A.M. Links: Obama Says Iraq Airstrikes Could Continue for Months, Missouri Police Kill Unarmed Black Teen, NASCAR Star Strikes and Kills Another Driver

• 

  Credit: White House / Flickr.com

  U.S. airstrikes in Iraq could continue for several months, President Barack Obama declared on Saturday. "This is going to be a long-term project," he said.

• Hillary Clinton has blamed the rise of ISIS on President Obama's "failure" to arm Syrian rebels.

• The war between Israel and Hamas has entered its second month.

• "A day of protests and vigils Sunday for an unarmed black teenager who was shot to death by a [Missouri] police officer erupted Sunday night with confrontations, looting and gunshots."

• NASCAR driver Tony Stewart struck and killed another driver after a collision in a race on Saturday.

• "I'm not going to eat that." A Kentucky school district is dropping out of the federal school lunch program in response to numerous complaints from students.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

A day of protests and vigils Sunday for an unarmed black teenager who was shot to death by a [Missouri] police officer erupted…

He was armed with a future mob.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

On vacation but…

Hello.

[sarcasmic]

The ultimate hangover cure: Milwaukee bar brews up beastly Bloody Mary – topped off with an entire fried chicken
Sobelman’s Pub and Grill create the ‘Chicken Fried Bloody Beast’
Includes four regular Bloody Marys and 14 other garnishes
Features two ‘Baconadoes’ – bacon-wrapped jalape?o cheeseballs
The cocktail feeds four and costs $50
A Milwaukee food charity gets $5 from every one sold

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..icken.html

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Needs more Turducken

[waffles]

+four fried chickens and a coke

[datcv]

I could really use fried chicken and waffles this morning.

[Mike M.]

And some dry white toast please.

[Rhywun]

+ 1 thin waffer

[Zeb]

I want that right now.

[sarcasmic]

Me too.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A Kentucky school district is dropping out of the federal school lunch program in response to numerous complaints from students.

Teaching those kids to complain about pop quizzes.

[sarcasmic]

‘Michael Jackson was the most unsanitary person in Hollywood’: How the singer threatened to throw ‘do-do laced snowballs’ and even peed on the Neverland entrance hall floor Oprah passed over the day before
Michael Jackson’s former housekeepers have claimed he lived in deplorable conditions inside Neverland Ranch
The singer allegedly threatened throwing ‘doo-doo snowballs’ at staff
Jackson’s living conditions reportedly led to a bedbug outbreak
He allegedly peed on the floor in front of a housekeeper the day after his Oprah interview

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..efore.html

[Freedom Frog]

Cleanliness has nothing to do with bed bugs. Just saying.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Michael Jackson Could’ve Been ‘Doctor Who’ In The Late ’80s

[Ted S.]

Why are American leftie sites so obsessed with Doctor Who?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I don’t get it either

[Zeb]

Are they?

[Ted S.]

I keep seeing links from Puffington Host and Gawker sites about whether or not the next Doctor Who is going to have a vulva, and what a shame it would be if that weren’t the case, for example.

[VG Zaytsev]

The think science = magic.

[Isaac Bartram]

Probably because so many of them grew up with Dr Who on PBS.

Also, it’s English and thus superior.

Remember, these tend to be people who learned that a soap opera is elevated to high art by casting it with people speaking in snobby accents and fancy costumes and having some Englishman introduce it on Masterpiece Theater.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Ugh, English science fiction usually makes me want to puke.

[sarcasmic]

I like Doctor Who.

[Zeb]

I do to, though I’ve only seen the first few seasons of the new one. I love the old ones, probably mostly out of nostalgia.

[sarcasmic]

I watched Tom Baker when I was a kid. Since then I’ve seen all of the latest reboot. I know how some people like certain Doctors and dislike others. I like them all. The new ones anyway.

[Isaac Bartram]

Some of the episodes that weren’t erased (as was the policy of the BBC until 1978) are now available on Netflix.

I must confess they don’t hold up that well except as nostalgia.

[Ted S.]

He should have peed on Oprah.

[DontShootMe]

^This

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Isn’t that more an R. Kelly thing?

[Ted S.]

Only if Oprah were in the closet.

[Xeones]

That’s what Stedman is for.

[VG Zaytsev]

and even peed on the Neverland entrance hall floor Oprah passed over the day before

OMG, he defiled sacred ground that the Oprah had walked upon.

Burn Him!!!11!!1

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

+1 YOU get a car and YOU get a car and YOU get a car…

[sarcasmic]

‘I thought he was going to kill me’: Grandmother beaten on side of highway by cop in viral video speaks out
Marlene Pinnock is suing thew LAPD and several California highway patrol officers after one allegedly beat her
Pinnock, 51, was released from the hospital last week after several weeks of treatment for head injuries and now slurs her speech
Gruesome footage from July 1 shows the still unidentified officer savagely beating the homeless woman along a Los Angeles highway

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new…..peaks.html

[wareagle]

see story above from MO – unless granny is black, doesn’t seem to matter.

[waffles]

51 is a very young grandmother. Using “grandmother” is a transparent attempt to curry sympathy for this dangerous woman. I hope CHP and the LAPD can make sure this woman doesn’t see a cent from this criminal enterprise. Mea Tulpa.

[kinnath]

Grandparent at 41 is young.

[Ted S.]

My mother became a grandmother at 49.

Loretta Lynn was a grandmother at 29.

[waffles]

Okay fine. Since the age of the grandmother, while low, is not record setting by any means I now believe that it is wrong for police to beat people by the roadside. Happy?

[Lord Humungus]

My mom was a grandmother at 40. She had my oldest brother when she was 20. He ended up getting his girlfriend pregnant at age 19…

[Zeb]

I don’t know about “very young”. 25 is a pretty normal age to have kids.

[Zeb]

THough I agree it is irrelevant. Beating the shit out of anyone unnecessarily is equally disgusting.

[MegaloMonocle]

51 is a very young grandmother.

Average age when having first child is 25.

Not young at all.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The war between Israel and Hamas has entered its second month.

Give or take a few years.

[Bobarian]

Or decades, if you count the PLO.

[robc]

Or millenia if you count the Philistines.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Hillary Clinton has blamed the rise of ISIS on President Obama’s “failure” to arm Syrian rebels.

Um….aren’t ISIS, in fact, partly “Syrian rebels”?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Shhh. She’s campaigning.

[Zeb]

Is she running as a republican? Or campaigning against Biden?

[Fist of Etiquette]

I suspect they’ll all be running against Obama.

[Jerryskids]

Not Michelle.

It would be fun to hear Hillary scoff at the idea that being married to the President somehow qualifies one to be President.

[MegaloMonocle]

What fun to set that up during an interview.

“Do you think Michelle Obama should run for office?”

[Bam!]

What difference, at this point, does it make?

[tarran]

It’s complicated:

Lots of people initially rose up in rebellion to the Assad regime. Some of the groups were secular. Some were islamist. Al Queda initially was backing the islamist ones. ISIS arose from a coalition of islamist groups , some originally Al Queda afiliated and some not Al Queda afiliated, that banded together and started savagely attacking both the regime and non ISIS rebels.

Their success comes from the fact that they are *very* well armed and supplied. My suspicion is that they are being bankrolled by a large faction of the Saudi Royal family. The Saudi’s wanted the US to do what it did in Libya, provide air support for the rebels, and were *pissed* when Obama failed to deliver.

Shortly afterward came the break where ISIS was repudiated by Al Queda. I think this is significant; Al Queda is, at its core, an organization that was formed to oust the house of Saud from controlling the holy lands (because they allowed infidel armies to be based there). So the Saudis have decided to take care of business without American help, by creating their own band of crusaders to sweep the unbelievers out of the north.

They have made a pact with the devil. If ISIS is able to survive and thrive, inevitably it will turn on the Saudi royal family.

[tarran]

Back to Hillary, no doubt she thinks that if the US had bowed to SAudi demands, it would have some influence to limit the head-sawing and massacring.

She’s a fool. The Saudi’s have the U.S. govt by the short and curlies, and are calling the shots in that relationship.

[Atanarjuat]

The Saudi’s have the U.S. govt by the short and curlies, and are calling the shots in that relationship.

What is the reason for that? Besides the US leadership’s obvious incompetence and fecklessness, of course.

[tarran]

The U.S. govt can get away with monetizing debt primarily because there is a massive world demand for dollars, and that demand is fueled by the fact that most oil producers only sell oil for dollars.

The day the Saudi king announces that they will accept gold or yuan for oil, the U.S. government will find itself dealing with a pretty serious inflationary crisis at home.

In my opinion this is going to happen soon; the petro-dollar is on its way off the world stage. IIRC a few nationalized petroleum companies are already allowing payments in currency other than dollars, but the non-dollar trade is pretty small still.

[WTF]

The day the Saudi king announces that they will accept gold or yuan for oil, the U.S. government will find itself dealing with a pretty serious inflationary crisis at home.

And what is to stop the US Government from then removing the House of Saud from power? A healthy sense of morality?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Well the mask will fully come off at that point.

[tarran]

And what is to stop the US Government from then removing the House of Saud from power? A healthy sense of morality?

I think even U.S. government officials realize the shitstorm that would occur if they tried. Even if only 10% of the million or so Moslems in the world decide to fight, that’s on the order of 100 million enemies instantly created.

[VG Zaytsev]

I think even U.S. government officials realize the shitstorm that would occur if they tried. Even if only 10% of the million or so Moslems in the world decide to fight, that’s on the order of 100 million enemies instantly created.

Maybe, maybe not. Meanwhile the politicians gravy train would come screeching to a halt.

So yeah, when push comes to shove the Sauds will wind up on history’s ash heap and the US will deal with the consequences.

[WTF]

I think even U.S. government officials realize the shitstorm that would occur if they tried. Even if only 10% of the million or so Moslems in the world decide to fight, that’s on the order of 100 million enemies instantly created.

I really doubt that the majority of Muslims give a crap which group of corruptocrats are in charge of the area. The only reason the US government tolerates the Saudis financing our enemies is because of the petrodollar issue. Once the Saudis flush that down the toilet, there is no longer any reason for tolerance or restraint on the part of the US government.

[MegaloMonocle]

Removing the House of Saud from power would set off a Saudi civil war that would probably metastasize across the region, because Mecca?

[VG Zaytsev]

Cytotoxic tells me that’s crazy talk Tarran.

[Ted S.]

It’s possible that both you and Cytotoxic are crazy.

[tarran]

Cytotoxic tells me that’s crazy talk Tarran.

Your first mistake is giving that little collectivist jihadi piece of shit any of your attention.

[John]

The day the Saudi king announces that they will accept gold or yuan for oil, the U.S. government will find itself dealing with a pretty serious inflationary crisis at home.

Yes. But in the long term, I am not sure that will be a bad thing. It will finally force austerity and some sanity back into our mentary system. Inflation will hurt a lot of people who matter. If inflation ever really gets going the Fed will be forced to raise rates and stop printing money. That will hurt a lot in the short term no question. But it will be nothing but pain that should have happened in 08 or really 01 that we have been avoiding. In the long term, it should finally end this madness and allow the economy to get back on the right foot.

[Ted S.]

I admire your optimism.

[Restoras]

it should finally end this madness and allow the economy to get back on the right foot

You are assuming that…
Fed will be forced to raise rates and stop printing money

Is what will actually happen. I wouldn’t be so sure. Not saying it won’t happen – stranger things have happened – but when faced with a severe economic crisis common sense principals don’t always, or even usually, win out against ermagerd do sumting i dunt kare how stoopid…

[John]

Restoras,

Real no kidding mass inflation would wipe everyone out. The only reason they have been able to do what they have is because we haven’t had inflation. Let inflation happen and they will be forced to stop.

[Restoras]

I’m not disagreeing with you, John. I’m just saying that the policies that need to be in place to right the ship may not be the ones that you get, especially when you have nearly all lawyers in Congress that don’t know jack about economics or finance, and those that do in DC consider Team Affiliation first.

[tarran]

Yes. But in the long term, I am not sure that will be a bad thing.

I share your opinion. Margaret Thatcher famously pointed out that socialism works until you run out of other people’s money.

I would extend that by saying that the sooner that running out of money occurs, the better off an economy is – it limits the damage to the capital stock.

I do not, however, look forward to the short term flailing.

[Free Society]

I, amazingly, agree with John here. A collapse of the petro-dollar is the only thing that could bring about sound monetary policy in the long run. The US government has made clear that it has no intention of shoring up it’s bank monopoly’s interests, so anything short of it shitting the bed isn’t going to end the madness.

Similarly, the Germans are the most financially conservative and monetarily restrained country in Europe, because they collectively remember the hyperinflation of the late 20’s and 30’s. If we do shit the bed financially, in the long run it may make Americans less stupid financially.

[VG Zaytsev]

Yes. But in the long term, I am not sure that will be a bad thing. It will finally force austerity and some sanity back into our mentary system.

It will be good for the economy and country but bad for the government and politicians.

Which is why it will be delayed as long as possible.

House of Saud be damned.

[DJF]

She is against the evil Syrian Rebels, as opposed to the cannibal Syrian Rebels she and McCain supported

[Notorious G.K.C.]

No, we’re the People’s Front of Syria, not the Syrian People’s Front! They just end up with our arms for some reason.

[WTF]

Splitters!

[gaijin]

Hillary Clinton has blamed the rise of ISIS on President Obama’s “failure” to arm Syrian rebels.

She must mean those rebels that are not part of ISIS…she can tell which ones they are because her spidey sense gets all tingly.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Ha!

[wareagle]

if only there had been someone in Obama’s Cabinet who could have advised the president, someone like a Secretary of State.

[AlmightyJB]

He probably doesn’t take her calls. Not that I blame him.

[AlmightyJB]

Doesn’t matter as long as the MIC gets paid. Plus means more bombs we’ll have to buy when we get involve and they use those arms against us. It’s the circle of death and money.

[VG Zaytsev]

She must mean those rebels that are not part of ISIS…she can tell which ones they are because her spidey sense gets all tingly.

Which is also why she and Obama didn’t send help to Stevens. It was the good Syrian rebels that killed him and stole the weapons he was running, not the bad ones.

[Fist of Etiquette]

“This is going to be a long-term project,” he said.

Unlike every other national problem he’s vowed to tackle.

[gaijin]

“This is going to be a long-term project,” he said.

I think he was talking about his golf swing.

[Bardas Phocas]

No he was talking about a website.
That shits hard.

[gaijin]

+404

[antisocial-ist]

You can’t tell if its working or not until several years after he’s left office. You might think its not working, but that’s just the kinks being ironed out. When he’s been out of office for several years and his plan is an obvious failure he will blame somebody else.

[Jose Chung]

I’m sure he will set the blame on the 22nd amendment. If only he had four more years to see things through…

[Longtorso, Johnny]

HOW YALE BRANDS INNOCENT MALES AS RAPISTS
…In the second case, the accuser (after discussing matters with Yale’s Title IX coordinator) elected not to file a formal complaint against the accused student. But even in a case without an accuser, Yale went ahead, and charged the student with “sexual assault.” (To Yale, the Anglo-Saxon tradition of an accused being able to confront his accuser seems quaint and old-fashioned.) And in a case relying wholly on hearsay, words of an accuser who chose not to participate in the proceedings, Yale deemed the student a rapist and expelled him….

[Andrew S.]

The old problem: colleges ignoring sexual assault on campus, usually by athletes, and encouraging everybody, including the police, just to forget about it.

The solution: Just do away with due process formalities, declare everyone guilty upon accusation.

Makes… sense?

[Bobarian]

The solution: Just do away with due process formalities, declare everyone guilty upon accusation.

Unless they’re an athlete.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Some of the referenced links are just plain frightening.

It wasn’t the first time I’d found myself in this situation. In my time at college, I’ve heard many stories, generally from heterosexual women, ranging from hazy one-night-stands that went further than intended, to dance-floor-make-outs that felt pressured…

In fact, I think that Yale’s “overbroad” definition of sexual misconduct is helpful, even if it does sometimes result in the punishment of men who didn’t know what they were doing was wrong. The campus code can educate people about the complexities of sexual misconduct and may even motivate partners to elicit verbal consent.

[wareagle]

even if it does sometimes result in the punishment of men who didn’t know what they were doing was wrong.

from “better that 100 guilty men go free…..” to this in 200 years or so.

[VG Zaytsev]

200? More like 40.

[wareagle]

didn’t Ben Franklin say this? Anyhow, point is made.

[SusanM]

I think it was Oliver Wendell Holmes. One of the early SCOTUS judges, anyway.

[Stormy Dragon]

It was William Blackstone, in Commentaries on the Laws of England.

[db]

This week is shaping up to be shitty. Crucifixions of Christians in Iraq, a possible coup in the same country, Ebola still going strong, Ukraine doubling down…

[Lord Humungus]

Shreek hit hardest:

Republican takeover of Senate appears more and more assured

[kinnath]

Some out-of-state PAC has been running over-the-top campaign ads against Joni Ernst. They never bother to mention Bruce Braley who is actually running for office from the other side. The ad only mentions Exxon and the Koch brothers half a dozen times and tries to connect Ernst to the “oil billionaires”.

The left must be shitting their pants right about now to be running these kinds of ads in August in Iowa.

[robc]

I read a few comments…I was able to stop before it got completely insane.

[waffles]

There goes the neighborhood! The coalition of the fearful, hateful and ignorant marches on. Goodnight America.

[MegaloMonocle]

waffles, depending on who they are referring to, I could agree with that statement.

[db]

The shitty part is that the Republicans will take over the Legislature just as Obama’s complete failure at international relations is peaking, and we all know they will not raise a finger to stop (and will loudly advocate) further military intervention in Iraq at the least.

Then watch all those antiwar folks scurry up out of the wood work just in time for the presidential primaries. Of course, if Hillary runs, and her opponent is Paul, the antiwar folks will be replaced by chin-stroking “intellectuals” advocating intervention to prevent genocide. Which will already have happened.

[robc]

The shitty part is that its all establishment republicans winning the open seats.

[John]

We will get to hear Progs explain how it is still “Bush’s War” even though Obama left and chose to come back. That should be entertaining.

[db]

I expect John Kerry will borrow Hillary’s “Rest Button” and stage a ceremony where he and the IS leader will press it together.

[CatoTheElder]

Do you mean the “Overcharge Button”? (Overcharge, as in rip off.)

The bozos at the State Department couldn’t even get the Russian translation on the Reset Button correct, but people think that they are are competent to determine which side to pick in Middle East tribal and religious wars.

[Lord Humungus]

exactly.

[Roger the Shrubber]

db – you mentioned a burgh reasonoid meetup a few months ago. Are you still interested in organizing?

P.S. – Your typing skills seem to have vastly improved.

[db]

I’m interested in attending, and maybe organizing if all these yinzer cats are amenable to herding. Also, I switched my 0hone keyboard to a split type and I don’t miss the spacebar as much anymore.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Downscale
… It matters ? a great deal ? what government spends that money on. Even the wooliest anarcho-capitalist must look with some sympathy and admiration upon the small-scale model of township government that once characterized New England and the West. “But who will pave the roads?” is a standing libertarian punchline (“The federal government spends enormous sums of money getting monkeys addicted to cocaine, the police have murdered your puppies ? But who will pave the roads?”) and, as noted in a certain volume of political speculation, the first paved intercity road in these United States was in fact privately built, suggesting that private enterprise is more than capable of road-making….

…Progressivism is a luxury good for college-educated white people. It is the Hermes sneaker of political tendencies. California is not an especially wealthy state ? its median income is right between Wyoming’s and Nebraska’s ? but it is a state in which one needs to be pretty well off to live decently….

[BakedPenguin]

The federal government spends enormous sums of money getting monkeys addicted to cocaine, the police have murdered your puppies ? But who will pave the roads?

Okay, who here has been chatting with Williamson?

[Lord Humungus]

US sending arms to Kurds in Iraq

The Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against Islamic militants in northern Iraq, senior U.S. officials said Monday.

Previously, the U.S. had insisted on only selling arms to the Iraqi government in Baghdad, but the Kurdish peshmerga fighters had been losing ground to Islamic State militants in recent weeks.

The officials wouldn’t say which U.S. agency is providing the arms or what weapons are being sent, but one official said it isn’t the Pentagon. The CIA has historically done similar quiet arming operations.

[gaijin]

All those arms, no way they could end up attached to anyone else’s hands.

[antisocial-ist]

There’s less of a chance of that happening with the Kurds than the Iraqi regulars at least.

[John]

Yes. The Kurds are facing death if they lose. There is no danger of them dropping their weapons and running.

[Restoras]

Unless ISIS promises them quarter, makes a few token examples of its charity, etc. etc.

Besides couldn’t the Kurds head for eastern Turkey?

[John]

ISIS doesn’t roll like that. And the Turks hate the Kurds. They could I guess run to eastern Turkey if they had to. But that would mean giving up their homeland. Imagine if Egypt had a large Jewish population. Could the remenents of a destroyed Israeli state run there? Sure. But it would be the last option.

[Restoras]

The Turks may hate the Kurds but if they all show up in Eastern Turkey I doubt there is much they could do about it – unless of course they want to dust off their Armenian playbook. Crap if I were the Turks I’d invade northern Iraq now, as the Vietnamese did in Cambodia.

[db]

There are reports that ISIS promised to leave folks alone in some Christian towns if they gave up all their weapons. Then they slaughtered all the men and kidnapped the women and children.

[Restoras]

Taking a page from the Peloponnesian War – lovely.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Better the peshmerga than the IA, at this point.

[Jesus H. Christ]

Maybe, if the US wasn’t impeding the Kurds from selling their oil, the Kurds could afford their own weapons. This is all so stupid.

[Lord Humungus]

Pot smokers sue San Diego, say long drives to dispensaries pollute air

Medical marijuana smokers in San Diego say the city has forced their pot shops to locate in remote areas and that means the drives to and from will increase air pollution ? and ultimately, harm their lungs.

The Union of Medical Marijuana Patients has filed a lawsuit, saying the city is violating the California Environmental Quality Act, United Press International reported.

[gaijin]

They must be high

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

It’s Like, I don’t care about nothin man,
roll another blunt, Yea (ohh ohh ohh),

La da da da da da La, Da Daaa,
La da da da, La da da da, La da da daaa

I was gonna drive to the dispensary until I got high
I was gonna get up and find the car keys but then I got high
my stash is still empty and I know why (why man?) yea heyy,
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]

(La da da da da da da da da)

[gaijin]

Afroman!

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

An under-appreciated work of genius.

[Ted S.]

The latest example of how any nonsense will be given a respectable hearing if it’s presented as being “green”.

[Andrew S.]

In a clash of idiocies, I’ll have to side with the environmental pot smokers here.

[Lord Humungus]

WSJ on the looting:

Anger Over Michael Brown Shooting Leads to Looting

TV footage showed streams of people walking out of a liquor store carrying bottles of alcohol, and in some cases protesters were standing atop police cars or taunting officers who stood stoic, often in riot gear.

Other witnesses reported seeing people vandalize police cars and kick in windows. Television footage showed windows busted out of a TV station van.

Police were having a hard time catching looters because crimes were happening at several locations in Ferguson and spilling into neighboring communities, Mayor James Knowles told KTVI-TV. It wasn’t immediately clear how many arrests were made. Authorities set up some blockades to try to keep people from the most looted areas.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

The stuff with the police cars is understandable…but stealing from a store needs an armed shopkeeper to “remind” people where their anger should be directed.

[Steve G]

FINALLY, they get to use those MRAPs, amirite?

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

I wonder how many police departments will point at this as justification for armored vehicles?

Damn, that is a depressing thought.

[Restoras]

Yes, but maybe now we can get the 2A to cover shoulder fired anti-armor weapons.

[WTF]

Technically it already does, it’s just been nullified by the FYTW clause.

[Restoras]

Well, I guess we still have flame throwers.

[Stormy Dragon]

In PA, flame throwers are regulated by the Department of Agriculture because they’re legally considered farming implements.

[Lord Humungus]

At 92, area’s last typewriter repairman loves his Selectrics

Walk into his shop, and you’re transported to a different world.

Outside, people are tethered to their smartphones, busy, busy, busy tweeting 140 characters of random thoughts.

Here, at the Bremerton Office Machine Company, the machines from a different era sit on shelves, relegated to collectors and those who never quite adjusted to staring at a screen.

What matters here are not quad-core processors, but things like a little round metal escapement wheel, its teeth used to move type one space forward.

[Bam!]

He looks vaguely like the key maker from The Matrix.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Americans Subsidize the World’s Medical Costs ? Fair?
…In the best case scenario, Americans pay twice as much for popular prescription drugs. In the worst case, we pay five times more. Prescription drugs are not the only medical goods where this cost disparity exists. Prices in the United States are always higher for any medical good than in any other global market.

How the World Screws the US on Health Care

The key difference between American medical care and the medical care in foreign countries is not profit motive. It is not a public or private model, nor is it the role of health care insurance companies. The sole difference between American health care and health care around the world is the role of government in setting prices.

In other countries governments negotiate prices for every medical good from hospital beds to prescription drugs. They lowball on prices, paying for only part of the true cost of research and development. Americans then pay for the remainder….

[robc]

Ive thought the US drug companies need to play hardball on some drugs. Especially with countries that honor our patents.

Let some Canadians die.

[Ted S.]

Third world countries have threatened not to honor drug patents in that case.

[Restoras]

THe funny thing is, if they did that then I imagine R&D on new drugs would drop precipitously.

[robc]

Im fine with it being cheap for 3rd world countries. But I said let Canadians…oh never mind, point to you.

[Redmanfms]

Third world countries have threatened not to honor drug patents in that case.

Like France. That’s been the SOP for the French in a number of industries for a variety of reasons for quite some time now.

Britain supposedly hinted at it when Glaxo balked at the price point NHS settled on for some new cancer drug a few years ago.

[Jerryskids]

I thought it was funny that the two missionaries with Ebola came back to the US for treatment but the American-produced experimental drugs that may have saved them had to be sent over there to be used because the process of trying to get the FDA to approve their use here in the US would take too long.

The use of the experimental drug was not approved by the Ethical Committee of the Liberian Ministry of Health, either, but apparently the Liberian government doesn’t have drones and SWAT teams and a demonstrated eagerness to use them so they can be safely ignored. They do have socialized health care, though, so they got that going for them.

[Lord Humungus]

How World War I Transformed Washington

One hundred years ago, in the summer of 1914, Washington was already a relatively big city of 350,000, but it still had small-town ways of getting things done. Politicians wrote their own speeches, hired only a handful of staffers and still had time for horseback riding in Rock Creek Park. Tourists and politicians alike could enter the White House by walking right up to the front door, and its primary resident could walk out just as easily: President Woodrow Wilson sometimes ambled across Lafayette Square just to run errands at the local bank.

By the time Wilson addressed a packed joint session of Congress on April 2, 1917, and asked for a declaration of war against Germany, much of the gentility had drained from the political scene. It wasn’t that Congress disagreed over whether to fight: Wilson’s proclamation that night that America “will not choose the path of submission” brought most of the audience to its feet in applause. The initial vote for war was nearly unanimous, opposed only by a handful of Midwestern and Southern populists and Montana’s Rep. Jeannette Rankin, the only woman in Congress.

[Lord Humungus]

Cops arrest winner of doughnut-eating contest

The Camden County Sheriff’s Office had been looking for 24-year-old Bradley Herbert Hardison in connection with two break-ins. Sheriff Tony Perry said while nothing was taken, the front doors were damaged.

Hardison was arrested on Wednesday, one day after he won the adult division of a doughnut-eating contest at the Elizabeth City Police Department’s National Night Out Against Crime. Hardison ate eight doughnuts in 2 minutes, beating a group that included local police officers and firefighters.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Wow, how dumb does a criminal fugitive have to be to be anywhere around donuts – he’s trying to *avoid* the police!

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Oh, and the contest was run by the cops, of course.

[Lord Humungus]

A followup:

Walmart Airgun Death Looks Worse Every Passing Day

The more we hear about the shooting death of John Crawford III inside a Beavercreek, Ohio Walmart, the worse it sounds. Evidence continues to suggest that Crawford was effectively SWATted by an ex-Marine.

Crawford was then killed by Beavercreek police officers that may have been amped up over the Marine’s apparently embellished description of what was occurring, and who may not have given Crawford a reasonable amount of time to comply with instructions to drop the BB gun.

[Slammer]

Koch brothers reach out to Hispanics with Libre Initiative

Sounds good to me. I still chuckle when the Kochs are always described as ‘billionaire industrialists’

[John]

They are just trying to cover up their racism!!

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Abundant Life Church of God volunteer Dora Cantu was wearing a Libre T-shirt as she handed out food and clothing ? but said she had no use for its conservative ideology.

“If you put God first,” Cantu said, “there’s little room for politics.”

Huh?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Teh commentz:

It’s a con for the GOP and the Republicans to get the illegal votes. Once they gain majority in Congress and take the White House, say bye bye to all the hispanics!!!

[John]

That is right. It is not like the Democrats didn’t hold the White House and huge majorities in both houses of Congress for two years and do nothing about immigration or anything.

[Lord Humungus]

School says no to cakes, cookies

Dr. Julie Raschen, principal at Brooks, said in the past, approximately 10 percent of Brooks’ students have had a food allergy, with the most common ones being peanuts, gluten, strawberries and blueberries.

“When parents have brought in goodies for birthdays, oftentimes these children are not included in the snack because of dietary restrictions and have felt left out,” she said. “Parents can still send in treats for their child’s birthday, we just ask that they not be food items.”

“Although our first priority above all else is the safety of our students, we are also trying to create an environment in which all students feel included and not singled out,” she added. “So both safety and a positive environment for all students were the reasons for this change.”

[John]

with the most common ones being peanuts, gluten, strawberries and blueberries.

My nephew is a PHD physical therapist. He does a lot of work with diabetics, stroke victims and such that require him to also work closely with dietitians. He says that “gluten allergy” is a running joke in the medical community. Almost no one has it. People just think they do because when they cut out glutens they basically stop eating junk food and feel better.

[robc]

I thought everyone already knew that about gluten allergies. Its not just a joke in the medical community.

[John]

I know several people who swear they have it. I just politely nod my head not wanting to start an argument.

[robc]

You dont obviously roll your eyes?

Stonger man than I am.

[John]

I probably do to be honest.

[WTF]

Yeah, I read a study where they did double-blind testing of people claiming to have gluten allergies, to see if there really was evidence of non-celiac disease gluten allergy. When people were told they were getting something with gluten they felt bad, even if it didn’t have gluten. And when they had something with gluten that they thought was gluten-free they felt fine. I suspect a lot of the uptick in frequency of reported allergies is just psychosomatic hysteria.

[kinnath]

He says that “gluten allergy” is a running joke in the medical community. Almost no one has it.

After a couple of months of bloody stools, the doctor finally concluded that my grand-daughter has celiac disease.

But, yeah, 99% of people who claim intolerance of gluten are full of shit.

[John]

It does exist. And the symptoms are nasty. The problem is everyone who gets a migraine or feels bloated because they eat too much crap thinks they have it.

[Steve G]

Sooo, gluten intolerance is binary? You either have celiac or you can consume gluten w/o any problems at all? I totally understand the gluten-free backlash going on right now, but what amazes me is there are no shades of grey considered whatsoever. As if you can’t have something negative going on with one body part that doesn’t meet some sort of clinical standard in another.
I’m not gluten-free because I’m a dumb non-celiac who’s jumped on the bandwagon. I’m gluten-free since I do believe what I’ve read about gut health and the role that gluten plays in it. I could list the benefits (that have nothing to do with my lower intestine)that have come from ditching gluten and other grains, but I suppose they’re all in my head.

[John]

Those benefits are not in your head Steve. They are just the result of you ditching a lot of things other than gluten that come with the foods that contain gluten. It is not the gluten, it is the fat and the carbs that go with it. You didn’t have a gluten problem, you had a diet problem. Good for you for solving it.

[Steve G]

Yeah, see that’s the anti-gluten-free strawman talking. I didn’t give you any other clues as to the before/after of my diet except for gluten and you assumed that I made significant changes to macronutrients or I was some sort of biggest loser turnaround. I eat plenty of carbs, then and now. I eat plenty of fat, then and now. What I do know is I eat grains, my cat allergy and hay fever comes back full force, I eliminate it goes away. I drink a GF beer, no issues; I drink a regular beer, I’m sniffling/sneezing the rest of the night. Allergies are just one reason folks do GF for more than a passing fad.
The point being, if you subscribe to the theory (obviously you don’t), a lot of these hidden/’genetic’ issues start to make a little more sense. Grains are damaging our guts, some grains worse than others, some folks are hit harder than others, and some folks with different manifestations (autoimmune, autism, MS, allergy, IBS/Crohns, etc) than others. Like I said, I don’t mind when the GF gets the wire brush treatment, primarily when people just replace wheat flour in their baked goods with rice flour in their baked goods, but I do take issue when it is narrowly criticized as you either have celiac or you’re imagining things. It’s part of a bigger picture that’s being missed, that is starting to come into focus.

[Ted S.]

There are people who have celiac disease, but they’re a pretty small minority.

[Andrew S.]

The prevalence of gluten allergies is something around 1% of the population.

I don’t blame companies for jumping on the bandwagon though. If idiots want to throw their money at you, you shouldn’t refuse.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

There is a subset of people who truly have a gluten problem, however it is not an allergy. Also referred to as leaky gut, it is characterized by partially digested gluten (and sometimes casein) passing through the gut wall directly into the bloodstream. It can be verified by a blood test for gluteomorphins.

But you are correct, most people don’t have a condition, they just have a crappy diet.

[Bobarian]

There was twelve packs of gluten free beer on sale for like $5.50.

At that price I couldn’t pass.

Gluten makes beer better. I’m not even sure this stuff qualifies as beer. Maybe malt beverage? Strange flavor, would not buy again.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Gluten-free beer? What’s the point?

[Brett L]

At that price, its a nice alcohol base for shandies.

[Freedom Frog]

The sorghum based ones are awful.

Omission is pretty good IMO. I think they brew it normally and then “take out the gluten”, however that works. I think for that reason they can’t say they are gluten free necessarily. But Omission is hands down the best.

Source: Past 8 years working in bars.

[Lord Humungus]

based on some FB posts I’ve seen, a number of women consider going Gluten Free as a weight-loss diet.

I want to scream from the rooftops that it’s all the fuckin’ carbs you’re putting in your yob – not the lack of fruits and vegetables + more exercise.

[Matrix]

So I guess if there are students that are strict kosher, we have to make exceptions for them as well since they wouldn’t be able to partake in those baked goods (unless from a kosher bakery)?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

‘Unauthorized Saved By the Bell Story’ peek shows hormones raging

[Ted S.]

No shit. A bunch of nubile young people in close proximity to each other?

[Jordan]

Schools said students don’t like the unsalted potatoes, low-fat cheese or the mandatory fruits and vegetables.

*Facepalm*. The government is still pushing that bullshit? It’s not the salt that’s unhealthy, you fucking morons; it’s the potatoes. And fat is perfectly healthy (and necessary). Not that students should be restricted from eating potatoes, anyway.

[robc]

It’s not the salt that’s unhealthy, you fucking morons; it’s the potatoes.

Bolded and italicized for emphasis.

[Bronwyn]

And “low-fat” cheese or “low-fat” anything is just loaded with chemical substitutes.

It’s healthier to eat the real fats in moderation than the substitutes in bulk.

But let’s not talk sense.

[Steve G]

Oh, and once again, fat does not make you fat. Full fat dairy FTW

http://jn.nutrition.org/conten…..1.abstract

[Zeb]

But it’s called fat. So it must be what makes you fat.

[Zeb]

There is some cheese just made out of low fat milk which I don’t think has a lot of fake stuff in it. But it’s not very good. A lot of “low fat” things, such as salad dressings, just substitute sugar for fat, which is much worse.

[Marshall Gill]

If I don’t eat the food that tastes good to me I won’t get to live an extra ten years eating food which doesn’t taste good?! The horror.

[widget]

Hillary Clinton has blamed the rise of ISIS on President Obama’s “failure” to arm Syrian rebels.

This is Allah’s will, Hillary, but you go right ahead and get in the fight anyway.

[Lord Humungus]

Marco Rubio is balding. Will it cost him the presidency?!?

This study probes one particular component of the well documented linkage between personal appearance and impression formation by investigating the extent to which and the mechanisms through which bald and balding men are underrepresented in high elective office. Study 1 compares the prevalence of hair loss among governors and members of Congress, on the one hand, and the general public, on the other, and concludes that officeholders are much more likely to have a full head of hair than would be expected of men of their age.

Baldness? Ha.

[John]

Better a baldie than a beardo. And isn’t the comb-over the national men’s hair do of Latin America?

[widget]

I don’t know about latin america so much, but I think the combover is dead, for now, in north america. It not much to hang your hat on, but balding millennials just shave their heads, grow beards, and dress like gold prospectors.

[John]

The comb over is a bit like the porn stache. It has its own campy charm.

[Bobarian]

But never. ever. combine them.

[Brett L]

Smile when you say that, or we’ll send Warty and Jesse to teach you to love beards.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

So, as Warty shreds his very soul, Jesse would make witty remarks about it?

[Slammer]

I’m not going to eat that.

Could have been the alt-text, no?

[The Late P Brooks]

Evidence continues to suggest that Crawford was effectively SWATted by an ex-Marine.

Killed for goofing around?

[gaijin]

Judges gonna be judge-mental

Carrying a gun worse than beating your wife in NJ

[WTF]

Decades and decades of Democratic control.

[Lord Humungus]

“Liberal” Is Just A Synonym For “Smug”

It’s astonishing that an ideology which such an unbroken track record of failure has adherents who are so incredibly pleased with themselves. It’s like a soda pop executive whose proudest achievement was thinking up New Coke.

For the liberals who aren’t liberal solely because someone is handing them checks for plopping onto the couch all day instead of working, liberalism has become less an ideology than an attitude. It’s an attitude of serene superiority over everyone else based upon absolutely nothing more than liberals’ utter certainty of the rightness of their collectivist cause. That history shows that collectivism always leads to tyranny never seems to put a damper on their confidence.

[John]

I read that. I have been saying that for years. Politics is all brand now. It started in the 1970s. The Republicans got into the selling brand action first by selling being a Republican as a way to show the world you were patriotic and not a Jane Fonda loving dirty hippie. The Democrats learned the game and retaliated in the 1990s and perfected it in the 00s as selling being liberal as a way for dumb, intolerant people to appear tolerant and smart.

[Zeb]

Yep. Brand and social signaling. You have to have some easy way to let people know that you are the right kind of person.

[SugarFree]

“Why is there poop on my thong?”: A Jezebel Special Report

[Certified Public Asskicker]

I posted that to the PM links crowd last week.

But I should have let you handle it.

[Ted S.]

I couldn’t be bothered to surf over to Jezebel, and didn’t see my question answereed: Was it a bathing suit-style thong, or a flip flop thong? Because if it was the former, I can understand there being some fecal matter on it.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

It was the ass thong.

[waffles]

Loudly and brashly stating that we are the fouler sex.

[Andrew S.]

There is no way in hell I’m clicking on that.

Not because it’s you, SF, but because it’s Jezebel.

We really need a rule around here saying that all links to Gawker family sites or to Salon or Slate have to go through donotlink or some other anonymizer.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Seconded.

[Ted S.]

Some people will complain (and I wouldn’t blame them) if links were habitually put through anonymizers to disguise their origin.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Just provide a TRIGGER WARNING.

[Bobarian]

Usually, the identity of the poster should be enough of a trigger.

[SusanM]

I can top this:

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

[John]

I wouldn’t click SF’s link. I don’t even want to contemplate what yours might be.

[SusanM]

I take that as a compliment 😉

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Yeah, I am afraid…very afraid.

[CatoTheElder]

It’s actually a clever ad.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

In response to a post from a mother whose daughter is a 10th grader wearing thong underwear

Uh…

[Lord Humungus]

go on…

[Pope Jimbo]

Maybe you should be a bit more worried about why there is poop on my wedding dress?

[Steve G]

Crap*, must refresh more often

* Pun intended.

[Steve G]

Saw something briefly on the bus ride on fail blog about a scottish wedding where the kilt-wearing groom sat on the brides knee and left a skid mark on her white dress. Apparently caused quite a ruckus.

[Zeb]

What they need is bidets.

[Atanarjuat]

Thunderstruck by Steve’n’Seagulls (LIVE)

[kinnath]

awesome

[kinnath]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3SBzmDxGk

just because

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Classic:

Sister: Corporation is not a person!
Me: Yes it is.
Sister: Derp, derp, derp.
Me: Ask the CFO sitting right next to you.
Sister: Well?
CFO: Yes it is.
Me: Go back to Daily Beast and Commie Times.

[waffles]

I’m confused. What accent am I supposed to read this in?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hm.

Go with Acadian.

[Ted S.]

Comic sans.

[John]

I had a discussion with a well meaning but liberal friend of mine a couple of weeks ago. To his credit he is a smart guy and not a Tony or Shreek level retard. He just lives in NYC and gets his news from the Times. The subject of Citizens’ United came up. He of course was appalled by the evils of corporations being people and money in politics. So I pointed out to him that the case was about the government trying to censor a movie about a political candidate. If that is not free speech what is? A bit of mumbling and changing of the subject ensued.

I honestly think most people have no idea what the facts of Citizens’ United was. They think it involved Gulf Oil offering bribes to candidates or something.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

They constantly conflate ‘what is’ with ‘what ought to be.’ That’s what I observe in dealing with liberals like my sister. Everything ‘ought to be.’

They live in constant ideological motion which I guess is why they move goal posts so well.

[John]

Yes. Even the smarter non hateful ones like my friend have a hard time grasping that sometimes the choice is about the lesser of two evils. I get it that in an ideal world politicians would be as clean as the driven snow and never compromise their positions for a fast buck. But that will never happen. So you have to chose a system that causes the least harm. They just refuse to admit that and think that we can create a perfect system if we just try hard enough.

[sarcasmic]

Yeah. Because the solution to abuse of power is always more power to abuse.

[Lord Humungus]

“The last thing we want is a government that can get things done. A government that can get things done all they will get done is taking away freedoms. Its been shown over and over again. We want a clunky, sloppy, slow-moving, small, insignificant, weak government there all the time. And that’s a government we can love and protect.”
http://bigthink.com/videos/mis…..iful-thing

[Jordan]

I’ve yet to meet a person who complains about Citizens United and has any clue what the decision was actually about.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

KKKORPASHUNS AREN’T PEEPLES

[Zeb]

And they don’t care at all that they don’t understand it.

[LarryA]

Most of the people I know who complain believe that Citizens United gave millions of dollars to Republican candidates and was part of the Tea Party.

[tarran]

My quick and dirty way to kick their mouths shut is to point out that the law had different rules for Exxon corporation than the Tribune corporation – you know the corporation that publishes the New York Times.

They always will defend the grey lady.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Relevant

[John]

Corporations are immune from prosecution.

They really do live in a fantasy world don’t they?

[Jerryskids]

Just about everything I’ve seen on the issue is that Citizens United made it legal for corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to political candidates and they don’t have to disclose the donations.

[John]

WAPO, Republican takeover of the Senate looking more and more assured.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..ml?hpid=z1

If a party organ like the Post is admitting that, how bad must things actually be? In 2010, they were not even contemplating the possibility of losing the House until mid October. Now in August 14, they are already admitting the Senate is probably gone. Wow.

[waffles]

There goes the neighborhood! The coalition of the fearful, hateful and ignorant marches on. Goodnight America.

[John]

Another election of angry white men.

[WTF]

There is plenty of time until November. Do not underestimate the ability of The Stupid Party to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[John]

Not in a midterm. You can come back in a Presidential election because those are about one candidate. You just have to destroy one guy. Midterms are too diverse. Those are determined by the enthusiasm of each party’s base and the general mood of the country with regard’s to the party holding the White House. You can maybe motivate your base a bit. But it is pretty hard to change the overall mood of the country towards the President and his party this late in the game.

The Democrats realize this. That is why they are not even trying to appeal to the bulk of the country. They know their only hope, and it is a small one, is to somehow motivate their base in some kind of biblical way.

[waffles]

Right. Many citizens only vote once every 4 years. The off years are a battle of the bases and R-base has more to win, while D-base is demoralized.

[Restoras]

Not that things will actually get any better if Team Red does win, although the wailing, nashing, and butt-hurt from Progtards like Weigel and Tony will be ultra umami delicious and totally worth the horrendousness that will follow.

[John]

Obama has told several people that the Dems losing the Senate will make his last two years in office “unbearable”. If that doesn’t make you root for a Republican victory, you have no heart.

[VG Zaytsev]

I’ve heard rumors that if republicans win decisively he’ll resign the presidency.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Don’t excite me like that.

[Roger the Shrubber]

If only. BO’s act has grown stale. Two years of President Biden coupled with his election campaign would spice things up.

[Restoras]

Yeah and I heard a lot of progtards say they would run off to Canada if Bush won, but they never did…

[John]

What Nerfherder said VG. Don’t toy with our hopes and dreams like that.

[WTF]

Yeah, I don’t expect much to actually change but the shrieks of despair from the proglodytes will be awesome.

[Slammer]

Mike Lupica on the Tony Stewart story

Now this all becomes a tragic and perfect storm at Canandaigua, one fueled by rage and class distinction and adrenaline and tempers as fast as the cars.

And then follows that up with nothing. I hate Lupica.

[John]

Me too. I honestly can’t see how you fault Stewart here. The victim walked out on a poorly lite dirt track in a black fire suit in the middle of a race. Stewart wasn’t speeding and there was a car in front of him. You watch the film and it is clear to me at least Stewart was trying to swerve to miss the guy and since he was moving to confront Stewart ran right into him. Terrible accident but in no way Stewart’s fault.

[wareagle]

you fault Stewart, if some accounts are to be believed, by gunning engine on a car when – if the engine is gunned – it fishtails. A good many racist folk wondering if Tony’s hotheadedness got the better of him. I hope not.

[Slammer]

He did gun it. And it did fishtail. But I don’t know if that’s assault (or murder). Seems to me like he gunned it as a “fuck you” .

[wareagle]

I’m inclined to see ‘fuck you’ more than an attempt to mow someone down. Still not a sharp move. And none of that deludes from Mike Lupica being a jackass among jackasses.

[wareagle]

jesus on a biscuit – detracts not deludes. Hope I don’t have to write anything for presentation today.

[wareagle]

ahem…a good many racing folk.

Again, I don’t know; just sharing some of what I’ve seen.

[Ted S.]

The racists like Lupica are probably wondering it, too.

[Lord Humungus]

I was trying to square the racist word – wondering to myself is Tony Stewart black?

[Sevo]

wareagle|8.11.14 @ 9:40AM|#
“ahem…a good many racing folk.”

Thanks. I was trying to find the “race” angle and failing.

[Jerryskids]

NASCAR folks are rednecks. “Racing folk” and “racist folk” are the same thing.

[John]

Maybe. But how do you prove he meant to gun it? Or maybe he gunned it to try and avoid him? Unless you can Vulcan mind meld with Stewart, I don’t see how you ever prove any intent. All you are left with is that the victim was walking around on a dirt race track and a car fish tailed and hit him. Considering it was in a race, albeit during a caution, pretty hard to pin even negligence on Stewart much less criminal conduct.

[kinnath]

I was reading an analysis last night by a sprint car fan that said drivers steer sprint cars as much with the accelerator as the steering wheel. So even if Stewart did gun the accelerator, it’s likely was steering with the accelerator.

[John]

Yes. They drift around the corners. They have very little grip and steer by working the tail end out.

[kinnath]

I haven’t watched the video. I don’t have any interest in watching someone die. But, I expect the only way to get a sprint car to turn fast is to move the tail end out first.

So the only person that knows why Stewart did what Stewart did is Stewart (or perhaps the ladies that tell fortunes over the phone).

However, it is plain fucking obvious that Lupica was stupid for getting out of his vehicle and walking into the middle of traffic. A clear case of testosterone poisoning.

[Invisible Finger]

Look, if Tony Stewart killed Mike Lupica, we’d be at the Tony Stewart parade instead of this thread.

[wareagle]

you can’t, prove anything that is. It’s racing; most of the commentary is based on what individuals think of Stewart.

Confronting a guy on a track is not the sharpest move and whatever Stewart was thinking, this outcome could not have been on his mind.

[RBS]

This, switch Stewart with some mild mannered guy with no history of confrontation and the murder part goes away.

[tarran]

Confronting a guy on a track is not the sharpest move and whatever Stewart was thinking, this outcome could not have been on his mind.

It’s not murder if you put yourself in a situation where the other guy has to take evasive action to avoid killing you.

The kid wanted to force Stewart to stop (that’s why he is moving out into the track), so that he could force a confrontation. He put himself in danger, counting on Stewart then taking action to end the danger. He miscalculated – and the danger he put himself into killed him.

[Stormy Dragon]

Could still be involuntary manslaughter. If I fire a gun up in the air and the bullet comes down and hits someone, I’m still liable for their death even though I didn’t intend to hit someone because of the recklessness of the act.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I agree. We were watching the footage just moments ago and we all gasped at the kid’s action. He let his anger control his judgment. If you notice, the car in front of Stewart could just as easily hit him but luckily swerved. Stewart wasn’t so lucky as Ward by then had closed down his angle. He had no chance to avoid him.

[John]

Here is my question to people who follow this. Why was Stewart, one of the biggest stars in the sport and someone who probably pulls down more than $20 million a year doing racing against a bunch of hacks in a low level sprint car race?

This would be like Kevin Durant or LaBron James using their spare time to play in a semi pro basketball league. Why on earth does his Sprint Cup team owners let him do that? What if he crashed and got hurt? Thanks to this happening they already lost their star driver for at least one race. It is just nuts.

[kinnath]

http://www.slate.com/articles/….._is.2.html

Stewart is old school in another way: He always wants to be racing. This, too, is attractive to Stewart’s fans: Unlike some of the more buff and bouffanted drivers on NASCAR’s premier circuit, Stewart remembers his roots, and loves to compete on dirt tracks in small towns where there’s nothing at stake for him but pride. It’s as if Carmelo Anthony, between Knicks games, played pick-up on the Red Hook courts.

As that Carmelo analogy suggests, Stewart’s extracurricular racing makes no sense whatsoever. He is an owner and driver with millions of dollars riding on his ability to compete in NASCAR, and these other races can only imperil that enterprise. Last year, Stewart suffered severe injuries in just this kind of sprint race, breaking his leg so badly that he missed half the NASCAR season; perhaps as a result of that injury, he has also languished in the standings this year.

[tarran]

Curse your nimble fingers!

[kinnath]

I even had time to find the link and format the content. So there.

[Roger the Shrubber]

He say’s it’s his hobby.
He missed the end of last year’s NASCAR season due to an injury sustained racing sprints.

*Not a racing fan*

[tarran]

.. and curse yours too!

[tarran]

One of the articles I read said that Stewart viewed these races as “his hobby” and insisted on doing them on his off time.

And he broke his leg in one of those races some time back and missed a bunch of NASCAR races as a result.

I guess he is enough of a money maker that his sponsors are willing to take the risk.

[Restoras]

I dunno, maybe because it’s fun?

[John]

But irresponsible.

[Restoras]

How is it irresponsible?

[John]

Because he gets paid to be healthy. It puts his body at risk and thus the millions he makes for his NASCAR team at risk.

There are millions of dollars riding on Stewart being healthy and able to race all season. Risking that health and ability on some meaningless dirt car race is pretty much the definition of irresponsibility.

[Restoras]

He get’s paid to be healthy? He doesn’t get paid to win races?

If you are a potential sponsor of any race driver I assume you do some due diligence.

PS: Oh, it seems you like to race on the side in meaningless dirt track races. We want you to stop doing that.

TS: That’s nice, but I’m not going to. Don’t like it? Pound sand.

Not sure I see the ‘irresponsibility’ their, unless living your life as you like without harming others qualifies.

[John]

He get’s paid to be healthy? He doesn’t get paid to win races?

He can only race if he is healthy. So yes he effectively does get paid to be healthy. He gets paid to win and he can only win if he is there and healthy. So part of his job is staying healthy and showing up to work.

And of course he can tell his sponsors no and they can act accordingly. And thus far they have viewed his skill as a driver worth the risk of him driving dirt tracks.

I will make a bet with you. I bet you Stewart never races another dirt track race after this. The risk and the irresponsibility of him doing so is now apparent and his sponsors are going to put their foot down. It was a stupid hobby for him to have and after this he will no longer have it. You watch.

[Invisible Finger]

He can only race if he is healthy.

Why do you want to restrict his liberty, John?

[John]

And one more thing,

Stewart lost half a season last year to injury from one of these races. He didn’t do his job for half the season because he was risking his health in these races. They are not necessary and directly impact on his ability to do the job he gets paid for. How can you possibly consider that anything but irresponsible?

[Restoras]

Maybe he has an IDGAF clause written in his contracts that allows him to race meaningless dirt track events. If he violated the terms of his contract by racing in the meaningless event then sure, it’s irresponsible. If not, then no.

[John]

Just because it is allowed under the contract doesn’t mean it is not stupid. Sure it is allowed. But it is still a dumb thing to do.

[Freedom Frog]

John

Do you watch NASACR? Stewart owns his own team, for starters. As another poster above said, if the sponsor doesn’t like it they can take a walk. The guy has won championships in NASCAR and IRL and USAC. He can dictate the terms.

He also owns smaller teams, racetracks, etc. It’s what he does. Not sure how it’s “dumb” really. As a businessman he should probably, i dunno, know his business.

[Sevo]

John|8.11.14 @ 10:54AM|#
…”How can you possibly consider that anything but irresponsible?”

‘Cause it’s his life and if he chooses to get giggles instead of money, it’s his choice.

[John]

Sevo,

Just because he can do it, doesn’t make it smart. There is a difference between can and should. No question he can race all he wants. Doing so and risking his livelihood in the big money races is stupid. It being his right doesn’t make it any smarter. All you are telling me is that Stewart has a right to be stupid. I don’t disagree.

Frog.

Not sure how it’s “dumb” really.

Thanks to him racing in meaningless races that don’t generate anything approaching the revenue his racing on the Sprint Series, he has now lost a half a season last year and at least one race this year in the Sprint Car series. That is a pretty stupid way of doing business.

Would you think it was smart for the Angels to send Steve Trout out to play in AAA games on his days off? I mean hey, Steve loves to play, so why not? Why not because he earns his money in the big leagues not screwing around in the minors.

[Freedom Frog]

Knowing his business inside and out is what generates revenue. Big picture, dude.

[Restoras]

Trout has a contract that I imagine precludes him from doing so. If Trout owned the Angels he could do whatever he liked, dumb or smart, like play beer league softball.

If Stewart suffers consequence – like losing sponsors – then he has himself to blame for not managing his brand/image according to those principles.

Where you might get some agreement from me is on behalf of the people that work for him – to the extent he makes decisions that are smart, dumb, irresponsible or however you want to characterize them then perhaps that is irresponsible as his employees may suffer more than he will. But presumably they are free to not work for him as well.

Being free means being free to make dumb decisions as well as smart ones.

[John]

Restoras,

I never said he wasn’t free to do it. I said he was stupid and irresponsible to do it. That doesn’t in any way mean he is not free to do it.

[Bobarian]

[Bobarian]

Whale shit!

Wrote a long response that basically said “Sponsors pay money to get their product/brand advertised; Tony Stewart being different/controversial, makes his price go up, not down. Too much controvery causes the well to dry up, though.”

Bottom line, his dickishness and extra racing made him a hotter commodity; killing someone will probably hurt.

[RBS]

The guy just loves to race.

[Sevo]

“The guy just loves to race.”

I’ve never driven a sprinter, but I drove karts on dirt-tracks, and you can’t have more fun sideways.
I’d bet with something close to 1K HP, it’s only 40 or 50 times more fun.

[Invisible Finger]

I think it’s funny how the police are begging for spectator photo and video, but NONE of that stuff can possibly have the same visual perspective as Tony Stewart had. It is possible he didn’t even see the guy until the last second and tried to speed up a little bit to avoid him. And it’s possible he tried to hit him.

The police aren’t going to scientifically determine this. It’s not like getting personal footage in this incident is anything like using visual footage around the Boston Marathon to identify people in a crowd. The police are just getting off on having people sacrifice personal items to them.

[Lord Humungus]

The Smart-Gun Maker Who Told Holder Off

[Lord Humungus]

“I then had the biggest development in smart-gun technology coming together at my facility in Utah ? the Intelligun” says W. P. Gentry, president of Kodiak Arms. The Intelligun uses scanners on a pistol’s grips. If a person’s biometrics ? essentially, the patterns of his fingerprints ? have been added to the gun’s software, the pistol will activate within one second of being touched.

“This interested Eric Holder,” Gentry says. “He wondered how we might be able to control who was or wasn’t authorized. I stopped him right there. I looked right across a table at Eric Holder ? yeah, the attorney general of the United States ? and told him, ‘If you try to mandate my smart-gun technology, I’ll burn it down.’ The Intelligun is designed to save lives, not restrict freedom.”

[antisocial-ist]

In completely unrelated news, W.P. Gentry is being investigated by the IRS, OSHA, FBI, and his bank has closed his accounts.

[Zeb]

Aren’t there some states (CA, maybe NJ) that already have laws that say that once good “smart gun” technology exists, all new handguns have to ahve it?

[Red Rocks Rockin]

If a person’s biometrics ? essentially, the patterns of his fingerprints ? have been added to the gun’s software, the pistol will activate within one second of being touched.

I wouldn’t want to take the kind of risk of, say, the gun’s technology taking a shit in the event of a dangerous situation.

Give me my solid, dependable GP100 with no frou-frou.

[Atanarjuat]

Progressives can’t ban guns given the political environment, but they just might be able to make them extremely expensive and useless by mandating smart guns.

[WTF]

Which will merely result in an expanded market for older guns that are purely mechanical.

[Lord Humungus]

Patent office filters out worst telework abuses in report to its watchdog

Prompted by multiple whistleblower complaints, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office began an internal investigation two years ago of an award-winning program that’s been praised in and outside government: Employees are allowed to work from home.

What the inquiry uncovered was alarming.

Some of the 8,300 patent examiners, about half of whom work from home full time, repeatedly lied about the hours they were putting in, and many were receiving bonuses for work they didn’t do. And when supervisors had evidence of fraud and asked to have the employee’s computer records pulled, they were rebuffed by top agency officials, ensuring that few cheaters were disciplined, investigators found.

[Lord Humungus]

The Bros Who Love My Little Pony
A dispatch from this year’s BronyCon, a convention for mostly adult male fans of the show

One of the researchers, Daniel Chadborn, who is currently enrolled in the psychology Ph.D. program at Southeastern Louisiana University, says Bronies have gotten a lot of attention over other fandoms because they violate a number of social norms. “There is a societal idea of what it means to be male or female, and they are going against that,” he said. “The show is predominantly marketed towards prepubescent girls. Bronies are saying, ‘We’re not only not prepubescent girls?we’re not girls.'”

Each time I told people I was taking my daughter to a Brony convention, I got a taste of some the misconceptions and prejudices that Bronies face when coming “out of the stable,” which is the phrase fans use for telling people about being a Brony. The most common response was a blank stare. A few of my friends were genuinely curious to learn more and thought it was very interesting. Others tried to be polite and ask a few questions, but even after I tried to explain, they really never quite understood the appeal. Several people responded in a judgmental way?of those who were familiar with Brony culture, most assumed that all male Bronies are gay.

[Jerryskids]

I’ve always assumed that Bronies are asexual.

[Bobarian]

My understanding is that there is a ‘Furry’ type of sub-culture inside the Brony thing.

[Stormy Dragon]

Other way round. The Bronies get really pissed off if you mention it, but by any meaningful definition of “furry”, the bronies are a sub-genre of the furry fandom.

[Sevo]

SF’s gov’t has regulated housing to such a degree that the supply is well below demand. So, naturally, the gov’t is going to “fix” that.
How? Well, the gov’t is going to hand out free money to non-profits to buy housing and charge next to nothing to live there:

“S.F.’s answer to housing crisis: Offer loans to buy the buildings”
http://www.sfgate.com/default/…..680864.php

Think of it as “public housing” (you know, “instant slums”), with a really high overhead costs!

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

No peak derp yet

[waffles]

Her downstairs neighbor, 89-year-old Anselmo Vinoya, a veteran who was a radio operator during World War II, says he manages on only about $800 a month. He has lived in the building for 19 years and pays $232 a month in rent.

So the choice is for public money to set this guy up somewhere else in the city, further driving up rents, and continually exacerbating the problem? When governments work to “stabilize” neighborhoods what they really want is to limit growth. Why exactly is it impossible for these octogenarian apartment dwellers to move to cheaper digs outside the most expensive city in America?

[Sevo]

“Why exactly is it impossible for these octogenarian apartment dwellers to move to cheaper digs outside the most expensive city in America?”

‘Cause they vote the D ticket.

[Lord Humungus]

and now for your daily dose of Salon.

Tea Party’s horrifying cousin: Here comes “constitutional conservatism”

It basically holds that a governing model of strictly limited (domestic) government that is at the same time devoted to the preservation of “traditional culture” is the only legitimate governing model for this country, now and forever, via the divinely inspired agency of the Founders. That means democratic elections, the will of the majority, the need to take collective action to meet big national challenges, the rights of women and minorities, the empirical data on what works and what doesn’t?all of those considerations and more are so much satanic or “foreign” delusions that can and must be swept aside in the pursuit of a Righteous and Exceptional America. I don’t think at this point “constitutional conservatism” has taken over the GOP, but its rhetoric and the confrontational?even chiliastic?strategy and tactics it suggests are becoming more common every day, even among hackish pols who probably don’t think deeply about anything and would sell out the “base” in a heartbeat if they could get away with it.

[sarcasmic]

Liberty and justice for all? Screw that! We want our free shit!

[Brett L]

odel for this country, now and forever, via the divinely inspired agency of the Founders. That means democratic elections, the will of the majority, the need to take collective action to meet big national challenges, the rights of women and minorities, the empirical data on what works and what doesn’t

One of these clauses has been addressed by Constitutional Amendment, the others, not so much.

[John]

There is so much DERP there, it is hard to even know where to begin. Just take this one sentence

That means democratic elections, the will of the majority, the need to take collective action to meet big national challenges, the rights of women and minorities, the empirical data on what works and what doesn’t

It is all about the rights of the “majority” because majority rule is apparently the only way to protect the rights of minorities. And the irony of Progs talking about empirical data determining what works and doesn’t practically burns my monitor up. Yeah, nothing is more empirical than Progs claiming ideas with an entire century of failure will work this time if we just try harder.

These people are so stupid they are scary.

[sarcasmic]

They want majority rule except when they don’t. Like when a majority of voters says marriage should not be redefined. Then the majority is wrong and it is the duty of the courts to rule against the majority. But otherwise the majority is always right.

[Lord Humungus]

so… Tony.

[Marshall Gill]

the empirical data on what works and what doesn’t.

Because the empirical data supports central planning?!!! Holy fucking Science!

[Lord Humungus]

From HIV to cancer to Crone’s, ObamaCare fails the sick

It turns out ObamaCare didn’t solve the problem of “pre-existing conditions” after all. It made premiums more affordable for people with chronic health conditions that are expensive to treat ? but at the price of sticking them with unaffordable co-payments for their medications.

The nonprofit AIDS Institute is suing four Florida health insurers for discriminating against HIV/AIDS patients. The complaint says these patients now face prohibitive out-of-pocket drug costs. Sadly, most of the plans sold via ObamaCare all across the country have similar problems ? leaving those with chronic diseases without affordable access to the specialty drugs they need.

nice.

[Brett L]

Crohn’s, unless you are talking about bent and warty old women.

[Zeb]

Apparently NY Post doesn’t have editors. They do get it right in the article.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

+1 Fire burn and cauldron bubble

[Sevo]

O-care! The gift that never quits!

[Bobarian]

The gift that never starts giving?

[Whahappan?]

Well I’ll be damned. Turns out there is no such thing as a free lunch.

[Slammer]

the will of the majority, the need to take collective action

does not mesh with

the rights of women and minorities

[Jerryskids]

NASCAR Star Strikes and Kills Another Driver

What’s with the active voice here? Shouldn’t this be “Driver Dies Subsequent To Being Struck By Race Car”?

As I read the Tony Stewart story, the other guy was walking toward him in an aggressive manner and Stewart, fearing for his life, attempted to escape the encounter. In the course of the events, the motor was gunned, the vehicle was accelerated and the other driver inadvertently impacted the vehicle. Tony Stewart returned home safely that night, however, and that’s all that matters.

[John]

This is actually one case where passive voice is warranted. There is no evidence Stewart intended to hit the guy much less kill him.

[waffles]

Enforcing Sharia Law – Vice News on the Islamic State, part3

[Hawk Spitui]

Are left it’s just human rabbits?
http://m.digitaljournal.com/pr/2081273

[Hawk Spitui]

Are left it’s just human rabbits?
http://m.digitaljournal.com/pr/2081273

[Len Bias]

“Hillary Clinton has blamed the rise of ISIS on President Obama’s “failure” to arm Syrian rebels.”

Looks like Hillary is gonna challenge Obama in 2016 for the presidency.