A.M. Links: Congress Considers DHS Funding Bill, Blogger Avijit Roy Murdered in Bangladesh, Gary Johnson to Seek LP Presidential Nomination

Credit: White House / Flickr.com

• "Hours from a partial agency shutdown, Congress is moving to approve a short-term funding bill for the Homeland Security Department that leaves intact Obama administration immigration policies Republicans vowed to repeal."

• President Barack Obama is planning to use executive action to ban 5.56 M855 ammunition, a type of bullet commonly used with the popular AR-15 rifle.

• Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wowed the conservative crowd yesterday at CPAC.

• British Prime Minister David Cameron is refusing to confirm media reports which have identified the ISIS terrorist known as "Jihadi John" as a computer programmer from West London.

• U.S.-based blogger Avijit Roy has been murdered while visiting Bangladesh to attend a book fair. A prominent voice for atheism and secularism in that country, Roy had received multiple death threats from Islamic extremists.

• Declaring himself a "reality-based candidate," former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson announced he will seek the Libertarian Party's 2016 presidential nomination.

Follow Reason on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. You can also get the top stories mailed to you—sign up here.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wowed the conservative crowd yesterday at CPAC.

NEW FRONTRUNNER

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

"President Barack Obama is planning to use executive action to ban 5.56 M855 ammunition, a type of bullet commonly used with the popular AR-15 rifle."

Naturally. Of course.

[Slammer]

Sounds like he wants the Democratic Party destroyed.

[Monty Crisco]

Went on Lucky Gunner to check 5.56 yesterdy in bulk. They had 5 manufactures and a decent stock of each. Went back in the afternoon. Two manufacturers and less stock.
Bought another 1000 rds of PMC X-tac.
FUCK.

[Monty Crisco]

Sold out today, btw...

[gaijin]

here we go again...I remember trying to get even 9mm a couple of years ago after Sandy Hook...impossible for less than 0.50 per round. One can only hope this is undone soon...

[Somalian Road Corporation]

I remember being repeatedly told in 2008 that gun control was a losing issue for Democrats and that you were a racist lunatic for daring to have any concerns about the matter with Obama as President.

Fuck, I wish I'd bought more M855 when it was cheap.

[Palin's Buttplug]

By avoiding questions Walker is proof Americans love an empty suit.

[WTF]

And he HAZ NO COLLEG DEGREEZ!!11!!!!

[Monty Crisco]

He ANSWERS questions, dipshit, they are just answers you don't like. Because you're a dipshit.
And has ANYONE ever personified "empty suit" better than Barack Obama?!?!
And you suck his dick...

[WTF]

Hey, remember when the media also insisted that prominent Democrats had to defend George W. Bush's patriotism and love of country? Good times, good times.

[Monty Crisco]

WHAT LIBERAL MEDIA?!?!?!

[Mike M.]

Hey Weigel!

So are you sticking by your claim that Jeb Bush is a lock to win the republican nomination or aren't you? It kind of sounded like you might be trying to weasel out of that the other day.

[Monty Crisco]

God, that is such a stupid prediction...

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Monty, do consider the source of that prediction - it wants cake, it always wants cake.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't know about his predictions, but right now I'm thinking Bush is the establishment pick. And if that's the case, he gets the nomination.

I don't know how they do it. I mean, Jesus, how did McCain suddenly end up with the nod?

[David Wall]

Getting more votes in the primaries and stuff? Its not just the R's fanaciers & leaders that make lame decisions.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I can't live in a world where John McCain wins a presidential primary solely on the will of the voter.

[Bobarian (hyphenated-american)]

McCain was the MSMs pick for 'best republican'. Shithead will tell you that that was who Bill Maher voted for.

[WTF]

How could it be anything else, considering the source.

[Lord Humungus]

Wait I thought he was predicting Huckabee ... or was it Santorum?

[Mike M.]

Also, your comment is pretty rich coming from the party of Hillary Clinton. Where is she these days anyway? It seems like two months since I last saw one of those ugly old pantsuits.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Hil-Dog is just as vapid as Scott Walker.

The GOP Klown Kar is just warming up. Ol' Jeb will be the "sane" pick by the GOP bigshits and you know it.

[Mike M.]

Nice mealy-mouthed dodge. You're clearly trying to give yourself room to weasel out.

[gaijin]

room to weasel out.

aka, a little 'weigel room'?

[Ptah-Hotep]

aka, a little 'weigel room'?

Well done.

*Stands to applaud.*

[R C Dean]

Hear, hear!

[tips top hat, kicks orphan]

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

He is "Ready for Hillary!"

[R C Dean]

PB, if you are "Ready for Hillary" for more than four hours, you should consult a doctor.

[Ptah-Hotep]

you should consult a doctor.

Preferably a shrink.

[cavalier973]

A shriek shrink.

[Banjos]

Yeah, how dare he not fall for a gotcha question to give fodder for dipshits like you!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Walker is talking to the Bitter Clingers who are rootin'tootin' Creationist Bible-beating idiots. Better to shut up and let them define him for themselves.

[Monty Crisco]

Sounds like you heard him loud and clear...or maybe those are the voices in your head...

[Gleep Glop]

Isn't this exactly why we do not want a powerful centralized government?

[Rhywun]

When did you stop beating your wife, Plugs?

[R C Dean]

"Goddam, but that's a stupid question." is an adequate response to any goddam stupid question.

[The Last American Hero]

I've seen this movie a few times before. Remember when Herman Cain was a front runner?

[Almanian!]

Nein, nein, nein! I do not!

[Brett L]

I'll just say again that my thirty minutes watching him work a room convinced me that he gets retail politics. Whether he would be a good president... I think he's a technocrat with no particular instinct to rein in the Executive agencies. Probably not great but survivable.

[Lord Humungus]

NW poll: Your bumper sticker may spur other drivers to be rude

A new poll conducted by PEMCO Insurance found that about one in five motorists in the Northwest admit they are less courteous to drivers sporting bumper stickers with messages they oppose.

The same poll also found that about the same proportion of motorists also are more polite to drivers displaying stickers they agree with.

The poll found that men are equally as likely as women to be at least slightly more courteous when they see messages they agree with, but they're more discourteous when they see messages they oppose (23 percent of men vs. 13 percent of women).

[Notorious G.K.C.]

So if you're driving in Portland, don't use your GOD, GUTS AND GLORY sticker.

[gaijin]

driving in Portland

Wait, I thought everyone took mass transit there?

[Steve G]

pshaw! Bicycles, man!

[Andrew S.]

When I was living in North Carolina, I once saw somebody with a bumper sticker that said "The war's over. You lost. Get over it." Ballsy.

[Injun, as in from India]

What war were they referring to? I find that to be kind of vague.

[Ptah-Hotep]

The War of Northern Aggression. The people it is aimed at know exactly what they are talking about.

[Injun, as in from India]

The War of Liberation for a large percentage of human beings who lived in the South? Oh yes, that war was well won.

[RBS]

Chapel Hill? Asheville?

[bodenlosen Schweinerei]

Fayettenam?

[WTF]

Well, I do like to run people off the road when I see an "Obama-Biden" sticker. But then again I live in New Jersey, and that's just how people drive here.

[Old Man With Candy]

I just shoot at them.

[Injun, as in from India]

The smuggest leftist bumper sticker I've seen is one that says "Voldemort votes Republican". I was tempted to roll my down and say "I've played Voldemort a few times in the past."

[WTF]

Well, they do have trouble deciphering fantasy from reality.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't put stickers on my things. I'm not a 9-year-old girl.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

My favorite is the "Question Authority" one with the scrape marks that probably date back to January 2009...

[gaijin]

+1...They got their answer...and liked it!

[straffinrun]

Most Dems just put a "Racists" in front of it to keep up to date.

[Steve G]

Endlessthis WAR!!
Always on a liberal car next to the Obama/Biden sticker. How's that war ending comin' retard?

[The Last American Hero]

This x 1000. Especially when it's sandwiched between the Obama wave sticker and the Ready for Hillary sticker.

[RBS]

The more lefty/proggy bumper stickers the dumber the person driving. They are also usually really, really shitty drivers.

[Enough About Palin]

I have a small rainbow fish on my back bumper. People have tried to remove it.

[MJGreen]

I don't put stickers on my things. I'm not a 9-year-old girl.

I'd like that on a bumper sticker.

[Bobarian (hyphenated-american)]

I don't put stickers on my things. I'm not a 9-year-old girl

You do all your political sloganing with tattoos?

[invisible furry hand]

"My other bumper sticker is intelligent"

[Andrew S.]

I live in Florida. Everyone drives like an asshole, no matter what bumper sticker you have on your car.

[Slammer]

Honk if you've never seen an uzi fired from a car window!

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

*silence*

[Certified Public Asskicker]

How does everyone feel about the rest in peace decals?

I find them to be creepy. I don't want to think about dead friends every time I get in my car.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Preferable to the tats

[Certified Public Asskicker]

My good friend did a giant back tattoo for his dad.

I do my best to keep my thoughts to myself.

[RBS]

I hate them. Every fucking kid with pick up in my county has one though.

[Brett L]

We love grandpa so much we're gonna remember him for 3-5 years while we have this car.

[Banjos]

My sticker is awesome.

[invisible furry hand]

Holy crap, that is awesome. One back atcha

[Banjos]

That made my day.

[Old Man With Candy]

Yes. Yes, it is.

[BigT]

Mine says:

F (a very large letter) the President (in much smaller letters)

It never goes out of style!

[TwB]

I have a window sticker that depicts a T-Rex eating a stick family. The caption reads: Your Stick Family was Delicious. I will on occasion see folks taking pictures of it and I have had the gamut of comments ranging from "That is wildly inappropriate" to "where can I get one?"

[Lord Humungus]

I have no bumper stickers... why blemish my vehicles?

[R C Dean]

I have to admit, I can't resist putting the stickers from my upgrades on my vehicle. TRD Supercharger, AEI (cold air intake), UniChip, etc.

[RBS]

This your ride RC?

[R C Dean]

Naw, more like this, only more badass:

http://www.knfilters.com/image.....iser_L.jpg

[Brett L]

And give the police an easier time IDing your vehicle.

[thom]

I'm basically a dick to any driver with any political bumper sticker. You destroyed your car by putting some narcissists name on it? Fuck you, go to hell.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Hours from a partial agency shutdown, Congress is moving to approve a short-term funding bill for the Homeland Security Department that leaves intact Obama administration immigration policies Republicans vowed to repeal."

The terrorists will have to wait another day. UNLESS THEY'RE MEXICAN TERRORISTS.

[invisible furry hand]

No one has a "right" to body acceptance

Will we ever tire of able-bodied writers telling us how they've learned to love their their fat, their freckles, their stretch-marks, man-boobs, double-chin, wrinkles, receding hairline or any other of a multitude of perceived physical flaws?

[Doctor Whom]

I am beautiful in my own special way. In fact, I am much more beautiful than I appear.

[Brett L]

A grower not a shower?

[sarcasmic]

The Mongols were fearsome warriors... and big POLLUTERS: Kublai Khan's silver mining dumped more heavy metals into the environment than modern industry
Geologists have found Mongol silver mining produced four times as much harmful heavy metal pollution than modern industrial mining activities
The scientists examined sediment from lakes in Yunnan, south west China
The Mongols oversaw large scale silver mining and smelting in the region
Their silver smelting activities caused pollution levels to peak in 1300AD
Smelting silver causes other heavy metals to leach into the environment
Scientists say the heavy metals are still damaging the environment today

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

[Rich]

Scientists say the heavy metals are still damaging the environment today

And don't even get me started about those bastards' charcoal smoke!

[gaijin]

Their silver smelting activities caused pollution levels to peak in 1300AD

He who smelt it, dealt it...Was the silver used within his pleasure dome I wonder?

Also, not very scientific to use 'AD' when BCE seems to be the new I Fucking Love Sciencey unit.

[Zeb]

"CE". BCE is the new BC. I think using culturally neutral names for the different eras is good for archaeology. It would probably anger and confuse Daily Mail readers, though.

[gaijin]

doh, yes CE of course in this case

[Rhywun]

If we're going to be "culturally neutral" shouldn't year 0 be based on something, uh, not Christian? IOW this is just PC silliness.

[Raven Nation]

There is an element of irrelevance to it but, in this case to me anyway, it's not worth the argument.

[Rhywun]

I think fighting PC is always worth it.

BTW, the first time I saw this sort of thing was in a museum in communist East Germany.

[Zeb]

Sure, it's arbitrary. Since there is no known beginning date, whatever it is will be arbitrary. The only reason to stick with the Christian calendar years is because everyone knows what those years are already.

In a way it is PC silliness, but not really an example worth arguing about.

[R C Dean]

Beat me to it, Rhywun.

CE and BC just have the stank of political correctness. I never use any "era" designators, but if I did it would be BC and AD.

[Zeb]

Occasionally political correctness is useful. If you want to collaborate with people from various cultural backgrounds, why not just get rid of some of the arguments over terminology by using more neutral designations when neither is any more or less correct or informative? AD is explicitly religious and Christian. Why insist on using it?

I don't care if people say CE or AD. I will generally just say AD because that is normal in informal English usage. But in an academic context, I think it makes sense.

[Rhywun]

AD is explicitly religious and Christian. Why insist on using it?

Because I'm ornery and I'm sick and tired of rampant PC.

I am an atheist FFS and "BC" and "AD" don't bother me one bit. There was no "argument" over this terminology until PC scolds decided to make one up.

[Zeb]

Doesn't bother me either. Neither does CE/BCE. I expect someone who is religious and not Christian would be more bothered by it than an atheist.

PC is bad because it is used to silence or dismiss the wrong sort of people. Here it seems neutral.

[cavalier973]

AD is explicitly religious and Christian. Why insist on using it?

BCE = "Before the Christian Era"

CE = "Christian Era"

[Tonio]

Uh, because resetting datekeeping to a new point of reference would be hugely expensive and ultimately pointless as any date would be arbitrary and

Also, since you people get whiny about dropping "Year of Our Lord" from the date moniker, I can only imagine you'd go ballistic about a more disruptive change. AD is an abbreviation for Anno Domini which is, of course, Latin for year of our lord.

[Mickey Rat]

It is fascinating to see people complaining that others are "whining"about a change in terminology when the change occurrred because the first group got the vapors over the original terms.

[Azathoth!!]

How are 'Christian era' and 'Before Christian era' neutral?

oh--they mean something else? 'common'? What? really?

So there's some idiot out there who thought that implying that there was a time when time didn't pass in common was intelligent?

[Azathoth!!]

and goddamit I should read the whole thread before commenting.

[Pro Libertate]

I'm suing for reparations.

[WTF]

Why not? There is apparently no statute of limitations on past grievances.

[Zeb]

They can only pay in horse milk.

[DontShootMe]

Fermented, of course.

[Zeb]

I had a spirit distilled from fermented horse milk once. It was pretty good and oddly reminiscent of pineapple.

[Zeb]

Not surprising. Modern industrial activities are generally a whole lot cleaner and more efficient than the older ways of doing things.

As Rich mentions, when charcoal was the fuel for metal smelting huge areas were cleared of trees and there was constant smoke and haze over huge areas. Coal is pretty dirty, but nothing like that.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Unpossible! Everybody knows that returning to a more "natural" state of humanity would result in a far improved environment!

[Zeb]

Yeah. Just like in Haiti. Minus the tropical weather, that's what southern New England looked like in the late 18th century.

[Raven Nation]

Of course, most people who advocate that either don't know, or refuse to acknowledge, that returning to a more "natural" state would require a vastly smaller global population.

[Zeb]

Thinking you can right the wrongs of history is a common problem that people seem to have. The most extreme example being the "white Indian" type. Perhaps life was nice when we could gambol about the plains, hunting and gathering. But there is no non-evil way to get there, barring some enormous natural disaster.

[MJGreen]

Perhaps life was nice when we could gambol about the plains, hunting and gathering. But there is no non-evil way to get there, barring some enormous natural disaster.

Plus, it wasn't.

I think I'd say it's immoral to forgo modern medicine, sanitation and farming techniques, all for the sake of gamboling.

[RBS]

would require a vastly smaller global population.

I believe they consider that a feature.

[AlmightyJB]

They also killed like 2 million people and Ghengis Khan was so rapey that there is a decent chance he's your ancestor.

[WTF]

"DAMN MONGORIANS!!!"

[Pope Jimbo]

Yeah, but the Mongols "purchased" carbon offsets.

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

The deaths of 40million people meant that large areas of cultivated land grew thick once again with trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

And, although his methods may be difficult for environmentalists to accept, ecologists believe it may be the first ever case of successful manmade global cooling.

I actually don't think the environmentalists will have much difficulty accepting Genghis' forward thinking green policies. They may have some difficulty accepting that they will be part of the 40 million sacrificed for the greater good (after all it was supposed to be those evil deniers who were put in camps).

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

In Xanadu did Kublai Khan
A Superfund site decree...

[db]

Where a quicksilver river ran
Through wastelands poisonous to man
Down to a sludgey sea.

[sarcasmic]

Police scrap anti-violence poster that looked like it showed an officer beating a person with a riot stick as they begged for mercy
Several people claimed that the poster appeared to depict police brutality
Devon and Cornwall Police bizarrely defended confusing campaign image
Said it was 'one drunk person attacking another... which often happens'
But image can be found on clip-art websites under label 'police britality'
Force has now withdrawn poster which was part of breathalyser campaign

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

[Slammer]

Looks about right to me.

[Ted S.]

The truth hurts.

[sarcasmic]

literally

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

STOP RESISTING ALL THIS THEN!

[Bones]

police britality

Clever.

[R C Dean]

It has since been made clear that the picture could be seen as showing a police officer hitting somebody. This was not our intention.

What the hell else could it be? Click through and look at it. Its a riot cop nightsticking someone lying on the ground. It can't really be read as anything else. At all.

[bodenlosen Schweinerei]

The image was supposed to promote a campaign to stop drunk and violent people entering pubs and clubs.

Because nothing stops violent drunks dead in their tracks like a poster. Was giving them time outs ineffective?

[sarcasmic]

Across the Atlantic - in a garden shed: Most 84-year-olds would settle for a Saga cruise. But this ancient mariner had other ideas...
ANTHONY SMITH made 40ft by 18ft raft with pipes and telegraph pole
Naming it the Antiki, he set sail from the Canary Islands at just 2 knots
He and his crew of three spent more than two months crossing ocean
Every night they gathered to watch the sunset and scored it out of ten
But the men faced storms, loneliness and peril of their own thoughts

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

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I've sailed the open ocean before in a 57' sloop. A raft? No, just no.

[Pope Jimbo]

LOL at the name. That is good. I may have to go paint that name on my father's fishing boat when he isn't looking.

[Bobarian (hyphenated-american)]

STEVE SMITH MADE RAFT TO SAIL ACROSS OCEAN, BUT HIM RUN OUT OF CREW MEMBERS AFTER 3 DAYS.

[sarcasmic]

Dinner tables sliding across the floor and enormous waves crashing over deck: Watch terrifying footage that could put you off cruises for life
Cruise itineraries stick to calm waters, but rough seas can be unavoidable
This selection of video clips shows the effects that bad weather can have
This week passengers were stranded on ship due to extremely dense fog

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tra.....g-sea.html
The idea of being trapped in a floating hotel has never appealed to me, and this doesn't help.

[Ted S.]

My first hangover was on a cruise. Fun times.

[Libertarian]

"Royal Caribbean International Cruise Law News reported a fire earlier this month, which led to Jewel of the seas having no air conditioning for five hours."

FIVE HOURS! And I thought the crews in the old days had it bad with scurvy and keel hauling.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Queen: [with quill pen at the ready] Oh. Good. Any news of Edmund?
Melchett: [smugly] Well, Madam, if they're on course, they should be
nearing the urine-drinking stage by now.

[invisible furry hand]

Do I look absolutely divine and regal, and yet and at the same time very pretty and rather accessible?

[Clich? Bandit]

Percy, you look like you swallowed a plate.

[Clich? Bandit]

Don't worry your highness, there is an endless supply.

[bodenlosen Schweinerei]

I'll wager that purse never had 16 seasick mariners tossing in it.

[sarcasmic]

The rise of crazy cat MEN? Photographer aims to change society's 'sexist' views about feline ownership with powerful portraits of guys with their beloved pets
David Williams has been photographing his male subjects and their cats since 2009 as part of his ongoing project Men & Cats
The 25-year-old, who lives in Brooklyn, New York, said he was interested in capturing the relationships between his male friends and their feline pets

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....-pets.html
Surprisingly enough, a couple of them don't have beards.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

But they *all* had heavily-guarded lairs.

[Zeb]

Who ever said that men don't own cats?

A crazy cat lady (or man) isn't just someone who likes cats. It's someone who takes in every cat they encounter and lives a squalid existence surrounded by cat shit and empty food containers.

[Brett L]

The guy renting my house is a friend and he has subleased a bedroom to a guy who is a crazy cat man. The stories are like something the writers for The League would come up with for a sitcom character.

[sarcasmic]

Google software teaches itself to play 'SPACE INVADERS': Artificial intelligence program learns how to play without ever been shown the instructions
System will eventually be used to work out complex problems
Software can do better than humans on Atari video games from the 1980s

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....aders.html
I'm impressed.

[Andrew S.]

Sure, it starts with Space Invaders. And then they start playing Global Thermonuclear War, and look what happens then.

[sarcasmic]

+ 1 Matthew Broderick

[Clich? Bandit]

uhh no. +1 Ally Sheedy you fucking heathen

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Look, if the ATM asks you if you want to play a game....say "NO!"

[cavalier973]

"Why not? What could I lose?"

[MJGreen]

You're crossing the streams here.

[Fist of Etiquette]

British Prime Minister David Cameron is refusing to confirm media reports which have identified the ISIS terrorist known as "Jihadi John" as a computer programmer from West London.

The media or public don't care.

[sarcasmic]

Biggest aircraft in history begins construction: Microsoft co-founder provides glimpse of his proposed megaplane that will launch rockets into orbit
Roc by Stratolaunch Systems has a wingspan of 385 feet (117 metres)
It will be powered by six 747-class engines during first flight in 2016
Will deliver satellites weighing up to about 13,500lbs (6,124 kg) into orbits between 112 miles and 1,243 miles (180 km and 2000 km) above Earth
Stills taken from footage shot for a news story shows its huge fuselage
Microsoft, Paul Allen, says it could eventually take humans into space

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sci.....plane.html
Bigger than the Spruce Goose. Wow.

[Lord Humungus]

+1 Kleenex boxes on feet

[Tonio]

I've always been curious why we went the full-rocket route to space when air-drop was such an obvious way to go the first 50,000 feet (give or take) at least for smaller payloads.

[Juice]

Not bigger. Just a wider wingspan.

[invisible furry hand]

Troughman, a true Aussie legend

The story goes that the mystery man would climb into the trough at major gay dance parties, such as the post-Mardi Gras party or the raunchier Sleaze Ball, and ask guys to piss on him. He would stay there for much of the night, his very presence encouraging guys to create all-out, no-holds-barred orgies.

It turns out that these stories were true to life.

NSFW, probably

[Ted S.]

It is Australia, after all.

[invisible furry hand]

If John Carpenter had directed Frozen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dooAjI6yOhg

[Rich]

Federal agencies will still be allowed to buy the ammo.

Especially the FCC.

[Bobarian (hyphenated-american)]

How else are we to maintain net neutrality?

[Lord Humungus]

Shikha Dalmia hit hardest:

Customs and Border Protection apprehends baby squirrel at Texas airport

It remained unclear whether or not the squirrel had legal permission to enter the United States. Customs and Border Protection didn't name the squirrel, which is apparently a minor and hasn't been charged with any crime.

Customs and Border Protection turned the squirrel over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[R C Dean]

What the hell? I thought it was strictly catch and release at the border these days.

[Bee Tagger]

Declaring himself a "reality-based candidate," former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson

hopefully with more than a reality-based vote total.

[invisible furry hand]

Elderly stud farmer filmed having sex with a pony says he won't reoffend because his wife has removed all of the small horses from their farm

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"And those sheep are all liars!"

[gaijin]

^lol

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

L: Let me refresh your memory. You remember when you were in Cornwall; at the
monastery, there was an old shepherd with whom you used to talk.

M: Good Lord! Dimkins?

L: Yes! I was one of his sheep.

M: One of his sheep? Not...?

L: Yes!

M: Flossy?

L: Yes!

M: But didn't we...? (waves his hands in an exchanging fashion)

L: Yes, Lord Melchett! BBBAAAAA!

M: Oh my God!

[Pro Libertate]

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Hugh Laurie.

[Lord Humungus]

Florida stripper pinched in drug bust says narcotics treat back pain she gets from pole-dancing

Kayla Gregg' series of missteps began Monday when a Monroe County deputy reported finding her at the wheel of an idled vehicle. She was partially dressed, and had one of her breasts exposed and her skirt hiked up around her waist.

The deputy said he woke her around 10:30 a.m. and asked about a bag he could see in her vehicle that looked like it contained marijuana. But instead of grabbing for that bag, the dazed dancer pulled out one that contained cocaine, the deputy said.

A search of Gregg's purse yielded additional mind-benders, including oxycodone, morphine, Vynanse, tramadol, plus a pipe for smoking.

[Ted S.]

Fuck the war on drugs.

That having been said, some strippers probably like being pinched.

[straffinrun]

Thinking her missteps began earlier than Monday.

[Irish]

"Kayla Gregg' series of missteps began Monday when a Monroe County deputy reported finding her at the wheel of an idled vehicle. She was partially dressed, and had one of her breasts exposed and her skirt hiked up around her waist."

Yeah, I think she was going to jail regardless.

[Mike M.]

Eric Holder gives American one final "fuck you" for good measure on his way out the door, complaining that it's just too darn hard to legally railroad white people who defend their lives with force.

Good riddance to one the most vile turds to ever float through the Washington political cesspool.

[Andrew S.]

I don't know. There's a lot of competition there. Holder hasn't murdered nearly as many people as Janet Reno. And then there's John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales, who decided to use the 4th Amendment as toilet paper.

[Jerryskids]

AG is supposedly the head legal eagle for the US, in reality the AG provides legal cover for all the illegal shit the prez wants to do. Shitty presidents produce shitty AGs, and the AGs have been getting ever shittier since about Eisenhower.

[Pro Libertate]

I dunno, I suppose it's possible more Mexicans have been killed, depending on his involvement in that scandal.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

When you say "and then there's John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales, who decided to use the 4th Amendment as toilet paper" in that way that seems to imply that Holder's hands in that realm are clean or at least cleaner.

I didn't exactly see any action from Holder on the gross Constitutional violations of the NSA that Snowden whistleblew and the bald-faced lies to Congress by Keith Alexander and James Clapper.

[Rich]

Hoping to work with a university or think tank about setting up an Eric Holder Institute for Race and Justice.

The man is insufferable.

[invisible furry hand]

Oh, I don't know...

[invisible furry hand]

A flawed plan hatched over several beers to kill a snake has ended with a woman's caravan destroyed.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I bet at some time someone uttered the phrase "hey, y'all, watch this!"

[Monty Crisco]

Classic...

[Libertarian]

"Humpty Doo police Constable Gary Palmer said the woman hatched a plan to get rid of the snake over several beers."

Humpty Doo police Constable...."??? If American cops were smart, they'd use town names like this and words like "constable" more often. It would be impossible to be upset with them, no matter how many dogs they shot.

[Bee Tagger]

President Barack Obama is planning to use executive action to ban 5.56 M855 ammunition, a type of bullet commonly used with the popular AR-15 rifle.

He tricked you into clinging to your guns and then grabbed your ammo.

[Monty Crisco]

"A prominent voice for atheism and secularism in that country, Roy had received multiple death threats from Islamic extremists."

Religion of peace, nothing to see here...

[Old Man With Candy]

In the news stories I read this morning, the terms used were "extremists," "violent extremists," and "militants." Apparently the news media is adopting the Obama narrative and NEVER using words like "Muslim" or "Islamic."

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Yeah, I imagine there was a Journolist 2.0 memo on the subject.

[cavalier973]

They're not *real* Muslims. Now, if they had a Jack Chick tract within a square mile of them, then they would obviously be mainstream Christians that threaten us all with teh Theocrazy.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Your conservative brethren in Bangladesh killed another secularist.

[Old Man With Candy]

I have no idea what you're talking about, but I suspect you don't either, it's just like reflexive barfing.

[cavalier973]

Rats cannot vomit. Scientific fact.

[Monty Crisco]

Right, dipshit, because I'm muslim, right?
Fucking Islamophobe...

[WTF]

I'm gonna dispel a few myths, a few rumors. First off, the retarded don't rule the night. They don't rule it. Nobody does. And they don't run in packs. And while they may not be as strong as apes, don't lock eyes with 'em, don't do it. Puts 'em on edge. They might go into berzerker mode; come at you like a whirling dervish, all fists and elbows. You might be screaming "No, no, no" and all they hear is "Who wants cake?" Let me tell you something: They all do. They all want cake.

[Injun, as in from India]

PB, don't even begin comparing Christian conservatives to Islamic fundamentalists.

I am an atheist of Hindu ancestry, like Avijit Roy. This is in part an anti-Hindu hate crime. (It reminds of the murder of Daniel Pearl in some ways.) It is not just about secularism or atheism. If Avijit Roy had said anything against Islam instead of talking about atheism or secularism, he would have still been killed by these a$$holes.

PB, people like me live in America which has a lot of Christian conservatives. Some (missionaries) of them have gotten into religious discussions with me, and I have very clearly and vocally stated my position. Never have I been attacked in any way - verbally or physically.

So your comparison is utter bullsh**.

[Tonio]

Daniel Pearl was Hindu? /jk

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Hin-joo.

[Jerryskids]

Islamic extremists are like right-wing extremists, it doesn't matter if the majority of them support and defend a particular position, it's still 'extreme'. Just as the only non-extremist right-winger is apparently a leftist, the only non-extremist Muslim apparently is an atheist.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Barack Obama is planning to use executive action to ban 5.56 M855 ammunition, a type of bullet commonly used with the popular AR-15 rifle.

I can't wait to hear from my redneck true-blue Democrat acquaintances who were so sure this kind of thing would never happen. They're avid hunters.

[Monty Crisco]

I still cannot conceive of how anyone could be a dumbass liberal and STILL robustly support the 2nd amendment.

I believe those mental contortions to be impossible!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Apparently, they aren't.

[Clich? Bandit]

I know several. It can be surreal.

[Injun, as in from India]

Can Congress do anything to circumvent or overturn the ban?

Why the f*** is executive action being used to infringe on a civil right?

[Pro Libertate]

Fuck it, 3-D print them.

[SugarFree]

Professional troll Anita Sarkeesian makes the puppets dance at NYU

Another Kotaku article that's face down in her lap.

[Andrew S.]

I miss Kotaku and Deadspin pre-Gawker. They were good sites then. io9 too.

Does Jalopnik suffer from Gawker Syndrome?

[SugarFree]

Denton's limp-penis Marxism is spreading to all of them.

[Derpetologist]

But she added that some of her critics say that male characters are sexualized, too. She doesn't buy it, pointing out that it's common to, say, see female characters' breasts jiggle and rare to see male characters' penises do the same.

Palm, meet face. Face, this is palm. How do you do, palm? Oh, jolly good, face.

[Jordan]

How do you sexualize a male character? Have them show their bank balance?

[Monty Crisco]

BAZINGA!!

[Ted S.]

Ever seen a Tom of Finland drawing?

[R C Dean]

it's common to, say, see female characters' breasts jiggle and rare to see male characters' penises do the same.

Of course, out in IRL, I've seen lots of jiggling boobs, and not one jiggling penis.

[MJGreen]

So boobs are analogous to the penis now?

I don't think I've seen too many jiggling dongs in games (though I have seen them), but I don't recall ever seeing any jiggling vajay-jays.

[Rhywun]

"This site is blocked."

Thank. God.

[Lord Humungus]

New Jersey woman stole lunch money from children, ages 3 to 5, on school bus: police

Rosa Rios, 33, was caught on a bus surveillance camera allegedly stealing money from approximately 29 children between 3 and 5 years old, police said. Rios, who was charged with burglary and theft, would ride on the bus with the children and would take the money from the kids' backpacks.

Sometimes she would hold the bags for the kids to steal the money or would distract the children to steal from them, Farabella said.

what a pretty lady *gag*

[straffinrun]

Hey, single payer!

[Bee Tagger]

that leaves intact Obama administration immigration policies Republicans vowed to repeal."

What about their llamagration policies?

[Lord Humungus]

New police squad aims to curb drug use, shoplifting, defecating

Shop owner Viola Pike, who owns a clothing store at Second Avenue and Pine Street, says she's experienced some of the worst issues in the doorways to her store.

"They do drugs, they sell drugs. They defecate, urinate, engage in sex," Pike said. "I've had customers tell me that they're scared sometimes to come downtown because of that."

The six officers and one sergeant assigned to the new squad have been offering help via social services while also giving citations to repeat offenders, said West Precinct Captain Chris Fowler.

Free Minds! Free Poopers!

[SugarFree]

Complaints about public urination, drinking, and drug use in downtown Seattle have led police officials to create a new squad to cut down on street disorder.

A whole squad just to catch Episiarch? He's just one pooping, peeing, drug-addled man.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

YOU'LL NEVER TAKE HIM ALIVE, COPPERS!!!!!

[invisible furry hand]

he's a wily one...

[R C Dean]

Slippery, too.

At least until the AstroGlide runs out.

[Jerryskids]

Did Lt. Frank Drebin hold a presser for the roll-out?

[Injun, as in from India]

I'm looking forward to the next news report talking about how one of those people took a dump on the hood of a squad car.

[Rich]

she's experienced some of the worst issues in the doorways to her store.

Crimes involving doorway pooping are especially hiney, uh, heinous.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

*begins narrowing gaze*

Lets not continue with this one, mmmm?

[Ivan Pike]

Lets not continue with this one, mmmm?

So you're saying we should drop it?

[Libertarian]

Is this happening in Cleveland? I'd be steamed too.

[WTF]

She's especially unhappy with Dirty Sanchez.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

*scowls and narrows gaze at the entire lot you*

[BigT]

Flush it

[Clich? Bandit]

what a load.

[Enough About Palin]

"They do drugs, they sell drugs. They defecate, urinate, engage in sex," Pike said. "I've had customers tell me that they're scared sometimes to come downtown because of that. But enough about the police."

[Fist of Etiquette]

A prominent voice for atheism and secularism in that country, Roy had received multiple death threats from Islamic extremists.

I don't think you're allowed to say Islamic extremists anymore.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Did Siegfried decide to convert?

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

+1 Tiger of Islam?

[R C Dean]

I thought Grand Mufti Obama had read all the extremists out of Islam.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wowed the conservative crowd yesterday at CPAC.

Yeah, but his answer on ISIS was pretty problematic to say the least.

[Old Man With Candy]

I couldn't make much sense of it, to tell you the truth. It seemed very... I dunno... Rorschach.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

He clearly has no foreign policy to speak of and can only make every question about himself.

I like his dodginess on the 'gotcha!' questions but asking him about ISIS is 100% legitimate and if he can't figure out an answer to it he's in big trouble.

[Old Man With Candy]

I suppose "When they attack the US, let me know" never occurred to him.

[Kahlua Akbar]

They don't have to attack US territory to attack the US.

[Old Man With Candy]

Uh, right, sure.

[straffinrun]

I am legion.

[Libertarian]

"I like his dodginess on the 'gotcha!' questions but "
asking him about ISIS is 100% legitimate and if he can't figure out an answer to it he's in big trouble."

One would think that, after you decided to run for office, you'd immediately sit down at a table with a couple advisors and come up with answers to inevitable questions.

[Lord Humungus]

Jonah Goldberg: Is Liberalism Exhausted?

For instance, the feminist agitprop drama The Vagina Monologues is now under fire from the left because it is not inclusive of men who believe they are women. Patricia Arquette was criticized from the right for her Oscar-acceptance rant about women's wage equality, but the criticism paled in comparison to the bile from the left, which flayed her for leaving out the plight of the transgendered and other members of the Coalition of the Oppressed. Such critiques may seem like a cutting-edge fight for the future among the protagonists, but looked at from the political center, it suggests political exhaustion. At least old-fashioned Marxists talked about the economy.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

It sure packs a punch for a tiresome ism.

I mean, look at Obama. They still manage to influence and get elected.

[Kahlua Akbar]

The leftist philosophy has been exhausted and bankrupt for 70 years.

What's kept them in office has been promising free shit, which never gets old.

[Lord Humungus]

Mother of murdered hostage James Foley says she forgives Jihadi John

The Catholic mother of American journalist James Foley has said that she forgives "Jihadi John", the London-raised ISIS terrorist who is believed to have murdered her son last year.

Diane Foley told the Times: "It saddens me, his [Jihadi John's] continued hatred. He felt wronged, now we hate him ? now that just prolongs the hatred. We need to end it.

"As a mum I forgive him. The whole thing is ? an ongoing tragedy."

[Andrew S.]

Of course, there's this family of another hostage Jihadi John murdered

The widow of a man killed by a masked Islamic State militant known as "Jihadi John" says she wants him caught alive.

Dragana Haines said the "last thing" she wanted for the man who had killed her husband, British aid worker David Haines, was an "honourable death".

The militant, pictured in the videos of the beheadings of Western hostages, has been named as Mohammed Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Briton from west London.

Mr Haines' daughter said she wanted to see "a bullet between his eyes".

[Free Society]

"As a mum I forgive him. The whole thing is ? an ongoing tragedy."-----Some Dumb Bitch.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Ah, arbiting what people should do in their heart and souls now?

[Free Society]

Ah, arbiting what people should do in their heart and souls now?

Yeah the guy that murdered her son, sawed his head of brutally after holding him as a tortured captive for who knows how long... doesn't deserve forgiveness. Much less the guy has no remorse whatsoever and would do it again and will continue to do it to other people. Giving forgiveness where it remains unearned is a blank check for evil. The woman's "heart and soul" must be the seat of her stupidity, or ignorance or [insert negative adjective].

[Free Society]

I'm doubting she would enjoy some tea and scones with the guy and I'm betting that she'd be outraged if he were captured and not charged with any crime. I don't think she really forgives him, I think at best it's vaguely "turn the other cheek" posturing to appear noble and wise, at worst she genuinely does forgive this person and would be fine with him walking away from it like he did nothing wrong, which is even more fucked up than being disingenuous.

[R C Dean]

I dunno. I think anyone who just waves off having their child's sawed off is, well, something ain't right.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

It may not be "waved off" - we don't know what she is thinking or has done.

I would not be so quick to forgive - I am still struggling with the ol' "love your enemies" with the HIG, Talib, JAM, AQ and IRGC. But I am not going to tell someone, "you MUST hate".

Note - this does not excuse culpability in a criminal or war crime sense either. I could forgive someone, as they were hung, injected, shot.

[Free Society]

Do you think this mom would sip tea with this guy? And write him friendly letters? Would she be pissed if he got captured and released without criminal charges? I don't think she's being genuine about her forgiveness.

[Juice]

If she's a Christian at least she's doing it right.

[Lord Humungus]

Gary Glitter jailed for 16 years

Former pop star Gary Glitter has been jailed for a total of 16 years for sexually abusing three young girls between 1975 and 1980.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was sentenced for attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one of having sex with a girl under 13.

Sentencing, Judge Alistair McCreath said he could find "no real evidence" that Gadd had atoned for his crimes.

[Old Man With Candy]

I hate it when people steal my shtick.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

It didn't say how young

[straffinrun]

Not atoned? Hyman restorations are free ya know. That wax paper and bondo set me back 8.99

[Libertarian]

That's a lot of money for someone who no longer gets royalties from the NFL.

[Lord Humungus]

Central Banks With Negative Rates Spur Question of How Low to Go

Central banks are stooping to new lows to boost inflation back to their goals.

The price-stability guardians of the euro area, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark are now imposing negative interest rates on banks' deposits or on funding operations that feed through to the real economy. At Commonwealth Bank of Australia, analysts reckon almost a quarter of worldwide central-bank reserves now carry a negative yield.

By confounding the onetime idea that they had to stop cutting borrowing costs at zero, monetary-policy makers are seeking to spur spending over saving. They also expect their currencies to weaken as capital inflows are discouraged.

so what's so great about inflation again?

[Jordan]

so what's so great about inflation again?

It lets politicians spend money they don't have and enriches their cronies.

[Free Society]

It lets you steal from people without the existential wherewithal to protest it.

[Derpetologist]

Spot the Not! Featuring doomsayer James Hansen!

1. I tend to be naive and gullible, I guess, but I try to believe that governments believe what they say.

2. Our world is in peril. I can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet.

3. Adding CO2 to the air is like throwing another blanket on the bed.

4. The trains carrying coal to power plants are death trains. Coal-fired power plants are factories of death.

5. As a government employee, you can't testify against the government.

6. Climate change is analogous to Lincoln and slavery or Churchill and Nazism: it's not the kind of thing where you can compromise.

Place your bets, ladies and gents! Answer will be shown at 10:30 EST.

[Andrew S.]

Hmmmmm.

I'll go with 1. Even he can't be that naive.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Dunno nottin' 'bout dis guy so imma gonna guess...5.

[gaijin]

6...it is a moral argument to The Believers.

[gaijin]

oh wait..the NOT. 1 then

[Monty Crisco]

Imma say 4...

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

5

[Ted S.]

3.

[WTF]

Gonna go with 1.

[Rich]

2 - Too melodramatic, even for Hansen.

[Jerryskids]

Trick question - these are all legit quotes. And all of them were plagiarized from Paul Ehrlich, Al Gore, and/or Michael Mann, et al.

[Libertarian]

4

[Protagoronus]

5

[Derpetologist]

No more bets! No more bets!

The not is #2. That is from the intro to Captain Planet, a cartoon about an environmentalist superhero created by Ted Turner (really!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpXM9bj-WPU

The others are real quotes from climate scientist James Hansen who has been sounding the alarm about Manbearpig since 1988.

? Captain Planet!
He's our hero!
Gonna take pollution down to zero!
Gonna help us put asunder
All of those who
pollute and plunder!

The power is YOURS!
Go Planet!

[Derpetologist]

Here is the source for #5:

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Your Library of Derp is mighty big there, 'tologist.

[Derpetologist]

Derp is my passion and profession.

[Slammer]

Outrage over magazine's emaciated 'corpse' model

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Gross

[Lord Humungus]

Greenspan: 'The Stock Market Is Great', But The Economy Feels Like In 'The Late Stages Of The Great Depression'

"Lower long-term rates is not a conundrum, its an indication of how weak global economic growth is."

"effective demand is extraordinarily weak - tantamount to the late stages of the great depression."

"Monetary policy is not responsible for economic weakness - it's a fiscal issue."

The Fed is responsible for the inflation of the stock market

"Almost all the problems are due to a lack of long-term capital investment" - reflecting perfectly on our detailed explanations of company's preference for shareholder enhancement through buybacks rather than investing in the corporate growth of the economy... "nobody wants to invest in the long-term because nobody knows what is going to happen."

[Palin's Buttplug]

"Nobody" wants to invest in the long-term, Greenie? Buffett is putting more Berkshire money in capital investments than ever before.

You are often wrong and always bewildered.

[Kahlua Akbar]

Please provide a link for that claim.

[Kahlua Akbar]

All we need is another world war and it will be fine.

[Jordan]

President Barack Obama is planning to use executive action to ban 5.56 M855 ammunition, a type of bullet commonly used with the popular AR-15 rifle.

MOST PRO-2ND-AMENDMENT PRESIDENT EVER!!11

/shriek

[Lord Humungus]

Lerner Email Search Is On Hold Over Software Problems: 'There Is Potential Criminal Activity'

Under questioning from chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Camus confirmed that the inspector general found Lerner's backup email tapes at a storage facility in West Virginia and that the IT professionals who had the tapes were never asked ? by the IRS or anyone else ? for the tapes. Camus said that he found what he believes are Lerner's 2011 tapes just two weeks ago.

Camus also said that "the facts as we understand them can and have changed on a daily basis."

Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney called the hearing a "waste of time."

The White House has staunchly refused to cooperate with the IRS investigation, passing the buck to the IRS.

[John]

If there wasn't criminal activity, Lerner wouldn't have taken the 5th before Congress. If the emails didn't show evidence of that, they would have been turned over by now.

To me the smoking gun is the fact that Obama met so many times with the IRS chief counsel. That sounds innocent unless you know how the President receives legal advice. The IRS chief counsel is not the President's lawyer. He is the head of the IRS' lawyer. The President's lawyer is the Office of Legal Counsel to the President. They are very jealous of their turf. I can tell you from experience, no legal memorandum or opinion goes to the President without them signing off on it. They give the advice. The various lawyers for the agencies just provide their office's expert opinion. Other than meeting him when they are appointed, no Chief Counsel, sans the AG, ever goes and meets directly with the President to give him legal advice. OLC would have a fucking stroke if one ever did.

So why was the chief counsel for the IRS up doing that?

[WTF]

Fake. Scandal.
-shreek

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Fake Scandal!

[Libertarian]

Obama only needs to delay another 23 months. if the Administration wouldn't go after torturers because it would be divisive and was all in the past, anyway, O's successor will surely ignore such a minor lapse as using the IRS as a political hitman -- esp if his successor had a D behind his/her name.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Declaring himself a "reality-based candidate," former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson announced he will seek the Libertarian Party's 2016 presidential nomination.

If he was really "reality-based" he'd maybe consider running for a public office where he might win instead of wasting it on another LP vanity run.

Seriously, this guy could have been a Senator from New Mexico given how popular he was as governor and the politics of that state.

[SIV]

Is the LP going to nominate a candidate who supports ENDA and a VAT?

[Jordan]

I had some fun on Reddit last night. I got two progressives to admit that arresting escaped slaves is a moral act.

[AlmightyJB]

I think you're this property rights thing a little too seriously.

[Jordan]

No, I don't believe it's a moral act, but they do.

[Jordan]

The conversation started when they asserted that anyone who breaks a law ought to be arrested. I took the other side, of course. Eventually, they admitted that slavery is immoral, but they refused to admit that arresting escaped slaves was immoral.

[John]

Tell the Progs on Reddit to watch Judgement at Nuremberg sometime. It is about the German judges who enforced Nazi laws. Their defense was "we didn't pass the laws and it was our duty as judges to uphold it". It didn't make for a very convincing defense.

[Slammer]

Link?

[Jordan]

Thread starts here.

[Slammer]

Thanks.

[Anonymous Coward]

Without reading the fucking thread, let me take a wild shot in the dark: "The law is the law, given to us on high by TOP MEN. Even when the TOP MEN tell us to do things we would otherwise find morally objectionable, we must obey because they are TOP MEN and TOP MEN morality is superior to peasant morality."

[SugarFree]

I once got Tony to admit that if the two of us were on a desert island together it would be OK for me to kill him because there wasn't a government on the island to make it illegal.

[Clich? Bandit]

I have started a kickstarter campaign so SF and Tony can take a long deserved trip to an desert island. Please donate as much as you can.

[MJGreen]

Nicely done. In the future, John Hasnas's "Myth of the Rule of Law" may be a useful resource. Cops (and lawyers and judges) are always going to have discretion, in some way.

[AlmightyJB]

Mass shooting in Missouri

[Ted S.]

Are there any Missourians here who can enlighten us more on the kerfuffle that caused the auditor to kill himself?

[Lord Humungus]

An Ancient Babylonian Customer Service Complaint Inscribed on a Clay Tablet Around 1750 BC

What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt? I have sent as messengers gentlemen like ourselves to collect the bag with my money (deposited with you) but you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory. Is there anyone among the merchants who trade with Telmun who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my messenger with contempt! On account of that one (trifling) mina of silver which I owe(?) you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the palace on your behalf 1,080 pounds of copper, and umi-abum has likewise given 1,080 pounds of copper, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple of Samas.

How have you treated me for that copper? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore (my money) to me in full.

Take cognizance that (from now on) I will not accept here any copper from you that is not of fine quality. I shall (from now on) select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.

[Doghouse Riley Jr.]

"Send this S.O.B. the bedbug tablet."

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

"Send him a clay tablet with a carving of a fish"

- anrahm ahmanuel of Shika-go

[Rich]

The IRS's inspector general confirmed Thursday it is conducting a criminal investigation into how Lois G. Lerner's emails disappeared, saying it took only two weeks for investigators to find hundreds of tapes the agency's chief had told Congress were irretrievably destroyed. Investigators have already scoured 744 backup tapes and gleaned 32,774 unique emails, but just two weeks ago they found an additional 424 tapes that could contain even more Lerner emails

That arrogant Koskinen needs to do some time.

[Mike M.]

Fake scandal!!!

[Monty Crisco]

Word to HIS mother...

[Illocust]

Ooooo, so she might actually go down. That's great news.

[Lord Humungus]

Making an opening for Biden...

USA USA USA!

(who I could support just for the epic - and creepy - lulz)

[BigT]

Rand Paul adroitly sidesteps Katie Couric's gotcha questions.

He carefully avoids saying anything for the spinmeisters and gets in a few barbs on the Hilldebeast.

[John]

Hopefully, Walker started a trend. The Republicans need to discipline the press and make it clear that the days of trolling with gotcha questions are over. If it doesn't relate to the message or the issues at hand, fuck off.

[John]

This thing with Clinton taking money from foreign governments is amazing. To give just one example, the government of Algeria gave several hundred thousand dollars to the Clinton Foundation for Haiti earthquake relief while Clinton was Secretary of State. One might ask why the government of Algeria, which is a poor country with as many problems as Haiti, would want to contribute to earthquake relief in a Caribbean Island where it has no obvious connection or interests. And if they did, why the Clinton Foundation when there are hundreds of other charitable groups working in Haiti, including this organization we like to call the UN, which will happily take money from member nations. At the time, Algeria was making a full push for better relations with the US. That of course could have nothing to do with their donation.

Bob McDonald and his wife are going to prison for taking a few hundred thousand dollars in gifts from some vitamin shyster and introducing him to various state regulators. And Hillary Clinton took money from the government of Algeria, among others, while she was Secretary of State and it apparently doesn't even disqualify her from higher office? FAKE SCANDAL!!!

[WTF]

Why concern ourselves with such trivia when Scott Walker wouldn't even defend Obama's patriotism and love of country? And Walker doesn't even have a college degree!!!

[Gleep Glop]

Walker also doesn't have a MASTERS IN JOURNALISM from COLUMBIA EITHER!

[Rich]

The U.S. Treasury Department has rebuffed a request by House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., to explain $3 billion in payments that were made to health insurers even though Congress never authorized the spending through annual appropriations.

Anybody here aware of any compilation of such acts by the transparent administration in history?

[John]

This is the next line Obama is going to cross if he hasn't already; spending money without the consent of Congress. That is a direct attack on the Constitution. And worse, one that the Courts will provide no remedy for, since spending money doesn't directly harm anyone in a way that would give them standing to sue.

He apparently is already spending money without authorization, which is a criminal act by the way, in secret. I fully expect him to get more bold and public in doing so as time goes on, especially after he has to live with whatever budget comes out of Congress this fall.

That said, I don't see what the Republicans can do about it. Congress can't arrest anyone and Obama owns the Attorney General, who is the only guy who can. They can't impeach him since no Democrat is going to go against him and the media will never support such a measure anyway. Obama owns the treasury and can order it to spend whatever money he wants. The only thing stopping him is the law. Since neither the Democrats nor the media will hold him accountable for breaking the law, there is nothing stopping him from spending however much he wants on whatever he wants. Given his track record, I can't see how he won't do just that.

[WTF]

Just another direct attack on the constitution. Nothing to see here, fake scandal, what difference at this point does it make, Walker HAZ NO COLLEG DEGREEZ!!11!!!!

[John]

Tt is not Obama's fault Congress won't act. If Congress won't act because of our dysfunctional political system, the President must. We need a man who can make a plan work!!

This is exactly what the court media and the various retards will say. It is Ayn Rand and Hayek's nightmare, we just live in it.

[TwB]

John, there are 2 more years of this shit. 2 more. What the fuck else can the sonofabitch do to to our liberty? Yesterday was fucking terrible (AR 15 ammo, FCC bullshit) and I just wonder what's next from the King w/ no crown.

[John]

I don't blame Obama, I blame the people who defend him. If even 20% of the Democrats would be honest and turn on him, he would be done. The only reason he is able to do this is because the Democrats are utterly united behind him and will take no action to stop him.

Our system is not set up for a simple majority in Congress to stop a tyrant. It takes more than that and it takes a broad section of the public. The Founders did an incredible job giving us the most resilient Republic in history, but no one, not even them, can save us from our selves.

We have tyranny because a good number of Americans have decided tyranny is what they want.

[WTF]

We have tyranny because a good number of Americans have decided tyranny is what they want.

So long as their team are the tyrants. We were doomed after the Teams decided to refuse to hold their own accountable, no matter the transgression. The only reason Nixon went was because the Republicans were willing to hold him accountable. That will never happen again.

[BigT]

Today's donkeys are a much more corrupt party than the ephalumps were in 1973-1974 who were willing to toss Nixon overboard for almost nothing by comparison.

Our country is in a much worse position, and the MSM are largely responsible.

[WTF]

Sure, when the supposedly objective media are really just operatives for one party, bad results are guaranteed.

[R C Dean]

I don't blame Obama,

Well, you should.

[John]

I do, but he is just a piece of shit. The people who support him are the bigger problem.

[Monty Crisco]

Yeha, this is alarming. I see Obama continuing to do it. His entire presidency has essentially consisted of him saying "Well, let's see if anyone calls us on it, and if they do, let's just keep doing it anyway..."
As I used to say in the Armyregarding disobeying an order.- WHAT IS THE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM?!?

[John]

The only enforcement mechanism is Congress. Congress has the power to crush the President. But it can't do it unless 2/3rds of both Houses agree. So as long as the Democrats refuse to stand up, there is nothing to stop him.

Realistically, the only line that he can't cross is not leaving in two years. The military and the country at large would not stand for that. I don't think he would want to do that anyway. He doesn't want to be dictator. He wants to do every thing he can for two years and fuck up the country as much as possible so that no future President will be able to fix it.

In the mean time, he is going to keep pushing harder and harder. And I don't see the Democrats ever standing up to stop him.

[Ptah-Hotep]

John, power of the purse. Congress can refuse to fund the Treasury until they answer their questions. That only takes one party to do, the Republicans. So they do have power, they just refuse to use it.

[John]

Sure they can. But if he just ignores them and spends the money anyway, then what?

And even the power of the purse is being neutered. Obama just vetoes and shuts the government down and the Democrats and media blame the Republicans and bully them to back down.

One party in Congress, even if it is a majority, can't stop him.

[Ptah-Hotep]

And even the power of the purse is being neutered. Obama just vetoes and shuts the government down and the Democrats and media blame the Republicans and bully them to back down.

Then that is on the Republicans. I do not know if Treasury would work if the Repubs did not fund it. The higher ups maybe, but the rank and file, doubtful. If Congress does not have the power as you say, then as a country the US is done.

[WTF]

If Congress does not have the power as you say, then as a country the US is done.

Pretty much this. The parallels with the end of the Roman Republic are striking.

[John]

Sure. but it is also on the media and the public. The only reason the Democrats are able to get away with this is because they don't think they will pay a political price for doing so or think walking away would be worse.

Politicians of both parties are just interested in getting elected. It is just how politicians are. So, you can never count on them doing the right thing if doing so isn't politically advantageous. This entire thing is on the media and the American people who refuse to stand up to their team no matter what they do.

[bodenlosen Schweinerei]

"But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain?that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case it is unfit to exist."

Lysander Spooner, 1870

[Cdr Lytton]

Realistically, the only line that he can't cross is not leaving in two years.

I keep pointing out that the 22nd Amendment only prohibits being elected more than twice. It says nothing about serving more than 2 terms.

[John]

The country would revolt over that. At that point the executive would turn on him and the military and FBI ans such would tell him to leave or else.

I don't think he would try that. I don't think he likes being President enough to even want to.

[Cdr Lytton]

No I don't think he does either. But since they're playing letter of the law when it suits them, the plain text of the 22nd not saying what most people think it means is more than just a quibble.

I think he'll spend the next two years carving out every leftist wet dream so that when he leaves office, he'll be St. Barry the Righteous, right up there with FDR in the pantheon. Hopefully it will totally fuck over his party for years to come, but between the Stupid Party and the MSM, I don't think it will. All that matters are intentions and feelings.

[Libertarian]

"That is a direct attack on the Constitution. "

If only the GOP had a majority in both houses of Congress, they could put a stop to this!

[John]

What are they going to do? They are defunding his illegal amnesty and look what is happening. The Democrats are just threatening to shut DHS down and the media is giving them cover such that if there is so much as a pipe bomb set off by a terrorist, the Republicans will get the blame.

A majority in Congress is not good enough. You either have to have a 2/3s majority or some support from the other party. The only thing that got Nixon put out was the Republicans turning on him.

As long as a President has the unified support of the media and his party, he can do anything he wants. There is not a god damned thing the Republicans can do about it. They pass all of the laws the want and he will just veto them and as long as the Democrats vote to uphold it, it means nothing. And he can break all of the laws he wants because he owns the enforcement mechanism and the only redress is impeachment, which can't happen unless his own party abandons him.

[creech]

If Congress can't touch the President, are they able to have those who disburse the money arrested and charged for misappropriation of funds?

[John]

Nope. They don't own the AG or federal law enforcement. Look at Lois Lerner. They voted her in contempt. That is a crime that is by law supposed to be pursued in court by the US attorney for Washington DC. Holder told them to fuck off and just didn't do it.

The only real power Congress has, is the power of impeachment. And they can't use that without a 2/4rds majority. And that won't happen since the Democrats will defend anything the Administration does. Obama right now could order his political opponents arrested and held without trial and would be able to get away with it. Sure, some court somewhere would grant a habious petition, but that would take a few days or even weeks and he would be able to hold them until then. And the message would get across. And there would no accountability otherwise.

[WTF]

The more and more this escalates and continues, the more it seems like we are witnessing a replay of the last days of the Roman Republic. I hope that is wrong, but I don't see what is going to stop it.

[R C Dean]

This is the next line Obama is going to cross if he hasn't already; spending money without the consent of Congress.

I think they have already, John.

Between this, the FCC, and the ammo grab, we have a genuine Constitutional crisis on our hands.

Too bad Congress lacks the balls to do anything about it.

The American Experiment, she dead.

[John]

I think they have the balls, the problem is Congress cannot do anything without a 2/3rds majority.

Congress can't arrest anyone and they can't throw anyone in jail. The ultimate source of all of their power is the threat of impeachment. Without that, none of the other powers mean anything.

Right now the Democrats will refuse to use that power no matter what Obama does. So, Congress effectively has no power. What are the Republicans going to do? Any law they pass, Obama will veto and the won't be able to override it. And since they can't impeach, they can't hold him accountable for breaking the law.

As long as the media and the Democrats remain united behind Obama, the Republicans are powerless to stop him. I don't care how much they want to.

[R C Dean]

They could use the funding power to beat Obama into submission. The only thing standing in their way is their insistence on having the filibuster when they are in the majority. And if your helpless in a Constitutional crisis because of a rule which you can repeal, but simply don't, then I say you have no balls.

Example: Defund the FCC, in its entirety, until the internet takeover is withdrawn.

If Obama insists on spending money illegally, authorize a special prosecutor to go after him under the Anti-Deficiency statute.

Yeah, they'll bet beat up in the press. That's what the balls are for.

[John]

RC,

You can't defund something if the President if free to spend money counter to the law. And it appears that he is. Moreover, cutting off funding does no good if Obama is willing to shut the government down secure in the knowledge that the media will ensure that the public blames the Republicans for any harm that results.

If the Republicans did what you say and really stood firm, the media would ensure the public blamed them and enable Obama to either just start spending money illegally with the support of the public and would ensure the Democrats never pay a political price for their actions.

I wish it were as simple as you make it sound. But it is just not.

[Libertarian]

"Too bad Congress lacks the balls to do anything about it."

Once again, I must protest. It's not lack of balls. It's lack of ethics, it's lack of a coherent political philosophy, and it is a surfeit of corruption. Never, ever forget: the GOP elite are growing fat on the current system just as much as the Dems.

[TwB]

Fuck. So it's come to this now, huh? I wonder what will be next.

[Raston Bot]

repost to AM links...

UPS joins FedEx in refusing to ship DefDist's Ghost Gunner CNC mill.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2.....unner-mill

The concept of an unjust law turned on its head becomes... an unjust right.

Incidents like this underscore the fact that although US gun law is some of the most scrutinized in the world, there will always be disagreements between what companies and individuals believe is legal and what they believe is right. Wilson and his supporters think that what they are doing is both, but corporations are obviously not so sure.

What if FedEx and UPS refused to ship gay wedding cakes?

[WTF]

What if FedEx and UPS refused to ship gay wedding cakes?

Well, that would actually be important.

[Anonymous Coward]

FedEx explained its reasons for the ban. "This device is capable of manufacturing firearms, and potentially by private individuals," said the company. "We are uncertain at this time whether this device is a regulated commodity by local, state, or federal governments. As such, to ensure we comply with the applicable law and regulations, FedEx declined to ship this device until we know more about how it will be regulated."

We're not sure yet whether we should ask for permission or take orders, so we're just going to act as if it is illegal.

[WTF]

The law as written makes the product perfectly legal; it is just a testament to the lawlessness of the government that the carriers legitimately fear retaliation regardless of legality.

[Raston Bot]

For clarity, they are private and can ship/not ship. It just stinks.

[The DerpRider]

Good thing they don't bake cakes.

[Protagoronus]

Just watched Serenity again. Here's the next season/movie:

The news about Miranda lasts one cycle until everyone in the verse moves onto the next thing. The power structure stays the same. Malcom Reynolds runs for office to bring it back to the forefront and libertarians everywhere rejoice when he wins on a platform of redistribution to the outer planets, which they assume is a red herring. He takes office, goes full marxist, and pushes Pax 2 for another planet. Everyone who argues against the plan is labeled anti-science and promptly ignored.

[Lord Humungus]

Watch Jim Inhofe Throw a Snowball on the Senate Floor

Sen. Jim Inhofe, who chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, tossed a snowball on the Senate floor as part of a speech expressing skepticism about the reality of climate change. The Oklahoma Republican opened by showing pictures of an igloo his daughter's family built during a snowstorm five years ago, when he said "the hysteria on global warming" began.

Then Inhofe reached into a bag he had brought with him and pulled out a robust snowball.

"Do you know what this is? It's a snowball," he said to freshman Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who being from Louisiana may not be familiar with snow. "It's just from outside here, so it's very, very cold out, ... very unseasonable."

"Mr. President, Catch this," Inhofe said before tossing the snowball underhand. An Inhofe aide said it was caught by a page.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Just got back from New Orleans, it was a tad chilly.

[R C Dean]

Chilly here in Tucson, too. May not even get to 70 today.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

At CPAC Rubio just concluded his speech by railing against marijuana legalization and gay marriage.

The fresh young face of the new GOP!

[Jordan]

I wonder when we can expect him to comment on rape.

[John]

Rubio is a tame and reasonable Republican. He is the picture of the controlled opposition. So he won't be expected to answer any "gotcha questions" unless of course he wins the nomination.

[Injun, as in from India]

It would be hilarious if we find out that Rubio smoked pot and had gay sex with a hooker like Ted Haggard.

[Rich]

"I didn't know what I was doing! I was on cocaine!"

[John]

Rubio is the worst. He is worse than Jeb Bush. But he is all about amnesty and open borders and regardless of what he says, I can't believe he isn't pro gay marriage. So he does at least have two of the three big issues facing America right.

[straffinrun]

Can't beleive he isn't pro gay marriage, John? Why not?

[John]

Because he is an establishment crap weasel. I don't believe a word he says about gay marriage. He is way too establishment not to be pro gay marriage. You can't be a part of the Washington culture if you are not pro gay marriage. And Rubio has made it very clear he is a creature of that culture. He is about as anti- gay marriage as Obama was as a Senator. He may mouth the words but he is just giving the necessary boob bait.

[Zeb]

The Republican establishment is pro-gay marriage now?

[John]

Yes they are. They always have been. They hate the SOCONS and find them embarrassing. The moment it became unacceptable in Washington to be against gay marriage, the GOP establishment changed its position on it.

[Zeb]

So they are all just lying all the time?

I expect a lot are resigned to the fact that gay marriage is happening. But I think you might be overstating it a bit.

[straffinrun]

If you don't believe a word he says, then you would know if supports gay marriage. Right? I've confused myself now.

[John]

I don't believe him when he says he doesn't support gay marriage. I think he is lying for political convenience.

He might be lying about Pot too, though I doubt it. He seems legitimately committed to government police power as long as it doesn't relate to the border.

Rubio would be likely a terrible President on the drug war. On immigration and cultural issues like gay marriage, he would likely be very pleasing to most Reason Libertarians.

[Jerryskids]

I thought the fresh new face of the GOP was Ted Cruz - the one who looks so much like Joe McCarthy.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Someone on Twitter made me laugh yesterday when they pointed out that Ted Cruz always looks like he's about to cry, is crying, or just finished crying.

In any case, I'd welcome him on the Supreme Court. My conjecture is that that is his ultimate objective.

[invisible furry hand]

You'd welcome him on the Supreme Court? Are you on it? I knew it! YOU ARE RUTH BADER GINSBURG!

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Is he bringing a bottle or two of wine?

/Ginsburg

[Monty Crisco]

HE looks like Count Chocula...

[Free Society]

U.S.-based blogger Avijit Roy has been murdered while visiting Bangladesh to attend a book fair. A prominent voice for atheism and secularism in that country, Roy had received multiple death threats from Islamic extremists.

Religion of peace.

[Anonymous Coward]

And so they are. Avijit Roy has been given the only peace that the kafir may reasonably expect: Death.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

Why, I was just hearing the other day that concern over being murdered for saying something Muslims don't like was a "white boy persecution fantasy".

Ah, extreme leftists who value hatred of the West above all else yet wouldn't live anywhere but an advanced Western country...

[John]

That is horrible. I am sorry, but it is getting to the point that countries are going to have to choose between having a free society or having Muslims. It is just a matter of time before this kind of thing starts happening in the US. And when it does, I don't see what choices we will have other than surrendering our freedom or expelling Muslims from the society. It doesn't matter if 99% don't agree with this. If the one percent is willing to do this and is able to conceal themselves in the other 99%, you can't have a free society. You can't have a free society where it is impossible to criticize a religion within in it without risking your life. And I don't see how you can have that if you have a significant population of Muslims.

[Warty]

The radical Muslims really seem to want a world war against the West. I'm worried that they may get their wish in a generation or two.

[WTF]

If that's true, they really are batshit insane. A world war against the West can only end one way.

[John]

What choice do we have? And it is not like they wear badges saying "I am a radical", so you can tell who is who.

Say you have 6 million Muslims in your society. And every year, one is one hundred thousand of them decides to commit some kind of suicide attack for the jihad. That is 60 attacks like this a year, all specifically targeted to inflict political terror. You can't have a free society in that environment.

Worse still, there is no appeasing them. Even if we said "okay no one say anything bad about Muhammad so the Muslims are happy", they will just move on to a new demand. I once gave an example of how with say a dozen disciplined and suicidal lunatics, I could get every woman in Washington wearing a head scarf in public. All I would have to do is once a month over the course of a year have one of my lunatics go on a killing spree of women not wearing head scarfs in public. In an environment like that, every woman would quickly be wearing one out of self preservation.

I think Fransisco made some snarky comment about the Muslims who live in my head. You tell me how my plan wouldn't work? And more importantly, how it doesn't seem to be coming to that, given things like this and the incidents in France and Denmark?

[Warty]

I think that Muslims will eventually grow up. As the world gets richer and more safe, and they become less desperately poor, they'll stop caring about what their prophet said and care more just live like normal people. It will take many generations, but I think that eventually they'll join modernity. A few more Ataturks wouldn't hurt either.

[John]

Maybe, but that is not likely to happen anytime soon. In the mean time, what do you do? Terror works. And you can't deter people who don't care if they die in the act. An armed populace helps. Since they can't be deterred, however, it only limits the damage. It doesn't prevent it.

Ultimately, if someone wants me dead and doesn't care if they die killing me or get caught, I am likely dead. I can't be on guard all of the time and I can't have twenty four seven security.

So, I don't see how you can have a free society that includes significant numbers of Muslims at this point. That is a terrible thing to say but I don't see any other conclusion. We have already lost a decent amount of our freedom here. Remember the woman who came up with "everyone draw Muhamad day"? She had to go into hiding after the FBI said they couldn't protect her.

[WTF]

John, you seem to be forgetting that the Christians started the Crusades, and that America once held slaves.

[Monty Crisco]

LMFAO

[Free Society]

John, you seem to be forgetting that the Christians started the Crusades,

The Crusades were a response to a steady march of Islamic conquerors into formerly Christian lands.

and that America once held slaves.

and the rest of the fucking world too.

[Zeb]

So, I don't see how you can have a free society that includes significant numbers of Muslims at this point.

Is Dayton Ohio, for example a particularly un-free place?

You may be right about large Muslim populations. I hope not, but who knows? But I don't see how you can have a free society when you don't allow people to freely practice their religions either.

[John]

Is Dayton Ohio, for example a particularly un-free place?

Could I put on a play there on the life of Muhammad and feel safe doing so? Could I start publishing a free weekly that included cartoons similar to Charlie Hebdo and not fear for my safety?

If the answer to either of those questions is "No", then no it is not a free place. And I suspect the answer to those questions is no not only in Dayton but in every city in America where there is a significant Muslim population.

[Heroic Mulatto]

As the world gets richer and more safe, and they become less desperately poor, they'll stop caring about what their prophet said and care more just live like normal people

Except that the spread of Salafism/Wahabism is concurrent with the rise of the Gulf oil economy. OBL came from one of the richest families in the world. His successor is a doctor who is the scion of an elite Egyptian family. Aafia Siddiqui is a PhD in Neuroscience. Hell, if reports are correct, "Jihdai John" lived a comfortable upper middle class life in London and earn a degree in computer programming.

If anything, it seems that money and education makes the problem worse.

[Warty]

If anything, it seems that money and education makes the problem worse.

Absolutely correct, and I have no good explanation for it. But the West has largely grown out of religion. Hopefully everyone will eventually.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well, I think that the poor, for the most part, have more concrete problems, like finding food for their bellies. Much like how all the first Communist revolutionaries tended to be idiot sons of the upper middle class, only the rich of Arabia and Pakistan have the time to philosophize and wax poetic about the righteousness of a Caliphate.

[bodenlosen Schweinerei]

Simple explanation: People in power finding a most effective way to maintain power. The visceral pull of religious righteousness works even better than patriotism for getting poor folks to kill and be killed for a system that has little other use for them.

[Zeb]

It shouldn't really be a surprise that when a backwards, tribal society suddenly has a shit load of money, they would use it for some crazy tribal kind of shit.

You probably know more about it than I, but I wonder how much of that is inherent in Islam and how much is a result of specifically Arabian culture.

[Free Society]

It shouldn't really be a surprise that when a backwards, tribal society suddenly has a shit load of money, they would use it for some crazy tribal kind of shit.

Saying that they have tribal motivations for their crimes is too generous, tribes are at least tangible things. The existence of intangible supernatural beings that motivate their crimes is another matter altogether. A tribal conflict can be resolved with rational discourse, irrational supernatural belief driven conflict will only end when those abstract beliefs become extinct.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Someone forgot to tell the Albanians that. 🙂

Albanian blood feud is some crazy Klingon-like shit.

[Free Society]

Someone forgot to tell the Albanians that. 🙂

Albanian blood feud is some crazy Klingon-like shit.

Is it more or less likely that Albanian blood feuds will die off before the the Sunni-Shiite shit fit dies off? Eventually the Hatfields and McCoys stopped shooting each other. I don't think tribal conflict compares to the dynamics of superstitious conflict.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Well, with Islam, it's almost a chicken and the egg situation. It could be argued that Islam has an element of spiritualized tribal community. The early history of Islam in the Arabian peninsula can be explained at the rise of the Kinanah tribe over the powerful Qais and Kalb tribes. Was Islam merely to provide justification for the Kinanah-Quraysh-Hashimite to rise to power in more superstitious times? Who knows? But I do agree that religion can make what could be resolvable differences intractable.

[Heroic Mulatto]

that is inherent in Islam and how much is a result of specifically Arabian culture.

That's a good question, and I think it ties into the observation that within Islam, and specifically within Salafism, is a strain of Arabic cultural supremacy and imperialism. Look at a Malaysian phonebook from 50 years ago and now after all that Saudi money pouring in the country to build mosques and religious schools. I bet I could show you a page from a Malaysian phonebook and one from a Jordanian phonebook and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. That wasn't true 50 years ago.

Indeed, a lot of what AQ and ISIS grumble about are "foreign" cultural elements from Persian and other cultures that once were primary centers of Islamic culture. While Islam has almost always been polycentric, the major axis has jumped between Arabia, Persia, Iraq, and Mughal India several times as empires come and fall.

[Free Society]

that is inherent in Islam and how much is a result of specifically Arabian culture.

Well polling data reveals that the more strongly a Muslim identifies with their religion, the more likely they are to support barbaric things like suicide bombing, death to apostates et cetera. In basically every country surveyed except for the native European muslims as found in Bosnia or the former Soviet muslim majority countries where it appears that culture has done much to erode the barbaric inclinations of Islamist ideology.

[Zeb]

Well, there is that whole freedom of religion thing. If it comes down to the scenario you imagine, then something would have to be done about it. But once that power is established, you know some Christian group will be the next target.

I don't know what will happen with Europe. They've got problems. But I don't think that is so likely in the US. We are much better at assimilating immigrants and showing them the benefits of a more open pluralistic society.

[John]

If Christians start murdering people on a regular basis who criticize them, I won't have any sympathy for them either, though I doubt that will ever happen.

The problem is Zeb is that a free society is built on some level of trust. We all have to trust each other not to use our freedoms to destroy everyone else' freedoms. You can have institutions and a rule of law to prevent that to a large degree. And you can have an armed populace to prevent it even more. At some point, however, if a group is fanatical enough even those measures break down.

A free Republic cannot account for a group of people who are willing to kill and die to terrorize everyone else. None of the mechanisms it has to deal with problems can handle that. When confronted with such a group, it either has to go outside its principles and eliminate the group or it has to surrender to the demands of that group. There is no middle ground.

[Zeb]

You may well be right. I don't know.

But I will stick to my principles and reject guilt by association and remain optimistic that freedom is appealing and beneficial enough to turn people away from radical violence.

[John]

But I will stick to my principles and reject guilt by association and remain optimistic that freedom is appealing and beneficial enough to turn people away from radical violence.

Tell that to Avijit Roy. They want to kill you Zeb. You can either surrender to their every demand or face the consequences. There is no more sitting back and living by your principles anymore. They have taken away that option or if they haven't will sometime in the near future.

[Free Society]

It doesn't matter if 99% don't agree with this.

And we know from extensive polling, that far far more than 1% agree with what the most barbaric Islamic adherents are doing in the world.

[Raston Bot]

The pants-wetting alarmists are making predictions again. This time, a cold Pacific caused "the pause" and now that it's warming back up the AGW will continue.

[WTF]

"Well, maybe the world didn't end today like I said it would, but trust me, it really will end next month on the 23rd!"

[Warty]

Just so nobody misses this. DELICIOUS.

Kahlua Akbar|2.27.15 @ 9:01AM|#|?|filternamelinkcustom

It's not that at all.

The same people overflowing with righteous indignation about me having a different name now, were trying to poison the well against me back when I was Tulpa.

People just don't like their cherished beliefs being called into question. They chased off nearly everybody who disagrees with them on a certain set of Reason's cherished issues (cops, food trucks, red light cameras, etc), and when I didn't leave something had to be done.
reply to this

[Old Man With Candy]

trying to poison the well against me back when I was Tulpa.

It wasn't the name, it was the retarded content.

[Warty]

Of course it wasn't. We were just picking on him because cliques and glib.

[WTF]

"Axis of glib! Axis of Glib!"

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

DAMN GLIBITARIANZ!!!!

[RBS]

What about that time he said that family deserved to have the cops violently enter their house because their WiFi wasn't password protected?

[tarran]

How could anyone object to something so obviously correct?

The only possible explanation was that we were jealous of his dizzying intellect.

[Cdr Lytton]

Or how they should be able to show up unannounced for the inspection of rifles over 1.21 gigawatts or whatever that ridiculous dividing line was.

[Cdr Lytton]

It wasn't the name, it was the retarded content.

And his sockpuppeting.

[Zeb]

There was a time when I did appreciate Tulpa for bringing a different perspective on things. I disagreed with his LAOL/utilitarian approach, but it seemed like he argued in good faith for the most part. Then at some point he seemed to lose his shit and decided just to be arrogant and annoying.

[Warty]

He wants, above all else, to be the smartest guy in the room. When we made fun of the stupid things he said and otherwise didn't give him the intellectual respect that he thinks he deserves, he lost it.

[Warty]

To be *seen* as the smartest guy in the room.

[Zeb]

Sounds about right.

[FUQ]

Are you talking about Bo or Tulpa?

[John]

I haven't seen Jackland Ace since I accused him of being Joe. I think it was Joe. God, these guys are fucking cowards. It is an internet board. How much courage does it take to stand up for yourself and tell everyone to fuck off?

[Warty]

I think you were right. Joe loved nothing more than talking about politics as horserace.

[Xeones]

I remain unconvinced that "Warty" is your real name.

[Zeb]

Yeah, on an unmoderated forum you need to quickly learn to accept that people will be mean to you sometimes and that people will disagree. I think people are sometimes a bit quick to call non-libertarians trolls. But if you have an honest argument to make, make it.

[John]

It is the "honest" part that people like Joe and Tulpa don't get. I don't mind when people disagree with me. The arguments and bull headed nature of some people annoy me. What does more than annoy me is people who make dishonest arguments. People who you know don't believe what they are saying but are only claiming they do because it is convenient to whatever point they are making.

[DEG]

Oh good, someone else saw it. I was about to find a place to post it. Sometimes I'm a little slow.

[SugarFree]

He poisoned his own well. All we did is remind people of all the times he did it. What Tulpa fears most is having all the dumb shit he says being remembered. He doesn't understand that this place is a reputation-based economy and that his "arguments" aren't being made in a vacuum.

And besides, how vital and unique can these so-called argument be if we can spot them every damn time?

Every thing Tulpa ever had to say that was unique he managed to say in the first few days he was here. All the rest of it has been him squawking and beating his fists on the floor for attention.

[John]

How small and petty of a person do you have to be to be terrified of saying "okay, I was wrong then and now I have changed my mind"? I don't get people like Tulpa and Joe. Few things will buy you more credibility than an honest and fully explained change of mind about something.

[SugarFree]

But Tulpa hasn't changed his mind about anything. He just wants to make the same rejected argument over and over again and thinks that it is only being rejected because who is making, not that the argument is somehow flawed or incompatible with what most of us believe.

He's spun a web of delusion around himself to ward off the truth.

[John]

Joe is a variation on the same theme. Joe can never be openly and without equivocation critical of a Democrat. That wasn't a problem when Bush was in office. When Obama got to power, it quickly became obvious to Joe that he was either going to have to break that rule or defend Obama only to see all of his criticisms of Bush endlessly thrown in his face. So ran away only to come back under various guises hoping he could defend Obama and the Democrats without being held accountable for attacking Bush for doing the same things or often things that were less objectionable.

Both are just pathetic. If Joe were an honest person and willing to hold Obama to the same standard he held Bush, you could respect him even if you still think he is an idiot. I will never for the life of me understand why someone would be so committed to one side that they would be that dishonest and worse know how dishonest they are being. Someone like Tony is so far gone they don't even understand how dishonest they are. Joe, by running away, showed he does and just doesn't care.

[SugarFree]

joe running away like that, and trying to play it off as a noble act of anti-racism, was one of the funniest things I have ever experienced.

That was a good day.

In case anyone wants to relive the derp.

[tarran]

It's also not very hard to say:

"I see your point"

or

"I was wrong"

Jesus Christ! Every one of us has and will inevitably in the future write something so mindbogglingly stupid as to cause people to question whether we are having a stroke.

And if you are going to be an asshole in one of those moments and deny you ever said anything stupid, even in if it's being rubbed in your face, people aren't going to lose respect for you. Deny it consistently enough, and people wil decide you're not worth bothering with.

[SugarFree]

And he asserts his being here is a service for our benefit.

Tulpa is up here on some of the tallest crosses in America, doing God's work.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Almost perfect, SF - work in "urban planning" and it will be!

[MJGreen]

DO NOT SPEAK AGAINST THE FOOD TRUCK CLIQUE

All who oppose shall be banished to the phantom zone.

[R C Dean]

Speaking of fake scandals:

Hillary's posse knew immediately Benghazi was a terrorist attack, but have lied about it ever since.

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....ck-e-mails

[John]

What difference does it make!!

And only right wing news sources are even talking about that story. And don't forget, those emails stand in direct contradiction to what she said under oath to Congress. So not only did she lie to the country, she perjured herself as well.

[The Sego Sago Kid]

All of your hilarious comments here have saved my sanity once again. Every morning I thank Thor, the Thunder God, for the reason.com commentariat.

Of course my declining mental health is my own fault. Never spend your morning arguing with people on facebook over net neutrality. I mean, for god's sake, how do you even reply to a paragraph of nonsensical word salad like this:

It's about equal opportunity. Comcast is a perfect example of this. They are an ISP and they can control the internet for their users. Now they have their On Demand service which is also online. But I don't like their on demand service I want Netflix. But Comcast slows down Netflix. Because of this slowness I can't enjoy my shows on netflix. Should that be legal? Because company A can't compete against company B, and company A has the ability to cheat customers out of company B. That is not right, nor fair, nor should it be legal. It hurts small businesses. Small internet companies can't get started because they may not be able to afford the 'fast lane' speed. This hurts growth, this hurts development. This hurts Business, which is why it blows my mind republicans would be against it.

Your fellow American Citizen, ladies and gentlemen. Please shoot me in the face and end my suffering.

[John]

So if I go out and spend billions of dollars building an fiber optic network, I have to give your movie rental business the same priority that I give my own on demand services. I either have to build the entire network exclusively for myself and provide no internet access or anything but my content, or I have to let any business that wants to clog my bandwidth and potentially make my on demand services so slow as to be unworkable.

My God these people are fucking stupid. What the fuck incentive does comcast or AT&T have to build bigger and faster networks if they can't then use those networks to provide content? The money is in the content. Google is the most valuable company in the world, not AT&T or Comcast. There is no point in building a network if you can't then use it to get a cut of the content market.

These people are fucking retarded. So retarded they are unworthy of even living in modern society.

[GILMORE]

Did this person say that they have no choice about who their ISP is?

i.e. is there not a non-comcast provider in the area who doesn't throttle their preferred content?

[John]

You can always get Hughes net. And in all but the smallest towns, both the telephone and cable televisions companies provide internet services.

[The Sego Sago Kid]

I know in his area, it's Comcast, Verizon FiOS, and several DSL providers. I'm still parsing his latest load verbal diarrhea, but it seems that he would never use either because (in his words), "their connections are so slow you can't watch anything, and those 3 other ISP's you talk about, are DSL or dial-up. Which would require me to have land line in my house, which I have no use for and I would get slower speeds."

So I guess because he prefers the aesthtics of a co-ax terminal over an RJ-11, he'll keep giving EVIL COMCAST his money and write his congressman begging to make his service shittier. I think.

Honestly nothing he or his ilk say makes any fucking sense.

[bodenlosen Schweinerei]

I stand by my earlier assessment that all these clueless yahoos actually believe "All data plans are now unlimited! Thank you FCC!"

[GILMORE]

I also find this bizarre re: "slowing"

Bandwidth has gotten so 'broad' that there is - from the consumer POV - almost 'excess capacity'. Almost anyone on any network can get streaming real time video for pennies ... which was the sort of thing you needed a corporate-level business-internet for not so many years ago

(e.g. at my british company, most people watched the World Cup at work because it was less delayed than the satellite broadcast)

I noted this recently, when i wanted to see an obscure college sporting event, and was surprised to find i could stream it no prob on a remote connection on my laptop.

The 'bandwidth charging' that currently goes on doesn't (to my knowledge) harm consumers in any way - it makes the provider serivice *less profitable* for some markets. Meaning - it sounds like this person's argument is entirely *hypothetical*, and they're projecting what 'might' happen in their fantasy world, rather than describing what *does*

[John]

If that is true, then how is it that NN is going to reduce innovation on the internet? I understand the FCC having the power to regulate does all kinds of harm to innovation and they will not doubt fuck things up in ways you and I cannot even imagine. I get that. What I don't get, given what you are saying about speed, is how NN in itself is going to slow the internet down.

[GILMORE]

how NN in itself is going to slow the internet down."

When you place a 'price cap' on data, and enforce a 'customer neutral' bias... where the cost of bandwidth in Suburban Neighborhood is the same as remote Alaska... then there is little-no incentive for ISPs and telcos to 'build out' more higher-capacity and higher-speed lines ....because you don't make any more money building the pipes to hard-to-reach versus easy-to-reach customers...

i think there's also a whole nother dimension of fucked-up it adds from the POV of how ISPs segment bandwidth to generate the most profit from their available spectrum.

I think some of the legacy 'streamers' like netflix will benefit disproportionately from this NN ruling, because they can hog as much of the pipes as they want now, with reduced impact on future cost-per-bit, while other newer services which will require equal high-bandwidth will be fighting to offer services in a world where the ISPs are mostly disincented to build out more capacity.

I might be fudging up the latter explanation somewhat, but i think there's at least 2 dimensions why NN is bad for both ISPs and future service vendors

[GILMORE]

"President Barack Obama is planning to use executive action to ban 5.56 M855 ammunition, a type of bullet commonly used with the popular AR-15 rifle."

It appears, with the Immigration Exec Act., Keystone Veto, and m855 ban attempt so far... that Obama's second term agenda is basically to pour gasoline on any smouldering partisan points of disagreement, in desperate effort to abuse, inflame, and offend republicans and their voters and make them do all the 'hard work' of being a vocal and vehement opposition. IOW = 'Wedge Issues'. Find as many as possible, do something partisan about them, let the frothing ensue. This will keep the headlines on = "The Good Liberal Thing Obama Did, and How Much Those Other People Hate It"...rather than the actual ongoing clusterfuck of his actual 'real policies' of the last 6 years, which are nothing but a series of disasters and indecisive wobbling.

People seem to think that this stuff will hurt the Dems by shedding 'independents' - maybe. I think they're banking on riling up the most extreme hard left supporters rather than trying to attract 'the middle' - rather, they will attract the middle by forcing the GOP to make their positions on wedge-issues more obvious (immigration, environment, gay marriage, guns, etc). I don't think it will work, or that its even remotely smart, but i think that's what they have in mind.

[John]

That makes sense. It also explains why Hillary has decided to run entirely on "women's issues". I always figured Hillary was a dangerous candidate because she would openly run to the middle and sell the country on the idea of her Presidency being a return to the Clinton years. Instead, she is going to run left and run on "women's issues". It would be like if Obama, rather than claiming to be a racial healer and a light worker, ran on exclusively black issues like he was Al Sharpton or something.

I am not seeing how it ends in anything but disaster. People are tired of "wedge issues". And the Republicans are getting smarter and not taking the bait. Moreover, the more outrageous Obama acts, the easier it is for Republicans to not take the bait. At this point, the Republicans don't have to say a word about guns in the campaign. Every gun owner knows the Democrats are out to get them thanks to Obama. The Republicans can just ignore the issue and stay on message safe in the knowledge that Obama has already motivated their gun owning base without any need for assurances on the Republicans' part.

[Xeones]

And the Republicans are getting smarter and not taking the bait. [citation needed]

I mean, i hope you're right. As shitty as a two-party duopoly is, it's better than just one party.

[John]

I was thinking of Walker's answer to the Is Obama a Christian question and Paul's answer to a similar question given above.

[Entropy Void]

http://www.breitbart.com/big-j.....zimmerman/

Emethenbeethee.

[GAuhymeri]

I get paid over $87 per hour working from home with 2 kids at home. I never thought I'd be able to do it but my best friend earns over 10k a month doing this and she convinced me to try. The potential with this is endless. Heres what I've been doing,,,,,,
http://www.wixjob.com

[WTF]

"Damn Mongorians! They wreck my shitty wall!

[invisible furry hand]

Even those i find a bit odd. You need a tat to remember your dead child? Your skin is just an enormous Post-It note for stuff everyone else manages to remember?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Exhibit A

[John]

And foreign governments, while she was Secretary of State. At this point, it doesn't matter what your politics are. I don't see how you can in good conscience vote for a Democrat as President. The media will never hold a Democrat to any standard of accountability. A vote for a Democrat is a vote for unchecked authority and corruption.

[Anonymous Coward]

Total faux-scandal. You see, the holy hand of Slick Willie sanctifies the spiritual corruption of filthy corporate lucre and transubstantiates it into pure, righteous non-profit money used to subsidize the greatest First Family Ever: The Clintons.

[Rhywun]

I'm not into narcissistic extrovert types so I generally don't like tatts myself.

[John]

If the Republicans retake the White House, the media will suddenly decide it needs to be a watchdog again. Any Republican who even thinks of trying any of the things Obama has done will be impeached and likely sent to prison. If the not the President, certainly the people in his cabinet.

The media will be all over the next Republican President and the narrative will be from day one about the "culture of corruption and abuse of executive power". Everything Obama did will be sent down the memory hole and the President's use of even routine executive discretion will be painted as tyranny.

So, the opposition party is a vote for endless paralysis and investigation and media campaigns against tyranny. A vote for Democrat is a vote for a state run media and no accountability for anything no matter how corrupt.

[John]

Bush didn't do anything without the support of Congress. Whatever your bitch about Bush, the Patriot Act, interrogations, GUIITMO, Iraq, it was all done with the support of Congress. You can object to those things but you can't really say they are unilateral or represented an abuse of the separation of powers the way this is.

Bush never did anything approaching this kind of shit. At this point, the Democrats figure they may never get the House back again and might not get the Senate either. But they figure they have a good shot at the Presidency. So they have decided to make the President an elected dictator and the Congress a symbolic debating club.

Hillary will be just as bad and just as unaccountable. By the time 2017 rolls around, if Hillary is in office, the anti-deficiancy act will be a dead letter and Congress will no longer even have the power of the purse. They already have lost their oversight and investigative powers. Oversight powers mean nothing if the executive is free to lie to Congress and ignore its requests for information. The last barrier is the power of the purse and Obama is trying to end that. If Hillary wins, it will be vindicated and she will just have OPM write a budget and not even bother with Congress.

A Republican President couldn't do that. Hillary likely will.

[John]

I know it is party line around here to think there is no difference between the parties and the GOP is just as bad or worse. But that is just not true. This has gotten serious. It isn't tweedle dee versus tweedle dumb anymore.

[Lord Humungus]

hmm... this reminds me of the death of the Republic in ye olde Roman days - when the Senate became powerless.

[Swiss Servator... Switzy!]

Just print more...or a trillion dollar coin!

/Kruggie

[Clich? Bandit]

They did not become powerless they fucking abdicated thier power. Willfully. Nothing new under the sun and all that.

[OldMexican]

Re: From the Tundra,

Unfortunately, his dumb-fuck father is getting worse.

How so?