Reddit Co-Founder Alexis Ohanian on Internet Freedom, Plus Independents Rerun Open Thread for Episode w/ Belle Knox, Greg Gutfeld, Julie Borowski & Greg Lukianoff!

At 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT the Wednesday episode of The Independents will re-air on Fox Business Network. That was the Red Meat Wednesday show with Greg Gutfeld talking about his new book Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You, 18-year-old porn actress and Duke freshman Belle Knox discussing self-ownership and libertarianism, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education President Greg Lukianoff commenting on the UC Santa Barbara Feminist Studies professor assaulting a pro-life teenager, and beloved Internet libertarian Julie Borowski talking about everything from Rand Paul to Joe Biden to civilizational collapse.

While you gear up for some hot Saturday-night rerun comments-thread action, here's a clip from Monday's boozy after-show, starring Reddit co-founder, serial entrepreneur, and Internet freedom activist Alex Ohanian, author of the new book Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed. Also on board is Demos Senior Fellow and proud statist (I'm serious!) Rich Benjamin:

Comments

[SIV]

some hot Saturday-night rerun comments-thread action

Should we just C&P the better comments from the live thread?

[Palin's Buttplug]

I find it hilarious that this little Greg Gutfeld is traumatized by the "hipster elite" yet he lives and works in New York City. He wouldn't last a month down here in his beloved GOP bitter-clinger Redneck Country.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

New York City?!?!??!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgrGyR6EYbY

[jesse.in.mb]

I'm a little sad I can't find the one that had the end phrase "that really chaps my hide." For whatever reason that always made my mom laugh hysterically.

[Corning]

yeah cuz rural Georgia is !!!!DANGEROUS!!!

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Pope to Mafia: Repent or else

""There is still time not to end up in hell, which awaits you if you continue on this road," Pope Francis said. "You had a papa and a mamma. Think of them, weep a little and convert.""

http://www.catholicreview.org/.....ad-to-hell

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Pay no attention to the perverts in the oversized hats.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Pay no attention to the perverts in the oversized hats.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

No charges for Florida man who stabbed fan at a bar after sporting event; prosecutors cite inability to disprove that the man was in fear of his life.

Why those Koch-sucking GOP lawmkers? How many more must die before every Stand Your Ground law is repealed?! It's like the Wild West out there in Teahadiland!

[SIV]

Batman's on!

Even better, it's a Julie Newmar as Catwoman episode.

MeTV on yr broadcast dial.

[SIV]

Hot Off the Griddle

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I'm having streaming problems on this rerun. Anyone else? Assuming anyone else is watching.

[Strapping Young Lad]

Works for me.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

uh oh

[Notorious G.K.C.]

it's working now

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Don't worry, your health data is perfectly safe.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....story.html

[DEG]

I am reminded of "I'm from the government, I'm here to help you."

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I missed the first half back when it was live.

[Strapping Young Lad]

Why is Julie so perfect?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Are you a Senator or an Austrian economist? If not, she's out of your league.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Sorry, Julie, I didn't mean it.

[Strapping Young Lad]

These guys won't stop going out of their way to fellate Rand.

It's okay. I'm a fanboy too.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Anyone here besides the strapping young lad and the guy with the "strapping young lad" pseudonym?

[Strapping Young Lad]

Looks a little quiet in here.

Want to cuddle?

[Strapping Young Lad]

It's okay. I'll continue commenting alone.

And cold.

[Byte Me]

I wonder if I could get away with the "I was triggered" defense if my foot found its way to that whale's woman's face.

[Byte Me]

Also, she was "triggered"? Is she a dog or something? Control yourself, bitch.

[Strapping Young Lad]

Well if she was about to crush you with her mass, it's definitely self defense.

[DEG]

Who is drinking what? I'm drinking Weyerbacher's Blasphemy. It is potent and tasty.

I saw on another thread the news from Venice about their secession vote. If they pull it off, I'll move Venice up on my list of places to see.

[Max Power]

I'm drinking Jim Beam, but I'm gonna make a margarita soon since we're having tacos for dinner.

[DEG]

Mmmm... tacos.

I think I should have eaten more for dinner. This beer is hitting me hard.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

DEG, it's worth seeing even now.

If you're into architecture obviously but even for engineering enthusiasts because of the MOSE project.

http://www.water-technology.ne.....e-project/

[DEG]

I remember reading about that project. Why I am not surprised the project was delayed?

The construction work on the project began in 2003 after much delay.

I know Venice is worth seeing at any time, but given it has been part of Italy it's been lower on my list of places to see. If they pull off independence I'll move Venice up on my rather extensive list of places to see.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I don't get it. The part about Venice being part of Italy.

Yeah, Mose is a massive challenge.

[DEG]

I don't know Italian and I'm not motivated to learn it. I know a little German and enough French that folks in Quebec immediately switch to English when they hear me speak French, and I remember having Latin and Spanish classes.

I also see Italy as being a has-been. It's coasting along on past successes, like England. Which is also the reason I've been putting off seeing England.

If Venice left Italy, that would be like was actually trying to recapture old glory and leave behind the dregs and thieves and crooks in Rome. Or at least, that's how I think of it. I could be wrong. Yes, I realize Venice was forced into Italy.

There are a lot of factors I consider in how I rank my list of places to see. Cost of the visit (which is price and time involved), ability to communicate with the locals. Both weighed against what the place has to offer. When I weigh those different factors, Italy and everything in it goes low.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

If I may. You're selling yourself short.

All of Europe is living on past glory on some level. It's Europe - Italy no exception.

I wouldn't worry about language too much. For two reasons, Italians love North Americans and do try to speak English.

Italy is a first rate civilization with a cultural heritage not surpassed by many. It has more UNESCO heritage sites than anyone and provides so many attractions it's stunning really. I marvel each time I go. From the Italian alps to Sardnia to Sicily few countries can match what it offers.

Aside from that, I know people who organize trips just to see its engineering facilities particularly cars, motorcycles and bicycles. The stories they relay to me are remarkable.

Personally, England and Germany are on my hit list. Eventually, Japan.

It IS, though, as you point out, expensive. But to me, well worth it.

No civilized man should neglect going as The Economist once wrote. Rick Steves also imparts interesting views when he was asked which country he liked visiting the best - Italy.

Then again, I'm bias. Being of Italian heritage.

Cheers.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

China and India go without saying as places to see but the opportunity hasn't come for me...yet.

[DEG]

I thought knowledge of English wasn't all that common in Italy? If that's true that Italians try to speak English and I'm wrong about Italians and English, that changes things.

I know that all of Europe is more or less coasting along on past successes. The places that are less so, or appear to be less so, like Germany, I put higher on my list than other places.

I have Hong Kong and Macau on my list of places to see. I've thought about moving both up despite the problem of language in Macau. Given airline routes, I want to see both in one trip. I couldn't see either before their handover to China because I was either a broke college student or a broke person at his first well-paid job (*NOT* first job).

[Rufus J. Firefly]

It's changing. English is of interest to them.

Though it doesn't hurt to learn one of the world's truly most beautiful language - winks.

Germans flock to Italy - and have always done so for centuries. Italians, for their part, admire German society. There's always been an interesting amicable mutual respect between the two countries.

You can't travel the world and not go there is all I'm saying. China, India and Italy are the pinnacle of culture.

Meanwhile, my wife and I are planning our 2015 trip to Calif., Nevada and Arizona.

[DEG]

I didn't realize there was a mutual admiration between Germany and Italy.

I will have to reconsider things.

I like parts of Arizona. I considered moving there when I wrapped up my undergrad. I decided against it because I had a feeling the job I was offered wouldn't last. I turned that job down, and a little while afterwards I heard the project I would have been working on was canceled.

In Nevada, I've only been to Vegas.

It's a shame the Progressives have ruined California. There are so many wonderful things about that state.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

We're interested in the Mexican/American cultural angle. Mexico is another place with a great heritage.

I look forward to it. Been to California but that was 1991.

Yeah. Not many people know that about Germany/Italy.

Berlin beckons me. But my wife has severe allergies so I'm kinda restricted. I just don't know enough the diet aspect for her. So I may be stuck going off alone.

We struggle to find food for her in Cape Cod so imagine how she feels about other countries she's not familiar with!

[DEG]

The thing I liked best about San Antonio was that as I walked around the Riverwalk at night, I heard Spanish and English spoken and no one batted an eye about it. No one bitched about Spanish speakers speaking Spanish.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Mexico.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yeah. Sounds like Quebec that way. In fact, pretty much large parts of Europe and any major city. It goes back to the great cities of Beirut, Toledo and Sicily where all civilizations met to trade.

People who bitch about language are losers.

[Old Man With Candy]

Been to both, multiple times. Skip India, spend as much time as you can in Hong Kong.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"...leave behind the dregs and thieves and crooks in Rome."

Heh.

I think we can replace and insert most cities in there.

As I pointed out in another thread, Italian corruption is marked by the specific feature of it being out in the open. Less so in other industrialized countries which tend to sweep that sort of stuff under the rug.

[DEG]

I was in Vienna last September. I saw election signs and posters up. One of the candidates claimed that if he was elected, corruption would end.

I asked an American expat friend of mine and her Austrian boyfriend (both live in Vienna) about those posters. They mentioned that corruption existed in Austria, and that it was different than in other countries. Unfortunately, either because of the booze I've had tonight or I'm getting old timer's syndrome, I can't remember more of that conversation.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Damn, another enchanting city. Vienna.

I've been talking on and off with a friend to take our bicycles to climb the legendary Stelvio (in the Brenner Pass) mountain (Giro d'Italia) and perhaps go into Austria.

Northern Italy has a strong Germanic flavor dating back to the Germanic invasions during and after the fall of Rome.

[DEG]

Right, northern Italy has a lot of Germanic influence. South Tyrol is another place I'd like to see.

Vienna was awesome. I had too much packed into too little time. I had to cut back on things. I missed the Neue Hofburg. I had thought about a day trip to Bratislava (only an hour by train from Vienna), but I had to drop that as well.

The high points of my trip were Sch?nbrunn and seeing a concert at the Musikverein. I would have liked to have more time in the gardens at Sch?nbrunn. The concert was the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, which my friend and her boyfriend said is intended for tourists. That's OK, I like Mozart and it might be a long time before I can see another concert in the Musikverein. Besides, I liked that they played Strau? for the encores instead of Mozart. How can you top Mozart's best work? If you are in Vienna, play works from the Strau? clan!

I sign up for the Wiener Philharminker's lotto for tickets for their New Year's Concert. No luck so far.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

You can't top Mozart or Beethoven or Bach.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Come to think of it, back in 94 when I visited my cousins in Paris the deputy mayor of Paris (or some high official) came to their restaurant for the night - a place he frequented. He told me stories of the corruption in Paris. He's the one that told me that corruption is deeply rooted everywhere.

[DEG]

I guess it is the booze talking tonight.

An official taking bribes in Philly? Boston? Louisiana? Rome? Of course! Germany? Austria? Power corrupts, so of course there's corruption, but those aren't places that come to mind when one thinks corruption, despite corruption existing everywhere there is power.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Which comes to, after all this, the point libertarians make. Smaller government helps to keep corruption in line.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Let me know if you are looking for must visit places on the west coast. Lots of places that might be overlooked...

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Weyerbacher's Blasphemy. It is potent and tasty."

But it can lead to a burning sensation afterward.

[DEG]

Hopefully no worse than eating Chipotle.

[seguin]

Was drinking Revolver Bock. Very nice.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Who said this, Peanuts? Don't Google please.

"In my view, most of the poverty in the world is due to bad governance. And whether the project can overcome that is a big question. If it succeeds in 5 of 10 countries and can be scaled up, that would be a tremendous achievement."

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Good, that should make up for the money he wasted on Democrats. Good show!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Government is an impediment to wealth. He knows it, I know it, you probably know it too.

But here is what should be a revelation to the Peanut Gallery - BAD government (2001-07) is worse than minimal government. Bad government destroys wealth (see chart).

http://research.stlouisfed.org.....NONWRQ027S

[Cytotoxic]

BAD government (2001-continuing)

FTFY

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Soros profits off the misery of a nation's currency. He's a financial pirate. Between him and Buffett they form the Legion of Hypocrisy the Koch's can't match.

[Palin's Buttplug]

So does any goldbug (if they were ever right about a currency).

The Kochs inherited their fortune. They didn't earn it. Soros and Buffett did.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Matt works Saturday nights?

La-dee-dah.

I thought he'd be exhausted after dealing with Frick and Frack last night.