Pollsters Say Public Pissed at Politicians, NATO Expects Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Iraq Is Just a Friggin' Mess: P.M. Links

• Pollsters agree: Americans are in a lousy mood, and they're especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.
• Except for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is coasting to reelection despite being chin-deep in a corruption scandal.
• NATO says there's a high probability that all of those Russian troops massed on Ukraine's border will decide to take a giant step forward.
• The FBI will investigate the killing of unarmed teen Michael Brown by a suburban St. Louis police officer. So federal procedures better have been followed!
• Not only did the "cash for clunkers" program not result in a net increase in car sales, say economic researchers, but fuel efficiency restrictions induced people to buy cheaper cars, costing the automobile industry about $3 billion.
• As U.S. warplanes blow up old U.S. munitions commandeered by Islamic fundamentalists trying to take over Iraq, the country's president names Haidar al-Abadi as a replacement for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Who refuses to step down. These are the days of our lives…
• Get ready for more IRS paperwork as the tax agency tries to calculate who is entitled to what, Obamacare-wise.
  

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FBI Will Investigate Missouri Police Killing of Unarmed Black Teen Michael Brown

Comments

[Protagoronus]

Bernie Sanders says he has a ‘damn good platform’ to run for president in 2016

I was wondering? is there derp to dig?

Jess 31 minutes ago
Not since John Kennedy have we had such a dynamic and insightful person as Hillary. Determination and a brilliant mind make her PERFECT to lead our nation?.

This guy seems to want to found reason

Bruce 5 hours ago
Let’s start a web news page where you’d have to have an IQ of 100 or higher to get in. That way, we could discuss things like oligarchy. socialism, climate change, immigration, and science in a place where everybody understood the conversation, were not motivated by selfishness and fear, and no one used 3rd grade playground misspellings of the President’s name, thinking it was clever.

[Andrew S.]

That last one belongs in the pantheon of people who overestimate their own intelligence and believe they’re smarter than everybody else.

[Zeb]

Or worse, the people who think that all smart people must also be “right thinking” people and only idiots could possibly disagree. It is important to remember that many of the most evil and wrong people in history have been extremely intelligent.

[jmomls]

See also: comments on the NYT website.

[VG Zaytsev]

That last one belongs in the pantheon of people who overestimate their own intelligence and believe they’re smarter than everybody else.

Top Man? material.

[LynchPin1477]

Well, except for the 3rd grade humor and immaturity.

/penis

Heh.

[Citizen Nothing]

What if Bushitler and Obummer got into a fight?

[LynchPin1477]

CRIPPLE FIGHT!

[entropy_factor]

my fav is the people who spell Obama with a zero, ie, 0bama. Or “obummer”.

I just imagine a geriatric couple surfing on Yahoo from the back of their RV out somewhere near Sedona.

[Gluesponge]

Actually, it’s spelled peener.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Let’s start a web news page where you’d have to have an IQ of 100 or higher to get in.

So 49.9% percent of the population? How exclusive!

[alan_s]

Wouldn’t this lead to a self-perpetuating spiral, where the population is exponentially decreased asymptotically to zero?

[alan_s]

Crap. Never mind. I thought he was suggesting eliminating half of society, not starting a web page.

[Obama's Buttplug]

I thought he was suggesting eliminating half of society.

He’ll get to that soon enough.

[toolkien]

Correct. ~318M residents, top half ~159M, the first standard deviation to the right is IQ 100-115, and is ~54M. Simply too many superstitious, angry dolts contained within. I’d say the prerequisite would be at least IQ=125 to make it even worth a try. Certainly would still have plenty of fear laden, superstitious people, but you could proceed to batter them about the face and head and not feel bad about it. They should know better.

[Heroic Mulatto]

If superstitious anger is correlated to low intelligence, why are people with Downs Syndrome always so damn happy?

[BakedPenguin]

Because of all the cake they get.

[UnCivilServant]

There are a lot of stupid people who test high on IQ.

[Gluesponge]

Exactly. High IQ != rational (not always, I mean.) The skew is towards more rationality, but for the most part, it’s probably about the same as the “they took er jerbs!” types.

[Matrix]

Because intelligent people aren’t motivated by selfishness or fear?

[waffles]

I am highly motivated by avarice and fear of failure. And I’m somewhat intelligent though I play a ‘tard on H&R.

[Brandon]

You’re very convincing.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Echo chambers produce the most well-thought-out policies.

[Protagoronus]

This is why we must thank our gracious trolls for providing us with the other side (when they are not flinging poo)

[LynchPin1477]

But they generally suck at it, i.e. it’s 95% poo flinging. Maybe we should take turns playing devil’s advocate for a week at a time.

[Marshall Gill]

Your it!

[pan fried wylie]

MY it!

[Marshall Gill]

OK, wylie, take it away. No easy “Meat is rape” shit either, we want some quality trolling debate.

[Protagoronus]

Nice. I nominate LynchPin1477 for position of Marxdebator for the week of 8/18.

[John]

But the regulars disagree enough that very few things, outside of dog killing cops is universally supported or condemned.

[T]

No, we’d be fine with dogs killing cops. Hell, some of us would applaud.

[Brandon]

I’m agin’ it. Dogs should stick to a healthy diet.

[VG Zaytsev]

My dogs love pork.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I’ve always been a strong advocate for the dissenting voices here.

[Ted S.]

I agree that we need Fist around so the rest of us can point out how idiotic his ideas are. 🙂

[UnCivilServant]

I disagree, that’s an idiotic idea.

[kinnath]

I’m of two minds on this . . . .

[EDG reppin' LBC]

As a court appointed advocate for dissenting voices, I know first hand how destructive echo chambers can be. Sure some people can handle the agreement with fellow travelers, but for many others, unity can be a prison. And not just for them, but for their families a s well. How would you like it if your mother or sister were part of a group of people that shared a common set of morals based on a particular ideology?

[T]

Last I heard, both of them were in AA, so I’m not sure what your point is?

[Tonio]

Sanders for president. Interesting.

That would siphon off a lot of the proggie votes, thus further wounding Warren and guaranteeing Clinton’s nomination and possible election. That would also allow Clinton to not have to pivot as far left during the primary season.

He’d run as a socialist, most likely. I know he caucuses with the dems but I don’t see them wanting to have him as a standard-bearer.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

…thus further wounding Warren…

In her knee?

Get it?

[LynchPin1477]

Nice.

[Tonio]

Give him a big hand, folks…

[JEP]

“I was a 1/16th Native American warrior until I took an arrow in my knee…”

[Heroic Mulatto]

She once was a populist demagogue like you, but then she….

[Cdr Lytton]

…committed the ultimate sin and voted against the Party leadership – leadership that tried to kill her candidacy, but got the socialist in Vermont instead. Poised for higher office, now she prowls the fields of Iowa, a proggie one-uping progies, a Democrat, a TRUE-BELIEVER.

*cue Mike Post music*

[Fist of Etiquette]

Get ready for more IRS paperwork as the tax agency tries to calculate who is entitled to what, Obamacare-wise.

You’ll have to do the paperwork to find out what’s in it?

[Rich]

Select two random IRS employees and provide them with the same taxpayer information. Have them independently prepare the return. If their bottom lines do not match *exactly*, fire both without replacement. Repeat.

[Juice]

It’s not their fault the code is so confusing.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Not only did the “cash for clunkers” program not result in a net increase in car sales…

But it was hilarious to talk about.

[Bobarian]

As a user of C4C, I did buy a new car that I otherwise would not have, but it was a total failure in the other claim, which was to improve fuel economy.

I cashed in a 1989 Lincoln that was gonna donate its engine to my 72 Ranchero, and would have resulted in about a 5 MPG increase in fuel economy in that vehicle. Instead I used it to get a Cobalt SS, which actually replaced my Neon, and got about 4 MPG worse. So, double fail.

Also, poor people lost out on opportunity for cheap vehicles, so triple fucked.

So many multipliers, a Krugman could love it.

[entropy_factor]

got into a HUGE argument about the unintended consequences of C4C the other day with a buddy of mine who just wrapped up an economics degree.

He is normally pretty skeptical of govt etc but absolutely insisted that if we just had the right data or just had the right people running a program, that we could avoid shit like that. I just laughed man.

It may be a bit of a project, but I shall preach the gospel of Hayek and Freidman’s warnings about central planning and the road to hell is paved with, oh hell, I cannot remember it now.

[entropy_factor]

which reminds me.. I am willing to bet that one can get an econ degree in this day and age without reading one single page of Hayek, Mises, Friedman, etc. Not one.single.page.

Don’t people stop and think “hmm. that’s odd”?

[Raven Nation]

Nope. Most people stop and say, “Who the hell are Hayek, Mises, & Friedman?” The others say something like, “thank god those morons no longer corrupt our young, budding economists.”

[ace_m82]

True, dat.

Got my econ degree in 2012 and they were… uh… mentioned in an econ history class.

I’ve learned more from the Mises Institute than from anything I got from UMD (as in, Duluth).

[CatoTheElder]

It’s been that way for a long time. For the past twenty years or so, upon learning that a person had an econ degree, I’d ask whether he was a Keynesian or Chicago School. A few did not even know what I was asking about, including one University of California (somewhere campus) grad. The only econ grads that I have ever met outside of libertarian meetings who knew anything of the Austrian School were grads of University of Dallas, a Catholic university. At UT-Austin one gets exposure to Friedman and the Chicago boys, but Hayek and Mises are unknown in the economics department. There is an econ prof who is pretty solid at UT-Austin, but he’s in the graduate school of business.

[Whahappan?]

Not doubting you, but WTF? I can see them not being familiar with Mises, Hayek or Friedman, but how can they be completely ignorant of Keynesian or Chicago School? I mean fuck, I knew nothing about economics until 5 or so years ago, never took an economics course, but even I heard of Keynes from a friend who took an economics course in college. How can you have an economics degree and not have even heard about Keynes or Chicago School?

[MegaloMonocle]

No intelligent person ever believed for an instant that C4C was ever going to do more than pull demand forward, and that over a longer timeframe would show zero net additional sales.

The punch line of this study is that, in addition to confirming that, it also showed that sales were not just pulled forward in time, but shifted to less expensive vehicles.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

The punch line is that it took 3 economists five years to come to the same conclusion that the Reason commentariat did within five minutes of hearing about C4C.

[Tonio]

My biggest fear is that they’re going to come up with another program to correct the problems that C4C caused…

[UnCivilServant]

Probably a Government Motors Mandate Penaltax.

[Jerryskids]

My biggest fear is that they’re going to come up with another program to correct the problems that C4C caused…

They already have. C4C took a bunch of shitty cars off the road, GM is putting them all back.

[Gluesponge]

I shot soda all over my keyboard. THAT is genius… Kudos!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Except for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is coasting to reelection despite being chin-deep in a corruption scandal.

You deserve what you get, New York.

[Ted S.]

I warned everybody I knew about electing another AG. Fuckers wouldn’t listen.

[UnCivilServant]

I keep campaigning against him. I’m hoping that NYC apathy among the blue base, plus spoilers from his left will erode that lead enough for the R to land in the seat and gridlock against the legislature, thereby preventing further motion of the state government and perhaps forstalling the current disintegration. It’s the best case scenario for NY.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

Pollsters agree: Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

They’re probably just hungry and in need of a nap.

[Andrew S.]

“Eat a Snickers, America”

[Ted S.]

Nice job. But who are the Chefs?

[PBR Streetgang]

A classic!

[Stormy Dragon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=litHPx4ge78

[Marshall Gill]

Pollsters agree: Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

While I don’t doubt this, I don’t see it as anything more than a polarized electorate. It isn’t that Americans are ticked at their guy but that other rat bastard.

[MegaloMonocle]

Americans are going to show how pissed off they are at incumbents by sending over 90% of them back to Washington.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, maybe the LP should take every dime of its advertising budget and just try to get people to vote out incumbents.

[Concerned Citizen]

You started a sentence with ‘you know’? What are you a sportscaster?

[Pro Libertate]

You know, everyone is a critic.

[Fist of Etiquette]

NATO says there’s a high probability that all of those Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border will decide to take a giant step forward.

And join the ones who already did?

[Bam!]

You know what the Ukraine is? A sitting duck. A road apple.

[Invisible Finger]

Ukraine must have gotten lots of news about how well NATO succeeded in Iraq.

[PapayaSF]

These days they’re real glad they let Obama talk them into giving up a bunch of their heavy weapons in exchange for a guarantee of US protection.

[Hyperion]

They believed something that Obama said? Bwawaahhahahhaaa!

[Obama's Buttplug]

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/…..in_garage/

[Protagoronus]

NATO says there’s a high probability that all of those Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border will decide to take a giant step forward.

I for one hope they don’t have any Davy Crocketts for the defense.

[Rich]

[Rich]

Take 2.

Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

Two words: No incumbents.

[CatoTheElder]

I’m a Libertarian. I never vote for an incumbent.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

Which is why it’s going to be so distressing when they re-elect them all.

[Rich]

What Fist said.

I’m thinking that’ll be a bad week to quit sniffing glue.

[T]

Maybe, but it’ll be a great week to double down on bourbon consumption.

[MegaloMonocle]

Sounds like . . . every week?

[PD Scott]

“But, but, but, MY representative/senator is one of the good ones! It’s the others that cause all the trouble.”

[Notorious G.K.C.]

They’ll hold their noses *extra hard* when *reluctantly* returning most of the incumbents to office. Then they’ll tell the next round of pollsters how ticked off they are, and the Circle Jerk of Life will begin anew.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

But what would happen if “None of the Above” were on the ballot?

[Bam!]

No presidential candidate would ever get more than 50% of the votes again. It would eliminate any talk of “mandates.”

I like your proposal and think you should get some billionaire backer.

[Rich]

Ditto.

And if NOTA *wins* the Presidential election — Speaker of the House takes over.

[Marshall Gill]

Speaker of the House takes over.

::shudders::

So Bohner or Pelosi? We are well and truly fucked, aren’t we.

[Rich]

It’s well and true fuckings all the way down!

[Bobarian]

President Pelosi?

Roll that around on your tongue for a while.

I’d wash it down with some drano.

[T]

Nope, revote with a new slate of candidates. Anybody who got beat by NOTA is ineligible to participate.

[Rich]

Go, T, go!

[F. Stupidity, Jr.]

President Fluke in 2028. Mark it down.

[UnCivilServant]

Liver Fluke on the Parasite ticket?

[Marshall Gill]

Liver Fluke on the Parasite ticket?

Consider this stolen.

[Zombie Jimbo]

Instead of making them ineligible, how about having them drawn and quartered with the carcass flayed and spread with salt before being dragged across the country by packs of dogs.

[Hyperion]

Then the voters would think, Can ‘None of the Above’ get an increase in my benefits?

[PapayaSF]

In 1982, Jack Fertig, known as Sister Boom Boom, ran for San Francisco Board of Supervisors earning over 23,000 votes with her occupation listed as “Nun of the Above”. San Francisco passed a law soon after, commonly called the “Sister Boom Boom Law”, that all people running for office had to do so with their legal name.

[Hyperion]

Well, with her real name being ‘Jack’, I’m not surprised that she picked an alias.

[Andrew S.]

In my local congressional district in 2012, running against the (nominally unopposed) odious Mario Diaz-Balart was a candidate named VoteForEddie.com. Apparently he legally changed his name to VoteForEddie.com. I had no clue of his politics, but voted for him anyways (mostly because he wasn’t Mario Diaz-Balart)

[Jerryskids]

Didn’t we already decide we should elect Nobody? Nobody will keep his campaign promises, Nobody will lower our taxes, Nobody will give us a smaller government, Nobody will protect our liberties, Nobody will work for the American people and Nobody really and truly cares. Nobody deserves your vote.

[PapayaSF]

http://www.maniacworld.com/vote-for-nobody.jpg

[The Other Kevin]

They can be ticked all they want now, but when they get to the voting booth and see the names of candidates from the other team, their conditioned fear response will kick in.

[Hyperion]

Pollsters agree: Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

Ungrateful peasants! they don’t understand how lucky they are to have politicians around, and how they would die in the streets tomorrow, if it were not for the politicians staying up all night worrying about them, and protecting them, especially the children.

[alan_s]

“they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.”

In my experience, they’re just upset that their gang isn’t beating the other gang.

[Hyperion]

Not only did the “cash for clunkers” program not result in a net increase in car sales, say economic researchers, but fuel efficiency restrictions induced people to buy cheaper cars, costing the automobile industry about $3 billion

I was listening to a commercial on the radio one day last week, encouraging people to donate their old cars instead of trading them in, so that less fortunate folks can have a car to drive to work.

All I could think of was, sorry, all those donateable old cars got smashed up for scrap metal while Obammie and his retarded side-kick Uncle Joe cheered from the sidelines.

[Ted S.]

1-877-Cars-Against-Kids,
C-A-R-S cars against kids,
1-877-Cars-Against-Kids,
Donate your car today.

[Hyperion]

So I’m supposed to donate my cars to someone who wants to run over kids?

[PD Scott]

Look, we have a childhood obesity epidemic in this country. Running for your life is great exercise.

[BakedPenguin]

Damn, I HATE those commercials. Just brutal to listen to.

[Brandon]

It was “K-A-R-S.”

-pedant

[BakedPenguin]

All I could think of was, sorry, all those donateable old cars got smashed up for scrap metal while Obammie and his retarded side-kick Uncle Joe cheered from the sidelines.

Yeah, destroying economic assets is such a great plan for economic growth.

It really is amazing how stupid our “leaders” are.

[Ted S.]

I want my gang to beat up both TEAM RED and TEAM BLUE.

[Obama's Buttplug]

That single mom in NJ arrested for having a gun is one fucked-up thread.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

Where?

[Obama's Buttplug]

Here

[EDG reppin' LBC]

It’s always amusing to get some libertarian on libertarian violence. Plus, you’re a racist.

[Bobarian]

Leave Cinncinatti alone!

[Hyperion]

So what is it that you don’t like about it? Do you not like funny names, professor warz, or Cincinnati? … there was something else that thread was about, but I can’t remember…

[Obama's Buttplug]

Yes

[Horatio]

Very. Something about a black blooded sword being unsheathed from some spaghetti chili or somesuch…

[PD Scott]

So the Cobb County, GA, police had a report of a suspicious armed female on Sunday. Somehow, she steals one of their police cars and goes on a 100 MPH chase down Interstate 75 into Atlanta.
“They came by us and I said there’s something odd about that because what cop goes down the road with the trunk open,” said witness Calli Jones.

And as another witness wisely notes, there’s only so much you can do with a cop car if they know you stole it.

[Andrew S.]

If you ever take a trip down to Cobb County, Georgia.
You better read the signs
Respect the law and order
You’ll serve hard time
You’ll be serving hard time
You know the Big Boss Man will make you walk the line
You better watch out boy or you’ll be serving hard time

[db]

Interesting that the reaction was that it was uncommon for a cop car to have an open trunk, but.not blasting down the highway at hazardous speeds with no regard for the safety of.others.

[What-what, in the butt]

and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

and that is the entire substance of “the libertarian moment”

[SugarFree]

Did the Winston handle finally get banned, Dr. Butthurt?

[Jordan]

Hmm, I was thinking it was Mary, but that sounds very plausible.

[Ted S.]

I can’t keep all the sockpuppets/renamed trolls straight. 🙁

[Cdr Lytton]

I thought briannnnnn, our brand new over the top commenter, was Mary.

[Heroic Mulatto]

You’d think Winston Zeddemore would be sympathetic to those who were concerned about government interference in the private sector.

[Marshall Gill]

Did the Winston handle finally get banned, Dr. Butthurt?

You guessed that from that small of a post? It is almost as if you had some special window into the darkness of the human soul. Oh, you do.

Carry on.

[SugarFree]

About 2/3rds of Winston posts are s/he/it bitching about “the libertarian moment.” The rest are about his efforts to stuff guacamole in his rectum for Dr. Who cosplay.

[Hyperion]

He should stick with shoving foodstuff up his arse and get back to us when libertarians actually have a modicum of power in this country.

[Pro Libertate]

I saw an io9 comments thread (which I normally avoid) because–and I can’t recall the topic of the post–there was something where someone could conceivably criticize Dr. Who (I remember now–Josh Whedon insulted the program). And someone did! Then a few people agreed.

Then the deluge of hate began.

[Winston]

The rest are about his efforts to stuff guacamole in his rectum for Dr. Who cosplay.

Pshaw, never seen an episode of Doctor Who.

[What-what, in the butt]

lulz

I’m a libertarian, d00d. I believe in stuff like legal guns, weed, heroin, prostitution, 1st Amendment, free immigration/emigration, no income tax, cut the pentagon budget, severely limit the NSA, tear down public schools, etc., etc.

I just think that most Americans aren’t bright enough to understand what’s causing a lot of their problems. Remember, these are the people who think building a fancy new stadium downtown is going to revive the economy rather than just line the pockets of well-connected businessmen.

In conclusion, the human race is full of ‘tards, too few of whom are willing to perform the fellatio on me.

Thank you.

[Brandon]

severely limit the NSA, tear down public schools…

You’re not a libertarian, you’re a statist twat. The NSA shouldn’t exist, and public schools should be kept in the best possible condition to preserve their resale value.

[PapayaSF]

Attention briannnn: The woman involved is “Emmerli Wilcoxson.”

[JEP]

+1 Engelbert Humperdinck

Ha! Humperdinck.

[Ted S.]

Your post is incomplete without any Youtube link.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Hyman Lipschitz!

[Ted S.]

Olympic gold madalist Misty Hyman

[EDG reppin' LBC]

Freda Love Boner.

[Hyperion]

Her parents must have hated her.

[Zombie Jimbo]

I doubt that it was Misty, it was probably completely waterlogged.

[Restoras]

It’s just so ridiculous!

[SugarFree]

I don’t see why I’m expected to sympathize with someone who has 5 Ns in their name.

[PapayaSF]

I wonder if it’s an intentional or unintentional version of “Emily.”

[Hyperion]

Emmerli? That sounds like what some dude in West Vaginer would call his cousin (who is also his girlfriend and uncle’s sister’s husband’s daughter) named Emily.

“Hey Emmerli! Can you take my truck down yonder and warsh it in the crick? Bring me a byer first, girl!”

[Ted S.]

Emmerli sounds Swiss-German to me.

[Hyperion]

Not sure how they would pronounce it over there, but West Vaginer guy would say ‘Em-ur-lee’.

[Obama's Buttplug]

Almost. The full name is Emmerli Wilcoxson of Doom.

[Hyperion]

Could wind up being the bride of Warty with a name like that.

[Pro Libertate]

Still not as good as Macho Liberti.

[Rich]

major math problems start next year as the IRS tries to ensure that millions of Americans are correctly calculating their benefits and that those who don’t have coverage are penalized unless they qualify for an exemption.

This is bullshit from just about every standpoint.

Just give everyone free healthcare and be done with it already. 8-(

[Jordan]

Why hasn’t Congress repealed the Law of Supply and Demand yet?

[Ted S.]

They’re busy trying to repeal the Law of Thermodynamics.

[Andrew S.]

Lisa, in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!

And they’ll get around to repealing the law of supply and demand soon. They just have to figure out a good name for it.

[Hyperion]

The American Thermodynamcis and Freedom for the Children Restoration and Fairness Act.

[Drake]

The Frictionless Perpetual Currency Printing Act?

[Hyperion]

Like they would ever name a bill that would publicly reflect on what they might actually be doing.

[GILMORE]

reposting =

Russia: Plans Humanitarian Intervention into Ukraine

NATO Believes this is merely a pretext to enter the ongoing civil war and expects them to attempt to replace existing Ukrainian Regime with leadership more accommodating to Russian interests

Which is totally, like, a

[GILMORE]

whoops

“Which is totally, like, tactic they just invented”

I have not seen one news item actually noting that “US demands for overthrow of Iraqi regime being met”…

because before we started bombing? They weren’t actually debating ousting Maliki. It was entirely our own idea, one which we repeatedly stated was ‘necessary’ if they expected us to actually continue to offer aid

[entropy_factor]

Pollsters agree: Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

BESSIE, GET MUH PITCHFORK! DO IT NOW, WOMAN!

[Hyperion]

Bessie Lou. All Bessies have the middle name of lou, everyone knows that! Or is it a 2nd first name?

[Warty]

More proof that Florida is not fit for human habitation.

[PD Scott]

Clearly we need to train Florida panthers to eat the snakes.

[Pro Libertate]

What, all ten of them?

[T]

Just let the snakes and lizards have it. Then we can watch SuperPython vs. MegaCroc as a reality show in a few years.

[Rich]

“It’s the answer to so many questions,” said Pamela Dinola, who lost five of her seven cats.

“Unlike ‘War’,” she added.

[PapayaSF]

I was in the Everglades last year. Apparently the pythons are devastating the small mammals there. They tried a python hunt with bounties, but hunters only got a few dozen.

[Pro Libertate]

I was just down there a few weeks ago. On a boat tour down in Flamingo, the captain said they called off the last hunt because more hunters got lost (and had to be rescued) than pythons were caught.

[MegaloMonocle]

You just need a bigger bounty.

And, some way to tell a wild python from one raised just to collect the bounty.

[Pro Libertate]

I say train alligators to do it. Or design self-replicating python-killing robots. Or enlist the Skunk Ape’s help.

[JEP]

Or design self-replicating python-killing robots.

Oh no you don’t! I’ve seen movies. I know where that road leads.

[Pro Libertate]

Just make sure you program them to only kill pythons, and everything should be fine. Don’t give them nukes, though.

[Warty]

Also, kitties.

[GILMORE]

That probably smells great

[Bam!]

So that’s how you herd cats.

[Headless Body of Agnew]

I see you, and raise you this.

[SugarFree]

Matt Yglesias ?@mattyglesias Aug 9
I said Gerald Ford was still alive earlier this evening which is … not the case. Apologies for the error.

[Citizen Nothing]

He was thinking of Chevy Chase.

[Stormy Dragon]

General Franco is still dead.

[PD Scott]

At least Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

[Ted S.]

Is Takoma Park still alive? Is it still a nuclear-free zone?

[Pro Libertate]

I briefly resided there and laughed pretty much every time I saw the sign about that nuclear-free business.

[Juice]

I go every year to the Nuclear Free Beer Festival.

[Pro Libertate]

There’s no such thing as nuclear-free beer, of course, since the carbon and oxygen were all made in the nuclear furnaces of stars. Leaving aside the other elements that were created in normal stellar processes, the Big Bang, or, of course, in supernovae.

[John]

In fairness, that is one of the smaller errors he has made.

[SugarFree]

It really is just a molehill on the side of Matty’s Derp Mountain.

[Warty]

It’s like Mad Libs.

Matt Yglesias ?@mattyglesias Aug 9
I said the moon was destroyed by global warming earlier this evening which is … not the case. Apologies for the error.

Matt Yglesias ?@mattyglesias Aug 9
I said John Boehner was still being held for murder earlier this evening which is … not the case. Apologies for the error.

[Pro Libertate]

That’s a great meme to promote. . .that the Moon was destroyed by global warming, I mean.

See, the reason NASA hasn’t gone back to the Moon is because they found evidence of a civilization that destroyed itself through–well, not AGW, since they weren’t human–maybe LGW? And the government doesn’t want anyone to know that.

Just look at the Moon–look at it! That’s what AGW is all about, man.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Don’t they already pull that with Venus?

[Pro Libertate]

Why not both? But the Moon is right there in orbit, a visible testament to the folly of man. Well, of aliens who were stupid and evil like man.

[Hyperion]

I said the moon was destroyed by global warming earlier this evening which is … not the case. Apologies for the error.

I was roflmao on that one, seriously…

[John]

http://thehill.com/policy/inte…..ime-change

Obama seeks regime change in Iraq. If you can’t find that funny, you have no sense of humor.

[Winston]

Obama has the interests of the people at heart, not the oil companies and isn’t using boots on the ground so he is better.

[Paul.]

And is less killy.

[Cdr Lytton]

Mohammad Mosaddegh and Ngo Dinh Diem say Hi!

[flye]

And in the least surprising news of the day, it was the police who killed that bank robbery hostage in Stockton:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article…..ry-hostage

[PD Scott]

Honestly, people will keep taking hostages until the police openly adopt this tactic.

[Juice]

It’s what the Russians do. Oh, you’ve got hostages? Blam blam blam. Now you don’t.

[PapayaSF]

Also, during the Lebanese civil war, some Muslims took some Soviets hostage. The Soviets figured out who the kidnappers were, kidnapped some of their family members, and sent the kidnappers a few ears.

For some reason the Soviets didn’t have to worry about their people being kidnapped after that.

[F. Stupidity, Jr.]

Without that hostage, the robbers have no leverage. /coplogic

[Jordan]

“What is the fastest way for me to get home safely? Shoot the hostage.”

/coplogic

[Bobarian]

“Set the building on fire, then it’s the fire departments problem.”

/Official FBI handbook

[Winston]

NATO says there’s a high probability that all of those Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border will decide to take a giant step forward.

Sheldon Richman has a happy.

[Winston]

You Know Which Other Country did they hate their politicians?

[Drake]

All of them always?

[Matrix]

and yet we keep voting for these assholes!

[Paul.]

Who’s ‘we’? I just threw an un-filled ballot into the trash.

[John]

http://www.wired.com/2014/08/h…..ors-wi-fi/

Kitties are now indispensable for hacking.

[Warty]

Pythons for network security.

[John]

A good cat is too quick and would wear the python out.

[Pro Libertate]

I was told on a tour in the Everglades just a few weeks ago that bringing domesticated pets to the Everglades was a bad idea, because alligators, pythons, and crocodiles. That’s dogs, cats, giant guinea pigs.

[John]

I am told there are a hundred thousand pythons in the everglades. They need to put a large bounty on them and let them be hunted by any means.

[MegaloMonocle]

I agree.

I also predict that people will start breeding pythons, just to turn them in for the bounty.

[John]

Good point. But how hard are they to breed?

[MegaloMonocle]

Looks pretty easy:

http://www.wikihow.com/Breed-Ball-Pythons

A little temperature control, a decent number of starter snakes, and you’re off and running.

Much unintentional humor in that article, BTW:

Many male ball pythons also require some extra stimulus stimulation to put them in the mood. The simplest way to do this is to put a number of males together.

Seriously, a snake sausage party.

Ball pythons can stay connected for up to two days. It’s all right to peek at them, but try not to disturb them. They are in no hurry. They can take a long time to complete this important step. Anything short of a three or four hour coupling is likely to prove ineffective.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, there’s always Mountie Python.

In all seriousness, what is needed is something economic. If we can’t capture them for food, let’s find some other economic value in pythons that makes the trouble of hunting them down worth it.

[Pro Libertate]

That’s the number the captain used down there–100,000. So glad they don’t like even a little bit of winter, which has limited their range to South Florida. Wait, why am I opposed to the python infestation again?

[Hyperion]

They did this in some states with Snakeheads. Not sure if it’s working. Probably the Koreans eating them is making the biggest dent.

[Pro Libertate]

In the Keys, they were telling us we should order lionfish to help kill the fuckers off.

[Horatio]

Are pythons tasty? I quite like fried rattlesnake, but seems the larger snakes would be less appetizing.

[Pro Libertate]

I don’t know about taste, but as the Mountie Python press release indicates, pythons are a rich source of Vitamin M.*

* Which some call. . .mercury.

[Headless Body of Agnew]

Eh.

[Paul.]

Fun article, but not necessarily telling us anything we didn’t already know. Or even doing anything new, except for the fact that the tools were stuck on a cat– a highly inefficient method of finding unlocked wifis.

Back in the day, we used to do a thing called ‘wardriving’. In the early days when NO ONE locked down their wifi, within about 5 minutes and about a mile drive, I’d have somewhere on the order of 90 wifis, most of them unlocked.

[Migrant Log Picker]

OT:Long time reader, rare commenter. Want to share the sad news that habeas dorkus passed away Thursday. We live in the same town and I read his obituary yesterday.

We never met though we exchanged a few emails. He was a writer for our local progtastic rag. He did tell me some stories of being a libertarian in progland. He was a talented writer and musician. I hadn’t seen him comment here for a while, we now know why…RIP JK.

[Tonio]

Sorry to hear that. Thanks for posting that.

Suggest you repost in the AM links and try to do so near the top of the thread which should open at 9:00 AM Eastern.

[Obama's Buttplug]

There was a poster named habeas dorkus. Or were the named JK? Either way, where’s the obituary?

[Migrant Log Picker]

His name was Jamie Kelly and the obit is in The Missoulian,not sure if they have them online.

[grrizzly]

Here is the link.

[Cdr Lytton]

http://missoulian.com/news/loc…..963f4.html

[Cdr Lytton]

http://www.google.com/search?q…..reason.com

and

Habeas Dorkus|10.17.13 @ 10:39PM|#

Yes, Mike. I was an arts reporter as well, as I have my minor in music and remain a jazz pianist in Missoula (back to college now, one year away from A.B. in legal studies).
Nice to see a fellow Missoula libertarian here!!
reply to this
Habeas Dorkus|10.17.13 @ 10:41PM|#

Er, make that A.B.S. in legal studies …. derp.
reply to this
Habeas Dorkus|10.17.13 @ 10:49PM|#

And to answer your question? I did not survive the Missoula daily rag.
I quit in March 2012.
Let me tell you what you have long suspected: The paper is filled with progressive liberals locked in to the Missoula intelligensia … they simply believe that libertarian/conservative ideas are troglodyte. They hang around the same people, speak the same language, and are completely dismissive of people who don’t think like they do.
It is really that bad. I was a freak in that newsroom, and they treated me like a sideshow.
They liked me — I am a likable dude, I guess — but they simply could not see other points of view.
They openly mocked non-liberal ideas every single day, without end. And when that shitheap began sinking (and it’s still sinking), I jumped ship.

Rest in peace.

[db]

I had wondered what happened to him. I always assumed he had taken up another handle and not revealed enough info to link the two. RIP.

[Zeb]

I remember him. Used to post as Jamie Kelly at one point too. Drag.

[Migrant Log Picker]

Jamie Kelly was his real name…he was a breath of fresh air in a university town infected with extreme progtardism.

He was a a lone voice for reason in these parts, he will be missed.

[hamilton]

Oh, that sucks. And from the obit it looks like he was only 46?

Thanks for sharing it.

[Coeus]

Krugman “proves” libertarianism is unworkable by pointing to governmental failures.

Smart libertarians have always realized that there are problems free markets alone can’t solve ? but their alternatives to government tend to be implausible. For example, Milton Friedman famously called for the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration. But in that case, how would consumers know whether their food and drugs were safe? His answer was to rely on tort law. Corporations, he claimed, would have the incentive not to poison people because of the threat of lawsuits.

So, do you believe that would be enough? Really?

Airtight argument there, professor.

More commonly, self-proclaimed libertarians deal with the problem of market failure both by pretending that it doesn’t happen and by imagining government as much worse than it really is. We’re living in an Ayn Rand novel, they insist. (No, we aren’t.) We have more than a hundred different welfare programs, they tell us, which are wasting vast sums on bureaucracy rather than helping the poor. (No, we don’t, and no, they aren’t.)

You didn’t build that argument, kruggie.

[Coeus]

And the one link cites that kinda supports his argument is a pile of steaming bullshit based upon the a retarded premise.

Libertarians also tend to engage in projection. They don’t want to believe that there are problems whose solution requires government action, so they tend to assume that others similarly engage in motivated reasoning to serve their political agenda

Says the douchebag who is suddenly against ending the exim bank now that it’s politically possible.

[robc]

But in that case, how would consumers know whether their food and drugs were safe?

How would consumers know whether their food was kosher?

How the fuck does anyone that dumb get a nobel?

[Whahappan?]

“We have more than a hundred different welfare programs, they tell us, which are wasting vast sums on bureaucracy rather than helping the poor. (No, we don’t, and no, they aren’t.)”

Holy shit, really? He’s actually saying there are fewer than 100 welfare programs? And the bureaucracy isn’t wasting vast sums of money? This is literally (and I don’t mean metaphorically) insane.

[Coeus]

More Kruggie genius.

If climate change doesn’t scare you, and our failure to act doesn’t inspire despair, you’re not paying attention.

And you’re an economist who can’t do basic math.

[Hyperion]

I’m paying attention and it’s progtards being in control of things that scares me, not the weather.

[EDG reppin' LBC]

…inspire despair…

Odd phrasing. Inspire has a positive connotation. Despair has a negative connotation. It’s the writings of a confused mind.

[Horatio]

Please stop. Krug is deep into the “racist uncle” territory and if we ignore him he might go back to his hole.

[MegaloMonocle]

When it comes to Our Masters in DC, I find that their willingness to act, not their failure to act, is more likely to induce despair.

[Paul.]

Pollsters agree: Americans are in a lousy mood, and they’re especially ticked at politicians of all stripes.

[compare to]

Except for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is coasting to reelection despite being chin-deep in a corruption scandal.

This is the same poll, over and over. Americans pissed at [other peoples’] Congressman.

[Winston]

And they want someone who will Get Things Done since the current clowns can’t get things done.

[Winston]

Wait, I got banned?

[Winston]

And I’ve been accused of being a Doctor Who cosplayer, LOL.

[Brandon]

Notice he didn’t object to being accused of shoving food up his ass.

[Winston]

I object to that also but I found being accused of Doctor Who Cosplaying really funny.

[userve32]

These are the guys that knows whats for dinner.

http://www.AnonGalaxy.tk

[Coeus]

How do you make Krugman argue against an idea he promotes regularly? Have a libertarian say it.

Krugman is now arguing against a basic guaranteed minimum income. Something he has promoted about a dozen different times.

[Winston]

Principals ahead of principles.

[Whahappan?]

He’s really jumped the shark. Repeatedly.

[Brandon]

Except for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is coasting to reelection despite being chin-deep in a corruption scandal.

You know, at least California has the climate and landscape going for it. New York has no redeeming qualities. Nuke it.

[Pro Libertate]

Someone should do a TV series where Manhattan is somehow made into a floating island, blown away from the mainland. Like Space: 1999 without the space part.

[Winston]

Escape from New York?

[Pro Libertate]

More Escape of New York. I see it floating around, with New Yorkers visiting locales the island passes by, but they’re never able to find a new home, stuck on this runaway island.

[Cytotoxic]

I read the piece about Mosh Feiglin. I want to like him a lot, but his Gaza plan is too complicated and otherwise makes me uncomfortable. Just bomb and kill and shoot until all the bad guys are dead.

[Cytotoxic]

I know everyone here can’t wait to hear my opinions on popular culture so here it is regarding Guardians of the Galaxy: It was good. I was trepidatious but it worked.

[Raven Nation]

Apparently Syfy is going to serialize Scalzi’s Old Man’s War universe:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.c…..ama-723323

[Pro Libertate]

With flying sharks?

[Winston]

How about mixing up the sharks with a volcano or a tsunami or robot sharks with frickin’ lasers on their heads?

[BigT]

Mork, RIP.

[Winston]

Holy Shit, I didn’t expect that. Suspected suicide huh? Hope the Crazy Ones being cancelled didn’t drive him to do it.

[Zeb]

I think he has always had depression problems. Sad.

[Winston]

Supposedly he recently went to some sort of rehab?

[Winston]

Well I’ll remember him for Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire.

[Gluesponge]

I loved him in Good Morning Vietnam… and he was damned hilarious in RV, but most people thought it was a tosser of a movie. (I liked it.)

He was great in Moscow on the Hudson too… and gave me my favorite catchphrase…

“Come back McSoon…” I sure will miss him. His stand-up was great too, though he’s been less of a touring comedian than he was in the 80’s.

I think I’ll fire up “Live at the Met” one more time… *sigh*