A.M. Links: Obamacare Returns to SCOTUS, North Korean Internet Restored, Congressman Admits to Tax Fraud

• 

  Credit: WhiteHouse.gov

  The opening brief has been filed at the U.S. Supreme Court in the Obamacare tax subsidies case King v. Burwell. The Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument in the case for March 4, 2015.

• North Korea has regained Internet service after a nine-hour outage, though access remains intermittent.

• "China said Tuesday there was no proof that North Korea was behind a cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, signaling its reluctance to side with the United States over the incident."

• A Massachusetts man is facing criminal charges after posting the phrase "Put Wings on Pigs" on Facebook. A similar phrase was posted to the social media site by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, the man who fatally shot two NYPD officers last week.

• Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) is expected to plead guilty today to federal tax fraud charges.

• Justin Lin, the director of several films in the Fast & Furious franchise, will be directing Star Trek 3.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

North Korea has regained Internet service after a nine-hour outage...

Finally just reset the modem.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

Just as a point of interest. I recently read Paul Goodman's 'The Moral Ambiguity of America' and found it interesting enough to link an audio of the 1966 lecture. You'd swear it was 2014:

http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/episod.....f-america/

[Ted S.]

Ice hockey is Canada's #1 national sport.

Canada's #2 national sport is America-bashing.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Paul Goodman was AMERICAN.

He just gave a lecture at Massey Hall in Toronto.

[Zeb]

Well, America's #4 sport is America bashing.

[thom]

Apparently launching a vicious cyber attack upon a super power carries the same consequences as being a Comcast customer.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

My God, all the calls they're going to get about bundling and expanding their service... the horror... the horror...

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

NO ONE deserves to be treated like a Comcast customer, you hater!

[Juice]

I switched to Comcast after being treated like complete shit by Verizon and being constantly charged for shit I never asked for. Even when I sent them back their boxes, they tried to charge me full price for the cost of the boxes as if I had kept them.

[Adans smith]

They could give out NK's phone number to telemarketers.

[CE]

Hopefully they don't have McAfee too. That takes forever to fix.

[Mike M.]

Finding replacement circuits for a VIC-20 isn't easy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) is expected to plead guilty today to federal tax fraud charges.

A Congressman pleading guilty? Oh, yeah, the R after his name.

[Bee Tagger]

He couldn't handle the stinging rebuke of a congressional censure.

[wareagle]

and Charles Rangel walks. Because racist!!

[Rhywun]

That's my rep... didn't even know he got re-elected.

The 20-count indictment accused Grimm of hiring illegal immigrants at the restaurant, paying workers under the table and under-reporting how much he had spent in wages by keeping two sets of payroll ledgers practices followed by every restaurant owner everywhere.

Fixed.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Justin Lin, the director of several films in the Fast & Furious franchise, will be directing Star Trek 3.

Because the first two reboots weren't mindless enough.

[antisocial-ist]

I'm so glad I'm not a trekkie.

[Rhywun]

I was until I saw the first reboot movie.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

Maybe in another decade we'll get a reboot that isn't a piece of J.J. Abrams' crap.

[Ted S.]

Even in the original Star Trek movie, Voyager hadn't left the solar system.

[Medical Physics Guy]

The last Fast and Furious actually got really good reviews. Didn't persuade me to waste two hours of my life on it.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

The last Fast and Furious actually got really good reviews.

That was due to the "Sorry about Paul Walker" effect. Because... I did waste two hours on my couch.

[CE]

Can't wait to see Kirk racing the Klingons.

[Bee Tagger]

Justin Lin, the director of several films in the Fast & Furious franchise, will be directing Star Trek 3.

Time to infuse some reality into these Star Trek movies.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Justin Lin, the director of several films in the Fast & Furious franchise, will be directing Star Trek 3.

Star Trek 3: Alpha Centauri Drift

[hamilton]

At least in space it's easy to get your Constitution-class starship to drift.

But I am worried about all the drifting in Lin's movies. His pattern indicates... two-dimensional thinking.

[DontShootMe]

It'll be interesting to see the Enterprise "jump" 3 other Constitution-class starships, and a burning Klingon cruiser, all whilst barrel rolling.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The Rock as a Klingon will be interesting.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Recasting Vin Diesel as Spock won't be nearly as good.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Maybe they'll recreate The Search For Spock with Paul Walker.

/too soon?

[trshmnster the terrible]

Klingon? The Rock is no Klingon!

[trshmnster the terrible]

Justin Lin, the director of several films in the Fast & Furious franchise, will be directing Star Trek 3.

Mirror universe movie or Bust!

[CE]

+1 evil Spock with a goatee

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It was only a matter of time

"Guns change the equation in so many ways. They make it harder for police to retreat, and more likely that a stand-off that might have been resolved peacefully will escalate. They make it harder for police to give suspects the benefit of the doubt, and more likely that a suspected criminal may not deserve it.

They make it easier for a mentally ill man to forever alter two families' lives in the name of "revenge."

After the killing of New York police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos over the weekend, it feels perhaps more satisfying to place blame elsewhere: on protesterswho've cried for better policing, on public officials who acknowledge that the protesters' grievances are valid. But both claims deflect attention toward a vague culprit ? "anti-police rhetoric" ? and away from a more concrete and systemic one: the ever-presence and easy availability of guns."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....4&hpid=z15

[Zeb]

Just maybe every act of violence cannot be attributed to a broad social trend. But then I guess newspaper columnists would be out of a job.

[Tonio]

Paging Barfman...

[Ted S.]

Isn't it amazing how everybody is so certain that their particular hobby-horse is behind what happened?

I'm surprised nobody's tried to blame it on violent video games yet. (More likely, I just haven't seen the article in which that claim was made.)

[Banjos]

Personally, I've been blaming the shooting on the return of acid wash jeans.

[John]

Wasn't the nut who did that a convicted felon and legally unable to own a gun? Somehow the law saying he couldn't own a gun didn't deter him much. Go figure.

[antisocial-ist]

Why do you hate children John?

[DontShootMe]

How can you hate that which polishes your monocle?

[Wicked Skin]

Just wanted to let everybody know that if you have some problem orphans who are clumsy and break your monocles while polishing them, I could use them.

Since testing products on animals is now a no no, I've decided to use orphans who are otherwise useless as test subjects.

[trshmnster the terrible]

That's just inhumane. Now you have all these poor animals with no sense of accomplishment! I recommend rabbit stew to cure this travesty.

[wareagle]

what a load of wanting it both ways tripe. First, it's cops out of control gunning down innocents. Then, it's crazed citizens gunning down cops. Obviously, disarm everyone is the solution.*

*obvious to progs maybe but probably not to anyone else.

[Zeb]

First, it's cops out of control gunning down innocents. Then, it's crazed citizens gunning down cops.

Yeah, that's some nice flexible thinking there. Most people seem to pick just one. But gun controllers just can't resist the allure of dead bodies.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Guns change the equation in so many ways. They make it harder for police to retreat, and more likely that a stand-off that might have been resolved peacefully will escalate

Maybe if cops didn't have guns, this wouldn't be an issue? It would make it a lot easier for police to retreat.

[UnCivilServant]

"Run Away!"

/Arthur.

[thom]

I agree....disarming the police would solve a lot of these problems.

[R C Dean]

Guns change the equation in so many ways. They make it harder for police to retreat, and more likely that a stand-off that might have been resolved peacefully will escalate. They make it harder for police to give suspects the benefit of the doubt, and more likely that a suspected criminal may not deserve it.

Sounds like excellent reasons to take guns away from cops, to me.

Every single one of those except the last describes how having a gun can change the mindset of a cop.

They're armed, so its psychologically harder to retreat, etc.

[Bee Tagger]

China said Tuesday there was no proof that North Korea was behind a cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment

Adding that the United States is so racist for thinking all Asians hack alike.

[Pope Jimbo]

So we go from the Jews controlling Hollywood directly to being controlled by Juche.

[Tonio]

[Gives His Holiness that Swiss look.]

BTW, anyone know how that's pronounced? Jew-Shay?

[Pope Jimbo]

More like Chay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5urCTtJ_uoU

[Ted S.]

Jew Che Guevara.

[Florida Man]

My wife caught that Che bicycle movie on TV and was telling me about it. I had a really hard time just nodding my head and saying "oh really?"

[R C Dean]

"Hey, is that the movie where he executes people with a pistol?"

[Tonio]

Ha.

[Ted S.]

Christmas greetings from Icelandic scientists with a sense of humor

[Fist of Etiquette]

A Massachusetts man is facing criminal charges after posting the phrase "Put Wings on Pigs" on Facebook.

Isn't that a Red Bull ad campaign?

[Wicked Skin]

If you didn't care what happened to me,
And I didn't care for you,
We would zig zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain.
Wondering which of the buggars to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing.

Maybe they should arrest Roger Waters too? I mean that phrase could only be an incitement to violence against our brave heroes in blue who are the only ones willing and able to protect us from the surge of loosies

[Tonio]

Presumably he's going to prevail on 1A grounds, at least when the case gets appealed, but this sucks. It's like the camera thing - they know it's legal to record them, but they pretend they don't know and they never suffer any consequences for those illegal arrests.

[Wicked Skin]

I would assume the point isn't to get this one guy but to put it chill into those who would dare to question the authority of the police to summarily execute people for minor offenses, non-offenses or for kicks.

[Ted S.]

It's a SLAPP action, then.

[Tonio]

Similar, but this is a criminal prosecution not a lawsuit.

[Ted S.]

True that, but it needs to be made clear that the point of this prosecution is to try to shut up free speech that the state doesn't like.

[Tonio]

Of course, WS, of course. And to see if they can get away with it.

[AlmightyJB]

One of of my favorite local pubs has these delicious little fall off the bone bbq pork shanks that they call Pig Wings. Wonder if they'll change the name now?

[Zeb]

"Put Wings on Pigs" is pretty clearly intended to mean killing police. Which shouldn't be criminal if it is not an actual, credible threat. But still pretty far from any mention of pigs and wings in the same sentence.

[Tonio]

IANAL, but my understanding is that phrases like "God says kill fags" is protected, but "God says for you JB to kill that faggot Tonio right fucking now" is not since it's actual incitement.

[Tonio]

Oops, "Zeb" not JB, but whatever.

[Wicked Skin]

Or it could mean to buy them a Red Bull so they can stay alert to all of the threats they face each day in protecting us from the menace of overweight asthmatics?

[Rhywun]

"Put Wings on Pigs" is pretty clearly intended to mean killing police.

Outside of context, I would not have known what the hell it means. For starters, it assumes that dead pigs are going to get wings. I do not think that is usually the case.

[Acosmist]

OK, well, it was pretty clearly intended to mean that, soo...?

[Robert]

I thought it was GEICO, with a hang-gliding pig.

[Bee Tagger]

The Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument in the case for March 4, 2015.

Until then? Business as usual. And probably during then and after then, too.

[Tonio]

They generally take weeks or months to issue opinions for cases which are argued.

[R C Dean]

This'll be issued on the last day of the session, which I believe is late June.

[Palin's Buttplug]

US GDP grew at an annual 5% rate in Q3! You fucking Peanuts were right. This GOP Congress is banging! Low oil prices, high growth, records every day in the markets!

GO TEAM RED!

[wareagle]

you must be new here. Most folks on this site have said, repeatedly, that the economy would unravel itself faster if govt got the hell out of the way. As it is, you cannot point to a single govt action that correlates with this, let alone one that caused it. Just stop.

[tarran]

you must be new here.

No, lacking sentience, Shriek has no idea which commenters hold which views; to know this one has to be capable of comprehending concepts.

[Palin's Buttplug]

We are doing this while maintaining federal spending flat at $3.5 trillion since Jan 09.

That actually SUPPORTS your claim - which I agree with. Markets are functioning better now than at any time this century.

[Mike M.]

$7.5 trillion in debt in six years. Choke on it, bitch Weigel.

[CE]

Except the easy, easy money of QE 4 ever.

[Tonio]

Tuesday, people. Just. Don't. Feed.

[Zeb]

Oh, but it's Christmas time. I thought we were supposed to feed the needy and retarded.

[Tonio]

[Squints and growls at Zeb.]

[Steve G]

and when the bubble bursts 2 months into a TEAM RED president, you'll then, what, blame the previous two years of TEAM RED majority congress? Or some other linkage that just doesn't exist? Is that pretty much your playbook??

[Palin's Buttplug]

What bubble? I want to short it.

[Palin's Buttplug]

There was a bubble in shale junk bonds and equity that has already burst. See the likes of EXXI.

[BilboTeabaggins]

PB is right. Prices in US equities are clearly rational. I think its chancier in some of the Asian markets, but it's pretty unlikely we will see a major correction.

[BilboTeabaggins]

I'm loving it too. Just a great year for growth. A little nervous that interests rates are going to start coming up, but as long as they do it slow it should be fine.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The opening brief has been filed at the U.S. Supreme Court in the Obamacare tax subsidies case King v. Burwell.

Grooooooo-BER!

[AlmightyJB]

Cincinnati cop operates fake substation out of apartment

http://www.cincinnati.com/stor...../20706283/

[Ted S.]

Oh come on. That substation is as real as your link.

[AlmightyJB]

Lets try a different news site.

http://www.wfmj.com/story/2769.....ecgbypass;

[AlmightyJB]

http://www.cincinnati.com/stor...../20706283/

[AlmightyJB]

Ok looks like this one works.

[Ted S.]

The cop got home safely; nothing else happened.

[The Last American Hero]

Hey, these guys are working class heroes who have hard jobs but just love people. Dunphy told me so. See, that's why the other officers won't offer up their DNA to see who else's fluids are on their sheets. Instead, they will hide behind their union knowing that one or more of their brothers in arms should be doing hard time.

[R C Dean]

Almost nothing in that article isn't infuriating.

But, at least it got published, with a glimpse of "Hey, you know, when cops investigate themselves they sure do a shitty job." and "Kinda weird that their union contract prohibits them from being investigated, you know?"

[AlmightyJB]

Steal your parents gun and bring it to school. Like thats not going to get you shot.

http://hotair.com/archives/201.....to-school/

[Pope Jimbo]

I'm looking forward to part 2 where the smug asshole kid returns home to find that his mom has been beaten to within an inch of her life because she no longer had a gun to defend herself against a large male intruder.

[hamilton]

And where the teacher sells the gun on the street for fifty bucks.

[Wicked Skin]

Is that the same teacher who took the gun and then slipped out to rape and beat the dumb ass kid's mom?

[wareagle]

I'm looking forward to the parent where the parents have cleaned the kids room out of anything beyond a bed and dresser, they have cancelled his cell phone, and have military school brochures on the kitchen counter.

[Zeb]

Yeah, what the fuck do they thing is going to happen after the kid steals their parents' gun? Mom's going to say "thank god you relieved me of that horrible burden" or "you're going to that crooked boot camp thing"?

[Zeb]

Isn't that incitement to a serious felony? Theft of a firearm is serious business.

[R C Dean]

Theft, possession by someone underage, bringing a firearm onto school grounds.

Mutiple felonies, and that's just for starters.

[Whahappan?]

Don't worry, Joe Biden said it's OK.

[Zeb]

I am just amazed at how blatant and brazen the NYC police are being with their bullshit. And of course cops around the country are going to back them up, cause some brothers in blue got killed.

How is it not obvious to everyone that the police (at least the broader organization that we hear from) are putting themselves above everyone else for purely self serving reasons?

[Ted S.]

Why do you hate our Heroes in Blue??

[UnCivilServant]

Just reciprocating.

[Zeb]

Don't get me started.

[Tonio]

What's even more disgusting is people outside NYC and completely unrelated to the cops buying into their BS.

But you also have to remember that this issue is a proxie for pushback against the Brown/Garner protests. And, yes, racism does play a part in this.

[Ted S.]

It's discouraging to see how many people want to take the cops' side in this because the wrong people are protesting.

[Tonio]

And while I think the shooter probably acted alone, this was perfectly timed to gain sympathy for the cops. I suspect that many of the tears shed ostensibly for their fallen comrades were of the crocodile variety.

[Pope Jimbo]

I was listening on the radio to an interview with the union head of the Mpls cops and he said he wasn't sure yet if they would be sending a contingent to NYC for the funeral.

The interviewer didn't ask him who would be paying for that trip, but I'm sure it is me the taxpayer.

[Zeb]

Oh, my god, cop funerals are the worst. Just avoiding that is good enough reason to hope that more police don't get murdered.

[Pope Jimbo]

You know, this would be one of those times that it would be nice to see the Westboro guys show up to protest.

I'm guessing that unlike the military funerals, the cops would not be able to hold themselves in check and would give the baptists a real beat down.

Talk about a win/win. The protesters get the beating they deserve and the nation gets to see how unhinged the cops really are.

[l0b0t]

Sweet Jeebus, Zeb you are spot on! I live in the Rockaways, home to a shockingly large population of city employees (and the Breezy Point neighborhood has the largest percentage of Irish in the US). All the cop funerals start out here then convoy up Crossbay Expressway into mainland Queens to the cemeteries. It essentially shuts the peninsula down for most of the day.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

What happened in NYC (and France) is having an impact on Montreal police too.

[Rhywun]

I am just amazed at how blatant and brazen the NYC police are being with their bullshit.

I'm not. I have lived here almost 20 years and believe me I do not even look them in the eyes.

[Zeb]

I should say I'm not terribly surprised, but still amazed.

[John]

http://www.bloombergview.com/a.....the-movies

Is understanding and acknowledging the nature of your customer base as it regards race and black actors "racism"?

[Ted S.]

Fretting over how your sport doesn't have enough "black" athletes, as MLB does? Virtuous.

Fretting over how your sport doesn't have enough white fans, like the Atlanta Hawks did? Eeeeeevil.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The MLB 'not enough black athletes' is so absurd. Surely a higher proportion of the MLB is black than in the general population.

[Zeb]

But most of them are from the Caribbean or Latin America. Seems like that should demonstrate that baseball isn't inherently racist, but apparently it doesn't.

[Ted S.]

I'm reminded of how when one pointed out the different treatment Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds got over the steroid thing, Sosa was Dominican, not black. But when one of NYC's little league teams used overage player Danny Almonte, it was racist to accuse them of violating the rules because Almonte was black.

[KDN]

Sorry, but Dominicans don't count to the RBI(c) brigade. Last I checked, authentically African-American players are under 10% of MLB.

I do believe that black Americans make the league in similar proportion to white Americans (both being swamped by Hispanics), but I don't know for sure.

[Pope Jimbo]

In 2014 MLB was 8.2% black.

http://www.tidesport.org/MLB RGRC 2014 Revised.pdf

US gen pop is 13.2% black. So nope. MLB is more hispanic than anything.

[Pope Jimbo]

Better link

[Fluffy]

The question of how it could be mathematically possible for MLB to attain proportional African-American representation while the NBA and NFL wildly overrepresented African-Americans is, of course, insensitive and mean-spirited to even ask.

[Zeb]

I don't follow you. It's mathematically possible for all of the major sports leagues to be all black.

[Pope Jimbo]

Well if you were really serious about getting your percentages in line with the general population, I think you would be willing to start kidnapping black guys and forcing them to play in the MLB.

Sure they might not be happy with being kidnapped, so you might have to put them in shackles and chain them up in the dugout so they don't run away.

And since you'd have to get rid of some of the hispanic and white players to make room for the new black players, I guess you could create new front office jobs for them. Maybe they could over see the black players. Make sure they are putting out their best effort or something.

[KDN]

Fretting over how your sport doesn't have enough "black" athletes, as MLB does? Virtuous.

And stating that dark-skinned West Indians don't count? So totally not racist.

[Zeb]

See, this is where a term like "African American" comes in handy. Of course the Afro-Caribbean players are black.

[Zeb]

It is very odd. On the one hand, African Americans have a distinct and vibrant culture that should be celebrated and embraced. Yet it is somehow racist for people producing mainstream entertainment products to consider the fact that there is somewhat of a distinct Black culture in the US.

[Fluffy]

On the one hand, African Americans have a distinct and vibrant culture that should be celebrated and embraced.

I've long accepted this kind of statement uncritically, but lately I have started thinking that it's just not true.

And believing it to be true had led people into lots of blind alleys.

I was watching that Henry Gates show last night, and it was a repeat of the episode with Deval Patrick on it.

First of all, it turns out that genetically Patrick was plurality-white. But let's accept for the moment that he's "African-American".

He told a story about how his dad, who was from the south side of Chicago, was angry when Deval got to go to Milton Academy because it would "turn him white". That somehow this was a betrayal of "African American culture".

But it struck me that there was virtually nothing "African" left in Deval Patrick's dad's culture. He was part of a "poor Southern / poor Chicago" culture. A purely American culture, shared by large numbers of non-blacks.

But if a poor Southern / poor Chicago guy with white skin got into Milton, changed his speech pattern, made a lot of money, became governor of a state, etc., everyone would consider that aspirational and not a betrayal at all. Not a betrayal of anything of value, anyway.

Not having to be a loser forever just because you were born a loser must just be another form of white privilege, I guess.

[Zeb]

I'm still convinced that there is a distinct African American culture (or cultures more likely). Not necessarily unified or having anything to do with Africa or the genetic makeup of the people who are part of it (I think Gates was more than half European genetically as well).

Whether it should be preserved and celebrated is another question. The cultural distinction has a lot to do with how poorly American blacks have been treated historically, so I think it is probably the sort of culture that will inevitably just become part of the more general culture. And that is probably a good thing.

[trshmnster the terrible]

The soft tyranny of low expectations. Somewhere down the line, the Johnson Democrats convinced the activist blacks that poverty was a virtue,and that success was a white thing.

The Johnson Democrats were as brilliant as they were evil. The writing was on the wall regarding Jim crow and other overtly racist regimes, but they managed to convince the black man to keep himself down.

[Rhywun]

"I believe that the international motion-picture audience is racist ...," the producer wrote.

Sounds about right to me, or anyone else who has actually been overseas.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Byron York Worries Obama Might Close Gitmo

"President Obama has long advocated closing the U.S. terrorist prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He likely would have done it long ago, had Congress not stopped him.

Now, however, Obama is not in the mood to abide by anything Congress says. And he is again talking about closing Guantanamo.

The result could be an ugly and protracted fight between the president and lawmakers of both parties. But it's also possible Obama will avoid a conflict and simply use his executive authority to release a prisoner here, a prisoner there, until Guantanamo is very nearly empty ? all done without any meaningful debate."

http://www.washingtonexaminer......le/2557746

[wareagle]

here is where this loses any credibility: had Congress not stopped him.

When has Obama worried about Congress stopping him before?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Muslim Claims in Lawsuit She Was Forced to Attend Christian Service While an Inmate

"A Muslim woman is suing officials in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, claiming she was forced to attend Christian services while incarcerated in the county jail.

Sakeena Majeed, 24, served two months at the Cuyahoga County Correctional Center earlier this year after she was convicted of assaulting two police officers. She claims that while there, she was threatened with solitary confinement if she did not attend weekly Christian prayer services led by a Baptist minister."

https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/

[AlmightyJB]

Soundz a little suspect. Cuyahoga County is Cleveland and I'm pretty sure they would have been told to go fuck themselves a long time ago if they were telling convicts they had to go to church. Not saying it didn't happen but I am a bit skeptical.

[Florida Man]

Was solitary only for the duration of services? Sounds like they said everyone is going, if you don't want to we have to put you in a cell because you are still a prisoner. If I was in prison I would take the solitary and have a nap while everyone else socialized with the preacher and I'm not even a "devout" Muslim.

[Rhywun]

Baptist minister in Cleveland? Yeah, I'm not buying it either.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Lots of Baptists in Cleveland.

[TwB]

Well, Peyton Manning sure played like shit last night, in a game that Denver really needed to win, no less. I have to say, I'm not liking Denver's Super Bowl odds right now and not because of Manning per say, but because of their suddenly horrendous o-line and weakening D.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I don't think any AFC team can beat the top few NFC teams this year. The only real question I think is can Dallas stop the Seahawks, who are peaking at the right time.

[TwB]

Seattle looks damn good once again. They are finally healthy and like you said, they are peaking at the right time. Even if Denver somehow beats New England in the AFC title game, which I don't think they can do at this point, they don't stand much of a chance against Seattle.

[antisocial-ist]

New England may be the only AFC team that can beat the top teams from the NFC. Seattle is certainly peaking at the right time, again, and you gotta love their defense when healthy. Dallas has a great run game and much improved defense, but I'm waiting for them to implode. Green Bay has a lot of problems on defense. Denver's O line can't stand up to good pass rush. Pittsburgh has gotten away from what was their style of football and I don't think can go very far in the playoffs. The Bengals are too inconsistent. Arizona has no quarterback. But don't go to sleep on the Falcons, because if you do you might miss their one playoff game this year.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

NE is playing as well as I've ever seen them.

Seattle is definitely peaking.

Dallas is the best dark horse pick.

Steelers-Cowboys SB on the horizon?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think the Pats are very consistent, but not the best team in the NFL.

[KDN]

I have difficulty taking a team seriously that was a couple of Geno Smith brainfarts away from going 0-2 against the craptacular Jets.

[wareagle]

and that's where the Patriots get you. They habitually play to the level of the opposition. They struggle against the Fightin' Ryans but they win against better teams.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

My fucking Chiefs have been bi-polar this year. They spanked NE and solidly beat the Seahawks, but lost to the Titans and Raiders.

They can still make the play-offs, even after the loss to the Stealers.

[TwB]

The Chiefs have not thrown a TD to a wide receiver all season. I find it impossible to believe in this day and age of dominant offenses that that statistic is even possible, even if Alex Smith is your QB.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

even if Alex Smith is your QB and you only have one decent WR.

[Ted S.]

Peyton Manning didn't play like shit! Nothing is ever his fault!!

[John]

He doesn't have the right people around him. The defense isn't good enough.

[TwB]

It was good enough until their starting 3 linebackers all decided to get hurt within a month of each other. And now TJ Ward is probably out for awhile after his neck injury. I think Manning will have to try again next year, unless he says fuck it and retires.

[Zeb]

So, he's the Obama of NFL football?

[TwB]

Not quite. Manning has actually accomplished some things that he said he would do. And he was actually qualified to do them in the first place.

[TwB]

And I know that was sarcasm but I commented anyway because it's already been a long morning. I need more coffee.

[Zeb]

I'm not terribly interested in football, so it was a very cheap and uninformed joke.

[TwB]

Fair enough.

[Palin's Buttplug]

The Rams exposed the Donks a month ago. This is a Brady year.

[KDN]

Not with that line. I would take Seattle at -7 against the Pats.

[hamilton]

I'm desperately hoping the extra 2 weeks rest gets the line back in shape and clears out the last nicks. I am not super-worried about anyone else in the AFC at this point except possibly the Steelers, but the Seahawks - well, that'll be a problem. But one I'd love to see.

[Fluffy]

Peyton Manning is not a good bad weather quarterback.

Denver's been able to paper that failing over on a couple of occasions, but eventually Peyton was going to start pouting about his poor cold wet hands and that was going to be it.

[KDN]

Peyton is also 38 years old and has below average arm strength. At this point he's Chad Pennington in his prime but with the team and rules to really support that skillset.

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

And the fact that he still benefits from the 'star QB effect', where a few phantom calls a game go his way.

Him and Tom Brady are the only ones who get that shit right now.

[TwB]

I'm a Broncos fan and I was surprised Manning decided to play for Denver. I thought Manning would go to Houston to 1. Play in a dome again and 2. Stick it to the Colts and Jimmy Irsay by playing them 2x per season. And yes, I'm happy that Manning chose Denver because he has been pretty amazing overall but in bad/cold weather...Manning just doesn't play great. I think in the end, Denver swung for the fences but will end up with a triple instead of a home run.

[Rhywun]

Uh... Go Bills!?

[Bones]

I had a bad feeling we would lose to the Raiders. If we beat NE and Baltimore and SD lose next week, keep the suicide implements away from me.

[BilboTeabaggins]

Market grew at 5% in Q3! Just about ready to call it for the year: record gains in the portfolio and on track to retire at 40. Keep doing you, fed chiefs.

[The Laconic]

Oh look, Shriek has a sock.

[BilboTeabaggins]

Just because I understand economics and finance enough to reject the silly "Austrian" economics spouted here and understand that modern economic and financial theory is in fact compatible with libertarianism, does not mean I am a sock.

[Fluffy]

understand that modern economic and financial theory is in fact compatible with libertarianism

No, it's not.

Modern economic and financial practice require the state to be able to force citizens to regard fiat currencies as legal tender.

Libertarianism doesn't allow the state to do that.

That makes the two fundamentally incompatible.

[BilboTeabaggins]

As a practical matter, the government is not going to stop you from using gold or bitcoin or oil as a medium of trade. I think the fed has serious problems (the dual mandate, for instance), but overall the modern federal reserve has done a pretty good job.

[JPyrate]

"s a practical matter, the government is not going to stop you from using gold or bitcoin or oil as a medium of trade."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_6102

http://www.coindesk.com/regulation/

You were saying.

[BilboTeabaggins]

I know there are legal issues in doing so, but the practical reality is different. It's easy to hold and trade physical commodities if you want to do so, at least in the US.

[JPyrate]

Holding commodities is not the problem. It's getting caught when, and if the government decides it needs them from you.

[BilboTeabaggins]

But that's especially true with dollars too. I think we agree that its problematic the government can confiscate stuff without due process.

[JPyrate]

We do agree on that. =)

[Palin's Buttplug]

You just failed the LP Purity Test.

Apostate!

Socialist!

[BilboTeabaggins]

Don't always love your more pronounced trolling, but it's nice to see someone argue a different viewpoint from mine and others on the site. I don't comment too often, but Merry Christmas, PB, Reason wouldn't be the same without you.

[Palin's Buttplug]

I've always been a nonconformist. So I will break tradition again and actually be nice and say Merry Christmas to you and all - whatever you believe in.

See. I am not always an asshole!

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

Don't sell yourself short!

And merry x-mas, happy holidays, happy chaunakah, kwanzaa my brothers, to all of you and yours.

[Bones]

Jason? Is that you?

[trshmnster the terrible]

I had some doubts before this post, but definitely a sock.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I wouldn't relegate someone to being a sock based on not being fond of Austrian economics and being impressed with our economy's resilience. But I'm a trusting soul...

[Palin's Buttplug]

What Austrians miss - if there is going to be a world reserve currency you want to be the one in control of it.

It is self interest.

[trshmnster the terrible]

It's not really the content of the post. The grammar and posting style are shreektastic.

[Wicked Skin]

What time is the official airing of grievances being held?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

It's HNR. The grievances continually flow like the spice of Arrakis.

[John]

Every day is an airing of grievances. It is how we roll.

[UnCivilServant]

So, it doesn't?

[Tonio]

'Plug is already here...

[Bobarian (Mr. Xtreme)]

The official airing is right after the feats of strength.

[Invisible Finger]

Casey Kasem finally laid to rest.

http://www.tmz.com/2014/12/22/.....ds-burial/

[Troy muy grande boner]

Rood Rye Raggy.

[Pope Jimbo]

Well since we are making excuses, let's be honest and say that the rest of the NFL is lucky that the refs are still enforcing their fatwa against the Vikings and preventing them from winning it all.

You plunk one blind armenian ref in 1975 and the zebras will never let you forget it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armen_Terzian

* How sad is it that I still know his name because I still hold a grudge against him?