A.M. Links: Filibuster Ends After Highlighting Civil Liberties, Holder A-OK With Swartz Prosecution, North Korea Threatens Nuclear Strike

• 

  U.S. Department of Justice

  Sen. Rand Paul and allied senators ended a filibuster blocking a vote on John Brennan's nomination to head the CIA after almost 13 hours. The filibuster drew wide attention to due process, executive power and extra-legal assassination — issues that rarely grace the Senate. In response, the administration says it'll explain its drone policy, after all.

• Providing further evidence that Eric Holder is the worst person in the world, the Attorney General endorsed prosecutorial conduct in the Aaron Swartz case.
• ACLU chapters in 23 states seek data from police departments on the militarization of law enforcement. Call it an assessment of the state of the police state.
• North Korea threatens to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, or at least against a Pizza Hut in Seoul. Beware!
• Former Rep. Gabriel Giffords reiterated her demand for background checks before gun purchases — by private individuals, that is, not by the goverment agencies who slaughter in wholesale lots.
• Fresh on the heels of a new round of U.S. aid, an Egyptian court suspended parliamentary elections scheduled for April. Strong work, folks!
• The Detroit City Council insists it doesn't need emergency management and can handle the city's finances. Then the members stiffed the take-out delivery guy.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The filibuster drew wide attention to due process, executive power and extra-legal assassination ? issues that rarely grace the Senate.

And took attention away from Beer Summit 2.0. Unfortunately good vibes will encourage other politicians to talk more.

[Chris Mallory]

Talking is much better than voting on bills.

[Brett L]

Detroit City Council's Plan

1. Run Detroit into the ground, steal everything that isn't tied down
2. ??????
3. A vital and safe Detroit!

[Drax the Destroyer]

Every time someone mentions Detroit, I contemplate heading over to the bank, getting a $100K loan and buying a block worth of houses. Then I remember it's Detroit.

[gaijin]

Four Brothers...it was like a documentary

[Capt Ace Rimmer]

RoboCop comes to mind when I think of Detroit

[The DerpRider]

You could buy a zip code for $100k.

[Gbob]

I think we need Omni-Corp to get started.

Plus, then we would get Robocops! (Knowing the kind of folks who get government contracts, sadly, I think we're going to see ED-209s instead.)

[invisible furry hand]

"I had a guaranteed military sale with ED-209. Renovation program. Spare parts for 25 years. Who cares if it worked or not?"

[Gbob]

I'd buy *that* for a dollar!

[Red Rocks Rockin]

That's been the military's philosophy in a nutshell for the last 25 years or so, sadly.

[LTC(ret) John]

25? I thought it was more like 40-50...

[Bee Tagger]

Fresh on the heels of a new round of U.S. aid, an Egyptian court suspended parliamentary elections scheduled for April. Strong work, folks!

Egyptian Parliamentary tours are a go, though!

[DJF]

But isn't this, according to the US government, a win for "democracy" since the US government has been backing the Egyptian courts against the Egyptian government run by the Brotherhood?

[gaijin]

Democracy Liberty according to current US Foreign Policy

[gaijin]

that should have been the symbol for 'is greater than' between Democracy and Liberty

[Brett L]

This is fucked up. How do you impale yourself on a piperail gate riding a bike?

[invisible furry hand]

This is fucked up

Truer than you know - you SF'd the link

[Brett L]

We should just change it to Brett L'd the link

[invisible furry hand]

I already use "Bretting L" as the SFW version of "fucking hell", so it wouldn't be a big stretch

[Brett L]

Aww. You think of me that often?

[invisible furry hand]

I often deal with useless stooges, or walk past unwashed derros, so yes

Now where is this goddam link!

[Brett L]

You have to click my name.

[invisible furry hand]

aah so you do. I had forgotten your egotism.

This isn't so odd to me - a similar accident sparked a riot a few years ago here in Sydney

[Professional Target]

How do you impale yourself on a piperail gate riding a bike?

It's Rio Linda. They never look where they're going.

[Cheradenine Zakalwe]

John Rain?

[wareagle]

couldn't help but notice the scarcity of people standing with Paul. Kudos to Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, and Ron Wyden. But whither the rest of Congress? We all know the answer - unprincipled Dems could give a shit so long as it's their guy with the power to kill, and many Repubs are on board with this policy eyeing the day one of theirs can give the kill order.

[RBS]

I'm pretty disappointed in both of my Senators (SC) I mean, I know Lyndsay doesn't care and would rather dine with royalty but Tim Scott is supposedly a limited government, respect the Constitution guy.

[Gbob]

Tim Scott was there last night standing with Paul. It was around 12:15 or so. I was drunk in celebration, but he was there.

[RBS]

Oh, so it was after the RNC chairman asked the rest of them to help. I guess its something.

[Bobarian]

Mitch MConnell did a drive-by in support, which kind of shocked me.

[Stormy Dragon]

Graham actuall went out of his way to call Paul crazy for filibustering over drones:

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

[Ruckus]

I'm not the greatest writer, but I've been thinking all morning about sending an email to my two Senators (D) about their appalling absence during the filibuster. Even if they thought the POTUS or AG had sufficiently answered the concerns expressed by Paul, they could have at least went to the floor to engage in debate, dialog, or even dissent. Paul wasn't exactly holding back yielding to questions.

Sadly, I know this will probably just be a gigantic waste of my time.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Former Rep. Gabriel Giffords reiterated her demand for background checks before gun purchases...

Another shameless exploitation of tragedy, but I suppose at least it was her own.

[Longtorso]

Giffords, Brady,... am I the only one to notice the correlation between brain trauma and anti gun hysterics?

[gaijin]

I have never heard her utter any of the words attributed to her on the issue...only pictures of her with someone else relaying what she said (e.g., newsreaders, mark kelly). What does she actually sound like?

[Drake]

I've lost all respect for her husband for letting this farce go on.

[RBS]

Political spouses are generally pretty pathetic.

[Libertymike]

He is also a government guy. He is down with the cause.

[sarcasmic]

What does she actually sound like?

Some...
one....
who....
has....
brain....
dam...
age....

[thom]

The whole stuttered speech thing is probably just an act meant to play on people's emotions in order to garner support for her position. Like wheeling yourself into court in a wheel-chair.

[$park?]

What does she actually sound like?

A retard.

[bmp1701]

Gabby the Retard would be a great addition to the Wack Pack.

[Teaching Student]

Yes, but we want to know what she sounds like now, not before.

[Virginian]

She can basically get out one word at a time, when heavily prompted. Her husband should be deeply deeply ashamed of himself for wheeling her out as a prop. Seriously, watch some interviews with her. She's a mascot.

[Drake]

They should just glue her to a sign they can wave around.

[Brett L]

wheeling her out

She's not Christopher Reeve. Pretty sure she can atand and walk.

[Virginian]

Barely. Have you seen video of her since the shooting? She's not a competent adult anymore. It's very very sad, but I reject any notion that I have to listen to what she says about anything.

[Stormy Dragon]

Difficulty speaking doesn't necessarily imply difficulty thinking. I haven't seen anything about her being mentally impaired.

[Virginian]

Uh, she can't speak more then three words at a time, she stares around vacantly, seems confused often, has a handler with her constantly. That's enough for me.

[Stormy Dragon]

I can't play the picollo. That doesn't mean I'm incapable of understanding a recording of Star and Stripes Forever.

You're assuming that the inability to say more than a few words at a time means she can't think more than a few words at a time.

[sgs]

"I can't play the picollo. That doesn't mean I'm incapable of understanding a recording of Star and Stripes Forever."

You can't make a coherent point either apparently.

"You're assuming that the inability to say more than a few words at a time means she can't think more than a few words at a time."

No he isn't, that's you putting words in his mouth.

He's assuming, like everyone who isn't an idiot, that getting shot in the head, and showing continuous evidence of severe cognitive difficulty means she has cognitive difficulty.

Nice try with the white-knighting though.

[Drake]

She can kind of shuffle and be lead around.

[Brett L]

Easy, guys. That was supposed to be an all in fun cheap shot.

Next time I'll throw in: /Phrasing!

[Virginian]

"Sour mix in a margarita? What is this? Auschwitz?"

[Citizen Nothing]

This is why nobody takes libertarians seriously!

[generic Brand]

"See Gabby. See Gabby talk. Talk Gabby, talk!"

I posted this on Facebook after her appearance in Congressional meetings following the Newtown shooting.

[Raston Bot]

in her defense, she was recently shot in the head.

[Drake]

Exactly. When she had a fully function brain, show was a pro-gun rights Blue Dog Democrat.

[ZinxMinx]

This makes a lot of sense dude. Wow

http://www.WorldAnon.da.bz

[Drax the Destroyer]

LINKS. IN. THE. NORTH!

[Quetzalcoatl]

An orange link rises. Fillas have been busted this night.

[Longtorso]

Congressional global warming hearing canceled due to D.C. snowstorm
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee announced early Wednesday that it's postponing its environmental subcommittee's scheduled 10 a.m. hearing on the state of the science behind climate change. As a reason, it cited "weather."

The title of the hearing? "Policy Relevant Climate Issues in Context"

[Drax the Destroyer]

I find it funny that most of libs I run into are still calling it Global Warming. I guess they didn't get the "Climate Change" memo.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I guess now it's "Climate Issues". These guys are pros at recession-proofing their industry.

[Ted S.]

"Climate Violence", thank you very much.

We need climate safety laws.

[Almanian!]

No one NEEDS a therometer that reads to 200 degrees C...

[Quetzalcoatl]

The right is waging a War on Climate!

[Whahappan?]

You mean "Reasonable" and "Common Sense" climate safety laws.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

We need protection against the "assault weather" which is different than "assault climate" unless we say they're the same.

[Professional Target]

I find it funny that most of libs I run into are still calling it Global Warming. I guess they didn't get the "Climate Change" memo.

Around here I hear "...and it's called Climate Change," fairly often. I always smile and say, "Yeah, that too," and go on with whatever I wanted to say. Funny how often that pisses them off.

[Brett L]

Really? You're worried about the end of the interglacial, too?

[Fatty Bolger]

I like being called a "climate change denier." WTF? Part of the problem I have with AGW theory is millions of years of changing climate that does not seem to be directly related to CO2. Who is denying that the climate changes? Hell, even the young earthers believe the climate has changed over time.

[VG Zaytsev]

The funny thing is that believing in catastrophic AGW implies that there is a 'normal' stable global temperature that AGW is disrupting.

IOW they deny historic climate change.

[Jerry on the boat]

Idiots, you should schedule these climate change meetings in the middle of summer for maximum effect!

[Virginian]

I heard during one in June they turned off the AC. Because people are that stupid.

[Bee Tagger]

Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning that President Obama will speak about the administration's drone program "very soon" in an effort to be more transparent.

So, shortly after or shortly before Holder responds to the marijuana laws in Colorado?

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

Let's just say both are imminent, but not immediate.

[gaijin]

^ +1

[DJF]

Unfortunately it will be an combined announcement that the government will use armed drones against people using, growing, supporting marijuana or standing near any of the above

[Caleb Turberville]

http://www.avclub.com/articles.....d-j,93355/

The next round of "Who Wants to Be Screwed by Jay Leno" is about to commence.

[Longtorso]

The Bitch God Leno demands sacrifice!

[generic Brand]

More evidence that NBC nationally has no idea what they're doing. There was a story last week about a local Cleveland NBC affiliate showing an old Matlock movie instead of the national programming... and Matlock did better than the national ratings.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...the Attorney General endorsed prosecutorial conduct in the Aaron Swartz case.

They must really want Ortiz for governor. She's finished though.

[$park?]

Why should she suffer just because some damn hipster offed himself?

[Drake]

What do you expect from a Prosecutor? It's like yelling at a guard dog for barking. Their political bosses are supposed to keep them leashed - instead they are allowed to roam around attacking people.

[Lord Humungus]

Corker: 'Appalling' waste and abuse in Iraq reconstruction efforts
http://thehill.com/blogs/globa.....-of-us-aid

The result: Millions of tax dollars misspent and Iraqis who see no benefit to American-funded projects. Iraqi officials interviewed for the report leveled three main criticisms, according to the report: insufficient U.S. consultation with Iraqi authorities when planning the reconstruction program; corruption and poor security fundamentally impeding progress throughout the program; and limited positive effects from the overall rebuilding effort.

[Kaptious Kristen]

A friend of mine is an USAID contractor in Baghdad. He says I wouldn't believe the waste, fraud & abuse that goes on there. I said I would believe it.

[DJF]

Its almost what you would expect to happen when you give billions to a bunch of people who have no knowledge about a country, they don't speak the language, they don't know the politics, they don't know the culture, they don't existing conditions and tell them to build infrastructure

Just imagine the usual overpriced and behind schedule infrastructure protect in the US and remove all local knowledge and supervision from the supervisors and contractors and think what would happen.

[wareagle]

still don't get why anyone would be appalled by waste and abuse in govt projects. Isn't that a feature at this point?

[mad libertarian guy]

No.

It's the point at this point.

[Brett L]

Throw me out of the goddam donut shop will you?

A man angry about being sent away from a New Britain Dunkin' Donuts came back wielding an ax.

Apparently, angry man with an ax is less scary than a small dog to police officers. Or the cop was afraid discharging his weapon might hurt the donuts.

[gaijin]

discharging his weapon might hurt the donuts

Afraid he might put holes in them?

[DontShootMe]

depends, if he was aiming at the donuts, no holes. If he was aiming at something else, well, the donuts are then at risk.

[Ice Nine]

Ban axes maybe?

[Bobarian]

Only 'assault axes' with the congressionally mandated list of threatening features...

Who needs:

A double head.

an extra long (or short) handle.

a sharp edge.

a bayonet lug.

[Ted S.]

Update on a story I brought you Tuesday afternoon:

Police officer whose gun magically fired itself is on leave (the article doesn't say whether it's paid leave or not.

The police, however, admit to grooming the students:

"We walk through the schools several times a day," Janso said. "It's good for students to see us there every day. They see it as business as usual and don't wonder why we're there."

Thos of you with more knowledge of guns than I have may want to respond.

[Rich]

"It's good for students to see us there every day. They see it as business as usual and don't wonder why we're there."

... said Mr. Drone.

[mad libertarian guy]

We walk through the schools several times a day," Janso said. "It's good for students to see us there every day. They see it as business as usual and don't wonder why we're there."

Gotta condition them to the police state early.

Fuckers.

[RBS]

"We walk through the schools several times a day," Janso said. "It's good for students to see us there every day. They see it as business as usual and don't wonder why we're there."

WTF.

[Virginian]

Modern firearms do not fire unless the trigger is pulled. Period. Full stop.

Guns do not "go off" or "discharge accidentally". There are negligent discharges caused by improper gun handling. Specifically, touching the damn thing at all. Your weapon is in your holster. You check it in the morning when you holster it, and you leave it the fuck alone until you take your gun off at the end of the day. That's basic gun safety.

[T]

This. The combination of circumstances required to make a modern firearm 'go off' without somebody or something pulling the trigger is so convoluted and rare as to be a one in a trillion event. You're more likely to see Jesus Christ come back and walk on water than you are to see a modern firearm 'go off'.

Keep your booger hook off the bang switch, and keep random objects out of your trigger gaurd and you'll never have an ND.

[Rich]

Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning that President Obama will speak about the administration's drone program "very soon" in an effort to be more transparent.

Again with the "soon".

[$park?]

Soon!

[Rich]

Nice, but needs more mustache.

[$park?]

That's what she said!

[Rich]

"One of these days, Alice!"

[Lord Humungus]

To Prevent Rape, Teach Men Not To Rape
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/k.....e-n1526983

Last night Fox News' Hannity, Democratic Strategist Zerlina Maxwell argued that in order to stop rape, we should teach men not to rape.

[Drax the Destroyer]

Just...wow...I have no words.

[gaijin]

always, it is about re-education

[DJF]

How else will we create the New Soviet Man, oops I mean the New Non-Raping Man if we don't use re-education. Preferably with work camps above the Arctic Circle.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

I would be okay with showing the Handbanana episode to government schoolchildren.

[WTF]

Sort of like when the police beat somone senseless for no good reason, is because they weren't trained not to?

[Ted S.]

Do Warty and Steve Smith count as men?

[Soda]

It's not their fault that no one ever taught them not to rape.

[LTC(ret) John]

Define "men".

[Quetzalcoatl]

Perhaps they count as hypenated men. Y'know, like "toad-man" or "ape-man".

[generic Brand]

Or Spider-Man? What about Man-Bat?

[Sarg221]

Better yet...MANBEARPIG!

What have you created now, climate change?

[Andrew S.]

I'm sure there's a Y chromosome somewhere in their bundle of extra chromosomes, so I'd say yes.

[mnarayan]

It's a valid point. I doubt Steve Smith was trained not to rape people.

[Rich]

Hey, we teach kids not to pick their noses! Right? RIGHT?!

[$park?]

Question: do people have nostril-sized fingers or finger-sized nostrils? Just askin'.

[gaijin]

hmm...I can imagine rationalizing all manner of orifice mining using this logic.

[Bobarian]

STEVE SMITH: do hikers have rape-squatch sized orifices or do rape-squatches have hiker sized penii?

[Fatty Bolger]

It must have been nice for Hannity to have a guest dumber than he is for a change.

[generic Brand]

North Korea threatens to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, or at least against a Pizza Hut in Seoul

What? They found our base of operations in Korea?!?!

[Ted S.]

Is the Pizza Hut in Seoul producing deep-dish "pizza"? If so, then a pre?mptive strike against it might be appropriate.

[mad libertarian guy]

They don't have the technology to hit it from orbit. We all know that it's the only way to be sure.

[NeonCat]

I guess the Norks will just have to settle for making a bunch of prank calls, then.

[Citizen Nothing]

I rut to order two mirrion pizzas. Charge to Hans Brix!

[NeonCat]

Sadly, they really could use 2 million pizzas in N Korea.

Hell, they'd eat the boxes. They'd even eat old Domino's.

[$park?]

North Korea threatens to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, or at least against a Pizza Hut in Seoul. Beware!

At least we know the North Koreans are harmless kooks who are unworthy of drone attention. They're nothing like those guys living in caves in the Middle East.

[WTF]

Although they have about as much chance of actually carrying out a nuclear strike against the United States as the guys in caves do.

[Lord Humungus]

Google Says the FBI Is Secretly Spying on Some of Its Customers
http://www.wired.com/threatlev.....nsl-range/

National Security Letters allow the government to get detailed information on Americans' finances and communications without oversight from a judge. The FBI has issued hundreds of thousands of NSLs and has even been reprimanded for abusing them. The NSLs are written demands from the FBI that compel internet service providers, credit companies, financial institutions and businesses like Google to hand over confidential records about their customers, such as subscriber information, phone numbers and e-mail addresses, websites visited and more as long as the FBI says the information is "relevant" to an investigation.

In each year from 2009 to 2012, Google said it received "0-999? National Security Letters.

[Kaptious Kristen]

If a Joe Schmo doesn't get emergency service after 20 minutes, does it make a sound in the media?

Remember - our lords and masters deserve prompt service!

[generic Brand]

I don't know... after Chase got the bridge of his nose cut, he seemed to get medical attention pretty quickly. The producers were worried that little cut would jeopardize the whole show!

[Ted S.]

???

(I even did a Google search and have no idea what the hell you're referring to.)

[Quetzalcoatl]

He's referring to the television programme The Joe Schmo Show currently in its third season.

And no, that link isn't a slideshow.

[Quetzalcoatl]

It was, however, ShuggaFree'd.

Once more, with feeling...

[generic Brand]

Thanks! I was wondering if anyone else would catch that.

[Ted S.]

It makes a sound in the media if they can blame it on a business.

[$park?]

The best part is, the media gets to make a big deal about it even though it's what the old lady wanted.

[NeonCat]

Do they not have private ambulances in DC? Do the fire dept ambulances have medallions or something?

[sarcasmic]

Carrie Fisher will return as Leia in Star Wars Episode VII.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....e-VII.html
Let it die already! Fuck! No more!

[Drax the Destroyer]

Next, they'll probably bring back Jar Jar. Hopefully he is a grizzled violent and depressed version of himself with an eyepatch.

[mad libertarian guy]

Next, they'll probably bring back Jar Jar. Hopefully he is a grizzled violent and depressed version of himself with an eyepatch who has had his tongue cut out.

[invisible furry hand]

Or he's a galactic Black Panther version of himself with a soul patch

[Drax the Destroyer]

Shit...I can definitely see him wearing a beret. We are through the looking glass people...

[KDN]

Jar Jar Binksa our only living revolutionary in this country today...He'sa paid his dues. He'sa paid his dues. How many Naboosa you kill today?

[T]

I think I hate you. Or I will once I stop laughing.

[sarcasmic]

Speaking on the Watch What Happens Live show with Andy Cohen, Chelsea joked: 'My theory about Taylor Swift is that she's a virgin, that everyone breaks up with her because they date her for two weeks and she's like, "I'm not gonna do it."
'And they're like, "Oh, well, forget it. Then I don't want to date you,"' she imagined.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....g-men.html

[generic Brand]

Daily Mail headlines are super confusing in the hyperlinks, what with the removal of important articles, punctuation, and prepositions.

"Chelsea Handler thinks Taylor Swift virgin mocks singer dating men"

Is Taylor Swift mocking the dating of men?
Is Chelsea Handler mocking the men Taylor Swift dates?
Is a Taylor Swift fan who is also a virgin mocking men who date singers?

You have to click to find out!

[John]

You have to remember Handler has slept with hundreds of thousands of men. The fact that Swift has only been with five or ten makes her a virgin in Halder's eyes.

[Virginian]

Yeah there is nothing really slutty women love more then bashing women who haven't seen more cock then a worker in a poultry factory.

My theory on Taylor Swift is that she's got a dirty filthy mind and keeps dumping guys because they can't give her what she really needs.

[Brett L]

But you could, right?

[Virginian]

Depends what she needs.

[$park?]

"I want you to jam it in so far I can feel it in the back of my throat!!!"

/Taylor Swift

[generic Brand]

Yeah, that doesn't have quite the same ring as "You belong with meeeee!"

[Virginian]

"spit in my mouth!"

http://www.collegehumor.com/vi.....-about-sex

[Way Of The Crane]

Maybe her plan is to drive up the price on her virginity in the hopes of auctioning off her cherry to the highest bidder who I'm sure will wind up being this guy.

[sarcasmic]

Like she needs the money.

[RBS]

Makes sense to me. Once you reach a certain age you realize there are plenty of other women out there who will put out and might not be as crazy.

[Brett L]

Yes, I'll bet poor Taylor is crying all the way to the bank. My gf is in her mid-20s and although she is not a Taylor Swift fan, several of her friends are rabid fangirls. I'm pretty sure every time they hear something negative said about her, they re-download another one of her albums from iTunes. Its an awesome racket, for which I have nothing but respect and envy.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Yeah, I don't really see how that's an insult.

[mad libertarian guy]

Providing further evidence that Eric Holder is the worst person in the world, the Attorney General endorsed prosecutorial conduct in the Aaron Swartz case.

He must have something on Obama so big that there is no way that he can turn his back on Holder.

Or that he revealed something so small when he did turn his back to Holder.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I wish I could say "I see what you did there"... but I don't.

[Way Of The Crane]

Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it involves ass play.

[Quetzalcoatl]

Knowing mad libertarian guy.

[Rich]

He must have something on Obama so big that there is no way that he can turn his back on Holder.

This.

The *real* birth certificate?

[sarcasmic]

Cancer-stricken man, 58, who was kept in solitary confinement for TWO YEARS with no trial after DWI arrest is finally awarded $15m after prison appealed payout

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ealed.html
As for the prosecution, cops, judges, and prison guards responsible?

[KDN]

He deserved it. DWI is tantamount to firing a machine gun in a crowded mall with your eyes closed and spinning in a circle.

[thom]

Driving while intoxicated makes you an imminent threat. This guy should have been drone striked.

[Citizen Nothing]

^This is what Tulpa actually believes.

[PS]

North Korea threatens to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States, or at least against a Pizza Hut in Seoul. Beware!

Don't worry, it's not like anyone would take this sort of pathetic threat seriously and use it as an excuse to waste precious tax dollars protecting against it.

[Brett L]

Never let them smell fear. Also, maybe more than a week's training is needed before they literally throw you to the lions in this line of work.

Authorities are trying to determine what provoked a lion at an exotic animal park in Central California to attack and maul to death a 24-year-old woman, who had been on the job as an intern there for just a few weeks.

[sloopyinca]

Holy shit. That's like 30-45 minutes from my house. Why didn't I know anything about that place until now?

[invisible furry hand]

too busy fending off ducks to worry about some grumpy oversized cat?

[LTC(ret) John]

Those are assault ducks, ifh!

[sloopyinca]

You two have no idea how terrifying a drake with eggs nearby can be.

On a side note, we found 9 ducklings wandering behind mama the other day. The she up and abandoned them a couple of days later, so we put them in the brooder where they're doing fine.*

*We had to go ahead and move the chicks (96 of them!) out to the coop a week earlier than expected, but they're doing fine as well.

Oh, and Banjos had the bright idea of buying an incubator and just doing all of our own eggs from now on, so we've got 40 eggs incubating (go away, incubatin!) as well.

[Brett L]

You two have no idea how terrifying a drake with eggs nearby can be.

Honey, we're having duck again for dinner.

[WTF]

Authorities are trying to determine what provoked a lion at an exotic animal park in Central California to attack and maul to death a 24-year-old woman

Because the lion is a huge fucking wild predator and the woman looked like food?

[PS]

"She was very excited," Hanson told The Associated Press late Wednesday. "It was just a dream job for her."

Hanson said she had been fascinated by big cats from an earlier age.

"She was absolutely fearless," he said.

It turns out fear is a useful emotion that was evolutionarily selected for a reason.

[Lord Humungus]

Hugo Ch?vez's cheering section
http://www.politico.com/story/.....88536.html

Unable to muster any of the denunciatory venom he lavishes on Republicans once or twice a week, Eugene Robinson issued forth with a strangely tortured construction, "he was not what we would call a lover of democracy as we would like to see it practiced." Eric Cantor must wonder why Robinson doesn't similarly mute his criticisms of him. Robinson noted that Ch?vez gerrymandered electoral districts, but, hey, "that happens elsewhere as well." All in all, he was ? "a man of contradictions." You know, like Disraeli or Gladstone.

Goodbye, Hugo Ch?vez. All your friends who got to admire your authoritarian savvy and gross economic mismanagement from a safe distance will miss you very much.

[Anonymous Coward]

*Eagerly awaits Eugene Robinson's horseshit to be reblogged by TRUE LIBERTARIAN HERO Lewis Ellen Rockwell*

[OldMexican]

Re: Anonymous Coward,

Eagerly awaits Eugene Robinson's horseshit to be reblogged by TRUE LIBERTARIAN HERO Lewis Ellen Rockwell

Only because Lew has said that, at least, Chavez wasn't our paid bitch.

And I agree with him. My money did not go to prop him up. I don't buy my gas from Citgo, so at least *I* had a choice on that one. When it comes to giving money to rich dictators around the world ("our" bitches) *I* have no say on the matter.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry Old Mex, but I do not see the virtue of despotism, whether it is sponsored by America or self-financed.

[Ted S.]

I mentioned Chavez's shutting down opposition media, or expropriations, or how his cronies aren't subject to the laws the way everybody else is, on another (non-political) forum. The Chavez apologists dismissed all of it as no big deal.

[invisible furry hand]

What did you expect Ted? In their heads, even if it happened (and they aren't going to concede that) it was all for The Greater Good and those people whose rights were trampled were probably all horrible anyway because they didn't support Chavez. It's all so predictably unprincipled

[Ted S.]

There's one actual Venezuelan (non-Chavez fan) in the thread, and it's really fun watching the cognitive dissonance from the rest of the posters who seem to think they have more knowledge of Venezuela than the native Venezuelan does.

[Libertymike]

Just because Joe is from Lowell, it does not thereby necessarily follow that he knows more about it than you.

[mad libertarian guy]

What did you expect Ted? In their heads, even if it happened (and they aren't going to concede that) it was all for The Greater Good and those people whose rights were trampled were probably all horrible anyway because they didn't support Chavez.

It goes beyond that, I think.

Leftists in the US have so firmly planted their lips around government cock that they can't back off. They have back themselves in to their rhetoric of "everything government does is just and good and in the interest of Modern Civilization? that they MUST defend anything that everyone in every government does or their entire rhetorical stance is revealed for what it is.

[Quetzalcoatl]

It's funny how they hate free-market corporations but have no problem with government subsidized corporations that are far less equitable, whether your standard is process fairness or outcome fairness.

[Libertymike]

Never mind the fairness of whether corporations should be subsidized at all by gubmint.

[Rich]

Giffords reiterated her demand for background checks before gun purchases ? by private individuals

I'm not sure this was pointed out at the time, but when her husband Mark Kelly was on Meet The Press he volunteered that he bought a gun just before the election.

[Anonymous Coward]

Remember that demanding background checks and identification to vote is racism. Demanding background checks and identification to buy a gun is reasonable and common sense.

[General Butt Naked]

Remember that demanding background checks and identification to vote is racism. Demanding background checks and identification to buy a gun is reasonable and common sense.

Check this shit out. Shit just got real. I hope to see this during the superbowl next year, but the tyrant-pussies that run the national football television commercial league would never allow it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck. Yes. DAT COMMERCIAL. I sense a Kickstarter campaign coming on.

[Kaptious Kristen]

That is awesome. Gun grabbers will find many mental contortions to counteract it. "But it's not like that now! The President is black!"

[Virginian]

but when her husband Mark Kelly was on Meet The Press he volunteered that he bought a gun

____

Of course he did. One of the best signs that the gun rights movement is crushing the antis is that all the people who feverishly masturbate to thoughts of gun confiscation begin every call for gun control with "I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and a gunowner but blah blah blah slaver slaver blah blah.

[Rich]

Exactly.

[Anonymous Coward]

Guns for our selfless American heroes with badges, our political elite masters and their wives/husbands/bodyguards. Peasants like you have no need of firearms.

[Brett L]

Wow. A real hockey fight in the NHL.

[Jerry on the boat]

"So I went to this fight and a damn hockey game broke out."

[Lord Humungus]

The Democratic Majority Is Doomed
The entitlement mentality can't survive a weak economy.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....DDLESecond

But the primary reason today's liberal Democratic coalition will fade is because the very policies it pushes sow the seeds of its own destruction. The coalition can survive over time only by allocating slices of our nation's economic pie in a way that favors and placates its constituent members. But people, being human, will continually want larger slices of our economic resources, so continued success in placating those members, while at the same time adding the necessary new members, requires a continuing and ever-growing economy. A flat or shrinking economy will never generate the resources needed to feed the coalition.

Yet the White House and congressional Democrats are working to stifle economic growth. From their views on taxes and redistribution, to their policies on energy and regulation, liberal Democrats are standing in the way of the strong economy their coalition needs.

[np]

Ars interviews Cody Wilson of Defense Distributed:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-po.....00-rounds/

While it may be easy to paint Wilson as a 2nd Amendment-touting conservative, the 25-year-old second-year law student at the Univeristy of Texas, Austin told Ars on Thursday that he's actually a "crypto-anarchist."

"I believe in evading and disintermediating the state," he said. "It seemed to be something we could build an organization around. Just like Bitcoin can circumvent financial mechanisms. This means you can make something that is contentious and politically important?not just a multicolored cookie cutter?but something important. It's more about disintermediating some of these control schemes entirely and there's increasingly little that you can do about it. That's no longer a valid answer."

"The thing was still built like it would be made out of metal," he said. "This is about plastic, and everything needs to be curves. It has to act like more of a spring."

And that, he points out, is the ultimate lesson in gun manufacturing.

"The idea is not to print components for guns that are, but the guns that will be," he said.

[np]

"I don't go to [law school] class, but I do pass the exams?here's looking at you [American Bar Association]!" he told Ars.

"I mean the philosophy that Tim May expressed, he predicted WikiLeaks and digital currency. [What I mean is] that the Internet and cryptography are these anarchic tools that can allow for the expanse of citizen action. We like the idea of the market becoming completely black and starving the nation-state from all the money they claim."

[Brett L]

Funny, this is also what Tallahassee looks like. Only our sharks wear off-the-rack suits.

[Ted S.]

When global warming hits, Tallahassee will be on the coast.

[Brett L]

That's fine, my parents already own beachfront property that is insured by the citizens of FL. (Thanks, poor people.*) I imagine that we can take our insurance check and buy something nice.

*SLD: I don't support Citizens or any scheme guaranteeing high-risk assets of private citizens with the state treasury and also preventing private companies for charging a realistic rate for replacing a structure that is statistically guaranteed to be a total loss if there is a claim.

[mad libertarian guy]

They run this same story every year.

But now there's a global warming twist they tried to sneak in. Unfortunately, it doesn't hold up to basic logic.

"Our data has shown that the bulk of the migration occurs in January and February, but it may be a little behind this year due to the warmer weather and water temperatures."

Why would the sharks delay their migration because of warmer water, when what they want is warmer fucking water? Warmer water would hasten their migration, not delay it.

[Brett L]

Because they can't admit that although December was warm, the mid-Atlantic has been below average for all of February and March. It would hurt the narrative.

[Caleb Turberville]

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....90068.html

"The country needs more Senators who care about liberty, but if Mr. Paul wants to be taken seriously he needs to do more than pull political stunts that fire up impressionable libertarian kids in their college dorms. He needs to know what he's talking about."

[OldMexican]

RE: Caleb Tuberville,

Ok, ok, you can afford a subscription to the WSJ online. I get it.

I can't, ok? I can't! There! Happy???

[OldMexican]

He needs to know what he's talking about

"Because the president should be able to kill Americans in American soil if he deems them to be enemies of his... I-I-I mean, ours! I mean, America's"

[Lord Humungus]

Henninger: Is the South Still Racist?
A Supreme Court case reveals the divide between liberals and conservatives in the U.S.
http://online.wsj.com/article/.....on_LEADTop

That times change and society can adapt to those changes for the better is an admired habit of the United States. But in the matter at the center of Section 5 of the Voting Rights act?racism?some segments of American liberalism won't let it go. In this liberal reading, there can be no forgiveness. Only the possibility of legal retribution. Forever.

Yes, a civil war was fought. It ended in 1865. The Voting Rights Act passed in 1965. Because this is the United States, it is time to move on.

[Caleb Turberville]

It's hard to explain the current state of racial relations in the South. But it's nice to know that, by being born here, that I'm irredeemably racist.

[Drax the Destroyer]

Only if you are white, Caleb.

[RBS]

Damn, me too.

[Spoonman.]

I don't understand why they don't just extend the preclearance provision to the entire United States.

[Caleb Turberville]

Why should New Yorkers and Californians be subject to the preclearance? They're not racist!

[wareagle]

the divide is about control - liberals have to have it to justify their importance and perpetuating the stereotype of Bubba Joe the wanna-be klansman is their only way. Never mind that Rodney King happened in LA, not B'ham; that Sharpton's hoax was perpetrated in NY, not ATL; and that the Skip Gates incident happened in Boston, not Jackson.

It's tiresome and more than a little intellectually lazy.

[Spoonman.]

The idea seems to be that though racism still exists in the North (Jon Stewart said "I've been to Boston"), only the South has a history of institutional racism.

That's of course bullshit - weren't there big protests in Boston when it resegregated its schools?

[tarran]

I don't know about resegregating anything, but when they desegregated public housing about 25 years ago there were huge riots.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

They didn't desegregate, they integrated.

[tarran]

You're right. It was the integration that pissed them off.

[Brett L]

Also, they know that the next time the South redistricts without the VRA, they lose another 15% of the seats in the House.

[Virginian]

That's really it. Every single VRA state has at least one thoroughly gerrymandered majority black district. VA3, for example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.....strict.png

See how they use the river to connect the cities?

[Juice]

Wow, is that district constitutional?

[Virginian]

I guess. Bobby Scott gets above 80% of the vote some years.

[mad libertarian guy]

the divide is about control - liberals have to have it to justify their importance and perpetuating the stereotype of Bubba Joe the wanna-be klansman is their only way.

This is exactly right. And they must have people at whom to point their fingers, so they must have a specific demographic at which to point. And if they demark human behavior on ideological grounds, rather than geographical ones, there is no one concrete that they can fall back to othering.

In short, it's too easy to just point and blame southerners for all of racism, and so they'll do it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering that Chicago has had at least five race riots and New Yorkers purposefully went out and murdered Black people during the Civil War Draft riots, why aren't Illinois and New York required to submit any changes to their voting laws to the Justice Department for federal approval?

I forgot, only Southrons can be racist.

[Zeb]

New Hampshire has to for some odd reason.

I think that the draft riots are a bit old news.

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently the taint of racism is eternal.

[Ted S.]

Of course it's still racist, and the level of racism is only increasing. Just ask Morris Dees and the SPLC.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I watched Vikings all the way through yesterday. I loved it. I like where the story is going and the cast is HOT.

[Drax the Destroyer]

Are these Vikings inexplicably clean-shaven? If so, I call bullshit.

[RBS]

Some are.

[Rich]

Just the Norwegians.

[alittlesense]

Not the Norwegian women

[Quetzalcoatl]

How long is it?

[invisible furry hand]

oh you size queen!

[gaijin]

lots of norsemen?

[Quetzalcoatl]

Plus one Arab played by Antonio Banderas.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Srsly. And for the hetero men.

[John]

I watched that on DVR last night. She is fucking gorgeous. She looks like Scarlett Johansonn's prettier sister.

[Kaptious Kristen]

And she kicks ass. And the season preview shows her continuing to do so throughout the series.

[John]

I liked the show. It is not great. But not bad. I think I will continue to watch it. History Channel seems to be getting better at these things.

[Kaptious Kristen]

The story shows great promise. I love a show where you can get the gist of where they're trying to go right out of the gate. I think it'll be a fast-mover, which is a big plus. I like the mystical angle as well - reminds me of Battlestar Galactica.

[John]

Yeah that is kind of what it is. My wife is lust with the brother. I wonder if the Rolo in the series becomes Rolo the first Duke of Normandy.

[Brett L]

Why doesn't she have eyebrows? Was that a mark of beauty for the Vikings? She's cute enough, I guess. I wouldn't say no.

[Kaptious Kristen]

She has eyebrows - they match her hair color. I heard tell that the Norse tend to be blonde 😉

[Brett L]

So you think the carpet will also match the curtains? Oh wait, this isn't on Showtime.

[John]

She is actually a Ukrainian who grew up in Canada.

[Quetzalcoatl]

As a Scandinavian who didn't have visible eyebrows until highschool, I can confirm this.

[mad libertarian guy]

I heard tell that the Norse tend to be blonde 😉

That's mostly true, but greatly over exaggerated. There are plenty of dark headed folk in Scandanavia. It's like stereotyping all Italians as dark haired with olive skin .

[Brett L]

It's like stereotyping all Italians as dark haired with olive skin.

Yeah, we know. Dennis Hopper explained it in True Romance.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I'm talking about 1300 years ago, the time period in which the show takes place.

[Brett L]

More seriously, when I worked at Maersk, which is a Danish megacorp, we had two flavors of Danes, Tall and blonde or short and dark. You either got 6'6" and fair or 5'8" and dark. Occasionally they'd be walking down the hall and it looked like a skinny version of DeVito and Ahnold in Twins

[mad libertarian guy]

I noticed this too in my informal meetings with various Scandinavian metal bands.

Blonde and tall, dark and short.

[invisible furry hand]

update to handcuffed kid bashed by cops at gay Mardi Gras in Sydney - he says his offence was to tickle a stranger. Who didn't object.

Pleasingly, the NSW Assistant Police Commissioner said that cops who object to being filmed need to harden the fuck up

[Brett L]

HTFU is the unofficial slogan of a group I train with.

[Drake]

Erectile dysfunction support group?

[Brett L]

Originally Tough Mudder, but we've branched out. I'll do one more TM, but its pretty fucking expensive, and I don't need to do a four hour obstacle course to feel good about myself. Anymore. Some are training for GoRuck and others for Ironman. Personally, I'm tired of endurance events. I'm gonna see how strong I can get between May and October when it sucks donkey balls to run outside.

[Warty]

If you can't pull 495 by October, I'll come down there and rip your arms off. How's that for motivation?

[Brett L]

Well, that should at least get me big enough to have a chance in a slap fight with you.

[Warty]

No.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I'll be in my bunk...

[Ken Shultz]

"North Korea threatens to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States."

We shouldn't consider North Korea a serious threat. Or Iran's nuclear and long range missile programs as serious threats either. Because...

Because sanctions work?

Because invading Iraq was a failure?

Because Obama's in charge?

[Fluffy]

We shouldn't consider North Korea a serious threat. Because...

Because of the relative likelihood of North Korea's launching a successful intercontinental nuclear attack on the US is negligible, while the likelihood of severe damage to US interests in South Korea if we attempted military action against the Norks to stop their nuclear program is very high and approaches 100%?

[John]

Because of the relative likelihood of North Korea's launching a successful intercontinental nuclear attack on the US is negligible,

That is true right up until it isn't. We don't know what they have. And it is a good bet they will eventually get such a thing. The technology is 60 years old. It is hard but not impossible or unprecedented. Any country determined enough will more than likely be able to do it eventually.

Basically, we are gambling with North Korea that the leaders will choose death at the hands of their people over death in a giant American nuclear fireball. Eventually the place is going to fall apart. And when it does, that will mean certain death for the entire ruling class. Your guess is as good as mine as to how they plan to go out.

[Fluffy]

Oh, sure.

But we know that if we attack them today, their military won't be completely helpless, and South Korea's economic losses (and casualties among the Seoul population) will be extreme.

We also know, or should know, that the Chinese won't let us invade and occupy North Korea and build it a new government. They just won't allow it.

So those two knowns measure against the unknown likelihood that these guys would actually use a nuclear weapon, rather than use one to bluff their way into a few shiploads of wheat.

[John]

They are totally bluffing I think. and the fact that they are getting more belligerent tells me that things are going really badly internally, that perhaps the military isn't so willing to follow junior.

[NeonCat]

The NK military never did like Rodman.

[Ken Shultz]

"Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told American troops, "North Korea just fired a missile. It's an intercontinental ballistic missile, for God sakes. That means they have the capability to strike the United States."

Secretary Panetta's predecessor, Robert Gates, before he left office, warned that North Korea would have missiles capable of reaching the continental US by 2015 or 2016."

"In theory, a ballistic missile based on the Unha rocket would be able to deliver a nuclear warhead-sized payload as far as Alaska, Hawaii, or part of the Lower 48, according to an analysis from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California."

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/D.....-a-missile

[Tim]

how 'bout we pull out our troops and stop paying billions of dollars to defend rich south Koreans from poor starving north koreans.

http://www.popularmechanics.co.....sr#slide-1

[Ken Shultz]

Like I said, I'm not convinced we haven't paid all those billions to keep the South from invading the North.

If South Koreans resented our presence there (and they did), it was because we were effectively holding their foreign policy hostage to our own interests.

We didn't want a war with North Korea, so the South can't have a war with North Korea? What if the South wanted to go to war with North Korea?

If Mexico shelled the U.S. the way the North shelled the south, recently, what do you think the U.S. response would be? If Mexico sank one of our ships, like the North did to the South, recently, what do you think the U.S. response would be? And if we couldn't respond the way we wanted--becasue it wasn't in the best interests of South Korea, and that mattered because South Korean troops stationed in the U.S.?

I'd resent the hell out of South Korea. I'm not convinced we're egging the South Koreans on. I think we're holding them back. And I think that's one of the reasons why the North feels free to essentially taunt the South--by shelling civilian villages and sinking South Korean ships. Because they know the South isn't going to do anything about it so long as the U.S. is there.

[Ken Shultz]

Well, I'm not calling for military action by the U.S. against North Korea, specifically.

But there are other things we could try that don't involve the U.S. invading North Korea.

We could try horse trading with China over Taiwan. Hey Beijing, you want us to give up all pretensions to Taiwan? How 'bout helpin' us out with North Korea?

We could give the South Koreans more latitude. When the South Koreans complain about America meddling in their affairs, it isn't just that they think we're increasing hostilities between the North and the South. If we hadn't been there, I suspect the South might have invaded the North a long time ago.

Regardless, pretending the threats aren't real isn't the solution to the problem. If North Korea doesn't have the ability to pinpoint the center of Los Angeles yet, that doesn't mean they never will. We're talking a matter of a few years here, at most.

[sloopyinca]

I've got a better idea: how about we pull all of our military out of the region and ask the Norks if they'd like to open a trade relationship with us where the goods are evenly traded?

[LTC(ret) John]

C'mon, its not like the South Koreans can support their own defense, I mean, look at their economy compared to the Norks...uh... well...nevermind.

[Ken Shultz]

Certainly, nothing aligns people's interests like trade.

It's the exact opposite of sanctions.

I like it.

[Brett L]

This just means that they are starving and need food aid.

[Ken Shultz]

Perhaps.

They like food aid, but they'll starve a few hundred thousand more people to death without blinking an eye, too.

North Korea is a government with very little to fear from its own people.

[Brett L]

I should clarify. I mean, even the military is starting to miss meals, and that would be a very bad thing for the regime.

[Zeb]

I don't consider them a serious threat, because even they must realize that if they did nuke Seoul or attempt to hit the US, there would be no more North Korea. Perhaps I overestimate them, but I can't believe that the leaders are completely irrational and detached from reality.

[Drax the Destroyer]

Perhaps I overestimate them, but I can't believe that the leaders are completely irrational and detached from reality.

So in other words, they are in better shape than most of our politicians.

[Ken Shultz]

ObamaCare was genuinely stupid. I've seen people do lots of stupid things. I've dealt with local government a lot in my work, and as a general rule, I never assume a government official won't do something just because it's stupid.

Can someone explain to me why Saddam Hussein would resist weapons inspections? He had reasons like he was afraid of his neighbors--but, ultimately, those were stupid reasons. He didn't even have the WMD anymore? Who knew a megalomaniac could be so unreasonable?!

It was stupid of Hitler to invade Russia.

The Taliban had effective control of Afghanistan, and Osama bin Laden had a safe haven there--considering what it cost Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda operationally, and his allies, the Taliban, has anyone done anything stoopider in recent history than Al Qaeda's attack on 9/11?

Just becasue attacking us would be stupid, that doesn't give me any confidence at all.

[Jordan]

Japanese man dies after 25 of Glorious Nippon's State Hospitals reject him

[Way Of The Crane]

One of the paramedics told Jiji Press they had never experienced "a patient being rejected so many times".

I wonder what the average
number of rejections is.

Public healthcare in Japan is heavily subsidised and generally of a high global standard.

Can't wait until the US meets those global standards.

[Virginian]

Bribery of doctors and administrators in the form of "gifts" is common in Japan, as is purchasing supplemental insurance. Sounds great right?

[Quetzalcoatl]

I'm sure they have an ironclad customer feedback program.

[Ted S.]

This feedback program might work, too.

[John]

Caught this little bit of Chavez slobbered. Remember, this is not some DU or KOS poster. This is a professor at NYU writing in a respectable publication. Get this

The Nation, NYU professor Greg Grandin acknowledged that Ch?vez "packed the courts, hounded the corporate media, legislated by decree, and pretty much did away with any effective system of institutional checks or balances." However, in Grandin's view, all of that was justified: "The biggest problem Venezuela faced during his rule was not that Ch?vez was authoritarian but that he wasn't authoritarian enough. It wasn't too much control that was the problem but too little."

http://pjmedia.com/blog/the-death-of-a-despot/

And gee liberals wonder why no one trusts them. They really don't even try to hide it anymore. They are totalitarian fascists.

[WTF]

Hell, they've been making the same argument with respect to Obama for some time now.

[DJF]

I do question your idea that NYU professors are different from DU or KOS posters or for that matter most of the people at the Nation.. I bet if you could check E-mail addresses many of the most crazy DU or KOS posters would come from the offices of major universities or the Nation.

[John]

True. But you can't write off an NYU prof writing in the nation as outside the mainstream of liberalism.

[Zeb]

Depends what you mean by "liberalism". I like to attempt to maintain some distinction among liberal, leftist and progressive. If you don't respect at least some individual rights, democratic instirurions and rule of law, you aren't a liberal.

[Drake]

"too little" is the standard excuse for failed statism.

[Anonymous Coward]

There are many ways to measure the destruction. First, there is the economic toll: Venezuela is suffering from food shortages, goods shortages, electricity shortages, and 22 percent inflation. The state-run oil firm PDVSA has seen its debt load increase by 150 percent since 2007. The Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom says that even Communist Cuba respects property rights more than Venezuela does. And the South American nation might well be headed for a sovereign default.

Coming soon to an America near you.

[John]

Take away the food shortages and it is damn near California right now.

[Drax the Destroyer]

I'm sure Cali would like to induce a "cheap" food shortage by sending their fast food slingers into the sea.

[OldMexican]

Providing further evidence that Eric Holder is the worst person in the world, the Attorney General endorsed prosecutorial conduct in the Aaron Swartz case.

He's certainly one of those cowards to which he alluded no more than one administration ago.

[Brett L]

Beards have positive health effects. Besides letting you sleep the 3 minutes you'd usually be shaving.

[Zeb]

I knew it. Take that, you clean shaven suckers!

[Drax the Destroyer]

I like having some sort of beard configuration most of the year. I usually regret it come July though. No, I am not a hipster. Hipsters don't listen to METAL.

[T]

Dpends. Are you listening ironically?

[LTC(ret) John]

Damn you, T!

[LTC(ret) John]

"Hipsters don't listen to METAL."

Not even ironically?

[Fatty Bolger]

Current poll on Yahoo:

POLL
What is your current opinion of the president's performance?
He's doing a good job.
He could do better.

[facepalm]

[Brett L]

Other than the fact that the guy refers to "self-esteem" about a dozen times, this is a great Q&A about a liberal who owns guns trying to explain to other liberals why people like owning guns.

[Q:] Do you think we should allow citizens to be armed in places like schools and movie theaters?

[A:] After the Aurora movie theater happened, the New York Times and others sneered at the idea that an armed citizen would have made a difference. They said, "Then there would have been two people shooting in the theater, which would've been worse." I'm thinking, "What could possibly be worse?"

You go in a shopping mall, there's a guy with a gun. Obviously, what we're hoping is that there will be a gunfight, that there will be two people shooting, in the event that something bad happens. But we can't put armed guards and policemen everywhere. So to me, armed citizens make sense. But it really looks like my fellow liberals have an aversion to the thought of the individual citizen being of service with a gun in a situation like that.

[Drax the Destroyer]

One advantage of two people shooting is that they would be, at least, generally shooting at each other, rather than one fucknut spraying indiscriminately into a crowd. If said fucknut tries to spray into the crowd rather than aim at one with the audacity to sink his shit-ship, he'll be that much easier to sink.

[sloopyinca]

to sink his shit-ship,

Randy: How do you sink a stit-ship, Mr. Lahey?

Lahey: With a shit-cannon, Randy.

[Virginian]

The issue with gun rights, like every other right, is that solid majorities are fine with themselves having them. No one wants to turn in their guns, or be watched by the FBI, or get their phones bugged, or thrown in jail for no reason, or strip searched. It's always for other people. Dirty people. Dangerous people. The Other.

I've gotten some success with leftists by talking about the racist roots of gun control. But they never come around to constitutional stances...they always want permits and licenses and databases and background checks. It's their fetish.

[Kaptious Kristen]

On another note, the squeeze is finally moving into his Barbie Dream House* today and over the next few days. I am a huge slob and a terrible housekeeper, but having a bunch of his crap there is not helping the situation.

*a warehouse

[Drax the Destroyer]

I am a huge slob and a terrible housekeeper,...

No sarcasm here, you sound like an awesome lady with her priorities in the right place.

[John]

A warehouse? Is is current home under a bridge? I know picking are tight in Washington, but really.

[Kaptious Kristen]

That is seriously his dream home. He's a big kid.

His current place is literally a closet in a brokedown Victorian in Overlea (Baltimore). At least now he'll be in the DC metro area.

[JW]

Former Rep. Gabriel Giffords reiterated her demand for background checks before gun purchases ? by private individuals, that is, not by the goverment agencies who slaughter in wholesale lots.

Ah, the hero of Tucson. She personally verified that all the cameras were working before speaking, correct?

[Warty]

Now here is what separates heroes
From common folk like you and I
The lady they call Gabe
She turned 'round camera
And let them talking points fly

[Virginian]

Her husband probably did. She probably just knows to smile at the red light and say the words she was coached on. Then later, there will be pudding cups.

[Andrew S.]

Great. Now I'm going to hell because I laughed at this. I hope you're happy.

[The Late P Brooks]

Her husband probably did.

That sleazebag motherfucker. If anybody should have been burnt to a cinder on re-entry, he's my numero uno pick.

[Brett L]

Headline: More gun laws = fewer deaths, 50-state study says

Caveat: During the four-years studied, there were nearly 122,000 gun deaths, 60 percent of them suicides.

No word on mixture of suicide method in lax vs. tight gun law states. Obviously. Also, no municipal level analysis. Conveniently, DC was not studied.

[Brett L]

Shit. Link

[Raston Bot]

If you miss your inner rage or need motivation to punch the nearest wall, then I recommend watching Farmageddon. It is maddening.

[sloopyinca]

Want a laugh? Watch some so-called liberals do contortions when Obama admin called out by John Cusack as he responds to the Rand Paul filibuster.

[Raston Bot]

i like his response...

some cunt: My gut was that u would b more liberal, I don't know why; but I sense a real disdain for this admin?

better off dead guy: i AM more liberal -- thats why i bring this up...whats in a name i suppose - branded liberal? by msnbc or the real thing?

[Virginian]

That shows the gap between liberals and Obamatards. Liberals, at least in theory, have principles. Obamatards have Obama. If Obama says so, it's good. If he changes his mind, also good. Whatever the Leader says, they do. Remember that video where someone went around asking people if they supported Barack Obama's position of _______, but inserted McCain's position in the blank? These people were all for it. I think there was another one where they asked people if they supported Sarah Palin's position of ______ but put Obama's beliefs (or whatever they were at that moment) in the blank.

[lap83]

I've always liked John Cusack.

This response to him is precious...

"Is it poss. to be disappointed/disgusted at drone program & cont. eroding rights without calling Pres a regressive corp warlord?"

No. The illogical can not be logical.