Texas Investigates Parody Tweeters, Romney Skips The View, More Iran and Belarus Sanctions: P.M. Links

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  • Parody Twitter accounts are the new Chuck Norris jokes.

    The Texas Rangers (the law enforcement agency, not the baseball team) are investigating mock Twitter accounts that make fun of members of the Huntsville City Council.

  • Polls are tight as President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney prep for their "Town Hall" debate Tuesday.
  • Mitt Romney has canceled his Thursday appearance on The View due to a scheduling conflict. He said some unkind things about the non-Hasselbeck ladies of the show in the now-infamous "47 percent" speech.
  • Some Christian bookstores won't carry an evangelical writer's work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word "vagina" in it.
  • The European Union has approved further sanctions on Iran and renewed sanctions of Belarus. Peace and freedom will no doubt blossom.
  • Although courts have ruled recently against voter ID requirements, the wordings of the rejections leaves the justification for the laws intact, meaning new laws may be passed in the future.

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Scott Shackford is an associate editor at Reason.

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  1. Almanian's Evil Twin

    “Parody Tweeters” would be an excellent name for a rock band

    1. Almanian's Evil Twin

      Also – FIRSTIETH!!!11!

    2. fried wylie

      could also describe high-range passive audio radiators.

    3. They could play at Parody Tweeter Center and broadcast it on Parody Comcast.

  2. Mitt Romney has canceled his Thursday appearance on The View due to a scheduling conflict.

    Sitting with those hens conflicts with his dignity.

    1. Episiarch

      Can you blame the guy? He’d be so on the defensive the whole time he’d look like Richard Sherman.

    2. Why would you appear there in the first place?

    3. Tonio

      You had to go there with the sexism, Fist, when there’s enough on the merits. Prime example – Sherri “I don’t know whether the earth is flat or round” Shepherd.

      1. Who could have guessed there might be women reading a libertarian blog!?

        1. Episiarch

          Don’t be absurd. All the female posters are sockpuppets run by Hugh and NutraSweet, because they understand women because they watch Glee and Downton Abbey.

          1. AlmightyJB

            Has Sloopy figured out he’s married to sugarfree in drag yet? That’s seriously commiting to one’s sockpuppetry right there.

            1. JW

              SF is waiting until after the “birth” to spring the news.

              1. SugarFree

                Pregnant? Ha! I’m just fat and filled with hate!

            2. Episiarch

              NutraSweet is nothing if not dedicated to his craft.

              1. Groovus Maximus

                Meh. Method actors. An absurdly intemperate lot if ask me.

          2. rac3rx

            All the female posters are sockpuppets run by Hugh and NutraSweet…

            I guess the H-ampersand-R lady posters chiming in denying this is pretty futile, huh, since that’s exactly what everyone would expect?

            1. AlmightyJB

              You could always say you’re the spanish inquisition.

              1. Francisco d Anconia

                Why would you?

            2. Episiarch

              Enough of your mind games, NutraSweet!

    4. JW

      I’d sooner have my fingernails plucked off, than spend an hour with the Harpy McShrew Squad.

      1. Groovus Maximus

        I didn’t know they were Irish…

        1. Brett L

          Whoopie is Black Irish. Like Notre Dame football players.

    5. Killazontherun

      He should just be candid — ‘Whoopie strikes me as being an asshole. Walters is over rated and kind of dumb, and I’d rather have sumo wrestlers strike chimes in my ears with their cocks than to hear Joy’s voice up close and personal.’

    6. Gene

      I wish he would go on, be a man like Ann Coulter.

      1. Killazontherun

        There is nothing manly about masochism. It is in line with expected American male behavior though.

      2. rac3rx

        I think that it speaks better of him that he isn’t going on that show. He would’ve been far better off if he had just refused in the first place. It’s really time that more candidates refuse to deal with these idiots, and just call them out for the seething cunts they really are.

  3. Although courts have ruled recently against voter ID requirements, the wordings of the rejections leaves the justification for the laws intact, meaning new laws may be passed in the future.

    Pennsylvania’s will most likely happen for the next election, so Keystone State identity politicians shouldn’t put away their fake outrage just yet.

  4. Brett L

    Skateboarding is not a crime! Trashing private property is, though.

    1. JW

      Skateboarding is not a crime

      Actually, it is, when you grind your board on my property, damaging it.

      Of course, you may have covered that with your disclaimer.

      1. Tonio

        The mere act of skateboarding is not, nor should be criminal. The unfortunate reality is that many skateboarders don’t respect private property rights.

        1. fried wylie

          MARKET FAILURE!!!!!

          Where are the skateparks where kids can drop $5 and skate all day, or buy a yearly membership, etc Concrete is cheap, seems like an ideal business.

          Not being a skater I don’t really know the prevalence of this sort of establishment, but I’m sure at least a few exist. If your area has a problem with grinding damage, then do something about it and start a skate park, rather than wasting resources on the futile effort to stamp out skating.

          1. Generic Stranger

            Most places have. Shit, my little home town of 2500 people has a goddamn skate park. Doesn’t stop some skaters from “shredding” wherever they wish, though.

            1. Mad Scientist

              You need to hire Skater McGee.

              1. Generic Stranger

                ROFL. I’d forgotten about that skit.

          2. Where are the skateparks where kids can drop $5 and skate all day, or buy a yearly membership, etc Concrete is cheap, seems like an ideal business.

            I’m betting liability insurance for a skate park would be horrendously expensive.

        2. hotsy totsy

          I find skateboarders much less annoying than bicyclists. At least they aren’t in the middle of the street going 15 mph or breezing through red lights like they’re Iron Man.

          Plus skateboarders aren’t sanctimonious like bicyclists.

  5. Joe M

    Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.

    They’re just trying to live as misogynists the way the Bible commands.

    1. MP

      I don’t remotely understand how this makes the Afternoon links unless this is just a way to go “HA HA TEH EVANGELICALS R TEH STOOPID”

      1. Tonio

        Yep. Plus everyone likes an excuse to say “vagina.”

        1. AlmightyJB

          vagina:)

          1. Francisco d Anconia

            It’s a happy word.

        2. AuH2O

          Whearas a man will freely refer to his dick or his rod or his johnson.

          1. hamilton

            “Your piece of pork, your wife’s best friend
            Your Percy, or your cock.
            You can wrap it up in ribbons
            you can slip it in your sock.”

          2. Ed

            You mean coitus?

            1. Groovus Maximus

              coitus interruptus?

            2. Obese American

              Don’t be fatuous Ed.

      2. Heroic Mulatto

        She should have used the term pudendum, which gerundive of the Latin “to be ashamed”.

      3. Evangelicals are anti-liberty.

        1. Trespassers W

          It’s just that kind of insightful commentary that brings me back here again and again.

        2. Marshall Gill

          Evangelicals are anti-liberty.

          Says the champion of Liberty?

          HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

          You use the word “Liberty”. It doesn’t mean what you think it means.

    2. Tonio

      Love it. A perfectly proper term, and the correct medical term. Yet apparently the acknowledgement that women have vaginas is too much for them. Self-parody, for the win.

      1. AlmightyJB

        Can’t post it from work but I saw a pretty funny “How to sponsor a Uterus” video on utube early.

    3. I like going into “Christian” bookstores and asking where the rosaries are. 🙂

  6. AuH2O

    Frank Rich goes further off the deep end

    The Tea Party Will Win in the End
    This is a nation that loathes government and always has. Liberals should not be deluded: The Goldwater revolution will ultimately triumph, regardless of what happens in November.

    Seriously… what happens in the US when we actually have to implement austerity, real austerity like actually spending less next year than we did the year before, is going to make Greece look calm, because assholes like Rich are already freaking out over the idea of borrowing 39 cents for every dollar spent instead of 40.

    1. Restoras

      He’s freaking out because he’s a 1%er and the 99%ers are going to be coming for his money.

    2. Brett L

      Its funny, my dreams for my country look like Rich’s nightmares.

    3. Since when is the Tea Party for austerity? They love their entitlements at over a 80% clip.

      1. Brett L

        There you have it folks. Frank Rich — further from reality than shrike.

        1. AuH2O

          Dear god, Frank is worse than I thought.

        2. I’m realistic. I know entitlements will likely never be cut.

          I was attracted to the LP in the 90’s to legalize drugs and cut the Christian Taliban down to size.

          I thought that was a low bar and now admit I was wrong.

          1. Restoras

            You may be right, shrike, but that doesn’t mean the money they are paid with will actually buy anything.

          2. Francisco d Anconia

            Um, just out of curiosity, what gave you the idea that libertarians are anti religion?

        3. Shrike said he’s voting for GJ. Isn’t that right, Shrike?

          1. Yes, I am. I want to see the LP become a viable party.

            I also live in Georgia. My vote is better spent on the LP than Obama.

            1. Marshall Gill

              The Champion of Human Liberty would vote for Obama?!

              Seriously, dude, give it up. Your protestations to the effect of being in support of Human Liberty fall flat on their face when you then support government coercion.

              Are you simply dishonest or are you really as stupid as you appear?

    4. Tonio

      That’s rich…

      1. fried wylie

        Speaking frankly…

  7. Enough About Palin

    “Town Hall” debate

    Really? Scare quotes? Self-elevate much??

    1. I probably should have put “debate” in square quotes, too.

      1. Scare quotes. Sigh.

      2. Marshall Gill

        I probably should have put “debate” in square quotes, too.

        You should have. These press conferences bear little resemblance to debates.

        1. Groovus Maximus

          Indeed. They do lack congruency, don’t they? -))))

    2. The debate is actually taking place in a university auditorium, not a town hall building.

      1. RBS

        Town Hall style then. How’s that livejournal going?

      2. Enough About Palin

        The debate is actually taking place in a university auditorium, not a “town hall building“.

        “FIFY”

  8. Enough About Palin

    “Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.”

    Well to be fair, vagina isn’t in the bible, which makes me wonder why we even use the word.

    1. Episiarch

      The vagina sprang into being 6000 years ago, riding a dinosaur.

      1. Ska

        The dinosaur sprang into being 200+ million years ago, riding a vagina.

        1. fried wylie

          Didn’t dinos have something more akin to a cloaca?

          1. Groovus Maximus

            More like an assgina, actually.

            1. Karl Hungus

              More like an assgina, actually.

              Is that a clinical term? If not, it should be.

              1. Mad Scientist

                Here’s a good clinical term for you: Thagomizer.

              2. Ska

                You know, I saw a chance to write riding a vagina and I took it. And I’d do it again, herpetology be damned.

                1. Trespassers W

                  Herpetology be damned, indeed. I don’t think dinosaurs are reptiles.

                  FACT PWNED

                  1. fried wylie

                    “Reptiles originated around 320-310 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, having evolved from advanced reptile-like amphibians that became increasingly adapted to life on dry land. There are many extinct groups, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and aquatic groups such as the ichthyosaurs”

                    Wikipwned

                    1. Mad Scientist

                      Dinosaurs, well theropodian dinosaurs anyway, are not extinct. We just call them birds now.

                    2. Trespassers W

                      OK, I have to look at some cladograms when I get home.

                    3. Mad Scientist

                      Ooooo, systematics porn!

            2. Sloopy calls them business holes.

        2. Mad Scientist

          The dinosaur sprang into being 200+ million years ago, riding a vagina cloaca.

          1. fried wylie

            Nitpicking retracted, Ska’s rendition read better.

    2. hamilton

      We should probably switch to the appropriate biblical term, “amphora of Atarah”.

    3. They should redact it with a fig leaf.

    4. Groovus Maximus

      Ask and ye shall receive…

      Its use as a medical descriptor is pretty recent, actually.

    5. JW

      Is va-jay-jay OK? Oprah may want a cut of that usage, which is why they went with the medical term.

      1. SugarFree

        I just call it a “baby-shitter.”

        1. Mad Scientist

          Funny, that what Sean Connery calls it too.

      2. Bobarian

        How about ‘minge’, since we’re mentioning Oprah?

    6. [Insert Maude Lebowski quote here.]

      1. Joe M

        Couldn’t use the full quote? Make you uncomfortable, did it?

        1. Yet without batting an eye, I’ll refer to my dick, or my rod, or my Johnson.

      2. Just stay away from my fucking lady friend!

  9. A spokesman for the Texas Rangers, in a brief statement responding to questions about why the police force would look into such tweets, said only that the Rangers work with district attorneys who request assistance.

    “The amount of time spent on this inquiry is a matter of hours so far,” spokesman Tom Vinger wrote in an e-mail.

    Too bad Walker is off the air. I would have liked to see him roundhouse kick a tweeter into submission.

    1. Episiarch

      “Behind Norris’ tweets is not a keyboard, but another fist.”

      1. Joe M

        He could start his own social media site, Fister.

        1. Which would probably be co-opted rather quickly…

          1. Joe M

            Warty’s already parked on the domain.

            1. fried wylie

              “parked on”….ewwwwww

    2. Free beach? Free sleaze? What’s that thingee called again?

      1. Good thing no one tweeted about Mohammed.

  10. Brett L

    Freedom for the Flemish. Let the Walloons go back to France.

    Soon after the ballot results were made public, Mr De Wever, who had turned the tough mayoral race into a referendum on Flander’s independence for Belgium, demanded that the country’s prime minister give greater independence to the Dutch-speaking north.

    1. Restoras

      Flemish rhymes with Blemish.
      Walloon rhymes with buffoon.

      Coincidence?

    2. T

      I’m gonna pissed if this affects my beer supply. Nobody outside Belgium can make a lambic worthy of the name.

      1. robc

        Technically, non one outside the Senne Valley can make a lambic.

        1. fried wylie

          is that that PDO bullshit? pfft.

          1. Brett L

            More like the difference between Champagne and sparkling wine.

            1. fried wylie

              Request for clarification.

          2. db

            The yeast is wild and only is found in that area. Lambics are fermented open to the air and rely on a zpecific type of wild yeast.

            1. fried wylie

              The yeast is wild and only is found in that area.

              Has anyone actually proven that? Maybe that yeast is more prevalent in that area, but SOLELY FOUND there? I thought most microorganisms (those that aren’t extremophiles) were ubiquitous.

              1. Trespassers W

                Microorganism… ubiquitous… but not an extremophile… Shriek? Tony?

              2. db

                It can be cultured and packaged and sold, but the proper method of fermentation for a lambic is to allow the local airborne yeast to do its thing. Over the years, the strains undoubtedly change in subtle ways so there isn’t necessarily continuity, but there’s more to the locational aspect of lambics than maybe some wines. I understand that many of the Bordeaux grapes and their associated wild yeast strains grow well in California, but I’m not aware of any other locales where the lambic yeasts grow.

                I tried an open fermentation of a small amount of wort here in the woods of western PA and while the resulting beer definitely had a wild “Belgian” flavor, it was not nearly as good.

                1. I tried an open fermentation of a small amount of wort here in the woods of western PA

                  At least that was his story when the cops found him passed out in a pile of half finished beer bottles.

                  1. db

                    At least I was clothed!

                2. robc

                  In many cases, the particular flavors of lambic brewers are more related to the critters living in the wood of their barrels than in the air.

                  Cantillon changed out the panels on their attic roof that directed the air down to the coolship a few years back. It changed the taste of the beer, so they put the old ones back up.

                  Even so, they say that the organisms in the wood are more important to their flavor.

      2. Clich? Bandit

        I just got back from Westvleteren. Bought two crates. And two special 6ers of 12…

        I am just bragging.

        hmmmmm goood.

        1. db

          A guy I work with recently traveled over to Belgium with a friend who was being knighted there for being an outstanding brand ambassador for Belgian beers. Seems like a bit of overkill, but they do take their beers seriously.

  11. Enough About Palin

    “The European Union has approved further sanctions on Iran and renewed sanctions of Belarus. Peace and freedom will no doubt blossom.”

    I guess “You get more of what you reward and less of what you punish” has now been demoted to one of the Laws of Clay.

    1. ant1sthenes

      I think there’s an unstated assumption that you have to punish/reward a party that can increase/reduce whatever you’re trying to affect.

  12. AuH2O

    Obvious news is obvious: Jezebel notes that Hollywood judges women harshly on their appearance, claims no matter what they do, they can’t win.

    http://jezebel.com/5951732/no-…..u-cant-win

    I’d say Scarlett Johanson won… in my pants.

    1. Episiarch

      Can we please just have a few female characters who don’t have to be defined by their weight struggles. How great would it be if Hannah was just her “normal” sized self and didn’t even mention it ? that would fucking rule.

      Except that you are the one who defines everything by weight struggles.

      The way these writers at Jezebel outwardly project their own obsessions is fucking amazing. Everyone else is obsessed with the things they’re obsessed with.

      1. Groovus Maximus

        Even worse, they are positively convinced that people not only obsess as much as they do, but have the misguided notion that people actually care about the things Jezehellions care.

        And if you don’t, you are obviously either a gender traitor or a patriarchal rapist-in-waiting.

        1. fried wylie

          or a patriarchal rapist-in-waiting.

          in-waiting? I thought all men were born with the sin of rapism.

      2. Restoras

        Also, fewer people would watch it than watch it already.

      3. Red Rocks Rockin

        The way these writers at Jezebel outwardly project their own obsessions is fucking amazing. Everyone else is obsessed with the things they’re obsessed with.

        These are the same dumb bitches that go on and on about how happy they are –HAPPY I SAY–while constantly crying and whining and generally acting like miserable human beings.

      4. hotsy totsy

        YES!

      5. Maybe they should stick to Marie Dressler movies

    2. Brett L

      If Mindy Kaling came to a party at my house, I’m pretty sure she’d be the skinniest person there.

      I found yer problem.

      1. fried wylie

        She really ballooned didn’t she?

        1. Brett L

          I didn’t really mean it that way so much as I don’t choose my friends by body type. In the circle of women I regularly see, some are quite thin, a couple are quite large, but most exercise a couple times a week and are as in shape as anyone who isn’t superdedicated to it. Probably most are not bigger than Mindy.

          1. ant1sthenes

            Maybe she’s from the Midwest? Skinny women are kind of a rarity there. If you luck out, you find one that put her weight on in the right places.

            1. Brett L

              I am so sorry. God bless Florida, where I only have to encounter People of Walmart at Walmart, fast food restaurants, and dive bars.

    3. As opposed to the men, who are totally judged by their talent, which is why Keanu Reeves has had fewer leading roles than Steve Buscemi.

      1. AuH2O

        Better example: Matthew McCounghey. I screwed that up and don’t even care to google it.

        1. Enough About Palin

          Shittiest. Actor. Ever.

          1. Enough About Palin

            Let me redo that:

            Shittiest. “Actor”. Ever.

            From now on it’s scare-quotes in every “post”.

            1. Oh come on. He was great in ‘Dazed and Confused’ although he may not have been acting.

              1. Enough About Palin

                Four Words:

                Some Time to Kill

    4. Enough About Palin

      “Stanley mentions that in The Mindy Project’s pilot, a doctor who’s obviously going to be a future love interest for Kaling’s character, advises her to lose 15 pounds. First, how are they gonna make that bro a love interest after he says that shit to her? ”

      I feel terribly othered.

      1. Red Rocks Rockin

        First, how are they gonna make that bro a love interest after he says that shit to her?

        More to the point, how are they going to make him a love interest if he doesn’t find her attractive?

  13. db

    Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.

    Why can’t they just use the universally acceptable “bajingo?”

  14. “Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.”

    This just in, a private store centered around ideology chooses to not yet in something it considers vulgar. Reason’s statist tendencies emerge?

    1. robc

      Can you find anywhere where reason commented yeah or nay on it? Looks like just a bullet point to me.

    2. Heroic Mulatto

      Dude, it’s just a news item. There is no editoralization that I see.

      Chill.

      1. robc

        too slow.

        1. Heroic Mulatto

          That’s because I’m chill, bro.

          1. fried wylie

            oh. snap.

    3. Tonio

      Uh, where did Reason call for the state to force them to do this? Imply that even?

      Also, how is the accepted medical term vulgar?

      How do you refer to vaginae in polite conversation, Chris?

      1. T

        I haven’t had a polite conversation since I was 9, so I don’t know. I guess twat is declasse?

    4. Trespassers W

      Pass. I can’t even parse that.

  15. A Serious Man

    Scotland to hold referendum on independence from UK.

    Unfortunatley Scotland is ruled by very left-wing parties, so they battle cry will mostly be “They can take our lives! But they can NEVER take our welfare checks!”

    1. Ah, but a free Scotland might rediscover its roots, legalizing the sword and restoring Adam Smith’s legacy.

      1. A Serious Man

        And Sean Connery might return since he’s vowed to never live there again until it’s an independent country.

        How awesome would it be if they elected Sean Connery King of the Scots and he instituted libertarian reforms?

        1. That would be too fucking awesome for this world.

          1. Groovus Maximus

            As long as he is not dressed in the costume from Zardoz, I heartily endorse this idea.

            1. JW

              Therapists for everyone!

        2. Gene

          Totally awesome, it would be.

          1. Seriously, as if Scotland couldn’t be any more awesome, this would make it the best country in history.

        3. fried wylie

          i’d-be-filling-out-imigration-papers awesome.

          1. I’m talking like Sean Connery for the rest of the day.

            1. db

              I’ll take “People Who Got a Late Start” for $200, Trebek.

            2. Yesh.

              1. I must be dreaming.

            3. Francisco d Anconia

              We will leave our fleet behind, we will pass through the American patrols, past their sonar nets, and lay off their largest city, and listen to their rock and roll… while we conduct missile drills.

              1. That’s Russo-Scot Connery.

    2. Brett L

      They’ll immediately start raiding sheepholdings across the border for food and girlfriends, if history is any indicator.

      1. fried wylie

        you say that like it’s not a valid business model…

        1. Brett L

          Anthrax, dude. Hoof and mouth disease.

          1. fried wylie

            Look, I’m just helping customers make a connection with foreign sheep.

            1. Enough About Palin

              Joe Pile, please pick up the white courtesy phone. Mr. Joe Pile.

    3. Jersey Patriot

      That would leave the UK as the United Kingdom of England and Northern Ireland. I can’t see that going well.

      1. Whahappan?

        What happened to Wales?

        1. Francisco d Anconia

          Kirk brought them back to the 23rd century.

  16. Brett L

    Putting pictures of an undercover cop who testified at a trial on the Internet is a crime? Fuck your officer safety. Too bad I’m not in the jury pool for this one.

    1. Groovus Maximus

      Wow! Jurisprudence and testimony is now dispensed and collected on Teh Intertoobz?! Wonders never cease. So, when will YooToob videos be admitted as sworn testimony?

    2. Fucking narcs. We need to start a website just for narc identification. Call it “NarcBook”. Or maybe “ShitStainOnHumanityBook”.

  17. Rich

    Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.

    Anybody else getting the Christian Mingle ad with the big-breasted hottie and “Jesus Christ is Lord”? Now, *that’s* offensive!

    1. Restoras

      Dammit, no. All I ever see are ads to buy gold or meet (supposedly) hot Persian women.

      1. Enough About Palin

        I saw the film Yes Man and logging on to Persian Wife Finder created some problems for Jim Carry’s character.

      2. Eduard van Haalen

        Do they at least make tasteless jokes about Persian rugs?

        (Uh-oh, I think I just started a war with Iran)

        1. JW

          Fortunately, my half-Persian ex was one with the razor. It would have been a hairy situation otherwise.

  18. Silver Fox

    How do students in France say “Hooray! No more homework”?

    Last week, Hollande reaffirmed his pledge to make education one of his main domestic priorities by outlining key strategic changes to revitalize France’s school system. It’s a sweeping package of changes meant to reform a system critics claim is outdated and inefficient, but for headline writers it boils down to one concept: the French President wants to outlaw homework. “Work should be done at school, rather than at home,” Hollande emphasized on Wednesday.

    1. db

      I’m just not finding anything appropriate to say here. *sigh*

      Does anybody really believe that European educational institutions graduate students of any higher caliber than in the U.S.? I have heard from snooty Brits and other Europeans just how much better they are, especially in engineering, but to be honest, I’ve never met a Euroengineer that measured up to our standards.

      1. Restoras

        The only thing that I find mildly impressive is the teaching of English from a yound age, at least from the young Germans I’ve met over the past few years.

        Of course, I do think language requirements in US schools are questionnable at best, seeing as you can drive from Halifax to San Diego and need to only know one language.

        1. Brett L

          Spanish!

        2. db

          I guess I’ve met a few good ones, but in general they care more about the prestige of their university than their talent and skills.

          1. gaijin

            sort of like east coasters and their incessant yammering about what high school they attended.

      2. Spoonman.

        French PhD students only have 3 years to complete their work, so it is very common for advisors to write their students’ theses.

    2. Tonio

      IIRC, Heinlein parodied this in one of his works with a headline “students strike; demand less homework, more pay.”

    3. fried wylie

      “Work should be done at school, rather than at home,”

      I was saying this consistantly through grades 3-11.

      1. Brett L

        Your bus rides must have been shorter than mine.

        1. fried wylie

          I could have walked to school for 5th, 6th-11th were still pretty close to home, but 3rd and 4th were out in the country and were pretty long rides.

          I was happy to do any “homework” my teachers would let me do in class. But I ardently refused to do anything at home. I got a number of “social promotions” because the school didn’t feel right holding me back when I could ace all the tests despite skipping the homework.

          What, you mean you can learn subjects just by paying attention in class? Blasphemy!!!!

          1. Enough About Palin

            Happened to me with high school chemistry. Aced every test including the final. Did none of the homework. Got an F.

  19. AuH2O

    Gawker delivers the most long winded defense of a stupid tweet that was accused of being “misogynistic” ever:

    http://gawker.com/5951031/andr…..tag=sexism

    See, this is the secret but awesome story of Gawker: The collected sites do not play very well we each other. Especially Deadspin and Jalopnik, which seem to attract much less PC concerned people than Gawker or Jezebel. But because Gawker doesn’t want to lose traffic, they end up doing awesome PC excuse making about EVERYTHING.

    1. Silver Fox

      “Actors have been known to sleep with less powerful directors [than Alfred Hitchcock] for advancement in show business. Did you ever consider it?”

      “On those Comedy Central roasts, your fellow comedians liked to joke about how you slept your way to fame. How accurate is that criticism?”

      “I look at your writers much less than I find myself clicking on stuff that’s been aggregated or the more salacious, boob-related posts.”

      Goldman sure seems a bit preoccupied with things that get lesser men rubber stamped “misogynist”. *side eyes*

      1. AuH2O

        I’m just collecting your names, for when we finally defeat the patriarchy and round up kulaks like you.

        I also kind of just skimmed the article. It was insanely long.

      2. AuH2O

        Also, my joy comes mostly from the comments, where they are tearing into nick denton

    2. Red Rocks Rockin

      From what I’ve seen in the past, the Deadspinners absolutely loathe the Jezzies, and vice versa. There’s been some pathetic attempts to bring some form of civility between them with cross-posting and things like that, but they’ve usually been short-lived.

  20. A Serious Man

    Michelle Obama: We are in the middle of a huge recovery.

    1. AuH2O

      That anniversary really revived her and Barrack’s sex life.

    2. From -8.9% GDP annualized to +2ish. That is up there in record territory.

      1. Restoras

        I know you don’t beleive that crap, shriek. Worst recovery ever. Go ahead, you can say it, it’s ok. The sun will still come up tomorrow and Obama will still be president.

        1. Too bad the facts contradict your perception.

          1. Restoras

            You’ll have to provide some, and not the made up kind.

            1. Red Rocks Rockin

              Here’s some that shrike hasn’t been able to refute yet:

              US GDP, 2011: $15.09 trillion

              FY 2011 deficit: $1.2 trillion

              Take that out, and actual GDP is $13.9 trillion.

            2. http://www.treasury.gov/resour…..alEcon.PDF

              1. Francisco d Anconia

                *barf

              2. VG Zaytsev

                Half assed propaganda.

                Great use of your tax dollars.

      2. A Serious Man

        Except GDP is a lousy economic indicator with no real relation to job growth or standard of living.

      3. Red Rocks Rockin

        Deficit spending has been 8-12% of GDP, meaning that real GDP growth has actually been in the negatives.

      4. Re: Palin’s Buttwipe,

        From -8.9% GDP annualized to +2ish. That is up there in record territory.

        According to whom? In the first place, if one takes out government expenditures, the real GDP has been lower than 2% (around 1.3% as of last estimate in September) and if one looks at GDP measured in gold, GDP has been NEGATIVE since 2001, which correlates neatly with the lack of investment, the decrease in manufacturing and the trade deficit.

        http://www.macro-investing-str…..p-in-gold/

  21. AuH2O

    Can relationships survive different political views?

    Interesting Salon article about the subject, but I have to ask: As a young fella, I am new to the world of dating, etc. Was it always this bad, with people throwing down the gauntlet at every political disagreement? Or is the talk of growing partisanship really true?

    1. robc

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_zTN4BXvYI

    2. Brett L

      Eh. It depends. Mostly, if you and/or she would rather fight than not, eventually the makeup sex won’t be worth it. I’ve never thought I wouldn’t date a girl because of her political beliefs. I have no idea whether I’ve missed out because mine were intolerable.

    3. Heroic Mulatto

      In my experience, it wasn’t always this way. What with this being THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION EVER! and WAR ON WOMEN! going on…well I feel sorry for you.

    4. $park?

      If you let politics rule your life, politics is going to rule your life. My wife stays away from politics as much as she can. She puts up with my ranting and such but doesn’t really have opinions of her own to offer. Taking this into consideration, I just keep the ranting to a minimum and we get by just fine.

      1. Jesus H. Christ

        Heh, sounds exactly like my marriage. My wife has some opinions, but she doesn’t hang around blogs or anything like that.

    5. Groovus Maximus

      I dunno, Goldy, but if my friends and professional colleagues are any barometer, I would say definitely true. Obamacare alone caused a few divorces amoungst some of my colleagues.

      1. As I have reminded you before, docs don’t have to deal with Obamacare. They will still deal with Aetna, Cigna, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.

        You should know this as a former doc.

        1. Groovus Maximus

          A) Not former.

          B) I never said that the erstwhile spouses are/were physicians.

          C) The regulations specifically will impact avenues and levels of TX available to both physicians and patients of both third party insurance and CMS. It also affects greatly individual and private practices greatly Shriek. There’s SHITLOAD more to this law than just payment providers, as I have reminded you before.

          1. Modernize then. My sister is practice manager at a cardiology group and they use this:

            http://www.athenahealth.com/

            The partners make $750,000 before distributions.

            1. T

              Everything is easy if you don’t have to do it, right, Shriek?

            2. Groovus Maximus

              Cardiology? You do realize that the bulk of cardiology patients in most cardiology practices are CMS, Medicare and Medicaid specifically, which again, directly affects physicians and patients. And OCare is doing a number on Medicare Advantage plans, also affecting an already overly regulated “market”.

              Unless they specialize in younger lardasses with HX of cardiac disease processes or do nothing but cath lab and pacemaker implants, then I can see how a cardiology group can turn a profit in a very specialized area of medicine with a very high med-mal insurance premium.

              1. She told me 82% of their payment come from Medixxxx.

                That is the problem, Groovus. Govt paid health boondoggles.

              2. Marshall Gill

                Doc, you are responding as if the poster in question EVER argued in good faith. Since he will either change the subject, ignore very basic facts or simply make shit up, serious responses are a waste of time.

                Insults are all that this troll deserves.

        2. The Hammer

          Or maybe you’re just as full of shit as always.

        3. Re: Palin’s Buttwipe,

          As I have reminded you before, docs don’t have to deal with Obamacare.

          “They can always leave the country through the Underground Rail. Mum’s the word.”

    6. Joe M

      I dated a very smart but very liberal girl in college about a decade ago. Our significant political differences contributed to the ending of the relationship, although I’d say her snobbishness and general insanity had more to do with it.

      1. DemosTheKnees

        Cool story.

    7. Restoras

      Back in the day before Reagan single-handedly defeated those heathen fuckhead commies, the Republicans and Democrats occasionally had a commen enemy to rally against. Not that it was all punch and cookies, but I don’t recall the level of nastiness that we enjoy now. Just my two cents. Others will no doubt vehemently disagree.

    8. Red Rocks Rockin

      Well, first he said that she should tell him she’s pregnant. Savage said that most men who are anti-choice believe in their ideals in an abstract form, but “come to a very different conclusion about the importance of access to safe and legal abortion when an unplanned pregnancy impacts them directly.”

      But to answer her question on whether she should continue to date her boyfriend, Savage concluded with a powerful “No.”

      And Savage proves once again what a sociopathic little faggot he is.

    9. ant1sthenes

      I think it’s fine as long as no more than one party is openly political, and there are not too many discussions about politics. Being a libertarian, you can usually let off steam on either fiscal or social issues without creating any ill will, so there’s that.

      1. JW

        The very good friend of mine who got me into libertarianism has a very good marriage. His wife is completely apolitical and thus, it’s like sports to her at that point.

        1. ant1sthenes

          That’s my life, basically. I mean, my wife has opinions, but she doesn’t usually go on about them.

    10. JW

      If politics is important to both people and the politics diverge, it’s pretty much doomed to failure. Trust me.

      That said, libertarian/conservative is a “better” match than libertarian/liberal. The latter is practically unworkable. YMMV.

    11. Francisco d Anconia

      I have little doubt, if not for politics, I’d be married to a woman I dated in College. She said she couldn’t live with my politics.

      Oddly enough, she pursued the same career as my wife and they consult with each other on occasion.

      I ended up with the better deal. My wife’s politics are almost identical to mine.

  22. Walker County District Attorney David Weeks said asking the Rangers to investigate the tweets was appropriate.

    “In looking at it, it’s more the idea that you have someone totally uninvolved looking at an issue that may have political ramifications,” Weeks said. “I try to err on the side of caution in those cases.”

    And err he did.

  23. $park?

    Knowing that she’s going to be taken care of by the wonderful NHS, some in the media have already written off the poor little Pakistani girl.

    Malala Yousufzai, 14, who was shot in the head Oct. 9, left Pakistan Monday morning in a specially-equipped air ambulance provided by the United Arab Emirates after doctors in her homeland managed to remove a bullet from her head. She faces more delicate operations and intensive rehabilitation, but may be buoyed by the knowledge that millions in Pakistan and around the world have embraced her as a heroine and martyr.

    Martyr:
    1: a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion

  24. Corning

    Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.

    Boardwalk empire has a sub-plot about that….apparently the catholic church did not like that word back in the 20s…probably still don’t

    Speaking of which anyone else see last nights episode. The gun fight in it was spectacular.

    1. AuH2O

      Boardwalk Empire is a criminally underrated show. The critics shit on it, and I can’t really figure it out.

      I think because Nucky is a very emotionless lead. For him, the whole thing is business. But, the thing is, that makes sense for an Irish machine boss.

      I think the problem may be that we have been conditioned to think of crime drama as a Mafia Drama, with all the big emotion and family conflict and so on that that entailed. Nucky comes from a different world- a fact that is played up in his confrontation with much more emotional, take-it-personally Italian mobsters like Gyp. But that is that is the sort of criminal that we have created language to describe and praise, not the reserved Nucky who carries every burden inside himself.

      tl;dr- Thanks, you dago pricks, for coming in later and screwing up what us micks started. Again.

      1. Killazontherun

        Yum, yum, and she grew up nearby. How did I ever miss that huge, lovely noggin in the crowd?

        http://blu.stb.s-msn.com/i/41/…..55195F.jpg

    2. Heroic Mulatto

      The Catholic Church doesn’t like Latin? Because that’s what it is, it’s Latin for “sheath”, as in gladium educere e vagina.

    3. A Serious Man

      Honestly, I’m trying to be entertained, but season 3 has been all over the place and I don’t like Gyp at all, who is basically a cartoon character with every gangster cliche in the book (thought that isn’t Cannavale’s fault who makes him somewhat menacing).

      I can’t stand Margaret and her Catholic guilt bullshit and I hate how they’ve turned Nucky into a Tony Soprano clone. He was much more interesting when he was half-gangster, half-politcian with a conscience. The only characters I really like are Richard and Arnold Rothstein.

      1. DemosTheKnees

        They all die by the end of the season.

      2. AuH2O

        No hate for Gillian? Seriously, she is possibly the most hate-able character on TV, what with her plans for her grandkid to do what she did to her kid.

        1. A Serious Man

          I hate Gillian the character, but love Gretchen Mol. She actually gives one of the best performances on the show as the passive-aggressive Gillian.

          And ugh at the previews I saw for next week where she hooks up with some random dude that has a Jimmy-haircut.

          1. Red Rocks Rockin

            She actually gives one of the best performances on the show as the passive-aggressive Gillian.

            Has she played any other type of character besides “passive-aggressive shrew” in her career?

        2. Episiarch

          How can you hate Gretchen Mol? And it’s a great character; so fucked up.

    4. kinnath

      Hush. Some of record and watch later.

  25. A Serious Man

    Fossils show that prehistoric man hunted and ate pandas.

    Paleo, baby!

    1. Restoras

      But did they use the fur for coats, like any true top hat and monocle wearing libertarian would?

      1. Generic Stranger

        What do you think they were hunting them for? The only ate them to replace the calories they were burning in the name of Fashion.

  26. generic Brand

    Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.

    I could understand the objection if there were pictures of vaginal prolapse in there, which I unfortunately just learned existed last night (due to a strange conversation and the internet, not a physical example, thank God).

    1. Groovus Maximus

      Aha! Squeamish, are we gB? Geez, whatta pussy!

      1. Groovus, when my son was seven years old, he broached the subject of becoming a doctor; He wanted to know how one did it.

        I started by explaining that there was this thing called medical school which combined theory with some practical training. We went through various things that docs need to know.

        When I got to anatomy, the kid immediately leapt to a disturbing conclusion – “doctors don’t just study it in books do they? do they have to take people apart?”

        “Yes, but only people who have donated their bodies to science”.

        “Is it mandatory?”

        “I believe it is.”

        Long silence.

        “You sure?”

        “Yes.”

        ANother long silence.

        “Dealbreaker?” I asked.

        “Yes,” he said sadly. “I won’t do that, and if I can’t do that I can’t graduate from Medical School.”

        Seven frickin years old he was. Now Mr Squeamish is talking my ear off about designing doomsday devices to sell to the U.S. government.

        1. Groovus Maximus

          Ah, memories. I remember having that same conversation with my parents. Smart way to handle it, as you discouraged the lad from a special kind of hell on terra firma.

          Excellent job.

          Unfortunately, your precocious son has figured out he can’t dismember dead people up close and personal, but can bomb the shit out of living ones from afar. How in the hell did you manage to do that?

          1. My son is scary. He’s been described as an adult’s mind trapped in a kid’s body.

            He came up with Bastiat’s parable of the Broken Window Fallacy on his own at age 4.

            1. Killazontherun

              My kid is two. At this point the only thing he has discovered on his own is that if you leave a booger dangling from the bottom of a table it will eventually turn into a rock.

      2. generic Brand

        Thank God for individuals such as you, doc. You fix up the bodies so that the rest of us can enjoy them.

        1. fried wylie

          Hey, as soon as cyberization technology comes out, I’ll be in the people-repair business too.

  27. John

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/jo…..-bailouts/

    Amazon shows the fraudulent nature of the bank bailouts. All of the nitwits who yelled about how the credit markets were freezing up, (Mrs. Sudderman cough cough) ought never to be taken seriously about anything again.

    1. Zeezrom

      This needs to be discussed more often. It’s become accepted as a historical fact that we had to bail out Wall Street to save the economy. And now we’re set up for the same thing to repeat itself ad infinitum.

    2. But, we can’t have banks being run from someone’s garage!

    3. The $2 trillion CP market dried up. The Fed made McDonalds world payroll due to a CP loan.

      You’re out of your gourd here.

      1. John

        That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. McDonalds was not going to miss payroll.

        1. Marshall Gill

          The stupidest thing shriek has said? That is quite a high bar.

          And remember, kiddies, nothing says “Liberty” like government intervention in the markets!!!

    4. VG Zaytsev

      Stockman basically made the same call in 2011

      http://mises.org/daily/5113/Th…..Capitalism

      McSuderman said he was “full of shit” and completely ignored his points.

  28. A Serious Man

    Generation pussy: My daughter broke her arm on the monkey bars, so let’s ban them!

    1. John

      When you are such a pussy even the Slate posters call you one.. Wow.

    2. Joe M

      The day Harper got her cast off, she was overjoyed. We had a playdate scheduled that afternoon with her best friend Caitlin. But Caitlin’s parents emailed at lunchtime to cancel: They were on their way to the hospital because Caitlin had broken a wrist. Guess what she fell off of.

      I call bullshit on that one. Also, his first mistake was naming his daughter Harper.

      1. John

        Yupppie names. UGH!!

        1. Groovus Maximus

          Forget the names, but “scheduling playdates”???

          What is wrong with these people? Whatever happened to, “Mom, may I go outside with my friends to play?”

          Yes, yes, I know…lawn, off, please get, etc.

          1. You try letting your kids go outside unattended and see what happens. Your neighbors have family services on speed dial, you know!

            1. Groovus Maximus

              I don’t have children, FOE. Still searching for the elusive Mrs. Groovus first.

              1. I don’t have children, FOE.

                That you know of.

                1. Groovus Maximus

                  That you know of.

                  I am 100% sure that Groovy progeny have yet to set foot on here big blue marble. -))))

                  “Iocaine. I’d swear my life on it.”

            2. The last time my daughter went over to a friend’s house for some unscheduled play time, my ex flipped out.

              She actually called the mom to “make sure [my daughter] was safe”.

              The inmates have taken over the asylum.

          2. John

            I weep for kids today.

          3. Heroic Mulatto

            Forget the names, but “scheduling playdates”???

            What is wrong with these people? Whatever happened to, “Mom, may I go outside with my friends to play?”

            Many folks hate their neighbors and hate their neighbors’ kids even more.

            1. edcoast

              I would have no problem with my six year old daughter just going down the street and knocking on the door of her friend (that’s what I did), but that’s just not the “system” anymore. Mom must call mom for the “play date” which almost never happens immediately because people are too busy now with planned activities. “No, little susie can’t play right now, she’s doing her homework (yes, in the first grade). Um no, not tomorrow, that’s music lessons. Tuesday is French. How about Thursday between 4 and 4:30 – oh wait . . . ” I gag.

              1. Whahappan?

                My daughter had 15 pages of homework over Christmas break. In Kindergarten. The world has gone insane.

            2. Anonymous Coward

              Many folks hate their neighbors and hate their neighbors’ kids even more

              You rang?

        2. Killazontherun

          My kid’s three best friends at play school are name Zoey, Joshua and Noah. Not one of them is Jewish.

          1. Heroic Mulatto

            Biblical names are biblical. Now if your kid’s friends are named Herschel, Chana, and Yankel, and they’re not Jewish, then I’d be surprised.

            1. Killazontherun

              Joshua is common enough among protestants of the region but until recently Zoey was exceedingly rare as was Noah.

              Hell, I bet little Zoey was named after Deschanel.

              1. Brett L

                Or the Firefly character. That series is old now.

                1. Killazontherun

                  Could be. I need to ask her dad if he is a fan of the show to find out if he is a closet libertarian. We actually tend not to be as vocal about our convictions as do other people.

                2. Francisco d Anconia

                  Nov 11. ‘Firefly’ getting reunion TV special

            2. Enough About Palin

              I doubt Zoey is a biblical name. Imma gonna check…

              …Nope.

              1. Killazontherun

                Just checked out a school activity bulletin. For the wee lass, it is spelled out ‘Zooey’ and that is how Deschanel spells it too.

              2. Heroic Mulatto

                Too bad Zoey is the Greek version of Eve, which is the English bastardization of the Hebrew Chava…all of which mean “Life”.

            3. Herschel Walker is Jewish?

      2. Brett L

        Uh. IIRC from my childhood, ages 6-12 there was hardly a time when someone in my group of friends didn’t have have a broken bone in a limb. One dude even faceplanted off a treehouse and had his jaw wired shut. Did any of us quit hanging out in that tree house? Not in the year or so before I moved.

        1. Enough About Palin

          I fell out of a 20-foot high treehouse we were constructing when I was eleven. Fortunately, my head hit the top bar of a chain-link fence, which broke my fall.

          1. fried wylie

            The biggest loss these kids will suffer is not being able to recount anecdotes like this one when they grow up. (grow up should probably be in scare quotes)

        2. T

          I broke my arm twice before I was 7. I can’t recall my parents ever trying to ban anything because of it, other than my dumbassery. And that didn’t work out for them anyway.

      3. Heroic Mulatto

        Indeed. Harper is such a SWPL name that I rage just reading it.

        1. Groovus Maximus

          Probably someone that either read too much Harper’s Magazine or was influenced by To Kill a Mockingbird, and not in a good way.

      4. ant1sthenes

        Well, if she grows up to be a meddling asshole, it will have been well chosen. I plan to name my kid Thayan, personally.

    3. Joe M

      Wow, this poor guy must be so conflicted:

      Have parents advocated for the end of the monkey bars at Jamestown Elementary? Despite the helicoptering moms and dads buzzing around our suburban Virginia enclave, Kenwyn Schaffner, my daughters’ principal, says they have not. The playground meets federal safety recommendations (which give guidelines on monkey bars but do not counsel against them) and is approved quarterly by a county inspector.

      The government says it’s okay! What do I do???

    4. A Serious Man

      Haven’t been to an elementary school in a while, but do they still have jungle gyms? You know, those metal domes that you can climb up and sit atop? I remember kids would fall of of those all the time.

    5. generic Brand

      There’s a reason why I had to go Japan to be a teacher: over there, they let ME play dodgeball with the elementary kids! Let’s just say that a few bloody noses may have occured, and not a single parent was called nor became upset. God, why did I leave that cushy gig so early???

      1. Killazontherun

        You ever tell them, ‘remember kids, be the ball.’ Then chuckled as you smashed them a good one?

      2. Jesus H. Christ

        I had a fifth grade teacher who played kick ball with the kids. In his rules, you could make an out by hitting a runner with the ball. That asshole loved knocking kids ass over teakettle on the blacktop. I got torn jeans and bloody arms and legs from him. I’m not impressed with adults who like to hurt little kids.

        1. Francisco d Anconia

          In his rules, you could make an out by hitting a runner with the ball.

          Yeah. That’s the rules for all kickball HeyZeus. Turn the other cheek.

        2. Killazontherun

          You make a fair point. There is a fine line between giving a kid something to remember and scaring him for life.

    6. Generic Stranger

      You think that’s pussified? When I was in highschool, one of the elementary school teachers broke his own arm on the teeter-totters, so he got them banned from the playground.

  29. A Serious Man

    The Walking Dead season premiere shatters ratings record.

    It was actually a great episode that managed to completely rectify all the flaws from season 2 (no spoilers): there was action and lots of zombie killing, all the characters (except Lori) were resourceful, smart, useful, and there was some pretty scary moments as well. Looking forward to liking the show again.

    1. db

      I was floored at the sheer amount of zombie related t-shirts being worn and merchandise being sold at the Knob Creek show this past week. I felt like a total zombie hipster, I liked them before it was cool.

    2. Episiarch

      It was a good start to the season. I still would like a little clarification on why they can get zombie blood all over them, including presumably on mucous membranes, but it takes a bite to turn into one.

      1. A Serious Man

        I liked that they jumped forward several months so that previously annoying and helpless characters like Carol, Andrea, and Maggie are now useful and thus watchable (again, this does not apply to Lori who I hope has an alien moment with her baby).

        I still would like a little clarification on why they can get zombie blood all over them, including presumably on mucous membranes, but it takes a bite to turn into one.

        I would imagine because the show doesn’t want to take the time to have them dress up in protective gear. And I guess at this point they’re just hardened zombie killers so they don’t mind. Plus they are all already infected with the virus, so maybe a bite merely accelerates the process of zombification in a way that guts on your clothes and skin doesn’t.

        1. Episiarch

          Yeah, but that doesn’t really fly, not at the rate the zombification occurs. Your body would have to be holding the virus back so barely that the slightest IV introduction of virus sends it over the threshold.

          1. Groovus Maximus

            It’s possible, however highly unlikely, that the virus is only active in saliva, like it’s amylase activated or something like that, and then introduced through the mucous membranes of the cheek and under the tongue, which makes not a whit of medical sense.

            Or, perhaps its a prion. Dunno.

            1. Episiarch

              Don’t try and confuse us with your medical mumbo-jumbo, you hack. We all know the reason is because the plot says it is.

              1. Groovus Maximus

                Ah. Of course, silly me! “It’s in the script!”

                I tell ya, your sad devotion to the art of scriptwriting hasn’t helped Ridley Scott conjure up a decent screenplay in who knows how long…

                Also, PROMETHEUS SUCKS!!!!! I finally broke down and watched it. Pitiful. Simply pitiful.

                1. Episiarch

                  There was no reason for the script to be that incoherent. Just none. This is fucking Ridley Scott, for fuck’s sake. They couldn’t get a better writer?!?

                2. Francisco d Anconia

                  You know Doc, not all movies rise to the level of Dune.

            2. SugarFree

              Kirkman has explained that the zombie bite doesn’t make a you a zombie, but rather, like a Komodo Dragon, the bite of a zombie is so swimming with bacteria that it causes you to die of septic shock in a short period of time.

              1. Episiarch

                Well, Warty’s the same way and he’s no zombie. Right?!?

                1. SugarFree

                  As far as human science can discern.

                2. Bobarian

                  Maybe he’s a komodo dragon?

  30. A Serious Man

    Since I raised the possiblity of Sean Connery being elected King of the Scots upthread, what do you think of his views on relationships?

  31. Lisa

    “because it has the word “vagina” in it.”
    Maybe that’s just an excuse not to carry her book because it’s stupid. Seriously, I hate the ‘cherry picking ideas to form a temporary extreme lifestyle in order to make an imaginary point’ lifestyle experiments, usually done by people who had little to no prior knowledge of what they’re getting into so their new lifestyle isn’t based on anything real. I hope that trend dies soon.

    1. Heroic Mulatto

      I have to agree with you, Lisa. She could have just converted to Orthodox Judaism for a year if that’s what she wanted to explore. But I guess that wouldn’t have been ‘zany’ enough.

  32. Caleb Turberville

    I have a question for our friends in the Commonwealth of Nations. Does the British parliament have the sole authority to dissolve the monarchy, and if so, would Canada, Australia, and New Zealand continue to recognize the monarchy or would their constitutional systems fall apart?

  33. The Hammer

    Harry Reid takes to the pages of HuffPo to spew ridiculous propaganda…

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..67919.html

    1. Rich

      Keeping quality health care affordable was one of our top goals in writing the Affordable Care Act in Congress.

      Goal: The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed.

      Good intentions, Baby!

  34. widget

    Although courts have ruled recently against voter ID requirements, the wordings of the rejections leaves the justification for the laws intact, meaning new laws may be passed in the future.

    May I suggest rewriting the 24th amendment? That’s the one that strictly prohibits a poll tax. A poll tax doesn’t have to be much, $5 or $10 will suffice. I see it as being like a co-payment when visiting a doctor’s office. It keeps the hypochondriacs at bay.

  35. Heroic Mulatto

    THIS GUY for President.

  36. Ken Shultz

    “Some Christian bookstores won’t carry an evangelical writer’s work about trying to live as a woman in the way the Bible commands because it has the word “vagina” in it.”

    Obviously Christian bookstores shouldn’t be allowed to choose which books they do or don’t sell…

    Because their customers use public streets to get there–is that what I’m supposed to think?!

    What, is this the Daily Kos now?

  37. YinxDoo

    lol, Gotta lvoe the rednecks and hillbillies of Texas. Yee haw!

    http://www.us-Privacy.tk

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