DHS Says 3D Printed Guns Impossible To Control, Eric Holder To Lead Investigation into DOJ, Chinese Government Hoping To Expand Role of Private Businesses in Economy: P.M. Links

Credit:The Department of Justice

• The Department of Homeland Security has told law enforcement officials that it is "impossible" for the government to stop 3D printed guns from being made which is, you know…kinda the point.

• President Obama has ordered a review of the Justice Department's processes for investigating reporters. The review into the DOJ's behavior is to be led by Attorney General Eric Holder. Say what you want about the government, it certainly never fails to provide ample irony.

• The scandals that have surrounded the Obama administration recently have had little impact on Obama's approval rating, which stands at 49 percent. 

• A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the recent murder of a British soldier. 

• The Chinese government is planning to let market forces and private businesses take a more active role in the economy. Better late than never, right?

• Medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts will have to pay an annual $50,000 fee thanks to regulations recently released by the state Department of Public Health.

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Comments

[Archduke Pantsfan]

That moustache means business!

[deified]

Dude from Mother Jones builds his own AK-47:

http://www.motherjones.com/pol.....ding-party

[Jerryskids]

The moustache has a better chance of finding something than Holder - hasn't he already said he don't know nothin' 'bout nothin'? How did such a clueless and obviously incurious person get to be AG if not for the moustache?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Do you know who else had a moustache and insisted on being the only one to investigate his own wrongdoing?

[Heroic Mulatto]

That's easy, the inscrutable Dr. Fu Manchu.

[Aloysious]

+1 Sax Rohmer

[Archduke Pantsfan]

How German football reinvented itself

The first all-German Champions League final on Saturday will be testament to the Bundesliga's emphasis on youth and home-grown talent.

[Ted S.]

Then why does Dortmund have half the Polish national team? 😉

[robc]

Poland is part of Germany, ask any German.

[Mokers]

If the Poles came up through the Dortmund acadamies, it could still be considered home-grown.

[CE]

I thought they just played soccer there.

[BigT]

Early comment. But first?

[Tonio]

No, young paduan, it is not yet your time. Also, to get a true "firstie" the comment must be substantive.

[hamilton]

Further, any references to "first" are frowned upon. If absolutely necessary, they MUST be insouciant.

[Francisco d Anconia]

AND you must PROCLAIM FIRST! None of this weak, "Am I first?" "I think, maybe I might possibly be first?????"

Lay it out there. "FIRST!" And live with the consequences.

And may God have mercy on your soul.

[robc]

Firsters are literally worse than the people who are literally worse than Hitler.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I know right?

[hamilton]

Is that why you've been slipping of late? The guilt that keeps you up at night, crying in your gin?

[Irish]

FOE doesn't do 'firsts' though. He simply IS first and lays his comment out there for all to see. We know he's first, but he feels no need to tell us.

He has class, Hamilton.

[hamilton]

That is the later, more mature FoE. I seem to recall, in the dim past, a comment that read simply:

"or is that FIRST of Etiquette?"

Am I misremembering?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Someone else did that in response to my comment, I think. I don't like to call attention to myself. I'm shy and humble like that. Well, as shy and humble as a freakin awesome dude can be.

[Fist of Etiquette]

EVIDENCE

[hamilton]

ahem.

[Fist of Etiquette]

PRE-REGISTRATION DOESN'T COUNT. That could have been anybody.

[Francisco d Anconia]

He has class, Hamilton.

Um, are we talking about the same FOE?

[Fist of Etiquette]

IF I've been slipping it's because a-holes who shall remain nameless have been putting in effort. I mean, who does that?

[Archduke Pantsfan]

They think they're people.

[Zakalwe]

The scandals that have surrounded the Obama administration recently have had little impact on Obama's approval rating, which stands at 49 percent.

But only 2% below his absolute floor.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Isn't it 2% above his absolute floor?

[Pro Libertate]

I want my, I want my, I want my special prosecutor.

Because, oddly, I don't trust Holder or anyone else is this administration.

[Rich]

Someone the other day suggested Penn and Teller.

I'd be on board with that.

[Pro Libertate]

That would be me, and I continue to endorse them as the special prosecutor. Magic and mayhem are their tools.

[RBS]

I support this and would watch the documentary.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, that's a good idea. In fact, they should call the investigation/documentary Penn & Teller's Bullshit.

[Jerryskids]

James Randi is pretty good at exposing how bullshit gets perpetrated too.

[Generic Stranger]

That would literally be the most awesome thing ever to happen in US politics.

[CE]

Who watches the watchers?

I guess that explains why Eric Holder is still a free man, instead of facing multiple criminal charges.

[Caleb Turberville]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....29508.html

Light up the Szasz-signal; Amanda Bynes arrested and taken for "psychiatric evaluation."

[playa manhattan]

Crazy, or just plain stupid?
Here is the timeline:
http://www.toofab.com/2013/05/.....-behavior/

[John]

Seriously, who is Amanda Bynes? I have never heard of her.

[robc]

She was on a TV show that no one watched on a network that no one watched.

I think a few movies no one saw too.

[Juice]

Never heard of her either. Checked out the pics. Total butterface.

[robc]

She has gone downhill quick.

In her youth, she was pretty good looking.

[Juice]

Well, she has a really nice body based on the pics so she's got that going for her.

[CE]

The once and future Jodi Arias, if that trial ever ends. Headline News has to cover some female victim/perpetrator/suspect at all times. It's in their bylaws I guess.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

She was a bit of a child star. She was on a Nickelodeon sketch comedy show in the mid-90s and had her own show as well after that.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Man, she's had a faster descent than Lohan. I didnt' think that was possible.

[Not an Economist]

Well there is rampant speculation Amanda has some mental issues. Lindsay is just an addict.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

A brief, interactive guide to some of the Bluth family's many inside jokes

[playa manhattan]

I'm starting my free Netflix trial tomorrow at midnight. Do you think there will be too much server traffic? I haven't really though this thing through...

[Tonio]

Netflix has been a bit overloaded recently; Archer episodes are playing with noticeable image degradation. I have FIOS service so speed shouldn't be an issue.

NetFlix has multiple redundant servers distributed throughout the US to balance the load.

Good luck.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

It will be rough.

[playa manhattan]

Yeah it will. I have to work at 9am on Sunday. Don't know if I am going to attempt a marathon yet.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Buy a subscription you cheap fuck.

[playa manhattan]

They ask for a credit card, and there is a 90% chance I will forget to cancel at the end of the month. I am pretty much buying a subscription; I just haven't acknowledged it yet...

[Archduke Pantsfan]

I pay via Paypal.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

I've been concerned about the load on Netflix as well, but then again they've had over a year to realize that every motherfucker who subscribes to them will be spending all day Sunday watching Arrested Development, so I'm hoping they've taken care of it.

[Dweebston]

It's going to flop. I've lowered my expectations day by day so I'll not be surprised when it does.

[Dweebston]

It's going to flop. I've lowered my expectations day by day so I'll not be surprised when it does.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

Look, if I don't spend all day Sunday watching Arrested Development, there may be violations of the NAP.

[Dweebston]

You have to set aside a day to do that? AD marathons for LIFE, yo. I'm a b'luth-er.

Like, "belieber"? ...but with Bluth? Right?

[A Serious Man]

The Chinese government is planning to let market forces and private businesses take a more active role in the economy. Better late than never, right?

Dey terk yer jerbs!

[sloopyinca]

Cop stabs civilian and is sentenced to probation. She was fired after the fact.

Officer Stabby's union rep declined comment.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

You know who else got a lot of vacations?

[Rich]

The Phillips lady?

[Zakalwe]

Don Draper?

[sloopyinca]

Ellen Griswold?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

+4 Rustys and Audreys

[deified]

Policeman fines Mom $2500 after her 3-year-old pees on the front lawn. Policeman gets his ass fired.

http://newsok.com/piedmont-off.....le/3730380

[Mad Scientist]

Holy cow, I had no idea Jake Gyllenhaal was anchoring the news in Oklahoma now.

[sloopyinca]

In other late-breaking news, The Japanese Have Attacked Pearl Harbor.

[deified]

I'm looking for a story where the cop gets what's coming to them. If you wanted current/current/current, I'd give you a Balko-esque nut-punch every day.

[sloopyinca]

I'm just being a dick.

[Pro Libertate]

Sorry, the bulk of the article seems to be behind a firewall.

[Brandon]

While you were gone, we decided that old news is acceptable as long as it hasn't been posted here before. Also, AM Links threads don't count.

[robc]

AM links always count.

[Brandon]

Nope. Too early in the morning for the people out here in Real America.

[sloopyinca]

I'm in California and I never used to miss the AM Links. The only reason I do now is because I'm already working.

[RBS]

Sure you are.

[sloopyinca]

OK, fine. By "working", I mean impregnating my wife again.

The next one is due Dec 4, by the way.

[Brandon]

Congratulations! When's the auction start?

[sloopyinca]

Probably in September. We should know the sex in another few weeks. I'll let you all know once we find out.

[RBS]

Nice. I've got a 10 month old, I can't imagine having another one right now.

[The Last American Hero]

What do you think you are, a one-man free state project?

[Kaptious Kristen]

The answer is clear: Little Dunphy Spicer.

[RBS]

Hahaha, KK FTW!

[A Serious Man]

Good news everyone: Matty Yglesias says Obamacare will be A-Okay!

You have to remember a few basic facts about ACA implementation coverage over the next 18 months. One is that the media has a large negativity bias. The other is that the aspirations of the law are quite high, and the status quo is quite bad. That means any time the situation improves but doesn't improve as much as the Obama administration wanted things to improve, that will tend to be covered as "bad news for Obamacare." That tendency will be re-enforced because Republicans will be eager to trumpet Obamacare's shortcomings (to make Obama look bad), and advocates for the poor will also be eager to trumpet Obamacare's shortcomings (to build pressure for improvement). So you'll hear lots of completely accurate stories about things not working quite as well as proponents had hoped. Just recall that this is always how things go. Back 10 years ago, Democrats were banking on implementation problems with Medicare Part D to spark a backlash against the Bush administration. The implementation problems were real enough, but at the end of the day, more seniors got cheaper medicine than ever before, and they liked it. Or roll the clock back to the mid-1960s and there was tons of hand-wringing around Medicare implementation.

The nerve of that media! Holding people to what they said the law would do!

[Mad Scientist]

Republicans will be eager to trumpet Obamacare's shortcomings (to make Obama look bad)

Yeah, that's right, Matt. The only reason to oppose Obamacare is racism.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

It's all about Obama, dontcha know.

[Irish]

I like that Republicans dislike Obamacare in order to make Obama look bad, but any liberals who don't like Obamacare only do so because they want something that's even better for poor people.

[Pro Libertate]

You mean a free market in healthcare and health insurance?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

No, silly, rich people subsidizing their heart bypasses, birth control pills, and medication cocktails.

[Marshall Gill]

Don't forget alcohol and drug "treatment" and stomach lap band surgeries!

[John]

Operation over lord was a success too. But what does that have to do with Obamacare? People like Ezra Klein are just hacks. But Sad Beard is actually retarded. He really believes this shit.

[mad libertarian guy]

So you'll hear lots of completely accurate stories about things not working quite as well as proponents had hoped. Just recall that this is always how things go.

It's amazing that even the biggest government cheerleaders openly admit that government promises are empty and that the result of the law will always fall short, yet still cheer for them with gusto anyways. They are literally retarded.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Why would I believe someone who is allegedly a crackhead?

[Dr. Frankenstein]

The key word is allegedly. Episiarch isn't that far gone. You can trust him.

[playa manhattan]

"There is one news organization that accused and has an accusation of a video that does not exist, or we haven't seen, very simple,"

Read: It does exist and there is probably more than one video, he's just not sure which copy the news got their hands on...

[A Serious Man]

Life-size Lego X-Wing unveiled in Times Square.

I'd love to bullseye some New York politicians with that thing. Their brains can't be much bigger than 8 millimeters.

[Rich]

It took 32 "master builders" masturbaters 17,336 man-hours to construct the X-Wing.

FTFY.

Also, why does anyone *need* a Lego X-Wing?

[Pro Libertate]

Well, is it capable of FTL travel?

[hamilton]

Well, they're shipping it to New York tomorrow.

[Pro Libertate]

Is she a fast ship?

[hamilton]

Fast? She made the Kessel run in a GOD-DAMN UNIT OF DISTANCE, buddy!

[Pro Libertate]

It's funny, but I now think of that scene with Kevin Spacey impersonating Christopher Walken performing it.

[Joe M]

Han Solo was a member of the Spacing Guild.

[A Serious Man]

She made the Panama run in less than 12 parsecs.

[Brandon]

What the hell is wrong with you?

[Rich]

Because of the sequester I can't afford that many Legos.

[Brandon]

Poor thing. Have some bailout money.

[Marc F Cheney]

I'd love to bullseye some New York politicians with that thing.

Frankly, a T-16 is better suited to that sort of thing.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I'd tend to agree, gievn the genetic similarities between womprats and politicians.

[Vince aut Morire]

That's much smaller than a womp rat!!

[Francisco d Anconia]

This is a serious question.

The link last evening said Holder "approved the warrants" against the media.

Does that mean he gave the go ahead, to go to a judge and get a warrant OR is he claiming the ability to write out a warrant himself?

I was under the, perhaps false, impression that under the system of checks and balances this nation has, warrants needed to be approved by the Judicial Branch in order to be served by the Executive?

Am I missing something or is this a power grab by the Executive? Insight please?

[T]

The following is pure speculation based on how organizations work.

I would guess that before you, as junior functionary in the DOJ, cross the street to get a judge to issue a warrant, somebody who outranks you needs to approve your work product. Bureaucracies being risk-averse, I can imagine your immediate supervisor looking at a warrant to snoop the AP and going "yeah, above my paygrade." I can easily imagine that buck getting passed up to Holder, who says "I've got pics of the Pres committing unspeakable acts. I'm bulletproof." and signs off on the request to go pester a judge.

[Francisco d Anconia]

If that's the case, I feel better. And the media needs to be a little more specific in it's reporting.

[Gray Ghost]

A sidenote to this is that evidently warrants to go rummaging through e-mail are so easy for the DOJ to get from judges that the tough part was getting Holder to sign off on the warrant request. When will the judge be named who thought it was a good idea to put a pen register on the phones of the AP or to let the DOJ look at Rosen's e-mail?

[Jerryskids]

"The Department takes seriously the First Amendment right to freedom of the press," the department said in a written statement, provided late Friday at the start of the holiday weekend. "In recognition of this, the Department took great care in deciding that a search warrant was necessary in the Kim matter, vetting the decision at the highest levels of the Department, including discussions with the Attorney General.

"After extensive deliberations, and after following all applicable laws, regulations and policies, the Department sought an appropriately tailored search warrant under the Privacy Protection Act. And a federal magistrate judge made an independent finding that probable cause existed to approve the search warrant," the statement said.

But you are right to wonder - there are administrative subpoenas and national security letters that take the place of warrants but require no judicial involvement. Warrants - and the rest of the Constitution for that matter - make it harder for agencies to do their job, I've been told.

[Gray Ghost]

Christ, they couldn't be bothered to get an Article III judge to sign off on the warrant? Yeah, magistrates sign off on search warrants all of the time, at least the wiki says so, but going through the press's e-mail seems like a big enough deal that you'd want the district court judge signing off on it.

I'm probably out of touch. Given this article from the Center for Democracy and Technology, maybe getting Holder's O.K. was the most difficult part of the request?

So, if this Administration were back in the time of Nixon, would Woodward and Bernstein have been arrested, renditioned, or just mushroomed by their boss?

[John]

What T said. DOJ is a totally micromanaged bureaucracy. That is always why they want more power and for things to be quicker. It takes them so long to get a decision what to do, that they have not time to do their jobs.

[Thane of #HOLO]

For the billionth time, FUCK CHUCK SHUMER!

China == Japan, derp.

[Tonio]

Eeeeew! No.

[Marshall Gill]

What, not into the large moobs?

[A Serious Man]

The Top 10 Beaches in America.

Hmm, no California beaches on the list.

[Mad Scientist]

You sorta kinda SF'd the link.

[A Serious Man]

Not really, all Forbes links go to a quote of the day and then linked content.

[jesse.in.mb]

It looks like this is where they get their rankings

No Forbes shenanigans to deal with.

I agree with playa manhattan. The sand from Manhattan Beach is what makes Waikiki what it is.

[robc]

My main disagreement with #1 (and a few of the others):

What is the water temp on Jan 1?

Its only one factor, but it downgrades some of them a lot.

[playa manhattan]

It's not on the wiki, but the sand also goes to Kaanapali and Wailea. We'll give sand to Hawaii, but we wouldn't even sell it to those jerks in Malibu.

[CE]

Quote of the day? We need more Mencken:

When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before.

The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear - fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants above everything else is safety.

I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.

[playa manhattan]

I nominate my beach. They dredge sand here and ship it to Hawaii to put on all of the resort beaches...

[playa manhattan]

On second thought, I withdraw my nomination. We already get 100,000+ beach visitors on 4th of July and Labor Day, and it makes it impossible to get anywhere.

[Pro Libertate]

Hawaii, Florida, some other eastcoast beach to placate people not in Florida or Hawaii. Never California.

We have a couple of fantastic beaches in the Tampa area, so I am content. I'd be more content with a mountain range down the middle of the state.

[A Serious Man]

And that's why California is awesome, you got beaches, you got deserts, and you got mountains all within a few hours drive.

[Pro Libertate]

It is a good thing. Too bad about the people. And, to be sure, the beaches aren't great on a global scale. Still, mountains and beaches are a cool combo.

To be honest, I was thinking about Italy.

[deified]

Croatia. Swedish Archipelago.

BTW, you're totally right: the flatness in Florida is killing me.

[Pro Libertate]

It's hillier in Central Florida, away from the coast. Bok Tower is on a small ridge, a few hundred feet up.

But for mountains, North Georgia/Tennessee/North Carolina are your closest and best bets.

[deified]

I haven't seen N. Georgia, but the Smokies in NC and TN are genuinely gorgeous.

[Pro Libertate]

Blue Ridge Parkway is nice, too.

[Brandon]

Unfortunately, you have Sacramento within a few hours drive, too.

[Jesus H. Christ]

fuck off!

[playa manhattan]

I still remember going out for a sunset paddle when I was in High School and watching the wildfires burn from the top of Malibu all the way down to the ocean...

[Francisco d Anconia]

Sorry ASM, nothing can overcome the fact that it's California.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

[A Serious Man]

LA, the Bay Area, and Sacramento are terrible and exert their toxic influence on the rest of the state.

Orange, San Diego, and Imperial counties, the Inland Empire and central valley have plenty of tolerable people.

[CE]

What about Chicago?

[Entropy Void]

That is why God made North Carolina, more FL license plates in August there than NC natives ...

[Tonio]

Dude, your link sucks. It does take me to Forbes but there's an annoying mandatory ad, and no beach article.

Also, your water is too cold and sea-weedy for swimming.

[A Serious Man]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/an.....s-of-2013/

[robc]

"mandatory"

I dont see it.

[Tonio]

YMMV

[robc]

My mileage varies due to installation of tools.

[Brandon]

And sharky.

[jesse.in.mb]

There's a small surfing museum in Santa Cruz with a surfboard with a shark bite out of it from the local waters. Needless to say I had some reservations about going in the water.

[Gray Ghost]

It's also rather brisk. I hope you had a wetsuit.

I've seen sea lions in Monterey Bay, while body boarding, but never a shark. Then again, I've never swum off Ano Nuevo or another elephant seal nursery either.

At least with a great white, it should be quick.

[jesse.in.mb]

I hope you had a wetsuit

When I was younger it never seemed like an issue. I haven't been in the water up north since I was 15 though.

The last time I was up there I went kayaking off the wharf. I was in a double with a friend, and just after he got out a sea lion climbed onto the back of my kayak and just sat there for a few minutes with its face right over my shoulder, breathing in my ear. It was a ...memorable event.

[Gray Ghost]

That sea lion'd freak me the hell out. They have really big teeth and they can be pissy. I got barked at once while bodyboarding and I was done for the day. Thing looked huge.

One year, a horde of them took over the Fisherman's Wharf area. The rocks along Del Monte had to be taped off, tourists had to be warned not to get near them, the smell from their shit was beyond belief. It was a mess.

I agree with you on the water seeming a lot warmer when you're a little kid. I thought I'd just go swimming off the coast of Maine a few years ago. I'd bodysurfed/boogie boarded in Monterey, how much colder could it be? Froze my ass off.

Usually, the guides (assuming you were on a tour) are monomaniacal about making sure that you get nowhere near the wildlife. Marine Mammal Acts and things like that. Given the regulatory trend in CA, I don't even want to know what the fine would be for having a sea lion get on your boat if a FWS ranger caught you.

[jesse.in.mb]

There's a pretty permanent population living on the support beams under the wharf. You used to be able to buy bait fish to throw down to them, but I don't think you can anymore. The guy in charge of the kayak rentals was clearly barely keeping it together (I'm assuming more because of liability issues than anything) eventually the sea lion got bored and went to do something else. Its breath was so foul.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Department of Homeland Security has told law enforcement officials that it is "impossible" for the government to stop 3D printed guns from being made...

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A CHALLENGE.

[A Serious Man]

ICYMI: Lena Dunham not happy with 'Girls' porn parody.

"Okay, I wracked my brain to articulate why I can't just laugh off a porn parody of Girls and here are 3 reasons:"
"1. Because Girls is, at its core, a feminist action while Hustler is a company that markets and monetizes a male's idea of female sexuality
2. Because a big reason I engage in (simulated) onscreen sex is to counteract a skewed idea of that act created by the proliferation of porn
3. Because it grosses me out."

Really? She doesn't 'market and monetizes' the narcissistic hedonism as feminist liberation theory? She must really buy into her own hype.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Because it grosses me out.

You know what grosses me out? Some lardass yuppie exposing herself repeatedly on HBO and calling it "art".

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Also, it's great that #3 is listed as a "reason". That is not a reasoned reaction; it is a pre-thinking reaction. Yet, she has to "wrack her brain" to come up with it.

Honey, you're not doing as much for the cause of women as you think you are.

[Francisco d Anconia]

You know what grosses me out? Some lardass yuppie exposing herself repeatedly on HBO and calling it "art".

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

[Irish]

Apparently a male's idea of female sexuality is that women enjoy sex and a feminists idea of female sexuality is that sex is a horrifying, terrible thing that is only done to please your boyfriend.

Because I've seen a few episodes of girls. If sex was anything like the horrific demon-rutting that occurs in that godforsaken show, I wouldn't want to have it.

[RBS]

horrific demon rutting

Nice.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

"1. Because Girls is, at its core, a feminist action while Hustler is a company that markets and monetizes a male's idea of female sexuality

I guess she thinks Hustler isn't so cool when it's not mocking Jerry Falwell or Sarah Palin.

[John]

No honey, the biggest reason you engage in simulated sex on screen is because you are so fat, homely and annoying, no man not getting a paycheck would have sex with you. When you are stuck being a beard for gay men as your only hope of a date, simulated sex on screen sounds pretty good.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Harsh, but fair.

[Irish]

The annoying part is what really does it. Her personality is just grating and disgusting. I've never seen an interview with her or anything she's said which has made me think well of her.

[John]

Yeah. She is not the fattest or the homeliest woman out there. If she were anything but awful, she probably could get some guy to fuck her, especially if she were a good time and had a great personality. But with her personality, she could look like Bar Rafeli and have a hard time getting a second date.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The scandals that have surrounded the Obama administration recently have had little impact on Obama's approval rating...

Well, they've had little impact on the people who answer pollsters.

[Kaptious Kristen]

To be fair, the scandals haven't changed my opinion of him at all.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts will have to pay an annual $50,000 fee thanks to regulations recently released by the state Department of Public Health.

Well, I suppose, if the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is comfortable using DRUG MONEY...

[deified]

Am I crazy or is 50K annually (on top of 30K+ just to apply) a fucking monstrous abortion of a fee structure?

[Robert]

It's orders of magnitude greater than that charged pharmacies, plus the patients' $50 registration (I forgot whether that's annual or life), and a $500 assessment for every hire. Obviously they're expecting this to be a for-profit biz serving the gen'l public, rather than, as the law ostensibly requires, a non-profit business for the sick only. All this to pay the inspectors for the opp'ty to get rich taking bribes for the opp'ty to operate illegally to make enough to pay the above-board inspection fees.

[Xenocles]

... Obviously?

[mad libertarian guy]

Well, I suppose, if the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is comfortable using DRUG MONEY with the continuance of pot being bought, sold, and bartered for on the black market

FIFY

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Chinese government is planning to let market forces and private businesses take a more active role in the economy.

They just like being contrary to the United States.

[A Serious Man]

Poll: 37% say sequester has personally affected their lives.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, there is all of the time the government and the media spend whining on the fictional catastrophes, so I guess it's personally affected me, too.

[Mad Scientist]

It's made me happy. Does that count?

[John]

I think so. I would bet at least some of those 37% meant exactly that.

[Irish]

I also think an awful lot of Republicans will say they oppose the sequester because of military cuts.

[John]

Not any of the ones I know. And that 37% clearly includes a lot of liberals.

[Irish]

When the media is intent on blaming literally everything on the sequester, it's easy to believe it's somehow affected you. Even though it probably hasn't.

[A Serious Man]

18 year old Florida girl declines plea deal, will face charges for lesbian relationship with 15 year old girl.

[John]

This sucks and it is totally wrong. But this shit has been happening to young men for decades. And the media has never once given a shit. Now it happens to a lesbian and they act shocked that statutory rape laws often punish what is clearly conventional sex. It would be nice if they cared when there wasn't a lesbian involved.

[Virginian]

The media cared when it was a black man being screwed over by his white girlfriends parents.

Hopefully she gets acquitted

[John]

Well yeah, they cared. But it never seemed to be because it was unjustly punishing consensual sex. That is before someone from a protected group got in trouble.

[Virginian]

Oh that's definitely true. The old joke "World ends, women and minorities hardest hit" rings very true. There are tons of young men whose girlfriend's parents call the cops on them because they're a dangerous 20 year old molesting their precious 17 year old flower. They end up on sex offender lists for the rest of their lives. The media doesn't care.

This thing with the FL girls is a travesty of justice. Particularly annoying is the younger girl's mom who seems to believe the older girl has turned her daughter into a lesbian. Which is just....aghhh....fuck.

[John]

If I thought this case would set a precedent for ending unjust statutory rape cases, I would be a lot more enthusiastic. But I think that is unlikely. More likely is this girl will get off and just further reinforce the idea that justice is only available to you based on your group identity.

[Francisco d Anconia]

That is before someone from a protected group got in trouble.

Why do you say lesbians are a protected group?

U.S. federal law protects employees from discrimination or harassment based on sex, race, age, disability, color, creed, national origin, or religion. Anything else, it's a state only thing.

[Virginian]

Eh, when it comes to the media and pop culture, they most certainly are. Look at the recent murder in NYC. The only reason that's national news is because the victim was a gay man.

I mean, this exact case, except with a male being charged for corruption of an innocent girl, is pursued on a weekly basis across America. The only thing that makes this national news is that one of the media's designated mascots is being threatened by the State.

It's great that people are seeing this injustice, but due to the media, they aren't seeing the continuous injustice that subjects young men to the same ridiculous felony charges. Which is, I think, a shame.

[jesse.in.mb]

I dunno, sometimes you need a hook to get people talking about an otherwise mundane story. Unfortunately, due to how common the 15 year old girl, 18 year old boy story is, they don't get much media traction. The lesbian case would be a good point to push how these laws can be selectively enforced to punish. This gets people on board with the fact that the punishment seems unjust and then you can point out that if it's unfair for this lesbian it's unfair for everyone, and that the laws need to be liberalized.

I will concede that there aren't a lot of voices in the media who will take that on though.

[Virginian]

Yeah, I mean you could say its man bites dog, and thus that's why the coverage of this case. But the fact that there are probably at least thousand young men having their lives ruined every year for consensual sexual activity should be trumpeted from the rooftops.

I consider it just another example about how men are the disposable sex in the eyes of the media and the culture. No one gives a shit when a young man gets his life ruined because he broke some stupid law.

That's the real reason I hate the media. They actually have an enormous ability to do good. They choose not to use it.

[Irish]

Yeah, I mean you could say its man bites dog, and thus that's why the coverage of this case. But the fact that there are probably at least thousand young men having their lives ruined every year for consensual sexual activity should be trumpeted from the rooftops.

The fact that there are people on the sex offender registry for fucking streaking when they were 17 is one of the most disgusting aspects of the modern American justice system.

[Virginian]

one of the most disgusting aspects of the modern American justice system.

That's a tough competition though.

[Irish]

one of the most disgusting aspects of the modern American justice system.

That's a tough competition though.

That's why I said 'one of.' It's a 490-way tie.

[jesse.in.mb]

there are people on the sex offender registry for fucking streaking when they were 17

When I've tried explaining sex offender registries and why they're terrible to people I've gotten looks like I'm encouraging a pedophile to travel back in time and molest them at age 3. Some people have a very hard time wrapping their head around how wide this net sweeps and what a nightmare it is once someone gets stuck on a list (much like the No Fly lists).

[Francisco d Anconia]

The fact that there are people on the sex offender registry for fucking streaking when they were 17 is one of the most disgusting aspects of the modern American justice system.

You know it's not that way everywhere. In my state you can legally walk around neked.

45-5-504. Indecent exposure. (1) A person commits the offense of indecent exposure if the person knowingly or purposely exposes the person's genitals under circumstances in which the person knows the conduct is likely to cause affront or alarm in order to: (a) abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade another; or
(b) arouse or gratify the person's own sexual response or desire or the sexual response or desire of any person.

Why are some states completely over the top and others could care less?

[Francisco d Anconia]

I wholeheartedly agree that some of the state's statutory rape and lewd and lascivious statutes are completely over the top and unrealistic. It was nothing for a senior to date a freshman when I went to school and PA had an age difference exception. Not that anyone would have cared if it didn't, as back then no idiot prosecutor would have ever considered giving an 18 yo a felony conviction for consensual fucking.

The world has gone crazy.

[Rhywun]

The only reason that's national news is because the victim was a gay man.

If the killer deliberately targeted a white male, I think it would have been national news too.

[Rhywun]

Make that, "straight white male" or some other "non-protected" group. It's the killer's motive that made it national news, not the victim's "group".

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Why do you say lesbians are a protected group?

He means in terms of their current position on the Social Justice/Greivance Cultural Totem Pole, not their legal status.

IOW, if this happend to a white male heterosexual, the collective outcry wouldn't be nearly as large.

[Entropy Void]

Because so many idiots interpret the word "sex" in the statement above to be a verb, not an adjective.

[Brandon]

New Republic doubles down on debunked "IRS Scandal is really GOP's fault" talking point.

http://www.newrepublic.com/art.....ment-pays#

[Pro Libertate]

Ye gods. That's just evil, plain and simple.

[John]

They have gone full fascist on this. They have stopped even pretending they have principles.

[John]

It is all they have. You can't defend the actions of the people involved. And if you admit the people are craven, then you have to admit that maybe the IRS shouldn't have so much power. So all they can say is "this wouldn't have happened if only we had had more money".

[mad libertarian guy]

So all they can say is "this wouldn't have happened if only we had had more money".

I find this line of reasoning to be beyond absurd.

When you have a lack of funding and manpower, you don't go out of your way to single out individual groups (that just happen to be the ideological opposition!) so that your underfunded, under-staffed organization will have to give them extra scrutiny and add layers and layers of red tape and paperwork to the equation. When you have a lack of funding, things tend to fall through the cracks, not be exposed to scrutiny above and beyond the normal levels.

The IRS could engage in this behavior not because they had a lack of funding and staff resources, but because they have too much money, and too many people available.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Repost.

[Brandon]

I was hoping for a hat tip in the Real Links when I posted it the first time. Since I didn't get one, I posted it again.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

So now they're going from simple dissembling to outright lying.

[Rhywun]

"CFTC officials found themselves boarding Mega Buses at 5:30AM so they could save money on trips to New York."

The HORROR.

[cavalier973]

General Zod sends his greetings.

[A Serious Man]

(kneels)

[Pro Libertate]

No, no, that's not Zod. Zod has made his peace with Kal-El and is an actor. I saw him in The Limey some years ago.

[cavalier973]

I think there's an advantage in not watching a lot of TV or movies, because when something really cool comes out that I'd like to see, I'm not distracted so much by "Hey! It's that guy from [Insert Movie Title Here]!

[Pro Libertate]

I'm not talking about actors, fool, I'm talking about Zod. Kneel before Him.

[A Serious Man]

That was Terrance Stamp playing Zod. The real General Zod reformed his wicked ways and now sells designer kitchens.

[hamilton]

I thought he taught aerobics.

[Pro Libertate]

By the way, The Limey is great fun, if you haven't seen it.

[cavalier973]

I think seeing superman punch some guy really sells this trailer.

[Francisco d Anconia]

It's too fast and action adventury.

/Suderman

[Pro Libertate]

Oh, stop whining. Teenage Mutant Ninja Trekkers wasn't not stupid.

[Francisco d Anconia]

I haven't seen it yet. It may, in fact, suck. I'm bagging more on the tards who thought the first one sucked, which it most certainly didn't, more than I am Suderman.

[CE]

Teen Trek 2 was a lot better than Teen Trek 1, and better than all of the New Age Trek movies put together, except maybe First Contact.

[Cytotoxic]

Thank you. The people here and their old ie bad Trek are like people who keep insisting that it was better when we didn't have ATMs.

[CE]

Unlike Fast and Furious 15, which somehow works.

[jesse.in.mb]

No, beardy Clark Kent exerting himself is what sells the trailer.

[CE]

I thought it was putting his fist on the ground to launch himself into space at Mach 12.

[Robert]

Can't see the video, but can you describe what's special about the punch? Superman's been punching people in movies since Kirk Allyn in 1949. They did their own stunts then, and they were excellent; you can slow it down in video and even in side view, the punches are missing by only a couple inches.

Compare that with the absolutely awful stunt fighting in the 1932 Universal serial The Lost Special, which was an inspiration for the TV serial Lost.

[cavalier973]

For me, it was seeing actual superhero fisticuffs rather than eye-lazer battles.

[Zakalwe]

http://www.mutetab.com/

MuteTab is a Chrome extension that helps you manage the sound coming from tabs in Google Chrome. It helps you to narrow down which tab(s) are making sounds and provides browser-wide management of tab muting (pausing YouTube, HTML5 Video/Audio, and QuickTime and stopping others), including automatically muting all background tabs(*).

You're welcome.

[Cytotoxic]

But what about for FireFox?

[Zakalwe]

It crashes every five minutes on modern webpages?

[Cytotoxic]

No it doesn't. I actually switched from Chrome to FF because Chrome was slow and YousableTube worked better on FF. But it sucks that when I post a comment I get thrown up the page.

[Thane of #HOLO]

No, it doesn't. Mozilla rested on its laurels for a while but after Chrome hit the scene they got back in the game, and Firefox is once again an A-grade browser.

[The Last American Hero]

To control Firefox you have to be able to think in Russian.

[Irish]

The Atlantic wonders why there aren't any charming men anymore.

At no point do they touch on the fact that men have been totally infantalized by a nanny state, which would be my pick for why so many men are no longer capable of acting like men.

[Outlaw]

Or most entitled chicks aren't worth charming anymore because they have unrealistic expectations.

[John]

^^THIS^^ These women want these charming men. But then never want to give anything in return. Maybe men are not "charming" anymore because being so doesn't get them anything.

[Outlaw]

I mean, really, look at that article. It's whining about the lack of men acting like imaginary characters who are created by goddamned script writers.

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.

[Virginian]

Seriously. Being charming in real life means being very quick witted, and able to read the room perfectly. Because only being consistently smooth and witty works. If a third of your bon mots fall flat, you won't be considered the second coming of Cary Grant.

[John]

Yes. I will start acting like Cary Grant when they get off their fat asses, go on a diet and start looking like Audrey Hepburn. Deal?

[Virginian]

This too. This is where I get pissed at women (although amazingly, an alleged man wrote that article). I am able to distinguish between fantasy and reality. I do not expect that the fat UPS guy to have a smoking hot wife. I do not believe that the two cheerleaders selling candy door to door want to come inside and show me their wares personally. I do not expect that my blue collar values and simple lifestyle will cause a beautiful heiress to fall head over heels in love with me.

So what do so many goddamn women think that when they go out to a bar they're waiting for Brad Pitt or chiselly Twilight guy or billionaire sex fiend from the lady porn books to buy them a drink?

[Irish]

To be fair, you can say the exact same thing about moronic men who think that following a girl around like a puppy will make her attracted to you. I guarantee you they learn that shit from T.V. and movies. Then they get pissed when the woman, surprisingly enough, isn't interested because she wants a relationship with a guy, not a Pomeranian.

At that point, the creeper will inevitably behave like a creeper. I've seen this a million times with girls I know, where some guy will follow her around and do little nice things for her, just assuming that it will get him some ass. Girls can tell you're just trying to get in their pants, and acting like you're in a romantic comedy is not seen by most women as attractive.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I mean, really, look at that article. It's whining about the lack of men acting like imaginary characters who are created by goddamned script writers

"WHY CAN'T REAL LIFE BE JUST LIKE THE MOVIES?!"

It says a lot about Schwarz' upbringing that his only exposure to well-behaved, socially at-ease men is in the land of make-believe.

[Irish]

And Christopher Hitchens. He has literally one example of a charming man in real life.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

It's whining about the lack of men acting like imaginary characters who are created by goddamned script writers.

Well, it starts out that way, which is stupid, but it ends up talking about how "[w]omen commonly complain about the difficulty in gaining any conversational purchase when, say, trying to engage the fathers of their children's classmates or the husbands of their tennis partners. The woman will grab from her bag of conversational gambits...But the man doesn't enter into the give-and-take." I wouldn't limit this to men, but I do think it's a bit of a thing.

It happens that yesterday I ran into someone I had met once before, almost a year ago, a former co-worker of my bf. It's one of the first times I can remember that someone recognized me when I didn't recognize him, and the two of us barely know each other at all but carried on a very pleasant conversation for 10 minutes, because he was a normal person capable of asking questions about work and talking about himself and other such normal things. But I know plenty of adults who act like the sullen teenager who can't tear his face away from a Gameboy long enough to say hello at family Xmas or something.

I don't know that I'd call this "charm," more like "the sort of obvious standards set by guides to etiquette and to the art of conversation common 50 years ago," per the article. But then I don't know if most people actually acted like that 50 years ago, or I just know a lot of social retards, or what.

[Irish]

I don't know that I'd call this "charm," more like "the sort of obvious standards set by guides to etiquette and to the art of conversation common 50 years ago," per the article. But then I don't know if most people actually acted like that 50 years ago, or I just know a lot of social retards, or what.

I think this would probably be more common today than 50 years ago. It's just easier for a person to spend incredible amounts of time inside because they can spend that time playing video games or on the computer. This means that it's really easy for someone to never learn very good social skills because they don't talk to people outside of their family as much as they should. You can even order all of your food online and never have to talk to anyone outside of the person who shows up to drop off your pizza.

I don't think it would have been possible to live that kind of life even 30 years ago.

[AuH20]

But now life is the massive introverts dream nicole! Don't take that away from us!

[Irish]

There's also this:

One of the three most important virtues in a man, according to Christopher Hitchens?among the very few charming men I've known?is the ability to think like a woman. (The other two are courage, moral and physical, and a sense of the absurd.) Certainly this is one reason many men find charm so alien and alienating. But a man's ability to think like a woman, and its concomitant?an understanding of and interest in women?is probably rooted not in sexuality but in a sympathetic relationship with his mother or other women who raised him.

I'd argue the opposite. I don't think men learn charm from liking their female family members. I've known men who were totally charmless but would go to war if someone hurt their sister. I think men often learn the way they should treat women from a FATHER who treats women well. Most men learn how to treat women by watching their dad.

If having a sympathetic relationship with a mother is what results in charm, then you'd expect people born to unwed mothers, and who love those mothers, to be particularly charming. That's just not the case.

[Virginian]

Shut up hater. Men are not needed, except as sperm donors. They have nothing to offer except child support payments to a Strong and Independent Single Mother.

[John]

Exactly. If men learned these things from their mother, products of single mothers wouldn't be so much more prone to violence and divorce and such.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Men have been effectively pussified. Started in the late 80s with it being okay, nay expected, to be sensitive and every new generation has gotten worse. I look at these neutered hipster pussies and there is no doubt in my mind why this nation is heading the direction it is.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Sadly so. I've never seen a generation of young men that's so domesticated and risk-averse.

Being a liberty guy, I'm all in favor of people living as they want -- but defined gender roles are healthy and good, and were lost somewhere down the line.

[Len Bias]

^^THIS^^. Men are afraid to show any testosterone since it will be seen sexist and perhaps lead to charges of sexual harassment if they do it wrong.

OTOH, I hear women wonder why men are such wussies and reluctant to be more aggressive and make the first move.

[Francisco d Anconia]

My wife subs at our small school (K-12) She says it's noticeable in the gym classes that the girls are more aggressive/adept than the guys.

We've allowed ourselves to be cowed.

[Len Bias]

Men are afraid to be charming, since they will be seen as some sort of manipulative player or sexist dinosaur. OTOH, if men exude no charm, women aren't generally interested in them. Modern dating has become full of contradictions and catch-22s.

[Goldwyn Smith]

And if you ask a woman out and she says no apparently that now counts as sexually harassment.

[Len Bias]

Actually, I said to a female co-worker that these days hitting on a woman counts as sexual harassment, and she said "well, isn't it?" I said, technically, asking a women her name could be hitting on her. She reluctantly agreed.

[Goldwyn Smith]

I guess men shouldn't interact with women at all then? That's the only way to avoid TEH MALE GAYZE!

[Len Bias]

Pretty much. Obviously, men should wait for women to approach them and make the first move, an option that's available for the most attractive 1% of men.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Charm = overrated. Be a straight shooter and talk about real shit. And if you can fart Ode to Joy, even better.

[Marc F Cheney]

Charm = overrated. Be a straight shooter and talk about real shit.

^^^That.

You know who are really charming? Psychopaths.

[AuH20]

Also con artists. Who may be psychopaths, that would explain a lot.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Be a straight shooter and talk about real shit

"Charm" is just doing that with a smile.

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Sevo]

Posted late in AM links; here it is again.
Malthusians gather at the behest of Moonbeam; concerned over population bomb:
http://newscenter.berkeley.edu.....vironment/

[Irish]

So birth rates are starting to decline and NOW they are having meetings about a population bomb?

Hasn't this problem kind of been solved?

[Sevo]

You think you can get Ehrlich to put a sock in it?

[Marshall Gill]

You think you can get Ehrlich to put a sock in it?

Unfortunately, there is simply too much money to be made preaching doomsday. On the plus side, the fucking cock-sucker will eventually die, and we will hopefully hear less about him.

[Len Bias]

He replaced Malthus. There will always be people peddling this shit.

[Irish]

Malthus actually tends to get misquoted. The Freeman actually argued that Malthus was largely correct, and that Malthus' argument was much more nuanced and tends to be misrepresented by less trenchant thinkers.

Malthus actually argued that property rights and individual initiative would stop most of the problems from overpopulation from occurring. I'd actually argue that he was right about that.

So Erlich hasn't replaced Malthus. He misread Malthus and then replaced a strawman.

[Len Bias]

Fair enough, I don't much about him. Although, when I do hear him mentioned, it's never concerning his support for property rights.

[Len Bias]

Probably because modern doomsday types aren't much interested in property rights.

[Len Bias]

The biggest fear of Ehrlich types is not that we will run out of resources, but, in fact, we may never run out of resources. That thought scares them to death. Why they embrace scarcity and fear abundance is beyond me.

[John]

http://abovethelaw.com/2013/05.....g-friends/

Another reason why I think I am eventually going to opt out and just stop viewing entertainment. Fuck them.

[Rhywun]

I am reminded of two things:

1. The new Arrested Development - only on Netflix
2. A commercial I saw today for some sort of "Sony Entertainment Network"

"Entertainment" really seems to be splintering into walled-off outlets lately, in ways that would annoyingly extract way more money from me than before should I choose to participate.

[Goldwyn Smith]

Which is better? TMP or Into Darkness?

[A Serious Man]

Into Darkness is obviously more watchable, but that obviously does not make it good.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Clearly the answer is TPM. Pretentious humorlessness is canon.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Hi everybody! I have been awake for about 35.5 of the last 36 hours! Web development is a helluva drug.

And I'm at my parents' house and they won't shut the hell up.

[Irish]

Hi everybody! I have been awake for about 35.5 of the last 36 hours! Web development is a helluva drug.

This sounds like the most horrible thing ever. I have trouble if I've been awake for more than 20 hours.

[Cytotoxic]

That's 5 hours longer than me.

[Zakalwe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lUXlSjjhMI

[RBS]

Are you sure it's not just the voices in your head?

[Nikki makes the sign of a tsp]

Ouch, Kristen. That was me yesterday, minus the parents thank god. Good luck!

[General Butt Naked]

Mandarin profanities featured in Firefly.

[Marc F Cheney]

Funny, I was just talking to my Chinese colleague about this about an hour ago. I learned the correct pronunciation of "gou shi".

[cavalier973]

Reason, a libertarian magazine, hired us for a summer internship and asked us to write a short piece about the controversy, which was published late in the spring. Rawitch got wind of it from a libertarian former student. She angrily confronted us in the middle of the newsroom and threatened to sue us for libel. We coolly suggested she write a letter to the editor. That felt good.

[cavalier973]

^^^Forgot to put that in a block quote. That's James Taranto writing, not me, if anyone was wondering.

[Ken Shultz]

"The review into the DOJ's behavior is to be led by Attorney General Eric Holder."

Obama is spitting in our faces.

[General Butt Naked]

At least he's not like fucking leaving his freakin' grocery bags all over my beach like a goddamn touron, man...

[Ken Shultz]

Well, I don't know about that. But if he is, Eric Holder certainly isn't about to blow the whistle.

For all we know, Obama could be using Air Force One to dump plane loads of plastic bags into the surf, and Eric Holder would never say a word about it.

You know I see stuff like this all the time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp3xxfXJvKA

[Eduard van Haalen]

Here is a story which reflects some discredit on Nelson Mandela, but even more so on New York Times hack Bill Keller.

Keller published an article saying Mandela was not a Communist. This despite research published in 2011 indicates that Mandela was a member of the Central Committee of the South African Communist Party in the early 1960s. Two informed persons wrote to the NY Review of Books to point out Keller's error. In response, Keller admitted he was unaware of the 2011 research and more or less concedes that the recent research is accurate. Then he doubles down by insisting that Mandela "was not a communist in the values he upheld," etc.

So, sure, technically, I was wrong, but the broader narrative is still accurate and by the way, don't you hate it when people are skeptical of the impartial, evidence-based coverage of the world you get from the staff of the New York Times?

http://bit.ly/13R75VI

[Eduard van Haalen]

Would it not be better to say "he was a Communist, but he got better," rather than some inanity about how he was never *really* a communist?

[Redmanfms]

Nelson Mandela was/is a piece of shit who was elevated to saint status because a slightly more malevolent force imprisoned him. That he had close ties to nearly every anti-Western and racialist gripe group of the last half of the 20th Century certainly didn't hurt him with the lefties either.

He and the other malignant Communists in the ANC did things that made the Apartheid government look positively shining by comparison.

He was a Communist, and he never got better.

Fuck Mandela.