U.S. Spied on French Leaders, Obama Orders Creation of "Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell," Dylann Roof 911 Call Released: A.M. Links

• 

  Screenshot/Dylann Roof arrest video

  A new executive order will give the U.S. government greater power to negotiate with terrorists for American hostages and will stop criminalizing families that communicate or offer ransoms to groups holding their loved ones. It will also create a "Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell," to be headed by senior FBI officials. 

• Police have released the 911 call that led to suspected Charleston shooter Dylann Roof's arrest. 
• Obama's trade bill advanced in the Senate yesterday, with no votes to spare. 
• The U.S. government has been spying on French leaders, who aren't too happy about it.
• The first "abortion drone" will begin delivering abortion medication from Germany to Poland, where the procedure is illegal.
• California schoolteachers and conservative activists are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take a case regarding public-sector union fees.
• A newly released British intelligence document discloses how terrorism suspects are targeted in C.I.A. drone strikes and how closely the National Security Agency works with its British counterpart in Pakistan and Yemen. 
• Eek! Donald Trump is polling really well. 
• Libertarian Party members were allegedly banned from a gay pride parade in Washington (an open-carry state) for simply asking if they were allowed to bring their guns.  
• "Email becomes an end in itself. Email never goes away. Email is an asshole." 

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Donald Trump is polling really well.

I'm told not to worry.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

[Gordilocks]

Good morning, Rufus.

[Jerryskids]

Should I worry about the image I now have of Donald Trump in a g-string and pasties twirling around a stripper pole? I really don't care how well he poles, it's not a picture you want to carry around all morning. (Especially the part where he wraps one fat pasty thigh around the pole, grabs ahold of it up high, arches his back, tosses his head back - and that thing on his head goes flopping down the back of his neck.)

[X[redacted]s]

Crusty approves.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Would not 'bate to.

GlucoseIntolerant could maybe spice that up for us, though.

[Crusty Juggler]

smh

[sarcasmic]

Britain faces FREEZING winters as slump in solar activity threatens 'little Ice Age'

http://www.express.co.uk/news/.....r-activity

[robc]

We are for the next big one, why assume little?

[Tonio]

due?

[pan fried wylie]

dude.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

sweet.

[Charles Easterly]

Dude.

[Would Larry Wayne Jones?]

dude....

[Charles Easterly]

Got it. Thanks.

[Would Larry Wayne Jones?]

dude.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Remember. It's climate change. Not global warming. So the cultists won't bat an eye.

[Medical Physics Guy]

But the EPA infographiks!1!

[Medical Physics Guy]

So that's why the weather this year has been shite!!! Wait a minute, every year has been like that.

[SugarFree]

Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past

Britain's winter ends tomorrow with further indications of a striking environmental change: snow is starting to disappear from our lives.

...

The first two months of 2000 were virtually free of significant snowfall in much of lowland Britain, and December brought only moderate snowfall in the South-east. It is the continuation of a trend that has been increasingly visible in the past 15 years: in the south of England, for instance, from 1970 to 1995 snow and sleet fell for an average of 3.7 days, while from 1988 to 1995 the average was 0.7 days. London's last substantial snowfall was in February 1991.

...

However, the warming is so far manifesting itself more in winters which are less cold than in much hotter summers. According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

What a cement head.

[Brett L]

Mother Nature is such a bitch.

[Suthenboy]

The effects of Global Warming?

[sarcasmic]

Rare Amazonian fish called 'the Nutcracker', which eats testicles with its human-like teeth, is caught in New Jersey lake
Ron Rossi, of Delran, New Jersey, was fishing with son and caught a pacu
Pair originally thought it was a piranha, but it had strange human-like teeth
Environmental officials suspect someone kept it as a pet and released it
Native to Brazil, the pacu has been spotted in spots around the world such as Scandinavia, Washington state and Paris in recent years
Fish believed to have killed two men in New Guinea after biting genitals

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....globe.html
Not that I was planning on going swimming in any lakes in NJ, but this cinches it.

[Gordilocks]

but this cinches it.

What you did there, I saw it.

[Gordilocks]

Doh!

cinchesCLINCHES

[WTF]

It can't survive the winter in New Jersey anyway.

[Tonio]

Unless it's in the cooling pond for a power plant.

[Citizen Nothing]

So mutant testicle-biting fish. Great.

[Tonio]

Fossil-fuel powered plants have those, too. Great for cold-weather kayaking.

[Monty Crisco]

Seriously, do they really ZERO IN on testicles and bite them? I find this hard to believe...

[Charles Easterly]

"In Papua New Guinea, where the fish is known as the 'Ball Cutter', a member of the species is thought to have contributed to two men's death from blood loss after it castrated them.

Scientists in Denmark said that reports of pacu eating genitalia were 'overblown' after they issued a joking warning to male swimmers to beware following a sighting of the fish, according to National Geographic."

[Monty Crisco]

JESUSALLAHBUDDHA THAT IS SCARY AS FUCK!!

[Lady Dalrymple]

Soon* NJ will be as warm as LA, and our lakes will be infested with testicle biting fish.

*Soon is a relative term (See GCC).

[Charles Easterly]

#savethetestes

[R C Dean]

Soon* NJ will be as warm as LA,

Well, let's look at cities.

NYC has an average July high of 84 (I honestly thought it would be higher: I guess the stink makes it feel hotter).

Cities with highs of 87 (more than the 2 degree increase we are invited to regard as disastrous) include:

Baltimore
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Virginia Beach

Scary!

http://www.currentresults.com/.....n-july.php

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Daily Fail

They aren't rare, but actually fairly common aquarium fish. And from the wiki link:

Incorrect claim of testicle-biting[edit]

In 2013, a pacu specimen was found by a fisherman in Denmark.[55] This led to media reports mistakenly warning that the fish could attack male testicles. The reports were based on a joke that was not meant to be taken seriously.[55]

[bacon-magic]

Woodchippers, meet the new tyrant torturer - the fish nutchopper.

[sarcasmic]

Who's the scaredy cat? Black bear sniffing around Alaska home falls off a porch as pet cat lunges
Meeting of a male bear and tiny Savannah cat is caught on camera
Nosy bear peers through glass window as he checks out Alaskan retreat
But is quick to scamper when two-year-old Nani leaps against window
Bear hasn't been seen since as owners admit cat is usually a 'fraidy' pet

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

[Monty Crisco]

Savannah cats are AWESOME. Thinking about getting one...

[X[redacted]s]

You got $6000 to spend on a fucking cat? Cats are free, dude. If you have better cat food than your neighbor, their cat will just move in with you.

[Monty Crisco]

Touche, sir.

Are they really 6K?

[SugarFree]

1st gen are 18K.

[Monty Crisco]

CHRISTAMONKEY AND HIS FIVE SISTERS!!!

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Somehow, this is still a NONTROVERSY according to the clownshoes that run this website dedicated in part to personal liberty.

The sex-trafficking ring in Rotherham may well be the worst in the West ever, or so one would hope. British officials have now identified at least three hundred suspects in a crime syndicate that raped and trafficked underage British girls for years, while local police ignored signs and clues for years:

At least 300 possible suspects have been identified by investigators probing the Rotherham child sex exploitation scandal.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said most of the potential suspects were Asian men, while the vast majority of victims were young British girls.
The NCA launched a major investigation into the scandal after a damning report by Professor Alex Jay last year, revealed that as many as 1,400 children had been raped, trafficked and groomed by mainly Asian gangs in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

"Asian" in this context refers to South Asia, primarily Pakistanis. That partly explains why the organizers of this trafficking ring successfully evaded detection and intervention for so long ? longer than some of its later victims had been alive, in fact. Political correctness kept police from aggressively following up on evidence, and in fact pushed them to punish those who wanted to stop the abuse ? including the parents of some victims, as The Telegraph reported last year:

More than 1,400 children were sexually abused over a 16 year period by gangs of paedophiles after police and council bosses turned a blind eye for fear of being labelled racist, a damning report has concluded.
Senior officials were responsible for "blatant" failures that saw victims, some as young as 11, being treated with contempt and categorised as being "out of control" or simply ignored when they asked for help.
In some cases, parents who tried to rescue their children from abusers were themselves arrested. Police officers even dismissed the rape of children by saying that sex had been consensual.
Downing Street on Tuesday night described the failure to halt the abuse in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, as "appalling".

[Monty Crisco]

You won't get a hat tip. Take it from me...

[Monty Crisco]

Actually, they probably WILL give you a hat tip, just to troll me.

You're welcome.

[Tonio]

Apparently there is a rigorous, secret procedure that must be followed to get a hat tip.

[Monty Crisco]

Is that in the same libertarian rulebook that describes our secret handshake?

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

I have been reliably informed that human trafficking does not exist in any measurable amount. You, sir, are calling ENB a liar and I won't stand for it!

*sits down, grabs popcorn, awaits the show*

[Jordan]

Human trafficking exists, but the fears about it are way overblown, similar to those surrounding terrorism and gun violence.

[Monty Crisco]

Tell that to 1400 girls in Rotherham.

[Jordan]

"Tell that to 25 kids in Newtown"

See how that argument falls flat?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Not really.

[Monty Crisco]

I'm not saying that parents need to live in fear of an epidemic of their kids being snatched off the street at all times, but Rotherham IS a legitimate story (and a horrific one at that) and deserves attention on this side of the pond.
Newtown was a legitimate story, whether the policy prescriptions that flowed from it by the leftists afterwards were or not.
And I am not proposing some sort of human trafficking legislation, I just would prefer if our "MSM" didn't act like this atrocity never occurred.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Uh...the 1400 girls in Rotherham weren't victims of sex trafficking. Sex trafficking involves transporting girls from point A to point B for sexual purposes. These were all local girls who were molested by local gangs.

They were victims of rape and molestation, not victims of sex-trafficking and no one is denying the existence of rape and child molestation. Unless you think a girl who's raped at a college party has somehow been sex-trafficked.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

So, if a group of girls are passed from one gang of Pakistani rapists to another, that doesn't count as trafficking?

Well, that's a relief! I guess we actually can ignore the whole thing, just like Reason does!

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Which is not what I'm saying since I clearly agree with your general point downthread, it's just that this isn't sex trafficking anymore than a pervert letting his perv friend molest his daughter is sex-trafficking.

Sex-trafficking actually has a fucking definition, and this case doesn't change the fact that ENB is 100% right when she says sex-trafficking is ludicrously rare and not worth the obsession over it. Particularly given that this could have been dealt with by local police doing their fucking jobs rather than with fancy national anti-sex trafficking police units and billion dollar sex-trafficking charities.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Fine, Irish, point taken. It isn't technically human trafficking as it doesn't fit the legal definition of that activity.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Hmmm... Reason is about the only place I've ever seen anything on this subject, so I'm not sure 'ignore the whole thing' is a fair assessment.

[VG Zaytsev]

Everyone bends over backwards to deny the existence of a no shit straight up rape culture when it involves nice brown men and their religion of piece.

[Monty Crisco]

"PIECE of ASS"!!! AMIRITE?!!?!?

Oh. I meant, "I saw what you did there"...

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

The lack of coverage is astonishing.

[Bill Dalasio]

Well, DUH!! Rape culture isn't ABOUT brown men! How likely are social justice cadres to ever have to deal with THEM, except as the hired help?! They can be safely honored and respected at a distance. They're...exotic. It's those icky straight white guys who need to be put in their place...

/social justice cadre

[Mike M.]

Everyone bends over backwards to deny the existence of a no shit straight up rape culture when it involves nice brown men and their religion of piece.

Horrific local crimes are only worth talking about when the perpetrator is an evil white man.

(By the way, this philosophy applies to Reason just as much as the rest of the so-called "mainstream media").

[MoriahJovan]

Horrific local crimes are only worth talking about when the perpetrator is an evil white man.

The ones who won't hunt you down like an animal and kill you for it, you mean.

[Medical Physics Guy]

The fears about my kid being sold into white slavery are overblown. But the fears of British orphanage girls being groomed and raped for years are not. 1,400 girls is staggering and it is the tip of the iceberg, in one place, of which there are hundreds similar. How is that not an epic scale human tragedy.

[Medical Physics Guy]

I see, there is discussion downthread, nevermind

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

The legislative responses to include pros and johns as "human traffickers" is overblown. The actual danger posed by pimps - in my opinion - is not. These people use violence, drugs and theft to coerce the people they are ostensibly "protecting."

Of course, if we didn't stupidly outlaw prostitution by adults there wouldn't be as large a black market for these shits to operate in. I just can't stand what sometimes appears to be willful blindness to a legitimate problem simply because opponents of legalization are using it to their own puritanical ends. It may be naive but I prefer the fights to be done honestly.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

Reason did a blog post on Rotherham. Have any internet femenists, famously obsessed with "rape culture", found the time to mention it?

[Tonio]

A good point. What level of outrage must Reason display to make you happy, Restoras? Srsly. Please express using numbers: number of articles, frequency of articles, wordcounts of articles...

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

Personally I'd like for them to mention it more than just the once, myself. How about we count up the number of posts about some idiotic topic like George Zimmerman, Sarah Palin, or Lou Reed, and simply do a tenth as many posts about Rotherham. And in each one, shame the femenists (first time was an accident, but I think I'll keep the Johnism) for not mentioning it.

[Monty Crisco]

Chipper Chipping chips it pretty chipping well for this chip. I agree!

[X[redacted]s]

What is Lou Reed up to these days, anyway?

[Suellington]

He did a weird album with Metallica, but I think he is retired now.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Collaborating with BB King?

[bacon-magic]

Covering - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
LIVE from HEAVEN

[Tonio]

What about we pick a more meaningful equivalent, like Baby Boubou or the Meitivs?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

One post. And how many posts have they done about what millennials think? What deserves a little more attention, and what deserves a little less?

Of course the feminazis won't talk about it, because it doesn't fit all the narrative guidelines. That isn't surprising.

But Reason basically ignores it...I wonder if they would ignore it if it were white men trafficking in Pakistani girls? I somehow doubt it.

[Citizen Nothing]

I wonder if they would ignore it if it were white men trafficking in Pakistani girls? I somehow doubt it.

You really believe this? No lie? That's just sad, dude.

[VG Zaytsev]

Yes, acknowledging the biases of those that you think are on your side is sad.

Better to remain deluded.

[Suellington]

I don't know about reason, but this story would have been way more publicized if it was white dudes raping brown kids.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

I'm just calling it like I see it. Maybe I'm wrong and Reason has an excellent reason for ignoring the story and maybe that will come to light in the months ahead.

That said, I am quite sure that if this story were about a large group ethnic Anglo-Saxons in Great Britain passing around a large group of Pakistani female children for the sole purpose of sexual exploitation then Reason would be all over it like white on rice. So, for that matter, would the feminazis.

[Mike M.]

You're not wrong at all, no matter how much some of these dipshits around here try to intimidate you.

Reason has gotten to the point where in many ways it has become impossible to distinguish it from the rest of the so-called "mainstream media".

[Agammamon]

Uhm, they have had several articles on it - at least 2.

http://tinyurl.com/q88fhtn

[Charles Easterly]

I haven't seen you post in a while, Ag (not that I have been around very much myself of late). How are things proceeding with regards to the irrational nameless individuals who threatened you and several others?

[Agammamon]

Fine as can be expected - I haven't been contacted by them (I turned over my contact info at the beginning of this fiasco) and really don't expect to be.

The only thing is - the 'investigation' phase linger indefinitely. There's no point where they will say 'nope, got nothing, close the case' short of forcing this in front of a magistrate.

Other than that, I'm just going to assume nothing more is going to happen - I'm certainly not going to hide out in fear.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

*salutes*

[Monty Crisco]

Gives "Hunger Games" salute...

*mockingbird whistle*

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Holds two fists into the air, with an alluring hip swivel...

"Hail Wood-Chipper!"

[Charles Easterly]

Hopefully the blowback has shamed them into quietly going returning to legitimate functions which are ethically sound.

"I'm certainly not going to hide out in fear." Nor should you, as you did nothing to deserve such a heavy handed overreaction.

Take good care.

[Free ?Woodchippers! Society]

Hopefully the blowback has shamed them into quietly going returning to legitimate functions which are ethically sound.

Somehow I suspect they'll still be pursuing victimless crimes and oppressing those who too publicly dissent to their routine acts of injustice.

[Clich? Bandit]

Glad to hear it. Keep us posted if you need those donations. Perhaps a warrant canary should be set up. Can you post once a week forever?

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

I completely agree Reason should be covering this story about 1000x more than they have. It's a total failure of local government and the damage done is almost indescribable. I do think Reason would ignore it if it were white men trafficking Pakistani girls, unless the people doing the trafficking were cops.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

I will say it's pretty hilarious that Robby Soave feels the need to make sure everyone knows how horrified he is when someone sings a racist song on a bus, but we didn't see anywhere near that angst and outrage in Shackford's post on the subject (though, obviously, they're two different writers and Shackford is generally more even keel than Soave).

I will admit that you'd think there would have been an angry Robby Soave post about this subject, given that it's all about how PC groupthink resulted in the stifling of rational thought and that's supposed to be his wheelhouse.

[Monty Crisco]

I think they're one person, myself...

[Charles Easterly]

Epi?

[Zeb]

So, are you suggesting that Reason is tiptoeing around it because it was perpetrated by Pakistanis? I just don't see it.

Yes, it is an important story and a horrible thing to have happened. I'm not sure what else reason needs to say about it, though. It is a big story and it is surprising it doesn't get more press in the US (if it happened in the US, the Daily Mail would be all over it). But there is a lot of stuff going on with a more specifically libertarian angle.

[Citizen Nothing]

Some people see race behind everything, Zeb.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"Some people see race behind everything, Zeb."

Well, this case is clearly about race because the refusal of the cops to arrest these men, and the decision to essentially ignore the victims, was brought about because the cops were worried they'd seem racist.

And the person who was trying to bring this to everyone's attention was forced to undergo diversity training by the local government.

It's about race not because there is something about Pakistanis that makes them commit sexual abuse (other than certain aspects of Pakistani culture that are about upbringing rather than race), but because the local government made it about race when they decided to look the other way because of who was committing the crimes.

[Zeb]

I'm sure race had something to do with how it was dealt with in the UK. I don't buy that it has anything to do with how Reason has and has not covered it.

If reason covered it more, I'd be interested to read it. But I'm not going to get all bent out of shape and suggest that they have secret motivations for not covering it more.

[Citizen Nothing]

I don't buy that it has anything to do with how Reason has and has not covered it.

This^ being my point.

[Bill Dalasio]

I'm sure race had something to do with how it was dealt with in the UK. I don't buy that it has anything to do with how Reason has and has not covered it.

I'm a little inclined to disagree with you here. I think it's entirely plausible that the Reason staff might be a little hesitant to follow the story because of how it could be twisted to push back on the immigration angle. I don't think the twisting would be right or logical. But, I could see the staff deciding they don't want to push a story that is going to be fodder for restrictionists.

[Azathoth!!]

legitimate fodder for restrictionists

FTFY

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

How so? This is a situation where the government (which I'm continually assured is there to protect us), decided to ignore the rampant and continual sexual abuse of over 1000 girls because it had become so pervaded with PC groupthink that no one wanted to risk their careers to arrest sex criminals.

This seems to pretty much prove libertarian arguments about government programs - that they exist to protect the jobs of the government workers and obey whatever the current guiding political fads might happen to be rather than actually helping the people they're supposed to help.

[Zeb]

Perhaps I am just too cynical about government. The response in the UK was pathetic and probably has to do with PC run amok and fear of being branded racist. It's more about the failure of a culture to honestly deal with problems. It's a big failure of government too in all the ways you mention.

[Free ?Woodchippers! Society]

Multiculturalist ideology that has been drilled into the current crop of adults since childhood, has failed. Defenders of multiculturalism will repeat that all cultures are equal and that any criticisms of those cultures generally and even of individuals of that culture specifically, is nothing but vile racism.

I for one am perfectly willing to admit that I would be less than thrilled if a Somali refugee camp opened up across from my house.

[Clich? Bandit]

The ideal approach in my mind is that all cultures can be treated equally because they are irrelevant. Just as there are not group rights there are not cultural responsibilities. Only individuals can be responsible and posses rights. Therefore, even if 1000 out of 1000 members of a single culture steal slushies from 7-11s does not mean I care about their culture. I would deal with 1000 individual's actions which violated someone else's rights. We have a framework for addressing that. This follows along the same reasoning that it is immoral to hold a general group responsible for the actions of some of its members. All black people are not more physically fit, all Jews are not misers, all whites are not racists, all NRA members are not Republicans. In a libertarian society we should be focused on dealing with the actions of individuals. That would be the moral approach in my opinion.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Obama's trade bill advanced in the Senate yesterday, with no votes to spare.

So Congress has learned its lesson from Obamacare.

[sarcasmic]

Is this ISIS's currency? Terror group supporters reveal photographs of gold coins on social media
The gold coins have a Quranic inscription in Arabic emblazoned on one side
Each of the shiny gold coins have been described as being a 'dinar'
The coins also have images of corn fields and a map of the world

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....media.html
We are witnessing the birth of a country. Historic and scary.

[Monty Crisco]

Fucking animals that make a sport of creatively murdering innocent people are not going to build an empire. The Islamic faith has a loooong history of turning inward to fight each other, and I don't think ISIS will be around much longer when both Iran and Saudi Arabia turn their full military attentions towards them.

[sarcasmic]

I dunno. Considering how fanatical they are and how much support they have around the world, I doubt they can be stopped by anything other than a Western military, and even then only temporarily. You can kill the followers of an ideology, but you can't kill the ideology itself.

[Bill Dalasio]

You can kill the followers of an ideology, but you can't kill the ideology itself.

Yeah, you can. How many people openly support Nazism?

A crushing, humiliating defeat can pretty much put any ideology to rest.

[Igor]

The Carthaginian Free Trade Association's not doing so well either.

[John Titor]

Yeah, you can. How many people openly support Nazism?

Well, if you spend time in Reddit's politics or history subs, a lot of people unironically.

[Free ?Woodchippers! Society]

I dunno. Considering how fanatical they are and how much support they have around the world, I doubt they can be stopped by anything other than a Western military, and even then only temporarily. You can kill the followers of an ideology, but you can't kill the ideology itself.

Western militaries are seldom up to the task of committing the sorts of genocides that have historically won ideological wars. Iran and Saudi Arabia and the like, have many fewer qualms in that regard.

[Tonio]

The difference between a nation-state and a sub-national actor, Monty. Generally, if you invade a country and capture and hold the capitol you've won. With groups like ISIS you have to kill every one of them. Now, the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia have one weapon we (western secular democracies) don't - the clergy. Their best bet is to have their clergies, both Shia and Sunni, declare ISIS to be un-islamic. Of course, that would mean embracing reform, particularly for the Saudis.

[Monty Crisco]

Hey, good point. You've put more thought into it than I have. I tip my hat to you...

*looks around*

Was that so fucking hard?!?!

[Zeb]

I think hat tips generally come only when you give them a tip that they don't already know about.

[Tonio]

Monty, I've never received a hat-tip in all my years here. Granted, I've only rarely mailed those in, which is apparently part of the secret requirements. I suspect that in my case it's because I'm on the list of bad commenters who have dared to "thrash the staff" (thanks, whoever said that).

[Clich? Bandit]

We have all trashed the staff. Chapman anyone? Hat tips requirements, as I understand it, would require notifying them of something they were unaware of or unlikely to become aware of in their normal course of research. Getting a "beloved" or "vaunted" or "esteemed" commenter with your hat tip requires sexual favors though.

[Agammamon]

Fucking animals that make a sport of creatively murdering innocent people are not going to build an empire.

Genghis KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!, Mao Tse Tsung, Kim Jong Il, Stalin - hell, there's a ton of fucking animals that have not only created working states but *empires*.

[X[redacted]s]

Yeah, creatively murdering innocent people almost seems like it's one of the REQUIREMENTS of empire.

[Monty Crisco]

My hat is tipped out...

[Lady Dalrymple]

Didn't someone say something about 'strong horses'?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Scarier for the countries that border it. Will be interesting to see how it all shakes out as that region finally begins to sort itself out.

[Rich]

as that region finally begins to sort itself out.

Finally -- via nukes?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Well if that's how they want to sort it out then they can have at it.

[expat]

I worry about "Chuck E. Cheese" for the same reason

[Monty Crisco]

Rotherham gets worse. Odds that this is completely ignored by the "MSM"?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....pects.html

Odds that Reason puts this in their evening links and doesn't give me a hat tip because they are just a bunch of choad-gargling trolls?

THREE FUCKING ARTICLES they ran that I suggested to them. Within a WEEK!! FUCK, I should be their supervising editor?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Reason will do what they've been doing since this broke. They will ignore it. Even Reason, it seems, it subject to politically correct sensibilities and are too chicken shit to report on it. Pussies.

[Elizabeth Nolan Brown]

Dudes. Do you ever consider that we read all the same news sources you do, and follow a shitload of people apiece on social media, and get tons of tips from people, and don't troll any and all comments? Combined, this means that odds are no one actually learned about any given story from you

[Jordan]

Seriously. The bitching about hat tips is annoying as hell.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yeah. It should be more like a tap on the bum.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

A bum tap.

[Monty Crisco]

Don't threaten me with a good time!!

[Pope Jimbo]

slap on the ass

That is what we* really want.

*3 time hat tip recipient

[Monty Crisco]

Rub it in, why dontcha?

[hamilton]

Rub it in, why dontcha?

No, actually a simple slap on the ass would probably suffice.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

But, followed by a nice caressing would be better...

[LynchPin1477]

I've always assumed bitching about hat tips was a running gag of sorts. Do people actually take it seriously?

[WTF]

No.

[iCarl]

I was going to say/ask the same thing.

[Tonio]

Yes, because it's good etiquette. The person providing the tip is providing something of value, specifically research. Nobody expects to be paid in cash, but acknowledging that is both good form and encourages others to send in tips.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

I demand a hat tip for bitching about not getting a hat tip.

[Monty Crisco]

This is so meta that I kinda lol'd...

[Monty Crisco]

Then comment on Rotherham, please. God knows, no other media outlet in America will...

[VG Zaytsev]

Reporting on Rotherham won't get you invited to any cocktail pariez, nor help you land a job at a real, respected, publication.

So don't hold your breath.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

But defending the private sale and display of the Confederate battle flag will. And defending the association rights of people who disagree with gay marriage. And mocking all gun control efforts.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Just won't do any reporting on it, eh?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

No one wants a hat-tip. Report on things that matter - like Rotherham.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Rotherdam is horrendous not just because of the scale of crime but the fact the pathetically PC Brits willingly turned a blind eye to it.

It's a warped tragedy wrapped in a coil of stunning incompetence and indifference.

[Monty Crisco]

I like that Churchillian characterization of it...

[UnCivilServant]

not just because of the scale of crime but the fact the pathetically PC Brits willingly turned a blind eye to it.

It was the PC culture that cause the blind eye - the authorities were afraid of being tagged as "racist".

[Rhywun]

I want to know how many other Rotherhams there are in Britain. Or could it be isolated to one town?

[Tonio]

You mean you don't want a hat-tip, Restoras. Now, if you're the deputized spokescritter for a larger group of the commentariat, please let us know.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Whatever. Have a good day, Tonio.

[Tonio]

Sometimes, ENB, it's best to just let them have their little tantrum...

[WTF]

....and don't troll any and all comments?

She says in response to some comments.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Yeah, nice trolling, ENB!

I tip my hat to you.

[expat]

You read the internets too. Who-da thunk it?

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Please share your thoughts on Rotherham, Elizabeth, and hat tip Everyone But Monty Cristo.

[Monty Crisco]

CRISCO, goddamit! READ MUCH?!?

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Even better: get his name wrong.

Or her name. Find out the gender and get that wrong too.

[bacon-magic]

Dudes? That's a hated male wordy thingy. I'm proud of you ENB. Keep of the good fight.
P.S. I sad too...

[sarcasmic]

'My clothing size doesn't define me': Plus-size model Tess Holliday slams the fashion industry's inconsistent sizing as she hits back at those who criticize her body

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/fem.....-body.html
John approves.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

Because apparently even trying on clothes is too much exercise.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

+1 Size 00

[KDN]

That nose ring is a bigger problem than the weight.

Well, almost.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

The ring is for tethering her out in the pasture.

[Statutory Ape]

The disgusting tats and nose ring don't help any.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

There is...so much canvas...upon which she can paint.

[Would Larry Wayne Jones?]

It puts the lotion in the basket

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

Ha! I seriously had no idea that was a chick singing that song.

[Charles Easterly]

Jay Dancing

[Rhywun]

C'mon, tatts and noserings help millions of youth express their individuality.

[fleshy wavefunction]

I don't know women's clothing sizes very well... But how could anything she wears possibly be a size 3?

[Pope Jimbo]

It is on the Barnum & Bailey scale.

She is a 3. Three tents that is.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

It's made in China. 3 Pandas?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

I think that's a little egregious but I can get behind 3 Couch Cushions

[SugarFree]

Torrid is Hot Topic for land whales, so their vanity sizing very well might be that insane.

[VG Zaytsev]

I see a house full of cats in her future.

[Lady Dalrymple]

I'm all for people, both male and female, excepting and feeling good about their bodies, but obesity is actually dangerous long term.

I know she'd probably call this concern trolling, but she's fat now in her 20's(?) but she will mostly likely be fatter and sick by the time she reaches 40. A lifetime prescription to Metformin isn't okay.

Sizes 1,2, 3 typically are for sizing over the standard. It's what they use when you're too fat to fit in regular clothes.

[Lady Dalrymple]

accepting.

[Bill Dalasio]

I'm all for people, both male and female, excepting and feeling good about their bodies,

Maybe this is going to tag me as a jerk, but I'm not so sure I am. Not, at least, when that acceptance or feeling good is a lie. I know I'm a bit flabby around the middle. I try to watch what I eat and go to the gym to deal with it. To the extent that I'm not getting all the results I want (although I'm making progress), I don't kid myself that it's anything other than the packet of M&Ms; or the time I decided it would be so much better to sleep in. Recognizing one's shortcomings is kind of necessary to addressing them.

[Bee Tagger]

The U.S. government has been spying on French leaders, who aren't too happy about it.

Lots of pictures of their backs?

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

*polite applause*

[sarcasmic]

Tragedy as Mason the 'community relations' dog is cooked to death in cop car after an officer forgot he was there
Mason was left in the backseat of Corporal Josh Coleman's car on Thursday during a hurricane preparation conference
Mason served as the community relations dog for Gulf Shores Police and they recently celebrated the pooch's third birthday on June 9
When Coleman remembered Mason was in a car he rushed him to a vet but the dog died the next day

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new.....there.html
Will he be charged with capital murder of a police officer, or animal abuse, just like anyone else?

No criminal charges are being filed but the city and the department are enforcing 'sanctions' against Coleman.

Yeah. That's what I thought.

[Monty Crisco]

Wow, cop manages to kill HIS OWN dog. They are really stepping up their game...

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

I think there was a story about a cop doing something similar to two K-9s a few months ago. Same fucking result too.

[Agammamon]

Reason ran a story a while back about a K-9 cop who 'forgot' about the dog while at his own home.

Got home at the end of the shift and left the pooch in the cruiser.

We keep getting told about the 'bonds' that form between dog and handler, but it seems a lot of these guy see this as more of an imposition than an honor.

[Griffin3]

Updated:

Three days after Coleman left Mason in his car to die, a man in neighboring Georgia left his chihuahua inside his car while he ate at a restaurant with his family, leaving the window cracked to allow air to enter the car [dog was unharmed] ... The owner then walked out and was arrested for animal cruelty and is now facing up to six months in jail.

More equal.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...and will stop criminalizing families that communicate or offer ransoms to groups holding their loved ones.

I'm sure other laws on the books can get these monsters for aiding terrorism with ransom money if prosecutors so desire.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

So they will be locking the Lightworker up for handing over 5 Talib for that dirt bag Bergdahl...?

[WTF]

Well, since the Lightworker controls all the men with guns, I would guess not.

[Tonio]

But, then they have to deal with the public backlash against the government for coming down on a grieving and desperate family. They can try slapping them with gag orders, but that doesn't always work out so well.

[Fist of Etiquette]

They don't seem to be very backlash-conscious.

[Pope Jimbo]

Oh they are. That is why they crank out all those gag orders.

That way those miserable fuckers can't go to the press with their story about being hassled by The Man for trying to get their loved ones back.

[Rich]

"Email becomes an end in itself. Email never goes away. Email is an asshole."

tl;dr

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Email micro-aggresses people EVERY SINGLE DAY.

[Woodchip-o-Matic 5000]

Email identifies as mail, but that's just a social construct and it can be femail if it wants

[Lord Humungus]

Listening To Heavy Metal May Actually Make You Calmer, Study Finds

A recent study has found that "extreme" music genres -- including heavy metal, emo, punk and screamo -- may actually help calm angry listeners. Researchers say the results contradict the notion such music is linked to aggression and delinquency.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in May, was conducted at Australia's University of Queensland. Researchers asked 39 extreme-music lovers to describe a frustrating situation involving relationships, finances or work. To measure participants' emotions, researchers monitored their heart rates and asked them how they felt throughout the anger-inducing process. Some participants then sat in silence for 10 minutes, while others spent 10 minutes listening to the extreme song of their choice.

Why I'm listening to Agalloch right now...

[UnCivilServant]

is this why mellow music makes me angry?

[WTF]

Quite rightly.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

*puts on Air Supply and runs*

[Old Man With Gag Order]

If you ever take me up on my drink offer, ask my wife to tell her Air Supply story.

[Lord Humungus]

was she an Air Supply groupie? (is there such a thing?)

[Old Man With Gag Order]

It's a much funnier story. Yes, there are, amazing as that is, and she's related to one.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Classical music can induce wild mood swings and vivid imaginations (or hallucinations).

[UnCivilServant]

Classical Music != Mellow Music

There is overlap, but it is not an equivalence.

[Lord Humungus]

Stravinsky ftw.

[Statutory Ape]

I've known this for years. Metallica helps me relax. Celine Dion makes me want to throw orphans in a wood chipper.

[fleshy wavefunction]

*subpoena issued*

[bacon-magic]

I've known this for a loooong time. Black Sabbath was one of my first albums. Mudvayne makes me really calm...
*calmly hums metal tune while putting "objects" in woodchipper.

[Bee Tagger]

Police have released the 911 call that led to suspected Charleston shooter Dylann Roof's arrest.

Good thing a yankee didn't answer that call, I am having some real trouble cutting through those accents.

[Lord Humungus]

My wife, who has a clear Yankee voice, get looks of puzzlement when she talks down south. Lots of "Ma'am?" and "Pardon me?"

I just point and grumble a lot - seems to work better.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Libertarian Party members were allegedly banned from a gay pride parade in Washington (an open-carry state) for simply asking if they were allowed to bring their guns.

Way to pick your battles, gays.

[Auric Demonocles]

If gays cared about picking their battles, the gay pride parades would look incredibly different.

[Tonio]

Unfortunately, the Leathermen and Drag Queens are dug in as parade organizers. During the years in hiding they were the only ones who were visible. And as the need for gay pride lessens they will again be the only ones marching and more mainstream gays will be having neighborhood cookouts, going to their kids' soccer games, etc.

[Rhywun]

In addition to that it's just long line of leftist causes and politicians trying to out-prog each other. Once or twice was amusing but what a bore it has become.

[The Last American Hero]

This x 1000. The parades are pretty much the equivalent of the open carry guys bringing AR-15's into the grocery store. Not winning people over to the cause folks.

[expat]

seconded

[Don'tTreadOnMeChipper]

thirded

[Auric Demonocles]

That's an excellent analogy.

[Florida Man]

The article is really frustrating but par for the course.

[Tonio]

If Washington is indeed an open-carry state, I don't see why they even asked.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I think it was the polite (and prudent) thing to do. Open carry people seem to be very conscientious.

[Tonio]

And I agree about the open carry folks being courteous, etc. I'm also pretty sure they knew that they'd be disinvited given the proggie leanings of most gays. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish. PR stunt? Creating unnecessary conflict?

[Monty Crisco]

Why DO gays lean proggie when - as you stated above - in your lifetime it has been "dangerous to publicly admit being gay" when it seems gays - like blacks during the reconstruction and civil rights era - stood to benefit the most from carrying guns for self-defense?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Probably the Christian right is why. They'll drive anyone away with their message of love and acceptance.

[kbolino]

Probably the Christian right is why. They'll drive anyone away with their message of love and acceptance.

In a way, this is true, but it is only half the picture. Most Christians don't want to throw gays in jail, any more than most gays want to throw Christians in jail. It is the vocal minorities that dominate the narrative and color people's perceptions.

As to why gays lean left on economics: first, I don't think that's as true as the media would have you believe, and second, it is because leftists have dominated the leadership of the gay community for a long time. That doesn't excuse anyone's beliefs, but it does explain them. However, the "gay community" is becoming a less cohesive entity all the time, and thus so too is the prevalence of leftism among gays.

[Igor]

Step one in exposing hypocritical behavior?

[Lord Humungus]

Tired of high taxes? Maybe it's time to move

In states with the highest taxes?per person?the number of moving out of the state are greater than the number of people moving in.

Connecticut taxpayers, for example, paid an average of $4,431, according to data from the Federation of Tax Administrators, a group that represent state tax officials. Last year, United Van Lines and Atlas Van Lines, the two largest movers in the U.S., moved 3,212 households out of state and 2,368 moves inbound. That means 55 percent of all moves left the state, for a net outbound flow of 58 percent. Over the last decade, the two companies reported 36,837 moves outbound to 30,426 inbound, for a net outbound flow of 55 percent.

The same pattern shows up in other high-tax states, like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

[Monty Crisco]

People respond to incentives?!?!? LIES, you somalian warlord!

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

My NPR-listening, reliable Democrat voting ex-inlaws said they'd "never heard of such a thing" when I mentioned people moving to avoid taxes. And I believe them.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The character trait of a north easterner across the continent is one of splendid parochialism. They truly believe they live in the safest place surrounded by like-minded sophistication. They calculate their standard of living from this point on. So, for example, taxes is just a price to pay for this perceived comfort and so doesn't really register in the mindset. As my buddy who earns well over 200k said to me about taxes, 'I'm not complaining.' The government takes, what, 50-55% of his income taxes? Not including all other applicable taxes from property to sales.

[WTF]

The character trait of a north easterner across the continent is one of splendid parochialism. They truly believe they live in the safest place surrounded by like-minded sophistication.

I am a north easterner, and no.

[Igor]

Rufus, you're right in part - but it's not a universal trait.

I actually do live in one of the safest towns in CT, and the average earnings per household is way above national (or even regional) average, but your buddy may well be in a very slim majority. It would be funny if it were not so depressing, having neighbors dripping salty ham tears in their Prosecco at the town meetings where they just authorized another million a year for the school budget - they feel the pain, they still can't clearly articulate the cause.

CT's about to lose at least two, maybe many more of the state's largest corporations because the state simply can't resist just a little extra slice of corporation profits.

And since all the other states nearby are basically the same, those corporations are destined to go share their profitability with an almost entirely new staff roster recruited in NC, TN, and probably FL, if the rumors I have are true.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I recognize it was anecdotal if not a generalization. I have another close friend who makes the same money and he holds the opposite view but in my experience, I wonder if people like us are the minority. I know people complain a lot about taxes but tell them to move to Texas or Tennessee. The perplexed look will be interesting I reckon.

[Igor]

It's all fun and games until you can't afford your kids' orthodontics.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Heh. My wife and I are planning to send our daughter to private school in a year or two. The school we're looking at costs $15 000 a year.

[Igor]

Well, as a limey, I find the obsession with elective orthodontics pretty bizarre. Of course, until I moved to the US, I didn't even know the word existed.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

A neighbor of mine is trying to sell his house and move to Florida.

He can't sell his house, at least not for what he wants, because the property taxes on it are too high. So in order to sell it he'll have to take a bath on it.

[sarcasmic]

One of the reasons why I still live where I do is the property taxes. They're under a grand a year (I live in a small town that offers minimal services). If I was to move closer to work I could find a place cheaper than mine, but the property taxes would add a couple hundred dollars to the mortgage payment.

[Lord Humungus]

Buying a new house - property taxes are going to be almost $400 a month. Which is considered outrageous in this part of Michigan. Great school though.

I call this area I live in a "gated community" - where the gate is money. It keeps out the middle-class on down unless you're lucky enough to rent or find a cheap house that hasn't been bought up by a construction company. They love to buy 'em, destroy the original dwelling, and the build a $400-$500k house in its place.

At least I get to see an occasional Ferrari, a BMW i8, a huge number of Porsches, and the ever present BMWs and Mercedes.

[Juice]

I live in a place where a $400-500k house is a two bedroom rowhouse. And it's not going to be at the end of the row where you get windows on 3 sides instead of 2.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Curious do you know how much the taxes are?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Well, I know his house and I know the taxes on similar houses. I saw him on the train ride home yesterday and he told me he is having trouble selling the house b/c the taxes are high. So in order to sell the house he has to come way down on the price, which is something he hasn't come to terms with yet.

[Igor]

In my case, I live in a relatively humble dwelling - if this town had rail tracks, I'd live on the wrong side of them - and my taxes last year were about $9500.

I had to text my wife to give me the details. She asked when we're moving.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hilarious. I pay $5500. My parents $9000 in one of the wealthier enclaves in Quebec.

[Igor]

A 'typical' house based on standard mill-rate would probably be about $14000.

Feeding the beast just makes it bigger.

[DEG]

Shortly after I moved to New Hampshire, the state legislature debated an income tax and came close to passing it.

A newspaper opinion piece in support of the income tax compared New Hampshire's cost of living with Massachusetts' for the mythical "family of four". The piece noted that NH's cost of living for this mythical family was (at the time) about $1500/year less than MA's. The piece also stated that no family would move for such a small amount of money.

I laughed.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

'It's just a 2% increase!" I remember hearing that from a city official here. This is how they think.

Wanna laugh? Quebecers file not just for Revenue Canada but for Quebec as well. Think of the disastrous impact that has on our ability to create wealth. Quebec consistently under performs other big provinces in several economic metrics.

No fucken kidding.

[Rhywun]

Wanna laugh? Quebecers file not just for Revenue Canada but for Quebec as well.

Most of our states do that too.

As for the $1500 a year, moving a family of four is huge. Hell, I am a family of 1 and no, I would not move out of state for that pittance either. I am guessing that there are other factors at play in addition to the money.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yet, there are no other provinces that do it.

[Rhywun]

Nice.

I file to two states. (Live in one, work in another.) I have the simplest taxes possible and it's still too complicated to get it right without banging my head against the wall.

[DEG]

I file to two states. (Live in one, work in another.) I have the simplest taxes possible and it's still too complicated to get it right without banging my head against the wall.

I used to do that when I worked in MA and I got enough interest income that NH"s interest and dividend tax (actually an income tax but the state and state booster insist it's not) kicked in for me. Tax software helped greatly.

Two sidenotes:

On my first trip to Canada the border guard asked where I live. I told her. Then she asked where I worked. I told her. She said, "Those are in different states, how is that possible?" I explained. She apparently wasn't impressed, the interview/interrogation went downhill from there. Eventually she let me into Canada.

After I moved to NH I filed my last set of PA state and local income tax. I owed $1.02 to PA for state income tax that last year. Bastards.

[Rhywun]

I am using some online service and they just can't get it right. I plug in the numbers and suddenly NJ thinks I made double what I actually did. I gave up and filed for an extension this year.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

What do you mean she wasn't impressed? How is it any of her business?

It's like the time a border agent thought it was fit to editorialize about how she didn't understand Quebecers who went shopping for certain food items in Plattsburgh for the day. Just let me back in and spare me your opinion, honey.

[DEG]

What do you mean she wasn't impressed? How is it any of her business?

She was polite up until my explanation of why I work in one state and live in another. Her tone of voice took a nasty tone after that and she grilled me on all sorts of things that weren't her business. Basically, every question she asked beyond, "How long are you going to be in Canada?" was not her business, but I answered anyway.

I can't read minds, so I don't know what her problem was. I was happy she let me go because the money I paid for my hotel stay was nonrefundable.

By contrast, on my most recent trip to Canada, the border was a good looking French-Canadian woman (I know, it's redundant, I just need French-Canadian woman, but work with me here) and I swear she was flirting with me. That was a pretty quick and easy border crossing.

[DEG]

"the boarder guard", not "the border".

[DEG]

Holy shit, I managed to misspell my correction.

[Rhywun]

"Those are in different states, how is that possible?"

Surely this situation happens in Canada somewhere. Hell, back in Buffalo I knew multiple folks who worked and lived in different countries.

I think she was just fucking with you.

[DEG]

As for the $1500 a year, moving a family of four is huge. Hell, I am a family of 1 and no, I would not move out of state for that pittance either. I am guessing that there are other factors at play in addition to the money.

Yes, there are other factors. The editorial dismissed any consideration of money.

$1500/year, after paying for moving expenses, can compound quite nicely.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

If I weren't tied here until my kids graduate high school, I'd have been long gone. NY, NJ and CT are only surviving by relying on Wall Street.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

I am so proud of IL! Bad taxes and people fleeing!

[straffinrun]

If this be treason,

[Rich]

FREEZING winters as slump in solar activity threatens 'little Ice Age'

If The Science is settled, we ought to be able to make the climate even out.

[sarcasmic]

Ha ha!

[Rich]

*** grudgingly acknowledges sarcasmic's initial post ***

[SusanM]

In other news from that site of top-notch journalistic integrity:

http://www.express.co.uk/news/.....paranormal

ET researchers have been fascinated with the tiny planet since the US space agency's unmanned probe Dawn began getting close up images of its surface which revealed mysterious bright spots.

Now the discovery of a solitary "pyramid-shaped" peak on an otherwise flat part of Ceres has led to further speculation, with some claiming it could hold the key to the origins of mankind.

One UFO hunter posted online: "Ancient astronaut alert! More weird features have been spotted by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Ceres."

[Rich]

with some claiming it could hold the key to the origins of mankind.

HAHAHAHAAA!!

*** sobers up ***

Well, to be fair, I suppose it *could*.

[SusanM]

It also could be that The Express isn't the most reliable source for scientific news out there on teh interwebztubes.

[Lord Humungus]

+1 Xcom

[Tonio]

Right, because the pyramid which is a naturally-occuring shape in nature (crystals) has to be have something to do with human origins. Once again the mystical types want to claim higher knowledge to explain natural phenomena for which there are perfectly good, non-mystical explanations.

[Agammamon]

Its not naturally occurring at large scales though.

I'm not saying these wackjobs have any basis for their claims though - so far, 100% of the time these 'clearly artificial' structures have turned out to be artifacts of poor lighting, distance, low-resolution imaging, and image processing.

The 'face' on Mars turned out to be nothing of the sort once we got a clearer picture of it.

[Rhywun]

Pfft. Next you're going to tell me Mars doesn't have canals, either.

[tarran]

My guess is a rebound peak from a collision.

[Auric Demonocles]

The government must be spying on the alt-text, too.

[Lord Humungus]

Angry dwarf is jailed for putting a sucker dart on his head and impersonating a Dalek

An angry dwarf impersonated a Dalek by sticking a sucker dart to his head and threatening to 'exterminate' two carers? before being tasered by a police.

Ian Salter-Bromley, 55, who you may recognise as the bloke who did a poo on the floor of his local council offices, then barricaded himself in his flat with a 20cm knife.

When police burst in they said he was so angry that the 'veins were sticking out of his neck'.

Despite Mr Bromley-Salter being just 4ft tall, officers tasered him because they 'feared for their welfare'.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

So Brit cops are as pants crappingly afraid as their American counterparts?

[The Last American Hero]

Why didn't some of those aggrieved Rotterham families just SWAT the pedophiles?

[Tonio]

Possibly a good idea, if the concept of SWATing anyone wasn't morally reprehensible. But also the politicians might put the old kibosh on any use of SWAT against immigrants for fear of being called racist.

[Agammamon]

The UK doesn't do SWAT like we do.

They have 'armed response' officers who are 'para-SWAT' (and SWAT is 'para-military, so they're para-para-wannabees) and rarely respond to any call that isn't about Brazilian electricians.

[Igor]

Special Branch (SB) - who would be the UK analogue of SWAT teams - is usually under the command of a District Constabulary, rather than at county or city level; their capabilities and remit are determined by the command at district level.

So one unit might be tooled out like LAPD, and the adjoining one might be full of Barney Fifes.

[The Last American Hero]

Didn't RTFA, but please say they locked him up in a Police Box.

[Igor]

There aren't many around these days.

And the normal ones really *are* small on the inside. It's unlikely they could have got both him and his walking frame in there.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The first "abortion drone" will begin delivering abortion medication from Germany to Poland, where the procedure is illegal.

Buried in the middle. ENB is sneaky.

You know who else brought death from above from Germany to Poland?

[Gordilocks]

Heinkel? Junkers?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Stuka!

[Gordilocks]

+ 2 Sirens of Jericho

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Magneto?

[Auric Demonocles]

For a couple of seconds I was surprised that she didn't include something about abortion. Then I realized I had misclassified the drone link.

To be fair, this is a story on the subject that is actually novel. Would Poland authorities consider this as something like a murder-for-hire involving a foreign suspect? Of course, since the article is on feministing, it doesn't go into any of the interesting details.

[Monty Crisco]

They got it over at Gizmodo, too. I believe the headline was "The Abortion Drone is the BEST Drone!"...

Kinda sick...

[Atlas Slugged]

for a second, I read that as "femfisting". I should pay more attention...

[WTF]

Wernher von Braun?

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Wrong direction. 🙂

[WTF]

Yeah, I know.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

I knew you knew, but couldn't pass it up.

[WTF]

Hey, I knew someone was going to jump on it as soon as I wrote it. 😉

[X[redacted]s]

Rammstein, on June 4, 2013?

[The Wood Chipper 5000]

David Hasselhoff?

[Tonio]

Birds carrying avian flu?

[Fist of Etiquette]

This is the correct answer.

[Lord Humungus]

Winnipeg police sorry for 'X-rated' chopper talk overheard by public

A news release from the police said the officers inadvertently activated the PA system and "as a result, the flight crew's conversation was publicly broadcast [and] some content of the conversation was inappropriate."

"The involved members were not able to hear the public address system from within the aircraft. They became aware their conversation had been broadcast and immediately turned the system off.

...snip...

Armstrong said she heard one officer ask, "Can you give me a blowjob?"

She said another officer replied, "You have too much body hair."

[Tonio]

Jesse, we need to do something. Flip for it, or share?

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

*applause*

[Lord Humungus]

As U.S. Probes $12.7 Trillion Treasury Market, Trader Talk Is a Good Place to Start

The U.S. federal probe that ended last month with guilty pleas and $6 billion in fines from global banks began with an open secret -- that currency traders there could talk to each other to coordinate trades.

Now, the Justice Department unit behind those prosecutions is turning its sights on the $12.7 trillion U.S. Treasury market, a world with some of its own open secrets.

Dozens of times a year before the Treasury holds an auction, salespeople at 22 primary dealers field billions of dollars in bids for government debt. Traders working at some of these financial institutions have the opportunity to learn specifics of those bids hours ahead of the auctions, according to several people familiar with these operations.

[Lord Humungus]

Is This The Libertarian Moment? (patent pending)

Greek Millennials Can't Find Work But Actually Want to Keep the Euro

If you believe the rhetoric, 18 to 25 year-olds in Greece are more likely to support a return to the drachma than their parents and grandparents. Some say this anti-euro sentiment sprouts from a desperation for change, from a demographic where at least one of every two people is out of work.

The surprising thing is that the number of young people wanting to keep the euro outnumber those who don't. Now they're starting to speak out.

Aris Spiliotopoulos and Theodoros Kalampokis are two students who form part of this increasingly vocal ''reclaim the euro'' movement. They feel European to the core and fear their government's negotiating tactics with Brussels have poisoned relations with the country's neighbors, putting their future at risk.

[straffinrun]

Generation Grexit. At least they don't have to travel far to piss on Socrates grave.

[Princess Trigger]

When they say "keep the euro" they mean "move to London or Bremen to find work".

[Rhywun]

"Receive handouts from the German taxpayer" also works.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Speaking of historical atrocities:

Why do Jay Carney and Claire Shipman decorate their house with Soviet propaganda posters?

[WTF]

Because they are authoritarian assholes. Duh!

[VG Zaytsev]

Religious people love iconic art.

[Lord Humungus]

Should We Take Down Thomas Jefferson Memorials Because He Owned Slaves?

The debate over whether or not the Confederate flag should be removed from government buildings in South Carolina is squeezing out weapons grade stupidity from just about every corner of the America media today.

The latest profile in Confederate flag idiocy comes courtesy of CNN host Ashleigh Banfield.

Banfield, who has a rich history of putting her foot in her mouth, asked fellow CNN dummy Don Lemon if it's now appropriate for lawmakers to start a future conversation about whether or not the monument of Thomas Jefferson should be removed from the U.S. Capitol

[Rich]

Should We Take Down Thomas Jefferson Memorials Because He Owned Slaves?

Should We Take Down MLK Memorials Because He Was An Adulterer?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

No, you remove MLK memorials becasue he was gun-toting Bitter-Clinger...

[sarcasmic]

Wrong question.

Thomas Jefferson Memorials should be taken down because he supported liberty and limited government. Those ideas have been proven to be outdated and wrong. Tony said so.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Of course we should, and Washington's too. It'll make a funny looking Mt. Rushmore...

[empujador]

No, they should just add statues of Sally Hemmings getting raped by him.

[Woodchip-o-Matic 5000]

Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson. Might as well through in the Adamses since, even though they opposed slavery, they were cisheterowhitemanz and therefore PATRIARCHY! Likewise with Mason, Hamilton, and Franklin.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

If they were to remove Jefferson it would truly would be a sad chapter in American history.

And I'm not confident he can survive the SJW onslaught.

[Woodchip-o-Matic 5000]

Removing Jefferson is just phase one. Eventually, they intend to remove everything that gives them a sad.

Phase three is profit

[Rhywun]

The camps are phase two?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The CNN host is just trying to have a national CONVERSATION!

Bah. Maybe they can take Lincoln down because, you know, the Civil War wasn't really about freeing the slaves.

The inability to contextualize history is astonishing among contemporary minds.

[SugarFree]

Retroactively declare him a non-President.

[Rhywun]

Un-person him.

[Tonio]

Yeah, we had one of those suggestions here locally. I suggested selling the monuments to the highest bidder and challenged the writer to start a kickstarter with the fee he got for writing the article.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I'm sure he appreciated your smug, extremist comment rooted in white privilege.

[ant1sthenes]

Sure, go ahead and take down the monument of one slave owner in a city named after another slave owner. Makes sense.

Anyway, if they do excise Jefferson from the Pantheon, that will just be another reason that this is playing out like Skyrim.

[Rich]

"And the United States and China are now poised to march into the future together as friends and partners. In the spirit of that friendship and partnership, let me propose a toast. Example, George Washington once wrote, has a powerful influence. To Vice Premier Liu, Vice Premier Wang, State Councilor Yang, and the members of the Chinese delegation, and to all of my colleagues in the U.S. delegation, may our discussions over the next few days be the example that leads to a stronger relationship between our two countries and a more prosperous world."

"Now, on with the mutual cyber-warfare!"

[UnCivilServant]

And the real war they've been tiangulating towards...

[Lord Humungus]

Good work if you can get it:

Coty says Becht remains as interim CEO; new exec won't join

Cosmetics and fragrance maker Coty said its interim CEO will continue in that role, and Elio Leoni Sceti, who was scheduled to become its CEO in about a week, won't be joining the company.

The company says it will pay Leoni Sceti $1.8 million in severance and buy back preferred stock he had bought.

Chairman Bart Becht has been Coty's interim CEO since September. Coty said Tuesday that it decided it needs continuity in its leadership as it implements a new business strategy.

The company said in a statement that Leoni Sceti had "reconsidered and decided not to join Coty" in connection with Becht staying on as interim CEO.

[Auric Demonocles]

The company said in a statement that Leoni Sceti had "reconsidered and decided not to join Coty"

That's a very spun way to say it:

Stifel Nicolaus analyst Mark Astrachan said he thinks Coty's board decided it wasn't a good time to change the company's leadership. Astrachan said he thinks Leoni Sceti was offered a different job at Coty but declined.

Still though, almost 2 million to not take a job is pretty sweet.

[Lord Humungus]

US aims for 'zero civilian casualties' in war vs. ISIS

U.S. and coalition air forces are aiming for zero civilian casualties in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), frustrating some lawmakers who say the military campaign is progressing too slowly.

While officials say they can never be absolutely certain of who's on the ground, U.S. and allied forces are refraining from airstrikes against ISIS if there's a risk of even one civilian casualty.

"There's a target of zero civilian casualties, so if there are civilian casualty concerns, we would continue to monitor a target or a potential target to see if there is a way to mitigate that," said an Air Force official.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

And so ISIS will commence with an extensive program of human shields. Brilliant.

[WTF]

Just when you think this administration can't possibly get any stupider.

[The Last American Hero]

Not that it's our job to stomp them out, but the only way to do so is to go and start killing and keep killing until the people there realize that going down the Islamic Terror road will only lead to further death and destruction. People try to point to WWII and Germany/Japan as successful nation building attempts. Well in WWII we killed and kept killing until they finally rejected fascism. I don't see them as enough of a threat to endorse this action, but I do think anything less won't get the job done.

[Agammamon]

Yeah, that didn't work so well when the Romans tried it on the Christians.

And neither Japan nor Germany have *ever* rejected fascism. They just come at it from the other direction now.

[Lord Humungus]

The Dignity of Charleston Flies in the Face of the Left's Uninformed, Anti-South Bigotry

There are few subjects that ignite more casual, uninformed bigotry and condescension from elites in this nation than Dixie. "Practically the whole region has rejected nearly everything that's good about this country and has become just one big nuclear waste site of choleric, and extremely racialized, resentment," the Daily Beast's Michael Tomasky wrote last year.

How then to explain the tens of thousands of South Carolinians, white and black, marching in unity across the Ravenel Bridge on Sunday night? Did the city bus in decent Northerners?

The Washington Post's Sally Jenkins glibly asserts that "the Confederate battle flag is an American swastika, the relic of traitors and totalitarians, symbol of a brutal regime, not a republic."

If it were left to me, I would take the flag down (for the reasons South Carolina governor Nikki Haley laid out Monday). But this kind of cheap moral preening is galling. Is it really too much for people to muster the moral imagination that the issue isn't nearly as simple as that?

[Old Man With Gag Order]

Sahara of the Bozart.

[Citizen Nothing]

Mencken, that damn proggie!

[Lord Humungus]

As I stated before, I've vacationed in South Carolina / Charleston three times in the past four years. The hotel I stay at is only a few blocks from the church where the shootings happened. The area is - based on what I've seen - not very racist at all. I saw plenty of interracial couples - and people of all sorts hanging out at the beach, shopping, etc. Everyone is damn friendly and polite too.

It certainly seemed more "post-racial" than any place I've lived at here in Michigan.

But maybe there is an underbelly to SC that I never got to see.

[Lord Humungus]

LaPorte man arrested, accused of licking toad in restaurant parking lot

Security staff told police that Mullins started to enter the bar and was asked for proper identification. He allegedly ignored the request and refused to speak with staff. He was advised that if he didn't provide ID he would have to leave. After not producing anything, he was escorted outside and told to leave the property.

He proceeded to dance around in the parking lot, picked up a toad and began licking it, according to witnesses.

While police spoke with Mullins, he remained on the public sidewalk, dancing. He was warned not to return onto JJ's property or he would be arrested.

Police left, but kept the area under surveillance. After a few minutes, they observed Mullins walk back into the parking lot carrying another toad.

[Woodchip-o-Matic 5000]

Was it one of those hallucinogenic toads?

[Old Man With Gag Order]

It was some great shit. Two hit toad.

[Agammamon]

Best part: doesn't matter if they were or not.

*Thinking* you've obtained an illicit substance is as good as actually obtaining one as far as the law is concerned.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

Had anyone heard from Agile Cyborg lately?

[Gordilocks]

I think the toads want to lick Agile ...

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

^this^

[Rich]

FBI files obtained by Judicial Watch reveal that the dad, maternal grandpa and father-in-law of President Obama's trusted senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, were hardcore Communists under investigation by the U.S. government.

Sheesh, JW, don't leave us in suspense! What about *her* files?

[SugarFree]

Do the files explain what happened to her face?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

The commie parasite has infiltrated the American stomach.

[John]

Imagine it FBI records had revealed in 2006 that Karl Rove's parents had been hard core neo Nazis. You think that might have made the news?

[The Last American Hero]

Given Rove's age, I think they would have been actual Nazis.

[John]

True

[John]

IN fact, that is even better. Imagine if Rove's parents had been followers of Charles Lindberg and big fans of Father Coughlin.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Do you think Reason would even write a post or two about that?

[Free ?Woodchippers! Society]

A new executive order will give the U.S. government greater power to negotiate with terrorists for American hostages and will stop criminalizing families that communicate or offer ransoms to groups holding their loved ones. It will also create a "Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell," to be headed by senior FBI officials.

I'm sure that makes James Foley's family feel good.

[empujador]

A new executive order will give the U.S. government greater power to negotiate with terrorists for American hostages

Because Obama has done such a good job in these negotiations so far...

[Lord Humungus]

The GOP is still the party of the n-word
In the Age of Obama, conservatives continue their tradition of racial slurring ? without actually saying the word

Salon - blah blah blah - trigger blah

Even so, the right-wing media have found in Obama's statement their new outrage of the day. As is their wont and compulsion, the conservative propaganda machine will never let the facts interfere with a good (and manufactured) controversy. Hence: Fox News and the rest of the right wing media are simply aghast at Obama's use of such racially powerful language.

The faux-controversy over Obama's use of "the n-word" in a discussion about white supremacy and racial animus in the United States is one more example of how conservatives have hijacked anti-racist language and concepts such as "colorblindness," "discrimination" and "racism" in the post-civil rights era. Instead of abiding by the original intent of such language, as offered and used by progressives and liberals, the White Right has twisted those concepts to serve white privilege and protect entrenched systems of white supremacy.

[Auric Demonocles]

Instead of abiding by the original intent of such language, as offered and used by progressives and liberals, the White Right has twisted those concepts

So. much. projection.

[John]

It is all they have. The truth is the Obama era has been very bad for the black community. They finally got a black liberal President and things got worse. Not only that, the President doesn't seem to particularly care about the black community.

Understand that if even 20% of the black vote decided to vote Republican even as a protest vote, the Democrats are finished as a national party. They would likely end up with less than 60 votes in the Senate and would have a very hard time taking the Presidency. Yet, they have really nothing to offer blacks. Worse still, they have decided their future lies with the Hispanic vote and have effectively walked away from the black community figuring they have no where else to go. But they must keep an iron grip on the black vote to remain competitive. The only way they can do that is to convince blacks that Republicans are racists and hate them and they have no choice but to vote Democrat no matter how poorly the Democrats treat them.

[Auric Demonocles]

They would likely end up with less than 60 votes in the Senate and would have a very hard time taking the Presidency.

I'm trying to figure out what this typo was supposed to be. 6? Really far off from "preventing the Republicans from having 60"?

[John]

Less than 40 votes I mean.

[John]

The other problem they have is that they have no new ideas to sell. They only have failed ideas. So what they sell is a feeling of superiority. They sell a brand and a social signal. You vote Democrat as a way to show the world how you are tolerant and not racist. That is really the only appeal they have to white voters anymore. And that appeal like their appeal to blacks depends on the perception that Republicans are racists who hate black people.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

The operant Prog term is "dog whistle." They get highly pissed when you point out that if they can hear the dog whistle, they're dogs.

[Woodchip-o-Matic 5000]

I made is comment in the Trump article last night, but I still think there's a legitimate libertarian case for Trump.

I think President Trump would draw such ire from both political parties that there might be an actual bipartisan effort to scale back the power of the Executive branch and create a more balanced government

[The Last American Hero]

And I made the case that if we were stupid enough to elect Trump, there is no turning back and President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is next.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

No, there is not. This is naive.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Collision between motorcyclist and fire truck caught on GoPro

A motorcyclist racing around a blind curve on a mountainous Southern California road barely escaped with his life in a frightening accident caught on his GoPro camera.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube this month, shows Jesse Lopez trailing his friend during an April ride through the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County. Moments later, a firetruck heads down the two-way road and Lopez ? apparently unable to steer away ? smashes into the vehicle in a head-on collision.

He wrote online that he doesn't remember what happened because of memory loss ? but he thinks he might have panicked when he saw the firetruck coming around the bend. He estimates it was going about 35 mph.

After the crash, Lopez was quickly attended to on the ground, and the GoPro even picks up the voice of the injured motorcyclist asking his friend to grab his camera for him. Lopez later said he suffered several broken bones.

[Lord Humungus]

damn.... and that's why I like cars. Not that a sheetmetal and a frame will protect you all that well from a truck that size.

[tarran]

... or!

Keep your fucking speed down so that you can stop in the distance you can see.

[Lord Humungus]

that's crazy talk!

[Agammamon]

. . . and!

Keep your fucking speed down to where you can control the bike and don't drift into oncoming traffic in a turn.

[Rich]

Shopping doesn't make you happy, but cash does.

The people who got the cash experienced an immediate and lasting jolt of oxytocin, the love and connection hormone in the brain. But doesn't shopping produce feelings of happiness by itself, Rivero asked? "Surprisingly not, actually," Zak explained. "It was stressful when you shopped, you had a budget you had to meet, you're shopping under time pressure, and it wasn't really fun." What about the shoppers given candy? "Chocolate was OK, people kind of liked it," Zak said, "but money beats chocolate."

Makes you want to be a neuroeconomist when you grow up, doesn't it?

[Auric Demonocles]

This is why I don't "shop". I buy.

[Spoonman.]

And mostly, I invest.

[Citizen Nothing]

Jesus saves. Moses invests.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Jesus saves. Toews puts in the rebound.

[Lord Humungus]

Dylann Roof's racist manifesto: A funhouse mirror reflection of right-wing American politics
Some of Roof's online rantings are completely nuts ? but the roots of some of his ideas are queasily familiar

Duh - Salon

1. Trayvon Martin was a dangerous thug and George Zimmerman was right to kill him.

2. Law and order in this country is threatened by dangerous, murderous blacks.

3. Blacks are obsessed with race; they won't stop talking about it.

4. Slavery was not so bad.

5. Segregation was not so bad, either.

6. Black people are intellectually inferior.

more BS in the link - "enjoy"

[X[redacted]s]

"Queasily familiar," alright - sounds like my grandparents! Who are all FDR Democrats, by the way.

[Juice]

My grandfather was racist as fuck. Well, he was the type of racist that would get along with black people and then talk about how they ruined everything behind their backs. He was a Teamster and hated Reagan with a passion.

[Auric Demonocles]

1 and 3 are the only ones I think I've ever seen anyone who wasn't literally crazy say in the past couple of decades.

[SugarFree]

You can't fool me, LH. Those are just six comments taken from yesterday's Rand Paul thread.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"1. Trayvon Martin was a dangerous thug and George Zimmerman was right to kill him."

I assume Salon didn't get around to actually disproving this thesis or explaining why a multi-racial jury agreed with Zimmerman?

2 and 4-6 basically only exist in outright racist fever swamps, it is very possible 1 is 100% true and that has nothing to do with race, and it's hilarious that Salon has 3 on the list when they employ Brittney Cooper, who pretty much is that stereotype made manifest in flesh.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

More than just the flag: Activists now calling for multiple Confederate-themed memorials to be taken down

"The Charleston tragedy reminded everyone that racism is very much still a thing we have to deal with, and it's ingrained in our cultural landscape through these monuments and symbols," Xavier Rotnofsky, a student body representative at the University of Texas at Austin, told The Huffington Post.

Rotnofsky is one of more than 2,300 students at UT Austin who have called on the school's president, Greg Fenves, to remove the statue of Confederate president Jefferson Davis from the campus. The students' Change.org petition argues that the statue "memorializes a man who stood for racial inequality and bigotry," and suggests that the statue be taken down and moved to a museum "so it could be learned from instead of revered."

Meanwhile, in Tennessee, state Democrats are calling for officials to remove a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest from the Statehouse grounds. Forrest was a Confederate general and an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Baltimore City Paper, an alt-weekly, has launched a Change.org petition calling for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) to rename Robert E. Lee Park. Evan Serpick, editor of the City Paper and creator of the petition, called the park's name "a symbol of white supremacy and an embarrassment."

[Rufus J. Firefly]

They won't stop.

[Agammamon]

They smell blood.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

What we need is a Cultural Revolution!

[Monty Crisco]

Oy vey...what leader called for that the other day? OH! That's right! THE FUCKING POPE!!!

[Rhywun]

A kind of great leap forward, if you will.

[John]

That is the problem. If you stand up to them you get painted as a racist. If you try and be reasonable and give them what they want on the flag, they just move on to something else.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

And I called this yesterday! Fuck these people, this is Orwellian insanity at this point.

[Rebel Scum]

memorializes a man who stood for racial inequality and bigotry

Didn't J. Davis raise a black child?

[Rebel Scum]

called the park's name "a symbol of white supremacy and an embarrassment.

Didn't R. Lee free slaves that he inherited from his wife's family?

[DEG]

Did the hot dog pizza make the news here?

Warning: auto-play video.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

That is a travesty.

Meh. If people like it. All the power to them.

[DEG]

The rent is too damn high!

In the country's most expensive cities -- like San Francisco, New York and Boston -- almost half of renters making $45,000-$75,000 annually faced "disproportionately" high payments.

Oh, I see your problem.

[Auric Demonocles]

I don't fall into that category anymore, but I did breifly after leaving school. Do you know why my payments were "disproportionately" high? Because I had the money to not live in the shitty undergrad apartments.

[InfernalBear]

Gulf Shores Police Dog Dies After Being Left inside Car

"He was going to take care of some paperwork in his office and he straight up forgot him," says Woodruff. "Left him in the car."

Upon discovering Mason was still inside, the dog ? who was not an enforcement K-9, but used instead for community relations ? was in a deteriorated state, requiring immediate medical attention.

Coleman rushed Mason to a local veterinarian's office, where he was then transported to a facility in Pensacola for extensive treatment. However Mason went into respiratory failure Friday night and passed away.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Confederate ideology and the Second Amendment

The bond that unites Confederate ideology and the Second Amendment is the idea of "nullification." This is the belief that the states are the ultimate arbiters of what is or is not constitutional and that the states are thus always free to ignore federal law. States and not the courts, on this warped view of the Constitution, judge what is or is not constitutional.

[snip]

What does this history have to do with the Second Amendment? Simply this: Nullification, a concept that should have died a century and a half ago, has been resurrected from the tomb by gun-rights extremists and is triumphing in legislature after legislature in America's deep-red states.

[snip]

The neo-nullificationist movement, however, represents a dangerous trend. Grassroots conservatism is no longer part and parcel of mainstream American life. For there is nothing about nullificationist ideology that represents American values. It is the failed constitutional theory of a treasonous movement -- Southern secession. Its modern-day resuscitation can only be seen as a kind of existential alienation on the right.

I wonder what this guy would say if someone where to point out to him that in 1851 Vermont nullified the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850? Was that dangerous extremism?

[X[redacted]s]

The bond that unites Confederate ideology and the Second Amendment is the idea of "nullification." This is the belief that the states are the ultimate arbiters

I'm'a let you finish, but it is NOT THE STATES IT IS THE INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS.

Goddamn collectivists.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

And it's not the states are the ultimate arbiters, but that they are additional arbiters. The courts can declare something unconstitutional, but the states also get to call out the feds for overstepping their bounds.

But just about everything in that quote is wrong.

[Spoonman.]

WHARRRRGARBL

[Lord Humungus]

I'm no fan of the Confederate flag... or even the weird fascination that some people have for "The Lost Cause" but the current uproar over this flag is making me a bit sick of SJWs and the politically correct turn that this country has taken.

Hell I don't care if someone wants to go around in a Nazi uniform, waving a Confederate flag, all while whistling Dixie. It's their damn right to do what ever stupid thing they want to do. It doesn't mean I have to like it, but I hold several unpopular views too. What's next?

[X[redacted]s]

What's next?

Well, those unpopular views YOU hold will have to go too, for starters.

[Auric Demonocles]

Yes, but never the unpopular views that the SJWs hold, of course. Never!

[X[redacted]s]

If the SJW and all of its SJW friends hold them, they can't be unpopular. QED.

And anyway, society is racist and the cishet white patriarchy is privileged.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

'What's next' is they will up the ante. Every we inch we give and/or they take emboldens them.

They need a nice Bogart slap across the face and a stern 'fuck you' to go along with it.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

Every time someone brings up the flag discussion, the phrase "we won the war!" is uttered. I think they're more offended by a symbol that challenges the authoritah of the federal government, but realize that calling their ideological opponents racists is more effective.

[ant1sthenes]

Did you think it was about anything else? Well, that and fucking with The Wrong Sort of White People

[The Last American Hero]

Well according to Hillary, your problem is that you're not having enough fun and she will insist that you need to go to camp...

[Lord Humungus]

yay camp! Panty raids... swimming... camp sing-a-longs... and that summer fling.

Oh.

[DEG]

"That time at reeducation camp..."

[Citizen Nothing]

So our new corporate sister in Vegas ran a woodchipper editoral. As a loyal crew member of the new GateHouse flagship publication, this makes me slightly optimistic.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

*glimmer of hope*

[Suthenboy]

From the article:

"If officials really want to reduce the number of nasty comments directed at government, they can start by ceasing their unconstitutional attacks on the First Amendment."

Good advice for that Velamoor creep. If you don't like being called an asshole, stop being an asshole.

[Derpetologist]

Spot the Not: weird spots

1. Inuit Mouth Pull

2. Shin Kicking

3. Mokomoko Boxing

4. Ear Stuffing

5. Fox Tossing

6. Finger Jousting

[straffinrun]

1? 6 was just weird. I mean, who rides an ostrich to a Joust.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

5

[Derpetologist]

should be "weird sports". Damn New England trip has me forgetting my Rs.

4 is the Not. My favorite one is Mokomoko Boxing. The boxers stand still and take turns punching each other until one falls over.

Here is what fox tossing looked like: http://longstreet.typepad.com/.....8c8970c-pi

[The Late P Brooks]

But this kind of cheap moral preening is galling. Is it really too much for people to muster the moral imagination that the issue isn't nearly as simple as that?

This is a rhetorical question, right?

[lafe.long]

Say goodbye to the General Lee as you've always known it.

People joked about this.. but here it is.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products has one licensee producing die-cast replicas and vehicle model kits featuring the General Lee with the confederate flag on its roof?as it was seen in the TV series. We have elected to cease the licensing of these product categories.

[John]

There is no compromising with or stopping them. They are fanatics. It is a culture war in that they will not stop until all forms of expression and culture that don't support their ideology have been eradicated. And they really won't even stop there. Once they get rid of their enemies, they will just redefine what is acceptable and create more.

[Crusty Juggler]

The next step is to insist that the military change the names of the bases named after confederates generals.

[TwB]

So how about the state flag of Mississippi? It has the confederate flag in its entirety in the upper left hand corner. Do they need to create a new state flag now? When will this PC crusade stop?

[Rhywun]

There's gotta be some Dukes lunchboxes on eBay - someone should snap them up.

[Juice]

I had one when I was in 5th grade. Also had a Pigs in Space one.

[Citizen Nothing]

Pigs in Space. I think ISIS, or maybe the FOP, would object.

[John]

If anyone thinks these fanatics are going to stop with the confederate flag, I have a DC cocktail party club membership to sell you. Take a look at the list of unacceptable microagressions the University of California put out recently to see where this is going.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....-and-more/

Give them time and every phrase and idea on that list will become just as unacceptable in public as the confederate flag.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Peruse through the comments. Check out 'j3hess'.

At your own risk.

[John]

These people are insane. It is what creating a fetish out of victimhood does to you. If you think about it, Nazism was really nothing but a giant victim cult. The whole movement was based around the idea that the Aryan race had been victimized and oppressed by the inferior races and therefore had a right and duty to take revenge. That is really all it was. You can't be a victim without a perpetrator. They have taken the noble human urge to feel sympathy for the victims of misfortune and others' bad behavior and turned it into a rationalization for hate and evil. That is what real evil looks like. It is not some Hannibal Lector with a taste for flesh and poor impulse control. It is people's better urges twisted into hate.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Oh without a doubt they were a bunch of whiny assholes who managed to convince a country that they were being cheated and that the only course of action was to kill.

There is no doubt in my mind the reasoning espoused by people like 'j3hess' lay the foundations for 'Nazi' solutions. The only difference, I think, is Nazis wrap themselves in patriotic jargon while SJW's in 'compassionate' gibberish.

Hello. We have examples of this and it's staring at us right in the face. Think eugenics and progressives.

[John]

With the single exception of Goering, the Nazi leaders were all pathetic losers and social deviant freaks. It was a movement of losers bent on getting revenge on the world for them being losers.

[Lord Humungus]

Do they server good cocktails? /asking for a friend

[John]

If you like artisan mayo mixed with small batch bourbon, sure.

[Lord Humungus]

because at this point drinking seems like the only viable option

[Auric Demonocles]

For convenience, here's the lists of examples from the article:

"There is only one race, the human race."
"America is a melting pot."
"I don't believe in race."
To a person of color: "Are you sure you were being followed in the store? I can't believe it."
"I believe the most qualified person should get the job."
"Of course he'll get tenure, even though he hasn't published much ? he's Black!"
"Men and women have equal opportunities for achievement."
"Gender plays no part in who we hire."
"America is the land of opportunity."
"Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough."
"Affirmative action is racist."

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Translations:

"There is only one race, the human race"

Arguing that we shouldn't be racist is racist.

"America is a melting pot"

Arguing in favor of miscegnation is racist.

"I don't believe in race"

Saying race is a social construct (which was the leftist position until 5 minutes ago) is racist

"Are you sure you were being followed in the store? I can't believe it"

Questioning claims of racism that you find unlikely is racist.

"I believe the most qualified person should get the job"

Opposing racist hiring practices is racist

"Of course he'll get tenure, even though he hasn't published much ? he's Black"

Okay - this is kind of racist

"Men and women have equal opportunities for achievement"

Stating facts about modern America is sexist

"Gender plays no part in who we hire"

Saying you're not a sexist (even if you're not a sexist) is sexist

"America is the land of opportunity"

Conservative political opinions are racist

"Everyone can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough"

Praise of work ethic is racist

"Affirmative action is racist."

Saying something we like is racist is racist

[chipper me timbers]

I believe the most qualified person should get the job.

If this is considered a microaggression, good god we are doomed.

[straffinrun]

I managed to squeeze in few snarks during my meeting, but damn, I missed all the fun. I'm not picking up for you guys anymore.
*Looks around for not quite empty empties.*

[Sigivald]

Libertarian Party members were allegedly banned from a gay pride parade in Washington (an open-carry state) for simply asking if they were allowed to bring their guns.

Sounds legit.

I know someone who was working at the Bellingham (WA) Pride event a year or three ago, and an organizer or two was just absolutely batfeces insane about how she .. dared to have her pistol on her hip, perfectly legally and absolutely peacefully.

There's been way too much historical indoctrination of the "queer community"- or whatever one wishes to call it - with hoplophobia.

[Auric Demonocles]

And remember, a parade that's basically designed to convince people that you're weird and different.

[Tonio]

No. That is the remark of someone who has completely and utterly failed to engage history.

[Monty Crisco]

What does that mean?

[Tonio]

Given that it was dangerous to publicly admit being gay, and yes within my lifetime, in a society that very much wanted to deny that gays even existed, those yearly pride parades in the big cities were the only thing we had.

[Auric Demonocles]

Which has done nothing to contradict what I said.