A.M. Links: President Says Obamacare Debate Over, D.C. Mayor Loses Democrat Primary, Monorail Proposed for Nashville

• 

  "The Simpsons"/Fox

  A recent poll shows Obamacare's approval at 49 percent, a new high for the unpopular program. Forty-eight percent disapproved. Nevertheless, President Obama says now that open enrollment is sort of closed, the debate over Obamacare is over.

• Boston Red Sox hitter David Ortiz was likely paid by Samsung to take a selfie with President Obama. The photo is already being used for promotional purposes.
• D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray lost the Democratic primary yesterday to Councilwoman Muriel Bowser. Grey had been accused of ethics violations for most of his one term in office.
• A Republican state senator wants to build a monorail along I-24 in Nashville, Tennessee.
• A magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit off the coast of Chile; no tsunami is expected.
• The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder won't be involved in the fourth and final season of the Adult Swim show.
• A new study suggests scientists may have significantly overestimated the amount of water present on the moon.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Right place, right time. Crackerjack job.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

Monorail = Lyle Langley.

[Fist of Etiquette]

And may the Force be with you.

[Doctor Whom]

Ah, salami, we like 'em.

[waffles]

I don't remember Leonard Nimoy being at the ribbon cutting ceremony though. Weird.

[crazyfingers]

"I shouldn't have stopped for that haircut."

[RBS]

I call the big one Bitey.

[Max Power]

Donuts. Is there anything they can't do?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Nevertheless, President Obama says now that open enrollment is sort of closed, the debate over Obamacare is over.

The results will be available in November.

[Rich]

And -- what are all those court cases, chopped liver?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Ans thus decreed Stalin - the debate about the gulags and their existence is over. So, so over.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Boston Red Sox hitter David Ortiz was likely paid by Samsung to take a selfie with President Obama.

A professional athlete getting paid for promotions?

[Tim]

Obama duped again?

[Restoras]

It's not like it's that hard.

[fish]

Ortiz could have saved himself the travel time and just had his photo taken with Obamas empty suit...there's really no difference.

[hamilton]

A more interesting question would be whether the White House was paid for the same opportunity.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit off the coast of Chile...

I'm going to go ahead and get in front of this and blame Climate Change. Or deforestation at least, which is South America's sin.

[Snark Plissken]

What's fracking? Chopped liver?

[invisible furry hand]

Why not blame chopped liver? Every meat-eater makes Mother Gaia cry, after all

[LiveFreeOrDiet]

Go sit in the corner and cry quietly, Gaia because I don't want hear it. Whiny little... Where's my goat knife? Time for the first Spring "sacrifice" to the barbecue gods.

[Zeb]

Mother Gaia loves fracking. It's like Gas-X for the planet. Imagine the awful cramps from all that pent up gas.

[RightofCenter]

Ermahgersh...I was on vacation this past weekend and The Man-Made Climate Change Channel was on. They were reporting on a springtime blizzard somewhere, and the host made sure the sheeple knew what caused it. "Now, before we let you report on the blizzard, just remind us that all extreme weather is caused by man-made climate change, right? Whether it's hot weather or cold weather, climate change caused it, right?" Then she let him report on the blizzard. My wife and I loudly commented negatively about it then realized the rest of the hotel breakfast area had gone all quiet. The people murmuring and pointing next to us were probably big fans of the AGW cult.

[Fist of Etiquette]

In our history we've never seen springtime blizzards happen this close to an agenda.

[Tim]

That's particularly clever. Good form.

[sarcasmic]

The people murmuring and pointing next to us were probably big fans of the AGW cult.

More people are than not. I swear, every article in the paper from the AP regarding anything weather related contains something about AGW. To say differently is like saying the Earth is flat.

[RBS]

And every nature program is basically 45 minutes of lions hunting wildebeest followed by a 5 minute lecture on AGW.

[WTF]

Consensus! The science is settled!

[Sudden]

A recent article about seismic activity in the Yellowstone region was tagged with climate change.

Not sure how climate change actually disrupts the caldera, but apparently it does.

[R C Dean]

Warmer air reduces the air pressure, which is all that's holding the caldera down?

[Brett L]

Every 650k-900k years, they caldera blows and significantly changes the local and regional climate?

[Juice]

It's not just like that for newspapers. It's also like that for science journals. If your paper even brushes up against the topic of climate, you can't just get away without a comment in the paper expressing the opinion that AGW is happening and it's bad. It might have little or nothing to do with the paper. It can have nothing to do with the data. It won't be a conclusion drawn from analysis. You just have to put in a sentence or two that acts as your password to publication. If you leave it off there is a chance that the tone of the paper might not be kosher, so you put that statement in as a way of saying, "we're with you guys, not against you, just publish our paper please, we're not here to rock the boat."

[KPres]

Do YOU believe that Jesus is your lord and savior?

The AGW cultists are just following the blueprint.

[Ted S.]

U haven't missed their absence on DirecTV. I just wish Weather Nation had a better graphics package.

[Ted S.]

Er, I haven't missed it. I'm not trying to channel Prince here.

[Tejicano]

I would bet that somewhere, somebody is pushing a theory - sorry, settled science fact - that Pluto is no longer a planet because of AGW.

[Zeb]

all extreme weather is caused by man-made climate change

The thing is, that is true in a sense. Whatever effect human activity has on climate (and there is certainly some effect), it has something to do with every weather event.

Which of course means that all the speculation about whether or not some big storm is "caused" by climate change is completely stupid and meaningless. Cause and effect doesn't work that way in a hugely complex system like the atmosphere.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"Hobby Lobby is so committed to those principles that it's gone to the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge a provision in the Affordable Care Act it says requires it to provide access to insurance that covers birth control for its employees, some forms of which it equates with abortion.

No wonder then, the glee emanating from some quarters Tuesday when Mother Jones' Molly Redden reported that the company's retirement plan holds $73 million in mutual funds with investments in companies that make abortion drugs."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....mm&hpid=z6

[WTF]

Was Hobby Lobby actually aware of all the specific holdings within the mutual funds? I know I don't know all of the specific companies that are included in mutual funds that I own.

[SugarFree]

They are the ones making a big deal about it, WTF.

It's hard to say that are under an undue burden to their religious sensibilities when they been invested in abortion drugs for years.

That makes Hobby Lobby murderers, right?

[WTF]

Technically you're right (which is the best kind of right) but I can see that they might not have been aware of the specific investments in these companies, and therefore did not knowingly support them. Let's see if they follow their stated principles and divest from these funds, and switch into funds which don't invest in such companies.

[SugarFree]

I know. It's the same sort of cruel glee I find in pointing out when gun-grabbers are invested in firearms manufacturers or greenies are making money off of major polluters.

I welcome Hobby Lobby putting their money where their mouth is.

[WTF]

I welcome Hobby Lobby putting their money where their mouth is.

Me too, I want to see just how serious they are about their stated principles.

[califernian]

The regulations are terrible.

Hobby Lobby (and every company) should have no regulations whatsoever about what kind of insurance plan they provide to their employees, if any.

And they should be able to be hypocrites about it and invest in abortion clinics.

[Zeb]

Yes. The whole problem is the regulations. HL or any company should be able to be as hypocritical and silly as they want.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I never understood why progs make it their business as to how much cash a company holds.

[VG Zaytsev]

Same reason armed robbers want to know who has a lot of cash on hand.

[Doctor Whom]

That's easy. They're progs. Everything is their business.

[sarcasmic]

Every dollar of cash that they hold was stolen from the workers. Not giving is taking.

[SugarFree]

I never understood why progs make it their business as to how much cash a company holds.

The point here is that their investment in abortion drug manufacturers is not insignificant.

There are plenty of "clean" mutual funds for lefties--my work even offers one--I can't imagine there isn't some sort of equivalent for those with deep religious objections to certain ways of making money.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Yes, the article notes:

"The kicker is that there are "faith based" investment options for companies like Hobby Lobby that are particular about whom they do business with. Dan Hardt, a Kentucky financial planner who specializes in faith-based investing, told Mother Jones that the performances of funds like the Timothy Plan or Ave Maria Fund, which screen for companies that make abortion drugs or support stem cell research, are about the same as if they had not been screened.

Forbes pointed out that Hobby Lobby has a fiduciary duty under federal law to know what the company-sponsored 401(k) is investing in for the benefit of its employees."

[SlV]

It's the employees' 401k. Does everyone's 401k belong to their employer?
Hobby Lobby's owners and managers don't choose the mutual funds.

I suppose they could withdraw the matching contribution.

[SugarFree]

Employers are pretty much always the ones who make the decision what mutual funds to offer. They are going to SCOTUS to keep from having to offer contraception coverage on the basis of undue burden on their religious beliefs. They are already making a choice on the healthcare of their employees, but only offering "clean" mutual funds would be out of bounds? Or refusing to match if their employees choose "unclean" funds?

I don't think they should be forced to offer contraception, of course, but this does undercut the strength of their burden argument.

[SlV]

Employers are pretty much always the ones who make the decision what mutual funds to offer.

They hire outside, 3rd party plan administrators who do that.

[SugarFree]

So they don't vet the funds offered or the firms they hire?

Still impinges on the undue burden argument. Paying a tiny fraction of their healthcare cost to offer contraception to their employees is an undue burden on their religious sensibilities, but investing their own money through matching funds in the makers of abortion drugs is something they never bothered to check on?

At the very least they offered up a huge gotcha for their ideological opponents and people still fence-sitting on the issue.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"Paying a tiny fraction of their healthcare cost to offer contraception to their employees is an undue burden on their religious sensibilities, but investing their own money through matching funds in the makers of abortion drugs is something they never bothered to check on?"

It is worse, isn't it? Don't they contract with a third party insurer who then happens to offer contraception, some of which they object to, which their employees may or may not avail themselves of?

[PM]

Don't they contract with a third party insurer who then happens to offer contraception, some of which they object to, which their employees may or may not avail themselves of?

Uhhhh, no. Are you even vaguely familiar with what a coverage mandate is? They contract with an extremely limited selection of third party providers who are statutorily bound to offer contraceptives, and to reflect that coverage in the premiums charged to Hobby Lobby employees, regardless of whether they actually use it or not. It would be more analogous to an SEC mandate requiring that all mutual funds and ETFs carry a minimum amount of equity in pharmaceutical companies that provide contraceptive drugs, paired with a mandate for Hobby Lobby to provide a 401(k) retirement benefit to their employees. The part where the guys in black suits stick guns to your heads if you don't do what they say makes the difference.

[R C Dean]

No, they hire administators to make recommendations. The actual choice of funds is a fiduciary function which the company nearly always keeps.

[BakedPenguin]

It would be amusing if HL came out and said they were unaware of this, and then thanked MJ for their investigation.

[Pro Libertate]

SIV is right. I doubt my company has the slightest input into the funds that we can invest in.

Also, and this is something that's a real issue, the duty of the fund administrator is to try and provide offerings that give a decent return without too much risk (since these are retirement plans and all). The safest bet for doing that is usually some sort of diversified or market-based fund.

I own some S&P 500 index fund ETFs, so I "own" some companies I'm sure I totally despise and wouldn't invest in. For that matter, some of those stocks aren't good investments in the financial sense, either.

[SugarFree]

My university offers a "clean" fund for lefties. We employ far fewer people than Hobby Lobby.

I don't let my emotions overwhelm me when investing. I don't care if a company beats dolphins to death with oil spill baby seals. If they can make me money as a fractional investment of my retirement mutual funds, I couldn't care less.

[Pro Libertate]

Universities have been sensitive to this for decades. When I was in school, there was a lot of noise about schools holding South African assets and a cry for divestment. That doesn't happen as much on the surface of the planet.

[Sudden]

While I do think it weakens the undue burden argument, there is still the notion that simply because one has sinned according to their faith (in this case, maybe a sin of omission instead comission, but sin nonetheless) it doesn't mean that the exercise of their faith elsewhere loses standing.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Hobby Lobby provides a list of funds into which their employees can put their money. Hobby Lobby chose them, in other words. They could have just as easily chosen the faith-based funds mentioned above and made those the only options for their employees.

[Restoras]

Of course there are. But what kind of returns do they generate? That's the only question and answer that matters.

Years ago a firend of mine that inherited a crapload of money asked me about 'socially responsible' investments. I told her, sure, you can do that, but maybe just make investmetns that will generate actual returns and then use a portion of the proceeds to support the causes you like? Much smarter than the alternative which is honestly set up to appeal to emotion and not reason or logic, leaving the (incompetent) fund managers with free rein to make investment decisions based on emotion and not on the returns.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, exactly. Again, it's highly unlikely the company chose the funds at all, just the fund manager, but if this is an issue for them now that they know about it (bet they didn't), they could ask for some of those types of funds. But, even so, they'd really need to leave in some of the offending funds, because the returns on those specialty funds likely aren't good.

[Zeb]

I don't think it's just "progs".

[Suthenboy]

I am gonna start calling you plastic man, Bo.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

?

[Suthenboy]

That is about the longest reach I have seen anyone do here. Mutual funds? Jesus.

Ever put money into a mutual fund? What companies were on the list? are you familiar with all of the products each of them produces? C'mon.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Sorry, it was Hobby Lobby that does the 'connect the dots uh oh we are compelled to be murderers' chain linking on the one hand, so I am less sympathetic when they fail to do it on the other.

[Fluffy]

so I am less sympathetic when they fail to do it on the other.

On what basis?

If I declare that my religious sensibilities extend as far as providing insurance, but not as far as investing in mutual funds, what's your basis for critiquing that? More importantly, what's the Justice Department's basis for critiquing that.

Critiquing it in the context of the case would require you to create a standard that allowed religious freedom only if the underlying beliefs were internally logically consistent - which would pretty much eliminate all religious freedom.

My read of the 1st amendment leads me to conclude that the federal government can't test any asserted religious belief claim for reasonableness. Because if it could do that, it would be empowered to create a list of religions that passed the reasonableness test and would get protection, and a list of religions that failed the test and would not.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I do not find this legally dispositive, but morally interesting.

Hobby Lobby's claim is that by offering as compensation insurance coverage which includes, among many other things, contraception, some of which they find morally abhorrent, which may or may not be chosen by their employees, they are being forced to pay for abortion. But then they are found investing in producers of abortifacents. If they are worried about being indirect financial supporters of abortions that looks bad.

[Heroic Mulatto]

My read of the 1st amendment leads me to conclude that the federal government can't test any asserted religious belief claim for reasonableness.

Read up on the hoops the government traditionally, and still does, makes conscientious objectors jump through and then come back and say that. Not that I believe you're wrong in principle, but in practice....

[Zeb]

My read of the 1st amendment leads me to conclude that the federal government can't test any asserted religious belief claim for reasonableness. Because if it could do that, it would be empowered to create a list of religions that passed the reasonableness test and would get protection, and a list of religions that failed the test and would not.

That is my read of it as well. But they do exactly what you describe now. Courts decide all the time whether a professed religious belief is sincere or essential to the religious practice. If that weren't the case an awful lot of laws and regulations would be unenforceable. Anyone could claim that just about anything violates their religious beliefs. I think that this would be a good thing. But it is certainly not the case now.

This is why I object to exceptions from laws and regulations for religious reasons. If it violates anyone's religious freedom, it violates everyone's religious freedom. Making special exceptions for religious people is like saying that the second amendment only applies to people who already keep and bear arms. Your rights are your rights whether you exercise them or not.

[Fluffy]

We're talking about a statute (the RFRA) and an amendment (the 1st) that have been used to protect people's right to wear fucking stupid hats.

I defy you to demonstrate to me that claiming a religious requirement to wear a fucking stupid hat is more reasonable than claiming a religious requirement to not buy a type of insurance, but not refrain from investing in a certain type of mutual fund.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I should note that while courts are deferential as to the reasonableness of beliefs they are less so when it comes to sincerity.

[Suthenboy]

This guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_Man

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I know who Eels O'Brien is, just questioned the application.

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

What about Mr. Fantastic, huh?!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Eels predates him by several decades.

The better reference would have been Ralph Dibny.

[Restoras]

I bet plenty of progtards are unaware that the mutual funds they hold have stocks in them of companies they claim to not like. Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Gun, etc.

[Suthenboy]

Guess who owns the majority of Big Oil?

Union Pension funds. Teachers and other public employee unions in particular.

[Ted S.]

Ahem. Small Oil. They're much smaller than Big Government.

[An Innocent Man]

I swear I didn't see this before I replied above.

[An Innocent Man]

Have a proggie acquaintance that's a teacher. She loves to rant on Big Oil and the environment. Doesn't seem to bother her that Exxon is generally the biggest holding in PA's teacher pension fund.

[fish]

You should tell her....be sure to take lots of photos for the reason commentariat to chuckle over when you do though.

[R C Dean]

Of course, their benefits package probably covers drugs from those companies, too.

Stupidest tu quoque ever, Bo. You should be embarrased for putting your name on it.

[Zeb]

To be fair, it was the Washington Post who wrote it.

[Mickey Rat]

You think this matters, precisely why?

I expect Hobby Lobby would have to ask the investment firm to specifically not invest in pharmaceuticals at all to avoid that. I don't think their retirement plan is investing directly in abortion drugs.

"No wonder then, the glee emanating from some quarters Tuesday when Mother Jones' Molly Redden..."

Childish reporter and publication acts childish, news at 11.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A new study suggests scientists may have significantly overestimated the amount of water present on the moon.

Better nuke it from orbit, just to be sure.

[Tim]

Back to composting toilets for the moonbase.

[Rich]

In space no one can smell you fart.

[Tim]

But inside the pressurized habitat they sure as hell can.

[Suthenboy]

I don't remember the name of the movie, and overall it was grade school level ridiculous, but the funniest scene ever in a movie was set on mars. Two guys were walking around in space suits and one runs out of air. They hook their suits together to share air. Then one farts.

The other one panics and tries desperately to keep the fart from going through the hose to his suit, and of course, he fails.

[SugarFree]

RocketMan (1997)

[Rich]

😎

[Raston Bot]

The other awesome scene from that movie was when he found out he'd only been asleep for 19 minutes of a months or years long voyage.

[Apatheist ?_??]

overall it was grade school level ridiculous

Yes, I found that movie very amusing when it came out.

[Zeb]

How has no one mentioned stillsuits? Obviously that's what they need for the moon. Just recycle all your water.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Is Hollywood paying attention?

"More than 300 female prisoners took advantage of the huge earthquake that hit the northern coast of Chile and escaped late Tuesday, officials said.

"The prisoners set fire to the site after the massive jailbreak, which happened as the penitentiary was being evacuated, according to El Mundo newspaper."

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyli.....aze-n69456

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Lost meets Armageddon meets Caged Heat

[Fist of Etiquette]

More than 300 female prisoners took advantage of the huge earthquake that hit the northern coast of Chile and...

Yeah, I thought this might go in a whole other direction. But I guess it wouldn't be Hollywood but another segment of the entertainment industry that you would have wanted to take note of the premise.

[Ted S.]

More than 300 female prisoners

"Molon labia!"

[Rich]

TIWTA ? you know.

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

After some reflection, I am going to have to give Ted S. a golf clap on that one....

[Brett L]

Greek and Latin words mashed together to form a pun in a third language? There should be camps for people like that.

[Jordan]

The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder won't be involved in the fourth and final season of the Adult Swim show.

Not sure why this qualifies as news, although I am surprised that awful show is still around.

[waffles]

I really liked the episode with the lemonade stand. It showed how ruthless capitalism wrecks havoc on society.

[Tim]

" saying an emotional goodbye to his edgy characters "

Read as unfunny and polemic.

[PRX]

television just got whiter. again. and funnier. again.

[Stormy Dragon]

I loved the episode based on the premise that instead of getting assassinated, MLK just ended up in a coma, and he wakes up now and has to deal with modern black culture.

[Fist of Etiquette]

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray lost the Democratic primary yesterday to Councilwoman Muriel Bowser.

Winning the Democrat primary means you automatically take the oath right then and there, right?

[Rich]

Yowser!

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Pretty much.

[Doctor Whom]

There is still the coronation general election.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Normally, yes. I wonder about Catania, though. Longtime DC insider, great name recognition. It may actually be close.

[Mike M.]

+1 Sha Na Na.

[invisible furry hand]

High Court rules person can be registered as Sex: non-specific

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/high.....35yvw.html

[Notorious G.K.C.]

They can also register as Sex: Yes please.

[Kurt]

Ocaaaaaaaasionally /jjwalker

[Ted S.]

This is Australia, where everything is upside down.

[fish]

Wait....is Australia even a country any more?

I thought the Chinese bought it?

[Rich]

Contest! Who said this?

"I hope someone in the Obama administration will get out the handcuffs, the SWAT teams, or the U.S. army if need be, ? and haul away anyone who is there who had anything to do with this. And if they already left town, hunt them down and bring them in to face justice."

[invisible furry hand]

someone off their meds?

[Rich]

I'm looking for someone more specific.

[RightofCenter]

Don't you mean Moore specific?

[Rich]

You Sicko!

[Jordan]

Tony?

[Rich]

You're getting warm ?.

[Roger the Shrubber]

That sounds like a beached whale.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said this week that the constitutional separation between church and state was meant to be a "one-way wall" where the "church plays a role in the state."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/201.....the-state/

[VG Zaytsev]

The progressive church has been intimately involved with government for decades.

[Trials and Trippelations]

Good call.
Go to Minnesota or any blue locality Bo. Some of the leftist churches and leftists Christians are just as ready to use the government for their ends as the right church. The media doesn't report those break downs of church in state because the left church makes the correct decisions

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Sure, separation of church and state goes both ways. Obama did not shut down the Office for Faith Based Initiatives.

[Restoras]

Nice handle. Would make a good band name, or even a good brew name...

[Doctor Whom]

Do you know who else thought that religious institutions should play a role in the state?

[Tim]

Not Hitler, he tried to revive paganism.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Hitler was Roman Catholic. The Third Reich loosely means the Third Great Catholic Awakening (after Rome and the German Empire that fell in WWI).

[Notorious G.K.C.]

And the Priory of Sion is trying to restore the Merovingians.

[KDN]

Nothing says Catholic awakening quite like an empire led by earlier adopters of Lutheranism.

[invisible furry hand]

Or it means the third German empire after the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire that fell in WWI (which wasn't notably pro-Catholic). And the relationship between Hitler's childhood religion and his adult thought and murderous regime is a subtle and nuanced one, but that probably won't stop you from commenting on it

[Heroic Mulatto]

Also note that Hitler wasn't the Alpha and Omega of Nazism. Himmler and the boys had great fun LARPing as magical Viking Warlocks from Ultima Thule.

[invisible furry hand]

True dat, but thinking of Nazism as more than Hitler is a bit of a stretch for some people.

Himmler thought he was the reincarnation of Henry the Fowler too. Got to have a hobby, eh?

[Restoras]

Hitler wasn't a practicing Roman Catholic, shit for brains, and the Third Reich had zero to do with any religious revival. You are so fucking stupid it is a fucking miracle your brain manages to regulate the flow of air into your lungs.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think it is more complicated than that, because like a lot of politicians Hitler said all kinds of different things about many subjects. He knew how to talk like a SoCon when it suited him.

[Restoras]

Of course he did, because he was a politician seeking power just like politicans seeking power here say whetever they think they have to say to whomever they are speaking to to get votes. And everything is always more complicated than whatever. That said, he and the NSDAP were no friend of any organized religion since they were concentrations of power that were outside thier control. And, they likely viewed the Catholic Church as detrimental, softening influence on the birthright of true Aryans - hence the embrace of paganism.

If Hitler was such a devoted Catholic why did he bother becoming leader of Protestant Germany? Why did he not make Catholicism the state religion in Germany when he took over? Why did he annex Austria? Why did he conquer Catholic Poland?

[invisible furry hand]

If he was such a devoted Catholic why did the Vatican say this in 1937?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Like Hitler the Vatican was kind of all over the place regarding fascism.

[invisible furry hand]

The point is not that the Vatican had a consistent line towards non-communist totalitarian or authoritarian regimes, however.

The point is that there were specific parts of Nazi ideology that contradicted Catholic teachings and threatened its power to influence others, the Vatican saw that, and this all tends to suggest that Hitler was not doing what he did guided by any Catholic beliefs.

But all this is giving PB's idiocy and intellectual vulgarity more attention than they deserve.

And no I'm not a SoCon or a practising Catholic

[Palin's Buttplug]

Hitler was baptized as RCC and claimed to be so as late as 1941.

Whether he really believed it is irrelevant. Most followers don't believe.

SoCons like you have a lot in common with him.

[PM]

SoCons like you have a lot in common with him.

He gave the German people universal health care, universal education, smooth roads, and the trains ran on time. Sounds a lot more like one of your government idols.

[Sudden]

Christ you're stupid. I was baptized RCC as well. Even had a first communion. I dropped out prior to confirmation and none of my thoughts or actions to this day are resulting from Catholic considerations.

But I bet if I run for office as county dog catcher, you'll go on a tirade about me being a fucking SoCon and trying to create the fourth Catholic Reich.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Hitler repeatedly stated that Nazism was a secular ideology founded on science.[10]

Looks like you guys would be two peas in a pod.

[Restoras]

Yep, including the science of eugenics. That was a proggie favorite back in the day.

[WTF]

It's almost like they were National Socialists or something.

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

The Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin?

[Elspeth Flashman]

OK, "One-way wall" sounds like another name for a glory hole.

[invisible furry hand]

+1

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

Nicely done.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

The linked video had him discussing how, in the early Republic, there were weekly Sunday prayer services in what was then the House chamber (not statuary hall). Thomas Jefferson not only attended, but on one case he brought in the Marine Band to play at such a service.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The Marine Band?

Well, that settles the matter I guess.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

It was one of Gohmert's radical speeches.

[Restoras]

I think at the time the Founders, or at least many of them, believed in some sort of relgious tradition and if not practicing it they made outward professions of faith. That said, the history and experience of organized religion in Europe, where it was as a major concentration of power as any cedntral government and often used that power to the detriment of the people, led the Founders to take steps to ensure that kind of concentrated power wouldn't exist here.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Yes. That does't change the fact they had nondenominational religious services in the House chamber. Maybe they didn't think this sort of thing was comparable to religious persecution in Europe?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I am not sure what is supposed to be taken from the fact that they had services in the House chamber when it was not in session. Schools have religious (and non-religious) groups meet in them on non-school days.

[Restoras]

Does it count as a religious insitution when non-religious activities take place there, or vice versa?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I don't think so as long as any group can meet there. It is like a park, you can have a religious wedding in one or a non-religious one.

[PM]

Schools have religious (and non-religious) groups meet in them on non-school days.

Well, actually...

[Restoras]

I don't know. Traditions die hard and religious tradition is among the hardest to kill, especially when it has been ingrained and intwined for literally thousands of years. Maybe they were trying to preserve whatever "good" aspects while not letting the "bad" aspects take root? Maybe they wanted to keep certain aspects as a reference point for perspective?

I think it wasn't just religious persecution they were looking to avoid/eliminate, but the power that all state sanctioned religion (primarily the Church of Rome and the Church of England) had over ordinary people. If you got out of line you could be booted from it, and everyone you knew would be fearful of associating with you for fear of the same reprisal.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

OK, who said this and in what context?

"These political preachers ought to be rebuked and required to confine themselves to their vocation."

And another quote from another source:

"Sir, ministers of the Gospel are unknown to this Government, and God forbid the day should ever come when they shall be known to it."

Finally:

"When the clergy quit the province which is assigned to them...they divest themselves of all respect which I can give them."

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Any guesses before you Google these quotes?

[Fluffy]

Saul of Tarsus.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Stephen Douglas (D-IL), James Mason (D-VA) and Andrew Butler (D-SC), opposing an antislavery petition by Northern clergymen, 1854.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

*crickets*

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"The doom of Ham has been branded on the form and features of his African descendants. The hand of fate has united his color and destiny. Man cannot separate what God hath joined." United States Senator James Henry Hammond

"[Slavery] was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

I don't see anything in there restricting churches from being involved in government.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The establishment part. Congress is prohibited from making any law that would respect an establishment of religion, which includes any institutionalized entanglement with churches.

[PM]

Institutionalized entanglement with churches != "churches being involved in government". Membership in a church certainly doesn't disparage the exercise of any other enumerated rights. Particularly in cases where the "entanglement" is caused by the government taking on extra-constitutional roles and then excluding participation of the church (like, say, adoption, food banks, housing, etc).

[Ivan Pike]

"church plays a role in the state."

Maybe he meant it along these lines.

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. . . . And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
- George Washington, 1796

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Arguing that religion is a good thing does not mean government should support or foster it, or be entangled in it.

[PM]

And excluding churches and their members from participation in government has absolutely nothing to do with supporting, fostering, or entangling the state with a church. Cool non sequitur though.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Speaking on non sequiturs, who is talking about excluding church members from participation government?

[PM]

Anybody who says that churches should be excluded from participation in government? Kinda like how excluding corporations from political speech has the effect of restricting the 1st Amendment rights of the actual members of that corporation. A church, like a corporation, is a collection of people. They don't lose their rights because they choose to associate in a particular way.

[Calidissident]

Churches does not mean church members. Aside from a very fringe portion of atheists, I don't think anyone argues that separation of church and state means religious people can't be in Congress. Gohmert criticizes the SCOTUS's reasoning, and none of them are atheists.

[Ivan Pike]

Arguing that religion is a good thing does not mean government should support or foster it, or be entangled in it.

I never said it should support, foster, or be entangled in it. And neither does Washington. I said that maybe this is what the rep meant. That people had to be religious or moral in order for our republic to work, and that is why the wall of separation should be one-way.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Gohmert is arguing against what he thinks is the wrong, but prevailing, concept of separation of church and state, which can be summed up as government should not aid or hinder religion (from the LP platform). If all he means is that religious people should participate in government, then apart from some really fanatical atheists perhaps that is hardly worth commenting on.

[Azathoth!!]

Only if you go by the First Amendment as written--but that'd be crazy.

[The Late P Brooks]

I heard a little bit of the President's remarks, this morning. Has that braying jackass ever said anything true?

What a load of mendacious nonsense.

"Millions of people. MILLIONS, I tell you!"

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I asked yesterday but saw no response.

Can it be the numbers spiked because there was a deadline and people didn't want to miss it?

Because coercion.

[Elspeth Flashman]

My suspicions exactly.

[110 Lean]

As Toronto pointed out, it's odd that the president would brag about people standing in long lines to buy a product. Think bread and toilet paper in Venezuela.

[Rich]

Yeah, RAND report sounds too much like "Rand Paul" to take seriously.

[SugarFree]

The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder won't be involved in the fourth and final season of the Adult Swim show.

Maybe it will finally be funny.

[Tim]

"the animated series about 10-year-old black militant Huey Freeman and his gangsta-wanna-be younger brother Riley living in the suburbs "

No.

[SugarFree]

I admit it is a long shot.

[Ted S.]

A Republican state senator wants to build a monorail along I-24 in Nashville, Tennessee.

If it were a Democratic state senator, the party affiliation wouldn't have been mentioned. 😉

[WTF]

Oh, I don't know, the progs seem to like trains for some reason.

[SugarFree]

They force everyone to be jammed in together. Diversity! It's the same reasoning behind forced bussing and getting rid of charter/private schools and vouchers.

[Suthenboy]

"They force everyone to be jammed in together."

You mean the same reasoning behind penitentiaries?

[SugarFree]

You mean the same reasoning behind penitentiaries?

Yes, but with slightly less frottage.

[invisible furry hand]

Oh. So it's not for the frottage opportunities at rush hour then.

[An Innocent Man]

Rousseau: Man is born free and yet everywhere he is in trains.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"Mississippi legislators on Tuesday took up and quickly passed a controversial religious freedom bill that could allow state residents to sue over laws they say place a substantial burden on their religious practices."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....4&hpid=z19

It has to be a matter of time before an enterprising religious polygamist sues against some state polygamy prohibition under one of these laws. When it happens the reaction of the SoCons pushing them will likely be very interesting.

[WTF]

Hey, aren't polygamists entitled to marriage equality?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think so, but I wonder how many SoCons agree.

[Suthenboy]

Nice tautology lurking in that question.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Elaborate?

[Suthenboy]

Heh. If they are SoCons then they object to any non-traditional marriage. If they agreed that polygamists were entitled they wouldn't be SoCo....ugh. Never mind.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

No, what I am interested in is, if they favor exemptions for laws which burden religious exercise, will they favor them for these groups?

[PRX]

socon hypocrisy is all you are ever interested in. now show us on the doll where you wanted the socon to touch you.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Why should I when it appears that it is you that are so 'touchy?'

[PRX]

I wonder how many progs will agree since it will mean the effective end of the estate tax? polygamous community property tax planning FTW.

[Suthenboy]

Why yes, yes they are.

[invisible furry hand]

Sadly the Church of Jesus Christ With Signs Following probably doesn't have many adherents that side of the Appalachians, otherwise I'd give money for them to challenge the ban on their practices

[WTF]

That would be awesome. it's hard to see how the arguments in favor of gay marriage don't also apply to polygamist marriage.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

This "controversial" bill is a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, based on similar laws in other states and similar to...are you sitting down?...a law passed by Congress on a bipartisan basis in 1993 and signed by President Clinton.

But don't let that stop your Mississippi guilt-by-association.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You are projecting and assuming quite a bit Eddie. Those are the words of the news article, I could care a fig for how controversial the bill is or was in its federal version. My point is, how do SoCons see this working out in cases like the one I mention? You're a social conservative, do you think religious polygamists should be exempted from polygamy (and perhaps bigamy) statutes under such statutes?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Mississipi passes a Religious Freedom Restoration Act modeled on a bipartisan bill signed by President Clinton, and this reflects on SoCons how, again?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"I could care a fig for how controversial the bill is or was in its federal version."

Of course not, now that you've been called on it.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

How can I be 'called on' something I never said?

[Restoras]

It's a good question. Is there a SoCon headquarters or official spokesperson we can ask?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Eddie does not speak for all SoCons, but is one himself. Eddie, why don't you answer?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Crickets?

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

The one note flute act gets really, really boring and wearying - its like arguing with a pro se respondent in a commitment hearing. You cannot get through and you cannot outlast.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I agree Swiss, you and fellow SoCon sympathizers complaining all the time with the same tired line when SoCons get criticized around here can be boring and wearying. But what can you do?

[PM]

But what can you do?

*fingers crossed* End your suffering and hurl yourself off a cliff?

[Restoras]

I'm not a SoCon, Bo.

I don't have an answer for you because I don't have one since I am not a SoCon, and I don't know any SoCons to ask.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You're not a SoCon, just someone that believes that 'a majority of voters has the right to organize their community to their liking,' for example excluding businesses like gambling.

I was not referring to you, I was asking Eddie who does not hide the fact that he is a social conservative. He's been here since extolling the virtues of religious exemption legislation regarding Hobby Lobby and Whitlock Photography, so I wonder why he can not answer about whether religious polygamists should get exemptions as well?

[Restoras]

Whatever, Bo, I was trying to agree with you or at least engage in good faith but you want to rub my face in that every chance you get. Have a good one, buddy.

[Ivan Pike]

Eddie does not speak for all SoCons, but is one himself.

Which means you would have the opinion of exactly one person.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

He's the only acknowledged SoCon on this thread, so why not start there.

[PM]

He's the only acknowledged SoCon on this thread, so why not start there.

Why not open it up a little bit? It's not like anyone's actual viewpoints have ever stopped you from labeling them SOCONZ!!!!!!(!!!!)!!!!!! and crafting an imaginary argument for them.

[Lord Humungus]

Don't forget your all-day pass to Soconorama

[Kaptious Kristen]

SoConCon?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Panels in the morning, cos-play mixer in the evening.

[alittlesense]

You don't even really need to ask this question. Dimwits of the left and right are rock-solid supporters of the constitution until it protects something they don't like. then it becomes a living document that we don't need to pay attention to.

[Suthenboy]

Support for Obozocare up? Given this: "According to the poll, conducted by ABC News/The Washington Post.." what else could it be?

[R C Dean]

Their polls are always outliers. In the same direction, oddly.

Everyone else is showing net disapproval of around 14%.

[Lord Humungus]

14ft David Hasselhoff statue for sale at a Los Angeles auction house

[Fist of Etiquette]

April Fools was yesterday.

[Lord Humungus]

Drunken Aussie Passenger Loaded Then Unloaded from Phuket Flight

Photographs showed the man, whose name was given as Christopher Boubis, 39, stretched out on the floor at Phuket's Thalang Hospital, stripped down to his underwear and a t-shirt.

As he sobered up, he allegedly tried to grope nursing staff.

Phuket police were not laying charges but surprised that a tourist would be deposited from a flight to Phuket in such a state.

[PM]

When you name a place Phuket I think you have to expect a certain amount of this.

[Heroic Mulatto]

It's pronounced Poo-kay.

[An Innocent Man]

Not by me, it's not.

[Lord Humungus]

man, nice way to ruin the joke.

[Brett L]

What about my pho kit, which I use to make pho?

[invisible furry hand]

Man gets on plane, gets pissed, get removed from plane when it lands cos he's too pissed to walk. Where is the mystery? WHY IS THIS NEWS??

[Brett L]

Trying to grope the nurses?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Men to blame for childless women? I don't think so - it's society that deliberately disenfranchises fathers, says Peter Lloyd
esterday, journalist Melissa Kite became the latest woman to publicly trash men in a sexist, undeserving rant - this time, by saying those exercising a human right not to become fathers were 'selfish'.

Just days after champagne socialist Diane Abbott claimed that modern masculinity is Viagra-chomping, whiskey-swigging homophobia - even for the millions of men who are gay - Kite jumped on the bandwagon with her own sweeping statements.

In a finger-pointing, foot-stamping article for MailOnline she said men 'do not always play fair in matters of fertility', adding that they 'increasingly behave with terrible selfishness when it comes to giving up their bachelor lifestyles'....

...In her article, she makes several references to former boyfriends who made the responsible decision not to become fathers half-heartedly - then scolds them for being 'cowardly'. Here's a woman who assumes that a man's sperm - his lineage, his DNA, his family - is somehow hers for the taking....

[Restoras]

As a father that is going though a divorce now, I can say that after the initial shock of having my efforts and importance as a father so lightly shrugged off led me to think that somewhere out there must be a woman with kids that would appreciate a man that takes these duties seriously. And maybe there is.

But, there is literally zero upside for me. After I get hosed on the settlement and child support, for no good reason other than my ex "wasn't happy", is it really a good idea to put myslef in a position that places my own well being at risk for more arbitrary bullshit from a woman because I am not living up to her "expectations"?

Maybe, but call me skeptical. I think I will try to enjoy being single for a good long while.

[Suthenboy]

After my divorce I resolved in my mind to never marry again. It was 15 years before I changed my mind, and then only after living with a woman for 5 years to be certain it would work. I was extremely cautious and patient and it paid off in spades. My marriage to my second wife has been the happiest time of my life.

Always look where you are about to put your feet.

[Restoras]

Nice to hear your story had a happy ending, Suthen.

[Roger the Shrubber]

I've told my wife that she's the only one I'll ever have.

[Restoras]

I'm not sure that's the right strategy, Roger. If she knows that, or at least beleives it, maybe that will giver her license (in her own mind, at least) to run roughshod over you?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If she knows that, or at least beleives it, maybe that will giver her license (in her own mind, at least) to run roughshod over you?

If she really believes that, he's probably going to go through a rough time regardless. Sometimes people are just vindictive for no good reason.

[Roger the Shrubber]

You missed the inherent nuance, which is the whole point. Nothing I said implies that I'd be with her forever.

[alittlesense]

Try introducing her as your first wife.

[Ted S.]

Yesterday, journalist Melissa Kite became the latest woman to publicly trash men in a sexist, undeserving rant - this time, by saying those exercising a human right not to become fathers were 'selfish'.

So we should be raped to provide our sperm to the ladies?

[Restoras]

Cee U Next Tuesday?

[Cdr Lytton]

"Death by snoo-snoo!"

[Raston Bot]

BAH! thanks, i needed that reminder.

/one of the few people who watches that show

[Red Rocks Rockin]

A lot of women will claim they don't need a man to survive or raise a child, right up to the point that they think they'll lose alimony and child support payments.

Modern feminists don't consider men to be anything more than sperm donors and ATM machines.

[Outlaw]

They're mad because men never wanted to have children with them. Who the fuck would? They're insane harpies that, instead of changing their shitty attitudes to be more pleasant and appealing to men, did the exact opposite.

Enjoy your cats, bitches.

[Rich]

Black female soldiers say new grooming reg is 'racially biased'

"I'm disappointed to see the Army, rather than inform themselves on how black people wear their hair, they've white-washed it all."

RACIST!

[Suthenboy]

I am pretty sure they are unaware of the purpose of the Army.

[Ted S.]

Just shave all female soldiers bald.

[WTF]

All female soldiers should meet the same grooming regs as male soldiers.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

they've white-washed it all."

Heh.

Here's an idea--get a pair of #1 clippers and then buy a set of wigs, or just cut it short and straighten it, like a lot of black women I served with in the Air Force did.

You're only going to be in for four-six years anyway, and you're getting a steady paycheck for that time with the explicit understanding that there's a dress and appearance code, so suck it up.

[PM]

OK Cupid pushes its users to install Google's adware browser or ridiculously shitty Internet Explorer because Mozilla hates teh gais

Dating website OKCupid has sought to deter users from accessing its site via browser Mozilla Firefox.

The site says the move was in response to new Mozilla chief executive Brendan Eich's previous opposition to gay marriage in the US state of California.

Users are directed to use other internet browsers, such as Chrome.

Mozilla said OKCupid had not contacted it to confirm facts, and that: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples."

[Auric Demonocles]

Man, that would have made an interesting thread.

[Mickey Rat]

Since I missed yesterday's thread. OKCupid has a right to do this. However, sanctimoniously harassing their customer base over something that may be of marginal interest or hostile to is probably nota smart strategy.

[sarcasmic]

Insane moment farmer decides to bring down a 100ft concrete silo with his sledgehammer and somehow manages to avoid it crashing down on top of him
American farmer filmed taking down a silo with a sledgehammer
Video shows him whacking away at concrete panels
Eventually the entire structure comes crashing down

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....g-him.html
Video is totally worth watching. Did a bit of research and found it was in upstate New York. That explains the accent.

[Rich]

Wow.

That could have been a real "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

[Suthenboy]

Down here we say " Hey y'all! Watch this!"

Post disaster comments are not necessary.

[Restoras]

Is there beer involved with these activities? I am going to go with "yes"...

[Tim]

THAT WAS AWESOME!

[Jordan]

New York? This guy will probably be arrested any day now.

[Tim]

There's one of those just down the road from me. I wonder how big of a rifle round it would take to shatter one of those panels...

[Tim]

I'm thinking 30.06.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

Outrageous Acts of Science had something similar a while back. The silo dropped straight down onto the foundation and he had to pull it over with a tractor.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I've seen this on TruTV's World's Dumbest about a dozen times. I think it has also made an appearance on Top 20 Most Shocking

[sarcasmic]

I've seen the one where the guy uses a tractor to take down a silo that then falls on top of the tractor, but I'd never seen the sledgehammer video before.

[Tejicano]

Where's the guy holding his beer?

[Lord Humungus]

Hello, Pinto.

GM avoided defective switch redesign in 2005 to save a dollar each

General Motors Co in 2005 decided not to change an ignition switch eventually linked to the deaths of at least 13 people because it would have added about a dollar to the cost of each car, according to an internal GM document provided to U.S. congressional investigators.

The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce released the documents on Tuesday as lawmakers asked CEO Mary Barra why GM failed to recall 2.6 million cars until more than a decade after it first noticed a switch problem that could cut off engines and disable airbags, power steering and power brakes.

Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette cited a 2005 GM document that she said showed a cost of 57 cents per fix.

[Fist of Etiquette]

How'd that end up working out for the bottom line?

[DEG]

Given the government's not going to fine them and given the government's history of bailing GM out, pretty good.

[R C Dean]

Fabulously.

The claims were all/mostly killed in the bankruptcy, and the NHTSA is giving them a pass.

See, boys and girls, this is what crony fascism looks like. The little people take it in the ass so the government's favorite company can $0.57 per car.

[Sunmonocle Backwards Tophat]

This exact evaluation in Fight Club was my introduction to economic thought.

[Mokers]

The ACA numbers are less than worthless. Sebelius and the rest of the administration lie with impunity. Deadlines mean less than the numbers. Supporters continue to double down on everything in order to avoid a midterm bloodbath. The net percentage of people with insurance seems to have barely moved and health insurance prices, let alone health care costs continue to grow. Of course anybody with even a minor understanding of economics could have predicted it all.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Yes, all the polls and NGO's are in on this vast conspiracy you have discovered.

[PM]

all the polls and NGO's are in on this vast conspiracy you have discovered.

Uhhh, the administration is the only entity with access to those numbers you fuckwit. What are you even talking about?

[Palin's Buttplug]

Not true. Rand and Kaiser are putting out their own numbers independent of HHS.

For instance, Rand said 9.5 million individuals are now covered that were not before.

I find the disdain for empirical data around here very telling.

[PM]

Those are estimates since they don't have access to the same data as the administration. Guesses based on previous guesses, in fact, since we don't have an uninsured registry either. The fact that you can't differentiate guesses from empirical data is very telling.

[Palin's Buttplug]

They aren't "guesses". They are polls. You head is stuck in the sand with John's.

HEY, I DON'T LIKE THE DATA. THEY ARE LYING!

[An Innocent Man]

Will you give me a dollar for every person this is revised downward by in 6 months?

[PM]

What do you think a poll is you mendacious twat? It's a guess based on probabilistic analysis of limited data. Or, to put it another way, the answers they got from the 1,200 people they polled constitute "data" (saying nothing of its quality). The extrapolation of that data to a population of 320 million people is analysis... which is, ultimately, a guess, however well-informed. "X number of people have obtained insurance from an approved insurance carrier through a state or federal exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" is data... data which even the administration hasn't actually released. Guessing at the value of X in that statement is analysis, not data. And the polls you cite aren't even doing that - they're comparing a previous estimate of uninsured people with an update estimate of uninsured people.

[PM]

Or, in a slight reconfigured restatement, the fact that you can't differentiate analysis from the data it is actually based upon is very telling.

[Fluffy]

Almost all of that is the Medicaid expansion.

Honestly, colloquially to most people the Medicaid expansion isn't what they mean what they talk about "Obamacare".

If you had passed the Medicaid expansion alone in 2009, nobody would have considered it anything other than a modest eligibility rules change to an existing program.

And 99% of people covered by the Medicaid expansion already vote Democrat, I imagine.

"Obamacare", to the average voter, is the parts of the law that deal with private insurance. And that's doubly the case if instead of "average voter", we use "average in-play voter for the midterms".

That being said, I'm very suspicious of the last two days' healthcare.gov numbers. It was widely reported that the site was down for long stretches, and was offering site visitors the ability to enter their email address to be notified when they could complete their application. I would not be surprised AT ALL to discover that everyone who entered an email address that way was counted as an "enrollment". That's the type of people we're dealing with here, after all.

[Palin's Buttplug]

At least 4.5 million previously uninsured adults have signed up for state Medicaid programs, according to Rand's unpublished survey data, which were shared with The Times. That tracks with estimates from Avalere Health, a consulting firm that is closely following the law's implementation.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/.....z2xjiNfOiX

[PRX]

At least 4.5 million previously uninsured adults have signed up for state Medicaid programs, according to Rand's unpublished survey data

and they remain uninsured.

[Fluffy]

So take out 4.5 million Medicaid signups, and 3 million people added to their parents' insurance, and you're left with 2.5 million actual new paying customers.

With 1 million people still left uninsured after their cancellations.

(Using the LA Times numbers, which are expressed oddly, which leads me to believe the author is fudging.)

It's fair to say that those 3 million added to their parents' insurance are the wildcard in how the ACA will play out politically. I tend to think they won't really be that grateful. I know that 23 year old Fluffy would have shrugged at that news.

[Don Mynack]

My parents kicked me off their insurance after college. "Get your own insurance". Good advice, actually.

[R C Dean]

Rand said 9.5 million individuals are now covered that were not before.

Naturally you've provided a link.

I dunno how 9.5 million people can get insurance when only 7mm even went shopping.

Oh, maybe you're confusing welfare (Medicaid) with insurance. Even the welfare numbers are overstated by previously eligible folks signing up and "normal" growth of Medicaid rolls, probably by around 50%.

[sarcasmic]

Bar Refaeli's new steamy commercial gets banned in her native Israel for suggesting she had sex with a puppet

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....uppet.html
That's one lucky puppet.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

See, you start with gay marriage, and then people want to marry puppets.

Where will it end!?

[Roger the Shrubber]

Marriage? We're talking marriage?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Sex with a puppet always leads to marriage.

[SugarFree]

At the very least a shotgun wedding. Puppets are very easy to impregnate with a lint fetus.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Well in Bar's case we are talking about her getting some puppet penis that never goes limp.

How can a girl resist?

[SugarFree]

You sure seem to know a lot about having sex with puppets. [narrows eyes]

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I ehrm, well, just worried about the kids, you know? Sex with puppets can destroy society.

[anomdebus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8eLvKBWrI0#t=226

[Mickey Rat]

Puppet? I thought he was just British.

[DEG]

Cutting it close.

[Suthenboy]

When I was about 17 I bought my first chainsaw, a great huge Stihl. After going over everything with the salesman I asked him " What is the number one safety rule to keep i n mind?"

He said " Don't worry you won't get hurt. The only people that get hurt are professionals. They think they know what they are doing and they aint scared of it anymore."

I use a saw a lot. A lot a lot. Almost 4 decades later I am still scared of the damn thing and I have never had even a scratch from it.

[Sunmonocle Backwards Tophat]

I bought my first circular saw a few days ago. A part of me wonders if it's safer to forgo hearing protection, just to remind constantly remind myself what I'm working with. I will never own a table saw.

[Alton Knutson]

I have a friend that was shot twice while in the Coast Guard doing drug boardings, his partner was shot and killed during one boarding, and he personally shot a guy on the FBIs 10 most wanted list, he has a lot of stories. When I asked him how he lost 1 3/4 fingers on one hand, the answer was simply "table saw". My kids have all fired my AR-15s and pistols, etc., but it will be a while before they operate the table saw.

[Restoras]

Fear is a wonderful tool to stay focused.

[sarcasmic]

Return of the Fatkini! Plus-size blogger Gabi Gregg launches a second collection of fashion swimwear for women sizes 10 to 24
Miss Gregg's first collection for online retailer Swimsuits For All sold out within 48 hours
She models the line again in promotional images

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....10-24.html
John pron!

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Compassion: Anti-Obamacare cancer patient smeared by Reid now receiving death wishes from liberals
...Die, because your experience is inconvenient to my "pissed off" ideology....

[Suthenboy]

But...but support is at record levels!

[Loki]

Any doubt about what a bunch of vile, cretinous douchebags average leftists are can be thrown out the window now.

[Lord Humungus]

Well there goes my vacation:

Saudi Arabia declares all atheists are terrorists in new law to crack down on political dissidents

To that end, King Abdullah issued Royal Decree 44, which criminalises "participating in hostilities outside the kingdom" with prison sentences of between three and 20 years, Human Rights Watch said.

Yet last month further regulations were issued by the Saudi interior ministry, identifying a broad list of groups which the government considers to be terrorist organisations - including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Article one of the new provisions defines terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based".

[Rich]

"calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which this country is based".

What would Mohammed do?

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

Lop heads off.

[Suthenboy]

So basically they have devolved from early iron age social development back to the stone age. Why am I not surprised?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

White Privilege Conference: Being white is like being an alcoholic
..."Teaching is a political act, and you can't choose to be neutral," said Radersma. "You are either a pawn used to perpetuate a system of oppression or you are fighting against it. And if you think you are neutral, you are a pawn."

All teachers who do not actively confront the system are promoting white supremacy, said Radersma.

She also said that white people fighting oppression is akin to alcoholic trying to resist the temptation to drink. The dark sickness of racism is at the heart of all the actions of white people.

"Being a white person who does anti-racist work is like being an alcoholic," she said. "I will never be recovered by my alcoholism, to use the metaphor. I have to everyday wake up and acknowledge that I am so deeply embedded with racist thoughts and notions and actions in my body that I have to choose everyday to do anti-racist work and think in an anti-racist way."...

[Lord Humungus]

And if you're an alcoholic and white...

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

You are Irish!

*runs from room*

[Ted S.]

If everything white people do is racist, wouldn't the logical reaction to be for white people to be as deliberately offensive and openly racist as possible?

[Fluffy]

I like the part where she says that charity is racist because it demeans the recipient.

AWESOME. YOU SOLD ME.

I also like how she continually says that the thoughts come from her "body". Her "white body".

Thank you for making no bones about the fact that you have no mind.

[John]

If charity demeans the recipient, I guess affirmative action and welfare do as well.

I am with you fluffy, I am sold. Does this chick have a newsletter?

[Auric Demonocles]

It's not offensive when the government does it!

[Heroic Mulatto]

That was actually the least offensive thing she said. If you look at the full quote:

So, we need to think of them and give them our sympathy and our charity and our generosity, which is so demeaning to the people on the receiving end. It's so demoralizing and disempowering to be receiving it.

It is clear that she is criticizing, quite rightly, the "White Man's Burden" attitude that drives all Progressive actions on race.

But that was just a moment of lucidity in a frothing diatribe that was the semantic equivalent of a homeless schizophrenic yelling at the top of her lungs on a street corner.

[John]

She is right about that. Yet she would consider anyone who wanted to cut off welfare or affirmative action to be racist.

I think she said that not so much because she believes it but because she hates white people so much that she needs a reason to hate them even when they actively try to help black people.

[Heroic Mulatto]

As Radersma is White herself, it's definitely self-loathing. And as most of these psychopaths have some sort of sexual dysfunction, I'm guessing there is some really debasing submission to Mandingo fantasies in there as well.

[John]

One of the big first wave feminists, Steinam I think but am not sure, was found to have a complete d/s Geisha type relationship with her boyfriend. On the one hand, I don't and shouldn't care. It is her business not mine. On the other, that someone could dedicate their public life to "female empowerment" and "fighting male domination" while in private getting off on her boy friend treating her as a sex slave says something not so good about her psychological stability.

[Kaptious Kristen]

False. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of powerful and successful women like to be treated like whores in the sack. It does not make them psychologically unstable.

[John]

No Kristen, it is not that she was a powerful women. It was that she spent her life arguing that private actions like watching porn or women staying at home with children was oppressive to women.

A women who does that and wants to be treated like a whore at home, has issues.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I disagree. Many women's sexual desires are completely the opposite of the face they present in public.

It makes her a hypocrite, not mental.

[John]

Semantics Kristen. Yes, it makes her a hypocrite. My experience is that deeply hypocritical people also tend to be mental. Sure, maybe she was just a busy body bitch who didn't think the rules applied to her.

[invisible furry hand]

Given John can't identify this woman with any certainty so that we can verify any contradiction between her public and private acts, this seems a very odd conversation.

[Restoras]

I agree with Kristen here.

[Fluffy]

I think that if you really questioned her about it, you would discover that what she hates about charity is that the charitable person feels like they did something meritorious.

When the state intermediates, that meritorious feeling can be eliminated. If the white person doesn't feel praised or praiseworthy, but instead feels ground down by the state, and if the resources the person of color receives is taken from the white person by force, then it's OK.

That's what the left has always hated about charity: the fact that one person has to ask, and another person gets to say yes. It's very important to them that the person losing resources is debased in the process and obtains no satisfaction whatsoever.

[Tejicano]

And people still ask me when I plan to be moving back to the US.

[Lord Humungus]

The STEVE SMITH grunt translator is still in the prototype stage.

Scientists Translate Dolphin Whistles

Researchers may have developed a dolphin-to-English translator that works in real time, and by this summer, they may have a two-way communication system.

Back in August of last year, Denise Herzing of the Wild Dolphin Project heard a dolphin say "sargassum." To put it another way: While wearing a prototype Cetacean Hearing and Telemetry (CHAT) device in the Caribbean, a member of the dolphin pod she had been tracking for 25 years whistled. And CHAT translated it into "sargassum," a genus of seaweed.

[Jordan]

Darwin!

[Rich]

Mad's Don Martin nailed this decades ago.

[Suthenboy]

That made me laugh.

[Kaptious Kristen]

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[Ted S.]

Company plays April Fools joke; state broadcaster falls for the joke.

Another arm of the state has a conniption fit

[Suthenboy]

"...Finland's financial regulator did not see the funny side."

Now there is a surprise. People with low intelligence who take themselves too seriously generally don't.

Also, joke not funny.

[WTF]

Maybe it's funny in Scandanavian for some reason.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Dianne Feinstein is the Worst Congressperson, Exhibit I

As mayor of San Francisco Feinstein displayed her characteristic glory hounding combined with incompetence when during the hunt for the Night Stalker serial killer she went to the press and angered detectives by revealing elements of the investigation they wished to be kept secret.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/se.....ays_6.html

[Ted S.]

You've got 17 more examples, and then what? 😉

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I should have used the Chinese alphabet.

[Jordan]

Just move on to Exhibit AA.

[The Late P Brooks]

The Bloombergers have been blabbering frenetically about some minor glitch which may have occurred in the Government Motors' component testing and acquisition process. Also they may have been in quality control and/or warranty management. The brand new CEO (Be careful what you wish for!) has been hauled up before Congress to be shorn and flogged.

Where is Rick Wagoner? You now, the guy who was actually CEO when all that shit happened. Why hasn't anybody even mentioned that world champion wealth-destroyer?

[Loki]

Why hasn't anybody even mentioned that world champion wealth-destroyer?

How much money did he donate to the Obama '08 campaign? I suspect therein lies your answer.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Know what I don't get? How a family of four (two young adults) across the street from me have NO GARBAGE out on the curb on pick up day. His neighbour has ONE bag for a family of four; including two GROWING boys. How is that even possible? My neighbor to my right same thing. Three people. Nothing.

Explain. I must be missing something.

[Jordan]

Are they Asian?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

All French-Canadian.

[Lord Humungus]

I once lived in a 1930s built apartment complex. There was a woman who lived downstairs - I never saw her carry trash to the dumpster - ever.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I don't get it. Now I have my wife on the obsession.

[sarcasmic]

Most of my trash is from food preparation. Maybe they eat all their meals at restaurants?

[invisible furry hand]

Limit your packaging, and compost. Or be a hoarder.

[Fluffy]

My trash pickup is down to once a month, one large barrel, for a family of three.

We still need recycling pickup every two weeks, though.

[John]

And you probably pay twice the taxes someone in your town did 30 years ago. And yet, the government can barely provide a basic and essential function like trash pick up.

[sarcasmic]

My town doesn't provide trash pickup. You've got to take it to the transfer station yourself. Then again it's not like we pay much in property taxes. I think my last bill was for six hundred and something.

[John]

If your taxes are low, then fine. But a lot of places have very high taxes yet can't seem to do the basic things government advocates claim only government can do. It is almost as if that money gets stolen or something.

[sarcasmic]

One of the towns I drive through on the way to work is like that. They've got high property taxes and a cop on every corner, yet the roads are shit and they can't clear the snow.

There's a dilapidated factory building that the owner wanted to demolish, but the town council said no. A few years later they purchased it from her for almost a million dollars, so they could pay someone to demolish it.

I do appreciate living in a small town run by people who truly believe that a government that governs least governs best.

[Restoras]

Yep. Westchester County, NY, for example. It's a joke.

[sarcasmic]

Every year our town government sends everyone a booklet that details how much every resident payed in property taxes, and where every dollar went.

How many towns do that?

[Restoras]

Wow sarc, actual accountability. Impressive.

[Fluffy]

This is a late answer, but the secret here is that Vermont has private trash pickup.

Getting a pickup once a month costs 1/4 of getting a pickup every week.

The recycling pickup is free.

As a result, we are pretty darn good at recycling in my house. Granted, it's single-stream.

[John]

Okay. So it is not the government fucking up. I was wrong, but I made a good assumption that would have been right most of the time.

[Elspeth Flashman]

They're aliens, or non-human cyborgs.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Compost?

[Ken Shultz]

"Nevertheless, President Obama says now that open enrollment is sort of closed, the debate over Obamacare is over."

Well, if Obama says the debate is over, then I guess we have to stop talking about it.

Did he make any announcements about what it's okay to talk about now?

Because I was gonna talk about how the disgraceful behavior of GM seems to have needlessly killed a number of children and moms, and it all seems to have started when he nationalized GM and GM was effectively being administered by the Obama Administration.

[Rich]

Remember When Obama Touted the Now-Recalled Chevy Cobalt?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Faulty ignitions help break car windows. Just another form of stimulus.

[Ken Shultz]

Nice link!

And nobody can tell me that they're completely unrelated.

The overwhelming majority of GM's stock was owned by the UAW, the U.S. government, and the Canadian government.

The chances of them not managing that company in a completely incompetent manner were almost absolute zero--and the more time they were given, the more likely they were to screw up.

Then Obama did everything he could to rig the industry in GM's favor--including shielding them from product liability?

Talk about moral hazard!

Yeah, there are a lot of dead children and moms laying around as a result, but isn't it time for us as a nation to move forward? I hereby declare that the debate about GM is over!

[Lord Humungus]

So I bought my wife a used BMW E46 with the 2.5L Straight 6 and a manual transmission. Miles were good.

The first Bimmer that I've ever driven - I gotta say I'm impressed with how much performance they wrung out of such a small engine. Yes, I've owned faster - but there is a nice balance of performance/daily driving there - a good slingshot effect in first gear and then it gets pretty tame after that. Given the condition of the roads around here, I could go for a softer ride but it isn't bad either.

I do love the "balance" of the car - when driving it doesn't feel nose heavy or give the sensation of being driven by the rear wheels. Not sure how this car will hold up, but only time can tell.

[Jordan]

I miss my Bimmer. I had a 328i for 5 years. Once the wife finishes residency, I'll be getting another, probably a 335i. Fun as hell to drive.

[Lord Humungus]

Now I'm definitely interested in the brand for my self - just need more engine than 2.5L

[hamilton]

I brought my 328 out of the garage yesterday, finally. And then spent this morning ogling the 4 series 'verts.

[Tim]

I drive an 11 year old Toyota. So fuck you. One day Obama will fix this inequality...

[Lord Humungus]

Before that I was driving a 1998 Toyota truck. And now I'm driving the wife's old 2001 Honda Accord V6 Coupe. So I'm there with you.

I get the old, crappy cars.

[Tim]

Interestingly (maybe, maybe not), the frame rusted out on my 2003 Tacoma. There was a tearing sound while cornering and gasoline was dripping from the damaged fuel line. I drove it to the dealer. Two years ago they had coated the frame with "military grade polymer" as part of a recall and given me a warranty.
Now they have to replace the frame and all the associated parts. They gave me a new Tacoma as a loaner because it will take 6-8 weeks to do the fix.

[Lord Humungus]

Ah, the ol' Toyota frame rust. Co-worker had the same thing happen with his Tacoma.

I have a T100 (Toyota's flop) with 216K miles that originally came from Tennessee - the frame has held out well, but the rest of the body has really started to rust. I got sick of the battle - POR-15 is evil stuff but it works.

After last winter, I'm thinking of keeping the truck - the 4X4 is awesome, especially with snow tires.

[Suthenboy]

"...they have to replace the frame and all the associated parts."

Doesn't that just mean the whole truck?

[invisible furry hand]

he got to keep the radio and bumper stickers

[Sevo]

And the hood ornament.

[sarcasmic]

My Subaru is ten years old. The wife's is nine. Both have over 200K miles.

[Tim]

Your wife must walk A LOT.

[sarcasmic]

Nope. Only time it ever died on her was when she ran out of gas.

[invisible furry hand]

and the joke soared majestically over sarc's head and towards the beckoning horizon...

[sarcasmic]

Apparently.

[Rich]

Does either have electrical problems?

[sarcasmic]

CD players don't work, but I don't think that's what you mean. Other than gaskets needing replacing, haven't really had to do more than normal maintenance. Speaking of which, it's getting to be time to put in a new timing belt.

[Ken Shultz]

I want one of these:

http://www.bmwmotorcycles.com/.....&notrack=1

But you can get an FZ-09 for almost half the price.

[John]

I have an 04 version of that very bike. I have 30,000 miles on it. It has proven bullet proof. Never had an issue with it.

It is IMHO the best motorcycle you can buy. It is fast enough to be crazy fun to drive but offers and upright position that makes it a perfect commuter bike. You can stick bags on it and make it a decent touring bike if you don't mind not having a faring.

Riders who don't know any better always give me strange looks when tell them I own a BMW, thinking I must own some old man Winnebago tourer or they wonder why anyone would own something other than a giant cruiser or some out of control 200 hp sport bike (depending on which camp they are in). If they see the bike, they are always shocked at how great it looks and how fast and agile it actually is.

If you can afford it, buy that bike. You will never regret it. Every time I think "my motorcycle is ten years old this year maybe I should get a new one" I quickly realize how fabulous my bike is and why I have no reason to replace it.

[Ken Shultz]

It's an awesome bike, but those FZ-09s are awesome, too.

And for the price of an R Nine T, I could buy an FZ-09 AND a BMW G 650 GS Enduro.

No doubt it's an awesome bike, though. I'm sure it's impossible to be disappointed with a bike like that.

Anyway, when I think BMW, I just don't really think about their cars. As decent as their cars are, their bikes are simply amazing. There are nicer cars out there--if you want to pay a fortune. But I'm not sure you can get a better bike than a BMW. ...for any amount of money.

You want to build something proprietary for racing, well, okay. But other than that?

[John]

You pay a bit of a premium for the badge. They are more expensive that comparably sized Japanese bikes. But so are Harleys and Triumphs and pretty much every bike that isn't a Japanese bike.

If you like the bike and are like me and plan to keep it a long time, it is worth paying the extra. I have seen old Rs from the 70s with well over a hundred thousand miles on them. There was a guy who lived near me when I bought mine who had a R from the early 70s with 120,000 miles that he had ridden all the way to Canada the summer before. The bike had never had a rebuild or anything beyond brake pads and oil changes. The things just won't die.

The old ones were often abused in all sorts of ways, never had their oil changed, driven off road and such. And they still won't die. The new ones are built even better and are generally treated better by their owners. So no one really knows how long they will last. It will be a very long time though.

[Lord Humungus]

A pal of mine - the Iraq adventurer, now hauling oil in the Dakotas - bought a Moto Guzzi bike. He loves the beast. I don't know enough about motorcycles to even comment on its qualities - it certainly looked nice, race tires 'n' all.

[John]

Guzzis are cool. They have V twins turned sideways so that the cylinders stick out of the side. Guzzi hit on hard times in the 00s and got really dinged for reliability. But I have heard they have made a come back. I hope so. They are a cool bike. An Italian bike for someone who just wants something a bit more interesting than a Ducati.

[Snark Plissken]

I gotta say I'm impressed with how much performance they wrung out of such a small engine.

Interesting, and a straight 6 at that. I had an Alfa GTV6 2.5L that was quite zippy, especially for its time ('82).

[John]

Alfas have always had great engines. Americans often had issues with them because they didn't properly warm them up before driving them hard. Alfas were built for a warm climate and don't have enough oil capacity to operate well cold. But if you warm them up and take care of them, those engines are great. The rest of the car, brakes, electronics and such is no doubt very Italian and quirky. The engines, however, are fabulous.

[Snark Plissken]

Actually my Alfa didn't have any such problems, mind you this was in Albuquerque, but the winters still get pretty cold. In fact it had a huge oil capacity. Likewise the electronics were pretty reliable, much better than my Dad's '80 Audi which was simply atrocious. The biggest problem was having to fix the transaxle, serious surgery there. Also it was so low that it was easy to scrape the ground effect and the oil pan.

[John]

My neighbor owned an Alf when he lived in Rome. The various warning lights would come on randomly. He took it to the dealership and they just looked at him not believing he wanted it fixed. Hey, does the car run? Then who cares about the lights? You have to love Italians.

[Snark Plissken]

Heh. I think they got better in the 80s, I've heard horror stories but I never had problems.

[waffles]

I have an e46 (325xi) with a 5spd. I'm about to crest 150k and it still handles extremely well. It does burn oil, and after an extremely negligent period I was down 4 quarts, still no noticeable damage. If there's a something breakable in this car, my car has broken it. It hasn't been bad and all that fixin' has given me a level of comfort and familiarity I doubt will ever be surpassed by another. I love Sylvia.

[John]

A lot of old German cars burn oil. But unless it is extreme such that you are putting a quart in every 100 miles, a little oil consumption is not a bad thing.

[waffles]

It's more like a quart every 1500 miles. Which is par for the course. I've replaced the suspension bushings, a few sensors, the resistor that controls the fan, two thermostats. This is also after surviving a front end impact with airbag deployment 70k miles ago. I've never felt as paired to a hunk of metal. The e46 is a legend in my books.

[John]

My 06 Merc consumes about a court every 8,000 miles or so. When I change the oil every year it is always down a quart.

Using a quart every thousand or few thousand miles is no big deal.

[Kaptious Kristen]

My Pa had a 7-series when I was a teenager. That thing was like an APC. He bought it because he wanted a big Kraut car that would fit his big Kraut body when he was commuting between Pittsburgh and western CT. He didn't realize the Krauts don't design interiors for comfort on long trips. The seats were like concrete.

[Snark Plissken]

Hillary/Michelle 2016

Cause there's no such thing as peak derp.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Grey had been accused of ethics violations for most of his one term in office.

I'd say that's a bit of an understatement given he's under Federal investigation.

[Lord Humungus]

documentary on Nigel Farage
http://youtu.be/fV-TbeGoQcs

his turning point? Reading Mill's On Liberty

[Restoras]

HAHAHA!!!! Everyone knows Nigel Farage is No True Libertarian. Just ask Feeney!

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

And Paul Ryan hands out copies of Atlas Shrugged. Doesn't make him a libertarian either.

[Tak Kak]

Especially considering Rand's opinion of libertarians.

[Loki]

Man shoots son then tries to kill himself so they can continue the argument "in the afterlife."

After allegedly murdering his son, Pang Vang survived stabbing himself several times with a large knife, according to CBS Minnesota.

The father "did not want to settle the issue in court. He would settle the dispute with his son when they reached the afterlife,"

Oh, and the fight was over a cable bill. Sounds reasonable... /sarc

[Heroic Mulatto]

Oh, and the fight was over a cable bill. Sounds reasonable...

I'm guessing you haven't met many old school Hmong if you're surprised at this story. It's like they were all born with an innate Bat-Shit Insane Berserker Rage ability. And I say this from a place of love.

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

^^THIS^^

My stolid Swede and Italian hometown had some Hmong refugees arrive at the end of the 1970s...people could not grok the occasional Hmong nuclearfuryrageanger detonation that would occur. The local paper would have an article covering such an incident and it would be full of headscratching comments.

[Heroic Mulatto]

I think there is a long cultural history behind this. My wife is Nyaw, a neighboring tribe, and if you look at the history of peoples like the Nyaw or Hmong, you can deduce the only way they kept their nominal independence. being nestled between the Chinese to the north and the Siamese to the south, was by earning the reputation as the crazy, irrationally violent people who lived in the mountains.

[Loki]

WTF is "Hmong?" I'm not even sure what nationality that is.

[Sevo]

SE Asian hill tribe.

[Loki]

Ah. IOW, Vietnamese/ Cambodian/ Thai hillbillies.

[Heroic Mulatto]

The fact of which I tease my wife mercilessly about. Rice whiskey moonshine and dishes from rice paddy rat are all real things.

[Restoras]

Did they develop and indigenous form of NASCAR too?

[OldMexican]

Man shoots son then tries to kill himself so they can continue the argument "in the afterlife."

Because arguments are sounder in the afterlife. Especially when accompanied by your 72 virgin girls and boys.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well, I'm sure what this guy was thinking was that his son was well one his way to being reincarnated as a lion, so when he gets reincarnated as an elephant, the fight will be EPIC!

[Pope Jimbo]

I have to laugh at this, because otherwise I would break down sobbing at how close to home it hits:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

[Suthenboy]

Why do I think that that is a real brain trust compared to the Obama administration?

[sarcasmic]

I think my head just exploded.

[Pope Jimbo]

My dev team has now adopted the catchphrase "Can you refactor that code into the shape of a cat?"

We found a plugin to help us: http://www.josscrowcroft.com/p.....ource-code

[Jordan]

Finally got around to doing my taxes. TurboTax asked me if I had health insurance, and would not allow me to opt out of answering, so I just answered "no". Fucking piece-of-shit Obama.

[waffles]

I had the same situation except I answered yes. I thought Obamacare meant we were all insured now, right?

[Ken Shultz]

I used ObamaCare on my ingrown toenail--and it worked!

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

I don't think that has anything to do with your actual taxes at this point, but rather TurboTax is trying to cross-sell you health insurance. Anybody else have that impression?

[The Late P Brooks]

The first Bimmer that I've ever driven - I gotta say I'm impressed with how much performance they wrung out of such a small engine.

The inline six is a fantastic motor.

I had four BMWs, all early seventies cars. They were awesome. I kept one of the 2002s for nearly twenty years. You couldn't give me a new one.

[Lord Humungus]

I gotta say that the latest versions of BMW leave me a little cold. The design team went off the rails... but at least they are still recognizable as BMWs.

New cars are all starting to look the same to me, even Subaru's - which used to be funky - are cookie cutter.

[RBS]

They're just slowly prepping humanity for the day when everyone is forced to drive the same model.

[John]

When I was in Germany I bought an 83 3 series off the German market. That car was very sparten. But it was fantastic. It would cruise at a hundred miles an hour on the autobahn, handled great, had a smooth motor, and never let me down.

When I saw the BMW Super Bowl commercial where they showed the old one running head on into the new one it made me think "wow BMWs used to be so much cooler."

I agree with you about the new ones. When I bought my Merc I test drove the BMWs. The BMWs were faster. The build quality and ride of the Mercs were basically one class above the BMWs. The C class Mercs felt like the 5 series BMWs and the E Class Merc felt like the big 7 series BMWs. And all of the Mercs were better than the 3 series.

[Restoras]

Spartan. Spartan. Do you not see what you type?

[Lord Humungus]

I have a friend who once owned a BMW 3 and a Mercedes C at the same time. When he divorced, he was happy to end up with the Merc. He said it just had more class and rode better.

Now he drives a BMW 545 - go figure.

[John]

The five series are nice. They are built more as a sports car than the Mercedes. If you want a sedan that will just hall as and can act like a sports car, they are a good choice.

I don't want a sedan that acts like a sports car. I want one that floats down the road, is quiet but still has a good engine and can go when I need it. By that criteria, Mercs beat BMW all day and twice on Sunday.

[Bardas Phocas]

Anyone attend the White Privilege Conference last week?
Looks like a lot a fun; talkn about oppressing the brown folks and stuff.
http://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com/index.html

[OldMexican]

Here's Jim Goad's take on last week's The 15th annual White Privilege Conference

The 15th annual White Privilege Conference ended on Saturday in Madison, WI. As is usually the case with the locales for such public displays of white ethnomasochism, Madison's quotient of blacks is roughly half the national average. In contrast, presumably ignorant and "prejudiced" white Southerners ? the kind of people most despised by bourgeois-yet-Marxist whites who believe in fairy tales such as "white privilege" ? have for centuries lived in the blackest part of the nation. It is typically whites with the least amount of experience living alongside blacks that tend to idolize colored folks beyond all reason.

[OldMexican]

cont.

Workshops during the four-day extravaganza included "White American Islamophobia," "White Privilege and the Color of Wealth," "Death of the Strong Black Sista," "How Do We Talk About Privilege, For Real?" "Against the Tea Party Movement," "White Women's Guide to Teaching Black Boys," and "Beyond Kumbaya: Promoting Privilege Discussions on College Campuses." Film screenings included such cinematic thought-turds as The N!GGA Word, What Makes Me White, and The New Black.

Apparently the only way to dismantle white privilege and usher in this long-promised and long-delayed era of post-racial harmony is to be absolutely fucking obsessed with race.

[Heroic Mulatto]

White Women's Guide to Teaching Black Boys

I rented that movie when I was in college, once. Debi Diamond was awesome in that one.

[OldMexican]

bow chicka wow wow!

[Auric Demonocles]

A new study suggests scientists may have significantly overestimated the amount of water present on the moon.

Damn it Pro Lib, they're onto us.

[invisible furry hand]

As long as it accurately estimates the amount of scotch on the moon we're OK

[Suthenboy]

I have always been a little suspicious of that. With zero atmosphere ice sublimates pretty quickly. If there is much water there it would have to be pretty deeply buried. With the surface being plowed and churned so much by impacts the presence of water seems unlikely.

We will know for sure when we start drilling.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yes, sublimation. That's why the water is disappearing.

*shifty eyes*

[Pro Libertate]

Nah, they don't know where the water has gone. They just think it wasn't there in the first place. Ha! Scientists. And their "theories."

[The DerpRider]

It's being hoarded at the edge of the solar system.

[The Late P Brooks]

I know guy who has a Triumph TR3. It's a mostly untouched original car. I looked at it for a couple of minutes, and then said, "You know what I'd do with this car? I'd go find an old rusty junker BMW 325, stiffen the shit out of that Triumph frame, and slide the entire BMW drivetrain under that TR3 body.

He didn't seem to think it was a good idea. What a spoilsport.

[John]

That is a great idea if you were a good enough mechanic and fabricator to make it fit. You would have to figure out a way to get a rear dif big enough to take the extra horsepower and be able to reconfigure the motor mounts. You could do it though.

If you are going to do that, just go all the way and put a roll cage in. That would be one hell of a track day car.

[Pro Libertate]

When 3-D printing is ubiquitous, you can print a custom frame to do just that.

[Sevo]

..."stiffen the shit out of that Triumph frame,"...

You're missing the nuance of English chassis engineering; that's the "fifth spring"!

[Kaptious Kristen]

I decided to try a new commute this morning that is a bit safer than my normal walk from Arlington Cemetery (where there's a crosswalk that crosses three lanes of highway-style traffic).

I had no idea the EPA was such a fucking monster. That thing must have been 2 city blocks. And one of the buildings is named after Slick Willie, of course. Why not Al Gore?

[Loki]

Why not Al Gore?

Because no one takes him serial.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Richard Sherman is back, talking race!

Commit certain crimes in this league and be a certain color, and you get help, not scorn. Look at the way many in the media wrote about Jim Irsay after his DUI arrest. Nobody suggested the Colts owner had "ties" to drug trafficking, even though he was caught driving with controlled substances (prescription pills) and $29,000 in cash to do who-knows-what with. Instead, poor millionaire Mr. Irsay needs help, some wrote.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

But DeSean Jackson is the menace, right? He's just as bad as those guys he parties with because he threw up a Crip sign in a picture and he owns a gangsta rap record label. If only all record label owners were held to this standard, somebody might realize that Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg weren't the bosses behind NWA. Jim Irsay lookalikes in suits were.

[John]

Sherman makes a fair point. But he mistakes race for class. If Jackson were some poor white who was hanging out with some biker gang, he would face just as much criticism.

Irsay gets a pass not because he is white. He gets a pass because people assume that rich people wouldn't do the things poor people do.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

That's my thought, and maybe there was a slight hint of racism.

Of course, Jackson has already signed with a new team, so I think he's doing ok.

[John]

The Eagles didn't handle the Jackson thing very well. They cut him not just because of his friends but because he is a diva pain in the ass that wasn't worth the hassle. Instead of saying that, they leaked the gang stuff and made it look like that was the only reason they cut him.

Beyond that, the Hernandez thing has made teams more careful. I don't know what to tell Jackson. Yes, when a guy who hangs out with gang members gets indicted for murder, other teams are going to look a bit more closely at their players who hang out with gang members. Such is life.

[RBS]

I'm pretty sure Goodell is trying to find a way to hammer Irsay for his arrest.

[John]

He should. If the NFL is going to say they are going to hammer players who get arrested because it is bad for business by hurting the image of the league with its customers, that is a valid business decision. The logic applies equally or more so to owners who get arrested. If Godell lets Irsay off, people will think the league just likes to hammer its employees and used protecting its image as the excuse.

[The Late P Brooks]

Look at the way many in the media wrote about Jim Irsay after his DUI arrest.

Leave little Jimmy Irsay alone! He's had a hard life. Poor little fella.

[Sevo]

Earliest bizz regs?

"Animal mummifying was such big business that Ptolemy III, who ruled Egypt more than 2,000 years ago, passed several decrees regulating the industry."
http://www.sfgate.com/default/.....368560.php

[John]

You wouldn't want unlicensed priests improperly mummifying your dog and depriving you of its company in the afterlife would you?

[OldMexican]

Why don't anybody think of the kids?

[Swiss Servator, mehr Spr?ngli]

The mummified kids?

[OldMexican]

The mummified pet kids.

[Sevo]

John,
Even then, there was no matter so trivial that the gov't wouldn't stick its nose in.

[John]

Having Rover with them in the afterlife wasn't so trivial to the Egyptians. 🙂

[Pope Jimbo]

Well, you do want to make sure you use a fully licensed mummifier for this. Unlicensed hacks are not going to be able to properly plug the arrow holes in your dog that the Pharoah Cops put into him.

[Carl the Jarl]

TRIGGER WARNING

"I thought this was supposed to be an inclusive thing, why am I being excluded because of where I work?" Timpf asked another organizer after another interruption.

"Because the place that you work is not inclusive," the organizer responded.

"You don't know that," Timpf said. "You don't know anything about me or my personal beliefs, I'm just being labeled and excluded based on a label."

Its "safe space policy" promised the event would be "structured around inclusivity ? with a focus on representing various perspectives," according to the event's official website.

I'm sure the fact that she's better looking than nearly everyone pictured has nothing to do with it.

[Heroic Mulatto]

The pulchritudinous Ms. Timpf "triggered" something in me, indeed.

[Carl the Jarl]

pulchritudinous

Why do I feel the need to punch you and steal your lunch money?

Also, on an unrelated (OR IS IT?) note, what do you think of the Pimsleur? I got it at the library so the cost is not at issue; is it worth my time, though? The intro sounded pretty douchey and self-aggrandizing.

[SugarFree]

HM should not be lambasted for his perspicacity.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Pimsleur? Not a big fan. He got some things right, but other methods do it better, imo. At the time it was developed it fit into the behavioralist "audio-lingual" method, but we've moved on from that. I think there is some merit to graduated-interval recall, but you can achieve the same effect just by studying with flashcards.

If it's for free and you have the tapes, it can't hurt. Any exposure to a second language is good. However, don't feel you have to stick to the Pimsleur method, you can study grammar, reading, and writing at the same time too and it won't retard your progress, regardless of what the Pimsleur folks tell you.

[Carl the Jarl]

Thanks. Some of the restrictions were indeed frustrating me. For instance, I find it helpful to be able to consult the written-out pronunciations of words in addition to the audio. This is Mandarin, and the speakers used so far seem to muddle "sh", "ch", and "zh", making it hard to follow along.

[Loki]

I'm sure the fact that she's better looking than nearly everyone pictured has nothing to do with it.

They probably just figure she's another "Fox News" style "anchor bimbo" in waiting. Yet they're the tolerant open minded ones...

[The Late P Brooks]

I had no idea the EPA was such a fucking monster.

"All water eventually ends up in a navigable waterway. Therefor, all your water are belong to EPA. Q E fucking D."

[Kaptious Kristen]

Still, USDA is way bigger.

[Ivan Pike]

FDA, kill it with fire.

[Lord Humungus]

Needz more karate fights

[Cdr Lytton]

Daily foot through the car radio moment. National Patriotic Radio ran a story about the plight of low income college students and how 'not enough are going into STEM fields which require years more education'.

First, just about every college student has been low income. Hello McFly! They're spending most of their time in a non paying endeavor.

Second, their poster child was a recently seperated Marine on a post-9/11 GI Bill aka the platinum meal ticket.

Third, he takes an intro astronomy class expecting it to be easy but has to get help with the calculus for the class. So his college (CUNY) fucks him over by not have appropriate prerequisite requirements or he didn't bother to read the class syllabus?

[Sevo]

He thought it was 'space rocks for jocks'.

[John]

I bet it is both. The solution to our problems is not trying to make every kid into a STEM major anymore than it was trying to give them all college degrees.

Maybe the Marine should have avenues of getting training that don't involve paying tens of thousands of dollars to a college?

[Pope Jimbo]

The Marines do quite a good job of focused training. The stuff I learned about circuits after a year of training in the Marines (Yay NAS Memphis!) got me through at least 2 years of EE in college (Yay Memphis State!).

EE courses gave me a deeper theory of the why, but I could look at complicated circuits and calculate various voltages and currents waay better than my fellow students.

Also, when lab experiments failed, I was able to trace issues back to the faulty component in a jiffy.

[John]

My father fixed radars on F4s and got himself a job working at AT&T as a result. The Marines are a very small service. If you have any brains, they send you to some kind of technical training whether you like it or not.

I bet this guy is a rock that they sent to the infantry. Good for him. Nothing wrong with being in the infantry. But that doesn't make him any less of a rock.

[Cdr Lytton]

Goddamit John! If you had gone with cooks, I could have lived with it but you had to rag on the infantry.

Mostly off topic, but were you in when they still sent out those yellow correspondence course booklets with the mail in answer sheets? I did one (among many) on a lark and it ended up getting me a pretty good job in telecom later on.

[John]

No I wasn't. And you are right, if he were a rock, he would be in the artillery digging holes and totting shells or driving a truck. At least in the Army, the real criminals drive trucks. I would take a group of truck drivers over a group of grunts in a bar fight any day.

[Sunmonocle Backwards Tophat]

I found the same thing. I wasn't in the military, but worked for them early in my career. We used older technology that was more fundamental and a lot easier to understand. By the time I was working with semiconductors, they seemed like more complicated versions of what I'd seen, whereas for most people they were complex and magical. Same with programming; while it isn't worthwhile to learn assembler, those older guys who had to actually learn it tended to understand the interface between software and hardware a lot better.

[John]

Tophat,

My dad said there was a marked drop off in the quality of managers at AT&T when they started hiring people directly out of college and making them managers even though they had never actually worked on any equipment. Even though during most of his time as a manager the company had stopped using most of the equipment he had actually worked on, the fact that he had worked on something, even older equipment, was a big advantage.

[Mainer2]

My brother has nearly 30 years with McDonnel Douglas (now Boeing) as a computer engineer, and he has seen a similar thing. He works for managers who quite literally have no understanding of what he does. Once his manager told him that whatever he was working on, do not piss of the VP of that section. Now that's some MBA

[Mainer2]

....quality management...whatever you do, just don't piss off MY boss.

[Warty]

So he learned that he didn't want to do astronomy. That's one of the main purpose of intro to X classes. Why am I supposed to feel sorry for him, exactly?

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

It is an unwritten rule that you're supposed to feel sorry for 'tards, while not drawing attention to their 'tardliness.

[Cdr Lytton]

It gets better than that. He's now studying it as his major apparently. I don't think he's dumber than anyone else his age. He just wasn't prepared for the class. So either drop it and take pre calc/calc classes or struggle through it. Either way there's a lesson for him in it, which he likely missed.

[The Late P Brooks]

Course prerequisites are just another way The Man keeps us down.

[The Late P Brooks]

You're missing the nuance of English chassis engineering; that's the "fifth spring"!

I had an MGB which, when hammered through the corners, would magically release the hood latch (yay, safety catches).

I don't miss the Limey flexy-flier chassis all that much.

[SugarFree]

I had a Midget that did the same thing. Finally it came loose on the highway and sailed over my head.

On the rare occasions it worked, it was very fun to drive.

[R C Dean]

Near as I can tell, here are the numbers on OCare, taking the most favorable approach:

People who lost insurance due to the mandates: 5mm. (This doesn't include the part-time workers whose employers no longer offer coverage to them, BTW.)

People who signed up on the exchanges: 7mm

People who will actually pay for their exchange policy: 5.5mm

A net gain of 500K insured, best case scenario. Better than I thought.

The thinking is that around half of those on the exchanges were previously insured, maybe more. This works out to 3.5mm previously insured who bought exchange policies, leaving 1.5mm who went from having insurance to not.
What a huge success!

Note: numbers from Shikha's article yesterday, which seems solidly sourced, given the environment of lies and misdirection from the administration.

http://america.aljazeera.com/o.....ealth.html

[Pro Libertate]

Those part-timers are not an insignificant number. Couple that with the fact that the purported tens of millions without insurance appear to be unaffected and the fact that the rest of us are getting much worse coverage (I've said this plenty here, but one more time: my deductibles doubled and my premiums shot up). . .disaster is too tepid a word. I leave out of the analysis for the moment the obvious problem with funding this program.

[ibcbet]

That doesn't happen as much on the surface of the planet.

[Sunmonocle Backwards Tophat]

I remember hearing about the technology used in those; such a good idea. That would be the only table saw I consider. Otherwise, a miter saw and jig saw are all the more I'll purchase.