I love fantasy with flawed characters, but the protagonist had absolutely no redeeming qualities. Zero. Hitler was more sympathetic than this guy.

    2. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

      Crap, that’s right. I need to catch up on the last 3 books. I had even asked about ereaders here specifically for this.

      1. Brett L   13 years ago

        I’m just going to read the Wikipedia version and make sure I didn’t miss anything after quitting after book 3 or 4.

        1. Tim   13 years ago

          Machiavellian.

        2. Tim   13 years ago

          Machiavellian.

  37. KalkiDas   13 years ago

    I can’t wait until Syria is “liberated” in the “Arab Spring (TM)”. I’m sure it will turn out quite well. Maybe we can open a new embassy there after Assad is out? Who wants to sign up to work there?

  38. The Late P Brooks   13 years ago

    T o n y| 9.26.12 @ 10:17AM |#

    “Only racism can save us now!”

    Hook

    line

    and

    sinker.

    1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

      Racism is the liberal plan for getting Obama reelected.

      1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

        Some white guy: “I have to go to the store to buy some milk.”

        Leftist Griefer: “Why do you hate brown people?”

    2. Restoras   13 years ago

      It’s ok though, I have it on good authority that he votes Democrat.

  39. Tim   13 years ago

    Your post (#3279215) has been marked as spam by a third-party spam filter. If this is a mistake, please email webmaster@reason.com.

    Oh, fuck yourself.

    1. invisible furry hand   13 years ago

      take it as a badge of honour. If the squirrels haven’t messed with you, then do you really exist?

      1. Auric Demonocles   13 years ago

        If a squirrel spams in the forest, and no one is there to read it, does it make a post?

  40. Pip   13 years ago

    The University of Minnesota is running an ad on TV in the Twin Cities looking for smokers to take part in a study to see if exerciser and relaxation improve one’s success at quitting smoking. So I think to myself, what do people do after while they are relaxing after sex?

    This study has been going on since 2010. What a fucking scam.

  41. The Late P Brooks   13 years ago

    Virginia looks to be turning into a blue state.

    Maybe they just know which side their guns are buttered on.

    1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

      The population of Virginia is turning into a bunch of gun-hating feminist union members? What kind of evil genius built THAT death ray?

      1. Pro Libertate   13 years ago

        It’s the DC people, not the natives.

        1. NoVAHockey   13 years ago

          I’ve been in Fairfax for about 20 years. It’s unrecognizable from even 10 years ago.

        2. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

          That shit spreads like the plague, ProL. DC people likely copulate with at least a few Virginiaers, thus spreading the disease.

          1. Loki   13 years ago

            Remember rule number 2: double tap. It’s the only way to stop the DC hordes.

            Although the only way to really be sure is, as always, take off and nuke the site from orbit.

            1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

              I vote for the latter. Now all we need is the ability to take off and nuke it from orbit.

  42. Loki   13 years ago

    Replacement google.

    Kind of a somewhat clever riff on the replacement refs.

    1. Loki   13 years ago

      I just used it to search for “tits” and it gave me results for “Round Rock, TX accountants”. Awesome.

  43. Old Johnnie Goggabie   13 years ago

    Slate proposes curtailing 1st Amendment

    1. Citizen Nothing   13 years ago

      the U.S. overvalues free speech

      And there, summarized in one sub-headline, is everything you need ever know of Eric Posner.

      1. ant1sthenes   13 years ago

        Or Slate, really.

        1. Mr. FIFY   13 years ago

          Or leftists.

          Or so-cons.

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