A.M. Links: Kim Jong-Un Orders More Rocket Launches, NC Judge Commutes Death Sentences, Tax Bill Sent to Greek Parliament, Assaulted Fox News Contributor Not Seeking Police Help, John Kerry Likely Secretary of State Nominee

• Kim Jong-Un has ordered more rocket launches after the success of the widely condemned launch earlier this week. 

• A judge in North Carolina commuted the death sentences of three convicted prisoners after ruling that race played a role in jury selection. 

• A tax reform bill submitted to the Greek parliament includes a new top tax rate of 42 percent on those earning more than €42,000 a year. 

• Fox News contributor Steven Crowder has yet to ask police for help after being punched in the face during a right-to-work protest in Michigan. Crowder has said he would rather have an MMA-sanctioned fight with his assailant to settle the matter.

• It is looking increasingly likely that Sen. John Kerry will be the next Secretary of State. 

• The Muslim Brotherhood will be holding rallies in Egypt ahead of tomorrow's referendum on a controversial draft constitution. 

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

A tax reform bill submitted to the Greek parliament includes a new top tax rate of 42 percent on those earning more than ?42,000 a year.

Those people are going to be a flight risk.

[Generic Stranger]

I call hax.

[Whiterun Guard]

My Big Fat Greek Exodus?

[Whiterun Guard]

Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight, we dine in Belgium!

[Rights-Minimalist Autocrat]

Mussels, frites, and dubbel? Count me in.

[LTC(ret) John]

Double the dubbel and I'll make it.

[Rasilio]

Here is one thing I have always wondered about with this.

Do other countries have multiple layers of taxation the way we do here in the US?

I mean are there Greek State and city taxes or is that federal rate the only one? Because if it is then that top marginal rate doesn't look so bad, if however you have to throw a 12% State tax and 4% local tax for example then you'd be looking at a big problem.

For reference a resident of New York City would be facing a top marginal tax rate of nearly 50% right now...

35% Federal
8.82% State
3.65% City

[wareagle]

most places do not have the multiple rates because we are not like most places, not in terms of sheer size or in layers of bureaucracy. Keep in mind that most other nations are the size of a typical state if not smaller. No room for all those layers beyond, maybe, a municipal tax/fee of some sort.

That's one of the things people making false comparisons between the US and other nations conveniently leave out. And that high NY rate bothers me much less when I factor in how most of those folks are Team Blue fellators.

[Fist of Etiquette]

because we are not like most places

USA! USA! USA!

[robc]

You left out 2.9% Medicare.

Unlike the SS part of FICA, it doesnt cap out, so it still in the top marginal rate.

[SKR]

um VAT?

[Rasilio]

I'm aware that they have a VAT over and above their income taxes, what I was more looking for was a comparison of the realy top marginal income tax rates between countries.

A seperate but also useful metric would be to measure the total effective tax rates across countries and even when I have seen this attempted it only looks at the Federal rates, what I want to see is one that includes all levels of taxation from all levels of government across multiple countries.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Tax-dodging is a national pasttime in Greece, so it's not like it matters where they set the rates.

[Drake]

Yep - more incentive to sleep through the day at their government jobs and work for cash at night. And buy all your stuff on the black market.

[SKR]

like anyone actually pays their taxes in Greece.

[Generic Stranger]

Kim Jong-Un has ordered more rocket launches after the success of the widely condemned launch earlier this week.

I'm so ronery...

[Tim]

RAUNCH LOCKET!

[Whiterun Guard]

Prepare for trouble...

[Whiterun Guard]

Come on, no one is gonna back me up on this one?

[Tim]

Not a one.

[Whiterun Guard]

Come on....you know you want to...I'll give you another chance:

Ahem.

Prepare for trouble...

[AuH2O]

And make it double!

[Restoras]

There will be rubble!

[Quetzalcoatl]

Looks like Whiterun Guard is blasting off again...

[Fist of Etiquette]

If the nations' leaders formed a boy band, he would be the bad boy. He would be the disc jockey who prank called the queen. He would be the fiscally conservative Republican on the House committee.

[Whiterun Guard]

He would be the guy that makes you order Zima when it's your round.

[Whiterun Guard]

It is looking increasingly likely that Sen. John Kerry will be the next Secretary of State.

Reporting for doodee

[wareagle]

he served in Vietnam, you know. Then came back and tossed someone else's medals over the White House fence while telling Congress fantastical stories about what his barbarians in arms had done. After that, he married a couple of rich women.

[hamilton]

THREE PURPLE HEARTS!

[Whiterun Guard]

They're always after me Lucky Charms!

[Ted S.]

He was against the nomination before he was for it.

[Quetzalcoatl]

That would be the happiest day of former reason intern and noted high-school graduate James Taranto's life.

[PS]

I see what you did there.

[Rasilio]

Actually I am mildly surprised that Obama would do this because at the moment the most likely person to win a special election for Kerry's seat is Scott Brown

[Drake]

He may be running for Governor.

[mr simple]

Good, I think he'll be able to do a lot less damage as SoS.

[Drake]

Because we are already a joke?

[mr simple]

Yes, no one takes us seriously anymore. Also, our international prestige means less to me than what senators routinely do to us.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Fox News contributor Steven Crowder has yet to ask police for help after being punched in the face during a right-to-work protest in Michigan.

Maybe he reads Balko.

[Whiterun Guard]

ASJA has decided to handle this matter internally.

[mad libertarian guy]

Maybe he reads Balko.

This.

I'm convinced that the only reasons to ever call the police are to A) procure the necessary police report to submit to your insurance company in the event of accident/robbery, or B) if someone is found dead in your home.

Otherwise, there's virtually nothing the cops can do to ease your situation at all, and way too many things they can do to fuck your day up in a bad way.

[tarran]

Be careful summoning ambulances because the cops show up as well...

When my ex miscarried @ 4 months, I called 9-11. I'm helping the EMT's get her and the fetus on the stretcher and there's this cop standing in the living room looking around.

At the time I was not going to divert anyone from helping my ex so I didn't say a word.

[PS]

Making sure you didn't push her down the stairs?

Much as the commentariat around here loves to hate them some Dunphy, I think he was telling the truth about the war on domestic violence being in the same ballpark of ridiculousness as the war on drugs. I've seen a bit of this myself second hand. It certainly gets less coverage.

[GILMORE]

i think he's lovable if insufferable. like a family member who drives you nuts.

[PS]

He's been getting more insufferable and certainly more defensive for a while, but he takes a hell of a lot of flack also.

[sloopyinca]

He deserves every bit of it after saying that guy who was shot after cracking his door was "an idiot that had it coming." Fuck that asshole.

[RBS]

Yep, I hope everyone will remember this.

[PS]

Except he brings in an interesting viewpoint, I don't see anyone else around here writing about the WoDV, not least the Reason staff.

Other regulars have held more assholish opinions but because Dunphy's a cop his opinions are less theoretical or something?

IMO you should chill out your hate-dunphy-boner, it's strays into religious fanaticism.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

It's just a little hard to reconcile being allegedly pro-gun and pro-self-defense with also being pro-summary-execution if you answer the door of your house in the middle of the night armed.

[sloopyinca]

Read this.

And I was posting the same stories on here well before I ever knew who dunphy was. What I do has nothing to do with that asshole. For some reason he thinks it does. And yeah, I make fun of all his "accomplishments" in life because its laughable when he adds to the list of Buckaroo Banzai-like talents. But what he does that riles people up really boils down to the comment thread I linked to.

[LTC(ret) John]

That was the last straw for me. Oh, and the self reference as "an unmitigated force for good".

[sloopyinca]

Also, remember that the narrative the cops told in that story were physically impossible. The victim could not have swung the door open and pointed his gun at the officers based on the architecture of the apartment and the angle of the bullets that entered the door and jamb. This had been pointed out to dunphy several times and his default was still, "fuck that guy. Good riddance."

The more often people like dunphy are held up as an example of what an enabler is, the better for all of us. Until they are capable of criticizing their own and holding criminal cops to the same standard as the rest of us, the will be vilified on here by me and several others.

He's a scumbag. I'm sorry you can't see that, but its true.

[tarran]

Dunphy is such an evil shit that at times I've considered trying to start a South Park Cash for Gold "Kill Yourself" campaign against him.

The episode where he claimed Andrew Scott deserved to be murdered by the cops was Dunphy showing his true self. He is a morally defective monster who is a danger to those around him. The rest of humanity would be better off if he didn't exist.

Of course, when one coolly considers how to handle him, it becomes evident that the best response to Dunphy is to completely ignore him. He wants attention, and he doesn't much care whether it's adulation or people impotently spitting invective his way. It all feeds his ego. It's indifference he hates the most: there have been a few episodes where he fell apart when nobody interacted with him where he started replying to his own posts in a desperate plea for attention.

Filter the shit-bag gang-banger out and ignore him, and he no longer troubles your serenity and he will wander away to more sites more congenial to his self-esteem-lacking needy personality.

[PS]

Yeah, I agree that he's totally wrong about that, and it is an asshole position to take.

Perhaps the guy has become corrupted by the system in that he sees 'civilians' as lesser people and somehow has rationalized that into the idea that one doesn't have the right to answer the door armed.

The thing is, the WoDV thing is a valid topic that doesn't get much, well any, coverage. I first became aware of it when dunphy was going on about it, I dunno a year-and-a-half ago. But I'd seen it in action way back in the nineties against a girlfriend of a friend mine who was actually kind of a psycho bitch. But the alacrity with which the system swallowed her up made me nervous even then. My buddy had called the cops just to get her off his property. I realized even then that this could be a terrible weapon in the hands of a malicious agent, and that seems to be what has happened.

So my biggest problem with the dunphy hate is that it strikes me as leading towards a monoculture where it's just true scotsman libertarians, sockpuppets like Toneh, and the great enlightened contrarian Tulpa.

And lastly, Sloopy, congratulations on the kid, wish you all the best.

[tarran]

If Dunphy were human being that met minimal standards of decency, he'd be worth keeping around.

There are plenty of people with widely divergent views that don't get run off this site. Most of us can tolerate disagreement and enjoy it.

But some people are such pieces of shit that interacting with them is a colossal waste of time. Dunphy is one of them.

[PS]

If Dunphy were human being that met minimal standards of decency, he'd be worth keeping around.

[...]

But some people are such pieces of shit that interacting with them is a colossal waste of time. Dunphy is one of them.

This, couched in more PC terms, strikes me as the same sort of argument used to ban the wrong sort of people from speaking on campuses. Anne Coulter is like totally icky and evil and not even human.

I've been fucked with by plenty of asshole cops for no reason, and these were people that definitely sucked, people with a streak of sadism, people who were bored little piss-ants who wanted to bust real criminals but ended up fucking with me as I drove home from closing up the pizzeria at 3 am on a sat night. I don't detect such from dunphy despite his views on answering the door armed.

[sloopyinca]

Thanks for the well-wishes, PS. I appreciate it.

As far as dunphy goes, I'm not here to administer a true scotsman test. But, when I have asked him on several occasions if cops should be treated the same as "civilians," and his answer was always some slippery excuse involving union contracts, training or some other bullshit.

Anyone that doesn't believe in equality under the law isn't worth shit to me. And I'll make it a point to ensure they are exposed whenever necessary.

Dunphy may fool some people on here with his stances on the drug war and legalized gambling, but at heart he's still supportive of the double standard and placing police officers outside the normal scope of the law. That, to me, is inexcusable.

[PS]

Dunphy may fool some people on here with his stances on the drug war and legalized gambling, but at heart he's still supportive of the double standard and placing police officers outside the normal scope of the law. That, to me, is inexcusable.

Okay, well perhaps he's fooling me also, but like I said I was most struck by his comments about the WoDV, which strikes me as a valid subject that isn't really being addressed. Perhaps he's lying about his negative first-hand experiences or perhaps it is something that is being abused and can ruin people's lives.

[Restoras]

I think the cops show up to act as protection for the paramedics. Not that they need to be there, of course, and certainly not for your benefit.

[tarran]

think the cops show up to act as protection for the paramedics.

That was the vibe I got too. It was pretty clear that this was a medical issue, our apartment didn't have any contraband, we weren't combative. He was about as useful as tits on an asexual man, and he knew it.

[Drake]

I assumed they show up because they don't have anything else to do except harass drivers.

[mad libertarian guy]

I wouldn't even have let them in. If I was asked why, I'd respond with, "I called for an ambulance, not the police. If you need to be here for any reason, get a fucking warrant, asshole."

[Brett L]

Seems like a good sentiment, but if you're actually worried about getting timely medical treatment for someone, as long as the cop isn't actively interfering with that, I think I'd just let it slide.

[mad libertarian guy]

Fair enough. I was mostly commenting in the event I had the opportunity to turn one away before entry.

[Scooby]

Do the po-po show up if you call a private ambulance service?

[Lord Humungus]

'Can we have a liberal America without unions? History says no.'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....y-says-no/

And I'd add a larger meta-historical point. This is the experiment America's now having. Obama has just won re-election. A liberal president is popular. But juxtapose that with what just happened in Michigan. So the question is, can you have a liberal, progressive America without unions? History says no. For 200 years the existence of the union movement has been wedded to the rise of democracy, to the rise of liberalism. We saw this here, in South Korea, in Spain, in Africa. But now America is moving toward an experiment with whether it can have liberalism without unions. I think the answer is no. But we'll see.

[Kaptious Kristen]

That some quality writing, there, Lou.

[Whiterun Guard]

Seriously, why bother with research when you can just make shit up.

[Generic Stranger]

Errr....wat?

Leaving aside the fact that RTW laws don't destroy or disband unions, that's one massive post hoc fallacy.

[mad libertarian guy]

Leaving aside the fact that RTW laws don't destroy or disband unions, that's one massive post hoc fallacy.

How the media is not calling bullshit on this fallacy, and that, worse, they are perpetuating it, should be enough to burn down the offices every major news organization in the country. They aren't concerned with the news, but with providing the correct spin for Team BLUE politics.

They're not even trying anymore.

[Bobarian]

One might actually think they're part of a union or something...

and maybe being a little partisan?

[VG Zaytsev]

They aren't concerned with the news, but with providing the correct spin for Team BLUE politics.

They're not even trying anymore.

Newsflash:

They've never tried to do anything else.

[wareagle]

I don't think liberalism means what he thinks it means, and it hasn't meant that in a long time.

[generic Brand]

If you want a progressive's mind in a nutshell (the better to crush it, my dear!), I saw a post on Labor Day that basically said "You have unions to thank for 40-hour work weeks, paid vacation and sick leave, minimum wage, and no child labor".

No word on whether I have unions to thank for being unable to work more than 40 hours, being forced to take a paid day off if I have PTO to use (even if I don't want to use it for the occasion), prices everywhere going up because of mandated minimum wages, or not being able to hire a willing 12-14 year old to work for me at something that an adult would not want to do.

[wareagle]

about this 12-14 year old doing things an adult would not be willing to do.....

[WTF]

Careful, you may summon pedobot.

[generic Brand]

Like painting a fence for $5/hour

[wareagle]

come on, now; you know you can't leave a line like that just hanging out there like a big fat slow sloppy curveball.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

At that age, I was working for a family friend that bought and sold used restaurant equipment. I worked about 10-15 hours a week de-greasing/cleaning/polishing restaurant equipment and fixtures. I think I made 5 bucks an hour. That was good money back then. Kind of miss that job, actually.

[carol]

Actually, people can thank Henry Ford for both the forty hour work week and overtime pay, both of which he instituted years before the union came calling. Ford was an arrogant bastard who had little regard for his workers. His concern was to keep the lines moving and he used regular hours and cash incentives to do so. It worked and based on Ford's success other industries picked up the practice.

[General Butt Naked]

Oh, South Korea, Africa and Spain.

Interesting.

[WTF]

So, did the WaPo also run the story on union goons destroying the AFP tent, punching Crowder, and destroying a hot dog vendor's equipment while calling him racist names?

[Drake]

I want to crews-examine history and make sure he wasn't taken out of context.

[bostonaod]

The meaning of solidarity's what's at stake here. It approaches the sacred. But we don't hear that. The language of union leaders is that they're defending the middle class. But it's more than that. Workers are defending a concept, a sentiment, and a fundamental moral value.

It's less than that - if your union solidarity is some sacred and fundamental moral value, why do you need the force of law to compel it?

[mr simple]

Wow, the guy he interviews is actually nostalgic about union violence and thuggery. It's pretty telling that they don't feel they have to hide the fact that they want unions to have power over all labor, would force people to join, and bemoan any "conservative" attempt to grant workers freedom.

[mr simple]

With the decline of union numbers and the rise of a certain type of libertarianism, conservatives have returned to their old strategy, especially in the last two or three years.
...
Yes, though the UAW, which had 1.5 million workers in 1975, is now down to just 400,000 ? and only about 200,000 are autoworkers. It was already shrinking, thanks to transplants, China, automation.

It's everyone's fault but the union's that their numbers are declining.

[some guy]

They don't understand the concept of competition. They thought they were never need to understand that concept. Now they are upset that they were wrong...

[fish]

I thought WaPo was going to go behind a paywall so you would have to part with a few bucks to have your IQ lowered.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Wankblog strikes yet again.

[Enough About Palin]

The largest union in history was that liberal bastion the USSR.

[sarcasmic]

Kristen or Kirsten?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....ening.html

[Kaptious Kristen]

Definitely me.

[$park?]

I'll take Kate.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Kristen Bell is still the discerning man's Kristen.

[mad libertarian guy]

Kristen is just too damn trashy. Something about her look says "come; come and sniff my oily hair."

[sarcasmic]

Megan Fox is the queen of trashy in my book.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....miere.html
As well as an object of my lust...

[Restoras]

Yes, and Heather Locklear's daughter is growing up nicely...

[sarcasmic]

I saw that and wasn't impressed. Kim Basinger's daughter on the other hand.

*drool*

[mr simple]

Well, she's only 15, give her time.

[sarcasmic]

she's only 15

So is Bella Thorne.

[mr simple]

Oh god, is Lena Dunham trying to make herself more unattractive?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Dig the pic of Charlene Yi looking like she wandered in from the homeless shelter.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Kirsten Dunst--that's one woman to whom age will be a cruel master.

[Restoras]

I agree with you, however of the two she is by far more attractive and doesn't have the look of a deranged sociopath.

[John]

I don't think so. She still has a fantastic body and a cute face. I love Dunst. And as Restoras says above, she doesn't look like she is stoned or some kind of deranged nut.

[sarcasmic]

For once I agree with John about the opposite sex.

Unfortunately I also agree with RRR that she will not age well. She'll probably end up a plastic surgery nightmare like Melanie Griffith.

[Restoras]

Or Meg Ryan...

[sarcasmic]

Or Meg Ryan...

There's a sad story.

[Warty]

Kirsten's looking old there. Lookit them jowls.

[DJF]

US to deliver 20 Block 52 F-16s to Egypt

More taxpayer money being wasted. Egypt needs fighter planes to defend it from Israel and Israel needs fighter planes to defend it from Egypt and around and around we go with the bill being paid for by the taxpayer with a little help from the FED's magic money machine.

http://www.f-16.net/news_article4669.html

[Jam]

it's simply the MIC playing off the odd fact that people look up to politicians for jobs.

[Romulus Augustus]

This didn't stop the majority of Jewish voters from going for Obama did it?
So those jets must really be targeted at
those nasty Cypriots or some nation that doesn't have Star of David on its flag.

[R C Dean]

If we just have to pay for these planes because Military-Industrial Cronyism, can't we just keep them?

I'm not too worried about the Egyptians actually using them, because I imagine within a few years most of them will be grounded for lack of maintenance. Still . . . .

[Red Rocks Rockin]

The maddening thing is that, at $1 million a plane, that is relatively cheap, yet we keep fucking around with these POS F-35s.

[Drake]

Hey dumbass - They are better because a piece is made in every Congressional District.

[Rasilio]

Actually that is $10 million per ($213 million for 20 aircraft)

Even there the pricetag is somewhat of a surprise to me because the F-16 was close to $20 million each back when I was in the Air Force during the 80's. Sure they have completely recouped the development costs which means the per airframe cost will drop significantly, on the other hand inflation has more than halved the value of money in that time.

Realistically it looks like these are costing somewhere around 20% of what the original F-16's did in inflation adjusted terms.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Ooops, you're right, i skipped the zero. Even at $10 million, that's a bargain these days. The Air Force fact sheet lists them at $18.8 million in 1998 dollars, which is about $26.5 million today. They probably left some avionics out which lowered the cost.

[sarcasmic]

Cops beat up woman for trying to buy too many iPhones.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....hones.html

[Way Of The Crane]

Cops beat up woman for trying to buy too many iPhones.

In truth, they didn't tase and beat her for trying to buy too many iPhones, they did it because they don't have a fucking clue how else to deal with nonviolent people who don't follow their instructions.

"STOP RESISTING!"

[generic Brand]

Police found $16,000 cash on Li.

I hope mom and dad back in China like living on gruel since they won't be getting that monetary gift anymore.

[sarcasmic]

I was thinking the same thing. While the article doesn't say anything about it, you can be sure that the cash was charged with a crime and it's now up to her to prove its innocence before getting it back. The lawyers always win.

[Restoras]

That cash will wind up in the evidence locker and then mysteriously disappear.

[sarcasmic]

She'll get it back. She'll have to spend a few grand in attorney fees first, but she'll get it back.

[R C Dean]

In an optimistic mood this morning, aren't we?

[sarcasmic]

Sixteen grand. Only a complete fool would let the cops keep it.

[R C Dean]

Since it will be up to a judge, a "complete fool" is by no means out of the question.

[sarcasmic]

No drugs or guns were involved. I don't see what crime the cops could accuse the cash of committing. She'll get it back.

[WTF]

The cash will be tested and will be found to have drug residue. It will then be subject to forfeiture on that basis.

[R C Dean]

I don't see what crime the cops could accuse the cash of committing.

Hmm. She was trespassing because she was trying to buy too many phones with that cash. I think that's probably close enough.

[Rasilio]

I'm sure they can make something up

Apple restricts the quantity of iPhones you can buy because they don't want you reselling them overseas.

She had $16,000 on her.

Clearly she intended to buy $16,000 worth of iPhones, ship them overseas and resell them for a profit violating the copyright terms (and possibly technology export rules) and therefore the money is guilty of violating the DCMA.

Really you're not trying hard enough, you're just not cut out for a job as a mob enforcer in law enforcement.

[Generic Stranger]

To be fair, it looks more like they beat her up for trespassing and resisting arrest.

[Ted S.]

Cops beat up woman for trying to buy too many iPhones because fuck you, that's why.

Fixed that for you.

[sarcasmic]

Communist aircraft graveyard.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-away.html

[Way Of The Crane]

Wow, I always imagined the old soviet union in sepia tones, but I figured that they would have upgraded to full color by now.

[$park?]

Only the important get color, everyone else just fades into sepia.

[Quetzalcoatl]

They must've just gotten Instagram over there.

[Delroy]

In Soviet Russia, airplanes .... uh, that doesn't make sense.

[sloopyinca]

Sure it does!

In Soviet Russia, airplane abandons you!

[Delroy]

Bravo! I had forgotten about that movie.

"Shoot missile! Shoot missle! Oh yeah, I have to think in Russian."

[sarcasmic]

I had forgotten about that movie.

Me too. I kinda liked it that way.

[Lord Humungus]

Pentagon to send missiles, 400 troops to Turkey
http://news.yahoo.com/pentagon.....00827.html

The U.S. will send two batteries of Patriot missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a NATO force meant to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attack, the Pentagon said Friday.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed a deployment order en route to Turkey from Afghanistan calling for 400 U.S. soldiers to operate two batteries of Patriots at undisclosed locations in Turkey, Pentagon press secretary George Little told reporters flying with Panetta.

[Rich]

And so it begins ....

[Whiterun Guard]

Why couldn't they send turkeys to 400 troops instead? It'd be cheaper, and Christmas is right around the corner...

[Gene]

One in all in.

[mad libertarian guy]

Why can't the Turks protect themselves?

I can't wait to hear the Team BLUE apologia for yet another military action with their man in the Big House.

[wareagle]

you know how the drill goes; you have two choices of answer:
--FY TW
--it's okay when we do it

[LTC(ret) John]

I thought they would use both at once? And considering Turkey's "help" last time we asked for it, I'd have said - sure, we'll let you have all the Patriots you need - cash on the barrel-head.

[tarran]

And considering Turkey's "help" last time we asked for it, I'd have said - sure, we'll let you have all the Patriots you need - cash on the barrel-head.

You know, I like this idea. It would be good for the U.S. govt to weaken NATO in order to throw a temper tantrum and stamp its feet. We need fewer entangling alliances and opportunities for high-functioning sociopaths to play their games of human chess.

[Drake]

Glad I'm not the only one who remembers their giant Fuck You.

[tarran]

Actually, the invasion of Iraq was a big Fuck You to Turkey.

It was so nice of the U.S. government to set up a safe haven for the Stalinist PKF to launch cross border raids into Turkey.

Next you guys will be saying the Israel's bombardment of Gaza was a big fuck you to the U.S. too.

[Drake]

The Kurds are a problem Turkey created for themselves.

[tarran]

The Kurds are a problem Turkey created for themselves.

True. If Attaturk hadn't decided to conform to Woodrow Wilson's racist views that nation states should be built along ethnic lines and to violently try to redefine Armenians and Kurds as being Turks, things would have been much better.

But the notion that the Turkish government had an obligation to assist with an endeavor that was so obviously going to create massive problems for it because 30 years ago, Richard Nixon allowed the U.S. government to become the Saudi Monarch's bitch is laughable.

The U.S. made Iraq its problem. The Turks had fuck all to do with it.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Third choice: Bush!!!

[DJF]

Woman who look like Barbie Dolls are multiplying.

Warning, this could be your fantasy, this could be your nightmare.

http://englishrussia.com/2012/.....-multiply/

[LTC(ret) John]

That was ... disturbing, I think. I suspect, however, in Japan, dozens of men are fapping to that article.

[Lord Humungus]

Plastic people! Oh, baby, now you're such a drag

[Brett L]

Ugh. Pass. Creepy, creepy eyes. Being bigger doesn't make them any less dead.

[Enough About Palin]

As long as their vaginas work...

[Eduard van Haalen]

Snake-handler Barbie?

[Rasilio]

Come on Barbie Lets go Party

[Fist of Etiquette]

It is looking increasingly likely that Sen. John Kerry will be the next Secretary of State.

Winter Secretary.

[Whiterun Guard]

More like the Secretariat of State.

[hamilton]

Now that is funny.

[Spoonman.]

Crap, I almost spilled hot cocoa on my crotch.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Bwahahahahaha

I can't remember the last time I heard an original John Kerry joke...

[$park?]

Todd Akin happy to see he isn't alone.

A Southern California judge is being publicly admonished for saying a rape victim "didn't put up a fight" during her assault and that if someone doesn't want sexual intercourse, the body "will not permit that to happen."

[sarcasmic]

Bar Refaeli... I'll be in my bunk.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....rcial.html

[Restoras]

Goddam she is really hot.

[LTC(ret) John]

Seconded, thirded and more.

[sarcasmic]

Auuugghh! The statue is after me!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....craze.html

[$park?]

That's hilarious, Ronald McDonald FTW!

[Caleb Turberville]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/14/.....?hpt=hp_c1

The "prescription drug epidemic" is supposedly leading to an increasing number of orphans in eastern Kentucky. As if eastern Kentucky was that great to begin with.

[SIV]

And in nearby Johnson County, so many children have lost parents that school administrators there changed "Parents' Day" to "Guardians' Day."

Do people in Eastern Kentucky have some problem with calculating dosages?
Could this just be poor math skills rather than evil drugs?

I notice they include children of parents who "run off" in the orphan category.

[Quetzalcoatl]

"Previously, on Justified..."

[Brett L]

Thread winner.

[Ted S.]

Were.

And I'm sick and tired of the deliberate misuse of the word "epidemic".

[mad libertarian guy]

And I'm sick and tired of the deliberate misuse of the word "epidemic".

Why do you hate children and love drugs?

[R C Dean]

Some questions just answer themselves.

[Whiterun Guard]

Seriously. It's deliberate misuse is becoming a pandemic.

[Whiterun Guard]

EAT ME YOU APOSTROPHE, I DIDN'T TYPE THAT.

[Ted S.]

Somebody else made that happen?

[LTC(ret) John]

Dude, you are on a hell of a roll today - just don't use everything up at once!

[Lord Humungus]

Marc Faber: "Paul Krugman Should Go And Live In North Korea"
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/.....orth-korea

"The views of the Keynesians like Mr. Krugman is that the fiscal deficits are far too small. One of the problems of the crisis is that it was caused by government intervention with fiscal and monetary measures. Now they tells us we didn't intervene enough. If they really believe that they should go and live in North Korea where you have a communist system. There the government intervenes into every aspect of the economy. And look at the economic performance of North Korea.

[Kaptious Kristen]

And look at the economic performance of North Korea.

What he fails to understand is that economic performance doesn't matter to the Krugnuts - it's all about EQUALITYIEZ!

[Quetzalcoatl]

I'm sure there are other factors in their poor economy... not disagreeing that Krugman should move there, just saying it sounds a bit like "libertarians should move to Somalia".

[Jam]

lately he's been blaming robots for unemployment and dodging high skilled immigration questions. his socialist model doesn't work with open borders and robots.

[mad libertarian guy]

[H]is socialist model doesn't work with open borders and robots.

That's because Krugabe is a xenophobic luddite.

[Spoonman.]

Robots don't cause unemployment, or the Industrial Revolution wouldn't have led to a massive increase in wide-based prosperity.

[tarran]

Robots don't cause unemployment

Bullshit! The number of coopers and blacksmiths and wheelwrights all crashed after the industrial revolution! Seee, unemployment!

(the fact that new professions are created that were heretofore impossible is somehow always forgotten).

[Mike M.]

lately he's been blaming robots for unemployment

Obama did this a while ago with the ATM silliness.

[mad libertarian guy]

Finally, we have a reason-addled countermeasure to SOMALIA!!!!!!!!

[Certified Public Asskicker]

The NFL wants everyone in the playoffs

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_.....odell-says

[RBS]

In other NFL news, RGIII not black enough

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/.....--nfl.html

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I mean come on, endorsing Subway? Only white folk eat there.

[Whiterun Guard]

Then again, I remember when only white folk ate at McDonalds...

[mad libertarian guy]

I'm lovin' it!

[Auric Demonocles]

I did have Subway last night...

[nicole]

So, not knowing a ton about football, I read about that yesterday and was completely confused by the whole beginning of the story. Why is anyone asking this guy about being black at all? It's not like he's the first black guy in the NFL by a long shot.

[hamilton]

People have never quite got beyond the "How long have you been a black quarterback" thing.

[Whiterun Guard]

He's the first black QB to win ten Superbowls though.

[nicole]

That's impressive. But I feel like if you won 10 Super Bowls, someone probably noticed you were black before.

I mean I figured it was the position, but it still seems like a little much.

[Whiterun Guard]

Look, nicole, I hate to mansplain this to you, since the NFL to a woman is like quantum physics to a donkey.

But anyone can go out there and win 8 or 9 Superbowls. Black, white, Chicom, whatever. People don't even start paying attention until you get to number 8. But to win 10, that's important. No one ever expected a black QB to do that!

[robc]

You missed an opportunity there WG, the proper analogy is:

the NFL to a woman is like quantum physics to a donkey woman.

[Generic Stranger]

I think Whiterun is messing with you. The guy's a rookie with the Washington Redskins, and they've gone 7-6 so far.

[nicole]

Thanks, Generic Stranger.

Guys, I am out here fucking admitting I don't know about football, and this is what you do?!?

Of course it is.

[mad libertarian guy]

You wouldn't love us if we didn't abuse you properly.

[hamilton]

So come up to Mass and see grown up football teams play on Sunday night. You won't learn a damn thing in Chicago.

[nicole]

I do know how the game is played, I just don't follow the NFL or know anything about the teams or history to know why this was a big deal.

[Ted S.]

Um, that would mean interacting with Massholes.

[Restoras]

I'll take your run of the mill Masshole over the douchebag NYers* I have to associate with.

*Caveat - I live in southern NY where the entitled, elitist, d-bag ratio is the highest. The other parts of NY aren't so bad.

[Ted S.]

I live in the Catskills. I fully agree with your assessment (and caveat) about people in NYS.

I don't know which group of sports fans is worse, however.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'm still trying to offload one ticket to that game. No one wants to go if they have to sit by themselves.

[some guy]

New England lost to Seattle AND Arizona this year. Arizona. You don't get to call them "grown-up" until they make up for that pathetic showing.

Arizona.

[Whiterun Guard]

I can't help it! I have a genetic disposition.

[Suthenboy]

Not to worry nicole. I dont know shit about it either. I have never once watched an entire game in my life. I couldnt care less about pro sports.

I will watch lingerie football....and any kind of shooting competition, but other than that, no thanks.

[fish]

Guys, I am out here fucking admitting I don't know about football, and this is what you do?!?

50 Shades of Reason

[gaijin]

Not everyone is Whiterun Guard.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Bless your heart 🙂

[Rasilio]

For a little more detail.

Back in the racist dark ages of the 70's and prior it was believed that an African American could never succeed at playing Quarterback in the NFL because they would never be able to master the mental aspect of the game well enough.

Somehow this belief persisted even though one of the greatest QB's of that era was somewhat of a mental midget (Terry Bradshaw of the dominant Steelers teams in the 70's).

Then in the 1980's a black QB actually did win a Superbowl and you had a couple more REALLY good black QB's come along (Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham).

These days the NFL doesn't really think about the color of the QB's skin very much (at all that I can tell) but in the Sports Media there still persists this anachronistic meme about black QB's being less successfull or their being exclusively "Running QB's" who are more exceptional athletes than actual QB's

[Kaptious Kristen]

One of my favorite Trivial Pursuit questions was something along the lines of "To whom was Hollywood Henderson referring when he said 'He couldn't spell 'Cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a' ' ".

[robc]

Dan Marino put up a 16 on his wonderlic test, which probably makes him smarter than Bradshaw (dont think they had the test in his day) but really below average for a QB.

[Rasilio]

Don't remember off the top of my head who it was but I remember a couple of years ago there was a hotshot QB coming into the draft who scored a 6 on the Wonderlic. It might have been Vince Young.

Having personally taken a Wonderlic for a job interview once I can tell you that your average 3rd grader would score higher than a 6 because the test itself is not particularly hard, it is just timed agressively.

[robc]

It was Vince Young.

My understanding is that somewhere short of double digits is a sign of illiteracy.

[nicole]

Thanks, Rasilio, that's pretty interesting.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Somehow this belief persisted even though one of the greatest QB's of that era was somewhat of a mental midget (Terry Bradshaw of the dominant Steelers teams in the 70's).

I think you are perpetuating a stereotype about Bradshaw, and maybe Southerners in general. I was listening to an interview with Terry this week on The Petros and Money Show, and was struck by how eloquent, and incisive he was in regards to the NFL. He certainly is an excitable guy, and prone to some "awe shucks"-isms. But I don't think he is a mental midget midget at all.

[Rasilio]

it is true that Bradshaw's lack of intelligence is somewhat overrated, and when it comes to Football he is actually very knowledgable and intelligent but it is pretty clear the guy is not even close to a genuis.

I'd guess that to the extent that such a thing is measurable he's probably around a 95 IQ, just on the low side of average intelligence.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

it is true that Bradshaw's lack of intelligence is somewhat overrated, and when it comes to Football he is actually very knowledgable and intelligent but it is pretty clear the guy is not even close to a genuis.

Bradshaw's only indication of not being supremely intelligent is the fact that he's been married multiple times. Other than that, most of the hype about him being "dumb" came from the smart-ass journalists of his era when he was struggling during his early career.

[sloopyinca]

Well, he was involved in the project known as Smokey and the Bandit II, so I think questioning his intellect is fair.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

It is racist not to be concerned about how many blacks play qb.

Questioning how black they are however, is not racist.

[wareagle]

and it's especially not racist when a black guy is the one doing the questioning. When Stephen A is the voice of reason in a discussion, that is one fucked up discussion.

[LTC(ret) John]

STEVE SMITH...oh, wait, wrong one.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Stephen A. is not so bad. He can go off the rails occasionally, and can get wrapped up in identity politics. But here is an interesting short article where he professes conservative views, and explicitly says he does not rely on government and distrusts the political process.

http://www.bookerrising.net/20.....ut-im.html

[mad libertarian guy]

It's the same with everything.

It's racist not to question how many blacks there are in the highest echelons of power (Congress, SCOTUS, POTUS), but it's absolutely okay to call those we do have House Nigger or Lawn Jockey or Uncle Tom.

[Mike M.]

This. Although he hasn't been in the limelight for very long, RGIII appears to be of exemplary character, and for that he has to put up with this kind of crap. It's fucked up beyond belief.

[Brett L]

So they want to be like the NBA and that other sport we used to have that ran on the same schedule as pro basketball.

[LTC(ret) John]

"that other sport we used to have"

Thanks for reminding me, you SOB!

*runs sobbing from the room*

[$park?]

This never would have happened on Kung Fu Theater.

A knife-wielding man injured 22 children and one adult outside a primary school in central China as students were arriving for morning classes Friday, police said, the latest in a series of periodic rampage attacks at schools and kindergartens.

[generic Brand]

A knife-wielding man injured 22 children and one adult outside a primary school in central China

They spelled "gun" wrong in that story.

[Restoras]

FTW. Oh, and FUCK YOU Costas.

[Ted S.]

Obviously we need knife control to stop assault knives.

[Whiterun Guard]

Also we need better knives, because, come on...injuries?

That's not a knife...

[Rasilio]

Knife Control, isn't that what you go to Culinary school to learn?

[Suthenboy]

See England's knife laws......

[LTC(ret) John]

No kidding - the Scots I was with in Iraq were relieved that when they got home, they were going to be given "the liberty of the city" by the town near their barracks - all that meant is they could carry a knife, legally... whee!

[Zeb]

They actually have people regularly propose bans on pointed kitchen knives. They are so fucked.

[sloopyinca]

After the fallout from their dentistry bans of the 50's and 60's you would think they'd proceed cautiously when they want to ban something else.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Too bad this guy wasn't there. Oh and screw eminent domain wherever it happens.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....-fans.html

[invisible furry hand]

British Deputy Prime Minister states the bleedin' obvious:

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Lib Dem leader said: "We are losing the war on drugs on an industrial scale.

"In politics, as in life, you can't keep on doing something that doesn't work. You can't keep repeating the same mistakes."

[John]

"In politics, as in life, you can't keep on doing something that doesn't work. You can't keep repeating the same mistakes."

The United States has a President who says otherwise.

[alittlesense]

I thought that politics was all about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

[Rasilio]

No, politics is doing the same thing over and over and blaming someone else for the results

[mad libertarian guy]

Not just the US. The entire world engages in this shit.

[Zeb]

More surprising would be a president who didn't say otherwise.

[John]

Kim Jong Un looks like the bully in the old Calvin and Hobbes cartoons.

[Quetzalcoatl]

+moe

[Pro Libertate]

Could be. After all, he is playing Calvinball.

[Lord Humungus]

I know this has been covered - but for those who missed it:

Double-Tap: The NYU Student Tweeting Every Reported US Drone Strike Has Revealed A Disturbing Trend
http://www.businessinsider.com.....an-2012-12

NYU student Josh Begley is tweeting every reported U.S. drone strike since 2002, and the feed highlights a disturbing tactic employed by the U.S. that is widely considered a war crime.

Known as the "double tap," the tactic involves bombing a target multiple times in relatively quick succession, meaning that the second strike often hits first responders.

[Gene]

That is a well established terrorist tactic.

[Whiterun Guard]

Only an idiot first-worlder would think that.

Look I'm as against drone strikes as the next guy, but this is an utterly idiotic point. And shows that both the journalist and the NYU student have probably never left the safety and security of the power grid.

[hamilton]

Wait, what? So you're totally cool with deliberately coming back to an attack site to nail the rescuers under the theory that they're PROBABLY comrades-in-arms and not just a bunch of nice people trying to help other humans (oft times children) in distress? Really?

[Whiterun Guard]

What? No, not at all.

I'm against freaking drone strikes in the first place.

But the whole 'first responders' argument is idiotic.

There are no first responders where they are striking.

Period dot. Anyone who shows up in anything less than an hour after it hits is not a first responder.

They could very well be nice people trying to help other humans. But that's not what the article said (unless your just going to blanket 'first responder' as whoever shows up first - but in that case it could just as well mean comrades-in-arms.)

I'm just saying it's disingenuous to write an article and try and imply that they are droning firemen and cops, 'cause that ain't happening.

I mean there's plenty of reasons to be against drone strikes without having to lie about it.

Also it wouldn't be a "war crime" unless they were wearing medical insignia. I mean a war crime over and above the fact that it is ALREADY a war crime.

[R C Dean]

There are no first responders where they are striking.

I hear they do have ambulances, doctors, and even decent human beings who will try to help another person who is injured, even in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

[Whiterun Guard]

I've been to both places. And like I said, no, there aren't.

I can only assume about Yemen, but it's a pretty good instruction.

In Kabul, or one of the larger cities in Pakistan, maybe. But where the drones are hitting, nope.

[R C Dean]

So you're saying that there aren't any decent human beings in AfPak?

[Whiterun Guard]

So you're saying that droning jerkwads in AfPak is just fine with you?

[R C Dean]

Not at all. I've changed my mind on this one. Droning is bombing is an act of war, and we shouldn't be fighting a war anywhere right now.

I'm an old-fashioned Westphalian nation-state guy. Under the Westphalian approach, if someone in a foreign country attacks you, you ask the foreign country to take care of it. If they can't/won't, then you can go forward under either (a) the foreign country, as a sovereign, is responsible for any and all attacks launched from its territory, or (b) the attacks are being launched from an area that is not subject to sovereignty by someone who is hostis humani generis and thus subject to being killed out of hand.

Afghanistan post 9/11 fit rather neatly under (a). Its possible the AfPak region today fits under (b), but we aren't treating it that way. Thus, if you want to bomb Pakistan's sovereign territory, you need to go to war with Pakistan. And we aren't, and probably shouldn't. So, no droning, thanks.

[Zeb]

"First responder" could just mean the first person to show up to help, or whatever; not necessarily official rescue people. In which case there are always first responders.

[Whiterun Guard]

If that's the case, then why bother with the article.

You and I both know what they were trying to imply with 'first responder'.

[hamilton]

I think they were mostly trying to imply "not a militant", or "innocent".

[Whiterun Guard]

http://images.search.yahoo.com.....r2=piv-web

http://www.bing.com/images/sea.....p;=-1&sk;=

[gaijin]

yeah it's like a dogwhistle or something...not really what it says, it's what they want you to hear. gotcha.

[Ted S.]

"First responder" is another term I'm coming to dislike.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

It's more or less used exclusively in the "oh boo hoo, those poor underpaid unsung heroes of public service, please give them more respect and money" sense.

[LTC(ret) John]

Correct! Stop with the auto-fellation of cops, fire, EMT and military. Sheesh, how about judging on, I dunno, conduct?

[Zeb]

See, I never really got that impression. Never watching TV news probably helps. I just figure they mean just what the words say. I hate it when people try to guess my intent and interpret my words, so I try not to do it myself.

[Tonio]

unless your just going to blanket 'first responder' as whoever shows up first - but in that case it could just as well mean comrades-in-arms

Or it could just be neighbors being neighborly. People tend to help one another out.

An ingenious self-reinforcing argument you got there: because there are no first responders (in the formally-trained western sense) then anyone showing up must be a bad guy.

You have any actual figures on Af-Pak EMS programs and training?

BTW, Christian Identity Terrorist Eric Rudolph was AFAIK one of the first to use the double-tap strategy when he bombed that gay bar and those abortion clinics, so, yeah, it's an established terror tactic.

[Whiterun Guard]

An ingenious self-reinforcing argument you got there: because there are no first responders (in the formally-trained western sense) then anyone showing up must be a bad guy.

Well, there's the rub. 'Cause that's what would make it a war crime (I mean, over and above it already being a war crime), since the Geneva Convention specifically spells out that the people rendering aid have to be 'specially trained for employment' to be protected and respected.

I mean obviously you're totally OK with the drone strikes in the first place, as long as we don't hit the sacred first responders, right?

[Tonio]

I mean obviously you're totally OK with the drone strikes in the first place...

No. Where did you get that idea from my post?

[VG Zaytsev]

BTW, Christian Identity Terrorist Eric Rudolph was AFAIK one of the first to use the double-tap strategy when he bombed that gay bar and those abortion clinics, so, yeah, it's an established terror tactic.

It was part of official Soviet asymmetrical warfare doctrine going back to at least the Russian Civil War, and probably longer.

It used to be one of the horrors that western writers used to prove the evil of communists. Nice to see it's official American policy now.

[LTC(ret) John]

IRA used to do it too.

[Tonio]

Thanks VG, Col.

[R C Dean]

If its a war crime when terrorists do it, its a war crime when we do it.

[The Late P Brooks]

Does anybody in Greece actually file a tax return?

[Jam]

the Greeks are more libertarian than Americans

[wareagle]

until you try to take away their entitlements at which point they more closely resemble the Occutards.

[Jam]

and you think Americans will be any different? Get your govt hands off my medicare!

[wareagle]

I never said Americans would be different.

[Jam]

it's simply people. human nature + democracy = chaos.

democracy started in Greece, and it will end there.

we have stumbled into a genetic glitch with democracy. it favors the current living generation at the expense of future ones.

[wareagle]

human nature + democracy = chaos.

could be why the Founders explicitly formed something other than a democracy here. And there is the part about people figuring out they could vote themselves money from the Treasury. Greece got their quicker but decades of electing and re-electing the Socialist Party has a foreseeable outcome.

[Restoras]

^What wareagle said. The Founders were likley very well versed in ancient Greek and Roman history and understood all to well the perils associated with democracy.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Except hopped up on ouzo instead of gluten-free microbrews.

[Ted S.]

Discus Stu has ouzo for twozo.

[robc]

To make a beer gluten-free means not using barley, which means it isnt a malt beverage according to law, and thus isnt under the TTB's jurisdiction, but instead, the FDA.

I just point that out because its a hella different process.

[generic Brand]

I actually have a tax question as we approach the new year. I would like to change my withholding to the maximum amount so I get 100% take-home pay (not counting that bullshit social security or medicare tax). But I've heard that Uncle Sam doesn't like people not paying anything and trying to reconcile their tax bill at the end of the year. Is this true? Do I need to save and send in at least quarterly payments, or can I save everything and just send in a check sometime before April 15?

[LTC(ret) John]

There is only so much you can adjust pre-theft, er, withholding. Also, Uncle does get right pissed off if you don't at least lay quarterly tribute at his feet. If your payments/withholding is not within a certain amount come tax time, you will be penalized and maybe more.

[R C Dean]

I also think there is a penalty tacked on to your return if you under-withhold by too much.

[Zeb]

I think you end up paying penalties if you haven't paid anything until tax day.

[mad libertarian guy]

Take as many exemptions as possible. Your HR person at work out to be able to refile this info for you pretty easily.

We do the same here in the mlg household. I stay at home, but the wife takes every exemption she can, and we pay the balance on tax day. I see no reason to give Uncle Sam an interest free loan. Fuck that.

[flye]

Owing over $1000 at the end of the year is the test for when you need to make quarterly payments.

[gaijin]

As long as you have paid, or had withheld, at least 100% of your last year's tax liability you are prolly fine...unless you make more than ~165 in which case you will have to have 110% of last year's liability withheld/paid quarterly to avoid underpayment penalty. You cannot 'make up' an estimated tax liability a single estimated tax payment...they must be made each quarter at least. You can have extra withheld from a paycheck and the gov treats it as if you spread it throughout the year.

[robc]

Back in the 90s, I did a late calculation one year and realized I was well short of the 100%, so for my last paycheck of the year, I had an extra amount withheld. I think my paycheck was like $5.

The company payroll person sent in the info and the payroll company called me back to verify "You realize you basically arent getting a check for this 2 weeks, you okay with that?"

[gaijin]

in the midst of such a situation right now...definitely one benefit of mixed W2 and 1099 income is being able to use the W2 withholding to avoid estimated tax payments...and an underpayment penalty!

[Brett L]

Legally, you have to settle up every quarter. There is a small but definite penalty for not settling up at least quarterly. I've done this a couple of times, been 1099 for six years now, and sometimes its more convenient for me to skip a quarter and get right in April. But I pay something for that privilege.

[$park?]

All together now: Eeewwwwwww!

Meanwhile, her daughter's stomach kept growing. Three months later, Roberts decided to take her to the hospital, where doctors discovered the tumor.

"It was 19 pounds, well 20 pounds in size," Roberts told First Coast News, "But because of her size, they had to drain two liter bottle of it before they could pull it out of her."

[Whiterun Guard]

So...don't go to any Chinese restaurants in Jacksonville for the next few weeks?

[Lord Humungus]

The Fed's Contradiction
Easier money hasn't led to more growth, so we need still easier money.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....on_LEADTop

Four years ago this month the Federal Reserve began its epic program of monetary easing to rescue an economy in recession. On Wednesday, Chairman Ben Bernanke declared that this has worked so well that the Fed must keep easing money for as long as anyone can predict in order to save a still-sputtering recovery.

That's the contradiction at the heart of the Fed's latest foray into "unconventional policy," which is a euphemism for finding new ways to print money: The economy needs more monetary stimulus because it is still too weak despite four years of previous and historic amounts of monetary stimulus. In the words of the immortal "Saturday Night Live" skit: We need "more cowbell."

[gaijin]

All part of a plan to enable the government to issue debt...the economy doesn;t need stimulus, the government does.

[Suthenboy]

"...Chairman Ben Bernanke declared that this has worked so well that the Fed must keep easing money for as long as anyone can predict in order to save a still-sputtering recovery."

Wow. Just...fucking Wow.

[Lord Humungus]

Explaining The U.S. Economy Via Star Wars
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/.....-star-wars

[LTC(ret) John]

Not right! I never got cool Boba Fett armor, and I look terrible in a chainmail bikini.

[Whiterun Guard]

You have failed me for the last time...

[Lord Humungus]

how do you know that you look terrible in a chainmail bikini?

[Tonio]

Don't go there, LH, it's a trap. See also, "does this [article of clothing] make my butt look big"?

[LTC(ret) John]

Um, er....nothing!

[Tim]

Let's give the Muslim Brotherhood some B-52's to go with those F-16s.

[John]

Nuclear missiles. Go all of the way.

[Ted S.]

Why do you want them to rape Kate Pierson?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Tin roof, rusted!

[SIV]

I just had a root canal and getting a hydrocodone 'script from either my dentist or the endodontist was like pulling teeth!

[John]

I had one and was only able to get Tylenol 3 and only one script at that. Just stupid.

[$park?]

I see what you did there.

[nicole]

I had oral surgery done about 18 months ago that was the most painful work I've ever had, worse than when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I was living elsewhere with a different dr for the wisdom teeth, and he was great about the pain meds, but the guy here (who was a referral from my dentist) told me to just take Motrin. It was unreal. I was in so much pain I didn't eat any solid food for about three weeks, and when I went for a followup and mentioned that he was like, "Why?" And still insistent that I didn't need anything more than a couple Tylenol. Meanwhile my dentist will give me T3 if I have to get a filling. I don't get it; I would blame the DEA straight up but it seems to be so dr-dependent.

[SIV]

I wonder if dentists are retaliating for the "prescription drug epidemic"?

I was sent home and told "there probably wouldn't be any pain but if so, call".
As soon as the novocaine wore off I realized something was really wrong, called in and the dentist explained he hadn't just exposed the pulp and nerve (necessitating the later root canal) but had actually hit it with the drill.

I bought $20 of un-needeed groceries to aleviate my agony waiting for the supermarket druggist to fill my late call-in 'script.

[nicole]

Yeah, I chalked my wisdom-tooth-surgeon's awesomeness to the fact that he was Canadian. Not to say that Canadians are necessarily awesome but they have always seemed much better on the pain meds front, based on the time I spent there. He gave me plenty of Vicodin and when I told him I had still been in pain over the weekend, he was upset I hadn't called him on a Saturday night to get something stronger. Great doctor all-around.

Meanwhile, the more recent doctor was kind of an asshole all around, so I suspected it was more just that. Pretty fucking uncool though.

[Zeb]

I think it has gotten worse over the past few years too. I'd bet that doctors get a lot more veiled threats from the DEA than they used to. Which probably affects some more than others. The one's who actually give a shit will still give you what you need.

My mom recently broke her arm in a pretty bad way and we had to fight a bit to get her 7.5 mg Vicodin for post-op pain.

My wife also recently injured her shoulder and got fuck all for the pain there as well. And then they totally fucked up her referral to PT. Our best guess is that they decided she was just trying to get drugs. And this was ner regular doctor and not the ER or something.

[mad libertarian guy]

I broke my ribs in 2006 while snowboarding, and a Canadian doc gave me enough meds to get home. When I went to the ER here, I waited for 8.5 hours to be seen, and was treated like a homeless heroin addict.

After I had a heart attack, the heart cath entry point (the femoral artery) was terribly bruised and hurt like a motherfucker. I could barely walk and tylenol/ibuprofen did squat. I asked the nurse upon being discharged if I might be able to get a script to last me a couple of days. She was the nurse who did my intake so knew a bit about me, felt really bad (because I was a 33 year old who had a heart attack and stent put in place in the last 72 hours) and she said, "I'm sorry sweetheart but the doctor just isn't going to give you one; I already asked." Then in hush tones said, "just go home and smoke pot, everything will be fine."

So here we have nurses advocating the use of illegal drugs because doctors are either too scared of being probed by the feds to give out scripts for perfectly legal drugs, or too busy being a willing soldier in the war on drugs. Great system we have.

[nicole]

Yeah, that really sucks, mlg. This is why I don't go to doctors unless absolutely necessary.

[Bobarian]

Doing dentistry in Canada is sooo much easier, what with the floppy heads...

[nicole]

To be clear, he was in the US, but from Canada.

[Spoonman.]

I guess my dentist was awesome because ibuprofen was plenty for me.

Unfortunately he's gone - keeled over in his 40s from an undiagnosed heart condition, so I can't recommend him.

[Spoonman.]

plenty for me on my wisdom teeth, that is. Never had anything more intense done to my teeth because my family won the genetic lottery on teeth.

[$park?]

Genetic lottery, except that you had to have your wisdom teeth pulled?

[LTC(ret) John]

Those teeth were frightened into sitting up straight and flying right by what they saw with the "removal" of the wisdom teeth. Pour encourager les autres.

[R C Dean]

I would blame the DEA straight up but it seems to be so dr-dependent.

Blame the DEA. The only reason any doctor won't give you plenty of pain meds is because they are afraid of the DEA. Some more so, its true, but I don't really blame them for being afraid of DEA goons kicking in their door, taking their license, and locking them up.

[Suthenboy]

The cops have figured out that docs have money and they charge them with illegal drug distribution on the premise that they are 'willfully ignorant' of the end users abuse of drugs. Then they get to seize any property or money that is the fruit of the crime....which turns out to be anything and everything the doc has.

Several docs I have talked to refuse to write scripts for any kind of pain killer, xanax, etc.

[Generic Stranger]

They prescribed hydrocodone when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. The stuff made me nauseous, so I ended up just taking ibuprofen instead.

[Lord Humungus]

Earlier this year I got Vicodin after my root canal. Thank god. When it wore off, the pain was so intense I was driving 80 in a 25 zone to get home and pop some more.

[Rasilio]

A couple of months back I had surgery for a Staph infection in my knee and they gave me all the Ocycontin I wanted.

Stuff worked great on the pain but I stopped taking it a couple of days after I left the hospital because it turned me into a friggin zombie.

I still had some vicodin left over from before they diagnosed the problem and did the surgery and switched to that and Naproxin.

[Tonio]

I think the lesson here is if you ever have one of those procedures to talk to the doc beforehand and state up front that you've heard a lot of stories of post-operative pain and don't want yourself to be a poster child for that. Also look him/her in the eye and explain how you don't want him/her to be a poster child for bad doctoring, particularly in this era of Angie's list.

[$park?]

Three cheers for the heroes of the TSA.

The mother and daughter said a bomb specialist showed up and several agents began talking on their cellphones all while other passengers were speaking up in support of the girl.

"There were people saying, 'Really? You're going to do this to her? Y'all have to take her somewhere private where she's not out in the public and everyone can see her,'" Shelbi said.

Daniels said the agents then suddenly told them they were free to go and offered no explanation about it being a false alarm or anything.

"It was a little much. I don't know what to learn from this one. Somebody, they need to go back to the drawing board on this one," she said.

I suggest she learn that her government is not her friend.

[Delroy]

You gotta love the TSA response:

"TSA's mission is to safely, efficiently and respectfully screen nearly two million passengers each day at airports nationwide. We are sensitive to the concerns of passengers who were not satisfied with their screening experience and we invite those individuals to provide feedback to TSA through a variety of channels."

In other words, "Fuck you, that's why."

[Whiterun Guard]

Maybe things are different now, but I remember when talking on a cell phone was one of the last things you wanted to do if you suspected a bomb somewhere.

[invisible furry hand]

Vote now for Vice's Cry-baby of the Year! Relive such glories as the reporter whose microphone was snatched out of her hand, the masturbating fairy tattoo fan and the nerdcore rapper who doesn't take criticism well

[Kaptious Kristen]

No Obama on that list?

[Jordan]

I was sure that the Orange Pussy would be on the list.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I voted for that fucking fucker postal carrier. Fuck.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

I went with overly concerned Brooklyn mommy. Ugly ass ho, who thinks she invented children.

[Tonio]

FTFA, and a reason to vote in this poll so this one DOESN'T win.

The incident: A school installed palm scanners in their cafeteria to make the lines move faster.

The appropriate reaction: Nothing.

The actual reaction: Speaking to her unbelievably low-budget looking local news channel, CONCERNED PARENT Mamie Sonnier threatened to pull her children out of school.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Well, yes, but the reason she she was "concerned" was because she thought the scanners would give her kids' hands the mark of the devil. Or something. Not because biometric scanning is invasive and stupid.

[Tonio]

Yeah, I realize that KK. But I'm willing to make common ground with anyone fighting things like this, even if they are doing so for reasons I find nonsensical.

Politics makes strange bedfellows after all.

[Lord Humungus]

so one month makes a trend?

US Consumer Prices Post First Drop in Six Months
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100314911

U.S. consumer prices fell in November for the first time in six months, pointing to muted inflation pressures that should allow the Federal Reserve to stay on its ultra-easy monetary policy path as it nurses the economy back to health.

The Labor Department said on Friday its Consumer Price Index dropped 0.3 percent last month as a sharp decline in gasoline prices offset increases in other areas. It was also the largest drop since May and followed a 0.1 percent gain in October.

[SIV]

DEFLATIONARY SPIRAL!!1!

[Jam]

have y'all listened to Steve Hanke of Cato (and Jeffrey Hummel) argument that inflation is hard to induce with fractional reserve banking? the commercial banks are 85% the money supply.

[R C Dean]

inflation is hard to induce with fractional reserve banking

But when it hits, it hits really, really hard, because of the leverage that fractional reserve banking creates.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If that was the case, the cost of healthcare should be a hell of a lot cheaper than it is now, if you go by the CPI.

[Whahappan?]

I though food and energy prices were left out of CPI because they're "too volatile?"

[SIV]

They're left out of the "core"#.
They are always relevant when they drop because DEFLATIONARY SPIRAL!!1!

[R C Dean]

The "too volatile" thing is a transparent dodge.

The solution to that isn't to omit them entirely, its to use a trailing average. 3 months would probably be plenty.

[mad libertarian guy]

The Labor Department said on Friday its Consumer Price Index dropped 0.3 percent last month as a sharp decline in gasoline prices offset increases in other areas.

Funny how it's okay to use fuel prices when they want to show a drop in inflation rates, but when people want to show a rise in inflation, fuel and food are verboten.

[Mike M.]

Another low bow to radical Islam.

At Obama's behest, the Army is soon going to be handing out a new 75 page manual to soldiers instructing them to kiss the ass of radical Muslims the way that he does.

Marine Gen. John Allen, to his everlasting credit, refuses to endorse the manual or sign a foreword that was written in his name without his consent. "Gen. Allen did not author, nor does he intend to provide, a foreword," a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said. "He does not approve of its contents."

[Gene]

If true, I could see it having a profound demoralizing effect on the troops. It would make the thought-that most probably already have- of WHY THE FUCK AM I HERE? that much more insistent.

[21044]

BZ Gen. Allen

[Red Rocks Rockin]

the Army is soon going to be handing out a new 75 page manual to soldiers

"that they'll immediately ignore because real-world experience is more important than a goddamn training manual."

[mad libertarian guy]

A tax reform bill submitted to the Greek parliament includes a new top tax rate of 42 percent on those earning more than ?42,000 a year.

Yeah. That'll work.

[invisible furry hand]

suburban crime-fighting ninja had not worked out what he would do if he came across an actual crime

more

[Jordan]

WTF is a snooker hall?

[mad libertarian guy]

Snooker is a billiard game. Think pool tables, only sans pockets.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Tiny snooker table.

[Whiterun Guard]

How the hell do you win!?!

[mad libertarian guy]

I never said I knew how to play. Just that I know what it is. There used to be a pair of snooker tables at a pool hall I frequented. Snooker is not popular in America, but in Europe it is.

[Restoras]

Hey now, if nobody wins then nobody loses and the plaeyrs are all equal. It is Europe, after all.

[Voros McCracken]

You ever see War Games?

[sloopyinca]

Snooker tables have pockets but they're smaller than on a pool table while the table is much larger. Billiard tables are the ones without pockets.

[invisible furry hand]

From my inbox: Katrina van den Heuvel drives The Nation over its own special fiscal cliff

As we look toward closing our books at year's end, we are once again facing a six-digit shortfall. The extraordinary expense of producing a host of groundbreaking, influential stories in 2012 has left our coffers badly depleted.

Jesus, they don't even beg as well as reason

[wareagle]

apparently, they over-value the perceived worth of those "groundbreaking, influential stories" that were generated.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

They aren't even as good as Counterpunch, which at least shows an interest in criticizing The Anointed One every so often.

[GILMORE]

...The extraordinary expense of producing a host of groundbreaking, influential stories...

..."apparently was not matched by any extraordinary interest in actually paying for our products by the general public, who is too stupid to appreciate how awesome we are..."

[Mike M.]

Racist analyst on bottom-feeding ESPN crapfest First Take calls Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III a "cornball brother". Aka, an Uncle Tom, a house negro, you get the idea.

[John]

I really wish RGII, who seems like a very good guy, would tell ESPN to fuck themselves and refuse to do any interviews with the network.

[Mike M.]

Me too. But both Robert and his father responded to this nonsense in about the classiest manner imaginable, and honestly taking the high road is probably the right way for them to go.

Watching ESPN slowly morph into MSNBC Junior over the last few years has been absolutely revolting. What a total crap network it has become.

[NoVAHockey]

I really haven't watched ESPN since they got rid of hockey.

It's simply not needed anymore to keep up with sports.

[Ted S.]

I only watch it for any sporting event not on another channel.

I really need to splurge for an HD satellite dish so I can get DirecTV's Australian Open mix now that they've gotten rid of it for the SD people.

[NoVAHockey]

I realized I was only watching Monday night football. And typically only the first half. I cut cable a few years back and haven't missed it. When hockey is on, I've got their online package.

[Ted S.]

I prefer listening to MNF on the radio.

[Ted S.]

Considering how ESPN still suck up to Serena Williams, perhaps RG3 should threaten to shove a fucking football down the journalist's fucking throat.

[John]

Black people are supposed to be edgy so white liberals can feel good about liking them.

[mad libertarian guy]

Black people are supposed to be edgy think like white liberals so white liberals can feel good about liking them.

FIFY

[The Late P Brooks]

The extraordinary expense of producing a host of groundbreaking, influential stories in 2012 has left our coffers badly depleted.

All that ball-licking, and no bailout?

It's tragic, I tells ya!

[sloopyinca]

Milwaukee succumbs to public pressure and will, after all, fire a police officer that punched a handcuffed and detained woman in the face.

[Fist of Etiquette]

He's going to get so much back pay when they rehire him.

[Andrew S.]

Obvious, isn't it?

[Restoras]

Surely, the hero peace officer will be reinstated? Or at least find work with another branch of the Blue Gestapo somewhere nearby...

[sloopyinca]

Cop kills bicyclist. Doesn't think it's a good idea to stick around.

[Ted S.]

He was actually indicted, and not placed on paid administrative leave?

[sloopyinca]

Indicted for leaving the scene, not vehicular manslaughter. Big difference there.

[sloopyinca]

"Who you gonna call, punk, the police? I'm the former Chief of Police and the director of 911. No, you ain't gonna call anybody. You're gonna just take the beating we're about to give you.

His son also assaulted someone in the same bar that night. And just to complete the madness, the DA was in the bar as well but was somehow unaware any of these actions took place.

[sloopyinca]

The assaults took place after a FOP party broke up and the officers decided to take it to a bar. The DA was also present at the FOP party because, you know, they don't give a fuck about being independent.

[Brett L]

Surely this is grounds to bring in the Feds, right?

[The Late P Brooks]

From Humungus' link above:

Solidarity isn't a purely altruistic concept. Unions have to be a combat organization, ready to fight the boss. That means there is an element of coercion involved. It's like taxes. The price of civilization is taxes. The price of unionism is solidarity. And, yes, that does involve coercing people to contribute to the union. Unions are not like the NRA or the Sierra Club, they're not purely voluntary organizations. They were given a slice of state authority in order to solve the problem of industrial violence.

Nice. The root of union power is gangsterism and thuggery.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

And this moron wonders why union membership has plummeted since the 70s.

When the boss can pack up his shit and go home, a la Hostess, it doesn't matter how effective a "combat force" the union is. There isn't shit the union can do about a liquidation.

[sloopyinca]

DOJ determines Florida police department was corrupt, deliberately misallocated funds seized in drug busts and accuses police chief of misconduct. In response, the department gives the chief a paid vacation.

[Tonio]

I am shocked, shocked do you hear...

[John]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....ntals.html

Maybe that whole marry a Victoria Secret Model thing is better as fantasy than reality. That is a man baby.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I thought they were joking about you only liking fatties.

[John]

She has aged terribly. She looks like a man.

[tarran]

She has not aged terribly at all.

Your problem is with her choices in dress and her hair-style, not the way her body is aging.

[sarcasmic]

Exactly. If she had long hair and fitted clothes she'd look completely different.

[AuH2O]

It is my suspicion that those chicks are in the "too hot to try that hard at sex, or be that good in bed."

I'm just saying, sometimes you go for the pitch you can drive a little farther, even if it is a fastball up the middle.

[sarcasmic]

It is my suspicion that those chicks are in the "too hot to try that hard at sex, or be that good in bed."

It is my suspicion that you've never gotten one of "those chicks" into the sack.

[Brett L]

Those girls all have narrow hips. If you're built even average, you can drive that pitch just fine.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

"Do right by your fans" Obama weighs in on the NHL Lockout

[flye]

He's talking about hockey? What a cornball brother.

[GILMORE]

Fox News contributor Steven Crowder has yet to ask police for help after being punched in the face during a right-to-work protest in Michigan. Crowder has said he would rather have an MMA-sanctioned fight with his assailant to settle the matter.

I think much like benghazi the media will characterize this as a republican scheme to make a 'big deal out of nothing' - i.e. "you're just trying to make [unions] look bad....and [blah blah blah blah]... the Koch brothers..."

[sloopyinca]

UK campus cop disregards the 4th Amendment and gets fired. PoliceOne blows a gasket.

Comment: What happened to a suspension and retraining? This is Bullshoot....Hopefully that little arrogant cok Gaddis takes a vacation to my city and I run into him and his little laptop!

-and-

Comment: Sounds like daddy's money means more to UK than their police officers........... Years ago I almost went to work at UC Fresno. That was before the days of everyone carrying around a video camera....... Glad I didn't and stayed where I was......Too many politics working for a money making institution. My hat is off to those brothers that can deal with those scumbags.

First off, Fresno State is not part of the UC system. Second, why is their defauly position that everyone they encounter is a "scumbag"? Here's a clue, buddy. We scumbags with cameras pay your salaries and generous pensions...often against our will.

[sloopyinca]

Here is the earlier story, with video, of the encounter (also on PoliceOne). The comments aren't much better, but they did let this nugget slip in:

Disorderly Conduct is an extremely versatile statute. It's a catch-all. As police officers, it would be foolish for us not to use it to our advantage. Besides that, it's probably the most common arrest we make when we're on patrol.

[Ted S.]

I didn't think the fourth amendment applied in the United Kingdom. :-p

[mad libertarian guy]

Second, why is their defauly position that everyone they encounter is a "scumbag"?

Their suspicion is automatic proof of our guilt. Because why would they suspect us if we weren't clearly guilty?

[Loki]

They really wish they were Stormtroopers.

All suspects are guilty, period. Otherwise they wouldn't be suspects, would they?

[tarran]

What an awesome video.

[sarcasmic]

why is their defauly position that everyone they encounter is a "scumbag"?

Step one is dehumanizing the enemy. That way you feel no guilt when you wrong them.

[mr simple]

He belongs in a real police department where he'll be allowed to do his job without fear of administrative reprisal.

They know how to take care of their own so they can abuse people with impunity. A real plus for cops.

[John]

http://uchicagoadmissions.tumb.....ont-really

University of Chicago gets really cool mail.

[nicole]

That is really cool.

[NoVAHockey]

Hopefully next week they send the diary from Last Crusade.

or better yet, the mail it to Marx brothers

[sloopyinca]

Who knew that Michael Jackson was reincarnated as a police officer in Florida? Or is plying boys with alcohol and sexually molesting them normal? He faced similar accusations in the late 80's as well, but got a plea deal.

[Loki]

is plying boys with alcohol and sexually molesting them normal?

Yes. And sometimes they use meth instead of alcohol. And get off with just 30 days in jail and an $1100 dollar fine. But remember, there's no double standard, so you or I or any other "civilian" would get the same slap on the wrist as Sullivan if we did the same thing.

[HazelMeade]

It's looking increasingly like Secretary of State is the consolation prize for presidential election losers.

[Enough About Palin]

Prosecutors believe a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organizer fraudulently voted in a 2011 election in Wisconsin, according to documents provided to the Daily Caller by the Wisconsin-based government watchdog group Media Trackers.

An investigation by the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office has led to a subpoena of SEIU's Washington, D.C. headquarters and has implicated the prominent labor union in a voter fraud case that threatens to lead to criminal prosecution.

Then-SEIU Senior Organizer-in-Training Clarence S. Haynes, who is no longer affiliated with the union and whose whereabouts are currently unknown, voted in the hotly contested April 2011 election for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat despite not being a resident of Wisconsin and leaving the state shortly after voting, according to an October 19, 2012 affidavit prepared by Bruce J. Landgraf, the assistant district attorney for Milwaukee County.

http://dailycaller.com/2012/12.....z2F2ekQlWY

[Restoras]

Haven't we been reassured enough times by our resident trolls that the only voter fraud going on is being committed by the right?

[Loki]

Fox News contributor Steven Crowder has yet to ask police for help after being punched in the face during a right-to-work protest in Michigan. Crowder has said he would rather have an MMA-sanctioned fight with his assailant to settle the matter.

And union feaux tuff gai backs down from potential fight in 3... 2... 1...

Afterall, in an MMA cage fight he wouldn't have all of his buddies there to "get his back" like he would have if Crowder had hit him back, and like most typical bullies, I doubt he would ever fight someone if there was a chance of losing.

[sloopyinca]

Could Jesse Jackson Jr's corruption bring down his wife? Maybe, but remember this is Chicago we're dealing with.

BTW, it looks like his corruption will be offset by his insanity and that he'll end up getting off on all the crooked shit he's done.

[LTC(ret) John]

Rahm doesn't kiss the Jackson ring like Daley did so he will (in the background of course) make sure that this does one of two things; 1)exclude any more Jacksons from office, or 2) allow her to get off the hook, but now owe any position/power to Rahm.

[Brett L]

PSA for the pick'em leauge. I am 2-11 in games involving the NYG. I am picking NYG to win. Pick accordingly.

[sloopyinca]

I'm amazed that there are 5 of us within 2 games of each other this late in the season.*

*I didn't pick a no-brainer Thursday game earlier in the year because I was on the road otherwise I'd be tied for 1st.

[Brett L]

Its been a good season. If I were even 50-50 on the NYG picks (running about 65-35 in games not featuring NYG), I'd be on top.

[Mike M.]

I'm going to go ahead and predict right that whoever wins the Giants-Falcons game this Sunday will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

[Rasilio]

So you're saying that if the Falcons win Sunday the Pats will be NFL Champs but if the Giants win then they will because we all know the Pats can beat any team any sunday except the Giants in a Superbowl

[Mike M.]

Pretty much. Though I think the 49ers could also potentially beat the Patriots because their defense is oustanding, but I have a feeling that Kaepernick will blow it at some point before they get there.

[Auric Demonocles]

I hate you and your reverse psychology.

[sloopyinca]

It's a trick to get back into the Pick-Em lead. He knows we'll all pick the same way as him to maintain our small cushion. So he plays this Jedi bullshit where he gets us to change our pick to the Giants when he's picked the Falcons all along. That way, when the Falcons win, he can pick up a game and play a different mind game next week.

Unless, he's really picked the Giants and wants us to think he's playing a Jedi mind game when he's actually being straightforward and telling us his strategy, thereby getting us to change our pick to the Falcons knowing he's full of shit, while he actually does pic the Giants, thus allowing him to gain the same aforementioned game.

Of course, he could be playing a chess match where he's really three moves ahead of us and could be laying the groundwork to change his pick on us next week if he is closer to the overall lead by then, thereby sucking us into his confidence by telling us about this week's Giants pick.

Oh shit, I think I blew a fuse.