SCOTUS Rules Campaign Donation Restriction Unconstitutional, Scott Brown To Make NH Senate Run Official, Ted Cruz Says Religious Freedom is Under Assault: P.M. Links

Credit: Gage Skidmore/wikimedia

• The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that limits on total campaign contributions to PACs, candidates, and political parties are unconstitutional. Lobbyists are not happy about the decision. 
• Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has described Russia's annexation of Crimea as a "tragedy" and says he wants to see the Black Sea peninsula be part of Ukraine again.
• Chilean authorities are assessing damage caused by yesterday's earthquake that caused a small tsunami and killed six people.
• Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown said today that he plans to make his New Hampshire Senate bid official.
• Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told students at Liberty University that "religious liberty has never been more under assault" than it has been during Obama's presidency.
• The European Union has announced that it is launching a military operation in the Central African Republic. 

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Lobbyists are not happy about the decision.

No one likes competition.

[Sudden]

especially the second commenter

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

Report: The pizzoccheri was...great!

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Chilean authorities are assessing damage caused by yesterday's earthquake that caused a small tsunami and killed six people.

What hath fracking wrought?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Makes our 5.1 seem kind of small.

[Sudden]

Yet also vindicates the notion that we may have a truly monumental quake in the near future. Iquique was rattled with a series of smaller quakes for a month before this 8.2. And some seismologists are saying that 8.2 isn't even the "big one" for that fault.

The Puente Hills fault, the Cascadian subduction zone, and the Yellowstone Caldera are all relatively more active of recent.

It's only a matter of time now.

[Injun, as in from India]

The yellow stone super volcano can really f things up for humanity.

[Zeb]

It's only a matter of time now.

That's pretty much always the case, though, isn't it?

[Sudden]

Yes, except this time the time parameter is greatly shrunk. Major Puente Hills quake every 50k years, been 45 since the last, yellowstone caldera eruption every 700k years, 640k since the last.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I've heard 600k years, making us overdue.

Of course, so long as it holds off 30, I won't give a shit.

[Andrew S.]

There have been 3 in approximately 2.1 million years, so around 700k years each. But that's not really enough data.

"We're due" in a geological sense, but that could mean it's going to be another 250,000 years before it happens again.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

So you're saying I should definitely liquidate my assets just in case?

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Carpe Diem.

If you don't die broke, ya fucked up.

[Sudden]

If you don't die broke, ya fucked up.

You are not allowed to do any financial planning for my parents.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I wonder if anyone would sell me a reverse mortgage at age 34.

[Paul.]

Of course, so long as it holds off 30, I won't give a shit.

In the long run, we're all quake victims.

[Sudden]

Fortunately, we probably have nothing to worry about there

The big one in SoCal though, that's just inevitable at this point.

[Andrew S.]

The one I'm fearing as inevitable (which may be worse than the big one in SoCal) would be the Cascadia Subduction Zone going and annihilating the entire Pacific Northwest.

[Sudden]

Yep, the Cascadia zone is also overdue and I believe has seen recent upticks in seismic activity.

I've seen photos of Anchorage shortly after the 9.2 from 1964. Scary to think of a megathrust quake like that decimating major cities like Seattle and Vancouver. Not to mention the tsunami effect within Puget Sound.

But if it destroys Epi, it will all be worthwhile.

[Zeb]

It will probably happen some time in the next 100,000 years or so. Maybe. Sometimes shit like that only happens 3 times.

[Pope Jimbo]

Of course, it being overdue is completely because of climate change

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Long Valley caldera is still active too. One of the largest eruptions ever.

Chair 5 at Mammoth Mountain goes right over one of the fumaroles. It almost always smells like sulfur.

[Stormy Dragon]

Poisson processes don't work this way. YOU FAIL STATISTICS FOREVER.

[Pro Libertate]

Such trivial worries. There's an asteroid or a comet out there with "FUCK HUMANITY" emblazoned on its side.

[Protagoronus]

Gamma ray burst man, gamma ray burst

[Pro Libertate]

What? Nah, comet is the best bet.

[Andrew S.]

Some say a comet will fall from the sky.
Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves.
Followed by fault lines that cannot sit still.
Followed by millions of dumbfounded dip shits.

[Specail Sauce]

I have a suggestion to keep you all occupied...

Learn to swim.

[Sevo]

Andrew S.|4.2.14 @ 5:13PM|#
"Some say a comet will fall from the sky."...

"Heresies of the Huge God"
http://www.majipoor.com/work.php?id=1653

[Mickey Rat]

"Hot Fudge Sundae, which falls on a Tuesdae, next week."

[Protagoronus]

You can't send Bruce Willis to blow up a gamma ray burst. It's just not happening.

[Sudden]

Michael Bay can find a way.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

OR...Night of the Comet.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I'm taking recipe suggestions for tacos.

My daughter likes them but I would like an authentic Mexican recipe. Any takers?

Also, are there good Tacos sold in grocery stores? The place where I go get Mexican items makes home made salsa, tortilla and chips but not tacos.

[Zeb]

You mean tortillas for tacos? You can use any small tortilla really. Corn is probably more authentically Mexican. Or do you want the crunchy yellow corn U-shaped ones?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

My kid likes crunchy.

[Zeb]

You could lightly fry corn tortillas then drape them over something to give them the right shape as they cool.

[Pro Libertate]

First, get some masa.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Are you suggesting I make it?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I would say that it you are doing crunchy, fried corn tortillas are preferable to the store bought shells, Those things break way too easily.

[tres]

Those things... taste like shit.

[Pro Libertate]

If you're serious. If not, go buy stuff at the store.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hm. Well, I make my own pasta and pizza so why not, tacos, eh?

[Pro Libertate]

Indeed!

[Sudden]

Dunno what the grocery stores in your area have selection wise, but if you can get simply carne asada and/or pollo asada, get those and grill them up. Put meat on two stacked corn tortillas and throw in a mixture of chopped cilantro and chopped onion. Authentic Mexican street tacos. Add Gringo Bandito hot sauce if you can find it (the only thing of worth that Dexter Holland of The Offspring has ever produced).

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Will have to look those up. Interesting.

[Heroic Mulatto]

I'm taking recipe suggestions for tacos.

Go al pastor or go home.

[RBS]

This.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Mmmm, Mexican shawarma....

That's almost my exact recipe, except I have a rotisserie.

Fun fact: You can't use fresh pineapple juice in that recipe or the meat will turn to dog shit because of the Bromelain.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Also, that recipe is a lot of work.
Here is an acceptable short cut.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Shawarma. Made that last month.

Interesting tidbit about the pineapple.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

You can add fresh pineapple at the end, just not as a marinade.

I went through a shawarma phase a few months ago. It got out of hand and the kids were demanding it 3 nights a week.

Now that I am thinking about it, I want some. Seasoned thigh meat, spicy pickle, tomato, and garlic sauce in a fresh baked pita. Mmmmmm.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I have a massive Lebanese cook book and noticed there's a couple of ways to make it. Do you make it with malt vinegar and yogurt?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

The garlic sauce? Oil, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Same recipe as the 2 local "mediterranean" restaurants.

I try to use chinese garlic or store bought garlic paste because the local CA garlic is so strong that it can take a few days for the sauce to mellow.

I have tried to tweak it a little bit and add things like dill, oregano, and parsley, but I always end up back at the basic recipe.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

BM'd.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Dude, I'm a taco expert. Ask away.

Traditional authentic tacos are 2 small corn tortillas, with meat, onion, cilantro, and salsa. No lettuce, sour cream, or cheese.

[Protagoronus]

Tips for making lengua tacos?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Stew the tongue in beer, chicken broth, and garlic for a couple hours. Let it cool, chop it up and salt it, sear in a frying pan with oil or lard, and squeeze fresh lime on top.

[Protagoronus]

That sounds legit. I wonder if searing in duck fat would be too much.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

First rule of food club: If you have duck fat, use duck fat.

[Sudden]

I have the bittersweet pleasure of living immediately above a bar that has some of the best duck fat fries I've ever had. And their confit club is pretty darn good too.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Your place must smell like heaven.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

At the best meal I've ever had, course #3 was smoked duck carnitas.

[Protagoronus]

I always have duck fat. Definitely worth the rendering time whenever I am close to running out.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Good. Don't like dairy on my stuff too much.

But where to get real good corn tortillas? I'm guessing El Paso won't cut it?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Do you have Mission brand there? The fresher, the better. I would probably go with anything that has spanish or a Mexican flag on the package.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I'm 90 minutes from Vt. and NY so I can just hop over and check it out.

[Sudden]

Skip salsa and go hot sauce. Seriously, playa, you gotta try Gringo Bandito hot sauce if you haven't yet. Acceptable enough kick, but also loaded with rich spice flavor.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I usually go with Cholula. It's not just the heat, it's the chile flavor. I love arbol chiles.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

And they have it at my local Denny's. It goes great with their Fois Gras.

[Sudden]

Their foie gras is certifiable crap, smallest I've seen. It's like instead of force feeding the duck until it dies, they picked a boulemic duck. I refuse to get anything at Denny's now other than the Oysters Rockafeller or sturgeon roe.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The first time I was introduced to foie gras was in France when I visited family for the holidays.

I don't get it.

Foie gras. Didn't get into it. But that's me. Don't like duck or rabbit.

/ducks.

[Mad Scientist]

All we want to know is whether you like DEEP DISH OR THIN CRUST!

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I actually don't really care for Fois Gras. The mention of it was actually a joke from an earlier discussion I had with Sudden about people who go to restaurants and try to order off-menu.

I believe his quote (paraphrasing) was:
"You haven't lived until you have thrown a drunken tantrum at Denny's at 3am over Fois Gras."

[Pro Libertate]

My go-to hot sauce as well. I was pleased to see it catch on--used to be hard to find.

[Sudden]

I discovered it in the oddest way. I was at KROQ's Weenie Roast in 2007 shortly after it first came out and that was the hot sauce at the backstage catering. I stole three bottles and took them home it was so good. Didn't see it hit a shelf for another two years.

[Pro Libertate]

I first encountered it at a Don Pablo's in Columbus back in the 90s. Couldn't find it in stores for a while, then I ran across it at some obscure grocery store. Then it started popping up everywhere.

My wife loves it, too, so we keep bottles on hand at all times.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

It is just so much better than the other widely available options. I'll use Tapatio or Tabasco on bar foods if I'm drinking beer too, but it just doesn't have the flavor.

Arbol Chiles are delicious. I'll eat them until I get a stomach ache if my wife doesn't stop me.

[Pro Libertate]

Not so much these days, but I used to be a hot sauce connoisseur of sorts, always trying various obscure hot sauces. I've encountered some very good ones over the years, but Cholula is my favorite of the mass-marketed brands.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

There's a hot sauce store at the LA farmers market. Probably 5000 items.
They don't allow photography of any kind in the store for some reason.

[Pro Libertate]

Those used to be very common, but even today, there are a few hot sauce stores in the Tampa Bay area.

[jamesrk]

A couple of local mexican food restraunts(South Texas)were replacing the El Yucateco with this

http://www.amazon.com/SAN-Piqu.....B00CQ8TK00

after trying it i immediatly bought all the red jalapeno and piquin that they had sitting at the front counter being sold, its pretty damn good.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Piquin peppers are good too, and are also in Cholula.

When I use El Yucateco, I use it sparingly...

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, I add the sour cream and cheese. lettuce is evil.

[Max Power]

I make the carnitas tacos from this article, and they are delicious.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I just knew that the Mens Health carnitas recipe was going to leave out the most important step: the deep fryer.

[Max Power]

When do they go in the deep fryer? At the end?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I've copy/pasted all this. Like the Calif. trip.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

The beginning, the middle, and the end.

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=68

Rick Bayless is annoying on TV, but he sure knows his Mexican food.

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, I've done the slow braise in lard carnitas once. They were ridiculous. One of the best meals I've ever had.

[AlmightyJB]

This is an awesome taco seasoning spice blend. You can use it on all kinds of stuff. Here they use it for simple ground beef tacos you used to have as a kid. Not authentic but easy. i just used this mix which I keep in a bottle on grilled pork chops and made tacos with that. Along with homemade guacamole and homemade tortilla chips it was awesome.

http://www.familyfreshmeals.co.....oning.html

[paranoid android]

I wish them luck in quickly bringing the scientists who failed to predict this to justice.

[Injun, as in from India]

Fracking? I thought it was global warming! Either that, or per the late Pastor Phelps, gay sex.

[PD Scott]

Clearly we need heterosexual cold fracking. Or something.

[Corning]

Cold brewed Folgers tastes better then any hot brewed gourmet, artisan, organic socialist roasted by the hard working indigenousness people of fucking who cares, grind your beans, coffee on the planet.

This is a scientific fact.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

No, Global Warming is going to do all of THIS:

The report predicts that the highest level of risk would first hit plants and animals, both on land and the acidifying oceans.

Climate change will worsen problems such as poverty, sickness, violence, and refugees, according to the report. And on the other end, it will act as a brake slowing down the benefits of a modernizing society, such as regular economic growth and more efficient crop production, it says.

[DesigNate]

Cause more places around the world reaching temperatures that are ideal for agricultural production is TOTALLY going to ruin efficiency.

[Sudden]

The report predicts that the highest level of risk would first hit plants and animals, both on land and the acidifying oceans

So they mis-spelled women and minorites?

[alan_s]

Wait, I thought it was government that did that.

[Zeb]

I hope that fracking does cause earthquakes. I don't see how that could be anything but a good thing. The energy has to already be there at the faults. Letting it go sooner and with a bit more lubrication can only reduce the eventual damage, no? And very small earthquakes are cool (I've never experienced anything remotely significant).

[Pro Libertate]

I have a feeling it's not that easy to cause earthquakes or to release tension at the faults. There's an enormous amount of energy involved, in any case.

[Mad Scientist]

And most earthquakes have epicenters miles deep. Fracking occurs nowhere near that level.

[Zeb]

And I very much doubt that fracking could have any effect on any big, dangerous faults. But in places with lots of little, old fault lines it seems plausible. And there are occasionally big earthquakes in places like that, so maybe it woudl help. Who knows? Doesn't seem like it could hurt much.

[tres]

Yep. Oil and gas are way below the water table and way above where the tectonic plates bump and grind. Those who say fracking impacts either one are misinformed.

[Zeb]

There are much shallower faults that are not at the boundaries of tectonic plates. The small quakes that occasionally happen in the north east are usually pretty shallow. There are places in CT where road cuttings allowed some ancient faults to slip, causing small quakes and actually breaking some people's well casings.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told students at Liberty University that "religious liberty has never been more under assault" than it has been during Obama's presidency.

That's not what I'm really worried about, Teddy.

[Ted S.]

Porn for EvH/GKC.

[robc]

Are some liberties more importantvthan others? Maybe, but I would think religion ranks near the top. It even made Amendment 1.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, the First Amendment was the third in an early draft of the Bill of Rights.

[robc]

Im aware. But it got moved.

[Pro Libertate]

THIRD! YOU LOSE, SIR!

Check out the original Article the First. Interesting.

[robc]

Yeah, Ive seen that before.

Lets see, 300MM divided to 50k is, 6000?

That works for me.

[Pro Libertate]

Yeppers. It wouldn't solve the problems we face today, but it would at least make them more expensive to bribe.

[SusanM]

A5 is even more so

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, it's amazing when people sometimes suggest today that the Founders weren't abundantly clear about the individual right to bear arms.

[Zeb]

SOrry if I keep repeating myself, but it's really important. Religious liberty is inseparable from general liberty. You can't have one without the other.

[Marshall Gill]

Religious Liberty should be in the first, because it really amounts to the Liberty of Conscience. My right to not be forced to attend church is identical to the right of someone else to choose to attend.

[Zeb]

Religious liberty is exactly the same as just plain liberty. I wish people would stop talking about it as if it is a special case. You can't have religious freedom without general freedom and vice versa. Even having a court or other government organ determine whether a particular belief or practice is religious or not violates freedom of religion as guaranteed by the first amendment if you ask me.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

But you can't have a proper KULTURE WAR without persecuted Christians.

[Marshall Gill]

But you can't have a proper KULTURE WAR without persecuted Christians.

Thank Science they are the only ones fighting it!!

[Warren's Strapon]

If I have to see another Cosmos vs Duck Dynasty fight, I'm going to drink a beer.

[Soros' Wank-noose]

Where were you seeing them (out of curiosity)? I expected them, but never saw any.

[Calidissident]

That's an idiotically incorrect statement. Even if we're just talking about the United States.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

I really fear he's going to become the Republican Elizabeth Warren that goes around saying incredibly stupid shit to rile up the base.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told students at Liberty University that "religious liberty has never been more under assault" than it has been during Obama's presidency.

Time to set sail for the New World.

[RBS]

Time to set sail for the New World.

Seems a little shaky these days.

[paranoid android]

"Well, I mean, there was the Spanish Inquisition, and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution, and pretty much the entire medieval era, but other than those times..."

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition.

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

Tell that to the Mormons.

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

Or, of course, the Branch Davidians.

Maybe it's just me, but a Catholic being forced to pay for someone else's birth control like the rest of us somehow pales in contrast.

[John]

I am pretty sure the Branch Dividians got singled out and burned to death for more than just their religion.

The Mormons are a good counter example but one that is 150+ years old. I think it fair to say religion is under more threat than anytime in Cruz's lifetime.

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

OK, Branch Davidians are maybe not the best example.

Still, I came up with a dandy counterexample in a few minutes, and my knowledge of history is awful.

If religion is indeed "under more threat than anytime in Cruz's lifetime", and I'd need to see that actually argued rather than just asserted, I still don't think that's saying much.

[John]

I think it is saying a lot. You may not give a shit about the Catholics but that is not the point. The point is that if they can do it to them they can do it to anyone.

If the government said tomorrow that it was illegal to publish anything in support of the Syrian government, you could say "maybe it is just me but not being able to defend some murderous dictatorship pales in comparison to something like the alien and sedition acts".

That would be true as far as it goes. But that wouldn't mean the 1st Amendment wasn't in serious jeopardy.

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

Dude. I'm not saying that liberty isn't under more threat than any time in Cruz's lifetime. I'm saying that religious liberty isn't under any special threat.

OK, to be chartiable to Cruz, because religious liberty is a kind of liberty, and liberty is under more threat than ever, then religious liberty is under more threat than ever [in recent history, since the farther back you go, the more you find special threats to religious liberty].

Still, I think that's probably charitable. I don't know what his game is.

[Big Chief]

He was at an evangelical Christian college. He was stirring up the base. Facts Schmacts. End of story.

[Calidissident]

If he was just talking about his lifetime, then he shouldn't have used the word "never."

[Calidissident]

*Without specifying that he was talking only about his lifetime.

[Injun, as in from India]

Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown said today that he plans to make his New Hampshire Senate bid official.

Didn't he vote for Obamacare along with 3 other Republicans? Hope and change, baby! Republican style!

[110 Lean]

Huh?

[110 Lean]

Huh?

[Palin's Buttplug]

No, you're thinking of Financial Reform.

[Injun, as in from India]

I got it wrong. I thought it was Olympia Snowe and 2 others.

[Drake]

Brown was the reason it had to be "deemed" passed - with him in the Senate, it would have lost the reconciliation vote.

[Pro Libertate]

Boy, are the Democrats in for it when the GOP takes control of both houses.

[Marshall Gill]

Boy, are the Democrats in for it when the GOP takes control of both houses.

We wish.

[Pro Libertate]

No, I don't mean to suggest that libertarians will be winning in this, just that the GOP will have less reluctance to push things through the Senate with a mere majority. Those things may be shitty, anti-liberty things, too.

[John]

No Republican voted for Obamacare. The fact that none of them did has been kind of a big deal for the last four years and stuck the Democrats with all of the blame.

Where did you get any of them did?

[tarran]

But the heritage Foundation once published an essay calling for the individual mandate!

Thus, the law's failures are entirely the fault of the Republican Party! 😉

[Palin's Buttplug]

Actually, one House member did - Joseph Cao.

[Wasteland Wanderer]

Who lost his reelection bid shortly thereafter.

[The Last American Hero]

I'll need to see the roll call where Snowe voted for it.

No Republicans voted for it.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

He was still better than Warren. Better a RINO than a left-wing wannabe Injun, no?

[tarran]

Given the shitbag's penchant for joining Liberman in promoting some pretty awful legislation, I don't miss Scott Brown for a minute. Sure he caused the mask to slip on Obamacare.

But that's it. Otherwise he was an awful senator.... My hope is that he will fucking flop in New Hampshire. Too many voters value freedom there to fall for Brown's Shuck and Jive act.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

But.

Warren?

[tarran]

Scott Brown is a freedom-hating totalitarian asshole.

Elizabeth Warren is a freedom-hating totalitarian asshole.

To me it's like arguing whether the Mafia or the Irish streetgangs are worse.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

You know better than me. I noticed Howie Carr's listeners have turned on Brown.

[Archduke von Pantsfan]

HAHAHAHAHA

/Champions League update
/no spoilers

[Ted S.]

And now for your Champions League scores:

Two. One. One. Three. Nil. Two.

(I'd have been rooting for PSG becaue Mourinho is evil, and for Dortmund because of the league coefficient.)

[Andrew S.]

The only club in the world I wouldn't root for over Chelsea is the Scum. And when Chelsea play the Scum, I root for a meteor to hit the stadium.

(and I'm rooting for Dortmund as well, because fark Real Madrid)

[Ted S.]

I'm not a Scum fan, either, thank you very much Soskjaer.

[Andrew S.]

I just need Bayern to beat up the Scum in the second leg, so I can stop worrying about them somehow taking Liverpool's spot in the Champions League (though it's looking pretty sure that they're going to finish at least 3rd)

(It's weird feeling this good as a Liverpool supporter)

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Liverpool was one of the first teams (aside from Serie A) I used to follow. Still remember the Liverpool-Roma showdown back in the early 80s.

Then came Soccer Made in Germany. Loved that show.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Oh. Forgot Hamburg. I was a lad in the 80s so these teams - Hamburg, Liverpool, Roma, Juventus - were powerhouses.

[Andrew S.]

I didn't get into Euro football until the mid-late 90s. Adopted Liverpool as my favorite team because of Robbie Fowler. So I missed the glory days. Best memories for me are the treble season in 00-01 and Istanbul 2005. This season's probably been the best I've seen them as a fan.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Arghh.

Don't mention 2005 to me.

10 minutes of madness by Milan.

Fucking gave it away. And then Dudek getting away with that shit moving on the line in shoot outs.

Damn that season. Damn it!

[Raven Nation]

Which one are you laughing about?

[Ted S.]

I'd say it must be something that happened near the end of one of the games, since the games don't actually end until a little after 4:35 or so, what with the stoppage time in both halves.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The European Union has announced that it is launching a military operation in the Central African Republic.

Europe is finally going to try colonizing the Dark Continent?

[PD Scott]

"Baby you can bomb my CAR"

[Raven Nation]

*Groans, but then applauds in modest admiration.*

[AlmightyJB]

"is to provide temporary support in achieving a safe and secure environment in the Bangui area, with a view to handing over to a U.N. peacekeeping operation or to African partners,"

But then who is going to keep them (the women) safe and secure from the U.N. peacekeepers?

[PD Scott]

Take a break from thinking about depravity, mendacity and general evil: 20 adorable puppies napping with their stuffed animals.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Has everyone seen my new puppy?

Which one TBD.

[Brett L]

Awwwww.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Those, and FdA's, are extremely cute.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Salon: Billionaires are scamming millenials with libertarianism

All right, fellow millennials, say it with me: "Social Security will still exist when I reach old age. Social Security will still exist when I reach old age. Social Security will still exist when I reach old age."

Did you know every time a libertarian says Social Security is insolvent a senior citizen dies?

Let's be very clear: there is no political position more childish than that of the "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" voter. The scourge of the "fiscal conservative, socially liberal" has created a generation that is far too willing to accept a disastrous economic ideology while basking in smug self-satisfaction for having advanced a few token social causes.

Unfortunately, true equality for the groups that social liberals want to help will require more than just the legalization of gay marriage, over-the-counter Plan B, or more lax pot laws. Lasting equality for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community requires a progressive tax structure that can afford to pay for strong social programs subsidizing education and keeping things like illness, unplanned pregnancy, or temporary unemployment from permanently holding back the most poor and disenfranchised.

A social justice warrior accusing someone else of being childish. Ain't that a riot?

[Pro Libertate]

It's childish to limit yourself to reality and to consequences. Cause and effect are something that only happen to small minds.

[Bam!]

...has created a generation that is far too willing to accept a disastrous economic ideology while basking in smug self-satisfaction for having advanced a few token social causes.

Wow: That is some strong projection.

[robc]

Also some mask slipping. They really dont care about the social axis at all.

[Injun, as in from India]

Wow. And progressives think they can still scam people with progressivism despite a century's worth of evidence to the contrary?

[Raven Nation]

And progressives think they can still scam people with progressivism despite a century's worth of evidence to the contrary

Well, current evidence would suggest yes, yes they do.

[Libertarian]

It's been working for them so far!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

At least that chick is hot.

But I wouldn't be able to date a dingbat no matter how good looking.

[Libertarian]

I call bullshit. Lefties screw us everyday.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Why exactly did they use a picture of Abby Huntsman?

[Coeus]

I believe she's taking the other side if Timmy's argument.

[paranoid android]

...has created a generation that is far too willing to accept a disastrous economic ideology while basking in smug self-satisfaction for having advanced a few token social causes.

Every time I think that maybe the other commenters here are harping on the whole "projection" thing too much, I read something like this...

[kibby]

My favorite part is that we're the ones "basking in smug self-satisfaction" in an article that is gushing with smug self-satisfaction.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Even supposedly-left-wing politicians like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama promote a neoliberal worldview

*Blinks and blinks and blinks*

[Ted S.]

"Neoliberal", at least over in Europe, seems to be nothing more than the latest scare-word that somehow magically invalidates what the person/institution being called "neoliberal" believes.

It's much like the way "fascist" has been used the past few decades.

[Marshall Gill]

"Neoliberal", at least over in Europe, seems to be nothing more than the latest scare-word that somehow magically invalidates what the person/institution being called "neoliberal" believes.

It's much like the way "fascist" has been used the past few decades.

Fascist? Don't you mean "neocon"?

[Ted S.]

When you can use force to keep your Ponzi scheme going, is it any surprise that it might still be around in a couple of decades?

[Heroic Mulatto]

PicturedThe author.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

That is not even wrong.

[Heroic Mulatto]

What the chart doesn't tell you is that when we're talking about all those wealthy "American Doctors with the Same Surname" we're not adjusting for the fact there are a hell of a lot of Chens, and Kims, Lius, and Zhengs in the world.

[Carl the Jarl]

Don't be so narrow-minded. There are plenty of Patels, too.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Indeed. According to the actual research that Donovan shits all over himself misinterpreting, The "Top 3" column of the chart stands for Shetty, Agarwal, and Gupta.

What's amazing about Tim Donovan is that what he did in his article is take one of those neo-reactionary, HBD "Blacks are poor and not socially mobile because they are inherently dumb" arguments and replace the "genetics" part with lefty whinging about inequality and class warfare.

It's truly an astounding piece of rhetoric just for the fact that it's so bizarre.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

India and China? That is about as upwardly mobile as you can get.

It's like this guy didn't want to be right about anything.

[KDN]

Diehard Red Sox fan; Masshole

This explains everything.

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

People say a lot of retarded shit.

[John]

One of the great sources of smug for Progressives is the certain knowledge that they own the youth and youth culture and their enemies are just angry old white men.

If the youth turn significantly libertarian the tears butt hurt among Progressives is going to be epic.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

When will these idiots realize libertarianism is about liberty, not equality?

[John]

They realize that and think that is the problem.

[DesigNate]

The comments burn something fierce.

I especially love the fucking boomers who are all like "When I entered the workforce in '70 I was told SS wouldn't be there for me, but guess what, it is and it will be for this generation too."

Um no you fucking mouth breather. First, SS was supposed to sunset, but like all progressive bullshit, it. just. won't. die. Second, whatever solvency there was in the system was a direct result of the largest cohort of workers the US had ever seen were all paying into it. Now I wonder what happens when that giant block of people start to retire and say gimme, gimme, gimme.

[Carl the Jarl]

I like how libertarianism is an invention of the moneyed intelligentsia, whereas progressivism isn't.

[Mad Scientist]

They care about the narrative, not the truth, especially when the two are in direct conflict. Thus, progressivism is about democracy and empowering the little guy.

[GILMORE]

"Salon: Billionaires are scamming millenials with libertarianism"

Yeah, it must be those dozens of high-profile Libertarian media outlets that feed into the major cable news networks and dominate the populist spin on every single news item of the day.

Because, like, Huffpo, Slate, Salon, Gawker, et al, are TOTALLY LIKE THE UNDERGROUND and the 'mainstream news' is in the pockets of the bajillioniares KOCH BROTHERS! CORPORASHUNS!! RACISM OIL CLIMATE CHANGE!!

[LynchPin1477]

Lasting equality for women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community requires a progressive tax structure that can afford to pay for strong social programs subsidizing education and keeping things like illness, unplanned pregnancy, or temporary unemployment from permanently holding back the most poor and disenfranchised.

Because after decades of subsidizing education, paying for medical care for the poor, and giving out unemployment insurance, we have done such a great job of improving conditions for minorities. We are sooooooooo close guys!

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Yep. We had a highly progressive tax structure in the 1950s. And what did it pay for? An MIC to the tune of 50% of the annual budget. It's no coincidence that California's heyday saw it housing a dozen military installations and all the related industries that supported it.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Almost a Darwin Award. Almost.

[Injun, as in from India]

What does Peter King have to say about that?

[robc]

"Fuck, waste of money."

[Coeus]

Be more gay!!!

According to Queerty.com, Cajero Bedford accused Gallardo ? who came out as gay last month ? of questionable ethics, saying that he is an arriviste who only came out as gay to curry political favor and call attention to himself. She also said to the Arizona Capitol Times that Gallardo should not remain in a leadership position while he runs for U.S. Congress.

Her motion to unseat him as whip failed on an 8-to-3 vote.

"She said that I should be more gay and she questioned my integrity. She said she was glad I came out (of the closet), but that I should be more gay," Gallardo told the Times. "I'm more offended that she questioned my integrity."

With regards to her comments about his orientation and personal comportment, Gallardo said that "what the hell that has to do with anything, I don't know."

[Corning]

The European Union has announced that it is launching a military operation in the Central African Republic.

Yeah sure why not.

The US will take care of Nato and defending Europe from Europe.

Why the fuck not.

Honestly i fucking hope Putin just sends the tanks in all the way to the Atlantic. At the least a Russian occupation would make them less Marxist.

[Calidissident]

Russia can bully Ukraine, but even given the relative weakness of European states, and assuming no US intervention or nukes, they would still get their asses kicked by an alliance of European states. Russia's military still has a lot of issues.

"At the least a Russian occupation would make them less Marxist."

That seems far from certain. They may not be the USSR any more, but they're far from a free market

[SusanM]

They may have gone from better-than-average ZiLs to armor plated Benzes but the only real difference is that they no longer pretend to give a shit about "the people".

[Corning]

"They" seem to care about the majority Russians living in Crimea.

The EU, NATO and the US seem only to care about the fledgling (failing?) government of Kiev which is 100s of miles away.

[PD Scott]

Is Florida Man-ism spreading? Judge denies bond for alleged naked burglar.

A judge denied bond Wednesday for a Decatur man accused of burglarizing several homes while wearing nothing but a cowboy hat.
The 21-year-old wearing more clothes in court than Johns Creek police say he was Monday when they say he burglarized two homes and streaked into Johns Creek city councilwoman Cori Davenport's house while security cameras captured his every move.
"He was completely naked. He had a cowboy hat on," Davenport said.

[Not an Economist]

Alright, serious question. How can you be completely naked and wearing a hat? Last I knew, hats are consider clothing.

[PD Scott]

Maybe Ms. Davenport believes hats are an accessory? If someone is naked except for jewelry, you'd still say they were naked (unless they wore enough to rival Mr. T, maybe).

[Andrew S.]

Florida Man-ism doesn't spread, because it's unfairly attributed to Florida. Most of it seems to happen in the Northeast part of the state, which is effectively Georgia, and the northwest part of the state, which is effectively Alabama.

[John]

I was thinking about the political contribution decision today. Really, the courts have been totally off the rails on the 1st Amendment for a long time. They focus on the nature of the restriction, not on whether the restriction is actually restricting speech.

For example, the idiotic case of "you can't yell fire in a crowded theater" shouldn't stand for the proposition that some speech can't be said. It stands for the proposition that you can't start a riot even if your speech is the means to do so. You can say anything you want. You just can't cause a riot.

[John]

The courts really went off the rails when they decided the indecency cases. The issue never should have been "can the government make indecent materials illegal" because they clearly can't. The issue should have always been about public displays of indecent material. If I decide to set up a dirty movie theater, the community has a right to say "hey your theater infringes on the commons and our quality of life so you can't show dirty movies" just like they can say "your playing your music too loud isn't allowed". But what no government should ever have been allowed to do was make it a crime for anyone not in public to make or watch pornographic movies. Freedom of speech means I can watch or make anything I want. The state might be able to control how I display such stuff in public but it has nor ability to prohibit me from making it, watching it, giving it to my friends, selling it to my friends as long as all of it is done in private.

Instead of doing that, the courts treated it as a restriction not on display but on "speech" and set the precedent that the government can restrict speech if it has a compelling enough interest. And that is where things started to go very wrong.

[PD Scott]

Well, IIRC a lot of it was pure classism and "for the children" BS. Literature was given more latitude than plays which were given much more latitude than films, since films appealed more to the uneducated - adults (especially all the foreigners who didn't have the benefit of being white and Protestant, and were therefore by nature easily excitable and in need of control) as well as children. The Courts didn't care so much about the Constitution as they did about "doing the right thing".

Shame how they fall into that trap again and again.

[Apatheist ?_??]

If I decide to set up a dirty movie theater, the community has a right to say "hey your theater infringes on the commons and our quality of life so you can't show dirty movies" just like they can say "your playing your music too loud isn't allowed".

Why? How is a dirty movie theater a public space? Why should a local government be able to infringe speech (and association)?

[John]

Because it can zone. You don't like that but framers disagreed.

[Apatheist ?_??]

My city (Houston) can't zone though the "zoning (but totally not)" we do have is for things like strip clubs. I still don't follow the assertion that "the community has a right" to do so. Besides that communities don't have rights zoning is an infringement on numerous rights and ones for particular content as opposed to all commercial buildings, such as dirty movies, could certainly be argued to be an infringement on the 1st.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Scientists believe they have determined why a zebra has stripes

A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of California led an investigation into the purpose of these zebra markings. The team found that many striped animals were found in common areas that are heavily populated by large numbers of tabanids, otherwise known as horse flies.

Lead study author and biologist of the university Tim Caro notes that these markings help prevent fly bites, which could cause blood loss and even spread disease.

"Biting flies are attracted to hosts by odor, temperature, vision and movement that may act at different stages during host seeking, but vision is thought to be important in the landing response," researchers said, via a press release.

Caro and his team studied patterns and locations of seven species and 20 subspecies of equines. They also mapped the native locations of these animals and plotted them against areas populated by large numbers of horse flies.

"Conversely, there is no consistent support for camouflage, predator avoidance, heat management or social interaction hypotheses," researchers note.

Fascinating.

[Zeb]

It's easy to overlook how damaging bug bites can be if you don't have hands to remove them.
Here in NH there has been a decline in moose population which some think has to do with higher than usual tick infestations. They are finding something like 30,000 ticks on a moose. That adds up to some significant blood loss (and is just horrifying to think about, I find ticks to be one of the more repellent creatures that I commonly run into).

[SForza]

Those moose need some chickens around to eat the ticks.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yet, each time I watch a nature show, a Zebra is always on its back being gnawed to death by a lion.

[Mad Scientist]

Yes, but only one of them.

[Zeb]

Well, that makes much better TV than horse flies failing to land on a zebra.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I thought it was because these two races mated.

[mad libertarian guy]

What about Barred Rock chickens?

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Fly tying material.

[SForza]

Chicken fucked a zebra after eating ticks off a moose. Obviously.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Bitcoin at $438 after a noon breakdown on high volume.

Down over 60% from previous high.

[The Laconic Marc F Cheney]

Cool story bro.

[Libertarian]

I'm down 60% from MY previous high, but I don't brag about it.

[Clich? Bandit]

lol

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

The penis that I sit around is down 60% from its previous high of about ten minutes ago.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I was in the pool! I was in the pool!

[Corning]

Rumors of china's central bank has outlawed banks doing transactions with bitcoin exchanges.

The central bank will not answer questions to affirm or deny this.

Small set back in the grand scheme of things.

One thing is certain. Without central banks using thug command and control tactics bitcoin sure is very very popular.

My guess is if the rumors are true the Chinese bitcoin users will find away around the restriction.

[Corning]

Also bitcoin sure is cheap right now. Good time to buy.

[Brett L]

My mother-in-law started investing in BTC last month. My mother-in-law who uses an ancient laptop to buy things from Amazon and download patterns for embroidery. I think the cream is gone, we'll see if there's any 2nd wind.

[Corning]

I think the cream is gone, we'll see if there's any 2nd wind.

Globally remittance is over $500 billion each year with $70 billion in fees.

Yeah China was pretty cool and their exchanges shot up the price of bitcoin to over $1000 in December.

But in comparison China's in and out into the market is small potatos compared to what bitcoin can do in the remittance market.

[Heroic Mulatto]

what bitcoin can do in the remittance market.

That's brilliant!

[John]

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2.....being.html

Kobe Bryant has the nerve to say that he shouldn't be obligated to defend someone just because they are black and is immediately beaten back in line by the various race baiters.

[Calidissident]

It's pretty ridiculous, especially considering Kobe still took a pro-Martin take on the case. From what I've seen criticism of him is of him on this is of two varieties: 1)(which to me has seemed much more common) People disagree that Trayvon being black had anything to do with the amount of support he got. Which is ridiculous. Had he been white, who knows, maybe Zimmerman doesn't follow him, or if he still did and killed him, maybe Zimmerman would have been charged. We can never know that. But I think it's pretty clear that the level of support he got in the black community would not have been nearly as high had everything happened the exact same way, but Trayvon was white. 2)(less commonly, from what I've seen) Some people disagree with what he said and think that, yes, black people should have been on Trayvon's side because he was black

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I heard that because he lived in Italy for seven years it prevented him from being really in tune with black issues.

Yeah. Maybe it, you know, fucking enlightened him?

Fucking Trayvon Martin. How this case became a leitmotif for race hustlers I'll never know.

[Heroic Mulatto]

I heard that because he lived in Italy for seven years it prevented him from being really in tune with black issues.

Yes, because no athlete of African ethnicity has ever experienced racism in Europe.

[Calidissident]

Would have made a lot more sense to use "African-American" or "black American" in that instance, but I still think the point is stupid.

[Coeus]

Damn. Bitch is angry.

"Welcome, welcome to the Husband Store, ladies and gentlemen! Just kidding, gentlemen. When we said we wanted to extend marriage to everyone, we didn't actually mean everyone.

"We have a little something for all the ladies here at the Husband Store! Single dads, randy bachelors, video game geeks who will keep your couch warm, sports fans and bookish nerds, all available right here for the taking. Are some of you ladies hankering for a gym rat who might not be around a lot, but when he is, he's all muscle? What about you ladies that just want someone who takes the trash out without being asked and whose ideal night is a night at home cuddling in front of Netflix? Sure, that one might cost a little more than most of you make with that 77 on a dollar, but we consider husbands an investment at the Husband Store.

"Looking for a grumpy middle-aged divorced man who loves Rush Limbaugh? We have tons of those in stock, ladies, and at bargain basement prices!

[Coeus]

"What's that you say, single moms? You're looking for a stable man with a job who is nice to you and just loves kids? Well, we are miracle workers here at the Husband Store, and while we might not have enough of those to go around, we can help you with a payment plan to get one in your bed starting tonight! Hurry now, before they all run out!

"But if the price tag for those is making you blanch, may I refer you again to our grumpy middle-aged divorced conservative catalog? Seriously, ladies, they may not look like much, but some of these fixer-uppers might work out with a little elbow grease. We'll throw in some marriage counseling for women who are willing to put a ring on it today!"

[John]

Maybe you should have been more careful about who you married or let knock you up in the first place. Then you would be a bit more marketable.

[Mad Scientist]

Or maybe they'd still have the first husband if they could make at least a pretense at reducing the nagging, complaining, spending, insulting, excusing, and "fixing."

[Corning]

They should ban single women with children on dating sites.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

God. That article is just porn for losers.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Nickelodeon star lands in hot water for sexy selfies posted on Instagram

[Heroic Mulatto]

By "hot water", surely you mean "the sexual fantasies of hundreds of thousands of men".

[paranoid android]

Makes me wish Melissa Joan Hart had a cell phone and complete lack of modesty in her Clarissa Explains It All days...

[Andrew S.]

15 year old me is drooling over that thought.

[Brett L]

Definitely needs disciplining. I volunteer.

[The DerpRider]

Obama pushes minimum wage hike at progressive deli where sandwiches go for $16 each...

The menu at Zingerman's should serve as fair warning of the consequences of a steep minimum wage hike. Prices go up.

[Calidissident]

Who the fuck pays $16 for a sandwich?

[110 Lean]

If it's a good sandwich, me.

[GILMORE]

FOOL$! YOUR $16 SAMMICHES ARE FOR PEASANTS!!! BEHOLD!!!

"The #4 please"

4. Hot Pastrami, Corned Beef, wide Salami, cole slaw and Russian dressing .......................$23.55

http://www.2ndavedeli.com/wp-c.....ine-in.pdf

to be fair, you could probably take a few days to actually eat it.

[Corning]

Marge - "Homer are you still eating that sandwich?"

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

"Marge, I need a moment alone with the sandwich."

[Mike M.]

At the rate food prices seem to be rising lately, it won't be too long until the fucking Big Mac runs you $16.

[Pro Libertate]

I've been quite surprised at how long fast-food prices have stayed relatively flat.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

That stood out at me too. And McDonalds started using higher quality bacon at the same time.

Fast food is evil, I tell you!

[John]

They are just selling bad food that will hurt the poor anyway.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Let's be fair now. The article states "A deluxe sandwich at Zingerman's averages $16." And if Zingerman's is a real deal NY-style Kosher Deli, then a stuffed sandwich of pastrami, corned beef, and tongue, stacked at least three to four inches in height, might go for sixteen bucks in today's world.

[The DerpRider]

The cheapest corned beef sandwich is $11.50. And it's Michigan my lovely home state of Michigan we're talking about.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

We call it smoked meat here in Montreal and it goes for about the same price.

[Surly Chef]

And last for more than one meal.

[OldMexican]

PM Links

Matthew Feeney Apr. 2, 2014 4:30 pm

Somebody is in a rush to get home earlier!

[Calidissident]

Australia to consider banning organized boycotts for "environmental reasons." Apparently, there is already a a general ban on "secondary boycotts," but it exempts environmental boycotts. Makes me thankful for the First Amendment

http://www.theguardian.com/env.....l-boycotts

[Spoonman.]

Not giving (buying) is taking, apparently.

[SusanM]

Groups including the Australian Forest Products Association and parts of the seafood industry are also preparing submissions to the review arguing that environmental campaigns against companies selling products made from native timbers or "unsustainable" fishing amount to a "secondary boycott" and should be unlawful.

Quite possibly.

[paranoid android]

...how the hell do you ban a boycott? A boycott is just refusing to buy a certain product or products from a certain source. For such a ban to be at all enforceable, you'd have to compel people to buy a product they have no interest in purchasing.

Boy, am I glad our government doesn't have that power!

[John]

I was wondering that too. If I refuse to buy my gas at Exxon, do I have to swear I am not doing it for political reasons?

[Calidissident]

It's not a ban on individuals boycotting a product. It's a ban on boycott campaigns - so you can't advertise or promote a ban on the products of company X or market Y. There seems to currently be at least one exemption, if you're boycott is for environmental reasons (there may be others, I don't know anything about the law beyond that article). Which some are suggesting should be removed.

[Calidissident]

*your

[Pro Libertate]

It's amazing how much more strong the U.S. freedom of speech is compared to the Commonwealth nations. You'd think we'd be a little closer in how we treat speech.

[Wasteland Wanderer]

Our attitudes regarding free speech were intertwined with our revolution and the culture of independence that lead up to it. Since the other commonwealth countries didn't go through that, and instead separated amicably, they don't have a similar tradition of free speech.

[Clich? Bandit]

"Now, I am not saying AAW has ovine sexual relations."

...

"Now, I would never encourage people NOT to buy this company's product."

[Sevo]

"Now, I would never encourage people NOT to buy this company's product."

True story about a Nashville DJ in the '50s.
He was very popular and asked the kids to blow their horns at X hour. They did. Cops called and said 'don't do that again'.
The next night, He told the kids that the cops told him he couldn't tell them to blow their horns at Y hour.
I presume the cops were surprised at the outcome.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Boy, am I glad our government doesn't have that power!

Yet

[Mad Scientist]

Obamacare, anyone?

[paranoid android]

At least someone got the joke...

[Corning]

For such a ban to be at all enforceable, you'd have to compel people to buy a product they have no interest in purchasing.

So Obama banned boycotting Obamacare

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Banning Boycotts.

Boy band?

[Calidissident]

I just realized that my wording could be confusing. They are not considering banning boycott (campaigns) for the stated purpose of environmental protection. They are considering banning boycott campaigns that boycott certain companies or markets for environmental reasons

[GILMORE]

That's much less confusing.

[Bam!]

Another Fort Hood shooter.

[Pro Libertate]

Just saw this. Holy shit. What is going on with people these days? And why Ft. Hood? Didn't some other attack there just get foiled or something?

[Agammamon]

Damn - its is just *ridiculously* cold today.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

It really is. I had to run some wiring in the crawl space last week, and disconnected the air ducts so that I could fit. I was in a hurry, so I just left them disconnected, thinking that I wouldn't need to deal with it for another 9 months.

I regret that decision.

[Agammamon]

I imagine so.

Damn near every day here its been peaking in the mid-80's. Today, all of a sudden, its well under 70 at 1400.

What's gonna suck is that we usually lose another 20 degrees once the sun goes down and my heater probably doesn't work - and if it does it'll just set the dust in the ducts on fire.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Both of you...

Bite me!

[John]

If thin mints are sold at the expense of public heath, I guess NPR considers anything someone might enjoy eating to be sold at the public's expense.

God these people are sick. They just are deranged.

[Ted S.]

Maybe they should push Obese Mints instead. Thin Mints are bad for people with body image problems.

[Pro Libertate]

Thin Mints are vegan, you know. Which makes them holy.

[paranoid android]

I think this is one of the reasons libertarians and leftists can, at heart, never really get along.

Leftist: "Girl Scouts with their cookies are no different than drug dealers, so why to we permit the former?"

Libertarian: "Girl Scouts with their cookies are no different than drug dealers, so why do we persecute the latter?"

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I'll wait till I see her.

I think I've narrowed it to Brownie, Cutty or Dolly.

[~Knarf Yenrab~]

They're only accidentally vegan. Real vegans (by which I mean raw vegans) know better than to buy accidentally vegan cookies.

[110 Lean]

No, but I hear good things. Need to hit their tap room before they relocate.

[110 Lean]

Just found out it runs about $18.99 for a 4-pack of 16 oz cans. That's even more that Abrasive.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I vote Cutty. Sounds tough, and easy to call.

[Pro Libertate]

Oh. I thought that meant that they were made on a planet orbiting Vega. Shows what I know.

[Pro Libertate]

Yes, wonder if it's the same guy they're looking for or connected to that? Jesus, how fucked up.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I blame Texas and their lack of gun control.

[Pro Libertate]

Of course, I know you're kidding, but one question I do have is whether gun control on the base was lifted at all after the horrific prior shooting. Surely the military had the sense to adjust its policies?

[Warty]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Of course not.

[Agammamon]

Let me clue you into something PL - the military is perfectly fine with sacrificing its soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines on the altar of political correctness.

A military base is probably the only place in this country that actually fits the gun-banners dream society - no-one has a weapon (not even so much as a large knife) except the 'authorities'.

Oh, and the mass-shooters.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

What Warty said.

[Pro Libertate]

I hope you're wrong, but you're probably right.

In any case, whatever the military or government leadership may think, I suspect a small stink might be raised if they end up losing a bunch of people over the same kind of incident at the same place. Hope it turns out not to be as bad, of course.

[Agammamon]

Sure a stink will be raised - and their solution will be more armed guards, more intrusive vehicle and barracks checks, and harsher punishment for any servicemember caught with so much as an out-of-reg pocket knife.

It will *never* be, let these guys carry on base.

This despite the fact that a huge number (a majority IME in the Navy) of the people they don't trust to carry *off-duty* are given a pistol or rifle and minimal training and put on a post when they're *on-duty*.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I'm about to send an email to my critters demanding the ability to carry on base.

This is cock. Of all the people in the world qualified to carry a weapon...

[Agammamon]

And none of the gun control really helps even to prevent self-harm.

I've had people (at the bases I served on but not in any on the units I served with) commit suicide with their service weapon while on watch.

They couldn't get easy access to a gun while off-duty, so they simply waited until they had watch, took possession of the weapon and watch-station, then offed themselves when no-one was looking.

[Pro Libertate]

I mean, these people are trained to use weapons, so they should be safer with them in their hands off-duty than the ordinary citizens who can carry them around. Well, in the parts of the United States that actually are required to adhere to that part of the Constitution.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

President Barack Obama has been briefed on the incident and will continue to receive updates, according to a White House press pool report.

Thank Christ for that!

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Thank Clinton:
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fu.....272176.pdf

[Pro Libertate]

What's he going to do, impose sanctions on the base? Fly over it with a bullhorn, issuing bland cliches?

[Agammamon]

Uh, 'trained' has a wiiiide range of meanings.

Depending on who you are and your MOS/Rate training can be firing several hundred rounds a month while moving through a shooting course to as little as 18 rounds a *year* in a qualification course (IF your duties involve carrying a weapon).

My personal experience in the Navy
The RTC's range was closed while I was in Basic so we skipped the weapons training part and I didn't handle another fire-arm/fire a round (duty-related) for the next five years.

Its not impossible to go a full 20 year tour without ever having to carry a firearm in the military and you'll get the training commensurate with that responsibility:)

[Francisco d'Anconia]

He's considering a drone strike.