Inhofe Wants to Bomb N. Korea, Another Corruption Scandal Hits New York, Idaho Lawmakers Restrict Drones: P.M. Links

• 

  Credit: Bullion73, Dreamstime.com

  Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is buying the fear North Korea is trying to sell us and wants to launch a pre-emptive strike on the country. British Prime Minister David Cameron is also concerned the nuclear threat to the West is real.

• Another day, another political scandal in New York. A state lawmaker who represents the Bronx was arrested for taking bribes in order help some developer buddies.
• Another day, another solar power industry failure. Former employees of a recently shuttered (and subsidized) solar plant in Pennsylvania are trying to force the company into bankruptcy proceedings for its failure to pay their severances.
• Idaho lawmakers have signed off on legislation to require police to get warrants to use drones for surveillance, except in emergencies.
• Google appears to be challenging one of the National Security Letters that are used to demand the company hand over private data about users.
• The United States is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of brutal warlord Joseph Kony.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Idaho lawmakers have signed off on legislation to require police to get warrants to use drones for surveillance, except in emergencies.

Judges, start your rubber stamps.

[Episiarch]

Everything is an emergency.

[Pro Libertate]

Just being in the sequester is a national state of emergency. And, of course, the WoT keeps us perpetually in a state of emergency, too.

[Rich]

It's a *double secret* emergency!

[Gene]

Pot plants are an emergency.

[Pro Libertate]

How do we preemptively strike without lots of death?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Were you going for first comment? Have you sunk that low?

[Pro Libertate]

Of course not. I have no delusions. It was just happenstance that I was in second place.

[mauricegirodias]

Behold, Pro Lib, the magical monkey which gave Chris Davis his power to destroy the Rays of Tampa!!!!

[Pro Libertate]

That's okay. We'll procure our own monkey for the next series.

[NeonCat]

A nuke made of rubber bullets?

[Rich]

"We should be prepared to do it right now,''

And, I dare say, we are *prepared*.

Inhofe is just upping the ante in the saber rattling. 8-(

[Episiarch]

Why would a politician care about deaths? Especially deaths of foreigners?

[Pro Libertate]

I was thinking the South Koreans and the tens of thousands of actual voting Americans there might be an issue.

[Cytotoxic]

We don't that's not our concern.

[Pro Libertate]

Okay, I'll bite. What is our concern?

[Cytotoxic]

The only legitimate concern of the USG is protection of the rights of US citizens. Not Norks.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, what about all of those weapons aimed at Seoul? Even if we don't care about the South Koreans, there are a boatload of Americans there.

[Cytotoxic]

Fair point but I think it's incumbent on them to leave.

[jesse.in.mb]

Meh, I left to go work in ROK about a week after they tested their first round of nukes. The Norks have been threatening for so long that nobody takes them seriously on the ground. American private citizens leaving en masse would be detrimental to the ROK economy and it would harm many young American's (Canadians, Aussie's, Brits, etc) financial well being.

[Thane of Whiterun]

Meh, I left to go work in ROK...

Doing what?

...and I mean things that don't involve novelty lube.

[jesse.in.mb]

Doing what?

Spent a year teaching English.

[Thane of Whiterun]

Did it pay anything worthwhile?

I've heard that in recent years there's an oversupply of potential teachers.

[jesse.in.mb]

This was 2006-2007. I came away with a very nice financial buffer. The cost of living was low compared to my pay. The working conditions were sometimes harsh (I had sick hours instead of sick days and I had more work hours in one day than sick hours total), but I got to see Korea and came away with some cash in hand. It also lead me to travel to Istanbul, the Balkans (including Kosovo), and Budapest by taking the long way home.

[Tonio]

A large number of those Americans are US military personnel who have no choice about being there.

We also have a treaty obligation with ROK. One can legitimately question treaty obligations such as that under libertarian principals, but my view is that you don't renege on a treaty.

I find the situation in North Korea strains my commitment to non-aggression and non-intervention. Having said that, I'll readily admit that I'm only marginally libertarian at best.

[John]

Tonio is right. We have an obligation to the South. That also means we have an obligation not to start a war if we can avoid it.

[Pro Libertate]

If there were very strong grounds for believing that the North really might use a nuke or otherwise start a massive shooting war, then maybe I could see a preemptive strike. Rightly or wrongly, that's a situation we're involved in. But I'm not sure this isn't just business as usual.

[Chris Mallory]

No we don't. South Korea is not America. The United States government only has obligations to the United States. Fuck the rest of the world.

[Pro Libertate]

We're there in force and have a treaty obligation. Do I agree with that? Probably not, but it's not the usual intervention-for-fun situation.

[SIV]

A large number of those Americans are US military personnel who have no choice about being there.

It is an all volunteer force. They signed a contract to go there (or wherever the fuck else the military chooses to send them)in exchange for money and an "education".

[Rasilio]

It's too bad we never developed The Thor Orbital Weapons System, then we could implement the Loonies opening bombardment strategy from "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" where we draw a grid pattern around the country specifically offset such that each impact is within view of a population center but in an uninhabited location, then we broadcast to the Norks the precise impact locations just prior to the strikes

[Tonio]

That wouldn't work, Ras. The first strike on NorK territory and they shell Seoul, tens of thousands of lives lost, minimum.

[Rasilio]

I didn't say it would be without consequences, just that it would allow us an initial bombardment without actually killing anyone.

Course that said if we actually had Thor a better use would be to simply obliterate anything within 15 miles of the DMZ, thereby removing the threat to Seoul

[Tonio]

The only way to win this through UOF is to first take out all the NORK gun tubes targeted at Seoul. This artillery is in hardened locations. That is a problem because even a few big howitzers can do a shitload of damage.

Having said that, there are stealthy techniques that could be used to increase the odds of an outright attack working. These are mostly theoretical since NORK is hard to infiltrate.

[PapayaSF]

The Norks can do a lot of damage with that artillery, true, but what about counter-battery fire? And how well-supplied is the Nork army? Do they even have the ammo for a lengthy barrage?

[Brett L]

When was the last time they cleaned the tubes or tested the powder in their cartridges or test-fired a shell?

[A Serious Man]

Idaho lawmakers have signed off on legislation to require police to get warrants to use drones for surveillance, except in emergencies.

And in other news, the amount of 'emergencies' in Idaho are predicted to skyrocket.

[$park?]

Man kills savage dog in self-defense. Surprisingly, nothing goes wrong.

"When he saw my dog running out of the bushes, [he said], 'I'm going to handle him myself,' and then I guess my dog had run back up on him again, and he just shot him," the owner explained.

However, the neighbor has a license to carry, and police say he told them he felt he was being attacked by the dog that wasn't on a leash.

[Virginian]

What a fucking asshole.

[Matrix]

You could punt those little things like a football. I don't see how you should feel threatened for your life.

[Zeb]

I don't think you need to feel your life is threatened to take out a dog. The integrity of my shin skin is more valuable to me than the life of someone's dog. Sorry.

[BakedPenguin]

Virginian & Matrix are right. It was a fucking chihuahua. I'd be more afraid of a cat. All the dick had to do was stamp his foot loudly, and the little dog would have kept his ground.

[Zeb]

I'm not saying it was the best way to react. Personally, I'd rather not kill an animal if I don't have to or want to eat it. I'm just saying it takes a lot less to justify killing a dog than a person.

And some tiny dogs can be pretty bitey. Sorry, but if your dog is biting me, I get to kill it if that seems appropriate to me.

[Virginian]

Uh, context matters a whole lot. A 20 year old threatening me with a bat is going to be looking at the barrel of a gun. A five year old threatening we with a bat is going to get the bat taken away and a stern talking to.

An 80 pound dog biting me....yeah, I'm gonna either shoot him or cut him off me. A five pound dog I'd just pick up by the scruff of his neck and hold at arms length.

[Cabeza de Vaca]

Killing the dog was extreme, but I don't feel sorry for the owner. Some people don't bother to control their dogs at all. When I was a Mailman I couldn't tell you how many times I was told by the owner "Don't worry he won't bite you" as it was trying to bite me.

[Virginian]

Yeah, it's a mixed bag. I work at a summer camp out in the country. Explaining to various city slicker bosses that people let their dogs run here is always a treat.

There is a pack of four or five beagles that likes to spend time on the property. Beautifully trained coon dogs. One morning I woke up very early because they had gone out on their own and treed a fairly large ringtail. They would not stop that beagle noise. I guess I was expected to shoot the thing with a .22 or something. I don't know. I finally managed to get them all on a paracord leash and tug them away. They gave me the most reproaching looks "We did our job boss, why you letting that ring tailed bastard go?"

[Matrix]

And, judging by the picture, this is not just a regular chihuahua, but a little teacup kind. I could be wrong. We had a chihuahua growing up, and that was a mean little bitch sometimes. She could probably bite small chunks. But still, easy to dispatch with a boot. The one in the picture looked much smaller, like my cousins' little teacup chihuahua. Annoying, but completely harmless, except maybe to toes and fingers.

[fish]

...and here you were worried about me being mean to Roger Eberts memory.

[Enough About Palin]

+1 cadaver

[Matrix]

24 reasons to root for the Shockers

I went to high school with reason #18. That's really the only reason I posted this, but I am actually pulling for them now.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Well fuck Witchy State. That game against tOSU was terrible. Sloopy and I, our wives, and little baby Reason were there. It was sad. We got pretty drunk afterward.

[Pro Libertate]

That's funny, because I laughed. But then I stopped laughing when Florida decided to take a vacation during the Michigan game.

I've got Louisville in my pool, but it's too late to win, because I fucked up everything else.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

And Fuck Michigan!

[Night Watchman]

And go Orange!

[phandaal]

I root for Ohio State to lose in every game they play. When alumni of that school finally stop clarifying which Ohio State they go to, the douche factor will drop immensely.

And for the love of all that is good, we know that you know how to spell "Ohio."

[Matrix]

+1

and fuck Meyer. His health obviously wasn't that bad if he could take another big coaching job after only 1 year off.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

baby Reason got drunk?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

No, silly.

[Rasilio]

"Sloopy and I, our wives, and little baby Reason were there. It was sad. We got pretty drunk afterward."

Isn't little baby Reason a little young to be getting drunk?

Also if she's like my little ingrates she'll grow up to be Michigan fans just to spite you (for some unknown reason all of my kids have decided they are going to be Baltimore fans and not Boston fans)

[Pro Libertate]

Did they drink in front of the infant? They are known anti-government types, aren't they?

[hamilton]

Given Sloopy's general mindset Banjos had better teach Reason the basic concepts of bail stat.

[Brandon]

Can baby Reason hold her liquor yet?

[Auric Demonocles]

Didn't realize you were another young 'un.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

He's not a young 'un. #18 there is Asian. She just looks young, but she's probably 56 years old.

[Matrix]

people think I'm a lot younger than I actually am.

[jesse.in.mb]

The Average Asian Aging Process

[PapayaSF]

That's hilarious.

[Matrix]

31. Not that young.

[Thane of Whiterun]

She's quite the looker.

This fine specimen (objectification! sexualization!) was on the most recent episode of Grimm. She's 33 and looks excellent except for a weird nose.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Grimm is a great show. And yeah, she's a cutie.

[Thane of Whiterun]

It is great. Though as it happens I didn't particularly like the most recent episode.

She would have made it better, but I just couldn't help but keep imagining some idiot on an APA site screeching over her three suitors all being white.

[Raston Bot]

points for the shocker but otherwise meh. if she was doing the bloody thorn...

[rts]

Think being arrested for photographing police is bad? Montreal police up the ante, arrest someone for taking a picture of some graffiti of a cop.

A 20-year-old woman has been accused of criminal harassment against a high-ranking Montreal police officer after she posted a photo of anti-police graffiti online.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is buying the fear North Korea is trying to sell us...

I orginally read this as Kim puts us up on Craigslist. Stupid Inhofe.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Inhofe is an End Timer - the dumbest form of life on the planet. He is praying for Armageddon every day.

[$park?]

Our government: Fearless protectors!

State game and fish officials say they plan to file charges against a man who was digging for hidden treasure.

Department spokesman Dan Williams says the man was found digging under a descanso along the upper Pecos River at the Terrero Campground last month. A descanso is a marker where someone has died or their ashes scattered.

[Matrix]

Pirates look for buried treasures. Maybe they arrested him for piracy?

[Stormy Dragon]

So I can start digging a giant hole in your front lawn, and if you call the cops to stop me, I'm being oppressed?

[NeonCat]

India axe attacker 'kills nine' in Chhattisgarh

A man has gone on a rampage with an axe in a village in central India, killing four women and five girls, police say.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worl.....a-22031407

FTA: Local authorities announced that compensation of 25,000 rupees ($450; ?300) each would be paid to the families of the deceased, according to the Press Trust of India.

[Matrix]

time to ban assault axes!

[Rich]

Why does anyone *need* an axe?

[Ice Nine]

Clavicles, probably.

[Rich]

Clavicle piercing

[Auric Demonocles]

Certainly not a double sided axe.

[Rasilio]

I'd be behind this if you were referring to Axe body spray

[A Serious Man]

PBS hosts interesting dialoguebetween Keynesian and Austrian economists.

[rts]

Man has undeclared $10,000 seized at border after exchange rate pushes him over limit to take from country

Robert Docherty of Maple Ridge, B.C., knew any amount over $10,000 must be declared at the border when taking it out of Canada, and he purposely counted and calculated the exchange rate so the $9,880 U.S. and $335 Canadian he was packing were within that limit.

By the time he was boarding his flight to Costa Rica at Toronto's Pearson International Airport two days later, however, the value of the U.S. dollar had risen slightly, pushing his tally over the $10,000 mark.

Seized, gone, two appeals denied.

[Cytotoxic]

Guilty until proven innocent.

How do you avoid these cash-sniffer dogs?

[rts]

It really goes to show how far gone we are when we devote resources to training and using dogs to sniff out cash.

[phandaal]

It's only a waste if the dog finds less cash than it cost to train it.

Like pigs and truffles.

[Thane of Whiterun]

1. Why can't they just take any amount over $10k?*

2. Smuggling cash across international borders is a strong indicator that the funds are proceeds of crime -- wtf? the fuck it is.

*Rhetorical.

[Isaac Bartram]

Even if one accepts restrictions like this, why is the amount of cash that Canadians can leave Canada with denominated in US dollars?

[Fist of Etiquette]

...are trying to force the company into bankruptcy proceedings for its failure to pay their severances.

I hear this from business owners all the time, but in this case the workers are literally trying to bankrupt them.

[Stormy Dragon]

If they negotiated a particular severance package when they were hired and the company didn't make good on it, suing them for the unpaid wages if perfectly legitimate.

[$park?]

We'll put a lid on Kim Jong ... did you hear something?

The commanding officer and three crewmembers aboard a U.S. Navy minesweeper have been relieved of their duties amid an investigation into how the $300 million ship got stuck on a reef near the Philippines and had to be scuttled.

The USS Guardian became stuck on a reef in the Tubbataha National Marine Park, a World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea some 400 miles southeast of Manila in January.

[DJF]

""""US Army's last tanks depart from Germany"""'

http://www.stripes.com/news/us.....y-1.214977

Great, now lets get the rest of the US troops out of Europe and shut down the bases there and we can finally end the Cold War.

[NeonCat]

Vladimir Putin is sending the Not-As-Red-as-it-used-to-be Army forth as we speak.

[Rasilio]

You know given the funding problems the Russian military has had since the fall of the Soviet Union I would not put money on their odds of being able to beat Germany today.

[NeonCat]

I believe with the oil wealth (and Russians being paranoid about being invaded) the army isn't as bad off as it used to be.

As for Putin, he recently said this about loans for arms deals:

"these loans must be based on market principles and not be like the loans the Soviet Union used to accord for ideological reasons, and that no one ever saw again. Our work in this area is built on market principles and we need to develop it. This is a normal practice around the world, including in countries with recognised market economies. Timely loans made on market terms will help to promote our goods and create markets for subsequent maintenance of goods and for later sales of additional equipment and spare parts."

Man, it'd be cool to have a President who understood markets and ideology and the proper relation between the two.

[Rasilio]

Oh I'm sure they are better equipped than they were 10 years ago, especially on the ground forces side (their Navy and Air Forces are pretty much non existent these days)so there is no question they could defend themselves quite well against any potential invasion but offense is much harder and I do not think they are in any position to be going toe to toe with a first world military on their own turf nor do I have any reason to believe that the Germans have lost any of their skill or efficiency at war.

[Chris Mallory]

That sounds like a problem for the Germans, French and the rest of the Eurotrash. Not one more drop of American blood should be wasted on European soil.

[Sevo]

^+many
The French can give up a month of vacation and pay for their own damned military.

[A Serious Man]

Arrested Development to premiere on Netflix May 26th.

I think I just blue myself.

[Fist of Etiquette]

They're putting all the episodes out at the same time? Come on!

[Restoras]

I think they are restarting the series.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Yep. 15 new episodes. All released at the same time. Saw it on Bloomberg this morning.

[Proprietist]

I like the model. Most of the shows I watch have already been completed anyway, so it's basically the same concept. I plan to reserve that whole Sunday and finish it in one sitting (if it's worthwhile).

I'm still wondering how they will make money from it though. I guess there's always money in the banana stand...

[Auric Demonocles]

I like the model.

Her?

[Restoras]

They may not make money from the show per se, but are trying to emulate the HBO model long term. Content draws subscribers.

[Proprietist]

Even if it means me taking a chubby, I will suck it up!

[A Serious Man]

I wouldn't mind kissing that man between the cheeks!

[Bam!]

Ooh, I can taste those meaty, leading man parts in my mouth!

[Bam!]

I don't know if I should get excited about this or fear that it'll end up undoing my love for the first seasons.

[Episiarch]

My default reaction is fear/pessimism. I call it "The Futurama Effect".

[Auric Demonocles]

I'll let you know if watching it was a huge mistake.

[Chuck Dove]

Wealthy loot the working classes to the tune of $32 trillion, Libertarians probably cheer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2.....-tax-haven

Millions of internal records have leaked from Britain's offshore financial industry, exposing for the first time the identities of thousands of holders of anonymous wealth from around the world, from presidents to plutocrats, the daughter of a notorious dictator and a British millionaire accused of concealing assets from his ex-wife.

The leak of 2m emails and other documents, mainly from the offshore haven of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), has the potential to cause a seismic shock worldwide to the booming offshore trade, with a former chief economist at McKinsey estimating that wealthy individuals may have as much as $32tn (?21tn) stashed in overseas havens.

[Episiarch]

Super weak trolling. Come back when you have skillz.

[Cytotoxic]

Where in that story did the wealthy loot anything?

[Pro Libertate]

The wealthy loot by being wealthy. They're hoarders, hoarding; exploiters, exploiting.

[Palin's Buttplug]

They didn't.

It is as stupid as wingnuts saying the Federal Reserve is looting them by keeping interest rates low.

[Virginian]

Inflation doesn't destroy savings? Interesting. What color is the sky in your world?

[Mad Scientist]

Considering Shreek's new handle, you don't want to know the answer to that question.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Inflation is the OPPOSITE effect of low interest rates, dumbass.

And I didn't mention inflation - just the record low interest rates we have.

[Virginian]

Right, and Grigory Potemkin built such wonderful villages.

[John]

Inflation is the OPPOSITE effect of low interest rates, dumbass.

Only if you allow inflation to adequately reflect the cost of money. Not if you artificially depress interest rates by printing money, which is what we are doing.

God you are a fucking moron.

[Palin's Buttplug]

You're a two-bit ambulance chaser calling Milton Friedman a moron on economics.

You are always wrong, John. And I will be here again to tell you when Santorum is about to lose in 2016.

[MJGreen]

Oh, Shrike. Beautiful, stupid Shrike.

[Cytotoxic]

You're retarded.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I agreed with you, idiot. Moving money offshore is not "looting".

[Restoras]

*blows whistle, points at Virginian*
YOU!
*points at Cytotoxic*
and YOU!

5 minute coincidental majors, Feeding The Troll!

[Virginian]

My response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TzF51A90Gc

[NeonCat]

Funny, I'm working class and a libertarian.

Personally, I'm kinda glad when people get away with tax fraud. Better they keep their money than some jackass government waste it.

But if it's government officials wealthy from graft, fuck 'em.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Personally, I'm kinda glad when people get away with tax fraud.

Even the ones who go on to be Treasury secretary?

[NeonCat]

A fair point. The line between govt officials and Wall St has gotten awfully blurry the past couple decades.

[A Serious Man]

Dear Prudence: My boyfriend answered a phone call from his mother while we were having sex. Should I break up with him?

[Cytotoxic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjx-glpYCbw

[Fist of Etiquette]

I knew before clicking it would be a clip from that show, but I thought it would be the scene from the pilot.

[Virginian]

The one where they're watching porn?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Yes. Interracial porn.

[JW]

The nastiest, bare-backing-est, hard-dicking-est
ball-slapping-est, inter-racial porn?

[Thane of Whiterun]

Porn has ruined so many acronyms for me.

The BBC.
ATM.

and so on

[Pro Libertate]

Prudence: Naturally not. A man who embraces family to such an extent is a keeper. You should encourage him to call his mother during sex on a regular basis.

[John]

You missed the best part

This time, he answered the phone and continued to have sex with me as he talked to her.

[Rich]

"Uhhh... Coming, Mother!!"

[A Serious Man]

Archer: Hold on, hold on. It's Mother.

Lana: Ugh.

Archer: No keep going, I can do both.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Yeah, that's the scene I was thinking of.

[Alack]

Life imitates Archer?

[Cytotoxic]

I linked that already!

[Alack]

I don't click other people's links. It's a sign of weakness.

[Episiarch]

Only betas click other people's links.

[Thane of Whiterun]

That's why Google products have "beta" stamped all over them, after all.

[A Serious Man]

That chick was like the Pele of anal.

[hamilton]

I feel like we should take up a collection to buy you something nice, for using that line.

[Auric Demonocles]

That's a fun game to play, though I've never been the one on the phone when playing it.

[Thane of Whiterun]

if you accept the thrust of that argument

...hehe.

[Rasilio]

I had that happen to me.

Of course I was 16 at the time so I couldn't *not* take the call, nor could I say "hey mom I'm getting laid here", but she happened to be on top at that moment and was really amused by not stopping and watching me trying to control my voice and breathing while talking to my mother on the phone.

[Virginian]

Why couldn't you just ignore the call. I mean, you were 16....call her back in....three minutes? five?

[Heroic Mulatto]

My boyfriend answered a phone call from his mother while we were having sex. Should I break up with him?

Yes, because he's a pussy. A real man would be having sex with you while video-conferencing with his mom. Also, he would make eye-contact with her....LIKE A BOSS!

[NeonCat]

BTW, if you are a fan of Chick-fil-a's Carrot Raisin salad, too bad, they're dropping it from the menu April 29th. I emailed the company to complain and was told "Carrot Raisin Salad is no longer as attractive to the vast majority of our customers as it once was."

Personally, I love the stuff, and hopefully some of you will agree with me and ask them to reconsider.

[Pro Libertate]

I will if they deep-fry it.

[NeonCat]

I guess I should have posted that they'll replace it with deep dish pizza if I actually wanted an energetic response from the commentariat.

[Pro Libertate]

I dunno, chicken pizza?

[Proprietist]

It's about time Chick-Fil-A stops tossing the salad.

[Proprietist]

Or "starts tossing the salad" would be more apt.

[Tonio]

Damn you, Prop.

[Tonio]

Carrot Raisin Salad is no longer as attractive to the vast majority of our customers as it once was.

Probably it stopped selling about the time the gay thing happened. Oops.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Doesn't look like it hurt the company one bit, though:

http://www.qsrweb.com/article/.....12-percent

[Cytotoxic]

Inhofe is right. Threat of force is force, and North Korea is taking it too far. A strike on North Korea's...bad things would be prudent. China will be angry, but as long as there's no ground invasion I think it'll be just fine.

[John]

How the hell do we know that there would be no ground invasion? You are gambling with the lives of several million South Koreans there. Best to ignore them and turn the entire boil on the ass of the world into a lake of fire if you have to.

[Cytotoxic]

It's really incumbent on South Korea to protect itself. America should not adjust its defensive actions because one of its 'allies' has been lackadaisical.

[John]

They have a million artillery tubes pointed at Seoul. It would be criminally irresponsible of us to start a war because the latest idiot son is shooting his mouth off.

[Tonio]

Also, treaty, Cyto. You can't just wish that treaty away.

Or are you suggesting we renege on the treaty.

Getting out of the treaty through legal means is something else, but it sounds like you're not suggesting that.

[Chris Mallory]

The treaty should never have been signed. The actions of government past should not be held over the heads of Americans today. Fuck the treaty.

[Chris Mallory]

America should not be defending a border on the other side of the world.

[Sevo]

Yes, once more.
Japan, ROC, PRC and SoK can deal with it.

[Tim]

PUNY HUMANS! HULK SMASH!

[Chris Mallory]

Of course sending 10s of thousands of troops to the other side of the world to sit on another nation's border is also force.

[Karl Hungus]

Roger Ebert, RIP:

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/.....57663.html

[Matrix]

Yeah, you'd think Reason would mention it

[Karl Hungus]

Didn't see that, thought it'd bear mentioning. Anyway, I'll be sure to reimburse Reason for the wasted bandwidth and you for your hurt feelings.

[Tonio]

Being petulant doesn't help, Karl. Take your lumps like a man and move on.

[Karl Hungus]

Being petulant doesn't help, Karl. Take your lumps like a man and move on.

Good God. Are you looking for a handout too?

Okay, your check will be here this afternoon. You need to sign for it personally, so go stand by your mailbox.

[Ice Nine]

(missed the other thread)
I remember when Ebert was on the Tonight Show with Chevy Chase. Chevy was promoting "Three Amigos". Johnny and Chevy were joking around and Johnny in stride, as a throwaway line, asked Ebert what he thought of it. Ebert humorlessly launched into a long, pinheaded, serious review of the movie in which he just shit all over it - sitting right next to its star who was there expressly to promote it, as Ebert well knew. Johnny and Chevy were aghast, near speechless. Ebert was oblivious to what a jerk he was being because, I suppose, that's how jerks roll. It was one of them most graceless things I've seen. I always hated that self-important dick ever since.

[Pro Libertate]

On the other hand, Chase deserves it. With all due respect to Fletch and Vacation.

[Karl Hungus]

As is the case with most good critics, his reviews of the stinkers were the best. Example:

"Deuce Bigalow is aggressively bad, as if it wants to cause suffering to the audience."

[PapayaSF]

My favorite line of his was about Mr. Deeds: "Not so much a remake as a desecration."

[JW]

I'd like to think that Ebert acting this way turned Chase, becoming a total dickhole himself, that which he hates, but I gather that he's always been that way.

[A Serious Man]

On gun control, Howard Fineman embraces the 10th Amendment, salutes Connecticut, New York, and Maryland for their gun control laws.

[John]

How do you sleep at night being that big of a hack? You really have to have no sense of self worth or shame to be that way.

[Tonio]

I don't know John, how do you manage that trick?

[Matrix]

and here I thought liberals hated the 10th Amendment.

[Alack]

Not as much as they hate the second, so it's fair game.

[JW]

And 10 is a higher number, so it beats the 2nd.

[shamalam]

I got your high number right here, hangin' by a saggy 14th.

[PapayaSF]

They love it when it allows states to be more progressive than the federal government. Otherwise, they hate it.

[Rich]

that leaves Democratic governors such as Martin O'Malley of Maryland, Dannel Malloy of Connecticut and John Hickenlooper of Colorado to lead the way to reform.

What is Andrew Cuomo, chopped liver?

Seriously, what an infuriating essay!

[Night Watchman]

What is Andrew Cuomo, chopped liver?

One can only hope, along with fava beans and a nice Chianti.

[Proprietist]

The reciprocal irony are all the HitandRunpublicans who typically see 10th Amendment "states' rights" and federalism as inherently desireable - except when states do things they don't want, like passing gun restrictions.

[Enough About Palin]

except when states do things they don't want, like passing gun restrictions violating the Bill of Rights.

FIFYFF

[Virginian]

Well, if you're a pre-incorporation doctrine guy, then that's inconsistent.

But incorporation of the Constitution has been the law for over a century. If the BoR applies to the state governments, that includes the 2nd Amendment.

I can personally see the advantages of either approach.

[Proprietist]

Again, if the incorporation of the 9th Amendment via the 14th Amendment falls upon the states, federalism is a pointless concept because any violation of individual rights by any state government that falls outside of the explicit roles granted to government by the Constitution is unconstitutional.

I'm all for the federal government cracking down on state laws that violate individual rights, just as I'm all for states passing laws bypassing federal crackdowns on individual rights. Federalism as an end is a relatively silly concept as states aren't inherently preferable to the federal government.

Hell, if the UN wanted to enact global libertarianism as unimpeachable law (*guffaws*), I'd be all for it.

[Virginian]

Yeah, well meanwhile in the real world, federalism can be a very useful tool for advancing liberty. But it doesn't work unless you accept that sometimes, violations of an ideal libertarian body of law are going to occur. But I think, on balance, letting states make their own decisions on most issues is likely to lead to more liberty, not less.

[Proprietist]

I feel the opposite. States already generally have to abide by federal laws, and when state laws come in conflict with the Feds on the side of more liberty (for example, MMJ or gay marriage), the federal government craps all over them with the blessing of the courts. I know that's not what federalists advocate for, but claiming states have extra powers above and beyond the federal government usually goes the wrong way.

[Apatheist ?_??]

The 2nd Amendment incorporated by the 14th means that guns don't fall under the 10th Amendment dipshit.

[Proprietist]

The 9th Amendment incorporated by the 14th means that just about anything doesn't fall under the 10th Amendment. With the 14th Amendment, my opinion is that states don't have additional powers above and beyond the federal government, and thus the powers all fall "to the people."

[gaijin]

Cthulhu and Cthylla exist! Science without the fiction Link

[Tonio]

Nice!

[Res Publica Americana]

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/20.....g-dealers/

NY: NYPD Officer Arrested For Allegedly Helping Group Rob Drug Dealers

"A New York City police officer was in big trouble Wednesday evening, after allegedly helping a group of criminals rob drug dealers."

"Officer Jose Tejada, 45, was charged following an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation, police said."

"He was charged specifically with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. A violation of the Hobbs Act involves three elements ? an obstruction or interference interstate commerce, a robbery or extortion attempt, and a threat or use of violence, police explained." ...

--------------------------

Classy.

[Res Publica Americana]

http://www.khou.com/news/national/201129971.html

TX: Prosecution of South Texas lawmen widens

"A seventh former deputy of a South Texas sheriff's department appeared in court Tuesday on drug conspiracy charges in a federal investigation that has been expanding since last year."

"Former Hidalgo County sheriff's Deputy Jorge Garza made his initial appearance in federal court in McAllen a day after his arrest, according to court records. Garza is just the latest member of the department who prosecutors say helped steal or protect drugs to be resold by a trafficker."

"Garza's attorney declined to comment." ...

[Res Publica Americana]

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.c.....-sheriffs/

CO: Is CO Giving Secret Service The Power to Arrest Sheriffs?

"Colorado sheriffs have gone on record against enforcement of the unconstitutional Colorado gun rights restrictions. Scuttlebutt is that noncompliant law enforcement officers are in the crosshairs of the governor. The rumor grew out of proposed SB 13-013, appointing certain federal agents as Colorado peace officers. To quote from the bill's summary, 'The bill gives a special agent, uniform division officer, physical security technician, physical security specialist, or special officer of the United States secret service limited peace officer authority while working in Colorado.' Should the Sheriffs be afraid? . . ." ...

----------------

Sheriffs tell the prohibitionists to eat shit and fuck off; sheriffs' own compatriots threaten to buttfuck them with new legislation.

Scumbaggery is alive and well.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

IL Amazon sales tax not such a moneymaker.

"The so-called Amazon tax was misguided," said Brent Shelton, a spokesman for FatWallet.com. "(It) did little to increase the competitiveness of the local merchants it was purportedly designed to protect. It's primary result was to cause businesses like ours to leave the state."

Each of these companies took with them people, jobs and money.

And the $150 million [in projected revenues]?

The actual money generated by the law was much less. According to the Illinois Department of Revenue, the law generated just $3.8 million between July 2011 and January 2012. The state was on pace to net $6.4 million from the tax by the end of the fiscal year. This law, billed by one of Illinois' top political leaders as a step toward solving Illinois' economic and fiscal problems, failed to achieve even 5 percent of its intended target.

When asked for more recent revenue figures to see if the tax had picked up steam, the Revenue Department said the agency no longer was tracking this law's performance.

[Episiarch]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Idiots.

[Pro Libertate]

It increases the cost of making a purchase to the consumer. Some decide not to buy at all as a result.

[Alack]

Their failure fills me with joy. Schadenfreude is a grand thing.

[Coeus]

Don't worry tax and spenders. I'm sure we'll get an article in the next few days about how "free market ideologues" were actually responsible for the failure.

[Sevo]

Coeus| 4.4.13 @ 6:28PM |#
"Don't worry tax and spenders. I'm sure we'll get an article in the next few days about how "free market ideologues" were actually responsible for the failure."

Just like the rethuglicans are to blame for Obamacare's crash-and-burn!
Why, they didn't vote for it! It's their fault!

[Applederry]

Although I'm sure we're all aware that gun registration is the penultimate goal of anti-gunners, a friend of mine just pointed out how quickly a universal background check system would lead to that. As it stands, the government has to destroy background check records after a period of time. This means, you could buy a gun through a dealer, who keeps their own records, then later sell your gun to a third party, who you do the appropriate background check on, but later this person commits a crime with the gun.

Well, there are records that you bought the gun. You admit that you sold the gun to the person. But because the records have been destroyed, there is NO WAY to prove you followed the law and did a background check. The ONLY way to prove you did the check would be to allow the government to keep records of background checks, which would be a de facto registration.

So gun owners are caught in a catch-22. We either keep destroying the records, thus making it impossible to sell a gun even to your brother without being an assumed criminal, or we create a de facto system of gun registration.

And if anyone is naive enough to think that a jury wouldn't convict, just remember, the vast majority of cases end up in plea deals. Because the state can threaten you with more charges, threaten to seize your property through asset forfeiture laws, or even threaten to take your kids away.

If universal background checks passes, we're fucked.

[John]

Yes we are. Their goal is to make every gun owner in America a criminal.

[Rich]

You just gave me an idea, John.

What if every gun owner in America started wearing "a yellow Star of David" (or some more-PC symbol) with "Gun Owner" emblazoned on it?

[John]

YEah. And lets make the register with the government like sex offenders. No gun within a mile of a school.

[A Serious Man]

Man who spent 42 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of arson celebrates his release with In N Out..

The details of the case are still pretty infuriating, particularly that they agreed to release him only if he plead no contest to the murders.

[Pro Libertate]

Of course. They can't admit to error.

If someone doesn't belong in prison, they should be freed. Hard stop. No conditions, no releases, no nothing. If he wants to sue everyone and their mother, that's his right.

[Virginian]

Stupid libertarians! He is in prison. He must have done something.

[Pro Libertate]

Just like government to punish the victims after unlawfully and immorally punishing them in the first place.

[TeamBarstool]

I've sent emails asking Brewer to give him a full pardon. Screw Barbara LaWall.

Here's what kind of evil bitch she is.If you got busted for weed,state law allowed you to get "treatment" instead of jail time for a first offense. She was charging each rolling paper in a pack as a separate paraphernalia count. So you got "treatment" for the pot and some serious jail time for the papers.

[NeonCat]

Not sure if this has been discussed:
VIPER drone shows CBP/INS catch less than half of people crossing border illegally.

http://www.latimes.com/news/na.....7595.story

FTA: But not all of the agents are happy to get a precise head count for the first time of how many people they are missing.

"The rank-and-file guys are afraid it will make them look bad," the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the program are not public.

[Matrix]

less than half. I figured they caught less than 10%

[NeonCat]

FTA: "Operated from a Predator surveillance drone, the radar system has collected evidence that Border Patrol agents apprehended fewer than half of the foreign migrants and smugglers who had illegally crossed into a 150-square-mile stretch of southern Arizona.

The number of "gotaways," as the Border Patrol calls those who escape apprehension, is both more precise and higher than official estimates.

According to internal reports, Border Patrol agents used the airborne radar to help find and detain 1,874 people in the Sonora Desert between Oct. 1 and Jan. 17. But the radar system spotted an additional 1,962 people in the same area who evaded arrest and disappeared into the United States."

Less than half of the people detected in the area.

[NeonCat]

So it could be less than 10% across the whole border.

[Virginian]

Great...now they're going to demand a doubling of their budget to crack down on the illegal immigrant menace.

[phandaal]

Knowing I'll be able to outrun border agents if need be makes me feel pretty good.

[A Serious Man]

It's that time of the year when women try to get in shape to look good in their bikinis and certain writers express their outrage about the whole concept of a 'bikini body'.

I've fallen for it ? I've been (and probably will be) afraid to wear a bikini because my body is "wrong" for it. My tummy is too squishy. My breasts are too small. My thighs are too big. And into that pile of insecurities you throw the concept of a "bikini-ready" body, something that would be achievable if only I worked hard enough, controlled myself better, bought whatever gym membership or weightloss product you're selling? Puh-lease. Talk about pouring oil on the flames of insecurity.

It can be hard not to say, "Oh, but I'm only trying to make my body fit enough to wear a bikini, it has nothing to do with anyone else." In some ways it makes sense to keep trying to shield yourself from judgement by fitting in as best you can, whether it is good for you or not. But really, even if it may be impossible to prevent yourself saying that inside your head, think hard before you utter it out loud ? those words can weigh so much more than you imagine. Any body is an acceptable body, and everyone gets to choose why and how they want that body displayed.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, they don't have to be attractive, after all, if they aren't seeking a mate. Why not opt out of the mate race? Then they can eat whatever and look however they want to look.

[John]

Some women do that. They are called lesbians.

[Auric Demonocles]

There is precisely 1 reason I'm doing all this stupid gym time and eating freaking salads, and I can summarize is as:

Girls.

[Pro Libertate]

Which is a rational strategy to replicating your genetic code.

[Auric Demonocles]

Am I a victim of the matriarchy?

[Pro Libertate]

No, if you reproduce. Yes, if you fail.

[Auric Demonocles]

I'll keep practicing for now.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

Yes.

[Thane of Whiterun]

There is no matriarchy. It's simply a symptom of the patriarchy.

The patriarchy creates unrealistic expectations about women's appearances. Convinced by the patriarchy that appearance is the most important trait in a partner, women have started prioritize good looks in men, too.

[Pro Libertate]

This is false. Either reproduce, or don't reproduce. There's nothing else.

Think of the pressure. Each of us is the result of successful breeding--billions of years of it. If you fail to reproduce, you've failed all of the life before you, not to mention the stars that died to create your matter, and the universe that was founded to allow you to come into being.

[jesse.in.mb]

That's just silly ProL, if you die without reproducing you're just becoming mulch for the next living organism with equally unique genetics.

You can serve a purpose without having children.

[Thane of Whiterun]

This is false.

Anybody else hear that whooshing noise?

[Pro Libertate]

Another failed genetic line. So sad.

[Thane of Whiterun]

Oy vey.

[shamalam]

Thanks for that.

I am so damn successful that I had a vasectomy so as to not drive the rest of you to despair.

[JW]

Am I a victim of the matriarchy?

Only a beta would ask such a thing.

[A Serious Man]

I'll probably end up doing a "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event (where guys walk a mile in heels in recognition of Violence Against Women Awareness Month) just because I want to get closer to a girl that cares a lot about the issue.

Am I a victim of the matriarchy?

[Pro Libertate]

Again, no, not if you reproduce. It's all about reproduction.

[Ska]

What if I just get some really good head out of it?

[Pro Libertate]

That behavior generally leads to reproduction at some point, so continue.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

I'm going to choose to be offended by the association of heels with violence against women.

[A Serious Man]

I don't quite get it either.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

They probably think you won't be able to handle it or something. Just make sure to get someone to teach you how to do it right. It's not actually hard.

[jesse.in.mb]

Ha, I had a lady I went to college with decide she was going to wax me (not in the bikini zone). She went out of her way to make it as painful as possible (by her own admission afterward). When she'd finished she huffed something about me not having cried out and I replied "But it wasn't particularly painful" and she flew into a rage about wanting me to know what women suffer through to make themselves appealing for men.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

God. Sooooo lame.

[JW]

I'll probably end up doing a "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event (where guys walk a mile in heels in recognition of Violence Against Women Awareness Month) just because I want to get closer to a girl that cares a lot about the issue.

Consults manual...that requires anal as payment in kind.

[Pro Libertate]

The 2013 supplement indicates an oral option as well.

[JW]

Pre or post?

[Pro Libertate]

[Flips through pages] Huh, that's weird. It says at the same time. Oh, okay--she has to bring a friend.

[jesse.in.mb]

How close are you going to get before you tell her you hang out in the comments at Reason? I don't know if it's worth walking a mile in heels to just get kicked to the curb, so to speak.

[A Serious Man]

She actually identifies as a libertarian. A very attractive, very popular sorority girl that identifies as libertarian.

[jesse.in.mb]

Then I'm with Nicole, have someone show you how to walk in heels first. I would pretend to be shitty when you start and then just look like a quick study. I don't know that you want to seem TOO confident your first time out in heels.

[JW]

RAMMING SPEED!

[Virginian]

I'll probably end up doing a "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event (where guys walk a mile in heels in recognition of Violence Against Women Awareness Month) just because I want to get closer to a girl that cares a lot about the issue.

Uh dude.....I don't think that's going to help you with that.

[Thane of Whiterun]

What if he smacks her around a bit afterward?

[Virginian]

Depends. That girl I smacked turns out to be a freak in bed. So I don't think I'm going to try that again. I think I just lucked out and used the right gun for the quarry, so to speak.

I do think that wearing heels is not going to get her to see you as a potential sexual partner.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

I'm not sure I'd go for that dating strategy...

[John]

Any body is an acceptable body, and everyone gets to choose why and how they want that body displayed.

Oh honey, it is always nice when your mother lies to you.

[Thane of Whiterun]

http://jezebel.com/5993383/?post=58740220

So what exactly qualifies as a troll on a post about bikini bodies? I have a feeling their definition might be a bit broad.

[Pro Libertate]

I assume lots of pictures of skinny girls with big breasts in bikinis. Preferably hanging out with old rich guys.

[NeonCat]

Your conflation of "broad" with Jezebel is sexist.

[NeonCat]

Excuse me, combination.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

Can I have outrage about the concept of a "bikini body" because it's really just a body in a fucking bikini and that's a hideous and stupid phrase?

[Pro Libertate]

They mean hot women with insanely good bodies. Not simply bodies in a bikini, which could mean anything. Even men--ugh.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

I know what it means, but it sounds fucking stupid. Like the Mail talking about Jennifer Aniston's "revenge body" after her breakup with Brad Pitt. She doesn't have a "revenge body," she has a body, her body is hot, and perhaps she wants revenge. But what the fucking fuck is a "revenge body" other than terrible writing?

[Pro Libertate]

It's stupid. Just like bitching about bikini bodies.

[A Serious Man]

Bikini body is just a simple, alliterative phrase that you put on a fitness or women's interest magazine to get them to read it.

It's stupid, but so is most advertising. But it also works.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

Right, but some stuff is clever and some is just dumb. This falls on the dumb side. And as usual, I blame the Mail.

[Tonio]

I've been told I look good in a coconut shell bra. Hmph.

[Thane of Whiterun]

No. You have no idea what it's like to be an individual, and only individuals can form opinions.

[Shine on, Nikki Diamond]

I also don't understand the hand-wringing over wanting to wear a bikini if you don't think one looks good on you. Either don't wear clothes that aren't flattering, or accept that you are wearing something that doesn't look good. There are lots of things that are unflattering because of body shape issues that have nothing to do with being overweight or underweight or fit or not, and people just have to live with it sometimes. If you don't actually want to be wearing a bikini, don't wear one.

[jesse.in.mb]

While my sister was briefly off of meth and getting her kicks from chocolate I offered to buy her a burkini. Much like when I offered to pay for a tubal ligation, this did not go over well.

[NeonCat]

There's no pleasing some people.

[Irish]

You're a giver and if she doesn't appreciate that, then whose fault is it really?

[JW]

If you don't actually want to be wearing a bikini, don't wear one.

With that nutty attitude, you might as well be running around screaming I LOVE RAPE CULTURE.

[Thane of Whiterun]

Keep Calm and Perpetuate Rape Culture?

[JW]

Who's going to sooth my ragged psyche for the societal pressure for me to have a Speedo? body?

[Irish]

No man has a Speedo body. It's an unrealistic expectation cruelly spread about by the matriarchy.

[jesse.in.mb]

You shut your mouth Irish

[Irish]

Ryan Lochte pulls it off too.

Even though he's a douchey moron. Also, is it just me, or does Lochte appear to be sucking in his gut in those pictures? That's pretty unmanly. If you've got a bit of a paunch, just own that shit.

[Irish]

Ryan Lochte pulls it off too.

Even though he's a douchey moron. Also, is it just me, or does Lochte appear to be sucking in his gut in those pictures? That's pretty unmanly. If you've got a bit of a paunch, just own that shit.

[Pro Libertate]

Women should thank the stars that we don't like balding, fat women as a general rule.

[shamalam]

Nikki, good point.

"There are lots of things that are unflattering because of body shape issues that have nothing to do with being overweight or underweight or fit or not, and people just have to live with it sometimes."

A good example is Daniel Tosh. He has a freakishly long torso and he is not the least bit embarrassed to strip down for all to see.

[Sevo]

"A good example is Daniel Tosh. He has a freakishly long torso and he is not the least bit embarrassed to strip down for all to see."
That's fine. He should just be embarrassed to open his mouth.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Any body is an acceptable body, and everyone gets to choose why and how they want that body displayed.

And yet, at the last Jezebel conference, they got all huffy when I pulled down my pants and waved my wang in their face. That's how I choose to display my body....

[Coeus]

The slutwalk ethics always give way to the "Eek, a penis!" phenomena.

[PapayaSF]

Microaggression!

[Heroic Mulatto]

Heyyyy.......

[PapayaSF]

LOL

[desidesosa]

up to I saw the receipt saying $9092, I did not believe that my brother realey taking home money in their spare time at there labtop.. there friend brother started doing this 4 only about twenty three months and just paid the dept on their condo and got a new Honda. this is where I went and go to home tab for more detail ... http://www.big76.com

[Thane of Whiterun]

And Hondas hold their values better than any other brand!!!

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Hondas

That's lacist.

[Coeus]

Older feminist talks about being "sexually invisible".

She should talk to a group of male teens. Video games seem to be a good coping strategy.

[Virginian]

Yeah I'm a couple months into my job at a local university. It's very surprising to me how much interest I'm getting from the coeds, while I see plenty of guys around that are their age who they don't seem to have any interest in. I wonder why that is?

[Rasilio]

Welcome to life as a man.

Course I bet she was someone who bitched constantly about Male Gaze all the time when she was younger.

[Coeus]

Honestly, we get the better end of the deal here. 20 more years of being sexually desirable to a wide age range, in exchange for 10 years if invisibility at the beginning.

It's probably psychologically worse for them, going from having to not.

[Rasilio]

I don't know about that.

Some guys overcome being sexually invisible at some point, usually either because they look like male models or have conspicuiously large wallets but honestly in my life I have had approximately 6 women express any interest in me in anything approaching a sexual manner and in 3 of the cases it wasn't me specifically they were interested in, any male would have sufficed and most of the guys I know are in pretty much the same boat

[Coeus]

1. Be older than 20
2. Don't be fat
3. Work on your posture.
4. Affect the dark triad personality traits.

Problem solved.

[PapayaSF]

Gosh, why would this hottie not get attention from men? I'm sorry, but she probably didn't get a lot of attention when she was 20, either....

[Generic Stranger]

You SF'd your link. Please don't fix it.

[PapayaSF]

Sorry, I must. Tira Harpaz.

[Generic Stranger]

Why, why, WHY did I click on that link?

Ok, she doesn't quite require brain bleach, but definitely NOT a looker.

[Enough About Palin]

I've fallen for it ? I've been (and probably will be) afraid to wear a bikini because my body is "wrong" for it. My tummy is too squishy. My breasts are too small. My thighs are too big. And into that pile of insecurities you throw the concept of a "bikini-ready" body, something that would be achievable if only I worked hard enough, controlled myself better, bought whatever gym membership or weightloss product you're selling? Puh-lease. Talk about pouring oil on the flames of insecurity.

It can be hard not to say, "Oh, but I'm only trying to make my body fit enough to wear a bikini, it has nothing to do with anyone else." In some ways it makes sense to keep trying to shield yourself from judgement by fitting in as best you can, whether it is good for you or not. But really, even if it may be impossible to prevent yourself saying that inside your head, think hard before you utter it out loud ? those words can weigh so much more than you imagine. Any body is an acceptable body, and everyone gets to choose why and how they want that body displayed.m fat.

[Coeus]

Article in which some young feminists compare themselves to MLK.

From the beginning, Hollaback! set forth a bold vision:

"Whether you're commuting, lunching, partying, dancing, walking, chilling, drinking, or sunning, Hollaback! believes you have the right to feel safe, confident, and sexy, without being the object of some turd's fantasy."

[Virginian]

We had watched leaders like Martin Luther King and Gloria Steinum enough to know the power of a vision.

But not enough to spell her name correctly.

[NeonCat]

Spelling is a tool of the Patriarchy, duh.

[NeonCat]

"I'm sexy! DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT ME!"

If it's fantasy, how will she know?

[Rasilio]

Cause he'll get all male gazy around her

[Rasilio]

Um, no they do not have the right to "not be the object of some turds fantasy". It is his head and he is free to fantisize about anything he likes and if you don't like it too damn bad.

[Irish]

Also, the definition of 'turd' by and large means 'someone I am not attracted to.'

So they're really saying 'we're just as shallow as men are.' Anyone who has actually met both a woman and a man should probably know that already.

[Coeus]

You just don't understand attraction. The things a woman are attracted are just and pure. The things a man is attracted to are reprehensible and harmful.

[Pro Libertate]

So tits much be really reprehensible and harmful, huh?

[Coeus]

The attraction is. See A Serious Man's link upthread. Look at what it's done to that poor woman.

(takes off feminist hat, as he can feel it lowering his IQ)

[MJGreen]

And I'm guessing I don't have the right not to be an object of their fantasy.

Not that I'd mind, of course. Because I do "feel safe, confident, and sexy." I don't merely pretend I do.

[Coeus]

AZ Official Fired For Saying Menstrual Cycles May Cause Issues For Women In Combat

The director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services, Joey Strickland, resigned on Wednesday and his newly hired assistant, Terri Proud, has been fired after she cited menstrual cycles as one possible reason women may not be suited for combat.

..........

Proud made headlines last year when, as a one-term state representative, she wrote an email to a constituent saying that every woman seeking an abortion should be required to witness one in person. Strickland hired her as an administrative assistant despite explicit instructions to not do so, according to the governor's office.

"Col. Strickland was given very specific instructions about a year ago to avoid hiring this individual," Matt Benson, a spokesman for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) told the News Service. "He chose to do so anyway and unfortunately that individual's questionable judgment was on display this week with some ill chosen public remarks regarding women in the military."

Looks like the little head was thinking for the big head.

[Enough About Palin]

"Inhofe Wants to Bomb N. Korea"

They should just glitter-bomb Pyongyang.

[Loki]

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is buying the fear North Korea is trying to sell us and wants to launch a pre-emptive strike on the country. British Prime Minister David Cameron is also concerned the nuclear threat to the West is real.

As dumb as Inhofe and Cameron both are for giving any kind of credibility to Kim's bullshit, is there any doubt that Kim Jong-Un is the dumbest motherfucker on the planet? He does realize that last decade we fucked up Iraq just because we SUSPECTED they were developing WMDs and thought they MIGHT like to use them against us or our interests, right? What a dumbshit.

Not that any of the above should be interpreted as support for the idea of going to war with the Norks, but still. If you look up blithering idiot in the dictionary it should have Kim Jong-Un's picture there.

[Virginian]

I'm very afraid that he actually believes his own bullshit, that he genuinely thinks the fucking KPA could beat the US military in a stand up fight.

[Jerry on the boat]

He is just trolling for more international aid.

[The Late P Brooks]

iIf you fail to reproduce, you've failed all of the life before you, not to mention the stars that died to create your matter, and the universe that was founded to allow you to come into being.

Suck it, History.

[Pro Libertate]

The universe is disappointed.

[Coeus]

Ho-lee she-yat:

Fight Over Woman Ends in Death After Man Shoves a Foot Up His Friend's Ass

[ant1sthenes]

Someone needs to explain idioms to that guy.

[Warty]

FUCKING ALPHA

[Coeus]

This is what happens when you pass out around white people.

[The Late P Brooks]

The universe is disappointed.

By the genetic evanescence of of my italics tags?

[Auric Demonocles]

By your refusal to accept billions of years of evolution and progress, all leading in one unbroken line... to threaded comments.

[The Late P Brooks]

HUMBUG!

[Auric Demonocles]

I didn't say you should stop. Keep on fighting the good fight. I'll keep on banging away at the alt-text door.

Though you could make sure to quote what you're responding to a bit more.

[shamalam]

Obama, male-gazing California attorney general:

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-ca.....itics.html

[PapayaSF]

Don't you understand, it's OK when Democrat politicians do that sort of thing.