A.M. Links: U.S. Killed Four Americans With Drones, Lois Lerner May Have Waived Her Rights, Sen. Cruz Trusts Neither Party on Spending

• 

  Fox News

  That which everybody knew has now been confirmed: The Obama administration admits to using drones to kill four Americans overseas.

• IRS apparatchik Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment rights by first reading a statement asserting her innocence, claims House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa. Experts debate that point, but it seems like a good time to point out: if you're going to shut up, just shut up.
• Sen. Ted Cruz says he doesn't trust Republicans any more than Democrats to deal with the federal government's longstanding spending addiction.
• Settling lawsuits against a Brooklyn narcotics unit has become a major expenditure for New York City, costing the rotten apple $1.5 million so far. The unit's officer in charge has also been promoted.
• Charles Ramsey, who helped rescue four kidnap victims held captive on Cleveland's West Side for a decade, has been promised free hamburgers for life by a dozen restaurants. He'll sure as hell be eating better than Ariel Castro.
• Weep not for the unwiped bottoms of Venezuela. The country's government has allocated money to import 39 million rolls of toilet paper to alleviate the shortage. Truly, they have mastered economic planning.
• A British government emergency committee meets in the wake of a brutal, public murder of a soldier, which was apparently staged as an act of terrorism.

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Comments

[Joe M]

Weep not for the unwiped bottoms of Venezuela. The country's government has allocated money to import 39 million rolls of toilet paper to alleviate the shortage.

Something stinks.

[Randian]

And it's Joe M by a nose hair!

[Bones]

Or an ass hair.

[PS]

Methinks the beginning of the end of an era. Not that FoE doesn't have many firsts left in him, but let's face it, he's starting to show his age.

[Fist of Etiquette]

If you call potty humor a legit first.

[Randian]

You will make excellent glue, FoE.

[PS]

Just give him some space to accept his mortality, he deserves that.

[Citizen Nothing]

He should change his handle to "Boxer."

[Joe M]

Brevity is the soul of wit.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

FOE is like an aging Korean Starcraft gamer. Those reflexes just aren't there anymore.

[fish]

I lol'ed!

(I can't believe I just posted that)

[Fist of Etiquette]

He didn't say I should be hauling garbage, he said I should be hauled away as garbage.

[Joe M]

*punches Scruffy and tackles FoE as fight music begins*

[mad libertarian guy]

Of course abut a week ago they had said that they would import 50m rolls. Now down to 39m. Confusing, that. It's like centralized governments can't keep their promises or something.

[invisible furry hand]

It's because their glorious government's five year plan against diarrhoea has worked

[NeonCat]

The "liquidity crisis" is over?

[Invisible Finger]

Haven't you shopped for toilet paper recently?

39 = 50

[Redmanfms]

The chocolate ration has been increased to 20 grams a week....

[hotsy totsy]

That's only about a roll and a half per person. How long is THAT supposed to last?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Settling lawsuits against a Brookly narcotics unit has become a major expenditure for New York City, costing the rotten apple $1.5 million so far.

Totally worth it considering they've kept the Big Apple drug free.

[generic Brand]

against a Brookly narcotics unit

Where the hell is "Brookly"? Is that just the parts of Brooklyn without all the N's?

[LTC(ret) John]

"Is that just the parts of Brooklyn without all the N's?"

RACIST!!1!1eleventy!

[Randian]

Are Hugo Chavez's vestment garments available for use?

[SugarFree]

They heal the sick of ass.

[LTC(ret) John]

So, Warty has already stolen them then?

[Joe M]

Sen. Ted Cruz says he doesn't trust Republicans any more than Democrats to deal with the federal government's longstanding spending addiction.

HERESY!!! Excommunicate the unbeliever!

[Randian]

Justin Amash took a lot of butthurt from Team Red on this subject yesterday: Link.

[Joe M]

What's the clever lawyerly equivalent to Dr. No?

[generic Brand]

"No, Esquire"?

[Joe M]

Nice.

[Pro Libertate]

Dr. Maybe, Depending on the Facts, The Law is Really Gray in this Area.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Pretty much what I say before I get tarred with "progressive".

[Joe M]

I'll honestly listen to anything you have to say as long as you never mention the 43rd president of the United States.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

But he was the worst! This makes Obama the greatest!

[Randian]

Ditto.

[Mike M.]

Don't be fooled by his BS; he's a big government loving scumbag.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Fuck you, Mr. Team GOP.

If the GOP ever does nominate a small-gov candidate I will vote for him/her. I have no allegiance. I supported McCain in 2000 (doesn't look good now I know).

[Mike M.]

Go shove a lit stick of dynamite up your ass Weigel.

[Citizen Nothing]

Now, now. You may be a buttplug, but you're our buttplug.

[Jordan]

No, you get tarred with progressive for always bringing up Republicans to distract us when we are discussing Democrats.

[Jordan]

Oh, and you'll notice nobody here his disputing Ted Cruz's statement. It's almost like all the Beckerhead wingnut Teathuglicans here are all a figment of your imagination.

[tarran]

This place smells like urine because you guys insist on feeding the homeless.

Please stop!

[T]

I didn't install teh Smell-O-Vision add-on to Firefox, so I'm good. I don't smell a thing.

Except when the dog farts.

[mad libertarian guy]

Yeah. The dog.

[Virginian]

http://on.wsj.com/13Ld37j

80 year old summits Everest.

[Tim]

"Nepalese slaves carry rich old fool up mountain"

[Zeb]

I think the Nepalese guides do alright on the deal.

[LTC(ret) John]

True, but I still laughed.

[Lord Humungus]

Analysis: In any scandal, lying to Congress is tough to prove
http://www.reuters.com/article.....5E20130523

"Almost no one is prosecuted for lying to Congress," lawyer P.J. Meitl asserted in a 2007 Quinnipiac Law Review article. Meitl, who wrote the article while in private practice, is now an assistant U.S. attorney in Dallas. He found only six people who had been convicted of perjury or related charges in relation to Congress, going back to the 1940s.

Two of those cases arose from Watergate, one against President Richard Nixon's attorney general, John Mitchell, and the other against H.R. Haldeman, Nixon's chief of staff. Both men were found guilty of perjury before a Senate committee.

[Don Mynack]

Unless you are Roger Clemens, for some reason.

[Ted S.]

Damn you, Fisty sockpuppet!

[Ted S.]

"Almost no one is prosecuted for lying to Congress,"

Tell that to Roger Clemens. But he was easy to demonize by both TEAM RED and TEAM BLUE.

[robc]

Tell that to Roger Clemens.

[robc]

Sniped twice.

I think our point is clear.

[mnarayan]

something something Roger Clemens something

[Lord Humungus]

ahem:

Such charges are rarely filed, and convictions are even rarer. The most high-profile recent case in point is the prosecution of Major League Baseball pitching great Roger Clemens, who was acquitted by a jury in 2012 on charges he lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

(from the article)

[generic Brand]

Oh yeah, well tell that to Roger Clemens!

[a better weapon]

I'm sorry, but did somebody just say Roger Clemens?

[Floating Weightless]

I've haven't seen anything.

[LTC(ret) John]

Maybe someone should mention Roger Clemens?

[generic Brand]

"Roger Clemens is in George's box front of Congress, and Roger Clemens is coming back gonna be indicted. Oh, my good goodness gracious! Of all the dramatic things I've ever seen. Roger Clemens standing right in George Steinbrenner's box front of Congress announcing he is back being charged with perjury. Roger Clemens is a New York Yankee scapegoat."

Suzyn Waldman FTFY.

[Virginian]

http://www.philly.com/philly/w.....l.html?c=r

Hofstra hostage taker was released on parole.

[Floating Weightless]

What's your point?

[Virginian]

Do you need me to draw you a picture?

[Floating Weightless]

You're missing one important detail. The 10 year sentence was up in 2012. The dirt-bag's early parole in 2011 can't be pinned on this clusterfuck.

[Virginian]

Sure it can. If he was in jail, that girl would still be alive.

Early release is bullshit. If you commit a crime (an actual crime, with an actual victim) then you should do the whole sentence.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

I think the point is that even if he HAD done the full sentence, he would be out already. 2012 was last year...

[Virginian]

Ah ok...yeah I misread it. Sorry.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

I can't speak for FW, but I'll forgive you this time.

Next time, you get called a dumbass.

[Floating Weightless]

it's totally cool.

[LTC(ret) John]

Um, maybe he should not have been out on parole?

Just swinging wildly here.

[thom]

They let the guy out one year early on a 10 year sentence and apparently he was a model prisoner.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but given what they knew it seems like letting him out on parole, so that he would be released into society with some supervision, was the right thing to do.

[Tim]

"The Obama administration revealed Wednesday that Jude Kenan Mohammad died in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region, making him the fourth American citizen killed by unmanned aircraft in Pakistan and Yemen."

SHOT WHILE TRYING TO ESCAPE

[deified]

Trolls get nuked.

[mr simple]

That's fantastic. I am going to buy something from Newegg.

[Ruckus]

"There's bad news and there's good news," said Cheng in an interview with Ars. "The good news is, we won this case on every point. The bad news is, we're running out of lawsuits. There are fewer trolls for us to fight.

As if I don't already spend enough money at Newegg. One more reason doesn't hurt.

[Citizen Nothing]

But it's cool, 'cause a Nobel Peace Prize automatically gives you 10 freebies.

[Pro Libertate]

That's why they gave it to him. It's like a Groupon for death.

[Virginian]

Brave woman tried to reason with London attackers before police came

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2.....z2U7WmxRtb

Bravery or stupidity?

[LTC(ret) John]

A mix of both.

[a better weapon]

No way, stupid from beginning to end. 2 guys butchered and attempted a decapitation in a busy street in the middle of the afternoon.

There is NO reasoning with someone like that.

Lucky for those two guys, private guns are illegal and most cops aren't even armed. If there was ever a place to pull of something that horrific, it'd be London.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

We wouldn't want to escalate the violence with a gun

[invisible furry hand]

She wasn't reasoning with the guys because she has some idiotic idea that he can be talked into being a lovely chap. She had stopped to render first aid to an injured man and then the attackers returned. She and other women were trying to shield a dying man from a fresh onslaught.

My vote: Brave.

And I suspect if they'd been armed they'd have happily shot the guys. But they are forced to rely upon armed police instead, WHO TOOK 20 MINUTES TO GET THERE!

[a better weapon]

She wasn't reasoning with the guys because she has some idiotic idea that he can be talked into being a lovely chap. She had stopped to render first aid to an injured man and then the attackers returned.

There you go again with your damn context!

Yeah, I didn't know the whole story.

[invisible furry hand]

abw, i read it this afternoon and felt so moved by the heroism ordinary people can show. Then it was back to my usual rage when I got to the part about the 20 minute wait.

[Invisible Finger]

I thought most police in London weren't armed with firearms.

[JW]

There is NO reasoning with someone like that.

That she walked away unharmed proves you wrong.

She has bigger balls than I do.

[Tim]

Probably raised on the idea that you can talk with your enemies and solve all things non-violently.

[mr lizard]

I'm pretty much ready for a Hammers Slammers solution to fanatics.

[wingnutx]

What compromise could you reach with someone like that?

They only cut your legs off and not your head?

[Fist of Etiquette]

A British government emergency committee meets in the wake of a brutal, public murder of a soldier, which was apparently staged as an act of terrorism.

I think I see more money for council housing in a certain group's future.

[Ted S.]

I don't see how this could have happened, what with Britain's strict gun control.

[Cdr Lytton]

Maybe they need stricter gun control?

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Well, the attackers used knives. So you see, gun control worked because he wasn't killed with a gun. What they need now in KNIFE control. No one needs a knife longer than 1 inch. We must ban these high capacity blades and assault knives before anyone else gets hurt.

[PapayaSF]

You laugh, but a few years ago knife control was seriously proposed in the UK.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Unfortunately, I don't laugh.

These types of things should be relegated to satire and parody, but they aren't. There are people out there that not only fail to realize that a good guy with a gun could have stopped them easily, but also think that because bad guys are using knives, we need to take those away too.

It truly is painful to try to understand these people's methods of rationalization.

[a better weapon]

apparently staged as an act of terrorism?

So is that to say they were Kochtopus Tea Party activists posing as islamists and performed an execution with the attempt to frame the religion of peace?

...I think so.

[sarcasmic]

Her hips really don't lie! Shakira reveals her circus contortionist skills and puts her legs behind her head

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....onist.html

[itsnotmeitsyou]

I'll be in my bunk.

[LTC(ret) John]

Can't say I blame you. Oy!

[General Butt Naked]

Here's the morning links! This is the first day I've been home in the morning in a long time.

Didn't the links used to come at 7:30 am?

[Fist of Etiquette]

They used to be issued randomly thoughout the morning until I, FIST OF ETIQUETTE, singlehandedly browbeat Riggs into setting them at 9 AM. That's right, I'm claiming credit for that.

[Lord Humungus]

I have a new hero!

[General Butt Naked]

Why nine?

Are you some hippy that stays up all night getting "baked" and watching Cheech and Chong movies? By 9 am people should be working, goddammit.

[Bardas Phocas]

The orphans should be working. I've barely put a dent in the first bottle of champagne of the day at 9.

[Randian]

Amateur.

[NeonCat]

To be fair to Bardas, he only drinks Methuselahs of champagne.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Nine seemed like an attainable goal. Just like making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Thanks Fisty. I now have a specific time that I can stop being productive and start arguing with assholes on the internet.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You're worse than Hitler.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

That's been established.

I'm like a buttsecks loving, snark slinging, child hating Hitler.

Much much worse.

[Clich? Bandit]

literally

[Virginian]

Fight over 'American Idol' leads to stabbing, police say

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013.....z2U7Wrp9Bs

This. Is. Pennsyltucky!

[mad libertarian guy]

This. Is. Pennsyltucky!

*shakes fist!!*

I'd greatly appreciate not being conflated with yankee scum.

[Lord Humungus]

Senate Ratings Changes: The Political Environment Turns on Democrats
http://www3.blogs.rollcall.com.....democrats/

While we don't know how long the focus will stay on the administration ? or whether Republicans will stumble over the investigations or matters of public policy ? between now and the November midterms, it is undeniable that recent events have altered, at least for now, the trajectory of the 2014 elections.

Given the different natures of midterm electorates, the new political narrative increases the risk for Democratic candidates in red states, where Democrats must win independent and, in many cases, Republican voters to be successful.

[a better weapon]

the new political narrative increases the risk for Democratic candidates in red states, where Democrats must win independent and, in many cases, Republican voters to be successful

Eh, that was already baked into the cake because of the gun control push. Certainly it doesn't help, but it won't change the make up of the electorate that shows up on election day one bit.

[sarcasmic]

'I had beautiful huge breasts': Amanda Seyfried laments the loss of her assets after being pressured into slimming down for her career

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....areer.html

[generic Brand]

So now that she is a somewhat recognizable actress, why doesn't she get them back?

[Randian]

How do you feel about that, sarcasmic?

[sarcasmic]

For the tenth time, no you may not put your hands down my pants. I'm flattered, but I don't swing that way. K?

[Randian]

See, I would have to think you're conflicted. On the one hand, you claim to be straight and thus should like breasts. On the other, she got skinnier and that's kinda your thing.

[sarcasmic]

I think she looks just fine.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

She still has pretty big boobs for someone her size. They must have originally been 36DDs or something.

Mila Kunis losing her boobs for that stupid ballerina movie is the real tragedy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Obama administration admits to using drones to kill four Americans overseas.

Any word on the decision making process?

[Tim]

Obama had nothing to do with it.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

He only just heard about it while watching himself announce it on TV.

[DontShootMe]

Sigh, too slow again.

[wingnutx]

Unless it polls well, then he did it single-handedly.

[Dweebston]

And if he had something to do with it, no Americans died. And if Americans died, they were terrorists-in-training.

[SugarFree]

World First MENSTRUAL POETRY SLAM!

1 syllable:
bud, budd, budde, crud, cudd, dud, dudd, flood, flud, fludd, hud, judd, mud, mudd, nudd, rud, rudd, scud, spud, stud, sudd, thud, uhde

2 syllables:
cold-blood, ehud, flash flood, in flood, leaf bud, lebudde, mixed bud, press stud, stump spud

3 syllables:
drilling mud, flower bud

4 syllables:
drag through the mud

[Tim]

I have these cramps, my blood flows red,
There is pulsing anger in my head.

[General Butt Naked]

Is there anything worse than a poetry slam, man?

Other than finding STEVE SMITH asleep in your van?

[LTC(ret) John]

Finding STEVE SMITH awake in your van?

[General Butt Naked]

+ 1 guy in a turtleneck fighting the man

[robc]

Nutrasweet,

Any comments on the Magic Hat - West 6th kerfuffle?

Ive heard some interesting rumors about who is actually behind it.

[SugarFree]

It's pretty confused. W6th said that Magic Hat showed up out of nowhere with a lawsuit for trademark infringement, and Magic Hat responded with documentation that W6th was fairly along in an agreement to settle it out of court and did an abrupt 180 and started a social media smear campaign.

The designs are similar, but Magic Hat has also sued another brewery in Baltimore(?) for having a "9lb Stout" and forced them to change.

Magic Hat seems to be claiming that all beer that has a 9 or a 6 or has a circle around a number in the logo is infringing on them, which is laughable broad.

[robc]

Not only that, they constantly refer to West 6ths logo as an "inverted nine" which is bullshit of the highest order.

They seem to realize if they call it a 6, they lose.

And I have to disagree on the 180. W6 had sent the last letter, no correspondence for over 3 months from MH then a lawsuit out of nowhere.

The last letter from West 6th did say thay they wouldnt concede using the 6, which is why Magic Hat stopped negotiating, I think.

There is some hilarious stuff in the lawsuit too. Magic Hat made a reference to West 6th in South Carolina which hasnt happened. West 6th accused them of cutting and pasting from a different lawsuit.

The rumor Im hearing is about the distributor involved. Kentucky Eagle distributed both Magic Hat and Budweiser in Lexington. But why would they get involved? They also distribute Alltech, and Im hearing they are the ones (via the distributor) who informed Magic Hat about the existence of West 6th and the logo "issue".

I dont know if its true, but I wonder if Kentucky Ale is losing tap handles in Lexington to West 6th.

[Raston Bot]

Sounds and looks like a stretch.

I take it West 6th brews good beer in the state of Kentucky and Magic Hat is bleeding accounts.

[robc]

Magic Hat barely has accounts in KY.

Magic Hat merged with Pyramid a decade ago, in a weird east coast-west cost craft merger.

Then North American Breweries bought them. Then Cerveseria Costa Rica bought NAB. So they are part of a multinational beer company now. And acting in the way that multinationals do.

Ive only had one West 6th beer, their IPA. Its good but nothing spectacular, in my opinion, but much better than anything Ive ever had from Magic Hat. #9 is an honest beer, at least, as it says on the lable "not quite a pale ale", which is an accurate description. And its not quite mediocre too.

BTW, numbers just got released this week, West 6th went from 0 bbls in 2011 to 1938 bbls in 2012, which is an impressive debut.

[robc]

It looks like West 6th was the largest production brewery debut of 2012.

The few that were larger were second facilities for a brewpub or etc, so not true debuts.

[Raston Bot]

So guessing 20bbl and they brew ~twice a week. That sounds awesomely overwhelming coming right out the gate.

Kegging is huge. The local brewery owner here said he does 75-80% kegs. He also ordered tanks to double his capacity to 200K gallons per year. So 3200bbl to 6400bbl. We'll see if that's sustainable given the increased competition. But they are hosting a breweries-in-planning meetup today which is cool.

Speaking of breweries, are you under construction?

[robc]

Speaking of breweries, are you under construction?

Look for an announcement early next month. Not quite yet is the answer. Yeah, yeah, I know, things are moving slooooooowly.

[robc]

That sounds awesomely overwhelming coming right out the gate.

Yes it does. I have no intention of being that large that fast. Its a nice problem to have though.

[Raston Bot]

I'd expect some QA/QC issues to present themselves.

[robc]

I'd expect some QA/QC issues to present themselves.

I dont think there has been a brewery that hasnt had those as they've grown.

There is a big difference between selling kegs that are going to be killed in a month and selling bottles than are going to be sitting on a store shelf 6 months from now.

Oxidation issues, carbonation issues, infections, all are more likely for beer sitting around longer. Most startup breweries dont have serious lab equipment, most of the time its bought AFTER the first recall.

[Raston Bot]

Outside of homebrew meetups, I can't remember the last beer that was infected or really off.

Homebrew meetups, on the other hand... hello Diacetyl!

[robc]

I rarely run into them too. But I hear stories about certain breweries.

Shorts in Michigan apparently had a problem a few years back with regular infections (or what they claimed were secondary fermentations due to stores mistreating the beers and leading to overcarbonation) but they changed their process and that entirely went away.

As they grew, they got the ability to detect and fix the problem. I think they did it by pasteurizing.

[robc]

hello Diacetyl!

I judged a homebrew competition a while back. Got he fruit beer category. Literally half the entries were insipid raspberry wheats. Not a single one scored above 30.

There was some awesome stuff in that category, but that wasnt it. I had a Country Boy raspberry wheat recently, it would have fit in with the rest. It was very disappointing.

[Raston Bot]

The fruit category? Talk about drawing the short straw. I appreciate a good fruit wheat but not several flights worth.

[robc]

I also got to do bocks.

The problem was I was competing in 4 categories, so couldnt judge them.

[SugarFree]

I dont know if its true, but I wonder if Kentucky Ale is losing tap handles in Lexington to West 6th.

They are. The "everything should be local" craze is still in full swing here. Many places that carried KYAle have switched to W6th as the local offering. Which makes sense given that they are the only one of the new craft brew places setup to distribute kegs. (Country Boy does a very few, but only to the dedicated beer bars.) And given that W6th is the only brew place canning beer (and has two offerings now) they are in a lot of restaurants that only serve bottles and cans.

Alltech tipping off hyper-litigious Magic Hat is not all that far-fetched.

[robc]

I see a lot more Country Boy in Louisville than W6. But Im at "dedicated beer bars".

Since I mentioned it above, Country Boy's debut total was 500 bbls for 2012. The packaged (cans, bottles) make a huge difference, obviously.

[SugarFree]

I'm surprised at that. I figured they would be pursuing that as a market. We have quite a few Louisville breweries down here on a regular basis. Arcadium usually has two or three ATG beers.

CB has been doing keg exchanges with Against the Grain and Apocalypse. And they are expanding their taproom, pouring a patio and setting up picnic tables out front for summer.

[robc]

West 6th only really sends the IPA to Louisville and some restaurants carry it.

RCD carries it occasionally but always has a Country Boy on tap.

Holy Grale carries way more CB than W6. They have done Country Boy tap takeovers. Not that Country Boy is regularly there, but Im not sure Ive seen West 6th.

Of course, in liquor stores, I see West 6th.

[invisible furry hand]

pouring a patio and setting up picnic tables out front for summer.

Aah, the Paris end of Lexington

[robc]

Other than at ATG, I rarely see ATG on tap here. Apparently you can also find them in New York City, however.

Apocalypse pops up from time to time.

[robc]

And they are expanding their taproom, pouring a patio and setting up picnic tables out front for summer.

That will be nice, I really like their taproom.

I still havent been to West 6th, I hear its more happening. Probably too douchey for my tastes, from what I hear.

[SugarFree]

The space is very nice, in a slightly seedy but up and coming part of town. High ceilings, plenty of light, some outdoor seating and a large beirgarten type space with benches they can open up to the outside on nice days.

But the clientele is pretty douchey. Lots of half-hearted goatees, ironic tats, plaid and fedoras. Also a plague of guys who leave their right pant leg rolled up to make sure you know they rode their bikes.

The guys that run it are super-nice, though. I just wish I liked their beer more.

[mad libertarian guy]

Many places that carried KYAle have switched to W6th as the local offering.

That makes NO FUCKING SENSE!!!!!

Alltech IS MADE IN FUCKING LEXINGTON, and is owned by a company in Nicholasville.

So what people mean by "local" is "not owned by a corporation."

Fucking great.

The overall commentary in support of W6 alone (without knowing many facts in the case) makes me want to support Magic Hat.

KKKORPORATE BULLEEING!!!!!!

[robc]

Well, Lexington is more local than Nicholasville. Nicholasville is a whole county away!

I think its more that within the local scene, more are carrying West 6th IPA because it is a more interesting beer. Its really the only big local IPA. It recently one the March Madness bracket in Louisville for best local beer, with local defined to include all of KY and southern Indiana.

If I was a Lexington bar/restuarant, I would have a dedicated tap for each of Alltech/Country Boy/West 6th. And that alone would possibly piss off Alltech.

Alltech is still growing fast too, they went from 14950 bbls in 2011 to 22000 bbls in 2012. 47% growth is pretty good.

Its at least part of the reason I consider the Alltech rumor to be a rumor, Im not sure they would notice the difference.

[Raston Bot]

You can bet some Alltech sales rep noticed the difference when he lost the handle and started sweating his commission.

[robc]

without knowing many facts in the case

I think the only facts that matter is:

Look at the logos? Are they similar enough to cause confusion for consumers?

I think the answer is obviously no. Others say otherwise. I think those people have a broken part in their brain. But Im an INTP so it might be me who is the outlier.

To me, the answer lies in math, the West 6th logo is over 33% different. [(9-6)/ 9 ]

[mad libertarian guy]

It's more complicated than that, however.

Turn one of those cans upside down, as happens all of the time (think beer thrown in the cooler), and there is a very definite similarity. Enough to, at a glance, confuse one for the other.

It's not about strictly looking alike. It's about looking enough alike for someone to reasonably confuse one for the other in any given situation. Without a background in such law it's tough to make a call. But to sit two cans side by side and say "See? Not even close!" is not the test that one uses when determining these kinds of things.

[robc]

Upside down is not a legit comparison.

They arent stored on the shelf that way. Once its in the cooler its already been purchased.

To me, the defining element of Magic Hat logos is the psychedelic swirliness. ALL of their logos have that, not just #9. And the one thing West 6th isnt is swirly. If someone knows enough to think "hey, this could be another Magic Hat beer" then they know enough to immediately recognize it is not in Magic Hat style. Otherwise, they would be suing Goose Island over 312 too.

I was just making an argument on a beer site -- take a compass pointing west at a numeral six. Once you have that, the design basically lays itself out.

#9 looks nothing like a compass pointing at a number (the number in the middle of the circle vs the number constructing the circle is a huge difference, IMO).

[robc]

I was just accused of being a "math literalist" on that other site.

Duh.

[mad libertarian guy]

Once its in the cooler its already been purchased.

That's quite a presumption.

I see beer for sale in a cooler regularly.

[robc]

Another thing, if you read the letters that went back and forth, they came close to an agreement.

Magic Hat wanted the words West Sixth Brewing Company near the 6 logo at all times, like it is on the can (and a change to the star). West sixth agreed to this but things broke down because Magic Hat wanted them to agree to never use the number 6 without the words in any design ever. To concede that Magic Hat owned both the 9 and the 6.

[robc]

The point being, apparently Magic Hat doesnt find the CAN confusing, but their other uses of the logo without the name of the brewery. Like tap handles, which are just the logo.

[WittyName]

http://www.westsixth.com/no-mo.....fb2b127e0d

I can appreciate this logic even though I'm not sure what's going on in the other camp. It seems pretty mendacious to me.

[Fist of Etiquette]

waiting for aunt flo
my own monthly visitor
oh, the rabbit died

[Lord Humungus]

3-D printer helps save dying baby
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/22/.....index.html

With hopes dimming that Kaiba would survive, doctors tried the medical equivalent of a "Hail Mary" pass. Using an experimental technique never before tried on a human, they created a splint made out of biological material that effectively carved a path through Kaiba's blocked airway.

What makes this a medical feat straight out of science fiction: The splint was created on a three-dimensional printer.

[a better weapon]

Cool.

On a side note, how do two people with plain vanilla names like Bryan and April come up with the name Kaiba?

[Thane of #HOLO]

Yu-Gi-Oh?

[sarcasmic]

Sisters grieving the death of mother are thrown out of mall for wearing hats saying 'F**k cancer'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ancer.html

[SugarFree]

"Mall Makes Unambiguous Pro-Cancer Statement"

[generic Brand]

Most donation seekers are pro-cancer and don't even know it.

Them: "Would you like to donate money for cancer?"
Me: "Fuck no! I hate cancer, why would I want to give money to it??"

[NoVAHockey]

the NHL had a "hockey fights cancer awareness" campaign

[Fist of Etiquette]

It conflicts with the NHL's fight hockey awareness campaign.

[Live Free or Diet]

From where I sit the hats appear to say Fupinkribbonk Cancer.

[Virginian]

Colorado killer's reprieve infuriates families, draws sharp criticism of governor from GOP

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013.....z2U7WyU5mw

Why the fuck is he doing this? This guy is not innocent, he's guilty as hell.

[General Butt Naked]

Marj Crowell, whose 19-year-old daughter Sylvia Crowell was killed, says Hickenlooper took "the cowardly way out."

Can we stop using "cowardly" to describe any actions we don't agree with?

[LTC(ret) John]

Might be cowardly if he has the power to commute the sentence - what is with the "reprieve as long as he is governor" - if you don't believe he should be executed, commute the sentence. If you think he is innocent, pardon him.

Of course, this is contingent on the CO gov having those powers.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

From La Wik:

"The Governor of Colorado has the sole right to pardon or commute the death sentence."

So yeah, coward's way out. He's going to leave the actual decision up to his successor.

[Virginian]

It's baffling to me. This guy is not innocent, he's not even some lefty radical who has bullshit political justification for his crimes. The case is totally airtight.

He's just a murdering piece of shit, and I see no reason whatsoever to do this.

[General Butt Naked]

I'm not arguing whether the decision was right or wrong.

The more guilty the guy is, the less cowardly the decision is.

The governor had two choices:

1. Let the guy get executed and not have to face much public outcry.

2. Give him a reprieve and catch a whole bag of flaming shit over it.

Two seems like the less cowardly of the two.

Unless, like LTC-J says above, that he was able to commute the sentence, but only gave a reprieve in an attempt to not catch too much shit.

[thom]

"Why the fuck is he doing this? This guy is not innocent, he's guilty as hell."

Because he thinks the death penalty is wrong?

[Virginian]

Well fuck him.

If you can't execute the duties of your office, don't run. Or say that you will not allow any executions during the campaign and let the people of the state weigh that in their minds before voting.

I think every governor should be applying the strictest possible scrutiny, and should not allow any executions if there is a chance the prisoner is innocent.

But this guy is not. He walked into a restaurant and murdered his former coworkers because he got fired. The fact that he is still breathing at all is offensive.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

But this guy is not. He walked into a restaurant and murdered his former coworkers because he got fired.

The guy got fired from a Chuck E. Cheese, of all places. How much of a shitbag do you have to be that you get fired from a kid's playplace?

[Stormy Dragon]

So if a libertarian ever gets elected to be President or Governor, you expect him to continue as much of the statist status quo as possible in the name of "executing the duties of his office", or do you expect him to obstruct it to the extent of his abilities?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

So if a libertarian ever gets elected to be President or Governor, you expect him to continue as much of the statist status quo as possible in the name of "executing the duties of his office", or do you expect him to obstruct it to the extent of his abilities?

That's not the issue--the issue is that he pussed out and couldn't even commute the sentence. That is one of his "duties of office" that he can execute, you know.

[Redmanfms]

do you expect him to obstruct it to the extent of his abilities?

I'd expect him to follow the rule of law.

I'd expect legislatures to repeal offending statutes.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If that was the case, he would have commuted the sentence.

[Lord Humungus]

Masturbation Is at the Root of the Culture Wars
"Tell me how you really feel about masturbation, and I can more or less predict how you'll feel about the more frequently debated 'sex war' issues."
http://www.theatlantic.com/sex.....rs/276110/

[General Butt Naked]

Are there still anti-fappers out there?

I thought everbody was cool with it now.

[Elspeth Flashman]

I would think from your name, General, that you're also in favor.

[lap83]

I am guessing my position of "why would i wan would i want to talk about masturbation with a random stranger" puts me on the prudish fascist side of the culture war

[lap83]

Oops /one handed typing

[Thane of #HOLO]

hehehe

[Virginian]

Father and daughter rescue man who jumped off Golden Gate Bridge

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013.....z2U7XFgGsc

Would you rescue someone trying to kill themselves?

[generic Brand]

After the man was safely ashore, he was astonished to find "Zuzu's petals" in his coat pocket."

[LTC(ret) John]

Yes, I would. It is likely a depressive, and they can get help.

[Bones]

If I knew their intention, no, I don't think I would. But if I didn't know they wanted to die and thought maybe they were just an idiot who fell off a bridge, I would like to think I would do something to help them if I were able.

[a better weapon]

suicidal or not, I don't recommend trying to save anybody in the water. They usually just end up choking the rescuer while holding on in a panic.

If its a small child, I wouldn't hesitate, but a grown man or woman, I'd wait to see if a stronger swimmer steps up first.

[Tim]

A lot of people die trying to rescue drowning victims., mainly when the victim gloms onto them and they both sink.
If you are in your car or a car is near, get the spare tire as it will make a serviceable flotation device, and throw it to them or push it ahead of you so that they grab onto it, not you.

[Ice Nine]

My wife took care of this guy in the ER. He jumped holding his dog! Dog didn't survive. No justice.

[a better weapon]

Ahh, so that's why there were no cops called to the scene. No point.

[sarcasmic]

Woman choked and raped by ex-boyfriend after dispatcher informs her there are no cops to help - and instead tells her to ask attacker to leave

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....leave.html
Buy a gun.

[Virginian]

The remaining six officers had their shifts slashed to eight hours Monday through Friday.

_____________

Fucking cunts. How about keeping one or two on duty, with the rest on call? How about calling for volunteers to help out with dispatch or support functions, or even patrolling.

No, gotta cut to 9-5 Monday to Friday. We just hope fear something bad will happen that will show the danger of not raising taxes.

[sarcasmic]

When the budget gets tight, fire the firemen. That way after a few houses burn down they'll consent to higher taxes.

[Ted S.]

Oh, this is deliberate. They want bad things to happen so they can say, "See!"

[sarcasmic]

"Fucking bitch doesn't want to pay higher taxes? Let her get raped. Maybe she'll learn some respect."

[Zeb]

In a very small town near where I live, the police used to stop patrolling after 9 so the select men could drive home drunk.

[NeonCat]

Select. Men.

[mr simple]

So it sounds like anything goes outside of normal business hours in Oregon now.

[Zeb]

A gun would be smart. But even failing that, could the dispatcher not call the Sheriff or state police if someone is actually being assaulted?

[sarcasmic]

RTFA

The dispatcher called both. The sheriff had no one on the clock, and the state police had no one in the area. So they told her to ask him to please go away with sugar on top. Didn't work out so well.

[Zeb]

I can only read one DM article per day.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Guns only escalate the violence

[Matrix]

Good... escalate his ass to hell.

[invisible furry hand]

Amanda Marcotte at Slate has her own spin on this (warning: stupid attempt at satire ahead:

Enough Airy-Fairy Liberal Nonsense About Police. If You Don't Want to Get Raped, Hire a Private Security Firm.

[Virginian]

It's really funny that she thinks police prevent rape. Well, not just her. All progs seem to think a cop will appear when you snap your fingers and take care of the bad guy.

Actually, I was thinking about centralized dispatch being the main thing slowing down response times. What if instead of calls going in to a phone bank, the nearest cruisers would get an instant ping on their in car computer when a 911 call is triggered? Is that impossible?

[tarran]

It's technically possible, but a bad idea.

You're a cop. You're responding to a bank robbery, when you get a ping. And now you are trying to figure out if the call is "my cat sniffles is stuck up a tree", or "my ex-husband is smashing down my door with an axe!"

Someone has to do the triage.

[Invisible Finger]

State Farm shows up faster than the police.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Liberal blogs and, of course, public radio are up in arms over this story about an Oregon woman who was raped because, due to massive budget cuts, there were no cops available to take her panicked phone call to the police. The rape occurred last August in Josephine County, a rural district that responded to the loss of millions of dollars in federal subsidies by firing 23 of its 29 police deputies and restricting the remnant's availability to Mondays through Fridays.

Emphasis added.

The real question is why is the federal government subsidizing rural police forces in the first place? Elephant in the room, anyone?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Lots of untaxable federal forest property in the county, according to NPR. Until recently they got subsidies to make up for not being able to tax the forest land.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I have three words for you women who don't want rapists breaking into your house: Get. A. Job. Gun and a Large Dog

FTFY

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I have a private security firm--it's called Ruger & Mossberg, Inc.

Now go die in a fire, Marcotte, you walking reason to repeal the 19th Amendment.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

My Czech security force has 19 agents that are with me at all times and 18 more on standby. And they have a much greater response time than any cop.

[Virginian]

Injured volunteer seeks payment from rescued California hiker

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013.....z2U7XMNRSi

Does this guy have a valid point here?

[General Butt Naked]

No.

If you're going somewhere to rescue someone that place should be assumed to carry an amount of danger.

[Zeb]

Especially a volunteer. He knew what he was getting into. I tend to think that people should be charged for their rescues, particularly if they were foolish in getting into their bad situation. But if someone volunteers to help such people, they are willingly assuming the risk that goes with it.

[Virginian]

"This mission will be dangerous." ? Commander Drake
"Would you say we'd be venturing into a zone of danger?" ? Archer
"Well, yes. Obviously." ? Commander Drake
"But I mean, how would you phrase that?" ? Archer
"I. The zone will be one of danger?" ? Commander Drake

[Lord Humungus]

Three men jailed over 'largest' fake ?1 coin plot
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-e.....n-22612487

Police found a storage container with 1.6 million metal discs inside and fake coins equivalent to ?20,000.

Fake coins equivalent to a further ?30,000 were found in a nearby car.

The Metropolitan Police said the haul was "the tip of the iceberg" and some coins might still be in circulation.

[Fist of Etiquette]

IRS apparatchik Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment rights by first reading a statement asserting her innocence...

The administration is just grateful for the distraction.

[Rich]

"[T]his woman was not the defendant," he said, rejecting comparisons between the committee room and a court room. "This is not a trial."

OK, then, why isn't she talking?

[Palin's Buttplug]

My theory - she doesn't want vain grandstanding Congress-assholes taking advantage of the TV time for local news soundbites.

[Randian]

Hey, check out the alleged anti-government guy defending the IRS.

[Palin's Buttplug]

THAT is defending the IRS? Don't be silly.

[Randian]

Bullshit.

[Gbob]

The shrill ass wipe might be somewhat honest in this one particular case. He's really defending Obama more then he is the IRS.

[Randian]

I mean, why isn't your theory "she's guilty as all hell", hm?

[Jordan]

The alleged anti-government guy defends Woodrow Wilson.

[VG Zaytsev]

They should have kept her ass up there all day and forced her to repeatedly take the 5th.

[Fist of Etiquette]

They could always grant her immunity.

[Mike M.]

Government Gone Wild - the collapse of the benign administrative state.

[Virginian]

Vt gov signs 1st-in-nation law to protect companies from so-called patent trolling

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013.....z2U7XSzUF9

Does anyone who's more knowledgeable on IP/patent law have more information on this?

[LTC(ret) John]

I dunno, patent law is a Fed thing. I have to think their options are fairly limited.

[Lord Humungus]

'Law Enforcement Guide to Satanic Cults Part 2': Satanists love strolls through the park
http://dangerousminds.net/comm.....ve_strolls

You may remember our post a while back on the 1994 classic, Law Enforcement Guide to Satanic Cults. Well, well you can praise Internet Satan, because we've stumbled across another clip!

In this segment, our bemulleted expert guides us through what must be the most Satanic park in all the land, enlightening us as to the relationship between pagans and gay people, as well as the meaning of the "pentacle," which I have deduced is his own portmanteau of "pentagram" and "testicle."

[deified]

One dude on reddit explains why sometimes, some shit is funny. CAUTION: mucho science.

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/c.....?context=2

[sarcasmic]

Ke$ha slammed by parent pressure group after drinking her own urine on reality show

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....-show.html
She's like school at five in the morning: no class.

[General Butt Naked]

Dang, and she was such a good role model for the kids before all this.

Can we stop saying that someone is "slammed" by some group? Urghh, I hate that shit for some reason.

[Zeb]

It's the Daily Mail. They are probably doing it just to annoy you.

[Virginian]

http://chartsbin.com/view/1922

VA is number one for machine guns!

Probably because of all the feds, plus the NRA museum. Still pretty cool.

[Live Free or Diet]

With Maryland so near the top, it has to be federal.
Montana, the Dakotas and Wyoming are at the low end? Connecticut is at the high end? I suspect manufacturers and population size skew this map too.

[Zeb]

And wealth. From what I gather, it's pretty hard to get a machine gun for under $10,000.

[db]

Depends on what you want. You can get a transferable M11/9 for arounf $4k. Lots of other subguns are in the $4k to $8k range. If you want an MP5 or M16 expect to pay $12-$18k. Belt feds run in the $20k-$30k rnlange. Thompson SMGs are way up there because of the rash of WWII movies that came out in the 2000s that boosted demand.

The rare shit like M249s and Stoner 63s will run you $50-$80k. A minigun, last I saw one for sale, was listed at $130k.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Ted Cruz says he doesn't trust Republicans any more than Democrats to deal with the federal government's longstanding spending addiction.

Check his birth certificate.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Since he was born in Canada it does provide a good time to discuss his eligibility. He won't himself - by the way.

[a better weapon]

There isn't anything clear cut either way, but it'd be nice for the "natural born" stipulation to actually get an audience with SCOTUS, as I'm sure that's what would happen if he ever became president.

Personally, I think no. If he is allowed to be president, wouldn't that then allow for someone who was born to a US father, but mostly grew up with their foreign mother overseas, to be eligible? Not sure how it all works to be honest.

[Zeb]

I think it means that anyone born a US citizen is eligible. But that's just me.

[Raven Nation]

Actually, if you go with original intent, it just means anyone who isn't Alexander Hamilton is eligible.

[Joe M]

Rand Paul's Puzzling Stand with Apple

Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) reassured Paul that it wasn't about Apple, but about "investigating a tax code that is not working for the American people, is not working for businesses in this country, which some business decide how many taxes they're going to pay, how many they won't, what they're going to leave offshore in terms of profit, cooking up all kinds of arrangements to avoid paying taxes."

successfully providing goods and services < paying taxes

[General Butt Naked]

And if companies decided how much money in taxes they were going to pay, you'd think that they'd choose a nice round number. Round as in 0.

I guess Apple likes ROADZ!! so much that they're willing to donate $6 billion to the cause.

[Don Mynack]

Another editorial from AMCon that makes no sense. They used to be beautiful - What happened to them?

[Lord Humungus]

The IRS Targets Adoptive Families
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/f.....-families/

As we get word that the IRS has harassed a number of pro-life groups, including at least one alleged demand that a pro-life group not picket Planned Parenthood, check out this statistic: In 2012, the IRS requested additional information from 90 percent of returns claiming the adoption tax credit and went on to actually audit 69 percent.

[a better weapon]

Those people are part of a system that encourages people to not have abortions. Serves them right!

-ProgDerp

[Virginian]

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2.....artner=RSS

What the fuck is DUI by consent?

[Randian]

It seems to mean that if you let a drunk person drive your car, you are also charged with DUI.

Wow, some places are shitty.

[CampingInYourPark]

I had a car impounded for letting a guy borrow my car for a couple weeks who subsequently got a DUI. The Clerk of Court in my county can apparently make the decision whether to confiscate that property all on their own. Some places are shittier than others.

[Joe M]

I'm thinking it's some combination of being a drunk passenger and/or agreeing to be driven by someone you know is drunk.

[sarcasmic]

Thing I noticed about those guys in London who were shot by the cops. Cops gave them medical attention immediately. American cops would have prevented medical attention until they bled to death.

[Virginian]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....05416.html

MMMMMM delicious hoplophobic tears. I especially like the constant mocking of the NRA as conspiracy nuts, when the standard talking point of the gun grabbers is that only the NRA money keeps the 90% of Americans who favor gun control from winning the day.

[General Butt Naked]

Law professor Stanley Fish mused, "The more militant members of the NRA and most of its leaders may be un-American ... [John Wilkes] Booth's modern successors are saying that a house in the hands of tyrants does not deserve to stand and they are ready to bring it down with their constitutionally protected guns."

Is there anybody worse than Fish? I think not.

If you don't believe me, then go read his column sometime.

And yes it is hilarious, that these gun-grapping shits are opining on about the constitution and rule of law. Self-awareness ain't their strong suit.

[LTC(ret) John]

"Is there anybody worse than Fish?"

Chomsky?

[General Butt Naked]

Hey, at least Chomsky hates Obama. Not for the right reasons, but it's a starting point.

Fish is a totalitarian that is transparently hoping for a type of government that'll give "intellectual" numbnuts like himself lots of power.

[LTC(ret) John]

Oh, no argument that Fish is utterly loathsome. And Illinois taxpayers got to fatten his wallet for a while when he was at UIC makes me despise him all the more.

[Matrix]

The problem idiots like him don't realize is that the system eats its own.

[Zeb]

I have to sort of admire Chomsky. At least he does his own thing and isn't a TEAM guy.
And though I now disagree with him about most things, he is actually one of the people who started me on my road to libertarianism. He's a bit of a nut, but he does plant the idea that maybe things aren't exactly like everyone tells you they are.

[Virginian]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....ostpopular

HuffPo is trying to make this a racial thing, but I think it's more of a bullshit notion that a man in public with children is assumed to be a child molester until he proves otherwise.

[generic Brand]

According to Keana, she was told a customer was alarmed after seeing her husband and children.

"Well, the customer was concerned because they saw the children with your husband and he didn't think that they fit," Keana told the news station. "And I said, 'What do you mean by they don't fit?' And I was trying to get her to say it. And she says, 'Well, they just don't match up.'"

Busybodies gon' busybody.

Seriously, though, I agree with you. It's insane that a grown man can't even be seen alone around children without raising a few eyebrows at the least, regardless of whether they are his own or not.

[Live Free or Diet]

My kids' friends didn't look "like they match up" with me at all and I go to the store with them all the time. Mrs. Grundy will always be a bitch.

[Lord Humungus]

Ezra Klein: If Obama went Bulworth, here's what he'd say
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....t-hed-say/

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. At this point, though, can the American people actually trust their government? There's a sense that these issues might just be the tip of the iceberg.

No, the American people can't trust their government. They can't trust their media either, I might add. But that's not because of a couple of I.R.S. agents out in Cincinnati. We can fix the Cincinnati office. Let me be clear: We're already fixing the Cincinnati office. This problem was solved a year ago. The guy who solved it just got fired anyway because you all wanted to see some blood on the walls and I'm just political enough to give it to you.

Look, the reason the American people can't trust their government is here in Washington. Right now sequestration is cutting unemployment checks by 10 or 11 percent. Do you hear anyone talking about that? Or doing anything about it? No.

[Randian]

I have to wonder how Klein managed to type all that with only one hand.

[General Butt Naked]

I'm guessing he's had a lot of practice over the last 5 years.

[Coeus]

If Obama went Bullworth, it'd be that speech of The Smiler's from Transmetropolitan.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Derp

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Look, the reason the American people can't trust their government is here in Washington. Right now sequestration is cutting unemployment checks by 10 or 11 percent. Do you hear anyone talking about that? Or doing anything about it?

We all know the primary function of the government is to hand out checks to the unemployed.

[Fatty Bolger]

Nah, more like this movie I think:

Q: Did you order the IRS to target the Tea Party?
Obama: I did the job that?-
Q: Did you order the IRS to target the Tea Party?!!
Obama: YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID!!

[mr simple]

Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment rights by first reading a statement asserting her innocence, claims House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa.

So by speaking at some point, have we all waived our 5A rights for the rest of eternity? IANAL, but this doesn't seem right.

[sarcasmic]

Uh, no? By giving a speech on the stand she waived her 5A rights. Retard.

[Marshall Gill]

You mean you don't get to say whatever you want on the stand in your own defense and then claim a right to remain silent when cross-examined?

[mr simple]

That's a compliment coming from you. It's called reductio ad absurdum, Einstein. But let's play. Here's the relevant pert of the 5A: ...nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself... Please tell me where it says if you say one thing you must answer all subsequent questions.

[Stormy Dragon]

It's not right. It's some bullshit rule the Republicans on the committee pulled out of their ass because the Republican base wants a public lynching and doesn't care about what the law says on the matter.

[Fatty Bolger]

Alan Dershowitz disagrees.

[Stormy Dragon]

Hold the presses, Alan Dershowitz is wrong about something! And further, I am shocked (SHOCKED!) to discover that Newsmax would print a self-serving article.

[Fatty Bolger]

Newsmax, Oh noes! Here it is on The Hill if that makes you happier. The point is, agree or disagree, it's not just something the committee "pulled out of their ass."

[Gray Ghost]

The real answer is, like so many other things in the law, "It depends." There's a good discussion at Volokh on the question of whether or not Ms. Lerner waived her right to plead the 5th to avoid further questioning. I like the logic of posters 'Michael Stern' and 'philadelphia lawyer' in the thread.

For all of the analogizing with criminal or civil trials, this is still a hearing before a committee of Congress, and therefore not a judicial proceeding. There's no opportunity to produce direct examination, for one. Congress also allows the witness to make a blanket invocation of the 5th, which is usually not allowed in civil trials or during discovery for same. Congress generally can make whatever evidentiary rules they want for their hearing, absent those that run afoul of Constitutional protections.

All that said, it's obnoxious that the witness gets to make an introductory statement asserting several statements of mixed law and fact and then refuses to answer questions about those statements. The cure though, is to make sure the committee tells the witness they will not be permitted to make an introductory statement, not to gut some of the protections of the 5th Amendment.

[Emmerson Biggins]

I agree w Stormy. Sure she she waived it. Then she re-asserted. "Inalienable" mother fuckers, look it up.

[Coeus]

Raw story fails once again at statistics:

NYPD data: Whites much more likely to be carrying drugs and guns than minorities

[Joe M]

The original Think Progress report looks correct, but RS extrapolates incorrectly to think the stops are somehow representative of the population as a whole. The travesty is the excessive stopping of minorities for no good reason, leading to more that are innocent of any "crime".

[Coeus]

Agreed. But if rawstory managed to get one write-up using statistics correct, I would probably drop dead of shock.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Baltimore schools misspend stimulus funds? Shocked!

http://www.baltimoresun.com/ne.....2353.story

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Also in the sun, Preakness bikini contest photos?

http://www.baltimoresun.com/en.....otogallery

[General Butt Naked]

I am not going to look at pictures of horses in bikinis.

Sicko.

[LTC(ret) John]

Neigh, I tell you. You shan't be saddled with pictures of beachwear sporting horses.

[General Butt Naked]

Hey, Sarah Jessica Parker has to make money somehow.

[Smells Like Tom Skerritt]

"I am not going to look at pictures of horses in bikinis."

I ain't gonna lie to ya, I busted a nut in the horse.

[Coeus]

Dammit cops. Stop calling yourselves selfless heroes and then claiming that "the most important thing is going home at the end of the day.

I don't have a problem with the philosophy, but selfless heroes you are not.

[LTC(ret) John]

I would simply ask them "hero eh? Do tell what 'heroic' things you have done...mmm?"

Bet the list would contain anything "heroic".

[Coeus]

Feminists are still really pissed about a skeptic conference applying their thought processes to feminism as demanded of them by feminists.

Last two articles she's done have been about this.

[Randian]

You all should stop feeding Marcotte.

[Coeus]

More bitching about it.

[Warty]

Excuse me, tone policing?

[tarran]

After the ma bell break-up, the federal government created a new department because laying off the phone police was too much trouble.

[Joe M]

Miss Alabama Katherine Webb prompts fears of dangerous dieting by revealing a restrictive meal plan of smoothies and spinach.

She looks healthy enough to me.

[sarcasmic]

If she wants to eat cookies in bed I certainly won't complain.

[hotsy totsy]

I think she looks healthy too. Although what people eat and what they SAY they eat may be really different.

And if she said she ate only Big Macs and fries they'd be pissed about that.

[mad libertarian guy]

SEQUESTER ATTACK!! Minorities HARDEST HIT!!

In April, the sequester that had flown under the radar for most Americans at last entered the public spotlight. As cuts led to furloughs for air traffic controllers and other FAA personnel, flight delays frustrated passengers across the country.

Congress responded by passing a bill to ease the burden on travelers, but the bill did nothing to mitigate the impact of the sequester on those suffering the most from its effects. When we pass piecemeal, band-aid fixes to the sequester, we leave people behind, including cancer patients, low-income children attending Head Start, and seniors relying on Meals on Wheels. That's why both of us opposed the FAA sequester fix bill and continue to push instead for a replacement of the entire sequester with a balanced approach.

Since coming into effect in March, the sequester has begun imposing severe and arbitrary spending cuts for programs that make a real difference in the lives of so many families struggling to make ends meet. From Maryland to California, and every state in between, the most vulnerable in our society were hit first and hit hardest as a result of Congress letting sequestration take effect, especially in communities of color.

They really still barking up this tree?

[Don Mynack]

Meals on Wheels get a small amount of funding through Medicaid, of course, because our children's health insurance program must partially fund lunches for seniors, for some reason. And yes, Meals on Wheels delivers only lunches, and gets most of its funding through private donations, but let's not get the facts in the way of implying that Meals on Wheels is some kind of fully funded federal program.

Do these people even care about facts?

[sarcasmic]

A coworker's mom had Meals on Wheals for a while, and it was a joke. They take different foods with different cooking times, put it all into a disposable foil container, and manage to cook it in such a way that everything is cooked wrong. There really isn't anything government can't make worse.

[CampingInYourPark]

Not sure how you can blame the gov't for that one. MOW is a non-profit 501(c)(3)

[Neoliberal Kochtopus]

He...he isn't the brightest child.

[mad libertarian guy]

10 Things You Should Know About Pussies.

This area is gorgeously complicated and full of surprises. Here are just a few.

[Coeus]

Krugman, said without a hint of irony.

And if this leads to hurt feelings ? well, this is not a game. We're having a discussion about policies that affect tens of millions of people. And you have no business participating in this discussion if you're so busy trying to sound clever that you can't be bothered to do your homework.

[Joe M]

I'll steal Episiarch's refrain: projection.

[Warty]

It's always projection with these people. Projection always, projection forever.

[tarran]

IT ain't projection; it's mendacity.

Krugman was a good economist. It's not like he had a stroke. No, he decided to use his reputation to give him the authority he needed to manipulate and trick people into doing what he wanted them to do.

Projection requires some degree of belief in what one is saying.

[VG Zaytsev]

Krugman's Slate articles from the 90s are pretty good.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I suspect that Krugman's wife actually writes most of his material these days. There was a puff piece on them a few years ago that talked about how she injected a bunch of social justice bullshit into a fairly innocuous economics article he did.

[n8]

Had to read one in a class on globalization where he chastises those who oppose free trade because poor workers in 3rd world nations are being exploited. Says they're sacrificing the limited livelihood of the poor for the sake of an aesthetic that makes first world consumers feel good about themselves. Couldn't believe it was written by the same guy I see on the Times today.

[JW]

It'a also arrogance of immeasurable magnitude.

I know people like him. Because they're highly intelligent, that qualifies them to run other people's lives, whether those people want it or not.

Top. Men. should be listed in the DSM IV under types of delusions of grandeur.

[Palin's Buttplug]

High end lender (pawn shop) takes Ferraris and Porches.

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/m.....46437.html

[Warty]

Fuck off, sockpuppet.

[mad libertarian guy]

Apple should pay more than the $13B in taxes over the last 2 years because THEY OWE US FOR FOR TEH ROADZ!!!!!!!!!

There are lots of reasons why we want innovative businesses like Apple -- the senators fell over each other to tell Cook how much they love their iPads -- to be profitable. It invokes the virtuous cycle of innovation, consumer satisfaction and demand, growth, innovation, etc. But part of that cycle should also spin off revenue to support the nation's welfare, not least of which are its public goods that educate the future workforce and support the public infrastructure that's complementary to corporate success. Even global companies like Apple, with two thirds of their revenues from abroad, need quality roads and ports and airports and water and (especially) communications systems.

This is typical of the statist mindset: lock out any idea of competition via law, blames the private sector for having to rely on public infrastructure.

[Jordan]

And it's not as if Apple hasn't paid for their share of the infrastructure a bazillion times over, anyway.

[a better weapon]

Along with wars, graft, bad loans to people with personal connections, crony tax credits, arms trades with foreign rebels, IRS music videos, FLOTUS vacation, etc.

You can't invoke the wonderful things taxes pay for and skip the bad stuff. That shit bugs me to no end. If taxes only paid for the wonderful things progressives tick off the list when talking about taxes, I wouldn't be bitching on sites like this as often.

[tarran]

The U.S. govt could institute a flat tax of $1 per $100 earned across the population and fully fund the good stuff it does.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

This. Not to mention, the "good things" like education are incredibly shitty.

[JW]

You can't invoke the wonderful things taxes pay for and skip the bad stuff.

Sure you can. The statist majority does this millions of times every day, every time they open their stupid, mendacious gobs to defend whatever glorious gubmint program that they have a hard-on for.

Any bad results are just bad luck.

[Sevo]

"And it's not as if Apple hasn't paid for their share of the infrastructure a bazillion times over, anyway."

Added to the fact that Apple has increased the overall wealth of the US and mankind in general.
Companies that do that ought to be rewarded, not taxed.
(no, I'm not arguing for subsidies)

[mad libertarian guy]

Added to the fact that Apple has increased the overall wealth of the US and mankind in general.

This.

Not only has Apple paid $13B in taxes over the last 2 years, but they have created shit loads of jobs ranging from store clerks to programmers worldwide.

Apple has done more good for the economy in the last decade than the government ever has or ever will. They don't owe anyone a goddamn thing.

[mad libertarian guy]

Counterterrorism "expert" (you know: guys who sit at think tanks and get paid big bucks to do know all about terrorism by reading books and watching teevee) pulls Obama's cock out of his mouth just long enough to tell us how awesome it tastes:

Singer, the Brookings expert, said Obama's administration has been plagued with making short-term calculations on security issues with long-term impacts. He said the president's speech will serve to gloss over the "ad-hoc" strategies advocated by some of his advisers, and make clear his top priorities for the rest of his time in office.

Especially with regard to the drone strikes, Singer said, "you have this irony that's played out over the last four years, where one of the greatest speakers of our era has largely remained silent about one of the signature aspects of his presidency."

I bet this guy was inspired by his junior high principal too.

[mad libertarian guy]

Corroded by poison, paralyzed by ether!!!!!!

Lantl?s is a 2 man project with Herbst (hailing from Krautlandia), who is the song writer and plays all instruments, and Neige (of Alcest fame) who sings all of the lyrics, based out of Germany. Lantl?s is a word from Old High German meaning "without homeland." "Minusmensch" is the opening track from their second album, .neon. Lantl?s is from the very incestuous French post black metal (aka shoegaze metal, gray metal) where various members play differing roles in different bands, exploring layered, textual music coming from a black metal background. There is generally a good mix of both clean and harsh vocals (though Lantl?s tends towards the latter the majority of the time).

Enjoy!

[a better weapon]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100761216

"Stocks are down about 1 percent in early trading, as uncertainty about when the U.S. Federal Reserve may start curtailing bond purchases..."

So a small bit of speculation over the "meaning" of a couple words spoken by Bernanke and whether or not they mean the slowing down of federal bond buying causes the stock market to collectively shit itself?

How is this not a bubble?

[VG Zaytsev]

Because he won't stop, ever.

[LTC(ret) John]

All I can think of is the old Dilbert comic:

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1993-08-16/

Imagine if Bernake farted at a meeting - Dow down 1324.63!!!!

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

It's not a bubble because Krugman says we haven't spent enough yet.

[a better weapon]

Cops trained to treat cellphones as possible weapons

What a bunch of thin skinned pussies! Officer safety my ass. Because average citizens all could potentially keep home made weapons disguised as replicas of smart phones on them just in case they get the opportunity to use it during somebody else's public arrest.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

It's more about providing an excuse for seizing potential evidence that may not agree with the officer's version of events.

[Zeb]

Yeah, that's pretty stupid. If a cell phone could be a gun, then any object of sufficient size could be a gun. Has to be an excuse to fuck with people recording or photographing them.

[Virginian]

It's almost like that's the real goal.

[Coeus]

Of course it is. Read the comments at policeone about that sometime. They freely admit it.

[JW]

Doesn't everyone's gun have a large and brightly lit LCD screen on it?

[Mike M.]

Meanwhile, a British soldier was beheaded right on the streets of London by two radical Muslim psychopaths. The Religion of Peace strikes again.

[Zeb]

That is one of the morning links.

[Mike M.]

And the mere hint of a possibility of the end of Quantitative Easing is enough to instantly spark a massive global market selloff. Nooooooooooo, the market performance of the last couple of years has absolutely nothing to do with Easy Money at all!!

[Ruckus]

THE ROADZ

So we need MOAR revenue in my state for the ROADZ, because apparently they are literally crumbling to pieces.

Chairman of the State Senate Transportation committee was on the radio this morning talking about the issue. The radio host asked him, "Has the cost of wages been discussed at all". "Everyone in the special commission has some experience in the road industry, they know what the wages are/should be, and that has not been discussed."

I know new road construction is done by "private" companies, well I have only ever seen 1 such company doing the work. Not sure if that's cronyism or they are legitimately the best option. But all the maintenance is done by state employees. I did that for 2 summers, making $6.50 an hour (when min. wage was $5.25), and they worked us to death: 50-60+ hour weeks. Of course the foreman setting in the truck was making $20-25 an hour + great benefits + all that overtime in the summer.

[Virginian]

I thought the feds paid for all of WV's roads?

[Ruckus]

I did too. Guess when Byrd died that pork died along with him.

[Virginian]

Is it true that everything in WV is named after him?

[Ruckus]

Places named after byrd

Ok I was shocked by this. I thought he had a highway, a high school, and a a few odd academic/research buildings throughout the state. Shows how much I pay attention to the name of a property

[Ruckus]

Plus a senate seat.

When he passed, all the conversation was phrased "Who is going to fill the Byrd seat". As if the population was required to find and elect another ex-racist senator from the coal fields who has an amazing ability to suck at the federal teat.

[Redmanfms]

As if the population was required to find and elect another ex-racist senator from the coal fields who has an amazing ability to suck at the federal teat.

No, he was still a racist.

[Agammamon]

Wow, moving house sucks.

[Virginian]

When I did my cert, they had ditched wading.

One time I threw the rescue tube to a kid and pulled him to the side, and my boss chewed me out for not jumping in. Because it apparently made us look lazy.

[tarran]

Steve is dead. The moment it happened, Apple magically became another corporation raping the innocent sweet goddess Gaia with its barbed and crooked republican penis.

[Coeus]

When I did my cert, they had ditched wading.

Ditto.

[Virginian]

The only time I ever went in to make a save was when a kid was unconscious. I thought he was already dead, but the EMT we had on staff got him breathing again.