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Politics

Tonight on The Independents: Apocalypse How? Featuring Former CIA Director James Woolsey, John Tierney, Rocket City Redneck Travis Taylor, Jeffrey Miron, and More!

Matt Welch | 10.3.2014 8:59 PM

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Does the news these days make you feel like Winnie the Pooh, stumbling toward the Apocalypse? You are not alone, brother. Which is why tonight's theme episode of The Independents (Fox Business Network, 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT, with re-airs three and five hours later) dives right into the Fear, interrogates it, embraces it, and fights back with some hard-won rationality.

"Apocalypse How?" stares into the abyss with the following tour guides:

* R. James Woolsey, Jr., the 16th director of the Central Intelligence Agency, former under-secretary of the Navy, 1980s nukes negotiator, and all-purpose alarm-sounder. Woolsey will assess (yet again!) the threat of ballistic nukes from rogue states, and scare the crap out of you about the looming EMP threat (sample mongering: "within 12 months of a nationwide blackout, up to 90% of the U.S. population could possibly perish from starvation, disease and societal breakdown").

* K.T. McFarland, former Reagan-administration deputy defense secretary, who will talk about the nexus between failed states and nuclear weapons (in other words, Pakistan).

* Dr. Manny Alvarez, resident Fox News doctor guy, who will describe how Ebola can and cannot wipe out populations, and whatever nasty viruses we should be skeered of.

* Harvard economist and occasional Reason contributor Jeffrey A. Miron, who will assess the possibilities of a U.S. debt crisis, and the pros and cons of hoarding various metals.

* Ridiculously over-accomplished scientist and backyard tinkerer Travis Taylor, star of Rocket City Rednecks, who will describe the human race's vulnerability to asteroids, super-volcanoes, and alien invasions.

* Beloved New York Times science writer John Tierney, who will coo soothingly and tell us to relax already about looming civilizational collapse.

You'll learn, you'll laugh, you'll get a thousand dollars worth of ones and fives ready, just in case….

Follow The Independents on Facebook at facebook.com/IndependentsFBN, follow on Twitter @ independentsFBN, and click on this page for more video of past segments.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

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NEXT: Watch Peter Suderman on MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry Show Tomorrow Morning

Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

PoliticsThe IndependentsWorldScience & TechnologyPolicyTerrorismNuclear WeaponsEbolaAliensDebt
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  1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

    EBOLI!

    It's pronounced EBOLI.

    1. John Titor (Formerly Jensen)   11 years ago

      Hey Rufus, when the end comes I'll fight you for the title of Last Canadian.

      1. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

        Looks like an interesting book.

    2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      I am now seeing references to "Obola."

  2. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

    "Does the news these days make you feel like Winnie the Pooh, stumbling toward the Apocalypse?"

    You mean the a-POOH-calypse?

    1. Almanian!   11 years ago

      Are you saying that in Piglet-in?

      1. Notorious G.K.C.   11 years ago

        Tigger, please.

        1. WTF   11 years ago

          That's "Tigga", you racist.

          1. Almanian!   11 years ago

            Check Eeyore privilege! You'll Roo the day you said that.

            1. Swiss Servator, Grundgesetz!   11 years ago

              *narrows gaze at everyone in this thread*

              1. Wasteland Wanderer   11 years ago

                "Bother", said Pooh, as he chambered another round...

    2. GILMORE   11 years ago

      DO NOT MOCK AH-POOK THE DESTROYER

  3. Almanian!   11 years ago

    This show is STILL on?

    There really is no God!!!

    *shoots self*

    1. Jerry on the sea   11 years ago

      It is not yet the train wreck Red Eye has become.

      1. Cytotoxic   11 years ago

        ...become?

        1. Jerry on the sea   11 years ago

          With Bill gone it is just missing some casualness.

      2. Almanian!   11 years ago

        I still love RedEye. Mostly for Sherrod Small when he's on. And Bonnie McFarlane.

      3. a better weapon   11 years ago

        it was hit and miss. The Andy Levy halftime and post show wrap ups were always funny though and saved the terrible episodes.

        1. a better weapon   11 years ago

          Note: I haven't watched since probably 2011

  4. Cytotoxic   11 years ago

    Ebola is no threat to America. The one I'm more interested in is EVD-68.

    1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      Ah yes, a virus that's very rare in the US that suddenly popped up all over the country shortly after Obama dispersed all over the country thousands of illegals (from countries where the virus is much more common), many already known to be infected with drug-resistant TB, lice, scabies, and chicken pox.

      What a coincidence!

  5. John Titor (Formerly Jensen)   11 years ago

    Honestly, this probably isn't exactly world ending, but I'm going with solar storms a la the Carrington Event. Because I get the feeling that a widespread long term power blackout would result in a lot of people, especially government officials, going nuts.

    1. GILMORE   11 years ago

      wasn't that movie called "Night of the Comet"?

  6. Swiss Servator, Grundgesetz!   11 years ago

    the nexus between failed states and nuclear weapons (in other words, Pakistan)

    *North Korea clears its throat and looks askance at Welch*

    1. GILMORE   11 years ago

      THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC DEMONSTRATES ITS VITAL SUCCESS OF STATEHOOD EVERY SECOND THAT THE SUPREME LEADER KIM JONG UN BREATHES THE PUREST OF AIR ON EARTH, WHERE WE STAND ALONE IN OPPOSITION TO THE RUNNING-DOG IMPERIALIST YANKEE HEGEMON WHO WILL DROWN IN A SEA OF FIRE IF THEY EVER SO MUCH AS GESTURE DISRESPECTFULLY IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE WHO CELEBRATE THEIR NATIONHOOD WITH SPECTACULAR MUSICAL THEATRE AND DANCE THAT IS UNRIVALED BY THE LAME CHARADE OF THE DECADENT WEST

      1. Vulgar Madman   11 years ago

        Shouldn't that be *CHOSIN* people?

  7. DK   11 years ago

    Dr. Manny Alvarez, resident Fox News doctor guy, who will describe how Ebola can and cannot wipe out populations, and whatever nasty viruses we should be skeered of.

    Saw him on Stossel last night arguing for the Drug War. Hey, Manny, I got your Ebola right here!

  8. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Signs The World is Ending Right Now Before Our Very Eyes

    (*my personal fave was the link to the article titled, "9 Ways Effective Communication Makes You Successful, As Told By")

  9. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    You'll learn

    Unlikely.

    you'll laugh

    Eh.

    you'll get a thousand dollars worth of ones and fives ready, just in case...

    I'm listening...

  10. Derpetologist   11 years ago

    ? I see .... derp moon risin'!

    So I got called into HR for a conference today and got the straighten up and fly right speech. It was not the first time I've heard in my life. I was told perception is reality and the perception is that I am not assertive and proactive enough. My response to "perception is reality" was to note the existence of optical illusions.

    1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

      Cont'd

      They mentioned 2 minor projects as examples of my foot-dragging. I mentioned I increased production rates by double digits in my department and finished a large project that another engineer started and had been in limbo for months. They conceded these were "minor positives".

      I've heard similar comments from bosses in previous jobs- bad attitude, lack of enthusiasm, foot-dragging. And when I bring up actual results, the response is "yes but....bad attitude, lack of enthusiasm, foot-dragging, perception is reality". I know I make a good faith effort to contribute, yet I've managed to piss off every single boss I've ever had. I guess they want me to pretend I actually enjoy my job rather than treat it as a painful duty.
      I read once that the only way to succeed in a corporation is to conform, flatter, and do favors. I agree, but it appears I cannot do so.

      I'm not really keen on engineering or manufacturing. I do it because it's the highest-paying job I'm qualified to do. Perhaps I should go be a hermit. I have often felt that I would be happier chopping firewood for a living- at least I would be left alone and could see the results of my efforts and the end of each day.

      Here endeth my tale of woe.

      1. GILMORE   11 years ago

        Go into consulting.

        At worst, you will realize how shitty *that* is, and be glad to have your boring job again. Or maybe you'll enjoy flying all over the country to do Other People's Jobs for them. Who knows.

        1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

          Ah, consulting: if you can't fix the problem, making money by prolonging it.

          1. GILMORE   11 years ago

            To be fair, there is good stuff, and bad stuff.

            Usually what happens is that companies have certain "mandated goals" to achieve in a certain time frame... and they are often on top of everyone's existing jobs.

            The Consultants come in to "think creatively" about how said project can get done without anyone in the company taking the fall for it. By throwing pile of money at you, and you then subcontracting other portions out, they alleviate themselves of said project and have you to blame if it sucks, and themselves to congratulate if you kick ass.

            Either way, the margins can be *enormous* if you handle things right. And a 'win' usually means a long, profitable relationship. (call it a couple years until your contact gets promoted/fired and you need to find a new client)

            1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

              Hmmm, sounds tempting. My hasty research reveals that as a consultant, I must give customers that Warm, Fuzzy Feeling. Sorry, it appears I can only give results measured in dollars.

              1. GILMORE   11 years ago

                No - the warm fuzzy is "them looking good" in front of their boss.

                People who aren't good at bullshit 'organizational politics' tend to be seen as useful tools in consulting. i.e. no one cares about your 'personality'. Go away, get the job done, let the client take all the credit.

                1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

                  "Go away, get the job done, let the client take all the credit."

                  This I could do.

                  1. GILMORE   11 years ago

                    The added benefit of consulting = it requires engagement

                    Its not always in an good way: the pace is like warfare - long periods of boredom broken by intense periods of utter chaos / disaster-management. You find yourself doing a lot of work in hotel rooms at 3AM.

                    But! the (theoretical) payback is that every new job is a new set of objectives, personalities, opportunities... you have to learn on your feet. For people who go nuts with the same old shit over and over and over again, its rewarding in that sense.

                    Most people do it for 3-5 years, then go to work for the client they get along with the best. No one does it forever.

                    Not for people who don't deal well with stress, or can't stand that every now and then the client will scream at you. its partly why they pay you.

      2. Rev-Match   11 years ago

        I guess they want me to pretend I actually enjoy my job rather than treat it as a painful duty.

        In my first and only interview (for a real job after college), I told my boss that my view of work is simple: It is something that I intend to do in order to make a living & be able to afford to do other things. Also, I merely want to get experience in any aspect of the industry that I can.

        I got the job, and have it to this day.

        1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

          I have been on at least a dozen job interviews, not even counting phone interviews and follow-up interviews with the same company. I'm pretty good at getting job interviews. Maybe I could make a business out of that.

  11. GILMORE   11 years ago

    File under: "Progressives Throughout History"

    "Rebecca Ann Latimer Felton (June 10, 1835 ? January 24, 1930) was an American writer, lecturer, reformer, and politician who became the first woman to serve in the United States Senate.[1]

    She was the most prominent woman in Georgia in the Progressive Era, and was honored by appointment to the Senate.

    She was sworn in November 21, 1922, and served just 24 hours. At 87 years, nine months, and 22 days old, she was the oldest freshman senator to enter the Senate. To date, she is also the only woman to have served as a Senator from Georgia. ... She was a prominent society woman; an advocate of prison reform, women's suffrage and educational modernization; and one of the few prominent women who spoke in favor of lynching."
    ...
    "Felton considered "young blacks" who sought equal treatment "half-civilized gorillas," and ascribed to them a "brutal lust" for white women.[7] While seeking suffrage for women, she decried voting rights for blacks, arguing that it led directly to the rape of white women.[8]
    ...
    Felton also advocated more lynchings of black men, saying that such was "elysian" compared to the rape of white women.[10]""

    Surprisingly, I'd never heard of her before.

    1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

      I get the feeling Rachel Maddow will not be doing a profile of this courageous woman any time soon.

    2. Rev-Match   11 years ago

      a prominent society woman

      Wtf is this?

      1. GILMORE   11 years ago

        Its old-timey talk for "Elite"

    3. SIV   11 years ago

      Surprisingly, I'd never heard of her before.

      They don't teach Georgia history up there in Yankee-Land.

  12. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Marine Killed in Osprey Accident in Gulf:

    Not Mentioned Anywhere in NYT, of Course. Nor did White House Press Sec Take Note. Too busy explaining how our *real* Boots on the Ground are going to Kick Ebola's Ass. 'Murica

    1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

      There was a scandal about Osprey maintenance records being fudged:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....ontroversy

      The V-22 squadron's former commander at Marine Corps Air Station New River, Lieutenant Colonel Odin Lieberman, was relieved of duty in 2001 after allegations that he instructed his unit that they needed to falsify maintenance records to make the aircraft appear more reliable.[25][52] Three officers were later implicated in the falsification scandal.[50]

      1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

        Odin Lieberman? Is he a Jewish viking?

        Can't say I'm surprised a guy named after a one-eyed Norse god ended up in the military.

      2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

        That was a long time ago. They seem to be doing pretty well these days.

  13. Derpetologist   11 years ago

    I posted this during lunch:

    I got a response from the office of my congress critter about my protest against the USDA's silly, intrusive demands for personal information. Long story short, I unwittingly moved into an apartment controlled by the USDA and so every year, I have to send a 10 page form of all my personal and financial information.

    The guy at the other end said I must supply this information because it is stipulated in my lease. I said "But these regulations are ridiculous. I thought your party was supposed to be against this kind of thing." His response was basically rules is rules, fuck you that's why. He actually said this is the way it's always been (which is NOT true) and if I don't like it, I should leave.

    Thanks a lot, Team Purple!

    1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

      WTF is "an apartment controlled by the USDA"? They are a landlord who rents out apartments to non-USDA people?

      1. Derpetologist   11 years ago

        It is owned by a private company, but it is regulated under the USDA 3560 Rural Development program.

        1. PapayaSF   11 years ago

          Jeebus. You poor guy. The bureaucrats have giant meddling programs to "help people" that I had never even heard of.

  14. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Interesting coincidence:

    Oct 3rd 1995, OJ was Acquitted of Murdering his wife.

    Oct 3rd 2008, OJ was Found Guilty of Robbing People at Gunpoint.

    Oh, OJ! Will you ever learn?

  15. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Prediction: No bump

  16. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    That reminds me, I haven't started my emergency generator in a while.

  17. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    That scene tells me that that movie still holds up.

  18. Derpetologist   11 years ago

    Huh. Larry. Us.

    Remember that implicit racism test? Well, somehow redid it testing implicit political bias. Turns out that implicit political bias is even stronger than racial bias.

    http://pcl.stanford.edu/resear.....zation.pdf

  19. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    NO. I REFUSE TO WATCH A PARTY PANEL THAT DOESN'T SHOW UP IN PERSON.

    1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

      Dodgers are on.

  20. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    If you're just going to blow it up, it can be very, very simple

    Unless you suffer from premature detonation.

  21. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Woosley failed to do his homework for this segment by watching NBC's Revolution.

  22. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    EDIT.

  23. Winston   11 years ago

    Hmm, isn't the Ebola River a French Name? So shouldn't it be "?bola"?

  24. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    They're giving the terrorists and rogue states ideas!

  25. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    "There is a bear in the woods..."

    1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

      ...AND IT'S PAKISTAN!

  26. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    VaJayJaypocalypse!

  27. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Any company with Rob Schneider as a spokesman deserves Rob Schneider as a spokesman.

  28. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Kmele Foster: Now 100% gonorrhea free!

  29. Irish   11 years ago

    Harvard economist gets his ass kicked.

    "I don't want to comment on Fannie [Mae] and Freddie [Mac]," Eric Maskin, Adams University Professor at Harvard University, said during a panel of eggheads at George Mason University commemorating the 40th anniversary of Friedrich A. Hayek's Nobel Prize in economics. "I'm not a housing expert. But one thing we learned from the housing disaster is that housing is littered with externalities. . . . The only way externalities will be taken into account is if a regulator does so."

    "How did you arrive at the conclusion that the housing subprime boom was evidence of a market failure as someone who professedly doesn't claim to be an expert in housing markets or to even have an opinion about the role Fannie and Freddie played in that failure?" Cato Institute senior fellow George Selgin, an economics professor at the University of Georgia, shot back. "That's something of a non sequitur."

    But it's riddled with externalities! I have no evidence for this since I admit that I know nothing about the housing market, but those externalities must be dealt with!

    I have to admit, it does take some big balls to defend housing regulation at the anniversary of F.A. Hayek's Nobel Prize at a right wing economics department like George Mason.

    1. Irish   11 years ago

      Sweet Christ:

      "When I say I'm not an expert, and I'm not, I mean I don't have opinions such as what particular government program should or should not exist," Maskin continued. "One doesn't have to be an expert in financial markets, though, to know that there are huge externalities. And simple economic theory, the economic theory that we teach our first-year graduate students, is enough to tell us that those markets left unregulated will not work very well. So I'm not proposing the solution but I've diagnosed the problem."

      This is everything wrong with economics. This is a base appeal to authority. It's true because our economic textbooks say it's true and anyone who questions the textbooks is a heretic.

      Also, I love that state lovers like this guy do not acknowledge the existence of externalities to government programs. There are externalities to the housing market, you see, but no externalities whatsoever to vesting massive power to a collection of unelected bureaucrats who will be given control over the American housing market. What possible unintended consequences could there be to that?

      1. GILMORE   11 years ago

        This guy's an idiot. He's saying. "Economics! Therefore, regulation" Naturally i wont name any specific regulation, because then I'd have to justify my point. So instead i'll just appeal-to-authority and say, "Everything Agrees With Me"

      2. NotAnotherSkippy   11 years ago

        Regulators fix all externalities. If you were a first year econ grad student, you would know this.

        1. Sevo   11 years ago

          I've noticed that.

  30. GILMORE   11 years ago

    The Independents Attire Review, 3 October 2014

    Happy Iraqi Independence Day-Edition

    - Kennedy: AHH!! Kennedy is covered with spots!! THEBOLA??! Not sure why but the different cut of the dress gives K. a more-formal look. It looks like the sort of thing to wear to an outdoor wedding, garden party, etc. More 'mature', but not 'old'. Definitely dig it more than her "Schoolmarm/1950s psycho housewife"-looking things. +1 Milftastic

    - Matt: A variation of "The Pleasantville", with what appears to be a dark-green-plaid tie. Matt's grey-shirt experimentations tend to leave us thinking that maybe the black tie isn't the worst choice after all. This isn't horrible - the 'neutral' color is pretty good. My feeling regarding this shade of grey is that it would probably work best with a silver or similarly monochrome tie. I have yet to see any bright colors (esp. the red) that look natural with it.

    - Kmele: This is the plaid formula we like least. Particularly with this jacket; with Khaki or Navy, the bright colors look more casual and fun, while with the grey it looks less comfortable. Maybe sans tie it would be different.

    Wo-seh

  31. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Financial crises! = boooooooooooring.

  32. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Why not gold bullets?

  33. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    lead over gold

    This guy is alright.

  34. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Using the scene from Deep Impact instead of Armageddon? Fuck you, < i The Independents.

  35. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Thank you, Travis. For telling it like it is and for referencing the better of the two meteor movies from 1998.

  36. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    "You know, give or take an epoch."

  37. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    Well, we have tons of nukes. Let's use them on some asteroids.

  38. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    "Hypercane" is on par with "Sharknado"

  39. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Supersharknado!

  40. GILMORE   11 years ago

    The Alabama guy's pauses seem to say, "What in the hell did this crazy woman just say"?

  41. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    This guy is a real downer.

  42. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    Next episode: The Independents...In Space

  43. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Drop your Coffee Thins in your Four Loko and DIEEEEEEEEE!

  44. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Imagine you drop your contact lens into the toilet bowl at the same moment the earth's core explodes.

  45. Heroic Mulatto   11 years ago

    Remember when Tim Cavanaugh made an ass out of himself by denying that EMP was a threat at all and that there was no need to harden the grid at all?

  46. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Woolsey does a good job of outlining the most impractical and unlikely threats.

    We didn't need a nuclear EMP for the 2003 blackout.

  47. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    Don't our transformers have surge-protectors?

    It's 2014. My Transformers have rockets.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ouyWeL4Rao

  48. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Did Woosley say a certain type of EMP would force us all to watch Transformer movies?

    1. GILMORE   11 years ago

      I told you that Michael Bay was the Antichrist

    2. Rev-Match   11 years ago

      Quit stealing my entertainment references.

  49. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Kennedy...

    Dynasty? Was she rereading the 'summary line' from the alabama guy?

    1. Heroic Mulatto   11 years ago

      The 80's, dude. The 80's.

      1. GILMORE   11 years ago

        Ah. So, coincidence then

  50. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    THAT GUY IS A LITTLE TOO SPECIFIC AND SURE OF HIMSELF. He knows something.

  51. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    What about the aliens who come here because our technology is greater than there's?

    1. GILMORE   11 years ago

      Mexicans?

      1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

        How about the ones who come here because our possessive pronouns are more correct than theirs?

        1. GILMORE   11 years ago

          Trannies?

  52. Rufus J. Firefly   11 years ago

    Was watching baseball. Forgot all about TI. Miss anything?

    More importantly....WAS I MISSED?

    1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

      No. Take your pick which question that answers.

  53. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Kmele Foster, for one, welcomes our alien overlords.

  54. Heroic Mulatto   11 years ago

    Kennedy, any alien contact will end up like this.

    1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

      The aliens will never come to a world that has two-minute long television show title sequences.

  55. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    I'm pretty sure Lou Reed-worshiping, same-sex marrying Millennials that will bring the end of the world.

    1. Winston   11 years ago

      Millenials like Lou Reed?

      1. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

        Or the Ground Zero Mosque, idk.

  56. GILMORE   11 years ago

    You haven't seen *Doomsday Cults*??

    Were there not 300,000 of them in NYC last weekend?

  57. DK   11 years ago

    Hey Welch, Global Warming is a religious event.

  58. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    Who wants to meet in my office for gin - Kennedy

    Not anyone with any self-respect.

  59. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    I had a crush on his daughter Maura back in the Newsradio days.

  60. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    national short-term memory problem

    We're a nation of goldfish.

  61. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    Oh, there's no terrifying disaster imminent- AH! Lou Dobbs.

  62. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Eeek! Dobbs

  63. Greg83   11 years ago

    http://www.weeklystandard.com/.....08538.html

    Biden Overstates Deaths in Joplin, Missouri Tornado By 160,839

    Seriously, this is the Vice President of the United States? Is he literally retarded or senile or both?

    1. Palin's Buttplug   11 years ago

      "They will greet us with flowers"

    2. Sevo   11 years ago

      "Seriously, this is the Vice President of the United States? Is he literally retarded or senile or both?"

      Remember there were people frothing at the mouth at the thought of Palin in that position.
      None seem at all concerned about the current ambulatory amusement.

      1. Palin's Buttplug   11 years ago

        GO TEAM RED! GO GO GO!

        1. Sevo   11 years ago

          Palin's Buttplug|10.3.14 @ 10:35PM|#
          "GO TEAM RED!"

          Right, turd. Whatever.

  64. a better weapon   11 years ago

    "Tonight's broadcast of Dodger Playoff Baseball is brought to you by the exhumed corpse of Jack Buck, who is here to remind you that a single legendary career can provide your family with enough cache to get your emotionless, no talent, ass clown son's foot in the door for decades to come."

    - Joe Buck

    1. Sevo   11 years ago

      Not a fan, I see.

      1. a better weapon   11 years ago

        Not at all.

    2. JeremyR   11 years ago

      Got his really ugly daughter a job as the weather lady on one of the local channels, too.

  65. Palin's Buttplug   11 years ago

    Gold bubble still popping. What will be the bottom? I am on record for $700/oz. What say you, Peanuts?

    1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

      How many put options do you have, troll? None? Then you're not on record.

      1. Palin's Buttplug   11 years ago

        I shorted the GLD twice for no profit. It has been a slow motion burst, asswipe. Goldbugs are idiots though. I like to remind the Peanut Gallery of that fact periodically.

        1. Sevo   11 years ago

          Whatever, turd. Go away.

        2. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

          Care to clarify what you mean by "no profit"? How much money did you lose?

          GLD isn't fucking gold. It's a trust with a prospectus so complicated that you'd have to be a fucking idiot to buy it.

          1. The artist known Dunphy   11 years ago

            You are shorting an ETF?

            For fuck's sake.

            Gold futures have a mini as well.

            That is the way to go, not an ETF

            CME actually has a full size, a mini and a micro

            I used to live on CBOT and to a lesser extent CME hours every day

            Even in the marketing lit they refer to the ETF as relatively efficient lol

            It's fine to get some decent exposure, but shorting an ETF like that is so fucking clunky

            Futures are clean, liquid, fungible, and just the way to go

            Understandably they scare some people who are used to equities etc. but as long as you understand how the leverage works and don't go overboard they neede not be aggressive and scary. They are also a really good way to trade against physical holdings etc. and of course that's the original purpose of the them in the first place as regards to physical holdings

            1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

              So which agencies did you say you have worked for? You can leave out the current one, of course.

              1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

                Google slow tonight?

              2. The artist known Dunphy   11 years ago

                I've worked for Maui County Police Department and on an agency in Martha's Vineyard

                Maui County is provincial as fuck totally old-school pay you absolutely terribly and the cost of living is insane

                Also since there's no market economy there there is just one police union and wage scale only for departments so it's not like they can compete with each other for labor as here and thus create a nice competitive environment

                One way it's different than here is that if two guys have a disagreement they will take off their gun belts and shirts go to the back parking lot and literally box it out

                After that they will be totally cool with each other and like brothers and that will be the end of it

                If somebody did that here on the mainland it would be a fucking federal investigation a huge big deal and a major scandal and lots of insane rhetoric

                The group of guys I work with there are some of the most awesome down to the earth humorous hard-working and selfless guys you could ever want to be with

          2. Sevo   11 years ago

            "It's a trust with a prospectus so complicated that you'd have to be a fucking idiot to buy it."

            I think that shoe fits the turd in question.

          3. Sevo   11 years ago

            Pl?ya Manhattan.|10.3.14 @ 10:39PM|#
            "Care to clarify what you mean by "no profit"? How much money did you lose?"

            Say early in the reign of Obo 1, turd bragged about how he had made tons of money from trading some commodity or other; maybe it was gold. And turd claimed he knew the 'hot buy', 'cause it was gonna take off!
            OK, times? When? Not 'sometime soon', when?
            Crickets.
            It was obvious turd had nothing other than BS. There is no there, there.

    2. Sevo   11 years ago

      Whatever, turd.

    3. a better weapon   11 years ago

      Goodnight Weigel

  66. Palin's Buttplug   11 years ago

    Crude oil now below $90/bbl. US Dollar solid as a rock. Peanuts bewildered of course.

    1. Francisco d'Anconia   11 years ago

      Economy...stagnant.

    2. Francisco d'Anconia   11 years ago

      Oh, and whoooo hooooo, gas at $3.50 a gallon. AWESOME!

    3. Sevo   11 years ago

      Palin's Buttplug|10.3.14 @ 10:32PM|#
      "Crude oil now below $90/bbl."

      Whatever, turd.

  67. PapayaSF   11 years ago

    OT: A coup in North Korea?

    1. a better weapon   11 years ago

      I hope not. The next guy will want to do some more saber rattling for international cred.

      Also, if we're going to be stuck with an oppressive dipshit dictator in the world, we might as well also get hilarious pictures of him going around NK looking at stuff.

      1. GILMORE   11 years ago

        if you read the piece, its a case of the Servants taking over the castle.

        I wouldn't be surprised if this is the deal. But they will keep fatty around as long as they can to maintain appearance. Also, if there's any real risk of problems, china will step in.

        1. a better weapon   11 years ago

          Ah, nvm then. I saw something the other week speculating he'd been killed and thought this was referring to that.

        2. PapayaSF   11 years ago

          I think China looks at what it cost West Germany to pick up the pieces of East Germany and thinks "You think bringing millions of starving ignorants, brainwashed fanatics, and corrupt rulers into the 21st century will be cheap? Besides, we don't want any competition in the corrupt ruler sector."

          1. Sevo   11 years ago

            PapayaSF|10.4.14 @ 12:44AM|#
            "I think China looks at what it cost West Germany to pick up the pieces of East Germany..."

            Yep. That's a boil on China's ass they hope heals itself.

      2. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

        No link to the picture at the lube factory?

        1. a better weapon   11 years ago

          That was precisely what I was thinking of. Unfortunately I'm on my phone in the backseat with the baby while my navigates the 405 so Links and tagging are no go.

          1. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

            Not even allowed to mention your wife, huh?

            1. a better weapon   11 years ago

              Her driving caused me to delete it

              1. Sevo   11 years ago

                I have that problem, too.

    2. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

      Vice would know about it before the CIA.

      1. GILMORE   11 years ago

        Well, they'd be more likely to actually *talk* about it more than the CIA.

    3. Sevo   11 years ago

      From the link:

      "North Korea leads the world in human rights, says report by North Korea. Read more here."

      So Tony writes for No Korea?

  68. The artist known Dunphy   11 years ago

    gold bugs are not idiots.

    idiots are the people who try to enter the market way way late in other words.

    you buy when nobody else wants it or even mentions it or when there's blood in the streets and you sell when everybody loves it

    God knows I have made some bad investments but starting to buy gold in 1994 just weeks after I signed on with Maui County Police Department was one of the best decisions I've made in my entire life.

    Unfortunately I in retrospect got out or mostly out too early but when I'm seeing it's already tripled or quadrupled I just had to lessen my exposure and take some profits. Selling into a frothy short squeeze is always exciting

    But as is the case with everything over the last couple years everybody is talking about gold which is the best sign possible that it's run most of its course where is a 1994 you could even find a gold quote on TV or in most newspapers

    Contrarianism been very good to me

    Like I said I've taken some big hits on some crap Castac investments and futures trades but stuff like getting into gold in the mid 90s more than made up for it

    My grandfather was right about almost everything but when he said gold was a bad longterm investment I just had to disagree

    Anybody frothing about gold right now is not a goldbug . goldbugs are people buying gold when nobody wanted it

    it's so easy to get into the market now whereas back then there werevery few choices

  69. The artist known Dunphy   11 years ago

    Now THIS is a case where the force appears unjustified and very possibly criminal. Without more facts I'm certainly not drawing a concrete conclusion but based on what I know in this case and when I have seen in the video it is most likely unjustified and also very likely an assault.

    I will qualify this by saying I am applying the standards for use of the Taser that have been established in the ninth circuit and this case is not apparently the ninth circuit but at least if that occurred in the Ninth Circuit it would most likely be a crime

    The case I am referring to may have been adopted as a national standard in regards to use of force caselaw I just don't know either way

    http://thefreethoughtproject.c.....mvEoZqm.01

  70. userve32   11 years ago

    SOunds like a soild pla to me dude.

    http://www.Anon-Planet.tk

  71. Derpetologist   11 years ago

    Yeah, working for a giant corporation is not the idyllic sinecure I was hoping for.

  72. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    would kill for people who can be effective and profitable regardless of their weirdness.

    This is my company, in a nutshell.

  73. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    Maybe it is because everyone checks out on Thursday because there is no 'Stossel' live thread to attend.

  74. Fist of Etiquette   11 years ago

    There's a show?

  75. Rev-Match   11 years ago

    I'm talking to YOU, Matt Welch.

  76. Irish   11 years ago

    It would have been common sense debate regulation designed to mitigate the externalities of Eric Maskin's bad ideas.

  77. Sevo   11 years ago

    Hey, he's got Kennedy yelling in his ear! I'd give it a pass now and then, too.

  78. Heroic Mulatto   11 years ago

    Read for yourself.

  79. Heroic Mulatto   11 years ago

    I'm just here to help!

  80. GILMORE   11 years ago

    For whatever reason, i've been lusting after a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera

    They're actually pretty affordable and very amenable to maintain.

    Normally i'm more of a retro-modded E-Type guy. Or a 1963 Sting Ray (split window?)

  81. a better weapon   11 years ago

    Im kind of a beta when it comes to cars, so I've always had a fondness for the 50s boats they called cars. 55 Oldsmobile holiday 98 would be my preference. Keep the 57 Chevy, I love the look of those Olds.

  82. GILMORE   11 years ago

    FWIW, the early model is preferred because they started to add plastic crap to the body after 1974

    I'd take this one in Pink, actually. That would be fucking METAL

  83. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

    I like his biography:
    http://www.theonion.com/topics/joe-biden/

  84. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Yes, a 5.8(?)l V8 Ford Cleveland

    i think they put out around 270bhp; they can be easily modded AKAIK (change heads?) to get them into the 300+range easily.

    Some people just put new engines in them.

    I've seen 2 of them. They gave me a boner.

    Actually, speaking of that... the other car which completely arouses an erotic response from me is the late-70s/early 80s Aston Martin v8 vantage/zagato/volante

    You have to see them in person to get the effect. They are like the Pantera in that they have 'muscle car' roots, but Euro design touches.

  85. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

    Do you owe him money or something?

  86. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Thats gorgeous.

    Those lines are actually very similar to the 80s Aston I mentioned above. They stole a lot from US muscle car design and 'prettied it up'.

  87. Pl?ya Manhattan.   11 years ago

    I can't remember where I read it, but The Onion had to ban their staff from writing any more Biden articles. They had enough material by mid-2008 to last 2 decades.

  88. PapayaSF   11 years ago

    Then you need to know about this website.

  89. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Q = Why don't the British build Computers?

    A = They haven't figured out how to make them leak oil.

    No doubt, that Aston would be in the shop half of its life.

    The pantera is actually considered a joke how cheap and easy they are to maintain. Which adds to the appeal.

  90. GILMORE   11 years ago

    Oh, completely side topic -

    My neighbor is in the Russian mafia. as part of his scumbag mafia schtick, be buys really expensive cars, drives them for a few months, then (according to people I've talked to) ships them overseas for sale to other scumbag russians.

    This was what was parked on my street last summer. This summer its a new-model Rolls.

    How can i be sure he's a mobster? Who can say. Maybe i'm biased against gaudy ghetto-rich russians in Brooklyn. But who the fuck else parks a $370K car at a construction site every day?

  91. a better weapon   11 years ago

    I hear ya. usually "dream car" discussions are about muscle cars like the Stingray or Challenger above so I was speaking in that vein. Aesthetically though the Olds and Dodge coup are badass, you're right.

  92. PapayaSF   11 years ago

    I miss my Corvair convertible.

  93. pogi   11 years ago

    It's a slow, death by a thousand cuts that robs you (me, at least) of your ability to play nicely with others. When you're confronted year after year with the same mendacious twats who couldn't find their ass with both hands if you spotted them a one hand head start but somehow manage to remain employed, the paper thin shell of my "being nice" rubs off and I start to get the same "concerned conversations" that you spoke of in your earlier post.

    I came from the consulting side into this position 4 + years ago because my current boss, then my largest client, convinced me that it would be great fun. As an IT consultant, I was not aware of the failures on the actual people management side of the equation and that plays a large part in my "bad attitude".

    The concurrent purchase of the enterprise by a Very Big Corporation, which I thought would bring things such as actual budgeting for IT infrastructure into play, has been sub-optimally managed with the goal (as I discovered) not being efficiency and stability, but bottom-line numbers year over year so that the Division VP can show pretty graphics up the ladder.

    I am contemplating the move back into consulting.

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