Government Gets Back to 'Work,' Snowden Reveals Drone Tactics, California Mayors Tackle Pension Reform: P.M. Links

• 

  Gage Skidmore / Foter / CC BY-SA

  Government employees are returning back to the hard work of controlling the country. Joe Biden made an appearance at the Environmental Protection Agency to make everybody wish it was still closed.  

• Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said there will be no more government shutdowns over the Affordable Care Act. Awwww. Maybe they'll find other reasons to shut the government down.
• The latest Edward Snowden release is about drones. The NSA and the CIA have been collaborating extensively in arranging drone strikes of suspected terrorists.
• Several Democratic mayors of California cities are attempting to get public pension reform passed via a statewide ballot initiative, giving cities more control over their plans.
• A pack of Nobel Laureates are asking Vladimir Putin to free detained Greenpeace activists, but his office claims it does not have the power to do so.
• A study has found "profound abnormalities" in the brains of retired football players correlated to the heavy blows to the head they receive.

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Comments

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said there will be no more government shutdowns over the Affordable Care Act. Awwww. Maybe they'll find other reasons to shut the government down.

Yertle Turtle got his.

[jesse.in.mb]

Is FoE having another stroke? We shouldn't be three comments deep with no appearance from him.

[Jordan]

I'm getting really worried.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I do have a life outside links, you know.

[Almanian!]

Faaaaaaaaaaaaag!

/Cartman

[Fist of Etiquette]

No, this.

[playa manhattan]

I met that guy at a charity function last Sunday. While we were chatting, somebody came up and asked him for medical advice.

I only found out later that Se?or Chang is also a doctor in real life.

[BakedPenguin]

Not Yertle, Tippy. As a bonus, the picture includes one of those horrible horrible Tea partiers staring nastily at him.

[Juice]

Is McConnell the new all powerful overlord of the GOP to where he can dictate to the House what to do?

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

A pack of Nobel Laureates are asking Vladimir Putin to free detained Greenpeace activists, but his office claims it does not have the power to do so.

He only has the power to do evil.

[PapayaSF]

Doesn't releasing Greenpeace activists count as evil?

[Tybus]

Yes. Greenpeace is a truly evil organization. From Slate of all places.
http://www.slate.com/articles/.....iency.html

[CE]

Was Obama one of the Nobel laureates in the pack?

[jesse.in.mb]

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said there will be no more government shutdowns over the Affordable Care Act. Awwww. Maybe they'll find other reasons to shut the government down.

DAM!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

McConnell got money to build a dam in Kentucky?

[CE]

At least they built it out of the savings from federal workers' wages during the shutdown... oh, wait.

[Not an Economist]

I'm not sure we can blame this on McConnell. Durbin's name is on this also. While they may have talked about it in the past, I wouldn't put it past Durbin to put in the bill with both their names just to screw with McConnell.

[Ted S.]

Nothing left to cut.

[gaijin]

except a few heads!

[anon]

That'd be far to fortunate.

[anon]

too* fortunate! Goddamnit!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

A study has found "profound abnormalities" in the brains of retired football players correlated to the heavy blows to the head they receive.

They should request the NFLPA be pallbearers at their funerals so they can let them down one last time.

[Almanian!]

I'm sure I'm as shocked as anyone else that sportsmen from a violent sport, who are subject to a metric assload of headshots as a normalpart of playing their chosen sport, have suffered dain bramage.

You'd have to be pretty softheaded not to have seen this one coming.

[Restoras]

I see that!

[Certified Public Asskicker]

But they can still safely play 18 games, right? And twice on Thursday?

[Almanian!]

Make two of the "preseason" games regular season. Only have 2 preseason games (or eliminate them entirely!) BAM! 18 game regular reason.

Now, where are my efforts required next?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I don't like your suggestion. I like 16 games with none occurring on Thursday except for Thanksgiving.

[KDN]

Thursday games would be fine provided that they occurred only after bye weeks. I'm sick of these three days' rest slopfests.

[Ruckus]

Yep. If the NFL expanded to 18 weeks and did 2 byes for each team, they could run the Thursday game every week.

[Robert]

Remember when the WFL played their 18 game schedule? They got it in in 15 weeks. Either that or it was 20 games in 17 weeks. That's what induced the NFL to trade 2 exhibitions for regular season games, making it 16. They were playing the same number of games as the WFL, but more of them as exhibitions.

The WFL played weekends, but twice during the season they had a speed-up period that included weeknight games, i.e. playing at a rate of more than weekly.

[CE]

Now, quit playing football on my lawn!

[sloopyinca]

2 preseason games. 17 game regular season with two bye weeks. No trips overseas and a bye week before any Thursday games.

And move the Ravens back to Cleveland for crying out loud. That city deserves its franchise back.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Are we getting the Colts back then?

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

You can have the Stallions back (from Montreal)

[gaijin]

You've certainly tackled the issue head on.

[CE]

+1 bell ringing

[The DerpRider]

Has a like study been done on boxers? You'd think anything a football player has experienced would be amplified in a boxer's brain.

[PapayaSF]

I don't know about studies, but it's pretty well-established common knowledge, e.g. the term "punch-drunk."

[Almanian!]

George Foreman is amazingly lucid compared to most. But he sure does appear to be the exception.

[C. Anacreon]

There's even an official disease name for punch-drunk:
dementia pugilistica

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Ever see a Tyson interview?

[PapayaSF]

I always had the impression he started out that way.

[Rich]

"Lend me your ears."

[font_of_stupidity]

I doubt a boxer would be much worse off than a football player. Boxers don't get full body contact from 4.4-40 guys coming from all directions.

Plus, a good football player might play upwards of 120 games. That's what, about three times as many matches a good boxer might take part in?

[Invisible Finger]

Getting tackled six times a week isn't very punishing.

[CE]

You're forgetting about practice.
And running backs get tackled 15-20 times a game.

[Firework Surprise]

You are also forgetting the collisions that happen even when not part of a tackle. Big blocks that are thrown around tend to be even worse.

[sloopyinca]

Because boxers don't spar in preparation for bouts. And most club-level boxers don't fight about 20 times a year.

[playa manhattan]

Maybe in heavyweight, especially if you go "dope on a rope" and take a lot of punishment.

I played a "skill" position in football (corner), and I had several coup countercoup injuries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.....oup_injury

Walking away after my third concussion in 3 months was the smartest thing I ever did. I wish I had done it sooner...

[sloopyinca]

Well I kept playing after my concussions, and it never had a negative impact on my ability later on to...ooh, a potato!

[Robert]

They need to compare to rookies. I'm not at all convinced those differences weren't there to begin with. And the abnormalities are only a lab finding, not actual impairment in anything practical.

[Robert]

That'd be an improved study, but still wouldn't rule out changes over time in individuals. What they really need for comparison?and they do exist?are players whose careers were cut very short by non-head injuries or other life choices or circumstances. People who were drafted but either never played or played very little.

[Almanian!]

The NSA and the CIA have been collaborating extensively in arranging drone strikes of suspected terrorists.

This is today's dog bites man story, right? Cause...I'd actually expect that the NSA and CIA WOULD collaborate to dronemurder people.

So...

[playa manhattan]

I was thinking the same thing. I absolutely expect that this sort of collaboration would take place.

[Almanian!]

I was totally expecting the "one hand has NO FUCKING IDEA what the other is doing, and it's CHAOS!"

This...

I don't like all the droning, but at least they're working together in the sandbox to decide which GI Achmed (or his civilian friends and their wedding party) are gonna get it.

[BakedPenguin]

Yeah, if it were in a less kill-y context, I'd be applauding this.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Maybe this is the reason for the double tap drone strikes. Each agency wanted in on the action each time.

[Mad Scientist]

A study has found "profound abnormalities" in the brains of retired football players

I take it that they're no different from football fans then.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Activated the part of the brain that yells "D-FENCE" during games.

[playa manhattan]

Fence? Is that Canadian football?

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

not when they hold up a D in one hand and an actual FENCE in the other.

[Almanian!]

Which is only the greatest fan thing EVAR

[Restoras]

I always liked, when the Eagles were in their heyday of awfulness, the fans that walked aroudn the stadium with signs pointing to the endzone.

[Almanian!]

Eagles fans are pretty harsh. First stadium to put a court In THE STADIUM to deal with the rowdies, right?

*respect*

[Andrew S.]

AFAIK, pretty much every pro baseball/football stadium in the US has a stadium jail.

[Almanian!]

But - Who Was First? I think it was the Iggles.

[CE]

I thought the old New Orleans Saints' grocery sack headgear was, but now those have been banned.

[Andrew S.]

D-FENS?

[playa manhattan]

"A pack of Nobel Laureates are asking Vladimir Putin to free detained Greenpeace activists"

Because piracy is OK if you do it for the right reasons.

[Ted S.]

It's too bad some genuinely private-sector group couldn't turn the Greenpeace tactics on their head by boarding the Greenpeace boat.

True, it would be a violation of law, but it would be fun to see.

[Restoras]

Honestly, the Russians are just toying with them for the lulz. If they wanted to the Russian navy could torpedo the Rainbow Warrior anytime they wanted.

Did you hear that, Russia? Anytime you want.

[Mad Scientist]

If someone were to torpedo those idiots and leave them all to drown, well, that would be a thing that happened.

[Almanian!]

I'm picturing "packs of Nobel Laureates" like Monty Python's roving gangs of grandmothers.

"Izzat a Pulizter prize ya got there, eh? Ya dinny bastard - GIVE IT TO ME!"

*melee ensues, fought with slide rules and sharp pencils*

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

This suits Alice Munro.

[Frodo Teabaggins]

You republicans ate it so hard. Pres. Obama basically just gave a stone cold stunner to the libertarians.

[playa manhattan]

It's almost like you have the taste of Tin in your mouth.

[Almanian!]

+1 cubic centimetre of Cassiterite

[font_of_stupidity]

Dave's not here, man.

[tarran]

Is it too much to ask that regulars who troll us put a little effort into making the trolls believable?

I mean remember Cesar's Neil. Now there was some refined trolling!

[Auric Demonocles]

Or AT LEAST make [them] unique.

[Restoras]

Who farted?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Whatcha gonna do Frodo? When Barackamania runs wild on you!

*Rips off shirt, delivers leg drop to the floor*

[Eduard van Haalen]

Pope Francis sells off one of his *two* Harleys:

"Pope Francis has donated his Harley Davidson motorcycle to be sold to raise money for a hostel and soup kitchen that serves Rome's homeless.

"...The sale of the motorcycle will fund the renovation of Caritas' Don Luigi di Liegro Hostel and Soup Kitchen at Rome's Termini station.

"...The Harley Davidson Motor Co. presented *two* of its motorcycles and a *biker jacket* to Pope Francis in June, when Rome hosted the 110th anniversary celebration of the iconic American motorcycle. On June 16, the Pope blessed about 800 bikers and their rides in St. Peter's Square. [emphasis added]

"Pope Francis has encouraged clergy and religious to show humility in their choice of transportation."

http://www.ncregister.com/dail.....z2hzzSvS9Q

[Bam!]

Couldn't fit it in the pope-mobile.

[playa manhattan]

Meh, he got them as a gift. If he bought them, then you got yourself a scandal.

[Juice]

So he re-gifted? What an ass.

[gaijin]

show humility in their choice of transportation

Maybe they should ride around in Rickshaws. Put a face on the human power that carries them to an fro.

[Anomalous]

What would Jesus ride?

[BakedPenguin]

A Democrat!

[BakedPenguin]

Sorry , everyone, I got drunk early today.

[Marshall Gill]

A Democrat!

I laughed. So as far as I am concerned you should get drunk early every day.

[BakedPenguin]

Sir, I like your philosophy.

[playa manhattan]

I think I broke my liver yesterday. I mean it really hurts. I'm going to take the next week off (from drinking).

[BakedPenguin]

I can't blame you. Consider also limiting fats. since they are also processed by the liver.

[playa manhattan]

That's a problem. All I want are wings with ranch after the weekend I had...

[The Late P Brooks]

Mitch McConnell said there will be no more government shutdowns over the Affordable Care Act.

Did he remember to say, "On my watch"?

[Almanian!]

No, but I think he did preface it with, "Read my lips..."

[CE]

Previous shutdowns are just water over the dam.

[Live Free or Diet]

Joe Biden made an appearance at the Environmental Protection Agency to make everybody wish it was still closed.

Looking at the rates at which things were getting cleaner before and after EPA's creation, I have to wonder why anybody wants it open.
Seriously, look at the statistics on air and water in the US and the curve was steeper before EPA.

[tarran]

Joe Biden is like old King Midas, except everything he touches turns to shit.

[playa manhattan]

The funniest part is that he doesn't even know. He thinks he is a lock in for 2016.

[Restoras]

I hope he wins the nomination. I will totally vote for him.

Just think of the LULZ!!!

[tarran]

Also if he wins, we get a perfect opportunity to see exactly how racist the media is:

1) Same policies
2) Same party
3) Same idiotic incompetence
4) Same background of going to right schools etc.
5) Different colored skin

Definitely worth some lulz.

[playa manhattan]

The one that I hear over and over is "He's trying really hard!".

[Marshall Gill]

I think it would be more like "He did say that but he misspoke. What he really meant is...."

[Rich]

Sorry, tarran, but Biden would be continuing Obama's work, so criticizing him would still be RACIST!

[wareagle]

sexist. Everyone knows that the nomination is Hillary's.

/prog

[playa manhattan]

Honestly, I think that they will go with someone in a "protected" class for the nomination. It worked really well for them this time.

[Generic Stranger]

Biden: Mouth to foot style! How'd you like it!

Master Tang: I must apologize for Biden, he is an idiot. We purposely trained him wrong as a joke.

[Jordan]

China plans a Keynesian derpulus to honor one of Obama's heroes; Chinese citizens are pissed:

More than $2.5bn (?1.6bn) is being spent on events to mark the 120th anniversary of the birth of Mao Zedong, to the fury of many Chinese citizens.

[Restoras]

Is it the money being spent, or honoring a mass-murderer that's pissing them off?

[Jordan]

Sounds like the former, unfortunately.

[Ruckus]

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, professor of history at the University of California Irvine, said the 120th anniversary will see an effort to put Mao "into a context as the person who began China's resurgence to world-power status, as opposed to what the Western associations with Mao often now are".

It's amazing listening to someone defend a mass murdering fuck head.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

You know who else began a country's resurgence to world-power status but now is associated with something else?

[C. Anacreon]

Sarah Palin?

[Aloysious]

Wait... I know this one...

[CatoTheElder]

Jeffrey don't know squat about Chinese history if he thinks Mao "began China's resurgence to world-power status".

Sun Yat Sen began the resurgence. Mao halted it. Deng Xiaoping reversed course, and finally led China into world-power status.

Unless, of course, Jeffrey defines "world-power status" by body counts.

[MJGreen]

He defines it by respect and seriousness. Mao brought China into the modern, rational age. The only hiccup was that a few dozen million people were too backwards and unable to keep up.

[Juice]

They've built whole empty cities and people get pissed about some tourist trap being built?

[Tejicano]

Well, some small percentage of the population might some day have a reason to buy one of those empty apartments and would be hoping to get it on the cheap. I would expect that a much smaller number of people would ever want to visit the Mao "I starved your grampa to death" Zedong memorial.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Shale gas protesters clash with police in Rexton, N.B.

On Oct. 1, Sock issued an eviction notice to SWN Resources of Canada. His band and his band council planned to pass a resolution preventing the government and shale gas companies from continuing the work by reclaiming all unoccupied reserve land and giving it back to First Nations.Sock said that for centuries, the British Crown claimed to be holding the land in trust for his people, but since the land is being badly mismanaged, First Nations people are taking it back.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Knife-wielding Arkansas man arrested after hijacking school bus full of kids

Police say 11 children and the driver were aboard when 22-year-old Nicholas John Miller got onto the bus Thursday morning in Jacksonville, a Little Rock suburb.

Jacksonville police spokeswoman April Kiser says Miller was armed with a knife and pulled over only after seeing police spike strips on the road.

Kiser says no one was injured. She says it's unclear why Miller boarded the bus.

Kiser told CBS Little Rock affiliate KTHV-TV that Miller first tried to allegedly obtain a car from a resident in the neighborhood but was unsuccessful.

Ban it.

[Andrew S.]

Ban what? Knives or school buses? Trying to figure out where my outrage should be.

[Restoras]

How about just banning school?

[Marshall Gill]

Better ban everything, just to be on the safe side.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Man cries Tears of Blood

[Jordan]

NEEDS MOAR CASTLEVANIA.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Street preacher and colleagues arrested after some people at a jazz festival allegedly complained about the noise.

Chief: "The lack of verbal and physical cooperation is what led to the arrests, but the situation began because of complaints received in the area."

He claims he kept to 75 decibels, the maximum allowed for a sidewalk demonstration without a permit. As for why he didn't get a permit:

"After learning of the $45 application fee and the requirement for as much as $2 million worth of liability insurance, Brummitt said he abandoned seeking a permit for his preaching."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/.....d/2944797/

[PD Scott]

The war on Christians reaches Springfield.

[Almanian!]

75 db? Really? What, were they whispering the music?

[Eduard van Haalen]

The preacher, not the musicians.

[Almanian!]

*stares at Eduard*

Didja see what I did there? DIDJA?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Uh, maybe I'm slow, but the smarter kids probably got it.

[font_of_stupidity]

If it was smooth jazz, then yeah, 75 db would be a disruption.

[OldMexican]

Re: Eduard van Haalen,

"After learning of the $45 application fee and the requirement for as much as $2 million worth of liability insurance, Brummitt said he abandoned seeking a permit for his preaching."

I know of only a few activities that would require a $2 mill liability insurance cap, and most of them have to do with mining, electric installations or heavy construction. I didn't know that preaching on the streets would be such a dangerous undertaking in Missouri.

[PD Scott]

People cracking their heads while being "slain in the spirit". Sure, they go to Heaven but the family sues the Hell out of you.

[BakedPenguin]

$1MM is a pretty standard commercial policy cap. Special events can be different, but it's obvious this is BS.

[Michael S. Langston]

I didn't know that preaching on the streets would be such a dangerous undertaking in Missouri.

It's a brave new world - where freedom means first getting permission from your betters.

[CE]

Does the 2 million dollar insurance policy for street preachers cover damages to people who quit their jobs when the world doesn't in fact end?

[OldMexican]

A pack of Nobel Laureates are asking Vladimir Putin to free detained Greenpeace activists, but his office claims it does not have the power to do so.

A friend of mine had shared a Facebook posting from Greenpeace on the plight of a young Mexican woman who was one of the Greenpeace activists arrested in Russia, calling for her release from jail. I posted the same comment I am posting here:

Acts of piracy used to be punished by hanging and gibbeting, so that girl should consider herself lucky.

I have no sympathy for self-righteous busybodies.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

How is what those people did piracy?

[Almanian!]

derp

[playa manhattan]

Hijacking an ocean vessel? Come on, bro. Be socratic, not retarded.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

-The Greenpeace activities are most certainly not piracy for several reasons. The modern definition of the offense can be found in Art. 101 U.N. Law of the the Sea Convention (UNCLOS III), Art. 101(a)(1).

First, piracy requires an attack against a "ship." The Greenpeace incident involved an oil rig, which is not a ship because it is not navigable. (The 1988 SUA Convention dealing with maritime violence beyond piracy required a separate protocol to apply to oil platforms).

Second, piracy requires "acts of violence or detention." Here the Greenpeace activist merely put a poster on the platform. This does not constitute violence. In the Ninth Circuit case, by contrast, the Sea Shepherd vessels allegedly attempted to ram Japanese whalers, hurled projectiles at them, and so forth. While the defendants argued this did not amount to violence, it is certainly more colorable than a poster. The Greenpeace activists certainly committed trespass, but not piracy.

http://www.volokh.com/2013/09/.....s-illegal/

[Enough About Palin]

"The Greenpeace incident involved an oil rig, which is not a ship because it is not navigable"

That is total bullshit. They move those fuckers around the globe for fuck's sake.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

They do not move themselves, and they are not 'steered' are they?

[Enough About Palin]

So let me get this straight, fuckface, I'm towing a huge oil platform and while doing so, someone pulls up to the rig (not the towboat, the rig) bourds it and starts fucking with shit on it and that's not an act of piracy because the rig isn't self-'steering'?

Got it.

[Brandon]

Seems more like trespassing.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Was the rig in tow when this occurred?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You may be interested in this recent Supreme Court case as well:

http://www.supremecourt.gov/op.....6_p8k0.pdf

[Almanian!]

derp

[OldMexican]

Re: BO Cara Esq.

First, piracy requires an attack against a "ship."

We can certainly argue semantics. What the Greenpeace activists were doing was certainly not a courtesy call.

The Greenpeace incident involved an oil rig, which is not a ship because it is not navigable.

How do you think the rigs are placed in the first place? Do you agree with the assessment from the article you're linking?

The fact is that these individuals attempted to perform an act that was not welcomed. That's aggression. That's violence. The fact that they were met with an even higher degree of violence only serves to illustrate the level of incompetence and nearsightedness shown by the crew of the Greenpeace vessel.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

-The fact is that these individuals attempted to perform an act that was not welcomed. That's aggression. That's violence.

I agree, but that is not what piracy is.

[Juice]

They're not getting the differences in what is legally considered to be a boat, a vessel, a barge, etc.

[Brandon]

Gotta go with Bo. Not piracy.

[OldMexican]

Re: BO Cara Esq.

How is what those people did piracy?

The activists tried to board an oil rig that wasn't theirs, without the consent of the owners, on the sea. That's piracy in any proprietist book.

The fact that their intentions are pure does not change the facts that what they tried to do violated the Non Aggression Principle.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Trespassers, sure. Pirates, no. See the explanation, supra.

[OldMexican]

Re: Bo Cara Esq.

Trespassers, sure. Pirates, no. See the explanation, supra.

I read the explanation. It is mostly based on reliance from definitions set by UN bureaucrats. The fact that the Greenpeace "activists" did not rob the crew at gunpoint does not change the fact that they attempted to board a vessel (even if it's a fixed one) without the consent of the owners or the crew. That's aggression. And happening in the sea, it's piracy.

And I certainly have no sympathy for self-righteous busybodies. Whether the Russians acted too harshly or not, that does not excuse the attackers.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Not every violation of the NAP that occurs at sea is 'piracy'.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Piracy is in the definition of the jailer.

[Emmerson Biggins]

Hmmmm Old Mexican vs The Devil's Advocate and the U.N.

I'll go with Old Mexican.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Listen, unless a peg-leg, cutlass, and/or a parrot was involved, it is certainly not piracy. It's barely privateering!

Filibustering or swashbuckling, perhaps.

[CE]

And nobody was even heard saying "Arrrrr"....

[playa manhattan]

No rum or wenches either.

[SForza]

Rum, Sodomy & the Lash or GTFO.

[Enough About Palin]

Who farted?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Gas problems?

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

It those kale chips the lady is feeding me.

[Enough About Palin]

Missing a "bag".

[Restoras]

Could you post some responses? Pretty please?

[OldMexican]

Oh, all are in Spanish, but they go along the lines of "Those people were trying to save the Earth while murderers and rapists are let lose!" That sort of rubbish.

[Tim]

24/7:
Obama to Name Jeh Johsnon as Next DHS Chief

Jeh Johsnon?

[Rich]

It's the new anonbot.

[Jordan]

Jack Daddy Frapp wasn't qualified?

[Killazontherun]

Over qualified to work in the Obama administration.

[BakedPenguin]

Yeah, he has a working website.

[Enough About Palin]

snap!

[SForza]

Barack Daddy Frapp isn't gonna like that.

[PapayaSF]

Perhaps his mother died in childbirth, just as she was starting to name the baby.

[Rich]

No doubt in the Hospital of Argh ....

[MJGreen]

Jeh Johsnon barely won the appointment over his opponent, Joh Jehsnon.

[Generic Stranger]

Jeh Johsnon: I say your five cents a gallon gas tax goes to far!

Joh Jehsnon: And I say your five cents a gallon gas tax doesn't go far enough!

[MJGreen]

I think the line is, "doesn't go too far enough," which is what makes the whole exchange incomprehensible.

[Mickey Rat]

You are surprised John's son would have a named spelled like that?

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Mint choc & pecan pie Pringles

[Killazontherun]

Shut. Your. Mouth! Wow.

[BakedPenguin]

Don't get your hopes up, it's a NZ website.

[Rich]

Mitch McConnell said there will be no more government shutdowns over the Affordable Care Act.

*** whispering ***

Psst. It's a lie to put the Dems off their guard. Pass it along.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

SoCons Mull Class Action Lawsuit Against...Homosexuality?

-Rick Scarborough invited Peter LaBarbera to address his Tea Party Unity group today, and the two anti-gay activists discussed ways to somehow file a "class action lawsuit" against homosexuality just like when attorneys general of many states filed a lawsuit against tobacco companies.

-Scarborough: Peter, the whole issue of a class action lawsuit, you and I have talked about this a little bit. I just wonder if you've explored that, talked to anyone about it. Obviously, statistically now even the Centers for Disease Control verifies that homosexuality much more likely leads to AIDS than smoking leads to cancer. And yet the entire nation has rejected smoking, billions of dollars are put into a trust fund to help cancer victims and the tobacco industry was held accountable for that. Any thoughts on that kind of an approach? LaBarbera: Yeah I think that's great. I would love to see it. We always wanted to see one of the kid in high school who was counseled by the official school counselor to just be gay, then he comes down with HIV. But we never really got the client for that.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/.....OgIF7.dpuf

[tarran]

ROFL! That's hysterically funny!

There's nobody to sue! It's not like someone is making gay sticks that they sell in convenience stores, which when sucked on make a guy gay!

Who are they going to sue... mothers?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It is hard to figure out their theory. Perhaps it is to sue those who tell people it is OK to be gay (the 'counselor' comment)?

[tarran]

Good luck with that....

Because unless you were raped or given a tainted blood transfusion, if you got AIDS, you got it because you didn't take basic precautions.

You'd have more luck suing your sex ed teacher for not teaching you about condoms. A lawsuit against 'counselors' who say beign gay is OK would, if successful, introduce a liability on abstinence-only sex ed.

Yet more evidence that most politically active people are really, really stupid and/or deranged.... even the ones I agree with!

[PD Scott]

The SoDumbs are going to continue trying to beat the dead horses back into the burning barn.

[Jordan]

Brilliant! Instead of waging a War on Terror, we should have just sued Terror! Who knew?

[Eduard van Haalen]

"LaBarbera was also upset that Fox News and other outlets aren't covering the "wonderful stories of happy men and women who have left the homosexual lifestyle,""

Hmmm...criticizing Fox News for being too liberal...yes, he certainly sounds like a mainstream SoCon to me.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

-Rick Scarborough invited Peter LaBarbera to address his Tea Party Unity group today

I do not know, how mainstream SoCon is Tea Party Unity (this is an honest question, I do not know about them)?

[Eduard van Haalen]

I admit I don't know about these guys either, but here's their Web site:

http://www.teapartyunity.org/

Whether they're as central to the TP movement as they claim, I dunno. If you've found a mainstream TP organization, then good for you!

[playa manhattan]

It sure didn't take the Repubs long to create a new lightning rod to draw attention away from Obamacare's failures.

[PapayaSF]

The media loves to find crazy right-wingers to highlight and laugh at and to smear every non-leftist with the same brush. Of course, there are just as many (if not more) crazy left-wingers, but media doesn't hunt for them, highlight them, or use them to smear every non-rightist.

[Eduard van Haalen]

That reminds me:

"Bill Ayers, who helped lead the Weather Underground as it waged a bloody war against the U.S. government in the 1960s, then went on to a career in academia, recently urged those attending his book promotion to be "good citizens" and "moral people."

"..."Bernadine and I had hosted the initial fundraiser for Obama and uncharacteristically donated a little money to his campaign," said Ayers, reading from [his new book]. "We lived a few blocks apart and sat on a couple nonprofit boards together. So what? Who could have predicted it would blow up like this?""

"Who Predicted It Would Blow Up Like This" should have been the title of his memoir.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013.....ers-urges/

[Eduard van Haalen]

If this curing-gays guy said that his only connection to Rand Paul was to host the initial fundraiser for him donate to his campaign, and sit on a couple nonprofit boards together, I bet the media would simply ignore it, right?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Talk about 'shoehorning' 😉

[wareagle]

well, could be because the media doesn't see the leftists as crazy. More likely, it agrees with them or their cause.

[PapayaSF]

Oh, I'm sure it sees some of them as crazy, e.g. the Communists nostalgic for Mao and Stalin who show up at (if not organize) pretty much every Occupy protest and peace rally. But "no enemies on the left" is an old leftist principle.

[Eduard van Haalen]

The lefty media types want to put their various crazy Uncle Bobs in the attic away from prying eyes.

[PapayaSF]

Next up: a libertarian class action suit against the statism taught in public schools.

[jesse.in.mb]

Porno Pete strikes again!

"Just be gay" does not equal encouraging the kind of raunchy, bareback sex acts that Mr. LaBarbera so loves viewing.

[BakedPenguin]

LaBarbera is gay? Hermes will be crushed.

[jesse.in.mb]

Maybe Barbados Slim can comfort him.

I wouldn't say Porno Pete is gay, he just likes watching the raunchiest gay porn he can find, and skulking around gay BDSM clubs and then being very descriptive (or showing video) to pearl clutching audiences. The ever vile Marting Ssempa seems to have modeled himself after LaBarbera.

[BakedPenguin]

Yeah, nothing gay about a man watching lots and lots of men having sex with each other.

Just ask Marshall Langman.

[jesse.in.mb]

Haha. Often times you'll see him introduced as "The totally not gay, Peter LeBarbera" by his detractors.

[Enough About Palin]

Rick Scarborough invited Peter LaBarbera to address his Tea Party Unity group today, and the two anti-gay activists discussed ways to somehow file a "class action lawsuit" against homosexuality

[Emmerson Biggins]

They should sue the color blue too. That'd totally work.

[rts]

Shale gas protesters clash with police in Rexton, N.B

Shale gas protesters and RCMP trying to enforce an injunction are clashing in Rexton, N.B., with the violence including two police vehicles that have been set on fire, and the arrest of a First Nations chief.

In a news release, the RCMP said more than 40 protesters have been arrested for various offences including firearms offences, uttering threats, intimidation, mischief and for refusing to abide by a court injunction.

[Brandon]

This looks familiar.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Florida sheriff considers charging parents of teens following bullying suicide

The Florida sheriff investigating a girl's suicide allegedly prompted by online bullying said he's considering charging the parents of one of the two girls arrested in the case because they're in "total denial."

Polk Country Sheriff Grady Judd told Fox News Thursday that if evidence indicates the parents of one of the two girls knowingly allowed the girl to post the bullying comments online, they could be charged with contributing to the dependency or delinquency of a child.

The two girls, ages 12 and 14, were identified by police as the main culprits in the bullying they say led to 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick's suicide. Judd said the 14-year-old girl showed a "total disregard for life" and continued to post comments online after the girl's death.

The family of the 14-year-old girl said her computer account was hacked and that she was not posting anymore. The girl's mother told ABC News that she checked her daughter's Facebook status every time she used it.

Judd, however, has questioned that account.

"You tell me that there's not parents, who instead of taking that device and smashing it into a 1,000 pieces in front of her child, says, 'Oh, her account was hacked?' We see where the problem is," Judd said.

Someone wants to be tough on bullying.

[Restoras]

Sounds like yet another asshole cop wants to do some bullying.

[Ted S.]

Somebody did something that's probably immoral but legal; many in public say that we must pervert the law to get at the immoral person.

(I'm too lazy to look up Robert Bolt's lines he had Thomas More deliver to Roper just now.)

[Surly Chef]

"Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake! "

[sloopyinca]

Are they gonna go after the prick school administrators that probably drove this otherwise good kid to suicide as well, or do they exempt their fellow state employees?

[gaijin]

Another Sheriff who's just sure of the way things are. No possibility for error. This guy would fit right into Maricopa county I bet.

[John]

Amazing how stupid people are. Lets tell every other troubled kid that if they are willing to kill themselves, the police will come and arrest their tormentors and their parents as well. That is totally going to solve this whole teen suicide problem.

[PD Scott]

"People will remember me, and they'll have a felony record. Win, win."

[Eduard van Haalen]

"if evidence indicates the parents of one of the two girls knowingly allowed the girl to post the bullying comments online, they could be charged with contributing to the dependency or delinquency of a child."

What if an adult constantly pressures a child to sell drugs, inducing the child to get marijuana from a homeless guy and sell it to the adult? Would that contribute to the delinquency of a child, or do cops have a special exemption from the law?

(if they do, then the DARE twittering guy should get an exemption as well)

[lafe.long]

contributing to the dependency or delinquency of a child

Wait. Is this a thing?

If so, we can only dream about more convictions for contributing to the dependency of children.

Doesn't Obamacare do this with the 26 year old "children" thing?

[MJGreen]

One girl's life was ruined, let's make sure the lives of 3 girls are ruined. And if we can ruin the lives of their parents, that's just gravy.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

This bush is shaped like a penis.

Penis.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Don't blame Bush, blame pranksters!

[Rich]

City of Windsor staff trimmed the bush into what it called a more traditional shape.

Sorry, it *still* looks like a penis.

[gaijin]

A more traditional shape...so they circumsized it?

[Almanian!]

trimmed the bush into what it called a more traditional shape

If they shaved it, it might look like a taco.

[Mad Scientist]

Something must be done! What if a child were to see that...that...thing!

\faints

[OO=======D]

meh

[Eduard van Haalen]

Dig the Canadian understatement:

"Unfortunately, it appears that someone chose to come and vandalize some of the shrubs and turn them into new shapes....This would definitely have fallen outside of our mandate. It's always surprising when something that unusual happens."

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

1.8 million year old hominid skull shakes up evolutionary tree

The world's first completely preserved adult hominid skull from the early Pleistocene era looks surprisingly different from other skulls of the same era, yielding a remarkable insight: Man's early ancestors appeared as physically diverse as humans do today, researchers said, and our family tree has perhaps fewer branches than today's schoolbooks teach.

"It's a really extraordinary find," said paleoanthropologist Marcia S. Ponce de Leon in a press conference Wednesday announcing the findings. "For the first time, we can see a population from the early Pleistocene. We only had individuals before. Now we can make comparisons and see the range of variation."

Mankind needs to check it's evolutionary privilege.

[anon]

yielding a remarkable insight: Man's early ancestors appeared as physically diverse as humans do today, researchers said

Only a fucking anthropologist could find this "insight" remarkable.

[Rich]

However, if you've seen one Australopithecus afarensis, you've seen 'em all.

[PD Scott]

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!

I wonder how many times she's been asked if she's looking for the Fountain of Youth. I bet she hates it when people ask that.

[John]

Serious question, suppose the fossil record were to reveal several separate ancestors of humans that evolved independently such that we really are of different species. Can you imagine the resulting shitstorm?

[anon]

You fucking speciesist. or whatever.

[Almanian!]

Just shows the different origins or Progressives and Teahthuglihadistobstructioracaistmurderers.

Duh

[PD Scott]

We're all closely enough related to have babies with each other which grow up fertile. I think you'll have to imagine paleoanthropology producing a different shitstorm.

[John]

Horses can breed with mules.

[John]

or jackasses I mean.

[Thane of Steelport]

But their offspring are infertile

[PD Scott]

As I understand it it's pretty rare, almost "life will find a way" rare.

[tarran]

To be honest, that probably did happen;

The definition of a species is essentially that of a class of organisms that when they breed produce more of the same (biology nerds, I know this is a gross oversimplification, but cut me some slack).

So, a horse and a donkey are different species.

But, they can mate and produce a viable offspring.

Now, that chimpanzee who raped a frog cannot produce viable offspring, the genetic material is so different that the egg wont fertilize.

However, it is possible that closely related species could interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

The appearance of Neanderthal DNA among we Cro Magnons tells me that this process of divergence and reconvergence in our ancestral lines is quite likely.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

This means Warty is unable to breed with any Earth based life form.

[Troy muy grande boner]

Always with the Warty joke. You know, there is more to sex than Warty? Warty isn't the end all be all of sex.

[Bobarian]

Sometimes Warty is the end of sex.

[Heroic Mulatto]

So, a horse and a donkey are different species.

But, they can mate and produce a viable offspring.

Yes, but a mule can't make more mules. So it depends on your definition of "viable"

Now, that chimpanzee who raped a frog

You are my hero.

[Coeus]

Some female mules are fertile.

[Bobarian]

But they can't produce Mules, their offspring are horses (I think)

[Bo Cara Esq.]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carleton_S._Coon

[Coeus]

You mean the The multiregional hypothesis?

[Calidissident]

This is not scientifically possible, as proven by biology and genetics. Humans are far too closely related genetically for this to be the case and as someone else said, different species don't produce fertile offspring (with very, very few exceptions). As as you yourself acknowledge, there's absolutely no fossil or archaeological evidence to support such a theory.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

DNA tests prove yeti is roaming Himalayas, Oxford prof says

[Jordan]

Steve Smith really gets around. I saw Steve Smith cced on one of my work e-mails earlier and had to stop myself from yelling it out. No reasonoids in my office, as far as I know...

[Andrew S.]

My father-in-law's name is Steve Smith. Sometimes it's hard not to giggle when I'm talking to him.

[Almanian!]

MATT DAMON!

[font_of_stupidity]

I'm somthing of a newbie around here, but through context and some links I get most of the H&R memes; this MATT DAMON! thing, I got no clue.

[Jordan]

It's from Team America: World Police.

[Generic Stranger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUa5oHgYV2k

It's literally his only line in the movie.

[2ndClassProle]

DERKA, DERKA, JIHAD!!!

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Activists in France failed to see humour in the 'Phoque Bardot Burger,' which combines the French word for seal and the anti-seal hunt actress's name

[PD Scott]

Phoque 'em.

[sloopyinca]

Idiot San Fran cop charged with 10 misdemeanors when a felony charge would suffice.

The best parts? Enjoy:

If convicted of all 10 misdemeanors, Gehrke could be sentenced to a year in County Jail. His lawyer says that would be a crime.

Gehrke has received three commendations during his years on the force, the lawyer said.

"Why are we going after this guy, who is a decorated officer, when we have other officers who are engaged in allegedly heinous conduct?" Hanlon said.

-and-

"What I'm trying to evaluate is, what is acceptable in the police culture?" he said. "This is a high-stress job. Some policemen go to the gym, for many hours, or take a walk."

Wait, they do this while ON DUTY? Either I'm calling bullshit on that claim or I can't wait for the public trial to expose all kinds of abuses.

[Ted S.]

Since you're over on the west coast, I presume you weren't around when I posted this to the AM Links thread.

Summary: police prosecutor in NZ posts videos of himself doing drugs; tries to get reduced sentence; government minister sucks up to police.

[sloopyinca]

I am always around, Ted. And yes, I saw that. They're almost as brazen as politicians when i comes to a double-standard on ethics.

[Marshall Gill]

Since you're over on the west coast, I presume you weren't around when I posted this to the AM Links thread.

FOR THE LOVE OF SCIENCE, WHAT THE FUCK, TED?!!!!!!!!!!11!!ONE!!

Reposting a link? Turn in your thread monitor badge.

[sloopyinca]

Oh, PoliceOne is pissed that the PD investigated him and "made it" a criminal offense.

Right, dickheads. Because cops never sit on "civilian" investigations until they have enough evidence to charge the "pos's" with felonies. Nope, never.

Ex 1: I in no way condone what the brother supposedly did; BUT WTH..
Where was the supervision?
First confirmed time this happened he should have been pulled in and asked WTH was going on and disciplined; NOT keep watching him doing it over and over again until this happens..
IF he has a smart attorney and it appears not likely; this should be brought up..
Since this did go on for this long the brother has basically been "poisoned" as a reliable and "truthful" witness for any action he takes in any arrests or any incident he would be involved in..
I'd speculate some one in the department had it in for him and used this to get rid of him.

Yes, they "used" the fact that he was stealing money from taxpayers and endangering the cops in his zone that would have to operate without their backup.

Cocksuckers.

[Banjos]

Yale Professor surprised to discover that Tea Party Supporters are more scientifically literate than non Tea Party Supporters.

[Bam!]

But- But- But the Tea Party are a bunch of racist, Christian fundamentalists!

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

and smarter!

[sloopyinca]

Libertarian wife unaware of previous comment threads because she was wasting her day on Facebook. Film at 11.

[Mad Scientist]

Oh no you di'int!

[Banjos]

I was also busy doing laundry and taking care of our baby despite having an inner ear infection.

[anon]

Sounds like someone's not getting laid tonight.

[Fatty Bolger]

Yo sloopy, take it from me: The only way to win this game is to not play.

[Almanian!]

"Yes, dear..."

[Ted S.]

I'm reminded of this blast from the past involving Sloopy and Banjos. 🙂

[Ted S.]

If the link doesn't make sense, look for my 9:36 AM comment. H&R seems to send me to the point on the page where the link is, and then insert al the "reply to this" links that cause the screen to scroll upwards a whole bunch of screenfuls.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Whatever happened to Doc Groovus?

[Brandon]

Best case: He's in the hands of an Eastern European succubus.

[Banjos]

Ukraine, let's hope he didn't become a paraplegic.

[C. Anacreon]

Never heard much from him once he got behind the Iron Curtain. I'm thinking his lady made him spend his free time fixing up the dacha and off the internet.

[Calidissident]

My theory is he either got whacked by the Ukrainian Mafia or his lady friend was actually a temptress luring him into a Hosteleqsue fate.

[Ted S.]

This is why there are no libertarian women....

[Banjos]

Nice

[Almanian!]

Hope your ear feels better soon!

Fuckin' sloop probably gave it to you.

[anon]

What she gets for letting him fuck her ear.

[Almanian!]

I didn't want to snort pop out my nose, but I did...

[Heroic Mulatto]

What she gets for letting him fuck her ear.

Back where I come from, we call that "chicken style".

Don't ask me why.

[Coeus]

"Once you go black, you go deaf."

[Marshall Gill]

Back where I come from, we call that "chicken style".

This is just wrong. The idea of ear intercourse doesn't bother me but the idea that it is common enough to be a "style" is a bit creepy. SLD

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

That article is gold. Not just because the Yale guy admits he has lived in a left-wing bubble his entire career, but the comments are full of disgruntled left-wingers bitching about climate change and Keynesian economics and how the Tea Party can't possible be science literate because those things are FACTS

[OldMexican]

But then again, I don't know a single person who identifies with the Tea Party. All my impressions come from watching cable tv ? & I don't watch Fox News very often ? and reading the "paper" (New York Times daily, plus a variety of politics-focused internet sites like Huffington Post & Politico).

I'm a little embarrassed, but mainly I'm just glad that I no longer hold this particular mistaken view.

I don't know if the professor is making a confession or if he's trying to justify his own ignorance by blaming the "objective" news outlets that he frequents for his skewed view of Tea Party members. That is, if he's admitting he was closing his world willingly or if he thinks he was being taken for a ride.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Look, he admits he was wrong and he's embarrassed by it. Well, "a little embarrassed." And he's glad he's seen the light. So don't make fun of him, by academic standards he's quite open-minded.

[Fatty Bolger]

His na?vet? is worth a chuckle, but you're right. Kudos to him for allowing his eyes to be opened.

[CatoTheElder]

Give the guy some credit. At least he didn't cover up disconcerting data like the typical social "scientist" would do.

This guy should be commended because he formed a hypothesis, collected data, evaluated it honestly and realized his hypothesis was bogus.

He may still be a clueless phony liberal in a progressive bubble, but at least he did his job correctly.

[Juice]

I agree. This was the most surprising thing about it, how honest he was. (Or was he...?)

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Feminism is pro-pork -- who knew?

I have no doubt that Cruz's concerns for the well-being of his home state could fit into a thimble, and probably thinks that shit is beneath him anyway. He's part of a new, Tea Party-driven Republican party that exists purely as an ideological hate hard-on for liberalism and modernity, and that's it. I bet he's rolled his eyes at least once when his aides brought up the concept of constituent services. This is how it's going to be, especially in states where the Republican seat is safe.

For the Ted Cruzes of the world, the voters back home are nothing but a bunch of rubes who you can rile up with race-baiting, sexist, anti-government horseshit to gain power. I don't imagine he believes he owes those rubes diddly-squat.

There you go, folks. Being against pork is objectively misogynistic.

[Andrew S.]

I want to see a law stating that a warning label must be posted on all links to Amanduh's scribblings.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Those mandated sexual harassment seminars do not come for free, you know!

[Tejicano]

The view of reality she has through her femi-filter is so totally out of wack that it makes the story lines from my 4 year old's Pokemon video seem plausible.

In her mind anything that is not exactly in step with her desires is some bizarre, larger-than-life, political caricature writ in colors that boggle the mind.

[Rich]

Obama to Name Jeh Johsnon as Next DHS Chief

It's just so he Obama can get Jah Works to play at the confirmation party.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Slate's Jacob Weisberg laments the 'extremist' GOP, decline of conservative moderates

But for many Republican politicians, the incentives remain unchanged. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has done great harm to his party by instigating the showdown over Obamacare, but in the process he made himself into a national celebrity and the darling of the right. Many House Republicans will be home in their districts this weekend, bragging that they voted against the sell-out. In the mid-term election of 2014, no ultraconservative Republican is likely to face a moderate primary challenger with interest-group support and outside funding.

What the GOP needs to become a serious governing party again is a set of countervailing incentives and rewards to support what were once its cardinal virtues: respect for tradition and process, aversion to radical change, and willingness to compromise. For the moment, however, the Tea Party remains its dominant force?soundly beaten in this round to be sure, but unbowed, unrepentant, and still deliriously irresponsible.

Ironically, Weisberg is afraid of change: he wants the good ol' days of Newt Gingrich Republicans since he doesn't understand the Tea Party.

[John]

This is act 900,000 of the ongoing media drama "Republicans are always moderate and wonderful just as soon as they no longer politically relevant". No Republican ever meets the standard set by the dead or retired Republicans before them.

[PapayaSF]

Yeah, the partial rehabilitation is now up to Bush 41, previously known for "New World Order" fascism. How long before Bush 43 is the go-to example for the cries of "if only today's Republicans were more like him"?

[John]

Right around 2017.

[PapayaSF]

I'll bet we hear it in the 2016 campaign: "These Tea Party ideas are so extreme! George W. Bush was a moderate compared to this nut!"

[Winston]

Not to mention how good the old Republicans were despite the fact that he said the same things about those Republicans at the time.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Yeah, so my idea (which I've mentioned before) is: Have these journalists write and publish *now* all the compliments they intend to make of the current generation of Republicans once they're gone.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Slate's Jacob Weisberg laments the 'extremist' GOP, decline of conservative moderates

But for many Republican politicians, the incentives remain unchanged. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has done great harm to his party by instigating the showdown over Obamacare, but in the process he made himself into a national celebrity and the darling of the right. Many House Republicans will be home in their districts this weekend, bragging that they voted against the sell-out. In the mid-term election of 2014, no ultraconservative Republican is likely to face a moderate primary challenger with interest-group support and outside funding.

What the GOP needs to become a serious governing party again is a set of countervailing incentives and rewards to support what were once its cardinal virtues: respect for tradition and process, aversion to radical change, and willingness to compromise. For the moment, however, the Tea Party remains its dominant force?soundly beaten in this round to be sure, but unbowed, unrepentant, and still deliriously irresponsible.

Ironically, Weisberg is afraid of change: he wants the good ol' days of Newt Gingrich Republicans since he doesn't understand the Tea Party.

[PD Scott]

And there was much lamenting.

[tarran]

ROFL!

You mean a respect for process like allowing funding bills to originate in the house?

You mean a respect for process like passing a budget?

YOu mean a respect for process like respecting the Senate's power to veto presidential appointments?

Gosh, do we have that now with the Democrats?!?

My God, it must be humiliating to be Jacob Wiesberg's mom, not only knowing that her son is a blinkered idiot, but knowing that he's screaming his idiocy to the world.

[CE]

Many House Republicans will be home in their districts this weekend, bragging that they voted against the sell-out.

As well they should.

And many Tea Party citizens will be busy getting ready to replace the House Republicans who voted for the sell-out.

[John]

Just because Weisberg is apparently too stupid to remember when Gingrich was an evil Nihilist out to destroy the world, doesn't mean the rest of us are.

[Brandon]

It was only like a year ago, wasn't it? The 3 or 4 days when he was the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nom?

[John]

Yes. I forgot about that. I was thinking of the 1990s. But he was that again in 2012.

[Restoras]

I'd like to wade into the comments but am going to pass.

[CE]

The NSA and the CIA have been collaborating extensively in arranging summary executions in the form of drone strikes of unindicted suspected terrorists in foreign nations, a move sure to be greeted with quiet acceptance by Americans and the governments and citizens of those foreign nations.

[Michael S. Langston]

Yeah, isn't that quaint- using illegal domestic spying to help them plan their illegal murders.

#landofthefree

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

Here comes the wombat

[Rich]

Do those Ozzies have a *sheep* in the kitchen?

[Fatty Bolger]

Government employees are returning back to the hard work of controlling the country

Our long national nightmare is back on track.

[pmains]

Radical feminist tries to accuse Emily Yoffe, AKA Dear Prudence of "victim blaming," is then torn to pieces in the comments section.

It's Salon, so I assumed everyone would be on board with, "well, of course 13 year old girls have a right to get plastered around any malefactors they please, and anybody who tries to dissuade them from dangerous behavior is a patriarch who just fears ovaries." But, no. Most of the people commenting understood that there is a distinction to be made between protecting yourself from crime and blaming yourself for crime. My faith in humanity just grew. I feel like the Grinch when he learns to love Christmas and his heart grows.

[John]

The thing is that most women really are not self hating morons who wake up every day dreaming of getting some victim street creed with their fellow feminists. So, they actually have an interest in avoiding being raped, unlike Marcotte and the rest of the media feminists.

[anon]

Most women actually -like- sex. With Men even!

Oh the horror!

[John]

And they even want to marry men and have kids. And not just that, the actually like men who make decisions and kind of take care of them.

[pmains]

I think that's it. If you're demanding the "right" to put yourself into dangerous situations, it's because you hate yourself. You are desperately longing for somebody to love you, and you don't know how to get that love. Even if somebody did love you, you wouldn't recognize it. So, you settle for drama.

[John]

Doesn't that pretty much describe the entire staff of Jezebel?

[anon]

Is this also the reason that there are a few libertarian women?

[pmains]

Oh, because they are self-loathing, false-consciousness types who want to help the patriarchy keep oppressing women? Yes. That's precisely it. Virginia Postrel left us because she felt too empowered as the editor.

[#]

My response to this line is usually something along the lines of "do you keep your front door unlocked at night, because locking it would mean blaming the victom?"

[John]

Or sure you can get drunk and make out with a guy and be seen going into a bedroom with him rubbing his dick through his pants and you have every right to say no to sex. But after you do all of that, absent physical injury it is going to be pretty damned hard to prove that you said no. So if you think you might want to say no, you might want to avoid putting yourself in such a situation.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

ladies, he's single.

[Ruckus]

Love the time lapse accumulation of empty chip bags.

[Winston]

Boehner should change his name to Ludwig Kaas.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Alabama SoCons Upset Over Arabic Class

-One Alabama high school decided this year to offer an Arabic language class in place of a French course, and that has a number of local residents crying: "Sacre bleu!"

-Daphne High School, which is not far from Mobile, had an opening for a language instructor after its French teacher retired. So the school hired Sanaa El-Khattabi, a former University of South Alabama professor, to teach Arabic, the Birmingham News reported

-But practicality or popularity doesn't seem to matter to some local residents, who said the school is teaching "a culture of hate."

"When you teach Arabic, you have to teach the culture along with it," said Chuck Pyritz, who has two boys at Daphne High. "The culture is intertwined with Islam."

-"They're trying to indoctrinate our children with this culture that has failed," Rife said. "Why should we want to teach our kids a failed culture when we have a culture that has been successful? All we have to do is follow our Christian culture, which has brought this nation to the pinnacle of success.? I don't see why they would want to teach this."

http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separ.....classes-in

[Rich]

"When you teach Arabic, you have to teach the culture along with it," said Chuck Pyritz

"I still can't repress the awful exposure to 'Greek culture' I experienced at the, um, hands of my Classical Languages professor!"

[PD Scott]

"O-o-o-o-paa!"

[Eduard van Haalen]

The reporter found three parents (well, two parents and one grandparent) who voiced objections. The article also has this:

"Alan Lee, superintendent of the Baldwin County school system, said Daphne High, with an enrollment of about 1,400, includes students from 30 countries, and that offering Arabic is one of many ways that the school keeps an international focus and helps its graduates prepare for the global economy....

"Multilingual job candidates will have an advantage in the Alabama job market, given the variety of international companies, Lee said, including Airbus Americas, ThyssenKrupp, Outokumpu, Toyota and Hyundai.

""The growth of international businesses in the South is increasing exponentially," said Brian Heuser, a professor in international education policy at Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. "Those countries that decide not to learn languages, that decide not to invite immigrants from all parts of the world, are the ones that will fall behind in the global economy," he said.

""We also know that a lot of folks from the Arab world have relocated here," he said, particularly in the South. "We need to embrace this new global reality of having a multicultural society.""

[Eduard van Haalen]

Oh, and there's this:

"Pyritz cited the case of jihadist Omar Hammami, who grew up in Daphne, as a compelling reason that school systems should not offer courses in Arabic. "That's another red flag for us," he said.

"Hammami, who attended Daphne High, but did not graduate, is believed to have been killed a few weeks ago by members of his former Somali Islamist militant group, al-Shabab."

[Bo Cara Esq.]

So which are you going with, not many are concerned or they should be?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Please, there's nothing wrong with Arabic. The context is that this redneck backwater is a hotbed of multiculturalism. Like any multicultural community, you have some people who don't like their neighbors (*cough* New York City *cough*).

[Tejicano]

Soo... when the military or inteligence services need Arabic speakers to translate intercepted transmissions from suspected terrorists what country would these rednecks want us to source those translators from? I guess we could recruit some upstanding Murkin youth and have them drink some "Arabic speaking" juice or something.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"these rednecks"

aka these *three people* the reporter managed to find, who disagree with the policy of their *elected school officials.* In a state which has recruited more foreign business lately than the enlightened progressive states from which business is fleeing?

[Tejicano]

I admit that in this article they have not proved their assertation that many people are against this school teaching Arabic.

I was just pointing out where actual xenophobia (which I have seen first hand) doesn't quite grasp the outcomes of the actions it proposes.

[Eduard van Haalen]

The worst xenophobe I saw was a guy in New York. But sure, I've seen Southern bigots - not only one one race, either.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Salon rounds up a sociologist to explain the Tea Party

The Confederate flag ? is there some larger significance in that popping up when and where it did?

There's a strain in the Tea Party, especially at the grass roots, that's xenophobic and racist, and certainly the Confederate flag also symbolizes regional resistance to federal power ? there's lots of themes here that resemble nullification, and even the pre-Civil War crisis.

But I don't really think it's helpful to announce that the entire Tea Party base is racist. I don't think it's that simple. For one thing, they're just as riled up about immigration as they are about blacks. There's certainly a worry about a change in the social composition of America. But we found in our research that they also resent young people ? including in their own families.

They think young people are not measuring up. That the grandsons and daughters and nieces and nephews expect to get free college loans, and don't get a job, and hold ideas that are not very American in their view ? like Obama. Obama symbolizes all of this.

And for your average Salon reader, that's all they'll need to know. No need to associate with racist hicks.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It was one man with a Confederate flag, right? One guy. The fixation on one man at a rally is the height of disengenousness.

[PapayaSF]

Indeed. Every Occupy rally or peace march has more visible hammer and sickle symbols, but somehow those never prove anything.

[Tejicano]

And Che t-shirts, well they're just cool, or ironic, or you know, something the kids do which older folks just don't get.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"lots of themes here that resemble nullification, and even the pre-Civil War crisis."

Uh, he's aware that it was *Northern* states which were trying to resist (or "nullify," if you will) the federal Fugitive Slave Act in "the pre-Civil War crisis"?

[John]

What is funny is the people who are doing anything to save a 70 year old federal government structure and want the government regulating and controlling everything and publicly pine for a return to the 1950s and some imagined fantasy land of big labor, big corporate, big government security, are constantly accusing their opponents of being afraid of change.

If these people didn't have projection, they wouldn't have anything at all.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Well said.

[John]

Read Thomas Friedman sometime. The entire point of his books, in addition to name dropping and writing horrible prose, is that he is terrified of uncontrolled change. Every thought he has is driven by that fear.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

-Read Thomas Friedman sometime.

I know we disagree at times, but why would you wish something like that on me?

[John]

True. i am not that big of a monster. I had to read it for an Army course. And it was amazing how simple minded it all was and how obviously neurotic he is about change.

[BakedPenguin]

A couple of their big ideas are trains & public schools. Progress all the way to the 20th century, dicks.

[Juice]

Those are both 19th century inventions.

[Whahappan?]

Hence BP's exhortation for them to "progress" all the way up to the 20th century.

[NoVAHockey]

"But we found in our research that they also resent young people ? including in their own families."

ha. nice. fucking kids.

[Mickey Rat]

"...and hold ideas that are not very American in their view ? like Obama."

Obama has transcended physical form to become an idea?

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

HOW CAN YOU JUST SIT THERE WILL AUSTRALIA BURNS?

[anon]

I blame Bush(es).

[Almanian!]

+1 internetz

[Winston]

All Tony Abbott's fault.

[Almanian!]

Jesus. I remember they had horrible grass fires when I was in Product Development back in '07 or '08 - we were on the horn to our Aussie colleagues constantly. Fortunately, they didn't get hit, but the extent of the damage was immense and amazing and awful.

[Almanian!]

Sorry - they called them "brush" fires, not grass fires. Cause brush.

[Cytotoxic]

BUSH

[PD Scott]

I don't have a passport?

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Two high school freshmen charged with public indecency after girl gives boy blowjob in cafeteria

A school representative said the female student allegedly made a sexual offer to the male classmate during lunch. The male classmate later told administrators that he thought this offer was a joke, but when the female student began to act upon it, the male student said he stopped her.

"The guy who recorded it, he sent it to people?a lot (of people)," one student said.

Students said word of what happened and the video got around quickly.

"I don't think it's a responsible thing to do, but knowing our generation, you know, we don't really think before we act and we just send it off," student Callie Goldman said.

The school district issued a statement, saying, "Two juvenile Etowah High School students were charged with misdemeanor public indecency for an incident that occurred on Oct. 10. Appropriate school disciplinary action will also occur."

Students said the teens involved hid what was happening so effectively, even people at the next table had no idea what was going on.

"They stacked up a bunch of books and book bags and people surrounded them so that nobody would see," student Taylor Powell said.

Kids these days.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

so glad there were no phone cameras when I was in HS. Daguerreotype machines take a lot longer to set up.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"By Jove, sir, if you don't sit still for another half-hour the picture will get all blurry! And, madam, I must ask you to sit upright."

[CE]

At least you could get high off the copiers back then.

[Rich]

Indeed. It was probably a "rainbow party".

[Bobarian]

Was there butt-chugging?

[CE]

Administrators are reviewing the video to determine the appropriate punishments.

[PD Scott]

If no one could see it, how is it public indecency?

[Coeus]

Students said the teens involved hid what was happening so effectively, even people at the next table had no idea what was going on.

"They stacked up a bunch of books and book bags and people surrounded them so that nobody would see," student Taylor Powell said.

Prison style. These kids are already developing the skills they will need to succeed in a nation with the highest per-capita prison population on the planet.

[Juice]

They don't call it Day Prison for nothing.

[lafe.long]

"...but when the female student began to act upon it, the male student said he stopped her."

..obviously a colloquialism:

stopped: v. 3 [ trans. ] block or close up (a hole or leak) : he tried to stop the hole with the heel of his boot

[Mickey Rat]

How difficult is it to stop someone from giving you a blowjob before they start giving you a blowjob, particularly if you have your pants on?

[GILMORE]

Mickey Rat|10.18.13 @ 6:54AM|#

How difficult is it to stop someone from giving you a blowjob before they start giving you a blowjob

You'd be surprised! I have a similar problem. I wrote an editorial about it.

Why Do All These Homosexuals Keep Sucking My Cock?

http://www.theonion.com/articl.....ock,11150/

Look, I'm not a hateful person or anything?I believe we should all live and let live. But lately, I've been having a real problem with these homosexuals. You see, just about wherever I go these days, one of them approaches me and starts sucking my cock.

Take last Sunday, for instance, when I casually struck up a conversation with this guy in the health-club locker room. Nothing fruity, just a couple of fellas talking about their workout routines while enjoying a nice hot shower. The guy looked like a real man's man, too?big biceps, meaty thighs, thick neck. He didn't seem the least bit gay. At least not until he started sucking my cock, that is.

I've got nothing against homosexuals. Let them be free to do their gay thing in peace, I say. But when they start sucking my cock, I've got a real problem.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Dear Prudence: Help! I just found out I once had sex with my crush's brother

Dear Prudence,
Ten years ago I was in my early 20s, living in a large city and having fun. I went on a date with an attractive man but he told me things about himself that seemed too good to be true, so I ruled him out as a potential boyfriend. But we did go to a hotel and had a tawdry one-night stand. Today I have an amazing career that has taken me to a rural location. A year ago a new friend invited me to supper and presto, her husband is the hookup from my past. He did not give any indication of knowing who I was. I have since determined that they didn't know each other when he and I had our date. (And it turns out he was telling me the truth about his life.) I see my friend frequently, and see them as a couple occasionally. Because I live in a small town, finding romance has been difficult. Until now. I recently met an attractive man and we both feel a sincere connection to each other. It turns out he is the brother of my friend's husband. Do I have any responsibility to disclose to this new man that I had a tawdry night with his brother 10 years ago?

I doubt he remembers.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Dear Prudence,

Won't you come out to play?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-2lMstw6qs

[John]

Do I have any responsibility to disclose to this new man that I had a tawdry night with his brother 10 years ago?

Not unless he really gets off on that kind of thing. But even then save it for an anniversary or special occasion.

[PD Scott]

It's a (really) small world after all?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Ha, tawdry.

[jesse.in.mb]

Someone likes sabotaging good relationships.

[playa manhattan]

It's not that big a deal. My best friend got married last weekend, and 4 of the groomsman had banged her in the past, including the grooms brother. It was understood that it not be mentioned at the wedding or reception.

[jesse.in.mb]

Go on...

[playa manhattan]

Well, I did get really drunk and start yelling "How dare you wear white!" at the end of the reception, but everybody was just as drunk and though it was funny.

Oh, and two of the guys had a devil's threesome with the bride a few years ago. That's some solid gossip..

Lovely bride, though...

[Calidissident]

Were you one of the four?

[jesse.in.mb]

An interesting question, but more importantly, was he one of the two?

[playa manhattan]

No, it was his little brother and another guy. He is aware of it, though.

[playa manhattan]

No, I've been with my wife for 13 years. I did hear some of it through the wall at a party, though.

[GILMORE]

"It was understood that it not be mentioned at the wedding or reception."

Oh, but that's what friends are for! ROAST@!! That really is fodder for some GRADE A material.

My buddy had his second wedding recently, and my 2 other best friends there had also been remarried... my line was, "I'm so proud to see my friends find happiness... I mean, I feel like I have so much catching up to do myself... these three guys have found happiness *6 times* already, and I'm still working on just 1...." (DEEP RESOUNDING BOOS, INCLUDING THE PRIEST)

[Tejicano]

I would say that it all depends on whether the man of her dreams has - or will ever have - a reason to suspect it.

Back in grad school a buddy of mine was secret fuck-buddies with a girl I ended up dating later. She knew he and I were buddies - he lived upstairs from me and we all hung out. There was good reason to think that I knew about them.

Even though she was my GF for over a year she never owned up to it. I only prodded at it once or maybe twice but never made a deal of it. But the fact that she would continue to hide it made things difficult.

I have had relationships with polyamorous women before so I don't have a problem that a woman has had - or even currently continues to have - other partners. Knowing that she is hiding the fact is what makes it difficult.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Jezebel: Still miffed at fitness mom Maria Kang

Matt Lauer asked Kang whether or not, if she could do it all over again, she would change the phrase "Whats your excuse?" to something else. She replied: "A lot of people say that I should say, 'If can do it, so can you.' But I mean, honestly, if I were to put that, it might come out as 'Well, I can do it so can you,' ? it's really, again, that dialogue that's happening in that person's head." See guys? It's not her, it's you. This argument is similar to what she wrote in her "apology":

What you interpret is not MY fault. It's yours. The first step in owning your life, your body and your destiny is to OWN the thoughts that come out of your own head. I didn't create them. You created them.

Always remember: How you react to her is your problem!

That last sentence is sarcasm but it really shouldn't be.

[John]

No it shouldn't be. But really doesn't that sum up everything Jezebel stands for? All of their neurosis and insecurities are our problem not theirs.

[Coeus]

Agreed. It encapsulates them perfectly.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Oh fuck:

I said this on the original article, but she needs therapy, badly. She's mentioned she's dealt with body image issues and eating disorders of her own - it is very, very common for someone with an ED to project the hate and control they need to feel over their body out to others. Even if she's no longer actively participating in ED behaviors, she's still under a pattern where she was taught that people who don't look a certain way are worth less and that controlling your eating is a sign of strength. It's very likely that even though she's now at what might be considered a great body, that she still very much dislikes herself and feels the need to make her self feel better by projecting hate and superiority out to others (because what's really saying is "I'm better than you - I look like this and you don't")

She doesn't need to stop being smug; she needs to address her own issues and work on not turning them outward at the very least. She is a bully, and like almost all bullies, needs help too.

[John]

That is right. She needs to get over her mental issues and gain 30 or forty pounds and stop being attractive. Nothing says healthy and well adjusted like being over weight.

[tarran]

She doesn't need to stop being smug; she needs to address her own issues and work on not turning them outward at the very least.

Or maybe she did work through her issues and is telling you jackasses that she doesn't give a flying fuck about your attempts to shame her...

You know, like mentally healthy people do when confronted by whiny woman-children whose mental age lags several decades behind their biological one?

[sloopyinca]

it is very, very common for someone with an ED to project the hate and control they need to feel over their body out to others.

Huh. I thought it as hard for someone with ED to project...at all.

[Tejicano]

Yeah, I had to re-read and redefine "ED" too.

"ED" - "she" - "project" - wuh?

[Eduard van Haalen]

Eh, if you like Kang you should take a gander at Kodos. She's smoking hot!

[Cytotoxic]

Is there any news on any efforts to primary McConnell and Boner? Because I want that. I only want that.

[Coeus]

Feminist gets pissed at being collectivized.

The irony is thicker than molasses on this one.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Posted on a blog not ironically named 'GROUPTHINK'!

[Marc F Cheney]

A study has found "profound abnormalities" in the brains

You play some high school football, Shriek?

[lafe.long]

Obama to Congress: Time to Ignore 'Activists,' 'Bloggers,' and 'Talking Heads on Radio'

"We don't know yet the full scope of the damage, but every analyst believe it slowed our growth," the president said of the shutdown. He said that consumer spending, new home buying, and hiring have slowed as a result of the shutdown.

...

"All my friends in Congress, understand that how business is done in this town has to change," Obama said. "Because we've all got a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people, and that includes the hard work of regaining their trust."

[PD Scott]

Man, if all those things are true then government must be way too powerful for the good of the country. I'm sure the President will reach out to Congress on ways to shrink the government so that it's pernicious effects on the economy can be abated.

[Brandon]

All Congressmen should only read the NY Times and HuffPo. Like Obama. Then they can be worldly and well rounded.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

They should also be issued copies of Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope, with reading strongly 'encouraged'.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Dreams of My Struggle
The Little Me Book

[Pro Libertate]

Mein Kampfy Chair.

[BakedPenguin]

Okay, I was laughing at this for two straight minutes.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, okay, then. First, cut spending. All the way down to revenues.

Next, reduce government to constitutional limits.

Finally, launch yourself and the rest of the government to another planet and do not return to Earth.

[jesse.in.mb]

I believe the people of Golgafrincham already tried this with their hairdressers and telephone sanitizers and look how that turned out for them?

[Pro Libertate]

Very well. They can just go visit the Volgon Golden Globe Awards for Poetry, then.

[lafe.long]

+1 towel

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

There is no more disturbing look into the American Psyche than the "Popular on Facebook" list on Netflix.

[anon]

I was just ranting about that to the woman I share a bed with the other night!

"What the fuck is this bullshit 'popular on facebook?' who the fuck actually watches this shit?"

[Coeus]

Think progress does math.

And the comments are even funnier:

Jim Athanas ? Top Commenter
Look. you all need to do research. Spending is at its lowest since WWII. We've reduced the deficit by more than 2 1/2 trillion dollars. It would have been more but republicans blocked it. Almost all of those reductions are from cuts, not tax icreases. That is what is wrong with the republican party, they don't research, they rely on others words. Until they learn how to research, this crisis to crisis governing will never cease.
Reply ? 8 ? ? 5 hours ago

Stephen Kroll ? Principal at Steve Kroll and Associates, LLC.
Called sequestration!
Reply ? 1 ? ? 5 hours ago

Jim Athanas ? Top Commenter
nope, sequestration came after the cuts. Obama's plan would have cut 4 trillion from the budget, including removing the subsidies from oil. But republicans shut it down. So Obama proposed sequestration thinking it would assist in getting a deal. Republicans bought into it thinking Obama wouldn't let it happen and would give in to their demands, just like this time. Research, my friend, research. Turn off Fox and Limbaugh.
Reply ? 6 ? ? 4 hours ago

[Coeus]

Susan Murphy ? Top Commenter ? University of Wisconsin?Oshkosh
Would someone explain to me, why the oil companies need subsidies?? They are making money hand over fist. It seems that they really don't need government subsidies. Give that money to some of our programs that use the money for people. How about infrastructure!!!
Reply ? ? 2 hours ago

Victoria Lamb Hatch ? Top Commenter
Susan Murphy -- Subsidies began a little over a century ago (give or take) because turning petroleum into energy in a practical manner was a brand new technology and needed support to develop.

Then, once developed to the point where our very way of life depended on it (think 40's and 50's), the subsidies continued because, well, we depended on oil. And we needed as much of it as we could get at as low a price as possible. There were no viable energy alternatives, and what got drilled here mostly stayed here.

[Coeus]

Now, we have emerging alternatives that require the same kind of financial support to develop as oil did a century ago (alternatives that the oil companies lobby Congress hard to ensure no money is given to them). And oil? Not only has it become apparent that it's not a renewable resource, but what gets subsidized doesn't even necessarily benefit our country. Petroleum is sold on the global market -- meaning that if we drill for oil in this country and Japan is willing to pay more for it than we are, it goes to Japan. Yet we still subsidize it. While the oil companies make billions hand over fist, as you say. And if we suggest they can survive without subsidies, they start screaming about "reducing our dependence on foreign oil", which is a complete joke. All the subsidies in the world won't change their selling oil to the highest bidder.
Reply ? ? about an hour ago

[sloopyinca]

Isn't Steven Kroll one of us? I distinctly remember his name somewhere on H&R.

[Calidissident]

Those comments gave me cancer

[Coeus]

Krugman gets honored for his commitment to freedom.

Two thoughts:

1. I was deeply honored to be in that company. As I said, the other honorees are brave people who have taken big personal risks; I just sit in an office and write stuff, and I even get paid for it.

2. If you look at the event, it was kind of a Tea Party nightmare. That is, if your vision of America doesn't include religious, ethnic, and racial diversity, this was definitely not your kind of thing. On the other hand, for those of us with a different vision it was a quintessentially American moment ? e pluribus unum, right up there on stage.

[MJGreen]

A loathsome person. It's even sadder if this really is his wife writing for him.

[sloopyinca]

Let's take these peoples' bios one at a time, shall we?

FREEDOM MEDAL: WENDELL BERRY

wberrybio.pngWhether Wendell Berry is writing poetry, fiction, or essays, his message is essentially the same: humans must learn to live in harmony with the natural rhythms of the earth or perish. His works include the Port William series, The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture, and Bringing It to the Table: On Farming and Food. He has won numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Fiction writer has, for some reason, earned a "freedom medal" for writing the kind of shit that says people should not be free to do what they want if it might hurt Gaia.

And I'm sorry, but getting a NEA grant is about as difficult as pissing in a jar. Fuck that asshole.

[sloopyinca]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH: PAUL KRUGMAN

pkrugmanbio.pngNobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman is a professor of economics and international affairs at Princeton University and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. Prior to his appointment at Princeton, Krugman served on the faculty at MIT, taught at Yale and Stanford, and served on the President's Council of Economic Advisers under Ronald Reagan.

I believe this douchebag has been addressed at length, so I'll spare you all my rant.

[sloopyinca]

FREEDOM FROM FEAR: AMEENA MATTHEWS

amatthewsbio.pngAmeena Matthews's work as an "interrupter" for Cure Violence was documented in the acclaimed documentary The Interrupters. In this role, she aggressively mediates conflicts, arbitrating between individuals and even physically stepping into the middle of them in order to prevent their escalation to physical violence. Cure Violence has been extremely successful in reducing violent altercations in some of Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods, with Matthews serving as an influential face of the organization nationally and internationally.

Freedom from fear in Chicago involves allowing people to defend themselves against violence. This poor woman is "the face" of a movement that creates a shooting gallery for Chicago gangs and places the citizenry, especially the women and children, at great risk to bodily harm and death by eliminating their right to self-defense.

[Juice]

I don't know anything about this person or her organization, but I can't see anything wrong about what she is doing as described above. I just went to their website here. So far, in perusing the site, I can't find anything objectionable. In fact, it looks pretty effective at reducing violence.

[sloopyinca]

FREEDOM FROM WANT: COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS

ciworkers.pngThe Coalition of Immokalee Workers is a farm worker organization that is spearheading the national movement for Fair Food. With its Fair Food Program, launched in 2010 in over 90 percent of Florida's $600 million tomato industry, the CIW has created a sustainable blueprint for worker-driven corporate social responsibility, winning fairer wages; work with dignity; and freedom from forced labor, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace for nearly 100,000 workers.

Um, what the fuck do these accomplishments even mean? "Forced labor" hasn't existed in America for about 150 years. And harassment and violence in the workplace are already against the law. As for "winning fair wages," the market decides what is and isn't fair. It always has and always will. As for the "work with dignity" claim, isn't that up to the individual? Can people not be dignified in what they do without someone advocating on their behalf?

[Juice]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.....ee_Workers

The CIW helps fight this crime by uncovering, investigating, and assisting in the federal prosecution of slavery rings preying on hundreds of farmworkers. In such situations, captive workers are held against their will by their employers through threats and, all too often, the actual use of violence ? including beatings, shootings, and pistol-whippings.

Yup. Against the law. And sometimes it's even prosecuted. When these people get involved.

And I'm only doing a quick read of their wiki page here, but I can't find anything where they used something besides "the market" to acheive what they consider "fair wages."

[sloopyinca]

FREEDOM OF WORSHIP: SISTER SIMONE CAMPBELL

scampbell.pngSister Simone Campbell has served as the Executive Director of NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobby, since 2004. She is a religious leader, attorney, and poet. She wrote the "nuns letter" supporting health care reform and got 59 leaders of Catholic Sisters to sign. She is perhaps best known for the Nuns on the Bus tour of nine states she organized in 2012 to oppose the Ryan Budget, which received an avalanche of national media attention.

OK, I kinda get this one.

[Eduard van Haalen]

The same Simone Campbell who complains about her group being harassed by Pope Francis (or "Pope Frances" as she calls him)?

http://articles.washingtonpost.....re-vatican

[sloopyinca]

Yeah, that's her. I guess maybe I don't "get it" after all. She's trying to use the government to coerce people into her way of having things.

Go ahead and lump her in with the other assholes and useful idiots.

[Coeus]

Does the NYT even have a fact-checker?

The European Parliament also voted to ban flavored cigarettes three years after the rules are finalized and menthol cigarettes after eight years. The 2009 American law banned flavored cigarettes but left a decision on menthol to the F.D.A., which has not yet proposed any regulations. Studies have shown that flavored cigarettes make smoking more appealing to kids and young people and make it harder for addicted smokers to quit.

The most controversial part of the European rules concerned electronic cigarettes, the battery-powered devices that people use to inhale nicotine vapors. These devices are safer than conventional cigarettes because they do not contain carcinogens and other toxic substances from burning tobacco. But nicotine in any form is highly addictive and can be dangerous, especially to young people. Under pressure from the makers of e-cigarettes, European lawmakers rejected a proposal to regulate those products as drug-delivery devices. But they did vote to confine their sale to adults and applied the same marketing and advertising rules to these products that apply to conventional cigarettes ? a significant improvement.

[Eduard van Haalen]

The NYT has a fact-checker just so they can say they have one. He is given a plush office away from computers and phones. The only part of the paper he checks is the crosswords, so he makes sure that part's accurate. In fact, he doesn't know the paper has any other sections.

[Jon Lester]

I'm amused at how often people have tried to appeal directly to Putin for the latest cause du jour, as if they really believe he's a total autocrat, only for him to basically say, no, we have a constitutional government here, with separation of powers, and I really can't do anything about that now.

[Stilgar]

Wow..junk science "The experiment entailed asking 13 former NFL players and a comparison group of 60 volunteers to rearrange coloured balls in a series of tubes in as few steps as possible." 13? And 13 who felt they were having some issues.

How about instead you test a meaningful sample of NFL rookies, 5 year vets, 10 year vets and then compare to the general population.

[dora622]

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[ITUPOKER.COM]

then so WHAT..??? playing poker ?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

My excuse? You know, I am just so busy these days.