Tonight on The Independents: Obama's Immigration, Thad McCotter on Libertarians Rising, Ecstasy for PTSD, FCC for the Internet, Jeb's Common Core, Webb's Uncommon Appeal, Obamacare Closing Hospitals, Plus Citizenship Quiz!

Here is what you get on tonight's episode of The Independents (Fox Business Network, 9 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. PT, repeats three and five hours later):

* Party Panelists Michael Malice (spritely co-authorist) and Carrie Sheffield (Forbes contributor) on President Barack Obama's executive immigration orders, on Jim Webb's presidential candidacy, and on Jeb Bush's fatal attraction to Common Core. The duo will also join myself and Kmele Foster in taking a Citizenship Quiz at the halfway mark of the show.

* Former GOP congressman and longshot presidential candidate Thaddeus McCotter, who will be talking about his new book Liberty Risen: The Ultimate Triumph of Libertarian-Republicans, which is interesting in part because McCotter doesn't self-identify as a libertarian, though he does respect the energy that libertarianism has brought to the Republican Party of late. Interesting discussion about Andrew Breitbart, as well.

* Psychedelics researcher Rick Doblin (read about him in Reason here) on the long-overdue experimentation of MDMA on veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

* Hometown Health CEO Jimmy Lewis, who will talk about how Obamacare is forcing the closure of rural hospitals.

* Kmele Foster, who will explain what Jonathan Gruber can teach us about Net Neutrality and the proposed FCC regulatory takeover of the Internet.

It is an excellent program of informative content, and will make you smile on occasion. Follow The Independents on Facebook at facebook.com/IndependentsFBN, follow on Twitter @ independentsFBN, hashtag us at #TheIndependents, and click on this page for more video of past segments.

Comments

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"It is an excellent program of informative content,"

We'll - I'LL - be the judge of that, sir.

[Rebel Scum]

the energy that libertarianism has brought to the Republican Party of late

If only we could do more (or 'something', even) to make the R's actually honor their limited government rhetoric.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

"Thanks for helping us get back in the saddle, boys! Now stand aside, I got some security budgets need jackin' up!"

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"OK, honey, there's some money on the hall table, just leave quietly by the back door and don't scare the servants."

[Cytotoxic]

Keep voting for people like Amash and Rand.

[Atanarjuat]

To be fair, not all Greens are anti-capitalists. But the ones who made that graphic probably are.

Source was Occupy Wall Street's FB, shared by some hippie I know.

[C. Anacreon]

The next thing the quoted person would probably say is "And if only somehow we could eliminate 7 billion or so people off the planet, it would just be my friends and me, and we could do some really bitchin' backwoods hiking and live off the land and be organic and stuff."

[Atanarjuat]

"...but we get to keep our Apple products."

[Paul.]

Of course, the cooperative agrarian economy would suck without iDevices!

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Kmele Foster, who will explain what Jonathan Gruber

Number of people talking about Grubergate today: 0 1

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Kmele thinks he's white.

[Hyperion]

All of those 'uppity' negroes think they're white.

[Spoonman.]

WTF?

[Rebel Scum]

I'm skeptical of skeptical people. (So, I suppose I am skeptical of myself.)

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Kmele, you're never going to be a collectivist if you don't start collectivising people.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Where are my riots?!?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

They should have immigrants fight in stadiums like Gladiators for a fast tracked pathway.

May as well get entertained, no?

[Rebel Scum]

*Or*, and I know this is crazy, the only people you block from entry are those who are known violent criminals and those that are carrying communicable diseases.

[Stormy Dragon]

After a two year investigation, the House Intelligence Committee releases its report on Benghazi:

House intel panel debunks many Benghazi theories

[GILMORE]

Because the House intelligence committee was really going to provide everyone lots of detail on what was going on at the CIA annex in a 30-page superficial series of flat-denials.

FWIW, their assertion on page 16 is that the Benghazi CIA annex "did not store weapons", is denying an accusation that was never made.

Hillary Clinton's testimony in January of 2013
"CLINTON: Well, Senator, you're absolutely right. One of the reasons that we [State?] and other government agencies [CIA] were present in Benghazi is exactly that. We had a concerted effort to try to track down and find and recover as many MANPADS and other very dangerous weapons as possible."

The report actually confirms that the annex was involved 'collecting intelligence on 'foreign intelligence agencies that were themselves collecting and shipping weapons from Libya to Syria'

The report doesn't deny that they may have been involved in that effort - it simply says 'they weren't directly stored there'.

So, 'debunked', not so much

[Paul.]

Some of the harshest charges have been leveled at Rice, now Obama's national security adviser, who represented the Obama administration on Sunday talk shows the weekend after the attack. Rice repeated talking points that wrongly described a protest over a video deemed offensive to Muslims.

But Rice's comments were based on faulty intelligence from multiple agencies, according to the report. Analysts received 21 reports that a protest occurred in Benghazi, the report said ?14 from the Open Source Center, which reviews news reports; one from the CIA; two from the Defense Department; and four from the National Security Agency.

In the years since, some participants in the attack have said they were motivated by the video. The attackers were a mix of extremists and hangers on, the investigation found.

Wow, that is really, really weak tea.

Whelp, that confirms it for me, the administration lied their assess off.

[Atanarjuat]

NPR was also saying the Republicans are going to act childish (as the hot chick just did). It's horseshit IMO. Obama could have done this bipartisanly and chose not to. That set the tone for the fight.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

I agree, it was an absolutely explicit middle finger. I also think it would be a much better strategy for Republicans NOT to take the bait, but they don't seem likely to take my advice.

[JEP]

Obama could have done this bipartisanly and chose not to.

Imagine what kind of solution they could have come up with if they put the time and energy they spent on selling the ACA into figuring out a better path to citizenship.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

I think I'm imagining a different outcome to that than you are.

[JEP]

Let me re-phrase that: Imagine what kind of solutions could be found if people who weren't political hacks and dishonest fuckwads spent that kind of time and energy figuring out a better path to citizenship.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

And I'm guessing 1/20th of the time would suffice.

[Stormy Dragon]

After a two year investigation, the House Intelligence Committee releases its report on Benghazi:

House intel panel debunks many Benghazi theories

[Stormy Dragon]

Stupid squirrels

[Sevo]

Dog my cats.

[The Tone Police]

Net Neutrality advocates who claim to be "libertarians" are the snuggest fuckers on the planet. I thought proggies were bad, but nothing beats a "libertarian" who wants to fine and jail Comcast execs because they have the temerity to charge a competitor a higher rate.

[The Tone Police]

*smuggest, but given that a bunch them are fat neckbeards...

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Closely relate, that rare avis the "Nudge" libertarian...

*blood boils*

[Paul.]

The Tone Police

They are inside of my head!

[Atanarjuat]

NPR also did a story about Common Core. Apparently one of its benefits is that they can force states to use textbooks that are pro-AGW.

Libertarians really need to get into education the way progressives have.

[Logistika]

I do love Sunny Day Real Estate, Kennedy!

They are in my top 5 most favorite bands....

/slightly excited to hear them on a cable TV bumper

[Freedom Frog]

Fuckin Christ, man.

[Rebel Scum]

Math? Sure. But I am more concerned about the statist premises in the government/history aspects of Common Core.

[Stormy Dragon]

You mean the ones in actual Common Core or in the scary boogeyman version on talk radio?

Because the actual Common Core only covers math and English.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Kennedy, school failed you because you kept INTERRUPTING IT.

[Rebel Scum]

Who says she is "looking for a husband"? I didn't know that Kennedy was such a patriarch.

[GILMORE]

The Independents Attire Review, 21 November 2014

Anything Goes-Edition

- Kennedy: When I think, "She's my cherry pie", I now instantly accuse myself of perpetuating Rape Culture. Because that song qualifies as Ear Rape. Painful memories aside, we love The Lady in Red. Oh god, that's a horrible song too. I need to move on.

- Matt: This shirt-tie combo - formerly considered essential ingredients in the "Formula Suit" - is something we've remained cool to in this context. The pink shirt prefers consonance to contrast. More important here is our curiosity about when this episode was filmed - because last nights PowerStyle-Combo was pretty dope; we suspect this might just be his backup alternative to help create an illusion of the passage of time.

- Kmele: Kmele possibly dates the filming of the program, as his 3-piece ensemble matches last night's garb. We could care less = Three Piece Every Day! Three Piece Forever! It has been horribly misused by the skinny-jeans & beard set, and we respect and admire people who wear it with sincerity. Our only gripe is the Tattersall shirt, which we think is overly busy for the look. The maroon tie however compensates for all = ideal color for the conservative style.

Takk fyrir

[Dry_Gin_Wet_Farts]

Cherry Pie. THE song that killed 80s metal. It wasn't Nirvana, it was Warrant.

[Atanarjuat]

Michael Malice pings my gaydar. So I googled him, and apparently someone wrote a biography about him with the awesome title Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

I wonder if the bumper music is long enough for Shazam to work. Guessing no.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Well smack my ass, it worked.

[Slammer]

Who coughed?????

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Definitely sounded like Welch.

[Atanarjuat]

Old men who have Southern accents seem to suffer baldness far less often than other groups. EG, Ted Turner. I wonder if it's an Albion's Seed genetic component, toupees, or my imagination.

[Sevo]

Rogaine.

[Atanarjuat]

See, this new guy is bald, and doesn't have a Southern accent. That proves it.

Also, there are no bald Mexicans. I'm not sure why. I suspect they get killed before they get that old.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

The Maquis were also French resistance fighters in WWII.

[Atanarjuat]

?Como se dice 'turpitude' en espa?ol?

[Rebel Scum]

A "Congressional" Congressman? Surely, you can't be serious.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Mistah McCotaaaaaair!

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Thaddeus McCotter: Undertaker

[Slammer]

+1 most modest receptacle

[Notorious G.K.C.]

He needs to work on his pitch.

When you're pitching your book, then the situations in which you use the term "Martin Van Buren" are very, very rare.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Exceptions:

"My book shows how Martin van Buren had even more mistresses than JFK."

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The Van Burens!

[All-Seeing Monocle]

So you're not a Van Buren Boy?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Hey, he was a great guy, but not in a sex-appeal, screaming-teenagers-grabbing-for-your-cravat kind of way.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

The Van Buren Boys

[Notorious G.K.C.]

You gotta get beyond the *exoteric* meaning of that sketch and get to the *esoteric* meaning.

Van Buren was a 33rd degree Illuminatus blah blah lizard people etc.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Somebody is an elitist.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

If you want people to respond to "Martin van Buren," you need an angle.

Something involving diets, explosions, or teenagers rebelling against a repressive establishment.

If that's elitist, so be it.

[GILMORE]

I'm pretty sure if you want to get a history book published these days, you need a pitch along the lines of "Lincoln Was Gay"

[GILMORE]

Naturally, "MDMA Doctor" has a goofy grin that makes him look like he's got a special secret. In his pants.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hi everybody!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Getting a pill approved is as exhausting as getting citizenship.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

A little harder. I invest in these sorts of things.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

You invest in immigrants?

[Sevo]

I think he's short Mexicans, if I understood his latest advice correctly.

[Sevo]

Is MDMA an approved drug for some application already?

[C. Anacreon]

no, it's schedule I, meaning "no legitimate medical use"

[Sevo]

Gracias

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

For comparison, Cocaine HCL is schedule II. That's how illegal MDMA is.

[Sevo]

But Cocaine is legal for some dental procedures IIRC, right?

[Gray Ghost]

Ironically, nasal surgical procedures, IIRC. It's a great topical anesthetic and "thing that stops bleeding."

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Yep. Legal, but highly controlled. Your ophthalmologist might have some.

[Sevo]

"Your ophthalmologist might have some."
And you wouldn't want to be on record as asking.
The SF Chron now has a Wed "Health" section, mostly filled with 'eat rite!' advice.
This week, a writer addressed the gov't prohibition on pain meds. The advice for those in pain included telling the doc about any drug use, since 'honesty it the best policy': 'Doc, I've been scoring perc on the street, but now I'd like to go ligit!'
HA, HA!

[SIV]

I never understood why when MDMA was moved to Schedule I there wasn't a resurgence in the black market for MDA.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

This segment is a hidden gem. Fascinating.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

'Yeah, thank you.'

He actually thought he was gonna get the last word.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Someone missed Kennedy's *let the turkey cool* message.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Just proves they have a wall between editorial and sales!

[Atanarjuat]

Shorter Kmele: it's a series of tubes.

[Rebel Scum]

Kmele should host the show. There, I said it.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

They should take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week. But all the decision of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting, by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,-but by a two-thirds majority in the case of etc.

[Rebel Scum]

Eh, they could just simply rotate. We could get a couple weeks a month without baseless interruptions.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

You *did* get the reference, right?

[Rebel Scum]

Of course, just chose to ignore it.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I can't believe Obama is a leftie like me.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Shit, that came out totally wrong.

Left-handed like me.

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Hahahahaha.

I thought it was some kind of Canadian liberal joke.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

No kidding.

[Slammer]

You saw the windbreaker with Barack Obama stitched on the front? How nerdy is that?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Since no one will do it:

Ah, Dobbs.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Ahhh, Bach.

MASH joke ya dopey royal Mountie. You won't get it.

[John Titor]

We've been getting American tv up here for quite awhile. Moron.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Not enough surprise/fear in your font.

[GILMORE]

OMG the Dobbs transition was so explosive that the show simply evaporated

[Notorious G.K.C.]

They should take it in turns to act as a sort of executive officer for the week. But all the decision of that officer have to be ratified at a special biweekly meeting, by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs,-but by a two-thirds majority in the case of etc.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

posted in wrong place

[All-Seeing Monocle]

Fits pretty much anywhere.

[Rebel Scum]

True dat.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I kind of like Georgia rednecks although that are as stupid as Canucks. Just had a round of drinks with the South's finest.

FERGUSON BITCHES!

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Don't lie. It wasn't drinks.

You ready to make the bet?

[Sevo]

Psssst, tell him to short Puerto Ricans. He'll go for it.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

He blew all of his money on a certain schedule II drug, although he didn't get it at the pharmacy.

[Sevo]

Yeah, well, his dealer has him pegged, too.
He still thinks he got prime Humboldt and it was Sonoran ditch-weed.

[Irish]

The cops at my alma mater are totally rape apologists, yo.

"If you present yourself as easy prey, then expect to attract some wolves," it continues. "If you make yourself a hard target, one who is aware of their surroundings, you take away two elements of a crime: desirability and opportunity."

Two phrases in particular, "A victim looks like a victim" and "If you present yourself as easy prey, then expect to attract some wolves," struck many readers as blaming women who are victims of sexual assault.

Jia Tolentino, a writer for the website Jezebel, remarked, "Oh, dear police department, we know, we know. We know we look like victims. We know we present as easy ... prey. How lovely to be reminded by the police department."

"Sure it's good advice for which I have no counter," muttered the crazy person wasting her life writing for Jezebel, "but it makes me feel sad, so they're rape apologists."

What's especially great is that this isn't even about sexual assault, it's about crime prevention generally.

[NotAnotherSkippy]

You survived Madison with an intact brain. Impressive.

[Irish]

You survived Madison with an intact brain. Impressive.

Well, some people would find this debatable.

[SIV]

"Their intent doesn't matter," Greco said. "This has impacted, now, a lot of people."

All about the feels in Moscow on Mendota/Menona.

[Sevo]

OK, SF gets beat upon regularly, with me among the beaters.
But crab season opened last week. Crabs came out of the water this morning, Sevo wife got 'em off the boat at noon. We steamed, cleaned and cracked them this evening with clarified butter, Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc and some warm sour-dough. Throw away the claws; eat the legs and the body meat.
MMMMMMMMMMMMM!

[Gray Ghost]

Dungies are awesome, but you really throw away the claws?

[Sevo]

Naah, I don't pitch 'em but that's the 'muscular' part of the meat; stringy and not nearly as sweet.
I eat it last after the wine bottle is getting empty.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

I know of a place:
http://qualityseafood.net

[Sevo]

I'm guessing their fresh stuff is flown in?
Or are there Dungeness harvests in So Cal?

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Trucks. They have more kinds of crab than I can count. You can get them as far south as Santa Barbara, though.

[Sevo]

So long as they're moving before they hit the pot, they should be fine.
MMMMMMMMMMMM!

[The_Millenial]

In a shift, Obama Extends U.S. Role in Afghan Combat

President Obama signed a classified order in recent weeks authorizing a more expansive mission for the military in Afghanistan in 2015 than originally planned, a move that ensures American troops will have a direct role in fighting in the war-?ravaged country for at least another year...

The internal discussion took place against the backdrop of this year's
collapse of Iraqi security forces in the face of the advance of the Islamic State as well as the mistrust between the Pentagon and the White House that still lingers since Mr. Obama's 2009 decision to "surge" 30,000 American troops
to Afghanistan. Some of the president's civilian advisers say that decision
was made only because of excessive Pentagon pressure, and some military
officials say it was half?baked and made with an eye to domestic politics.

Mr. Obama's decision, made during a White House meeting in recent weeks with his senior national security advisers, came over the objection of some of his top civilian aides, who argued that American lives should not be put at risk next year in any operations against the Taliban ? and that they should have only a narrow counterterrorism mission against Al Qaeda...

Obama to Libertarians and America: FYTW

[Sevo]

Obama to Obots:
"Bush made me do it!"
Watch turd for confirmation.

[NotAnotherSkippy]

Well the Reps aren't stopping him, so clearly it's their fault.

[Irish]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Oh, God. He's such a fucking hypocritical liar. Remember how he was totally going to get us out of the Middle East and bring the troops home?

[Faceless Commenter]

At this point he's just running from one shitter to another, hoping the contents of his diaper won't drain down his leg and into his sock where it might stink. He's lost control and he knows it.

[Cytotoxic]

Oh great. Just when China and India were gearing up to take control we get to hold this bag for another year! And beyond!

Rand Paul please pick up the phone and dial this. Dial this is now.

[anon]

Hold on just a minute, people actually believed Obama when that shit came out of his mouth?

I honestly thought it was one of those "nudge nudge, wink wink" jokes.

[Paul.]

* Hometown Health CEO Jimmy Lewis, who will talk about how Obamacare is forcing the closure of rural hospitals.

-1 Meditech!

[ashbusuttiloac]

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