Jeb Makes It Official, Rachel Dolezal Retires, Xbox360 News at E3: P.M. Links

• 

  HBO

  Jeb Bush made it official. I thought that had already happened, but whatever.

• Rachel Dolezal is no longer president of Spokane's NAACP chapter.
• Today in Xbox360 news at the 2015 Electronic Entertainment Expo.
• Moar college censorship: "I expected Batman and Robin, not pornography."
• The Washington Post offers support for the notion that alcohol abuse is the underlying cause of campus sexual assault.
• Is the Magna Carta great? Of course not, says The New York Times.
• Nick Gillespie on the latest microaggression nonsense.
• Me on Game of Thrones' disappointing, depressing fifth season.

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]

Jeb Bush made it official. I thought that had already happened, but whatever.

new frontrunner...

[Bam!]

Growing up, his Daddy promised him he'd get to be president.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

"Rachel Dolezal is no longer president of Spokane's NAACP chapter."

Racist.

All of you. She was just trying to make a difference with her good lie.

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

In her defense, she was the only one in Spokane who applied for the job.

[Mike M.]

If her name were Rakisha Dolebama and she was a few shades darker with a more sonorous voice, she'd probably be in the U.S. senate by now.

Life ain't fair, that's for damn sure.

[Jgalt1975]

I think I just dislocated a retina rolling my eyes at this one. Whatever else one wants to argue about affirmative action, there are precisely two African-American senators these days (one of whom is a Republican) and only seven in the last 50 years, so contending that African-Americans have some sort of easy route to the office of U.S. Senator just makes you look stupid.

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

Hey look, it's for "colored people". White is a color.

[Zeb]

It's for the advancement of colored people. White people can join. Though I imagine blackface is frowned upon.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

If I was a social ball buster with a camera I'd show up for an interview as Black Face. Could you imagine...

[Timon 19]

Wasn't the NAACP partially founded by white people?

[Enough About Woodchippers]

White is the new black.

[GMF]

No, orange is the new black. Dolezal looks like George Hamilton with a 'fro.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

According to neocon-with-a-perpetual-war-boner Jennifer Rubin, the 3 new top tier candidates are:

For once, the conventional wisdom is right: In the GOP presidential race ? as of now ? there are the Big Three and everyone else. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker occupy the top tier

Where they stand: The Big Three and the rest

Who was it that said if you repeat something 1000 times, it becomes the truth?

[Pro Libertate]

Too bad, because I'm still voting for Rand Paul.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Then again, it comes down to who the donors flock to. Never underestimate how easily voters are led around.

[Root Boy]

Why would anyone waster their time reading Jennifer Rubin.

She's the epitome of conventional wisdom -- supported McCain and Romney I'm sure.

[Free ?Woodchippers! Society]

But I only want to vote for whomever is electable!

[Medical Physics Guy]

NY Times did something earlier in the week: compare Hillary's performance against these three candidates, conspicuously leaving out the one candidate she is polling even with.

Unable to quash him, now they are trying to ignore him.

[Migrant Log Chipper]

So this dumb cunt has migrated from Philly to NYC....I missed that.

[Protagoronus]

35 new phyla of bacteria discovered.

the number of new bacterial groups is almost the same as the number of known animal phyla on Earth. We were always outnumbered, but you still might want to let the magnitude of this discovery sink in.

The number of bacterial groups discovered represent about 15 percent of the total number of bacteria that we've documented so far

[Notorious G.K.C.]

I guess we need to do more compulsive hand-washing.

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Or avoid those unsanitary holy water fonts.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

Is it you who keeps boiling my rabbits?

[Jerry on the sea]

So far...until Warty gets a colonoscopy.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Me on Game of Thrones' disappointing, depressing fifth season.

Yeah, who likes dragons and zombies?

[Pro Libertate]

Lady Stoneheart is displeased.

[Lady Dalrymple]

Lady Stoneheart is displeased

My next board name/handle.

[Auric Demonocles]

Didn't get in a chance to dive in, but I am guessing you were all over that space-porn thread?

[Pro Libertate]

Not really, I just commented in it.

[Certified Public Asshat]

This. I refuse to let Soave ruin my dragon/zombie/kid burning tv time.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Maybe his mother was a Harpy.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Her one redeeming quality is her cheekbones.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Schemes and plots are the same thing.

[Bobarian (sexbot hand model)]

Unless you're working on a devious garden?

[Anomalous]

"For the watch."

Harsh. Must have been a Patek.

[Auric Demonocles]

That phrase made a lot more sense in the books. They completely changed the context of it, but didn't change the words, so that just seemed like a super shitty self justification, instead of their actual, at least arguably valid, reasoning.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

Nick Gillespie on the latest microaggression nonsense.

America is the land of opportunity microaggressions!

FULL DISCLOSURE: As an obnoxious asshat who represents the blowhard stupidity of Reason magazine's commenting peanut gallery, I hereby declare that my comments are typical internet bluster and hyperbole, hardly valuable to public discourse, and must not be construed as "true threats" in "interstate or foreign commerce" in violation of federal statute 18 U.S. Code ? 875. Any precious snowflake or federal judge offended by my worthless comments should see a plastic surgeon to graft thicker skin, or wait and pray for stem cell therapy innovations to grow said thicker skin. Because the word "trigger" is a part of the phrase "Trigger Warning" and may trigger a repressed fear of firearms in some people, no trigger warnings shall precede my comments.

[Anomalous]

If somebody handed me a list of microaggressions or triggers, it would go right in the woodchipper.

[Pl?ya Manhattan.]

Retires?

[Pro Libertate]

Yeah, I was thinking resigns. She's not old enough to retire, though, now that she's white again, perhaps that's part of the white woman's privilege.

[Rich]

Very well, then. Retreads.

[Pro Libertate]

Reboots?

[grrizzly]

We're trying not to do microagressions here.

[Bobarian (sexbot hand model)]

Wha..??

Unless you mean that in the Miyagi/Yoda sense?

We only DO microaggressions here

[Longtorso, Johnny]

The Average American Woman Now Weighs as Much as the Average 1960s Man

[Pro Libertate]

That's deceptive. The weight gain is all in the chest.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

We obviously need new laws to fix that.

[Pro Libertate]

No, we don't. This sort of talk should be criminalized.

[Root Boy]

Are the comments in the article worth reading for shits and grins?

[Root Boy]

Are the comments in the article worth reading for shits and grins?

[AlmightyJB]

That was a microaggression

[Pro Libertate]

You know, in all seriousness (if that's the right word), isn't even talking about or identifying a microaggression a microaggression?

[Woodchippin' 4 Jesus]

SF BoS has heard your lament

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Do the weight of implants count? Asking for a friend.

[Pro Libertate]

You know, when we're all half robot and weigh 900 pounds, I bet they'll try to spin that as an obesity epidemic.

[Stormy Dragon]

It should be noted the average man in 1960 was 5'8":

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....Oct27.html

[Stormy Dragon]

To be more specific, the average male and female in the US in 2015 are both two inches taller than their counterparts in 1960. Based on the cube law you'd expect them weight almost 10% more ((65/63)^3 = 1.098), accounting for more than half of the weight increase noted in the study.

[BiMonSciFiCon]

Is the Magna Carta great? Of course not, says The New York Times.

Just an FYI, the EconTalk podcast on the Magna Carta was great.

[robc]

Yes it was.

So was the recent megaprojects one.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Thanks for the I, I don't listen to EconTalk regularly any more. I'm gonna go check this one out.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Washington Post offers support for the notion that alcohol abuse is the underlying cause of campus sexual assault.

Did alcohol cause the patriarchy?

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Remember that there was a huge overlap between the suffragists and the alcohol prohibition people. There's always been a strong undercurrent of moral puritanism in the progressive movement.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

Did alcohol cause the patriarchy?

Too much alcohol causes the patriarchal penis to go limp. So the solution to campus sexual assault is to get men blackout drunk.

FULL DISCLOSURE: As an obnoxious asshat who represents the blowhard stupidity of Reason magazine's commenting peanut gallery, I hereby declare that my comments are typical internet bluster and hyperbole, hardly valuable to public discourse, and must not be construed as "true threats" in "interstate or foreign commerce" in violation of federal statute 18 U.S. Code ? 875. Any precious snowflake or federal judge offended by my worthless comments should see a plastic surgeon to graft thicker skin, or wait and pray for stem cell therapy innovations to grow said thicker skin. Because the word "trigger" is a part of the phrase "Trigger Warning" and may trigger a repressed fear of firearms in some people, no trigger warnings shall precede my comments.

[Root Boy]

Too much alcohol causes the patriarchal penis to go limp. So the solution to campus sexual assault is to get men blackout drunk.

Then how did the passed out guy get a woody and a BJ and a rape charge?

[Brett L]

18 is a magical age

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I thought cum caused the patriarchy.

You learn something new everyday I guess.

[Zeb]

No, but silly standards for what constitutes sexual assault probably "cause" a good number of sexual assaults.

[Woodchippin' 4 Jesus]

But pot's okay still, isn't it?

[Zeb]

Pot is always OK.

[Woodchippin' 4 Jesus]

How can that be? It's EEELegal until you're a senior

[Fist of Etiquette]

Rachel Dolezal is no longer president of Spokane's NAACP chapter.

However, Spokane's CAIR just got a new spokeswoman.

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Ha!

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

She was black enough for Spokane.

[Pro Libertate]

Are they aware that white people can tan there?

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

Bethesda's first ever E3 showcase last night was more than a slight success. Doom and Fallout look silly good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KApp699WdE

[Hyperion's Statist Chipper]

If FA4 is even close to as good as NV, I'm sure I'll lose 100+ hours of my life to it. Anxious to see how well it stacks up against Witcher 3, though, which I've already got close to 70 hours in.

[Brett L]

100+?

[Hyperion's Statist Chipper]

I had 130 hours in NV when I quit playing. I had just started on the first DLC.

[Brett L]

That seems like too few.

[Pan Zagloba]

Doom and Fallout were so worth it for Sarkesian meltdown!

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

WHY CAN'T YOU CRAFT TEDDY BEARS AND HOT COCOA INSTEAD OF GUNS?!?

[SugarFree]

And she misses the fact that you can build shelter in the game and fortify it. And you can grow food now.

She's about as deep a puddle of drool.

[Pro Libertate]

That might be cool. I like the idea of a fortress built out of tin cans, fission batteries, and bottles of Nuka-Cola.

[SugarFree]

And F4 will be moddable on the XBox One. And the XB1 will be backwards compatible to 360 games after a software update in the fall.

[Pro Libertate]

Wish the PS4 was backwards compatible. They're going to drive me back to the PC, man.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

I hadn't heard about backwards compatibility. That is awesome news.

[SugarFree]

Just announced today.

[2ndClassProle]

The backwards compatibility was one of the main reasons not buy the Xbox 1

[iCarl]

And the XB1 will be backwards compatible to 360 games after a software update in the fall.

Kind of. Based on inherent technical constraints (360 is PowerPC whereas One is x86, and One is most likely not powerful enough to emulate the 360) and the fact that they've released an explicit (and so far, short) compatibility list, it seems likely that you just get to download ports for free if you already own a copy, rather than there being actual backward compatibility. Which is still nice, I guess.

[SugarFree]

OK, that's kind of jerkish.

[iCarl]

I dunno. It remains to be seen what percentage of major and not-so-major 360 games get ported. It could be enough that there's not a huge practical difference.

[Smilin' Joe Wood Chipper]

Never played New Vegas or any Fallout game for that matter. So if one was to get into it now, PC or PS3?

[SugarFree]

PC. The PS3 version is famously glitchy.

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

^^This.

Cost me my first PS3, it did.

[Gene]

Smashed it to bits?

[iCarl]

The horribleness of Skyrim's PS3 version is what led me to buy a suitable graphics card and install Windows on my PC. Bethesda seems to have a poor track record on that platform.

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

My (good) PS3 handled Skyrim pretty well. I can't recall any complaints, other than glitches that everyone experienced.

The Fallout shit was another matter. I so want to play FO4 out of the gate, but losing a whole system to an earlier volume makes me very hesitant.

[Smilin' Joe Wood Chipper]

Thanks. I built my PC about 5 years ago with decent hardware so NV should work pretty well on it I hope.

[Ska]

Even with a midtier graphics card and i5 from that era, you should still be fine for FONV. Just make sure to hit the Nexus website and load up on graphics mods, Project Nevada, the Bounty Hunter quest mods, and the Primm Casino quest mod. There are a lot of options. Easiest is to go to nexus for FONV, hit the top 100 ranked mods, and pick the ones that look appealing to you. Anything after that is hunting in the wild for gems.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Is the Magna Carta great? Of course not, says The New York Times.

I mean, we don't even have a king.

[Pro Libertate]

I know, like really, what were they thinking?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

We have Obama (PBUH)

[jesse.in.mb]

You can't pretend that Elvis didn't happen, Fist.

[Pro Libertate]

He died, sadly, without an heir to his throne.

[jesse.in.mb]

He died

That's a monstrous lie perpetuated by the government at the behest of their Grey masters.

Don't be a mouthpiece for the Greys, Pro L, you're better than that.

[Pro Libertate]

Well, I did hear that he actually moved to an island with Graham Chapman to act out Python skits. The King was a huge Python fan.

[jesse.in.mb]

Look at you taking every opportunity to plug your restaurant.

[Pro Libertate]

No, no, no, the British comedy troupe. Only Eric Idle has any affiliation with Mountie Python.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

And he died on his throne.

[Lord at War]

Elvis did NOT die, he just went home.

/Men in Black

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

We are not the only ones, it seems, willing to stretch old legal texts beyond their original meaning.

Yay! The NY Times finally admits it is willing to stretch the constitution beyond its original meaning, especially when it comes to the 2nd amendment.

[Zeb]

Oh, there are plenty of parts that get stretched at least that much.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

Indian atheist of muslim origin nails ISIS ideology in a simple Q&A

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Nice.

[jesse.in.mb]

Is the Magna Carta great? Of course not, says The New York Times.

It's pretty poorly named then.

[Pro Libertate]

What does the Times propose we call it then? Parva Carta?

[Rich]

Yeah, it should be The New York Poopyhead.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"Throughout the tumultuous 17th century, Magna Carta was invoked by opponents of whoever was in power, leading Oliver Cromwell to famously refer to the document as "Magna Farta.""

Oliver Cromwell had quite the dry wit.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

If Cromwell didn't like it, it can't be all bad.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"King Charles the First? More like King Charles the Farts" - Oliver Cromwell, probably

[Certified Public Asshat]

The Kansas City Royals apparently have fans:

American League All-Star voting update: Mike Trout and eight (yes, eight!) Kansas City Royals

Omar Infante, who's hitting .204 with an AL-worst .496 OPS this season, has jumped ahead of Jose Altuve to become the leading vote-getter at second base.

And...

Alex Rios is the only Royals player on the AL ballot not currently in line to start and even he's fourth among outfielders despite playing just 18 games and hitting .197 this season.

[John]

I love it. Fuck the four letter network and really all of baseball media. Fucking assholes refuse to give the Royals any credit and constantly put them down for not playing nerd ball and having the audacity to have guys who make contact, run and can play defense.

[Brett L]

.204 is NOT an All-Star batting average after you're 12.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Neither is a .496 OPS. Yikes that's weak!

[Certified Public Asshat]

It is slightly amusing, but I'd rather not have guys like Jose Altuve get dicked out of a spot because Royals fans have sore assholes.

[Certified Public Asshat]

But I am definitely ok with no Yankees and Red Sox.

[Sudden]

We Royals fans are doing America a favor by showing our fellow countrymen what a sham democracy is. You should thank us.

Also, we're the ones who have to worry about homefield advantage in the series this season so we might as well put our guys on the line for it.

[Migrant Log Chipper]

ESPN doesn't air the All Star game John. And no they don't dis the Royals. The Royals are touted as a team that has used advanced stats and great defense as a way to win.

So you are talking out your ass in this case.

[Migrant Log Chipper]

Internet stupidity along with overzealous fans will result in a change.

I've been a baseball fan for 55 years, since I watched Mantle vs my Twins on black and white TV in 1962.

It will change, no use getting worked up about it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"I expected Batman and Robin, not pornography."

Do your fucking research before signing up for an easy A.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

"I expected Batman and Robin, not pornography."

So you expected gay porn.

[Hamster of Doom]

Meta sexual tension is the hawt.

[jesse.in.mb]

"Meta"?

[jesse.in.mb]

Her (and her parents) are upset that these books are available in the school bookstore, not just that they're required reading for a course.

[AlmightyJB]

Are they working to ban the internet as well? Fuckin' troglodytes.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Kansas Gov Brownfinger reverses course - supports big tax hikes to(sort of) balance budget.

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/.....e-Tax-Hike

[Cytotoxic]

Raising sales tax =/= reversing income tax cuts you stupid piece of shit.

[John]

The Pope goes full commie.

http://time.com/3921416/pope-f.....al-leaked/

Never go full commie.

[Hyperion's Statist Chipper]

The pope started out full on commie.

[Hyperion's Statist Chipper]

Never go full commie

You didn't share this with the prez, apparently.

[John]

I did but you can only do so much.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

Okay. What's next?

Are atheist and agnostic leftists going to convert to Catholicism now that the Pope has embraced climate change?

Or are they going to be turned away from Climate Change because the Pope has embraced it?

[John]

The atheist and agnostic leftists will do, if they can, the same thing to Catholicism they did to the old mainline Protestant religions, completely co-opt it into a tool for their evil ends.

[Zeb]

Hasn't the Catholic Church been chock full of leftists for some time now? At least in certain parts of the world.

And I think you underestimate the degree to which genuine religious belief drives religious leftists (or I am misunderstanding). The mainline protestant churches weren't co-opted by atheists and agnostics (well maybe Unitarians, but I don't know if you could ever call them "mainline"). They did it themselves. No reason to assume that religious people can't miss the distinction between voluntary and coerced action just like most authoritarians.

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

They are going to see this as the church desperately embracing some features of Settled Science(tm) in a desperate bid to stay relevant. Why doesn't someone go over to PZ's place and see if I'm right.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Easy. "See, you idiots who believe in a sky daddy, even the Pope says climate change is real! That makes you worse on Science than the Pope!"

[Notorious G.K.C.]

The article doesn't even say what's in the draft encyclical.

But it quotes a Vatican statement: "An Italian text of a draft of the Pope's Encyclical 'Laudato Si' has been published. Please note that it is not the final text, and that the rules of the Embargo remain in place. We ask journalists to respect professional standards, which call for waiting for the official publication of the final text."

[Rhywun]

Link calls him "Pope of the poor" - which makes sense since apparently he wants to create more poor people.

[Medical Physics Guy]

Do Britain's gunless bobbies provide answers for America's police?

Hell yes they do!

Gunless cops, our one token gesture to libertopia....*sigh*

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

I read that as gunless boobies.

Is that the anti-fembot from Austin Powers, that won't shoot you from her boobies?

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

I read it as Guinness bobbies. I really need a cold one.

[Root Boy]

"What about the hickory sticks"

/Rodney King

[jesse.in.mb]

Russian troll politician strikes again!

The lawmaker said that the cult US television series Game of Thrones was a typical example of such a harmful product. He blamed the authors for picturing "every tenth character" of the series as having some sexual deviation and suggested this was done on purpose, so that the public saw such deviations as the norm.

At the same time, Milonov admitted to reporters that he had not seen a single episode.

He's looking to introduce a rating system for ideological purity.

The essence of Milonov's draft is that the authorities issue a rating for all creative works, giving them "quality marks" if they match the nation's traditional values, and attaching negative appraisals to potentially harmful products. The lawmaker holds that the general public will bear this rating in mind when making choices regarding entertainment.

Freedom of expression is just a flashy label that conceals the cancerogenic ideological additives

[Medical Physics Guy]

Russia will not have reached the targeted ideological purity until it consists solely of Putin clones riding around on horses with their shirts off.

[Hyperion's Statist Chipper]

Hunting Siberian tigers with a kitchen knife.

[jesse.in.mb]

NO!

Same politician wants a ban on toplessness for men and women

Vitaly Milonov [...] has prepared a bill imposing fines for "nudity or unethical attire" in public places.

The bill elucidates this as "either absence of clothes or nudity of either upper or lower parts of the body" for men and women alike. The list of "unethical clothing" includes men's and women's underwear and swimsuits. Milonov noted in explanations that the definition of swimwear and underwear can be found in the state register of industrial standards.

[Injun, nonviolent Wood Chipper]

Puritanical for political purposes.

[Enough About Woodchippers]

Oh I don't know. Young black youth go shirtless on the Nicollet Mall everyday in the warmer months and while they should be able to look like Tupoc if the want, it does look pretty stupid.

[AlmightyJB]

Do you come with horse?

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Phrasing!

[jesse.in.mb]

+1 Mr. Hands

[robc]

Re: my AM links July 18th invitation

Grumble grumble cobstruction grumble grumble.

The date may still happen but is less sure than this morning.

[SIV]

Nick Gillespie on the latest microaggression nonsense.

[Rich]

When, for example, does a person cross the line from intoxicated to incapacitated?

Well, one might argue -- when the baby is delivered.

*** ducks ***

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Regarding the "pornographic" graphic novels: "The four graphic novels are Fun Home by Alison Bechdel; Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1 by Brian Vaughan; The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman; and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi."

Other than Fun Home none of these even come close. Even Fun Home is just about a chick's sexual awakening as a lesbian, so of course that books going to be in a college course - you have to have at least one book about a lesbian's sexual awakening in any modern literature course. I think it's actually been made an amendment to the constitution.

And Fun Home definitely isn't porn, it just has nudity in it because of the subject matter, but I can't imagine someone trying to get off to that book. I literally don't think it would be possible.

I also don't know how on Earth anyone could consider the other three to be 'pornographic' unless you're turned on by the Iranian Revolution or serial killers.

[Rich]

I literally don't think it would be possible.

Sheesh, Irish -- *How* long have you been @ H&R?

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

And oh man, this is some dumb shit.

"Bonus stupidity: Tara Schultz' father wants these books yanked from the college bookstore, because "there are under-aged kids here at this campus.""

FOR THE COLLEGE AGE CHILDREN

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Based on my experience with lesbian lit, and Bechdel, it would be a stretch to categorize that as pornographic. More like an exercise in how to suck the fun right out of things.

[SugarFree]

She really is a funsucker. But she gave the world the Bechdel Test, freeing thousands of women from having to articulate why they don't like a work of fiction.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

My favorite part about the Bechdel test is that lesbian porn passes.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

It's about time for me to re-read all of Y and Sandman. Haven't read the other two authors but you guys make this Bechdel chick sound like she's a can't-miss experience.

[Somalian Road Corporation]

I'm not really into comic books (sorry, I'm not going to call them fucking "graphic/visual novels") but I got recommended Y: The Last Man... jeez, must have been over a decade ago, it was before it had finished. I read a fair ways through the series but I recall eyerolling at the leftist political slant, although I'd have to go through it again to refresh my mind as to specific objections. For something that has the premise of "mysterious plague leaves one man left alive on Earth" I'd say it was most definitely not pornographic.

[SugarFree]

NAACP Imposter Sued School Over Race Claims
Rachel Dolezal alleged she was victim of white discrimination

Rachel Dolezal, 37, who headed the NAACP's Spokane, Washington chapter, sued Howard for discrimination in 2002, the year she graduated from the historically black college with a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Dolezal, then known as Rachel Moore, named the university and Professor Alfred Smith as defendants in a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C.'s Superior Court. During the pendency of the civil case, Smith was chairman of Howard's Department of Art.

According to a Court of Appeals opinion, Dolezal's lawsuit "claimed discrimination based on race, pregnancy, family responsibilities and gender." She alleged that Smith and other school officials improperly blocked her appointment to a teaching assistant post, rejected her application for a post-graduate instructorship, and denied her scholarship aid while she was a student.

The court opinion also noted that Dolezal claimed that the university's decision to remove some of her artworks from a February 2001 student exhibition was "motivated by a discriminatory purpose to favor African-American students over" her.

[Pro Libertate]

Okay, help me out here. So she went to Howard as a white woman? Or was she claiming black status then, too?

[SugarFree]

No, she went as a white woman, and then sued a black college for discrimination. This story get funnier all the time.

[Pro Libertate]

Are we completely sure she's not Andy Kaufman?

[SugarFree]

Once again we have a character that you could never put in a serious novel.

[Pro Libertate]

In five hundred years, Mythbusters will examine this story, with the result of the test being "Busted."

[SugarFree]

Or she will be the mother of the transracial movement and be utterly untouchable.

[Auric Demonocles]

No, that's totally different! Because.. *mumble mumble*

[Warty]

Performance art is the best explanation for this, yes.

[Pro Libertate]

That, or she's batshit insane.

[A special place in JW's Hell]

Batshit insane performance art?

OK, that's redundant.

[Pro Libertate]

It would be a great moment for mankind if she admitted she was having everyone on.

[Rhywun]

Are we completely sure she's not Andy Kaufman?

LMFAO. It would be just like him to come in from the cold as a sort-of black woman.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

All I know is the overall arc of the victim hood narrative in North America emboldens flakes to come out and wreak havoc.

[Tonio the Plant Fiber Shredder]

Oh, my. This keeps getting better and better.

[2ndClassProle]

Am I the only one who thinks she looks better as black woman than a white one?

[Migrant Log Chipper]

She's butt ugly either way, I hate to say that about a Montana girl, but sometimes you must let your siblings face the music. Rachel , you made me say it....

[Migrant Log Chipper]

She's butt ugly either way, I hate to say that about a Montana girl, but sometimes you must let your siblings face the music. Rachel , you made me say it....

[Haven Monahan]

Thought experiment...

If a black woman posed as being white, and became the leader of a regional chapter of a national organization that promoted the advancement of white people, by falsely stated her race on her application, would she be criticized or idolized?

Victimhood is the new privilege.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

OK, for the Magna-Carta* hater in the New York Times, here's a reply:

(a) Of course other documents protected the rights of the people - this reinforces the idea that the Magna Carta protected recognized rights, rather than getting pulled out of someone's butt.

(b) It *did* protect an early form of jury trial. If you were locked up while awaiting trial by combat based on the challenge of some accuser, you could summon a panel of local residents - a proto-jury - to rule on whether the charge was brought out of malice, and if they said from malice, you'd be released or bailed. The Magna Carta didn't invent this procedure, but it let you use it without paying a fee.

(c) The Magna Carta *did* give some protection to landowners from Jewish - and Gentile! - creditors, but bear in mind that at the time Jews were considered "chattels" of the king and couldn't own land - combine these factors and it meant the king, not the lender, took your land if you defaulted.

*I'm not endorsing the 1215 version - the one rejected by the Pope - because it authorized the barons to start a civil war based on their unilateral decision that the king was violating the charter. Later editions of the Magna Carts thankfully left out that part.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

(d) Yes, the Magna Carta *did* protect some commercial privileges of the bourgeoisie - shocker! The barons were thinking about people other than themselves.

(e) Yes, the 17th century jurists may have gotten a bit over-enthusiastic about the Magna Carta, adopting controversial interpretations, but these interpretations could be justified if we apply our legal interpretations on the principal of maximizing liberty.

[Notorious G.K.C.]

And it *did* limit the power of women to charge you with a crime and demand that you fight a duel to decide if you're guilty. Women could now only do this to someone they accused of killing their husband. So unfair to deny them the right to demand a duel to the death for someone accused of other crimes!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Ben Carson leads GOP pack in new national poll:

When asked to name who they would like
to see as the party's nominee for president, Republican
and Republican-leaning voters are divided among
commentator Dr. Ben Carson (11%), Wisconsin
Governor Scott Walker (10%), Bush (9%), Rubio
(9%), and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee
(8%). Other preferences include Kentucky Senator
Rand Paul (6%), Texas Senator Ted Cruz (5%), New
Jersey Governor Chris Christie (4%), former Texa
s Governor Rick Perry (4%), former Pennsylvania
Senator Rick Santorum (3%), businesswoman Carl
y Fiorina (2%), South Carolina Senator Lindsey

http://monmouth.edu/assets/0/3.....821039.pdf

[Migrant Log Chipper]

Fuck off , dolts r us is having a meeting and they are wondering why you aren't there. Run along, the rest of the idiots are missing you.

[bacon-magic]

I heard one of her art projects was plagiarized also.

[Warty]

Well, Fallout 4 looks fun. Crap. Stupid video games, always pulling me back in.

[Pro Libertate]

It's like the mob, but with fewer real deaths.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

And more violence against women, damseling, and disgusting examples of the male gaze.

[Brett L]

i know. I hope my wife can handle a newborn and a toddler. Or else I'll volunteer for the overnight shift.

[Preet Bharara]

Nuts or performance art?

[Preet Bharara]

Oops, SF beat me to it. I may indict him for impertinence.

[Knarf Yenrab!]

"Magna Carta has everything going for it to be venerated in the United States: It is old, it is English and, because no one has actually read the text, it is easy to invoke to fit current needs."

And, you know, it's a discursive effort to limit the powers of the state. Turns out it was just as effective as every other piece of paper or vellum that attempts to limit the powers of a human agent.

Writing the law down has always created a litigious and legalistic spirit, and no one's better suited to take advantage of a written law than an elite armed with a court full of intellectuals trained in the art of talking the stripes off zebras.