Benghazi Attack Could Haunt Clinton, Rodman Planning Next Trip to North Korea, Tea Party Groups Reject IRS Apology: P.M. Links

Credit: Walter Huang/wikimedia

• The Benghazi fiasco could come back and cause Hillary Clinton some headaches. 

• Dennis Rodman is planning to head back to North Korea to try and free an American citizen who has been sentenced to 15 years hard labor by officials in the Stalinist hellhole. 

• Tea Party groups have rejected an apology from the IRS for their unjustified scrutinization during the 2012 election cycle. 

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is bucking the GOP's social conservatism, coming out against a national ban on same-sex marriage and arguing that there could be potentially thousands of exceptions to any abortion bans.

• Seattle police say that dash cameras on patrol cars were either off or in the wrong position to capture the fatal shooting of Jack Keewatinawin. 

• Iran has unveiled a new drone, which officials says will be used for surveillance and combat missions. 

Get Reason.com and Reason 24/7 content widgets for your websites.

Follow Reason and Reason 24/7 on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.  You can also get the top stories mailed to you—sign up here. Have a news tip? Send it to us!

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Benghazi fiasco could come back and cause Hillary Clinton some headaches.

Big Journalism will absolutely not let this touch Hillary in any way.

[sam the man]

Andrew Breitbart's website?

[Greaney79]

Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job Ive had. Last Monday I got a new Alfa Romeo from bringing in $7778. I started this 9 months ago and practically straight away started making more than $83 per hour. I work through this link, Mojo50.com

[A Serious Man]

The Benghazi fiasco could come back and cause Hillary Clinton some headaches.

I highly doubt that.

[Rich]

Good ol' Midol!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Tea Party groups have rejected an apology from the IRS for their unjustified scrutinization during the 2012 election cycle.

I'd like to know why the IRS admitted it in the first place.

[Rich]

In a statement, the IRS admitted that "mistakes were made," but it said that the errors were not due to "any political or partisan rationale."

Have they no shame?

[John]

Mistakes were made. Bonus points for the passive voice. No one made the those mistakes. They just happened.

[Pro Libertate]

But the affected people are all in a single political class--that's impossible, unless it's the greatest coincidence of all time.

[JW]

ProL...are you still listening to those voices? You were supposed to have rejected them by now.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, since the government PERFECTLY REFLECTS THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE, and since I'm one of the people, the government must be perfectly reflecting my will to crush the Tea Party and each of its members with massive audits.

[JW]

That's better. We'll kill you last, now.

[Pro Libertate]

Only when I'm perfectly aligned with the government. I mean the people. The people, the government. The govple.

SOYLENT GREEN IS GOVERNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Agammamon]

He could hear just enough of what was issuing from the telescreen to realize that it had all happened, as he had foreseen; a vast seaborne armada had secretly assembled a sudden blow in the enemy's rear, the white arrow tearing across the tail of the black. Fragments of triumphant phrases pushed themselves through the din: 'Vast strategic manoeuvre -- perfect co-ordination -- utter rout . . . victory, victory, victory!'

[db]

This is basically what I tried to write hours ago when the squirrels ate my posts and I resorted to drinking dilute ethanol.

[jesse.in.mb]

Dennis Rodman is planning to head back to North Korea to try and free an American citizen who has been sentenced to 15 years hard labor by officials in the Stalinist hellhole.

Dennis Rodman, elder statesman!

[Dweebston]

Maybe they'll keep him this time.

[jesse.in.mb]

America would respond violently to the theft of such a national treasure.

You know you're not living up to the Kim family legacy when got Bill Clinton, and you get. Dennis Rodman

[Zeb]

What?

[jesse.in.mb]

Yeesh, this is what happens when I give up caffeine

You know you're not living up to the Kim family legacy when your father got Bill Clinton, and you get Dennis Rodman.

Unless you're going after Dennis Rodman being a national treasure, but I don't think you're the kind of monster who would suggest that Dennis Rodman isn't the pinnacle of American cultural achievement

[Killazontherun]

Caffeine never gave up on you.

[Marc F Cheney]

On this note, I'd like to recommend to everyone the comic book (? it's not a novel, so I can't say "graphic novel) Pyongyang by Guy Delisle. Lucy recommended it on her blog, and I finally read it last night. Entertaining and soul-crushing at the same time.

[Irish]

IRS spokesman: I'm not good at math.

[John]

You beat me to it.

[Irish]

Only by about 8 minutes. The difference between 4:31 and 4:32 is 8 minutes, right? My math teacher was an IRS spokesman.

[Ska]

When I tell people that I'm a CPA, they instantly assume I'm good at math. It really doesn't matter if I am or not, I have calculators and spreadsheets that can handle the math. The important part of my job is knowing tax law.

[Brett L]

CPAs are good at arithmetic, which is an important subset of math.

[Pro Libertate]

They can laugh off their math failings. If a citizen fails at math, they can be fined and imprisoned. Ha, ha.

[Brandon]

Tea Party groups have rejected an apology from the IRS for their unjustified scrutinization during the 2012 election cycle.

Good. Get as much attention on this as possible, it might get some people to wake up to how dangerous a massive unaccountable government can be.

[John]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....-disaster/

This Washington Post account of the IRS scandal is a riot. These people are unbelievable.

[John]

And doubt bonus points for this comment

beatoven
4:20 PM EDT
lots of amusing comments. My comment is that if you don't like to pay federal taxes, move to a country where there is no government to protect you. Somalia anyone? You can wear your guns in public too

Somalia!!

[Virginian]

I already live in a country where I can wear my guns in public.

[deified]

Chesterfuck?

[Warty]

I like this exchange, personally. Simple and stupid.

dan212
4:37 PM EDT
Now would someone like to tell me again why it's paranoid to worry about Big Government?
Like ? Reply ? Share
? Flag

AhhYes
4:38 PM EDT
Because it's actually quite rare?
Like ? Flag

[Virginian]

He thinks it's quite rare that....what??

That government fucks someone over for doing nothing wrong?

I think that probably happens at least fifty times a day.

[Warty]

I imprison a million people, I kill millions, I steal trillions, and all of a sudden, I'm the bad guy?

[Almanian!]

Oh, sure - the IRS can apologize and just carry on as if nothing happened. But you suck ONE cock and....

[Killazontherun]

You're a bidge builder?

[Killazontherun]

Nobody is ever going to top that line.

[Irish]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. If you think the government is out to get you, it's paranoid. It turned out you were correct, and the government was out to get you. Even though you were totally right, you're still paranoid. LIBERAL LOGIC!

Sort of like how Steinbeck was sent to a mental institution because he thought the FBI was following him and decades later it turned out the FBI was following him. Don't worry though! It's totally rare!

[NeonCat]

They just wanted an autograph but were too shy to ask.

[Zeb]

Well, as some important person supposedly said, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

It's rare... except when the scary right-wingers are controlling government.

Which is about every 4-8 years.

Super-rare, everybody.

[Cdr Lytton]

This and this.

[Warty]

More comments!

sigatoka
4:41 PM EDT
Some hack will apologize, taking the blame.
Just like the shrew Clinton taking the blame for Benghazi.
NOTHING gets done
All PR and reasons why the average American believes, correctly, the Federal Government sucks,
LikeLiked by 6 readers ? Reply ? Share ? Flag

AhhYes
4:42 PM EDT
If the federal government sucks, it's because the American people suck, since the government is the people.

Think it sucks? Run for office and/or volunteer.
Like ? Flag

Desertdiva
4:44 PM EDT
Better yet let's start dismantling a hopelessly broken government.
Like ? Flag

AhhYes
4:45 PM EDT
You can! That's the best part! Run for office, get into congress, and submit bills to do just that.
Like ? Flag

[Zeb]

"Think it sucks? Run for office and/or volunteer."

What if you have done that and you still think it sucks?

[Almanian!]

"Run for office"

"No"

"Then you can't complain"

"Yes I can"

"......"

[Killazontherun]

Hey, you try banditry for a while and see if you like it. Then your opinion may mean something. But as long as you are the one being held up, you have no right to complain.

[Irish]

Think it sucks? Run for office and/or volunteer.

You know, for a group of people who believe human beings need the government to control large aspects of their life, they have magical belief in the power of a single individual to somehow totally change the government.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

For people who call themselves part of the "reality-based community" they sure seem to wrap a lot of the ideas in the trappings of religious faith.

[Killazontherun]

What if I have far more productive uses of my time? That a lot of people believe there is honor and prestige in government work is the very heart of the problem. You should treat government employees far worse than you do bums.

[Brandon]

cb11
3:08 PM MDT
It's pretty bad, and will be reverberating for a while. Of course the psuedo conservatives are cackling with glee. I think it's pretty sad that they are actually happy about this, but not so surprising.

Sure, this was absolutely true and the IRS was targeting the President's political enemies, but gosh those conservatives are terrible people!

[Killazontherun]

Oh., they are definitely pissed off about the revelation getting out. What it revealed, not so much.

[Pro Libertate]

The government isn't the people. That's such a stupid statement. There are 310 million of us, and a few thousand of them. Hundreds if you limit it to elected federal officials.

Nor, it is quite clear, does government even remotely reflect the will of each of us. Or even try to do so.

[A Serious Man]

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is bucking the GOP's social conservatism, coming out against a national ban on same-sex marriage and arguing that there could be potentially thousands of exceptions to any abortion bans.

I think he's trying to out-moderate Jabba the Hutt on these issues. It's a good indication of who he views as his biggest rival to the GOP nomination.

[Virginian]

Hell, I think it would be great if a Republican called for a more European style abortion policy. Just to watch proggie heads explode when they realized what that means.

[NeonCat]

They leave a little twist of lemon in the uterus?

[Marc F Cheney]

That was just very well done, sir.

[Coeus]

The cognitive dissonance would rise to astonishing levels.

Let's say this twinkie represents the normal level of cognitive dissonance among proggies....

[The Immaculate Trouser]

I've been involved in the pro-life movement for a long time, and I have no problems with this (neither would a good 99% of self-described pro-lifers):

potentially thousands of exceptions to any abortion bans.

Life/health of the mother and rape are particularly significant areas on which pro-lifers (including myself) will allow for some leeway (and most countries with pro-life legislations have such exemptions). Thousands of exemptions out of *millions* of abortions actually seems to be a lowball estimate on the # of abortions that I would consider justified from a self-defense standpoint.

[Zeb]

See, I don't get the rape exception. If the reason for being anti-abortion is that it kills an innocent human being, what bearing does who the father of that being is have on the moral calculation?

The life of the mother exception makes sense because you've basically got the choice of kill one or kill both.

I'm on the other side of this issue from you, but I do try to honestly look at the arguments of my opponents and the rape exception seems like a big inconsistency to me. So I am curious, how do you justify that?

[generic Brand]

Rape is genetic. If your father raped your mother, then that means you have rape DNA and you too will likely rape. And if you're a male, that means you're doubly prone to raping someone. It's like alcoholism, but more rapey.

[Zakalwe]

Several generations later you get STEVE SMITH.

[Almanian!]

JINX!

[Brandon]

What jinx? He beat you. Hang your head in shame!

[Zakalwe]

STEVE SMITH responses are so cliche now that speed is the only metric in judging them.

[Almanian!]

STEVE SMITH RAPE YOU LAST, Z

[Almanian!]

I was told there would be no math!!!

[Almanian!]

ALL THIS TALK RAPE MAKE STEVE SMITH WANT TAKE WALK ON APPALACHIAN TRAIL. SEE HIKERS, GET STEVE SMITH'S RAPE ON. RAPE!

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Hey, all that kid knows is good, and ball... and rape.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

And if you're a male, that means you're doubly prone to raping someone. It's like alcoholism, but more rapey.

My sister-in-law's ex actually argued that the reason he cheated on her was because his dad cheated on his mom and it was in his DNA.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

I'm a bit wobbly on a rape exemption per se, but I am willing to say that such a traumatic event would make two things true:

First, it removes the expectation that the woman in question could have avoided becoming pregnant, thus removing some of the volitional aspects of an elective abortion in other circumstance.

Second, such a traumatic event would certainly be considered a mitigating circumstance in a regular homicide or infanticide trial (and for good reason) -- and when you compound that with the changes that a woman undergoes during a pregnancy, there is reason to believe that a woman's latter-day decision to abort is not being made in a state that can reasonably be considered normal.

I'm against punishing anyone who is not in their right mind for a crime when they return to normalcy, and there's enough ambiguity in the case of a rape pregnancy that I would err on the side of caution. I also consider it something of a health issue, considering that a significant minority of women in that situation have serious mental degradation down the road.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

FWIW, my wife is much more of a "no exceptions" person than me, and we've had three kids together.

[Zakalwe]

Well she'd have to be, right?

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Women do seem to gravitate to the extremes of the debate no matter which side they are on -- which makes sense, I suppose.

[ant1sthenes]

"here is reason to believe that a woman's latter-day decision to abort is not being made in a state that can reasonably be considered normal."

So? If you're crazy and kill someone, that one thing. If you're crazy and you hire a sane person to kill someone, that's a little different, especially when it comes to how the courts should treat your assassin.

Hell, it would make abortion doubly immoral, since it would be performing medical procedures on someone who wasn't of sound enough mind to truly consent to them.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Seattle police say that dash cameras on patrol cars were either off or in the wrong position to capture the fatal shooting of Jack Keewatinawin.

Not saying the shooting was justified or not (doubt it was), but the explanations for not having the cameras on were plausible. Public servants and technology often do not mix well.

[Coeus]

They manage to keep that fucking laptop on all the time. It's all a matter if incentives.

[Andrew S.]

True, but it seems to be a pattern.

When there's a complaint against a TSA agent, the TSA only seems to be able to find available footage when it exonerates the TSA goon in question. If it goes the other way, the footage is lost, or was deleted, or doesn't exist.

If this footage would have exonerated the cops in question, I'm wiling to bet that there would be some footage.

[Almanian!]

pretty sure procedures were followed. IMO that makes it a good case for the TSA and the cops in question. training, morgan fairchild, got my pump on - so it was a good non-shoot of the video. hth

[John]

The White House held an off-the-record briefing with reporters on Friday afternoon to discuss recent revelations about the Benghazi investigation, sources familiar with the meeting tell POLITICO.

The meeting began around 12:45 p.m. and postponed the daily, on-the-record White House press briefing to 1:45 p.m. White House press secretary Jay Carney did not respond to a request for confirmation of the meeting.

The off-the-record session was announced to reporters in the wake of an ABC News report showing that White House and State Dept. officials were involved in revising the now-discredited CIA talking points about the attack on Benghazi.

http://hotair.com/archives/201.....he-record/

The media doesn't even pretend that they don't take orders from the White House.

[Clich? Bandit]

you're repeating yourself.

[Almanian!]

you can say THAT again

[Coeus]

Newspeak!

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to the meeting as "off the record." Though the existence of the meeting was off the record, it was conducted on "deep background."

UPDATE (3:05 p.m.): I asked Earnest to explain the meaning of "deep background," as defined by the White House, for my readers. He emails:

"Deep background means that the info presented by the briefers can be used in reporting but the briefers can't be quoted."

[Pro Libertate]

Just once, I'd like a reporter to say, "yo, fuck 'access'" and tell us what he's learned off the record on deep throat background. What's important here, after all?

[Virginian]

So they buried the Boston bomber a few miles up the road in Doswell VA. The local AM talk guy was flipping a shit about it. Just saying the most retarded shit.

"How dare they foist this terrorist on the good people of Virginia?!?!!?!"

He's not a terrorist, he's not an anything. It's an embalmed corpse. It cannot harm anyone.

[Tricerabottoms]

You'll regret what you just said when the zombies rise.

[John]

Jesus Christ people are animals. There were protestors at the funeral home where the body was. The guy is dead. Get the fuck over it and bury the guy. Drawing and quartering the body isn't exactly going to accomplish anything.

[Almanian!]

Where's the Westboro Bapitist Church come out on this?

[Brandon]

More evidence for the "liberalism is a religion" theory.

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

It's a particularly primitive religion.

[ant1sthenes]

It would be further evidence of our regression to feudalism.

[Mike M.]

I'd sure love to know exactly who paid for his burial. Caskets and burial plots aren't free.

[Xenocles]

The uncle probably took it upon himself strictly as a family duty, which was probably why he claimed the body in the first place. I can't blame the guy for it.

[generic Brand]

Why does it matter? (no Hillary)

Burying the body is just a way for people to move on. If I had the money for such actions, I would have offered to do it myself.

[Marc F Cheney]

Why didn't they cremate and dodge the whole issue? Because of Islam? Shouldn't it be at the discretion of whoever's paying for it? (Which is who?)

[Mike M.]

After doing some research, it turns out (naturally) that it's a Muslim cemetery, so it's probably owned and paid for by some rich Saudi oil sheikh who's sympathic to jihadists.

[Zeb]

Yeah, because of Islam. The uncle (the one who called them losers and a disgrace) had custody of the body and presumably wasn't going to let it be treated in an unislamic way.

I wish people would stop being all superstitious about corpses and treat them like the pieces of garbage that they are.

[Xenocles]

Like it or not, the guy had innocent people who probably still loved him despite his crimes. I see nothing wrong with them treating the corpse in the way that helps them deal with their grief. It's enough that he's dead; we shouldn't aspire to barbarism.

[Zeb]

Oh, I have no problem with that either. My comment was just one of those general sort of comments about silly things that people believe. If people want to fetishize corpses, it's no skin off my nose.

[deified]

You live south of the James, don't you?

I am so sorry that you know not of the glory that is Short Pump

[Virginian]

I live like...a hundred feet south of the James.

[Dweebston]

Seattle police say that dash cameras on patrol cars were either off or in the wrong position to capture the fatal shooting of Jack Keewatinawin.

This does not surprise me in the slightest. The fact that they're so often active and working properly surprises me. One of the bright moments in my brief stint as a paralegal involved our attorney getting an officer to perjure himself about the status of his "broken" dash cam. The judge tossed him out of court and swore she'd never accept testimony from him as long as she sat on the bench.

[Ted S.]

Procedures were followed; you don't know the totality of the fact pattern; you're just a member of the bigorati; I've got to go off and do some powerlifting and sleep with the dozens of women I first bedded when I was captain of the college surf team.

[Coeus]

The rape joke double standard.

Male comics have been moving in condemning violence, like the Boston bombing. On degradation of women? Not so much

There is a double standard. But it's one that feminists advocate. I wonder if she understands what "double standard" means?

[Xenocles]

Prison rape jokes are still okay, right?

[Bobarian]

Feminists are completely against prison rape jokes, but are ok with prison rape.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

She should be a lot more concerned about how unfunny nearly all female comics are.

[A Serious Man]

Science and religion can't be reconciled.

And that's the real reason why I don't want to be involved directly with Templeton. It's not a matter of ethical compromise; it's simply a matter of sending the wrong message. Any time respectable scientists take money from Templeton, they lend their respectability?even if only implicitly?to the idea that science and religion are just different paths to the same ultimate truth. That's not something I want to do...
But I will try to explain to them why it's important. Think of it this way. The kinds of questions I think about?origin of the universe, fundamental laws of physics, that kind of thing?for the most part have no direct impact on how ordinary people live their lives. No jet packs are forthcoming, as the saying goes. But there is one exception to this, so obvious that it goes unnoticed: belief in God. Due to the efforts of many smart people over the course of many years, scholars who are experts in the fundamental nature of reality have by a wide majority concluded that God does not exist. We have better explanations for how things work. The shift in perspective from theism to atheism is arguably the single most important bit of progress in fundamental ontology over the last 500 years. And it matters to people ? a lot.

[Irish]

Actually, science and DOGMA can't be reconciled. If you're unwilling to follow the truth where it leads, regardless of religious belief, it can't be reconciled with the scientific method. Since most internet atheists are just as idiotically dogmatic as any religious fundamentalist, this article is stupid.

[Warty]

From what I can tell, most internet atheists only use it as a club to make fun of Republicans. If Republicans all became atheists, these people would be handling snakes and jibbering in tongues tomorrow morning.

[John]

+1000. Someone was talking this morning about some paleontologist was on NPR talking about how creationists often had PHDs but not in the right fields. Okay, fair enough. He then immediately went on to talk about the evils of fossil fuels and global warming.

You see, evolution comes in a bundle with AGW and leftist politics. If you believe in evolution, you must necessarily believe in the rest.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

creationists often had PHDs but not in the right fields.

Uh, wut. Do they *want* creationists getting PhDs in evolutionary biology, potentially affecting the field in an adverse way, rather than getting degrees in engineering and holding on to wrong (but harmless) views while working productively in their field?

[John]

They don't want anyone questioning their field, which while convenient in the short run in dealing with strict creationists, is not going to be good for their field or human knowledge in general. What happens when someone really does have a critique of evolution? They will be treated no better than the creationists have been treated. Even if it is based on good science, appeals to authority and dogma don't usually end well.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

True.

Again, bad theories tend to be weaned out of fields which require empirical evidence for continued livelihood. This includes evolution, if it ever becomes less descriptive than an alternative.

[John]

That is true in the really long run. Unfortunately, in the day and age of the professional scientists, widely accepted theories, good or bed, create a class of scientists whose entire careers and livelihoods depend on the validity of the theory.

It is like global warming. There are so many people whose entire careers depend on the validity of AGW, it is going to take one hell of a lot of date to even get the consensus to crack. And that is a problem in a lot of fields I think. Group think and conformation bias are not good things.

[Zeb]

"a class of scientists whose entire careers and livelihoods depend on the validity of the theory."

It is a damn shame. Showing that a theory is invalid should be the biggest possible career boost for a scientist. Finding supporting evidence for existing theories will always probably be the biggest part of science, but the real breakthroughs come when someone finds out that the old theory didn't quite get things right.

[Stormy Dragon]

Even if evolution is disproved someday, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be by some other equally secular theory, not by a bunch of people shrugging and announcing "a wizard did it".

[Irish]

Uh, wut. Do they *want* creationists getting PhDs in evolutionary biology, potentially affecting the field in an adverse way, rather than getting degrees in engineering and holding on to wrong (but harmless) views while working productively in their field?

This is an interesting point, and one that I've actually made before. Why do people care so much what creationists believe? Realistically, crazy beliefs about evolution are unlikely to really harm someone's life at all. They can be perfectly productive doing something else. So why do people freak out so much about creationists?

[John]

I find that interesting too Irish. People get so angry over the subject. I can't think of a single way my life is affected by this debate. In contrast, people believing nonsense about AGW and the relative harm of fossil fuels and practicality of green energy really does affect my life. Some powerful people believe some profoundly stupid things. Call me when belief in creationism is going to raise my electric bill or make it impossible to buy the car I want.

[Zeb]

So why do people freak out so much about creationists?

Mostly because they want their bullshit taught in science classes in public schools. Which of course would be a non-issue if there were not government run schools.

[John]

Mostly because they want their bullshit taught in science classes in public schools.

But teaching bullshit about AGW and recycling and any number of a hundred other shades of bullshit is just fine. It is the selective outrage Zeb. If these people got upset about the other mistakes taught in school science classes, they would have better credibility. As it is, they just come off as culture warriors.

[Irish]

Mostly because they want their bullshit taught in science classes in public schools.

This is why I don't like creationists, but I don't think it's why progressives hate creationists. I've seen progressives work themselves into a lather over homeschooled children being taught creationism. I've heard them compare it to child abuse, which is a ridiculous argument because believing in creationism will not harm other aspects of your life in any way.

[Zeb]

Well, you are right about it to a large extent, I think. But even progressives do not share a collective mind. I don't think most are quite that extreme.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

I still don't see what horrors would be unleashed if kids were taught creationism alongside evolution.

At worst, some kids would have to be deprogrammed when they get to college if they have some interest in biology.

OTOH, kids are currently being taught all kinds of crap in social studies -- which as a proxy for civics education, is much more concerning to me than what kids are taught about the Cambrian age.

[creech]

Yes, teach it and smoke out the kids who believe it. The snickering from the non-believers would drive creationists back underground to Church and Sunday school where it belongs.

[Mickey Rat]

"Mostly because they want their bullshit taught in science classes in public schools. Which of course would be a non-issue if there were not government run schools."

MOstly because the atheists want the creationist's children indoctrinated in a dogma that they feel will undermine the children's faith. Which would also be a non-issue if there were not government run schools.

[Suthenboy]

People freak out because if you give them an inch they will be teaching your kids that nonsense in school. The state of education today is bad enough, we dont need to make it worse.

[Zeb]

Yeah, this. The fact that lots of bullshit is already taught in public schools is not a good reason not to fight even more bullshit being introduced to the curriculum.

[Raven Nation]

Yeah, that was me. Didn't mean to mislead: it wasn't NPR; it was a podcast called Skepticality which is decent although infused with leftist politics at times.

Figured out the paleontologist was Prothero.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

In theory, yes.

In practice, people who are sufficiently committed to their dogma on a topic where it can't be reconciled with their field of supposed expertise tend to get weeded out in short order (e.g., creationists in the field of evolutionary biology).

The only exceptions are in areas where there is no cost to being wrong in your field (e.g., public figures, reporters, bureaucracy and politics).

[Rich]

"There's a God and a devil, I'm sure it must be
But why should I bother them, they don't bother me"

[cavalier973]

Due to the efforts of many smart people over the course of many years, scholars who are experts in the fundamental nature of reality have by a wide majority concluded that God does not exist.

Top. Men.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Iran has unveiled a new drone, which officials says will be used for surveillance and combat missions.

It has a stupid paint job.

[Jerryskids]

Don't laugh. The ayatollahs and mullahs have no problem declaring worldwide fatwahs against infidels and the US has already established the principle that there is no violation of national sovereignty or international rules when you send drone strikes against those you have declared war on regardless of where they may be. And killing innocent bystanders with such completely legal drone strikes is merely collateral damage.

And that right there is all the argument I need for whether or not the President has the authority to do what he's doing vis-a-vis drone warfare. If the President of Iran does the exact same thing Bush and Obama have done - how do you respond to the sauce for the gander argument?

[Too_Big_to_Fail]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the countries we use drones in have given the USG permission to run counterboogeyman operations.

[Agammamon]

I'm pretty sure Pakistan hasn't.

[Agammamon]

Or Yemen.

[Whahappan?]

Actually, I think Yemen has. But I don't think our government is terribly concerned with the wishes of the countries where we drone people.

[Warty]

Benghazi won't hurt Hilary. Why? Because these people exist.

Little_2Note Troyh46 ? an hour ago ?
The MAJORITY of us who swept Barack Obama into office twice, and who are anxious for the opportunity to sweep Hillary into office next....simply don't care about your Benghazi scandal. From Barack Obama, to Hillary Clinton and straight on down the line, we believe that our leaders made all the correct decisions, and no amount of second guessing is going to sway even one of us from propelling Hillary into her devinely ordained, historic role as America's next President.

Please take it to heart, what I'm telling you. And move on to something else, bub.
3 ?Reply?Share ?

[General Butt Naked]

Every time you post that a beer can gets thrown against my wall.

Why do you hate my walls?

Or for that matter half-empty cans of cheap beer?

[Almanian!]

You need to drink faster, ya big pussy! STOP WASTING BEER!

[Not an Economist]

Have you sought help for your drinking problem?

[Irish]

I'm still convinced that's a sarcastic troll. It reads like someone mocking liberals.

[Zakalwe]

"devinely[sic] ordained, historic role" kind of pushes it past my evidentiary requirements.

[Virginian]

The "devinely ordained, historic role" bit makes me think its a troll. But my cynicism says it isn't.

Comments like that are why we have a 2nd Amendment.

[Irish]

From Barack Obama, to Hillary Clinton and straight on down the line, we believe that our leaders made all the correct decisions, and no amount of second guessing is going to sway even one of us from propelling Hillary into her devinely ordained, historic role as America's next President.

This entire sentence reads like a major troll. It reads sort of like the opposite of that girl who sent rape threats to herself from a fake Republican. It doesn't sound like a liberal so much as a Republican's idea of what a dumb liberal sounds like.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Exactly this.

Though scarily, it is coming closer to being an accurate characterization the more time goes on.

[Zakalwe]

It's embarrassing how we're always agreeing.

[Brandon]

Yes it is.

[Briggie]

Friggen lickspittle.

[HazelMeade]

The Tea Party should raise hell about this. A lawsuit should be in order, really.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Why can't the Tea Party and tax collectors just get along???

[Dweebston]

Fwiends?

[rts]

Police officers charged in violent arrest caught on video

Four police officers caught on video kicking and punching a robbery suspect who appeared to be surrendering are now facing criminal charges.

Marc-Andr? Saint-Amant, Barbara Provencher, Dominic Pronovost and Kaven Deslauriers were charged with several offenses including assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and obstructing justice by hiding the existence of the video.

[Fist of Etiquette]

There's something about those names... Ugh! French Canadians!

[Jerryskids]

Yeah, naming names is a dead giveaway this didn't happen in the US. Had it happened in the US, the police department spokesman would have 'declined to release the names, citing an ongoing investigation'. You know, the way the police rarely release the names of any suspects they have arrested since all those suspects are involved in ongoing investigations.

[Zakalwe]

Good thing that robbery suspect wasn't speaking English.

[Longtorso]

The 4 Most Epic Benders Ever Captured by an Arrest Report
...Todd's spree started, like all good sprees, when he got off a Greyhound bus in Nashville, Tennessee. That's how you know you're in trouble, right there: "Got off the Greyhound in Nashville, Tennessee" is a damn fine start to a heartbroken country song. No story starts "Got off a Greyhound in Nashville, Tennessee" and ends with "won the Nobel prize." Todd stepped off his bus for a nine-hour layover, and instead went on a raging, nonsensical crime spree you'd need some fucked-up mods to replicate in Grand Theft Auto.

First, he "broke into the Slaughterhouse and stole a Taser, revolver, and shotgun."

That's first. That's how it starts. That's just his opening act.

...Whatever the Slaughterhouse was, William Todd burned it to the ground. But not before stealing one more thing: a T-shirt. So, just picture everything that happens from this point onward being perpetrated by a man wearing a shirt that says "THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE" in giant bloody letters on the front....

[Brett L]

That's a pretty good 9 hour run.

[Libertarian Book Club]

Seattle police say that dash cameras on patrol cars were either off or in the wrong position to capture the fatal shooting of Jack Keewatinawin.

Man, cops have trouble like this all the time! Their guns "go off", their cameras "go off". Mighty peculiar.

[Restoras]

Don't forget thier brains. They always shut off too.

[Libertarian Book Club]

Thank goodness they are trained to act reflexively.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

The Inestimable Amanduh on the topic of sexist code words:

Look, I'll give it to you straight: Republicans are absolutely, 100% hypocrites if you take their blather about marriage and family at face value. But you're not supposed to take it at face value. We all understand, or most of us not named "Hilary Towers" do, that "marriage" and "family" are all code words the right uses to mean good, old-fashioned gay-bashing, lady-controlling, child-abusing patriarchy

Family and marriage are code words, huh? Hmm... lemme test this out.

How are y'all's "marriages" going, if you catch my drift?

My "family" is going to "Disney Land" pretty soon, if you know what I mean (wink wink, nudge nudge).

[John]

If marriage is just a code word, why don't they shut the fuck up about gay marriage?

[Zeb]

I think she is just trying to be as obtuse as possible at this point.

[ant1sthenes]

Apparently gay marriage means gay gay bashing. So, gay domestic violence? I don't know, this code word shit is hard to figure out.

[Brandon]

My "family" is going to "Disney Land" pretty soon, if you know what I mean (wink wink, nudge nudge).

You disgust me.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

I try.

[Coeus]

Dey spinnin':

House Republicans pass restrictive debt ceiling bill

The legislation would allow the US Treasury to borrow beyond its legal limit in order to pay down government debt and make Social Security payments, in the event that Congress fails to negotiate a rise of the debt ceiling in the coming weeks.

Isn't this making it less restrictive?

[Rich]

Brought to you by the same folks who bring you "spending cuts".

[Brandon]

The legislation would allow the US Treasury to borrow beyond its legal limit in order to pay down government debt

WTF?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I want to say that line shows the bill is just a troll, but given the current GOP I think they're quite serious.

[Coeus]

They promises to individual citizens. Social security and pensions. You know, the things the democrats have been banging the drums about every time the debt ceiling comes up?

[LilDebbie]

What the morons at rawstory are failing to articulate is that the bill authorizes the Treasury to take out new debt in order to pay old bonds that are coming into maturity. You know how you keep rolling over your credit card balance because you're poor? Same thing. Payments are made and the balance remains the same.

If you read the bill instead of some retarded commie blog, you'd know this.

[Suthenboy]

Borrowing beyond it's legal limit....to pay down debt.

Now see, right there, is why every member of congress should be in jail.

[Caleb Turberville]

Once you say that there are "potentially thousands of exceptions to allow abortions", aren't you pretty much just plain-old "Pro Choice" at that point?

[Killazontherun]

Ron Silver found out the hard way when he discovered that even after being an activist spending a lot of his own time and money supporting the pro-choice cause he was not considered sufficiently committed when he thought parental notification was a justifiable restriction. I'm as committed to keeping people out of the government kidnapping chambers no matter what their actions may be (government is a greater evil than even serial killers) but I have never met a pro-choice activist who wasn't a raging asshole.

[A Serious Man]

Gun control group creates a Mother's Day of Action Against Gun Violence. Included is a so-called "Mother's Bill of Rights":

We, as mothers, have the absolute right to protect our children from harm. We have the right to know our children are safe from gun violence, from the moment they leave our arms in the morning until they return home later in the day. But the rights of American mothers are under attack by criminals, the gun lobby, and legislators who are unable to stand up for common-sense gun reforms. The right of mothers to protect our children SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.

[A Serious Man]

continued:

As mothers, we have the right to...

Expect that assault weapons will remain in the hands of our military, not civilians.
Preserve our children's innocence and shield them from gun violence in America, real and scripted.
Demand that all public places remain "gun-free zones," except private homes and shooting ranges.
Know our children are safe in their schools: any school, anywhere.
Expect our teachers to be focused on teaching our children, not training to become armed guards.
Demand that our government create the same strong regulations for guns as they have for toys, cars and food.
Expect our leaders to put our children's safety above the profit and influence of the gun industry.
Have access to complete, accurate information about the impact of gun violence on our families and communities.
Hold our elected officials accountable for keeping our children safe from gun violence.

Well nice to meet such reasonable people.

[Episiarch]

We, as mothers, have the absolute right to protect our children from harm. We have the right to know our children are safe from gun violence, from the moment they leave our arms in the morning until they return home later in the day.

No, you don't. The world is a dangerous place. You can't danger-proof it. So fuck you.

[John]

And it is about to get more dangerous for you after these broads take your guns. See your job is to die at the hands of some criminal so their little snowflakes can be safe. Don't you want to die a meaningful death?

[NeonCat]

Even worse, in the name of safety they want to make their children blissfully ignorant of the world.

If they wanted something to have the mentality of a toddler forever they should get a dog, a nice dumb one.

[Restoras]

I love this. Makes me want to buy another gun.

*googling Bud's...*

[Agammamon]

"No, you don't. The world is a dangerous place. You can't danger-proof it. So fuck you."

Actually - even if you cou;d danger-proof it - you still don't have an absolute right to protect your children.

[Tman]

What? You don't think it's reasonable to demand that all public places remain gun free zones?

Why can't we just tell the bad guys to shoot each other in non-public places? Hmm?

What's so unreasonable about that?

[General Butt Naked]

Aaaaaand...

another beer can sails through the air.

I'm gonna have quite the mess to clean up.

jesus.

[Ted S.]

Make your child laborers clean the mess up.

[Dweebston]

SERENITY NOW.

[NeonCat]

Maybe you should drop and do twenty push-ups instead. You'll save your walls a lot of abuse and get a lot of exercise in the meantime.

[Dweebston]

Half-drunk pushups sounds like a mid-binge hangover in the making. Almost as bad as crunchies.

[General Butt Naked]

If I did push-ups every time that I read a rage inducing article, I'd never get my face out of the carpet...

and yes, that is definitely what she said.

[Rich]

We, as mothers, have the absolute right to protect our children from harm.

Hey, glad you're aligned with the 2asisters!

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Demand that all public places remain "gun-free zones," except private homes and shooting ranges.

"Anders Brevik likes this."

[Stormy Dragon]

Demand that our government create the same strong regulations for guns as they have for toys, cars and food.

I hate when I lick an undercooked assault rifle and get salmonella.

[Agammamon]

I've got a friend who was surprised that AZ doesn't have special regulations for selling eggs - you know salmonella and all.

The idea that you really could have a couple of hens in the backyard and just sell the eggs blew his mind.

[John]

We, as mothers, have the absolute right to protect our children from harm.

You will find that easier if you go buy a gun lady.

[Rich]

Note to self: Scroll down before posting.

[Warty]

I note that the author has three names.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

is that code?

[Warty]

Just a common characteristic of unpleasant women.

[Joe M]

Amanda Marcotte, game set match.

[Bobarian]

And serial killers

[Zakalwe]

Serial killer.

[Longtorso]

I have an absolute right to know I'm safe from govt violence spurred on by idiot mothers, so fuck off bitch.

[Brandon]

and the word "Right" has been rendered 100% meaningless.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Fake gunmen hired to storm Missouri theatre during Iron Man 3 premiere

[Zakalwe]

I read a version of this earlier. I still don't understand the connection between "generic gunman" and Iron Man promo.

[Rich]

Theses idiots planned this stunt *for months*! Brilliant!

[Rich]

Yes, yes, joez law.

[Suthenboy]

"It's an unfortunate lack of wisdom in this particular judgement that hopefully will never occur again."

That is putting it lightly. I am having a hard time believing anyone would be so moronic as to not know what they were doing here.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Tonight, on a very special Maury: Baby Daddy

[Zakalwe]

This child kidnapper operated a torture chamber and private prison in the heart of our city," Mr McGinty said.

I'm not sure why "private" wasn't preceding the torture chamber, too. It's not like those are completely illegal anymore.

[Caleb Turberville]

http://www.thedailyshow.com/wa.....-of-school The Daily Show did a pretty good segment on college debt and the need for high school students to consider other options.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Fuck that. The people who should be "reconsidering" are the goddamn motherfucking adults who created a byzantine system that imprisons minors, propagates lies about college's power for prosperity, and which spends millions of our dollars to effect this policy, NOT high schoolers.

Jesus Christ, this isn't even a libertarian bitch about public schools; 30 years ago we had apprenticeships and far cheaper public education at all levels. Germany and most of Europe still offers apprenticeships for its students, and they work pretty well. What the goddamn fuck happened to that?!

[Caleb Turberville]

Pff. You and your pro-European-style apprenticeships. If you love Europe so much, why don't you move there, you pinko?

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Just saying, it's a cop-out for Stewart to point out the problem and then put the onus of fixing it on fucking high schoolers.

[Dweebston]

In his defense, any change will need to originate among high schoolers anyway. Since the spending is effectively institutionalized, nothing can stop the gravy train except high school graduates foregoing borrowing.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

The spending is institutionalized because institutions keep it so.

The media is one such institution, and Jon Stewart sure as shit operates in that environment.

That shithead just wants an answer that doesn't pin the blame on the education establishment in this country.

[Dweebston]

Agreed. He's an apologist, but he's right for the wrong reasons.

[Killazontherun]

Realistically, Stewart's right. Adults created the problem, but the students are going to have to rely on their own initiative to succeed. Yes, Boomers and to a lesser extent Gen Xers (I thought the loan system was crap a quarter of a century ago and refused to participate) had it easier, but that system was never going to be sustainable.

[Jerryskids]

And my local vo-tech has just announced that next year they will be fielding a football team - which means a big chunk of new spending for sports. Did I mention it's a vo-tech school?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Will they call themselves the "Mean Machine"?

[cavalier973]

"The Fighting HVACs"

[John]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrew.....s-response

Jay Carney blames Mitt Romney for Bengazi. If only voters had known Romney is so powerful he was secretly running the State Department in 2012.

[Caleb Turberville]

Jay Carney is Tony?

[Mike M.]

No, Paul Krugman is Tony.

[Caleb Turberville]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/.....?hpt=hp_t1 The Benghazi story has taken prominence on the front page of CNN.com after 3 days of Jodi Arias-apalooza.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

It can only be attributable to human error.

[Warty]

If that Canadian asshole up there hadn't been making all those Youtube videos...

[Archduke Pantsfan]

yer just jealous of his magnificent 'stache

[Dweebston]

That man is a hero. His delightful videos have rescued many an abysmal night drinking by my lonesome self.

[Sidd Finch]

The USAF is about 20 years behind me at figuring out that acetylene launches potatoes much faster than Rave 4 Mega Hold.

[Zeb]

Why have I not yet made a potato cannon that uses acetylene? I even have about 10 lbs of calcium carbide lying around.

[Sidd Finch]

I actually wouldn't recommend it. A generic explosion sound replaced the characteristic 'fwoomp.' And the flaming potato looked more like a tracer round. We were never able to one launched out of that thing.

[Sidd Finch]

From the article it sounds like they didn't use O2. Maybe I should have tried that.

[Sidd Finch]

*able to find*

[Zeb]

I'll keep that in mind. I was debating whether I should get some oxygen too, but from what you say, I think I'll just stick with the air that's in the chamber.

[Coeus]

I always user acetone.

[Brandon]

Use a lemon as ammo, coat the barrel with WD-40 and use acetylene as propellant and you get an awesome fireball effect and enough range to go all the way across a 16 acre lake.

[Agammamon]

NOTHING CAN BE CUT FROM THE BUDGET!

[A Serious Man]

Ronald Reagan destroyed the University of California system.

For a while now I was worried it had something to do with the ridiculous growth of overhead costs in the form of bureaucracy (I'm sure we need all those department chairs and administrators) and the extravagant new buildings and projects financed by debt that were the problem.

[John]

If only California had spent more money on education, everything would have turned out fine.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Good for him. His spectre should get to work destroying the rest of the state so that us sane people can reclaim the land, Reconquista-style.

[Sidd Finch]

relevant

The University of California at San Diego, for example, is creating a new full-time "vice chancellor for equity, diversity, and inclusion." This position would augment UC San Diego's already massive diversity apparatus, which includes the Chancellor's Diversity Office, the associate vice chancellor for faculty equity, the assistant vice chancellor for diversity, the faculty equity advisors, the graduate diversity coordinators, the staff diversity liaison, the undergraduate student diversity liaison, the graduate student diversity liaison, the chief diversity officer, the director of development for diversity initiatives, the Office of Academic Diversity and Equal Opportunity, the Committee on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Issues, the Committee on the Status of Women, the Campus Council on Climate, Culture and Inclusion, the Diversity Council, and the directors of the Cross-Cultural Center, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, and the Women's Center.

[A Serious Man]

Exactly. The UCs are basically just make-work for bureaucrats and the professional Left, like the professors that teach ethnic and gender studies.

The overhead costs are absurd even by government standards.

[NeonCat]

"Are we diverse enough? Our sources say no."

[DJF]

Is there any room on campus for teachers or students?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If only he had, that state might be a lot less fucked up than it is now.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Who else?
Noam Chomsky helped lobby Stephen Hawking to stage Israel boycott

[John]

Professor Hawking, when you lay with dogs...

[Caleb Turberville]

Noam Chomsky? Isn't he that wealthy author of all them books?

[Tim]

Nothing, nothing, nothing... then BAM! 104 Comments. This sucks.

[Zakalwe]

Have you considered meth?

[Rich]

Tim, you need to set your clock ahead by twenty-five minutes.

[Zakalwe]

Yeah, it was on time today, so I'm not sure what "nothing, nothing" has anything to do with it.

[Tim]

I'm a loser baby...so why don't ya kill me.

[Zakalwe]

It takes you too long to move into the kill zone.

[Longtorso]

Staggering Numbers of Women Converting to Islam
...Reading through dozens of stories of such women, one can't help but notice the similarities among them. All claim to have embraced Islam of their own free will; yet an overwhelming majority, like Soumaya (whose story was profiled in the Dutch newspaper Het Parool), converted only after dating (or wedding) a Muslim man, usually ? interestingly enough ? a Moroccan (even in countries like England, where Moroccans do not form the majority Muslim population)....

...Most of these young women display little self-confidence or ability to define their own values and behavior ? qualities that make them easily influenced by others, and susceptible especially to those who offer up a lifestyle option that relinquishes them from responsibility for their actions, that gives them a code of behavior and the ease of attributing what they do or wear or eat to God and not to self....

[Longtorso]

Vox responds:
...Look, if a woman is willing to completely transform her life, change her name, and start wearing bedsheets simply because the man treats her like a filthy infidel bitch while she scorns the nice helpful guy who is at her beck and call, this should tell you something about how men are advised to treat women they would like to find them attractive.

Muslim men are attractive to Western women precisely because they treat them with scorn and contempt. They may not do so for the same reason Western rock stars do, but the effect is the same. ...

[Irish]

Once again, racist, sexist dipshits mistake SOME women doing something for what ALL women find attractive. Given that women have a much wider variance in what they find attractive than men do, these people really need to find a new talking point.

[Episiarch]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

You posted some drivel from a website whose name starts with "alpha game plan". You must be the smallest-dicked douchebag ever.

[Longtorso]

No, I've seen many douchebags with smaller dicks. You mother, for one.

[jesse.in.mb]

I've seen many douchebags with smaller dicks.

Really? nobody is gonna go for the obvious kill on this?

I'm losing my faith in H&Rmanity;

[Longtorso]

Epi, being a douchebags w/ a smaller dick, is scared and ran home to mommy.

[jesse.in.mb]

Which still doesn't explain why you're a student of the genitals of poorly endowed douchebags.

[Longtorso]

Everybody needs a hobby.

[Warty]

Hey Longtorso, how's Suki?

[Irish]

No, I've seen many douchebags with smaller dicks. You mother, for one.

Hey, Epi's mom has a HUGE dick.

[Longtorso]

The one in the front or the one in the back?

[The Immaculate Trouser]

From the article, "tens of thousands" of western Christians convert to Islam annually.

In contrast, 6 millions African Muslims convert to Christian every year.

IIRC, the number of Muslim converts to Buddhism is also quite high in Southeastern Asia.

In both cases, women are disproportionately among the converted.

And the article then goes on to write the typical domineering bullshit about women on the errant premise that Islam is some incredibly attractive religion out of the evangelical world religions. Lovely.

[John]

Converting to Islam is one of the best ways for an alienated Westerner to give the finger to mainstream values. Combine that with the modern western total confusion of gender roles and converting to Islam becomes an unsurprising if counter intuitive thing for a good young feminist western woman to do.

Think about it. Take a woman who has been fed bullshit about how horrible western men are along with a good dose of multicultural bullshit about how only white people are bad. Throw in general dissatisfaction with the beta male guys who hang out with feminists. And into her life comes some Muslim guy, who treats her like shit but is anything but a beta male. Marrying him and embracing Islam solves a lot of needs for her.

[A Serious Man]

So your theory is that hipsters are converting Islam ironically?

[Irish]

Or some women just find themselves attracted to Islamic men, like being subservient, and pop-psychology about beta males and feminism has nothing to do with it.

[Episiarch]

You don't understand, Irish. Longtorso desperately needs to understand why women don't want him. Unfortunately for him, instead of looking in the mirror he's trying to blame the women. Losers don't like to admit that they're losers.

[Longtorso]

Epi's mother wants me. I, having standards, don't want to risk being suffocated in the folds of freakish fleshiness. Tell her 'no' for me.

[Zakalwe]

And that's why you are beta. Real men tell off the bitch themselves.

[Longtorso]

Epi's mom is an Alpha male. Epi is the bitch.

[Longtorso]

like being subservient, and pop-psychology about beta males

Saying they "like being subservient" IS "pop-psychology about beta males". The Man-o-Sphere (as opposed to the Manos-Sphere) just has terminology for it.

[Irish]

Yes, but it's an individual choice big guy. It's not some collective corruption at the heart of all womankind. One woman likes being subservient =/= the collective will convert to Islam because the love strong, Orthodox Muslims.

[Coeus]

Yes, but it's an individual choice big guy. It's not some collective corruption at the heart of all womankind.

The point is to identify trends you can use. Of course not everyone's the same. But you wouldn't argue with the phrase "men like titties", even though that's an individual choice as well, and not some universally collective trait.

[Episiarch]

"trends you can use"

If your relationship with women is that you have to find "trends you can use" to get them to like you, you might want to rethink that relationship. Sounds like you're already starting way behind the starting line.

[Coeus]

If your relationship with women is that you have to find "trends you can use" to get them to like you,you might want to rethink that relationship.

What is it that you guys find so objectional about this? Here's a trend: Don't be a fatass. They don't get anywhere near as much action. Now, should I never date anyone who wouldn't date a fatass?

[Suthenboy]

Here are some trends that work well -

brush and floss daily

bath, whether you need to or not

Dont hit or curse women

Those have always worked well for me.

[Coeus]

Here are some trends that work well

So what's different with that list, gleaned from your experience, and a list gleaned from another person's experience?

Dont hit or curse women first.

FIFY. We're all about equality here, right?

[Irish]

Trends you can use like 'I should be clean' or 'I should work out' are reasonable. Trends you can use like 'I need to change my personality to be more domineering' is fucked up.

[Coeus]

Trends you can use like 'I should be clean' or 'I should work out' are reasonable. Trends you can use like 'I need to change my personality to be more domineering' is fucked up.

It's just a matter of changing your posture and working on the way you communicate. What's fucked up about that?

[Longtorso]

Like men all have an individual choice to tend to be attractive to young women with curves and symmetrical faces.

Biology isn't destiny, but it does matter, and a bunch of people out there are really screwed up. Some of those people are women.

[Episiarch]

And some of those people are the retards like you who collectivize women. Just face up to the fact that you're a pathetic schmuck who can't get women to want you. You'll be happier. Maybe get into bestiality; you're probably able to get a goat to let you fuck it.

[Longtorso]

Epi, I already told your goat/mother no - drop it.

[John]

Sure they like being subservient. But doing that doesn't require converting to Islam. There is an entire community called BDSM that celebrates women being subservient, no conversion required.

[Longtorso]

Epi is the gimp under his shemale dominatrix's porch.

[Brett L]

Heh. My roommate just paid $40 to become a Unitarian minister so he can visit a cousin in prison on his own time rather than the prison's shitty family visiting hours. And he did a year at Oxford en route to an English degree from CSU (GA). I shall now refer to him as "my friend, the minister who attended Oxford."

[A Serious Man]

Cops are still unsure about what motivated Ohio man to fire at cops with AK-47, but luckily the SPLC knows:

Authorities in Ohio say they aren't sure what motivated a 42-year-old man to jump out of his car during a traffic stop in March and suddenly fire 37 rounds at two police officers. What seems clear, however, is the case is yet another example of the danger posed to unsuspecting officers who confront individuals steeped in extremist antigovernment ideas...

The investigation showed that Gilkerson, who authorities described as a "loner," had no known connections with extremist or antigovernment groups and had no criminal record. But he apparently did have an appetite for reading, particularly books about bombs, firearms and antigovernment activism.

So the guy commits suicide by cop, but this proves we must be wary of books because ideas are very very dangerous, mmkay?

[NeonCat]

Black words on white text is inherently racist.

He was a scumbag, and a terrorist, and he's dead," Middlefield Police Chief Arnold Stanko said at a news conference last week, according to The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer.

"I don't know what he had planned or where he was going," the chief said. "I just know he got out of his car intending to kill my officers. The AK-47 rounds he was firing would go right through a policeman's bulletproof vest."

Well apparently he was a shitty shot or not trying very hard since he failed to kill either officer while demanding they kill him. How he was a terrorist I don't know.

[Coeus]

How he was a terrorist I don't know.

Because that word is a magic spell that vanquishes the bill of rights. They'll be using it to describe graffiti in a few years.

[Bobarian]

'They'll be using it to describe graffiti in a few years.'

The truth in that statement hurts my soul

[trshmnstr]

Millenials aren't lazy...

Coming from a millenial who lives 800 miles from home, works at a "big kid" job, and pays his bills:

Fuck off slaver!

Gratuitous class warfare, minimum wage hike whining, health insurance moaning, and OWS type threats of vandalism.

[Irish]

That guy's an idiot. I've noticed an incredible tendency for 'millenials' to advocate in favor of the policies that put them in such bad shape and then blame their parents who are attempting to end those policies. A lot of people my age whine about student loan debt while actively arguing in favor of more and cheaper federal loan programs which are the reason college got so expensive in the first place.

[Apatheist ?_??]

and then blame their parents who are attempting to end those policies.

Not many. All I see are a sizeable majority of every age demographic voting for bigger and bigger government.

[trshmnstr]

I also think that a lot of it has to do with the basis of the rant (Time's "me generation" article).

I had a conversation with a friend of mine a couple weeks back, a generally brilliant guy (4.0 engineering school grad), who just simply couldn't grasp the fact that other people may not want to conduct their lives and affairs in the same way he does.

Since people are, to him, a bunch of similarly thinking, similarly motivated automatons, it absolutely makes sense to him to institute these giant overarching programs. In his mind, it's just assembly line governing. People start from a different point on the road, but they're all heading in the same direction to the same place, so you can just apply one big program and make them all get there faster.

After all, after 20+ years in government education, how could you be of any other mind? It seems that schools push you in one direction and suspend, expel, or forever tarnish your record for thinking about turning in any other direction.

[Irish]

I agree that millenials aren't generally 'lazy.' I think the issue is a sort of overall narcissism where people are unwilling to think about how a policy they're in favor of might impact other people.

Narcissism is worse than laziness. Someone who is lazy can have laziness beaten out of him by continued failure and the realization that he'll starve if he doesn't get his shit together. Narcissism pretty much remains with you, no matter what happens.

[trshmnstr]

I talked with a poli sci prof one time about voting trends in poor rural areas, and she seem legitimately shocked that any of them were voting republican. The idea that you would vote "against your own self interest" as she put it, was ridiculous to her. Evidently her lecture on issue voting and voting by principle that day went in one ear and out the other.

Narcissism isn't necessarily generational, but it is definitely a defining factor when it comes to the difference between statists and liberty lovers. Not to say that liberty lovers can't be narcissists, but it takes a heckuva lot of self-involvement to tell somebody else how to live their life.

[A Serious Man]

Aspiring BBW fetish model gorging her way to 420 pounds.

[Longtorso]

John? Comment?

[Brandon]

John is...busy.

[Zakalwe]

Did anyone notice the kid gunned down in Vallejo looks like Glenn Greenwald's nephew? I think that's why I reacted so negatively to him.

[Cytotoxic]

I'm too lazy to link to it but there's a Forbes article about Libya stating that Libya's economy should grow 18% this year after doubling last year. That's fantastic, although they didn't say anything about inflation.

[NeonCat]

See, bombed windows works. /Krugman

[Cytotoxic]

Walked into that one.

[Irish]

Look at this. 2011 they had -60%(!) economic growth. 2012 they had 122% economic growth. That's a swing of 182%.

Good for them, although inflation must be unbelievable.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Statistics are only as good as the agencies gathering them. In places with huge informal economies and agencies with dubious objectivity collecting stats on the subject (like Libya), they tell you precisely nothing.

My guess is that not even half of Libya's economy is accounted for in those stats. Essentially, it's the photo negative of the problem with trusting stats from command economies.

[Dweebston]

And even granting that figure, I'm reminded of this.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Heh, very true. As the inestimable Billy Preston once said, nothing plus nothing leaves nothing.

[Brandon]

That's not what he said. What he said actually makes sense.

[Suthenboy]

I looked at the pics of the Iranian drone. Call me crazy, but I will believe it when I see it work. They cant manufacture working airplanes, but they made that? Bullshit.

[Not an Economist]

I looked at the picture and noticed the missile they had on the wing. Did anybody see a way to aim the missile? I didn't.

[Mike M.]

The only way they could do it is if some foreign power like the Russians was doing it for them.

[Ken Shultz]

"Tea Party groups have rejected an apology from the IRS for their unjustified scrutinization during the 2012 election cycle."

I would worry it too much. The Treasury Department has conducted an internal investigation, and they found that nothing illegal occurred.

*barf*

"The announcement was greeted with criticism from congressional Republicans and in conservative circles, particularly given IRS testimony last year denying that any political groups were targeted during the 2012 campaign season."

I've been googling that last bit there to try to find this "testimony"--haven't found anything yet. Does anybody else have a link to that testimony?

It would be interesting to know who said what in that testimony--since purposely lying under oath is a crime. And if someone in the IRS committed perjury, of course, that person should face a jury.

[Ken Shultz]

"The announcement was greeted with criticism from congressional Republicans and in conservative circles, particularly given IRS testimony last year denying that any political groups were targeted during the 2012 campaign season."

Sorry, link to that quote here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/.....70360.html

[Ken Shultz]

So, the Obama Administration exploited bigotry against Muslims to deflect criticism about Benghazi away from itself in the run up to the election--AND the Obama Administration used the IRS to harass its political opponents in the run up to the election, too?

I think they may have surpassed Clinton in terms of sleaziness, here!

I mean, Clinton used embezzled money from Madison Guaranty to finance his campaign, taxpayer money that was meant to reimburse the widows and orphans who lost their savings when that S&L cratered--AND the Clinton Administration apparently used FBI files to dig up dirt on their political adversaries...

Is using the IRS and exploiting bigotry against Muslims better than that?

I don't think so. I think it's worse.

[Coeus]

World's funniest human tells white guys what they're allowed to joke about.

And get a load of all those dead strawmen she piled up. It's gotta be a fire hazard by now.

[Warty]

I don't believe that "rape jokes" should be a completely unregulated market.

Huh.

[Coeus]

Yet here's something they consider acceptable:

According to a study of relationships that engage in nonreciprocal violence, a whopping 70% are perpetrated by women. So basically that means that girls are beating up their BFs and husbands and the dudes aren't fighting back. With Amy Winehouse busting open a can of whupass on her husband last week, we decided to conduct an informal survey of the Jezebels to see who's gotten violent with their men. After reviewing the answers, let's just say that it'd be wise to never ever fuck with us.

One Jezebel got into it with a dude while they were breaking up, while another Jez went nuts on her guy and began violently shoving him. One of your editors heard her boyfriend flirting on the phone with another girl, so she slapped the phone out of his hands and hit him in the face and neck... "partially open handed." Another editor slapped a guy when "he told me he thought he had breast cancer." (Okay, that one made us laugh really hard.) And lastly, one Jez punched a steady in the face and broke his glasses. He had discovered a sex story she was writing about another dude on her laptop, so he picked it up and threw it. And that's when she socked him. He was, uh, totally asking for it.

[Tman]

Women beating the shit out of men= OK. In fact, basically encouraged.

Men making rape jokes=Not OK. We are fragile women who can be hurt by bad words.

Huh.

[0x90]

petronella

Yes, please, let's not forget the poor men, who make up a whopping 15% of the domestic violence victims (nonsarcastic saide: this includes situations in which the violence is mutual, or the woman used violence in response to violence), who are far less likely to be hurt by domestic violence given the differences in size and strength between most men and women, and who aren't laboring under lifetimes of oppressive gender hierarchy. I'm glad that you raised awareness of this terrible scourge so that we can convince the public that more of the ample, nay, surplus of resources that we throw at aleviating domestic violence against women can now be re-channeled to help the poor, oppressed men. Thank you. Thank you for thinking of the dudes.

[Tman]

It's kinda like reading a car crash in action over there, isn't it?

There's the initial hit from the post and the comments descend in to a combustion of stupidity that disintegrates whatever is left of a rational argument.

It's impressive, actually.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

And lastly, one Jez punched a steady in the face and broke his glasses. He had discovered a sex story she was writing about another dude on her laptop, so he picked it up and threw it. And that's when she socked him. He was, uh, totally asking for it.

Your Jezebel editorial staff, ladies and gentlemen. What a cunt.

[Coeus]

Fark commenters wonder why there's a problem with the IRS targeting the Tea Party. Seriously, it's fucking ridiculous how few of them see any problem at all with it.

[Tman]

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that the Tea Party gets so many straw men hurled at it by the left, as they do represent the dying of the progressive leftist light.

In Tennessee, every time some idiot democrat suggests an income tax all hell breaks loose, and people get organized even more to fight it through the political process. The Tea Party is just a Federal version of the same thing.

I didn't expect this administration to start combusting along with the rest of behemoth so quickly, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised either.

[Pro Libertate]

Holy sweet Jesus. The evil and the stupid is overwhelming in its banality.

Really, this is the kind of thing people said Nixon did that led to his resignation.

[Ken Shultz]

"it's fucking ridiculous how few of them see any problem at all with it."

Their whole political outlook is based on little more than whatever's bad for the Tea Party is good for Obama--and whatever's good for Obama is perfectly okay.

[Killazontherun]

Where ignorance and evil coalesce.

I love how some have the attitude, 'not only is it a good idea to go after the tea party, but go after the political churches too', as if that would be a political advantage for their side. If that was done with unbiased scrutiny half the black ministers in the country would be in the slammer.

[Coeus]

Yep. In response to that, one of the other commenters posted this. With the subtitle ("Quiet, you."

[Agammamon]

"Tea Party groups have rejected an apology from the IRS for their unjustified scrutinization during the 2012 election cycle. "

What, exactly, do they think the IRS will care - they should be grateful they even got an apology. Sheesh, the nerve of some people.

[WomSom]

So, who comes up with all that crazy stuff man.

http://www.GotDatAnon.tk