A.M. Links: John Brennan No Sure Thing for CIA Director, Janet Napolitano Considering 2016 Presidential Bid, U.S. Operating Drone Base Out of Saudi Arabia

• John Brennan, President Obama's nominee for CIA director, was against enhanced interrogation techniques after he was for them. His confirmation appears far from a done deal anyway.

• A federal judge is not blocking his injunction against regulating nonattorney, uncertified tax return preparers.
• Janet Napolitano is reportedly considering a bid for the White House in 2016.
• A former White House doctor, meanwhile, says she's worried about potential 2016 candidate Chris Christie's weight.  
• The CIA's had a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia for the last two years. Not a secret anymore.
• A second grader in Colorado was for real suspended from his school for a make believe grenade.
• Dick Morris, who predicted a Romney landslide, won't have his contract renewed at Fox News. He is showing up on CNN's Piers Morgan tonight though.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

A former White House doctor, meanwhile, says she's worried about potential 2016 candidate Chris Christie's weight.

Is that ethical?

[Way Of The Crane]

It's fatist if you ask me.

[Ed]

He cried in his car for twenty minutes after

[Groovus Maximus]

Well, overeating because one is emotionally wounded tends to lead to lardassery. I say she steps up her Concern Trolling. I despise that fat fuck.

[PS]

It's a reference to yesterday's link (I think) about a women who was emotional scarred for life when here female doctor told her to drop some weight to facilitate getting pregnant.

[Groovus Maximus]

But The Corpulent Jesus is already pregnant...he's probably perpetually dilated. Two fingers dilated.

[Ted S.]

Yes, it's ethical, because Christie isn't TEAM BLUE.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It smacks of all those psychologists who used to diagnose without direct examination Bush (and now probably Obama) with derangements of some sort.

[VG Zaytsev]

Or the 85 psychiatrists that certified that Goldwater was mentally disturbed, without ever actually having met him.

[AuH2O]

I mean, to be fair, in my case they were right.

[SIV]

"In your guts you know he's nuts"

[DJF]

Maybe they should get the opinion of our Surgeon General about whether larger sized people can get the job done?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.....ted_States

[generic Brand]

What's the big deal? Don't they already have the Taft tub?

[mr simple]

I can't believe they're that worried about him that they're already rolling out the attacks like dough for sticky buns.

[Groovus Maximus]

It's not like they couldn't miss...

SOD, I hate Christ Christie, The Corpulent Jesus.

[Raven Nation]

Not challenging your view; just curious about your main reason for the hate.

[Groovus Maximus]

He's a fraud and a bully. I was never fooled by his Fat-Slob-Obnoxious-Fred-Flinstone-Everyman Act, and neither was P Brooks.

Yes, it was nice that he smacked around the teacher's unions some, but it was merely to establish TEAM RED bona fides.

The real Christ Christie, The Girth of the GOP, is his record as a prosecutor and US Attorney and it ain't pretty.

[Raven Nation]

Thanks.

[$park?]

Didn't your doctor ever tell you that hate is bad for your health?

[Groovus Maximus]

Dr. PG has mentioned I am more fun to be around when I am not reading about USA politics.-))))

[AlmightyJB]

No it's not ethical. How many ethical people do you think work at the white house?

[Zombie Jimbo]

Probably there is an honest guy in the kitchen. Maybe the cleaning staff.

[AuH2O]

Fat shaming!

[Jerry on the boat]

"I'll raise your Michelle Obama with a Chris Christie."

[h3k86qc35923]

Given her Wookiee strength, I think it'd be easier for you to raise Chris Christie with Michelle Obama.

[AlmightyJB]

That would be a great cage match until she pulled his arms off.

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

Christie has absolutely no shot of getting the GOP nom in 2016 after essentially campaigning for BO three days before the election.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The CIA's had a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia for the last two years.

As long as the lady drones follow local customs.

[Tim]

They have to figure out that those things are cross shaped...

[Jerry on the boat]

I don't think moon-shaped drones will work. Boomerang effect...

[Lord Humungus]

The Disgusting Consequences of Plastic-Bag Bans
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/.....-bans.html

Most alarmingly, the industry has highlighted news reports linking reusable shopping bags to the spread of disease. Like this one, from the Los Angeles Times last May: "A reusable grocery bag left in a hotel bathroom caused an outbreak of norovirus-induced diarrhea and nausea that struck nine of 13 members of a girls' soccer team in October, Oregon researchers reported Wednesday." The norovirus may not have political clout, but evidently it, too, is rooting against plastic bags.

Warning of disease may seem like an over-the-top scare tactic, but research suggests there's more than anecdote behind this industry talking point. In a 2011 study, four researchers examined reusable bags in California and Arizona and found that 51 percent of them contained coliform bacteria. The problem appears to be the habits of the reusers. Seventy-five percent said they keep meat and vegetables in the same bag. When bags were stored in hot car trunks for two hours, the bacteria grew tenfold.

[Rich]

You know what else causes diarrhea?

[Ted S.]

Hitler?

[Generic Stranger]

Taco Bell?

[Way Of The Crane]

Hot Pockets?

[Drax the Destroyer]

Applebee's? Chili's? CHIPOTLE?

[LTC(ret) John]

LEAVE CHIPOTLE ALONE!

[Loki]

"Billy Maes here for Chipotle-way!"

[Fist of Etiquette]

Links to gross stories about poor hygiene?

[Way Of The Crane]

The breasts of Egyptian women?

[Generic Stranger]

Did you not follow Rich's link?

[Way Of The Crane]

Apparently not....My comp is letting me preview the links so I'm leery of clicking on them...

[Way Of The Crane]

My comp is not letting me preview the links so I'm leery of clicking on them...

[Rich]

Admit it, WOTC -- you're the one person I successfully rick-rolled.

[Way Of The Crane]

You linked to a Rick Astly video?

[Rich]

My grammar teacher will have been spinning in her grave.

[Way Of The Crane]

Irregardless, I don't have anything against Egyptian boobs, except with the hijabs get in the way.

[Ted S.]

How many people actually click on these links? (I usually just hover over the link for the headline.)

[LTC(ret) John]

Its not like it was something Sugarfree or Warty posted, geez.

[Rich]

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

[Groovus Maximus]

Gee, where should I start? Mag Citrate never FAILS!

[mad libertarian guy]

Gee, where should I start? Mag Citrate never FAILS!

In early 2011 I had some horrible infection that mimicked the shit out of Colitis. I was in the hospital with some pretty severe abdominal pain and shitting blood.

When I was preparing for the colonoscopy, I had to drink 3 bottles of that stuff over a period of 4 hours.

I doubt that I will ever spill mud like that day ever again. My only memories of that day are severe ass pain from wiping, and knowing that if I were more than 3 steps from the toilet, I was too far.

[Groovus Maximus]

I remember that anecdote of yours from the last time I mentioned that stuff.-)

It works, that's for sure.

[robc]

The article mentions hand washing or machine washing kills 99.9% of the bacteria, but 97% of people never wash their bags.

[Groovus Maximus]

It was joke, robc! I am well aware of many pathogens, cooties, and critters that cause sexual Tyrannosaurus levels of rectal shitblasttery.

[LTC(ret) John]

"sexual Tyrannosaurus levels of rectal shitblasttery"

That has to be preserved. Do we have a Hall of Fame around here?

[Lord Humungus]

You know who else never washes his bags?

STEVE SMITH!

[$park?]

This seems strangely familiar, like Ron Bailey did an article on it a couple weeks ago or something.

[Ted S.]

People read Ron Bailey's articles?

[Way Of The Crane]

Who?

[LTC(ret) John]

Where does this Bailey fellow post his material?

[C. Anacreon]

I think Bailey is the non-Lori Anderson chick on WKRP in Cincinnati.

[some guy]

Always keep your raw meats in a plastic bag, separate from everything else. It's only common sense. And wash the bags! Is that so hard?

[Tonio]

You laugh, but there are probably hippies who actually do that.

[Brett L]

What? No. Just spray the bags with patchouli oil after you use them. Like a hippie chick's crotch.

[Elspeth Flashman]

eww! to this whole thread.

[Groovus Maximus]

"Pre-Law, Pre-Med, what's the difference?"

[AlmightyJB]

Pre-Med the girls take their own clothes off.

[robc]

Apparently, yes.

[AuH2O]

You know what's going to happen? We are going to start seeing odes, in various left wing publications and on blogs, about how enduring disease is just part of "natural" food consumption, and we'll get very detailed, probably too detailed, posts about how puking their guts out from salmonella brought them closer to the Earth.

Happened with natural, midwife presided over childbirth.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

There are Christian women who won't take epidurals because of a Bible quote about women having pain in child birth as part of Eve's punishment for eating the apple and apparently all women after her.

[Bam!]

Bitches gotta learn.

[Loki]

There was a story on the local news here in Denver recently about a norovirus outbreak in CO. There are a lot of Boulder enviro-weenies who like to push the whole anti plastic/ resusable grocery bag shit around here. And now we're having a norovirus outbreak. Coincidence?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Janet Napolitano is reportedly considering a bid for the White House in 2016.

It will be nice to project some masculinity from the Oval Office again.

[Rich]

She'll have the job down Pat.

[Raven Nation]

Hmm, just happy contemplating a Biden vs. Napolitano primary.

[Rich]

What is Hillary, chopped liver?

[Raven Nation]

Yeah, I thought about that after I posted. I think if it were Biden/Hilary/Napolitano, Hilary would win in a walk. But, just the LOL factor of having the other two in the race would be beautiful.

In fact, going out on a long, thin, limb, there may be an upside to a Biden presidency. The guy is so incompetent it is possible he may not be able to pass many laws.

[AuH2O]

Well, the real question is going to be the economy. If it gets bad again, then anyone associated with this administration will lose. If that happens, I predict Cuomo in a walk.

[Raven Nation]

You don't think Hilary, by getting out now and being at State (as opposed to, say, Treasury) would avoid guilt by association. And, of course, if NY's economy is tanking that doesn't help Cuomo.

[Groovus Maximus]

Groovy Prediction Time:

Hillary will be the 2016 nominee, and will most likely run unopposed so as not to derail her nom. Her hobby horse: Medical Care, as she is fully expecting ObamneyCare to FAIL (by design).

She hasn't forgotten HillaryCare, folks. On her many trips to UKR, she often talked with both Julia Tymoshenko and Health Minister Raisa Bogatyrjova about medical care and how "fixing" the USA's medical care system is still a dream of hers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Joe wants to be president.

[Groovus Maximus]

Joe wants to be president.

Bookmark this one, Fisty Knockers. I am probably willing to wage real $$$$ on this, and maybe throw in a UKR wimminz or two.

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

On the whole thing? Including the uncontested primary? That hasn't happened in a long, long time when the incumbent president wasn't running.

[PS]

+1000 Sweeneys

[Brett L]

Bahahahaha! Oh man.

[Lord Humungus]

Are large-breasted women more likely to get carpal tunnel syndrome?
http://www.straightdope.com/co.....l-syndrome

Big-breasted women are far more likely to have carpal tunnel problems than the rest of us. In the general population, maybe one in 40 people is affected; for well-endowed women it's more like one in five. Interestingly, 62 percent of pregnant women get CTS during their third trimester, when their breasts are enlarged. Doctors aren't sure why, but a plausible guess is pinched nerves not in the wrist but rather somewhere upstream.

One likely location is the shoulder, where the weight of oversize mammaries can produce considerable stress. Big-breasted women often complain of bra straps cutting into their shoulders, putting pressure on something known as the costoclavicular passage. The result can be pain, tingling, tickling, and numbness in the shoulders and down the arms, to the point of the hands turning blue. Another problem along these lines is thoracic outlet syndrome, a combination of pain, weakness, and other neurological issues caused by compressing blood vessels and nerves in the shoulder.

I'll have to ask my wife about this...

[gaijin]

Does carpal tunnel then impact the rate at which Handy J's are delivered? I think a research study needs to be (federally) funded.

[Ted S.]

A good woman delivers BJs, not Handy J's.

[gaijin]

true. but sometimes H precedes B in the alphabet of love

[Jordan]

Good lord. Is there anything about pregnancy that isn't horrible?

[Tonio]

The end result (after about four years, anyway).

[AlmightyJB]

You forgot to put the twenty before the four.

[h3k86qc35923]

You forgot to put the four score before the twenty.

[mad libertarian guy]

Is there anything about pregnancy that isn't horrible?

No. Even living with someone who is pregnant is fucking horrible.

[Brett L]

Did you not read the sentence about breasts enlarging?

[Elspeth Flashman]

Yeah, they get bigger, but no one can touch them.

[C. Anacreon]

And though larger, that size increase leads to more of a droopy hot-water-bottle effect. I guess if you are into that instead of perky breasts with pert nipples, you will enjoy this time.

[Furburguesa]

Built in birth control?

[Not a Libertarian]

Does the study say anything about the correlation of carpal tunnel and well endowed men?

p;sdGHO'[ - APOLogiez forr The TypinG errorz I barelY type wiTH ThesE GnaRLed FingerZ

[h3k86qc35923]

George's dad had your same problem.

"Meet the Bro."

[Not a Libertarian]

HA! got me there 🙂

[Tulpa (LAOL-PA)]

Maybe they shouldn't wear bras.

[Rich]

France action in Mali is real war, says Defence Minister

*** rising intonation ***

Shoulda used drones!

[Drax the Destroyer]

Wait...so are the frogs going to lose this one as well?

[Slammer]

It's OK to play pretend Drone Strokes on the playground, right?

[Rich]

And pretend skeet shooting, right?

[Way Of The Crane]

As long as you call it "playing White House."

[Rich]

Tomorrow's headline: "Second-grader suspended for threatening to make pretend 'hole in one'"

[Way Of The Crane]

It's OK to play pretend Drone Strokes on the playground, right?

I can't tell if that's a typo or if you're making fun of Gillespie for error yesterday.... So you're either a fat fingered schmuck or BRILLIANT!

[Alack]

Porque no los dos?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Dos.

[Tonio]

Well, since anything can be used as a weapon that would also ban t-shirts with depictions of rocks, pointy sticks, frying pans, fireplace pokers, B-52 bombers, etc. With enough effort we could reduce them to paralysis. Would require a cadre of parents willing to both risk their kids suspensions and complain about teh scary t-shirts.

And golf clubs, I would imagine, have been used as weapons on many occasions. As clubs they are actually repurposed weapons.

Oh, dare them to ban t-shirts of presidential golfing....

[R C Dean]

Just put 'em all in freedom sacks. FOR TEH CHILRENZ!

[Tim]

Tiger Woods was a victim of golf club violence.

[Rich]

Nice.

[Lord Humungus]

China's Declining Labor Pool Approaching the 'Lewis Turning Point'
http://www.ibtimes.com/chinas-.....er-1059950

When an economy first becomes industrialized, it grows very fast by importing foreign technology and employing capital and plentiful, cheap labor mainly drawn from the agricultural sector. The migrant labor force accepts lower wages corresponding to the living standards prevalent in farming.

However, a point is reached when no more labor is forthcoming from the underdeveloped sector and wages begin to rise. This is known as the "Lewis Turning Point," named after the late economist and 1979 Nobel laureate W. Arthur Lewis.

[The Late P Brooks]

Janet Napolitano is reportedly considering a bid for the White House in 2016.

What's the worst that could happen?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The system not working and she gets in.

[Drax the Destroyer]

And what in the last 50-100 years indicates that it's actually working (in our favor)?

[Rasilio]

Well it kept Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry out of office and as bad as the Bushes were it is not hard to argue those 3 would have been far worse.

[Andrew S.]

I'm not sure if Kerry would've been worse than Bush. And besides, he would've been mostly harmless; and if he was elected in 2004, there's no Obama in 2008.

[Way Of The Crane]

She gets rid of Jay Carney as chief spokesman?

[PS]

She does a State of The Union strip tease.

[AlmightyJB]

*barf*

[Andrew S.]

Joe Arpaio as head of the FBI and Andrew Thomas as Attorney General?

[Palin's Buttplug]

Ultra-stupid Paul Broun to announce Georgia Senate bid.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ti.....ction.html

Todd Akin and COD look bright in comparison. It will be tough to lose Georgia with an (R) by your name but Broun could do it.

[Groovus Maximus]

I took a break from Reason and you still haven't auffed yourself. I am disappoint.

[Generic Stranger]

It's because people keep feeding it.

[generic Brand]

The Georgia representative made headlines in October for saying that evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory are "lies straight from the pit of hell" created to convince people they do not need a savior.

Broun has also openly questioned President Barack Obama's citizenship and, last month, suggested Obama abides by the "Soviet constitution."

Looks like Palin's BP is right for once. Tough to say this early whether the state of Georgia would go for this guy, though, or if a more suitable option will pop up.

[Not a Libertarian]

This will be a crowded primary and I am not so certain that Dr. Broun even has his geographic portion of the state nailed down.

None of the potential primary candidates would enthuse the crowd here (even local commentator and self described libertarian Neil Boortz would not enthuse H&R) but who might you find least objectionable.

[SIV]

Broun ran unopposed (excepting write-in candidate Charles Darwin who wasn't eligible being a dead British citizen) in his district in November after killing the token establishment GOP challenger in the primary.

[Don Mynack]

"The Georgia representative made headlines in October for saying that evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory are "lies straight from the pit of hell" created to convince people they do not need a savior."

The vast majority of the founding fathers probably believed the same thing. Is any of that coming up for a vote?

[SIV]

Dr Paul Broun is a "Ron Paul Republican" and probably the 2nd or 3rd most libertarian-leaning member of congress.
He voted against renewal of the Patriot Act. Of course the left and Republican establishment will unite to smear him as a theocratic idiot.

[Lord Humungus]

E. Fuller Torrey: Fifty Years of Failing America's Mentally Ill
JFK's dream of replacing state mental hospitals with community mental-health centers is now a hugely expensive nightmare.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....on_LEADTop

From the beginning, it was clear that CMHCs were not interested in taking care of the patients being discharged from the state hospitals. Instead, they focused on individuals with less severe problems sometimes called "the worried well." Federal studies reported individuals discharged from state hospitals initially made up between 4% and 7% of the CMHCs patient load, and the longer the CMHC was in existence the lower this percentage became.

It has now become politically correct to claim that this federal program failed because not enough centers were funded and not enough money was spent. In fact, it failed because it did not provide care for the sickest patients released from the state hospitals. When President Ronald Reagan finally block-granted federal CMHC funds to the states in 1981, he was not killing the program. He was disposing of the corpse.

[$park?]

Damn, I missed Mentally I and Mentally II.

[Lord Humungus]

The first one was good, but the second had that great scene with the painted penguin.

[Drax the Destroyer]

II is usually unfairly maligned for being a sequel. However, with the pesky origin out of the way, it has more screen time to devote to action and spectacle.

[wareagle]

It has now become politically correct to claim that this federal program failed because not enough centers were funded and not enough money was spent

isn't this what statists always say when their grand ideas fail?

[Way Of The Crane]

Prohibition works.... we just need more prisons!

[AlmightyJB]

Maybe we should just build a fence around the country and give the president god like powers.

[Way Of The Crane]

If it has the potential to save just one life or keep one child from falling into the clutches of addiction, don't we have an obligation, as a nation, to do so?

[Elspeth Flashman]

Wait, aren't you predicting the present, I mean future?

[Bam!]

Wouldn't the state mental hospitals have become a hugely expensive nightmare?

[LTC(ret) John]

That would just join the VA, City, County and other governmental hugely expensive nightmares.

[Lord Humungus]

The new (suicidal) GOP establishment
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/o.....U0jMgN6R4M

The New Establishment's leaders claim to speak for the very loose agglomeration of voters who gathered three years ago under the banner of the Tea Party, and they angrily assert that anyone who has a different view of how best to achieve conservative aims isn't a conservative at all.

Now they're up in arms at reports that "big donors" are supposedly going to try to "play a role" in picking Republican senatorial candidates.

The goal of this effort is to prevent primary victories by toxic standard-bearers like 2010's Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle and 2012's Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock. All four lost races a less divisive or distasteful Republican would have won.

[Virginian]

Connie Mack, Pete Hoekstra, Denny Rehberg, Rick Berg, George Allen, and Tommy Thompson. All Establishment guys, all lost their races.

Sharron Angle is not a fair comparison, because Harry Reid owns Nevada. It's like trying to beat a Kennedy in MA.

The problem with Akin and Mourdock is they're too honest to be good politicians. They answered a question with their actual beliefs, which is like in the top five of things not to do during a campaign.

Christine O'Donnel is the only legit case of the Tea Party throwing away a sure win to make a stupid gamble. Mike Castle is a RINO squish, but he would have walked away with that race.

[Virginian]

Oh and Akin wasn't the Tea Party choice. Steelman had the Palin and the Tea Party Express endorsement. Akin had the Huckabee and other socon endorsements.

[Jordan]

The problem with Todd Akin is that he's a religious nutjob.

[Tonio]

^This.

[Rasilio]

Yes this.

Mourcock's statement was stupid in that he should have been smart enough to know how it would be twisted by the media and therefore never uttered but it is a reasonable and entirely rational extension of his belief system, one which I disagree with but I can't really fault him for having because he is consistant with it.

Akin's statement on the other hand was just moronic because it was so verifiably and easily proven scientifically wrong in addition to being something any politician should know better than to say

[AuH2O]

Akin's is also well outside of any mainstream Christian view. Murdoch's actually has some theological backing in things like Calivinism, maybe a twisting of Aquinas, etc.

[Tonio]

Serious question, Goldie, how are you defining "mainstream"? Numerically based on the denominations with the largest number of adherents? Where's the dividing line between mainstream and other?

[Raven Nation]

Good points. Of course, if Castle had been elected, would he have been that different to the D he won?

And, I think the R establishment types were publicly trashing Angle & O'Donnell (kind of like the Rockefeller wing undercut Goldwater in '64 although Goldwater did a pretty good job of undercutting himself).

[Tonio]

They answered a question with their actual beliefs, which is like in the top five of things not to do during a campaign.

So, you see no problems with candidates lying and evading. Good to know.

Also, these people tend to have evidence trails, so their nutjobbery will surface eventually.

[Virginian]

Didn't say that dipshit. But sewage workers have to clean pipes clogged with shit, and whores have to do all manner of things, and if politicians want to win they have to lie.

"Our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." I'd lie like a Kennedy if it got me one term in office to start monkey wrenching the State.

[Tonio]

Didn't say that dipshit...and if politicians want to win they have to lie.

Uh, actually you did say that, just waited until after my comment to do so. TFTL.

[Virginian]

Depends on the reasons. Obama or Bush lying to advance a statist agenda, yeah I hate it.

But let's say Rand Paul swore to be a conventional Republican, and got elected. Except day one he pardons every drug offender, fires thousands of bureaucrats, orders a moratorium on the enforcement of Obamacare, Sarb-Ox, ADA, etc., pardons everyone in jail for violating firearms laws, gets the hell out of Afghanistan, and starts doing everything else he can to advance the cause of liberty. Well, I say lie away.

All politicians lie. It's what they do. Might as well have one who lies for a good reason.

[Rasilio]

In the face of a media which is actively in the tank for your opposition and therefore hellbent on twisting every thing you say in the least favorable way possiblem, Yes I have no problem with it.

[R C Dean]

O'Donnell and Angle were both sabotaged by the Repub establishment, so its a little rich for the Repub establishment to say that they couldn't have won.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...was against enhanced interrogation techniques after he was for them.

Honestly, the thought the CIA was taking terrorists surfing.

[PS]

Waterboarding, boogie boarding, same dif.

[Dr. Frankenstein]

Al-qaida don't surf.

[Crackers Boy]

Nice Apocalypse Now reference.

CB

[AuH2O]

Your Daily Dose Of Pearl Clutching: 3 year old shoots self in head with pink gun he reportedly thought was a toy

From the comments:

Man, you know the NRA has the USA by the fucking balls when people 'prefer' or 'suggest' how to safely store deadly weapons, instead of saying

"To all the idiots within the sound of my voice: If you understand math, you understand that you are more likely to harm yourselves or others with a gun in your domicile than you are ever likely to encounter an intruder. Take the bullets out of the fucking gun, put it in a safe, and lock the damn thing. Also, reconsider breeding, as you are obviously too stupid to properly raise children if you haven't thought of the most basic of safety precautions concerning machinery solely designed to kill."

Thanks Wayne LaPierre, your hyperbolic fear mongering has ensured anything more stringent than a 'pretty please' would have knuckle-draggers with guns protesting the local news station for their 'biased' reporting.

[Alack]

Actual questions: What are the rates for (non-suicide) firearm injury/death in a home with guns vs (non-suicide) firearm injury/death in general? What about the rate of successful burglary among unarmed households vs armed households? Not trying to be a dick, I just actually want to "understand math".

[Rich]

Not trying to be a dick, but what difference, at this point, does it make?

[some guy]

Also relevant is the percentage of gun-owning households that have never had a gun-related injury.

Hint: It has several 9's in it...

[wareagle]

I'm sorry; you are asking sensible, logical questions and the anti-gunz people have no time for that. The one about suicide is most salient; the home safety issue conveniently leaves out those who shot themselves on purpose.

Being a dick, to those folks, means thinking that guns have any positive purpose for anyone except govt agents.

[Gray Ghost]

Alack, I went through and did a back of the envelope estimate of just what you're asking for. I used the CDC's annual reports (from, at the time, 16 reporting states) for causes of deaths, and I used the FBI stats for violent crime. They're online, have at it.

My results were that you were anywhere from 10 to 100 times more likely to suffer a robbery of your house (i.e., home invasion), than you were to suffer an unintentional firearms injury. The spread is because the CDC lists two different numbers for UFDs and I'm not sure what the differences are. UFDs include things like range accidents, hunting accidents, ND's from misholstering a pistol, "cleaning accidents" etc.

I don't know how to distinguish between the "home with guns" set and UFD's in general. I also don't know about burglary rates, but I don't think that burglary, the breaking and entering of a habitation in order to commit theft, is the crime you want to look at. I.e., it's irrelevant whether you have a gun or not, because you probably aren't home. Robbery, the deprivation of ones property by force, is what I think you're looking for.

I've pointed these estimates out to numerous anti-gun people before, and they simply refuse to fucking listen, and keep on parroting that "you're more likely to shoot yourself" bullshit. It's frustrating.

[nicole]

You know, when I was a kid in elementary school, I remember when a fireman would come for a fire safety assembly and teach you stop, drop, and roll and shit. But my strongest memory of those times were always the statistics: 1 in X houses burn down every year, or whatever. And I made myself sick every night in bed thinking that well, if that was the stat, we had to make it to that average, and if it meant my house was the one that was going to burn down that year, I better be fucking ready to stop, drop, and roll. I was a terrified child.

I just realized that these idiots have the exact same understanding of probability and statistics that I had when I was six. "If you understand math, you understand that you are more likely to harm yourselves or others..." [emphasis added]

Fuck off, innumerate slavers.

[some guy]

Statists like to lump everyone together, as if individual habits and experience have no impact on personal safety and well-being...

[Virginian]

Yeah, explaining to people that the reason I have a loaded gun is to do harm to those who would wish me harm.

It's not only a child like grasp of math, it is a childlike view of the world in general. Actually, that's not fair to children. Children know there are bad guys in the world.

Liberals: Dumber than the average child.

[Tonio]

The firemen taught you how to shit? Do go on...

[robc]

Fuck off, innumerate slavers.

Sigh.

Why are the good ones already taken?

[Jordan]

If you understand math, you would understand that the risk of dying from an "assault weapon" is pretty much 0. Actually, that pretty much applies to all guns.

[Bam!]

What's the probability of dying from an extended clip? I assume it must be high since we keep hearing about how they need to be banned.

[mr simple]

Made up statistics: check

Appeal to emotion: check

Implies that anyone who disagrees is an idiot: check

Doesn't think through consequences: check

We got a winner.

[MJGreen]

It's always the fucking appeal to 'math.' And, as already pointed out, the guy can't even correctly understand his nebulous math.

[Crackers Boy]

We had a "mass murder" in the Atlanta area this week. Four dead. You won't hear about it in the MSM. Father cut his two sons' throats, beat his wife to death, then hung himself.

No guns, no reason to report it.

CB

[Lord Humungus]

6 Inventors Killed by Their Own Inventions
http://mentalfloss.com/article.....inventions

On February 4, 1912, Austrian-born French tailor Franz Reichelt climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower in a wingsuit of his own design. The tailor had told French authorities that he planned to test the suit using dummies, but upon his arrival at the tower, he announced that he would make the jump himself. His friends tried to dissuade him, citing wind speed and other factors?including previously unsuccessful attempts with dummies?but Reichelt was not moved. He would not use a safety rope or any other precautions. "I want to try the experiment myself and without trickery, as I intend to prove the worth of my invention," he told journalists.

The parachute folded around Reichelt almost immediately; he plummeted for a few seconds before hitting the ground 187 feet below, leaving a crater 5.9 inches deep. His injuries were gruesome?in its April 1912 issue, Popular Mechanics reported that "his body was a shapeless mass when the police picked it up"?and the tailor was dead by the time onlookers reached him. An autopsy later determined that he died of a heart attack during his fall.

[Generic Stranger]

Somehow I doubt the heart attack killed him in the few seconds before he became a human pancake.

[Bam!]

Reminded me of this little gem:

The 5 Most Insane Duels Ever Fought

The story goes that in 1808, two Frenchmen, Monsieur de Grandpre and Monsieur de Pique, were caught up in a love triangle involving one Mademoiselle Tirevit, who had been secretly sleeping with both of them. The men decided to duel, but for some convoluted reason, they figured it was best to do it in hot air balloons.

So, on May 3, 1808, the duelists entered identical hot air balloons in front of a huge crowd. Each man was allowed a blunderbuss (a primitive shotgun) and a co-pilot to help him operate the balloon. In this case, though, at least one of these wingmen was about to end up like Goose.

Once they'd reached a height of about 2,000 feet above Paris, the world's first balloon dogfight commenced. De Pique fired first, but failed somehow to hit his opponent's enormous balloon with a shotgun. De Grandpre was more accurate, and so both de Pique and his co-pilot (who was, at this point, probably regretting every second of de Pique's friendship) plummeted to their deaths.
That's right -- they weren't just trying to shoot at each other's passenger compartments in hopes of hitting the other duelist. They were trying to shoot down the balloons themselves. Which means the co-pilots were signing up to also die if their guy lost. And they didn't even get to fuck Mademoiselle Tirevit first.

[Stormy Dragon]

So he died in a fit of Pique?

[The Late P Brooks]

A former White House doctor, meanwhile, says she's worried about potential 2016 candidate Chris Christie's weight.

William Howard Taft laughs from his triple wide grave.

[Lord Humungus]

Cohen: Intervene in Syria
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02.....syria.html

An inflection point has been reached. Inaction spurs the progressive radicalization of Syria, the further disintegration of the state, the intensification of Assad's mass killings, and the chances of the conflict spilling out of Syria in sectarian mayhem. It squanders an opportunity to weaken Iran. This is not in the West's interest. The agreement that Assad has to go is broad; a tacit understanding that it is inevitable exists in Moscow. The Turkish foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, spluttered in justified incredulity at the notion the opposition would sit down with a regime that has slaughtered its own.

It is time to alter the Syrian balance of power enough to give political compromise a chance and Assad no option but departure. That means an aggressive program to train and arm the Free Syrian Army. It also means McCain's call to use U.S. cruise missiles to destroy Assad's aircraft on the runway is daily more persuasive.

[Drax the Destroyer]

I can't help but think this guy has some loyalties in the region. And they ain't with Syria or it's people.

[Ted S.]

And yet, look at the pearl-clutching when Israel intervenes.

[Rasilio]

Wait, that's it.

Let Israel intervene, take over a good part of Syria, then give it to the Palestinians. Viola 2 state solution and we don't have to be involved at all.

[Stormy Dragon]

Thank God that axe-weilding homeless hitchhiker showed up to save us from Jesus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq2VPRmRhU0

[Way Of The Crane]

So I shouldn't be afraid of homeless axe wielding weirdos?

Man, what confusing times we live in....

[Rich]

Kai the homeless hitchhiker is a true hero, as well as an effin awesome dude.

[Jordan]

Yeah, they played the interview on the radio yesterday. The dude is hilarious.

[Generic Stranger]

What. The. Fuck.

Are you sure this isn't an Onion piece?

[Rich]

That was my first impression also.

[Slammer]

6' over 300 lbs.?
Where was Christie the other day?

[$park?]

Jesus Christ doesn't care about black people.

[Rich]

Nuh-uh. "Red and yellow, *black* and white, they are precious in His sight" ... Oh, wait, never mind -- that's CHILDREN.

[DesigNate]

Turns out it was a socket wrench, also known as a "ratchet" (which he proceeded to call a hatchet).

[Eduard van Haalen]

Socket to me

[The Late P Brooks]

Instead, they focused on individuals with less severe problems sometimes called "the worried well."

aka "hypochondriacs"

[Rich]

"the worried well"

Nice band name. (Appy polly loggies to the G.D.)

[Lord Humungus]

Obama Targeted Killing Document: If We Do It, It's Not Illegal
http://www.motherjones.com/moj.....ne-strikes

The idea that a government official can rubber-stamp the killing of an American citizen echoes the conclusion of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in Hamdi that "due process requires nothing more than a good-faith executive determination." (Or as Stephen Colbert put it, "due process just means there's a process that you do.")

The Obama administration claims that the secret judgment of a single "well-informed high level administration official" meets the demands of due process and is sufficient justification to kill an American citizen suspected of working with terrorists. That procedure is entirely secret. Thus it's impossible to know which rules the administration has established to protect due process and to determine how closely those rules are followed. The government needs the approval of a judge to detain a suspected terrorist. To kill one, it need only give itself permission.

[DJF]

If Henry II oops I mean the President did not have this power how could he issue such orders.

"What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low-born" citizen?[

[Eduard van Haalen]

Heh heh, good one.

The difference is that Henry II did public penance.

[VG Zaytsev]

"The strikes were legal, ethical and wise

[VG Zaytsev]

http://www.realclearpolitics.c....._wise.html

[AuH2O]

So, in retrospect, Nixon's biggest mistake was to piss off the media. Its not young people: The establishment media will happily sell you to the young people as, at worst, an avuncular figure. As long as they are on your side, you can do no wrong.

[AuH2O]

To put it this way, while Leslie Knope is jokingly into Biden, I have seen liberal women on the internet actually admit to being attracted to Biden. And Biden is treated with good natured affection by a lot of liberals, so the clear key is the media.

If Nixon had been smart, he would have just slurped some more NYT cock.

[nicole]

I have seen liberal women on the internet actually admit to being attracted to Biden

Isn't this, like, seriously the weirdest thing in the universe? I mean, I watch Parks & Rec too, and it's not affecting me that way...

[AuH2O]

Paging Doctor Barfman, Doctor Barfman, please pick up the white courtesy telephone: How Obama Makes the Republicans Look Like Nutters

The easy knock on the Republican "rebranding" campaign is that it microwaves ideas and gimmicks from previous, partially successful campaigns. This White House makes that harder, because it has an intuitive understanding of what could make Republicans look stupid. The Republicans are aware of this tactic, and they resent it, one of them describing it to me as "finding four people on Twitter and making it look like they speak for us."

...

This continued into 2009. But after the election, for a while, it stopped working. The White House portrayed Republican obstinacy as kookery, elevating the most colorful-sounding kooks.

I thought the Republicans HAD a rebranding. I could have sworn that there was some sort of movement, in 2010, and it helped them retake Congress... some beverage was involved... anyone remember what I'm talking about?

[Alack]

The Cola Wars. They were bloody, but they brought change, dammit.

[Ted S.]

Cola wars? I can't take it anymore!

[wareagle]

so you started that fire, didn't you?

[Andrew S.]

He didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world's been turning.

[hamilton]

That fire, you didn't start that.

[Groovus Maximus]

Not sure...it's a little fuzzy...can you give my a hint?

[Ted S.]

Can he give your what a hint?

[some guy]

The only thing people remember from that experience was the constant talk of tea-bagging on the MSM.

[wareagle]

and amazingly, as soon as establishment Repubs found out that the TP newcomers really meant it when they talked about cutting spending, they turned on TP folks just as quickly as Dems did.

[Bobarian]

This X100^6

[The Late P Brooks]

If We Do It, It's Not Illegal

Yesterday, during my Morning Joke drive-by, they were talking about Nixon, and how he really wasn't *all* bad. The rehabilitation continues apace. By the end of his term, Zero will have replaced that icky old Churchill bust with one of Richard M Nixon, a truly great President, who was merely ahead of his time.

[Brett L]

I caught 30 seconds of someone on CNBC explaining that at some point a non-Democratic president was going to be in office and Obama should consider the precedent he was establishing. The anchors were looking at the guy like he was from another planet.

[wareagle]

it's like they live in a vacuum. The profession used to have a modicum of logic and common sense to it, people tried to put things into context. Now, everything is here and now, and rules passed today will evidently vanish tomorrow if 'the other side" has a chance to use them.

[The Late P Brooks]

these idiots have the exact same understanding of probability and statistics that I had when I was six.

"Very good. You win a cookie."

[nicole]

Thank you!

[AuH2O]

"This is why there aren't any female libertarians!" Pt. 486: Rand Paul, Ted Cruz make Jezebel's list of Senators that oppose VAWA

Favorite Comment:

Ted Cruz has only been in office for a month and he's already challenging Rand Paul's title as biggest asshole in the Senate.

[DJF]

So libertarian woman would line up to join the party if libertarians were in favor of more laws?

[Slammer]

God, that picture is fucking scary

[Alack]

Are you for or against violent crimes against women?

Oooh, oooh, I know this one! Against!

...voted not to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act

There's only one law making violent crime on women illegal? AND THEY VOTED AGAINST IT?

Surely, there can be no more to this issue, and all of these Representatives are deplorable human beings.

[mr simple]

This time around Republicans are balking because it includes new protections/programs for undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic abuse, for Indian women, and for same-sex couples.

See? They hate it because war on women with a minority multiplier.

There's definitely no feminist resistance to the law either.

[$park?]

Fucking A. The article starts off with:

Are you for or against violent crimes against women? Ask these 8 male senators who voted yesterday not to consider the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

So if you oppose the Act then you're actively for violence against women. FFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[thom]

No. If you oppose the Violence Against Women Act then, obviously, you oppose violence against women. Did any politicians seriously vote for a "violence Against Women Act"? What's next, a "More School Shootings Amendment"?

[Virginian]

If you oppose the VAWA, you support violence against women. Just like opposing the Patriot Act makes you unpatriotic.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Why did I click and read comments!?

What's their justification for opposing? Whatever it is, I'm sure it's idiotic, but I'm curious. Is it the usual "there's pork!" or "too much government intervention!" or "we don't need new laws"?

[mad libertarian guy]

Ted Cruz has only been in office for a month and he's already challenging Rand Paul's title as biggest asshole in the Senate.

Yeah. Being the only Senator who routinely stands up for our 4A rights against further and further government intrusion is fucking terrible. How dare he suggest that the government not spy on its citizens, or engage in International Adventurism based solely on the word of the president, or kill American citizens sans due process! What a dick!

[Brett L]

I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure initiating violence against anyone without feeling in threat of your safety is illegal in every US jurisdiction, no matter the sex of attacker or victim.

[$park?]

So, in short, you hate women.

[Brett L]

Oh no, I'm no misogynist. I love women, especially the ones who cook, clean, and wash the floors for me.

[$park?]

Don't forget the occasional beating. Everyone knows that a woman needs a good beating now and then.

[KDN]

And if the stick's only as wide as your thumb she barely feels it. What's the harm in just a few whacks to punish her sass mouth?

[Brett L]

I had one eye swell up last week from some sort of weird allergic reaction. I spent 2 days joking that I was a quick learner and my gf only had to tell me once. She was mortified, but it went over pretty well with everyone else.

[Bobarian]

That's a good cover story Brett; did she black the other eye when you got home, or hurt you where it wouldn't show?

[Brett L]

A friend told her that rolled up phonebooks to the ribs hurt like fuck but don't leave bruises. Its true.

[Loki]

Janet Napolitano is reportedly considering a bid for the White House in 2016.

*BARF*

[AuH2O]

Hoisted by its own petard: Jezebel posts insanely condesending article about how to talk to women, men respond in the comments.

Some sample "advice":

On the Street

You want to say hello, understandably, but first, please take notice of whether or not she wants to say hello to you or anyone else for that matter. You may think it impossible to make that call, but women are human beings and, just like other human beings, they show signs of wanting to be left alone. Is she walking fast? Is she not making eye contact with anyone? Is she focused on the sidewalk or her phone? If the answer is yes, then maybe you should let it go; she probably doesn't want to be bothered and you have to respect that. Remember, no one other than your therapist or attorney owes you a conversation ? so be fucking cool already.

What if she's not power-walking in the opposite direction or actively avoiding looking at anyone on the street? Then it might be okay to approach (remember, different people react to things differently). The most important thing, as is the case when talking to anyone, is to treat her like a person (\?p?r-s?n\).

The comments are worth it, just to see Jezzies react to men coming in and pissing in their cornflakes.

[AuH2O]

Also, could someone please explain to me why the Jezzies think that being told to smile on the street is an atrocity equivalent to a gang rape on an Indian bus. To wit:

Don't make kissy noises at her like she's a dog (we women tend to really hate this), don't imitate the sound you think her butt makes when she walks (a "hello" is much more effective than "badoombadoombadoom") and don't tell her that she'd be prettier if she smiled. She knows what face she's making and doesn't want anyone telling her to change it.

[Pro Libertate]

Do these women actually interact with men? That sounds a whole lot more like men and women on TV than in real life.

[$park?]

Do these women actually interact with men?

Of course not. They walk around all day wanting to be left the fuck alone.

[Groovus Maximus]

Not true, Sparky. They walk around all day carrying a +2 Axe of Perpetual Dullness waiting to be offended so they have an excuse to sharpen.

[$park?]

Well they must keep it hidden under their +5 Cloak of Bitch. Can you blame me for not noticing it?

[Way Of The Crane]

The comment thread about women exhibiting "bitch face" was worth the read. It seemed half the women cultivated the look intentionally to ward off creeps and the other half just look naturally bitchy and wish more guys would approach them. Maybe Jezebel doesn't speak for all women after all.

I've had this same look, unintentionally, my entire life. And I said to a poster below, I don't know how to "unbitch" my face, I try to look more "neutral" or whatever, but unless that's all I'm thinking about it doesn't work well.

In a similar vein, I don't read books or listen to music on public transport to send "leave me alone" vibes, I read and listen to music because I'm going to be sitting on this train or tube for 1-2 hours and there is nothing else to do. I'm on a plane reading and your sitting next to me, I don't mind if you talk to me, we'll be sitting here for the next 8 hours together and I will probably like a diversion

[nicole]

I'd hardly call it an "atrocity," but wouldn't you think it was rude for a stranger to tell you should should make a different facial expression? "You'd look prettier if you smiled!" "Thanks, guy, but I'm not happy right now. Is that cool with you?" I mean, it's absurd.

[$park?]

Get rid of that bitch face and smile for once nicole. Damn, you're always so cold.

[generic Brand]

How could you be so heartless!?

[$park?]

Heartless? That was my socially inept way of trying to pick her up. Are you saying I did it wrong?

[Groovus Maximus]

Yes, You're Doing It Wrong.-)

[$park?]

I'll never get the hang of this. I guess it's a good thing I'm married.

[Way Of The Crane]

My wife would say, "didn't your mother teach you that it's not safe to talk to strangers?" and flash her walther p22.

[Brett L]

Hopefully, then smile a "please-do-something-stupid" smile.

[Way Of The Crane]

Probably not just out of spite, but she'd look a hell of a lot cuter if she did.

[Virginian]

It's guys who did a little reading of PUA stuff and think the way to get panties soak is through "negging".

[Rasilio]

Would you be offended if a stranger came up to you and let you know you had a huge piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth?

How about if they walked up to you and offered a little piece of pop wisdom along the lines of "Don't worry, be happy"?

If not then I really don't see the problem, they are offering you a piece of friendly advice.

That said I have never met a man who would be willing to approach a strange woman he has never met before and say anything along these lines, you're probably 80x more likely to hear this from a grandmother type than a guy your age who wants to pick you up.

[nicole]

How about if they walked up to you and offered a little piece of pop wisdom along the lines of "Don't worry, be happy"?

Yes...and for the exact same reason the initial example would annoy me. Am I really supposed to walk around with a smile plastered on my face all the time? It's just so inane. I don't go around telling people to stop smiling if I'm in a bad mood just because I think they should mirror my perceptions of the world more closely. I mean, it's like so horrifying that we're all going around thinking different thoughts and having different opinions all day long.

[mr simple]

It is possible to approach a lady in a respectful and flattering way that probably won't leave her feeling offended or worried that you might be a subway masturbator.

Step 1. Be attractive. We mean really attractive.

[$park?]

Step 2. Stop thinking that every guy that looks at you is a subway masturbator.

[Virginian]

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

[Andrew S.]

For some absurd reason, possibly because I'm a masochist, I decided to read the comments to the Gawker articles on the drone memo.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to expand the drone program so it destroys the entire world. Because I give up.

[The Late P Brooks]

first, please take notice of whether or not she wants to say hello to you or anyone else for that matter.

For instance, does she have her shoulders hunched and her head lowered as if she expects some ravenous monster to drop on her from above and rip her limb from limb?

Fuck, I hate that.

Stand up straight for crying out loud.

[Groovus Maximus]

And if she has Dowager's Hump?-D

[The Late P Brooks]

Are you for or against violent crimes against women?

I need NAMES.

[Rasilio]

Yeah, I mean if Nanci Pelosi was on the list I might just be in favor.

[R C Dean]

From the Dept. of Strange Bedfellows:

Unions supporting pot legalization so they can organize new industry.

During the last few years, unions, led by the UFCW, have played an increasingly significant role in campaigns to allow medical marijuana, now legal in California, 17 other states and Washington, D.C.

In the November elections, UFCW operatives also helped get-out-the-vote efforts in Colorado, where voters approved a measure that made possession of one ounce (28.3 grams) or less of the drug legal for anyone 21 and older. Washington state approved a similar measure and both states require regulation of marijuana growers, processors and retailers.

Union officials acknowledge that their support stems partly from the idea that the marijuana industry could create hundreds of thousands of members at a time when overall union membership is shrinking.

http://www.reuters.com/article.....7E20130206

[LTC(ret) John]

Oh, certainly most growers would rush to invite the unions in to make sure they have a less productive, less profitable business!

[R C Dean]

OTOH, their primary need right now might be powerful political allies to keep the State at bay.

[LTC(ret) John]

They just need to get themselves labeled "agriculture" then that is solved.

[mad libertarian guy]

It's truly telling that the only consideration is that for MOAR POWERZ!

[Virginian]

http://bit.ly/Wxo2A1

Interesting piece about federal sentencing guidelines.

[The Late P Brooks]

if she has Dowager's Hump?

Can I set my beer on it?

[waaminn]

There is a dude that really knows what time of day it is. Wow.

http://www.Im-Anon.tk

[C. Anacreon]

Thanks for pointing that out! I was almost going to be late.

[Virginian]

http://bit.ly/XhQtzB

"Semi-automatic weapons are not just about gun control, they're about national security," Jackson said on Fox News. "You know that these weapons can shoot down airplanes, they can blow up railroads. This is really a whole national security issue."

Weapons grade stupid.

[John]

Blow up railroads. Are you sure that is not from The Onion?

[tarran]

Here is what an automatic assault rifle does to trains, John.

And there is no difference between a vehicle mounted, battery of belt fed BAR's and a hand held AR-15, John.

[Bobarian]

A matter of correction

That would be a battery of belt fed BMG, rather than BARs.

The BMG is the .50 Cal Ma Deuce still in service today that will shoot 1800 meters and go through 3/4 of plate steel or about 14 inches of concrete.

The BAR is the Browning Automatic Rifle, which was the squad automatic weapon of WWII. A lot more gon than an AR-15, but a lot less gun than the M2.

/anal pedantry

[tarran]

You're not being anal - that damn browning designed too many guns for my poor memory to keep them straight. 🙂

[thom]

That's some serious firepower, that can blow up a WHOLE RAILROAD.

[Way Of The Crane]

How the hell do you blow up a railroad with an AR-15?

[Virginian]

Ask the Reverend. He's the expert.

[$park?]

With the bazooka attached to the bottom. DUH!

[Rich]

Pretty sure he meant "derail a train".

Those assault weapons *are* made out of metal, right? I mean, other than the invisible plastic ones.

[Way Of The Crane]

Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper just to lay some pennies on the track?

[Way Of The Crane]

I'm assuming we're talking about an Amtrak train...

[MJGreen]

With a pistol grip.

[R C Dean]

Any idea which gun he was talking about, because I'm gonna have to get me one of those.

[John]

http://www.latimes.com/news/op.....545.column

Jonah Goldberg takes on the myth that education spending causes growth. Funny how liberals maintain that everything causes or is necessary for growth, except actually letting people start businesses and pursue trade.

[PS]

Goldberg can go suck his own neocon dick for all I care.

[Virginian]

He's probably the least objectionable one over there. I stopped reading them when they fired Derbyshire. I didn't agree with him on everything, but he's smart as hell and always made you think.

[Stormy Dragon]

Derbyshire is now openly calling himself a white supremacist, which leads me to suspect his "making you think" had more to do with good editing than actual intelligence on his part.

[Groovus Maximus]

Do you have a linky to this claim, Stormy?

[Stormy Dragon]

http://www.vdare.com/articles/.....-on-giving

[Stormy Dragon]

Not to mention the irony of an immigrant (who has in the past admitted being in the country illegal for several years at one point) writing for an organization that opposes even legal immigration. Of course, Derbyshire is white, leading one to suspect that "immigrant" is just a codeword for something else...

[Virginian]

From your link:

Far, far more of our social life consists of polite nothings, convenient falsehoods, calculations of relative status, testing of comfort zones, mutual grooming rituals, angling for favors, hot flushes, raised voices, jabbing fingers, and ad hominem remarks about opponents' habits, appearance, and personal histories, none of which has much to do with coolly testing propositions about the world against empirical evidence. We are, after all, just smart chimps.

[Lord Humungus]

ol' John D. can stick up for himself, be has - on several occasions - bad-mouthed the old BNP/National Front.

[Groovus Maximus]

He didn't call himself a "white-supremacist" anywhere in the column.

[mr simple]

Really?:

What generated the most shrieking and swooning from the guardians of racial orthodoxy in this cycle was this remark in my VDARE.com column:

"White supremacy, in the sense of a society in which key decisions are made by white Europeans, is one of the better arrangements History has come up with."

[Groovus Maximus]

Really?:

I failed to see anywhere that John D. said or typed, "I, John Derbyshire, am a white supremacist."

He also said, "better", not "best," and appears to be speaking in terms of governmental structure when using the term, "key decisions."

Who wrote The Magna Carta, again? Developed the concepts of Natural Law, Natural (Negative) Rights? Why, that would be English,(yegh) French folk, and many other Euros, examples of the groups that promoted the concept of self-rule and The Rule of Law. Ideas stemming from White Europeans, including The Founders, by the by.

[Stormy Dragon]

If we're going to collectively credit whites for all those things, don't we also have to collectively blame them for The French Revolution, The Third Reich, and The Soviet Union?

Or more reasonably, we could conclude that race was entirely coincidental to all those events, good or bad, and is significant of nothing other than the accidents of geography in history.

[Virginian]

Hardly accidents, but the point is, and if you read his stuff he talks about this a lot, is it how much culture matters and how much biology matters. Basically, if you accept that Darwin was right, then you must accept that there is a variation in human beings. It's completely true that Asians, in general, tend to be shorter and smarter then the other four main groups of humanity. The question is why this is.

The fact that science takes us to uncomfortable facts and conclusions at times doesn't mean we throw out science.

[Groovus Maximus]

we're

Got a mouse in your pocket?

we could conclude that race was entirely coincidental to all those events, good or bad, and is significant of nothing other than the accidents of geography in history.

I suppose you could, but I tend not to rely solely on "accident" and random chance. Collectivism plagues every racial/ethnic group and demography (including self-segregated and balkanized groups), yet it appears his claim has merit WRT "White" Euros.

Tell me again why Africa is teeming with similar government arrangements like Western Europe and North America?

[Stormy Dragon]

I'm not disputing that Western Europe and North America is different from Africa. I am disputing the conclusion that this is because white people have developed some sort of "rule of law" gene that means they are the only race capable of it.

[Groovus Maximus]

I am disputing the conclusion that this is because white people have developed some sort of "rule of law" gene that means they are the only race capable of it.

He didn't suggest they were the only ones capable of it; he did suggest they were/are the most successful at it.

[John]

Sorry, you are not allowed to use the word "NEOCON" unless you know what it means. Thanks for playing and making an ass of yourself.

[Way Of The Crane]

Sorry, you are not allowed to use the word "NEOCON" unless you know what it means. Thanks for playing and making an ass of yourself.

I hate that shit.... who mixes strawberry ice cream with chocolate ice cream?

[John]

People from Naples. That is who.

[Way Of The Crane]

That figures. Fucking Floridians!

[$park?]

Florida? I thought Naples was that little place getting crushed by China.

[PS]

Really John? You are the one who makes an ass of himself defending neocons and sometimes (not always, I give you the benefit of the doubt, you ass) their warboners.

[John]

Whatever you do PS, don't think or read the posts. Just listen to the voices in your head.

And once again, don't use a term unless you know the meaning.

[PS]

If I think Goldberg sucks it's because of the voices in my head?

Since I'm so ignorant, perhaps you could define neocon for me and explain why Goldberg isn't one. And if you want to talk about voices in people's heads, maybe you could define the term Red Tony.

[robc]

Back in 1994, I said that CNN should fire the pundit with the worst prediction on the House election, because the predictions were so wide ranging and clearly biased.

Its nice to see that FOX has adopted my idea.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Dick Morris, who predicted a Romney landslide, won't have his contract renewed at Fox News.

Dick Morris = exhibit 3786938 of the GOP bubble.

[John]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuGtxt84wPQ