ISIS Takes Historic Syrian City, The Real Effect of Riots, Highlights from Rand Paul's Patriot Act Protest: A.M. Links

• 

  Screenshot from Rand Paul/Instagram

  Sen. Rand Paul led an attack on the Patriot Act, NSA snooping, and a whole lot else from the Senate floor yesterday, in a 10+ hour filibuster-lite. Matt Welch offers up the highlights here; Nick Gillespie makes the case for mainstream Republicans to side with civil libertarians on this one; Scott Shackford explains what the stunt has to do with the new USA Freedom Act; and Brian Doherty decodes Paul's "dog whistle to the antiwar libertarians." 

• Do "riots work"? Sure, according to one new study—if you want to make people more conservative, that is. 
• ISIS militants have now taken the historic Syrian city of Palmyra, five days following the group's takeover of large Iraqi city Ramadi. 
• An Indian mom has placed the country's first newspaper matrimonial ad seeking a same-sex marriage partner for her son. "In the end, I don't understand the big deal," she writes in Quartz. 
• L.A. business leaders say the real danger in the city's newly-passed minimum-wage hike is tying the minimimum wage to inflation. 
• How to talk to sex workers socially. 
• All hail American IPAs!

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and don't forget to sign up for Reason's daily updates for more content.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The AM Links filibuster is now over.

[UnCivilServant]

You stole my joke.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Can anyone really own a joke?

[Florida Man]

Nobody owns a joke man, it's God's joke.

[expat]

You didn't build that

[lafe.long]

Tell that to teh JOOOZ! (according to Salon)

[Florida Man]

"New up on the news, a pig that refuses to eat Jews."

[WTF]

Ha! We knew ENB was the culprit for the late lynx.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

sarc called it

http://reason.com/archives/201.....nt_5314456

[Monty Crisco]

Women! Always late, amirite?!?!

[Ted S.]

TIWTANFL

reason was so much better when Postrel ran it.

[Bill Dalasio]

It was glamorously late.

[Pope Jimbo]

If a woman is late, half the commenters here would be heading for the hills.

[Monty Crisco]

HA! I see what you did there...

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

Long night, Elizabeth?

[Palins Butplugg]

She must be a real Delaware girl!

[Monty Crisco]

Dude, stop with the spoofing. You're a fucking idiot.

[Palins Butplugg]

I'm like the Pete Adelis of H&R!

[Pope Jimbo]

Rufus, I can't believe you are showing your face here after Canuckistan's amphibious invasion of the US was repelled so brutally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm04PhjAmYw

[Rufus J. Firefly]

My country.

There are no words.

[Slammer]

Im in Penn Station waiting for an Amtrak train. Why does this Tim Horton's coffee taste like shit, Rufus?

And that question is a softball for the sickos around here, so I expect good comebacks.

[Crusty Juggler]

Just shove some timbits down your pie hole, hoser.

[WTF]

The fuck is a "Tim Horton's"?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Tim Horton used to be a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 60s. Then he opened a doughnut shop.

The great Canadian story.

[KDN]

What, they're not constantly advertising where you live? You must not be a Cablevision customer.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

No idea. I don't drink that crap.

Not sure why people go bananas over it. Like everything else in Canada, Tim Horton's have been masterful in linking their product to Canadian culture.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

YOU JUST MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE TIMBITS OUT OF THIS!

*shakes with barely suppressed rage*

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Canadian *what*ture?

[WTF]

I think he's referring to that odd dialect of French that they speak.

[Rasilio]

Wait, Canada has a culture?

I thought that died off when SCTV went off the air

[Xeones]

The tragedy of Canada is that it could have had American technology, British culture, and French food; instead, it ended up with French technology, American culture, and British food.

[Fist of Etiquette]

How to talk to sex workers socially.

Wow, they nailed it over in the Judge comments.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

*takes a bow*

[Ted S.]

I think ENB must have been reading the Judge comments, and deliberately included that to troll us.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

I'd like to think that is so.

[db]

What if every single comment to a Judge Napolitano article were phrased as a question?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Hey, baby, I'm into S&M but I only have ten bucks...maybe you could spit in my drink?"

[Fist of Etiquette]

...from the Senate floor yesterday, in a 10+ hour filibuster-lite.

HE WAS CAMPAIGNING ON GOVERNMENT TIME.

[WTF]

Rand Paul doesn't realize you can't enjoy your civil rights from a coffin!
- FatAss (NJ)

[Fist of Etiquette]

Seriously? Why won't his career find its coffin already.

[WTF]

I'm pretty sure it has, he just doesn't realize it yet.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

It's taking some time to build a coffin big enough.

And to hire the Cleveland Browns.

[Brett L]

Freddie Gray concurs.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Do "riots work"? Sure, according to one new study?if you want to make people more conservative, that is.

But what about the economic stimulus?

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

A riot is an ugly thing....

[Dweebston]

A tragedy is a terrible thing to waste.

[Charles Easterly]

"A riot is an ugly thing...."

+1 wooden appendage

[UnCivilServant]

The money spent buying guns to deal with the violence could have been used on something else. You're ignoring the opportunity costs, sarcastic fisty

[Andrew S.]

This sounds like a time to once again bring up my favorite "joke" from real life.

My progressive baby boomer dad, after the 2012 election, told me, in absolute seriousness, that he thought that Paul Krugman should be named Secretary of the Treasury. I told him that was a terrible idea. Krugman with government power? He'd probably have American cities bombed to boost the economy from the rebuilding stimulus. He didn't like that.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Stimuluso.

That's who Krugman would be as a villain in the comics.

[Free Society]

Your dad sounds like a real tard. Kudos for not falling into that trap.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Gunmakers have children to feed, too, you know.

[Palins Butplugg]

Alright, which one of you Peanuts broke H&R with your inane comments?

[Palin's Buttplug]

Ahh, another imposter Buttplug. Imitation is flattery.

And ENB worked sex and IPAs into her links. Worth waiting for, ENB.

[Palins Butplugg]

Wonder Twin powers activate!

[Palins Butplugg]

Form of: an ice-cock ring!

[Palin`sButtplug]

Real Mature.

[Florida Man]

Wait, there are 3 of you idiots now?!?

[Tejicano]

Well, somebody told him to go fuck himself and he did it better than anybody would have expected

[WTF]

Let us turn the whole country into a socialist fairyland by the joint operation of the army and people!

[Free Society]

Let the strong winds of buttplugging blow across the country!

[Xeones]

BBUTTPPLLUUUUUG

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

CALLED IT!

http://reason.com/archives/201.....nt_5314460

So did sarc

http://reason.com/archives/201.....nt_5314456

[This Machine]

*tasteful applause*

Well done, gents.

[Lord Humungus]

Has anyone seen John?

related: 'Honey Boo Boo's' Mama June makes strip club appearance

[Palin's Buttplug]

He and Suthenboy are missing. Perhaps they took a trip together.

[Palins Butplugg]

Maybe he's me! Have you ever seen us in the same place?

[Xeones]

BBBUUUTTTPPPLLLUUUUGGG

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

If you think I will even consider clicking that, you are MISTAKEN!

[Tejicano]

No, seriously, they will give you the twenty-six seconds back. But the time you spend rinsing your vomit off the keyboard is on you.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Thank you for the caution statement. My resolve to never click has strengthened.

[Old Man With Candy]

Isn't the fat girl/John thing copyrighted by sarcasmic?

[WTF]

We don't believe in IP.

[Xeones]

You can't copyright a cold fact, Old Man.

[Lord Humungus]

I can imagine John sitting inside a box on the sidewalk. His Porsche is gone... he's out of money... all spent on tipping Mama June.

or not.

[Slammer]

Wonder if we can hire her for Bo's Bar Mitzvah?

[Fist of Etiquette]

All hail American IPAs!

We give them reservations and casinos and they have to steal our beer market too?

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"Do "riots work"? Sure, according to one new study?if you want to make people more conservative, that is."

This is the most 'no shit' conclusion I've ever read. People like stability. The people who riot and burn things are overwhelmingly from the criminal element. People therefore turn to conservatives as a means of regaining stability from the thugs (sorry Bo!)

Someone should tell this to noted idiot Matt Breunig given that that moron seriously thought rioting was a great idea that could cause necessary reforms.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

This is also why riots are so horribly counterproductive. You riot because of police abuses, for example, and people see your rioting and determine that this is evidence of the necessity of police because they're the ones who are going to have to quell the riots.

So you end up improving peoples' opinions of the cops because you rioted in reaction to your hatred of the cops! Brilliant plan, guys!

[Hey Nikki!]

It works if you go Full Revolution.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

I don't think I'd want to live in the revolutionary utopia constructed by the Baltimore rioters.

It would make the Killing Fields look like my 7 year old cousin's princess themed birthday party.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"Waste no time with revolutions that do not remove the causes of your complaints but simply change the faces of those in charge." -Francesco Guicciardini

[WTF]

"Yeah
Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss" - The Who

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The Who clearly read Guicciardini!

[Catatafish]

It basically boils down to a "hearts and minds" thing. As you point out, people don't want to see their way of life threatened. Burning and looting private businesses isn't going to get the masses on your side. Burning government property will still have the same effect on a number of people but I think it would find succor in a surprisingly large number of minds, particularly when it is in protest of the violent abuse of government power.

[Bill Dalasio]

You mean it's hard to have empathy for an asshole burning down your house?

No shit!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Man, you really, really, really are fixated on blacks behaving badly.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

Aw, Bo. You are really, really fixated on calling anyone who makes fun of your stupidity a racist.

Given that you threw a hissy fit last night when I criticized rioters for destroying a BLACK CHILD'S medical equipment, it seems that you prefer supporting criminals over innocent black children because it makes you feel like you're not racist if you support violent people as opposed to their victims.

Maybe you should spend a bit more time worrying about the innocent black people who had their homes and businesses destroyed than about the lack of PC language used to describe the people who committed the arson and vandalism. If you did that, then I'd believe you actually cared about what happens to the good, decent people of black America, rather than merely engaging in social signalling because you're a pathetic, nattering shrew.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Of course Irish, I get it, your relentless fixation on blacks behaving badly is done because you care about their black victims. Of course.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Bo is really interfering with my campaign to be the least popular poster on H&R.

[JW]

Don't worry, Eddie, we can detest both of you equally.

[Free Society]

I don't see what black has to do with it. Now if Bo is noticing some trend among the ranks of those behaving badly, it might be worth talking about race. But of course the last thing Bo and his social justice warrior ilk want to do is actually talk about race in any way that doesn't involve telling white people to shut up and hear how it is.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

The trend I'm noticing is the different levels of fixation on blacks behaving badly and the same for whites.

Irish has been daily posting on the Baltimore riots even though they've been over for a month now. We just had a few hundred whites shoot it out in a mall in Waco and it's gotten barely a mention.

There's something about black thugs rioting that just captures some people's attention far, far more than white thugs(?) engaging in a mass shooting.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I mean, wouldn't we all like to see the comparable long discussions about the 'pathologies in the white community' that led to the Waco shooting? Perhaps the 'one party GOP rule' in that area? The negative effects of 'white country music subcultures' maybe? I guess if whites just 'took responsibility' for the actions of the bikers it would be a 'step forward...'

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Yeah, I can't wait to hear about how these bikers were raised in stable, Republican families.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"were raised in stable, Republican families."

Because of course an unstable Republican family is an oxymoron, amirite Eddie?

[Rasilio]

Except "Bikers" are in no way shape or form representative of "white culture". They are inherently outsiders.

Further the bikers shot EACH OTHER up, they did not destroy random property unassociated with their dispute and country music is hardly a biker thing

[Bo Cara Esq.]

There are some that argue that rioters are not mainstream black culture either you know.

[Free Society]

There are some that argue that rioters are not mainstream black culture either you know.

There are some who say that 70% illegitimacy rates aren't a problem or that single moms aren't the single greatest predictor for a child's future poverty and incarceration. As you can see, people argue things that aren't correct all the time.

[Free Society]

'pathologies in the white community' that led to the Waco shooting?

Name a particular one.

Perhaps the 'one party GOP rule' in that area?

Maybe if there were a correlation between GOP dominated areas and violent crime.

The negative effects of 'white country music subcultures' maybe?

Perhaps if country music were advocating violence and abuse in general.

I guess if whites just 'took responsibility' for the actions of the bikers it would be a 'step forward...'

Perhaps if biker violence and culture was widely supported within white culture and whites were disproportionally represented in the commission of violent crime.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Wow, I just looked up the story Irish mentioned:

"Lawson awoke, raced up the stairs to grab her son and rushed him to her parents' home about a block away moments before flames engulfed the house.

""They took everything from my child," said Lawson, 28.

"The wheelchair customized for Khai'Lee's small body, the back brace that helps him sit upright, the machine that pumps oxygen into his lungs when he stops breathing at night ? all were destroyed. So were the supplies for his feeding tube, his clothes, even his new swing."

http://twitchy.com/2015/05/20/.....verything/

But that doesn't matter to Bo, because the victims are just n_____s.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"But that doesn't matter to Bo, because the victims are just n_____s."

Amateur rhetorical judo is indeed fun.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"Amateur rhetorical judo is indeed fun."

You know what's amateur rhetorical judo? Calling me a racist for posting something because I was sympathetic to the plight of an innocent black child who had his medical equipment destroyed by other black people.

You apparently care more about the fact that I'm upset with the people who did something so horrible than about the fact that they actually did something so horrible.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Irish, it certainly wasn't because of that one post. You've got a long, weird pattern that I think you're actually obtuse to of fixating on blacks behaving badly while comparably downplaying/ignoring the same among whites.

[Crusty Juggler]

Hundreds of media people covered the situation in Waco live.

Wait, they did not.

[Bill Dalasio]

We just had a few hundred whites shoot it out in a mall in Waco and it's gotten barely a mention.

Probably because there really wasn't much to talk about with the assholes in Waco. Who the hell is defending them? Pretty much everyone agrees that they're assholes who deserve to go to prison.

Is anyone telling us we need to "empathize" with the Waco bikers?

Is anyone dishing out a raft of shit about the "root causes" of the Waco bikers acting like assholes?

Is anyone saying anything like "While I certainly don't approve of the behavior of the Waco bikers, we really need to understand them."?

[Notorious G.K.C.]

There we go, hit the nail on the head.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Wait a minute Bill, those fixating on the riots are totally big on 'root causes.' It's Dem one party rule, it's government programs, it's the pathologies of the black community....Root causes fixation is broader than you paint.

[Bill Dalasio]

You seem to have trouble distinguishing between the causes of their poverty and the causes of their rioting (a common problem for social justice cadres). By and large those "fixating" on the riots have been insisting that the individuals engaged in rioting are responsible for their rioting, rather than the causes of their poverty being responsible for their rioting.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

And around and round we go! Proper for such spin I guess.

[Lord Humungus]

Bikers acting like bikers? Who knew?

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"Irish has been daily posting on the Baltimore riots even though they've been over for a month now. We just had a few hundred whites shoot it out in a mall in Waco and it's gotten barely a mention."

Bo, this is the most dishonest horseshit I've ever read in my life. Two days ago YOU brought up the Baltimore riots in a desperate attempt to make some bizarre racial point by asking everyone HURR DURR, WOULD YOU GUYS CALL THESE WHITE BIKERS THUGS, HUH!

Since then, I've been mocking YOU by bringing up the riots and making jokes at your expense about the fact that you're an idiot who thinks thug is some sort of racial slur - even though people here call white cops thugs all the time.

You (being a disingenuous narcissist) completely ignore the fact that you're the one who brought up this topic of discussion again.

Furthermore, I continuously attack the actual racists who show up on this site (cough, American, cough) so the argument that I have any animus against black people is obvious nonsense and character assassination that you engage in due to the fact that you're an anti-intellectual rube who has to take recourse in accusations of racism because you're not quite sharp enough to argue in any other way.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

You haven't been posting about the riots pretty much daily since they occurred? You know there are archives here, right?

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

Even if I had (and I personally don't think that's true) this has continuously been in the news that entire time. The Washington Post posted that article about the kid having his medical equipment destroyed literally yesterday. There have been posts on major news sites about the riots every day since they occurred.

So your argument therefore is that I am a racist for discussing a subject which has been continuously discussed by the media over the entire period in question.

You're a very stupid person.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Of course I find it interesting that the media applied a different focus to the two stories as well. Like I said, stories about masses of blacks behaving in threatening and dangerous ways seem (or they do to media execs) to titillate and sell a lot more than the same kind of stories about whites acting similarly.

Of course, I try not to let my focus be set by the media, but YMMV.

[tarran]

Bo, this is the most dishonest horseshit I've ever read in my life. Two days ago YOU brought up the Baltimore riots in a desperate attempt to make some bizarre racial point by asking everyone HURR DURR, WOULD YOU GUYS CALL THESE WHITE BIKERS THUGS, HUH!

Since then, I've been mocking YOU

Bluntly, Irish, you are entirely to blame for this situation.

You chose to interact with Bo. You chose to contend with her willful and calculated obtuseness. What the fuck did you expect from her?

She has demonstrated repeatedly that she isn't interested in discourse or following any of the cultural norms that have grown up around here, and her insistance on following people around putting words in their mouth in an attempt to rile them up.

She is more worthless than Tony. She is worse than shriek, because at least shriek has the defense of being a nonsentient creature that doesn't know better!

All you do when you mock her is encourage her to post more time wasting bullshit!

I really wish people would ignore her and spend their time engaging in worthwhile conversation with people who are more deserving, such as Tony.

[Colonel Slanders]

Nice try, You mendacious fuck. Quit lying about the shootout in Waco. At least a quarter of the arrestees are Hispanic. I know assholes like you like to lump Hispanics in with Whites when it comes to crime because you can then use these episodes to further your divide the races/conquer the races policies.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

A whole quarter? Wow, that really does change everything!

[Colonel Slanders]

As usual Bo you don't bother to reply to the meat of the issue. Go die in a fire you lying racist fuck.

[Free Society]

There's something about black thugs rioting that just captures some people's attention far, far more than white thugs(?) engaging in a mass shooting.

Probably something to do with frequency and disproportionality.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"disproportionality"

Yeah, you're right, the Waco shooting was far more deadly than the Baltimore riots.

[Free Society]

"disproportionality"

Yeah, you're right, the Waco shooting was far more deadly than the Baltimore riots

You were speaking generally and then unsurprisingly with this response you decided to change the terms and pretend that you were talking about two individual cases.

[Azathoth!!]

We just had a few hundred whites shoot it out in a mall in Waco and it's gotten barely a mention.

So, you haven't looked at the mug shots. Okay then.............

[Migrant Log Picker]

BBBBBOOOOOTARDATION FTL

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

How DARE you call Bo an SJW! He totally isn't! I mean, sure he agrees full throatedly with whatever the current SJW talking point might happen to be, which is why he spent weeks whining about GAMURRRRGAAAATTTE! when that was public enemy #1. Also, he hears dog whistles everywhere and if you criticize a black person for actually doing something bad he'll dredge your comments for evidence of racial animus even if none exists - and 99% of the time none exists.

It is awfully weird that all the white people I've called 'scum' or all the cops I've called 'thugs' or all the politicians and reporters I've called 'idiots' aren't evidence that I hate white people but if you call an arsonist a thug obviously it can only be racism. Bo has spoken though - who are we to disagree?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Actually, using your logic, I've just deduced you really are racist against white people. I mean, you fixate on black racism and blacks behaving badly because, of course, you care about the black victims of the same. Your relative indifference to white mass bad behavior must mean you just don't care about their white victims! Why are you racist against white people Irish? And yes, I understand with his handle Irish is likely white and so one might think it's a bit ludicrous that he hates people like himself, but we're constantly informed about this or that self-hating Jewish anti-Semite here, so I guess it's like that...

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I've found that defending yourself against ridiculous charges simply gives the charges more publicity.

It's best to simply mock Bo mercilessly and ask him why black victims don't matter to him if the criminals were black.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"ask him why black victims don't matter to him if the criminals were black."

Eddie is better at self-mockery. See, he doesn't get I've already panned this move, because he didn't understand it when I did.

At least Irish is intelligent.

[Bill Dalasio]

You know, I suspect in a poll, people here would give a lot more credit to Eddie than you, Bo. At least Eddie argues in good faith - sometimes some of here think stupidly or venally - but nonetheless in good faith.

You're just a social justice cadre concern troll trying to palm off the "more libertarian than thou" spiel to play silly high school status games.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

OK, thank you, but what's with "venally"?

[Atanarjuat]

Not to corpsefuck this thread, but let's not forget that Bo is a noxious racist who has actually argued, on separate occasions, that it is OK to call black men "Uncle Tom" and "boy".

[DesigNate]

"Do "riots work"? Sure, according to one new study?if you want to make people more conservative, that is."

This is the most 'no shit' conclusion I've ever read. People like stability. The people who riot and burn things are overwhelmingly from the criminal element. People therefore turn to conservatives as a means of regaining stability from the thugs (sorry Bo!)

Someone should tell this to noted idiot Matt Breunig given that that moron seriously thought rioting was a great idea that could cause necessary reforms.

At no point in this post did Irish mention race. But your grievance is duly noted.

[Palins Butplugg]

A new poll shows Jeb Bush polling at 28% among Latinos in Georgia! How many of you ratfuckers are going to vote for him now?

[Andrew S.]

Fucking A. The real Buttplug is bad enough. We don't need an imposter.

[Palins Butplugg]

Hey. I know you. You're the one that run into my trash.

[Lord Humungus]

A beer a day is 110-year-old Nebraska man's secret to a long life

The Nebraska City man turned 110 years old on May 16, making him Nebraska's oldest living person and possibly the oldest man living in the United States.

"He always told everybody the reason he has lived so long is drinking one can of beer, every day at 3 p.m.," said his daughter Lois Bassinger of Nebraska City. "He always joked that that was his medicine since he takes very little medicine."

His "medicine" of choice?

"Whatever kind was around," he said, though Bassinger said her father's preference leans toward Miller brands.

[Elspeth Flashman]

Miller? eww.

[Florida Man]

The cure is worse than the disease!

[Pro Libertate]

Plate o' shrimp.

[straffinrun]

What does he do when he pisses his pants? Depends.

[Pope Jimbo]

I thought that was the punchline to this joke:

What does eating out a 90 year old granny taste like?
Depends

[straffinrun]

No, the punchline to that is Starbucks.

[Pope Jimbo]

Huh? Starbucks isn't funny gross, it is just gross gross.

[straffinrun]

Would you believe: Youth, if you were 110?

[pagal]

So he doesn't really have a beer every day. He has a "beer" every day.

[Palins Butplugg]

Right. His advice actually boils down to "drink a glass of water every day."

[Tejicano]

I would say that he seems to want a beer every day but rarely does he get one.

[yet another dave]

one beer a day x 6 = I'm gonna live till I'm 660

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"All told, seven Democrats?Wyden, Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal, Washington's Maria Cantwell, Delaware's Chris Coons, New Mexico's Martin Heinrich, West Virginia's Joe Manchin, and Montana's Jon Tester?also joined Paul on the floor"

Is Pan Zabobla paying attention? He seemed riled up last nite that Reason wasn't focusing on the Dems, seemed more of them showed up than Grand Old Party members and H&R reported it dutifully.

[l0b0t]

HURPY DERPY!1! Y U neglektz uR kIdZ Bro??

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Sad.

[l0b0t]

Yes, yes you are Botard.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

If only the GOP would behave better you wouldn't need to engage in such pathetic deflections.

[Free Society]

You seem to think the right libertarians ought to be called to account for the machinations of a decidedly non-libertarian organization like the GOP.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"You seem to think the right libertarians ought to be called to account for the machinations of a decidedly non-libertarian organization like the GOP."

Where in the world would I get the idea that many ostensible libertarians here are defenders of the GOP?

[Free Society]

Where in the world would I get the idea that many ostensible libertarians here are defenders of the GOP?

Maybe it's because many here understandably recognize the Democratic Party to be the most antithetical to the ideals of liberty. And Reason authors and commentors routinely thrash the GOP. So maybe it's your own reflexive defense of your fellow SJWs in the Democratic Party that offends you.

[Beautiful Bean Footage]

Focusing on the GOP behaving badly while the Dems are the way they are right now is like criticising the Avengers for fighting each other while Loki/aliens/Ultron are burning the earth down.

[Crusty Juggler]

Nerd alert!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

An odd comment given, as noted, that more Dems showed up here than Republicans.

[l0b0t]

Good Lord Botard, for the umpteenth time - I AM NOT A LIBERTARIAN, I AM NOT A REPUBLICAN, I AM A REACTIONARY, A MONARCHIST, A FORMALIST, A CARLYLEIST if you like. I have NEVER defended an elected politician of ANY stripe primarily because I consider demotism and suffrage stupid and evil. This why we hate you so, your utter inability to actually engage with our arguments. you just blindly parrot your Whig/Progressive talking points without regard to their salience to the topic at hand. Tony and Shriek display more self-awareness and ability to process nuance than you.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"I AM NOT A LIBERTARIAN--I AM A REACTIONARY, A MONARCHIST"

No need to shout, I totally believe you!

[Lord Humungus]

Saudi Arabia Seeks Top Spot on U.N. Human Rights Council

Saudi Arabia is making a bid to head the United Nations' Human Rights Council (HRC) just days after it posted a slew of new job openings for executioners who would help carry out beheadings amid a massive uptick in state-sanctioned killings in the country.

Saudi Arabia, which has come under increasing criticism from human rights groups for an uptick in the number of executions in the country, has been a member of the U.N.'s top human rights body since 2014, along with Russia, China, and Cuba.

It is now making a bid to assume lead control over the HRC after 2016, when the presidency rotates to a new nation.

[WTF]

The UN really is sick joke.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

It's Bizarro meets Kafka.

[Cdr Lytton]

Just rename it to the UN Human Rights Violators Council.

[Warty]

American Football Is Like a Nuclear Explosion

Venzke: I find it very, very hard to buy diapers and baby powder. I can't deal with having to do that sort of thing, given what I used to do.

That has to be the oddest post-NFL complaint I've ever heard.

[WTF]

The winner takes it all in America -- either you're king or you're nobody. European society is built on the Olympic principle -- it's okay to be runner-up. If you're a competitive swimmer and you get a bronze medal, that's good too. But in the NFL you can't afford to miss a single training session because the hordes of people waiting to take your place are getting bigger by the day.

Don't criticize America because we recognize that second place is just the first loser. It's almost like he is saying the NFL gave him PTSD.

[Warty]

Well, he is. Der Spiegel's agenda is obvious, and he played along nicely.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"But in the NFL you can't afford to miss a single training session because the hordes of people waiting to take your place are getting bigger by the day."

LOL, yeah, okay. Clearly in big time European soccer no one ever has to worry about hordes of hungry, young players taking their jobs. Premier League soccer players just kind of shoot the shit and hardly even bother practicing.

I don't know what this guy is talking about, but I think he has an inaccurate view of European sports.

[Ted S.]

Premier League soccer players just kind of shoot the shit and hardly even bother practicing.

There's a reason nobody in England can make a penalty shot. :-p

[Rufus J. Firefly]

It's true they don't take training seriously. Not like they do in continental Europe.

And it shows especially in their tactics particularly at the national level. Awful.

I like EPL soccer for the spectacle and tradition (one of my first matches I saw was between QPR and Liverpool with Kenny Daglish) but give me Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga to see what's going on in advancements in coaching techniques, formations, tactics and so on.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Exactly. I've had friends go try out to play for teams in Italy and Spain. Lemme tell ya, the cut throat environment is vicious. There's so much talent it's literally a conveyor belt of bodies heading either to the Bovine slaughter house or if you're lucky and good you may get a shot at 4th division play.

Europe is not a god damn fucking peaceful playground of friendly people and unicorn looking out for you. Jesus Christ this bull shit is getting on my nerves. It's not okay; why do you think they spend so much on amateur and pro sports?

[Ted S.]

The winner takes it all in America -- either you're king or you're nobody. European society is built on the Olympic principle -- it's okay to be runner-up.

American sports don't relegate the bottom teams to the next lower division.

[WTF]

Although we could probably use some of that.

[robc]

Amen.

Baseball is virtually set up for it, and basketball would be easy to do, due to proliferation of gyms.

Football, not so much, although CFB could go to it.

[Catatafish]

It's all a moot point until Congress rescinds all the league anti-trust exemptions.

[KDN]

And ice hockey. Honestly, the fact that the Oilers, Panthers, and Hurricanes haven't spent the majority of the past decade in the AHL is a grave injustice.

[Lord at War]

You forgot the Blow Jackets...

[Catatafish]

I'm fine with discussing brain trauma, medication abuse, etc. But that was just a laundry list of complaints followed up with "but I'm not complaining." You seriously just said waiting in lines makes you mad because you didn't have to do that when you were in the NFL. You seriously just said going to buy diapers and formula is impossible because the NFL didn't "prepare you" for that. You seriously...are a pussy.

[Catatafish]

From the AP coverage of Rand's filibuster: "It marked the second time in two years that Paul has used a marathon Senate speech to draw attention to a pet issue, and to himself..."

http://apnews.myway.com/articl.....281bc.html

How does the back of your hand feel, AP? And since when does the mass violation of the 4th Amendment amount to a "pet issue?"

[UnCivilServant]

They also referred to extrajudicial murder of citizens a "Pet issue".

[Catatafish]

Well, if you want to get all namby-pamby about THAT, UnCiv...

[Pro Libertate]

Holy fuck. Pet issue? Pet this.

[Florida Man]

*extends hand cautiously*

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

*unzip*

[straffinrun]

Frank and Beans!

[Florida Man]

How the hell did you get the beans above the frank?!?

[Catatafish]

I still shudder when I think of that scene.

[Crusty Juggler]

It is almost worth it to have Markie Post spray a little bactine on your junk.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

You would think the AP would support Paul's defense of civil liberties given that the AP themselves have been illegally wiretapped by the Obama Administration.

[Gordilocks]

The narrative overrides even their own self-interest. Fucking Team assholes.

[Monty Crisco]

You expect consistency and principles from a fucking government propaganda organ?

[Hey Nikki!]

Yeah, there was handwringing yesterday on CNN about whether sitting senators should be allowed to run for president, because they could use their activities in the Senate for fundraising. I.e., the filibuster was just a fundraising "stunt." God forbid ou successfully raise money to become president by being a halfway decent politician.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Did the CNN handwringers happen to remember that Hillary! was a sitting senator when she ran in 2008?

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

THAT IS DIFFERENT!!!!!

/CNN

[Ted S.]

Ditto Barack Obama.

[Princess Trigger]

He didn't actually do anything.
Does anyone remember his heroic fights for _____?

[Jerry on the sea]

...voting present?

[Hey Nikki!]

Was she actually spending any time in the Senate during the campaign though? I think Rand is fucking shit up by doing his job or something.

[Pro Libertate]

Lord, they hate freedom, don't they? Paul must be stopped, even from influencing things, let alone winning.

[Free Society]

God forbid ou successfully raise money to become president by being a halfway decent politician.

Since elections are a contest between pathological liars to see who can most convincingly hide his sociopathy from the voters, you ought to fear any halfway decent politician.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"there was handwringing yesterday on CNN about whether sitting senators should be allowed to run for president"

You have got to be kidding me!

I would guess they didn't voice these concerns in 2008.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

The AP seems to be increasingly using its "news" articles to editorialize.

(Like the NYT)

[Lord Humungus]

The Rise of the $50,000 Rental

In all, there were 82 apartments renting for at least $50,000 a month listed on StreetEasy during the first three months of the year, more than triple the number listed in the first quarter of 2008. At lower thresholds, luxury listings are also on the rise. Apartments renting for more than $25,000 a month made up 0.95 percent of total inventory in the first quarter of 2015, up from 0.46 percent in the first quarter of 2008. Real estate agents and wealth managers say the increase in expensive rentals is partly an outgrowth of the luxury building boom sweeping through New York City, and partly due to the shifting whims of a global elite that wants luxury digs without the hassle of a long-term commitment.

"Wherever there's a growing urban metropolis with a lot of capital, this is happening in a big way," said Thorne Perkin, president of Papamarkou Wellner Asset Management, which manages money for about 150 family offices. "There's an antiquated mentality that a primary residence has to be an investment property. That's changing."

[Andrew S.]

Why would anyone want to live in Manhattan, other than for douchebaggy status reasons?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

douchebags

[Hey Nikki!]

If you had that kind of money, it would be really nice.

[Andrew S.]

If I had that kind of money and had to work in the city, I'd buy a big house with a bunch of land in Westchester County.

[Crusty Juggler]

A friend of mine just did that. His house cost over 2 million. So, you would need to purchase a 2 million dollar house and still have to ride the train.

[Andrew S.]

I'll take a train commute into Grand Central every day over living in Manhattan. Can't live in a city. I need space to move.

[Hey Nikki!]

Enjoy your commute!

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

I would commute.... by Zeppelin!

[Lord Humungus]

+1 Oh the Humanity!

[Catatafish]

I agree. When I was dirt poor after collegeI hated visiting my friends in NYC. It's amazing what disposable income will do for your opinion of a place.

Still don't know if I could make that my one and only home though.

[Hey Nikki!]

If you have that kind of money you probably get to have more than one home.

[Crusty Juggler]

When you live in Manhattan you can tell everyone you live in Manhattan.

[UnCivilServant]

Except only an asshole would brag about living in that cesspit.

[Hey Nikki!]

Central Park, 5th Avenue, insanely good museums, paths along the waterfront...total cesspit.

[UnCivilServant]

Yes it is.

Made even worse by the people who inhabit it.

[Rhywun]

Point to the place on the doll where the Manhattanite touched you.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Green acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.
New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.
...The chores.
...The stores.
...Fresh air.
...Times Square
You are my wife.
Good bye, city life.
Green Acres we are there.

[l0b0t]

Meh... I live in a big house with a yard and a garage, right on the beach in Queens ("It's not hard, not hard to reach" I really love Rockaway Beach). We don't have to lock our doors or close our windows at night and we can be into Manhattan in 20 minutes by car or 45 minutes by subway.

[Bill Dalasio]

Why would anyone want to live in Manhattan, other than for douchebaggy status reasons?

Commute.

[Bill Dalasio]

Why would anyone want to live in Manhattan, other than for douchebaggy status reasons?

Commute.

[UnCivilServant]

The commute from Manhattan to my work would be atrocious.

[l0b0t]

Several years ago when the POTUS took the Wookie to Broadway for a date, I got caught in the motorcade traffic. I was leaving a job at Chelsea Piers heading South on the West-Side Highway. All of the cross streets were blocked off forcing ALL Southbound traffic into the Battery Tunnel to Brooklyn. It took 5 hours to travel the 3 miles from Chelsea Piers to the tunnel entrance.

[Pope Jimbo]

All of you are missing the obvious point.

If you can afford to pay $50K a month in rent, you should simply retire and spend all your money banging two chicks at the same time.

[Catatafish]

*throws laurels at PJ's feet for so convincingly winning debate*

[Rasilio]

This.

$50k a month is $600k a year, I can take 5 years of that stick it into a nice safe investment fund that pays me $120k a year to just sit on my ass on a beach somewhere for the rest of my life.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"President Obama took his sharpest jab yet on Wednesday against politicians who deny human influence on climate change, sending them this message: You're a threat to national security.

Speaking at the United States Coast Guard Academy commencement in New London, Connecticut, Obama made climate change the focus of his remarks, calling the country's failure to act to combat global warming a "dereliction of duty." In association with the speech, the White House also released an 11-page report summarizing the government's findings and initiatives on national security and climate change."

One of the most ridiculous and shameful things this President has ever said.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the.....urity.html

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Eventually, not fast enough I know, but eventually he'll be gone; him and his bull shit.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

He essentially said "those that disagree with my climate alarmism are threatening the security of the nation!' Imagine if Bush had said the equivalent.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

He's, again, acting immaturely and irresponsibly. When they put their first 'climate denier' in prison he will have had a hand in it.

[Dweebston]

It's his second term. He's hit the lame suck stretch with an adversarial Congress and his party is distancing itself. Irresponsible and immature is the name of the game now.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think he's just signaling to certain donors and the base right now, and he's partly just prone to such irresponsible rhetoric since he's in a bubble where no one he respects will call him on it.

[Princess Trigger]

You're with us - or you're agin us.
All hail the Green Wave!

[Palin's Buttplug]

The Pentagon said the same thing before Obama was elected.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

It's crazy whoever says it. I actually think it's more likely than not that human activity is spurring some warming. But it's ridiculous to say this is a national security issue, to use that occasion to push it, and to imply those that disagree are threatening the security of the nation.

[Xeones]

BBUUUTTPPLLUUUUUGGG

[PBR Streetgang]

"Threat to national security" = treason = ??

[straffinrun]

It's only called "treason" if you lose.

*Pushes all his chips in the pot*

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Why doth treason never prosper?

For if it prospser, none doth call it treason.

[straffinrun]

You know who elth doth prospser fwom tweethin?

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Sylvester the Cat and my typing?

[Florida Man]

Hey PBR, do you post on a survivalist forum?

[PBR Streetgang]

No I don't, only here really. Did someone rip my handle?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I'm going to bet that handles from Apocalypse Now are not uncommon in survivalist forums...

[PBR Streetgang]

Yeah, I suspect you're right.

[Slammer]

nevergetoutoftheboat

[Florida Man]

I was searching for tool reviews and got a link to a survivalist forum about Ryobi tools. Some guy was posting under PBR street gang. It was an archived page so it was probably a few years old.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

PBR is in the Pocket of Big Tool!!!11!1elevnty!!oneoneone!

[Dweebston]

You know who else has a big tool in his pocket?

[Florida Man]

Dweebston|5.21.15 @ 10:23AM|#

You know who else has a big tool in his pocket?

Tommy Lee?

[Rasilio]

Theon Greyjoy?

No wait, that's in a box

[Florida Man]

I knew it!

[Free Society]

President Obama took his sharpest jab yet on Wednesday against politicians who deny human influence on climate change, sending them this message: You're a threat to national security.

That's not so much a jab as it is a veiled threat to lock deniers into gulags.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

From article about L.A. min. wage hike:

"It takes a huge political push to get any adjustment," said Marieka Klawitter, a professor of public affairs at the University of Washington. "This is a way to allow the minimum wage to respond directly to the economy, to adapt to the current conditions automatically without requiring the political process to intervene."

I thought they just did intervene politically.

"...Michael Reich, who heads the institute, said he studied San Francisco's experience tying wages to price fluctuations from 2002 to 2013 and found that the strategy worked as designed. In restaurants, wages kept pace with inflation within San Francisco, but not the rest of the Bay Area. Employment grew at the same rate as other nearby counties, he said."

Paging Sevo. Is he up this bright and early?

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"In restaurants, wages kept pace with inflation within San Francisco, but not the rest of the Bay Area. Employment grew at the same rate as other nearby counties, he said.""

Left out is the fact that San Francisco is the recipient of a massive tech boom that's actually pricing poor people out of the city...of course employment grew alright, the poor people are leaving and getting replaced by tech workers.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

I also like that they don't connect the high minimum wage in San Francisco to the massive cost of living that's driving the poor and middle classes out of the city. San Francisco has among the highest income inequality rates in the country, so the high minimum wage isn't quite having the impact it's supposed to have, is it?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I've always said that these progressive cities that are raising their minimum wages, if they really cared about the poor there they'd cut the high taxes there that fall more heavily on their poor. But of course they don't.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

What type of taxes because they don't pay income taxes, correct?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

These cities have notoriously high taxes on gas, cigarettes, etc.

[Rhywun]

Sales tax. The income tax cuts in around 20K IIRC which isn't poverty but it sure hurts.

[CatoTheElder]

The most obvious tax is the 15.3% FICA tax but, at various points, people face extremely high marginal rates of taxation from 0% to 400% of the poverty line.

Earn the 1st dollar: Lose all unemployment and disability benefits.
At another level: Lose all cash benefits.
At another level: Lose all food stamp benefits.
At another level: Lose all rent subsidies.
At another level: Lose child care and education benefits.
At another level: Lose Medicaid benefits.
At 400% of poverty line: Lose the ObamaCare subsidy.

Loss of benefits has the same disincentive to gainful employment as a marginal tax. There are sliding scales on many of these benefits, so marginal rates are also high from one level to the next.

The marginal rates of taxation at each of these levels can be extraordinarily high. In my own case, at 400% of poverty line, the lose of the ObamaCare subsidy is equivalent to a 870,200% marginal income tax. Mine is admittedly an extreme case since I'm a geezer not quite old enough for Medicare. People under 35 years old get no subsidy at 400%, but still have some marginal reduction in subsidy at lower levels of income. At age 35, the marginal rate is around 43,100%.

[Lord Humungus]

Report: Elizabeth Warren Did Not Disclose $1.3 Million Credit Line From Bank Of America

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the populist Democrat and foe of big banks, has not listed a $1.3 million credit line against her home with Bank of America on annual financial disclosure documents because of a loophole in federal law, according to a new report.

The Boston Herald reported Wednesday that Warren, who is required to disclose financial assets and liabilities, avoided listing it in 2014 because it's a line of credit ? not a mortgage ? and the Democrat doesn't actually owe enough money yet.

[Florida Man]

I don't see why that is important. Is a credit line a liability if you aren't using it?

[tarran]

Is a credit line a liability if you aren't using it?

It's not a liability. And it really isn't important in and of itself.

One way to launder money is to give someone a "loan" that they never pay back. But since Warren hasn't tapped that line of credit and borrowed money on it, that hasn't happened here... yet.

In my opinion it's very premature to get exercised about this.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

How is she getting 1.3 million on a LOC anyway?

By business generates more revenues than her income and I'm not eligible to get anywhere near that. We own properties and can't get anywhere near that on a commercial LOC.

What am I missing?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

My.

[UnCivilServant]

You are not a government official whose sway can impact major business interests bottom lines.

[PBR Streetgang]

I think, her house in Boston is worth several million, but was bought in the 90s for less then $400K (or some such). It might be paid off entirely by now?

[Hey Nikki!]

Is that really a "loophole"? Does everyone have to list credit card limits as "assets"? I mean, she listed the home, right?

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

Loophole in this context is partisan speak for 'she followed the law, but we're going to attack her anyway.'

[tarran]

"... and thereby weaken the impact we have when we report on truly scandalous behavior."

Everyone writing for the daily caller should watch this video.

[SugarFree]

That's how Warren uses "loophole" so I think it's fair.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Loophole Warren found a cultural 'loophole' to describe herself as part Native.

[Derpetologist]

Spot the Not: Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?!

1. Think of the children ... freed of the crushing burden of dangerous and demeaning work

2. I'm not going to sacrifice the well-being of my child. My child is pure. It's not my responsibility to be protecting their child.

3. Kids are great: you can teach 'em to hate what you hate and they practically raise themselves.

4. There is no question that American society is becoming increasingly callous and coarse, and part of the reason is that derelict moms and dads refuse to set boundaries for their children.

5. The key to raising children is to understand that discipline begets love.

6. You know what I say? I say fuck the children. Fuck 'em. They are getting entirely too much attention.

[Andrew S.]

Second straight day you've worked in a Simpsons reference, Derpy Hooves!

This one seems weird, in that there are no defined parameters. That being said, I'll go with #1.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"Kids are great: you can teach 'em to hate what you hate and they practically raise themselves."

It depends if you consider Homer Simpson to be a real person.

Which I do.

[Marty Feldman's Eyes]

Also: "I believe children are our future...unless we do something to stop them now!"

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

6 sounds like a comedian....so I will go 2

[Derpetologist]

5 is the Not. That is a paraphrase from the Ren & Stimpy character George Liquor, American.

The rest in order, are from Bill Clinton, Dr. Jack Wolfson (an anti vaxer), Homer Simpson, Bill O'Reilly, and George Carlin.

The wiki article on "what about the children?": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children

[Mazakon]

PETA wants the "Ye Olde Fighting Cocks" bar to stop microaggressing against chickens

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to the oldest bar in Britain on Monday demanding that it change its historic name because "Ye Olde Fighting Cocks" is offensive to chickens. PETA director Mimi Bekhechi said the name should be changed to "Ye Olde Clever Cocks" because that would "celebrate chickens as the intelligent, sensitive and social animals they are," according to an article in the Mirror.

[UnCivilServant]

Can we put PETA in their own corpse freezer and throw away the key?

[Mazakon]

Well it would give them a further connection to animals they rally for.

[Warty]

Try to look a chicken in the eye with great intensity

[Pro Libertate]

The enormity of their flat brain, the enormity of their stupidity, is just overwhelming. You have to do yourself a favor. When you are out in the countryside and you see chicken, try to look a chicken in the eye with great intensity. And the intensity of stupidity that is looking back at you is just amazing.

By the way, it is very easy to hypnotize a chicken. They are very prone to hypnosis. And in one or two films, I've actually shown that.

[Xeones]

Werner Herzog is so fucking awesome.

[Pro Libertate]

His next project is a film study of the futility of filmmaking.

[Crusty Juggler]

But will there ever be a sequel to Grizzly Man?

[Pro Libertate]

Yes. The Futility of Nonexistence.

[Xeones]

At least now Timothy Treadwell knows firsthand whether a bear shits in the woods.

[tarran]

Some of his cells do. I believe his brain never was ingested and has no idea what happened after its body was killed.

[Tejicano]

Well, granted that a chicken would be considered relatively intelligent when compared to the average PETA member.

[Derpetologist]

Spot the Not: smart people who did very dumb things

1. Distinguished physicist goes to jail after being tricked him into smuggling drugs

2. Renowned heart surgeon ruins reputation by peddling snake oil

3. Rock star journalist makes up sensational stories; loses everything

4. Talented poet denied professorship because he misspelled a word

5. Great inventor nearly dies while trying to electrocute a turkey

6. Famous painter dies from lead poisoning after years of licking paintbrush

[Andrew S.]

#2 is Doctor Oz, I'll assume.

I'll guess #4.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

4

[tarran]

My guess is 4 (trying to break my losing streak)

I know 1 is true. Poor dude thought this extremely hot girl was in love with him. He literally had no clue that he was being made the victim of a honeypot scheme to smuggle drugs in his luggage.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

I saw that one too - exhibit #345196 in the "just because you are an academic/book smart, doesn't mean you can handle the rest of life".

[WTF]

4

[straffinrun]

Didn't even get a prize last time, but 5?

[Derpetologist]

So many wrongly guessed #4. That was William Yeats. His application to Trinity College was denied because he misspelled "professor" in his application.

6 is the Not. Although there was the famous case of the radium girls who got cancer from licking their radium paint brushes.

5 was Ben Franklin. His account of the incident is very funny:

The Company present (whose talking to me, and to one another I suppose occasioned my Inattention to what I was about) Say that the flash was very great and the crack as loud as a Pistol; yet my Senses being instantly gone, I neither Saw the one nor hear the other; nor did I feel the Stroke on my hand, tho' I afterwards found it raised a round swelling where the fire enter'd as big as half a Pistol Bullet by which you may judge of the Quickness of the Electrical Fire.

You may Communicate this to Mr. Bowdoin As A Caution to him, but do not make it mor Publick, for I am Ashamed to have been Guilty of so Notorious A Blunder.

[tarran]

Blast!!!!! Curse you!

[Lord Humungus]

Ohio + Florida?

Ohio man goes on drunken rampage at Disney resort, steals golf cart, crashes into pier and nearly drowns

But when the staffer reached Hall, he allegedly ran toward it, jumped and crashed through its plexiglass windshield.

The Mentor, Ohio, resident allegedly climbed into the driver's seat and zoomed off toward Bay Lake, where he crashed the vehicle into a pier.

Police said Hall jumped into the water and tried to swim away. But he soon started struggling and had to be fished out by the resort's marine unit.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Honorary Florida Man.

[Ted S.]

When you said "Ohio + Florida", I was hoping it would be Urban Meyer.

[Tejicano]

When in Rome...

[Pro Libertate]

Florida Man is usually someone who came from Ohio. This is the secret to understanding Florida.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"U.S. military charge cards used at strip clubs and casinos thousands of times"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....-of-times/

I'm sure everyone here will be as upset about this as they would be if this was about other federal employees, like the IRS or EPA doing this sort of thing.

[UnCivilServant]

You're almost a week late with this. It showed up in an earlier links.

[This Machine]

Government Charge Cards work like an ordinary credit card - namely, the money spent on them has to be paid off by the military member who's responsible for it. No taxpayer dollars.

Please try and keep up, this was discussed thoroughly at least as far back as a week ago.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Again, so if this were about IRS or EPA officials we'd be getting the same line here?

[Pro Libertate]

I rather suspect the answer is yes, if they aren't spending taxpayer money or doing this on government time.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Government Charge Cards work like an ordinary credit card - namely, the money spent on them has to be paid off by the military member who's responsible for it. No taxpayer dollars.

Well, yes, that's mostly true--but there's ways to get around that by eating at the chow hall on base during TDYs and using the per diem saved to pay off extracurricular activities. If these guys aren't dropping anything more than a couple of $20s, the visit is essentially paid for and very little, if anything, has to come out of their own pocket.

And the "no taxpayer dollars" argument is a red herring. There's rules about the use of government travel cards. Using it for anything that's not considered a "business expense" is a big no-no and yes, strip clubs and casinos fall into this category. It's stupid because the travel card coordinator is authorized to access your account at any time to make sure you used the card for meals and business-related purposes only.

[l0b0t]

Years ago, when I was a Bourbon Street bartender, we had several goons from Naval CID show up to investigate charges on a gov credit card. There were only a few drinks charged in our bar but they said it was something like $35,000.00 spent in one weekend with the bulk of it spent at French Quarter strip clubs.

[Rasilio]

Actually as I said when this story originally broke the real headline should have read...

Amazingly military staffers spend less than a million dollars at strip clubs and casino's

One can argue whether they should be in those locations at all but given the large number of such cards spending under a million in a year shows a remarkable amount of restraint.

[Palin's Buttplug]

CNN, Fox News to limit GOP debate to top ten candidates:

http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2.....ens-table/

They will set up a "children's table" for the others in not-prime-time scheduling.

[Palins Butplugg]

It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

OK, that's actually funny.

[Xeones]

BBBBUUUUUTTTTPPPPLLLLUUUUUUUG

[Lord Humungus]

Anty Gin ? World's First Gin Made Using Ants

True to its name, 'Anty Gin' is literally made from red wood ants. British distiller Will Lowe collects thousands of ants from the forests of Kent and prepares the gin at his lab-style distillery in Cambridge. The bizarre concoction is the world's first gin to be made from insects, so naturally, it doesn't come cheap. Each 70cl bottle costs ?200 ($313), and contains the essence of 62 ants.

The idea for Anty Gin came about when Danish organisation Nordic Food Lab contacted Lowe, who makes custom gins for a living. "We were approached by a company from Copenhagen called Nordic Food Lab who explore the culinary qualities of insects and argue for the eating of them in western cuisine. They asked us to come up with a gin where the typical citrus flavor came not from lemon or lime peel, but from ants." Lowe said.

[Florida Man]

I'll stick with hendrick's.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Bombay Sapphire - hold the ants.

[Florida Man]

That use to be my go to until I tried hendrick's. I just finished a bottle of Plymouth. It was ok.

[Lord Humungus]

Plymouth - the preferred gin of Travis McGee - though he complained the quality went down

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Hmmm... I might have to try this Hendrick's.

[Florida Man]

You haven't tried Hendrick's? It is hands down my favorite gin.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

In your honor, I shall try it.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

How do you suggest - martini? gimlet? G&T?

[Lord Humungus]

A few weeks ago I went to the local watering hole and ordered a Gimlet. The bartender gave me a 'what the hell are you talking about?' look.

uh - make that a G&T

[Florida Man]

I usually do tonic, but I do love a nice gimlet with rose's lime juice.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yeah. No.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Incidentally, we have (very wealthy) friends who have taken the plunge (leaving a lucrative business) and started their own distillery and have already won awards for their vodka.

I know little of the business, I'm assuming their on their way to making a mint. Unless there are pitfalls I'm unaware of.

Anything the guy touches works.

[Florida Man]

I've thought about opening a cocktail lounge, but all the regulations scare me out of it. Plus I can't really quit my job to do it full time.

[Pro Libertate]

Mobile bar. Buy an RV, stock it, and show up on demand to make drinks.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

"Florida Bar"

[Pro Libertate]

Florida Barmobile. The bartender will be referred to as Barman, with an attractive stripper/waitress named Robin.

[Florida Man]

Now you're talking.

[Pro Libertate]

You will, of course, need a bar utility belt.

[Crusty Juggler]

And a can of gator repellent.

[Pro Libertate]

You know nothing of Florida. Python repellent, on the other hand, is wise,

I'm wondering whether there's a licensing loophole for a mobile bar.

[Florida Man]

I'm guessing there is an open container violation.

[Pro Libertate]

Seal the bar so that it only operates when the engine isn't running. Booze is not accessible until then. Or just operate underground.

[Entropy Void]

The limo loophole.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Swiss franc expected to steady or weaken

"This drift in expectations away from an appreciating franc toward a stable exchange rate or even a depreciating franc may have something to do with indications seen in recent weeks that the SNB has been buying foreign currencies," Credit Suisse said.

Echoing other Swiss policymakers, SNB vice-chairman Jean-Pierre Danthine said on Tuesday that the central bank could still expand its balance sheet further by buying euros to weaken the franc.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

THANKS BE TO GOD! Easier to make goals when dollars buy more francs 🙂

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

It really is an interesting article, should check it out.

[Lord Humungus]

A Closer Look at Hillary Clinton's Emails on Benghazi

In Memo, Blumenthal Initially Blames Demonstrators for Attacks

The day after the Sept. 11, 2012, attacks on American outposts in Benghazi that killed Mr. Stevens and three other Americans, Mr. Blumenthal sent Mrs. Clinton a memo with his intelligence about what had occurred. The memo said the attacks were by "demonstrators" who "were inspired by what many devout Libyan viewed as a sacrilegious internet video on the prophet Mohammed originating in America." Mrs. Clinton forwarded the memo to Mr. Sullivan, saying "More info." (Pages 193-195)

[Lord Humungus]

and:

Clinton's Personal Email Account Contained Sensitive Information

Mrs. Clinton's emails show that she had a special type of government information known as "sensitive but unclassified," or "SBU," in her account. That information included the whereabouts and travel plans of American officials in Libya as security there deteriorated during the uprising against the leadership of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011. Nearly a year and a half before the attacks in Benghazi, Mr. Stevens, then an American envoy to the rebels, considered leaving Benghazi citing deteriorating security, according to an email to Mrs. Clinton marked "SBU."

[Mazakon]

US Will Not Release Bin Laden's Pornography Collection

Among the thousands of files seized by US commandos during the 2011 raid was what Reuters described as a "fairly extensive" cache of pornographic videos.
Brian Hale, a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), said that the pornography would remain classified even as other parts of bin Laden's personal files were released.
"We have no plans to release that at this point in time," he told The Telegraph. "Due to the nature of the content the decision was made not to release it."

[Andrew S.]

Can't they at least tell us what KIND of porn it is?

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Tentacle?

[Andrew S.]

I figured it was crush videos. Seems the kind of thing he'd be into.

[Palins Butplugg]

It was Delaware girls.

[Lord Humungus]

based on what I've heard about ME men, it's probably all blond girls...

or sheep 😉

[Dark Lord of the Cis]

Or kids.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Maybe he been paying with a credit card with the name "Osama Bin Laden" since 2003.

[Palins Butplugg]

Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year.

[Xeones]

BBBUUUUTTTPPLLLLUUUUUUGG

[straffinrun]

Think we found Geller's next project: Draw Bin Laden's Pornos.

[Lord Humungus]

Cops: Woman attacked elderly beau with hacksaw, model plane

Police say a Pennsylvania woman in "an outrage of jealousy" attacked her 82-year-old boyfriend with a hacksaw and a model airplane.

The Centre Daily Times reports 46-year-old Bonnie Treaster, of Centre Hall, was arraigned Tuesday on aggravated and simple assault charges.

Her boyfriend told police Treaster threw him down, climbed on him and hit him on the head with an exhaust clamp. He says she grabbed a hacksaw and tried to pull down his pants. He says she later hit him in the mouth with a model plane.

The man needed stitches and had a minor brain bleed. A bloody hacksaw was found in the garage.

[sarcasmic]

Woman on her way home from hospital after giving birth was 'slammed to the ground and beaten' by NYPD cops in front of her children

Natisha Sessoms, 38, on her way home from hospital day after giving birth
The incident began as she pushed one-day-old child's buggy on to platform
She claims she was accused of hopping turnstiles and was 'leg whipped'
Cops then kicked her in front of son, 7, and daughter, 14, lawsuit says

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

Royce Russell, Ms Sessoms' attorney, said: 'She is afraid of police. She no longer feels they are there to protect her.'

So she's been cured of her naivety.

[Andrew S.]

American police forces: Making new civil libertarians every day.

[l0b0t]

But, if she was pushing a buggy, she would have had to go through the gate, not the turnstyle and the gate is controlled by the station agent in the booth. Semi-OT a co-worker was arrested last week for holding the train door open for a passenger running to the train. The super fucked up part is the passenger running for the train was the undercover transit cop who arrested the poor fellow for holding the door for him. To compound the problem, the dumb bastard had weed in his pocket. This is why I drive in NYC.

[tarran]

"It was my little daughter," said Parsons with a sort of doleful pride. "She listened at the keyhole. Heard what I was saying, and nipped off to the patrols the very next day. Pretty smart for a nipper of seven, eh? I don't bear her any grudge for it. In fact I'm proud of her. It shows I brought her up in the right spirit, anyway."

- Orwell 1984

[sarcasmic]

Cops are disgusting creatures. I don't even consider them to be human. A human would not use another human's natural tendency to want to help others as a means of tricking the person into doing something that gives them an excuse to assault and kidnap them. Only a monster would do that.

[tarran]

"Let me ask you something? Why don't people trust their instincts? They sense something is wrong, someone is walking too close behind them... You knew something was wrong but you came back into the house. Did I force you, did I drag you in? No. All I had to do was offer you a drink. It's hard to believe that the fear of offending can be stronger than the fear of pain. But you know what? It is. And they always come willingly. And then they sit there. They know it's all over just like you do but somehow they still think they have a chance. Maybe if I say the right thing? Maybe if I'm polite. If I cry, if i beg. And when I see the hope draining from their face like it is from yours right now. I can feel myself getting hard. You know, We're not that different, you and I. We both have urges, satisfying mine requires more towels.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

[sarcasmic]

'At first, I thought it was a joke': 14-year-girl is ordered to take down impressive two-story treehouse she built for school project after neighbor complains

Elise Truchan, 14, didn't know that the house violated a township ordinance against structures in front yards

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

Land of the Free.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Love thy neighbor.

Until they annoy you and then you have to call bureaucrats in to make little girls cry.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

And Home of the Asshole Neighbor.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

From comments: "Part of education is learning how to be a good citizen by obeying the laws. The shop teacher should have instructed the kids on permit & zoning laws as well, because that knowledge will be necessary to them when they become homeowners."

I think this was written by Bureaucrat #3 Badge # Suck my balls.

How about this? Why don't you fuck off and let humans enterprise you busy bodying fuck.

[Florida Man]

I was driving home from work the other day and I saw kids along a fairly busy road and out in my neighborhood. As far as I could tell nobody seemed to care. Hopefully these nannies are the severe minority.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

UK Pedophile Scandal Grows

Chief Constable Simon Bailey, chair of the group, told the briefing that out of 1,433 alleged offenders identified nationwide, 76 were politicians, 43 were from the music industry, seven were from sport and 135 were from the TV, film, or radio industries. Some 216 are now dead.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Fucken weirdos.

Didn't the Clintons hang around with one?

Contemptible, disgusting, degenerates.

All of them.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

My guess is that most of the abusers, a lot of them upper class, went to boarding schools and were abused themselves. The UK has truly turned into a cesspit over the last few decades.

[tarran]

I always thought that the lack of a pedo preying on the kids at Hogwarts made it hard to take the Potter series seriously.

[tarran]

God damn it! This is why I should review before I click submit. The horrible grammar of two related thoughts stitched together like a human centipede!

[Bo Cara Esq.]

"The NFL's Strategy For Getting Taxpayers To Pay For New Stadiums Is Working"

http://thinkprogress.org/sport.....s-working/

[Pope Jimbo]

Our Minnesoda senate leader tried to sneak through a $7.2M appropriation in the bonding bill to build an underground parking garage that has 30 spots. Yup, that is $240K/spot.

http://www.startribune.com/sen.....304509311/

Why? Because the current above ground lot would ruin his view from his office in the new Senate Legislative Office Building (SLOB) that he ramrodded through in the last session.

My prediction. Voters are outraged but vote overwhelmingly to return him to office.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Senate Leader Jerry Lundegaard?

[Crusty Juggler]

You're darn tootin he will be re-elected.

[Beautiful Bean Footage]

Why? Because the current above ground lot would ruin his view from his office in the new Senate Legislative Office Building (SLOB) that he ramrodded through in the last session.

So the new parking garage will be christened the Senate Legislative Underground Terminal?

[Lord Humungus]

The unbearable whiteness of the Letterman farewells: Let this truly be the end of a show-business era

Some of the heavy hitters so far on the walk down memory lane have included Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Bob Dylan, George Clooney, Don Rickles, Ryan Adams, Adam Sandler, Tom Waits, Howard Stern and Bill Clinton. It's kind of hard to leave out an artist as major as Dylan ? as uneven as most of his work has been over the last few decades ? and Clinton was, um, president. Surely, these are all talented people. But what's missing from this list?

A lot of the people Letterman has put on his show over the years have been comedians and actors, and Dave did not invent the racial cast of our comic and cinematic history. So let's be fair here for a moment: American comedy as we know it grew heavily out of a Jewish circuit that ran from vaudeville to the Borscht Belt and eventually to a Hollywood that had primarily been founded by Jews. As Neil Gabler documented in "An Empire of Their Own," even Jewish moguls liked their studio's actors to be (white) Gentiles ? whom they considered "all-American." So if the Letterman farewell were, say, a roast at the old Beverly Hills Friars Club, with Milton Berle and Bing Crosby presiding, the complexion of the stars would not raise our eyebrows.

[Andrew S.]

Wow. Salon's letting the mask slip and going all "Jews run Hollywood"?

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Yes, cries of anti-Semitism really have become for the right what cries of anti-black racism have become for the left. Mirror images.

[Old Man With Candy]

MNG never changes, even though his handle does.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Pathetic.

[Viscount Irish, Slayer of Huns]

"Yes, cries of anti-Semitism really have become for the right what cries of anti-black racism have become for the left."

Or what cries of anti-black racism have become to you. Unless you're admitting you're a closet leftist.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

I think cries of racism can be overdone, but that doesn't mean they're never warranted.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

In this particular case, you have to really be looking for anti-Semitism to find it in this article. The article is by a Jewish journalist who cites a Jewish author that Jews played a 'primary' role in Hollywood and that they liked to parade white Gentile actors (in large part to protect themselves from anti-Semitic sentiment at the time). It's a mighty and incredibly simplistic turn to see anti-Semitism there.

[Azathoth!!]

Closet?

[UnCivilServant]

I thought he went off the air a decade ago.

[Tejicano]

Huh? Those weren't re-runs?

[Pro Libertate]

In Dave's defense, he was great in his heyday. He's faded over the years, but at least he's stinking rich.

[Bill Dalasio]

All hail American IPAs!

American IPAs are grossly overrated. You might as well suck on a hops plant.

[Crusty Juggler]

Will sucking on a hops plant make me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside?

[UnCivilServant]

Well, it will cause your mouth to bleed...

[sarcasmic]

That's why I make my own.

[Injun, as in from India]

Hey! Don't diss India Pale Ales!

[Florida Man]

IPAs aren't Indian. They were made for the British in India.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

*flings bottle at FL Man*

/Dalmia

[Florida Man]

*takes bottle to head*

What the HELL Dalmia!!?!?!??!!!

[Bill Dalasio]

It's not the IPAs I'm dissing. It's the craze over American IPAs. I understand the point of a more hoppy beer (although it was originally just a preservative). What I don't like is the craze of shoving ever-more hops into a beer because "If more hops is good, insane amounts of hops is even better!".

[sarcasmic]

I like a hoppy beer, but I do agree that this craze of "I can use more hops than anyone else" is overkill. I've tried a few that were literally undrinkable. There are a few local brews that are pretty good. Shipyard's Fuggle IPA is well balanced, and I'm sure there are others. But why should I spend most of ten bucks on a six pack when I can brew two and a half cases for three times that?

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

What Bill said.

*waves at barkeep for a Scotch ale*

[straffinrun]

Advocates counter that such provisions protect workers from grinding political battles that often prevent local officials from raising wages on any regular schedule.

Let the rest of us get ripped to shreds in the political battles, but keep the fry cook out of it.

[UnCivilServant]

Advocates counter that such provisions protect workers from grinding political battles that often prevent local officials from raising wages on any regular schedule.

Local officials don't pay wages, so they should fuck off.

[straffinrun]

They think they do and they have the guns. Talking to a co worker the other day and I said there should in theory be no MW. He gave the starving kids thing and went on and on. Finally, I stopped him and told him I said "in theory". He couldn't even accept that. Obviously it is all about control to him and not about poverty or anything else.

[Lord Humungus]

Lay off Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift: We're so unfair to women growing up in the public eye

Cyrus has been a professional performer since she was a tween, so it's easy to forget that she's only 22. Nothing she's doing?including her perceived missteps?is out of the ordinary for a woman her age; in fact, her ability to shape-shift between being an agent of rebellion and a sincere philanthropic proponent is perfectly unremarkable. It's because she's in the public eye that her actions receive heightened attention and scrutiny. Certainly this is true of all pop stars, no matter what gender they identify with; it's a byproduct of society's obsession with fame and glamour. But female artists in general seem to receive far more criticism for complexity, for refusing to be boxed into an easy-to-understand trope. There's not really a "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" analog in music, but there's plenty of condescending pigeonholing to go around.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Slate had an article 'reappraising' Miley last week as well. Interesting.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

Miley came out strongly pro-gay recently, I guess that trumps her 'appropriation of black culture' back at the VMAs.

[Lord Humungus]

saw this pic of Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland via Cool Ass Cinema
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/106467978666417149/

CB was ~50 at the time. Good reason to keep working out.

[Crusty Juggler]

That is impressive. My assumption would be that he was using some helpful substances, but he did build many tunnels and I know you need to be fit for that sort of work.

[Crusty Juggler]

That is impressive. My assumption would be that he was using some helpful substances, but he did build many tunnels and I know you need to be fit for that sort of work.

[Pro Libertate]

The Great Escape Work-Out Program.

[Bo Cara Esq.]

That's good.

[Raston Bot]

He looks like Bruce Lee.

[Injun, as in from India]

An Indian mom has placed the country's first newspaper matrimonial ad seeking a same-sex marriage partner for her son. "In the end, I don't understand the big deal," she writes in Quartz.

I'm expecting religious groups to go crazy over this. Never mind India's history with the Kamasutra or the sex temples of Khajuraho.

There are a lot of people who really think that homosexuality is a western phenomenon.

[Florida Man]

Seems like I remember there being an Indian religion that encourage followers to engage in all the pleasures of life, because the gods indulged in pleasure, to be more godly. That's the religion for me.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Yeah...but the gods of India don't end up trying to experience pleasure after saying "hold my beer and watch THIS!" as in FL.

[Florida Man]

I never said the gods were perfect. Damn I want a beer and some fireworks right about now.

[Rhywun]

There are a lot of people who really think that homosexuality is a western phenomenon.

Yeah they say that but they know inside it's bullshit. I.e. the same as in the west until recently.

[JW]

All hail American IPAs!

Paging robc....[narrows eyes]

[robc]

Yeah...I couldn't figure out what to say about it.

[lafe.long]

NASA Pluto Probe May Carry Crowdsourced Message to Aliens

The digital format would allow the One Earth Message to be more flexible, layered and integrated than was possible with the golden records, Lomberg added. For example, the message could be changed over time by beaming more files to New Horizons. It could also include a map of the world, and every picture and every sound could be tagged to the spot from which it came.

Life imitates "The Big Bang Theory"

[UnCivilServant]

The Mi-go will not be amused.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Oh, I think they will appreciate the targeting information...

[Pro Libertate]

I don't care much for this practice of using the voice of more primitive humans to deliver messages to advanced alien civilizations.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

That way they will underestimate us! It is a defensive measure. We do need to be careful we don't beam out a bunch of Salon links or such - then they might lay waste to our planet, as a precaution.

[Pro Libertate]

People wonder why we haven't received any alien signals. I can tell you why. They got ours first. Now we're being boycotted.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

"Well, boss, we found some life on Sol's third planet, but they're real retarded."

"OK, then, let's just send some probe saucers and have them show themselves to people in remote areas. If we can't interact intelligently with the earthlings, let's at least have some fun messing with their heads."

[Enough About Palin]

Do "riots work"?

http://www.jameslafond.com/art.....=2404&pr=0

BTW, thanks to whomever it was that turned me on to this blogger.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Oh, and as to why we should focus on weeks-old riots: This new "study" confirms what most people already knew - riots actually affect elections, in ways the rioters and their enablers don't like. We have rioters to thank, to a great extent, for Nixon's election, for example.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Florida Man did tell us his state would be back in the news after all the Texas stories!

[Florida Man]

It's like the tide, you can't explain it, but you know it'll be back.

[Lord Humungus]

You know who else wanted people to be good citizens by following the law...

[Certified Public Asskicker]

And 19 likes to only 10 dislikes.

We're doomed.

[UnCivilServant]

Dredd?

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Finely tuned bait developed specifically for Swiss

[Crusty Juggler]

Put on the glasses.

[sarcasmic]

I just recorded that on the DVR. I think I've seen it before, but it's been a while.

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

+1 Bubblegum

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Did not click - only reacted to what was printed... YOU THINK I JUST GOT HERE YESTERDAY, HMMM?

I have learned to hover over ANY link here 🙂

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

Curses, foiled again!

[Crusty Juggler]

You dirty motherfucker.

[Catatafish]

The greatest fight scene of all time.

[Bill Dalasio]

If that's what floats your boat, that's fine.

That doesn't change the fact that I think it's stupid and worth commenting on negatively.

Really, I suspect the whole overhopping phenomenon is really nothing more than a cover for poor brewing. You can mask not very good beer by just making it taste like hops.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

I might have fallen for it, but there have been some serious brain exploders laid out the last month or two. I learn from the anguished wails of others...

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Our really stupid ones (along with Wisconsin) seem to be at the peak of winter and summer - just when you are going nuts from confinement or nuts with freedom at last.

[straffinrun]

"Police officers cannot use their shield as a weapon against innocent civilians," U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said in a statement.

With a name like that you'd think he'd know it's not the shield they're using against civilians.

[sarcasmic]

Some people really like the overhopped brews. I personally don't get it. It's like judging a hot sauce not by the flavor, but by the burn. Anyone can make a spicy hot sauce. It's the flavor that matters. Same with beer. Anyone can throw a ton of hops into the boil. Making it taste good and balanced is quite another thing.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Your lawn, do I need to get off of it?

[Pope Jimbo]

"I don't know how they look themselves in the mirror," Dayton said. "Republican legislators don't want to give more money to the public schools, so 40,000 Minnesota 4-year-olds have to pay the price for their posturing and calculation."

http://m.startribune.com/polit.....53321.html

Yup, the GOP only wants to spend an EXTRA $400M this year on education. Fucking rotten bastards.

[robc]

IPA is 25% of the craft beer market and growing.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

No, I don't begrudge anyone getting what they want - I just think it has been way overdone. But I am not calling for boycotts, or regulation or such. Just statin' a preference, man.

[Pope Jimbo]

Right on. Sadly the thing that my kids miss the most about our old cabin in Wisconsin was access to "good" fireworks.

I think Fargo also has good fireworks. NoDaks are infuriating because they can't drive, but are otherwise preferable to Wisconsonites in every way.

* It really isn't the NoDaks fault they can't drive. They get flustered any time they see another car. They just aren't used to "rush hour traffic jams" like that and panic.

[Florida Man]

I love mortars. The anticipation and chest rattling boom! Awesome.

[Swiss Servator, Quelle frisch]

Let us just say that my Swiss masters like a decent, somewhat strong currency, but it had been getting out of hand. Makes imports cheaper, and that does help the already high cost of living - but the Swiss economy is also very export/multinational oriented, so bringing back foreign earnings has been a bit dismal lately.

[Bill Dalasio]

Because there are a lot of shitty beers out there that need masking with some hops 🙂

[Bill Dalasio]

Yeah, some people really do take it personally.

And the funny thing is I'm not even dissing IPAs in general. Just stating an opinion about a trend (overhopping).

It's great that we've gotten to a point where we can have these sorts of arguments, rather than just accepting the swill that was served. Doesn't mean we can't argue for better.

[Xeones]

Please.

[l0b0t]

For the record, I like thick, chocolatey, stouts most of all but IPA runs a close second. That said, I look at it like Lego, a great many of us AFOL (adult fans of Lego) don't care for the IP licensed sets (TMNT, DC/Marvel, Star Wars, etc.) but we realize that those popular sets give the company the financial flexibility to continue making the sets we do really like but that don't move so well for the company (Creator, trains, UCE, etc.) It's win-win for everyone.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

*pours IPA onto lawn*

[Emmerson Biggins]

I had a "Hopadillo" the other day. I don't mind a moderate to large amount of hoppyness in beers. Especially if there is something else going on with it. But that was fucking disgusting beer. I'd rather have a Miller High Life any time than another Hopadillo.

Also on the list (thought not quite as bad) : Pearl Snap. That beer sucks ass too.

[Xeones]

Lambics are delicious. Kindly fuck along, now.

[Bill Dalasio]

Don't like lambic?

Are you sure you're even human?

[Bill Dalasio]

Don't like lambic?

Are you sure you're even human?