A.M. Links: Republicans Will Vote on New Leadership, Dick Cheney Takes Heat Over Iraq War Comments

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  White House / Wikimedia Commons

  Republicans in the House of Representatives will vote on a new majority leader today. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California), the current majority whip, is expected to defeat Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho), preferred candidate of the Tea Party, in the secret ballot.

• The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rescinded the Redskins trademark because it is "disparaging to Native Americans." The Washington Redskins label is still protected under common law, however, making the decision largely a symbolic one.
• Iraqi government forces say they have recaptured an oil refinery in Baiji that was besieged by militants for several days.
• Fox News' Megyn Kelly grilled former Vice President Dick Cheney over his continued support for the Iraq War in an interview on her show last night. "Time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong," she said.
• The St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided to stop publishing George Will's columns, calling one of his recent pieces "offensive," because it questioned the prevalence of rape on college campuses and claimed that victims enjoy "privileged status."

Comments

[Rich]

Told ya!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Fox News' Megyn Kelly grilled former Vice President Dick Cheney over his continued support for the Iraq War in an interview on her show last night.

His heart could barely take it.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

She can grill me anytime

[entropy_factor]

I'd probe her for answers

[Fist of Etiquette]

I'd let her speak into my microphone, my mic being my erect penis and her speaking being her using her lips and hopefully tongue to pleasure me orally.

[mr simple]

He's more machine now than man.

[WDATPDIM!?]

File under "Fruit, low-hanging."

[The Tone Police]

Media cowardice is amazing. Wow, way to go after Dick Cheney. How daring!

[Chinny Chin Chin]

FTA: there are a lot of people now that want to blame the Bush/Cheney administration for what happened [in Iraq]," Liz Cheney said.

Gosh, life is sure unfair, isn't it, Lizzie?

[Ted S.]

Is the second paragraph from the article?

[Chinny Chin Chin]

Stupid html.

No that is my editorial.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

Eviler Neocon: Liz Cheney or John Bolton?

[Bobarian]

Baron Von Wolfowitz

[The DerpRider]

My college roommate worked in Newt's shop for a while on health care reform and has been on Fox a few times. I've begged him for candids of Megyn.

[Bee Tagger]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided to stop publishing George Will's columns

Best fans in baseball fight!

[Ted S.]

Can they silence Bob Costas too?

[WDATPDIM!?]

Just as I'm tempted to write him off, Will demonstrates again why he's worth his keep.

[JW]

Will is still a conservative, but he keeps drifting towards those dangerous libertarians.

[Warty]

Will has more or less the same views as John, as far as I can tell. He just types better.

[Bobarian]

Or has a better editor?

[WTF]

I guess they find facts offensive.

[gaijin]

Because nothing says free press like dispatching with speech the editors disagree with. (Not to say that it isn't their right to do so as a privately held journalistic organ)

[Drake]

Hopefully their in-box is full of subscription cancellations.

[sarcasmic]

The moment a cop famed for his generosity shot dead a HANDCUFFED bodybuilder - as officials say he will not be charged for killing struggling man on bath salts
Officer Jose Flores shot dead former Mr. El Paso, Daniel Saenz, 37, after a struggle outside city jail
Saenz was arrested earlier in the day for assaulting a police officer
Was being transported to hospital because he hit his own head inside jail
Footage released through an open-records request from El Paso newspaper
Shocking incident unfolding in under one-minute on March 8, 2013
Officer Flores was not charged in the shooting which was deemed 'accidental'
He is however, still on leave from his job after grand jury did not press charges in February
Officer Flores shot to fame in January last year after he bought an 83-year-old homeless man boots

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....pital.html
And he's one of the good ones.

[Matrix]

damn you! I still posted it last night first, though 😛

[WTF]

He went home safely. It's all that matters.

[mr simple]

Once outside, the shirtless man struggles against Officer Jose Flores and another guard who lose control of him - causing Flores to reach first for his taser, then stop and instead pull his gun which goes off when the guard knocks his trigger finger.

Definitely sounds accidental and justified to me. I mean, it's not his fault he wasn't trained in the proper use of a gun.

[Ted S.]

Defense attorneys need to use these cases as precedent when it's non-cops being prosecuted for shootings. Not that it'll work of course. 🙁

[sarcasmic]

Next you're going to say something silly like the Rule of Law means the law applies equally to everyone, even people in government.

[robc]

As ive said a bunch before...there are no accidental shootings like that. Putting the finger inside the guard is a prelude to firing.

[Zeb]

Yeah, I think the most generous description would be negligent shooting.

[mr simple]

However, because Saenz 'struck his own head into the doorway causing himself injury' the jail guards and Flores wanted the bodybuilder to travel to hospital for treatment to his bloody injury.

That's their story and they're sticking to it.

[Zeb]

"Bath salts"? How fucking lazy are these people? People know what the actual drugs are in that stuff.

[Matrix]

Reposting from last night (different link, though):
Cop executes handcuffed inmate who was on the ground. Grand Jury declines to indict the cop.

And of course PoliceOne's take:
"How about, Praise God the Officer survived and the Correctional Officer with only minor bumps and bruises."
"In light of the guys history......looks and sounds like a justified shoot to me!"
"While I definitely believe there are times shooting a handcuffed person can be justified and apparently was in this case"

Sleep soundly tonight, folks. These are the guys "keeping you safe".

[gaijin]

looks and sounds like a justified shoot to me!

I'd like to know what they think an unjustified shoot looks like.

[Andrew S.]

I don't believe there's any scenario in which the PoliceOne posters would consider a shoot unjustified. If there was a video from 3 different angles of a police officer walking up behind somebody and pulling the trigger at the back of that person's head from point blank range, they'd find a way to justify it.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

You mean like they did with the point-blank assassination of Oscar Grant?

They still want Mahserle to get his fucking job back.

[Brett L]

Blue on blue? A cop shooting her abusive cop husband?

[sarcasmic]

Blue on blue?

If a cop shot another cop who was beating an unarmed homeless person to death, that would be an outrage. But if a cop shot another cop for trying to stop him from beating an unarmed homeless person to death, that would be totally justified.

[Zeb]

That is fucked up. Even supposing it was a legitimate accident, how does that make it justified? The policeOne assholes seem to be trying to justify an act that no one involved even claims was a justified shooting. I guess to them, everything a cop does is justified, even if the cop himself says it was an unfortunate accident/fuckup.

[sarcasmic]

everything a cop does is justified

Basically.

[sarcasmic]

Everything a cop does is justified, up to the point of trying to stop a cop from doing something. At that point the cop who is doing something is justified, and the cop who is trying to stop him is in the wrong.

[Zeb]

Oh yeah. Forgot about that part. Then you aren't a true warrior brother in blue.

[BakedPenguin]

"Time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong,"

What? Look at the lovely Arab Spring we're having.

[Slammer]

Sacramento public school districts increase spending on travel for teachers.

"Districts in the Sacramento region spent $10 million on travel last school year ? 23 percent more than three years earlier ? as more money flowed thanks to a 2012 tax hike and economic turnaround."

"District leaders said the trips were necessary to prepare teachers and administrators for the new Common Core State Standards, as well as advanced programs such as the International Baccalaureate track that some schools have added to attract high-caliber students. They also said they had to address a backlog of training needs after slashing travel budgets during the state budget crisis."

""(It) was a perfect storm of pent-up need for professional development, a pressing need to prepare for the Common Core, and funds being available," said El Dorado Union Superintendent Christopher Hoffman."

[Doctor Whom]

Nothing left to cut! The one problem with American public schools is underfunding!

[Ted S.]

I just came across an article yesterday that claims that in Finland, 40% of all taxi fares are from the government sector.

[waffles]

Most went to teacher training

I'm sure these teachers are measured on how effective their training. I'll keep waiting for the public evaluations to come out.

[sarcasmic]

Libyan government demands U.S. RETURN Benghazi 'mastermind' and calls Delta Force raid that captured him a 'an attack on our sovereignty'
Ahmed Abu Khattala, 42, was captured Sunday outside Benghazi, Libya
Terror leader taken in joint raid by Delta force FBI without a single shot
Raid was based on 2011 assault against Osama bin Laden in Pakistan
The were no civilian or military casualties in the extraction of Khattala
U.S. justified raid as self-defense, as Khattala 'was planning more attacks'
Khattala was reportedly read his Miranda rights shortly after his capture
Was also read safety exemption allowing authorities to quiz him on terrorism
Khattala charged in August 2013 with leading attacks that killed 4 Americans
Had been living in Libya and flouted U.S. authorities - even giving interviews
Khattala is now en route to the United States to stand trial in federal court
President Obama said the U.S. 'has once again demonstrated that we will do whatever it takes to see that justice is done when people harm Americans'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ignty.html
They do have a point. I mean, what if foreign soldiers grabbed someone off the streets of New York City?

[Dances-with-Trolls]

Apparently US police jurisdiction has been extended to every place on earth w/o nukes.

[PD Scott]

The US says French bank BNP Paribas may owe it billions (for violating sanctions) so even nukes apparently aren't enough.

Granted, the bank (presumably) doesn't have nukes...

[Palin's Buttplug]

BNP is a US bank with HQ in France.

[WTF]

Needz moar CHRISTFAGS!!11!!!

[Ivan Pike]

BNP is a US bank with HQ in France.

It is actually a French bank with operations in the US.

BNP Paribas is a French bank and financial services company with headquarters in Paris, and a global headquarters in London. It was formed through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas in 2000 and is one of the largest banks in the world.

[WTF]

Shreek is a financial expert, you know.

[SugarFree]

The liar lied again, what a shock.

[Palin's Buttplug]

It is CHARTERED in the US as a US bank and has to follow US law.

[sarcasmic]

You mean branches of foreign banks located in the US have to follow US law?

Holy shit! I mean... holy shit!

[Ivan Pike]

That would mean Toyota is a US company, with HQ in Japan, because it has to follow US law for it's operations here? No.

[Stormy Dragon]

Toyota Motor North America is a US company.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Apparently US police jurisdiction has been extended to every place on earth w/o nukes.

I was correcting this type of nonsense.

[sarcasmic]

I was correcting this type of nonsense.

It was obviously sarcasm you fucking retard.

[sarcasmic]

If their HQ is in France then they are by definition a French bank. Holy shit you're stupid.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I said their HQ is in France, you idiot. Obviously their primary operations are too.

But BNP is a US chartered bank and is fully subject to US law.

This is not about US overreach into sovereign countries. BNP must follow US law and is regulated by the Federal Reserve and/or the OCC.

[sarcasmic]

A French bank doesn't become a US bank because it has to follow US law while operating in the US.

Holy shit you're stupid.

[Pathogen]

Shut up!.. the point is BOOOOOOOSH!! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

[BigT]

Does this apply to every branch of BNP? Even that ATM in Marseilles? I'm sure not.

[Clich? Bandit]

I am sorry but I thought it was THURSDAY!

[Zeb]

The US has snatched up BNP Paribas executives in Paris?

[Stormy Dragon]

Even though BNP itself is foreign, it was laundering money through US banks by submitting transactions with phony identities attached. The fact US banks are within the jurisdiction of US law is hardly a shock.

[WTF]

Holy shit.

[WTF]

FYTW transcends international borders.

[UnCivilServant]

Also note: They killed fewer people and dogs than a standard SWAT assault.

[Auric Demonocles]

We'd fuck them up.

[Ted S.]

Is that somebody Bill de Blasio or Michael Bloomberg?

[MJGreen]

There's a Libyan government?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Washington Redskins label is still protected under common law, however, making the decision largely a symbolic one.

The patent office tried to be an indian giver but no go.

[sarcasmic]

Baxter's back! Family agrees to return deployed soldier's beloved dog after girlfriend sold him on Craigslist... even though their children were attached to him
Robert Gabbert raised his Shiba Inu Baxter from a puppy and left him with his girlfriend when he went to Afghanistan
The family that bought Baxter said their children have become too attached to him after a month of their home
Supporters are now raising money to help get Baxter back

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....n-him.html
I hope she's his EX girlfriend.

[Brett L]

"Go in peace, Baxter, friend of Bears."

[Michael]

Such bitchy.

Many cunt.

Wow.

[KDN]

From the captions:

Such heartache

So loving

Very dangerous

Much devotion

[sarcasmic]

I'm off to take the bike for a walk! Inventor creates bizarre unicycle with no pedals he says will help tackle congestion in cities

The Velofeet was designed by Inverness inventor Manual Alvarez-Icaza
He believes the machine could provide a solution to congestion in cities
Passenger leans to change direction and to stop you lean back on the seat

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....ntres.html
Uh, no?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Ow my balls

[Idle Hands]

so the future is all of us scooting along in office chairs? Didn't see that coming.

[Idle Hands]

so the future is all of us scooting along in office chairs? Didn't see that coming.

[Idle Hands]

Should have seen the squirrels coming though.

[Auric Demonocles]

We'll have a sports version as well and you could use it for games like basketball or even football.

This sounds like such a terrible idea.

[mr simple]

A proctologists dream.

[Rich]

What's the difference between a proctologist and a bartender?

A proctologist has to handle only one asshole at a time.

[PRX]

sounds like the time as kids we tried to combine sandlot football and bicycles after seeing Rollerball. lots of clotheslines that day by the nonbiked players.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

What's the over/under on there being kickball leagues using these things in Williamsburg (Brooklyn)? I give it six months.*

*Six instead of three so they can do it on icy streets for added irony.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

A three-wheeled unicycle?

I can't take an inventor seriously that can't even correctly identify what he's built.

[JW]

They'll name the groin area and ass crack disorder that users will develop, after him.

[sarcasmic]

The cruellest festival in the world? China advances its summer solstice DOG-EATING celebrations to avoid protests by animal rights activists

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tra.....feast.html
Is Obama going to attend?

[PD Scott]

Isn't dog meat too greasy for Michelle to allow it?

[Slammer]

Those pics are brutal.

[waffles]

The intentional combination of cute dog and meat dogs really does it for me.

[UnCivilServant]

How is it cruel? Unless they're being abnormally vicious in the manner of killing the dogs for butcher, there's nothing particularly cruel about it.

[sarcasmic]

I don't write the headlines.

[UnCivilServant]

I was hoping your greater experience with them would provide insight.

[trshmnster the terrible]

It's because the "tolerant" folks on the left and the right cannot tolerate a culture that finds a different purpose for an animal that our culture reveres as "man's best friend." I await the articles from India about the cruel treatment of cattle here in western culture.

[mr simple]

Comment from the article:

ggyy, jiangsu, China, 41 minutes ago
most of us in China dont eat dogs!! dont know why media never get over with it! by the way we feel the same when you eat a lovely deer!!

[Bobarian]

uhhhh, lovely deer!

/homer voice

[Brett L]

Reminds me of wandering around Hong Kong with my family.

Dad to guide (pointing at dressed carcass): "What is that? It looks too big for rabbit and too small for goat."
Guide: "Oh, uh. Dog. " Then proceeds to tell us about the American woman who picked out a puppy at a live market and was horrified when "her puppy" came out in butcher paper, dressed.

[sarcasmic]

That's funny.

[waffles]

That puppy butcher story seems like a staple. It's either happened many times or recycled perpetually.

[Brett L]

I assume it is taking the piss, but in a fun way. I expect tour guides to have a bit of fun at my expense as long as it isn't done in a hurtful manner.

[sarcasmic]

Talk about Shameless! Grinning Emmy Rossum shows off her taut tummy after workout in Los Angeles

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....geles.html
Dang I lust her.

[Idle Hands]

yes.

[JW]

Zod bless the hawt actresses with no nudity taboo.

[sarcasmic]

Walking on the Wilde side! New mum Olivia shows off her svelte post-baby body in sizzling skin-tight leather trousers

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....users.html
Her too.

[Idle Hands]

yes.

[Rich]

Mr. Will suggested that sexual assault victims on college campuses enjoy a privileged status

Did he actually use the word "enjoy"?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I'm guessing not, but it's worth checking. Will is usually fastidious with his words.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

They are learning that when they say campus victimizations are ubiquitous ("micro-aggressions," often not discernible to the untutored eye, are everywhere), and that when they make victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges, victims proliferate.

That's about as close as he gets to "enjoy"

[Rich]

Yep. Classic Will. I should have realized he didn't use "enjoy" from the way the teaser was written.

[JW]

I'd say that the headline is accurate.

These twerps claim to be miserable, but they would scratch your eyes out if you ever tried to take away their victim status. It's the only thing that gives their life any type of meaning.

[waffles]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rescinded the Redskins trademark because it is "disparaging to Native Americans."

This is so silly. But if they must rename the team may I suggest the Washington Pork barrels.

[Rich]

NFW: Offensive to Muslims.

[WDATPDIM!?]

Heard the best solution last night: Simply change the team's mascot to a redskin potato.

[waffles]

A potato suspiciously shaped like a man's head?

[wareagle]

mr potato head...hail to the redskins.

[Rich]

Beautiful. Kick the battle over offensive speech up one level of indirection. Remember Lenny Bruce's "I hope you never get your blah blahed again!"

[BigT]

Washington Redskins helmet.

[waffles]

It's...beautiful.

[JW]

What about a redskin potato in the shape of the Indian head mascot?

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

How about a redskin potato wearing an Indian headdress.

[gaijin]

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rescinded the Redskins trademark because it is "disparaging to Native Americans."

Does this count as patent trolling?

[Ted S.]

As I wrote elsewhere yesterday:

They should change the name to the Washington Scumbag Politicians and have the logo be your least favorite politician (I'll pick Harry Reid, since he was in the news yesterday saying he wouldn't go to the games until they change the team name, but if you want to pick somebody from Team Red, go ahead -- or better yet, have one from each side of the aisle) dressed in a dominatrix outfit whipping the constitution.

Somebody else suggested two logos, one on the left side of the helmet and the other on the right.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

They should change their name to the Washington Bureaucrats, swap,the front office and players with the Browns and continue to let us all down.

[Kaptious Kristen]

I'm partial to the Washington Shysters myself

[JW]

Keep it honest: The Washington Parasites.

They can have a tapeworm as the mascot.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Republicans in the House of Representatives will vote on a new majority leader today.

Whoever promises to raise loudly a stink and then quickly the debt ceiling gets the nod.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

Think I there's a missing somewhere.

[Fist of Etiquette]

One verb, two objects.

[UnCivilServant]

A clearer version would be something like

Whoever promises to raise loudly a stink and then quickly do the same to the debt ceiling gets the nod

[Fist of Etiquette]

Who says I was going for clarity? I DON'T DUMB THINGS DOWN FOR MY AUDIENCE.

[UnCivilServant]

When you outsmart yourself you sound like a dumbass.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Fox News' Megyn Kelly grilled former Vice President Dick Cheney over his continued support for the Iraq War in an interview on her show last night. "Time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong," she said.

When Team Red's version of Pravda calls you out it is time to shut your fucking mouth.

[sarcasmic]

Krysten Ritter displays slim figure in elegant black dress as she arrives at The Road Within premiere

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....miere.html
Her as well.

[Idle Hands]

yes.

[JW]

She needs some cheeseburgers.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Considering she has a rat-face, the cheese would be appropriate.

[BigT]

Ex-IRS official Lois Lerner's crashed hard drive has been recycled, making it likely the lost emails of the lightening rod in the tea party targeting controversy will never be found, according to multiple sources

Why not just subpoena the hard drives of every person she had email contact with?

[UnCivilServant]

They'd need the metadata from the NSA first to know who to subpoena

[Auric Demonocles]

Subpoena everyone!

[Ivan Pike]

Why not just subpoena the hard drives of every person she had email contact with?

Just subpoena her hard copies of the emails. She did make hard copies, right??

Please note that maintaining a copy of an email or its attachments within the IRS email MS Outlook application does not meet the requirements of maintaining an official record. Therefore, print and file email and its attachments if they are either permanent records or if they relate to a specific case.

From IRS Manual
1.10.3.2.3 (07-08-2011)
Emails as Possible Federal Record

[Jordan]

Stupidly, yet not surprisingly, they leave it up to the employees themselves to determine what constitutes an official record.

[Ivan Pike]

Stupidly, yet not surprisingly, they leave it up to the employees themselves to determine what constitutes an official record.

No, there is federal law that states what an offical record is, and an email is one.

Records include all books, papers, maps, photographs, machine-readable materials, or other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received by an agency of the United States Government under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved or appropriate for preservation by that agency or its legitimate successor as evidence of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities of the Government or because of the informational value of the data in them (44 U.S.C. 3301).

[BigT]

So someone, maybe several someones, is obstructing justice by destroying the hard drive. And Lerner herself is obstructing justice (or something) by failing to preserve records.

Does it say HOW LONG these records must be maintained? In my experience we were required to hold them for 10 years.

[Ivan Pike]

Does it say HOW LONG these records must be maintained? In my experience we were required to hold them for 10 years.

That is a complex question. Basically it depends on what the records are for, but they have to follow the General Records Schedule. As an example, I work with Indian records and the GRS says

[NOTE: Accounts and supporting documents pertaining to American Indians are not authorized for disposal. Such records must be retained indefinitely since they may be needed in litigation involving the Government's role as trustee of property held by the Government and managed for the benefit of Indians.]

[Brett L]

Okay, but am I really to believe that when her drive crashed in 2011, she never bothered to have them restore it? Because once that happened, it would be on all the new backups.

[Drake]

Why not haul in the IT Administrators to testify under oath? (Sounds like it might happen)

[db]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided to stop publishing George Will's columns, calling one of his recent pieces "offensive,"

Everyone knows the antidote for offensive speech is less speech. And reeducation camps.

[WTF]

Never mind that they found Will's citation of facts offensive.

[mr simple]

A syndicated column by Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, is replacing Will's in the Post-Dispatch.

Gerson? Hahahahahahaha!

[JW]

His bland, tasteless and soothing bootlicking is just what St. Louis needs.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

I'm still waiting for someone to critique the "microaggression/triggering/victim-glorfication" brigade by posting the entire skit of "The Four Yorkshiremen" and leaving it at that.

[Matrix]

More on cops executing restrained suspects:
Baltimore Cop Slashes Dog's Throat

At least his office saw fit to have him charged for this.

[DontShootMe]

Even if you're a cop there are RULEZ! Shooting dog: OK. Slashing dog throat, Not OK. In order to slash a dog's throat the officer has to get too close to the terrifying canine, exposing the officer to risk. Not acceptable. Shoot first, ask no questions.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

That knife slashed itself accidentally

[Irish]

From the police spokesman:

"It was a complete violation of protocol," Kowalczy said. "It's not often police speak out against one of their own, but we are all truly appalled."

[JW]

So, they finally found the reason they were looking for to finally get rid of him.

Don't look for any deeper meaning.

[Jordan]

Mish demonstrates just how badly the Fed has fucked over the Middle Class:

Congratulations to Republicans and Democrats alike. On a chained-dollar adjusted basis (but not counting sales taxes, property taxes, fees, home prices, etc.), real average hourly earnings are back to a level seen in 1968.

Counting taxes and fees, the average worker makes far less now.

The Fed wants 2% inflation. It achieved that (and then some) especially if we add in the price of houses and various taxes.

Who benefited?

The answer is Wall Street, corporate CEOs, banks, public unions, and the already wealthy.

The demise of the middle class is a direct result of fractional reserve lending, inflation tactics of central banks, war-mongering and other unfunded Congressional legislation, all exacerbated when Nixon closed the gold window, allowing unlimited printing and Congressional deficit spending.

[WTF]

SF'd the link

[Ted S.]

That's an interesting link.

[mashed potatoes]

Sf'd

[Jordan]

Son of a...

[Irish]

Congratulations to Republicans and Democrats alike. On a chained-dollar adjusted basis (but not counting sales taxes, property taxes, fees, home prices, etc.), real average hourly earnings are back to a level seen in 1968.

Yeah, this is as untrue when a libertarian says it as when a leftist says it. The average American spends less than half the wages on food that they spent as recently as the mid-70's. I have more computing power in my pocket than government super computers had in the 60's.

If earnings are defined as 'what can I buy' which is how it should be defined, then the average person is far wealthier today than in the 60's.

[Jordan]

Computing power doesn't pay rent. The CPI and wage data are both right there. Where are they wrong?

[Brett L]

CPI is worthless, IMO, for determining anything like an actual "cost". I make 4x what I did in 2001, but that's because I do a completely different job. If I did the same job, I would make, maybe 1.25x. Gas is 3x as expensive, electricity, similar, housing about 2x. Food has tripled. Of course, only housing is included in the CPI of those items. So yes, wages have risen, but not faster than cost. OTOH, how do you compare the value added of having a supercomputer in your pocket that can access literally anything you need to know for $100/month with 1968? So I would say it probably isn't that easy.

[Jordan]

It's flawed, but not worthless. And it does track a lot of those items:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has classified all expenditure items into more than 200 categories, arranged into eight major groups. Major groups and examples of categories in each are as follows:

FOOD AND BEVERAGES (breakfast cereal, milk, coffee, chicken, wine, full service meals and snacks);
HOUSING (rent of primary residence, owners' equivalent rent, fuel oil, bedroom furniture);
APPAREL (men's shirts and sweaters, women's dresses, jewelry);
TRANSPORTATION (new vehicles, airline fares, gasoline, motor vehicle insurance);
MEDICAL CARE (prescription drugs and medical supplies, physicians' services, eyeglasses and eye care, hospital services);
RECREATION (televisions, cable television, pets and pet products, sports equipment, admissions);
EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION (college tuition, postage, telephone services, computer software and accessories);
OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES (tobacco and smoking products, haircuts and other personal services, funeral expenses).

[Brett L]

Huh. I was almost certain it didn't track gas or food. Maybe its just oil and electricity. I stand corrected.

[mr simple]

You're thinking of core CPI which has energy and food stripped out. It can be useful to look at as the prices of those items can vary widely without influence from inflation.

[mr simple]

CPI is worthless and is counted differently today than in the 60s. However, energy and food are counted in CPI, but not in core CPI. Both can be useful to look at, if they were measured properly.

[Irish]

To begin with, he's making the exact same mistake Thomas Sowell mentions where people aren't able to separate out individuals from society.

There have been massive numbers of immigrants from poor countries who make low wages in America because of no skills. They're still better off than they were at home, but they drag down the average wage by a great deal.

Relevant:

Mexican-born immigrants accounted for 29.8 percent of all foreign born residing in the United States in 2009, by far the largest immigrant group in the United States.

The Philippines accounted for 4.5 percent of all foreign born, followed by India and China (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan) with 4.3 percent and 3.7 percent, respectively.

These four countries ? together with Vietnam (3.0 percent), El Salvador (3.0 percent), Korea (2.6 percent), Cuba (2.6 percent), Canada (2.1 percent), and the Dominican Republic (2.1 percent) ? made up 57.7 percent of all foreign born residing in the United States in 2009.

What are the wages of the average Mexican, Vietnamese, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican or Phillipino immigrant? There are 20 million immigrants from third world countries here, who make up a large fraction of the workforce, and drag down the average wage. A far smaller percentage of 1968's workforce was imported 3rd world labor w/ no skills.

[Jordan]

The whole point is that wages by themselves are irrelevant. Hence inclusion of the CPI.

[Jordan]

In other words, those immigrants are certainly better off than they were at home. But they would be even better off if not for government idiocy.

[Irish]

The whole point is that wages by themselves are irrelevant. Hence inclusion of the CPI.

What? The only reason CPI is relevant is because it's compared to wages. CPI only measures the price of a bundle of goods, not how much can be bought with the average wage a person earns.

The wages of immigrants are entirely relevant since they are a far higher percentage of the population than in 1968 and drag down the overall wages.

Since 1960, the amount of income spent on food has dropped fro 14% to 6%, despite the fact that people eat out more, which is more expensive.

Overall rent has gone up, admittedly, but this is largely the result of skyrocketing costs in major cities.

If you choose to live in New York, the massive spike in rent is entirely your fault since you could live somewhere else.

[KPres]

Anybody who uses "real wages" is lying to you. Real wages excludes the value of benefit packages, which have become a larger share of compensation over the same time period in response to tax incentives designed to illicit exactly that.

This is what "total hourly compensation" looks like:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blo.....ages.3.jpg

Clearly it has risen significantly from the 60s. That being said, there is a bit of a decline from the post-war trend and it begins pretty much exactly when we went to a fully fiat monetary system. So Mish got the event right, but oversold his case using a deceitful stat.

[Slammer]

#bringbackourhumvees

Islamists mock Michelle

[gaijin]

lol! Wait...Is it wrong to laugh at this? Would that be giving comfort to our enemies?

[Bee Tagger]

The Washington Redskins label is still protected under common law, however, making the decision largely a symbolic one.

Simple solution: rescind the the trademark on the symbol.

[sarcasmic]

Helena Bonham Carter swaps her quirky look for elegant red frock at opening of new Harry Potter Diagon Alley theme park

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs.....-park.html
Not her. She's a fucking weirdo.

[Rich]

Whew! I was just about to ask you if you ever met a dailyfemail you *didn't* lust.

[Idle Hands]

ehhh probably no.

[Bam!]

Still looks like a walking cancer patient.

[Jordan]

A gift for Shriek:

Critical Reasoning for Beginners

In this six-week course delivered by Marianne Talbot, you will learn all about arguments, how to identify and evaluate them, and how not to mistake bad arguments for good.

[db]

No you won't.

[Palin's Buttplug]

translated: DON'T MENTION BUSH! NO FAIR! HE MAKES MY TEAM LOOK BAD!

[Jordan]

Translated: "I still don't understand the difference between tu quoque and legitimate arguments". You'll notice I never complain when Reason brings up Bush's deplorable record. You know why? Because they don't do it just to deflect criticism from The Messiah.

[Palin's Buttplug]

You can't talk about the shitty problems of today without mentioning the root cause - Bush.

Deficits, spying, stupid wars, etc.

Root cause analysis pal - look it up.

[waffles]

Was Bush so bad that nothing can fix it? In the universe where Al Gore won the presidency is everything better?

[Jordan]

You can't talk about the shitty problems of today without mentioning the root cause - Bush.

Actually, you can. Millions of people manage to do it every day. You see, nobody forced Obama to defend the NSA, sign the PATRIOT Act twice, sign terrible spending bills, enshrine indefinite detention and assassination of American citizens into law, etc.

[KPres]

Yep. He expanded everything bad about Bush. Did you read the recent headline? Government revenues are at an all-time high yet this years deficit is still higher than any of Bush's. So much for blaming the recessions on Obama's debt.

[WTF]

Therefore all Bush's problems were from Clinton!! Derpity derp derp.
Sorry, after six years of running the show Obama owns it, you dolt.

[KPres]

The housing bubble was definitely Bill Clinton, given that it started four years before Bush took office (and 3 years before Glass-Steagall was repealed...sorry broken-record progs).

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JHhR.....0+Real.jpg

[trshmnster the terrible]

Deficits
The practice of having yearly and continuous deficits was started by FDR, only to be augmented by nearly every president since.

Spying
Haha, cute. Like this wasn't going on all the way back in the Nixon administration, and likely even before.

Stupid Wars
Like Korea, Vietnam, and Bosnia?

Root cause analysis pal - look it up.
Somebody like you with such shitty RCA skills would be fired within a month. RCA involves uncovering the ACTUAL ROOT CAUSE, not just the first cause in line that doesn't leave you (or the bandwagon you've hopped on) holding the ball.

[Matrix]

We're gonna need a bigger boat. One ton shark heading for Texas coast

[WDATPDIM!?]

Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies,
Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain!

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged wimmin'

[mr simple]

More reasons not to go in the ocean:

What devoured this great white shark?

It's not unprecedented for sharks to eat other sharks, and the researchers posit that a 2-ton "colossal cannibal great white shark" is a likely culprit in this case.

And yes, it's around Australia.

[NoVAHockey]

drop shark?

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

Oh my God....

**turns on TV to check tornado coverage on TWC**

**wipes sweat from brow**

Sharknado isn't happening yet.

[Jordan]

Have an anti-nutpunch:

The Philadelphia Zoo recently unveiled the newest additions to their animal kingdom family and the adorable overload is simply off the charts.

The zoo is home to a pair of black-footed cats, Ascari and Aza, who gave birth to three kittens on April 8. After undergoing a series of health checks to ensure that the zoo's first ever litter of black-footed cats -- a species of wild cat hailing from southern Africa and accustomed to arid climates -- were healthy, the trio made their grand debut in late May.

OMG KITTEHS

[sarcasmic]

These Bears Are Having Lots Of Oral Sex, And Scientists Think They Know Why

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....ostpopular

Researchers from Poland are reporting that a pair of male brown bears at a zoo in Croatia have been engaging in oral sex--and lots of it. Over the course of 116 hours of recent observation, the animals engaged in fellatio 28 times. That's about one act of fellatio for every four hours, with each act ranging in duration from 1 minute to 4 minutes.

I got nothin.

[Brett L]

I mean, its only gay if you enjoy it, right?

[Ted S.]

The phenomenon of gay bears is nothing new. If Jesse were on the proper side of the country he'd be up already and telling us this.

[Brett L]

One to four minutes? You'd think after the eighth time in a day, they'd have more stamina.

[trshmnster the terrible]

No need. There's no female bear bitching about how it's been 2 weeks since she last got to "have some fun".

/stereotypes are bad

[gaijin]

pair of male brown bears

Why are the poles keeping gay men in zoos?

[mr simple]

racism

[The Late P Brooks]

How do you expect our glorious plan to succeed if you peasants do not follow it?

Moreover, those engaging with online education mostly have not been the young people who might benefit most from the free coursework. "The people who have taken up these opportunities are not the needy of the world," said Fiona M. Hollands of Columbia University's Teachers College. "They are not democratizing education. They are making courses widely available, but the wrong crowd is showing up."

Fucking people; it's like they have minds of their own or something.

[db]

They need to print QR codes for the.course URLS on the backs of EBT cards.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

They are not democratizing education.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[pan fried wylie]

OMG THE WRONG PEOPLE!

They'll use up all the internets and consume all the free coursework, they must be stopped!

[Rich]

OK, where's this HUGE WikiLeaks revelation already?

[db]

Wups, one of the UK cops outside the Ecuadorian Embassy had an "accidental" discharge and Assange was fatally wounded. Strangely and simultaneously, a scheduled demonstration by the Grenadier Guards in the street tragically substituted live grenades for bean bags, killing all in Assange's audience.

[Pathogen]

And a gas leak, just for good measure...

[Irish]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided to stop publishing George Will's columns, calling one of his recent pieces "offensive," because it questioned the prevalence of rape on college campuses and claimed that victims enjoy "privileged status."

Alt Headline: George Will's column discontinued because it stated basic facts that make us feel bad.

[Idle Hands]

this whole rape thing literally pisses me off more than anything I can remember, since becoming politically aware.

[db]

See? Men are angry rapists who get more angry when confronted with their inherent rapist tendencies.

[entropy_factor]

Guys, seriously. First Chris Matthews said not to count the Tea people out as stupid, and that they should be respected.... then, Slate ran this non-hyperbolic piece.

I don't get it. Distancing themselves from Obama, ok. But fellating the tea people? I'm lost.

[Rich]

It's a trap!

[DontShootMe]

+1 Admiral Ackbar.

[Brett L]

Battlespace preparation. "Look, we've been fair in the past (when they were running against other Republicans), so its not bias when we declare them worse than their Democrat opponents."

[entropy_factor]

probably so. I tend to agree. However, the tea people in Texas are largely just dressed up SoCons, so idk where I stand with them. I fall squarely into the libertarian camp, I guess. Too bad the LP is worthless.

[Slammer]

Duke porn star writes essay for Time.

Instead of focusing on my decision to perform in porn to pay my tuition, let's start paying attention to what got me here: artificially inflated demand for college that pushes tuitions sky high

[Irish]

But my porn work pays the exorbitant tab for one simple reason: Demand for porn actresses, especially extremely young ones like myself, far exceeds supply. How interesting that the same basic principle explains why my tuition bill is so high in the first place.

Further boosting demand for a college, a moribund economy has made delayed entry into the workforce attractive and competition for jobs fierce. For years, lawmakers have worked toward the clear goal of making sure every American kid enrolls in college. Pell Grants aren't the only method. Guaranteed loans have ensured every kid, regardless of credit score, parental income, or likely ability to repay, can borrow money to go to school. The federal government has for decades effectively subsidized college education through grants and loans, with predictable effects.

Colleges today have zero incentive to lower tuition or make college more affordable. Either way, demand is high and the money will keep flowing. So why bother with thrift?

I think I'm in love.

[WDATPDIM!?]

Damn. She's smart enough for Harvard!

[DontShootMe]

Nah, what she said makes sense, she'll never fit in at Harvard.

[Pathogen]

Now, if she said that she was forced into porn because of the patriarchal tyranny of the man-o-centric male-ocracy... and teh rape kulturz!

[Ted S.]

So she doesn't know how to feed her (hypothetical) children?

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

She's smart enough for Harvard because she went to Duke instead of an Ivy League school.

[Jordan]

Holy shit. I think we've just found a way to educate people about basic economics: have porn actresses explain it.

[Auric Demonocles]

I...uh..what? I wasn't paying attention.

[gaijin]

Holy shit. I think we've just found a way to educate people about basic economics: have porn actresses explain it.

"I want it bad baby" = Demand
"I got what you want baby" = supply

[Pathogen]

'$30 for 30 minutes, redeem coupons now.' = Free market supply/demand transaction with buyer incentive.

[Irish]

Oh God, the comments...

Honey, you've been driven by forces that you should have ignored - media and men who don't care about you and your life.

You've made a mistake you can fix. Go do it, but don't expect empathy from most people. Or Go look for a horny old sugar daddy who will eventually throw you away, too. Why not get off the downhill slide now?

That's some patronizing horseshit right there.

You could have gone to Vanderbilt on a full ride. You chose to go to Duke fully cognizant of the fact that it would stretch your finances. Why should Duke make special accommodations for you? Your father makes upwards of $200,000 a year. In what universe does that qualify as being 'middle class'?

Yes, this one woman had the opportunity to get into a school on a scholarship, so her point about skyrocketing prices for everyone is therefore invalid.

People are fucking idiots.

[waffles]

People really easily fall into the "fuck you got mine" way of thinking.

[Ted S.]

Principals, not principles.

[Kaptious Kristen]

That first commenter totally doesn't think women are fluffy-headed maroons who need the guidance of their betters. Totally.

[Brett L]

Unless you are talking to a Southern lady who is older than 40, "Honey" is used pejoratively 99.9% of the time when addressing someone outside of your kith and kin.

[Ken Shultz]

"Honey, you've been driven by forces that you should have ignored - media and men who don't care about you and your life."

How can a girl like that ignore her sacred responsibility to play the victim?

[mr lizard]

Um no libertarian women?....

[Irish]

She's a porn star though so, according to the comments, she's a filthy harlot who barely qualifies as a human being.

[Ken Shultz]

It's Madonna-whore complex.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna-whore_complex

Apparently, the lefty commentariat can only see such women as either saintly victims or debased whores, which, yeah, makes them fundamentally misogynist.

[Irish]

It's not just leftists. Go see what the right wing sites have been saying about this woman. It's sickening.

[Rhywun]

I don't see a pic - is there anything else artificially inflated?

[Juice]

Didn't she get a full ride scholarship to Vanderbilt? You ditch that in favor of paying full price at Duke? WTF? Vanderbilt is a damned good school. You think Duke is so much better because it's bigger and richer? Damn, people are dumb.

[Brett L]

I don't know who this woman is, but those are the type of legs I'd like to have squeeze the life out of me.

[pan fried wylie]

Statuesque.

[Pathogen]

With thighs that can crush a bowling ball, she uses them to constrict her prey...

[Palin's Buttplug]

Brian Schweitzer screwed by saying something politically incorrect (meaning the truth):

On Dianne Feinstein: "She was the woman who was standing under the streetlight with her dress pulled all the way up over her knees, and now she says, 'I'm a nun,' when it comes to this spying!"

On Eric Cantor: "If you were just a regular person, you turned on the TV, and you saw Eric Cantor talking, I would say?and I'm fine with gay people, that's all right?but my gaydar is 60-70 percent. But he's not, I think, so I don't know. Again, I couldn't care less. I'm accepting."

http://time.com/2896165/brian-.....tic-party/

He is the only Dem worth considering in 2016.

[BigT]

Reminds me of Sarah Palin.

[Brett L]

Eh. What the hell does Holder's (and I don't say this as a fan) sexuality have to do with anything, including his competence or lack thereof.

[Jordan]

Wrong Eric...

[Brett L]

Shit. Yes. Goddammit. But just pretend I typed Cantor, because my take is the same.

[John]

And he won't get the nomination but you will be voting for Hillary and shilling for her just like you do Obama.

[MJGreen]

On Eric Cantor: "If you were just a regular person, you turned on the TV, and you saw Eric Cantor talking, I would say?and I'm fine with gay people, that's all right?but my gaydar is 60-70 percent. But he's not, I think, so I don't know. Again, I couldn't care less. I'm accepting."

Huh?

[The Late P Brooks]

He is the only Dem worth considering in 2016.

Ride the tiger, Shreeek.

[The Late P Brooks]

Colleges today have zero incentive to lower tuition or make college more affordable. Either way, demand is high and the money will keep flowing. So why bother with thrift?

Pay no attention to that iceberg, Maestro. Play on!

[Ken Shultz]

"Fox News' Megyn Kelly grilled former Vice President Dick Cheney over his continued support for the Iraq War in an interview on her show last night. "Time and time again, history has proven that you got it wrong," she said."

With Megyn Kelly going after Darth Cheney and Matt and Co. going after Bolton, maybe this is some kind of indication that the worm has turned in the Republican Party.

If Fox has decided that in their estimation, it's now okay with Fox's audience to criticize these guys and the Iraq War, then there may be hope. That's kinda new, isn't it?

It used to be that criticizing our effort in Iraq, according to Fox's audience, put you on the side of Saddam Hussein, Al Qaeda, Satan, and the Dixie Chicks.

[The Tone Police]

No, Ken. Just no.

[DEG]

I don't know if this made yesterday's evening threads, but I found this on CNN.com's front page. Warning, it includes an auto-play video.

Baltimore cop facing animal cruelty charges for slashing a dog's throat. A dog, according to reports to police, had bit someone earlier. Police claim this dog was the dog that bit the person. According to the news story, the dog was under restraint when the cop slashed its throat.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/19/.....?hpt=hp_t2

[Ted S.]

I didn't read yesterday's PM Links, but I know it made the AM Links thread. :-p

[DEG]

doh't! I skimmed yesterday's AM links and didn't see it.

[DEG]

Oops... today's AM links. Sigh...

[trshmnster the terrible]

And obviously didn't read today's AM Links at all! 😛

[DEG]

But there is hope even for someone like me.

I'm reading them now.

[mr simple]

Scores still pursuing suit against doctor who was victim of strip club crime ring: court papers

Lawyers for Scores are refusing to drop their lawsuit against Dr. Zyad Younan over his hefty bar tab, even though prosecutors say he was the victim of a stripper crime ring that doped him before he rang up to the top-heavy credit card bill.

You stay classy, Scores.

[John]

Did they steal his card and run up the bill? Or is he claiming "I was drugged and didn't know what I was signing?" The latter seems dubious.

[Brett L]

I believe that he is one of the victims of a group of local strippers who were dosing their clients' drinks with drugs without the clients' permission. I mean, if a guy goes from dropping $5k a night to $135k and then calls the cops and they find molly in his system, that seems like a real scam.

[waffles]

People on molly are coordinated and lucid, but can have incredibly bad judgment. Seems perfect for the crime.

[John]

Interesting. I have never heard of that drug.

[waffles]

Yes you have. MDMA, ecstasy, etc. Made schedule I by the DEA in 1986 and in some ways more popular than ever.

[John]

Ah. I don't know my slang. He has a hard case.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

So wait, if a woman gets drunk and can no longer consent to sex, making all sex rape, can this man not also claim that he can no longer consent to the sex acts (like lap dances and such) and either file a rape complaint against the girls, the owner/operator and the bartender since they kept plying him with alcohol in order to perform sexual acts on him for a fee?

Fuck it, I'd counter sue the shit out of them under these grounds.

[John]

I have nothing against strippers and no problem with strip clubs in general. The people who run them however are nearly always the lowest sorts of scum.

[Ken Shultz]

I feel for this guy, but I don't know if I can reach him.

The entire city of Las Vegas was built on a business model of getting people drunk "for free" and then parting the fools from their money at the tables.

Isn't that the business model of every titty bar, too? You get 'em as drunk as possible, and then the strippers work on separating you from your money.

The next morning, everybody goes, "Holy shit, how much did I spend?".

[waffles]

Drugging somebody is still a crime. But I doubt he can prove it at this point.

[John]

The entire business models for charity auctions and classic car auctions are built on the same principle. They always have an open bar at a charity auction. Even the Baptists make an exception for that.

[The Tone Police]

The entire city of Las Vegas was built on a business model of getting people drunk "for free" and then parting the fools from their money at the tables.

Isn't that the business model of every titty bar, too? You get 'em as drunk as possible, and then the strippers work on separating you from your money.

Yep, but it's time we starting thinking about whether that's an acceptable course of conduct.

[Ken Shultz]

Are you being sarcastic?

Before we get the government to stop women from separating drunk guys from their money, I think we should concentrate on a goal that's more practical and achievable.

Like maybe stopping the birds from flying south for the winter.

[WTF]

I'm guessing that if they drop the suit it could be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

[John]

They were talking on the radio this morning about the Redskins trademark decision. Since it was Washington radio they actually gave the facts about the decision. It was a two one decision by the board that reviews these things. The dissenting member filed a dissenting opinion. In it he pointed out that the petitioners produced no evidence that anyone in the Native American Community finds the term Redskin offensive. That is correct. They couldn't come up with a single anecdote or push poll showing anyone but professionally aggrieved white liberals gives a shit about this.

This story is not about the name of a football team. I couldn't care less what the Redskins call themselves. It is about the usual group of totalitarian asshole liberals in our media and political classes picking one more thing that they just must control and change. These people are so loathsome they have managed to make me a fan of Dan Snyder, who says he is not changing the name regardless of the outcome of the trademark dispute.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

In it he pointed out that the petitioners produced no evidence that anyone in the Native American Community finds the term Redskin offensive.

Should it even have made a difference if everyone in the native american community found it offensive?

[Ken Shultz]

Well, that's the question they were ruling on, wasn't it?

[Dances-with-Trolls]

My point is people approving or not shouldn't be a criteria.

[John]

It is. The rule is "nothing offensive can be trademarked". How do you determine what is offensive without looking at the general consensus as to the meaning of the word?

[Auric Demonocles]

I think he means that either that rule shouldn't exist, or trademarks in general shouldn't exist.

[John]

I agree with the trademark part. If I am selling something that is not what it appears, I am guilty of fraud. My customers should be able to sue me. I think also the real maker should have a fraud action against me. If I am selling Rolex watches that are really cheap Timexes dressed up as such, my customers can claim fraud. I think Rolex can too since they can rightfully claim my cheap fakes harm their reputation.

[The Tone Police]

What business does the PTO have deciding whether something is offensive?

[Ken Shultz]

You're talking about the way things should be?

I'm talking about the way things are. And the way things are is that their job is determine whether trademarks are racially offensive.

And, just for the record, there's absolutely nothing funny about NED calling to complain about the renaming of the Jew Fish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f6bK5vdgcM

...and shame on you for laughing!

[Idle Hands]

No. But to other people who can't think critically, yes.

[Libertymike]

No. The panel acted extra-jurisdictionally.

[John]

Yes. The rule of law is that you can't own a trademark on a term that is considered derogatory or offensive. So the fact that the petitioners could not produce any evidence that the targets of the alleged offensive term consider it offensive, would seem to settle the issue.

[Slammer]

This years Distraction Bowl: Thinskins versus Redskins

[Ken Shultz]

"These people are so loathsome they have managed to make me a fan of Dan Snyder, who says he is not changing the name regardless of the outcome of the trademark dispute."

Redskins fan since birth, here, and, yeah, before this, I didn't think it was possible to make me like Dan Snyder.

[Libertymike]

Go Hogs!

[WTF]

Hell, I'm a lifelong NY Giants fan, and this shit is even making me root for Snyder.

[Matrix]

Dallas fan here. I concur. Fuck these whiney little bitches. Don't give in, Dan!

[The Tone Police]

This Redskins thing is such unmitigated bullshit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....01139.html

http://anthropology.si.edu/goddard/redskin.pdf

The fact that Guilty White people are focusing on this rather than say, fixing goddamn reservations is telling. Why do something good when you can stroke your own ego?

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

What about the five plaintiffs? They are native Americans, aren't they?

Not that I agree with the bullshit decision, but they have trotted out some (self-described) aggrieved parties on ESPN to talk about this.

Of course they say nothing about the Braves, Indians, Chiefs or Blackhawks. Probably because they're not owned by Dan Snyder.

[John]

They plaintiffs may be. But they still can't produce any evidence any other Indians agree with them.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

No in any large measurable numbers, no. And if the standard they've set is that small an aggrieved group, there's nothing to keep a patent troll from incorporating and hiring professional griefers just to get rid of trademarks of companies they either don't like or are trying to extort money from.

This is awful precedent, pure and simple. And it's injecting politics into a role of the government that traditionally has been completely dispassionate. Why it's happening under the current administration is the only thing not a mystery.

[John]

Exactly. Sorry I haven't been in touch. My mother in law is in the hospital and it has been a mad week. I am going up to Boston today but will be back next Tuesday. I will shoot you an email and lets try for the end of next week or next weekend.

[sloopyinva (previously -inca)]

It's all good. We're still working on getting moved in and everything has been a goat-fuck, to say the least.

Yeah, let's shoot for,next week some time.

[Flatulent Monkey]

If there is a DC area H&R meet-up in the works, I would be pleased to grace it with my magnificent presence.

(Just moved to the area a couple of months ago.)

[KPres]

IRS emails? What IRS emails?

It's called a diversion and Democrats are especially adept at it. They know this is irrelevant and going nowhere, but they also know it'll grab the attention of every conservative that would otherwise be giving them grief over all the recent Obama administration's corruption and fuck-ups.

[John]

So the IRS going after the President's enemies and then destroying the evidence of it is irrelevant? They probably are so far gone they thing that. I think they are going to be surprised. The IRS thing, thanks to the email loss, is not something even their media hacks can't ignore or defend anymore.

The problem is that it undermines people's trust in government. All but the most brain dead liberals understand that without trust in government, you can't sell Prog solutions to every problem. This is a rot that eats at the core of their ideology. It is a real problem. Even if they manage to pull a dead parrot routine and pretend it didn't happen, the public knows it happened and the resulting loss of faith in government and by extension government solutions still happens. In the long term, that loss of faith is worse than losing Obama.

[Brett L]

You know what is bitchin' about Amazon's Prime Music? I can listen to a bunch of music that never quite made the cut when I had $25 to spend on music (much of it I should have) and not sit through Pandora's bullshit ads. However, I'm not buying their bullshit phone, whose primary differentiator is that I can buy shit even faster. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd version.

[Jordan]

Amazon Prime just gets better and better.

[Brett L]

Whatever the price increase was, Prime Music totally delivered the value to me.

[UnCivilServant]

Except I can never find anything with that interface. Tiles and arbitrary categorization drives me nuts (Note: I usually do not know what I want to watch/listen to before I go looking, so the search bar is of no help)

[Brett L]

Them putting T. Rex, Skrillex and Flaming Lips near the front helped me. I own some T. Rex, but probably just a "best of". Really enjoying the albums. Skrillex never made it to the front of my list, but I can see how he blew up pop-dubstep the way the Chemical Brothers and Crystal Method blew up pop-house in the 90s.

[Adam.]

you like skrillex, you should check out deadmau5

[The Late P Brooks]

You can't talk about the shitty problems of today without mentioning the root cause - Bush.

I remember those days, before BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH fell upon the land like a miasma of oppression and despair.

It was a glorious time. People were free and happy. A chicken in every garage, a Pontiac in every pot. Children were unfailingly polite, clean, and well educated. No man wanted for a job, at a living wage. Frugal, caring housewives cooked and cleaned and kissed the booboos of a peaceful nation. Wise Men benevolently steered the Ship of State. America was beloved in the world.

And now?

We're in the ditch, panic-stricken; spinning our wheels and throwing mud everywhere.

[Raven Nation]

I had a colleague who started babbling on about how "No Child Left Behind" was the cause of the low academic achievement of high school students entering college.

I'm no fan of NCLB but I asked her if she thought everything was hunky-dory before it. She kind of paused and said something along the lines of "well, not really."

It's really amazing the BS many on the left imbibe & regurgitate even when it flies in the face of what they know to be true.

[John]

I am starting to think the IRS destroying Lerner and company's emails might be worse for the President than if they had produced them. Lerner is the grimmest of partisan hacks. It is doubtful she ever said anything that would have directly tagged the light worker directly for this. If the emails were released Obama's defenders would have just obfuscated and argued minutia and the meaning of "is" and such. But since they destroyed the emails, everyone will assume they contained the worst thing imaginable.

[sarcasmic]

Who cares what people assume? The evidence has been destroyed. Nothing more to see. Move along.

[WTF]

FAKE SKANDULZ!!11!!

[Brett L]

ProLib and I think that she was coordinating with OFA personnel through the Oval Office. Which I think is a death sentence for the IRS as it exists. If they are going to give intel to your opponent's campaign, that's a clear reason for a bipartisan Congress to destroy them and salt the earth where their offices stood.

[WTF]

that's a clear reason for a bipartisan Congress to destroy them and salt the earth where their offices stood.

Never gonna happen. Congress needs the IRS to be able to dole out goodies and secure power for themselves.

[John]

That is probably not a bad guess. I also think that they were using the NSA to spy on Congress. There is no way that crew resisted the powers of the NSA. Unlike the IRS emails, I bet those records didn't get destroyed. That size ten is going to drop some day. It may not be until Obama is out of office but it will drop.

Moreover, if they did, it means the NSA pretty much owns Obama at this point because it can always threaten to leak it and ruin him. Doesn't that make you feel good?

[Warty]

Congress doesn't even have the balls to do that. The president could be caught ordering a hit on John Boehner and they wouldn't do anything.

[Brett L]

It will be the end of the Republic if you're right. Sadly, I think you are.

[Warty]

All I can tell you is that someone's hands are getting nailed to some door. I don't know the details yet.

[SugarFree]

Just don't make a mess of it.

[db]

I do not discount that is possible, but it's getting into serious conspiracy theory territory, especially since it is almost certain to never be uncovered. It makes sense, but without dogged efforts to really run it all to ground, it will never be more.than speculation, and the establishment, rightly or wrongly, would be able into discredit the theory and any of its adherents as conspiracy nuts.

[Raven Nation]

This seems possible. There are a number of historians who argue that what brought Nixon down was the cover up rather than the crime. If he had allowed an investigation he could have claimed no knowledge of the crime and there was probably no paper trail leading back to the burglars. This can be contrasted with Iran-Contra where, albeit after some delay, Reagan allowed an investigation.

Not perfect analogies of course, but some parallels to your point.

[Libertymike]

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!
HAIL VICTORY!

[The Tone Police]

oh my god. Team Libertymike.

Is there a full moon tonight?

[Libertymike]

40 men together can't lose.

[Ken Shultz]

Damn straight!

I remember when the Hogs ran 50-Gut against the Cowboys in the playoffs--nine times in a row!

The same running play--nine times in a row--and they couldn't stop it.

"That was also the same game when the 'Skins were running out the clock and ran the same play (50 Gut) nine times in a row. After the second or third play, Grimm and Bostic decided to have some fun and tell Cowboys lineman Randy White that the play was coming. And they kept running it, anyway."

Has there ever been a team with a famous offensive line--before or since?

[Ken Shultz]

http://espn.go.com/page2/wash/.....20314.html

[John]

That was in the 1983 NFC Championship game. And they were not just running the 50 gut for fun. They were running it at Randy White. White had tortured the Redskins, and a lot of other people, so much over they years, they wanted revenge when they had him down. They told Theisman to ignore the play calls and just run that and proceeded to beat White in the ground. It was brutal and everything that used the make t he NFL so great.

In fairness, as much as I hate the Cowboys, I have to give White credit. He was one tough SOB. The game was decided and he could have faked an injury or just took himself out. Instead he stood in there and took a brutal beating play after play like a man. Damn few players today would have that kind of sack.

[Ken Shultz]

"White had tortured the Redskins, and a lot of other people, so much over they years, they wanted revenge when they had him down."

The way I heard Theismann tell it, Randy White had cheapshotted Russ Grimm on a play, and when Grimm came back to the huddle, Theismann called whatever the play Gibbs had sent in. But Grimm wanted a chance to hit White, and the only play he could pull to do that on was 50-Gut. So Grim told him to call it, and he did.

Grimm smashed White, and when they got back to the huddle again, and Theismann called the next play, Grimm said "No, no--50-Gut again". Theismann told him that Gibbs would kill him if he did it again, and then the Hogs piped up that they would kill him if he didn't.

Gibbs got mad as hell, but the team was so revved up, that they kept getting yardage over and over. Bostic started taunting White, telling him over and over--"The play's coming to you Randy, the play's coming to you!" And it did--9 times in a row until they scored.

The whole thing was so demoralizing to the Cowboys, they completely folded after that. It was one of the most beautiful moments in football history--like old school. Two lines bashing the hell out of each other for four yards, play after play.

Football just isn't like that anymore.

[John]

White was a nasty player. They all hated him before that. Oddly enough, White's strong endorsement of Grimm is one of the biggest reasons he got in the Hall of Fame. They all hated each other and wanted to kill one another when they played and now they endorse each other for the hall of fame.

And the NFL is not that fun anymore. Watch the America's Game documentaries on the Super Bowl teams sometime. The ones on the teams from the 70s and 80s are so much more compelling than the ones on the later teams. The more recent players are just not as interesting or compelling. You will never see something like an aging former Raider linebacker talking about how he wished the 1976 AFC title game had lasted 17 quarters and how 30 years later the Steelers got the beating they deserved on the shows covering the recent teams. The more recent players are just not that interesting.

[Brett L]

So now that there's no trademarks, someone could, say, get 5000 shirts printed without paying the NFL and hand them out at home games? So all the fans keep wearing "Redskins" apparel?

[Ken Shultz]

There still is a common law trademark--is my understanding.

Regardless, I think there are reasons that the Redskins might keep their name even if they lost that protection for a number of reasons.

1) The stadium is owned by the team.

Jack Kent Cook preferred to build his own venues--going back to when he built the Forum for the Lakers and the LA Kings. So, he built the current stadium with his own money--which is one reason why the Redskins are valued so highly.

That means the Redskins get a higher return on things like food and beverages and they get to keep all the revenue from things like sky boxes. They also can control the sale of shirts and jerseys--inside the stadium and on stadium property.

So their revenue stream is more insulated from trademark issues.

2) TV revenue. There's a ton of money in TV revenue, and that trademark protection doesn't derive from the Redskins' trademark--it derives from the NFL's trademark. You cannot rebroadcast this game without written permission from the both the Washington Redskins and the NFL.

And the owners will stand behind that because the portion of the TV revenue that the Redskins brings in is shared by the other owners in the NFL.

So, anyway, we're talking about Jersey sales and stuff, I guess? We're saying that players can make advertisements wearing Redskins uniforms without the team's consent? How big of a deal is that, really?

[John]

Yes. And all losing the trademark would do would prevent the NFL from suing people who produce Redskins merchandise. The NFL could still sell their own "official merchandise". Also, the Redskins Jerseys contain a Nike Swoosh, which is still trademarked. So you still couldn't counterfeit a totally accurate jersey. The NFL still has a brand value all its own. People are still going to want the "official stuff". So really losing the trade mark won't cost them much money if any at all.

[Libertymike]

Just try selling unlicensed Redskins (or any other team) paraphernalia outside of any NFL stadium before, during or after a game. You will be greeted by some nice gentleman from NFL security.

John, I have personally observed the above in Denver, Foxboro and Pittsburgh.

The NFL is on top of that like Big Papi on the official scorer.

[John]

Yes. They are all over it. And they wouldn't be able to do that anymore if they lost their trademark. But that wouldn't mean they couldn't still sell unique items, since a lot of Redskins stuff has other things on it like the Nike Swoosh that is still subject to protection.

All losing trademark protection would mean is that they could no longer run off guys selling cheap T-shirts off stadium grounds on game days. That is it. And Roger Gadell has more loose money in his couch cushions than that would cost the NFL.

[Zeb]

I'd think that they could still run them off of stadium grounds simply because they can decide whether people can sell anything on their property. They could also still threaten civil suits

[John]

They could do what they wanted to on their property. But off it, they couldn't stop it. But as I said, that is very little money in the scheme of things.

[ChrisO]

Also, the Redskins logo is still trademarked, even if the name itself loses protection. Redskins merch without the logo isn't worth very much.

[John]

That is a great point. There is nothing "offensive" about the logo of the Indian. Who wants a jersey that says "Redskins" but doesn't have a logo?

It is amazing how one sided and stupid the ESPN coverage of this has been.

[ChrisO]

Give how putrid the Redskins have been for so long, it would be just like Dan Snyder to whip up this campaign and yet pretend to defend the name, just so he can be "forced" to rebrand the team--thus generating lots of new merch sales and distracting the fanbase from yet more seasons of woe.

[John]

That wouldn't work. The fan base loves the name and doesn't want it changed. Defending the name is about the only thing he has ever done to endear himself to the fan base.

[Brett L]

Defending the name is about the only thing he has ever done to endear himself to the fan base.

It is like waking up in BizzaroWorld when Snyder is doing something the fans agree with.

[db]

http://m.us.wsj.com/articles/u.....TopStories

Wow, is regime change in Iraq now the stated policy of the.Obama administration?

[DEG]

It's all those Teathuglicans making Obama act just like George W. Bush!

[Sevo]

"Program seeks to get harmful chemicals out of furniture"
Which chemicals might those be? Why, the ones the government *required* before it suggested they not be used!

If you're looking for any sort of evidence that the chemicals are more harmful than the alternative, well, here it is right here:
"When Lori Yonelunas decided to detoxify her life, she knew she had to do something about her toxic leather couch but was reluctant to get rid of it."
Lori, I'm sure, has read about it on the innerwebz and has seen "studies"!

"Slow start so far
[...]
"I guess a lot of people don't know about it yet," he said."
Or perhaps there aren't all that many whackos like Lori.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/a.....559862.php

[The Late P Brooks]

Wow, is regime change in Iraq now the stated policy of the.Obama administration?

We have always been in favor of regime change in Iraq.

[trshmnster the terrible]

I saw Boston and the Doobie Brothers in concert last night. It was quite enjoyable! My ears are still ringing just a little bit, but I'm really impressed by both bands.

[sarcasmic]

You saw Boston in concert? My condolences. I fucking hate that band.

[John]

I hate Boston too. But if you liked the music, I could see where they could give a good show.

How were the Doobies? I assume they are still sans Micheal McDonald and just do the early 70s stuff.

[The Tone Police]

Boston is awesome.

"Yeah, but will it do the ultimate song: Boston's 'More than a Feeling'?"

[John]

It is like they wanted to do Stairway to Heaven, but they just were not cool enough.

Boston was my favorite band when I was eight and nine. More than a Feeling was the second LP I ever bought in my life (Rumors was the first). At some point around 1985, I just developed an intense dislike for them. I am not totally sure why. I think it is that they are just too polished and mechanical sounding for my tastes. As I got older I started to like more raw and grungy sounding guitars and never looked back.

[trshmnster the terrible]

I think the polished mechanical sound is what attracted me to them. There's something about making guitars and keyboards sound like rocket ships that hits the sweet spot for me. Also, their sound is somewhat unique compared to the other arena rock offerings.

The Doobies were pretty great, too! I think they're one of the more underrated bands of their era. They kept playing hit after hit that I had forgotten was theirs. I'm not super familiar with their history, but you are correct that they are sans McDonald.

Overall, Boston was the bigger spectacle and put on the better show, but that band was designed to do so from the start. The Doobie Brothers' newer stuff is much better than Boston's newer stuff (there was some ear-bursting instrumental from their new album that made me want to step outside until it was over), but nobody really cares about the new stuff.

[John]

The guys in Boston were very good musicians and extremely clever producers. The lead guy was an MIT student. I think they made some skillfully done records. The guitar sound is just not my taste and less so as I get older.

For me a great guitar sound is something like John Fogerty. I saw him last November and he still has all of these vintage amps. The opening riff on say Green River or Going Up Around the Bend is just exactly what I think a rock and roll guitar should sound like. So fuzzy and distorted but still melodic and catchy.

[trshmnster the terrible]

Fogerty would be a great one to catch. He's on my Tier 2 list of concerts to see. I've only got one left on my Tier 1 list that I haven't seen after crossing Boston off last night. I wish that I could see The Police, but I'll never get to see them.

[John]

I saw the Police twice on their reunion tour. They were every bit as good as I hoped they would be. Stewart Copeland is probably my favorite drummer of all time. All three of them are just fantastic musicians. The variety of music they can play, from Reggie to pop to straight almost punk rock and roll is very impressive. And they get more sound out of a three piece band than anyone I have ever heard.

It is a shame they couldn't get along. For all of his faults, Sting is a great front man, bass player and song writer. He just has to have an equal to tell him no and keep him from going VH1 or trying to make cocktail jazz. Sadly, he just has too big of an ego to be willing to tolerate such. He really fucked up breaking up that band. His first solo record was great but after that it was all down hill.

[110 Lean]

Hillary Clinton Asked To Inscribe "Hard Choices" To Ambassador Stevens

Ouch!

[John]

She really is hopeless. Outside of a certain breed of aging boomer feminist hag, no one likes her or trusts her. She may still be President. But she will be elected with less enthusiasm or trust than any President in history.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Pretty much all of my State Dept colleagues LOVE her. Yes, they're all entrenched bureaucrats, but her audience is wider than you think.

[John]

I know a lot of bureaucrats and none of the ones I know will do anything but vote for her out of loyalty to the Democratic Party.

God, the DOS must be even dumber than I thought it was. State really does seem to attract the worst sort of upper class twit.

[Kaptious Kristen]

You should have seen the wailing and rending of clothes when she said her goodbyes. The C St., lobby was crammed with sycophants clamoring for a look or a handshake. Luckily I was teleworking that day, but I did see video that made me want to hurl.

[OldMexican]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch decided to stop publishing George Will's columns, calling one of his recent pieces "offensive," because it questioned the prevalence of rape on college campuses and claimed that victims enjoy "privileged status."

He has committed the highest crime possible inside the Soviet States: not aligning with the accepted orthodoxy.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rescinded the Redskins trademark because it is "disparaging to Native Americans." The Washington Redskins label is still protected under common law, however, making the decision largely a symbolic one.

Inside the Soviet States, it is symbolism which reigns!

Iraqi government forces say they have recaptured an oil refinery in Baiji that was besieged by militants for several days.

If the militants were besieging the oil refinery, it is because they hadn't captured yet, so how can then the Iraqi army say they recaptured it? Should it say that they successfully relieved the garrison that was holding the oil refinery?

[John]

The journalist didn't use the right word. The proper term is the Iraqi Army "lifted the siege of the Baiji refinery".

[OldMexican]

Looks like we're a couple of military history geeks ourselves, J!