A.M. Links: Military Sexual Assault Reports Up 46 Percent, Questions About CBS Benghazi Segment, Google Encrypting Traffic Between Data Centers

• 

  CBS

  Reports of sexual assault in the US military are up 46 percent this year, according to the Pentagon, which says the rise is a credit to "victim confidence in our response system".

• A security officer who worked at the US mission in Benghazi  and was featured in a CBS "60 Minutes" segment appears to have given the FBI a different account of events the night of the 9/11 attack in the city than he did in his book or to CBS. The officer insists he did not write the FBI statement and hadn't even seen it. CBS says it will correct the story if it finds its reporters were misled.
• Edward Snowden may have used the log-in credentials of up to 25 coworkers at the NSA base in Hawaii to access the classified information he's disclosed to the media. He may have told the employees he needed their passwords for his work as a systems administrator.
• In an effort to thwart the NSA's surveillance, Google is beginning to encrypt traffic between its data centers.
• The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new trial for death row inmate Roy Swafford just two hours before his scheduled execution.
• A Tampa Bay teacher who was suspended for trying to force a child to recite the pledge of allegiance is now back at work.
• A thirteen-year-old boy in Kansas says he was suspended from school for carrying a purse.
• John Kerry will be joining negotiations between Iran and Western powers over that country's nuclear program. The talks had seemed to be going well.
• The strongest typhoon of the season slammed the Philippines, killing at least four people as well as knocking out power and telephone lines and causing several landslides.

Follow Reason and Reason 24/7 on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.  You can also get the top stories mailed to you—sign up here. 

Have a news tip? Send it to us!

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

He may have told the employees he needed their passwords for his work as a systems administrator.

They were all "superman" anyway.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

It's good to know that NSA workers have been trained so well on security.

[Auric Demonocles]

I always give my passwords to "officials" who ask for them!

[mad libertarian guy]

How is it that it's taking the super spy agency that's made a living hacking the world's networks and data servers still haven't yet pinpointed exactly how Snowden got in the system?

Google would have had this shit figured out in a few hours.

[Brett L]

So he lifted up their keyboards and read it off the post it. Big deal.

[Kaptious Kristen]

And how hard can it be to guess "password123"?

[BakedPenguin]

"That is just baby town frolics."

[prolefeed]

Or "guest":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UduILWi2p6s

[prolefeed]

Damn you, BP, you and your swift fingertips!

[BakedPenguin]

Ha!

[mad_hominist]

My wife won't even give me the password to her phone.

[DontShootMe]

phew!

[GILMORE]

"He may have told the employees he needed their passwords for his work as a systems administrator."

MY GOD, THE TWISTED EVIL GENIUS

[Longtorso, Johnny]

A leftover from the French ambassador's house, well after midnight, maybe around two. There, in the grand entrance, Morgan Freeman was giving a foot massage to his date , Katie Couric. I will leave that snapshot as is, except to observe that both seemed to be having a lovely time at the party, especially Freeman. He moved graciously through the grand rooms, solicitous of the perky anchor on his arm. He was "Driving Miss Katie."
-- Leibovich, Mark (2013-07-16). This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America's Gilded Capital.

[William of Purple]

A thirteen-year-old boy in Kansas says he was suspended from school for carrying a purse.

It was a European carry-all!!

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Messenger Bag!

[Slammer]

Man-Purse

[Snark Plissken]

Heh, I posted that same clip yesterday to someone who was talking about messenger bags.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new trial for death row inmate Roy Swafford just two hours before his scheduled execution.

Is there some reason they have to wait to the very last second? Is this just to dick with everyone?

[Rich]

They keep hoping to be in a made-for-TV movie.

[gaijin]

Just further proof that the death penalty has no place in our judicial system.

[robc]

That only makes sense if you think someone innocently jailed proves that there is o place for prisons in our judicial system.

[Floridian]

That only makes sense if you think someone innocently jailed proves that there is o place for prisons in our judicial system.

I disagree robc, only because a wrongfully jailed person can be given an apology and compensation for their time. This is even more true if jails were humane places that did not involve rape, beatings, and psychological abuse. Death can't be compensated to the dead.

[Auric Demonocles]

Jail can't really be compensated either. You can pay me money for the time I was there, but money isn't going to let me buy back the time. It's just better than nothing.

[robc]

What AD said.

Try giving someone 20 years back. You cant.

[Auric Demonocles]

Unless it's Justin Timberlake.

[Butts Wagner]

It's About Time someone made this joke

[Floridian]

Nothing is going to make them whole but I think it is better than nothing. Florida pays 50k a year you were in prison, if you are found not guilty later. Not the best but better than being killed. There is no going back on death. Prison does keep the truly violent away from polite society so will always have a place until we learn how to treat anti-social disorders.

[robc]

So what is the compensation for the guy who is discovered to be innocent AFTER he has died in jail?

How is that any different than the chair?

[Floridian]

If you mean people killed by the system, that is why I added the part about humane prisons. If you mean died of natural causes it is obviously a tragic scenario but no system is perfect, that doesn't mean you should not work towards improvement. Leaving people alive leaves options on the table for as long as possible.

[Auric Demonocles]

That's it? That doesn't even cover the money I would have made if I wasn't in jail, let alone start to compensate for the time.

[robc]

Is there a bonus payout for each rape?

[Floridian]

There is no reason rape can't be eliminated in prison. End the WOD and resources for violent criminals will be ample. Also I think the payment to the victim should be allocated case by case.

[creech]

True, but then the cops wouldn't be able to scare the crap out of suspects with hints "don't drop the soap in the shower where you are going."

[Floridian]

Feature not bug

[Francisco d Anconia]

$50k a year?

Needs to be at least $1M/year.

[Brandon]

Needs to come from prosecutors and judges, not from taxpayers.

[Enough About Palin]

We have treatments now

[Enough About Palin]

We have treatments now

[gaijin]

I don;t think incarceration and death are equivalent.

[robc]

They arent equivalent. One is worse than the other, clearly. But the principle holds, its just more extreme in one case than the other.

[gaijin]

That only makes sense if you think someone innocently jailed proves that there is o place for prisons in our judicial system.

I don't think your principles will mean much if you are implying that they cannot accommodate the differences in degree that you acknowledge

[robc]

Im saying that the fact that mistakes can be made doesnt disqualify the whole concept.

Its worse to make the mistake in the death penalty case...maybe...sometimes. Sometimes its exactly the same level of mistake, as when an innocent man dies in prison. Othertimes its only slightly worse. Othertimes its a lot worse.

But the principle stays the same, the potential for mistakes doesnt entirely disqualify the concept, or we couldnt do punishment at all. The lash cant be undone either.

[Floridian]

Robc,
Why do you support the death penalty?

[robc]

Who says I do?

I just dont think the potential for errors is enough of a reason to get rid of it.

I waffle on it, I would be fine with getting rid of it in its entirety but I dont see it as clearly invalid.

[Floridian]

I don't see a benefit to giving that state more power to kill. Only immediate death is a deterrent. Studies show that many people continue activities that will kill them in the long run like smoking but won't jump off cliffs. The death penalty is even more abstract to criminals and most people don't commit crimes planning to get caught. So if it expands state power and does nothing to decrease crime why have it?

[Francisco d Anconia]

Only immediate death is a deterrent.

Fuck deterrence...revenge. PROVIDED, you change the standard to beyond any doubt.

[Floridian]

Do you think death is worse than being in prison. If someone killed my wife I would want them to live a long life with the guilt and lost freedom. I don't believe in an afterlife so killing them is letting them off easy to me.

[Francisco d Anconia]

If someone killed my wife I would want them to live a long life with the guilt and lost freedom.

I see your point, but I'd rather kill them and be done with it. Move on. If they were in prison, there is always a chance they can get out. I think that would gnaw at me.

[Floridian]

I can see both sides. Death would give the survivors closure.

[Francisco d Anconia]

One is worse than the other, clearly.

Which?

[robc]

Which?

I guess it depends if you believe in an afterlife or not.

[Francisco d Anconia]

I guess it depends if you believe in an afterlife or not.

Disagree. I can't think of anything worse than being locked up like an animal, WITH a bunch of animals.

I'd rather be dead.

[Floridian]

I would chose lethal injection if I was guilty. I can't think of anything worse than being caged.

[thom]

That only makes sense if you think someone innocently jailed proves that there is o place for prisons in our judicial system.

???

I don't know about you, but if I'm ever wrongly arrested, tried, and incorrectly found not guilty, I sure as hell hope they put me in prison instead of killing me.

[robc]

I do too, but if you die in jail, whats the difference?

[thom]

You can still do things in prison. You can read, write, visit with your family members, make friends, see your kids grow up, etc.

Not much, but way better than being dead.

[Bill Dalasio]

wrongly arrested...and incorrectly found not guilty....

So, you weren't guilty arrested you. But, you became guilty during the trial?

[thom]

Yeah, thanks, incorrectly found guilty is what I meant.

[Francisco d Anconia]

I would support the death penalty if it required a higher level of proof. "Beyond any doubt" rather than "beyond a reasonable doubt."

A pig fucker caught in the act of blowing people away, lots of witnesses, caught on camera...

Fry em!

[BakedPenguin]

Exactly. If they find body parts from 14 victims lying around the house, that's one thing.

"Eyewitness" and circumstantial evidence? Not so much.

[Elspeth Flashman]

I actually read this article, instead of just scanning the AM Links headlines. He has been on death row for 28 years.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Well, they can't all be rushed to the needle like McVeigh.

[prolefeed]

Is there some reason they have to wait to the very last second? Is this just to dick with everyone?

It's a case of the defense lawyers trying everything they can think of to keep their client alive, and sometimes it barely works and sometimes the guy dies.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

In case you missed it yesterday:
Text: Obama's Speech on Health Care Reform
...Published: June 15, 2009

So let me begin by saying this: I know that there are millions of Americans who are content with their health care coverage ? they like their plan and they value their relationship with their doctor. And that means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away. No matter what. My view is that health care reform should be guided by a simple principle: fix what's broken and build on what works....

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Obama promised on Sept. 26 that people in individual market would keep their plans
...And so today, I want to speak plainly, clearly, honestly, about what it means for you and for the people you care about.

Now, let's start with the fact that even before the Affordable Care Act fully takes effect, about 85 percent of Americans already have health insurance -? either through their job, or through Medicare, or through the individual market. So if you're one of these folks, it's reasonable that you might worry whether health care reform is going to create changes that are a problem for you ? especially when you're bombarded with all sorts of fear-mongering.

So the first thing you need to know is this: If you already have health care, you don't have to do anything. ...

[gaijin]

yeah, but he apologized yesterday, so we're all good now. right?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Yes, he apologized for taking away what last week was substandard insurance you'd be better off without and the week before was really being taken away by the insurance companies, or do I have that backwards?

Wait until the employer mandate kicks in, and they lose the "it's just a few people losing insurance" argument.

[mad libertarian guy]

He can't help it. He's slow. It's not like the political wind has been blowing with the strength of a hurricane on this one or anything. He didn't know that people would lose their plans until he started to read it in the paper just last week. Give the man a break.

[John]

If the Republicans hadn't tried to re litigate this and instead tried to help, this wouldn't be such a mess

Signed

The Washington Post.

[Raston Bot]

Bezos needs to dump Hiatt. The guy is a sad asslicker.

[John]

Doesn't that describe pretty much all of the WAPO?

[Raston Bot]

Nearly all, yes. Tim Lee's there now writing tech. He rules.

[Doctor Whom]

And by "period" I mean "asterisk."

[Rich]

That's pretty good.

"The President mis-punctuated."

[Elspeth Flashman]

Or scare quotes around the period.

[Elspeth Flashman]

You'd think it doesn't really get more clear than that, but apparently we were wrong on interpreting it as plainly as it was spoken.

[prolefeed]

Lesson learned: a "read my lips" type of quote works way better if the short bus people in the press and elsewhere find out you lied AFTER you get reelected.

[sarcasmic]

The most powerful typhoon in history: Nearly 720,000 forced to evacuate as 200mph winds spark landslides and destruction across the Philippines

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....story.html
Let's see. How far down until they blame global climate change... There it is!

The Philippine government and some scientists have said climate change may be increasing the ferocity and frequency of storms.

And then

But Masters said warm Pacific waters were an important reason for the strength of Haiyan, adding it was premature to blame climate change based on the scanty historical data available.

Heretic! Burn him!

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Of course they will have to wait a while for the wood to dry out before immolating him.

[The DerpRider]

If that's Masters from WU, he is fully on the AGW bandwagon. Don't let that quote fool you.

[RBS]

Frequency huh? Well then explain why the Atlantic season was almost non existent?

[mad libertarian guy]

Clearly reality needs to be fixed. It just won't conform to the models.

[Zeb]

The most ridiculous thing about that kind of statement is that they talk about it as if it is possible, or even a sensible thing to try to do, to determine if a particular storm was "caused" by climate change or not. To the extent that there is climate change, climate change has something to do with every weather event everywhere. It's all part of the same system where every part affects every other part. With sufficient data, you might be able to say that storms are getting more powerful on average, but it really isn't even meaningful to say that one particular storm was caused by anything in particular.

[mad libertarian guy]

With sufficient data, you might be able to say that storms are getting more powerful on average, but it really isn't even meaningful to say that one particular storm was caused by anything in particular.

Agreed.

Unfortunately no data they have even approaches the sufficiency required to make even that kind of determination.

But they won't let reality get in the way of their precious narrative in their mission to control low info voters as they march us towards economic collapse.

[Bryan C]

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

[Zeb]

Yeah, how dare I point out that reducing an incredibly complex dynamic system to simple binary cause and effect is stupid and useless.

[sarcasmic]

15 percent of people don't think bisexuality is a real sexual orientation with straight men three times more likely to categorize it as 'not a thing'
Male bisexuals were viewed more negatively than female bisexuals
New research from the University of Pittsburgh has found that bisexuals continue to be stigmatized by the wider public
Straight men are the least likely to believe in bisexuals
Women, white people and people who identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual showed the least amount of anti-bisexual bias

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....thing.html
Show me someone who claims to be bisexual, and I'll show you a homo with one foot in the closet.

[Auric Demonocles]

I believe that there is such a thing as bisexuality, but that some of the people who claim to be bisexual are actually gay and think it's "easier" to deal with being bi. One of my college roommates falls under this category.

Oddly, I have found that pretty much anyone who is bisexual categorizes being straight as "not a thing".

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Oddly, I have found that pretty much anyone who is bisexual categorizes being straight as "not a thing".

This. Maybe it is just the bi people I know (all two of them, Kruggy says that is data), but they like to throw that line around.

[Auric Demonocles]

I know a handful. They swear I am just lying about finding nothing about men attractive.

[Auric Demonocles]

A common talking point seems to be "Sexuality is a spectrum!"

Which I would actually agree with on the face of that statement, but they seem to think that means the ends of the spectrum can't be fully gay and fully straight.

[Floridian]

Ron white agrees

[Auric Demonocles]

I actually never understood why guys like porn which involves a guy.

[Floridian]

Auric,
You passed Ron whites purity test. You are in the fully straight category. My cousin says the same thing, he only watches girl on girl porn, but I find that a little too limiting.

[BakedPenguin]

Second. A friend told me that he identifies with the guy.

[KMA Too]

I'll just leave this nugget of wisdom here...

[wareagle]

there may be such a thing, maybe as a result of figuring yourself out, but eventually you go one way or the other.

By the way, the B in LGBT has bothered me for a long time. No pun, but this wanting it both ways. You can't be in the majority one minute and an oppressed victim the next.

[lap83]

According to many of the oppressed victims i've met...they are oppressed and victimized even by people they've never seen. Oppression knows no limits of time or space. You can even be othered from beyond the grave.

[invisible furry hand]

check out this comment on Jezebel from a teacher:

And then [the students] look at me weird, like, who shapes their identity around that. I can't figure out a way to simplify the identity politics to a middle school level. Any thoughts?

[lap83]

I like how the teacher assumes the message needs to be simpler. As if the problem is that she is too erudite, not that if you stripped away the bs from identity politics you'd be left with nothing.

[Auric Demonocles]

I teach 7th grade in an awesome, progressive NYC school. I have a whole anti-homophobia unit and several bins of LGBTQ books in my class library.

Good thing those NYC schools never have any issue with 7th graders performing poorly in math or science or history or....

As for the queer part: I automatically assume anyone that describes themselves as queer is an identity politics idiot and I won't enjoy their company. I don't make the same assumption if they describe themselves as gay, or lesbian, or bisexual, etc.

[Bill Dalasio]

Sounds like the kid is smarter than the teacher.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I've come to realize that I don't know what goes on in other people's head, so I'll pass on making judgment. JUST THIS ONE TIME.

[Auric Demonocles]

You should try to understand women.

[Fist of Etiquette]

All women are whores. They will put out to get what they want. All men are dogs. They will give anything to get some. That is the extent of my understanding.

[WTF]

Women don't even understand themselves.

[Kant feel Pietzsche]

Misogyny is defined as a man treating women like they treat each other.

[Brett L]

I know a couple of bisexual dudes that just don't have much preference whether the person they are sticking it to is male or female. Just attractive.

[Not a Libertarian]

In my admittedly not exhaustive sample, the majority of bisexual men may indeed be "sticking" to women but prefer being "stuck" by men.

Which can be hot in theory if not always in practice.

[Zeb]

If you enjoy having sex with both men and women, you are bisexual. Why is this controversial? And why would anyone else care?

[Fist of Etiquette]

You know very well why people care.

[Brett L]

Fear that they might like fucking the kind they don't now more than the kind they do?

[Zeb]

I can think of a few likely possibilities, but I wouldn't say I know.

[Bryan C]

So Team Gay and Team Straight can make sure they get all the players they rightfully deserve?

[Restoras]

everybody needs someone/something to other.

[prolefeed]

Show me someone who claims to be bisexual, and I'll show you a homo with one foot in the closet.

Trying to figure out if you're really naive, or trolling, or just haven't talked with enough people who are bi.

I'm bi. My GF is bi. It's something real. Get over it.

[Citizen Nothing]

I've always figured I'm as straight as can be, but perhaps I've just never met a man I'm sexually attracted to. Never say never.

[Arkansaustrian Economics]

Show me someone who claims to be bisexual, and I'll show you a homo with one foot in the closet.

Show me someone who believes this, and I'll show you a homo with two feet in the closet.

[sarcasmic]

The science of WEEING: Researchers study streams of urine in a bid to stop the dreaded 'splashback'
Two physicists from Utah-based Brigham Young University suggest men aim for a vertical surface and move close to the urinal to reduce splashback
The 'wizz kids' used high-speed videos of a stream of simulated urine to work out when men are most at risk of splash back when using urinals
They said the mess caused by male urination is because of 'Plateau-Rayleigh instability,' which means streams of falling liquid quickly turn into droplets

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....hback.html
I wonder how much federal research dollars that took to figure out.

[Rich]

I wonder how much federal research dollars that took to figure out pissed away.

FTFY

[Brian D]

+1 third rail

[sarcasmic]

'People are too hyper-sensitive': Member of Jamaican bobsled team calls coach to say he was FLATTERED by blackface Cool Runnings costume
Devon Harris calls San Diego football coach suspended over Halloween costume
Olympian says team who inspired film had not been offended by blackface outfits

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....stume.html
How dare they not be offended!

[Eduard van Haalen]

They would be more alert to stereotypes if they stopped smoking the ganja.

[Brett L]

Some of my Haitian classmates would've told you this (just like everything else Jamaicans do) proves how stupid Jamaicans are.

[Zeb]

I really don't get why people freak out so much about blackface. Yes, old blackface minstrel shows were offensive and promoted negative stereotypes. But as far as I can see, now it is just a historical curiosity or a joke. Even hard core racists don't believe the silly stereotypes of minstrel shows.
If the goal were really to eliminate racism, we should be laughing at how ridiculous things like that were, not getting all serious and offended. Insisting on being offended by silly crap like that just gives racists and troublemakers a tool to stir shit up.

[sarcasmic]

It's just lefty nitwits having an emotional reaction.

[Eduard van Haalen]

"old blackface minstrel shows"

Like this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6VTj7LhCtE

[Eduard van Haalen]

And see below:

http://reason.com/blog/2013/11.....nt_4120074

[Zeb]

Those people seem to be actually black.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Even black minstrels blacked their faces, according to this:

"Initially, Blacks were able to participate in minstrel shows only by declaring themselves "real coons." To meet the expectations of both White and Black audiences, Black minstrels donned burnt cork to blacken their already dark skin and performed comedy routines using the traditional caricatures and racist stereotypes."

http://black-face.com/minstrel-shows.htm

But no modern black performer would invoke caricatures and stereotypes!

[Zeb]

My point was primarily about how silly it is to get all worked up about blackface. Not about whether or not negative black stereotypes still exist in popular culture.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Didn't mean to appear critical - I was riffing on your use of the past tense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MrQtOoQRpc

[Zeb]

OK, no problem.

[Lord Humungus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A6h12Qj9Cc

[Francisco d Anconia]

Oh, they're offended. They just don't know they're offended.

/prog

[invisible furry hand]

"After looking at their faces, I have no interest in listening to what their vaginas have to say."

more

[gaijin]

Where's the one that says "Wash me"?

[Slammer]

"My vagina goes sideways"

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Nice one.

[Francisco d Anconia]

My cock says, "You are all ridiculous."

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Fixing California: The Green Gentry's Class Warfare
...But in California, and much of the country, progressivism has morphed into a political movement that, more often than not, effectively squelches the aspirations of the majority, in large part to serve the interests of the wealthiest.

Primarily, this modern-day program of class warfare is carried out under the banner of green politics. The environmental movement has always been primarily dominated by the wealthy, and overwhelmingly white, donors and activists. But in the past, early progressives focused on such useful things as public parks and open space that enhance the lives of the middle and working classes. Today, green politics seem to be focused primarily on making life worse for these same people.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

In this sense, today's green progressives, notes historian Fred Siegel, are most akin to late 19th century Tory radicals such as William Wordsworth, William Morris and John Ruskin, who objected to the ecological devastation of modern capitalism, and sought to preserve the glories of the British countryside. In the process, they also opposed the "leveling" effects of a market economy that sometimes allowed the less-educated, less well-bred to supplant the old aristocracies with their supposedly more enlightened tastes....

...The gentry are also spared the consequences of policies that hit activities ? manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, oil and gas ? most directly impacted by higher energy prices. People with inherited money or Stanford degrees have not suffered much because since 2001 the state has created roughly half the number of mid-skilled jobs ? those that generally require two years of training after high-school ? as quickly as the national average and one-tenth as fast as similar jobs in archrival Texas....

[John]

In this sense, today's green progressives, notes historian Fred Siegel, are most akin to late 19th century Tory radicals such as William Wordsworth, William Morris and John Ruskin,

That is exactly what they are.

[sarcasmic]

'I think porn can be enjoyed... it can be productive for both men and women': Don Jon star Scarlett Johansson weighs in as she poses for boudoir chic shoot

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....nsson.html
She's got a weird looking face. I mean, not ugly, just... odd.

[gaijin]

She's got a weird looking face. I mean, not ugly, just... odd.

I think it is something about the lips. Like they are upside down.

[sarcasmic]

Something about her mouth isn't proportional to the rest of her face.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Are we looking at the same girl?

[robc]

I think sarcasmic may be "bisexual".

[mad libertarian guy]

Are we looking at the same girl?

No. They aren't.

[BakedPenguin]

Considering you think Kate Moss is hot, calling ScarJo's face odd is... well, odd.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

What Sarc was trying to say was, "Boobs? Yuck!"

[Zeb]

I like it. Though I think I like her better a bit less glammed up.

[Zeb]

Bright red lips really don't do anything for me.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I don't think she's going to age well, and she's a horrible actress who's been living off of her "Ghost World" cred and her tits for years, but she's not odd-looking.

[prolefeed]

She's a beautiful woman. Her lips are fuller than most white women's lips, but that's a good thing from my perspective.

[Slammer]

She's attractive, but completely uninteresting. Maybe because in every photo she looks bored out of her fucking mind.

[KMA Too]

Huh....^this^, I think...

Yep, now that I've read it, Slammer's spot on.

[mr simple]

Yeah, I've never met her, but she comes off as an idiot. Also she seems like a hopeless romantic type who will have many marriages over her career. So a typical Hollywood actress.

[Juice]

Her eyes are too far apart like an alien or something, she's got this weird little piggy upturn to her nose, and her lips are way too big for her face. I can easily see how most men would love her, but to me something is just...off. Same thing with Taylor Swift.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A Tampa Bay teacher who was suspended for trying to force a child to recite the pledge of allegiance is now back at work.

Lesson learned, is now back to just teaching kids to pledge allegiance to Obama.

[sarcasmic]

Dad 'unfit parent for refusing son McDonald's'

http://nypost.com/2013/11/07/p.....alds-suit/

Schorr, a corporate attorney turned consultant with degrees from NYU and Oxford University, had planned to take his 4-year-old son to their usual restaurant, the Corner Caf? on Third Avenue, for his weekly Tuesday night visitation last week.
But the boy threw a temper tantrum and demanded McDonald's. So he gave his son an ultimatum: dinner anywhere other than McDonald's ? or no dinner.
"The child, stubborn as a mule, chose the 'no dinner' option," the disgruntled dad says in the suit.

If he takes the kid to McDonalds it's child abuse, and if he doesn't it's child abuse.

[NoVAHockey]

"But the son apparently tattled on his dad and his wife flipped out and called the shrink, according to the suit."

cause that's normal

[gaijin]

Sounds like the divorce was not amicable.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Yeah, as soon as I saw that I instantly knew the score.

[Ted S.]

Teach the kid to cook for himself.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Adding insult to injury, he said: "My wife immediately took him to McDonalds."

Upon reflection, Schorr said he should have remembered that mother knows best.

"The first thing I did was I questioned myself," he recalled.

"Had I done something wrong? I did what any 43-year-old Jewish man would do ? I told my mother. I said, 'My God, did I do something wrong here?'

Fucking hell--it's little wonder so many MRAs end up garnering sympathy with stories like this. The guy acts like a man for what's likely the first time in his life, and society immediately moves to cut his balls off.

[Rich]

It is not clear what rules the employees broke by giving Snowden their passwords

Of course not! They were on double-secret probation!

[gaijin]

Rule 37

[R C Dean]

How about the rule that says "Don't give anybody your fucking password. Not even the admins. If they are authorized to get your password, they can get it off the system. Idiots."

I mean, really, this is the most basic, elementary security measure there is, period. Its up there with "Don't pull the trigger to check if the gun is loaded."

And the NSA is apparently chock full of people who don't know this. Seriously, we would fire all 25 people who gave their password to somebody who used it to rape the system.

And these clowns don't even know if its against the rules.

[Timon 19]

The admins, assuming they have root privilege on a system, don't even need user passwords to get to user data under normal circumstances.

[sarcasmic]

'Ghostly fog' caught on camera the moment it rips car mirror off police vehicle leaves officers scared and meteorologists scrambling for an answer
'Some of the officers said they think the parking lot's haunted,' said Hartford Lt. Brian Foley
NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Brad Field concluded that the fog is not a ghost, rather it is a mini-tornado
The car mirror was ripped off the car and swept through the air before it fell down to the asphalt beneath the car door

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....nswer.html
Ha ha!

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Stop Resisting....the Spirit World.

[John]

Maybe it is someone the Hartford Police shot or maybe a ghost of a dog coming back for revenge.

[DontShootMe]

^This^

[Andrew S.]

I saw The Mist.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hide in terror now.

[The DerpRider]

But did you see the Fog with Adrienne "Boom Boom" Barbeau?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Florida Supreme Court ordered a new trial for death row inmate Roy Swafford just two hours before his scheduled execution.

Florida originally thought it was executing Pat Buchanan.

[sarcasmic]

Return of the Jedis! Star Wars: Episode VII set for Christmas 2015 release as JJ Abrams steps in to pen script

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....cript.html
Really? I mean, like, really?

[William of Purple]

A fourth Star Wars movie? I don't know if we are ready.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

NEEDZ MOAR ANNIE AND PADME!

[BakedPenguin]

JJ Abrams? This might suck worse than the prequels.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

We'll get Lucas to write the script, and JJ can do all the camera work. We'll get the F- dialogue we've come to know and love, AND now we'll have lens flare in every shot.

[mr simple]

Development seems to be now hitting warp speed, with director JJ Abrams drafted in to pen a script with Empire Strikes Back writer Lawrence Kasdan.

This may be the only saving grace.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Honestly, I don't think it's going to be as bad as people are fearing. Yes, having Kasdan will certainly help, but Abrams is more of a "Star Wars" guy anyway.

And hell, it's not like he could do any worse than Lucas' tepid scripts. Unlike Lucas, I think Abrams will understand who the core fanbase of the franchise actually is: 30-to-40-year-old arrested development nerds who are looking for something like "Empire," not the next generation of 10-year-olds for Hasbro to target for toy purchases.

[Brett L]

At least Lucas started with scripts and then did scenes, rather than the new Abrams/Bay mode of film-making in which you mash the story into your preferred set-piece shots and call it directing. It is one thing to favor techniques, it is quite another to force every movie to look and feel the same. Bay is worse, but Abrams is in the school.

[jamesrk]

The future of star wars!
http://i.imgur.com/gtBUWmV.jpg

[mr simple]

This. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Lucas was going to take it anywhere good. In both the new STs and the SW prequels, there was barely any attention or time given to story or character development. They were just meshed up action sequences (which can be good if used properly) that made it look like they were trying to make a movie that could easily be made into a video game, which is what I believe the goal was.

[Agammamon]

I only have this to say - Abrams is the guy who brought Damon Lindelof onboard for a *second* ST movie after seeing his writing on 'Lost' *and* Prometheus, along with the schlock that is his first ST movie.

[Brett L]

I just consider anything made after ROTJ as fanfic and not canon, starting with the Ewok Christmas Movie.

[sarcasmic]

'I don't want them to start sagging too much': 17 years after winning $100,000 in breast implant bet, man worries about how age will impact surgery he decided to keep

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....gging.html
Um. Uh. Yeah.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Obamacare works by chaining Americans to local providers
...The Obamacare-compliant health benefit plans usually only pay for services within each citizen's local region, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former government health care official and an expert at the American Enterprise Institute.

Throughout 2014, the small regions will help regulators and executives narrow the variety, quality, number and cost of medical services available to at least three million Americans who already had plans on the individual market and are now being forced into Obamacare.

"They're very narrow plans, they're a throwback to the 1980s-style HMOs," Gottlieb said.

"The majority of plans do not offer care beyond their regions," said Yevgeniy Feyman, an expert at the New York-based Manhattan Institute.

"What this effectively does is limit the quality of care that some people are able to get," Feynman said. "The more rural you get, the worse it is going to be," he added....

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

"The more rural you get, the worse it is going to be,"

Feature, not bug...

[sarcasmic]

Take that you bitter clingers!

[db]

Is it possible that an intended effect of this is to encourage rural flight to urban arease?

[Auric Demonocles]

The more rural you get, the worse it is going to be

So it disproportionally affects conservatives in a negative manner? Perfect! And we thought that Obama didn't read it before signing it!

[John]

That is all he knows. Obama screws people who don't support him for the benefit of those he does. Obama doesn't care about anyone but Obama. But if you are on the other side, he takes an interest in making sure he makes your life as miserable as possible.

But remember, Obama cares.

[Auric Demonocles]

He's just trying to teach them that they need to support him so that he can help them!

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Depends on what you mean by "rural." Rep. Jared Polis is trying to get an exemption for people in his True Blue district that live in the mountain towns, even though the median wage there is about $60K a year.

[Auric Demonocles]

Any place with a median wage that high strikes me as very unlikely to be rural. Are they all sitting on gold mines?

[Agammamon]

No, just very large plots of land with expensive cabins and restrictive zoning.

[gaijin]

Throughout 2014, the small regions will help regulators and executives narrow the variety, quality, number and cost of medical services available

So, Lois Lerner gets appointed to oversee which counties get what services at what costs?

[robc]

They're very narrow plans, they're a throwback to the 1980s-style HMOs

I thought HMOs were teh evil? And this was something I agreed with the left on.

[Note: there are no spelling errors in this post.]

[sarcasmic]

Wearing rubber gloves in the bath and trying to swallow a watermelon: The desperate poses of Russians looking for love online (which may reveal why they are single!)
From mermaids to swords, welcome to the world of Russian online dating
Hilarious pictures posted by singles hoping to meet a potential soul mate

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-site.html
Wow.

[BakedPenguin]

I don't know. I'd consider banana girl or mask girl in a pinch.

[prolefeed]

Banana girl is basically hinting she'll give you a BJ, so that's not a bad thing.

Not sure what the newspaper is about.

The girl doing the wet T-shirt thing looks promising too.

[Juice]

So she's not hinting that she likes to bite off penises?

[robc]

Not sure what the newspaper is about.

It proves the picture is up-to-date and not 7 years old.

Same as with kidnappers using it to prove the victim is still alive.

[Ted S.]

You need to read David Thompson's blog.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

Click for a picture of Warty in his natural environment.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

NOT. GOING. TO. DO. THAT.

[Dweebston]

That's not Warty. Dude clearly only has four articulable limbs.

[Warty]

My chestcne is way better than that.

[Zeb]

Some of the girls could clean up OK.

Russians need to learn to smile.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

"Russians need to learn to smile."

How? They live in Russia.

[KMA Too]

Can anyone decipher that coat message?

Girl
Love
We
For Your Cheeks(?)

[sarcasmic]

He's got a head fur heights! Watch the astonishing cat that can leap two metres high
Nya-suke is a nimble tabby cat living in Japan with his owner
Average cat can jump about 150cm, but Nya-suk can jump to 196cm
Video of his impressive antics have gone viral on the internet

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-high.html
And here I thought I had seen cats that could jump high. That video is crazy.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Samurai Sunday Cinema Cat.

[db]

I have a friend whose cat used to be able to jump to about seven feet and perch on top of doors from the floor with a slight running jump. The cat is amazing.

[Rhywun]

My cats can barely jump on the couch. Lazy bastards.

[invisible furry hand]

Mr Ferguson said he had been abducted but was not ready to tell his story because he feared being ridiculed.

"Dickheads laugh about what aliens do to humans," he said.

"I'm referring to when they get the probe out and stick it up the starfish."

more

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Warty in Space?

[db]

Fricking anti-extraterrestrial homophobe.

[CampingInYourPark]

"Rocky Start For North Carolina Health Care Exchanges"

In fact, only one person was able to successfully use Healthcare.gov to enroll in the new exchange.

But even that single person has not paid, which means the enrollment is not complete.

http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/.....exchanges/

[gaijin]

Yes, but if we can prevent even ONE person from being uninsured...

[Doctor Whom]

It's NC, so how can you not blame obstructionist teathuglicans?

[Fist of Etiquette]

In an effort to thwart the NSA's surveillance, Google is beginning to encrypt traffic between its data centers.

Like they haven't already given NSA the keys. And like chumps, too, since AT&T made the CIA buy theirs.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Government keeps shedding jobs and the private sector keeps adding them in a new jobs report (+204,000) with Aug and Sep revised up.

Market headed for new highs.

If a GOPer were in office trumpets would be sounding.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yeah, pretty soon we'll be almost to the "disaster scenario" predictions that the non-stimulus would have gotten us to 2 years ago.

[Pompey]

I just had normal "middle class" people haul away my used mattress and box spring. To sleep on. Nearly a hundred inquiries for it in a largely rural-suburban area.

I recently had fifty applicants for a single $12/hr contractor job.

The Obama economy is strong.

[Palin's Buttplug]

It was the most wicked financial crisis since the 30's. $24 trillion was lost in 2008. Check out the Long Depression (20+ years) of the late 19th Century. They usually last a decade or more.

[CampingInYourPark]

$24 trillion was lost in 2008

Boooooooooooosch has it sewn into his mattress!

[Palin's Buttplug]

It was all in valuations, savings, retirement funds, home values, etc.

(source, FRB Dallas)

[OldMexican]

Re: Palin's Buttwipe,

It was all in valuations, savings, retirement funds, home values, etc.

You just continue to showcase your complete and utter ignorance of economics, don't you, Buttwipe?

SAVINGS are not affected by corrections. You still don't understand what money is or where it comes from, do you?

As with everything else that makes an economy, money exists because of trade. You had to PRODUCE something first before you can TRADE it for money. So money represents previously-produced goods and services. And just like anything in a market, the value of a commodity can only be known at the moment the actual exchange happens. Just because some assessor says your house is "worth" 500K does not mean that buffet for termites has $500,000 stored in itself. Money does not come from some subjective valuation taken from thin air. Money comes from production and trade. You HAVE to produce something before you can talk about money. An asset value is only known at the moment of the trade. Therefore, this idea that $24 trillion disappeared is completely incorrect. Nothing disappeared, there was no war or meteorite hitting the earth. Accounting tricks have NOTHING to do with economics.

[OldMexican]

Re: Palin's Buttwipe,

Check out the Long Depression (20+ years) of the late 19th Century.

It only lasted 7 years, Buttwipe, and it was exacerbated by a trade tariff. Most financial panics in the 19th Century were over in a couple of years. You also seem to conveniently forget that the other Great Depression (1920-1922) was also over in just a couple of years with NO stimulus, NO increase in the size of government and NO welfare schemes, just sound economic policy.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Seven years for the USA and 23 years for Europe.

[OldMexican]

Re: Palin's Buttwipe,

Seven years for the USA and 23 years for Europe

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Europe????

Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Europe. Oh, man. It's like that episode of Family Feud where the answer given by a contestant to Richard Dawson's question "at which month does a pregnancy start to be noticeable?" was "September!"

[Rasilio]

"$24 trillion was lost in 2008'

Incorrect.

That 24 trillion never existed in the first place, people were just confused by easy money and low interest rates into thinking it did.

You know what's worse? That was probably only about a 3rd of the vaporwealth running around in the economy, all of which will eventually have to be destroyed one way or another.

[Juice]

$24 trillion was lost in 2008

People realized that $24 trillion didn't actually exist.

[CampingInYourPark]

Government keeps shedding jobs and the private sector keeps adding them in a new jobs report (+204,000)

Wow, that's fucking awesome considering 300,000+ births per month.

[gaijin]

and don't forget the employment rate of the population. Almost 1 million people left the workforce in October with the rate now at 62.8%. That's down to the levels of 1978.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Lower the minimum wage and put them to work!

[Spoonman.]

Shit, just buy the unemployed bus tickets to Midland. You can get $15/hr washing dishes there.

[OldMexican]

Re: Palin's Buttwipe,

Lower the minimum wage and put them to work!

Ohh, what a brilliant idea, Buttwipe! It worked so well for black Americans back in the 30s when ultra-racist union bosses lobbied for a minimum wage, so it has to work now!

[Rhywun]

I thought that was Sea-Tac?

[Suthenboy]

You stupid fuck. You and your proggie friends really seem to think we are going to believe you and not our lying eyes?

The economy is roaring and obamacare is a huge success. Right.

This administration is an unmitigated disaster and you are just too stupid to see it or too dishonest to admit it.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Americans know when the train derailed. It was 2007-08 and even Republicans know it. You know it and won't admit it.

The Bushpigs fucked this country in the ass and you are just licking the cream pie for them.

[Lord Humungus]

see the link below:

A mid-October Pew Research national poll found that a plurality regard the Republicans as "better able to deal with the economy" than the Democrats (44%-37%). Independents favored the GOP on the economy by a whopping 46%-30% margin in that survey.

[WTF]

BUSHPIGS!!1111!!CHRISTFAGS!!111!!!!

[creech]

So the Democrat-controlled Congress were co-conspirators, eh?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

The Bushpigs fucked this country in the ass and you are just licking the cream pie for them.

Government data fucks PB in the ass again.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000

Change your name to Kunta Kinte, PB, because I own you.

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Leave our poor hero Obama alone. Just leave him alone!!

[mad_hominist]

I hear trumpets now, but it's Taps.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

*sheds a single tear*

[Fist of Etiquette]

The officer insists he did not write the FBI statement and hadn't even seen it.

He's just lucky the investigating agent didn't simply shoot him.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Second interview could cure that.

[Pompey]

Am I the only one that didn't feel the intended moralising from the film adaptation There Will Be Blood ? Same with American Psycho.

[Raston Bot]

Moralising?

[Rich]

High School Under Pressure To Drop 'Arab' Mascot

The Arab mascot has been around since the 1920s and was chosen to recognize the area's reliance on date farming, traditionally a Middle Eastern crop. The nearby community of Mecca also pays homage to the Middle East.

"Mecca"?! Good Lord, what *were* they thinking?!

[Eduard van Haalen]

"Hey, baby, want a date?"

[EDG reppin' LBC]

When in SoCal, I highly recommend getting a date shake.
http://www.hadleyfruitorchards.com/node/625

[Palin's Buttplug]

What are they going to do nest? Fuck with our WWF heros? Wasn't there a wrestler named Abdullah the Butcher?

What about the Tea Party wrestler, Jack Swagger?

[The DerpRider]

Iron Sheik.

[The DerpRider]

Who wants to arm wrestle the mayor of Toronto.

[Ted S.]

IFH laughs at Kiwis: man runs over neighbor, killing him, in dispute over puppy

A police summary of facts said the two men had argued after Cornelius became angry about Mr Paaka's dog coming onto his property.

Tensions mounted throughout the day and although a friend of Cornelius attempted to calm him, Cornelius continued threatening both the puppy and its owner.

Around 8pm that evening Cornelius carried out his threat, mowing Mr Paaka down as he and a friend walked along the street. He then drove over Mr Paaka at least three more times, inflicting multiple injuries.

[William of Purple]

Kate Upton bodypainting

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

I cannot run YouTube at work...

*breaks down sobbing*

[gaijin]

I'll break it down for you. Some pudgy girl gets swimsuits painted on her skin and prances around on a beach. Oh, and she says something.

[John]

Yeah Upton is real "pudgy", if you are some kind of weirdo maybe.

[robc]

Have to agree with John on this one.

She isnt typical model build, but ribs dont turn me on.

But she is well short of pudgy.

[BakedPenguin]

If you wanted to define "voluptuous" to someone, a picture of her could help.

[robc]

Agreed. And that is different than pudgy.

[gaijin]

Guess I'm a weirdo. She has no waist.

[robc]

google for "kate upton measurements" says: 34-27-36.

There is clearly a waist, even if it isnt in some sort of optimal proportion.

It also says she is 5'10" and 128#. I dont believe that last number.

[KDN]

Judging by her Wikipedia picture, I'm guessing that was accurate 2-3 years ago. She sure as shit ain't 130 lbs anymore.

[BakedPenguin]

John Kerry will be joining negotiations between Iran and Western powers over that country's nuclear program.

What in the hell for? Seriously, what is Lurch going to bring to the table? Is he going to create another compromise by fucking up again?

Actually, never mind. I'd be okay with that.

[Snark Plissken]

ISOLATIONIST!!!!!!

[gaijin]

I heard on NPR yesterday that he told (threatened?) the Israelis that if they did not get a peace agreement soon, the international community would be likely to move against them (presumably thru the UN) and that a 3rd intifada would be likely.

[Suthenboy]

They say it is going well because they forget, or choose not to acknowledge, that no matter what the Iranians say or agree to now, they will go back on later.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Re: Fixing California: The Green Gentry's Class Warfare

I've said it here before, but I really do think modern progressivism is just the return of the old landed medieval nobility, who railed against those damn uppity merchants getting power thru filthy cash instead of inherited position, like gentlemen. There are the greens, like above, who want to limit the consumption of the lower classes so they don't put on airs (all deer belong to the King - no poaching. No wearing purple, etc). There is the gun control "only gentlemen should have arms" belief (IMHO, the point behind the 2nd wasn't just resisting govt, it was symbolic of the equality between citizens and their idiot rulers - all citizens are "gentlemen"). "Social contract" replaces "divine right" as the just-so story backing it all up.

[John]

And things like the Nature Conservancy are nothing but buying back the King's forests.

[Citizen Nothing]

John. You are a dope. True story.

[John]

It only looks that way because you are a half wit. Buying and holding land out of productive use in perpetuity is the King's forest. Understand, this is not an individual who will some day die and give it to someone else. This is a corporation that will never die and thus keep the land out of productive use like the old aristocracy did with their hunting preserves.

The effect is the same. Just because you call on the "King" and the other a "Foundation" doesn't mean they are any different.

[Citizen Nothing]

So corporations should not be allowed to own property. Cool story.

[Citizen Nothing]

Probably should rule out all organizations, too. You know, churches, fraternal groups, and what not. Why should they be able to own property?

[John]

Thousands of acres forever? What happens when a few billionaires buy up somewhere like the central valley and turn it into a hunting preserve and then via a foundation pass it to their cronies, generation after generation?

If the Nature conservancy can own something forever, why can't I encumber my land forever?

Here is a hint, the common law, because it is probably the best example of collective wisdom in history, nearly always gets it right. So whenever some new law goes contrary to some principle in the common law, that new law is nearly always wrong.

[John]

No. Corporations should not be allowed to have charters that say land must be held for one specific purpose forever.

This is no different that the problem with copyright law. Since corporations never die and can forever lobby Congress to extend their copyrights, we are losing the public domain.

The rule against perpetuities exists for a reason. It keeps people from buying property and encumbering it forever and thus keeping it from the most productive use. What the Nature Conservancy is doing here is using corporate law to get around that. That is not a good thing.

Corporations should be able to own what they like. But no one individual or corporation should be able to take land out of production forever. Treat it like Copyright. Set a limit. Make them sell it after so many years.

[Citizen Nothing]

"Make them sell it after so many years."

So that should probably apply to families, too? I mean, why not, if they're not using their property in a way that you (and by "you" I mean the government) believe is productive?

[John]

So that should probably apply to families, too?

Yes. And it already does. I can give my land to my son. But I can't tell him what to do with it. I can't encumber it. So he can sell the family farm to a development if he wants. Once I am dead, he owns it and do what he likes.

The problem is that a corporation never dies like I do. So there is no idiot son to sell off the land. It just goes on forever. And there is a charter that tells the board members they can't sell the land, which is no different in practice than me telling my son he can't sell the family farm.

[Zeb]

Is it impossible to later modify the charter? I'm really asking, I don't know.

[John]

In some cases effectively yes Zeb.

[John]

This wasn't a problem CN when corporations were incorporated to make money. Then it could be assumed they would put the land to the most productive use. But when you have corporations that are not chartered to make money but to do something else, it becomes a real issue.

Think about the Barnes Foundation. The guy buys all of this art and holds it away so the public can't see it and only the professionals can. That is fine. It was his art. But he sets up a foundation that ensures that the art will be held in that form under those rules forever. That is bullshit. He shouldn't be able to control that property after he is dead. But absent some dirty dealing by the Philadelphia Art Museum he damned near did.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

What the fuck?

[Citizen Nothing]

What the fuck, indeed.

[John]

It is only what the fuck if you don't understand economics or the common law. If you understand those things, it is pretty clear why things like the Nature Conservancy are a problem.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

I understand economics. I also understand private property rights. You and I might disagree with the policies of the Nature Conservency, but it's their property. If they want to leave it unproductive, that is their right. You realize this is a libertarian website?

[John]

Okay EDG,

The family farm is my property, why can't I leave it to my son on the condition that he only use it as a farm and leave it to his son or closest relative to only be used as a farm now and forever?

It is my property isn't it?

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Yeah dude. It's a covenant. Lots of properties have covenants attached. It's private property. You, me and the govt don't get to just decide how to use or dispose of of someone's private property.

[John]

No it is not a covenant. That is different. A covenant is where I sell part of the property, like the right to build a tall building or an apartment block to someone else. I no longer own it. This is an encumbrance, which is totally different. Covenants can be bought back, encumbrances can't.

[thom]

The family farm is my property, why can't I leave it to my son on the condition that he only use it as a farm and leave it to his son or closest relative to only be used as a farm now and forever?

Why couldn't you? Charter the farm as a corporation, and include in the charter a provision that the farm can only be used as a farm, forever and ever. How would that be any different? These kinds of arrangements have to exist already.

[Zeb]

Forests and mountains just left alone are productive. They are important for clean air and clean water. For the same reason, I really don't mind national forests (the eastern ones anyway) either. When all of the land in the White and Green mountains was logged, the rivers were very dirty and prone to flash flooding. And if a private organization can accomplish the same thing, that's even better.

[John]

Forests and mountains just left alone are productive.

Maybe. It depends on who wants it the most. I am not saying that some other environmentalist isn't fee to buy it. I am just saying at some point it needs to be sold.

[Citizen Nothing]

And of course, top men will decide which is the best and highest use, because otherwise the original organization (or inheriting family) who is forced to sell might decide to do something awful like sell it for less to a favored buyer. No way that could go wrong.

[John]

The common law had the rule against perpetuities to prevent exactly what the Nature Conservancy is doing. Now thanks to corporation law, the problem has returned.

[Citizen Nothing]

The Nature Conservancy has no perpetuities, of course. Its board of directors can always choose (and sometimes does) to sell a particular property. I imagine on that day when all of Earth's arable land has been turned into a park, (and we're so very, very close to that point now, after all) the board will sell a few acres to grow soybeans, or Soylent, or whatever happens to be in style.

[John]

Its board of directors can always choose (and sometimes does) to sell a particular property.

It would have to change its charter, which is very hard and unlikely to ever happen. See the example of the Barnes Foundation above. Sure maybe in a 500 years they will get around to selling it just like the King might some day sell one of his hunting lodges to pay for a war or as his daughter's dowry.

Can't you see the economic efficiency problem there? You want that land on the market so the person who can put it to the best use is getting it. If environmentalists want that land, let them out bid everyone else every generation for it not lock it up in trust forever.

[robc]

Single Land Tax helps solve the problem.

[Citizen Nothing]

Ah. The same argument governments use when declaring land "blighted" so something "better" can be built on it.
Speaking of own land forever -- first outlaw government ownership of property, and then come talk to me about the Nature Conservancy.

[Citizen Nothing]

And yes, the board of directors can always change the charter. So what's the problem, besides the land is being used for something you don't like? Are you afraid of cougars or squirrels or something?

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

One should always fear the Squirrelz!

[Emmerson Biggins]

I think the whole deal with perpetuities, and what Zeb said about some space just being left alone still being productive isn't really "solvable" with just libertarianism. You have to bring some other "axioms" to the table.

And personally, I don't have a problem with almost-perpetuities .... but there has to be some legal principle where at some point the "owner" can show that there is no longer a counter-party to be aggrieved, and therefore he/it is the real non-scare-quote owner, and he can do whatever he/it wants.

[Fist of Etiquette]

CBS says it will correct the story if it finds its reporters were misled.

Of course everyone is going to totally trust the FBI here. There's no way federal officials would be involved in any falsehoods. It must be the private contractor.

[Palin's Buttplug]

A security officer who worked at the US mission in Benghazi and was featured in a CBS "60 Minutes" segment appears to have given the FBI a different account of events the night of the 9/11 attack in the city than he did in his book or to CBS.

Why can't the GOP find good ratfuckers any more?

[OldMexican]

Re: Palin's Buttwipe,

Why can't the GOP find good ratfuckers any more?

Wouldn't the reporters at 60 Minutes be the ones allegedly bamboozled by this guy and not the GOP?

"The officer insists he did not write the FBI statement and hadn't even seen it."

After the half-hearted apology from the semi-black Jesus and all his lying, I am leaning towards believeing this guy over the FBI. Just sayin'.

[invisible furry hand]

Americans are Transformers, Brits are Enlightenment whores, and other lessons from Miss Universe (soz if already posted)

[BakedPenguin]

Wow, that Miss USA costume was terrible.

[Snark Plissken]

Holy shit the Miss America costume is hideous.

I'm guessing it was designed by a feminist.

[Doctor Whom]

Miss GB looks like really bad Lewis Carroll fan art. Also, Enlightenment Whores would be an awesome band name.

[John]

Today in butt hurt, the Washington Post finally admits Obama may have fucked up and lied. Prog butt hurt boils over in the comments.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....ics&clsrd;
American-Patriot
8:40 AM EST
When Obama hits a new low it's because the Republican Congress hits a new low. The party of whiny obstructionists is dragging the President down. Watch down from below!

[Auric Demonocles]

It was those damn Republicans forcing him to lie in order to pass it, because they were obstructing him when they should have just given it to him anyway.

[Snark Plissken]

Matt Welch ?@mleewelch 56m
The New York Times article about Obama's apology today is on page A14.

This is the proper way to show respect to the Lightbringer.

[NoVAHockey]

It wasn't even that good of a standard non-apology apology.

[BakedPenguin]

"I'm sorry you're all too stupid to appreciate my greatness."

[CampingInYourPark]

More news on the butt hurt front:

I'm sorry that the Democratic Party's decades-old chase toward universal health care is now at risk because your law?your legacy, sir?is off to such a miserable start.

http://www.nationaljournal.com.....t-20131107

[John]

They are starting to realize that fucking this up might not get people to demand single payer. It might cause people to think they are morons and not to be trusted. Or worse, lose faith in Government.

[Brett L]

Yeah. Its almost as if all of those crazies who have been shouting for years that complexity doesn't give a shit about your Ivy League degrees or intentions weren't out to punish the poor so much as describe the real world.

[John]

The problem for them is they sold Obama as the best they had. So it is going to be real hard to claim, "well if we just had the right people in charge". And who would those be if not President creased pants?

[Lord Humungus]

Ah, I remember the days when the pundits were demanding that Bush step down early so Obama could take over.

[John]

He was competent you know.

[Juice]

Bush? Competent?

[John]

Compared to Obama? Yes. But you missed the joke. It was Obama who was so competent he needed to take over the day after the election.

[Bee Tagger]

John Kerry will be joining negotiations between Iran and Western powers over that country's nuclear program

After this, I predict the gap between the two will be yawning.

[Brett L]

Really, I see him saying some off the cuff thing that we have to live with. "If the Iranians will only surrender their program and normalize relations, we'll give them MFN and $50B/year in military aid."

And next thing you know the Saudis are holding Osama bin Laden day parades.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

After 9/11 Joe Biden wanted to cut Iran a huge check, just to show "the Arab world" how much we cared...

Best Administrashun Evah!

[Rich]

The Internal Revenue Service issued $4 billion in fraudulent tax refunds last year to people using stolen identities, with some of the money going to addresses in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ireland, according to an inspector general's report released Thursday. The IRS sent a total of 655 tax refunds to a single address in Lithuania, and 343 refunds went to a lone address in Shanghai.

And *these* are the people enforcing Democratcare.

[gaijin]

Seriously, how hard is it to flag duplicate addresses? Maybe the IRS should audit itself.

[The Late P Brooks]

NEEDZ MOAR STIMULUS

And it is, as I said, a bitter irony, because one main reason we've done so little about unemployment is the preaching of deficit scolds, who have wrapped themselves in the mantle of long-run responsibility ? which they have managed to get identified in the public mind almost entirely with holding down government debt.

This never made sense even in its own terms. As some of us have tried to explain, debt, while it can pose problems, doesn't make the nation poorer, because it's money we owe to ourselves. Anyone who talks about how we're borrowing from our children just hasn't done the math.

True, debt can indirectly make us poorer if deficits drive up interest rates and thereby discourage productive investment. But that hasn't been happening. Instead, investment is low because of the economy's weakness. And one of the main things keeping the economy weak is the depressing effect of cutbacks in public spending ? especially, by the way, cuts in public investment ? all justified in the name of protecting the future from the wildly exaggerated threat of excessive debt.

Poor Krugabe. All those degrees, and he still doesn't know the difference between investment and expense.

[John]

At some point doesn't he even start to sound crazy to himself?

[Brett L]

Every time someone asks him for a case where LESS deficit is the answer he bans them from the comments or mocks them without providing a case. Whether he believes his own bullshit or is just protecting his brand is hard to say.

[Ted S.]

Let's bomb Chicago to smithereens. Massive stimulus, and it kills off a bunch of unemployed!

[Fatty Bolger]

Good, but you're thinking too small.

[OldMexican]

As some of us have tried to explain, debt, while it can pose problems, doesn't make the nation poorer,

Especially if you have no intention of ever paying it back.

True, debt can indirectly make us poorer if deficits drive up interest rates and thereby discourage productive investment.

This guy is a charlatan. Even with the lowest of the lowest of interest rates, you still see very skimpy investment precisely because public debt translates to allocating resources (capital) away from produtive investment into UNproductive (but still seemed as "safe") investment.

But that hasn't been happening.

Krugman, you moron! YES, it has! People consumed their savings a long time ago and are now living paycheck to paycheck or on the government's dole. That is completely and 100% the result of the same policies you espouse. Rising interest rates will only affect debtors but not savers, and we need savers to increase the stock of capital. Right now, this country is depending entirely on phony savings (money printing) and the savings of millions of Chinese and other foreign workers.

[KDN]

True, debt can indirectly make us poorer if deficits drive up interest rates and thereby discourage productive investment.

Crowding out doesn't occur unless interest rates rise? Alan Blinder started preaching that nonsense three years ago. Apparently Princeton is running an experiment to see if staffing their econ department with nothing but retards will hurt their US News & World Reports ranking.

[Agammamon]

because it's money we owe to ourselves.

Do, do people really believe this? Because if we're just borrowing from 'ourselves' then the borrowing, in addition to not making us worse off, doesn't make us better off - it does nothing, there's no point to it. If I take $10 out of my wallet and give it to myself all I've done is waste my time since now I have to put that $10 back into my wallet.

[Agammamon]

Even looking at it from a collective viewpoint - if I were to borrow money from my (non-existent) wife and spend it, we're down $10. So unless I get something that is worth at least $10 to me then its *still* a net loss.

[Fatty Bolger]

Loyal Obama Supporters, Canceled by Obamacare

San Francisco architect Lee Hammack says he and his wife, JoEllen Brothers, are "cradle Democrats." They have donated to the liberal group Organizing for America and worked the phone banks a year ago for President Obama's re-election.

Since 1995, Hammack and Brothers have received their health coverage from Kaiser Permanente, where Brothers worked until 2009 as a dietitian and diabetes educator. "We've both been in very good health all of our lives ? exercise, don't smoke, drink lightly, healthy weight, no health issues, and so on," Hammack told me.

The couple ? Lee, 60, and JoEllen, 59 ? have been paying $550 a month for their health coverage ? a plan that offers solid coverage, not one of the skimpy plans Obama has criticized. But recently, Kaiser informed them the plan would be canceled at the end of the year because it did not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The couple would need to find another one. The cost would be around double what they pay now, but the benefits would be worse.

"From all of the sob stories I've heard and read, ours is the most extreme," Lee told me in an email last week.

Forget that poor cancer survivor who is losing access to doctors who miraculously kept her alive for years. This is "the most extreme" case - because it happened to them!

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Yeah, self-awareness does seem to be in short supply with those two.

[gaijin]

it is San Fran afterall.

[Andrew S.]

Best part is that apparently their old plan didn't qualify because it didn't cover pediatric dental & vision services. For a 60 and 59 year old.

[robc]

lol.

Mine didnt qualify because it didnt cover pregnancy. If I get pregnant, Im willing to pay out of pocket, but that isnt good enough for Obama.

[Agammamon]

If *I* get pregnant I'm pretty sure there's a lot of people willing to give me money to cover the pregnancy in exchange for studying how a man got knocked up.

[OldMexican]

Or forget about the other Obama supporter (who was with Megyn Kelly last night) who has cancer right now and saw his coverage being cancelled.

Talk about the empathy of the left.

[John]

Isn't that pretty much every Prog?

[Fatty Bolger]

Pretty much. Note that he says they're "not changing our views because of this situation." Beat them bloody with a reality stick, and they still don't get it. They just whine that they are a special case (when they most definitely not) and plead for special treatment from their lords and masters.

[John]

They don't want to change the situation. They just want special treatment.

[Hillary's Clitdong]

UN-AMERICAN KULAK WRECKER SABOTEURS

[Elspeth Flashman]

And because maybe they are realizing their votes were bought by lies.

[Snark Plissken]

It's okay, they'll still vote Dem because everyone else is EVUUUL!

[Lord Humungus]

"it could have been worse!"

[Rhywun]

If they're so "cradle Democrat" you'd think they'd leap at the chance to give a portion of their wealth to more deserving strangers. Perhaps they need a little re-education.

[mad libertarian guy]

How dare those self-hating Miami Dolphins players identify with those with whom they've chosen to associate instead of with the ones I approve of!!

"Richie is honorary," a black former Dolphins player told Miami Herald reporter Armando Salguero. "I don't expect you to understand because you're not black. But being a black guy, being a brother is more than just about skin color. It's about how you carry yourself. How you play. Where you come from. What you've experienced. A lot of things."

I'm black. And I totally understand the genesis of this particular brand of stupidity and self-hatred. Mass Incarceration, its bastard child, Hurricane Illegitimacy, and their marketing firm, commercial hip-hop music, have created a culture that perpetrates the idea that authentic blackness is criminal, savage, uneducated and irresponsible. The tenets of white supremacy and bigotry have been injected into popular youth culture. The blackest things a black man can do are loudly spew the N-word publicly and react violently to the slightest sign of disrespect or disagreement.

[. . .]

But what makes me want to check into a mental hospital is Miami's black players' unconditional love of Incognito and indifference to Martin.

That's some of that good, enlightened new fashioned racism. If you don't agree with me it's just because you're a thug!

[John]

A lot of this is old white guy sports writers who think it is forever 1968 and don't get that most people under 30 just don't give a shit about that kind of stuff anymore. To the old white guys a racial slur is the worst thing imaginable. To the guys on the Dolphins it is a joke.

[RBS]

I'm so tired of this story and the race to condemn Incognito the hardest.

[John]

Me too. Incognito is a lunk head moron. But the NFL is full of those. You have to be a bit psychotic to do what they do. It is absurd to think that an NFL locker room is not going to be a really strange place full of violent and crazy people.

[RBS]

A contrary take

[Ted S.]

You linked to a powerlifting site? You want to infect us with Dunphy or something?

[RBS]

I figured there have been enough awful cop stories lately to keep him away. Plus he's probably too busy having mature, intelligent conversations at Volokh.

[mad libertarian guy]

This story is as bad as it gets.

When local sports reporters are doing a better job than the supposed respectable national guys, you know things are fucked.

This entire story screams agenda.

[Ted S.]

These are the same people who claimed RG3 is a "cornball" brother because he had the temerity to fall in love with a white woman.

Fuck collectivism.

[robc]

Martin apparently wasnt considered black because he is mixed race and from an upper class background. Or something.

[Ted S.]

So, like Obama?

[KDN]

These are the same people who claimed RG3 is a "cornball" brother because he had the temerity to fall in love with a white woman.

Not Whitlock. He's really consistent about this issue; raging against hip-hop / prison culture taking over black America is a regular hobbyhorse of his.

Martin apparently wasnt considered black because he is mixed race and from an upper class background. Or something.

That's exactly what Whitlock is bemoaning.

[mad libertarian guy]

He's really consistent about this issue; raging against hip-hop / prison culture taking over black America is a regular hobbyhorse of his.

So he's the equivalent of saying that jazz is evil because it makes white women fuck black musicians. Got it.

[KDN]

So he's the equivalent of saying that jazz is evil because it makes white women fuck black musicians. Got it

He doesn't blame the culture on the music, he blames the drug war and its side effects. He thinks that the music glorifies and reinforces the bad aspects of the culture thus playing a role in their perpetuation, which is something I don't agree with him on but he's got the underlying diagnosis right.

[mad libertarian guy]

He thinks that the music glorifies and reinforces the bad aspects of the culture

Then he's an idiot. Rap music no more glorifies violence than Natural Born Killers glorifies violence. Art is a reflection of reality, not a driving force of it.

So in essence what he's arguing is that the drug war makes blacks think inappropriate thoughts in regards to who they should rightfully identify with.

The drug war does many horrible things, but creating self hating blacks that have the temerity to identify with a white guy rather than a fellow black man isn't one of them.

[KDN]

Rap music no more glorifies violence than Natural Born Killers glorifies violence. Art is a reflection of reality, not a driving force of it.

No arguments from me.

So in essence what he's arguing is that the drug war makes blacks think inappropriate thoughts in regards to who they should rightfully identify with.

No, that's not it either. The drug war caused black culture to degrade to the point where a thug like Incognito is a better reflection on what it means to be black and something to aspire towards than Martin. He hates this reality.

The drug war does many horrible things, but creating self hating blacks that have the temerity to identify with a white guy rather than a fellow black man isn't one of them.

If the problems of inner city were caused primarily by the drug war, and if you view the culture that arose out of that setting as irredeemably self-hating, then yes, the drug war did create a generation of self-hating blacks. There's no temerity involved with Incognito because he's white (except insofar as he's, according to Whitlock, a bigot), the problem is that he's a thug. His view is that in a sane world the team would side with Martin against Incognito since the former appears to be a nice, regular kid and the latter something of a sociopath, but that the Dolphins locker room and a large subset of black culture, is not sane.

[mad libertarian guy]

No, that's not it either. The drug war caused black culture to degrade to the point where a thug like Incognito is a better reflection on what it means to be black and something to aspire towards than Martin. He hates this reality.

He's conveniently omitting the obvious. They're not identifying with Incognito because he's a thug, they're identifying with him because he's not the one who betrayed their brotherhood.

The media is the faction that's latched on to the race angle, and I'd bet that in that locker room (and every other locker room) race played no role whatsoever. Does player X have your back? That's their primary concern.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Rerun from yesterday.

Mitch McConnell: "The most important election yesterday wasn't the governor of New Jersey and it wasn't the governor of Virginia, it was the special election for Congress in South Alabama, where a candidate who said the shutdown was a great idea, the president was born in Kenya, and that he opposed Speaker Boehner came in second."

I mean, McConnell could have put up with the birther stuff, but opposing Boehner? That's just crazy!

http://online.wsj.com/news/art.....1565709594

[Palin's Buttplug]

Dean Young is a fucking idiot Creationist Judge Roy Moore supporter. American Taliban all the way.

[Brett L]

I hope you lose in the primaries you fuck.

[invisible furry hand]

Jon Hamm's tight trousers strike again! Seriously, if these could be weaponized there would be no stopping the US

[Hillary's Clitdong]

There's nothing I want to see more this fine Friday morning than the outline of a limp penis.

[Ted S.]

But think of all the lady and gay male posters here!

[Elspeth Flashman]

You made me smile, IFH.

[invisible furry hand]

then my work here is done

[Ted S.]

So that means you're not going to post any more Jon Hamm shit? Huzzah!

[invisible furry hand]

"Jon Hamm shit"? You clearly need more exposure to the wonder and majesty of Mr Hamm. I shall therefore continue posting about him.

Now stop complaining and go upthread to my post about the chatty Chinese hoo-has

[Elspeth Flashman]

Yay! Continue!

[wareagle]

"Chatty Hoo-has" Now, that's a band name.

[Not a Libertarian]

I believe the correct term is the "Hammaconda"

[OldMexican]

John Kerry will be joining negotiations between Iran and Western powers over that country's nuclear program. The talks had seemed to be going well.

Kerry is going to make sure such a thing never happens again!

[Jerryskids]

I think I missed this particular Brickbat posting.

22 Year Old With Down Syndrome Beaten By The Police For "Bulge In Pants" That Was His Colostomy Bag

[Auric Demonocles]

STOP DEFECATING!

[invisible furry hand]

"I said, 'Didn't you know he was a Down Syndrome kid?' And he said, 'No, I'm not a doctor. I don't know.' And I said, 'Well, you can see it in his face that he is a Down Syndrome kid,'" said Josephine.

[Agammamon]

Racist!

[Rich]

Let the lawsuits begin.

[Brett L]

This is the hero who bravely took down the 'tard.

The most serious allegations date back to October 2007. Villa's sister, Mercy Fiallo, claimed the cop headbutted and choked her during an argument at her house in Oviedo. "Fuck you, bitch. I feel like killing you," Villa supposedly told her. Villa denied hitting or threatening her, and Fiallo's complaint was not sustained.

Two years later, Villa was one of three cops in black, unmarked cars to spot Delroy Hibbert allegedly smoking a joint in Opa-locka. According to police, Hibbert fell while trying to flee over a fence. But Hibbert told investigators that Villa had kicked and elbowed him in his head so hard that he "defecated in his pants." Both Hibbert's mother and a neighbor said they saw cops hitting him, but his complaint was also dropped.

And the 2 fatal shootings he's been part of. How can the police union NOT be liable for defending a person they have professional knowledge of being a danger to people?

[WTF]

How can the police union NOT be liable for defending a person they have professional knowledge of being a danger to people?

All together now: "Because fuck you, that's why."

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Because hero first reponderz!

[John]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIjUY3pjN8E

Amazing a hippie kid from Berkeley could write a song Howlin Wolf would have been happy to have done.

[kinnath]

And I remember when that was new.

[John]

I am going to see him tonight. I am very excited. Everything I have read says his band is fantastic and his voice is as good as ever.

[Brett L]

He was great a decade ago. Told a story about what he claimed was his favorite amp, which apparently has its own refrigerator when not on stage, because the tubes would be extremely expensive to replace, and even then it might not sound exactly the same.

[Auric Demonocles]

Reports of sexual assault in the US military are up 46 percent this year, according to the Pentagon, which says the rise is a credit to "victim confidence in our response system".

This seems to be a no-lose scenario. Sexual assaults reported are down? We've stopped them from happening! Sexual assaults reported are up? We've made it easier for victims to get justice!

[Eduard van Haalen]

Participant at Vatican conference says slavers need to f___ off:

" Human trafficking is a major scourge to women and children that needs greater international attention, the head of a Catholic medical group in Nigeria told a gathering of experts in Rome.

Dr. Henrietta Williams explained to EWTN News that "there is a lot of human trafficking going on" throughout the world....

"As a gynecologist and the head of the Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Williams was invited to present at a Vatican study group entitled, "Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery," held on Nov. 2-3 in Vatican City....

""People think, 'oh, human trafficking, prostitution.' Just from today's talk, we've found that there are a lot of players in the background ? we don't know (exactly) who they are ? who are making a lot of money: so called 'respectable members' of society, multinational companies, exploiting women not just for sex ? for labor."...

"The practice of "bonding" is also very common. "It's like borrowing money," in that a family "bonds" their daughter to a person or group "and (they) expect that the girls are going off hopefully to make some money and bring some money back."...

"Sex slavery is more common in East and South Africa, says Williams, where there is a link between the tourist industry and pedophilia."

http://www.ewtnnews.com/cathol.....hp?id=8783

[Eduard van Haalen]

""Others go as domestic workers, housemaids, to people abroad," continued Williams, "but in actual fact the girls are exploited. They are used and their passports are seized and taken away and they have no freedom."

"Nigeria itself houses a "vicious center" of human trafficking. Many of the girls from there "end up in Italy as sex slaves."

[Floridian]

It's hard to believe slavery still happens in this world. Living in America I take for granted slavery is a thing of the past. So sad.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

WAR OF NORTHERN AGGRESHUN!!!11!!11!

[Andrew S.]

Today in sexual assault under cover of law in New Mexico, we have this woman: http://www.kob.com/article/sto.....ml?cat=500

Can we give New Mexico back to Old Mexico at this point?

[Elspeth Flashman]

Sorry, no refunds, no exchanges, no store credit.

[Snark Plissken]

Schaur Ives said the woman crossed the border at a Port of Entry from Juarez, Mexico into El Paso.

You might want to brush up on your geography, boyo, El Paso isn't in the state of New Mexico. Also, Gary Johnson is from NM, and so am I, so fuck off.

[OldMexican]

Can we give New Mexico back to Old Mexico at this point?

Nah-ah! If you break it, you pay it!

[Apatheist ?_??]

No New Mexico belongs to the Republic of Texas and will be the first part we reclaim.

[John]

I was thinking about the story yesterday about the cop who shot the kid in the pickup. I think the reason why this stuff is hapening more is because the drug war has caused the country to increase the size of its police forces so much. We always hear about cops acting like animals but we never hear about the other end, the people they deal with acting like animals. People are animals and cops deal with the worst of the worst.

It takes a special kind of person to do law enforcement well. I couldn't do it. I have too much of a temper and too little patience. I would last two days dealing with the people cops deal with before I beat someone senseless. The problem is that there is only a finite number of people with the make up to do that job well. As we have exploded the size law enforcement, we have quickly ran through those people.

And are we hiring military people. I say this as someone with a life long love and respect for the military, you do not want military people doing law enforcement. The military is by necessity a brutal, nasty, dehumanizing culture. It is about aggression and violence. The military refuses to put armed troops in the streets because the American public doesn't want to be on the receiving end of those people.

Is it any wonder the culture of law enforcement has changed and gotten so violent?

[RBS]

Probably and like I mentioned yesterday the training itself has become more like what you get in the military.

[John]

The reason why I can be so adamantly anti-cop is not because I hate law enforcement. I have a lot of respect for the people who do that job right. It is a hard job and not a job I would want to or probably could do. I hate the way they are destroying what should be a noble profession.

I think one of the reasons why is they have hired so many military people and changed the culture. The guy shooting the kid sounds like something Joe (the generic name for the Army private) would do. This is why as an attorney I don't want Joe on the streets armed unless it is a dire emergency. Joe gets paid to kill people and is trained to see one solution to every problem. And that kind of thinking leads to shooting a kid for the crime of running away or revving his engine trying to get away.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

"The military is by necessity a brutal, nasty, dehumanizing culture. It is about aggression and violence."

Have you had any experience with the National Guard? Because that generalization is way off base.

But police do need a Peel based training and mindset and culture, not military.

[John]

Have you had any experience with the National Guard? Because that generalization is way off base.

I have a lot of experience. And yes the Guard is a bit more laid back but not so much since so many Guardsman and Guard Brigades have done combat tours. The days of the Guard being a good old boy club are really over. Those units by necessity got very good in some cases.

And to be good, the mentality has to change. I have spent a lot of time around and in that culture. And while it is disciplined and controlled, it is not the same culture as LE. You don't train people to stop and think and de escalate a situation. You train them to bring as much violence to the situation as quickly as possible. You can't do LE with that mentality. Indeed, this is one of the reason DOD hates nation building and peace keeping. It is very hard to translate from the mentality they need to win wars.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

I, apparently had a different experience with the IL, VA, IN, NY and OK BCTs I worked with in Iraq or Afghanistan.

I still think you are overgeneralizing and exaggerating - but as we have no solid data, it will have to remain an opinion dispute.

[John]

For sure. i am not saying it is the only or even the primary reason. But I think it is part of it.

That said, military or not, when you increase your police forces like we have, you are going to necessarily reduce the average quality.

[Fatty Bolger]

you do not want military people doing law enforcement

That might make sense in theory, but does not jibe with my experience. The calmest, most professional seeming cops I've met usually had military backgrounds.

It seems to me that a former soldier would be better at knowing how to rely on their training, rather than adrenaline, to get past the fear in a bad situation.

[John]

There is some of that. But if you get enough military people into it, you change the culture. And yeah, some people in the military have the right makeup. But a lot don't. Goes back to my first point about there only being a finite number of people who can do that job well.

[Agammamon]

The military is by necessity a brutal, nasty, dehumanizing culture. It is about aggression and violence.

No offense John, but you have no idea what modern military culture is like.

Modern law enforcement is not the way it is because there's a large percentage of military in there. Its the way it is because there has been a sea change in the way law enforcement perceives and trains to deal with the public.

Military police do no act the way civilian police do, even though the, literally, have the authority to order pretty much anything from servicemembers. Military doing security patrols in in dangerous neighborhoods overseas still do not have a shoot first and justify later policy.

Our servicemembers receive a huge amount of training before being assigned police-like duties and a good chunk of that training is on helping them to remain calm in the face of provocation and prevent the escalation of hostile situations (like demos and what-not) to open violence.

And that's just the MP side of things. The whole 'Full-Metal Jacket' Drill-Sergeant Nasty business is gone. The aggressiveness, abuse, and arbitrary display of power that characterized the military as recently as the early 1980's is done.

[Arkansaustrian Economics]

I'm a 10-year Army vet, and I spent 15 months on the southwest border of Sadr City during the surge. I patrolled some of the most dangerous streets on Earth. The civilians there were even allowed to have gunz!!1!

I guarantee you, we were more respectful of the locals, and less likely to start shooting at "perceived" threats than what you see from cops at large in the states. It's anecdotal, obviously, but the idea that combat vets are somehow less professional or more hard-edged than domestic cops does not ring true to me at all.

[RickC]

I was in the military from mid-80s to '91, the last three years as MI. I remember during the Panama invasion after the first few days and things were calming down word came down that units of the 82nd (basically shock troops) were being assigned to man check points and road blocks. Several of us similtaneously blurted out, "What the fuck?"

Sure enough, a couple of days later word reached us that one of the units had opened up on and killed some hapless Panamanians who, probably confused about hand signals, didn't stop quickly enough when approaching the checkpoint.

[Lord Humungus]

ah breakfast meetings, one of the best of the few perks that we still get here in corporate land.

[Lord Humungus]

Imagine that...

Undercover lap dancing club sting unveiled naked women "simulating sex acts"

Undercover officer PC Darren Harris and council licensing officer Sarah Rogers spied on the lewd behaviour while posing as clients when the Wiggle club applied to renew its annual licence.

Mrs Rogers said she saw direct contact between dancers and customers, which is against licensing laws.

She added: "Dancers were clearly simulating sexual acts ."

[Elspeth Flashman]

And patrons were clearly paying the dancers for that service. So?

[The Late P Brooks]

I'm black. And I totally understand the genesis of this particular brand of stupidity and self-hatred. Mass Incarceration, its bastard child, Hurricane Illegitimacy, and their marketing firm, commercial hip-hop music, have created a culture that perpetrates the idea that authentic blackness is criminal, savage, uneducated and irresponsible.

So, behavior which appears to validate the worst stereotypes of black men might not be a good idea?

Shocking.

[John]

The white liberals who grew up idolizing John Lennon think anyone who thinks hip hop stars could in any way influence black youth or culture is a racist.

[Lord Humungus]

I'm surprised the cat wasn't shot

Police break door down in Kilburn after cat dials 999 and hangs up

MOST people who dial 999 when there's not an emergency risk being charged with wasting precious police time.

But Bruce Lee, a caller from Kilburn, is expected to escape prosecution: he's a pedigree Singapura kitten.

Officers broke down the door of his owner's flat on Thursday morning after the home-alone cat accidentally stepped on the house phone, dialling 999.

Not taking any chances, police rushed to the scene, only to find Bruce Lee hiding under a mountain of clothes in a wardrobe.

[Auric Demonocles]

How do they know it was the cat?

[invisible furry hand]

I'm surprised the cat wasn't shot

That's easy - UK cops are generally not armed

[Lord Humungus]

oh get pedantic on me.

[invisible furry hand]

next i'll be demanding footnotes on all posts

[Lord Humungus]

that would make Ted S. happy.

[RBS]

Not if those footnotes lead to a slideshow or multipage article.

[Ted S.]

You like slideshow lists? What sort of monster are you?

And why should I contribute needlessly to sites' ad revenue by having to click to multiple pages?

[Zeb]

That's why 911 is better than 999. It would be very unlikely for a cat to step on a phone and dial 911, but pretty easy to do 999. Just the other night one of my cats dialed 444444444444444444.

[mr simple]

Well, it really only takes one number anymore. My wife once accidentally dialed 9 on her cell and hung up. A 911 operator called her back to see if she needed assistance.

[DK]

That's why we need to go back to rotary dial - FOR THE CATS!

[Lord Humungus]

Curvy Mannequins shape a Venezuelan Fantast

Frustrated with the modest sales at his small mannequin factory, Eliezer ?lvarez made a simple observation: Venezuelan women were increasingly using plastic surgery to transform their bodies, yet the mannequins in clothing stores did not reflect these new, often extreme proportions.

So he went back to his workshop and created the kind of woman he thought the public wanted ? one with a bulging bosom and cantilevered buttocks, a wasp waist and long legs, a fiberglass fantasy, Venezuelan style.

[OldMexican]

Just the way I like 'em!

[Lord Humungus]

2 dead candidates get majority of votes in Washington

Two candidates in separate races in Washington state are winning in Tuesday's election despite being dead.

In the Seattle suburb of Des Moines, John Rosentangle won 71 percent of the vote over write-in candidates in the King County Water District 54. The 63-year-old died in August of an illness.

On the Washington coast in Aberdeen, John Erak is leading Alan Richrod with 53 percent of the vote in a city council race. The 81-year-old Erak was a former state representative who died in June shortly after announcing he was running to retain his seat on the city council. His current lead is only 12 votes, and the results aren't final.

[Citizen Nothing]

The perfect candidate, in my opinion.

[Ted S.]

Lead by "only" 12 votes, but you've got 53% of the vote? Obviously not too many votes cast. (Around 200.)

[Lord Humungus]

Beer as good as therapy for some: health boss

Josef Hecken is chairman of the Federal Joint Committee (GBA), the body which decides what treatments are offered by the statutory health system.

Generally GBA meetings are dry, specialist affairs, where representatives from doctors' associations, statutory health insurers and hospitals discuss what treatments are effective for patients and value for money.

But eyebrows were raised when Hecken recently declared that not "every second" person needed psychotherapy - and that a beer would sometimes do the job. The Tagesspiegel newspaper reported that the comment was recorded in official notes of the meeting.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yesterday I found out the first girlfriend I ever had (we dated about 2.5 years) had gotten engaged. I haven't seen her for a couple years, but it still made me feel really weird. So I had a beer and then I felt fine.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

Beer - is there anything it cannot do?

[Lord Humungus]

If I have a shitty day at work, a beer or a glass of red wine brings me off the ropes.

[font_of_stupidity]

+1 Still Crazy After All These Years

[Lord Humungus]

Al Gore won't be going to Germany any day soon

Court: Tantric massage is sexual - so tax it

Stuttgart's administrative court rejected the appeal against the special sexual services tax launched by the owner of a tantric massage parlour.

In what a court spokeswoman said was the first case of its kind, the judge ruled that because tantric massage can also, "according to the situation, include sexual pleasure," it should be taxed like a brothel or sex club.

[Lord Humungus]

Andrew Kohut: The GOP Is in Better Shape Than You Think
Independents favor the GOP on handling the economy by a whopping 46%-30% margin

Tucked away in recent polls?which have documented the extraordinary anger directed at the Republican Party during the shutdown crisis?are measures of clear disappointment with the Democratic Party. The disappointment is substantial, and it raises big questions about the 2014 midterms.

The Republican Party's favorable ratings fell substantially in most every national survey that uses this yard stick, declining to 28% in the Gallup poll at one point. Yet when the GOP was matched up against the Democrats on key political measures, it did not look so bad.

A mid-October Pew Research national poll found that a plurality regard the Republicans as "better able to deal with the economy" than the Democrats (44%-37%). Independents favored the GOP on the economy by a whopping 46%-30% margin in that survey.

[Lord Humungus]

this is somehow related.

[Swiss Servator, I got nothing.]

I am angry at the Elephants - but not in any way that will help the Asses. But that is the spin that would be applied to my response, if it were solicited for such a poll.

[The Late P Brooks]

Martin apparently wasnt considered black because he is mixed race and from an upper class background. Or something.

This is something which could easily be misinterpreted, but I wonder (based on no actual knowledge about Martin) if there might have been a certain amount of resentment against him based on his alternative opportunities; that he was taking a slot some other player "deserved".

Or I could be completely wrong.

[mad libertarian guy]

I doubt it.

I think it's that he a pussy, and his teammates picked up on that and took advantage of it in a profession where being a pussy is a trait that one can't have.

[Apatheist ?_??]

From Martin's highschool coach:

"Bullies usually go after people like him," Harvard-Westlake School coach Vic Eumont told the Palm Beach Post's Andrew Abramson. "With his background, he's a perfect target. ...

"Before [Martin] wasn't around Nebraska, LSU kind of guys,"Eumont said. "He's always been around Stanford, Duke, Rice kind of players. ... "In locker rooms full of Nebraska, LSU, Southern Cal players, Miami players, they'll look at this as a weakness. If he makes it through all this, and if he was encouraged to come back, he'd come back with a vengeance. ...

"I can see where somebody that's a bully will take advantage of [Martin], and rather than him say anything would just hold it inside. I can see where if somebody was bullying him he would take that to heart, and be concerned and think it was his fault."

Personally, I think some of you are going to far the other way because of some of the PC bullshit going on. I think it shows questionable judgment by the dolphins that they put a guy that got booted out of two college programs and has been convicted of assault on their leadership council and then told him to toughen somebody up. I can't blame them for suspending him, this is a business after all.

[mad libertarian guy]

I think it shows questionable judgment by the dolphins that they put a guy that got booted out of two college programs and has been convicted of assault on their leadership council and then told him to toughen somebody up.

"They" didn't do anything of the kind.

The "leadership council" is something that the coaches nor the front office have anything to do with. These guys are voted on by the players. The players voted Richie as a leader in their locker room. And it hasn't been established that the coaches told Incognito to do anything of the kind. It's only been alleged by "sources."

The whole scenario seems like someone has an agenda. It doesn't seem that Martin is driving the allegations but his representation, or perhaps his parents.

If telling your friend that you're gonna fuck his mother constitutes bullying, then I'd argue that most of us are bullies. What constitutes bullying is being massacred in this case in the pursuit of an agenda.

[Apatheist ?_??]

Well I'll admit to not knowing how the leadership thing was selected. I still think this is a case where we don't really know much so both sides are projecting their opinions on to it. These aren't children though, Martin's job is to play football. If he isn't up to snuff try shifting him around (which they were doing) and then cut him. None of this needed to happen, they are professional adults. That includes Martin too of course. Suspend Incognito for a couple games and get Martin help if he needs it. Then move on with their lives.

[Elspeth Flashman]

Uh oh, Sharpton's calling for something:
http://www.freep.com/article/2.....s-shooting

[Elspeth Flashman]

The Rev. Al Sharpton released a statement today "calling for justice" in the shooting death of a 19-year-old Detroit woman in Dearborn Heights.

(edited)

Sharpton and [Sharpton's representative in Detroit, Rev. Charles] Williams are among several civil rights leaders who have spoken about the Saturday morning killing of McBride by a homeowner on his porch in Dearborn Heights. Police say race was not a factor in the shooting while some family members and civil rights advocates say it was. McBride is African-American.

. . .

[Zeb]

Unless the person who shot her has said "I did it because she was black", how can anyone know whether or not race had anything to do with it?

[OldMexican]

Re: Zeb,

how can anyone know whether or not race had anything to do with it?

Because the dead woman was black and the shooter was white, and all white people who shoot black people are racists, therefore the shooting was motivated by race. Q.E.D.

Do you now see how it works?

[RBS]

McBride is African-American.

You don't say...

[Sy]

Give the poor derpmeister a break. It lives in Georgia or something like that. It's never experienced left-wing governance in places like California or Chicago. He thinks the grass is greener.

[Snark Plissken]

If you see something, say something:

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can't keep track of all of them here at the White House, we're asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to [e-mail].

[OldMexican]

Become a snitch! Rat on your neighbor and the NKVD will reward you for your patriotism, comrad!(*)

(*)Until it's your turn, of course.

[Auric Demonocles]

No, that's the NSA's job.

[The Late P Brooks]

So- the President apologized for being an incompetent idiot, right? Did he announce the date of his abdication?

[OldMexican]

No, no, no! He didn't apologize for any mistake he committed! NO! Don't be silly!

No, he said "I am sorry that you idiots believed me in the first place. Sucks to be you."

[Agammamon]

Here's an article where a guy is argueing that Obama didn't lie because no-one should have *believed* him in the first place. His premise is that if you're not deceived by someone then they didn't try to deceive you.

http://www.thebigquestions.com.....d-not-lie/

[Dr. Frankenstien]

Venezuela creates the department of hookers and blow.

http://www.latinpost.com/artic.....piness.htm

Apparently the Ministry of supreme social happiness is not what I thought it would be.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Here's the link I sort of promised yesterday.

Legal scholars advocate limited exemption to "sexual origin discrimination laws" allowing religious small-business owners to decide for themselves whether to recognize same-sex marriage. Two points:

(a) The exemption they propose is quite wimpy and limited. It would apply only to "sole proprietors and very small businesses (five or fewer employees)," and would only extend to the choice whether or not to recognize a same-sex marriage, otherwise they wouldn't be allowed to discriminate against gays. The depressing thing is that their proposal is considered too extreme - gay-rights bills have no such exemption, and other "scholars" denounce the proposed exemption as Going too Far.

[Eduard van Haalen]

(b) They reject the talking point that SSM laws have nothing to do with limitations on private businesses: "the statement that recognizing same-sex marriage "creates no need to adjust the degree of protection" ignores reality: same-sex marriage does change the picture. Most obviously, it increases the number of potential conflicts. The number of same-sex marriages is accelerating rapidly as more states (especially larger states) are recognizing it. There will be a lot more wedding ceremonies than there were commitment ceremonies. Beyond that, for many religious objectors marriage is a different matter than a non-marital union: marriage for them is a sacrament, and state recognition of same-sex marriage makes antidiscrimination law apply to a matter of profound religious significance. That view should not of course determine how the state defines civil marriage, but neither should the state ignore it in determining the fair scope of protection for conscientious objectors."

http://mirrorofjustice.blogs.c.....berty.html

[Zeb]

Ugh. I hate religious exceptions. Either something is so important that it needs to apply to everyone (human sacrifice is right out), or it is something that all free people have the right to do. Freedom of religion cannot exist unless the freedoms that religious people have apply to everyone. Otherwise you get the government deciding what is or is not legitimate religion, which is pretty much the opposite of freedom of religion.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Sure, the government should recognize *both* religious freedom and entrepreneurial freedom, and recognize the connection between them. But what if the government chooses to ignore one of these rights, should the law's opponents insist that the other right be ignored as well, for the sake of consistency? I hope you're not saying this.

Isn't it better to be inconsistently free than consistently oppressed?

[Zeb]

I'm saying that exceptions for religious people are privilege, not freedom. And they create a situation where true religious freedom can't exist.
I wouldn't oppose the dispensations to religious business owners, I guess. But I am a bit torn. I think it is very bad policy in the long run. It means that someone in the government gets to decide whether or not your religion is legitimate or not.

I often illustrate this point by making up silly religions on the spot because I think that for religious freedom to be meaningful at all, it has to apply to anything that anyone claims to be their religion. A court or government official deciding whether something it a religion seems to me to be the worst thing that could happen for religious freedom.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Now they only measure sincerity - "does he really believe that stuff?" If it's sincere, then the balancing of governmental interests comes in.

And if draft and tax cases are any indication, non-God-ish religions like the Unitarians can benefit from such exemptions.

[mad libertarian guy]

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back to school next fall. At approaching 40 it's a scary prospect, but I have different aspirations than when I was 25 and starting grad school, and didn't realize that the only avenue to pursue the work I enjoy (digitally restoring manuscripts) was to subject myself to some of the worst people on the planet (English professors) on a daily basis, in a horrible institution (academia).

My next chosen field of study is completely different than English Lit, though not much more financially lucrative (at least not traditionally), but it would allow me to pursue opportunities I could only dream of otherwise. I can pursue a passion, and on my own terms. Things are looking good.

I'm just glad that I won't have to take the standardized tests again.

[Lord Humungus]

professional fluffer?

[mad libertarian guy]

Wildlife Management.

I should have known that omitting the field was a huge door I was opening.

Generally becoming a wildlife biologist means working for game and fish (which I generally have few problems with on a state level - mostly because F&W agencies are basically self sufficient where hunters and fisherman are those who pay for it, and we have an objectively successful model for game management for the most part), but I would choose to look at private conservation agencies like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, but I'd really like to do consulting with private landowners helping them to formulate ways to improve their property with the aim of attrating and maintaining healthy, local herds of game animals. Think Growing Deer type work.

[Lord Humungus]

beats what I'm doing - IT drudgery.

[wareagle]

been where you are - the older guy in a grad school full of younger types. I hope you find the type program where the students, though younger, are working during the day instead of the type that is senior year plus 1. Did both and the former is far more interesting than the latter.

[mad libertarian guy]

been where you are - the older guy in a grad school full of younger types.

I won't be going to grad school, but getting another undergrad degree, so avoiding dumb fuck 18 year olds isn't going to be an option. But I don't give a shit about that. I'm committed to keeping my head down and doing my work as quickly as I can. Fortunately I'll only have to engage in background science and math courses rather than doing the whole "general education" bit, so that should cut at least 2 years off.

[R C Dean]

There's work for people developing private woldlife range in Texas, I know for a fact. Probably some of the other hardcore hunting states, as well - Upper Midwest, Kansas, Colorado, etc.

[mad libertarian guy]

There's work for people developing private woldlife range in Texas, I know for a fact. Probably some of the other hardcore hunting states, as well - Upper Midwest, Kansas, Colorado, etc.

Precisely. States have done a reasonable job with game management (there are certainly issues in some places - Mule Deer in places like WY, for instance, is a masterclass on how not to properly manage game) on a macro level. Most states have very healthy populations of the game animals that live there (where healthy should not be interpreted solely as large - PA, for instance doesn't have a healthy whitetail population because it's entirely too large and needs trimming), but micro areas as small as private family farms haven't had the opportunity or resources to manage their own herds or flocks of game animals. This is starting to change. Many landowners WANT to encourage deer on their land not only for their own recreation, but because they can make a few bucks on the side by leasing their land to individual hunters or outfitters. This is a burgeoning field. Landowners have always had the chance to lease their land, but they haven't always had the resources or knowledge to improve their land with the specific intention of attracting and maintaining specific game that hunters want to hunt.

[Francisco d Anconia]

PA, for instance doesn't have a healthy whitetail population because it's entirely too large and needs trimming)

The deer population in Northeast PA has been in the toilet for the past handful of years. The population of whitetails cratered several years back and has not recovered. My dad went spotting a few nights ago, and where he would normally count hundreds, he saw a handful.

May be different elsewhere in the state. PA's game management is horrible. They do a statewide, one size fits all, plan based primarily on revenue generation, when they should be targeting regions differently based upon actual populations in each area.

But your overall point is valid.

[RBS]

What's the new field?

[Enough About Palin]

Philadelphia voters elect a Whig to public office

[robc]

The Whigs orginally died out due to split over slavery.

I wonder which side he is on?

[Drake]

The Democrats, on the other hand, have stayed consistent and united on the issue.

[Eduard van Haalen]

Whig campaign song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGxYok2J3W0

Wait, never mind.

[The Late P Brooks]

I think it's that he a pussy, and his teammates picked up on that and took advantage of it in a profession where being a pussy is a trait that one can't have.

I might quibble with the term "pussy" but the NFL is, I have been told, an utterly ruthless, cutthroat and unceasing competition for a strictly limited number of spots. Any weakness, physical or mental, will always be exploited.

[wareagle]

Martin was an asset in a billion dollar industry. Who thinks that fucking with an asset is good for the business?

The article, by the way, was written by a black guy who is not a big fan of thug, rap culture.

[The Late P Brooks]

I'd really like to do consulting with private landowners helping them to formulate ways to improve their property with the aim of attrating and maintaining healthy, local herds of game animals. Think Growing Deer type work.

It would be nice if you could somehow break through the thickheaded intransigence of people who buy large chunks of land in the west and completely close it off to hunters. Examples abound.

[mad libertarian guy]

It would be nice if you could somehow break through the thickheaded intransigence of people who buy large chunks of land in the west and completely close it off to hunters. Examples abound.

The only way to do that is to convince them that there is a very real economic incentive in allowing hunters. Hunters also need a better track record in recognizing basic etiquette when hunting on private land too.

[trshmnstr]

A cop who doesn't shoot dogs?

"We're not the military," Burbank said at the time. "Nor should we look like an invading force coming in."

"It's unfortunate that an officer was killed," Burbank says of the Stewart raid. "But we need to take a look at their approach. Could we do it a better way? It should never be the goal to write a no-knock warrant. As police officers, our goal should always be to use the lowest possible level of force to fulfill our responsibilities. In a case like that, I don't know why you can't wait and just stop them as they walk out the front door."

"I spent eight years on the SWAT team. I've served hundreds of no-knock warrants. I know firsthand how it all operates," he says. "I also know firsthand that there are better alternatives. Too often we start with the highest level of force. We should always start at the lowest level. If the police show up and the situation deteriorates, then that's our fault. We haven't done our job right. I think we get too caught up in the whole officer safety thing. The danger you expose everyone to in these raids is significant."

[Drake]

Holy crap - a thinking cop who understands what we have been saying. Wow.

[robc]

Dont worry, they will run him off the force soon.

[sarcasmic]

Yep. There's no place for pussies like that on the police force.

[sarcasmic]

He'll be forced out before long.

[Brett L]

Police chief since 2006.

[The Late P Brooks]

As police officers, our goal should always be to use the lowest possible level of force to fulfill our responsibilities.

Holy cow. Sanity.

[BakedPenguin]

Yeah, an actual good cop.

So there's at least one.

[The Late P Brooks]

Whoopsie!

"I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me," he said in an interview Thursday with NBC News.

This is your baby, you mendacious fuck, and you can't just shrug it off.

[Enough About Palin]

Watched Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler on PBS last night. The similarities between Hitler and Obama were striking. I will try to find a link.

[The Late P Brooks]

Also:

Officials argue that those forced to change plans will end up with better coverage and that subsidies offered by the government will help offset any increased costs.

"We weren't as clear as we needed to be in terms of the changes that were taking place," Obama told NBC. "And I want to do everything we can to make sure that people are finding themselves in a good position, a better position than they were before this law happened."

The president's critics have accused him of misleading the public about changes that were coming under the law, which remains unpopular with many Americans.

Obama dismissed those accusations, saying the White House was operating in "good faith." He acknowledged that the administration "didn't do a good enough job in terms of how we crafted the law" but did not specify what changes his administration might make.

You fucking dummies just aren't smart enough to realize how good I am to you. Get back in the kitchen, before I smack you around some more.

[Auric Demonocles]

We didn't do a good enough job clarifying that "You can keep it. Period." or "No matter what" included conditions.

For a guy who is supposed to be such a great orator, it seems like his only regret is always not being clear enough.

[trshmnstr]

Uhhhh, let me be clear! There is no sugarcoating it, Repubstructionists have impeded my ability to be clear!