DeMint Suggests Replacement, Right-to-Work Bill Crafted in Michigan, Afghanistan Really, Really, Really Corrupt: P.M. Links

• 
  

  Right-to-work legislation is being crafted in Michigan, with the support of the state's governor.

• Sen. Jim DeMint is resigning to lead the conservative Heritage Foundation, and he's encouraging South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to consider Rep. Tim Scott as his replacement.
• U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, who has earned praise for his pursuit of government corruption in Louisiana, is stepping down amid a probe of his staff, whose members are accused of anonymously criticizing public figures and commenting on cases on a newspaper's website.
• Afghanistan has been rated one of the most corrupt nations in the world, down there with North Korea and Somalia. Greece has been named one of the most corrupt in Europe.
• Washington is celebrating the first day of the legalization of marijuana with some pretty chill parties.
• So that's what happened to Tiny Tim: A raid on a sweatshop in India uncovered a pack of children enslaved and forced to make Christmas decorations. (Hat tip to Reason commenter Brett L)
• Support Reason's 2012 webathon today.

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Comments

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Afghanistan has been rated one of the most corrupt nations in the world, down there with North Korea and Somalia. Greece has been named one of the most corrupt in Europe.

France loses again!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Those ratings are so fixed.

[Pro Libertate]

Yeah, fixed.

[BarryD]

We have succeeded in bringing democracy to Afghanistan! It's right up there with the birthplace of democracy!

Now, can we get our people the hell out?

[A Serious Man]

Star Trek: Into Darkness teaser trailer released today.

Apparently Sherlock plays Gary Mitchell from the TOS episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I thought it was the trailer for the Inception sequel, and was confused about the Star Trek imagery.

[Pro Libertate]

Stupid reboot is stupid. Though I'm a Sherlock fan and like Cumberbatch. His Watson is Bilbo Baggins, too, I believe. Reaping the rewards, I guess.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sherlock is great. I'm a big fan of the character in general, however I'm not sure I can stomach to even try the U.S. version.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, I'm not even going to try to watch the U.S. version. Unless by U.S. version you mean House M.D. in which case it's too late.

I generally can't abide modern reboots of classics like Sherlock Holmes, but Sherlock works.

[Tonio]

The original source material for Sherlock Holmes was printed stories. As much as I love the Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce movies, they are far from canon as they completely omit Holmes' drug use.

[Pro Libertate]

True enough. Though his drug use was really only featured as a hobby between cases.

[Eduard van Haalen]

He could stop any time!

[Randian]

The BBC, for those who don't know, strongly implied Sherlock in on something.

And you know why I hate these reboots and prequels? Because it's kept Sherlock off the air for two fucking years. The Hobbit looks bad; the new Star Trek will suck (I promise), and I had to trade a great show for both of them.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm very dubious about The Hobbit. Three movies? Come on.

[JW]

I'm very dubious about The Hobbit. Three movies? Come on.

This. I'm having trouble getting up the enthusiasm for one.

[A Serious Man]

The Hobbit is a great story, it just lacks the urgency of life-and-death that The Lord of the Rings had.

That being said, splitting it into three means Jackson is trying to shove every detail about Middle Earth into it, so Tolkien fans should love it.

[Corning]

it just lacks the urgency of life-and-death that The Lord of the Rings had.

Screw all of you haters.

The Hobbit has a fucking Dragon in it!!!

[Pro Libertate]

I think The Hobbit would make a fine film. Singular.

[A Serious Man]

A fucking Dragon voiced by Christopher Lee!!!

I'm excited for it, but it is a story that Tolkien wrote primarily for children so I think it'll be more light-hearted than the more epic LoTR.

[Xenocles]

I thought the nicotine patches in the BBC show were standing in for the cocaine.

[Zeb]

There was also an implication at one point that if the police searched Sherlock's flat they would find something he didn't want them to find.

[Groovus Maximus]

There is only one, true, Sherlock Holmes: Jeremy Brett.

Though, according to Wikipedia, the cocaine habit was written out of the script, with Conan Doyle's daughter blessing, For The Children's.

Still, the definitive S. Holmes and Dr. Watson, IMNSHO.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, I've never watched that. Good, then?

[Groovus Maximus]

It's the most faithful adaptation to the books. It's beyond compare. The acting is excellent and believable. Very little scenery chewing. I have to get to bed, it's been a long, and extremely, upsetting day.

I couldn't let that one slip past, though.

[Pro Libertate]

Oh, and I promised you a mashup, which was in an earlier thread, so I repost for your benefit:

Here's the story,
Of a Bene Gesserit,
Who was being trained to
Kill with one mighty blow.
Jessica had hair of gold,
Like her father.
The weirding way she knows.

Here's the story,
Of a man named Leto.
Who was living on
Caladan on his own.
Born of a house
Loved by the Landsraad,
Yet he was all alone.

Till the one day
When the lady
Met this fellow.
And they knew that
It was much more
Than a hunch.

That this group
Must somehow
Form a Family,
That's the way
They all became
The Atreides bunch.

The Atreides bunch,
The Atreides bunch.
That's the way
They became
The Atreides bunch.

[Groovus Maximus]

Awesome. Very good. I needed the smile (could do without the earworm).

Thanks Pro'L Dib. -)

PS

Slight qibble: Irulan is blonde; Lady Jessica has copper coloured hair.

[Pro Libertate]

I knew someone was going to call me on this. Artistic license, because I got stuck on rhymes and had no time to get unstuck. Feel free to alter.

[Pro Libertate]

Hmmm, let's see. . . .

Mr. Brady - Leto
Mrs. Brady - Jessica
Alice - The Shadout Mapes
Sam the Butcher - Stilgar
Greg - Thufir Hawat
Peter - Gurney Halleck
Bobby - Paul
Marsha - Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam
Jan - Yueh
Cindy - Duncan Idaho
Tiger - Stunted sandworm

[Mad Scientist]

Jeremy Brett was far and away the best Holmes ever. I loved Basil Rathbone, but Brett was just superior in every way.

[Zeb]

Yeah, the Jeremy Brett stuff is the best. Not quite as dynamic as he could have been,perhaps, but I think Brett had a lot of health problems.

Sherlock is easily my next favorite adaptation.

[Lexy]

No way! The best is Mr. Data

[Dr. Frankenstein]

+1 Clue

[Scarecrow Repair]

It was an awful series with awful casting.

1. They showed the crime at the beginning instead of you learning about it as Holmes and Watson learned about it.

2. They gave some of Holmes' lines to Watson, presumably to make Watson look smarter.

3. They moved lines from one story into another for no particular reason.

4. Jeremy Brett was a nervous wreck 100% of the time, which Holmes never was.

[Tonio]

I disagree, PL, and I'm a ST:TOS fan from *way* back. Reboot was necessary. And fun. Lighten up, dude.

[Pro Libertate]

Not Trek. So why call it Trek?

[Episiarch]

Seriously, ProL, why do you care so much? It's not like the reboot takes anything away from TOS, just like TNG didn't take anything away from TOS. You're just being a fuddy-duddy.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm just bored with pointless reboots.

[Randian]

Yep. I have been arguing this all day. The 'essence' of Trek was philosophical points expressed via science fiction.

This shitheap doesn't hold a candle.

[JW]

This shitheap doesn't hold a candle.

Holy shit, Randian. There's hope for you yet.

[JW]

Reboot was necessary.

You mean a good reboot was necessary.

[Pro Libertate]

Now I agree with that.

Here's what you do next, once these movies flop. Go back to TV and do a Star Trek series set during the TOS era, but not involving Star Fleet. And not on Earth. I think Federation, but maybe not. You could involve something from TOS, though I'd steer clear of directly involving Kirk and crew.

And, as Episiarch has noted, I only say this because it's so damned hard to get networks to give totally original science fiction programming the time of day.

[JW]

only say this because it's so damned hard to get networks to give totally original science fiction programming the time of day.

Speaking of which, who is watching Blood and Chrome? What say you?

[A Serious Man]

Blood and Chrome is pretty good, I like the two actors who play Adama and Coker. I would definitely give it a chance if they made it into a series.

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

Lump me in as a fuddy-duddy with ProL. I hated the damned reboot. It may or may not have been bad (YMMV), but it didn't feel like Trek.

Captain Kirk running around with that flu that McCoy dosed him with was somewhere between Three's Company and a cartoon.

[Randian]

Oh and hey did you know it's de rigueur for major intergalactic powers to hand over their flagships to cadets? And to instantly promote them to one step below general?

True fucking fact. Happens all the time. When I commissioned through ROTC, I was so fantastic that they offered me command of a warship. At 23!

[JW]

Red Matter. That is all.

Actually not all. There was so much suck in that movie that it's hard to pick just one thing that sucked the most.

I'm going with annoying Scotty sidekick, with the Apple Store bridge in a close second. Worse than a fucking Ewok.

[Randian]

"Apple Store bridge" is a winner.

[NeonCat]

To hell with JJ Abrams and his idiotic Star Trek movies.

[Pro Libertate]

That was so fucking stupid. That's actually my biggest beef--the movie was rife with idiocies.

[Tim]

What about zombies? Vampires?

[Pro Libertate]

I did hear some speculation that Cumberbatch is playing Garth ["LORD Garth!"]. Sorry, Lord Garth.

[Fist of Etiquette]

If they're poaching from the series and not the movies, then I suggest "Spock's Brain". That story was never fully fleshed out in the episode. Either that or Space Lincoln. Lincoln is big these days.

[Pro Libertate]

I'll watch it if it's a reboot of a truly stupid episode, because that would make me laugh.

Maybe he's a gritty, not funny, Harry Mudd?

[Tim]

Bring back the shuttlecraft full of space hippies. Maybe a "Galactic Warming" sub plot.

[Tim]

I mean the enterprise getting wet means that sea levels in the 2200's have risen all the way to orbit.

[Pro Libertate]

It's funny that you mention space hippies, as I was watching an episode from season 5 of Babylon 5 (so far, not as good as the previous four seasons, which were quite good) last night, and some telepath cult was singing songs. I thought to myself, "I fucking hate space hippies."

[NeonCat]

Season 5 did seem like "oh, crap, we got renewed and we don't have (m)any good scripts."

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, something isn't the same. I've noticed really clunky dialogue, too.

I've finally reached the Penn & Teller appearance, but I only got five minutes in last night.

[Tonio]

"Brain, brain, brain... What is brain?

Really, Fist? Worst episode ever.

[Episiarch]

No shit, that one is even worse than the one where the shuttlecraft crashes and the crewmembers start doubting Spock's leadership abilities. God, "Spock's Brain" is terrible.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...start doubting Spock's leadership abilities.

"The Galileo Seven"? You thought that was bad? It was great. You just liked Roddenberry's dream of everyone getting along in a future without prejudices and this episode queered that for you.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Everyone says that, but I remember "Cat's Paw" being pretty bad. And Space Lincoln. And that spinoff attempt with Teri Garr.

[Episiarch]

At least the Teri Garr one had Teri Garr.

"Cat's Paw" isn't good but nothing approaches "Spock's Brain" for awfulness.

[JW]

You're all idiots.

And the Children Shall Lead. Worst. Episode. Ever.

[Episiarch]

(starts pumping fist at JW)

[Tim]

Well at least it ain't two white/black dudes in gross leotards returning for revenge.

[Pro Libertate]

Dude, how can you not like that one? Yes, heavy handed, but it's still got the Riddler.

[JW]

Dude, how can you not like that one? Yes, heavy handed, but it's still got the Riddler.

Psst, ProL. Tim's black on the inside. That's how.

[Tim]

Yes, "tribbles" is Epi's code for his hemorrhoids.

[Randian]

Well at least it ain't two white/black dudes in gross leotards returning for revenge.

You know, if you don't actually notice the 'difference', the 'reveal' is actually pretty effective.

[Tim]

I wa totally gobsmacked, when I was five.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Well at least it ain't two white/black dudes in gross leotards returning for revenge.

UNITARDS ARE THE FUTURE.

[JW]

And that spinoff attempt with Teri Garr.

YOU SHUT YOUR WHORE MOUTH.

[Enough About Palin]

"Help me, Kirk. Help me."

/Star Trek Lincoln.

[Pro Libertate]

I actually kind of liked the one with Teri Garr. Too bad that didn't get spun off.

[JW]

The Blu-ray version of TOS is pretty gottdamn awesome. Highly recommended with the new effects.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Blu-ray version of TOS is pretty gottdamn awesome. Highly recommended with the new effects.

You dick. Now I'm going to have to buy those.

[Tim]

Then there was Space Hitler...

[Tim]

The Doomsday Machine gives me wood every time.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sorry, but "Doomsday Machine" was the most entertaining episode. No discussion.

[JW]

Sorry, but "Doomsday Machine" was the most entertaining episode. No discussion.

Wait until you see it with the new effects.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I've seen some of the remastered episodes in SD and was already impressed. The changes were subtle enough that everything looks seemless.

[Pro Libertate]

I was shocked at how well done those enhancements were. Very respectful of the original unlike certain other people.

[SKR]

what do you mean? I have it on good authority that Han really didn't shoot first.

[Tim]

The blonde looks like Sally kellerman redux.

[Pro Libertate]

I thought so, too, which means probably Mitchell.

[Randian]

I predict Cumberbatch is playing Harry Mudd.

[Pro Libertate]

You mean the evil, not funny, gritty Harry Mudd I mentioned somewhere else in this thread? Because it seems like there's a lot of fisticuffs for a Harry Mudd movie, otherwise.

[Tim]

It's Star Trek meets The Dark Night Rises! Earth is Gotham! everything and everyone sucks, is depressed. GRITTY.

[Randian]

*in the Batman gravel voice*

I....AM...HARCOURT FENTON MUDD.

[Pro Libertate]

How about a Harry Mudd series? Now there's a reboot I could enjoy. Especially since it's going to be an HBO series with gratuity.

[Episiarch]

Can it have tribbles that are 20 feet tall and have tentacles that rip men in half before devouring them with razor sharp teeth?

[Pro Libertate]

For you? No.

I mean, yes.

[Restoras]

Can it have tribbles that are 20 feet tall and have tentacles that rip men in half before devouring them with razor sharp teeth?

Kinda like Starship Troopers?

[Tim]

I MUDD: PLANET OF THE SEXBOTS. "Coming" to HBO 2013.

[Pro Libertate]

Shit, it's already ready! The robot planet, but R-rated.

[Cytotoxic]

I'm sure it will be as awesome as the first. I believe in you JJ Abrahms.

[Pro Libertate]

No, you don't. You can't even spell his name.

Funny thing is, I like Fringe.

[Episiarch]

Abrams can be entertaining. He can also suck. Or start out entertaining and then suck. He is composed of both fun and suck, and it's variable which one wins.

[JW]

His Suck to Fun ratio is running at about 10 to 1.

[Pro Libertate]

Okay, so how do I know which it is without actually having to commit any time to it?

[A Serious Man]

Super 8 and the most recent Mission Impossible movie were okay to good depending on how you look at it.

[SKR]

now I know you have no taste. fringe is terrible.

[Pro Libertate]

Says you.

[Randian]

Lens Flares! Explosions! Red Matter! Lack of Any Sort of Intellectualism! Green Alien Sex!

Shitty Summer-Style "Blockbuster"!

Fuck JJ Abrams!

[Tonio]

What is it with everyone and the lens flares?

And don't talk shit about the Rigelians.

[Randian]

Lensflares:Instagram :: Shitty 'High Production Movies: Shitty 'Artsy Photos'

[Episiarch]

I like lens flares. SPARINGLY.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm going to use my new-found power around here to have lens flares introduced into the comments section.

[JW]

I'll just leave this here.

Let the hate wash over you.

[Pro Libertate]

I remember that review.

[rts]

More honest name:

Star Trek: Lots of Pointless Action (and Explosions)

[Pro Libertate]

As usual with these reboots that change everything important, why bother? Why not call it something else?

[Tim]

STAR TREK: STAR WARS!

[Pro Libertate]

Good point. Maybe Cumberbatch is playing Darth Vader.

[seguin]

The IP must be used, because studio heads think the great unwashed masses of flyover country are too scared/stupid/whatever to try something new.

[Cytotoxic]

They changed everything because everything in old Trek sucked.

[Heroic Mulatto]

FUCK YOU!

[A Serious Man]

For my part, I thought Charlie X was a better episode dealing with a psychic, more disturbing, particularly with the ending.

But yeah, Abrams is going to Lucas it again with loud, colorful action with a barebones plot and no deep themes.

[Episiarch]

OF course he is, he made a lot of money doing it this way. Why wouldn't he do it again? His job is to make money, not to make Trekkies happy.

[Pro Libertate]

I agree with this, of course. For the money he's making, I'd happily crap on Kirk and Spock.

[Randian]

Huh. We'll remember that when Michael Bay gets to be the director of Disney's Star Wars VII.

[Episiarch]

He can't be worse than Lucas.

[A Serious Man]

My biggest problem is still that the actors playing the characters just don't look old enough to be bridge officers on a frickin' starship. Shatner was 40 when he got the gig as Kirk and he was mentioned as being the youngest captain in Starfleet.

[JW]

Shatner was 40

Small point of fact: Shatner was 35. William Shatner (born March 22, 1931)

But yeah, it was like Star Trek: Tiny Toons.

[Cytotoxic]

They're just that cool. The future has really good education. Young people are cool and interesting unlike the fusties.

[Pro Libertate]

So, Wesley was your favorite character on TNG, I take it?

[Sernylan]

"So, Wesley was your favorite character on TNG, I take it?"

Pure awsomesauce, a real hit with the ladies...well, a lady.....hmmm, well, his mother...errr...Wesley Crusher sucked...what an asshole...nevermind!

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

He does look Mitchell-ish.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"There'll only be one of you in the end. One... jealous god... if all this makes a god..."

[Pro Libertate]

That's actually one of my favorite episodes. That's got to be one of the best pilots ever, any genre. Even if it is actually pilot # 2.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...whose members are accused of anonymously criticizing public figures and commenting on cases on a newspaper's website.

CITIZEN'S UNITED, DAMN YOU!

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Is this a good idea?

Uefa has confirmed its controversial plan to hold the 2020 European Championship in an array of cities across the continent, leaving the door open for a potential final at Wembley and group-stage matches in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/foot.....urope-uefa

[Ted S.]

No, but then expanding to 24 teams wasn't a good idea either.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Ender's Game: First Look

[Brett L]

Squeeee!

[A Serious Man]

I feel like they've got a good cast. Hopefully they don't shy away from the kid-on-kid violence and degredation that made the book so effective.

Michael Bay and JJ Abrams have nothing to do with it, correct?

[Doktor Kapitalism]

They probably will, but I think it would be a valuable reminder for the public that children loose their inherent angelic-ness about the time they figure out other children exist.

[Xenocles]

You mean like Hunger Games?

[Juice]

Jesus Harrison Ford looks old as dirt. Look at those jowls.

[Matrix]

Catfish trying to eat flying rats

[Doktor Kapitalism]

Evolution in action. The world just got a little more interesting.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

The World's Sexiest Accents

Newfie seems to be missing.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

I can't say I've actually heard all of those, but I feel like it's probably a skewed list.

[Matrix]

You're telling me the Jersey accent didn't make the list?

What about the Boston accent?

Seriously?! How can that be?!?!?!

[Doktor Kapitalism]

I felt a chuckle make an effort at welling up in my throat.

[Ska]

Pretty much any accent that isn't your native area coming out of an attractive person's mouth is a sexy accent.

I work with a hot Polish woman, and oddly enough, her accent is incredibly sexy when I hear her on the phone. The cute Japanese girl with the squeaky voice and weird pronunciation? Sexy. The hot Guyanese woman with a Carribean British accent and killer jugs? Sexy.

I know, that's some fine work there Lou.

[Chris Mallory]

False. Every accent from north of the Ohio river acts as a form of birth control. The only way to have sex with a Yankee is to make sure her mouth is taped shut.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Yes, we know you're a psychopath and a rapist, Mallory.

[Juice]

Sorry, Thai is not sexy. It sounds like a bunch of ta ta ka ka da da ta ta ma ta.

US Southern? Like Powella Deeyun? Spare me.

[Zeb]

I'd say the sexiest is a Spanish person who learned English in French. But that is awfully Eurocentric of me, I suppose.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Jim DeMint is resigning to lead the conservative Heritage Foundation, and he's encouraging South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to consider Rep. Tim Scott as his replacement.

They need to find someone with a more refreshing name.

[Palin's Buttplug]

DeMint had no future in politics as a crochety old SoCon. The GOP will go affirmative action and appoint Rep. Tim Scott as his replacement for the PR value.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Because Scott couldn't possibly be qualified? You racist.

[$park?]

Everybody knows that real Republicans don't come in black.

[protefeed]

You obviously haven't been watching "Boardwalk Empire". Surreal -- the Republican party used to count on women and blacks to win elections.

[Ska]

I've been singing "Barney Google, with the goo-goo-googly eyes" in my head for a week straight.

[Gene]

Wow, and you're not suicidal at all?

[amelia]

I went to high school with Tim Scott. Of course, that was many years ago. I recall him as a smart and ethical guy. He's a devout Christian and I don't necessarily value that in a politician. I'll be very interested to watch his career. I'm steeling myself for the nasty things that will be said about him because he is black and Republican.

[Randian]

So let me get this straight: A female Sikh Republican is going to nominate a black male Republican for a Senate Seat in South Carolina.

But the GOP is racist.

FML.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I didn't say the GOP is racist.

I said they will appoint Scott via affirmative action (which I call affirmative discrimination).

I am opposed to racial quotas.

[Randian]

Do you have any evidence for this? And if you're opposed to affirmative action, why did you vote for Obama in 2008?

[protefeed]

You haven't offered any evidence yet that Scott isn't one of the best qualified candidates available. You haven't named someone who is non-black who is better.

You appear to be positing that any black Republican can't be worthy of higher office without offering a shred of proof of that racist notion.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Well, Scott is one of five GOP reps in Congress from SC. At least three have more experience.

Odds are 4-1 that Scott is the most qualified in a real test.

This is omitting other Republicans.

I personally like Bob Inglis (GOP).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Inglis

[Randian]

That isn't evidence.

[protefeed]

The black Congressman who was concerned about Guam tipping over has more experience.

And by your argument, you should have voted for McCain over Obama because McCain had more experience.

Got any actual evidence that, for the values Republicans prefer, someone else is better qualified than Scott?

[Palin's Buttplug]

Wrong. I said Scott was one of the five most qualified. Just not the most.

[protefeed]

You still didn't offer any proof that, for the values Jim DeMint holds, that Scott would be an inferior pick if you ignore race.

It's not affirmative action if you pick the person whose values best fit yours. It's only affirmative action if you are a racist who selects based on race rather than merit.

[protefeed]

Odds are 4-1 that Scott is the most qualified in a real test.

By that argument, none of those five should be appointed IF you know nothing at all about them, because then the odds are 4-1 against any of them being the best.

Are you always this retarded in your arguments?

[T]

Experience gets you Daniel Inouye or Patrick Leahy over Rand Paul. Fuck experience.

[Generic Stranger]

That isn't evidence.

Your mistake was thinking that Shriek understands the word "evidence". Or any word more than one syllable long, for that matter.

[RBS]

He was my Rep. until we got the new 7th district. I think he's pretty much a standard GOP guy draped in a little bit of the Tea Party. So no, I think he would be terrible maybe not as terrible as Graham but still pretty bad.

[Matrix]

Government to ban infant recliners

because parents don't care to read safety labels or instructions.

[Generic Stranger]

Between this and the CPSIA, in a few years no one will bother to make ANY products for children, due to the combination of high barrier of entry and the risk for litigation and having the government shut down your business because of idiot parents.

[A Serious Man]

Swimming robot completes its 9000 mile journey from San Franscisco to Australia.

Well that's just great, now the robots have taken control of the sea.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Now where will we be safe from Zombies?

[Restoras]

I thought the Professor on Gilligan's Island already covered this?

[Bee Tagger]

the robots have taken control of the sea.

The libertarian dream of seasteading is a reality?!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Well that's just great, now the robots have taken control of the sea.

Meh. I'm pretty sure that already happened when I lost my Roomba at the beach.

[$park?]

You should check to see if there's an outline of your house dug into the sand.

[Brett L]

Ladies and Gentlmen, I give you the newest thing in renewable synthetic fibers: Hagfish slime. I'm currently filling out my grant application for $10M to start the first sustainable hagfish farm and renewable synthetic fiber factory. (Is $10M too small? I might need to go $100M to make sure they understand my commitment to saving the environment.)

[Zeb]

Hagfish are really interesting. THe slime really is amazing stuff.

[SweatingGin]

Wake me up when you can make a DNA altering drug from sea cucumbers embedded in orphan girls.

[Matrix]

Burglar calls 911 on homeowner who pointed gun at him

Punk is lucky he didn't get blasted.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Dumb American:

'I didn't know there was gun control in Canada': U.S. student spends four months in Canadian custody after carrying pistol across the border

[rts]

Retarded Canadian laws too.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

Attn: Reason

If you want donations, promise an edit button.

That is all.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Washington is celebrating the first day of the legalization of marijuana with some pretty chill parties.

"Bro, not cool. That was my door, man. And my dog..."

[Bee Tagger]

Washington is celebrating the first day of the legalization of marijuana with some pretty chill parties.

Some libertarian I am, I was hoping that said chili parties.

[Ska]

I shudder at the thought of a chili party. Call it a cook-off or something so those of us with warped minds don't veer off into disturbia.

[Ayn Random Variation]

We just got our first medical mj dispensary in Jersey. It's actually called Greenleaf - I guess after Ozzy

[Ska]

Isn't that Sweetleaf??

[gaijin]

^^indeed. SL introduced me, to my mind

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

DOJ hasn't weight in yet, but the DOT has, and marijuana is still illegal for truck drivers (and anyone else covered by the applicable DOT regs). My company got the memo today.

[Brett L]

GOP steps on own dick again, fires staffer who dared suggest that IP reform might be a good idea.

The Republican Study Committee, a caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives, has told staffer Derek Khanna that he will be out of a job when Congress re-convenes in January. The incoming chairman of the RSC, Steve Scalise (R-LA) was approached by several Republican members of Congress who were upset about a memo Khanna wrote advocating reform of copyright law. They asked that Khanna not be retained, and Scalise agreed to their request.

I wonder if they even wiped the Disney jizz off their chin before running out to fire the guy.

[$park?]

That's goofy!

[mnarayan]

That article came out a couple weeks ago didn't it? I'm sure they had time to shower off and everything.

[Raston Bot]

IP-related and from the 24/7 newsfeed (DONATE!)...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/kim-.....d=10852335

Details of the top secret international spy agency ring known as Echelon will have to be produced after a new judgment in the Kim Dotcom case.

The internet tycoon was also cleared to pursue a case for damages against the police and the Government Communications Security Bureau in a judgment which has opened the Government's handling of the criminal copyright case for its harshest criticism yet.

DOJ might reconsider sucking MPAA's cock next time. But probably not.

[ant1sthenes]

Fucking Bob Page.

[tarran]

Since the free market won't create the monopolies the mercantilists crave, the Republicans have to step up to the plate.

[Jerry on the road]

DeMint resigns just in time before the GOP leadership starts selling out.

[Drake]

He's about 24 years late by that standard.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

110 Canadians can smell like fresh pizza

[Bee Tagger]

whose members are accused of anonymously criticizing public figures and commenting on cases on a newspaper's website.

So is the crime wasting the people's money by thinking they could sway opinions this way?

[Cytotoxic]

RTW is immoral and must be stopped. Unconstitutional too.

[Randian]

It isn't great, but I don't think either of your statements is true. Right to Work is a state-level overreach in response to the FedGov's hyperaggressive NLRB.

[Cytotoxic]

One wrong does not rectify the other wrong!

[Sernylan]

"RTW is immoral and must be stopped. Unconstitutional too."

So, you're saying that state law prohibiting a union from forcing me to pay dues for employment, against my will, is both immoral and unconstitutional?...huh..go figure. I'm glad yours is not the final word on the constitution, nor on morality.

[Coeus]

If that's all it was, it would be fine. They usually go too far in the other direction. Kinda like the civil rights act. Government over-reach in the other direction from the Jim Crow laws. It's never enough just to nullify, they always gotta add more bullshit.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

New Trend in Brazilian models.

[Jerry on the road]

I'm not clicking that.

[protefeed]

It's a SFW trans model in a swimsuit. Good looking in a soft butch way.

[Brett L]

FSU girls, decently hot and very easy, promise top recruit that no matter how much his teammates suck, he'll get laid if he signs with us. I would say that the photos offer a fair representation of the talent around here.

The women of Florida State did everything they could Wednesday night to sell top recruit Andrew Wiggins on the school during his official visit.

[Pro Libertate]

Prostituting coeds is part of what got SMU the death penalty, you know.

[Brett L]

They are volunteers! Just full of school spirit and trying to help the team in any way they can. Honestly, I'm sure the coach and staff have no contact with any of these girls.

[Pro Libertate]

Exactly. Maybe FSU needs a break from football for a while until it can breed a new kind of player.

[Brett L]

One that can win in spite of the coach?

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, that kind. I still don't get why they didn't force out Bowden and promote Mark Richt.

[Brett L]

It had to be a kamikaze mission. And Weatherell was the only guy who could do it. But Richt took some time hitting his stride, too. Jimbo needs to hire an offensive coordinator. He should also hire Gene Chizik as his defensive coordinator. Chizik did good things in that role for Texas.

[Pro Libertate]

I think FSU's natural state is to be good at defense and to have some speed on offense. When it doesn't do that, it loses its way.

Should've joined the SEC when you had the chance, I think. The ACC is football poison for some reason.

[wareagle]

prior to TX, Chizik was Auburn's DC in the unbeaten '04 season. It's head coaching that gives him trouble.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

What's Ender doing at Florida State?

[Yes, I know his last name is Wiggin, no "s"]

[Killazontherun]

As long as he is there he isn't trespassing on my property for a change.

[Enough About Palin]

The Florida State Semenholes.

[Ted S.]

Eleven Men and a Girl (aka Maybe It's Love) used this premise (well, a slightly cleaned-up version of it) all the way back in 1930.

There's also the comedic value of Joe E. Brown cast as a football player.

[Lord at War]

Andrew Wiggins

The enemy basket is down!

[Brett L]

The condom of the future is for teh wimmenz.

In theory, an electrospun condom could be discreetly inserted into the vagina for a woman to wear. Once inserted, it would not only physically block sperm from entering the uterus, but it could time-release a potent cocktail of anti-HIV drugs and hormonal contraceptives. The woman wouldn't have to worry about removing it, because the fibers of the condom would dissolve into the bloodstream after a few days. Then a new condom can be inserted.

[Doktor Kapitalism]

Actually not a bad idea. I'm betting the feminists will hate it, though. Can someone check Jezebel to see their reaction?

[seguin]

Like the article mentioned, I bet actual women subject to actually misogynistic societies like those in southern Africa will love it. Whiny white bitches, prolly not.

[$park?]

Nothin say love like a potent cocktail of anti-HIV drugs and hormonal contraceptives dissolving into your bloodstream.

[np]

hormonal contraceptives

Must be for those horse-like, cervix-hitting dudes

[Ayn Random Variation]

actually that sounds like it's for the benefit of the menz.

[Coeus]

actually that sounds like it's for the benefit of the menz.

Everyone involved benefits when you remove the break in the action necessary to open and roll on a condom.

[Matrix]

So how did you guys celebrate the anniversary of the end of prohibition?

I had a shot of Forty Creek Confederation Oak (oh so damn good), and some beer.

[Brett L]

Whiskey, beer, and then more whiskey.

[$park?]

Went to work, went home, ate some freezer pizza, worked on my history paper, went to bed.

[protefeed]

Eggnog from CursedCo with nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon while watching "Boardwalk Empire".

[Pi Guy]

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

The wife made me a couple vodka martinis.

[SweatingGin]

Gin, rye, more gin.

[A Serious Man]

Verizon files patent for DVR that literally watches you and records information to decide what ads to show you.

Imagine this being mandated in every home!

[Matrix]

I can't see this ever going bad... nope! Not ever!

[Ayn Random Variation]

I see 1984 everywhere I look.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

and it sees you right back.

[nothinghead]

That patent is invalid. Yakov Smirnoff established prior art back in the 1980s.

[np]

A Tax Evasion Bonanza Hidden in a Swiss Bank

Swiss-German Tax Treaty Nears Failure

Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said Switzerland is not prepared to give any more concessions to Germany, and that the failure of the agreement would be "good news for German tax evaders."

"They could continue hoping to remain unexposed until the statute of limitations on their tax crimes expires," she said in an interview with SPIEGEL. "With a 'no,' we'll be keeping the status quo."

Haha, beautiful.

[np]

Online sales tax to be added to defense authorization bill

A proposed online sales tax has been offered as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, much to the ire of opponents.

[Matrix]

but it was paperclipped!

[db]

So if possession of pot is legal under a certain quantity now in some states, what's to stop DEA undercover agents from following partygoers home and executing search warrants to find amounts that exceed the state legal limit? This would be a way for the feds to claim they're only targeting people who are not in compliance with state law, similarly to how they claim to only go after dispensaries in CA that violate state law?

[protefeed]

They wouldn't have probable cause that people smoking a joint had more than one ounce on their person.

If they wanted to be dicks, they could just arrest anyone lighting up for violating federal (but not state) laws. No need to follow them home. Dunno if the Ds want to FUBAR their reelection chances like that.

[Zeb]

The DEA also doesn't have the resources to do that. They may try to go after producers and sellers once that becomes legal in WA and CO, but I'd bet that you won't see them going after anything small beyond perhaps making an occasional example.

[Juice]

So Santa's workshop is in India after all?

[Brett L]

Yes! Hat tip on the PM Links page! Eat it, slackers.

[Brett L]

You are now free to jog naked in New Zealand.

[Matrix]

I don't see why one would want to, unless you were a girl with very small breasts.

Guys and girls need some support.

[protefeed]

I think a sturdier version of these fishnet bras would qualify as jogging naked, while offering support:

http://www.google.com/search?h.....80&bih=619

[Restoras]

The Bounce-o-meter. Enjoy, and say thanks to Tonio.
http://www.shockabsorbersport......meter.html

[Elspeth Flashman]

NHTSA saying regulations for black boxes are closer than you think.

story here.

[Matrix]

you Sugarfree'd the link!

[Brandon]

Where?

[Corning]

A Republican choosing a black man man to replace him as a senator is racist.

[Pro Libertate]

You kid, yet you don't.

We're starting to sound Roman crazy, after the orgies and other craziness got going.

[Corning]

Roman crazy, after the orgies and other craziness got going.

Was that before or after The Republic....cuz according to the TV shows Spartacus and Rome the craziness was pretty well established during The Republic.

Wasn't the whole city established by a couple of brothers who fucked dogs?

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, that's Hollywood bullshit at work. Romans at large were pretty conservative--family values, all that stuff. Even at the top, until things got decadent with the crazier emperors.

Strange thing, absolute power.

[Corning]

Hollywood bullshit

Thought as much.

In the Gallic Wars Caesar starts out as a pretty decent guy...for a Pagan general anyway.

By the end he is starving, killing and enslaving people in the 10s of thousands.

I assume such a decent into perdition could only occur if he was not already there to begin with.

[Pro Libertate]

They were pretty tough by our standards and didn't balk at blood. But the history of the Republic is pretty interesting--not a lot of wars of conquest. The Romans were often invited in, and just as often would come, kick ass, then leave. Until they didn't, which is when a lot of the trouble started.

[Corning]

descent* into perdition

[Ayn Random Variation]

If a D does it it's diversity. If an R does it, it's a dog whistle uncle tom aunt jemima pander

[Enough About Palin]

Bailout on the Brink
Judge Set to Rule on Case that Could Reverse Auto Bailout

A New York federal judge may rule imminently on a case that could reverse the General Motors (GM) bailout and send the company back into bankruptcy, according to sources close to the case.

At issue is a backroom deal hatched by GM to fulfill the Obama administration's demand for a quick bankruptcy, draining the automaker of nearly all of its cash on hand and leaving it in worse shape than it was when it collapsed in 2009.

One condition of GM's bailout was to shore up its overseas subsidiaries. On the eve of entering bankruptcy, the company cut a $367 million "lock-up agreement" with several major hedge funds to prevent GM Canada from failing. The agreement ensured that GM could spin-off its liabilities to "old GM," while using a multi-billion dollar bailout to create a new company.

All of that could be reversed if bankruptcy Judge Robert Gerber reopens the process and rules in favor of old GM trustees, who are suing the hedge funds at the center of the lockout agreement.

http://freebeacon.com/bailout-on-the-brink/

[tarran]

This would be fucking awesome.

[Enough About Palin]

I totally agree.

[Pro Libertate]

Do it. Do it.

[Episiarch]

Please Jeebus yes. Please.

[Pi Guy]

Schaweeeeet!

[Brandon]

NOOOOOOOO! This would just allow the Times and HuffPo to start campaigning for Obama to be Emperor because "he had saved GM, and GM would be worth eleventy trillion dollars if it hadn't been for those meddling courts!"

[Corning]

Obama to be Emperor

I can handle that if it triggers Harry Reid being knifed to death on the Senate floor by his fellow Democrats.

If we are that close to our republic falling it is going to happen anyway...might as well make it bloody and entertaining rather then a boring decade of a slow slide into it.

[Pro Libertate]

Let's push things and see what happens. I don't think we're there yet, so maybe His Emptiness will go to far and get tossed out on his ass.

We need a healthy constitutional crisis about now.

[VG Zaytsev]

Who are our Marius and Sulla?

[Pro Libertate]

Possibly alive right now, that's who.

[Coeus]

Gun advice requested:

Backrgound: I'm getting a pocket piece for concealed carry and have decided I want one of the new mini 9mms. I'm looking for small size, reliability and a short trigger reset (currently have a kel-tech p11 and the trigger is horrible). Basically down to the diamondback db9 or the kimber solo. I'd like to get a kahr cm9 due to the +p capability, but from what I've read, the trigger pull and reset is insanely long (they're all bad but the kimber is less so, and the db9 is even better).

My question is: Have any of you with larger hands held or fired these any of these guns (solo or the db9)? I would like to know if the trigger break is too close to the grip for bigger hands (I have already read that this is a problem with the kahr). In other words, leverage is weak where the most pressure must be put on the trigger.

[heller]

The leverage is weak! You're weak!

/Glengarry Glenn Ross

[Coeus]

My hands are. I have arthritis. I play through the pain for the other joints, but the hands are a bit too much. Used to do grip-strength exercises, but it's been a couple of years, and I've decided it's not worth the increasing pain. It's not too bad, I can still open pickle jars and shit, but tiny double-action triggers really suck.

[Episiarch]

Almost every concealed carry pistol without a safety has what one would consider a horribly long trigger pull for safety reasons. If you want something less, have a gunsmith modify your P11.

[Coeus]

I get that. The models I've settled on are the best of a bad bunch in that respect. I'd like to stay with the stock triggers, due to the finicky nature of the pocket 9mms. Just not sure about the trigger break for large hands (not something easily researched online).

[Gray Ghost]

I am very interested in this thread, as my fiancee is looking for a similar type of handgun, though we're willing to consider .380. I really enjoyed shooting the Sig P238, and I understand they make a version of it (P938) in 9mm.

Would the baby Glock (G26, IIRC) fit the bill, Coeus?

[Coeus]

I checked it out, but it's too fat for a pocket gun. And the problem with the sig is the exposed hammer. If your fiance is going to carry in a purse, then the drawbacks of these new slimmer 9mms aren't worth it. They are really picky about ammo.

[protefeed]

Thinking of getting my GF a handgun for Christmas. Any suggestions for something reliable and accurate but inexpensive?

[T]

I hear good things about the S&W M&P 9mms. Inexpensive, decent quality, not a Glock. Other peopel I know are fond of the Springfield XD.

I dunno. I'm a 1911 guy, so my advice is suspect. You kids with your funny plastic handguns need to get off my lawn.

[db]

I shoot both 1911s and Glocks in competition and can recommend both. I prefer 1911s though.

[db]

I don't have one myself, but several of my friends have M&Ps; and they seem to be great guns.

[Gray Ghost]

The M&Ps; I have shot (it hasn't been many, though I've shot them in 22, 9, and 45) have uniformly had atrocious triggers: high weight, inconsistent break and travel. Other than that (Mrs. Lincoln) I liked them quite a bit.

I'd love 1911s if you didn't have to spend a friggin fortune to get them to run reliably. (And still, there are no guarantees. Demoing a ~2500 dollar Wilson Combat and having the fucker repeatedly fail to go into battery was a little disconcerting.)

[Episiarch]

For semi-auto, I have Kel-Tecs: PF9 and P3AT, but they may need a "fluff and buff" to work well, which you can do yourself or send it back to the factory where they will do it for free. For revolvers, Taurus makes a bunch of light, inexpensive .38s that are fine.

There are a ton more choices if you want to spend some more.

[SweatingGin]

Don't know if it happened to anyone else, but I'm pretty sure I bent the frame on my p3at. Must be too fat (think it was in a blue jeans pocket)

It's never fed well for me, even after fluff and buff. Heard good things about Kahr. Mostly carried my full-size Steyr (like a G17). Makes damn sure you stand up straight. Haven't been able to carry at last two jobs.

Still, for all the trouble with it, nothing beats wearing the kel-tec between a dress shirt and a t-shirt, with no one ever knowing.

[darius404]

I don't know much about picking out guns, but I know this much:

Don't just up and buy one for her. She should have some say in the choice, and should definitely try out potential guns before you buy. The last thing you want is a gun that doesn't fit right in her hands or otherwise gives her problems (such as too much recoil).

[SweatingGin]

One quick note, I'd be afraid of a prosecutor figuring out you'd had you concealed gun modified.

Imagine what the prosecutor would be doing if Zimmerman's gun wasn't stock. You know it is stock just because you haven't heard anything about it.

[Coeus]

One quick note, I'd be afraid of a prosecutor figuring out you'd had you concealed gun modified.

Don't be. At least if you're in Texas. Not sure about other states.

[db]

If you want short trigger reset throws why do you not do a single action?

Just a note: I compete in USPSA Production division with a Glock "safe action" and my splits are like 0.11 seconds. Long resets don't necessarily kill your splits. I have actually experienced trigger freeze more often on single actions with super short pulls. Not sure why.

[Coeus]

The kimber is one. It's still got that insanely long reset. And a safety.

[db]

Swap out the trigger with one that has an adjustable pull. It's quite simple. I love 1911s but often carry a Glock or a High Power to change things up. If you're looking for a good DA/SA small pistol, check out a CZ 2075 RAMI if you can find one. A friend has one and it's a sweet piece.

[Coeus]

Nice. And doesn't have to be carried cocked and locked. But it may be a bit larger than I'm looking for. Does an adjustable pull trigger also adjust the reset?

[db]

Well, the RAMI as far as I know doesn't have an adjustable pull. I was talking about an adjustable trigger for the 1911.

Triggers like this one have a set screw in them that allows you to adjust for overtravel. The pull required to release the sear doesn't change, but you can set it so it only overtravels a couple of thaousandths afterward so the reset is very short.

http://www.brownells.com/userd.....0033_1.jpg

I have carried 1911s cocked and locked for 15 years now with no problems.

[Coeus]

I was talking about an adjustable trigger for the 1911.

The solo isn't actually a 1911. It just looks like one on the outside. And the cocked and locked I'm worried about is because I want this to be a pocket gun.

[db]

Sorry splits are 0.011 seconds.

[Coeus]

Nice. I just don't have any other guns with long resets, and know I'll have a shit load of trouble adjusting. I don't get out to the range anywhere near enough.

[db]

Dry Fire! It can make a huge improvement in your shooting and it costs nothing.

[heller]

A raid on a sweatshop in India uncovered a pack of children enslaved and forced to make Christmas decorations.

Libertarians like this.

[Auric Demonocles]

Because some of our competitors got shut down?

[Matrix]

to be fair, they were gluing popsicle sticks together and putting on sprinkles and cotton balls. Kids in American classrooms do it all the time. Where are the raids there?

[Robert]

Irony gauge pegged!

[Enough About Palin]

Rivkin and Casey: The Opening for a Fresh ObamaCare Challenge
By defining the mandate as a tax, one that will not be uniformly applied, the Supreme Court ran afoul of the Constitution.

ObamaCare provides that low-income taxpayers, who are nevertheless above the federal poverty line, can discharge their mandate-tax obligation by enrolling in the new, expanded Medicaid program, which serves as the functional equivalent of a tax credit. But that program will not now exist in every state because, as a matter of federal law, states can opt out. The actual tax burden will not be geographically uniform as the court's precedents require.

Thus, having transformed the individual mandate into a tax, the court may face renewed challenges to ObamaCare on uniformity grounds. The justices will then confront a tough choice. Having earlier reinterpreted the mandate as a tax, they would be hard-pressed to approve the geographic disparity created when states opt out of the Medicaid expansion. But that possibility is inherent in a scheme that imposes a nominally uniform tax liability accompanied by the practical equivalent of a fully off-setting tax credit available only to those living in certain states. To uphold such a taxing scheme would eliminate any meaningful uniformity requirement?a result that the Constitution does not permit.

[seguin]

John "CJ" Roberts' rebuttal:

F#$@ You, that's why.

[VG Zaytsev]

Roberts will just rule that for the new case it's not a tax.

[Coeus]

A reporter Asner about that stupid video he narrated for the teachers union.

Asner then goes full golden shower. Never go full golden shower.

[Mad Scientist]

I love Asner's complete lack of self-awareness.

[OldMexican]

Re: Coeus,

Asner then goes full golden shower. Never go full golden shower.

Trickle-down derision.

[SIV]

Newspeak

[SIV]

This week in Newspeak

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Various mental health groups supported the legislation, including the coalition organization Mental Health Liaison Group, which said that use of the word "lunatic" and other outdated and offensive terms, "only serve to perpetuate this stigmatization" against people with mental health conditions.

I don't think terms like lunatic stigmatize people with mental health conditions. I think the stigma comes from their irrational actions, like shooting your wife than committing suicide in front of your boss, dyeing your hair red and shooting people in a movie theater, or dressing up in black raincoats and shooting random classmates.

[Zeb]

Yeah, I don't really see a problem with calling murderous nut-jobs "lunatics".

[Killazontherun]

Gee, Leon, you're going to keep Assad in the dark about what you are planning to do:

http://english.alarabiya.net/a.....53718.html

U.S. President Barack Obama has warned of consequences should Assad use the weapons, with the White House citing "contingency planning" when asked about the possibility of military intervention.

Panetta restated Obama's warning of consequences for Assad on Thursday, adding: "I'm not going to speculate or comment on what those potential consequences would be."

"But I think it's fair enough to say that their use of those weapons would cross a red line for us," he said.

But, isn't there a group of people you need to be open to if you are planning to go to war there? You know, the people doing the fighting and paying for your war ambitions, the people of whom you supposedly represent? Nah, fuck America. Once you acknowledge going to war is a big deal, your hands are tied.

[waaminn]

Sounds like a prettry solid plan to me dude. Wow.

http://www.IP-Hidden.tk

[Enough About Palin]

Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion on Obama family last year, perks questioned in new book

Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion dollars on everything from staffing, housing, flying and entertaining President Obama and his family last year, according to the author of a new book on taxpayer-funded presidential perks.

In comparison, British taxpayers spent just $57.8 million on the royal family.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/09.....z2EJZ3oXX6

[OldMexican]

Re: Enough About Palin,

Taxpayers spent $1.4 billion on Obama family last year,

Hey, community organizers ain't cheap, ya know.

[Zeb]

It's insane. They should have to pay for everything not essential to being president themselves. Basically, I think the president shouldn't leave the whitehouse on anything but official business unless he is paying his own security and transportation costs. Not only is it a huge expense, but it is a big hassle for anyone who happens to be somewhere that the president visits.

[Gray Ghost]

Flying, (what was it, a dozen?) of Malia's and the other kid's friends to Mexico for Spring Break was a nice touch.

Seriously, make the fucker pay for his own security and a lot of this shit will cease. As for the hassle, I don't know how you all who live in D.C. can put up with it. Even the very limited visits from Biden and Obama here have fucked up traffic massively.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If you were responsible and paid off your student loan debts early--sucker!

The "Pay as You Earn" program will allow eligible student-loan borrowers to cap monthly payments to 10 percent of discretionary income, and have their loans forgiven after 20 years. An earlier version of the program capped payments at 15 percent and offered forgiveness after 25 years. Congress had scheduled the new program to phase in in 2014, but the Obama administration took regulatory measures to make those options available sooner. It's estimated 1.6 million borrowers could take advantage of the program.

http://www.denverpost.com/brea.....ptions-set

[Killazontherun]

There is even an extra kickback for public employees with student loan debt. It is as impossible to fully grasp the depth of corruption that exist in the public sector as it is to imagine the shape and size and content of the universe.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

[raises hand]

It's as if the government is doing everything it can to discourage the least bit of thrift.

[Kwanzaa Cake]

By the way, lenders generally have another word for this sort of thing: DEFAULT.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

It's going to be interesting to see what happens when all the striver poors going though college take out a shit-load of debt, then flood government offices with job applications in the desperate hope they'll win the Public Service lottery.

It seems like it would be a lot easier to just nerf the federal student loan program and convert most of that money to a straight-up grant program instead.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Driving in Russia

[OldMexican]

The IMF can take their report and their "recommendation" for higher taxes and higher spending and shove it up their fucking ass.

The socialists and the Keynesians would have you believe that austerity is a bad thing, and that firing government workers when unemployment is already high is the wrong thing to do.

Anyone believing those myths needs to consider Euro Countries (and the IMF) Can Learn from Latvia's Economic Success.

In 2008?09, Latvia lost 24 percent of its GDP. It was heading toward a budget deficit of 19 percent of GDP in 2009 without a program of radical austerity.

[...]

At the outset of the crisis, the IMF favored devaluation, but the Latvians resisted firmly with strong popular support.

[OldMexican]

This was a truly front-loaded program. Of a total fiscal adjustment of 17 percent of GDP, 9.5 percent of GDP was carried out in 2009. Two-thirds of the adjustment was expenditure cuts that are more easily executed in a crisis, and only one-third revenue increases, mainly through consumption taxes. The low corporate profit tax of 15 percent was maintained to stimulate business. Latvia needed international financial support, and fortunately the IMF, the European Union, and neighboring countries did both commit and deliver on time.

Latvia's economy continues to recover strongly. Following real GDP growth of 5.5 percent in 2011, growth is expected to exceed 5 percent again this year despite recession in the euro area. Labor market conditions are improving. The unemployment rate fell from 16.3 percent at the beginning of the year to 13.5 percent at the end of the third quarter, despite an increase in participation rates. Real wage growth remains restrained. Consumer price inflation has declined sharply, easing to 1.6 percent at end-October after peaking at 4.75 percent in mid-2011. Robust export growth is expected to keep the current account deficit at about 2 percent despite recovering import demand.

[Mike M.]

Charles Barkley and James Harrison inject some intelligence and common sense into the "gun culture" debate; John McEnroe pisses pants like a little girl.

[Killazontherun]

McEnroe, or little Miss Shit Her Pants, as the line judges called him.

[db]

I'm glad some people are challenging Costas on this at or above his level.

[Mike M.]

George Zimmerman sues NBC.

I don't know if he has a great chance of winnng, but man I hope he takes these vile scumbags for tens of millions of dollars.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It may be a lot about getting information out about how the press handled Zimmerman.

[Pro Libertate]

I don't see how in hell he could be convicted of anything right now. Prosecutorial/police misconduct that is known prior to trial is pretty much a not guilty verdict. Just the perception that that was the case in the OJ trial led to him walking.

[Hell's Librarian]

"There was no intent to portray Mr. Zimmerman unfairly," she said. "We intend to vigorously defend our position in court."

Three employees of the network or its Miami affiliate lost their jobs because of the changes.

This will be hard to reconcile, I think.

[Pro Libertate]

Lies usually are.

[Zeb]

Well, laziness and incompetence can look a lot like malice sometimes.

[Syd Henderson]

"Sen. Jim DeMint is resigning to lead the conservative Heritage Foundation, and he's encouraging South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to consider Rep. Tim Scott as his replacement."

Hopefully Haley will ignore his suggestion as coming from an idiot. Way to give the kiss of death to a potential nominee. I'm sure Haley will nominate a conservative Republican that is her choice rather than quitter DeMint's.