A.M. Links: U.S. Unemployment Down to 7.8 Percent, Anti-Drone Protest Planned in Pakistan, Abortion Ship Docks in Morocco

News from Michigan to Morocco

• The U.S unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent this  month, with nonfarm payroll employment rising by 114,000.

• Police surveillance cameras are starting to pop up in residential neighborhoods in Michigan, a new ACLU report reveals.
• A deputy sheriff in Colorado was arrested for menacing with a deadly weapon and domestic violence after allegedly holding a woman at gunpoint against her will earlier this week.
• A former Pakistani cricketer turned politician is organizing a protest march against CIA drone strikes in his country, which have increased six-fold under President Obama.
• Two Tunisians were arrested in Turkey in connection with the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on 9/11.
• The Dutch NGO Women on Waves' "abortion ship" has docked in Morocco after being blocked by its navy, the NGO says, but access is now being restricted to the harbor, 20 miles east of Tangier. 

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

A former Pakistani cricketer turned politician is organizing a protest march against CIA drone strikes in his country...

I think we have an idea where the next drone attack will be.

[Whiterun Guard]

This guy is really going to pitch a fit about drone strikes, isn't he?

[Tim]

He's going to bat for peace.

[db]

I'm bowled over with laughter.

[Fist of Etiquette]

No. I'm not looking shit up about that "sport" just to pun on it.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Don't get your wickets in a twist.

[Bee Tagger]

Fine, just stop chirping about it already.

[Restoras]

You're not going to Googley it?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Sounds like you've got the yips.

[invisible furry hand]

Hey, a bit of respect please, that's Imran Khan. Still hot

[sloopyinca]

Holy shit, is it? I didn't read the article, but if it is Imran Khan, this protest will get a lot of traction. That man is a God (but not Allah, pbuh) to those people. He's no Jacques Callis, but he's still a legend.

[Whiterun Guard]

Aww, I was hoping he wasn't actually hot so I could see if your standards were low enough for me.

But he's actually kind of hot (no homo).

[invisible furry hand]

Sorry buddy... Back in the day Imran was probably the most stylish thing about cricket: handsome, articulate, a swashbuckling player, and an international playboy. Made my little girlish heart flutter.

[Whiterun Guard]

Hey, I'm international and a swashbuckler!

Well I at least have a sword.

I mean you count a plastic light saber right?

[T]

Dude, step up. Cheap chinese swords go for less than 20 bucks at the Renfest.

[Whiterun Guard]

But do they make zwweeeooossshhhh noises?

Didn't think so.

[Restoras]

Hey, I've got a replica of Glamdring in my attack (stupid wife and her decorative sensibilities...) but dang it's heavy!

[Jesus H. Christ]

Took me a minute to figure that one out. You mean "attic" as in "Flowers in the..."?

[Paul.]

But he's actually kind of hot (no homo).

He kind of strikes me as the most interesting man in the world... stay thirsty my friend...

[Pro Libertate]

Wicket humor.

[Whiterun Guard]

We really know how to make ashes of ourselves.

[sloopyinca]

Dammit, I'm stumped trying to come up with something clever to say.

[invisible furry hand]

This thread is rapidly heading to silly mid off

[Fist of Etiquette]

THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY AMERICAN SENSE.

[invisible furry hand]

You do realise that cricket is just an elaborate prank we play on you. We don't really spend five days watching a game that might not even have a winner, and has at least three meanings for wicket

[Pro Libertate]

Cricket is why the Empire failed. The colonials and natives just couldn't take it anymore.

[Zeb]

I don't know. The natives in India/Pakistan and the colonials in the West Indies seem to be a lot more into Cricket than the British Empire.

[Pro Libertate]

That's just international politics at work.

[Citizen Nothing]

I just read the Wodehouse "Mike" and "Psmith" novels for the first time. In order to maintain my tenuous purchase on sanity, I had to assume that "cricket" was Wodehouse humor and didn't really exist.

[Isaac Bartram]

Good to someone else go beyond Jeeves and Wooster in the Wodehouse bibliography.

Mike (1902)is the last of the "school stories" series which begins with The Pothunters (1902). Mostly about English public school life featuring the sons of the the upper middle class and aristocracy. You don't have to know all the rules of cricket and rugby, but it helps to have some familiarity.

[sloopyinca]

Yeah, this was a great way to kickoff the AM Links.

[ant1sthenes]

The fuck is this shit, Rock, Paper, Shotgun?

[Brett L]

You're all dead to me. 20 Puns? Not very cricket.

[generic Brand]

If you had to choose between learning the rules of Cricket or listening to Barack Obama talk, would you just say "fuck it" and end it all?

[AlmightyJB]

Well I could tolerate the first if I was drunk. That wouldn't help with the second. It would just make me angrier.

[sloopyinca]

NYPD goons on their way to probably kill somebody decide to just do it a bit early and kill a man on the side of the road instead.

[Whiterun Guard]

Now sloop, don't make judgements early.

They might have just been on their way to rape someone.

[$park?]

Polanco began driving erratically, at one point cutting between two unmarked NYPD Emergency Service Unit vehicles in the center lane, cops said. Polanco then tailgated a car in the left lane, Browne said.

When the cops turned on their lights and sirens and ordered Polanco to "pull over" on their speakers, he sped up ? even after a fearful DeFerrari asked him to slow down, Browne said.

clearly he was asking for it you don't pull shit like this and not expect to be killed. good riddance to this piece of human filth.

/dunphy

[R C Dean]

OMG! He tailgated someone in New York!?! And cut between two [unmarked cop] cars?!? IN New York!?!?!

[clutches pearls, faints on couch]

[sloopyinca]

They weren't even unmarked cop cars. They were the big SWAT-style vans, so he probably thought they were bread trucks or food delivery and an armored car or something, especially since the occupants were flipping him the bird.

I have to wonder why a police force needs unmarked armored vehicles to serve warrants. I'd think plainly marked NYPD units would create a safer environment for officers, "civilians" and suspects alike. But it's not about making people safer. It's about making the citizenry shit their pants when they see a bunch of people wielding assault rifles pile out of the back.

Animals.

[KDN]

Hey now, he might have been drunk. That makes him the most serious threat to public safety since 9/11, and a worthy target of road rage.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Police surveillance cameras are starting to pop up in residential neighborhoods in Michigan...

They're attached to prairie dogs.

[gaijin]

They're attached to prairie dogs.
Should reduce the pension costs, no?

[Joe M]

We'll have to hire more prairie dogs to watch the original ones.

[Auric Demonocles]

It's prairie dogs all the way down!

[Whiterun Guard]

I thought they were attached to wangs, and they started putting up a lot of Christina Aguilera posters.

[The Hammer]

Police surveillance cameras are starting to become inexplicably limp in residential neighborhoods in Michigan?

[sloopyinca]

Assholes circle wagons around one of their own. I guess saving a person's life at some point gives a cop carte blanche to punch women who are no threat in the face at their leisure.

Good old PoliceOne commentators. They never let me down when I need to read something funny.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Yeah the union is backing him, but what is up with the Gaurdian Civic League?...They are set to throw him under the bus with a 30 day suspension this quick?...No better than the Chief...If I was a black Philly cop, I'd quit paying dues to that organization!

So, not only do they contest the firing, they contest a 30 day suspension as well. Nice.

[Whiterun Guard]

Hrm...maybe they should ALL stop paying dues...I'd love to see that play out.

Union enforcement vs. the fat blue line.

[R C Dean]

Wait, a 30 day suspension with a job waiting at the end of it is throwing under the bus?

What about getting charged with assault and losing your job?

[Paul.]

teehee

[Joe M]

Many of the officers Ramsey has fired were eventually, through arbitration, given back their jobs.

That pretty much tells it all right there. The police union are just like all the rest, but their shitty behavior has far worse repercussions that just draining all the money out of the economy.

[Ed]

"Sounds to me like this officer has a history of taking appropriate force action in stressful situations and dealt with being assaulted, along with the other officers who turned to confront the assault, with swiftness and restraint. Guzman shouldn't have placed herself in close proximity to the officers dealing with another situation. Where's the responsibility on her part even if she wasn't the one who sprayed them?"

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

What the fuck ?

[Ptah-Hotep]

with swiftness and restraint

I would hate to see what an unrestrained response would look like.

[sloopyinca]

It's Philly, so I'm guessing it means dropping a bomb (literally) on someone's house.

[Enough About Palin]

It's Philly, so I'm guessing it means dropping a bomb (literally) on someone's house an entire city block.

FIFY

[sloopyinca]

First question, why would she be spraying silly string at the police. Last I knew this was a fammable substance. It looks to me he took charge and took care of the problem. The problem was solved quickly and efficently with one strike. How is this excessive? Again this is what police work is coming to, smother them in kindness and hope they comply.

Yeah. Use any excuse in the book, like calling silly string a flammable substance, to justify police overreacting to any situation.

And these shitheels wonder why the public is trusting them less and less each day.

[Zeb]

How is punching someone who is not an immediate threat to you in the face excessive? What?

[mr simple]

How is this excessive?

Anything they do is justified. It's appropriate action because he is a cop. They can do no wrong. People drown in water, so he actually saved the lives of his fellow officers. As long as they can go home at night to their families, it's all worth it.

[Restoras]

Cops are slowly but surely degenerating into pure agents of the state, to be used to keep the proles in line and well behaved.

They value their salaries, benefits, and pensions greater than they value the trust the public places with them. And since what they value greater is provided by other agents of the state, lifelong serving elected officals, their loyalty will gradually move toward those other agents of the state and away from the public.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I've heard many cops say their #1 priority os going home alive at the end of their shift. Not doing their job, not protecting the public, not upholding the law, not earning those outrageous benefits. Nope, covering ones own ass is job #1.

[invisible furry hand]

To be fair you meet plenty of people like that in any sector. You would hope they'd get weeded out in any job which gives them the power to actually fuck another human over

[Kaptious Kristen]

Exactly - cops are armed dangerous, unlike, say a web developer. Anyone who is paranoid, armed, and thinks their only job is to go home alive is a danger to everyone.

[Tybus]

Going home alive is certainly the #1 desired outcome at my job. But I'm in the aviation industry.

[mr simple]

John McNesby, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, said the decision to fire Josey sent the message that officers on the street would be punished for using force to control unruly crowds.

Yes, that's all that happened: he was trying to control an unruly crowd. He didn't just turn around and punch the first person he saw. I believe this because I am both an idiot and have not watched the video where people were calmly walking around.

[Zeb]

And I would think that it was obvious that officers should be punished for using unnecessary force in any situation, even if there is an unruly crowd.

[sloopyinca]

Why do you hate cops?
why do you hate black cops?
Why do you hate black cops that are heroes?

Racist!

[sloopyinca]

Looks like Philly cops not only like to punch women in the face, but they like to rape passed-out ones in the back of their squad car as well.

[invisible furry hand]

"We're right on top"

That's the problem right there

[mr simple]

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey confirmed Tuesday night that a K-9 officer is being investigated on rape allegations.

They don't get them fixed?

[Tulpa Doom]

Woof means no!

[Caleb Turberville]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/04/.....index.html

Apple CEO Tim Cook "more open to lobbying" than Steve Jobs.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A deputy sheriff in Colorado was arrested for menacing with a deadly weapon and domestic violence after allegedly holding a woman at gunpoint against her will earlier this week.

But what did they charge the woman with?

[Citizen Nothing]

Corrupting a hero.

[Fluffy]

Jail time for Texas high school administrator for plot to raise test scores.

The funny thing about this story is that this poor dumb SOB is going to jail for actions that I bet are taking place at every inner city high school in the country.

At least the ones showing statistical improvement.

And there is a case to be made that his approach is actually the correct one.

[Auric Demonocles]

For the lazy: The "plot" was to either eliminate poor performing students from the test pool (10th graders) by either holding them back in 9th grade or encouraging them to drop out.

[Fluffy]

One question I have always had is whether eliminating the worst-performing students improves the performance of the students that remain.

IOW, there's a clear statistical benefit you get if you just throw out the worst-performing students, because you eliminate their scores from the average. But I wonder if there isn't an additional benefit that accrues because the remaining students are liberated from the presence of the worst performers.

Intuitively that seems highly likely to me, but you could never test it because no one is going to come right out and say, "Hey, this is my new idea, let's test it out and document the results!"

[robc]

In elementary school, maybe. At the High School level, probably not, as most high schools are large enough to have multiple "tracks".

When I was in high school, I only took a couple of courses with non-college prep students. Health/PE and drafting...I think that was it.

And even the latter was mixed.

[Fluffy]

Even if you set up tracks, the kids are all physically in the same school.

I would guess (just a guess, but it's pretty likely) that the set of worst performing students academically includes a pretty high percentage of any particular school's thugs. Maybe in El Paso it's different, because they have the non-English-speaker problem. But I bet in Detroit or Atlanta or in Appalachia, the set of worst-performing students overlaps the set of socially toxic students to a very high degree.

If you find ways to get all those students to drop out, do the remaining students perform better because you've secured their environment? I think it would be interesting to test it, but it's kind of a "forbidden experiment" type situation.

[Whiterun Guard]

Which is why there shouldn't be ANY public schools. I bet Johnny would straighten right out if mom and pop were out a couple of thousand bucks because he acted like a dick.

[Stormy Dragon]

Isn't this basically the plot of the movie Lean on Me?

[robc]

My school was a bit odd, but I didnt even have much interaction with them. I would agree with you about the overlap, but I dont see the problem with them being in the same physical building.

In the pre-magnet days, my school was the "magnet" for the advanced program students for the south end of the county.

So we had at least 3 tracks:
Advanced Program
College Prep
Non-college Prep

I dont know if there was a 4th one below that or not. 🙂

So, for me, even the bus ride was segregated by track, as the people on my bus where almost all students going there because of the AP (not Advanced Placement -- it was an unfortunate collision in the acronym name space).

Amusingly, had I grown up in the east end instead of the south end, where almost all the HSs had AP, I would have been more mixed. But because the south end was poorer and had less AP students, we got bused to our school and thus were more separated.

[nicole]

Even if you set up tracks, the kids are all physically in the same school.

And there's no guarantee the tracks will be what they should be to maximize performance of top-performing students. My HS clearly packed the AP classes with as many kids as they could to make AP enrollment appear attractive, but that doesn't actually make the class very advanced. Of course, these were "average" kids (or even, probably, above average), not the really bad performers, but if you yank the bottom end out of the whole thing, it all distributes downward.

[Auric Demonocles]

I certainly would have performed better before high school if the poor performers were eliminated. I don't know if the effect would have been as large in high school or college as those were large enough schools that I wasn't just sitting there waiting for people to grasp simple algebra.

[robc]

And there is a case to be made that his approach is actually the correct one.

Well, half of his approach. Holding them back in the 9th grade is reasonable. Then encouraging them to drop out in 10th grade before the test isnt.

[wareagle]

why do educrats gets all knotted up when someone suggests holding back a student who is failing? That part makes no sense. Encouraging drop-outs is just a sign of moral obtuseness; forget jail, just fire his ass and wipe out his pension.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

You're damaging their self-esteem dude

[wareagle]

now THAT is a jailable offense.

[Restoras]

Whose self-esteem? The student or the educator?

[R C Dean]

Encouraging drop-outs is just a sign of moral obtuseness;

I'm not so sure. If the kids aren't getting anything out of school (and apparently they aren't), and getting them to drop out has some benefit for the kids who are, then it seems like the right thing to do.

[wareagle]

and where do you suppose these dropouts end up? My guess is that most are on some part of the public dime, be that welfare or jail. Maybe I'm wrong but encouraging dropping out sounds wrong-headed.

[Citizen Nothing]

What do you suppose happens to them, then, when they "graduate"?

[Zeb]

I think that some students just aren't going to get much out of highschool. I don't think it is appropriate for all students who do poorly academically, but there is definitely many students who would do better outside of conventional school.

[Tonio]

I can think of a couple of practical reasons educrats don't like holding students back:

It's distracting to have, say, a fifteen year old in a class of seventh graders. I had this guy in a couple of my classes in Jr. High; he was just clocking time until he was old enough to drop out.

Also, held-back students are viewed by some as a failure of the academy, not the student. This forces them to confront the inherent contradictions of their narrative and they don't like it none too much.

[Whiterun Guard]

I think encouraging anyone to drop out of public school is reasonable.

[Rich]

Garcia ... implemented a plan ... that allowed for pre-testing of 10th-graders to identify those who were likely to fail the standardized tests. He had one employee photograph students crossing the border so they could be forced out on the grounds that they were living in Mexico and not within the school district.

What exactly was he convicted of? Not being nice?

[Fluffy]

Maybe they argued some kind of theft of services thing because his job was to get kids to stay in school, not contrive ways to drive them out?

[Rich]

his job was to get kids to stay in school

Citation needed.

[Whiterun Guard]

Was fraud. I assume because his school profited from 'false' information.

[Rich]

Ah. Then *many* convictions for fraud are forthcoming since the administration is profiting from false information.

[Tonio]

Well, it's not the job of school employees to conduct surveillance on their students, particularly not outside of school grounds and school hours.

In any other context we'd be all over him for this.

[VG Zaytsev]

He had one employee photograph students crossing the border so they could be forced out on the grounds that they were living in Mexico and not within the school district.

[wareagle]

why am I not amazed that it took this long for someone to point that part of the story. And this guy's being arrested?

[R C Dean]

Sounds like he should get a medal from the local taxpayers.

[Randian]

The funny thing about this story is that this poor dumb SOB is going to jail for actions that I bet are taking place at every inner city high school in the country.

Ohio has a semi-major scandal about this right now. And, surprise surprise, the named culprits are Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo.

Huh, what a coincidence.

[T]

Well, you could take the Atlanta approach and just cheat on the test for them.

[Whiterun Guard]

Guardian op-ed apparently read Reason one time

If you want to get existentially depressed, also read the comments.

[Fluffy]

That's Greenwald, and all of his comments sections are guarded by Democrats standing by to shout "But it's Nader's fault Bush was President!" any time he suggests supporting a third party.

[Marshall Gill]

Just Democrats think this? Is there nothing to the thousands of Democrat leaning Greens who could have elected a President more in line with their positions? Since none of them could have done it individually, their votes wouldn't have added up to a win for Gore?

[Whiterun Guard]

Nah, these are even worse. I mentally ignore all the Team posts. These are ones that supposedly agree with the article, but then can't figure out anything beyond that.

I mean the guy that says he has Gayjay AND a Jill Stein sign in his yard. I don't even

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Give the guy a break, he's just fighting the system, even if he doesn't know why.

[mr simple]

Meh, the dems that I can't sell on GJ because of all the scary freedom stuff I encourage to vote for Stein. It's important for people to vote for anyone but the mainstream candidates to voice opposition to the way things are going. I also use the fact that my state is going to Romney almost for certain.

[BakedPenguin]

This.

[mad libertarian guy]

I'll vote for any 3rd party on the ballot, even if the only choice the communist party of America.

The only Team player I've ever voted for was Rand Paul.

[Brett L]

Technically, that's true. More people voted for Nader in Alachua County, FL than Bush won by in the state in 2000.

[sloopyinca]

I guess it never occurred to those commentators that if Nader hadn't have run, many of those voters would have simply stayed home. It's like they were being forced to vote or something.

[Brett L]

I just had this argument with a friend of mine. I totally agree with you. I just have an extremely progressive group of friends in Tallahassee and love to poke them with this fact.

[Karl Hungus]

If you want to get existentially depressed, also read the comments.

I liked this one, written by "MuleyaJumba":

"A third party? they could do with a second party first. Republican and Democrat it does not really matter who is in office, both will still be in the pocket of big money, starting foreign wars etc..."

[Ted S.]

I thought the economy needed to add about 175,000 jobs to keep the unemployment rate steady. Is the labor force participation rate way down, is the government cooking the books, or both?

(My guess is both.)

[Drake]

They may have to "unexpectedly" revise the number back to 8.2 the day after the election.

[VG Zaytsev]

The unemployment rate drop is based on 800,000 more jobs. Some of those were revisions to previous months number, but at least half are pure fraud.

[gaijin]

which also depends on which stat you like...Household survey has 800K (500K of which are part time jobs), Establishment survey has 114K...Household is used in the rate calc, not erstablishment...go figure.

[wareagle]

going below 8% was almost as predictable as the sun coming up in the east. So, what will the revision do?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

It's from an upward revision of July's numbers.

[CampingInYourPark]

"(CNSNews.com) - The best news anywhere in the U.S. economy over the past three months has been in the government sector, where unemployment has dropped dramatically from 5.7 percent in July to 5.1 percent in August to 4.3 percent in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

http://cnsnews.com/news/articl.....nt-workers

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Color me surprised.

[CampingInYourPark]

"Color me"

Racist!

[Tulpa Doom]

How do you measure govt sector unemployment? You'd have to classify which unemployed people are in which sector, which is kind of hard when they don't have a job in any sector.

[CampingInYourPark]

Hell if I know. I assume they have job skills that aren't conducive to a private sector job or something to that effect

[Zeb]

Exactly what I was thinking. Doesn't make much sense. Unless they are acknowledging the fact that some people are so useless that they can only be employed by government.

[CampingInYourPark]

Yeah, there's one number there unchanged

U-6 Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t15.htm

[Mike M.]

Obama and his minions are fudging just about every number under the sun that you can think of now.

[Rich]

"Those numbers -- we didn't fudge them."

[Auric Demonocles]

Sorry to bring this up again, but only one person responded last night.

And to A Serious Man: You got no points because you got 11 correct last week. Finger bang got 14, so he got the 10 points for first. 4 people tied with 13 correct, so they split up 2nd through 5th and got 3.75 each. Two people got 12 and split sixth, getting 0.5 points each.

Here's the current standings if we use the points schedule sloopy suggested (anyone not on the list has 0):

Graham Gano's Avengers...........14.95
Fingerbang!.......................10.43
Sloopy Super #1 Football Picks....10
The Whiterun Guards...............10
Translucent Chum Will Suh You.....9.76
Mike M............................8.08
Jumbie............................5.53
Brett's coin flips................5.43
Robert Griffin III Card Monte.....5.38
Broncos over Steelers.............5.08
calidissident.....................5.08
Banjos Big Bouncy Bazoombas.......4.76
Ghost's Boasts....................3.75
Rub Me Wrong Time.................1.2
Stalker...........................1.2
Auric Demonocles..................0.93
Citizen Nothing...................0.75
Falling Dutchmen..................0.75
Indiano Bianco....................0.5
AppSt n da house..................0.43

I'm not sure this scoring strategy is working better than the alternatives. At the very least we should reconsider how we're splitting up tie points. It's putting way too much reward on winning a single week. How do the other pickers feel about this?

[H. Reardon]

My picks are so poor and the reward is so little that it's hard for me to get too worked up about it.

[Whiterun Guard]

What's wrong with just the aggregate scoring again? Just the fact that a lot of people missed the first week? Or is it the ties?

Also I'm in favor of anything that keeps me in front of Jumbie.

[Auric Demonocles]

Also I'm in favor of anything that keeps me in front of Jumbie.

Is there a backstory I'm not aware of?

[Whiterun Guard]

All I know is that he plays cricket. That's enough for me.

[Auric Demonocles]

I didn't think foreigners were allowed to pick American football games.

[Brett L]

Let's just do both. Right now Me and Auric are the only people who've really been screwed by being consistently not first or second.

[Auric Demonocles]

Whoever got the III Card Monte team has gotten shafted too. Placed all 3 weeks they've picked (missed week one), but are in 9th. Only 3 people have been in the points 3 times, and III Card didn't even play the first week.

[Virginian]

That's me. But that's what you get for procrastinating.

[Translucent Chum]

Still working my way up to Fingerbang!

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Dutch NGO Women on Waves' "abortion ship" has docked in Morocco after being blocked by its navy...

The Moroccan Navy isn't an effective prophylactic.

[wareagle]

so that's what an actual war on women looks like. A lot scarier than silly Akin.

[Tim]

It just proves that one always manages to get through.

[Whiterun Guard]

20 miles off course. Something about women drivers.

[Karl Hungus]

I have to believe that seagulls are a real problem when you're running an abortion boat.

[Restoras]

Ick.

[ant1sthenes]

Where's Teenage Girl when you need her?

[VG Zaytsev]

So is it time to admit that the unemployment numbers are pure propaganda bullshit yet?

[VG Zaytsev]

So is it time to admit that the unemployment numbers are pure propaganda bullshit yet?

[0x90]

Remember jobs saved and created? The whole interactive map thing, around the time of the census? My sister in-law had a friend working in a census office at that time (maybe still does, I don't know). Her story was that they were issued a directive that the whole staff was to be fired every friday, and re-hired again every monday. A second-hand story, yeah, but entirely believable.

[Bee Tagger]

after allegedly holding a woman at gunpoint against her will earlier this week.

Something tells me Ed's into some freaky stuff if he made sure to allow for the possibility that one can be held at gunpoint according to one's will.

[Karl Hungus]

The Dutch NGO Women on Waves' "abortion ship" has docked in Morocco after being blocked by its navy . . .

I guess my plans for a "placenta barge" are on indefinite hold now. Thanks a lot, Morocco.

Assholes.

[Restoras]

"placenta barge"

That. That right there. That is frackin' hilarious.

[db]

I don't understand why abortion is such an issue with Islam. Just call it a prenatal honor killing and you're golden.

[Caleb Turberville]

Show the mother Innocence of Muslims, and if the fetus doesn't register a stress response, it becomes a duty to slaughter it.

[Bee Tagger]

Police surveillance cameras are starting to pop up in residential neighborhoods in Michigan, a new ACLU report reveals.

For once, I agree with this. It's very suspicious when someone purposely lives in Michigan. Especially, if you apparently have the money to move elsewhere.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The U.S unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent this month, with nonfarm payroll employment rising by 114,000.

Yes, but what are the actual, revised numbers? Don't make us wait.

[mad libertarian guy]

Yes, but what are the actual, revised numbers?

You'll find out in a month or two when the revision is printed on page 17F under the fold.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://news.yahoo.com/us-touri.....56519.html

Israeli forces kill American gunman in hotel shoot-out

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot dead an American man who opened fire in a seaside hotel packed with tourists on Friday, killing one person.

Police and military troops swiftly surrounded the hotel in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat after the man - a former employee of the hotel - "grabbed a weapon from a security guard and shot a hotel worker," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

The man barricaded himself in the hotel kitchen, shooting back at law enforcement officers. He was shot dead by members of a military counter-terrorism squad, a military source said.

An Israeli hotel guest, Aviram Sela, said he tried to wrestle the gunman to the ground before he started shooting, as terrified tourists dived for cover behind a sofa in the hotel lobby.

-----------

If only they'd stop handing out guns like candy.

[ant1sthenes]

I'm sure "American" was his most important group identity.

[CampingInYourPark]

"This analysis is revealing as Obama suggests that there is a class struggle underlying society in which non-violence is only one option. He doesn't spell out the alternative but he does suggest that 'accountants and tax loopholes' are used to keep people down in a way that is reminiscent of the way police treated blacks during the civil rights struggle. He says at one point 'I don't know if you've noticed but rich people are all for nonviolence. Why wouldn't they be. They've got what they want.'"

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-G.....and-Wealth

[Ptah-Hotep]

'accountants and tax loopholes' are used to keep people down in a way that is reminiscent of the way police treated blacks during the civil rights struggle.

WTF, accountants are keeping his people down.

[Ska]

Don't you know my clients are paying me to oppress black people when I minimize their tax obligations?

[mad libertarian guy]

You'd be remiss in your duties were you not actively oppressing blacks with your accounting business.

[VG Zaytsev]

This too shall go into the Reason news black hole.

[CampingInYourPark]

Sure. Right alongside:

Mitt Romney: Self-Made Cop
http://reason.com/blog/2012/06.....f-made-cop

and

Mitt Romney Once Harangued a Neighbor for Smoking Pot, Then Called the Cops
http://reason.com/blog/2012/06.....eighbor-fo

[VG Zaytsev]

You just don't get it CIYP

Obama race baiting and advocating violence against the rich is old news and irrelevant since he's actually president.

Romney's youthful pranks and unconfirmed allegations are windows into his soul and totally relevant.

Besides, no journalist ever got called a racist or blacklisted for digging into a white guys past.

[Citizen Nothing]

Cancel my subscription!

[Randian]

Usually, I concur with the snark, but in this case, I have to side with HyRunpublicans. We spent days on the 47% video and one post on videos where the President race-baits the entire federal government.

[Citizen Nothing]

You're just itchin' for a disinvite to the next cocktail party, aren't you, R?

[KDN]

he does suggest that 'accountants and tax loopholes' are used to keep people down in a way that is reminiscent of the way police treated blacks during the civil rights struggle

And yet, this man is a strident opponent of both cleaning up the tax code and all manner of flat taxes.

[db]

Let us all bow our heads and thank Obama for the best recovery ever.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EWou.....pt2012.jpg

[Enough About Palin]

"The U.S unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent this month, with nonfarm payroll employment rising by 114,000."

Bullshit.

[Res Publica Americana]

"Bullshit" is a charitable reply to those stats. I look forward to seeing the raw numbers.

[Tim]

The raw bullshit?

[#]

The numbers don't gel because they come from two different surveys. The payrolls comes from a large volume survey of businesses where the unemployment comes from a small size survey of households. The latter has a lot of statistical noise. So that survey showed 800,000 plus jobs gained in a month which no way actually happened. So there is a very good chance that the unemployment rate jumps up next month.

[BakedPenguin]

On your last sentence, you left off "after the election".

[Alack]

The "part-time for economic reasons" demo was upped by 582k, so it's entirely possible that the numbers are real, temporary, and representative of an under-utilization of resources. That would put the month's "real" growth at 291k, which isn't out of the questions as it's only 85k over the increase in population.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://news.yahoo.com/prominen.....40398.html

Prominent Republicans in Washington state, Colorado endorse legal pot

(Reuters) - Ballot measures to legalize marijuana in Washington state and Colorado gained support this week from a pair of prominent Republicans - U.S. Senate candidate Michael Baumgartner and former Representative Tom Tancredo - who could help sway conservative voters.

No state has ever legalized marijuana for recreational use. The federal government considers it an illegal drug, but 17 states and the District of Columbia allow it as medicine.

Baumgartner, the Republican challenger to Washington state's Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, said in a phone interview the state initiative, which would allow the sale of marijuana to people 21 and older at state-sanctioned stores, is a "thoughtful way forward."

-----------

Not bad at all.

[wareagle]

what have the prominent Dems in either state said? Because if they're silent, this violates the expectations of most in a big way.

[Whiterun Guard]

I think they're all lying low until after the election.

[ShagNasty]

I'm definately voting for Baumgartner now. He's got decent ecenomic policy ideas, he's anti-war, he told some smug reporter to go fuck themselves, AND he was born and raised in my hometown.

[CampingInYourPark]

Gary Johnson not releasing tax returns:

"In a meeting with editors and reporters at The Washington Times, Mr. Johnson said he hadn't previously been asked to release his forms, but said he understood Mr. Romney's reluctance. Mr. Johnson, a former New Mexico governor who built a contracting company from the ground up, said he hasn't owed taxes to the federal government in recent years because he has suffered heavy losses ? and he speculated that may be the same reason Mr. Romney has declined to release his own.

'I think the consensus is, is that he's trying to hide the fact that he's made a whole lot of money, as opposed to that he actually probably didn't pay any tax because he lost so much money. That's my guess. Because I'm in the same camp,' Mr. Johnson said.
Asked specifically whether he would release his returns, the candidate said he would 'respectfully decline.'"

http://www.washingtontimes.com.....z28QLd012J
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

[Whiterun Guard]

Gayjay: I'M NOT RELEASING MY TAX RECORDS YOU JERKWADS!

The Press: OK then.

[CampingInYourPark]

"LOS ANGELES (AP) ? A film dramatizing the death of Osama bin Laden is set to debut next month on the National Geographic Channel, two days before the presidential election."

http://washington.cbslocal.com.....-election/

[Tim]

Will it include the controversial musical number : "I've grown accustomed to his bullet shattered face"?

[Elspeth Flashman]

+1. I was in a My Fair Lady cast once, and one of our parodies was "I've sewn a costume to my face."

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Whenever I hear people talking about Bigelow in this context I always think of that brief bit with the newscaster in Strange Days talking about how Gaddafi had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://news.yahoo.com/border-p.....ories.html

Border Patrol Agent Killing: Friendly Fire?

estigation told ABC News.

A third agent was unharmed in the incident.

The FBI Phoenix field division would only say in a statement that, "Due to the sensitive and ongoing nature of this investigation, the FBI is unable to provide any further details at this time."

The scenario that is being examined is whether the fatal shooting happened in the "fog of war" following some type of encounter.

Additional forensics are being done on ballistics and additional interviews are being conducted to determine if the matter can be resolved in the coming days.

[Caleb Turberville]

http://movies.cosmicbooknews.c.....d-superman

We're never going to get a live-action Wonder Woman.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

There is no modern day equivalent to Linda Carter anyway.

[robc]

Good?

I think.

[Caleb Turberville]

DC handles their proposed shared film universe very poorly.

Nolan's Batman franchise was highly successful.

Superman Returns did well for a return to a character that hadn't been on the big screen in 20 years. But the response was poor, and they waited a long time the inevitable decision to just reboot the series.

Joss Whedon wrote a script for Wonder Woman, but was unsatisfied with the material and left the project.

Now, DC/Warner Bros. still wants a Justice League film, but Nolan has been given creative control the Superman films and has made it clear that he doesn't want to build a shared cinematic continuity.

[Caleb Turberville]

...But all I want is a Martian Manhunter film, so I resigned to the fact that I will never get what I want.

[Whiterun Guard]

The Nolan thing sucks. I'd really like an Identity Crisis movie, but Supes is a fairly big part of that.

I guess they could do it without actually showing him on screen, though. Hell none of the main characters in that book are co-opted, now that Batman is free again. And really, his big scene could easily be done with him left out of it.

(As terrible as it was I want a Final Crisis movie too, but that would have to actually be like 10 movies long and still wouldn't make any sense, but god it would be awesome.)

[Caleb Turberville]

Well, to Nolan's credit, he has helmed the most successful series in the current crop of DC Comics-related films. He was also around during the seminal period (2003-2005) and he slowly, and fairly, acquired creative control credibility among the Warner Bros./DC brass. And the one thing he has made clear is that he wants to handle Batman and Superman separately and individually.

My point is, if DC Entertainment wants to build up to a Justice League flick, why give Nolan control of the Superman films? Assuming a similar level of success as Nolan's Batman films, it might be 7 years before the Man of Steel series ends. That's 7 years before they can even start re-organizing for a new film sequence that will finally resolve into a Justice League motion picture.

[Whiterun Guard]

Yeah, sorry, that's actually what I meant. Nolan doesn't suck, it just sucks that he has the monopoly on Superman, preventing the JLA and Crisis movies that I richly deserve.

[Virginian]

Dude, what they should do is hire the Joss away from Marvel and get him to make the JLA movie.

You know it would be awesome.

[invisible furry hand]

Cuban authorities arrest blogger Yoani Sanchez for having "the intention of creating a provocation and a media show"

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

[CampingInYourPark]

"Obamacare Summed Up in One Sentence"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdnY8r7_fLw

[Auric Demonocles]

I thought "signed by a president who smokes" was a good one.

[Res Publica Americana]

Biden acknowledges he, Obama want to raise $1 trillion in taxes on top earners

http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....n-wealthy/

For everyone who claims the Obama administration wants a $1 trillion tax hike, Joe Biden has a message: Yes, we do.

The vice president was referring Thursday to the Democrats' pledge to let the Bush-era tax rates for households making $250,000 and up expire at the end of the year, while maintaining current rates for other Americans. Republicans have called for maintaining the current rates for all Americans.

The call for a tax hike on top earners was hardly new, but Biden's characteristic bluntness gave Republicans fresh fodder to criticize the Democratic ticket just days after the vice president said the middle class has been buried during the past four years.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....z28Qm40Hod

----------------

It's official -- the President of the United States is batshit insane.

[wareagle]

and 47% of the country, if not more, is okay with that. Maybe someone ought to get these tax-the-rich supporters together and ask them, "how does my raising taxes on your boss benefit you? Are there any unforeseen consequences that could come of that?"

[Whiterun Guard]

You can't reason with faith.

[Slut Bunwalla]

Most of them won't know the answers to either of those questions. And they won't care.

[VG Zaytsev]

The president calling for violent action to redistribute wealth is a much clearer sign of his insanity evil character.

Don't expect any of reason's 'editors' to post on it though (except maybe to say that it's no big deal) lest they be accused of racism.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm pretty sure there was a post yesterday afternoon on Biden making this gaffe.

[VG Zaytsev]

I was referring to Obama openly calling for violence in 2002.

[ant1sthenes]

Where did he openly call for violence, again?

[Enough About Palin]

Yes the president is insanity evil, but unemployment is at 7.8%.

/Reason

[Rich]

Remember: "It's time to be patriotic".

[Brett L]

I'm going down to KSC on Sunday to watch the SpaceX launch. And frolic through the rocket garden. Don't be jealous.

[Res Publica Americana]

You son of a bitch. TAKE ME WITH YOU.

[Citizen Nothing]

Cool. I love KSC (+standard libertarian disclaimer).

[Stormy Dragon]

The rocket garden at MSC is way better. They have the Saturn V that Werner Von Braun stole.

(After Apollo was cancelled, Von Braun wanted a Saturn V for the rocket garden at MSC, but NASA wouldn't give him one. So he just went and took one and then broke all the axles on the carrier trailers so that they couldn't take it back once they found out about it.)

[T]

Fun fact: NASA lost a Saturn V. Not after launch, but down here on the ground.

[db]

I love the rocket garden at MSC. The "Pathfinder" shuttle stack mockup is pretty cool too.

[Brett L]

Ah, I've always called that Johnson or JSC. Yes. Love that one.

[Citizen Nothing]

They've got two Saturn V's, no? One horizontal and one vertical.

[Pro Libertate]

I haven't been in a while, but the center in Huntsville used to be much better than KSC.

[Citizen Nothing]

And Space Camp!

[db]

Enjoy!

[Pro Libertate]

I want to go, but the launch is too late in the day for us. Hoping for clear weather--we can usually see launches from here.

[Brett L]

By fortunate coincidence, I have to be in Orlando on monday.

[Pro Libertate]

Hope it goes off on schedule--should be fun. Are you just going to see the launch, or are you going to KSC? They had SpaceX/Dragon apparel there for the last launch.

[Brett L]

I'm going down whenever I wake up Sunday and kicking it around Kennedy. May have to buy the T-shirt.

[generic Brand]

What do you have in Orlando? I work downtown.

...wish I had seen this earlier as you probably are well past AM links now.

[Brett L]

FL Chamber of Commerce thing Monday. Not really Orlando, I think its actually at Disney.

[generic Brand]

Oh okay. Not really my neck of the woods. Enjoy KSC though.

[Tim]

Try the mashed potato, bacon and corn bowl, I here it's the future of American cuisine.

[Tim]

A visit to KFC is all most of us can hope for...

[T]

They frown on frolicking naked, just FYI.

In fact, they get really upset about it.

[Brett L]

I thought that was a JSC only rule. Thanks for the heads up.

[np]

SpaceX is hiring:
http://www.spacex.com/careers.php

[Pro Libertate]

I just applied for Test Monkey.

[Brett L]

They have received several resumes from me.

[invisible furry hand]

You didn't include a photo or a scratch 'n' sniff sample? Then you're in with a chance

[Brett L]

Yeah, unfortunately, the trespass warning means I'll have to interview off-site.

[db]

They don't have any postings for ChEs as far as I can tell.

[Brett L]

My previous life was in programming. I'm still qualified as a SQL DBA and a couple of other things.

[db]

Ah, so.

[Pro Libertate]

Did you try for Sous Chef? It's really listed, as an Executive position.

There is a legal position, but it's for a patent attorney.

[db]

Most of the jobs are in California. That's a dealbreaker.

[Jordan]

You may frolic, but don't even think about gamboling.

[Res Publica Americana]

President Chavez Can Use a Little Help from his Hollywood Friends

http://latino.foxnews.com/lati.....latestnews

Now that Venezuelan President and socialist big mouth Hugo Ch?vez is in the middle of a tight election, maybe he can use some help from his Hollywood friends. From Kevin Spacey and Don King to Naomi Campbell and Danny Glover, these stars have complimented, met or outright supported Ch?vez for president.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I have a feeling Chavez is going to help himself.

[Brett L]

When you've lost the New Yorker...

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)?The White House today announced that it was offering a "substantial cash reward" for information leading to "the location and safe return of President Obama's mojo."

[Fist of Etiquette]

The president's mojo is like Tinker Bell. Journalists have to clap their hands if they believe and it will exist again.

[Ken Shultz]

"The U.S unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent this month."

Fuck.

[Tulpa Doom]

It's called "debate insurance". A 0.4% drop? Yeah right.

[Ken Shultz]

Could be.

I like that!

[R C Dean]

A .4% drop on, what, 114,000 new jobs?

The only way that happens is the participation rate takes (another) nosedive.

[Tulpa Doom]

Apparently they chose to use the Household Survey data (873K jobs added) rather than the payroll data.

[db]

Plus part time employment for economic reasons surged by 582,000.

[Ken Shultz]

That's possible.

The unemployment rate among construction workers has been dropping, and those guys are well represented among the non-participating.

We have to consider the possibility that things may be getting better. I can't imagine that the economies of Europe or China are helping any, though.

And there's still one more monthly unemployment rate report to go before the election. So, we can still hope for better (or worse) numbers next month.

[Zeb]

Another thing that is possible is that a lot of people are working for cash and not showing up on payroll surveys. I think people are a bit quick to jump to the conclusion that the stats are bullshit. I'm certainly not convinced that they are not bullshit, but they could be.

[Tulpa Doom]

I wouldn't discount the possibility of things getting better, but that's a huge drop. 0.4% a month is emblematic a strong recovery, which doesn't just arise out of nowhere.

[Tim]

Kurt Loder Reviews Taken 2, The Re-Election od Barrack Obama.

[Brett L]

Sean Payton will be in the stands for the Saints game. Is this the week to bet on the Saints?

[Ken Shultz]

Not unless Sean Payton is going to suit up, jump into the secondary and start covering receivers...

The Saints pass defense is terrible.

This might be the weekend to start Meachem. Coming back to play the team that released him against a terrible pass defense.

[Auric Demonocles]

When's the last time a credible MVP candidate was on a 0-4 team?

[Jerry on the road]

In an effort to reboot his campaign, President Obama plans to announce some bold initiatives for his second term, including killing Osama bin Laden again.

Ouch.

[Mike M.]

Record early October snowfall in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. That global warming is really a bitch.

[Translucent Chum]

We have a chance of snow in Michigan this weekend as well. And lows in the 20s already.

[Mike M.]

I'm sure someone will jump in shortly to scream about the "polar vortex".

[Whahappan?]

It's Climate Change, not Global Warming now, try to keep up!

[Ptah-Hotep]

Snowing this morning in Denver. Awesome.

[Zeb]

Skeptics of AGW theory would be a lot more credible if they would stop saying things like this. I'm not sure how serious you are, but this is just as dumb as saying that a particular hurricane was caused by global warming.

[Slut Bunwalla]

"this is just as dumb as saying that a particular hurricane was caused by global warming."

But AGW supporters do that all the time.

[Tulpa Doom]

Yes, and we should not emulate them.

[Citizen Nothing]

This is why nobody takes AGW skeptics seriously!

[Whahappan?]

I think the emulation is done to mock them.

[OldMexican]

Re: Zeb,

Skeptics of AGW theory would be a lot more credible if they would stop saying things like this.

You were probably born yesterday, Zeb. I remember perfectly how the AGW proponents were warning us of droughts, desertification and a snowless Aspen if we continued raping the world or somethig - back in the 90s.

So don't think the tongue-in-cheek comment above is meant as a counterfactual. It is clearly meant to mock the doomsayers and milenarists in the AGW camp.

I'm not sure how serious you are,

And you're right - you're not sure.

but this is just as dumb as saying that a particular hurricane was caused by global warming.

No, it was and is dumb when the AGW doomsayers say it with all seriousness and then, suddenly, backpedal with a "Weather is not Climate!" schtick after getting burned.

[Tulpa Doom]

Can someone clue me in on what the difference in "household survey" vs. "establishment survey" data in the unemployment report? The former says the economy added 873K jobs while the latter says only 114K. Kind of a big difference.

[CampingInYourPark]

"The household survey showed an 873,000 increase in employment, the biggest since June 1983, excluding the annual Census population adjustments. Some 582,000 Americans took part- time positions because of slack business conditions or those jobs were the only work they could find."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/.....added.html

[Tulpa Doom]

Either we just took off with the greatest recovery since the early Reagan years, or something's seriously amiss in that survey.

[Tulpa Doom]

I guess google is my friend after all.

Differences in employment estimates. The numerous conceptual and
methodological differences between the household and establishment
surveys result in important distinctions in the employment estimates
derived from the surveys. Among these are:

--The household survey includes agricultural workers, the self-
employed, unpaid family workers, and private household workers
among the employed. These groups are excluded from the
establishment survey.

--The household survey includes people on unpaid leave among the
employed. The establishment survey does not.

--The household survey is limited to workers 16 years of age and
older. The establishment survey is not limited by age.

--The household survey has no duplication of individuals, because
individuals are counted only once, even if they hold more than one
job. In the establishment survey, employees working at more than
one job and thus appearing on more than one payroll are counted
separately for each appearance.

[Ptah-Hotep]

Always a good site for checking on the offical numbers.

ShadowStats

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Get down on the ground or I am going to kill you," Alire reportedly told the victim.

Alire held her captive throughout the day, often with a gun pointed at her, and threatened suicide multiple times, the affidavit said. Alire also reportedly told the victim he had "bugged" her cellphone and computer, and had been monitoring her calls and emails.

Alire was released from Pueblo County jail Tuesday night on $75,000 bail.

Kidnappers often get bail?

[R C Dean]

The threatening suicide part would get one of us proles a nice 48 - 72 hour stay in a locked psych facility while the docs and the judge pondered indefinite involuntary commitment.

But, no double standard, right?

[Francisco d Anconia]

CNN Headline:

Unemployment rate tumbles

Employers added 114,000 jobs during the month, down from a revised 142,000 jobs in August, the Labor Department said Friday. But revisions to July and August mean the economy added 86,000 more jobs than originally reported in those months.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 7.8% in September, from 8.1% the prior month.

So it takes 150k jobs per month to keep up with population growth? And we added 114k? This is great news. God bless President Obama. He is single-handedly bringing down the unemployment rate.

Fucking shills!

[db]

"Part time employment for economic reasons" soared by +582,000.

[Tulpa Doom]

Technically that includes people who were already employed but had their hours cut, as well as new part time workers.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://www.guns.com/visit-atf-.....11135.html

A Visit from the ATF: How would you handle it?

"Ever thought about how you'd handle a visit from the ATF? Until recently, I'd been mercifully free from that particular bit of foreboding, but that changed last week when I received a call from a friend of mine about a gun." ...
-------

Submitter's Note: First, DO NOT LET THEM IN YOUR HOME!

If they want to ask you some questions offer to meet them in a public location or their office but do NOT allow them inside your house/apt./whatever.

Also I would strongly recommend getting a mini tape recorder (or two) and, after checking the laws in your state, record the conversation.

If you have the wherewithal or are friends with a lawyer; bring him/her with.

Finally, DO NOT let them in your home!

-------------------

Ouch. Also, get a rifle ready, just in case they get too bold, eh?

[R C Dean]

Also I would strongly recommend getting a mini tape recorder (or two) and, after checking the laws in your state, record the conversation.

If you're in a two party consent state, take the recorder(s) anyway, and tell them you are recording the conversation.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univ.....G5Zck1hSK8

Univision News' Fast and Furious Investigation Prompts Congressional Inquiry

"On Tuesday, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed the Department of Justice to provide information about 57 Fast and Furious weapons found at Mexican crime scenes, which were first exposed by a Univision News special investigation on September 30."

"In a letter obtained by Univision News and sent to Attorney General Eric Holder, Issa and Grassley inquired about the previously unreported Fast and Furious guns that were linked to violent crimes and featured in the Univision News report. The letter pays special attention to three firearms connected to an ATF gun-tracing operation that were used in a massacre of 15 teenagers in Villas de Salvarcar." ...

-----------

Shouldn't the DoJ be building a gallows for Holder's execution?

[Whiterun Guard]

I just want the Federales to submit an extradition request.

[Res Publica Americana]

Let the fucker spend the remainder of his life in a maximum-security Mexican prison? Hell, screw executing the guy -- this is better.

[CampingInYourPark]

Isn't there a contempt of congress charge already. Where'd that go?

[Randian]

Who are you going to get to enforce it?

[Res Publica Americana]

MI: Drug enforcement unit officers under investigation in Eastpointe

"One Eastpointe Police officer has resigned and another faces an internal department hearing in the wake of allegations that drugs used in investigations were handled improperly and that forfeiture items were sold on Craigslist."

"Both officers were in the department's drug enforcement unit and 'veterans in the teens of years of service,' according to Eastpointe City Manager Steve Duchane. One officer resigned last week, and the other officer is suspended with pay, pending his department hearing this week." ...

-----------

To protect and serve.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.c.....n-edition/

This is What Happens to a Disarmed Populace: South Sudan Edition

"'South Sudan's security forces are shooting, torturing and raping civilians in the country's east, rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday, urging the government and United Nations to do more to stop the abuses.' reuters' lede fails to mention the key fact about the unconscionable suffering inflicted by these Owellian-named 'security forces.' But the news service does get there eventually: 'Soldiers and police have been fanning out across Jonglei ? home to a huge, largely unexplored oil field ? to try and collect thousands of weapons left over from decades of civil war that are now fuelling tribal clashes and a growing rebellion.' Kudos to Amnesty International for flagging the firearms-related fatalities. Brickbats for their 'solution' . . . " ...

-----------

GET RID OF YOUR GUNS. THEY DEADLY, MAN.

[Rational Thinker]

It's funny how when John Kerry pulled out a pen to use while intellectually beating the shit out of George W. Bush's sociopathic right-wing philosophy (despite Bush getting his own outside assitance) all the media wanted the debate invalidated and the Senator thrown in Gitmo. Now Ayn Rand's follower plutocrat Mitt Romney openly uses a huge cheat sheet and everyone's wanking off to his "victory" without one mention of his outright committing fraud and violating every acknowledged rule of debate.

[Mike M.]

Hello Mary, so nice to see you again.

[Randian]

DailyKos is that way --------------------------?

[Rational Thinker]

Watch at the start of the debate, Romney pulls something out of his pocket and tosses it on the podium. Then he's flipping through crap in a panic during much of the debate. At the end he scampers over to sneakily retrieve it before having his son hide it in his jacket, all while his wife looks panicked and stares at it:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/4006759

All independent analysis has confirmed that Romney has never showed this level of intellectual thinking, speaking or debate performance so he was clearly getting assistance in some way.

The American people know this and that's why Obama lead will only be going up in any poll that has an accurate sample.

[Randian]

Cool story bro.

[benji]

Randian, this isn't how you get invited to Orange Line cocktail parties.

[Auric Demonocles]

All independent analysis has confirmed that Romney has never showed this level of intellectual thinking, speaking or debate performance so he was clearly getting assistance in some way.

Let's assume the ridiculous premise is true. There are two easily conceived alternative conclusions:

1) He practiced and prepped for this debate more thoroughly than in the past.

2) He's never debated anyone as inept as Obama.

The American people know this and that's why Obama lead will only be going up in any poll that has an accurate sample.

I'm sure any poll with a +15 Dem sample will show Obama doing well.

[Rational Thinker]

Inept? Obama? Really?

Someone who every respectable historian and political scientist agrees is the most intellectual President in American history?

That's the reason people like you and Lerher couldn't keep up with him, he was too intellectual, academic and professorial in explaining these complex issues.

He should have probably just lied through short sound bites like Romney instead of speaking to the American people as if they were grown ups. Then he could have "won" and even all the Republican skewed polls would show this is over.

[Randian]

You went too far with this one, Regular Commenter Posting as Troll.

This was the tip:

he was too intellectual, academic and professorial in explaining these complex issues.

But you got me for a few posts, so I give you a B.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yeah, but it's still good to debunk this ridiculous view for any liberals who may wander in here and see the thread.

[Auric Demonocles]

Someone who every respectable historian and political scientist agrees is the most intellectual President in American history?

Based on what? The grades he won't release? His demonstrated inability to speak without a teleprompter?

I don't base his ineptitude on credentials or vague feelings. I base it on his inept performance and lack of demonstrated accomplishments. Further, inept is not an antonym of intellectual.

That's the reason people like you and Lerher couldn't keep up with him, he was too intellectual, academic and professorial in explaining these complex issues.

He should have probably just lied through short sound bites like Romney instead of speaking to the American people as if they were grown ups.

And if he just explains it right this time, suddenly everyone will love Obamacare.

Then he could have "won" and even all the Republican skewed polls would show this is over.

Polls with Dems +8 are "Republican skewed"?

[Rational Thinker]

Why aren't you demanding Romney's grades or birth certificate?

Why are you ignoring Romney's lack of performance or accomplishments?

If Obama did get a chance to explain ObamaCare to people they would approve of it, they approve of all the individual components but people like you, Romney and media keep spreading lies about making up shit like death panels to scare them.

[Auric Demonocles]

Why aren't you demanding Romney's grades or birth certificate?

Because no one is making the claim he's the greatest intellectual in the history of the United States.

Why are you ignoring Romney's lack of performance or accomplishments?

He just won this debate. There's your performance.

If Obama did get a chance to explain ObamaCare to people they would approve of it, they approve of all the individual components

The mandate is wildly unpopular. As for the other components, even if each component is approved by 70% of people, when you have thousands of pages, those 30 percents aren't going to perfectly overlap. Then you'll end up with everyone having something to hate about it.

[Restoras]

All the liberals I know agree he is inept.

Someone who every respectable historian and political scientist agrees is the most intellectual President in American history?

Citation optional.

[tarran]

I guess Woodrow Wilson with his PhD and his presidency of Princeton was chopped liver.

[invisible furry hand]

Wilson also neatly illustrates the point that being an intellectual doesn't translate into being a good president

[benji]

And considering what he wrote as an "intellectual" it was pretty good forewarning.

[Citizen Nothing]

(This is what Obamaphiliacs really believe)

[Trespassers W]

To be fair, Obama is inarguably the world's expert on his favorite subject.

(Hint: it's what he writes books about.)

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Someone who every respectable historian and political scientist agrees is the most intellectual President in American history?

Are you serious? I'd love to see the names of these "respectable" historians and political scientists are, so I can email them and tell them they are an embarrassment to the profession.

[Lisa]

"intellectual" doesn't even mean anything concrete. It's like "gifted" for adults and the Democrat Party and universities are like "gifted class" for adults. They play with cliched ideas and the educators pretend that they're brilliant and special little people and that they'll actually be able to change the world, when in reality they can't even take care of themselves.

[nicole]

Lamest video ever. If that was a "scamper"...seriously, no.

[CampingInYourPark]

"his wife looks panicked and stares at it"

Maybe he got more of a rise out of pummeling Obama with his sneaky cheat sheet than you thought.

[Romulus Augustus]

Yeah, how do we know this was really Mitt Romney? Castro, Churchill, Stalin, etc. all employed doubles.
Debaters need to be finger printed and
DNA'd to make sure they are who they say they are. And check for little ear-receivers so that Rush, Coulter, the ghost of Ayn Rand, and Rove can't be whispering words in their ear during the debate.

[MJGreen]

Hah, you're right, everything you're saying is funny.

Thanks for brightening my morning!

[#]

The numbers don't gel because they come from two different surveys. The payrolls comes from a large volume survey of businesses where the unemployment comes from a small size survey of households. The latter has a lot of statistical noise. So that survey showed 800,000 plus jobs gained in a month which no way actually happened. So there is a very good chance that the unemployment rate jumps up next month.

[R C Dean]

So there is a very good chance that the unemployment rate jumps up next month.

The fact that the corrections and worse numbers will be released after the election is, of course, purely coincidental.

[Citizen Nothing]

so he was clearly getting assistance in some way.

Clearly a brain implant controlled by Karl Rove. Next question?

[Rational Thinker]

It's not unfeasible that he got a cochlear implant to allow his cronies to give him answers and "zingers" is it? Though I don't entirely buy this.

The guy was completely unaffected by the altitude and outperformed someone who had put in one of the greatest debate preps in history?

Makes a lot more sense that he was cheating, with the cheat sheet he yanked out of his pocket and then stole off the podium.

[Randian]

I hear he had a datalink plugged directly into The Matrix.

[Ice Nine]

It's not unfeasible that he got a cochlear implant to allow his cronies to give him answers and "zingers" is it? Though I don't entirely buy this.

"Entirely"? Man, you are one open-minded kind-o-guy!

[0x90]

Heh, a super-secret double-troll attempt. This person is trying to plant the line that Romney had help, as a way of explaining how it was that he eviscerated Obama. The idea is apparently to troll left-wingers into adopting this story, which implicitly portrays the ROMNIAC as being hopelessly more intelligent than their guy. Perhaps some of the more conspiratorial-minded kos types will fall for it, so good luck to you, RT.

[benji]

They were already there:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251119479
http://www.dailykos.com/story/.....You-Decide

[Tybus]

Don't give up on the implant theory too early. We will get to it. Unfortunately we have such a backlog of stuff such as Roswell, the Kennedy assassination, the Apollo moon landings, Atlantas, Bush's 9/11 planning, the Bermuda Triangle, etc.
Thanks,
AM Coast to Coast staff

[Tybus]

Atlantis

[nicole]

I have two words for everyone last night who thought Tasha Yar didn't suck: rape gangs. Do you know how many fucking times she talks about rape gangs? And she's only in the series for like five minutes.

She and Wesley really belonged together. She would have been a good dominatrix for him.

Also, fuck Neelix, for all seven seasons. There is no defense of that creature.

[Auric Demonocles]

My defense of Neelix is that there must exist something that everyone in the universe can hate, to bring everyone else together. Mutual hatred of Neelix is the one path to peace with the Romulans.

[nicole]

Shit. That is an acceptable defense. I stand corrected.

[Randian]

My defense of Neelix is that there must exist something that everyone in the universe can hate

For right-thinking people, that would be the Abrams "reboot", which should have been titled "2 Star 2 Trek: Red Matter Drift".

[benji]

I think you mean "the second best thing to nuking the Middle East."

[Randian]

+1 rand

[SugarFree]

What do you have against Snarf?

[nicole]

Everything. Especially all his stupid feelings.

[benji]

Janeway sure thought there was one.

[OldMexican]

Re: nicole,

I have two words for everyone last night who thought Tasha Yar didn't suck: rape gangs.

Do you want to know why I say the whole series stinks (maybe TOS less than the rest)?

One word: Economics.

[nicole]

Ha, last night I was watching the DS9 episode where Jake "sells" his first novel. Quark wants to know how much he was paid for it. "It's just a figure of speech."

Fucking Federations.

[benji]

It's so bubbly and cloying and happy.

[nicole]

I do hate root beer.

[Auric Demonocles]

There is that one DS9 episode where they almost praise free trade. Nog uses a long series of trades to get something to fix the Defiant. Everyone comes out happier in the end. O' Brien is sort of mystified.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

You won't find a better stem bolt in this sector!

[benji]

It's the wrong shape. The wrong height. The wrong width. Other than that it's perfect. The captain will never suspect you switched desks on him.

[Tulpa Doom]

I especially liked the TNG episode "The Price", where the too-perfect-to-use-money Federation is essentially trying to barter for ownership of a wormhole.

[OldMexican]

Re: Tulpa Doom,

I especially liked the TNG episode "The Price", where the too-perfect-to-use-money Federation is essentially trying to barter for ownership of a wormhole.

What about that episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, where captain Archer pretty much stole a warp drive from some poor saps who were just passing by, giving them enough food for a few months in exchange...

... regardless of the fact that space is a fucking large place.

That's the Federation for you. Which is why more and more systems are speaking Klingonese.

(It was an episode where the Enterprise was in Xindi space trying to stop the Xindi from developing a nuclear weapon... I mean, an Earth-destroying weapon.)

[Tulpa Doom]

Archer didn't work for the Federation, he flew for the UN.

[OldMexican]

The Dutch NGO Women on Waves' "abortion ship" has docked in Morocco after being blocked by its navy, the NGO says, but access is now being restricted to the harbor, 20 miles east of Tangier.

You know, every time I see the acronym NGO (Non-government organization) mentioned together with some two-bit organization, the thought "They still find a way to screw the taxpayer!" pops into my mind.

[The Late P Brooks]

Someone who every respectable historian and political scientist agrees is the most intellectual President in American history?

Yep.

Him.

[Rational Thinker]

Who has taken more time to study the issues we face as a global society? Romney? Santorum? Bush II? Bush I? Reagan? Don't make me laugh harder. Come on, you guys have to try to justify your anti-science crap.

[Randian]

Todd Akin.

[Tulpa Doom]

Yeah, you're right. All that time on the links, he's really trying to figure out how to solve the global water shortage.

[invisible furry hand]

and find the real killer

[Citizen Nothing]

I laughed.

[Trespassers W]

Me too.

[Restoras]

My mom.

[MJGreen]

Wilson? Hoover? Jefferson?

All pale before The One!

[benji]

I had to take issue with two of those.

[benji]

*or have

[Restoras]

I think all three were brilliant its just that Wilson is the worst sort of progressive and Hoover wasn't far behind.

Jefferson was brilliant enough to plagiarize Lock and not get busted.

Personally, I think Madison is the most brilliant.

[Isaac Bartram]

You know, it's funny, but while the myth of the "great intelekshewal Obama" is widespread among his supporters in general (along with everything else they wrote on the blank slate of his history), I don't recall all that many public figures (and certainly not "every respectable historian and political scientist" - I'd be interested in having [Ir]Rational Thinker name one) making anything like that grandiose claim.

[tarran]

Under RomneyCare everyone is getting improved care

According to Greg Harb, Chief Operating Officer of Baystate Health, the company needs to reduce its budget by $120 million over three years, in order to break-even on Medicare payments. He says that Baystate Health could be impacted by $100 million in reductions in government payments over the next three to four years.

Yep, they are laying off medical staff - while people's wait times for treatments is creeping up.

But no rationing by queues, that's just crazy talk!

[Elspeth Flashman]

I have to admit I tittered with glee when I listened to NPR this morning talking about how "it's widely perceived" that Romnibot won the first debate. Not that he's my ideal candidate, but I love it that Obama supporters are having to admit this. And my boss was in a bad mood yesterday b/c her man in Washington looked bad.

[The Late P Brooks]

Who has taken more time to study the issues we face as a global society?

BOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIING

[Restoras]

Not too mention there is no such fucking thing as a global society. So any time spent something that doesn't even exist is...a good use of time?

[Art Vandelay]

But, but.....GLOBAL VILLAGE!!!!!1

[OldMexican]

Jack Welch: White House Manipulated Jobs Numbers to Boost Re-Election Prospects
We kind of figured out, Jack.

[Fatty Bolger]

Hey, it's good news! And at this rate, we'll be back where we started before the recession just around the time Obama is beginning his third term.

[Fatty Bolger]

WHITE HOUSE AUTHORIZES SEARCH FOR PRESIDENT'S MOJO

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)-The White House today announced that it was offering a "substantial cash reward" for information leading to "the location and safe return of President Obama's mojo."
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney announced the search with an air of urgency: "We will use every resource at our disposal to ensure the return of the President's mojo, and that goes double for his groove."

[Ayn Random Variation]

7.8%?

As someone looking for work, all I can say is what a crock of bullshit. And the fucking sheeple will believe this.

873,00 new jobs? Unless they're completely making this number up, it's probably just teachers going back to work in Sept.

From money.cnn.com:

"Unemployment unexpectedly fell to 7.8% in September, down from 8.1%, as a survey of U.S. households showed 873,000 more Americans had jobs compared to a month earlier.
The last time the unemployment rate was that low was in January 2009, the month President Obama was inaugurated.
A separate survey of employers, considered the key metric that Wall Street watches, showed businesses added 114,000 jobs in September. It marked a slowdown in hiring, after July and August were revised significantly higher."