Graham Threatens To Block Obama Nominees, Texas Abortion Restrictions Ruled Unconstitutional, Shaq Endorses Christie: P.M. Links

Credit: United States Senate/wikimedia

• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says that he will block votes on all of President Obama's latest nominees until the Obama administration releases more information about survivors of last year's attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
• Ohio will be switching one of the drugs it uses for executions after the European manufacturer of pentobarbital banned the sale of the drug for use in executions.
• Israel plans to release 26 Palestinian prisoners later this week.
• President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties. 
• A federal judge has ruled that new abortion restrictions passed by Texan lawmakers are unconstitutional.
• Shaquille O'Neal has endorsed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
• Penn State will pay $59.7 million to 26 young men sexually abused by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says that he will block votes on all of President Obama's latest nominees until...

I take it Lindsey's up for re-election.

[Hyperion]

He's gonna get primaried and OH BOY IS THIS GONNA BE GOOD!

[Almanian!]

This is so very brave of Senator Shitstain.

What a cocksucker. Hope he gets primaried, the useless fuck.

[Killazontherun]

Watch out for the deals he makes between the moment he gets primaried and the one where he steps down. Guarantee you, we will all get fucked over due to his butthurt spite.

[Tonio]

Could you please stop using c********* as an insult?

[Almanian!]

crabapple? corndogger? That's not what I said - I'm confused.

[jesse.in.mb]

He makes a good point though. Can you think of anyone who deserves more plaudits than givers of oral sex? Make today a hug a cocksucker or cunning linguist day.

[Nazdrakke]

or cunning linguist day.

I'm not hugging HM no matter how much gets offered.

[jesse.in.mb]

I'm sure he'll be deeply disappointed. Hug a cunning linguist day is his favorite holiday.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

But the hug is very awkward.

[Heroic Mulatto]

The Black man handshake plus hug with three slaps on the back is acceptable.

[Nazdrakke]

Oh, hell, that's no problem, then. What's the calendar date again?

[Nazdrakke]

Seriously? Need some aloe for that butthurt? It's a word.

[Enough About Palin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbZhpf3sQxQ

[Tonio]

Seriously. I made a simple request. I don't see where that constitutes butt-hurt.

[BakedPenguin]

This is why there are no gay libertarians.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

In the case of Senator Graham, it's just a statement of fact. He sucks cocks. Literally.

[Gbob]

I have my cock sucked daily. I even sucked a cock before. I feel like I have every right to use the word, cocksucker. It's my cocksucking word, and if you don't like it, then suck my cock.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

That's a lot of cocks!

[Rich]

"May you never have your blah blahed again!"

[Tonio]

No freebies for assholes, sorry Gbob.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Sweargen!

[Bobarian]

Yes, Woo.

[sloopyinca]

Does Lindsey Graham look like E.T.?

He certainly looks like Jerry Jones's love child.

[Francisco d Anconia]

He looks like a punchable Keebler Elf.

[Swiss Servator, Yodelriffic!]

Comment of the Day!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties.

Balance, of course, using those super special top secret Obama scales.

[wareagle]

90/10 is a form of balance, no?

[CE]

The Feds were never supposed to "balance" civil liberties and law enforcement. The were supposed to obey the law themselves and not violate any civil liberties in the process, and investigate counterfeiting, piracy and treason. Everything else was up to the states.

[Ted S.]

President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!111!1!!

[Entropy Void]

... and you get to keep your health insurance plan and doctor, too!

[Gene]

I bet every quarter of weed he sold when he was in school was light.

[Rich]

-1

[a better weapon]

He doesn't even know what the FBI is currently up to, how could he possibly know what they will be up to?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Because Obama is a really smart guy who's super smart.

[Mad Scientist]

Also, we can totally trust him!

[Entropy Void]

Toppest of all Top Men! Why, he is gonna singlehandedly fix that website that the RethugliKKKans screwed up in 30 days AND give every one in the world a cell phone!!1111!1

[gaijin]

Sort of funny. Seems like a lot of potential gold in tech error messages.

Error 404 Bumpersticker

[gaijin]

*Please note that I in no way endorse the solicitation being made.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Too late. I already donated to them on your recommendation.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Ohio will be switching one of the drugs it uses for executions after the European manufacturer of pentobarbital banned the sale of the drug for use in executions.

Death by Huey Lewis.

[gaijin]

That would be some bad news

[Hillary's Clitdong]

You are walking on a thin line.

[Almanian!]

He's hot and cold

[Hillary's Clitdong]

Look, you crack me up with comments like this, but bad is bad.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

That pun was terrible. But I guess we're stuck with you.

[Gray Ghost]

They want a new drug, that'll kill them heart and soul.

[gaijin]

I ain't perfect.

[CE]

And happy about it.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Bravo, Fist. Bravo.

[Bobarian]

Cruel and Unusual.

Golf Clap!!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

You underestimate the power of love. It just might save your life!

[Enough About Palin]

You Crack Me Up

[CE]

Convict: If this is it, please let me know.

[jesse.in.mb]

Israel plans to release 26 Palestinian prisoners later this week.

Can we get Jon Goldberg's opinion on this please? It REALLY matters.

[Heroic Mulatto]

No.

[jesse.in.mb]

What could go wrong with invoking the latest Jew-hating incarnation of American?

[Derpetologist]

No answer from Marcotte yet:

http://platedlizard.blogspot.c.....e-yet.html

OT: http://platedlizard.blogspot.c.....se-he.html

[Tonio]

Thanks for the update.

I'd meant to comment before - it's a sign of her intellectual bankruptcy that she'll only respond to critiques from well-read sources. Valid points are valid points, no matter who raises them.

[BakedPenguin]

Also, thanks for (previously) linking to a video by Karen Straughan. Her analytical abilities are impressive, even if I don't agree with every thing she says.

[rts]

We could fix our economy by giving every man, woman and child ?6,000 in cash

QE of ?375bn amounts to around ?6,000 per man, woman and child in the UK. So why not electronically add this to the current accounts of every member of the public? Why not give the QE money directly to ordinary people to spend, save or pay off their debts?

Futurama did it.

Bonus misunderstanding of Friedman.

[gaijin]

What I don't get about these schemes is why there advocates always think so small. If 6K pounds is good, shouldn't 60,000 be great?

[rts]

If the minimum wage were $100 / hr, we'd all be rich!

[CE]

Give everyone 6 million and we can all retire.

[Lord at War]

Not enough!

Despite the fact that I will have earned about $2.5 million during my life, I am not allowed to have an an insurance plan with a $6 million life-time limit.

[tarran]

Some of you might have suffered from the Anyclips ad in the upper right corner randomly deciding to unmute itself and play movie trailers at a loud volume.

The incompetents and or assholes responsible for this work for Ybrant Digital marketing, (apparent motto "we put the K in Quality").

Here is the solution to permanently get rid of it. Tell your computer to ignore any attempt to get data from the offending advertisement server:

1) Follow the instructions in the links below to open the hosts file for editing:

Windows
Mac
Linux: RTFM

2) Enter the following snippet as the last line in the file (whitespace are tabs):

127.0.0.1 tag.ybrant.hiro.tv

3) Save the file.

The benefit is, of course, that if enough people do this, Google will boot Ybrant from Reason's ad rotation (no clicks mean advertisers get fired).

[gaijin]

apparent motto "we put the K in Quality"

I laughed out loud.

[BakedPenguin]

That's an excellent line and is totally stolen.

[Ted S.]

I'm getting an IMG ad from "comparecards.com" that I must have gotten someplace else, since I only have cached images set to load here.

[Ted S.]

That is, I'm getting that ad in the upper right; I'm not getting a Flash ad there.

I'm also getting an ad from Tennis Express, but that's not surprising since I'm a tennis fan. Google knows I've visited a tennis forum recently....

[Fist of Etiquette]

I had put *.hiro.tv in the restricted sites in IE. I don't know if it worked or if coincidentally I stopped getting those ads in the rotation.

[MP]

AdBlock. 'nuff said.

[Juice]

I used to not care about ads but lately they've been just obnoxious and I couldn't take it anymore and finally installed Adblock a few months ago. It really is the way to go.

[Tonio]

Easier: Leave speakers muted at all times since there are many annoying things on the web.

[Ted S.]

I listen to podcasts most of the time that I have my computer on.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Never before seen original Star Wars bloopers and outtakes

[font_of_stupidity]

Can't view from work, but I'll bet there's one in the Cantina where Han Solo shoots Greedo without Greedo getting off a single shot. How hilarious! Imagine, a trigger-happy spice runner just shooting preemptively! Ha ha ha!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

It's weird seeing Peter Cushing break down laughing.

And it must have sucked to be a stormtrooper extra

[Fist of Etiquette]

I'VE SEEN THESE BEFORE.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

How many Bothans died to get you that footage?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Not enough.

[rts]

B.C. liquor law review website closes in 4 days

The Liquor Policy Review consultation process, which launched in September, will end on Thursday.

Dozens of people and organizations have made submissions since the website opened, including the Vancouver Canucks, who are asking for the ability to serve hard liquor at concessions.

[Ted S.]

I remember the bitching three years ago when the women's hockey team won the gold medal, and they celebrated with a huge bottle of Molson at center ice.

[Almanian!]

What a laugh - IT'S THE LAND OF BOB AND DOUG, EH? TAKE OFF!

[Jerry on the boat]

...including the Vancouver Canucks, who are asking for the ability to serve hard liquor at concessions.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Mickey Rat]

That happened without hard liquor, they must figure they can't go any lower.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties.

He has the guy's phone records and email messages to prove it.

[OldMexican]

Snap!

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

UN to create asteroid defense group

The General Assembly last week gave the green light to an asteroid defense plan drawn up by the former astronauts at the Association of Space Explorers, Scientific American reports. The plan calls for member nations to join forces in an "International Asteroid Warning Group" committed to sounding the alarm if a dangerous rock is spotted. A spacecraft would then be launched to knock the asteroid off course.

The ASE also wants the U.N. to run a practice deflection mission, to make sure the method actually works.

Of course the UN will maintain its peace-keeping policies and no action against the asteroid can be taken unless the asteroid shoots first.

[gaijin]

A spacecraft would then be launched to knock the asteroid off course.

Something tells me this is the full text of the group's plan.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

"And Bruce Willis will stay behind to blow up the asteroid, while Ben Affleck will get to come back to Earth and bang Liv Tyler some more."

[Bobarian]

Liv Tyler, as portrayed by Cartman's hand.

[C. Anacreon]

......and here comes dozens of Armageddon jokes.

[C. Anacreon]

Wow, two even came in before I could post the prediction.

[Mad Scientist]

No one's joking about banging Liv Tyler.

[CE]

We want to be permanently exempt from income taxes.

[a better weapon]

Why not just train drillers to be astronauts?

[Hillary's Clitdong]

Why not just send Warty to the asteroid?

[a better weapon]

No way, he needs to stay here!

I'm convinced Warty is the only reason the asteroids HAVEN'T struck us yet. He repulses even the most massive asteroids away from our orbit.

[Mad Scientist]

Because that's just what he wants us to do. When the asteroid enters the atmosphere and burns up, Warty's remains will rain down on all of us. He will enter the water supply, and then, at long last, Warty will be in all of us!

[Enough About Palin]

I though he already has been.

[Swiss Servator, Yodelriffic!]

Now I have an image of Warty riding the meteor to Earth ala the last bomb in Dr. Strangelove.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Why not just train drillers to be astronauts?

I'm an idea man, Chuck.

*Speaks into recorder...feed tuna fish mayonnaise*

[CE]

As long as it's artisanal.

[Rasilio]

Their first action will be to issue a sternly worded letter to any asteroids found to be in objectionable orbits

[Ted S.]

Seen in the sidebar here, linking to 24/7:

Teacher in India Suspended For Having Specially-Abled Student Give Her Foot Massage

I hope those abilities are special!

[jesse.in.mb]

As long as the teacher isn't in to shrimping it's probably harmless.

[Bobarian]

Kid's name was Tony Rocky-Horror.

Marcelus was pissed.

[Anomalous]

I didn't see any mention of him getting thrown off a building.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Shit yeah. He's got his technique down and everything, he don't be ticklin' or nothin'.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Sen. Graham should just come out of the closet already. It's 2013, now. No one cares,and I'm sure he'd be happier.

[Tonio]

Please, no. You guys can keep him.

[Jordan]

President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties.

"If you like your current civil liberties, you can keep them."

[Tonio]

^This

[rts]

Reduce working week to 30 hours, say economists

Cutting the hours we work each week to 30 instead of 40 would improve our wellbeing, our family life, friendships and communities, they say.

Combined with a range of new career breaks, it could also lower carbon emissions, it was argued.

[Bam!]

Another benefit of ObamaCare.

[Hyperion]

We can also all work at home, every day, after we no longer have a job.

WIN/WIN!

[Ted S.]

Almost any policy, no matter how wacky, will be given a respectful hearing if it's presented as reducing carbon admissions.

[Fatty Bolger]

Nothing is stopping people from working 30 hours a week right now, if that's what they want to do, and somebody is willing to pay them for it.

[Bobarian]

Eating things that happen to wander into your backyard, because you can't afford to buy food not only reduces carbon, it's also quick and convienient.

[Almanian!]

So this is the REAL lesson of Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman? Zimmerman was just trying to get a quick dinner?

*mind blown*

[font_of_stupidity]

You MONSTER!!!

[OldMexican]

Re: rts

Cutting the hours we work each week to 30 instead of 40 would improve our wellbeing, our family life, friendships and communities, they [the tenured bastards with no worry in life] say.

Easy for them to say that.

[a better weapon]

I don't see how lowering hours and increasing FTEs reduces carbon emmissions.

Now you have 6 employees commuting in beaters instead of 3 in Priuses (what's the plural for Prius anyways?)

[Mad Scientist]

what's the plural for Prius anyways

Pricks.

[a better weapon]

Not increasing FTEs but number of employees to fulfill the duties of current FTEs*

[Banjos]

"what's the plural for Prius anyways?"

smug alert

[CE]

Prii.

[Medical Physics Guy]

70s flashback!!!

[CE]

40 hour workweeks? That would be awesome. Some of us hit that by Wednesday.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Christine Pelosi: Halloween is not about hate; don't wear blackface as a costume

Halloween costumes reveal as much as they disguise. So when white partygoers pose as shooter George Zimmerman pointing two fingers gun-style at a blackface, bloodstained Trayvon Martin over a laughing lady leprechaun for Halloween, it is time once again to remember that Halloween is no excuse for hate.
[...]
First, the blackface. White people still need to educate each other that blackface has no place in civilized society. Blackface is not "traditional" or "historic" or "makeup" for Halloween or any day of the year. Wearing blackface is as tasteless as waving a confederate flag and rebel yelling the black First Family in the White House -- and its defense including by friends of the tasteless trio is equally revolting. Simply put: blackface is unacceptable. Just don't do it. For those who say it's not about race, a thought exercise: what if a black man had dressed in "whiteface" as a white murder victim of a black defendant? Yes, you can imagine the FOX-fueled false equivalence hysteria from here.

The irony is that without hate this woman wouldn't have a career harping about stuff.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Added bonus:

Fifth, Halloween dressing up doesn't mean dressing without conscience. Yes you are still you on Halloween -- and if you are around kids, you are a role model for them. Children will look at your costume choices to see the world you imagine for them. Costumes steeped in white male privilege reinforce the racist and sexist stereotypes we are trying to overcome.

Gee, now I kinda want to dress up and assert my White-Hispanic Male privilege. Maybe I can be the Fonz again like last year.

[Jordan]

Why do you hate jukeboxes?

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Jukeboxes need to check their machine privilege!

[New West Republic]

Remember. Machines: They're full of kids.

[B.P.]

"Okay everyone, for the next six months we will use the word 'privilege' hundreds of times a day until it has lost all meaning. Pass it on."

[Bam!]

I'm a cat not a costume.

[Jordan]

Other fine examples.

[Almanian!]

That's on the Twitter right now...

[Ted S.]

Burglar cats

[BakedPenguin]

That was a pretty good job by Matthews. He might have a career in acting after football.

[Coeus]

For those who say it's not about race, a thought exercise: what if a black man had dressed in "whiteface" as a white murder victim of a black defendant?

Bad costume choice. No one would be able to nail it down to specifics.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Dude. It's obviously an OJ reference. Retro is in.

[jesse.in.mb]

As someone who is probably related to the Irish somewhere in the orgiastic melting pot that is American history, I'm offended that there was a woman dressed as a leprechaun. Some of my ancestors may have once cared about the existence of lebrechauns and frivolously dressing as one diminishes my historical cultural heritage as an immigrant...or something.

[Tonio]

"orgiastic melting pot that is American history"

Niiiice.

[Nazdrakke]

Be a good name for a fondue joint.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

-For those who say it's not about race, a thought exercise: what if a black man had dressed in "whiteface" as a white murder victim of a black defendant?

Quite possibly the worst argument for why blackface is tasteless and racist (and I think it usually is) I have ever seen. The reason blackface is so has pretty much everything to do with historical practice and the context of race relations in the US, so a 'white face' analogy is about the worst one can make.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

That, and why should anyone give two shits what Fox News would going say about it?

I wouldn't wear blackface, but what people do for fun is their own business.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The Fox comment was one of several silly but probably obligatory liberal one liners the author felt compelled to include. Tiresome claptrap.

[LilDebbie]

Had a whole family of kids show up at my door in whiteface one year, and you know what?

It was friggin' adorable.

[Banjos]

So... we all should be wearing black unitards while doing an interpretive dance to Philp Glass?

[Cooter]

what if a black man had dressed in "whiteface"

A black mime? I'm down with that.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Thank you Christine, for letting us all know what is and isn't acceptable in your world. I'll take your issue under advisement.

Now please accept my advice to you...

...stop breathing.

[PD Scott]

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog goes to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

[Coeus]

Feminists seem to be bound and determined to push the socons and libertatians back into a voting block:

Purity Culture as Rape Culture: Why the Theological Is Political

[OldMexican]

Re: Coeus,

Purity culture and rape culture are two sides of the same coin. Prior to marriage, women are instructed that they must say no to sex at every turn, and if they do not they are responsible for the consequences. This method of approach ? "always no" ? creates situations in which women are not equipped to fully understand what consent looks like or what a healthy sexual encounter is.

"Hey, you have to try anything once!"

It's like with smoking. If you do not do it once, then how can you later know how to say "no" or what peer-pressure looks like? Right?

Oh, sex is not like smoking. I see. But one still chooses to not smoke, right? So how does this idea that "abstinence is rape" fits with free choice?

[Eduard van Haalen]

UK prof accuses evangelical Christians of failing to stand up for persecute Christians in the Middle East, blames evangelical support for Israel:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/a.....tians.html

[Eduard van Haalen]

stand up for *persecuted*

[Coeus]

Epic troll response:

I was getting ready for a pre-Halloween party on Saturday night when I received a text message. Mid-fake blood application, I looked down and saw the message was from an 859 area code, a number I didn't immediately recognize. But after a moment it registered this was a number I had called ? it was listed on HalloweenParty13.com, purveyors of that sick 'Anna Rexia' costume we blew the whistle on last week.
The message included a photo of an overweight woman wearing the controversial costume, along with the message "Happy Halloween from HalloweenParty13.com." Very classy stuff:

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Afrobeat band gig cancelled because the band is 'too white'

Shokazoba's cancellation from the Hampshire Halloween event Friday night at Hampshire College, after one band member said they were criticized of being "too white" to play Afrobeat music, is reverberating on social media.

Shokazoba keyboard player Jason Moses said on Saturday that the entire incident has upset the band, which he said was the target of an online campaign by approximately 30 people - a campaign that led to the band's ultimate cancellation from the annual event.

Moses said the firestorm started when someone posted an inflammatory comment online about Hampshire College hiring an all-white band to play Afrobeat music for the event. He said the band is not all white, and race should not be an issue anyway.

"It's not important to us. Music and art has the opportunity to transcend all that," Moses.

The decision to cancel the band was made by the Hype Committee, which puts on Hampshire Halloween.

The Hype Committee wrote on its Facebook page on Oct. 24: "Due to concerned students voicing their opinions about the band Shokazoba, we held community dialogue to hear what individuals had to say. As a result of the dialogue, and discomfort expressed by members of the community in person as well as by email, Facebook, and other means, we have removed Shokazoba from the lineup for Hampshire Halloween."

[font_of_stupidity]

Hooray, tolerance!

[PD Scott]

Something for everyone: The E! Fashion Police Halloween Costume Reveal

[PD Scott]

Whoops, full clip here.

[PD Scott]

Actually it looks like there is no one full clip. Go to their main site and I think it autoplays.

I give up.

[Ted S.]

Fuck autoplaying clips.

[Almanian!]

We call them autoplaying MAGAZINES, Ted.

YOU'RE WELCOME

[Mad Scientist]

Assault video!

[Ted S.]

Are assault videos anything like crush videos?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

White Ribbon Against Pornography Week

WHEREAS, women are exploited, degraded, subjected to verbal and physical abuse, and exposed to sexually transmitted diseases in the production of hardcore pornography; and

WHEREAS, pornography presents youth with a distorted, debased and often violent image of human sexuality, devoid of love, responsibility and commitment; and

WHEREAS, children molest other children in imitation of what they see in pornography; and

WHEREAS, addiction to pornography prevents, damages and destroys marriages;

WHEREAS, addiction to pornography contributes to sexual violence against women and contributes to the demand for women and children trafficked into prostitution; and

WHEREAS, addiction to pornography contributes to on-the-job sexual harassment and to a decline in worker productivity; and

WHEREAS, for many individuals, both young and old, there is a progression from viewing adult pornography to viewing child pornography; and

NOW THEREFORE, I (WE)[Governor/Mayor/Legislative body]________________________,
do hereby proclaim October 30 through November 6, 2011, as WHITE RIBBON AGAINST
PORNOGRAPHY WEEK in (State/City/County) _______________________________and call upon all
citizens to wear or display white ribbons as a sign of their commitment to community standards of decency
and their support for enforcement of the laws against obscene materials.

http://pornharms.com/beaware/w.....n_2013.pdf

[jesse.in.mb]

HETEROSEXIST claptrap! Men are degraded and abused in porn ALL THE TIME.

Why does porn harms not care about the men?

[Warty]

White "ribbon".

[Nazdrakke]

Well, pearl necklace was already taken.

[Teenage Girl]

Eewww!!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I often wonder about that. A common complaint about pornography is that it 'objectifies' women. Can anyone be more objectified than the men in porn? Their penises are all that matters there.

[jesse.in.mb]

Eh these people argue to a conclusion, the arguments don't really matter. I've oft repeated the story that when someone went on a tirade about porn objectifying women, I smiled and said "mine doesn't" and was told that gay porn objectifies women by saying they are unnecessary (I was dumbfounded and had no decent response). The actual argument to get there could not matter less to these people.

[Nazdrakke]

(I was dumbfounded and had no decent response)

I would have suggested "You are a fucking shmuck."

[Hillary's Clitdong]

no decent response

I think "I wasn't aware it was possible to be that dumb and still function" would have been a good response.

[Jordan]

A white ribbon, eh? Is that what the kids call it these days?

[Warty]

GODDAMMIT FUCK YOU

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Jesus that's stupid. Sounds like the only people who are obsessed with porn are the organizers of this pledge/movement.

[Fatty Bolger]

Why not a blue ribbon?

[Rich]

Why not blue *balls*?

[Ted S.]

Blue ribbons are for hipsters.

[Entropy Void]

Can I wear a black ribbon to show how stupid I think this all is?

[jesse.in.mb]

Black ribbon meanings according to wikipedia:

terrorist attacks in Turkey; a sign of mourning for those lost in the terrorist attacks
Wiccan/Pagan rights and awareness
9/11 - This ribbon is a sign of mourning for those lost in the 11 September attack
mourning and remembrance of the Virginia Tech massacre
melanoma awareness
black lung awareness
transgender hate crime awareness
awareness for suicide, bulimia, anorexia, self-harm, etc.
sleep apnea awareness

[CE]

Wait, they're complaining that it prevents marriage? I thought they hated marriage, since it institutionalizes male privilege.

[The Late P Brooks]

I got a letter from Blue Cross notifying me my policy will be dropped, but they will happily move me into one fifty per cent more expensive.

Yay, Obamacare!

[Almanian!]

Good think you didn't like your old policy! WHEW! Close one!

[Jordan]

You must work for Home Depot!

[John]

Doesn't that make you want to run out and vote Democrat? Don't you blame the mean and evil insurance company?

[Ken Shultz]

Racist.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

P Brooks, you are suffering a severe case of False Consciousness.

Comrade Obama's glorious new healthcare plan has liberated you from the chains of your old insurance plan and given you the freedom to choose a plan that has more 'options' than you had before.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

-but they will happily move me into one fifty per cent more expensive.

I think you forgot to offset the value of the good feeling that you now can get from knowing that you are paying more so other people can now get 'free' poorly managed government care.

[CE]

Putting the "Aff" in "Affordable".

[Juice]

Only 50%? You lucky bastard.

[The Late P Brooks]

Good think you didn't like your old policy! WHEW! Close one!

Silly me. I had no idea how much I hated it.

It probably wasn't really even insurance. Just an agreement to pay for extraordinary health care expenses.

[Almanian!]

I blame Bush Blue Cross

[John]

http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/.....y-reality/

Patti Davis mugged by reality but quickly reeducated.

[Ken Shultz]

That one's a treat!

LOL

[Ken Shultz]

Barack Obama turned her health insurance into piece of fruit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku80H97rsRE

Watching this part of it go down is more than just a little entertaining.

[John Thacker]

A federal judge has ruled that new abortion restrictions passed by Texan lawmakers are unconstitutional.

Sort of. Judge didn't rule on the clinic regulations, the 20 week limit. Judge ruled that the RU486 ban could not be applied in cases where it would endanger the life of the mother to have a legal surgical abortion instead. Makes sense, but a lot more to the new law than that.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Did they rule on the other provisions at all?

[#]

Nope.

[John]

There is no sugar coating it, some of those going to the camps might not like it there.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/.....64860.html

[Rich]

After some throat clearing, Carney said, "So it's true there are existing health care plans on the individual market that do not meet those minimum standards and therefore do not qualify for the Affordable Care Act Fuck you, that's why."

[Ken Shultz]

"President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties."

The only thing that would make me start to trust the new FBI director would be if he immediately held a press conference and said that President Obama should not be trusted.

[Rich]

"After a startled silence by all in attendance, the newly-sworn-in Director shouted, 'April Fool!', and the crowd broke into appreciative, but relieved, laughter."

[CE]

The only thing that would make me start to trust the new FBI director would be if he immediately held a press conference and said that he was arresting President Obama and former President Bush and calling for a grand jury to indict them.

[John]

http://theweek.com/article/ind.....een-hotels

No one cares that a hotel is "green".

[OldMexican]

As with everything else, customers care more about their own green than how "green" are the rooms.

[MJGreen]

"Sustainability" is another word that I've come to really, really hate.

[C. Anacreon]

"Sustainability" is another word that I've come to really, really hate.

Then you might like this out today from the Cato Institute.

[John]

Me too

[PD Scott]

Make sure it's a sustainable hate. You don't want to burn out on it too soon, it will be around for a while.

[BakedPenguin]

I'm actually okay with it, since I like to point out that massive government overspending is totally unsustainable.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Dear Prudence: Help! My fiancee insists on being in my family's portrait

I'm about to get married and am caught in an argument between my fianc?e and my parents. This will be the first time in over five years that our whole family will be together. My parents want to take a picture of just them, me, and my siblings, and a family photo obviously means a lot to them. My fianc?e heard this and became immediately offended. She says it's rude to exclude her on the day she "joins the family" and any family photo should therefore include her in it. We're not talking about taking an hour for a separate family photo shoot; my parents simply want one photograph of themselves and their children. I don't understand why my fianc?e is so annoyed and now she's even more angry because I'm not supporting "her side." Should I back up my fianc?e on principle, even if I disagree with her?

There's a nice preview of marriage with a self-centered person.

[Mad Scientist]

If she's still his fiancee, it's not too late!

[Hillary's Clitdong]

If he's dumb to enough to propose to this woman, it's too late. Some men just need to go bankrupt twice or be struck 2 or 3 thousand times in the nuts before they'll learn.

[jesse.in.mb]

Kill it (the relationship) with fire!

Alternately take a photo with the kids and their significant others to placate bridezilla and then don't hang it.

[Ted S.]

Take multiple photographs with various family groupings. With digital photography, is this so fucking hard?

[trshmnstr]

Yes, because bridezillas are one step away from being toddlers, which are a half step away from being shit-flinging baboons.

[Killazontherun]

Should I back up my fianc?e on principle, even if I disagree with her?

That's a little thing called 'setting the tone.' It's not such a little thing, really. It is everything that comes after. She's pushing this to get a head start on setting the tone, and, unfortunately for this schmuck, he is still convinced the grifter is his little snugglebunnies.

Americans tend to take the family in law thing a little too literally. It's a legal arrangement between extended parties, not a perverse reversal of biology ('I did not marry my own sister, so if you could quit calling me 'son' I would appreciate that' -- conversation I had with my first father-in-law). They want their children in one picture with them, she is not their child, so there is no reason she would have a say in the matter, except to establish her dominance.

[trshmnstr]

Amen. As much as my inlaws may want me to call them mom or dad (i don't think they do, but if they do), ain't happening. I only call my biological parents "mom" and "dad" because that's what i've called them for the last 20+ years, and habits are hard to break.

[Killazontherun]

My dad had many faults but he was the only man on the planet capable of handing the myriad gene pool that comprised my awesome assembly down to me. That these men would try to make that claim as their own is lowly and pathetic and beneath the dignity I would expect of one who made such a fine product as I, myself, would marry.

[Mickey Rat]

She's not even completely in the family yet and she's offended? That takes some nerve. She should respect the parents wishes. If she was excluded from a photo that included non-spouse significant others it would be one thing.

[Derpetologist]

My thoughts on libertarian overlap with conservatives/republicans:

http://platedlizard.blogspot.c.....-with.html

Yeah, I know it's blogwhoring. What can I say? It's fun to watch the numbers go up. Remember- if I get enough views, maybe Marcotte will respond.

[Banjos]

"What can I say?"

You can apologize for using this forum to post your shit, or you can put in a bid for our new Baby Naming Auction!

All proceeds will be donated to a libertarian charity/cause of the winner's choosing.

[Rich]

the name can be whatever you choose unless it is obscene.

*** scratches chin ***

Can it be a *long* name?

[Ted S.]

Bo Schembechler is not obscene.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Don't. Even. Think. It.

[BakedPenguin]

Now that is quality trolling.

[John]

The Libertarian Jesus

I told you to feed the poor...Not create laws that steal from people to do it.

http://danieljmitchell.wordpre.....ian-jesus/

[OldMexican]

That was funny. I like Daniel Mitchel.

[Juice]

Funny, but too bad about the misplaced comma.

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

5 dead in Tienanmen Square after Jeep crashes and catches fire

Five people are dead after a jeep plowed into a crowded part of Tiananmen Square and caught fire Monday, authorities said.
The crash temporarily blocked off a busy area in the heart of the Chinese capital as rescuers and police rushed to the scene.
Police said the crash happened around noon local time in front of the Tiananmen Rostrum, a structure that stands at the entrance to the Forbidden City bearing a giant portrait of Mao Zedong.
The vehicle hit the guardrail of the Jinshui Bridge over the moat of the Forbidden City before it burst into flames, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.
The driver of the jeep and two passengers were killed, Beijing police said in a statement. The other two fatalities were tourists -- a Filipino woman and a Chinese man, according to state media reports. At least 38 people were injured, state media said. Eleven injured people, a mixture of tourists and police officers, have been taken to the hospital, Xinhua said.

[Bam!]

You know who else died in Tiananmen Square?

[Swiss Servator, Yodelriffic!]

The Goddess of Liberty?

[Fatty Bolger]

David Burge
?@iowahawkblog
Feel good story of the century: woman loses Congressional seat for supporting Obamacare, gets huge rate hike: Obamacare jacks up her insurance

Sue Klinkhamer has a problem.

It's called Obamacare.

And the irony of her situation is not lost on her. In a recent email addressed to her former boss, Illinois Congressman Bill Foster, and other Democratic colleagues, she wrote:

"I spent two years defending Obamacare. I had constituents scream at me, spit at me and call me names that I can't put in print. The congressman was not re-elected in 2010 mainly because of the anti-Obamacare anger. When the congressman was not re-elected, I also (along with the rest of our staff) lost my job. I was upset that because of the health care issue, I didn't have a job anymore but still defended Obamacare because it would make health care available to everyone at, what I assumed, would be an affordable price. I have now learned that I was wrong. Very wrong."

For Klinkhamer, 60, President Obama's oft-repeated words ring in her ears: "If you like your health plan, you will keep it."

Well, possibly not.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

So she supported it vociferously despite having no idea how it actually functioned.

[John]

None of them had any idea. It was just a big brand. Obamacare was really the embodiment of Obamaism itself.

[C. Anacreon]

Obamacare was really the embodiment of Obamaism itself.

For some reason I read this the first time as Onanism.
And then I realized it is pretty much the same thing.

[Mad Scientist]

So she supported it vociferously despite having no idea how it actually functioned.

No, she supported it despite numerous and unavoidable warnings about how it would function.

[B.P.]

I'd like a witness corroboration of the "spit at" part.

[Bobarian]

I'll be happy to spit at her if you hold the camera.

[Rasilio]

Klinkhamer suggests renaming the Affordable Care Act.

"Just call it," she said dryly, "the Available Care Act."

She won't even be calling it that when she see's how difficult it is to actually get in to see a medical professional now that 30 million extra people have "insurance" and start trying to get their monies worth out of it.

[Bobarian]

The Theoretically Available Care Act?

[Juice]

I don't think it could get anymore delicious than that.

[Coeus]

Thinkprogress tripples down on the Ohio State muffdiving incident.

The students assumed the notes were removed by people who didn't think any crime had occurred. Because the assault happened in a crowd of bystanders who thought it was consensual, because both the alleged victim and the attacker were drunk, and because the incident involved the victim receiving oral sex, it has caused doubt and controversy on campus.
When the students returned to re-post the notes, they were stopped by a local police officer, Ohio University's independent student paper, The Post, reports. He accused the students of vandalism.
"He proceeded to tell us that what we were doing was tearing the town apart," student Emily Harper recounted to The Post. "He told us that he knew the facts of the case because he was the person who filed the initial report."
Harper filed a verbal complaint with the police station after they spoke with the officer, and the police chief there told The Post, "I'm comfortable in saying that we're going to address her concerns."
The accusation that supporting a rape victim can "tear the town apart," as described by the police officer who took down the sticky notes, evokes other rape cases that have cropped up in recent months.

[Ted S.]

Thinkprogress tripples down on the Ohio State muffdiving incident.

Poor Sloopy.

And how do you tripple down on anything?

[Coeus]

This is their third article talking about the "rape", and how horrible the people are who doubt that a rape occurred.

[Enough About Palin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zFg2qByF4E

[Apatheist ?_??]

Following their drunk =/= consent theory I'm still having trouble figuring out which one is supposed to be the victim.

[Mad Scientist]

Obviously the woman who chose to get drunk with that guy and then chose to get fingerbanged on camera by that guy and then chose to get a little cunnilingus on camera from that guy is the victim. Consent means never having any regrets about bad choices you've made. The guy, on the other hand, is a rapist, along with every other male on the planet. Except maybe Obama. Or Bill Clinton.

[Coeus]

I recall a similar occurrence a few months ago. The feminist complaints were legion. That time, it was a woman giving head to a guy at a public concert. First complaint was that people were calling the giver a slut, something they assured us would not be the case were the sexes reversed, which is blatantly untrue (see the video of the ohio state to hear guys calling the guy a slut).

Followed by concern that the poor head giver was being raped.

[Fatty Bolger]

Plot thickens: Mystery ObamaCare covergirl erased from website

The mystery of the ObamaCare covergirl took yet another strange turn over the weekend, when her smiling face was replaced by a far less intriguing quartet of icons.

The smiling brunette touched off a frenzied hunt, especially after White House officials refused to divulge her name. As frustration with the beleaguered Healthcare.gov website mounted, she became known on the Internet as "Glitch Girl."

Sometime on Sunday, her visage was replaced by the helpful icons, which show the four ways people can learn about President Obama's signature health law ? by talking on the phone, going to the website (that they are presumably already on), writing a letter or chatting with friends.

For now, the ObamaCare covergirl, whose identity was sought in vain by dozens of media outlets, remains a secret. It's not clear why the site was stripped of a human face, but it is possible misguided vitriol on the web prompted the move for her own protection ? whoever she is. Tweets, digitally-altered copycat sites and blogposts were becoming downright cruel toward a woman who may have simply long ago signed a release that allowed her to become the new face of futility.

[John]

Why the hate? She is cute.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

She's average.

[John]

Which is cute. I didn't say she was gorgeous. Regardless Mad Scientist may be onto something. She is so perfectly racially ambiguous, there is something creepy and unreal about her.

[Coeus]

She's average.

Maybe for 30 years ago. If she's not 30 lbs overweight, she ain't average. God I miss Europe.

[Mad Scientist]

I'll wager $10 the girl doesn't exist at all. They took a hispanic, an asian, and a generic white face and photoshopped them all together to get that perfect blend of under-privileged diversity.

[John]

Her racial ambiguity is almost creepy.

[Heroic Mulatto]

*shrugs* She just looks run-of-the-mill lightly complexed Latina to me.

[Swiss Servator, Yodelriffic!]

Your eye, HM, I trust.

[Apatheist ?_??]

Yeah I probably see 5 women who look like her every day in Houston.

[CE]

It was a stock photo. They don't know who she is.

[Coeus]

These people are beyond delusional:

The conversation is spilling out of the queer and feminist circles that it used to be exclusive to and is coming into the mainstream. That has to be a good thing, and it's funny that the gay marriage debate laid the groundwork to question the existence of marriage itself.

I'm sure that it has nothing at all to do with all the legal and financial barriers that feminism has put up.

[John]

funny that the gay marriage debate laid the groundwork to question the existence of marriage itself.

Isn't that what all of the SOCONs claimed was the real goal all along? And they were told by all right thinking people that was the crazy?

[jesse.in.mb]

Some (including gay radicals and many libertarians) wanted the dissolution of state marriage, it was explicit in the old GLF stuff. A more conservative/assimilation strain wanted the expansion of marriage to incorporate gay relationships, and a conservative/reactionary strain wanted to keep things just as they had been for thousands of years (except not really because divorce, romantic marriage, women owning property, monogamy, etc).

Gay marriage may have brought the discussion to the fore, but it's a discussion that was had when women became legally able to own property outside of marriage, when the US Gov decided the Mormons couldn't have plural marriage and all through the late '60s and the '70s. It also hasn't explicitly ended "marriage" as a thing, so the SOCONs still aren't right.

[Eduard van Haalen]

The Married Women's Property Acts simply extended to the poor and middle classes a privilege which already existed for women from wealthy families, who could afford the fees to set up trusts free from hubby's control. It wasn't technically the creation of a new right, but making an existing right affordable to the non-wealthy.

And I don't see how enforcing the laws against polygamy refutes the SoCons.

[jesse.in.mb]

My point, EvH, is that pearl-clutching SOCONs have opined that marriage will come to an end at historical points when the terms of what society accepts as "marriage" have come up.

Also I'd argue that having daddy set up a trust fund outside of my husband's control and being allowed to own property outright as a legal adult are very different things, but we may disagree on that.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Pearl-clutching SoCons warned about the effects of divorce and single motherhood. Were they wrong?

[jesse.in.mb]

I don't think divorce and single-parenthood are bad things in-and-of-themselves. I think that the downward pull on society is a product of government incentives toward cradle to grave dependence on the state.

[Azathoth!!]

Pearl-clutching SoCons warned about the effects of divorce and single motherhood. Were they wrong?

I don't think divorce and single-parenthood are bad things in-and-of-themselves

No.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Either crazy or lying. Those were the options. Marcotte gets to say it because she's on the right side.

[Calidissident]

Just because a group of batshit crazy feminists say something on the Internet doesn't mean that the general public takes it seriously

[The Rt. Hon. Serious Man, Visc]

Weep for America: High school cheerleader car wash deemed in violation of environmental laws

It's hard to wave your spirit fingers when the city shuts down the cheerleading squad's fundraising car wash to protect the environment.

This is what happened to Lincoln High School cheerleaders trying to raise money to attend a national competition in April. The San Jose Mercury reports that local environmental officials warned the high school cheerleaders that their car wash violated the city's water discharge laws.

"We had a visit from the city of San Jose Environmental Services Department who said that the car washes at Hoover [Middle School] are in violation of water discharge laws, therefore we had to cancel this and all future car washes," said an email that was sent out to neighborhood email lists on Oct. 18.

"Anything that is not storm water or rain water is considered a pollutant," said Jennie Loft, acting communications manager for San Jose's Environmental Services Department. "If it goes into a storm drain, that pollutant will harm wildlife and habitats in the creeks. Water goes directly from the storm drains into our creeks."

[a better weapon]

And then they came for the middle school cheerleaders, and I said nothing.

[Mad Scientist]

When I lived aboard my sailboat, some county environmental weenie came along and made the marina remove the spigots from the parking lot, for fear someone might wash their car, and forever contaminate the whole earth with some soap. The funny part is, just 200 feet away, nearly all boat sinks and showers drain through a through-hull directly into the water, quite legally. So guess where all the dish washing and shower soap goes?

[OldMexican]

Penn State will pay $59.7 million to 26 young men sexually abused by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

It pays to be sexually abused!

What? Too soon?

[Swiss Servator, Yodelriffic!]

Probably.

[Rasilio]

Lol I was thinking the same thing.

[Killazontherun]

When you hear a college kid spout, 'I'm gonna go into environmental law!', isolate him from others, tie him to a tree and leave his tagged for Warty. You will save us all from at least once future social menace advancing his misbegotten cause while on the public payroll dole.

[Killazontherun]

isolate him from others, tie him to a tree and leave his sorry ass tagged for Warty.

[Mad Scientist]

If he protests, just tell him, "Look, what Warty does in his natural habitat is a natural thing. Naturally, you're frightened of the outcome, and that's perfectly natural, but I assure you, no synthetic fibers were used to manufacture the restraints on your ankles or wrists."

[Eduard van Haalen]

""Dem Party is F****d." That was the subject line of an email sent to me Sunday by a senior Democratic consultant with strong ties to the White House and Capitol Hill. The body of the email contained a link to [a] Los Angeles Times story about Obamacare "sticker shock:"...

"Also of interest to the Democratic consultant: A Josh Barro column on Obama's promise that "if you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan." It was never a reasonable pledge, Barro argues, and it's being proven false. He called this "a good thing" because "a lot of existing health plans were bad." Reforming the nation's health care system "was necessarily going to have to change a lot of people's health plans," Barro wrote.

"The Democratic consultant said none of this is news to him, but he wonders why Obama wasn't honest with Americans. He predicted surprise and outrage over higher costs and lesser coverage. "We will own this problem forever," the Democrat wrote."

http://www.nationaljournal.com.....e-20131028

Perhaps they could tell us up front if a promise they're making isn't meant to be taken seriously.

[Bobarian]

They're politicians, no promise they make is meant to be taken seriously.

[Coeus]

Imagine that, a southern baptist school is southern baptist.

While that's a valiant goal, the re-wording of the conduct code actually has the potential to make Baylor's official approach to human sexuality more problematic. If university officials approve the change, the term "homosexual acts" will be replaced with the phrase "non-marital consensual deviate sexual intercourse." Not only does that new phrase specifically label homosexual relationships as "deviate," but it also expands the definition of negative sexual activity to include all sex outside of marriage.

[Mickey Rat]

"Not only does that new phrase specifically label homosexual relationships as "deviate," but it also expands the definition of negative sexual activity to include all sex outside of marriage."

It is a specifically general phrase.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Benedict XVI, Antonin Scalia, or Pope Francis?

""There are some priests who, when they read this Gospel passage, this and others, say: 'But, Jesus healed a person with a mental illness'. They do not read this, no? It is true that at that time, they could confuse epilepsy with demonic possession; but it is also true that there was the devil! And we do not have the right to simplify the matter, as if to say: 'All of these (people) were not possessed; they were mentally ill'. No! The presence of the devil is on the first page of the Bible, and the Bible ends as well with the presence of the devil, with the victory of God over the devil."

"For this reason, he warned, "we should not be na?ve". The [speaker] observed that the Lord gave us certain criteria to "discern" the presence of evil and to follow "the Christian way when there are temptations". One of the criteria is "not to follow the victory of Jesus" only "halfway".

""Either you are with me, says the Lord, or you are against me," the [speaker] said. Jesus, he added, came to destroy the devil, "to give us the freedom" from "the enslavement the devil has over us". And, he cautioned, this is not "exaggerating".

""On this point," he said, "there are no nuances. There is a battle and a battle where salvation is at play, eternal salvation; eternal salvation" of us all."

http://en.radiovaticana.va/new.....en1-736378

[CE]

Three popes walked into a bar. It knocked off all their hats.

[Len Bias]

"President Obama has said that we can trust the new FBI director to balance law enforcement and civil liberties."

By "balance," he means ignore the latter.

Is there anyone who takes statements like that from him seriously anymore?

[BigT]

Why do civil liberties need to be balanced? They are absolute.

[Coeus]

Why isn't think progress calling this racist?

"I will not yield to this monkey court or whatever it is," Pallone said in response to Republican interruptions. "Why are we going down this path?" he asked. "Because you are trying to scare people so they don't apply and so therefore the legislation gets delayed or the Affordable Care Act gets defunded or it's repealed. That's all it is, hoping people won't apply."

A monkey court convened about Obamacare? Shouldn't they be fainting and clutching the pearls about now?

[B.P.]

I finally listened to that Russell Brand diatribe after the 10,000th prompt on Facebook. Holy shit. Morons of the world, unite.