A.M. Links: Election Day 2014, 1 WTC Opens for Business, France Has Last UFO Hunter Team in Europe

• 

  BBC

  Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.), who was re-elected last year in a heavily Democratic state, is in Pennsylvania campaigning for Governor Tom Corbett (R-Pa.), who is expected to lose handily today in the fairly evenly divided state. Voters all over the United States are going to the polls to vote for candidates for governor, Congress, and on various ballot initiatives. The White House is pre-emptively blaming unhappiness on what's expected to be a poor showing by Democrats today.

• One World Trade Center in New York City will receive its first tenants Monday.
• The United Kingdom's new spy chief, Robert Hannigan, says privacy is not an "absolute right" and insists on a "new deal" that will permit government more control over technology companies, for safety.
• The European Union condemned "illegal" elections in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists and won by pro-Russian separatists. The winners are expected to be sworn in today.
• Plans are moving forward in Israel to build 500 new settler homes in East Jerusalem.
• France, which has the biggest space agency in Europe, also has its only team of government UFO hunters.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Rock the vote early and often. (Unless you're voting Republican.)

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

I work in Cook County....my co-workers are already coming in with stories of voting machine "failures", changeover to paper ballots because the electronic voting machines "aren't working"... end result, I think IL will still be solid Donkey at the end of today.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The whining begins

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Are you going to be trolling early and often today?

[db]

Are you going to answer him?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I don't have a blanket policy on such matters.

[db]

Fair enough.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Playa, I realize you're all excited that your Team is going to win and stop the Brown Hordes from taking over the country and so you'll see any cynicism as spoiling your victory party

[Zeb]

You are thinking of Papaya.

[Restoras]

Papaya King? I knew those hot dogs were secretly flavored with right wing poison!

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

He throws that accusation at anyone who disagrees with him.

[Zeb]

Well, it fits PapayaSF pretty well, except the implication that he is a Republican team player.

[SugarFree]

He throws that accusation at anyone who disagrees with him.

Tony, Stormy Dragon and shrike have all be doing it much more as the election approached. I think some new talking points have been downloaded.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You're right, I do get Playa and Papaya confused. Mea culpa

[Kaptious Kristen]

I don't think Playa is a Democrat.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Why should today be different?

[Restoras]

Uh, that's whining? How exactly does that qualify as whining?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Every election rather than facing the reality that the people might have voted other than your preference losers start whining about how the election was 'stolen'

[Restoras]

There is nothing in his comment about an election being stolen. You are reading that into his comment. Do you think irregularities such as those cited should be accepted as part of the friction in the system? Or should they perhaps be investigated?

[VG Zaytsev]

Voting Fraud is only a problem when it benefits SoConzzz

/ Botard

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think they're exaggerated and focused on too much by losers who want to explain away their loss. The left does it (unfair voter suppression! Diebold voting machines rigged!) and the right (illegals voting! Urban fraud!)

[Zeb]

Sure, you need to accept that people may want something very different from you. You also need to acknowledge the possibility that there is fraud going on. I've always been more skeptical of the accusations of fraud than most around here, but especially in certain cities, it does seem like there may be some funny business going on.

I've also generally been a lot less enthusiastic about voter ID laws than most people around here, but the intense opposition by Democrats to the laws makes me suspicious that they stand to lose more that the very slight possible disparate impact on poor minorities that the laws might cause.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think the focus by many Democrats has to do with the high position the Civil Rights Movement has in their mythology and the big part of that that was about voting rights. That doesn't mean we have an analogous situation here, but they've got a lot of strained analogies behind a lot of their positions.

[Azathoth!!]

Yes, as I recall, Democrats were adamant about getting rid of black people's right to vote.

[robc]

Anything less than 6 sigma voting procedures is unacceptable.

And Im not sure that is good enough (okay, it is).

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Forget it Restoras, its Botown.

I am resigned to fraud keeping my state in thrall to a supermajority of TEAM BLUE and its attendant tax rises, etc.

TEAM RED in this state has managed one statewide wave (1994) and they lost it right away (1996) - so they have settled into CA Republican territory - fight for scraps and don't reform.

At least there were Libertarian choices for the Statewide offices.

[Restoras]

Yeah I know - I guess he is just more solidly Team Red than I thought.

[Restoras]

Excuse me, Team Blue... :/

[antisocial-ist]

No Restoras, Bo just woke up this morning and the voices in his head told him he had to cleanse the unpure from HyR, again.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"I am resigned to fraud keeping my state in thrall to a supermajority of TEAM BLUE and its attendant tax rises, etc."

See, just as I said.

[Restoras]

Yeah Bo, there ya go. Good on ya.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Quite unable to tell resignation to living in a deep Blue state and the unattainable dream of a Libertarian governor, etc and "whining.

Must have had something go wrong to be so crabby lately.

[The millenial is bo]

He had a sock puppet he was specifically grooming for today outed before he could use it. Now he's stuck getting shit on for his own stupidity instead of hiding behind a different name.

[The Laconic]

I have no idea what Bo is going on about either.

[MJGreen]

I don't understand this conversation. Swiss has twice now said that IL will remain blue because of election fraud. How is Bo wrong or misrepresenting what Swiss keeps saying?

[Restoras]

I read it as, even if IL was about to turn Red, election fraud would ensure it remains Blue.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Nope - Bo calls it "whining, MJ. I am simply observing. I want an "L" state - it won't happen in my lifetime, so I am not complaining about a favored TEAM losing, as Bo supposes. I am just down that TEAM BLUE is going to keep running IL into the ground, is not afraid to continue to employ fraud and TEAM RED is no more than fighting over scraps and doesn't car to try and become something worth voting for. Stuck on TEAM ORANGE with no hopes except yet another tax increase and Mike Madigan being the Duke of the House for another 2 years (all but 2 years since 1983).

[Not a Libertarian]

Hmmm, I would have bet that you would have spelled it as "whinging"

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Only machine failures? At least they're doing it politely.

[gaijin]

If only the chicago political machine would fail...

[Fist of Etiquette]

They keep it fixed.

[gaijin]

^that's funny

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

^cause it's true

[Old Man With Candy]

If it were fair elections, same result. So...

I was warned not to move to Cook County when I came up here. Lake County isn't much better, but it is at least better.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Lake County is....odd. I can't figure out if everyone lives in a mansion or a trailer or there are just some places in that county that defy explanation.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

So what is it OMWC, trailer or mansion?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Quadruple wide.

[Brett L]

Dude, a trailer mansion has a satellite, picket fence, porch AND carport. Do they not have those in MB?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Now that you mention it, they do. With retractable awning and astroturf.

[Brett L]

Aww, man. Astroturf.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Better than painting the concrete green.

[Fist of Etiquette]

France, which has the biggest space agency in Europe, also has its only team of government UFO hunters.

Do the Martians understand what a white flag means?

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

"Land Here"?

[BardMetal]

Do the Martians speak German?

[Bee Tagger]

They're all just disgusting tourists to the French.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

"Martian Invasion of Paris defeated by high prices, rude service, piles of dig shite on sidewalks..."

[Pope Jimbo]

Imagine the butthurt if the aliens did land in France, but had only learned American English. And called them cheese eating surrender monkeys.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...insists on a "new deal" that will permit government more control over technology companies, for safety.

In fact, the governments should just take those tech companies over. Yeah, that's it.

[gaijin]

Well the government invented the internet!

/derp

[WTF]

Actually, it was Algore. I'm totally cereal!

[Doctor Whom]

It was CERN, since the Internet and the Web are one and the same. [/Euro-derp]

[Ted S.]

Nobody needs more of a computer than a Minitel.

[Citizen Nothing]

Agreed. Let's ban assault computers, you know, for the children.

[Auric Demonocles]

You can have 10 USB ports, as long as you only use 7 at a time.

[Lord Humungus]

Bodysnatchers fill cremation quota

Two Chinese officials bought corpses from grave robbers to meet government cremation quotas, local media reported, as Beijing pushes to enforce its controversial and highly sensitive burial policies.

The officials from Guangdong province bought the bodies from a man who stole more than 20 in night-time raids on graveyards, the official news agency Xinhua said, citing Chinese media.

"Both were local officials in charge of funeral management reform," said Xinhua, naming them He and Dong.

[Cdr Lytton]

Sheesh. Why not just reburn ashes? Make the cremation quota AND the recycling quota.

[Bee Tagger]

France, which has the biggest space agency in Europe, also has its only team of government UFO hunters.

Unidentified Flying Outta-Here's?

[db]

Vive la Projet Livre Bleu!

[gaijin]

Look forward to the 'L'ibertarian wave washing over the state houses across the US today.

[Lord Humungus]

We are truly living in thee Libertarian Moment.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...in the fairly evenly divided state.

No, it's pretty much solid moron.

[Roger the Shrubber]

Fuck you, ya jagoff

[Fist of Etiquette]

Yinz git atta here.

[Mock-star]

Now warsh up in the crick, and get me a hoagie and a gob.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Redd up first.

[Restoras]

Better gun laws than at least two of its neighbors, unless that's changed recently.

[db]

PA has better gun laws than *all* of its neighbors.

[Restoras]

Thank you for the clarification!

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

I'd say, as good as WV and better than the rest. Considering much of the rest consists of NJ, NY, MD and OH... That ain't saying shit.

[db]

Ya, Corbett's a fool. Wolf will be worse. I'm writing in the L candidate.

[Mock-star]

That was my thinking as well. Ken Krawchuk it is.

[Lord Humungus]

The right's Lena Dunham nonsense just won't stop
Imputing predatory notions and alleging "abuse" is really an attempt to silence and victimize courageous women

Last week, on a right-wing website so credibility-free that it has pop-up ads, a blogger named Kevin D. Williamson, who'd previously been best known for suggesting that women who had abortions should be hanged, "reviewed" Dunham's book, "Not That Kind of Girl." I scare-quote "review" because it had nothing to do with her book as a book; it was more a review of her and her family's personal, professional and financial lives, accompanied by an almost obscenely unflattering caricature drawing of Dunham.

Between all that and the pop-up ads, you'd think no one would have taken the attack seriously, but there was a detail in the attack that caused it to burble up through the Internet's layers of muck into plain sight. Williamson fixated on a few details in the book that, divorced from context and from any understanding of how humor and writing work, made it possible for many well-meaning people to take seriously Williamson's claim that Dunham had "sexually abused" her younger sister Grace.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

How can you spin that furiously without a barf bag handy???

[Timon 19]

Apparently, you can just ask Bo.

Sweet Baby Jesus, it's as if he's got Marcotte's hand up his ass or something.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

I suggest ignoring him - it is liberating. He is going to be at troll setting 11 today, it appears.

[Lord Humungus]

These go to eleven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOO5S4vxi0o

[Kaptious Kristen]

Am I gonna have to add him to my reasonable filters today?

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Yes.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The Right's opportunistic pearl clutching over this has been amusing

[Restoras]

As amusing as the Left's own hyperventilating?

I wouldn't characterize it as pearl clutching - more like wow this idiot actually published this? Let's give her some more rope!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Sorry, but they're hyperventilating over a story of rather innocent child sex play speaks worse of them than Dunham's publishing of it in a memoir.

[Restoras]

So, if say a prominent right wing individual published the same kind of stories in the same context would you be equally outraged over the left wing reaction?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Of course, the left often is part of hyperventilating over normal kid stuff that happens to involve SEX!!!! See sexting, college sex, etc

[Restoras]

That doesn't address my point.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Yes it does, I'd be equally outraged. People on the left or right whipping up sexual hysteria over children is hysterical

[BakedPenguin]

See the kid from Yale who had his life ruined for nothing. See the hyperventilating about a woman who walked around New York.

Fuck off, troll.

[Restoras]

Not too mention that it's not the publishing of said acts in a memoir that's bad (that's just stupid) but it is the actual commission of the acts that is generating the outrage.

[Timon 19]

I think the most galling thing for me (and some other people on the other threads last night) is that she's threatening defamation suits over something she willfully published.

[Restoras]

She's a complete and total moron. I am filled with glee to watch this barn burn.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I barely know who Dunham is (which i bet for her is the larger sin), and what I do know I don't care for, but the school marmish opportunistic attacks on her for this would be rightly derided here if the principals were different .

[Restoras]

Please. If her politics were on the other side of the spectrum the reaction on the left would be the same as that on the right is now - with the extra benefit of support and encouragement from the MSM.

[Fluffy]

I demand one standard, and one standard ONLY, for judging stories of this kind.

How would the story be judged if Rand Paul had a younger sister and wrote a memoir about treating her this way?

That is the way Lena Dunham MUST be judged, or everything about our society and culture from top to bottom deserves to fucking burn.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Easy there bub, I'm not so eager to die yet.

[Fluffy]

Sorry, Scruffy.

As I get older, the tried and true outrages of the state against my libertarian sensibilities are losing their power to drive me to rage. I suppose I've just built up a tolerance, over the years.

But the deep and rapidly growing sickness of our society's multiple standards - one for men, one for women; one for Democrats, one for Republicans; one for police and prosecutors, one for citizens; one for political insiders, one for outsiders; one for the intelligence community, one for everyone else; one for whites, one for people of color; one for Muslims, one for people of every other religion or non-religion; etc - keeps finding ways to surprise me and make me even angrier than I was before.

Some of this has always existed, of course; it's just that today it is so much worse than it was, say, 30 years ago - and the trend line is very, very bad.

[Clown Hunter]

I feelz ya, Fluff.

That's pretty much where I am, although there are plenty here who don't want to hear that our broken politics is just the froth on the tidal bore of cultural sickness swamping this formerly greatish nation.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Do you smell smoke?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Fluffy , when did you decide to switch principles for principals?

[Fluffy]

I'm doing exactly the reverse.

I'm demanding a single standard with absolutely none of the exceptions that people like YOU and like writers at Salon want to grant to Dunham because she's a) a woman; b) not a Republican; c) thought to be "creative" and "funny" by morons.

One standard. If I can find any person anywhere who would be judged in a certain way for engaging in Dunham's conduct, Dunham must also be so judged. It's really very simple. If you don't like it, talk to the people who created the standard.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You're choosing the standard Salon picks? That's your problem right there.

[Fluffy]

It's completely morally legitimate for me to adopt the standard Salon would use to judge a different situation to evaluate Salon's argument here.

Or, put another way, if Salon would apply a given standard elsewhere, both morality and intellectual honesty demand that they be estopped from applying a different standard here.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

If you want to say Salon would play principals over principles here, ok. But for me, I'll apply my principles. Of the many things I've heard of to condemn Dunham, this is not one. It's hysteria over things like this that lies behind all kinds of over reactions in law and policy we'd normally deride

[robc]

Ummm...that is a principle he just layed out: Treat everyone as if the subject was Rand Paul.

Its a weird principle, but still a principle.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It's obvious he just wants to play by 'their' despicable rules. That way lies being a hack.

[Clown Hunter]

How is holding them to their own standards despicable and hackish, Bo?

[Tonio]

One quibble, Fluffy, the scenario you outline is opposite-sex siblings, the incident that happened was with same-sex siblings. Yes, the assault part would still be reprehensible. The bed-sharing would presumably not have happened with opposite-sex siblings, and would have been much more the fault of the parents.

From a practical perspective, I can't imagine anyone with any political ambitions airing anything like this in public; we can't vote entertainers out of office we can merely ignore them.

[lap83]

"innocent child sex play"
Hell no. If you want to claim that there was nothing sexual about it, maybe. But there is no such thing as innocent and sex play in the same sentence where a 1 year old is concerned. If you're old enough to knowingly prod someone's vagina for fun, you don't do it without their consent. 1 year olds can't consent.

[lap83]

Which is not to say I think Lena needs to be carted off. But some good old fashioned "that's fucked up, you shouldn't be proud of that" is definitely in order.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You're being hysterical. It's two children who are playing exploring their bodies.

[lap83]

You're probably the only person who thinks that a one year old is engaging in mutual sexual exploration when someone else pries their vagina open.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Child rape, right Lap? Child rape!

You are being hysterical, though in fairness it's likely more base partisanship on your part

[Restoras]

A 7 year old and another 7 year old, sure. That wasn't the case.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

A seven year old and a one year old, neither if them are remotely up to what we sexually obsessed and seemingly puritanical have on our minds when they engage in rather normal exploration of their bodies. It's curiosity

[Restoras]

On the part of the seven year old, yes. Not on the part of the one year old.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

So we agree there's no predation here?

[Restoras]

Certainly not in the sense of an adult targeting a child. I'm good with that. Still highly inappropriate - and mind-numbingly stupid to publish. I'll continue to enjoy the barn burning.

[Clown Hunter]

You haven't read it, have you?

There is zero indication that her sister was "exploring her own sexuality". What Lena describes is Lena exploring her sister's nethers, using her a sex toy (as she writes herself), and masturbating as a teenager while "cuddling" with her sister.

[Robert]

I haven't read it either, but was there any indication the 1 YO was hurt?

There are certain things that are considered "adult" pleasures?sex, liquor, some narcotics?but babies and even various animals, none of which can be said to consent, enjoy them too. Why do we presume harmfulness?

[Clown Hunter]

Its not just what Lena did when she was 7 (for which I give her a pass, tot tell you the truth). Its what she did when she was older:

As she grew, I took to bribing her for her time and affection: one dollar in quarters if I could do her makeup like a "motorcycle chick." Three pieces of candy if I could kiss her on the lips for five seconds. Whatever she wanted to watch on TV if she would just "relax on me." Basically, anything a sexual predator might do to woo a small suburban girl I was trying.

I shared a bed with my sister, Grace, until I was seventeen years old. She was afraid to sleep alone and would begin asking me around 5:00 P.M. every day whether she could sleep with me. I put on a big show of saying no, taking pleasure in watching her beg and sulk, but eventually I always relented. Her sticky, muscly little body thrashed beside me every night as I read Anne Sexton, watched reruns of SNL, sometimes even as I slipped my hand into my underwear to figure some stuff out.

That's what you're defending Bo.

[Rhywun]

I just threw up a lot in my mouth.

[NebulousFocus]

Wait, I missed it. When did Bo become a full on troll?

[Kool]

yesterday, maybe?

I think he was always heading down that path, what with the hyper-tenacious arguing of one single, miniscule point in a 600 work post as if the definition of "the" is the lynchpin of whatever argument.

In all reality I think he's in law school and is not being taught how to argue, debate or rationally discuss anything properly.

[KDN]

In all reality I think he's in law school and is not being taught how to argue, debate or rationally discuss anything properly.

Bo Cara, forever 2L

[Timon 19]

Since ever.

[mauricegirodias]

I've had him on ignore for months, and I mostly lurk.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

We must join in on the Dunham witch hunt of the day because Child Rape! She's a liberal Feminist! And any dissent is of course trolling.

The better question is when did so many hacks take over H&R?

[antisocial-ist]

Unpure! Unpure! Must cleanse the unpure!

[WTF]

Holy shit. Bo really is dialing the troll up to 11 today. Must be all butthurt over the presumed Democrat mid-term debacle.

[Crusty Juggler]

You're a silly doody face.

[Timon 19]

Wipe the spittle off your mouth, Bo. White-knighting someone who published something that could be seen, at best, to be rather embarrassing in their own memoir and who regularly engages in character assassination and special pleading, is pretty fucking stupid, even for you.

She published something embarrassing, and is threatening to sue people for pointing out that they are embarrassing things.

Are you fucking kidding me?

[Timon 19]

Embarrassing and quite possibly hypocritical vis-a-vis consent and other sexual issues, mind.

[Tonio]

AFAIK, the only people she threatened to sue had listed her age at the time of the initial incident as 17 when Dunham's book lists her age as 7 at the time. That's a huge difference in moral reasoning.

[Timon 19]

As I understand, that was a typo that was corrected. Even if it wasn't a typo, it was corrected.

I do agree that that's a big difference. However, there's still the creepy behavior when she was a teenager that she acknowledged.

The point still stands that she's exercised about being hoisted on her own petard.

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Please spare us the story about how you too, pried open your sister's vagina.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Oh my goodness, CPA shares the outrage. Who'd have guessed?

[Certified Public Asskicker]

Does it turn you on, to think about a 7 year old and a 1 year old together?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

He had to run to the bathroom for a quickie.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It seems to have you all upset for some reason

[antisocial-ist]

Yeah Bo, who would have thought that 1 year olds being sexually violated would be such a hot button issue.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Your pearl clutching is noted.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Your pearl clutching is noted.

[Moe19]

Your dick clutching is noted.

[MJGreen]

While Williamson can be extreme and somewhat pearl-clutchy, his essay is pretty damn good and not solely focused on this story of 7 year-old Dunham. He spends more space on the adult Lena Dunham coyly accusing another adult of multiple rapes.

[WTF]

I knew that had to be Salon without even hovering over the link.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

The real crime here is the pop up ads. Yeah, that's it.

[Doctor Whom]

Something no left-wing site has.

[Idle Hands]

I have gotten two block up ads while reading the ad.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Not if they can't get advertisers.

[Ted S.]

Last week, on a right-wing website so credibility-free that it has pop-up ads,

I hate pop-up ads, but this criticism is just ridiculous.

Never mind the increasing number of sites that have fucking overlay ads, with the X to close not being visible if you have images turned off.

[Tonio]

Popup-up ads? Really? Their obsession with that bespeaks of their desperation.

And while KDW is a vile piece of shit, that doesn't make him wrong about everything.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

divorced from context and from any understanding of how humor and writing work

Are they talking about Lindy West?

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

That would be a good name for her biography.

[Idle Hands]

From the comments:

Kronosaurus 1 hour ago
I've never seen a Dunham production and I still don't care to. But Salon is currently running 5, that is FIVE, headlines about Dunham right now. Really Salon? I didn't read any of them and I am only here to comment. Please stop with the Dunham focus.

[Zeb]

Cripple fight!

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

an almost obscenely unflattering caricature drawing of Dunham.

So, life-like?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The White House is pre-emptively blaming unhappiness on what's expected to be a poor showing by Democrats today.

It ain't easy being a central planner.

[Ted S.]

One World Trade Center in New York City will receive its first tenants Monday.

What day is today?

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

GAMETIME!!!!!

/Cliff Levingston

[Lord Humungus]

4-Acre Spider Web Engulfs Building

How many spiders does it take to creep you out? 10? 100? How many spiders make an "extreme spider situation"?

The Baltimore Wastewater Treatment Plant put out a call for "extreme spider" help in 2009, when a giant spiderweb covered almost 4 acres of their facility. Scientists eventually estimated over 107 million spiders were living in the structure, with densities of 35,176 spiders per m? in spots.

[Restoras]

Sounds like a job for Mike Lowe.

[Steve G]

Mike Rowe even

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Bring fire and sulfur to purify this!

[db]

Weird shit happens at wastewater treatment plants. One of the strangest I have seen was in Richmond, VA, where the condoms and used tampons that collected on the trash racks would regularly get swept up in a sizeable dust devil and run around the plant. It was a disgusting correct of filth.

[db]

"correct" s/b "vortex"

[gaijin]

vortex of filth

like a rage spiral?

[Doctor Whom]

I can haz band name?

[Clown Hunter]

I nominate "Vortex of Filth" as SugarFree's new handle.

[SugarFree]

Shhh... I've got to keep something in my backpocket in case they ever ban me.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

"Whirling Vortex of Filth"?

[Tonio]

Redundant since vortices are inherently whirling.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

"Inherently Whirling Votices of Filth and Saccharine"?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

That's exactly how I picture Detroit. With condom and tampon tornadoes.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

I am unsure whether to laugh or gag at that image...

[db]

I mean, just imagine seeing a frigging twenty door tall tornado laden with used tampons, condoms, and fragments of toilet paper and dried up corn running down an alley spewing Hepatitis virus and dropping little gifts every few feet.

[Lord Humungus]

it's a Christmas miracle.

[Zeb]

" twenty door tall tornado "

Is that a thing, or another auto-correct fuckup?

[DontShootMe]

The Lena Dunham thread is up a bit, not sure why you posted that here.

[SugarFree]

+1

[db]

Very nice.

[Juice]

It doesn't look like its interfering with anything and it looks pretty cool. I'd leave it alone.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Plans are moving forward in Israel to build 500 new settler homes in East Jerusalem.

At least housing starts are up for someone.

[Lord Humungus]

GOP Senate Takeover Would Put Fed Under Microscope

Financial executives say a GOP-led Senate would ratchet up congressional scrutiny of the central bank's interest- rate policies as well as its regulatory duties as overseer of the nation's largest financial firms. Republicans haven't controlled the Senate since before the 2008 financial crisis and recession, which put a spotlight on the Fed and its powers.

"If the Republicans take control of the Senate and thus have control of both the House and the Senate--two words for the Federal Reserve: Watch out," said Camden Fine, president of the Independent Community Bankers of America.

[antisocial-ist]

We can hope, right?

[Ted S.]

You really think McConnell is going to do anything?

[DontShootMe]

I think he breathes once a fortnight or so...

[antisocial-ist]

Hey, if I'm drunk enough, I can convince myself of almost anything.

[Bee Tagger]

The United Kingdom's new spy chief, Robert Hannigan, says privacy is not an "absolute right"

Not quite UK-related, but they should bring back those Absolut t-shirts, this one can be: Absolut Rights
And then the Bill of Rights printed on the bottle but the liquid that helps display the text is nearly empty.

[Injun, as in from India]

The United Kingdom's new spy chief, Robert Hannigan, says privacy is not an "absolute right" and insists on a "new deal" that will permit government more control over technology companies, for safety.

F***ing Redcoat. You didn't learn your lesson in 1776 did you?

[Cdr Lytton]

I think they did. Give the little people some rights and pretty soon they'll be demanding more.

[The Late P Brooks]

The White House is pre-emptively blaming unhappiness on what's expected to be a poor showing by Democrats today.

MALAISE!

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

KILLER RABBITS! CARDIGAN SWEATERS!!!!

[gaijin]

White House Messaging Algorithm:

"WH is blaming [X] on [Y]"

where [X] = any 'negative outcome'
and [Y] =/= WH

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

You forgot

Where [Y] is assumed to be Republican.

[Pro Libertate]

The Carter administration was a tower of competence in comparison to what we have today.

[Zeb]

I'd take Carter in a second over what we've got (1976 Carter, not today Carter).

[Pro Libertate]

To be sure, except for the very edges of the fringe, old Democrats weren't authoritarian socialists.

[Lord Humungus]

Brittany Maynard's Death
Life, said Marcus Aurelius, is more like wrestling than dancing.

The argument for suicide usually is an argument from privacy. That certainly was Brittany Maynard's case: "My question is: Who has the right to tell me that I don't deserve this choice? That I deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain? Why should anyone have the right to make that choice for me?" Who, indeed? But that is not really the question presented by assisted suicide. The question in that case is whether the law should bless the participation of medicine and commerce in suicide. On the one hand, we might have a society in which suffering innocents such as Brittany Maynard are forced to rely upon less clinical means of ending their lives. On the other hand, we might have a society in which there are nice, clean factories employing cheerful, well-scrubbed people manufacturing suicide pills. It is a question of a balance of horrors, and, however deeply felt our sympathies for the suffering must be, it is not obvious that the latter is preferable to the former.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

What's that phrase, 'something off, slaver?'

[Idle Hands]

What disturbs me is the only reason anybody cares is because she has a couple good looking pictures. Bunch of fucking hypocrites if you ask me, if they really cared they would be banning guns, bridges and tall buildings.

[Shirley Knott]

To whom is it not obvious?
Give them the pills, immediately.

[Bee Tagger]

The question in that case is whether the law should bless

I don't know if the author realizes it comes so soon, but this is the point of divergence.

[Doctor Whom]

Whatever is not blessed is forbidden!

[Fluffy]

It's worse.

She's saying that whatever is not forbidden is thereby necessarily blessed.

[Doctor Whom]

Suicide is very bad because it is destruction of government property.

[Zeb]

Well, it's not as if she robbed them of any productive, tax-paying years.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Stealing this

[paranoid android]

It is a question of a balance of horrors, and, however deeply felt our sympathies for the suffering must be, it is not obvious that the latter is preferable to the former.

Hmm, well considering one of the outlined scenarios is inherently coercive and the other isn't, I find it *quite* obvious which is preferable.

[Restoras]

Posting this again for those interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JRgXie2teo

Basically, Israel didn't like our spy ship listening in on its communications, so they jammed all its communications and proceeded to strafe and torpedo the ship, intending to sink it and causing heavy casualties. The attack only stopped when the ship managed to get a distress call off to the Sixth Fleet.

It is worth your time to watch.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Biggest ally in the ME!

[Restoras]

What crawled up you ass today, Bo?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

?

[SugarFree]

If the elections don't pan out, they may not renew his annoying little shit contract through the 2016 season.

[Tonio]

I think he was being sarcastic, Restoras.

[Restoras]

Perhaps but he seems to have jumped on an especially strong rage spiral this morning.

[WTF]

I think that's a pretty good indication he is in fact a proggie Democrat, his protests to the contrary aside.

[Zeb]

I don't know. I believe he is more or less sincere. He seems to be more of an anti-Republican out of some sort of daddy issues or something.

[antisocial-ist]

That and the whole purity test thing. It really chaps his ass that there's people here who don't 100% tow the LP lion.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

He's a little off today. Usually he just wants to argue over pedantic mouse turds for 30 posts in a row.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

"Picking Fly shit out of Pepper"

[Tonio]

If you're talking about the USS Liberty, thanks for mentioning that. The double-standard is breathtaking.

[Restoras]

Yes, that's the one. If you haven't seen it take the time to watch. Holy shit...

[WTF]

I've seen different theories on that, one being that the Israelis didn't like it spying on them, another being that it was done with the collusion of the Johnson Administration with the idea of blaming Egypt and being a casus belli for direct US action against the Arabs.

[Restoras]

Perhaps. Wouldn't put it past Johnson but once the distress call was finally made shit hit the fan and everyone involved shifted in coverup mode pretty quickly.

[Juice]

Wouldn't put it past Johnson

Worked for the Gulf of Tonkin. Why not in the Med?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

There's an entire chapter about this in one of my books about the history of the NSA. Don't remember the title, but I'll pull it off of the shelf the next time I see it.

[Don Mynack]

Isreal paid compensation to the U.S. for this, both in monetary terms (public) and ... other ways, like stealing MIGs from the Egyptians so we could reverse engineer them, and buying a bunch of military hardware from us. If anything, this created an alliance, and didn't fracture one, for better or worse.

[Restoras]

The monetary compensation was miniscule and excluded children under the age of 5 or so - the idea being that they would be too young to remember their fathers.

Frankly, it was an act of war. Israel got off Scott free.

[WTF]

It was a disgrace, as Israel knew exactly who they were attacking and Johnson just let it slide.

[Restoras]

Yup.

[MJGreen]

At least they didn't behead anyone.

[Lord Humungus]

Why conservative Christians would have hated Jesus

Put it this way: Godless non-church-going Denmark mandates four weeks of maternity leave before childbirth and fourteen weeks afterward for mothers. Parents of newborn children are assisted with well-baby nurse-practitioner visits in their homes.

In the "pro-life" and allegedly "family friendly" American Bible belt, conservative political leaders slash programs designed to help women and children while creating a justifying mythology about handouts versus empowerment.

In "God-fearing America" the poor are now the "takers," no longer the "least of these," and many conservative evangelicals side with today's Pharisees, attacking the poor in the name of following the Bible.

So who is following Jesus?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Jesus never suggested government mandated anything, so liberals would hate him

[Doctor Whom]

The Gospels say that Jesus faith-healed people. Therefore, God wants us to have massive government involvement in health care. This is what some of my liberal Christian friends actually believe.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

When I need theological help, I turn to Salon!

[Auric Demonocles]

When did Jesus encourage the poor to steal from the rich? The Bible I read had him encourage the rich to share. Though I suppose they won't understand the difference.

[Doctor Whom]

I had to explain that difference to someone who compared the church described in Acts to socialism. At least she admitted that I was right.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Define 'encourage'

Salon: 'encourage' = 'force'

[Injun, as in from India]

You can use religion to justify just about anything.

[lap83]

I think it's this verse that confuses them, "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'

[Apatheist ?_??]

Godless non-church-going Denmark

Funny how they have a state church that is funded by taxpayer theft then.

[Tonio]

Just because they have to pay for it, doesn't mean they believe in it. State-funded churches are the norm in Europe and the churches are rather firmly entrenched, or perhaps entroughed...

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

entroughed

Exactly! *applauds*

[Tonio]

Thanks. I would have settled for the coveted narrowed gaze.

[The Laconic]

Are people still talking about Jesus? That was like thousands of year ago. Get over it.

[Juice]

This is my genuine attitude as well.

[Lord Humungus]

Oh Florida Man...

Florida man tried to steal chainsaw by sneaking it underneath shirt

Ballard is said to have entered a lawn maintenance store and asked to break a dollar into change. He then placed a chainsaw under his shirt and left the store without paying.

After fleeing on a bicycle, Ballard was eventually found by an employee from the business, who tracked the 28-year-old man down and held him until police arrived. The chainsaw was recovered in a vacant lot nearby.

[Restoras]

If Florida man didn't exist, we'd have to invent him.

[Not a Libertarian]

I misread this as "sneaking it underneath his skirt"...well trans people can be felons too I guess.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

"Is that a chainsaw in your kilt or are you...Warty?"

[gaijin]

+1 Doomcock

[Lord Humungus]

It slices. It dices. It makes Julian fries.

[Lord Humungus]

Arlington school officials ban Martin High football shirts

Senior football players at Arlington Martin High School have been instructed not to wear their spirit T-shirts to school because the slogan can be perceived as having a double meaning ? one about being tough on the football field and one about rape.

The shirts, distributed in August, display black flags with skulls and swords and the phrase, "We take what we want." Below the flag in white letters is "Shhhhhhh, just let it happen."

[Ted S.]

Lie back and think of Mother Texas.

[db]

That is pretty creepy. I have seen worse attempts at "spirit" slogans but that quote is pretty rape-y.

[Brett L]

Yeah, I think this one is probably one where it is good to tell those young men that their rape joke has gone past funny and into creepy. Hopefully without suspensions or expulsions or even detentions.

[Pope Jimbo]

Shit, I should have read all the comments before posting.

Fine me for doubling up. But I love how un PC the shirt is.

May only be beaten by the Butte County Idaho Pirates for best team logo:

http://www.rantsports.com/club.....n.com_.jpg

[Dr. Fronkensteen]

+ 1 Alex Trebeck

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

(Views picture of shirt) So... they're Native American Pirates? Is that the idea?

[Rich]

The United Kingdom's new spy chief, Robert Hannigan, says privacy is not an "absolute right"

OK, Bob. Let's start with a publicly-accessible website tracking your location in real time.

[Lord Humungus]

Let the second-guessing begin: Some Dems question 'avoid Obama' strategy

One of the key debates to emerge is whether Democratic candidates were too cautious in avoiding President Barack Obama at all costs.

"Running away from the president is never smart," said one top Democratic strategist who has worked with both the White House and Senate candidates this midterm cycle. "You look like chicken s---," the strategist added on condition of anonymity.

A White House official who also asked not to be named so he could speak freely argued Democrats still have a chance to hold the Senate. "We don't think anything is done until election day," the official said in an email that included election day polls in 2012 that showed the president tied with Mitt Romney. Obama went on to win a decisive victory.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

What is the Lightworker crew's infatuation with "chickenshit"?

[Brett L]

Projection.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

They're trying to make chicken salad.

[Not a Libertarian]

the official said in an email that included election day polls in 2012 that showed the president tied with Mitt Romney. Obama went on to win a decisive victory.

Why were so many polls off in 2012? And in the back of my mind I think it might be happening again.

[WTF]

Because they didn't poll dead people and illegal immigrants?

[Clown Hunter]

Why were so many polls off in 2012?

If we're looking at statistical anomalies, perhaps another statistical anomaly can cast light, namely, the rather implausible 100% votes for Obama by 100% of the registered voters in some precincts.

[Suthenboy]

"You look like chicken s---,"

Because you are.

[Mike M.]

Bombshell memo: Jeanne Shaheen conspired with White House insider on IRS targeting of conservatives.

Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen was principally involved in a plot with Lois Lerner and President Barack Obama's political appointee at the IRS to lead a program of harassment against conservative nonprofit groups during the 2012 election, according to letters exclusively obtained by The Daily Caller.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) did not want to publicly release 2012 correspondences exchanged between the IRS and Jeanne Shaheen at her personal Washington office: the agency delayed releasing the information to a major conservative super PAC multiple times, even threatening to see the super PAC in court, according to emails.

[Restoras]

Arrives too late?

[Mike M.]

Perhaps. We shall see.

[Injun, as in from India]

Likely too late. The media's misrepresentation of Scott Brown's geographical knowledge of New Hampshire will be more of a factor than something late breaking like this.

[BakedPenguin]

Well, Brown is a carpetbagger and a complete mainstream R. If I vote, I'm writing in Gordon Goldsmith (L).

[Injun, as in from India]

I'm not familiar with NH politics, and did not know that the LP even had someone on the ballot. The media, in its role as information brokers, is doing such a terrific job of handing everything to the Ds and the Rs.

[Zeb]

NH usually has LP on the ballot for most things.

[BakedPenguin]

They're a couple write-ins. Goldsmith and John Babiarz for Governor.

And yeah, I had to go to the (poor) LPNH website to find out about them.

[Tonio]

The irony is that the original carpetbaggers were northerners who moved south to take part in the "reconstruction". It always amuses me when non-southerners use this term.

[Clown Hunter]

Way too late. Early voting has really cut into the Last Minute Surprise strategy.

[Lord Humungus]

Animal Watch: Squirrel was acting nuts in Ashburn

A caller reported that a squirrel was chasing and attacking children on a playground. An animal control officer observed the squirrel gather food and store it under a swing set. There was no sign of aggression. The officer told people there about wildlife hibernation habits.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

I say kill it with fire...them squirrelz can be awful sneaky!!!!!

*adjust foil cap*

[Zeb]

I find .22 LR to be faster and less smelly than fire. I generally leave squirrels be, but sometimes one becomes a real problem.

[Ted S.]

I presume this is just a case of suburban parents going apeshit?

[Idle Hands]

The washington post has really improved under Bezos.

[The Late P Brooks]

The United Kingdom's new spy chief, Robert Hannigan, says privacy is not an "absolute right" and insists on a "new deal" that will permit government more control over technology companies, for safety.

Don't get uppity.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Why don't you love Big Brother, TLPB?

[The Late P Brooks]

But that is not really the question presented by assisted suicide. The question in that case is whether the law should bless the participation of medicine and commerce in suicide.

All rights are created and granted by the government, you silly peasants.

[gaijin]

Pope Pious Gov I

[Not a Libertarian]

If the GOP fail to take the Senate could one reason be that Democratic voters are generally more satisfied with their politicians (they are more satisfied with the general direction of the country)?

And there is the much superior "get out the vote" mechanisms for the Democrats.

[Injun, as in from India]

No, it just proves that Thomas Jefferson was right when he said:

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground."

[Lord Humungus]

European Commission cuts forecasts, euro zone recovery delayed

The euro zone will need another year to reach even a modest level of economic growth, the European Commission said on Tuesday, calling on Germany to help as Chancellor Angela Merkel again rejected a spending spree.

The EU executive cut its forecasts, saying the euro zone economy would expand by 0.8 percent this year, 1.1 percent next year and by 1.7 percent in 2016 -- a level the Commission said six months ago would be achieved next year. The delay in the upturn was due to drag on the economy from France and Italy.

[Brett L]

Recovery summer VI! Like monkeys and typewriters, eventually chance will make us right!

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Send more Monkeys!

[Brett L]

So I did my statistically insignificant duty of voting for the Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate and for some other office. And against all judges and incumbents. And against everything but pot legalization. SLD, constitutions are no places to make policies, but within the current framework, you take what you can get.

I will proudly give my wife $100 as we flee the return of Charlie Crist if Wyllie broke the margin of error and threw the race to the unprincipled evil one.

[The Late P Brooks]

A White House official who also asked not to be named so he could speak freely

What a chickenshit cocksucker.

[Lord Humungus]

If It Happened There: Americans to Elect Legislature

On Tuesday, voters in this country of 300 million, the world's second-largest democracy and most populous Christian nation, will head to the polls for elections that will determine control of the upper house of the legislature and serve as a referendum on the country's embattled ruling regime.

While international monitors expect a mostly free and fair contest, questions have been raised about why the equivalent of the GDP of Montenegro is being spent on a contest to determine the membership of a body expected to accomplish little over the next two years. Human rights observers have also noted a troubling rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric stoked by far-right nationalist candidates.

President Barack Obama's ruling party will almost certainly lose seats, but whether or not the opposition is able to take over the upper house will be determined by closely fought races in the nation's torrid southeastern swamps, central agricultural region, and even frigid Arctic villages thousands of miles from the capital.

[Brett L]

why the equivalent of the GDP of Montenegro is being spent on a contest to determine the membership of a body expected to accomplish little over the next two years.

I think the fight over how little gets accomplished should be more important than Montenegro. Maybe... Italy?

[Not a Libertarian]

Yep, thats sounds like Slate all right.

I am almost curious to read the rest of the article, but I fear it may annoy me no end.

[Lord Humungus]

it is supposed to be comedy.

The latest installment in a continuing series in which American events are described using the tropes and tone normally employed by the American media to describe events in other countries.

get it? get it? ha.

[Clown Hunter]

Or, they could just link to actual reporting from actual furriners.

Which often exceeds the quality of any reporting done by our DemOp Media. Which is why, now that I think about it, that they don't do that.

[Ted S.]

While international monitors expect a mostly free and fair contest, questions have been raised about why the equivalent of the GDP of Montenegro is being spent

We give Big Government enormous power to fuck up people's lives. It's only logical to assume that people will go to great lengths to ensure that Big Government is fucking up someone else's life.

And yet there are people who think the solution is give Big Government more power to fuck up people's lives.

[Warty]

the equivalent of the GDP of Montenegro

Is that all? Jesus Christ. Spend more.

[SugarFree]

Montenegro? Fuck that. Monteafricanamerican!

[Warty]

Montenigga please.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

*narrows gaze, fights back laughter*

[Pope Jimbo]

High school football team creates a super politically incorrect t-shirt

http://www.star-telegram.com/2.....s-ban.html

http://media.star-telegram.com.....St.58.jpeg

Indians, rape culture, etc. Dan Snyder should be hiring these guys.

[Ted S.]

Thanks for this interesting story I'd never heard about before!

[Pope Jimbo]

I apologized above for my errors. I'll put on my hair suit of penance after going to the polls today (the I Voted sticker just doesn't stay on the hair suit).

[Lord Humungus]

Burn the Interloper!

[Pope Jimbo]

Hold on, I'm much more comfortable being part of the mob. Can I be part of the mob instead of the interloper?

I bet Bo wouldn't mind stepping in and being the martyr. I think he gets off on being the outsider who is persecuted by the unthinking mob.

[Warty]

Whine harder, Ezzie!

There's one really good reason not to vote today: you like how Washington is working. You like how your state government is working. You like how your local government is working. But you also don't much care if it changes.

Which is to say, if you're basically satisfied with how things are going, and also don't think you'll care much if they sharply reverse direction, then by all means, stay home. But if you care enough to be unhappy, then you need to go vote. Otherwise, "Washington" isn't the problem. You are.

Oh my god I love Ezzie's shitty site.

[Restoras]

It's extraordinary how enthralled with state power and their own delusions of grandeur these assholes are.

[Pope Jimbo]

It is actually pretty smart to begin preparing the PR landscape for a thrashing of the Democrats.

Now, Big E can tell everyone that everyone who didn't vote was actually happy with big gubbment. Just because the cranky pants went out and voted doesn't really matter because the vast majority didn't vote and that means that they were happy.

Why is the GOP trying to thwart the clear mandate of the non-voters?

[Injun, as in from India]

Fixed it for Ezra. The double negatives and roundabout phrasing did make it difficult though.

There's one really good reason not to vote today: you don't like how Washington is working. You don't like how your state government is working. You don't like how your local government is working. But you also don't much care if it want changes.

Which is to say, if you're basically dissatisfied with how things are going, and also don't think you'll care much if they don't sharply reverse direction, then by all means, don't stay home. But if you care enough to be unhappy, then you need to go vote. Otherwise, "Washington" isn't the problem. You are.

[Michael]

9) If you don't vote, you can't fucking complain

You didn't fight back against your rapist? Keep your damn yap shut then!

[Juice]

More like, "you didn't choose one of two rapists? Shut up and take it."

[sarcasmic]

Breaking Bad has sparked a surge in crystal meth use across Europe, expert warns

Parts of the EU are being flooded with methamphetamine, officials warn
Germany has seen a 51% rise in usage of the class A drug
In Britain border patrols have seen a 400% surge in smuggling the drug
Professor Ellis Cashmore said TV show Breaking Bad could be to blame
Even if the drug's negative side is portrayed, people will be curious, he said

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/hea.....warns.html
Correlation is causation!

[Brett L]

The Brits do have the teeth for it.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Britain border patrols

Fucking Scotsmen!

[sarcasmic]

British fashion brand hits back at controversial Victoria's Secret 'perfect body' campaign by using a range of body sizes and #PerfectlyImperfect as its slogan

Victoria's Secret came under fire when it launched Perfect Body campaign
JD Williams wants to promote body confidence with its new advert
Stars models ranging from size 10-16
Petition asking VS for an apology has 20,000 supporters

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....logan.html
John agrees.

[Idle Hands]

Would bang everyone in both pics.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Aye.

[sarcasmic]

What IS the McRib made of? New McDonald's video shows how they make the boneless, preformed patty

A new behind-the-scenes video takes viewers inside the Lopez Foods production facility in Oklahoma City
Pork picnic shoulders are ground down into mince
Meat is mixed with salt, water, dextrose and three preservatives: Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), propyl gallate and citric acid
A machine then molds the mixture into McRib shapes - which looks like a bone but has none

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....patty.html
Last time I tried one of those things it was gritty with ground bone. Never again.

[Pope Jimbo]

When I lived in Memphis, I loved McRib season. It was wonderful watching an informed populace sneer at the McRib.

I'm sure those Kansas City faggots loved them some McRibs though. What with their unholy obsession with smothering good BBQ in sauce.

[Pro Libertate]

Release the hounds of barbecue!

[Restoras]

This is a perfect example of why centralized government will never work in the US, and why attempts to make it that way will fail spectacularly.

[Pope Jimbo]

No way. Banning the abomination of "wet" BBQ is one of the only legitimate functions of government. Right after national defense, but before controlling the borders.

[Brett L]

Are we going to burn everyone who thinks mustard belongs in BBQ sauce at the same time? Because I could get on a jihad.

[Pope Jimbo]

As I've said many times. As long as you are diligent in tithing to my church, I am willing to issue any papal bull you might want.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

BBQ is wet.

Dry rub is seasoning used before sopping on BBQ sauce.

Mustard is for hot dogs.

[Swiss Servator, spare a franc?]

Guess I am a "cafeteria BBQ-ian" then - I'LL EAT 'EM ALL, HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[Brett L]

The Issue here, Swiss -- shut the fuck up Donny -- The issue here is not the taste. It is about the principle that there is one right way to make BBQ.

[lap83]

There are at least 4 "right ways" to make BBQ in the US. (food debates are stupid)

[BakedPenguin]

DEEP DISH! DEEP DISH!!!

[Pro Libertate]

Deep-dish barbecue? Sounds heathenish.

BBQ is primarily about the preparation and cooking of the pork, but sauces are okay, provided they're used in moderation and are tomato based. Mustard and vinegar-based sauces are abominations before God.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Your're stupid!

[Roger the Shrubber]

Pope Jimbo spreads the one true gospel of BBQ. Sweet sticky sauce is an abomination and the work of the devil.

[Kaptious Kristen]

Goddammit, you all are giving me some serious cravings up in here, and the DC area is not known for its outstanding BBQ. The fact is I have to drive 8 hours to my Pa's house for some real BBQ. Luckily, the place I go to down there sells meat by the pound.

[Juice]

There's a place that just opened up in Silver Spring that also has a brewery. I haven't tried it yet, but plan to this weekend. http://denizensbrewingco.com/

Problem is, it's in a shit location that I've seen go from Mexican restaurant to sports bar to this in 2 years.

[Stormy Dragon]

Red Hot & Blue has a lot of locations near DC:

http://redhotandblue.com/

[sarcasmic]

TSA seize more than 150 LOADED guns from carry on bags at major U.S. airports in just one month

Agency found 181 weapons during screening - 157 were loaded
Officers also found a 12-pound haul of marijuana and 16 stun guns
They claimed some 'simply forgot they had these items' when boarding
However they said these 'occurrences' are happening too frequently
Passengers face a penalty of up to $7,500 for carrying prohibited items

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

[Brett L]

Just so's we're clear, there are at least 181 people in America who have enough guns they forgot about the one in their carry on. I almost cried tears of joy. But what's with the 24 who didn't have them loaded?

[sarcasmic]

Future of the speedboat? Electric catamaran 'flies' above water at up to 25mph without making a noise

Quadrofoil uses four C-shaped hydrofoils to lift the craft out of the water
Craft has a top speed of 25mph (40kph) and is quiet and eco-friendly
It makes no waves and no emissions so it can be used in lakes
Boat costs ?22,500 (?17,586 or $28,144) and is powered by an electric motor
Battery gives the craft a range of 62miles (100km) on a single charge

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....noise.html

[Ted S.]

Until it crashes into another boat because nobody can hear it coming.

[Pope Jimbo]

How much does it cost without the blonde?

[Pope Jimbo]

Alternatively, how much with the blonde, but without the blonde's swimsuit. I can't see why she would need that if I were to purchase such a watercraft.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

I noticed you asked about taking or leaving the blonde, but no mention of the douche-bag.

Your poor taste in BBQ jibes with your taste in boating companionship.

[Pope Jimbo]

Duh! I'd be the douche on that boat if I were to purchase it. The douche-bag you see in the ad is merely a stand in for me.

And I should point out that while it is acceptable for the blonde to be wet, BBQ should never be.

It isn't my fault that you have a recessive gene and can't recognize the proper way for BBQ to be prepared. I'm not judging, in fact I feel sorry for you having to go through life like that.

[sarcasmic]

We're ready to go! Orion capsule set to take man to Mars is completed ahead of its first test flight in December

Three Delta IV boosters collectively generate 1.96 million pounds of thrust
Orion capsule will undergo first test flight in December
Comes as Nasa bosses reveal private contracts for shuttle replacement so they can concentrate on the project

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....ember.html

[sarcasmic]

Libyan navy ship sinking after clashes between army and ISIS in Benghazi port

Witnesses saw smoke rising from area of heavy fighting
The Libyan military are heavily engaged with Islamist militias
Yesterday at least 210 people were killed in fighting in Libya's second city

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

[WTF]

Ah, Libya, another of Obama's successes.

[Tonio]

Don't talk about Ben Ghazi!

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Jackie Treehorn was a great role!

[The Late P Brooks]

There's one really good reason not to vote today: you like how Washington is working.

Guess again, retardo.

[SugarFree]

Creepshot of teenage boy is passed around by thousands of people, Jezebel approves.

[Idle Hands]

Well they have to print something everyday.

[Warty]

JoseArcadioIIZippy Zanderhoff
Yesterday 2:03pm
It's ok; it's a guy. If it were a girl, there'd be a discussion about rape culture and the male gaze.

AdmiralTubingtonJoseArcadioII
Yesterday 2:06pm
Correct. And there would be absolutely nothing hypocritical about that, but I do not have the patience to explain why, to you, today.

Oh.

[Pro Libertate]

Morality. Ethics. Ends not justifying evil means. All hallmarks of the primitive heteropatriarchal hegemony.

[This Machine Implies Consent]

"Shut up," she explained.

[Tonio]

I do not have the patience to explain why, to you, today.

IOW, you got nothing. LOL.

[Zeb]

"Teen Twitter"? Is that a thing?