Obama Lets His Freaky Big Government Flag Fly, Chris Christie Dips Toe Into Vaccination Debate, FCC Ready to Muscle in on the Internet: P.M. Links

Four trillion bucks doesn't go as far as it used to.

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  • White House

    President Obama bets you're tired of all that nasty austerity, even if you're not sure what the hell he's talking about. Anyway, his new proposed $4 trillion budget includes lots and lots of new spending. And, oh yes, big tax hikes, with a special eye on companies doing business overseas.

  • He wants Greece's government to spend more money too. Can we just get German taxpayers to pick up the tab for everything?
  • New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waded into the renewed debate over vaccination by saying public health interests should be balanced against parental choice—and then backpedaling.
  • Rep. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh), a Pennsylvania state lawmaker, joined several Super Bowl betting pools and challenged state police to bust her. She acted after cops ignored the state's legalization of such fun in favor of enforcing their interpretation of federal law. 
  • Death sentences on 183 Muslim Brotherhood supporters won thumbs-up from an Egyptian court. They were convicted for a lethal attack on a police station in 2013.
  • Alaskans are a tad pissed over the White House's call for a ban on oil drilling in coastal waters.
  • The head of the FCC looks poised to endorse utility-style regulation of Internet companies, potentially giving the government far greater control over what has been a free-wheeling area of life. It was nice while it lasted.

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J.D. Tuccille is a contributing editor at Reason.

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  1. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waded into the renewed debate…

    Waddled in.

    1. Rufus J. Firefly

      Hello.

      “Can we just get German taxpayers to pick up the tab for everything?”

      Germany does give the most. But ‘the other three’ do kick in some coin too (while they take in less) – so wouldn’t they be paying for it as well?

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fin…..spent.html

  2. And, oh yes, big tax hikes, with a special eye on companies doing business overseas.

    They are traitors, after all.

    1. Notorious G.K.C.

      +1 Reichsfluchtsteuer

    2. HeteroPatriarch

      Kulaks. It’s GOP Congressmen who are traitors.

      1. JWatts

        I’m a little fuzzy on the differences there.

        Can you just tell me who should be shot? And who should be sent to the re-education camps?

    3. expat

      Galt’s Gulch is going to have to expand. It must be getting crowded.

    4. but but but Obama is the most pro-business president evah and he’s cutting the deficit /voices in Shriek’s head

      1. If we were differentiate between pro-business and pro-market, your snark would actually be literally true.

        1. JWatts

          I don’t think you can even say Obama is “pro-business”. He’s pro-businesses that are large donors to the Democratic party or are favored by Liberal voters. But that’s clearly a sub-set of business.

  3. HeteroPatriarch

    The head of the FCC looks poised to endorse utility-style regulation of Internet companies…

    Empire-builders gonna empire build.

    1. C. Anacreon

      The head of the FCC looks poised to endorse utility-style regulation of Internet companies…

      Nothing could possibly go wrong! Rolling blackouts are a thing of the past!

  4. The head of the FCC looks poised to endorse utility-style regulation of Internet companies…

    Pshaw. That GOP Congress will never allow it.

  5. BiMonSciFiCon

    President Obama bets you’re tired of all that nasty austerity, even if you’re not sure what the hell he’s talking about. Anyway, his new proposed $4 trillion budget includes lots and lots of new spending. And, oh yes, big tax hikes, with a special eye on companies doing business overseas.

    Just what a recovering economy needs- tax hikes!

    Thank god the Serious People are back in charge.

    1. Rufus J. Firefly

      According to Judge Mathis, the ‘economy is back on track. Obama got it on track.’

      Don’t ask.

      1. Chances are we wouldn’t get it if we did ask.

        1. C. Anacreon

          I bet you are wearing a silly grin after that comment.

          1. I’m not wearing anything at all, thank you.

            1. Rufus J. Firefly

              O……..

              Kaaaay……

      2. wareagle

        if you can’t trust a tv judge….

        1. Rufus J. Firefly

          Yeah but for him to say that on TV was a tad over the top.

          Not only that, he said it to a defendant who said he didn’t pay the plaintiff back because the economy was still bad and had no money.

          For a judge to claim it’s ‘back’ is ridiculous because not all industries are doing well – by a long shot.

          I ONLY WATCHED ONE SEGMENT!

          1. wareagle

            being a fanboi of Obama means being able to say anything, no matter how ridiculous.

          2. None of those cases are real, are they?

            1. Rufus J. Firefly

              Apparently they are.

              Although I wonder about some TV court shows. The litigants don’t seem believable.

          3. John Titor

            Pictured: Both a part of Rufus’ wardrobe.

            1. Rufus J. Firefly

              $32.50.

              The Judge is pulling in the money.

      3. TheZeitgeist

        I remember last year all the usual clowns promised ‘austerity’ was going to make the Sun burn out. Cats and dogs, living together…etc.

        Now the clowns take credit for it, as an excuse to kill it.

        1. Marshall Gill

          Now the clowns take credit for it, as an excuse to kill it.

          People used the word austerity but it never occurred. Did a single government budget not increase?

    2. JEP

      The MMT people would argue that it’s(the economy) all one bucket of money. Which bucket the money is in, public vs. private, doesn’t matter because it’s still being spent.

      Of course, they don’t particularly care that if you don’t have the money you earned, you can’t choose how it’s spent. You know that whole economic freedom thing?

  6. rts

    After terrifying school massacre, Peshawar teachers pack guns

    On the principal’s desk at the Peshawar’s Government High School for Boys sits a screen beaming surveillance video from around the campus.

    In one of the desk’s drawers, within easy reach of Abdul Saeed’s right hand, lies a fully loaded pistol.

    Fully loaded, mind you.

    1. Rufus J. Firefly

      MONSTERS!

      1. Dr. Fronkensteen

        Also good for dealing with kids who chew gum while in line.

  7. Rep. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh), a Pennsylvania state lawmaker, joined several Super Bowl betting pools and challenged state police to bust her.

    She’s not little people enough.

    1. JWatts

      “Rep. Lisa Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh), a Pennsylvania state lawmaker”

      She’s a state lawmaker. I bet if she had an R after her name, she’d be getting a note from the IRS come tax time, at the least. And it would probably be an extended audit going back 3 years, just to be sure.

  8. Can we just get German taxpayers to pick up the tab for everything?

    You know what else German taxpayers picked up the tab for?

    1. HeteroPatriarch

      Hitler?

    2. Rufus J. Firefly

      For Eulenspiegel’s mischief and mayhem?

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

    3. Schei?eporn?

    4. fun fun fun on the autobahn?

      1. Almanian!

        wir “fahren fahren fahren auf der Autobahn, scheissekopf!

        1. James Anderson Merritt

          Still, you must admit, “We’ll have fun, fun, fun, on the Autobahn, now that Daddy took the Beemer away,” has a certain charm to it.

          OT: Computer World or Electric Cafe?

          1. lap83

            Computer World

    5. John Titor

      Charles V’s escort to Rome?

    6. C. Anacreon

      German Potato Salad?

    7. db

      The Berlin Airlift?

    8. JEP

      WWI?

    9. Almanian!

      tickets to a David Hasselhoff concert?

    10. mr lizard

      Adventure filled Archeological digs?

    11. Varus’s welcome party?

  9. Zeb

    So basically Obama doesn’t want a budget passed ever. I guess we sort of knew that already.

    1. califernian

      If that’s the case, I’m starting to like this guy.

  10. Alaskans are a tad pissed over the White House’s call for a ban on oil drilling in coastal waters.

    Pshaw. Obama has expanded domestic energy production.

    1. db

      Also, he is the biggest defender of the Second Amendment since Ted Nugent.

      1. JWatts

        And the ocean’s stopped rising when he took over.

        ” this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; ”

        Barack Obama June 2008

        1. JWatts

          Damn I forgot to include the beginning of that quote:

          “The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations.
          …
          this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal;”

          1. He should’ve been impeached by the Democratic Congress right then and there.

  11. CARACAS – Venezuelan head of state Nicolas Maduro Sunday accused US Vice President Joe Biden of heading a “bloody” plan to overthrow his government, which he said was announced to presidents and prime ministers of Caribbean countries.

    In a political event in the central state of Miranda, Maduro reiterated that he doesn’t know if US President Barack Obama is aware of the plan.

    “The imperial power has entered a dangerous phase of desperation and has been talking to governments of the continent to announce they’ll topple my government. I accuse US Vice President Joe Biden who personally spoke with the presidents and prime ministers about the plan”, he said.

    http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/w…..470213.htm

    Maduro is a Peanut!

    1. Andrew S.

      Why don’t your kind worship Maduro the way they worshipped Chavez?

      1. Why do you conservatives worship Putin?

        1. You mean the guy that Republicans have been saying we should go into Ukraine in order to stop?

          Jesus Christ, at least pick someone who conservatives actually kind of like. Point me to these American conservatives who support Putin’s Ukraine invasion.

          1. Vladimir Putin is calling on the conservatives of the world to unite?behind him.

            The Kremlin leader’s full-throated defense of Russia’s “traditional values” and his derision of the West’s “genderless and infertile” liberalism in his annual state-of-the-nation address last week was just the latest example of Putin attempting to place himself at the vanguard of a new “Conservative International.”

            According to excerpts from the report cited in the media, most people yearn for stability and security, favor traditional family values over feminism and gay rights, and prefer nation-based states rather than multicultural melting pots. Putin, the report says, stands for these values while “ideological populism of the left” in the West “is dividing society.”

            “Against the backdrop of a difficult economic situation, people are becoming more prudent,” Dmitry Abzalov of the Center for Strategic Communications said at the news conference. “It is important for most people to preserve their way of life, their lifestyle, their traditions. So they tend toward conservatism. This is normal.”

            http://www.theatlantic.com/int…..on/282572/

            1. wareagle

              what part of that implies American conservative worship of Vlad? Oh, that’s right; none of it.

            2. JEP

              So, Putin calling on conservatives *of the world* means that American conservatives love Putin?

            3. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

              Vladimir Putin said ‘conservatives should rally behind me’ and you took that as proof that conservatives have actually done so.

              Sort of like how if I said ‘Every Victoria’s Secret model should sleep with me’ it would immediately be so.

              The problem with this dipshit argument is that American conservatives are nationalists. Why would American conservatives align themselves with a nationalist Russian given their own pro-America jingoism?

              You’ve really declined in quality over the last few months. You used to be a more interesting troll.

              1. Suthenboy

                When was that? I am thinking back a few years….nope, I got nuthin’.

          2. Rufus J. Firefly

            Conservatives LOATHE Putin.

            1. Mike M.

              If you contrast Putin’s love for Russia with Obama’s hatred for America, that means you “love Putin”.

              It’s pretty much the lamest, most pathetic talking point the JournoList has ever come up with.

            2. On Fox, Giuliani Praises Putin: He’s “What You Call A Leader,” In Contrast To Obama

              Pat Buchanan Continues His Love Affair With Vladimir Putin

              Fox’s Ben Carson: Putin Is Right For Calling America “Godless”

              Video links to Fox News-

              http://mediamatters.org/video/…..all/198316

              1. Pat Buchanan has basically been disowned by the American right for his opposition to militarism. Go read the comments on American Conservative some time – they’re pretty much all anti-war leftists. Do any conservatives care what Pat Buchanan has to say about any subject?

                Ben Carson was not being pro-Putin, he was agreeing with Putin on a specific point. That doesn’t make him pro-Putin, unless I’m pro-Obama since both I and Obama think a nuclear war would be a bad idea.

                As for Giuliani, this is a man who, during the 2008 presidential election, argued in favor of an arms buildup in order to confront Vladimir Putin. When someone has argued that we should build up the army to go to war with Putin, it strikes me as dishonest to claim he’s pro-Putin.

                1. JWatts

                  ” it strikes me as dishonest to claim ”

                  Which is pretty much a response to a typical PB post.

                  She’s pretty much the queen of strawman posts.

                2. Mike M.

                  Pat Buchanan is basically a soft neo-Nazi who listened to a little too much Father Coughlin as a kid, just like Sheldon Richman. His worldview is primarily shaped by his hatred of the Jews.

              2. Suthenboy

                You think because many people, including myself, laughted at what a little bitch Putin made of this swishy little fairy:

                http://www.freerepublic.com/fo…..8294/posts

                that we like Putin?

                Uh huh.

                I noticed that you ignored my post yesterday.

                1. I always suspected you were one of the Neo-Nazi Freepers here.

                  1. “I always suspected you were one of the Neo-Nazi Freepers here.”

                    Or he just searched google for the picture and Free Republic was the first link…

      2. Jordan

        In my experience, Maduro is pretty popular among shriek’s kind.

        1. And go to Free Republic and notice how your kind loves Putin.

          1. Jordan

            My kind? You got a cite for that?

            1. Do you?

              I am a liberal. Hayek was careful to describe what is wrong with conservatives and their authoritarian traditionalism.

              Most of the difference is culture and tradition. Conservatives are stuck in the far past. Liberals strive for modernity and innovation.

              1. Jordan

                You’ve never met a central planning scheme or bombing campaign you didn’t like, as long as Obama was behind it. You’ve got a million comments here defending horrible laws and regulations.

                1. Don’t change the topic. Are you more of a liberal or conservative?

                  Is “tradition” central in your worldview?

                  1. Jordan

                    I didn’t change the topic, fuckwit. You asked if I have a cite.

                    And I’ve answered these questions from you before. I’m a libertarian. I don’t give a shit about tradition. Now that you’ve lost your “gotcha”, kindly fuck off. You are a Liberal, but not in the classical sense, that’s for sure.

                    1. And you’re full of shit. The existence of a central bank does not make a country a socialist/Marxist one. The USD was critical in our development as the economic superpower.

                      The Fed is just as essential as the SCOTUS is although it is not a coequal branch of government.

                    2. JEP

                      If you’re trying to justify calling yourself a classical liberal you’re failing miserably by supporting a central bank.

                      Classical liberals favor anything that maximizes freedom for the individual – abolition of divine right, private property, freedom of thought/speech, etc. How do you reconcile supporting a central bank, clearly a centralized, top-down institution with the idea of maximizing freedom for the individual?

                      Every modern day central bank is associated with a fiat currency. Fiat currencies enforce a monopoly on money and floating interest rate, so that the value of a currency isn’t determined by the opinions of the people using it as a method of exchange, but by the fact that the government is setting a particular interest rate and you’re forced to abide by it – all taxes must be paid in government currency any other method of exchange is deemed counterfeiting.

                      The existence of a central bank does not make a country a socialist/Marxist one.

                      No, but supporting a central bank disqualifies you from saying you support economic freedom.

                  2. JWatts

                    Hmmm, are you Pro-Peasants owning Guns or Anti-Peasants owning guns?

                    Because the traditional world view is that Guns should be restricted to the ‘proper’ authorities.

                    1. Jordan

                      Shriek is pro-whatever-Obama-is-pro. We know this because he constantly talked of being pro-gun and then showed up to defend Obama’s proposed gun control regs after Sandy Hook.

                  3. John Titor

                    Buttplug has to dumb down politics to the most basic and stupid ‘us vs. them’ mentality into to know which people he can pretend are his inferiors. Buttplug loves to think of himself as some kind of high-minded modernist, or else he’d have to gain an ounce of self-awareness to realize he’s just a coked out loser narcissistic sycophant.

          2. Brian D

            Oh yeah? Well Tu quoque aussi!

    2. expat

      He kinda sounds like the Fox News of left-wingnut set to me

    3. If Joe Biden is able to outwit you, you don’t deserve to stay in power.

  12. Carl ?s the level

    From the Title II story:

    Tom Wheeler was feeling the heat.

    It was August and the head of the Federal Communications Commission was sitting on the deck of his family’s vacation home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Sweat dripped onto the paperwork before him. For months, the tall, bespectacled Wheeler had been consumed by an arcane but important debate over how to regulate the companies that provide access to the Internet.

    Who teaches journalists to write like this? What benefit is it supposed to have?

    Am I just confused because I don’t have a Masters in Journalism from Columbia?

    1. At least it’s only print. A TV version would have a doleful piano music bed.

    2. Narrative journalism, man. If you write like it’s a story, hopefully no one will notice that you never explain your sources or where your information comes from. That way, you can engage in outright lies and falsehoods but everyone will be too wrapped up in the narrative to notice!

    3. C. Anacreon

      Because you’re not a true fiction writer unless you write in metaphors that work on several levels.

      Oh, this was supposed to be news reporting? What’s the difference again?

    4. wareagle

      I particularly like this:

      the head of the Federal Communications Commission was sitting on the deck of his family’s vacation home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

      Is that supposed to engender sympathy for Wheeler’s work?

  13. The Late P Brooks

    It’s hard to believe Christie would ever decline to tell the peasants what to do, at gunpoint. I smell a trap.

    1. RAHeinlein

      I’m not Christ fan or apologist, but both his initial statement staff follow-up were quite rational.

      “The Governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated,” Christie’s office said in a statement. “At the same time different states require different degrees of vaccination, which is why he was calling for balance in which ones government should mandate.”

      1. AlmightyJB

        Rand Paul’s take

        http://www.nbcnews.com/politic…..rs-n298821

        1. “I have heard of many tragic cases of walking, talking normal children who wound up with profound mental disorders after vaccines,” he said.

          This is covered in depth in Paul’s self-started medical journal, Rumors of the National Medical Association.

  14. The Late P Brooks

    NO JUSTICE, NO GASOLINE

    The United Steelworkers union that represents employees at more than 200 refineries, terminals, pipelines and chemical plants stopped work Sunday at nine sites, accounting for 10 percent of the country’s refining capacity, after contract negotiations fell apart. The union rejected five offers made by Royal Dutch Shell Plc on behalf of companies including Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. since talks began Jan. 21. Tesoro Corp. is shutting half of its 166,000-barrel-a-day Martinez plant in California that wasn’t already idled for maintenance.

    Union leaders haven’t called a strike nationally since 1980, when a stoppage lasted three months. While only one of the nine plants has curbed production amid the stoppage, a full walkout of USW workers would threaten to disrupt as much as 64 percent of U.S. fuel output. Shell and union officials began negotiations amid the biggest collapse in oil prices since 2008.

    Let’s claw back some of the money people are saving at the pump!

    1. db

      Fuck that shit. Why unions are allowed in critical infrastructure related jobs at all amazes me.

    2. John Titor

      There has been too much violence. Too much pain. But I have an honorable compromise. Just walk away. Give me your pump, the oil, the gasoline, and the whole compound, and I’ll spare your lives. Just walk away and we’ll give you a safe passageway in the wastelands. Just walk away and there will be an end to the horror.

      1. db

        I always thought it was interesting that the film dialogue implies that Humungus and Pappagallo had known each other in the past, and that at least Humungus knew it.

        1. This is correct. They were fellow accountants at the Australian H&R Block. They did tax returns together, even after everything got fucked up. Sadly, Pappagallo began working in-house for an evil oil company run by the Kochs.

          1. db

            Ah, yes, the exciting, fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world of Chartered Accountancy.

            1. Exciting? No it’s not. It’s dull. Dull. Dull. My God, it’s dull, it’s so desperately dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and des-per-ate-ly DULL.

              1. The Crimson Permanent Assurance begs to differ!

    3. Dances-with-Trolls

      No way that could backfire.

    4. Illocust

      Wow, how do they think this is a good time to pull this? With gas prices as low as they are they don’t really have a lot of negotiating room.

    5. Juice

      I wondered why gas went up 3 cents today!

  15. RBS

    Coming out as poor…

    1. RBS

      The only people who have ever asked me where my parents went to college were my ultra progressive ex gf, her family and friends.

      1. Doghouse Riley Jr.

        “Summa cum laude from The School of Hard Knocks. You got a problem with that?”

    2. I’m far more distrubed by the notion that UMich counts as an elite university.

  16. The Late P Brooks

    For months, the tall, bespectacled Wheeler had been consumed by an arcane but important debate over how to regulate the companies that provide access to the Internet.

    CAN’T YOU SEE HARD THIS NOBLE SERVANT OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST STRIVES TO MAKE YOUR LIFE WORTH LIVING, AMERICA? YOU OWE HIM YOUR RESPECT AND ADMIRATION.

  17. Jordan

    EFF Wins Battle Over Secret Legal Opinions on Government Spying

    Department of Justice to Release Analysis of Law Enforcement and Intelligence Agency Access to Census Records

    The DOJ threw in the towel, but since they were fighting it from the start, I’m guessing that census data did find its way in the hands of law enforcement agencies. More proof that the government can’t be trusted with any data at all.

  18. The Late P Brooks

    Vladimir Putin is calling on the conservatives of the world to unite?behind him.

    That settles it. How can we argue with that?

    1. Almanian!

      No one can. Un. Possible.

  19. Mike M.

    Apple to build two billion dollar global command center in Mesa, Arizona.

    Seeing the boys from Cupertino go out there has got to leave a mark, right California? I bet some of their hipster fans won’t be too happy about that.

    1. Illocust

      Ouch, I would have never expected Apple to be one of the first to go.

      1. That’s not a new HQ facility. I don’t think they’re leaving California, though, of course, they certainly should.

        1. Given that Mesa is in Maricopa county, I’m not sure this is much of an improvement. I’m sure Apple’s H-1B employees are just going to love their new sheriff.

  20. Carl ?s the level

    Assault computers!

    China to curb phone, computer purchases in restive Xinjiang

    Anyone buying a mobile phone or a computer in the restive far-western Chinese region of Xinjiang will have to register their personal details with police, state media reported, in the latest sign of tightening government restrictions.

    The measures were designed to “prevent people spreading harmful information and carrying out illegal activities”, the English-language Shanghai Daily reported, citing government officials.

    The regulations apply to both new and second-hand equipment. Retailers will be required to upload purchasers’ details to a public security database administered by police and to install surveillance cameras in their stores.

    Owners and operators of electronics stores will also be required to place warning signs in prominent locations telling people not to spread audio and video content about violence and terrorism, the report said.

    The selling of unregistered cards for phones or WiFi services was banned, it added.

    Thomas Friedman and David Cameron are jacking each other off right now.

  21. Michael Lind is very, very sad that libertarianism ‘hijacked’ American conservatism.

    Poor, poor Michael. His dream of a fascist American state has been dealt a heavy blow by those of us less prone to authoritarian wet dreams.

    Best part: He yearns for the era of Pat Buchanan:

    “While neoconservatives rejected libertarianism from the relative left, socially traditional paleoconservatives added economic libertarianism to multiculturalism and mass immigration (and neoconservative foreign policy) to their list of the evils afflicting America. Patrick Buchanan fought for protectionism against economic globalization. Conservative familists like Alan Carlson supported tax policies and market rules to strengthen one-breadwinner nuclear families.”

    If only we could travel back to the good old days, when American conservatives were vulgar racists who thought our involvement in WWII was a bad idea! Why, oh why did that wonderful conservatism of the John Birch Society have to go away?

    That sure is some crazy reactionary nonsense coming from an allegedly ‘progressive’ website.

    1. HAHAHAHAHAHA!

      “In other industrial democracies, the right can play the cards of economic patriotism and economic family values. But not in America. Today’s American right can’t combine its fervent national-security militarism with economic nationalism as a corollary, as long as “conservative” economists and pundits take the libertarian line that the offshoring of U.S. industry to foreign countries, including mercantilist nations like China that cheat, is good for everybody.”

      He does realize he’s describing a fascist state, correct? A nation with ‘fervent national-security militarism’ and ‘economic nationalism as a corollary’ sure sounds an awful lot like a mid-1960s Hispanic military dictatorship, doesn’t it? Or, for that matter, Benito Mussolini’s Italy.

    2. Yes, if only. Even if Rand Paul were to get elected, libertarianism is hardly the dominant force in our culture.

    3. John

      Why, oh why did that wonderful conservatism of the John Birch Society have to go away?

      The Birch Society were totally marginalized in politics. They had no effect on anything. Lind longs for that form of conservatism because he longs for conservatism to be an ideology of kooks.

      He hates Libertarianism because he is terrified it might be popular.

  22. James Anderson Merritt

    What authority and what crisis justify the federal power grab to regulate internet as a “utility”? Perhaps we should all write our elected officials in DC and say that a vote for “internet as utility” on their part will be a vote against them in re-election on our part: no mercy, no exceptions.

    1. The Communications Act of 1934 as ammended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, apparently.

  23. The Late P Brooks

    Exciting? No it’s not. It’s dull. Dull. Dull. My God, it’s dull, it’s so desperately dull and tedious and stuffy and boring and des-per-ate-ly DULL.

    My advice to you, my boy- get yourself a top hat and a whip and go into Lion Taming.

    1. Well, yes. Yes. Of course, it’s a bit of a jump isn’t it? I mean, er, chartered accountancy to lion taming in one go. You don’t think it might be better if you worked your way towards lion taming, say, via banking?

  24. trshmnster the terrible

    Warren Sapp arrested for soliciting a prostitute

    1. Hey, one of my team’s Hall of Famers! 2-14 and Warren in the clink.

      1. C. Anacreon

        I wonder if they’ll continue that beer commercial where Warren Sapp and some scantily-dressed girls remodel a guy’s den and backyard in Buccaneer garb.

        1. I don’t see why not. I mean, those girls were probably professional models and only perform sex acts for money on an indirect basis.

          1. trshmnster the terrible

            Sapp should know that you can only plunder booty when you don’t pay for it. Plunder for pay just never works.

            1. What I don’t understand is why he didn’t just wait and go to Gasparilla in Tampa. Then the whores are free.

  25. The Late P Brooks

    Lions are quite docile, for the most part.

    1. Yes, yes, yes, I do follow, Mr Anchovy, but you see the snag is. . .if I now call Mr Chipperfield and say to him, ‘Look here, I’ve got a forty-five-year-old chartered accountant with me who wants to become a lion tamer’, his first question is not going to be ‘Does he have his own hat?’ He’s going to ask what sort of experience you’ve had with lions.

  26. Carl ?s the level

    Reason missed out on a golden opportunity to poll teh millenialz.

    The question was:

    Was Publishing the Cartoons Depicting the Prophet Muhammad Okay or Not Okay?

    18-29 year-olds have the lowest levels of support (54%), which is sad but not surprising given the indoctrination they are going through. 65+ were close at 55%, and 50-64 were highest at 67%.

    The subtitle/tagline of the report is Majority Says Publishing Cartoons Was ‘Okay,’ But About Half of Non-Whites Say ‘Not Okay’. It is 70-20 (okay vs. not okay) for whites, 37-48 for non-whites, and 60-28 total.

    To the extent that breaking it out by race is useful at all, I am mildly annoyed that it only does white and non-white. Contra SJWs, those are not the only categories of interest.

    Teh wimminz fare more poorly than the men, at 52-33 vs. 67-24. Unsurprisingly (though it would probably be different if it weren’t TEH MOOSLIMS) Republicans wallop the Democrats, 70-20 vs. 55-35.

    1. “18-29 year-olds have the lowest levels of support (54%), which is sad but not surprising given the indoctrination they are going through. 65+ were close at 55%, and 50-64 were highest at 67%.”

      Looks like we’ve got an exciting, authoritarian future coming our way.

    2. Freedom of speech. Often considered a cornerstone in the liberties necessary to a free republic, was abandoned by the United States in the early years of the 2000s. Many historians today believe that the following dictatorship was attributable to this loss of a core principle; however, others attribute it to a lack of proper vaccination.

    3. lap83

      The wording seems vague enough that it’s possible that not all of them meant that they thought it should be illegal.

      1. Carl ?s the level

        I agree that it’s possible, and try to remind myself of that in instances like these. But my experience suggests that most who said “not okay” do think it should be illegal.

        And call me a godless atheist and/or “thick” libertarian, but I’d find it mildly disconcerting — albeit much less so — that so many said “not okay” even if it was purely in the sense of “I think it’s a bad thing to do, but shouldn’t be outlawed”.

    4. Carl ?s the level

      Correction, the question was:

      As you may know, over the past several years this magazine has published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which some people found offensive to their religious beliefs. Do you think publishing these cartoons was okay or not okay?

      Pretty much the same semantically.

    5. Calidissident

      Given that the question was not in regards to its legality, I don’t really think you can draw too many conclusions from this. Someone disliking the cartoon doesn’t necessarily mean they think the government should ban it.

      1. Carl ?s the level

        See my reply to lap83

  27. DEG

    I’m drinking Founder’s Breakfast Stout to warm up after round one of driveway clearing. Fuck winter.

    1. Indeed. Why live in it? Perhaps I should go have a mojito on the beach now.

      1. DEG

        Work. I had planned to leave and was getting my house ready to sell. Then a startup job came up that I couldn’t say no to, so a few (I hope) years more in New England.

        1. We can send people up to liberate you. Tanned, rested, and relaxed soldiers of sun and fortune.

          1. DEG

            They’ll have to wait for the snow to melt though.

            Florida has no income tax, but it has a sales tax. That’s OK, I’ll trade a sales tax for no income tax. NH actually has an income tax, they call it the “Interest and Dividends Tax” and claim it’s not an income tax because it’s called the “Interest and Dividends Tax”.

            1. I recently learned that Arizona doesn’t have a sales tax. It has a Transaction Privilege Tax. I want to not buy things there, that name offends me so much.

              1. DEG

                I was going to say there are places like Mesa in Arizona without any property tax, but this article implies that has changed.

                I agree with you that the tax name is offensive.

                1. Mother may I buy this bag of Doritos?

                  1. DEG

                    Only if you buy enough for everyone.

        2. Beautiful Bean Footage

          At least you have a Super Bowl Champion there! For which the Seahawk haters of the world are mighty grateful, btw…

          1. DEG

            What the fuck is the Super Bowl?

    2. C. Anacreon

      It’s 70 and sunny here — but we’d kill for your snow. At least you’re not in a drought.

    3. AlmightyJB

      I’ve had that. Its a fine stout.

      1. DEG

        It is. I only have one bottle left. Unfortunately, one can’t get it in bottles in NH, one must go to MA for bottles. However, one can get Founder’s Breakfast Stout on draft in NH. A state rep is fighting the regulations (warning: autoplay video) despite it being against his best interest. He owns a bar and has Founder’s Breakfast Stout on tap.

        I’m going to save my last bottle for breakfast on an upcoming weekend.

    4. Raven Nation

      after round one of driveway clearing

      stout effort that old chap.

    5. JEP

      I’m drinking Founder’s Breakfast Stout

      Is that the stout that’s a mix of oatmeal, coffee, and chocolate? If so, it’s excellent.

      1. DEG

        Yes

    6. DEG

      I’ve moved on to Yards’ ESA.

  28. trshmnster the terrible

    What’s the deal with the lynx today? Typically the comment count is up in the mid 200s by now.

    1. People are hungover from eating too much Velveeta and beer. Combined I mean. In dip form.

      1. trshmnster the terrible

        No excuse! The lynx requires comments for sustenance! Hell, you would think that people would have more fear struck into their hearts after Katy Perry rode the lynx out onto the football field.

        Also, dancing sharks… if that’s not worth dropping by to talk about, then what is?

        1. I must be un-American, because I didn’t watch any of the halftime show, hardly any commercials, and wasn’t that impressed with either team. So there.

          1. trshmnster the terrible

            The commercials (save a handful) sucked ass. If the two teams fell into a giant Star Wars-like sand monster pit, I would have been happy. And I abso-fucking-lutely hate Katy Perry. However, the dancing sharks made it all worth while.

            I’ll just join you in un-America.

          2. DEG

            I’m American, and I have no clue what you’re talking about.

        2. DEG

          Hell, you would think that people would have more fear struck into their hearts after Katy Perry rode the lynx out onto the football field.

          It looks like English, but I’m not sure what it says. It mentions Katy Perry, but I see nothing about her being naked.

        3. lap83

          Why is the Halftime show always performed by someone whose demographic seems least likely to be pro football fans?

  29. The Late P Brooks

    The commercials were drab and uninspiring.

    I suspect, however, the High and Mighty of Mothers Against Drunk Driving are crying in their martinis right now, because they did not come up with that, “I AM A DEAD BABY” spot.

  30. The Late P Brooks

    The Interception Bowl*, as I have dubbed it, was better than most. Until the end. WTF.

    *Barring the two interceptions, Seattle wouldn’t have even been in it, sez I, so I suppose it was fitting that Seattle’s dreams were daqshed to shit by an interception.

    1. Barring the two interceptions, Seattle wouldn’t have even been in it

      You know, if you ignore all the best plays that team made, they really weren’t competetive were they?

      1. Migrant Log Picker

        Seahawks outgained them,btw.

    2. Barring the two interceptions, Seattle wouldn’t have even been in it, sez I

      Uhh, that’s kind of like saying that if the Seahawks hadn’t have played so well, they wouldn’t have been in it.

      One could just as easily have said that the Pats would have lost had the Hawks completed that last pass.

  31. ICC world cup 2015 live cricket streaming watch online

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  32. Then, like the Spanish newspapers, who freaked when Google walked away, they’ll seek government compulsion to force Google to give them that access.

    I better see this fucking miraculous 100gig bandwidth at my house the following fucking weekend that all the slashdot “tech-savvy” millennials claim I’ll have.

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