A.M. Links: Snowden Denies Working With Foreign Government, Geneva II Syria Peace Conference Begins, Texas Set To Execute Mexican National

Youtube screengrab

• At least two people have died in clashes between police and protesters in Kiev.
• "123456," "password," and "12345678" were the three most popular passwords of 2013.
• NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden denies that he worked with a foreign government when he leaked classified information. Snowden's comments come a few days after Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) told David Gregory on "Meet the Press" that "There's questions to be answered there. I don't think it was a gee-whiz luck event that he ended up in Moscow under the handling of the FSB." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who appeared with Rogers on the Sunday morning show, said that Snowden "may well have" had assistance from the Russians.
• The Geneva II Syria peace conference has begun. The president of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group is calling for Assad to be removed from power and for an interim government to be installed. Delegates from Russia, one of Assad's strongest allies, might have different ideas.
• Texas is set to execute a Mexican national despite protests from the Mexican government.
• Swiss bank accounts are no longer as secret as they used to be.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden denies that he worked with a foreign government when he leaked classified information. Snowden's comments come a few days after Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) told David Gregory on "Meet the Press" that "There's questions to be answered there.

They are working overtime to paint this guy as either a high school dropout stooge or a master spy.

[Rich]

Can't he be *both*?

[Live Free or Diet]

Can't he be *both*?

A high school master dropout spy stooge?

[Elspeth Flashman]

Well, if they tried to discredit him as getting or giving aid to the commies, the next thing they might try is to paint him as a child molester.

[Drake]

I thought he double-crossed the commies he was working for?

[Clich? Bandit]

"Mr. Green, Communism was just a red herring."

[gaijin]

He certainly hasn't proved he didn't work with teh commies, so he must have. Release the drones!

[Karl Hungus]

Grand jury in NC declines to indict cop who shot unarmed man 10 times:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014.....latestnews

" . . . Officer Randall Kerrick did his job. Regretfully, it cost the life of Jonathan Ferrell. But he did his job."

(The indictment was heard only by a partial grand jury, so the state attorney plans to resubmit the indictment to a full jury, possibly with lesser charges.)

[WTF]

Officer Kerrick got to go home that night. It's the only thing that matters.

[wareagle]

damn your fast fingers.

[Karl Hungus]

damn your fast fingers.

We can just thank God that we have ready men like Officer Kerrick, who have fast fingers so that we don't have to.

[Mainer2]

That nigger could have been hopped on coke....Kerrick is lucky to be alive.

[wareagle]

officer got home safely, right?

[Live Free or Diet]

Assuming for a moment everything Mr. Kerrick did was perfectly justified, one fact still bothers me:

"Ofc. Randall Kerrick fired 12 shots from his weapon, hitting Ferrell 10 times."

After tazing him, it still took 12 rounds to stop one attacker? I thought it only took a maximum of ten rounds? Or seven rounds for wussie New Yorkers?

[Matrix]

Criminals in New York are weaker, which is why the go down with so few bullets.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

[Aloysious]

Good morning to you.

[Elspeth Flashman]

Top of the morning to ye.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

May the all powerful polar vortex be merciful to ye this grand morning of January 22, 2014 Sir Rufus J. Firefloy.

[UnCivilServant]

"123456," "password," and "12345678" were the three most popular passwords of 2013.

I thought the password was 'swordfish'

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

"correcthorsebatterystaple"

[Brett L]

I see someone reads xkcd.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Indeed.

[Clich? Bandit]

Of course. Doesn't everyone?

[Heedless]

Tou mean d9443d5y94w3gq55346w5q0o3

[PM]

trustno1

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Is it safe to disclose all these PWs?

[UnCivilServant]

I donno, I made a marx brothers reference, so I'm assuming that no one else is using their real credentials here.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swordfish_(password)

Love that scene.

[PM]

http://www.urbandictionary.com.....m=trustno1

Also, the X Files is 20 years old...

[Rufus J. Firefly]

That one got by me. Are there any X-Files reruns?

[PM]

I've got the entire series on my media server. It's gotta be in syndication somewhere though, I'd think.

[Lord Humungus]

Purity of Essence

[waffles]

Swiss bank accounts are no longer as secret as they used to be

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Bitcoin.

[n8]

Secret, yes. Secure, not even slightly

[Lord Humungus]

Homeless man shoots himself in testicles

The 34-year-old man in question was attempting to illegally occupy an apartment in a residential building on the outskirts of the city when a group of neighbours confronted him.

Panicked by their reaction, he pulled out a gun and fired several shots to intimidate them.

But when the man attempted to put the weapon back in his pocket, he mistakenly shot himself in the pubic region.

[UnCivilServant]

This is why you don't keep firearms in your pants. Not even the pockets.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Said Plaxico.

[Live Free or Diet]

This is why you don't keep firearms in your pants. Not even the pockets.

Holster. Pocket holster. Cover that trigger.

[Brett L]

Trigger discipline is extremely important. As in, keep your fucking finger off the trigger unless you want the gun to go bang.

[Flatulent Monkey]

My trigger discipline is aided by the memory of angry NCOs telling a young Monkey to either,

"stop finger fucking the trigger well!"

Or less crassly,

"keep your booger hook off the bang lever!"

[Ted S.]

The gun discharged itself.

[BigT]

Nurse, this man has an unusual discharge in his groin.

[Live Free or Diet]

Maybe it's just that I was out in this morning's 13?F too long, but I can't stop chuckling at that. (Somebody lied to me and said this was the South.)

[Fist of Etiquette]

"123456," "password," and "12345678" were the three most popular passwords of 2013.

I'll stick with my tried and true "superman" (all lower case), thank you very much.

[Ted S.]

Mine is "fuckyouthatswhy".

[Brett L]

NSAisfullof1inchdicks -- compliant in most password checkers.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"123456," "password," and "12345678" were the three most popular passwords of 2013."

How do they know this if it's supposes to be a secret?

Also, what does this say about our imagination?

[Zeb]

I think it says a lot more about our memory than our imagination.

[UnCivilServant]

How many different passwords does even the average person have to deal with? I'm hardly surprised no one can remember them all unless they're simplified.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I'm constantly changing since I can't remember. You need a Sam Malone notebook just to keep track.

You need a PW to piss now.

[Zeb]

I end up trying to use the same password as much as I can. Which is sort of a bad idea, but at least I make it something that i snot easy to guess.

[db]

Thqt is not just.sort of a bad.idea. it.is one of the worst possible password practices.

[Heedless]

Depends what your goal is - I have a lot of passwords - for games and crap like that, where I could give two shits if someone hacks it. I use the same easy password for all of them. Too inconvenient otherwise.

I save my memory space for bank account passwords etc. Those are all alphanumerics.

[Lord Humungus]

It's complicated.... or not

Medieval penitential sex flowchart

Whoever fornicates with an effeminate male or with another man or with an animal must fast for 10 years.

Elsewhere it says that whoever fornicates with an animal must fast 15 years and sodomites must fast for 7 years.

If the effeminate male (b?dling) fornicates with another effeminate male (b?dling), (he is to) do penance for 10 years.

Whoever does this unintentionally (unw?rlice) once must fast for 4 years; if it is habitual, as Basil says, for 15 years if he is not in orders and also one year (less?) so as a woman does. If it is a boy, for the first time, 2 years; if he does it again, 4 years.

etc etc...

[waffles]

So it's like Rugby?

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Swords, at dawn.

/old second row

[Aloysious]

How does one fast for ten years? The system seems rigged.

[Zeb]

I would imagine it's fasting during the day or something like that.

[kinnath]

Bread and water (or some other subsistence diet)

[Live Free or Diet]

Bread and water (or some other subsistence diet)

Oh, so the punishment was veganism?
Damn, they were cruel back then!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Oh, for the love of God will someone at Reason give LH a gift card at Sonic or something?

[Rich]

And teh Word of the Year is ... "b?dling"!

[Heedless]

If that year is 1457.

[gaijin]

an effeminate male or with another man or with an animal

So fornicating with a man = fornicating with an animal? I guess the Duck Dynasty dude is just a medieval man.

[BardMetal]

Just very very traditional

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who appeared with Rogers on the Sunday morning show...

Did they make out before, during or after?

[Ted S.]

All three.

[Lord Humungus]

Invasion of Spanish Builders Angers France Struggling to Compete

The losing French bidders are crying foul, saying the Spanish pay lower wages and cut corners on regulations. The Spanish, fleeing a construction slump and an unemployment rate of 26 percent at home, say they're just using European Union rules allowing free movement of businesses and workers. The French builders' inability to stop their Spanish counterparts from wresting business away highlights President Francois Hollande's uphill battle to make France more competitive.

"We thought for a long time we were in an industry that couldn't be shifted offshore," said Didier Ridoret, president of the French Constructors' Federation, or FFB. "Instead, the reverse happened: the offshore came to us."

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

+1 Polish plumber

[gaijin]

+1 Polish maid to clean up after

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"cut corners on regulations."

I'm pretty sure a lot of those regs are useless anyway.

[SugarFree]

President Francois Hollande's uphill battle to make France more competitive.

Cool story, bro.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I thought 'socialist' and 'competitive' were mutually exclusive mortal enemies.

[UnCivilServant]

The problem is France is also finding out that 'socialist' and 'broke' are co-mobid conditions.

[DEG]

In case this didn't get posted elsewhere:

BART officer kills another officer. Note the use of active voice:

During the search, the "officer accidentally fired his weapon and struck and killed another officer," Nelson said.

[WTF]

During the search, the "officer accidentally negligently fired his weapon and struck and killed another officer," Nelson said.

Fixed

[DEG]

Whoops... this story did get mentioned elsewhere:

http://reason.com/archives/201.....nt_4259491

[Pro Libertate]

A bullet inadvertently and mysteriously entered the body of a BART officer at high speed. Faulty equipment and human error may have been contributing factors.

[BigT]

An heroic BART officer wrestled the weapon to the ground, preventing it from unleashing additional murderous firepower on his fellow officer.

[Pro Libertate]

Bullets were released. Injuries may have occurred.

[Live Free or Diet]

A bullet inadvertently and mysteriously entered the body of a BART officer at high speed. Faulty equipment and human error may have been contributing factors.

Also, poor vector and timing quality.

[Matrix]

When will this blue on blue violence end?!?!

[Fist of Etiquette]

The president of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group is calling for Assad to be removed from power and for an interim government to be installed.

And I wonder who he wants to be in charge of that Vichy government.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Marshal Selim abu Petain?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Floccinaucinihilipilification.

That's my password.

Which may explain why I'm never first around here.

[UnCivilServant]

Funny, I've never been logged out by Reason.

I wonder what my password is.

[BigT]

On my iPhone I get logged out almost every time I move to a different page.

No comments for me!

[Rich]

"Password must contain at least two numerical characters and at least one special character."

[Snark Plissken]

"warty99"

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

"warty666!"

[Lord Humungus]

He's a "special" character alright...

[gaijin]

"warty69" duh

[Lord Humungus]

I always thought of Warty as a giver, not a taker.

[SugarFree]

Warty knows a position for every real number and twice that many for the imaginary ones.

[Marc F Cheney]

Not "position" so much as "arrangement".

As in "the limbs were arranged in the shape of a cross, with the head at the center".

[Lord Humungus]

Google Glass Sex App Lets You Watch, Record Yourself In The Act

"Sex with Google Glass," a new app for the wearable technology, lets you watch -- and record -- yourself having sex from all angles and even "see what your partner can see," the app's website claims. The app operates on command and works like this: Just say, "OK Glass, it's time," and Glass will stream to you and your partner what you each can see; when you're ready to finish just say, "OK Glass, pull out."

Ah, modern romance.

[hamilton]

when you're ready to finish just say, "OK Glass, pull out."

Wow, it can do that for you?

[gaijin]

OK Glass, it's time," and Glass will stream to on you

Fixed for significance

[Drake]

Like this?

http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight.....rn/n39097/

[Fr?ulein Nikki]

I heard about this yesterday and wondered if whoever came up with the idea actually wears glasses or not.

[mr simple]

Strange Days, indeed.

[db]

That concept really disturbed me whan I saw the movie. Not to spoil but...yikes.

[Pro Libertate]

Does this automatically go on the cloud then if your privacy settings are screwed up?

[Citizen Nothing]

Reminds me of the movie Brainstorm. Natalie Wood...sigh.

[Rich]

Inside the secret Chinese camps curing internet addiction

China is the first country to label internet addiction a clinical disorder.

But it won't be the last. "'Internet addiction'.... Yeah, *that's* the ticket!"

[waffles]

Back in 2009 one camp in China beat an attendee to death as part of his addiction treatment

Well he was cured wasn't he?

[Rich]

+1 Clockwork Orange

[Rufus J. Firefly]

How does 'Singin' in the rain' sound in a Chinese dialect?

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Singing in the Lain!

[WTF]

Lacist!

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

+1 ultraviolence

[UnCivilServant]

Three minutes. I lost the bet, I said it'd be at least five before that reply came along.

[Raven Nation]

This is why there are not more Chinese libertarians.

[Citizen Nothing]

This is why there are not more Chinese ribertarians.

[SugarFree]

Freude, sch?ner G?tterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!

[mr simple]

Come with uncle and hear all proper! Hear angel trumpets and devil trombones. You are invited.

[Lord Humungus]

Consumers Expecting Free 'Preventive' Care Sometimes Surprised By Charges

The new health-care law encourages people to get the preventive services they need by requiring that most health plans cover cancer screenings, contraceptives and vaccines, among other things, without charging patients anything out of pocket. Some patients, however, are running up against coverage exceptions and extra costs when they try to get those services.

Advocates and policy experts agree that more federal guidance is needed to clarify the rules.

Rebecca Hyde of Woodstock, Conn., was angry when, after getting a colonoscopy to screen for cancer in December, she got a notice that her insurer was charging a hospital "facility fee" of $1,935 against her $6,000 deductible. Such fees are not uncommon for hospital-based care

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Please wait here while I go cry for the poor people that were expecting a handout....

....You may be waiting a while. It's taking a while to suppress the schadenfreude.

[CatoTheElder]

I share your schadenfreude wrt clueless progressives and especially the free-shit brigade. However, the article doesn't really say that Ms. Hyde is a progressive ObamaCare supporter. All we know from the article is that she's an insured person who was misled in thinking that her ACA-compliant insurance covered a colonoscopy.

Lots of people who opposed ACA are going to have similar complaints. The expectation for payment of an insured expense under a bought-and-paid-for insurance contract is different from the expectation of an handout, even if the insurance contract is prescribed by ACA.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

In this particular case, my schadenfreude comes from her expecting free shit. period. Her political leanings have nothing to do with it in this case.

Most of my schadenfreude over ACA in general is directed at proggies getting a wake up call, and my pity is directed at those like myself who wanted nothing to do with this abomination and are being negatively affected regardless of our wishes.

Any time ANYONE expects free shit and then finds out the hard way that nothing is free, I feel schadenfreude. Free shit ain't free.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Texas is set to execute a Mexican national despite protests from the Mexican government.

Has Mexico tried bribing Texas?

[Lord Humungus]

Physics - how does it work again?

Minicars Are Worst Performers in Small-Overlap Front Crash Test

A group of 11 minicars did the worst of any class of vehicles tested so far in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's newest and toughest trial, the small-overlap front crash test.

Of the 11 minicars tested, none achieved the institute's highest rating of Good. Only one ? the Chevrolet Spark ? achieved the next highest rating of Acceptable. The others received ratings of either Marginal or Poor, the lowest rating. The two worst-performing vehicles were the Honda Fit and the Fiat 500, although a completely redesigned Fit goes on sale this spring.

[waffles]

+1/2mv^2

[UnCivilServant]

Gee, tiny tinfoil and plastic boxes don't leave room for safety features and bear the brunt of collisions, who've thunk it?

[WTF]

No shit. When it comes to crashes, size matters.

[Brett L]

Ever since seeing a crash investigator drive around in a Ford Expedition because, in his professional opinion, "mass wins every time", I've been steadily increasing the size of my vehicle with each purchase. I'll be up to a full-size truck next time I need a new vehicle.

[Snark Plissken]

Narrator: A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.
Business woman on plane: Are there a lot of these kinds of accidents?

Narrator: You wouldn't believe.

Business woman on plane: Which car company do you work for?

Narrator: A major one.

[PM]

Sounds super scary until you realize it's just applied statistics. What expense is too much and what number of deaths is too high when you're selling a product guaranteed to kill at least some of your customers? FWIW, here's Milton Friedman's take on the issue

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

+1 Cream of Mushroom

[Heedless]

Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, PENIS!, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Mickey.

[Lord Humungus]

I used to drive a '94 Buick Roadmaster and then a Grand Marquis. Switching to a mid-sized Toyota truck hasn't been a major change in size, but I do miss the big car - they just ride better... and nothing but a semi or a F250 on up can intimidate you.

(and the white Marquis used to scare the crap out of other drivers, especially at night)

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I'll be up to a full-size truck next time I need a new vehicle.

I've driven passenger cars nearly my whole life, but I'll probably step up to a crewcab truck in about 2-3 years once my Civic is paid off.

I'm waiting to see how the diesels in the Ram and GM mid-sizers perform, and how the new powertrains on the full-sizers work in general. I was looking at the F-150s, but until the moisture condensation issues in the EcoBoost I've been reading about are worked out, I'm going to have to look at the offerings from the Bailout Twins.

I'm not a fan of the Japanese mid-sizers because I can get better capabilities in a domestic full-size for about the same gas mileage. Toyota and Nissan badly need to upgrade their offerings in that segment, IMO.

[Brett L]

As the current driver of a Mazda-badged Ford Ranger V6, I have discovered two things:
1) Ford made the worst cockpit ever in the 2004 Ranger. Ever. I hate driving it and the passenger side is worse.
2) I will never own a 6 cylinder gas truck again. The new 4 cylinders are big enough to pull small boats or trailers just fine and the 6 cylinder is too underpowered for real hauling.

My next one will be a diesel, too.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

As the current driver of a Mazda-badged Ford Ranger V6

I understand why Ford dumped the Ranger, but it's still disappointing. There's apparently been a trend of people buying more trucks and fewer SUVs the last few years(I'm presuming for the versatility the platform offers), and the Big 3 are responding by stepping up the comfort of the interiors and ride quality. If Ford wasn't so insecure about losing the "best-selling vehicle" designation for the F-150, they could offer a very decent Ranger model for people who don't really need a full-size but end up buying one due to the general lack of good choices in the mid-size segment.

Ford really needs to look at what Ram is doing to the ride quality of the 1500 and apply some of that to a new Ranger model. My hat's off to GM for taking a risk on the Colorado/Canyon.

[Cdr Lytton]

My last work loaner was that era (may have been a '03) and I HATED driving that thing. It was uncomfortable to sit in and the way the transmission hump intruded into the floor space forced me to turn my foot sideways on the gas pedal. No cruise control in that one either so it was like that all the time.

[db]

Huh. I have an 04 Ranger with the 4 liter v6 and it is pretty good. Towing taxes it as you said but it has decent enough performance. The fuel mileage is basically no better than a full size pickup though--arounf 18 mpg highway.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Feeney gave you people your alt text. And he's not even American. What more do you want?

[Aloysious]

Doughnuts. Maple-bacon doughnuts.

[UnCivilServant]

The thought of that makes me ill.

Maple and bacon are separate groups that should not be mixed.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You never let your bacon touch your maple syrup?

[UnCivilServant]

Syrup is used to hide bad cooking.

[Citizen Nothing]

Syrup is used to hide bad cooking.

You, sir, are a cretin.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

You sir, don't know what you're missing. It's amazing. I was skeptical when my wife first brought them home, but after one bite, I was hooked.

There really is no food that bacon can't make better.

[UnCivilServant]

There really is no food that bacon can't make better.

That presupposes that maple is a food and not something from which you make desks.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

I also presupposed that you were intelligent enough to know that there's a difference between the wood that makes up the bulk of the tree and the sap which is used to make maple sugar.

Guess I was wrong.

[UnCivilServant]

The sap is a waste product. You aren't supposed to boil it down and pour it on pancakes.

[BigT]

From one sap to another.

[trshmnstr]

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that substituting honey for the maple would be pretty dang good.

[Mercutio]

So, what do you put on your pancakes? Ketchup?

[Marc F Cheney]

There really is no food that bacon can't make better.

Bacon can't make bacon better.

QED, folks.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

Apparently you have never had a Bacon Explosion.

Bacon and sausage wrapped in bacon

I mean it would be good without one bacon or the other, but the combination of the two makes it magnificent.

[MattJ]

That bacon makes almost everything better, I am prepared to believe.

That anything makes bacon better... no.

Just give me the bacon. Don't put it on a donut, don't cover it in chocolate. Don't put it on my burger.

Just put the bacon on plate, and walk away.

[Aloysious]

The neighborhood store that is just down the street sells maple bars with a strip of bacon placed on the top. They sell out every day.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Maple bacon is awesome.

What kind of barbarian are you?

/throws bacon drenched napkin to ground. Runs out crying.

[UnCivilServant]

What kind of barbarian are you?

A proud one. 'Civilized' folk are horrible people.

[Citizen Nothing]

It's almost sap gathering time at the Citizen Nothing compound. Syrup-making is the only thing that gets me through the winter.
I'm actually thinking of building myself a small sugar house in which to do the boiling.

[BigT]

I've gotta get back to that Sugar Shack.

[db]

Wow. Maple bacon donuts rock.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

A case of whisky and a bucket of Timbits.

[Marc F Cheney]

Red River. And I'm not kidding. Does anyone import it?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The oatmeal?

[Lord Humungus]

yeah... an accident...

Husband shoots at rabbit, hits wife

Deputies said around 3:30 p.m. a 27-year-old Zeeland Township man was trying to shoot a rabbit. He fired at the rabbit, but did not see his wife was in his line of fire.

The wife, 24-year-old Emily Busscher, was shot.

[WTF]

Be vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Ok.

I fell off my chair.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

That's no ordinary rabbit! That rodent has a mean streak a mile wide! ....Look at the bones!

[Lord Humungus]

De Blasio 'getting back at us' by not plowing: UES residents

It really is a tale of two cities ? this time with the tony Upper East Side getting the shaft!

Huge swaths of the city's wealthiest neighborhood had been not been plowed by early Tuesday evening, leaving 1-percenters out in the cold, according to the city's own map of snow-plower activity.

"He is trying to get us back. He is very divisive and political," said writer and Life-long Upper East Sider and mom Molly Jong Fast of Mayor de Blasio.

[Ted S.]

Is closing lanes of roads by not plowing them like closing lanes of on-ramps to bridges?

[Raven Nation]

I'm sure the national and regional media will get right on this story to figure that out.

[UnCivilServant]

Is closing lanes of roads by not plowing them like closing lanes of on-ramps to bridges?

What TEAM is the closer?

[Lord Humungus]

aww... I missed it

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day

In honor of Squirrel Appreciation Day on Jan. 21, here are 21 noteworthy facts about these ubiquitous and opportunistic rodents.

1. There are more than 200 squirrel species worldwide, from tree squirrels and flying squirrels to chipmunks and marmots. They're all in the Sciuridae family, which is native to every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

2. Squirrels range in size from the five-inch African pygmy squirrel to the three-foot Indian giant squirrel.

3. Squirrels have four front teeth that grow continuously, at a rate of about six inches per year. This helps their incisors endure the constant gnawing.

and so on...

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Too late to brown nose the H&R squirrlez.

[Lord Humungus]

Next time I'll bring cake.

[BardMetal]

Wow I just had to look up the Indian giant squirrel after reading that

[SugarFree]

I know. 4 1/2 pounds is a lot of squirrel.

[Snark Plissken]

The glitches in their comment threads must be EPIC!

[Atanarjuat]

That's a handsome critter. It should be the next exotic species released here in Floriduh.

[SugarFree]

It eats Chinese needle snakes, so win-win.

[Brett L]

No, thank you. No carnivorous tree rats. We are not Australia.

[Marshall Gill]

Texas is set to execute a Mexican national despite protests from the Mexican government.

So? How many millions of Mexican Nationals reside in this country? Even though Texas executes many Americans, Mexican murderers should get a pass?

If you open the border, don't you at least apply criminal laws to immigrants?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Mayor Mennino in Boston once said something to the effect that they shouldn't arrest illegals for car theft since it wasn't that serious an offense.

So I will guess that where there are east-coast liberals, laws shouldn't apply to immigrants. It's cruel and unfair. After all, income inequality and, like the I-raq and such.

[Fr?ulein Nikki]

The billboards have clearly told me that if my car is being hotwired, I should call 311. I should only use 911 if I hear shots fired. So yeah, that's not a serious offense.

[R C Dean]

What if the shots you hear are the ones you fired?

Because someone is trying to steal your fucking car.

[Virginian]

She lives in Chicago. There are obviously no guns there, except the ones the TEATHUGLICAN ANARCHISTS are bringing in.

[Zeb]

I think "get a pass" might be overstating it a bit. Even if they decide not to execute him, they are not going to just let him go.

And while I oppose the death penalty, I agree, Texas should not care what the Mexican government says.

[Marshall Gill]

I think "get a pass" might be overstating it a bit

Ah, yes, poorly worded.

[PRX]

is he a socialist?

[Rich]

Cyclist: Driver didn't see me stuck in windshield

The man finally noticed Gove when he stopped the car outside his home. "He looked at me and said `Who are you? What are you doing in the car?'"

How fucking ripped do you have to be to do this?

[UnCivilServant]

I'm surprised the cyclist was still alive.

[Atanarjuat]

Yeah, this happened to a cyclist on the Redneck Riviera when I was living there. Poor guy was biking to work when a drunk chick hit him. Somehow the guy's severed leg was jammed in her grill when she got home.

[VG Zaytsev]

Best part of the story:

The man then locked the car doors and went into his home. Gove, whose body had gone most of the way through the windshield, then pulled his knees and feet into the car.

"I righted myself and got out," he said. "I unlocked the passenger's side door and started walking down the street."

A witness had called police, who found Gove as he was walking and took him to a hospital. Doctors removed glass from Gove's eyes and treated him for other cuts to the head and leg.

That's one tough mofo.

[Ken Shultz]

"Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) told David Gregory on "Meet the Press" that "There's questions to be answered there. I don't think it was a gee-whiz luck event that he ended up in Moscow under the handling of the FSB." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who appeared with Rogers on the Sunday morning show, said that Snowden "may well have" had assistance from the Russians."

What foreign government were Obama and the intelligence oversight committees coordinating with when they conspired to violate the Fourth Amendment rights of 300 million Americans?

Or did our leaders just decide to do that all on their own?

[gaijin]

Or did our leaders just decide to do that all on their own?

It was just a gee whiz luck event that did it!

[R C Dean]

I don't think it was a gee-whiz luck event that he ended up in Moscow under the handling of the FSB.

I distinctly recall an extended period of investigation and negotiation while Snowden shopped for safe harbors.

So, no, it wasn't "gee whiz". It was a conscious decision to get to a country that was willing and able to tell the US to piss off.

[Fr?ulein Nikki]

Yeah, this narrative weirdly glosses over the whole first part of the Snowden drama.

[Ken Shultz]

I wish Obama and the people on the intelligence committee were stuck in some Russian airport, begging for someone to grant them political asylum for fear of being prosecuted for being traitors to the Constitution.

[BigT]

That's why he's not going to Sochi.

And the snow, the cold, and the White Russians.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Obama's finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don't even really inspire. They elevate. They enmesh you in a grander moment, as if history has stopped flowing passively by, and, just for an instant, contracted around you, made you aware of its presence, and your role in it. He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh, over color, over despair. The other great leaders I've heard guide us towards a better politics, but Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves, to the place where America exists as a glittering ideal, and where we, its honored inhabitants, seem capable of achieving it, and thus of sharing in its meaning and transcendence.
-- Ezra Klein, January of 2008

[Longtorso, Johnny]

NYT Blog: Women Are Dreaming of Having Sex With Obama
...Many women ? not too surprisingly ? were dreaming about sex with the president. In these dreams, the women replaced Michelle with greater or lesser guilt or, in the case of a 62-year-old woman in North Florida, whose dream was reported to me by her daughter, found a fully above-board solution: "Michelle had divorced Barack because he had become 'too much of a star.' He then married my mother, who was oh so proud to be the first lady," the daughter wrote me.
There was some daydreaming too, much of it a collective fantasy about the still-hot Obama marriage. "Barack and Michelle Obama look like they have sex. They look like they like having sex," a Los Angeles woman wrote to me, summing up the comments of many. "Often. With each other. These days when the sexless marriage is such a big celebrity in America (and when first couples are icons of rigid propriety), that's one interesting mental drama."...

[gaijin]

Imagine if you will, this being written about a Hillary Clinton candidacy.

[Lady Bertrum]

I just vomited.

[R C Dean]

Often. With each other.

Oh, what a difference a period makes.

Err, a punctuation type period. You know what I mean.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I think the verdict is already in on Klein. He's a shrill hipster cunt.

No reason to rehash his 'banalism' here.

[waffles]

I think it's fair to say that whatever audience Klein had, it was because of the WashPo, not some intrinsic journolist mojo. I see dim prospects for his new venture.

[R C Dean]

If he's found a sugar daddy who is actually going to pony up $10mm, I see bright prospects for Klein and his cronies. At least for awhile.

[Elspeth Flashman]

I think I just threw up a little.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

Seconded.

[waffles]

I was thinking the same thing. But no joke, I actually felt real physical queasiness after reading this. I thought it was just a turn of phrase but now I'm in real danger of losing my breakfast.

[UnCivilServant]

I couldn't finish reading it because of the reaction.

[Lady Bertrum]

Elspeth beat me to it and that's not a good thing.

[BardMetal]

Really? Mostly Obama's speeches just insult my intelligence.

This cult of personality crap really creeps me the fuck out. I don't remember any other presidents being worshiped like this douchebag.

[SugarFree]

JFK comes close, but it was only in a few quarters while he was alive and then exploded after his death.

[waffles]

JFK is on the half-dollar not the quarter, nitwit.

[trshmnstr]

I remember hearing a story on the radio about how Jackie did a ton of work to play up the "Camelot" mystique after JFK's explosive, brain-jarring death. She needed to feel important, and polishing over Jack's insatiable taste for interns and movie stars along with his complete foreign policy incompetence and ingrained racism was important.

[Ted S.]

There are people who say my speeches insult their intelligence. Let me be clear: those people are cynics.

[Snark Plissken]

Too lucid.

C-

[trshmnstr]

There are those who... who say that my speeches are, uh.... uh.... filled with meaningless mumbo-jumbo. (long pause for dramatic effect) Uh... Let me be clear... uh... those... those racis.. uh... those people are stuck in the past, trying to force me to uh... the ... uh... back of the bus.

[Lord Humungus]

So was Ezra canned, er, "let go to pursue other options" or did he leave on his own accord?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....l?ir=Media

Washington Post star policy writer Ezra Klein, and two other journalists, are leaving the paper for a new venture.

"When Ezra joined us in 2009, he was a wunderkind blogger with brash confidence and a burning desire to write a column in the print newspaper," Post editors wrote in a memo to staff. "As he leaves us, Ezra is still a brash wunderkind, but now his burning desire has a grander scope: He is looking to start his own news organization, an ambition that befits someone with uncommon gifts of perception and analysis."

[gaijin]

uncommon gifts

That's for sure...and thank goodness.

[RBS]

I read uncommon gifts as differently abled.

[Brett L]

Ever since Journolist it turns out that he's merely well connected, not necessarily smart.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I think someone needs to define and explain 'wunderkid' to me since they mentioned it not once, but twice.

[UnCivilServant]

Typically it's a case of hype over substance about some upstart brat who is able to convince people thwy're smarter/more competant than they really are.

[Irish]

That memo is hilarious if you read it as if they're being really sarcastic.

[R C Dean]

He is looking to start his own news organization, an ambition that befits someone with uncommon gifts of perception and analysis.

Note that this sentence does not actually attribute such gifts to Ezra Klein.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

now his burning desire has a grander scope

Warty will be damned in that noodle-armed hipster dares to encroach on his territory.

[Lord Humungus]

and a retraction...

85 richest people own as much as bottom half of population, report says

[Updated 7:55 a.m. PST, Jan. 20: A previous version of this post said the 85 richest people owned nearly half of global wealth and the same amount as the bottom half of the population. The 85 richest people are a small part of the wealthiest 1%, which owns 46% of the world's wealth. The 85 richest people own about 0.7% of the world's wealth, which is the same as the bottom half of the population.]

[gaijin]

nice. The meme is already out there. The retraction will get no traction and yet another 'fact' will be in the minds of those who parrot what confirms their bias.

[Snark Plissken]

We apologise for the fault in the subtitles use of basic math. Those responsible have been sacked promoted.

[waffles]

So if we murder and plunder these 85 people everyone in the world will be twice as rich? We'd be stupid not to do it!

[hamilton]

I totally expect this line of argument to come up in the next 24 hours. I mean, you'd kill one person to save the world, right? Right?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Comment:

"That story is grim and depressing but here's the good news. Every single one of those 85 wealthy people will eventually drop dead and their wealth will be split into smaller fortunes by squabbling heirs. And you have to assume the 85 are mostly older not younger and their demise will come sooner not later. So despite your economic plight you too can outlive a billionaire!"

Sigh. So much hate; intolerance.

[Irish]

Every single one of those 85 wealthy people will eventually drop dead and their wealth will be split into smaller fortunes by squabbling heirs.

Which is why wealth inequality doesn't matter. It's ridiculously unlikely for fortunes to last more than a few generations in America because the money gets split up among heirs, many of whom are incompetent and blow it.

[BigT]

Yeah, Zuckerberg is what, almost 30. Steve Jobs' wife Laurene Powell is 50, as is Bezos. Brin and Page of Google are 40. Dell is 48. None of them are dying any time soon.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

'None of them are dying any time soon.'

Are you God and not telling us?

[sarcasmic]

So many people do not understand the distinction between money and wealth.

They feel that by confiscating wealth, they can spread money around.

[hamilton]

Americans don't care very much about the abortion issue.

Now only if we could get similar data on deep dish pizza, circumcision, and artisanal mayo.

[Pope Jimbo]

Ugh. What is with the hate of Google glasses?

Synopsis: A guy wears his google glasses in to a movie and the Feds are called in to harass him.

Maybe people don't like the geeks because they are such pussies. They guy let them go through his glasses and phone to look for his illegal copy of the movie (which he didn't have).

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Speaking of geeks. Still not getting Big Bang Theory and the enormous popularity.

[mr simple]

People like dumb show about things they don't understand and making fun of smart people.

[trshmnstr]

Season 1 was pretty hilarious, but then it turned into a standard sitcom with a couple geek jokes embedded in each episode.

Now it seems like it's just about a bunch of aspies trying to get ass. It's like going to the engineering frat.

[Brett L]

Eh. If you have the Glass on you are operating a recording device in contravention of the agreement you made when purchasing a ticket. The movie theater should no more have to verify that your Glass is off than if you had a camera out and pointed at the screen. SLD, the cops should not have been involved, but the theater company has agreed with the distributors of the film to not allow copying or recording.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The glasses were also prescription (the lenses), and they were apparently off. Technically everyone's cell phone is a recording device as well. Anyway, it was our friends in the movie industry who called their friends at DHS.

I guess that Hollywood contributes more to political campaigns than does Google.

[Brett L]

Yes, and if they had their phones out, they could be tossed as well. I'm sure there will eventually be an accommodation, and the theaters were dicks to call DHS, but I maintain that they are contractually obligated to expel people who may reasonably be thought to be recording the movies they are showing.

[Zeb]

But cellphones aren't always pointed wherever you are looking. Going into the theater with the glasses on is actually going in there with a video camera and pointing it at the screen. Calling in the feds is definitely overkill, but it is certainly not unreasonable for the theatre people to check on it, or even ban it from the theater. What is turned off can be turned back on. And I think we can be pretty sure that as the glasses become more popular, people are going to try to use it to pirate movies.

[R C Dean]

If you have the Glass on you are operating a recording device

Not necessarily. You have a recording device with pretty much the same capability as the phone everyone also has.

So having a recording device can't be against the rules. Using it might be, probably is.

But, goons gonna goon, and thugs gonna thug. Fuck Hollywood and DHS.

[Brett L]

Allowing someone to point a recording device at the screen when you have agreed with the distributor to not let someone record it would be okay? Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen to me.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Mexican Citizens Topple Cartels And Are Rewarded With Government Retaliation
...Joel Gutierrez, a militia member of the Michoacan region, says residents were "sick of the cartel kidnapping, murdering and stealing."

"That's why we took up arms," says Gutierrez, 19. "The local and state police did nothing to protect us."

The militia men have been patrolling their towns and inspecting cars at checkpoints like this one for nearly a year. All that time, federal police did little to stop them, and at times seemed to encourage the movement.

But that tacit approval appeared to end last weekend, when the number of the militias mushroomed and surrounded Apatzingan, a town of 100,000 people and the Knights Templar's stronghold. A major battle between the militias and the cartel seemed imminent.

The federal government sent in thousands of police and troops to disarm the civilian patrols. A deadly confrontation ensued. Federal soldiers fired into a crowd of civilian militia supporters, killing two....

[R C Dean]

The federales were unconcerned until some of their corrupt brethren got their meal ticket cut off and few caught bullets fighting for the cartel.

[SugarFree]

The only way to get Gawkerites to turn on a Kennedy? When a Kennedy has the temerity to go against The All-Father.

[Dweebston]

I mean, if the president feels alcohol is worse than tobacco, what's he prepared to do? And I'll tell you, the president won't be able to do a thing. Why? Because alcohol is too powerful an industry to change. And right now, we have a chance to stop another for-profit industry from targeting our public health.

Not "it's their own business whether they want to enjoy these products, and deal with the consequences." Not "Americans have clearly voted with their wallets, and alcohol/tobacco/marijuana won over prohibition by an astonishing majority." Not "the hurdles and unintended consequences of misguided prohibitionist policies greatly outweigh the questionable benefits of denying our constituents legal access to these products."

Nope, we can't touch alcohol or tobacco because they're entrenched lobbies, but we can totally renew our pledge to fight for a stupid, loser cause because the industry's only nascent.

[Fr?ulein Nikki]

And also not, "Well, when we did alcohol we actually had to pass a Constitutional amendment, and we're not going to do that this time."

[waffles]

"weedsplaining" ugh. That's fucking terrible. It doesn't even follow the pattern. Mansplain, Femsplain, Weedsplain? WTF. Can the English language take this constant abuse?

[Dweebston]

"Congressmansplain" is the appropriate term.

I'm now going to shoot myself.

[WTF]

"Congressmansplain" is the appropriate term.

Wouldn't that be "weaselsplain"?

[UnCivilServant]

Can the English language take this constant abuse?

Yes, that is the story of it's existence. That is what made it the language it is today.

[waffles]

Ah, so that's why no one wants to speak French.

[BardMetal]

Is there a line between say a language evolving over many years, and a language being bent over a table and having things thrust into it without the languages consent?

I mean we do have some rules in English.

[UnCivilServant]

New words get proposed all the time, most do not fall into common usage. The language is defined by the common usage.

[RBS]

TRU

[Zeb]

I mean we do have some rules in English

Not really. There is no arbiter of what is or is not proper English, like they have in France.

I am kind of picky about proper word usage and grammar, but ultimately you have to accept that it is what it is and is defined by usage.

[Snark Plissken]

Not just France, pretty much every other first world language.

[Irish]

Because alcohol is too powerful an industry to change.

He left out "And the last time we tried crime exploded and thousands of people were murdered."

[Brett L]

Not to mention the literally thousands poisoned to death by government regulations. See: Denaturing.

[0x90]

He left out "And the last time we tried crime exploded and thousands of people were murdered, and it helped my family get rich, which is how an imbecile such as myself ever came to be speaking with you now."

[Elspeth Flashman]

Juror says "no way" to child porn case's evidence. . . so does 6th circuit:
" And I just left there and I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this tomorrow. I'll be honest with you. I'm, like, half sick. I guess they're showing pictures or a video tomorrow.

There is just no way I'm going to be able to view these pictures or video. So I really don't know what to do. I just called in, and they put me to your number. You know, there is just no way I can view any of these pictures or video on this case tomorrow."

http://sbmblog.typepad.com/sbm.....o-way.html

[Ted S.]

Perhaps you should have told them this before the trial started.

[Elspeth Flashman]

The judge kept him (against his wishes). Then that was ruled an abuse of discretion by a panel.

[Dweebston]

Maybe the court should have used trigger warnings.

Hey, isn't "trigger" insensitive to victims of gun violence? Or anyone who gets a strong case of the vapors whenever guns are mentioned?

[Dweebston]

Beaten to it.

[UnCivilServant]

To be fair, details of what will be presented as evidence are not generally given to juries, and even based on the charges, most people don't realize how disgusting the content is.

Before King Cuomo left the AG's office, his minions made a presentation at a cybersecurity conference that pretty much amounted to "look at how cleverly we canned these kiddie porn distributers". In their presentation were censored pieces of evidence - and I'm still disturbed. I don't think the people who have to deal with it day in and day out realize the effect is can have on people not so desensitized to it.

[gaijin]

Matt Damon's impression of Davos Scum, er I mean Scrum.

Damon Gets Award for Water

[Rufus J. Firefly]

780 million people without water?

And it's up to fucking Pepsi to fix that?

No, not the respective governments and the corruption that probably creates that situation in the first place.

Let's get Pepsi. The manufacturer liberals love to piss on in their free time with notions of soda bans and such.

I need a Coke.

Better yet. A Chinotto.

[gaijin]

And it's up to fucking Pepsi to fix that?

They owe it to humanity man. For capitalism and obesity and shit!

[The Late P Brooks]

Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves, to the place where America exists as a glittering ideal, and where we, its honored inhabitants, seem capable of achieving it, and thus of sharing in its meaning and transcendence.

I need another bottle of Victory Gin, after that.

[Elspeth Flashman]

How not to use laptops given to you by your employer:

Brent Sandy, a music professor at the University of Iowa, is facing multiple criminal charges after he reported his university-issued laptop missing and presumably stolen, The Iowa City Press-Citizen reported. The university was able to trace the laptop to Sandy's home. He then confessed, authorities said, to taking the laptop home and reporting it stolen because he was scheduled to get a new laptop and had porn on the existing laptop.

http://www.insidehighered.com/.....university

[BardMetal]

Wow that porn must have been some very depraved shit for him to go to so much trouble.

I wonder how many German and Japanese words he picked up looking up that stuff.

[Jon Lester]

If you haven't heard (or correctly guessed) already, single-issue voters and a shortsighted national party may have bet on the wrong horse in Texas.

[sarcasmic]

Driving after just ONE drink makes you more likely to have a car crash

Even drivers with a slight 'buzz' are more likely to be at fault for accidents
Those who had drunk just one bottle of beer were 46 per cent more likely to be solely blamed for the crash than a sober driver
Experts say there is no level of alcohol when it comes to driving

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/hea.....crash.html

[gaijin]

more likely to be solely blamed

Once the cops hear or find "alcohol", then the investigation as to who caused a crash is over.

[sarcasmic]

Like when I was on my bicycle and was hit by a car driven by a fifteen year old kid who ran a red light.

I got a DUI, and there was no mention of the running of the red light in the report.

[RBS]

The more DUI arrests a cop can make the bigger his bonus at the end of the year, the faster her gets promoted and/or the nicer the car he gets.

[sarcasmic]

Not only is it lying by omission to fail to mention that the person who caused the accident ran a red light, but it's standard procedure.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Being tired makes you more likely to crash. We should outlaw driving when not fully awake! No level of tiredness when it comes to driving!

[sarcasmic]

Off duty style! Kate Beckinsale layers up in chic casual outfit for afternoon of retail therapy

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....erapy.html
Those legs...

[sarcasmic]

When women lived free in Afghanistan: Pictures show how they were once able to study, wear skirts and mix freely with men - before civil war, invasion and the Taliban enslaved them

Photos by Mohammad Qayoumi show the free life Afghan women enjoyed
Kabul-born Qayoumi went on to become an engineering professor in the U.S
Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001 was condemned for its oppression of women

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-rule.html

[Marshall Gill]

http://www.steynonline.com/602.....hindu-kush

[sarcasmic]

'We can have snow even in a globally warmed world,' Nasa boss warns as it is revealed 2013 was the fourth hottest year since records began

Average world temperature was 58.12 degrees (14.52 Celsius)
NASA, which calculates records in a different manner, ranked last year as the seventh warmest on record
New image reveals every unusual weather event in 2013 in one image

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....began.html
People aren't buying it anymore.

[Snark Plissken]

This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.

[sarcasmic]

It would have been if it wasn't for those pesky Rethuglican!

[itsnotmeitsyou]

This is yet another issue I have with these asinine global temperature data.

So, here we have 2 sources of the global average temp, and they vary in what they say was the average temp by .08 C. Then in the same breath, they'll tell you that temperature rise of .1 C per decade is catastrophic. Hell, I can get that kind of temperature increase by walking from NOAA to NASA...

[Matrix]

Sun spots, dammit!

[BigT]

It's correlated with sunspots (as a measure of solar activity) and the multidecadal ocean cycle. The CERN experiment in 2011 provided the mechanistic link that showed the correlation likely to be causation.

[itsnotmeitsyou]

I was working for algore when that experiment was published. In our daily newsletter, the article was labeled under the "opinion" section. They did the same thing with a NASA experiment that showed that the earth is much better at releasing excess heat than the models allow for.

Yeah, scientific experiments performed by CERN are "opinion" and wildly made up shit that doesn't conform to reality is "immutable fact"

Welcome to the world of AGW

[Roger the Shrubber]

Perhaps AGW advocates should declare victory and move on.

[Tim]

-16 Degrees Fahrenheit this morning. Why the fuck don't I move?

[PM]

Why the fuck don't I move?

Because you can't feel your extremities?

[Snark Plissken]

Because you are afraid to scale a 700ft Wall of ice?

[Zeb]

I kind of like it when it gets extremely cold. Except for the heating bill.

[Dave Krueger]

I don't think it was a gee-whiz luck event that he ended up in Moscow under the handling of the FSB." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who appeared with Rogers on the Sunday morning show, said that Snowden "may well have" had assistance from the Russians.

And those foregone conclusions are certain to be confirmed by the forthcoming investigation and secret evidence that no one will ever be allowed to see from a government that has been repeatedly caught lying about the entire surveillance issue.

[Brett L]

Weird how he fled to Hong Kong first and nobody is implicating the Chinese Foreign Directorate.

[sarcasmic]

One of my coworkers is convinced that he shared everything with both the Chinese and the Russians, and absolutely nothing could convince him otherwise.

[R C Dean]

Not even "If they already have everything, why don't they sell him out?"

[sarcasmic]

"Why else would they let him in if he didn't give them all the information? La la la la la I can't hear you! Why else? La la la la I can't hear you! See? There's not other explanation!"

[sarcasmic]

*no

[Matrix]

Don't be a black Republican.

At least that's what I got from reading it.

[PM]

At least he didn't call him articulate or something.

[Snark Plissken]

when the head of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP said he's a "ventriloquist dummy" for "the extreme right wing" in South Carolina.

"Ventriloquist dummy", not a dog whistle so much as a dog megaphone.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, pretty soon you won't have to deal with me any more, I'll be joinin' your mother, and you can get a six-year-old to replace me, and it won't be Sanford and Son anymore, it'll be Big Dummy and Little Dummy Inc!

[Snark Plissken]

I'm comin' for you 'Lizabeth!

[Sevo]

Laissez les bons temps rouler!
"Spike in Covered California signups pushes total to 625,000"
Whatever "signups" means, and that compares to the 4M who lost ther coverage courtesy of the hag and that lying POS.
http://www.sfgate.com/default/.....163950.php

[Sevo]

And Venezuelans are somehow unable to watch TV without, um, something:
"Venezuela's president blames soap operas for crime"
Ban is certain to follow...
http://www.sfgate.com/default/.....164251.php

[Drake]

Is there some kind of leftist playbook they all read during indoctrination?

[Brett L]

They're banning novelas? No way does the regime survive.

[Matrix]

The US ranks behind Rwanda, Belarus, Azerbaijan in creating a new business says the World Bank

I'm sure some more regulations will make it even easier! There's nothing the government can't do to fix a problem, even ones it created.

[JD]

Rand Paul sidetracking his own presidential campaign with a federal act on abortion.

"Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, 55 million abortions have taken place in America. The question remains, can a civilization long endure if it does not respect Life? It is the government's duty to protect life, liberty, and property, but primarily and most importantly, a government must protect Life," Sen. Paul said. "In order to protect the unborn from the very moment Life begins, I introduced the Life at Conception Act. Today, our nation wavers and our moral compass is adrift. Only when America chooses, remembers and restores her respect for life will we re-discover our moral bearings and truly find our way."

http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=.....se&id=1080

Why, why, why? Leave this stuff alone and focus on the economy and civil liberties.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Don't necessarily love driving a GM, but the damn thing swallows a ton of stuff and has been really reliable. FWIW.

I'll probably hate myself for a long time if I end up getting a GM or Chrysler vehicle, but like you, I'm a lot more concerned about reliability. I'm not going to purchase a shitty vehicle out of spite, and if Ram or GM offer a more reliable truck than Ford does, with better capabilities and mileage than Toyota or Nissan, then I'd be nuts not to consider them.

The only thing that burns me about the new diesels is the price premium. You used to get them as an option back in the day for about $500 extra; the Ram 1500 is going to be a $4000 upgrade from the base V-6. If I held on to it for about 10-15 years, the upfront, fuel, and mx costs just might be offset by the mileage gains, but I suspect in the end it could be a wash.

The fucking EPA has really nerfed the cost-effectiveness of owning a diesel.

[Cdr Lytton]

^^^^

They also screwed diesel fuel pricing too. I'd love to have a 1/2 ton in diesel.

[BigT]

Some have "difficulties".