A.M. Links: VA Scandal Keeps Growing, Edward Snowden Gets His Own Comic Book, Russian Prime Minister Says 'Second Cold War' Approaching

• 

  Credit: C-Span

  The scandal over alleged mismanagement at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs keeps growing.

• The NSA is recording every cellphone call in the Bahamas. Meanwhile, a new comic book about NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden will hit the shelves tomorrow.
• In a commencement speech at Baltimore's Morgan State University, Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the U.S. Supreme Court, and Chief Justice John Roberts in particular, for failing "to take account of racial inequality, especially in its less obvious forms."
• Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says "we are slowly but surely approaching a second cold war."
• Martial law has been declared in Thailand.
• Police in the Michigan town of Brighton have started ticketing people for swearing in public.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The scandal over alleged mismanagement at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs keeps growing.

Fakers.

[Steve G]

Well, in the case of the sleep apnea crowd, yeah, pretty much.

[kinnath]

huh?

[Steve G]

I've known more people than I can count who have left military service and before they did, they had a sleep study performed to confirm that, yes indeedy, they have sleep apnea. Why? Well, for an increased disability rating of course. Is it a real condition? Yeah, I suppose, but is it a function of their military service (therefore VA's responsibility)? Hell no.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I've known more people than I can count who have left military service and before they did, they had a sleep study performed to confirm that, yes indeedy, they have sleep apnea.

Some days, I almost feel like a sucker for not getting something like that identified before I left just to get the .gov cheddar.

[kinnath]

Sleep apnea is real. I've been on a CPAP for 20 years now.

More people have it than realize it.

Untreated, it can be disabling to some extent, but treated properly it ain't no fucking disability. That's why you get treatment, to be fully functional.

[Zeb]

And untreated there is some chance you just don't wake up one day. Happened to a friend of mine who had undiagnosed, untreated sleep apnea.

[The Last American Hero]

And if caused by genetics or dietary habits and not by military service, why am I paying for it?

[Steve G]

*touches nose*

[Fist of Etiquette]

Police in the Michigan town of Brighton have started ticketing people for swearing in public.

Which causes people to swear in public. It's the perfect money maker.

[Slammer]

That"s a bunch of bullshit!

[Fist of Etiquette]

You are fined one credit for a violation of the Verbal Morality Statute.

[Slammer]

No fucking way!

[gaijin]

Everyone should start swearing in Spanish!

[Injun, as in from India]

+1 Santa Vaca

[Kaptious Kristen]

In Turkish, "peach" (pi?) is bastard, and "seek" (sik) is "fuck". So we could all walk around seeking peaches and never get a ticket!

[Zeb]

Interesting. According to Top Gear, at least, "peach" (however they spell it) refers to lady parts in Albanian.

[Kaptious Kristen]

In Turkish, "am" (sounds like "um") is the word for "cunt". So if you're prone to conversational pauses, better pick another sound, like "errrrrr", when you're there.

[Zeb]

As long as you aren't English and pronounce "err" like "uhm".

[Shirley Knott]

In the late 60's/early 70's a friend was ticket at MSU for 'swearing in the presence of a woman' when reacting to the discovery of an unpaid library fine.
To the best of my recollection the relevant statute was long ago repealed.
This does not seem like the sort of thing that could possibly withstand scrutiny by the courts -- it's a clear and obvious First Amendment violation.
Of course, that 'just' requires someone with the deep pockets to fight a ticket. Perhaps the IoJ would like to send a couple of folks to Brighton -- not as fun as the one in England, but slightly drier.

[UnCivilServant]

Would any swearing woman be subject to said law since they are never not in the presence of a woman?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Demolition Man!

That world.

It's coming.

[Snark Plissken]

Martial law has been declared in Thailand.

And everybody was kung-fu fighting!

[Snark Plissken]

In fact it was a little bit frightening.

[hamilton]

I got yelled at for playing that in my car the other day. Can I get a call here? RAAACCCIIIIST or just extra, filthy, fun-kay?

[Snark Plissken]

I think the proper response is, "It's okay, that's not a racist song because Carl Douglas is a nigger."

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

I think he said the sheriff is near?

[Snark Plissken]

+1 authentic frontier gibberish

[Zeb]

I don't see why silly, inaccurate cultural stereotypes and tropes are necessarily racist. Especially when it is about something like Kung Fu which is awesome.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

+1 expert timing

[Fist of Etiquette]

Meanwhile, a new comic book about NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden will hit the shelves tomorrow.

Spider-Man from that embarrassing Obama comic when he got elected anywhere to be found in this one?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

No bullet points or alt-text?

[Tonio]

...Postrel...

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Feeney

[Restoras]

Ugh, I keep hoping he and Shika will run-off together and leave us alone for a little while.

[Francisco d'Anconia]

Feeney's already gone. Went to Cato or some such nonsense. Couple days ago. Said goodby and just left...

[Restoras]

'Bullet points' contain the violence inducing word 'bullet' and will no longer be included in the new and improved, peace loving AM Links.

[UnCivilServant]

I say we stage a coup and reclaim the links - For the Bullet Points!

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Oh, I see.

*Reaches out to hold Restoras' hand*

[Pathogen]

TRIGGER WARNINGZ!!!

[Slammer]

Federal court: police can break down door and seize guns without warrant or charges

Here's the court documents for the H&R lawyers

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

No glaring loopholes there, nosirree

[Fluffy]

The lesson here is that participating in therapy is the equivalent of calling 911 on yourself.

And as we all know - never call 911, ever.

[Roger the Shrubber]

For the TLDR crowd - The 4A was written to protect you from government agents. But government agents are protected by qualified immunity so FYTW.

[Elspeth Flashman]

I did read the full article. And yeah the qualified immunity "doctrine", how far does a police force have to go before they are recklessly ignoring someone's right? (I know I can look it up and find out but I am feeling lazy).

Nine hours seems an awfully long time for an "emergency" situation to be continuing, and continuing. I mean the thing about an emergency is that it's relatively brief. Nine hours is a large fraction of a day.

[Ivan Pike]

When is it ok to shoot a cop.

[BigT]

Any day that ends in y.

[entropy_factor]

Looks like it's time for shoot-on-sight. Hate to say it, but there has to be a line somewhere.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized, unless it's for your own good.

[Zeb]

Should have sued the fucking therapist too. What happened to confidentiality in medical care?

I like how she called 911 on the cops.

[Bryan C]

More people should do that. Seriously.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the U.S. Supreme Court, and Chief Justice John Roberts in particular, for failing "to take account of racial inequality, especially in its less obvious forms."

Holder's a race baiter? I never would have guessed.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Figures he can push Roberts around, and the "penaltax" shows he has good reason to believe that.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Johnny just wants to be liked, that's all.

[Bill Dalasio]

A good enough quality, that. In a spaniel. Or a whore. Not, I think, in a Supreme Court Justice.

[Steve G]

especially in its less obvious forms

Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there!!

[WDATPDIM?!]

"Lest any of you brothers and sisters think of not turning out to vote for Team Blue this fall, just remember teh Racism."

[creech]

I'm shocked that scum like him would be invited to speak at a college commencement, and not run off campus by angry students.

[Zeb]

No you're not.

[DesigNate]

I would be too. IF it was anyplace other than Baltimore.

[Lord Humungus]

How the NRA Rewrote the Second Amendment
The Founders never intended to create an unregulated individual right to a gun. Today, millions believe they did. Here's how it happened.

So how does legal change happen in America? We've seen some remarkably successful drives in recent years?think of the push for marriage equality, or to undo campaign finance laws. Law students might be taught that the court is moved by powerhouse legal arguments or subtle shifts in doctrine. The National Rifle Association's long crusade to bring its interpretation of the Constitution into the mainstream teaches a different lesson: Constitutional change is the product of public argument and political maneuvering. The pro-gun movement may have started with scholarship, but then it targeted public opinion and shifted the organs of government. By the time the issue reached the Supreme Court, the desired new doctrine fell like a ripe apple from a tree.

[gaijin]

The Founders never intended

Someone has not read the Federalist Papers?

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

something, something, over a hundred years ago, white slave owners, yada yada yada.

[Restoras]

Or even the Second Amendment?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

What parts in the Federalist Papers?

[robc]

Yeah, i was cunfused too, as they specifically oppose a bill of rights as unnecessary.

[Restoras]

If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no resource left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense...if the persons intrusted with supreme power become usurpers...The citizens must rush tumultuously to arms

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The problem with this quote is those on the other side will say that last part is about the state militias rushing to arms to oppose the tyrannical government.

[robc]

Citizens != militia, although damn close. So no, that isnt a problem. I dont need to worry what idiots will argue.

[Pathogen]

"Citizens != militia"

I always thought that, because we were obligated to register for selective service... Citizens == militia.. Maybe not.

[robc]

Females are citizens. As are children and the elderly.

[Slammer]

An argument can be made that each citizen is a militia in and of themselves.

[Restoras]

I beleive you are correct in that assumption. However, it also pre-supposes that the armed citizens who are members of the militia - would be armed and thus able to resist the tyranny of the Federal government.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

They would be armed but they would also be part of state organized and conducted militia. None of us would want our gun rights so conditioned.

Of course, this is the Federalist Papers, the 2nd Amendment came later, and the understanding of the 2nd Amendment when the 14th passed is something else.

[Humberto Brenes]

they would also be part of state organized and conducted militia.

Why?

While it is possible to read that the citizenry is the "militia", there is no way to read that into any of it.

You're simply fabricating that out of whole cloth.

[Juice]

If you read all of this paper (Federalist 28) it's saying that this is a shitty situation. If a state government gets tyrannical all the people can do is try to overturn it with arms. But it's not going to work because they are disorganized and can be easily crushed at the outset. This won't be a problem with a Federal Government because the states are organized enough to repel tyranny and besides it'll be some time in the future before the US will have an army big enough to be an empire and be oppressive, so what's to worry about fellow NYers. Let's get on board with this constitution. I get though, that he's simply stating as if everyone understands there exists an individual right to self-defense using arms.

[gaijin]

46 is one example for those who prefer the 'guns against tyranny' argument.

Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.

[Restoras]

...To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million of citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence...

[Bo Cara Esq.]

They would bold the 'officered by men chosen from among themselves...and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence (the states).

[Restoras]

Right. You and I would choose our officers - say sarcasmic. Not some guy from Redstate or Huffpo.

[Restoras]

...Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of

[Bo Cara Esq.]

This reads even more strongly for the state militia right view.

[Restoras]

Yes it does. But it also presumes private ownership of firearms.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I am not sure it does. It says the Americans are armed, but does not say whether the arms were already in their hands or whether the state issued them.

Of course, the Militia Act which came immediately after the Constitution cleared up some intentions one might say.

[Restoras]

Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation

I think this helps clear up the idea that Americans refers to individual Americans and not the centralized government.

[Humberto Brenes]

but does not say whether the arms were already in their hands or whether the state issued them.

This is...laughable.

[Elspeth Flashman]

The NRA is just pure evil, merchants of death in fact, and profits wildly off of everything it does. (at least according to my liberal sister).

[Restoras]

Are they hiring?

[Knarf the Yenrabian]

The NRA Wine Club is a huge moneymaker, I'm sure. Meanwhile the federal gun grabbers have seen their budget cut to the $3.5-trillion bone.

(and i wish someone would tell the NRA, GoA, and the 2AF that they're all wildly rich whores to the wildly rich gun industry so they'd stop sending me donation solicitations)

[Bryan C]

The Federalist Papers are all part of the NSA's nefarious centuries-long plan to push their modern radical agenda. Duh.

[Tonio]

The Founders never intended to create an unregulated individual right to a gun.

LOL. But of course the Proggies, who are totally all-about the Framers, know they meant something completely different than what they wrote down as law. Also, Melissa Claus.

[robc]

Do they really want to play the founders purpose game? Cause I got some Madison quotes ready to go. 90+% of federal spending goes away.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

This

[Drake]

Stun them by noting that the spark that set off the American Revolution was an gun seizure by statist authorities.

[robc]

That was the day after concord and lexington...but VA didnt know about it yet.

[Drake]

That was Concord and Lexington.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....nd_Concord

[robc]

Ah, thought you were referring to gunpowder incident in virginia.

[gaijin]

Do they really want to play the founders purpose game? Cause I got some Madison quotes ready to go. 90+% of federal spending goes away.

Another fun tactic is to get them to provide evidence that the founders did NOT intend an individual right. Aside from their own interpretations, they can't point to much in the way of actual evidence.

Is there contrary evidence of an individual right?

[mr simple]

There's evidence that there is no individual right to working links.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

And SugarFree has returned...coincidence...I THINK NOT!

[gaijin]

crap

link...now with working mechanism

[Matrix]

But the Founders did intend to create a massive welfare state.

[Pathogen]

"..From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.." - Some white slave owning founding father...

No, wait.. that was some other aspiring slave owner..

[Restoras]

Not to mention that the use of the word 'regulated' is completely incorrect.

Well-regulated in this context does not mean lots of rules prohibiting the use of or ownership of arms, or the correct use of them. Well-regulated means 'well-trained' in the use of, as in 'regular' vs. 'irregular' troops. Irregulars were the militia of the day (and have been lableled as such for millennia) and not very effective against the British 'regulars', just as auxilery troops such as slingers were no match for heavy infantry of the day.

Thus the intent of 'well-regulated' was to insure that a citizen army would be 'properly trained' in order to oppose any tyranny of a Federal government, or said government's use of a standing (regular) army to impose its will on the states.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Wouldn't a well trained force be one to which many rules were applied?

[Restoras]

Sure. Rules for drill and proper use of arms. But not rules that limit ownership of arms - kind of defeats the purpose.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I've had this conversation with them before, they would point to nations like Switzerland and Israel which have something like citizen militias and who impose rules on ownership, storage and possession of weapons.

[Restoras]

Yes, I know that in Switzerland able bodied males that have thier army issued rifles at home have strict rules to follow. But, the US isn't Switzerland.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Those are State provided arms. Mine are not.

[Isaac Bartram]

Until the early 90s Switzerland had gun laws on a par with the middling regulated US states. Pretty much any Swiss citizen could own a gun with very few restrictions on type.

It was pressure from the EU that caused them to stiffen there laws and start requiring permits etc. The EU countries claimed that their citizens were buying handguns in Switzerland and bringing them home.

Switzerland still has the highest gun ownership rate in Europe and just about every town has a gun club.

In many ways the Swiss attitude towards firearms is similar to Americans. They have a tradition of an arm citizenry resisting tyranny and oppression going back to the days of William Tell. Crossbows turned into rifles and pistols.

[Isaac Bartram]

I first heard about Swiss gun laws and the EU's problem with them in the early 90s from the BBC news.

Essentially at the time a Swiss citizen could pretty much buy a long gun or hand gun by just producing his Swiss identity card. Pearl clutching British announcer..very alarmed...won't somebody think of the childrennnnn!!!!...etc...

Since then they have introduced a whole bunch of regulations and permitting requirements etc.

This was completely separate from the weapons held by Swiss reservists.

[robc]

Nope. Just a few.

[Ted S.]

The Founders never intended to create an unregulated individual right to a gun.

They didn't?

They never intended to have campaign finance laws be constitutional, either.

[An Innocent Man]

Irrelevant what the original intent of 2A was. My right to defend myself and family does not originate with the Second Amendment.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think that regardless of the 2nd Amendment SCOTUS should find a fundamental right to self defense under substantive due process. It is certainly as rooted in our nation's history as any other they have found.

[WDATPDIM?!]

"Substantive due process" = "states' rights" for the university set.

[robc]

9th amendment. No need to go substantive due process route.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

SDP is often linked to the 9th (the 9th assures us there are unenumerated rights like the ones SDP identifies).

[robc]

No need to go sdp. 9th was designed to cover all rights in natural law not otherwise listed.

[jamesrk]

dont worry, eventually they will convince themselves that the 2nd amendment reads

"Well-regulated arms"

[Zeb]

How do people figure that there is effectively anything like an unregulated right to a gun? There are tons of regulations about guns, who can own or purchase them and their use even in states with reasonably good gun laws. And the recent SC cases allow for some significant regulation.

By regulate, they mean ban.

[Tonio]

NPR discovers that people are actually jailed for failure to pay court-imposed fines, is shocked. Investigates further and finds a web of interlocking bullshit fees imposed upon criminal defendants, is even more shocked. Refuses to draw obvious conclusion about the violence inherent in statism.

[waffles]

Reminds me of the This American Life where a family was denied adopting a foster child they had in their house for years because the social worker found out they used spankings. In fact the kid asked to be spanked in order to be equal with his siblings. NPR had some throwaway line about understanding that the government had to do it's job blah blah blah. The state is violence and the consequences of this violence can be downright evil.

[Apple]

I seem to remember the reporter's attitude was something like, "Just submit. Do what they ask and no one gets hurt. I know it's unfair, but you're making it harder for everyone."

[Rufus J. Firefly]

That's pure evil logic.

Nurse Ratchet logic.

[Zeb]

Sadly sometimes that's what you have to do. If you have a family to take care of, being a martyr to principle harms them too.

[Humberto Brenes]

Ah, you're a coward.

[poloniusium]

Is it cowardice to not martyr other people?

The government doesn't just make victims of fathers.

[Humberto Brenes]

You either have principles or you don't. If you chose to put other people in harms way, then yes you are still a coward.

It doesn't make your cowardice necessarily the wrong choice, but you're still a coward.

[Elspeth Flashman]

We have this evil thing in Michigan called the driver's responsibility fee. Which means that if something happens between you and the law, the fee might get imposed (and it doesn't even have to involve your car, depending on whatever "crime" you're charged with). And all your driving privileges aren't restored until the fee is paid.

But to get to work to pay the fee, one must drive (most likely). Which means that if you're driving to work to pay the fee, and you get pulled over, your fine is imposed again. Which means there are tons of people driving with suspended licenses out there.

[Juice]

If more and more people become willing to spend a few days in jail, costing the state money, instead of funding the state through these fees, this shit will change. But it takes a LOT of people doing it.

[gaijin]

Saw this online:

VA scandal: DIDN'T KNOW
Benghazi security: DIDN'T KNOW
Fast and Furious: DIDN'T KNOW
Lose your doctor: DIDN'T KNOW
Bin Laden hit: MASTERMIND

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

You are Facebook friends with Shriek?

[Restoras]

Winner!

[gaijin]

Seconded!

[DontShootMe]

Auuuugggghhhh. don't summon it.

[Injun, as in from India]

The scandal over alleged mismanagement at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs keeps growing.

We're getting to the point where we can build a pyramid if fake scandals.

[UnCivilServant]

Can we entomb the administration under it?

[Injun, as in from India]

I will believe that administrations are people when Texas executes one.

[Elspeth Flashman]

+1 smelly OWS tent.

[Lord Humungus]

Quiz: How Dumb Does Obama Think We Are?
The Veterans Affairs policy fiasco is magnified by an insulting public relations strategy.

News quiz: President Obama and his communications team hope that Americans are: 1) Dumb; 2) Distracted; 3) Numb to government inefficiency; 4) All of above.

Answer: 4, all of the above.

Those are the most obvious explanations for why the White House thought it could get away with claiming that the departure of Veterans Affairs official Dr. Robert Petzel was a step toward accountability for its scandalous treatment of war veterans.

Fact is, the department announced in 2013 that Petzel would retire this year.

[waffles]

Well, he's right. As a populace we a dumb, uninformed, and distracted. Federal elections are all image at this point, substance is inconsequential.

[Ted S.]

How much of it is his lapdogs in the tradational media ignoring the scandals?

[waffles]

Some, probably more than I realize. But Obama is cool guy with good intentions so what difference, at this point, does it make?

[Knarf the Yenrabian]

They're immune to it at this point and incapable of distinguishing between the bad and the awful. It's been one scandal after another for decades now, so they figure that they might as well have their scandal-ridden clown in office rather than the other team's scandal-ridden clown.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

FAKE SKANDUL! TRYING TO DISTRACT FROM BEST ECONOMY SINCE FOUNDING OF THE NATION!!! TEATHUGLICANS TRYING TO OBSCURE ACA SUCCESS STORY!1!11!

/derp

[Fist of Etiquette]

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says "we are slowly but surely approaching a second cold war."

Neither country can afford it this time.

[Aloysious]

I'm tired of looking at pictures of either Holder or Obama. I'm going to tape a picture of a pink squirrel giving me the finger to my monitor so as to spare my delicate eye-holes.

[Ted S.]

Still snowing in East Iceland

There are several web cams showing the snowy roads at the Icelandic Road Administration. The site on Road 953 mentioned in the article doesn't seem to have a webcam, but the one on the Ring Road is among the webcames in the North-East (Nordausturland); click on the text links at the bottom.

[The Late P Brooks]

Eric Holder criticized the U.S. Supreme Court, and Chief Justice John Roberts in particular, for failing "to take account of racial inequality, especially in its less obvious forms."

Pay no attention to the 20 million black men behind the curtain bars.

[Lord Humungus]

Monica Wehby stalking report first requested by Democratic Party of Oregon employee

An employee of the Democratic Party of Oregon was the first person to request the April 2013 police report of timber baron Andrew Miller accusing Republican Senate candidate Monica Wehby of "stalking" him after a break-up.

Jon Friedman, who listed a Northeast Portland address, requested the report from Portland police on April 17, 2014, documents obtained by The Oregonian through a public records request show. Friedman did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday.

Friedman works as a research assistant for the Democratic Party of Oregon, said Jamal Raad, party spokesman. Raad declined to comment further.

[Slammer]

Sex change drugs 'to be offered to nine-year-olds'.
Nine-year-olds could be given puberty-blocking drugs on the NHS as a first step towards sex change surgery, doctors say

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Jesus H F Christ...

What the fuck is wrong with the parents? No nine year old could possibly make a rational decision about their sexuality.

[UnCivilServant]

Also - what is wrong with the doctors for not saying "no, this is medically unsound"

[Tonio]

Gender identity is different than sexuality. I think children are aware of their own gender identities at a pretty early age.

Having said that, I'm not comfortable with retarding their development; not comfortable with the alternatives, either.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Point taken. However, children are aware of a lot of things at a young age. It doesn't mean they're in the least bit rational about it. A sex change operation is a lifelong decision. Giving them hormones to stall natural development processes is outrageous.

This in a society that doesn't think anyone should be able to determine what recreational drugs they consume.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I guess the argument from the other side is this: you have a child who really thinks and acts like the opposite sex than they are. It does not seem like it is 'going away.' If the child continues their childhood in this state, acting like one sex while being another, they are in for a hellish childhood.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

A sex change is certainly not going away.

Let the kid wear skirts or vice-versa. Let them self-identify in other ways. Physical alterations are permanent and should be off the table.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Oh, I agree with you there are some serious considerations on the other side as well. I seriously doubt we know enough about gender identity issues and how immutable they may be to justify the action proposed here.

[John]

If you really identify as a different gender, can't you wait until you are 18 and sure? Isn't the potential harm associated with that less than the potential harm of a confused child changing their gender and later regretting it?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I would bet that being an actual boy living like a girl would make every day at school pretty hellish.

[John]

But it would only last until you are 18. Changing your gender is for the rest of your life. You can't change back.

[John]

Look at it this way, someone under the age of majority can't consent to sex with an adult, even with their parents permission. How the hell can they consent to a sex change?

[Warren's Strapon]

Like Scruffy above, I had my doubts. Then I did some reading, and it turns out that transexuals are aware at a very young age. This is one of those cases where instincts are wrong.

[poloniusium]

Call me a bigot if I'm dubious about the motives of people researching gender and sex and making arguments that children should start sex change processes.

[BakedPenguin]

Additionally, if the person goes through puberty, reversing its effects will be much harder.

I understand the arguments against this, but I don't think it's so cut and dried

[lap83]

Call me a crazy puritan, but I don't think it's possible to know how it "feels" to be a different gender.
I don't even think I know how it feels to be a woman, even though I am one, because I've never been a man and I don't know that I'd feel any differently.

[Steve G]

Why ya gotta be so bigoted against 9-yr-old trannys?!?

[Bryan C]

Mommy decided she really wants a girl, and making a new one will take too long.

[John]

That is child abuse. I am sorry, no nine year old is competent to decide to have a sex change. And doing so will fuck them up for life. That is the cruelest most disgusting thing not involving a cop I have read in a very long time.

The UK is a sick fucking society. They would ban circumcision if they could but they are going to give nine year old's sex changes.

[entropy_factor]

the whole trans thing is mental illness, I hate to say. You are basically saying, biology renders me a male, but my brain feels like a female. That's misperception and a disconnect between your brain and reality. Why do we blame the body, and not the brain (which does the perceiving)?

I don't suggest locking anyone up or harming anyone, but we cannot just say "this is normal" psychologically.

[John]

The doctor who perfected the procedure stopped doing them back in the 1990s. He found that whatever issues his patients had before the surgery just reappeared later. It is a mental illness. Sadly, these surgeries don't cure it.

[poloniusium]

If the consequences of the treatment weren't so severe, I'd be more willing to shrug it off as a potential treatment with low success. But a completed sex change can't really be undone and the hormonal/physical effects never leave.

I don't think the misperception you're talking about it inherently dysfunctional, but it often seems to be wrapped up in other issues that are more severe than simple gender identity problems, WRT self-esteem and more general identity issues. When the trans-person goes to a psych, the psych just says "oh, those other issues will disappear when we mutilate this persons body".

In my opinion, the trans-movement is generally a manifestation of an inability for individuals to reconcile themselves with their perception of gender and sexual identities within their culture. We've got people who are willing to tell you that your differences in gender and sexuality from the norm, simply mean that you're another gender or orientation of the norm, rather than the idea of normal being bullshit in itself.

[Knarf the Yenrabian]

When the trans-person goes to a psych, the psych just says "oh, those other issues will disappear when we mutilate this persons body".

No psychologist would think that for a moment. Trans individuals have huge problems with depression, anxiety, bpd, you name it, and dressing a different way, taking pills, or going under the knife aren't reliable ways of dealing with those problems. That's not to say that they wouldn't help some people reconcile their identities and make their lives better (Deirdre McCloskey certainly seems happier, for one), but there is no magic bullet.

[lap83]

I soo agree with you. It's a socially acceptable mental illness, and I don't mind if people want to do it, really. I've had friends who went through it. But I hate that we give almost scientific legitimacy to it like it's biologically possible to be born the "wrong" sex just because someone feels a certain way. It's retarded.

[lap83]

I guess I view it as any other sort of body alteration, like tattoos. Except the culture surrounding it is so bizarre, like if someone who wanted a tattoo had this mystical notion that they were supposed to have this tattoo and now that they've got it their lifestyle and life will be forever changed. We wouldn't think someone who felt that way about a tattoo was totally right in the head.

[Rhywun]

the whole trans thing is mental illness, I hate to say.

Homosexuality used to be diagnosed as a mental illness, so I myself am not so quick to judge this the same way.

[entropy_factor]

idk, I see it differently. Attraction is a choice by and large- you discern who and what you like. Perhaps you are predisposed due to some genetic factor, but really in the end- homosexuality is a behavior .

But a disconnection from a biological reality such as "I have a penis, I am male" is troubling. I don't see gayness and gender identity problems (as I suggested earlier, a metal disorder) as the same thing.

[datcv]

In general, I agree that no child should be making that kind of decision at that age, but there have been rare special cases where a child was born with two sex organs and the parents made a decision at birth that turned out to be incredibly and obviously wrong by the time the child was 5.

If the child really is transgender, and there are these extreme cases where the parent, the child, and psychologists are certain, it may be better for them to change earlier before going through puberty. It sounds horrible, but these are not just arbitrary decisions, and I wouldn't rush to judgement here...

[poloniusium]

I think we can acknowledge that intersex individuals are the special case, but that's not what this sort of thing is about. It's about convincing effeminate boys and masculine girls to mutilate themselves, because they don't fit societal ideas about gender roles relation to physical sex.

[John]

That is an excellent point poloniusum. That is exactly what it is about. In many ways this is really quite totalitarian and reactionary. If you don't fit our ideal of your gender, you must not really be that gender.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If the child really is transgender

That sort of begs the question that the kid is actually transgender and it isn't some sort of Munchausen-by-proxy syndrome on the part of the parents. If they're born with hermaphrodism, I can see the possibility of this kind of procedure, but if they're otherwise biologically normal, how much of it is coming from the parents wanting a "special" kid?

Look at the Coy Mathis case--here was a boy whose parents thought was transgender at a year and a half, when they barely have any conception of gender differences, and managed to find a sympathetic psychologist to enable their desires. The mother in particular is a real piece of work; a SWPL goon who "always wanted to work with special needs kids" who coincidentally ended up with two kids on the autism spectrum, a transgender child, and another who became severely mentally disabled after an attack of RSV.

Personally, I think stuff like this is really nothing more than an indication of how solopsistic western society has become, as people look for ways to gain public sympathy for otherwise irregular circumstances.

[John]

That is exactly what scares me Red Rocks. There are people out there that are so fucked up they would view having a transgendered kid as some kind of politically correct street creed. And kids will pretty much do or say anything to give their parents what they want. I would be very easy to manipulate a kid into believing that they are transgendered. Hell, therapists convince kids that they have been molested when they haven't.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

We've probably seen something like this before, but...

Transitioning To Female Taught Rebecca Juro A Valuable Lesson About Male Privilege

She mentioned that when she was working in retail, pre-transition, her authority was rarely questioned since it was being voiced by a man.

"I would go in and say, 'Okay, here's how we're gonna do this,' and there was never a question. There was never a problem," she explained. "When I started working as a woman a few years later [people were like], 'Well, wait a minute -- what about this and what about that?'"

[Tonio]

"Everybody's so different, but I haven't changed..."

[DontShootMe]

"Lucky I'm sane after all I've been through"

[lap83]

If you want people to respect you and think you're intelligent, retail is the wrong job period.

[lap83]

and I say that as a reflection on customers, not on retail workers.

[Bill Dalasio]

It couldn't possibly be that people take a person who's undergone a sex change less than completely seriously, could it?

[gaijin]

"What intrigues me is that there are 31.1 million Americans between 18 and 24, and 21.8 million of you?70 percent?are going to college. It is not possible that 70 percent of you are among the 50 percent of you who are above-average in intelligence."

If PJ Orourke was giving the Rutgers Commencement Speech

[Certified Public Asskicker]

That was awesome.

[DJF]

Yes its possible if they all live in Lake Wobegon where all children are above average.

[Drake]

Uh, it really is possible that 70% are above average. Impossible that they are all above the median.

[robc]

Median is an average.

Average refers to mean, median, and mode.

[Drake]

No - Median is ordering every number in series and choosing the middle one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median

Average is sum of a series divided by the count of the series.

[robc]

Ummm....no.

In math, the term average refers to lots of things, including mean, but not exclusively mean.

[mr simple]

I'm pretty sure the fact that average has many definitions is at least taught in high school math, if not earlier. Also, the arithmetic mean (sum divided by count) is only one type of mean. Average can be many things, which is why it's often used to confuse people when lying with statistics.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

No.

[robc]

Yes.

In statistics, an average is defined as the number that measures the central tendency of a given set of numbers. There are a number of different averages including but not limited to: mean, median, mode and range.

[Night Elf Mohawk]

And I can cite thousands of sites and books that say differently, along with a guy who has a math PhD and finished third in the world in the Math Olympics.

[robc]

Ive never seen any math book that didnt say that mean, median, and mode were all averages.

Even if they also acknowledge that average commonly refers to mean.

Even mean isnt completely clear, as there is both arithmetic mean and geometric mean.

[Humberto Brenes]

Ive never seen any math book

Who cares. That's a textbook, not the ten commandments delivered by the god of math himself.

Your ignorance of the proper definitions doesn't make you less wrong.

[Drake]

I refuse to be drawn into a debate this nerdy.

My favorite caliber is .308 - go to hell if you disagree. Now I feel better.

[Emmerson Biggins]

And obviously, PJ was referring to median here.

[John]

PJ O'Rourke really is a national treasure. He is just a great writer.

[gaijin]

PJ O'Rourke really is a national treasure.

and a Miami U grad to boot

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

The Miami University?

*flees cackling*

[gaijin]

The Redskins Redhawks!

[waffles]

Wow. I saw Condoleeza speak at my sister's commencement in 2006. She was good. This was better in some ways though. He thoroughly trashed them. I remember 2004-2008 as being a wholly optimistic time. Since then we've certainly developed an attachment to depressing realism and cynicism.

[Warren's Strapon]

Pretty good...except for the part about learning Latin and Greek. You can learn Western Civ without those. It's not 1726 anymore.

You'd be better off learning Mandarin, Japanese, and some Eastern Civ.

[Rhywun]

You'd be better off learning Mandarin, Japanese, and some Eastern Civ.

Better off in what way? Assuming we're talking about Americans here, those things aren't going to accomplish much of anything in reaching O'Rourke's stated goal to "comprehend where our civilization came from".

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Cato on the VA

"No doubt Gen. Shinseki was asleep at the switch. But the problem goes well beyond an incompetent cabinet secretary or a few corrupt local bureaucrats.

Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has long touted the VA system as the epitome of government-run healthcare...And he is right ? at least about the VA being exhibit A for government healthcare.

Like all single-payer health systems around the world, the VA controls costs by imposing a 'global budget' ? a limit to how much it can spend on care. Thus year-to-year funding varies according to the whims of Congress, not according to what consumers want or are willing to spend.

With tens of thousands of wounded soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for care is rising dramatically. Enrollment in VA services has increased by 13% from 2007 to 2012. Despite a 76% increase in expenditures ($24 billion) over that period, the program still suffers from chronic budget problems. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it would require as much as a 75% increase in inflation-adjusted funding for the VA to treat all veterans.

When resources can't meet demand in a given year, the VA does what other single-payer systems do: It rations."

http://www.cato.org/publicatio.....n-disaster

[Ted S.]

Didn't Mr. Shinseki have to retire from the military before taking the VA post?

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

He had to retire because he was a not very good general officer.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

As I recall, Shinseki got canned from Army Chief of Staff because of opposition to Rumsfeld's plan to keep a minimal number of troops in Iraq after the invasion. He was right of course.

[John]

That is actually not true. He didn't get canned. He served his full term as Army Chief of Staff. He was crossways with Rumsfeld over Rumseld's view we no longer needed a big army. Shinkseki was right about that too.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

With tens of thousands of wounded soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the demand for care is rising dramatically.

Not to mention that the guys from the Vietnam era are hitting ages where care becomes increasingly complicated an expensive.

[John]

That too. And don't forget that Congress has made it rediculously easy for vetarans to get whatever ills them to be considered service connected. If there is any medical issue that can't be linked somehow to agent orange, I am unaware of it.

A lot of what is happening is veterans are getting old and developing the complicated issues that old people do and going into the VA system when their illness really has nothing to do with their service. The VA was created to provide care to people who were injured because of their service not care to anyone who ever got drafted. It is no surprise it is broken.

[WDATPDIM?!]

Not to worry. They have death panels priority care committees to resolve those issues in a fair and humane manner.

[Drake]

I visited VA Hospitals twice in the 90's with some health problems due to the Gulf War. They were Kafkaesque nightmares. Like walking through a third-world nursing home.

Fuck those places - I got a job with a health plan that gave me access to real doctors.

[Lord Humungus]

Smart guns are a smart choice for consumers

Armatix offers one firearm ? the Intelligent Pistol ? in two different versions: the iP1 Basic and the iP1 Personalized. The Basic works like a traditional firearm. Pick it up, pull the trigger and feel the recoil.

The iP1 Personalized can be synced with our Intelligent Watch, which is worn on the wrist. The authorized user inputs a five-digit personal code into the watch that activates the firearm. Without that code, the gun cannot be fired.

The firearm also detects the proximity of the watch, meaning that even if the gun is stolen after the code has been keyed in, it cannot be fired. If the gun and the watch are both stolen, the thief might as well throw them out because the gun won't fire without the correct five-digit code.

[UnCivilServant]

My phone won't charge if the cord is in the wrong alignment. Modern electronics may be ubiquitous, but they're still quite fallable. I'm not going to depend on them in an emergency.

[Matrix]

What's more is an EMP would render them fucking useless. Or what about just a power failure that lasts for weeks? It is not absurd to think that the power could be out for weeks, or even months. This shit actually happens, even here in the US. So what are you going to do when your "smart gun" runs out of juice?

And hell, electronics fuck up all the damned time.

A smart gun MAY be useful for a CCW, but home defense, I would not rely on it.

[Christophe]

With the NSA revelations, I just assume these things have a kill switch on a timer.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Nope.

[John]

They are a smart choice if money is not an object and you never plan to depend on using the firearm to defend yourself.

[Tim]

"It looks like you're trying to FIRE THIS GUN. Can I help with that?"

[Drake]

No thanks.

[Pathogen]

"Smart guns are a smart choice for consumers"

Yeah, because who in their right mind wouldn't want to payout ~$1400 for an unproven .22.. and another ~$400 for the 'watch' that makes it work? Bitter clingers and racist TeathugliKKKans.. that's who!

[Injun, as in from India]

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says "we are slowly but surely approaching a second cold war."

I'm waiting for Russia to realize that China is more dangerous to its interests than America ever will be.

[Restoras]

This is, of course, true. However, should China do something like grab eastern Russia/Siberia there is little Russia could do about it. THis would also be easier for China than doing soemthing like taking Japan or going on an adventure in SEA (it doesn't have the Navy for that...yet). Now, should Russia then do soemthing like reclaim its sphere of influence in its west, or even a little further, there is little Europe could do about that.

[Lord Humungus]

Chilean activist destroys student debt papers worth $500m

An activist in Chile has burnt documents representing $500 million (?300 million) worth of student debt during a protest at Universidad del Mar.

Francisco Tapia, who is also known as "Papas Fritas", claimed that he had "freed" the students by setting fire to the debt papers or "pagar?s".

Mr Tapia has justified his actions in a video he posted on YouTube on Monday 12 May, which has since gone viral and garnered over 55,000 views.

[Injun, as in from India]

I just freed you comrades! You are free to take other people's money and not return it!

[Drake]

Chilean banks and universities don't have computers? I don't get it.

[Lord Humungus]

China bans use of Microsoft's Windows 8 on government computers

The Central Government Procurement Center issued the ban on installing Windows 8 on government computers as part of a notice on the use of energy-saving products, posted on its website last week.

The official Xinhua news agency said the ban was to ensure computer security after Microsoft ended support for its Windows XP operating system, which was widely used in China.

Neither the government nor Xinhua elaborated on how the ban supported the use of energy-saving products, or how it ensured security.

[Rhywun]

I'm guessing they just don't want to pay for new licenses.

[GamerFromJump]

I've recommended a switch to Linux at the school where I'm employed. It's free, and easy to learn if you know windows.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"racial inequality, especially in its less obvious forms."

So Obama and Holder are perceptive enough to notice subtle forms of racism, but not perceptive enough to notice the scandals re Fast and Furious, the IRS, Benghazi, etc?

[UnCivilServant]

When your nose is to the bark looking for the tiniest of mites, you miss the forest.

[Lord Humungus]

Clueless Geithner: Never saw the meltdown coming

In Geithner's own words, he didn't focus on the potential catastrophic outcome if AIG folded until after Lehman collapsed ? when the financial crisis went full throttle. It was only at that late hour that he and others realized AIG was a powder keg, or as he put it in the deposition, "The failure of AIG would have very damaging consequences for the US economy and for the global financial system."

In the deposition, Geithner says his last-minute scramble came after meeting with the then-chief executive of AIG, Bob Willumstad, at least three times in the months before the meltdown and that he brushed aside pleas from the company for early aid and intervention.

Why didn't he act sooner? Geithner conceded he personally "did not spend time?looking at AIG" in terms of a bailout because it was an insurer and not a bank.

[Ted S.]

It was unexpected.

[Slammer]

He found out about it in the newspapers.

[John]

It was just bad luck.

[DJF]

"""""Why didn't he act sooner? Geithner conceded he personally "did not spend time?looking at AIG" in terms of a bailout because it was an insurer and not a bank.""

Actually the various AIG insurance corporations were in fairly good shape, it was AIG international the umbrella corporation which had been making bad bets especially in its London office

[DJF]

The question is why should AIG International have gotten any bailout. They failed in the market place.

Especially why the US taxpayer should bail out a corporation founded in Shanghai China, which called itself AIG International, whose market failure mostly occurred in London and whose insurance business in the US was separate from its international business.

The problem is not that Geithner did not give it an early bailout, the problem is that it got any bailout including the late one.

[VG Zaytsev]

"The failure of AIG would have very damaging consequences for the US economy and for the global financial system."

Still Bullshit.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Bad consequences are bad mmmmkay?

[WDATPDIM?!]

To Timmy et al., "the US economy and the global financial system" are synonymous with Wall Street.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Being a Bully is Great for your Health

"Children who are bullied are more prone to depression and suicidal tendencies even when they grow up; they're also more likely to get sick and have headaches and stomach troubles, researchers have discovered. A new study may have found the underlying cause: A specific indicator of illness, called C-reactive protein (CRP), is higher than normal in bullying victims, even when they get older. In contrast, the bullies, by the same gauge, seem to be healthier."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....ml?hpid=z6

[Ted S.]

So government-sector workers should have the best health of all, since they're the biggest bullies?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Many of them appear to me to be several hundred years old, so perhaps so.

[UnCivilServant]

Fraid not, it's a pyramid of bullying, so they get both effects in different doses.

[Ted S.]

I wish the actual prosecutors and the political people who persecuted Joe Bruno (corrupt as he is) would be the ones paying his legal bills, and not the taxpayers.

And, of course, no prosecution for monstrously evil Eliot Spitzer, who had the state troopers spy on him.

[sloopyin??]

Kids who have dealt with conflict and bullies are more likely to be self-reliant and able to cope with adversity when they get older.

[WDATPDIM?!]

I think it makes more sense this-a-way:

"Children who have depression and suicidal tendencies are more prone to being bullied."

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Of course. My initial thought was that the better way to make sense of this correlation was that children who were sickly in body and mind were more likely to be bullied while children who were not were more likely to bully, though I'm willing to grant that being bullied for a long time likely does not help one's health too.

[Bryan C]

Looking and acting like a mope makes you a target.

[The Late P Brooks]

Why didn't he act sooner? Geithner conceded he personally "did not spend time?looking at AIG" in terms of a bailout because it was an insurer and not a bank.

TOP

MEN.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Geithner conceded he personally "did not spend time?looking at his 1040" in terms of paying his taxes...

[Lord Humungus]

NHS could start prescribing e-cigarettes as study finds them 60% more effective than gum or patches

The NHS should consider prescribing electronic cigarettes after a major study found that those using the devices were 60 per cent more likely to quit than those using patches or gum.

Although e-cigarettes are yet to be licenced by the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, researchers at University College London said new evidence showed they were extremely effective at helping smokers to quit.

Study leader Professor Robert West, said: ''E-cigarettes could substantially improve public health because of their widespread appeal and the huge health gains associated with stopping smoking.

lulz.

[Steve G]

As long as we keep them outta the hands of the 9-yr-old trannys on estrogen, I'm okay with this.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think the VA scandal presents an opportunity to instruct people about how government run healthcare in general inevitably leads to these kinds of results (and worse). But I bet the GOP is not going to take that tack, for them it will be about the 'bad apples' of the Obama administration and how our government needs to give the very best care to our heroes. Just like during the shut down when it would have been nice for someone to say 'well, why do we have government run national parks and memorials' we instead got 'this is how evil Obama is, he's using the shut down to keep people from our beloved, wonderful government run parks and memorials.'

[John]

Admitting that the VA is a failure of government run health care would require admitting that we have been screwing veterans under both parties and that the system has been unduely burdened by veterans claiming and getting benefits for health problems that are not really service related.

That is a conversation we should have but one that neither party will ever have. No politician of either party wants to tell families that grandpa isn't entitled to that VA care because his diabetes is because he is fat not because he may have been exposed to agent orange.

I agree with you they won't do it and I wish they would. But understand that if they did it that way and were honest, the Democrats would get on their soap boxes and kill the GOP for wanting to cut off poor veterans.

[VG Zaytsev]

Maybe, but it's a heaven sent rebuttal to the single payer uber alles idiots on the left.

[John]

It is. But I don't think the GOP or anyone else has to make that case. It is self evident. Everyone knows the VA is a disaster with the GOP telling them.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I don't know. The GOP is most certainly going to play this as 1. we have a super duty to have a great VA but 2. the bad apples in the Obama administration have ruined it. So the upshot will be that the VA is a great thing to be protected.

[John]

It sucks but I am not sure what you do. Telling the truth about the VA is a political suicide mission for either side.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

They could offer an alternative, vouchers for private care, at the least. But, judging from the hysterics that followed when Bush proposed something similar for SS you are probably correct.

Still, libertarians should use the opportunity to try to get people to think more broadly about this.

[Ted S.]

If the GOP were smart (stop laughing), they could "sacrifice" one lone senator in a deep red state to have him do the dirty work of telling the truth about the VA and getting the ball rolling on fixing the disaster.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Nixon to China...But John is correct that liberals would try to paint the entire GOP with that fellow's brand.

[John]

If there were a few liberals who were willing to work with them, that would be harder. But we would need a functioning political system to have GOP who were willing to tell the truth about the VA and at least a few Dems willing to work with them.

[Steve G]

unduely burdened by veterans claiming and getting benefits for health problems that are not really service related

This. I know the common narrative is the VA has been swamped by wounded Irq/Afg veterans, but the truth is they have been pushed to the side by the hundreds of thousands of retirees who are actively encouraged to pad their med records prior to departure to up there disability ratings and then appeal them over and over to increase the percentage.

[John]

Them and people who didn't retire from the military but served four years back in the day and get the VA to declare whatever is wrong with them to be service related.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

This. I had a friend who recently finished four years. He said when he left they had a person talk with him who said 'so what disabilities do you want to declare.' He's 23 and healthy as a horse, so he was like 'wait, what?' But he said they insisted 'come on, surely you have something bothering you, you really should list it and that way preserve a claim. Everybody does it, do not be stupid.'

[John]

They are constantly badgering me about getting a "post deployment health evaluation" and it has been four years since I last deployed.

[Steve G]

I hit 20 in 12 days. I don't know when I'll do the transition program, but I do plan on walking out of the VA briefing as obnoxiously as possible in protest. I plan on being as proud of my 0% disability as my 90-100% 'colleagues' are of theirs.

[Ted S.]

I'd say if you're not in an all-party consent state, surreptitiously record the debriefing.

But then, I'm not the one who would be suffering the consequences.

[Steve G]

Now there's an idea

[John]

Good for you Steve. I feel the same way. I have been well paid for my service and unlike a lot of other people I should absent something horrible happen leave with my arms and legs and all appendages still functioning. Other than my retirement, I don't see where I am owed shit.

[Ivan Pike]

Other than my retirement, I don't see where I am owed shit.

You aren't thinking about it in the right way then. We had a guy come to work here, retired Col. who got 70% disability. Used it to try and jump over more qualified people for promotions. He felt he deserved not only his retirement, but his disability AND priority for promotions. Man did he ever work the system.

[John]

Unless that guy is missing a couple of limbs, I would love to know how he is 70% disabled.

It was one thing to game the system back in the 90s when we hadn't been at war in 20 or more years. But how do you do that now? There are thousands of people who are thoroughly fucked up for life and have no other access to help other than the VA. I just don't understand the mentality of someone who could work the system to detriment of a bunch of guys who don't have arms and legs.

[Ivan Pike]

I would love to know how he is 70% disabled...I just don't understand the mentality of someone who could work the system to detriment of a bunch of guys who don't have arms and legs.

Back, legs (knees and ankles), and tinnitus (I asked). He was a real a-hole, put in a EEO complaint against me. Thought the world owed him because he didn't make general.

[John]

Thought the world owed him because he didn't make general.

Meanwhile, he will help over crowd the system such that some private who got blown up and can't work for the rest of his life gets totally fucked. Great American that guy.

[Steve G]

I know a retired Col who just got his 100% disability; up from the 20% he was initially given. His disability? A brain tumor he had while on active duty, that while treated/removed, obviously wasn't enough to force a medical retirement. How's the completely "disabled" guy doing these days? I see him reguarly in the halls of the 5-sided bldg be-bopping along seemingly physically and mentally capable enough to be an active dad and pull down a six-figure contracting gig. The VA disability system is a complete and utter joke.

[John]

It is. Of course all the rating got him was out of paying taxes on his retirement. It isn't costing DOD or the VA any money, just the treasury, which is why they are so liberal with it.

[Steve G]

Oh, and then the other boss/Col I worked for who proudly bragged about his 90% disability. One of the contributors to his rating was blown knees from skiing. Despite being nearly totally "disabled", it doesn't stop him from hitting the gym every morning at 5 am--to lift serious weight btw, not elliptical/treadmill crap--and pull down his six-figure contracting job in Salt Lake City. Fuck these guys and the system they played.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Sounds like just the guy we were lucky DIDN'T get his stars.

I retired to get out of the way of those beside and behind me. That is what you are supposed to do if you are not a Blue Falcon.

[Bryan C]

Whether they're "unduly burdened" at this particular time isn't really the point. The VA knew the promises they were making could never be kept, and they didn't care.

It's been failing continuously for many decades. All systems like this inevitably fail like this, and they cannot be fixed. It's impossible for them not to fail. That's the point I want to see the GOP make. Not much chance of that, though.

[sloopyin??]

Instruct people? Should
Nt it present an opportunity to throw dozens of high- and mid-level bureaucrats in federal prison?

[WDATPDIM?!]

TEACHABLE!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I would rather change the system and how people think about government than that, they will just be replaced by bureaucrats that are just as bad.

[Bryan C]

Who said anything about replacing them?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

VIDEO:

"Vigilantes and Hunters Gearing Up to Chase Boko Haram

"Armed with low-grade weapons like hunting rifles and bows and arrows, locals near forests where extremist group Boko Haram has been known to operate are hoping to take the law into their own hands. (Photo: Glenna Gordon for WSJ)"

(from wsj.com)

http://on.wsj.com/1lYWIYn

[waffles]

Armed with low-grade weapons like hunting rifles and bows and arrow

Once they nab some of the Boko grunts in the first couple enemy encounters
hopefully they'll get some good drops.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

That is the form of aid that should be given - a few crates of AK-47s and ammo.

"Go get 'em".

*USAID rep boards plane and leaves*

[califernian]

Couldn't private actors do this too?

[sloopyin??]

"Low-grade weapons like hunting rifles..."

So let me see if I have this right. When people use them in Africa to go after kidnappers, they are "low-grade." But when people want to have them here in their homes for hunting or self-defe,se, they morph into "assault weapons no civilian should ever need"?

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

CORRECT!

[sarcasmic]

'How'd you like having a gun pointed?' State trooper suspended after drawing firearm at 18-year-old girl at traffic stop
State Trooper Timothy Wagner pulled over girl's car near Sturgis in Michigan
As he approaches the vehicle, he points his gun at the 18-year-old
Then handcuffs the girl and takes her into his car for refusing to pull over
Says the fatal shooting of a colleague last year was on his mind
Now suspended pending an internal police investigation

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-stop.html
Paid vacation. Nothing else will happen.

[Matrix]

I posted that yesterday in the PM Links. But yeah, the country prosecutor thinks it was wrong, though he won't file charges on Officer Friendly, here.

Imagine if you or I just walked up to someone we saw Jaywalking, pulled a gun on them and handcuffed them. What would happen to us? Oh, that's right. We'd get slammed into a prison cell. That's where this wankstain belongs.

[sarcasmic]

The moment a six-month pregnant woman walks into a police station to report that she was hit in the face by an officer... and is IGNORED
Andrea Dingess says she was struck in the face by an officer in Lincoln Park, Michigan
A supervisor at the police station refused to take a report about the assault
Ms Dingess' Facebook post has been shared 71,000 times since May 15

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....NORED.html

At one point, the supervisor sarcastically asks: 'What do you want me to do, go out there and arrest him?'
Ms Dingess responds: 'Yeah! That's what you do to normal people when they assault people.'
Despite repeatedly asking to file a formal complaint, the officer at the desk dismisses her and refuses to take a report.

Thing is, the officer may have ignored her anyway, even if the person who assaulted her wasn't a cop. It's happened to me. They don't give a shit.
Now had there been drugs involved they would have been all over it. But crimes with victims? Meh.

[sarcasmic]

Video shows 'abusive' Chicago police threatening to deport woman in a UPS box 'back to wherever the f*** she came from'
Jianqing 'Jessica' Klyzek is seen in surveillance photo during a vice raid on a tanning salon from last summer cowering as police berate her
One officer can be made out to strike the 5-foot-2 China-born American citizen on the head as she kneeled down on the ground in handcuffs
Klyzek, 32, is now suing Chicago police alleging brutality and hate crimes
She also claims several of her arresting officers lied to a grand jury in an attempt to frame her

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....-from.html
Will anything else happen?

[Ted S.]

Yes: the cops will get a paid vacation and then be given medals for their bravery.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Sure, just like the Anthony Abate trial....the taxpayers will get soaked for big $ and the Big Blue Brotherhood will close ranks.... mumblemumble, one bad apple...mumblemumble.

[Injun, as in from India]

Three cop stories in a row. You guys just ruined my day.

[Pathogen]

Ahem...

[GamerFromJump]

Bet she's wondering why she ever left her relatively free homeland.

[sarcasmic]

'It's all fun and games until the cops show up': Bank robbery suspect caught in motel room wearing T-shirt with prophetic slogan
Rocky Fisher, 35, and 19-year-old Jennifer Balfe arrested on Sunday
It followed a bank robbery in Cottonwood, Idaho, two days before
Police had received a tip-off that they were blowing cash at a casino

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....logan.html

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Wow, sarcasmic, great links. Who needs Radley Balko? Keep 'em coming.

[sarcasmic]

Beach goers stunned to see an ELEPHANT frolicking in the Florida sea... as it emerges it was taking a dip while entertaining guests at realtor's 60th birthday party
Beachgoers on Saturday were stunned to see an Indian elephant wading in the waters of Redington Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast
Accountant Todd Unbehagen took a selfie picture of the elephant which spread across the Internet
It was revealed the elephant is named Judy, is 58-years-old and was hired for a local realtor's 60th birthday party
The cost to Claudia McCorkle to hire Judy for four hours was $4,500

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

[Ted S.]

Too thin for John. 😉

[Fluffy]

OK, usually this joke isn't funny any more, but this time I laughed.

[John]

Once in a while it is. Even I cracked a smile at that one.

[mr simple]

It's five days old so I don't know if it's been posted yet, but:

America dumbs down
The U.S. is being overrun by a wave of anti-science, anti-intellectual thinking. Has the most powerful nation on Earth lost its mind?

The American public's bias against established science doesn't stop where the Bible leaves off, however. The same poll found that just 53 per cent of respondents were "extremely" or "very confident" that childhood vaccines are safe and effective...
When it comes to global warming, only 33 per cent expressed a high degree of confidence that it is "man made," something the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has declared is all but certain...
In a country bedevilled by mass shootings?Aurora, Colo.; Fort Hood, Texas; Virginia Tech?efforts at gun control have given way to ever-laxer standards...
More than 15 per cent of the population has no health insurance whatsoever. Yet efforts to fill that gaping hole via the Affordable Health Care Act?a.k.a. Obamacare?remain distinctly unpopular...

tl;dr:People who disagree with me are anti-intellectual and here's some confirmation bias to prove it. Stupid Canadians.

[Ted S.]

I wonder what the columnist thinks about GMO food, or nuclear power and irradiating food.

[John]

I love how vaccines, which have been used successfully since the first smallpox vaccine in the 1780s are assumed to be exactly the same level of scientific certainty as AGW.

[sarcasmic]

Now THAT'S a cliff hanger! Incredible photos show extreme camping for thrill-seekers - with tents pitched 200 FEET in the air

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tra.....T-air.html
No thanks.

[sloopyin??]

Hey DC people. We arrived late last night and will be hunting for a place to live for the next couple of days. If any of you want to grab a beer tonight, just shoot me or Kara an email.

[John]

You have come to the hunger games city? Oh you poor bastard. We should get together for a beer soon, though this week and next are bad for me.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

So are you living within the actual district or in VA...or MD?

[sloopyin??]

Hey DC people. We arrived late last night and will be hunting for a place to live for the next couple of days. If any of you want to grab a beer tonight, just shoot me or Kara an email.

[UnCivilServant]

Wait... I thought the name was Sloopy Inca, not Sloopy in CA.

Aww man. I feel cheated.

[waffles]

Like Liz Warren cheated? Faux Inca!

[Ted S.]

For the longest time, I thought he was Canadian.

[Fluffy]

Holy crap, me too.

I thought he was some kind of really laid back Peruvian guy.

[robc]

I thought that for at least a year.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I'm headed out of town for a week....we should look into a reason asshole happy hour soon!

I'd recommend Virginia to live - at least it's not the PRMD or PRDC.

[datcv]

But don't be confused, Northern Virginia it is still filled with shitty self-important overpaid people.

I got out 3 years ago and have no regrets.

[John]

If only NOVA were actually better.

[Juice]

VA still has it's share of stupid laws. Those regarding alcohol are especially stupid.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

An Obama voter!

"Puppy Dumped From SUV Tries to Follow Vehicle As it Drives Away"

http://pubsecrets.wordpress.co.....ives-away/

[John]

Reason kicks me in the nuts enough. Why do you have to help them. That is horrible.

[Slammer]

Yeah, Chesterton. The joke was funny but the story wasn't. Hope it gets a home.

[John]

It made the papers so I bet it does.

[Lord Humungus]

ah, those precious memories:

A Brief History of Obama's 'Angry' Moments

Mr. Obama hasn't said so himself yet, but White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough took to CNN Thursday to say that "nobody's more mad than the president." Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters the president is "concerned and angry" about the situation.

That, as my colleagues Colleen McCain Nelson and Ben Kesling write, reprised, nearly verbatim, a similar White House tactic from last fall's health-care website debacle. In October, Mr. Obama spoke of his anger in the Rose Garden. "Nobody's madder than me about the fact that the website isn't working as well as it should," he said.

And when he announced the sacking of the Internal Revenue Service commissioner in May 2013 over inappropriate scrutiny to political groups, Mr. Obama said: "Americans are right to be angry about it, and I am angry about it."

[Bo Cara Esq.]

He then turned and resumed playing golf, but there seemed a bit of anger in his swing.

[Ted S.]

How can they make it brief?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Obama only gets 3/5ths as angry as other Presidents have.

[Injun, as in from India]

Whoa dude. Slow down.

[Ted S.]

4/5. After all, Obama is half white.

[Injun, as in from India]

This is why there are no non-white libertarians.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

'I am so angry my blood is boiling, well, at least one drop of it is.'

[Injun, as in from India]

Lay the F off slavery jokes, you two. It is not funny.

[Restoras]

Why? Obama is a POS politican and they all deserve every bit of mockery heaped on them.

[sloopyin??]

Well, seeing as black free men counted as a whole person and only slaves counted as 3/5, this makes no sense.

Obama did not descend from slaves. His American ancestry were all white while his black ancestry were directly from Africa, and in fact were never American residents or citizens until his father showed up to go to college.

So if you're making a voting joke, it's more likely to say Obama gets twice or three times as angry as other presidents. After all, people from Chicago are typically allowed to vote multiple times if here connected.

[John]

The funny thing about the 3/5ths compromise is that liberals who point to it get it exactly wrong. It wasn't the result evil racist southerners wanting to count black people as less the human. It was non slave holding Northerners telling the slave holding South to fuck off if they wanted to hold people in bondage and then have the nerve to count them for the purposes of representation in the House.

[Restoras]

That's right, the Southerners wanted them counted as 5/5s for purposes of representation in the HoR. But those racist Norhters didn't want blacks to have full preresentation in Congress, those slave-owning bastards.

[Humberto Brenes]

Sloopy showing the world why he's not funny.

[Restoras]

Nice one, Bo.

[Ted S.]

Audio interview with 96-year-old Bernard Coombs, who spent his entire working life working for Technicolor, during their golden age

It's hard to articulate just what an impact technicolour had on cinema audiences when it was first introduced in the 1930s and 40s. Technicolour was the process of colouring motion picture negative from black and white into colour and it was celebrated for its saturated levels of colour - giving films such as 'The Wizard of Oz' and 'Gone with the Wind' their characteristic style. One man who knows all too well about the magic of technicolour is Bernard Coombs of Wanganui, the 96-year-old started work at the Technicolour Motion Picture Company when he left school and apart from a six-year hiatus during the Second World War - he worked with the company all his life.

The MP3 file is ~4.5MB and is about 12:30.

[Lord Humungus]

The South shall rise again... aw shit...

Ad company takes down Southern secession billboard

The head of the Confederate League of the South says an advertising company has removed a highway billboard that advocated a Southern secession from the United States.

Michael Hill is president of the Confederate League of the South. He said Monday that Lamar Advertising Co. took down the billboard along Interstate 85 in Montgomery following complaints. The billboard had the word "secede" in capital letters, along with the league's name and website.

The sign went up Friday and was removed over the weekend.

[Brett L]

There was one of these in Tallahassee during the Legislative session. Not sure if it is still there.

[The Late P Brooks]

"nobody's more mad than the president."

Angry as Marvin the Martian?

[Pro Libertate]

That's about his level of emotional maturity: Arrogant petulance.

[Auric Demonocles]

I've got a fever of 102, all of my roommates happen to (separately) be in California so I'm home alone, and I'm supposed to go for a backpacking trip this weekend.

And the biggest disappointment today is still the AM Links alt-text.

[Ted S.]

You're hot-blooded, check it and see?

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Would he not be at 103?

[DontShootMe]

needs another degree of fever. But close.

[DontShootMe]

dang, must learn to refresh.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

MUHUHUHUWHA!

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Government is looking to fast track the introduction of a non-surgical medical male circumcision device, PrePex, that officials believe will decrease the number of deaths and injuries caused by unsafe circumcision practices during initiation ceremonies.

"PrePex, which was endorsed or 'prequalified' by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in May 2013, is expected to be introduced in South Africa by mid-2015, says health department deputy director general for medical male circumcision Dayanund Loykissoonlal.

"PrePex consists of an elastic band that compresses the foreskin, restriciting blood supply until the foreskin dries and can be cut off after a week of the PrePex being administered, without stitches, bleeding or anaesthetic. But before the device can be rolled out nationally, three studies have to be conducted."

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-0.....ion-deaths

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Nope

[John]

That reminds me of how they castrate calves and make them into steers. I am thinking a knife just after birth sounds better.

[Tonio]

Still mutilation. Still a violation of bodily integrity. Still superstitious bullshit.

[Warty]

It's not mutilation, it's a blood sacrifice carried out by a pervert as an offering to a god that never existed. Totally different.

[John]

There are health benefits to circumcision. Christians never did it for religious reasons yet it became nearly universal in the US. It is really more of a mid century public health thing.

My father wasn't circumcised until he was an adult. He got some kind of infection or something when he was in the service. He had it done to me on the theory that he didn't want me to risk having to have one as an adult, which was apparently so horrible he doesn't even like to think about it.

[Warty]

Christians in America started doing it because of the 19th-century anti-masturbation Victorian moral panic. Cutting off half of the tactile tissue of a boy's penis was supposed to make him jack it less.

As for the health benefits, well, ingrown toenails are pretty awful too. Have you ever had one? Horrible. Let's surgically remove the toenails from every newborn.

[John]

I didn't know it went back to masturbation. Maybe I am just a deviant but being circumcised didn't seem to deter me in that department.

They generally don't do it in Europe, so I think the health benefits are overrated. But I am not a doctor. That said, I think it is up to the parents and the government should stay out of it

BTW, there still are anti-masturbation people out there. They tend to be psychologists and anti porn feminist types worried about men being chronic masturbators who neglect their wives.

Really when you think about it the whole anti porn thing is just a variation of the masturbation moral panic.

[Snark Plissken]

When my son was born in Europe the issue never even came up. The health benefits are way overrated, especially in comparison to stuff like this.

[Warty]

The health benefits are that circumcision makes it impossible to get phimosis, lowers the rate of penile cancer, and somewhat lowers the transmissibility of HIV, syphilis, HPV, herpes, and I think the rest of the STDs. But there are easier and more effective ways to treat or prevent all those things without resorting to prophylactic amputation.

The drawbacks are that you're cutting off half of the infant's fun tissue, and, if you're doing it to a child, IT'S NOT YOUR DICK TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT.

But yes, the government should stay out of it, I agree. People on both sides seem to believe that they need the government to sanctify their opinion. It's a creepily religious attitude.

[Fluffy]

But yes, the government should stay out of it, I agree.

But if the government stays out of it, then it IS my dick to make decisions about.

Disclaimer: son is not circumcised.

[Warty]

Of course it's not yours.

[Fluffy]

Sure it is.

My kid's tonsils are mine, in the absence of the government getting involved.

How do you make a distinction between his tonsils and his dick, without getting the government involved? I'll just ignore you.

[John]

Fluffy,

Your kid is yours. Short of killing him or doing great bodily harm, the government has no business telling you what you can and cannot do as a parent. You want to leave your kid's dick untouched and the Jewish family next door wants to have a bris, that is none of the government's business.

[John]

Fluffy,

People are only allowed to own vaginas. Penises are public property.

[datcv]

And then lotion was invented...

[Snark Plissken]

He got some kind of infection or something when he was in the service.

It was either give my son the lecture on VD or cut off his foreskin, I chose the latter.

[John]

Though I am sure my dad got that at some point, I don't think it was VD that particular time.

[Snark Plissken]

"Son, I want you to stop listening to that song"

[An Innocent Man]

Curious what people think: Politically you couldn't, but how practical would it be to abolish the VA and have those vets who were using it be put on federal health insurance plans? In other words, privatize their health care.

[John]

I am not sure. It would be an earth shattering decision. But maybe it is time for something earth shattering to happen.

What it could be would be a trial run for doing the same with medicare and turning medicare into a subsidized private health care system.

[Warty]

Instead of having a VA, you could have every vet book all their appointments at one of the country's top hospitals, have the government fly them there first class and pay their entire bill and their room and board for the stay. Even that would have to be cheaper than the VA, right?

[John]

Probably.

[Pro Libertate]

I think you could spend more than that and still come up short.

[Tonio]

For the non-resident patients that would probably work better.

Not sure about the resident patients, those who live out their post-service lives at the VA because they are too fucked up to be anywhere else. I suppose that being with fellow servicemembers is something of a comfort to them, not sure how the would integrate with the majority-geriatric populations of most non-VA nursing homes. Also, most nursing homes not actually much better than the VA.

[The Late P Brooks]

In other words, privatize their health care.

Whuuuut?

Why not just say you want to euthanise them all, you monster?

[Injun, as in from India]

LOL. that's what I got when I told someone Social Security should be converted to individual accounts.

[An Innocent Man]

The Death Panels don't take effect till after the '16 election.

[SugarFree]

Hey, guys! I been away for a while, what's been happening around here...

Oh.

Hydra|5.15.14 @ 2:55PM
We don't need details, GKC. The cops were obviously in the wrong and H+R will fabricate whatever details are necessary to reach that conclusion.

Well, surely that didn't happen the whole time...

Oh.

Hydra|5.17.14 @ 1:15PM
It's much less fun when you figure out the secret: anyone who disagrees with the Reason version of libertarianism is a troll and/or sockpuppet.

How many people disagree with libertarian positions on a major issue on this blog and are not insulted or accused of trolling? I can't think of any.

OK... I guess he finally got the hint though, right?

Oh.

Hydra|5.17.14 @ 1:22PM
I actually agree. When I contribute to the discussion, the reactions of certain particular individuals who have no way to rationally argue against me are very disruptive.

Anything else? But he's not like talking about himself in the third person under multiple identities or anything, right? Because that be crazy.

Oh.

Hydra|5.17.14 @ 3:56PM
Rollo was not agreeing with Tulpa's points in the thread in question.

[Warty]

But at least he didn't threaten to punch you in the face this time.

[SugarFree]

Threats? Tulpa wouldn't be childish enough to make threats, right?

Oh.

Hydra|5.15.14 @ 10:03PM
I didn't realize the significance of this till I saw the pro-suicide comment above. Nice.

You do realize that no one on the Internet is really anonymous when push comes to shove, and your comments here are likely to be quite troublesome for you should certain legal situations arise. Not my doing, I merely foretell.

Hydra|5.15.14 @ 10:18PM
I wouldn't want to be a defendant claiming self-defense and have the prosecutor share with the jury a bunch of examples of me telling random strangers on the Internet to go kill themselves.

Again, it has nothing to do with me, I just consider it a sad thing that people get into these ruts. But people should be careful.

Hydra|5.15.14 @ 10:39PM|#|?|filternamelinkcustom
I'm not the one following people around and telling them to kill themselves or "fuck you".

But you're not the only one. There are a crapload of people I've noticed in my relatively brief time as a commenter who better hope they never face a prosecutor who knows they posted here. Especially on the anti-cop threads.

Hydra|5.15.14 @ 10:28PM
And I don't claim (or want) to know anything about anybody's private personal information, just saying that situations where that information would be dug up and exposed by hostile parties do exist.

[Warty]

He sounds...short.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

Tulpa is Joe?

[tarran]

No. Joe didn't attend Tulane. Tulpa did. His handle, is a portmanteau of Tulane and Pennsylvania.

Of course, he is inconsistent, he doesn't call himself Tulva now, which is what he should be calling himself if he maintained his system.

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

If we want complete honesty, he could go by "Asshat".

[UnCivilServant]

No. Joe didn't attend Tulane. Tulpa did. His handle, is a portmanteau of Tulane and Pennsylvania.

I should have realized it wasn't an obscure reference to a shamanistic religion. That's what I get for having a head full of odd facts.

[Azathoth!!]

I should have realized it wasn't an obscure reference to a shamanistic religion. That's what I get for having a head full of odd facts.

nice to see I wasn't the only one

[KDN]

My favorite part was when he claimed to not even know who Tulpa was and then later in the week proceeded to denigrate Episiarch by sarcastically referring to his as the "high life of a superstar address parser", which is the Tulpiest insult possible.

[SugarFree]

Exactly. "Hydra" really threw us off the scent by referencing an argument Tulpa had with Epi in 2011.

[Pro Libertate]

You're like the Guardian of Forever.

[SugarFree]

If you think about it, cordrazine overdose explains quite a few of Episiarch's "symptoms."

[Pro Libertate]

I told him he should've let Edith die! Dammit.

[tarran]

God! That was when I was still interacting with Tulpa. Fuck! Why did I waste time on that worthless idiot?!?

[Auric Demonocles]

How could you possibly be on H&R for more than a day and not know about John.

[Ted S.]

OK... I guess he finally got the hint though, right?

To make matters worse, we've got another sock puppet with a name like "Fuck Tulpa" or something who goes around responding "." to every one of the posts he thinks is from a Tulpa sock puppet.

[Warty]

In his defense, he has a low false negative rate. Unfortunately...

[Lord Humungus]

the larger question - where have you been and what did Warty do to you?

[SugarFree]

Nothing so exotic.

The wife and I bought a new house and in the middle of preparing for moving went on a long planned vacation. The burly men are coming Saturday for the furniture and dozens upon dozens of boxed up books.

Coming into work today is the first restful time I've had in three weeks.

[Tonio]

Welcome back, Sug. Your absence was...troubling.

[SugarFree]

As if millions of commenters suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced?

[Swiss Servator, CH yeah!]

So, new and improved (and larger) dungeon at the new place?

[SugarFree]

And servant's quarters. Which are in the dungeon.

[Lord Humungus]

Has anyone driven the Mini Cooper S? I'll be buying another car in a few weeks and it's kinda/sorta on my list. I'm more of a big car kind of guy - hello, Buick Roadmaster - but like the idea of a good handler.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

If you like mechanics, you'll love the Mini Cooper

[sarcasmic]

Yeah. In a word: junk.

[kinnath]

I had a ride in a friends Cooper one day. I was shocked at the cheap plastic interior and the uncomfortable seat. But yeah, it handles like a go-cart.

The Scion FRS / Subaru BRZ has gotten rave reviews in the press. I've seen the FRS up close and it is gorgeous. It's in the same price range as the Cooper.

And I've been driving a 350Z for 8 years, and I love it.

Given the MRSP of the Cooper, I don't fully understand its appear.

[Lord Humungus]

I'm looking at used here - the FRS/BRZ hasn't been around long enough. Of course they really aren't that expensive... hmm...

[kinnath]

The year they were introduced, Motor Trend rated them #1 and #2 (giving the BRZ a tiny edge in performance) over a wide field of affordable sports cars. The FRS has flashier looks, the BRZ is supposed to be slightly better in performance.

Used, the Miata or 350Z would be better options than the Cooper.

From what I can tell, the Cooper is designed to be cheap and nimble for big city driving, but it isn't actually cheap. After sitting in one for 10 minutes, I can't imagine any kind of road trip in the Cooper.

[Lord Humungus]

350Zs are rare around here... but I'll add 'em to my list.

[waffles]

How can the performance be different between those two cars? My understanding it's just interior differences. I just feel bad because a soccer mom rear ended my 14 year old bmw and I replaced it with the sensible but entirely boring impreza hatchback.

[kinnath]

http://jalopnik.com/all-the-di.....1250264976

The same engine, the same transmission, the same basic shape, but two individually tuned cars sold wearing three different badges around the world. So, which one to buy? Here's comes help.

Most of you know that the Subaru BRZ is the better equipped and more mature car of the pair, while the Scion FR-S is mainly about oversteer and fun. But there's much more to consider when deciding between the two.

[Matrix]

My former roommate bought a BRZ, though he always wanted the FRS. Couldn't remember why he got it over the FRS. I think it was cheaper, or at least so locally.

[John]

The problem Kinnath is that the safety regulations make it impossible to build a car as small as the original Mini or Bug. What made those cars great is they were so small and nimble. Take that away and it is just another car.

If I were going for small and fun, I would by a Ford Focus ST or a Fiat 500 Arbath. Both of those cars look like a ton of fun for the money. And both are more practical than a Miata.

[kinnath]

I agree. Regulations have destroyed the cooper. And with a nicely equipped car running 25K to 30K, there are many better options out there.

[John]

For less that that you could buy an original and resto mod it with a modern engine and brakes and have just as reliable of a car for less money and more fun.

[Ted S.]

Are you planning on hulding up an armored car during a football match?

[Lord Humungus]

Only if Benny Hill arises from the dead and comes with.

[CampingInYourPark]

The Mini Cooper is a joke in England. Should be a strong indication it's a POS.

[John]

All of you single guys, you need to know that Carleigh is out there and she is on the market. Why it is okay for women to stalk men online.

I need to go through your Facebook history and look for statements that set off red flags ? republicanism, homophobia, sexism, classism, racism, transphobia, ignorance, etc. If I'm going to spend the bulk of the relationship trying to teach you how to be a decent human, then f**k it; not worth my time. said single girl Carleigh

http://www.yourtango.com/20142.....-boyfriend

Come on guys, she is quite a catch.

[Auric Demonocles]

statements that set off red flags ? republicanism, homophobia, sexism, classism, racism, transphobia, ignorance, etc.

As stupid as this list is (comparing Republicans to racists), it's incredibly common in the online dating community.

[Fluffy]

If I was 15 years younger, I would seek this girl out, put on a big act and convince her I was right in her wheelhouse, fuck her, and then send her a link to all my H & R posts.

THIS IS WHY THERE ARE NO FEMALE LIBERTARIANS.

[waffles]

I still imagine you as a giant anthropomorphic bunny so this post is especially funny.

[An Innocent Man]

She opposes republicanism? So, she is for the overthrow of our form of government? Bet she hates democracies too. But not Democratism.

[John]

Well she is apparently a fascist, so that would make sense.

[mr simple]

Remember, men look women up online to make sure they aren't fatter than their profile photo. Women look men up so that they can protect themselves from violence," says Caleigh, 30.

Totally justified. I wonder why she's still single at 30?

[Juice]

I need to go through your Facebook history and look for statements that set off red flags

Hey, thanks for sending up your biggest reddist flag at the outset. Saves us all a lot of time and trouble.

[sloopyin??]

John, do you remember that lengthy argument we had about Mozilla and doing business with people you politically/socially abhor?

Well, after the latest round of campus-shaming, I'm starting to see things more your way.

[John]

There is no stopping it. The problem is that these people are nuts. I was a friend of my wife's house for a barbeque this weekend. It is a lesbian couple having the party so needless to say most of the people there were pretty far left. Most of the people there worked in some kind of education so the topic of the commencement speakers came up. All of them thought it was ridiculous and the students and profs who did it morons.

So maybe they are finally starting to go too far.

[Warty]

Since when is a commencement speech supposed to be a political thing? A commencement speaker is supposed to talk about working hard and being humble and avoiding cargo cult science. Injecting politics into it makes the commencement no longer about the graduating students and instead about the speaker, which to me seems like the height of crass.

[John]

It is. The people who did it are nothing but spoiled children.

[John]

The only legitimate bitch about a commencement speaker I have heard were the kids in Topeka who complained about Michelle Obama coming because it would have involved oppressive security and limited the number of people each one of them could have attend their graduation. Those are legitimate objections. "I am butt hurt because this person is a meany" is not.

[Pro Libertate]

I'd invite Feynman and have him appear holographically for the commencement. He'd have loved that. And yes, with bongos.

[John]

He could give the cargo cult speech. As a matter of fact, if I were President, I would have the department of education write a regulation t hat required every commencement speech at every college in America to be a hologram of Feynman giving that speech. Bongos would be left up to each college.

[Warty]

Bongos, LSD, isolation tanks, and banging hundreds of coeds are all optional but highly recommended.

[John]

As well as writing your lectures in strip clubs.

[Pro Libertate]

And safecracking.

[JW]

Even though I've heard him speak (on video) and I know that he doesn't sound like this, I still use Robert Loggia's voice in my head, for his voice.

It just seems to fit.

[John]

I always hear his voice. I just associate him with having that smarteleck sounding New York accent.

[sarcasmic]

We had Olympia Snowe. All I remember was at one point she joked "I'm all that is standing between you and your diploma." Then she droned on for another half hour. Bitch.

[Warty]

I had Elie Wiesel. He gave a perfectly decent speech about how war is bad, but it was in no way appropriate for a commencement.

[Pro Libertate]

For the life of me, I can't remember mine from college. High school was a politician, and she was very long-winded and boring.

[Kaptious Kristen]

We had to share our gradumication with the "School of Communication", and they got to pick the speaker. It was some VP at CSPAN. All that tuition money for some low-level executive of a TV network nobody watches.

[JW]

I have no idea who our speaker was. I'm sure we had one, but all I recall from sitting in Cole Field House is how fucking hot it was in there.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Lee Iacocca. Sat next to him at lunch as part of the student government reception. His anecdotes about Ross Perot being batshit crazy were the best part.

[John]

When I was a kid my dad had a copy of Iacoca's memoirs on tape. He had gotten it at some management seminar. I remember being bored one summer afternoon home alone and listening to them. They were great books. It was all about going to work for Ford after the war and designing the Mustang and taking over Chrysler and trying to fix it. He told a great story.

[Zeb]

I can't remember who our real speaker was, but Pele (the soccer player, his daughter was in my class) got an honorary degree and gave a nice, appropriate speech.

[Pro Libertate]

Did he do a bicycle kick at the end?

I saw him play, live, when he was with the Cosmos.

[The Late P Brooks]

If I'm going to spend the bulk of the relationship trying to teach you how to be a decent human, then f**k it; not worth my time. said single girl Carleigh

Just what I've always needed.

A bitter supercilious nagging cunt who wants to forge me into a better human being.

[The Late P Brooks]

Has anyone driven the Mini Cooper S?

Only the real ones.

But, to be honest, if I were going to drive a thousand miles in a Mini, I 'd rather do it in the BMW version. Getting old has made me soft.

[Lord Humungus]

+1 Mr. Bean

[John]

I would love to have an original Mini Cooper S. The new BMW ones are cool but the old ones really have character. I love it that they were very successful rally cars.

And I have driven the new one. A good friend has one. It is a ton of fun. Will turn on a dime, just not quite as fun as the original would be I bet.

[Lord Humungus]

Time for some Viking Death Metal - Falkenbach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztRJuklN320

[Warty]

Falkenbach is a blast. Here's my favorite of theirs.

[Fluffy]

You may be surprised to learn that Traffic Court justice is not equally administered:

http://articles.philly.com/201.....singletary

[sarcasmic]

In so doing, the government contends, they defrauded the city and state of needed funds.

Traffic tickets are not about revenue! There are no quotas!

[John]

I am going to do something rare, go a bit anarcho capitalist. I think there should be a constitutional amendment banning all traffic fines. They do nothing but make war on the poor. If you are a bad or unsafe driver, your inability to afford insurance is going to do more to deter you than traffic fines. All traffic fines do is give police a reason to harass people and make people too poor to pay the fines into criminals.

[Lord Humungus]

The last time I got pulled over I was driving my rusty truck. The cop let me go without a ticket, but warned I could have gotten a *gasp* $100 fine. I smiled wanly at him, thinking - but not saying - "Not a $100, not that!"

But if you're poor, a $100 is going to take a serious bite out of your budget.

[John]

And what do they do if you don't pay it? They take your license making it impossible to go to work.

[sarcasmic]

That doesn't make it impossible to go to work. It means they've got to drive on a suspended license or lose their job. It's a vicious circle. You see it daily when you look in the paper at the police blotter. When you see someone picked up on warrants and a suspended license, it's because they failed to pay a fine.

[John]

Yup. It just makes poor people into perpetual criminals who can't get out of the system. It is pure evil.

[Fluffy]

It's funny about Obama's "anger".

He doesn't actually govern like someone who's "angry" that the bureaucracy doesn't work.

Let's discount my libertarianism for a moment and just make me a random centrist guy with random centrist opinions on government. If I'm elected President, the FIRST thing I do is work with all the executive branch IG's to figure out what the fuck is going on.

In fact, the IG's become a shadow Cabinet. I have a special room in the Executive Office Building set up where I meet with all the IG's every three business days.

All those days Obama is playing golf or meeting championship sports teams? I spend those getting more IG funding and pumping them for information on what my cabinet secretaries are fucking trying to hide from me.

Obama is a blind executive because he WANTS to be. It doesn't have to be that way. Even a liberal President should govern this way. For all he knows, evil counterrevolutionaries are thwarting his agenda. How would he know? HE NEVER LOOKS OR ASKS.

[John]

He hasn't ever fired a single cabinet member in five years. You would think that a proclaimed government loving prog like Obama would be harder on the executive. If you believe government can do all of these great things, wouldn't you want a lean and efficient and competent government?

I think it goes back to Obama is a faculty lounge liberal. He doesn't look because he doesn't understand how the real world works. He thinks that things will just happen if he commands it and says the right words.

[Fluffy]

Actually, for a liberal it might be even more important to do this.

Because then when incompetence and waste stories come out, you get to act like you're all on top of it.

"The bureaucracy is fucked up and you're hearing about it because I'm such a kick-ass take-charge President!" is better for your big government agenda than "Oh shit, I just heard about this on the news last night like you did!"

[John]

It is not might, it is more important. How do you sell government to the country with stories like the VA and Fast and Furious.

The original Progressive was Teddy Roosevelt. And he was the total asshole hard ass on the executive that you are talking about. But Teddy Roosevelt, for all of his flaws, didn't live in a fantasy world. Obama does.

[Pro Libertate]

When does anyone in this administration ever admit to error?

[John]

Never that I have ever seen.

[Pro Libertate]

It's amazing that people tolerate crap they'd likely slug someone for in their personal lives.

[Rich]

Hey, what is "There's no sugarcoating it ....", chopped liver?

[sarcasmic]

When has government in general ever admitted to error?

[Pro Libertate]

It's definitely less frequent these days, but people used to get fired, resign in disgrace, suggest that a problem needs to be fixed, that sort of thing.

[Lord Humungus]

Excellent point, Fluffy. He is running the government on autopilot.

[The Late P Brooks]

Let's discount my libertarianism for a moment and just make me a random centrist guy with random centrist opinions on government. If I'm elected President, the FIRST thing I do is work with all the executive branch IG's to figure out what the fuck is going on.

This presupposes you care about results (other than getting elected) rather than showy demonstrations of your concern for the Little Man, which renders your hypothetical invalid.

[mr simple]

True. What does he care? He's president; he's set for life.

[The Late P Brooks]

He hasn't ever fired a single cabinet member in five years.

This is strictly thew fault of those obstructionist Rethuglitards.

[John]

They just would have used that against him. We can't give the other side ammunition by ever admitting anything is wrong.

[Matrix]

Well, those cabinet members cannot do their jobs precisely because of obstructionist Ratbagging Tea****ing Rethuglicans.

Oh, and Libertarians. Especially Libertarians.

[The Late P Brooks]

He is running the government on autopilot.

He's a busy, busy man.

That money won't raise itself.

[John]

The bad news is that the government is on autopilot. The worse news is that John Brennen and Valarie Jarrett are running the auto pilot.

[joseph53322]

Start working at home with Google. It's a great work at home opportunity. Just work for few hours. I earn up to $500 a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. http://www.Fox81.com

[John]

I don't even trust semi automatic pistols not to jam. I would rather have a revolver.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

This