Greece Banks Closed All Week, Puerto Rico Can't Pay Off Debts, DHS Warns of Unspecified July 4th Terrorist Threat: A.M. Links

• 

  Express Monorail/flickr

  Banks in Greece will be closed all week per an order from the government after the European Central Bank decided not to extend emergency funding, but public transportation will be free.  The governor of Puerto Rico, meanwhile, announced the U.S territory cannot pay its $72 billion public debt and hopes to defer debt payments while renegotiating with creditors.

• A bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security and other federal authorities warns of a potential terrorist attack on the Fourth of July but does not mention a specific plot.
• The SpaceX Falcon 9, which was headed for the International Space Station, blew up minutes after launch—it's the third resupply mission to the station to fail in the last eight months.
• The attorney general in Texas told county officials they don't have to issue same-sex marriage licenses if they had religious objections, but warned they could still be sued for refusing to issue licenses.
• The second of two New York state prison escapees was shot and captured near the Canadian border; the first was shot and killed on Friday.
• The activist group Radical Faeries called on San Francisco Pride to drop Facebook as a sponsor because the social media network doesn't allow people to use assumed names on the site, which the group says unfairly harms LGBTQ people.
• A petition has been started to get NBC to cancel Donald Trump's franchises with the network, the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and The Apprentice, over comments he made calling immigrants crossing the Mexican border illegally rapists, drug dealers, and criminals. "I am not worth $4.1 billion," wrote the petition's creator, Guillermo Castañeda, "but my people spend way more than that on your advertisers. We have a voice and we decide the future of this country."

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

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The second of two New York state prison escapees was shot and captured near the Canadian border; the first was shot and killed on Friday.

When will we get sensible gun control legislation?

[Rich]

Right after we get sensible corrections officer legislation.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

"A petition has been started to get NBC to cancel Donald Trump's franchises with the network, the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and The Apprentice, over comments he made calling immigrants crossing the Mexican border illegally rapists, drug dealers, and criminals. "

You're fired!

Also. Not exactly what he said.

[wareagle]

it's not about WHAT was said, it's about WHO said it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The activist group Radical Faeries-

Stop right there.

[gaijin]

Faeries wear boots and ya gotta believe me...

[AlmightyJB]

Great jam

[Pope Jimbo]

Great, another ex-athlete gets into politics after his career is over.

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

Duke sucks.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The SpaceX Falcon 9, which was headed for the International Space Station, blew up minutes after launch...

I have a good feeling about the Falcon 10, though.

[Rich]

I have a good feeling about the whole Falcon business.

[AlmightyJB]

Falcons cannot survive in space. I thought that was a well known fact.

[Rich]

*Eagles*, OTOH, ....

[AlmightyJB]

Bald Eagles are 'murican and 'muricans own space.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

The whole Falcon thing went down hill after Phil Ken Sebben

About :30 is most appropriate.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The attorney general in Texas told county officials they don't have to issue same-sex marriage licenses if they had religious objections...

I have a religious objection to doing my job to its fullest, too. So sue me.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Dang....

[Larry "Woodchipper" Jones]

Someone's on a roll today. Did Rufus take all of Canada Day week off, or something?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I'm here, eh?

[UnCivilServant]

Not good enough, damn it, not good enough.

/Picard family adage

[Fist of Etiquette]

Correction: Alternate timeline Picard family adage

[Fist of Etiquette]

A bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security and other federal authorities warns of a potential terrorist attack on the Fourth of July but does not mention a specific plot.

Just enough information to stoke fear but not enough to be useful.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Maybe they should say it targets Greek bank and ATM lines?

[Mike M.]

No big shock that it's like the Islamonazi terror attacks on three continents basically never happened here at Reasonworld. The perps weren't white men, which I guess means they were probably justified.

[Lee G]

We love Islamists around here. Almost as much as we love the security state.

[WTF]

And deep-dish circumcision pizza.

[SugarFree]

They are just cutting off the rim of the crust. You'll never miss it.

[pan fried wylie]

It makes the pizza look bigger.

[Lee G]

Is that like this?

[Rich]

"Ouch! That's not just 'the tip'!"

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

lolwut?

Also, can Islamonazis also be cyborgs? I think they'd be cooler if they were cyborgs. Or zombies. Or...zombie cyborgs!!!!

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Cyborg Zombies from Mecca.

[Juvenile Bluster]

It would have to be "Zombie Cyborgs from Mecca". Sounds like an enjoyable terrible movie from a fifth-rate studio. I'd watch it.

[cavalier973]

Starring Gerard Depardieu

[Rich]

Dammit, Swiss -- you'll incite another Benghazi!

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Can I have a budget bigger than $5,000 for my Film o' Incitement?

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

I suspect, if you timed your release properly, and did a proper media campaign, you could get significantly higher amount of backing (surreptitiously) from the elect HRC PAC.

[Je suis Woodchipper]

Zombie Islamonazis riding flying sharks??

there's a movie about that:

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

[Rich]

Federal law enforcement agencies have issued a bulletin to local law enforcement warning of the potential of a terrorist attack on July 4

With all due respect, doesn't July 3 have the potential, too?

[gaijin]

They hate us for our fireworks! And our budweiser!

[Auric Demonocles]

Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans

What a piece of shit. And as always, full of projection:

I am sharply aware of the strongest objection to my lapse into default. If everyone acted as I did, chaos would result. The entire structure of American higher education would change.

The collection agencies retained by the Department of Education would be exposed as the greedy vultures that they are.

[WTF]

Old news, but yeah, what a piece of shit.

[Lee G]

Has anyone else watched Mr. Robot? I sat down for the pilot and find the production values and writing to be top notch, but the politics are OWS. So annoying.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

I'm having this debate with some of my buddies. I personally liked the pilot but admittedly viewed it as a criticism of crony capitalism. To use the school loan issue as an example, some of the criticisms from OWS aren't necessarily wrong. It's just their solutions are retarded. Yes, I definitely chose to accept six figure in loans to go to law school. It's a contract. I need to fulfill my part of the bargain. But there's an argument to be made for how the federal government has distorted the market by doing everything possible to undermine a true private loan system. The current system gets taken advantage of by higher education. Private and public universities have tripled and quadrupled tuition respectively over the last 30 years beyond the rate of inflation and administrative bureaucracies have bloated as a result (all the while they give the pauper's chant).

If you look at higher education financing as a racket, Mr. Robot (and to an extent, OWS) are on point. It doesn't wash away the need for personal responsibility but it's not something I'm willing to just scratch off as pure socialist tropes.

[Lee G]

To use the school loan issue as an example, some of the criticisms from OWS aren't necessarily wrong. It's just their solutions are retarded.

Absolutely agreed. Like poor marksmen, they keep missing the target.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

I watched the first half of the pilot last night. I think I'll only continue if there's a promise that the show ends with the guy being institutionalized. It seems like the entire premise is that he's autistic and thinks the problem is that everyone else thinks differently, not that he's the one with a problem. He seems severely out of touch and delusional (though again, I don't know what twist pops up after he meets the Slater). Or am I to think he's being deep when he criticizes people for spending money on fancy dinners and vacations and shit?

Some people genuinely like The Hunger Games, moron!

[robc]

If you dont like mafia collection practices, dont take a loan from them.

[gaijin]

He's not just aware...he's 'sharply' aware. Too bad he's not self aware.

[RBS]

Wanting your money back, with the interest that the borrower agreed to pay, is greed!

So, last week I gave notice to my boss that I am leaving to work at another firm at the end of this month. Part of the reason, aside from more money/benefits at my new firm, was dealing with her BK clients, they all sound the guy in AD's article.

[Doctor Whom]

Wanting your money back is greed. Laying a claim to someone else's money is not.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

How can it be greed when the money to be repaid is to make someone 'whole'?

Self-entitled retards.

All of them.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Funniest is that it's Lee "Sockpuppet extraordinaire' Seigel. He literally used to run sock puppets to praise his own work on the internet until he got caught and resigned in embarrasment.

[SugarFree]

Shame is a human emotion. He didn't resign. They let him lay low a few months and then let him start writing again.

[Free ?Woodchippers! Society]

Or I could take what I had been led to believe was both the morally and legally reprehensible step of defaulting on my student loans, which was the only way I could survive without wasting my life in a job that had nothing to do with my particular usefulness to society.

I don't think those words mean what he thinks they mean.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"...and take a job that I didn't want in order to repay the huge debt I had accumulated in college and graduate school. Or I could take what I had been led to believe was both the morally and legally reprehensible step of defaulting on my student loans."

You're a piece of lazy shit looking to justify your pathetic actions.

"...Am I a deadbeat? In the eyes of the law I am. Indifferent to the claim that repaying student loans is the road to character? Yes. Blind to the reality of countless numbers of people struggling to repay their debts, no matter their circumstances, many worse than mine?"

Yes. That's exactly what you are - a deadbeat no different than a father who doesn't take care of his kids financially - not just in the 'eyes of the law'.' You made your bed asshole. Worse, you dragged your parents into and fucked them over.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"The Department of Education makes it hard for you, and ugly. But it is possible to survive the life of default. You might want to follow these steps: Get as many credit cards as you can before your credit is ruined. Find a stable housing situation. Pay your rent on time so that you have a good record in that area when you do have to move. Live with or marry someone with good credit (preferably someone who shares your desperate nihilism)."

No. The best advice you can give is make sure you have the means to sustain taking out ANY LOAN. Make sure when you co-sign you have the assets and strength to see it through should something happen. Choose your education carefully and know what the fuck you're get yourself into. This is not advice jack ass; you're enabling others to justify not being responsible and accountable. You're in effect, a loser.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

From the comments:

"Mr. Siegel could be my son. I co-signed on four years of private student loans for my son who has since similarly decided not to repay his loans. Now those loans are in default, resulting in my own once perfect credit score being trashed. My son lives under the radar, similarly with a woman who allows him to live without the threat of collection. As a result of his behavior, now the state of Michigan is now going after my retirement income in spite of my own inability to earn my way out of this dilemma. My son has long since broken off our relationship and divorce has exposed my assets. And like Mr. Siegel, it all started in a private college admissions department with the promise that upon graduation my son would have no problems repaying the loans and the streets for everyone involved would be paved with the gold earned from the job he would never get. Yes, the system is a total failure and our so-called political leaders could not care less. And this in a country that once was the envy of the world. Shame on us all."

Another winner. Amazing what kind of people lurk around the NYT.

[Auric Demonocles]

No, shame on your POS son. He's even worse, he doesn't care about his own mother on top of the general disregard for other people's money.

[kinnath]

Someone didn't understand what "co-sign" meant, I guess.

[Rich]

"The Department of Education makes it hard for you, and ugly."

Phrasing!

[Pro Libertate]

Personal responsibility, integrity, honor. . .all depreciated by the arbiters of modern culture.

[DEG]

I took a look at the comments. I saw this:

Tony Cambridge, MA June 7, 2015

Perhaps you should have attended the less expensive (and probably very good) state school from the very beginning? It looks like you bit off more than you could chew.

I agree that higher education has become too expensive. The answer, then, is to consider the price when you decide where to study.

Consider this paraphrasing of your piece: I chose an expensive school, borrowed to pay for it, chose a career that doesn't pay well, and now I'm upset. I'm sympathetic but I don't agree with the implication that you've been swindled.

Lastly - I don't agree with folks who reprimand you for defaulting. You should be free to do that if you decide it makes more sense to.

Which one of you is trolling NYT under "Tony"?

[Auric Demonocles]

As far as I know, I'm the closest to Cambridge of the regular commenters...

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Rand Paul's response to SSM.

[Slammer]

Is the photo for the DHS July 4th thing? Or the SpaceX thing?

[WTF]

Yes?

[SugarFree]

Year Zero

Day four of the gay marriage apocalypse. Saw a heterosexual couple gunned down in the street. Dasfaggengruppen troops kicked the woman until she stopped moving and then covered her in glitter. I can hear my wife in the attic. I pray they don't find us.

Jets overhead at noon, rainbow contrails linger in the sky. I can see churches burning from my second floor window. I'll scavenge for straight food after the sun goes down. I've eaten nothing but brunch since Friday.

I dress carefully to go out. A pair of my wife's jeans. One of Jennie's Strawberry Shortcake shirts. I breakdown crying when I realize I've been trying to decide which shoes to wear for half and hour. Goddamn you, Justice Kennedy.

[WTF]

"Dasfaggengruppen". Gold, Jerry, it's gold!

[Jordan]

I'll bet the arm bands are fabulous. I hear rumors of newly married couples being mutated into polygamists, though. What hath Kennedy wrought?

[WTF]

Tough to beat Hugo Boss when it comes to uniform designs.

[Lee G]

The Diary of Ann and Frank?

[SugarFree]

Excellent.

[WTF]

Sodomie macht frei?

[Lee G]

The Breeding Place?

[cavalier973]

The Diary of Ann's Frank

[Rich]

Keep it coming love!

[Idle Hands]

I laughed, and it caused me to be found out, thanks sugarfree.

-last known recording of idlehands sent from an iphone on his way to a hummer camp.

[SugarFree]

Just remember not to tense up.

[A special place in JW's Hell]

The worst part is the Disco Camps. The music, the mirror balls, the horror.

A straight man can only take so much Gloria Gaynor.

[Would Larry Wayne Jones?]

You'll survive.

[Rich]

"The thing I miss is the specialness of being gay," said Lisa Kron, who wrote the book and lyrics for "Fun Home," a Broadway musical with a showstopping number sung by a young girl captivated by her first glimpse of a butch woman.

Well, sheesh, Lisa -- you can always go the Chaz Bono route.

[gaijin]

Time for her to move on to the world of 'trans'.

[Idle Hands]

The title of that piece pretty much sums up the new york times.

[WTF]

She could always go otherkin to re-claim her specialness.

[Lee G]

Furries will never be in.

[Rich]

With regards to their online communities, otherkin largely function without formal authority structures

Oh. Well, fuck *that*, then.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

SugarFree story just waiting to be written.

[SugarFree]

Which one is the pig?

[Old Man With Gag Order]

Hillary.

[WTF]

You don't believe cops are rapey?

[Larry Woodchipper Jones]

Just another Texas pigbagging teafucker.

So, does Mr. Porker have skin in the game, or just rind in her behind?

[lap83]

It's possible he did write it, considering it's made up.

[lap83]

It's possible he did write it, considering it's made up.

[lap83]

ugh

[lap83]

ugh

[lap83]

you win, squirrels. I'm gone

[Suthenboy]

"They ask how'd the pig get my panties off to mount me? I wasn't wearing any panties is how! This pig been hot for me for years. Constantly sniffing at my genitals. He's tried to rape me a hundred times. This is just the first time he successfully got inside me."

Angie's parents are supporting her claims.

"Angie knows she can't have sex until she's married and she promises she hasn't," her father, Don Houston, said. "Pete's always been an ornery pig, so it's not surprising he raped our daughter. After this incident, I butchered Pete out. The bacon I made him into is helping feed Angela and her baby; after all, she's eating for two now and needs a lot of extra meat."

This is The Onion level stuff, right?

[Rufus J. Firefly]

She also got gonorrhea riding a tractor.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

No, I do not play drums.

[gaijin]

Ridiculous. Anyone who has been in a band knows that the bass player is the one constantly farting.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

That was always the essence of the Gibson EBO sound.

[gaijin]

haha. putting the 'F' in fuzz

[Jordan]

Does anybody cook with coconut oil? From what I've read, it seems to be the healthiest oil you can get, unless you want to spend big bucks on the non-hydrogenated stuff. I'm curious if it has a marked effect on taste though.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Depending on the brand, it will leave a hint of coconut taste in your food.

[Jordan]

Yeah, I was afraid of that. It may work well with fried rice, then. Not sure about other stuff.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Yeah you have to be careful what you cook in it. Some might enjoy coconut flavored eggs, but I do not.

[SugarFree]

It makes strangely delicious popcorn.

[X[redacted]s]

Also, if you use it on the griddle when making pancakes they come out tasting like donuts, which is awesome.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

Great for SE Asian curries.

[np]

I've tried it and it will make everything smell and taste like desert.

You can use palm oil which is what all the food companies have transitioned to to replace hydrogenated oils, if your purpose is more storage or something harder at room temp. For cooking, extra virgin olive oil remains just fine

Olive oil has been tested vigorously. From this testing, researchers have determined why it can maintain integrity under heat and exposure to harsh cooking conditions such as high heat baking, saut?ing, and even frying.

It turns out that olive oil contains a plethora of phenols (antioxidants) such as polyphenols. Polyphenols have been extensively researched. They are one of the reasons why olive oil does not oxidize, as you would expect it to under high heat conditions.

Here is the most surprising part ? it turns out that extra virgin olive oil may actually even be the better option to cook with! Because the olives are cold-pressed and barely processed (hence the "extra virgin" name), the oil contains a higher amount of those protective antioxidants than the additionally processed stuff ? the olive oil.

All that cloudy stuff you see in your extra virgin olive oil is actually a sign of its strength and ability to protect you. Whenever possible, choose extra-virgin olive oil for salads and even for cooking!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I don't use high-end olive oil to cook with. I buy a decent one and use that.

[Suthenboy]

Heating hydrogenated oil turns it into non-hydrogenated oil. Or de-hydrogenated is more correct I suppose.

[PH2050]

The only thing I buy from Whole Foods is a 30 oz. jar of whole kernel unrefined coconut oil. The brand is "Dr. Bronner's Fresh-Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil." It's around $20 and lasts me a good while.

Cooking with it, I've never really noticed it imparting any sort of taste. However, every morning I take a heaping tablespoon of the oil by itself or with some green tea, and I think the flavor is delicious, although subtle.

[crab_apple]

Indian food made with coconut oil is awesome.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Unrefined, virgin coconut oil is supposedly healthier because it retains more of the coconut and all the good fats and amino acids, but it has the coconut smell and taste. Refined coconut oil is supposed to have no taste, though I've only ever used virgin.

If you're only using the oil for frying or sauteing, refined is probably your better choice. The health difference is probably nil for these applications. You still get the good saturated fat. I like the mild flavor that virgin coconut oil gives to my lightly seasoned food (like fish), but I can't really taste it for heartier stuff, like chicken (I stick with grassfed butter for beef). I think it complements a lot of veggies well, but you may be put off by it. Still, I'd describe it as mild overall. I usually use Whole Food's 360 brand for ~$8, though I've seen Trader Joe's has a brand for a buck less.

[Suthenboy]

"The attorney general in Texas told county officials they don't have to issue same-sex marriage licenses if they had religious objections,..."

Interesting. Public officials get to have religious objections to certain aspects of their job.

[Lee G]

Well it's not like they're making pizza...

[bassjoe]

They absolutely do not. Public officials are agents of the state. The AG is a dick.

[Igor]

It's just the opening declaration in a bidding war.

The result will be TX offering personnel with objections the option to be reassigned within their office to a role where they don't have to deal with "icky gays".

Compromise will have been reached, having thrown some red meat to the intolerant, they'll "reluctantly" cave in.

Really, given the choice, how many gay couples are likely to want to live in TX anyway?

[Mike M.]

First the confederate flag, next the American flag.

[tarran]

Continuing to demonstrate that he is a Real Man of Genius, the Pope recruits Naomi Klein to help him solve this pesky problem of high standards of living.

She is one of the world's most high-profile social activists and a ferocious critic of 21st-century capitalism. He is one of the pope's most senior aides and a professor of climate change economics. But this week the secular radical will join forces with the Catholic cardinal in the latest move by Pope Francis to shift the debate on global warming.

Naomi Klein and Cardinal Peter Turkson are to lead a high-level conference on the environment, bringing together churchmen, scientists and activists to debate climate change action. Klein, who campaigns for an overhaul of the global financial system to tackle climate change, told the Observer she was surprised but delighted to receive the invitation from Turkson's office.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

They're gonna need a bigger Vatican.

[Lee G]

Further cementing his legacy as being one of the dumbest popes in modern history.

[Suthenboy]

One of?

[DEG]

I wonder if the College of Cardinals regrets electing Francis.

[creech]

It is indeed heartening to see that Pope Francis has now cancelled the World Families Conference in Phila. so that hundreds of thousands will not be traveling there, burning fuel, etc. etc. The Pope also announced that he will no longer leave the Vatican as it takes so much fossil fuel for journeys where huge crowds gather to see him. From now on, it's Skype, for Earth's sake.

[pan fried wylie]

Popecasts.

[Rich]

The world will be unable to fight the next global financial crash as central banks have used up their ammunition trying to tackle the last crises, the Bank of International Settlements has warned.

The BIS was founded [by] the father of the Nazi economic miracle.

You know what else was founded by the father of the Nazi economic miracle?

[Mike M.]

The next logical step on this road of totalitarian economic evil is the elimination of all metal and paper currency and the establishment of a universal electronic-only currency system.

When people are threatening to pull all their money out of the system, naturally you make that impossible, which also has the nice side benefit of making it even easier for the authorities to seize all your wealth with a keystroke.

[Rich]

the establishment of a universal electronic-only currency system.

Bitcoin?!

*** ducks ***

[WTF]

Dasfaggengruppen?

[Juvenile Bluster]

You know something's complete bullshit when it uses the words "Nazi economic miracle". Just saying.

(though economies are fucked and central banks are terrible)

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Nazi economic miracle = arming like Hell, and before the bill comes due, loot a continent.

[Lee G]

Nazi economic miracle = Ending the Great Depression?

[Pro Libertate]

I fear that a more desperate U.S. may start thinking that there's money in pillage.

[UnCivilServant]

Isn't that just Asset Forfeiture?

[Pro Libertate]

Pillaging other countries. This one is tapped out.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Uh, the Nazi economical miracle?

[Certified Public Asshat]

What is he talking about?

John Oliver on Transgender Rights: "It's Crucial We Get This Right"

Marriage is now attainable for all, regardless of who they love, but an estimated 700,000 transgender Americans still face daily, legal discrimination. Yesterday on Last Week Tonight, John Oliver went in on the idiots who promote that discrimination?sometimes intentionally, sometimes not not?saying it's pretty simple to figure out what to call a transgender person: you call them whatever they want to be called.

"It's genuinely crucial we get this right. Because there are more transgender people in the U.S. than you might realize," Oliver said. "One study estimates that 700,000 American adults are transgender. That's more than the population of Boston. And you probably know somebody from Boston."

[Lee G]

Until it's more than the population of Seoul, I don't care.

[Old Man With Gag Order]

One study estimates

Brightly lit bullshit indicator. If true, it's like 0.2% of the population. Since that's likely bullshit, figure under 0.1%. Pareto's law- why worry about it?

[Certified Public Asshat]

It's crucial that we allow more people to sue.

[SugarFree]

I refuse to be tolerant about people from Boston.

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Seconded.

[Pro Libertate]

Okay, so everyone in Boston is transgendered? That's odd. Why and how is that?

[Would Larry Wayne Jones?]

It's that dirty water.

[Pro Libertate]

They love that dirty water.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Calling a transgender person by the wrong pronoun is not discrimination under any rational definition of that term.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

It's rude but certainly not discriminatory. If trans people simply want to be called by a preferred name/gender then I think it's simple courtesy to do so, not like it's imposing any burden on anyone.

[Certified Public Asshat]

I suspect John Oliver is looking for some type of punishment for refusing, or maybe even accidentally using the wrong pronoun.

[Lee G]

Well his audience certainly is.

[straffinrun]

That's what she said.

[Auric Demonocles]

Calling them their preferred gender is requiring me to lie, which is a burden. Wouldn't it be a burden if I requested everyone to refer to me as an Olympic gold medalist?

[crab_apple]

Do you legitimately believe you are an Olympic gold medalist or is it just a bullshit hypothetical?

[Auric Demonocles]

Obviously it's a hypothetical, but that doesn't matter either way. Even if I legitimately believed I was, that would have zero effect on whether I ever won an Olympic event.

[crab_apple]

Well if not being an Olympian affects you strongly enough that you want to kill yourself we'll go out and get you a fake gold medal and tell you what a champ you are.

Look, being transgendered is a well documented psychological disorder and if it makes these people happy to dress and look like gender they want to live as then I will do them the courtesy of calling them by that gender. It makes no difference to me. Don't be an ass hole.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

No, trans people don't really believe they're the other gender, they believe they *should have been* the other gender.

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

So, AD's analogy holds.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Je suis Napoleon!

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

It is common courtesy, but to call it discrimination is ludicrous. Also, I've seen trans people get mad that someone THEY DIDN'T KNOW called them by the wrong pronoun without the knowledge they were trans.

MK Lords (a libertarian friend of Lucy Steigerwald) was actually arguing with feminists on the Oberlin College twitter page about Christina Hoff Sommers. The feminists were calling her a gender traitor and a hurtful bigot and Lords disagreed. So then Lords called someone 'she' and the person got angry because Lords misgendered her.

Note: This person's facebook profile listed her name as 'Stephanie' and her picture was obviously a girl. So this person, assuming they're actually trans and not just nuts, has not even changed their name to reflect their preferred gender, but got angry at someone who had no way of knowing what gender they identified as.

So this cuts both ways. You should use common courtesy, but trans people need to chill the hell out because many of them are just looking for reasons to get offended.

[Lee G]

many of them are just looking for reasons to get offended

Yes. "Offended" is the favorite emotion of an fourteen year old. Many of them haven't made it past that stage of moral development.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"MK Lords (a libertarian friend of Lucy Steigerwald) was actually arguing with feminists on the Oberlin College twitter page about Christina Hoff Sommers. "

I meant Facebook page.

[Suthenboy]

"assuming they're actually trans and not just nuts,"

A distinction without a difference.

[Sudden]

It's rude but certainly not discriminatory

Not as rude as calling them by their chosen pronoun and continuing to foster their delusion.

[Lord Humungus]

ideally... but not in SJW-world.

[Rich]

"One study estimates that 700,000 American adults are transgender. That's more than the population of Boston.

And that's just people who *admit* to self-identify as being from Boston!

[X[redacted]s]

I'm just gonna start calling everyone Beverly.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

True Detective this season has been so bad it's entertaining in its own way. I've never seen a show so deftly parody itself after having great success as a serious show.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I'm willing to see where it goes. It's not great compared to season 1, but it's still better than 98% of the rest of television.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

It suffers in comparison to season 1 simply because Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey were so incredibly good together.

Farrell is excellent, McAdams is fine, Kitsch is god-awful and Vaughn would be so much better if the writing for his character allowed him to utilize his natural charm and affability. As he is written he's just very morose all the time and one-note.

His monologue in bed in last night's was so half-baked and poorly written I don't think any actor could have pulled it off. He was much better when he hilariously feigned concern for the guy he hired goons to beat up.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"His monologue in bed in last night's was so half-baked and poorly written I don't think any actor could have pulled it off. He was much better when he hilariously feigned concern for the guy he hired goons to beat up."

This was exactly my thoughts. If they get Vaughn to be more of the criminal and less of the 'sit in the bed and whine' character, his character could be great. All of Vaughn's scenes were good after that bed monologue.

[Crusty Juggler]

McAdams is fine

She is my Canuckian angel, and you better say she is fine! OR ELSE!!!

As I said recently in this chatroom, I hope that eventually Vaughn's character becomes less wooden so he is more like Vince Vaughn, because what is the point of having Vince Vaughn if he is not somewhat like Vince Vaughn.

[Mickey Rat]

I think it is how he was told how to play the character. You saw him act completely different when trying to BS the guy had beat up under the bridge.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

The second episode was so much better than the first that I think it's on the right track. It's just taking awhile.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

Except for that fucking monologue at the beginning of the show about rats eating Vince Vaughan's fingers.

That actually was like a parody of Rust Cohle.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I think Vaughn is better suited to be the cop and Farrel the bad guy.

I can't shake the thought of Old School, Dodgeball and Swingers breaking out with Vaughn as a villain.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I think they're both in their proper roles. Vaughn comforting the guy he'd paid goons to beat up was excellent.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The governor of Puerto Rico, meanwhile, announced the U.S territory cannot pay its $72 billion public debt...

Wasn't Puerto Rico's governor praised in libertarian circles a few years ago for turning its economy around? I think I'm remembering that right, although it may not have been Padilla (all Mexicans look alike to libertarians).

[Rich]

I smell statehood ....

[Demonsong]

That was the previous governer, Luis Fortu?o.

[DEG]

Two weeks ago I was in Ecuador visiting a cousin of mine and her husband.

The town they live in has a festival which involves fireworks. Folks build these huge structures named "castillos" and mount fireworks on them. At night, folks set off the fireworks. There's nothing to prevent people from walking right up to the castillos as the fireworks are going off. My cousin and her husband asked about why there was nothing preventing people from going up to the castillos, and the response amounted to, "If you don't want to get hurt, don't get close. If you get close, it's your problem if you get hurt." According to my cousin, if you get hurt and sue, the judge will ask if you chose to be there. If you can't prove that you were forced to be where you were hurt in response to this question, the judge dismisses the case, sometimes with a lecture on personal responsibility.

The tail end of the festival overlapped with my visit. The castillos aren't lit up on every night of the festival. Unfortunately my cousin had the wrong dates for the castillos and so I missed the fireworks.

Contrast this with fireworks at festivals in the United States where security keeps people way the hell away from the fireworks.

[Rich]

if you get hurt and sue, the judge will ask if you chose to be there. If you can't prove that you were forced to be where you were hurt in response to this question, the judge dismisses the case

"It was the booze walking, Your Honor."

[Slammer]

I had a bitter chuckle at this poster I saw for the INDEPENDENCE Day celebration at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY:

Friday 3 July 2015 / 1800 - 2200 hrs / Hamilton Bluff

Join us for a day of ENTERTAINMENT, RIDES & FIREWORKS!
Enjoy live music by THE TEMPTATIONS REVIEW feat. Dennis Edwards & Hits by Scherrie & Lynda, Formerly of THE SUPREMES!

Come out and have a fun day in the sun! This event is FREE and

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
-Doors open at 1800hrs
-Fireworks will begin after the show
-Rides for children available / FOR CHARGE
-Not permitted (Coolers - Pets - Outside food & beverages - Outside Vehicles - Back Packs)
-REGISTRATION AND IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED

[DEG]

-Not permitted (Coolers - Pets - Outside food & beverages - Outside Vehicles - Back Packs)
-REGISTRATION AND IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED

Land of the free!

[Chipper Chipping Rodrigue]

The tendency of our culture to protect idiocy has been annoying me more and more lately as I notice its prevalence. You might have just tainted the 4th for me. Also...

You're not free unless you're free to be wrong.

[Lord Humungus]

Is the gay marriage social signaling done yet? *getting a bit tired of the self-congratulations*

[Auric Demonocles]

Facebook suggests no.

[Certified Public Asshat]

*Wraps Auric in a rainbow flag*

[Swiss Servator, Holzhacker]

Give it a week and something else will be on the front burner.

[Juvenile Bluster]

These are your causeheads. They find a world-changing issue, and stick with it... for about a week.

[Idle Hands]

I've been thoroughly entertained by the whole thing.

[Sudden]

It's a great time to own stock in multicolored toner manufacturers.

[Idle Hands]

It has begun:

Now's the Time To End Tax Exemptions for Religious Institutions

Two weeks ago, with a decision in Obergefell v. Hodges on the way, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah introduced the First Amendment Defense Act, which ensures that religious institutions won't lose their tax exemptions if they don't support same-sex marriage. Liberals tend to think Sen. Lee's fears are unwarranted, and they can even point to Justice Anthony Kennedy's opinion in Friday's case, which promises "that religious organizations and persons [will be] given proper protection."

But I don't think Sen. Lee is crazy. In the 1983 Bob Jones University case, the court ruled that a school could lose tax-exempt status if its policies violated "fundamental national public policy." So far, the Bob Jones reasoning hasn't been extended to other kinds of discrimination, but someday it could be. I'm a gay-rights supporter who was elated by Friday's Supreme Court decision ? but I honor Sen. Lee's fears.

I don't, however, like his solution. And he's not going to like mine. Rather than try to rescue tax-exempt status for organizations that dissent from settled public policy on matters of race or sexuality, we need to take a more radical step. It's time to abolish, or greatly diminish, their tax-exempt statuses.

- begins to cook popcorn.

[Lee G]

Something tells me he wouldn't support removing the tax exempt status of non-profits.

[Idle Hands]

of course not, those people mean well and are like totally his buds.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

We should remove the tax exempt status for both because the government should not be in the business of using the tax code to give preferred groups and organizations exemptions not provided to others. It's also completely ludicrous (and contrary to the first amendment) that Churches can lose tax exempt status for "interfering" in politics. It should not be legal to give someone free stuff provided they don't get involved in politics. Otherwise, why can't the government just pay people to give up their rights to vote or free speech?

There I go with my naive view that taxes should be about actually paying for shit rather than social engineering.

[Idle Hands]

We should remove the tax exempt status for both because the government should not be in the business of using the tax code to give preferred groups and organizations exemptions not provided to others.

Why do you hate the gays Irish? they just won their ability to file jointly on their tax returns and now you want to invalidate their victory? I love lamp.

[Lee G]

So I was mostly wrong.

I can see keeping some exemptions; hospitals, in particular, are an indispensable, and noncontroversial, public good. And localities could always carve out sensible property-tax exceptions for nonprofits their communities need. But it's time for most nonprofits, like those of us who faithfully cut checks to them, to pay their fair share.

Still leaves a great big gaping loophole and a massive incentive for corruption.

[Lord Humungus]

no links from me today - got caught in a morning meeting.

I'm sure no one will be crying any tears. *sulks moodily in the timeout room*

[Crusty Juggler]

Because of your actions, or lack of action, you have been removed from "Crusty's Top 50 Commenters" list.

[Lord Humungus]

nnoooooo!

[Juvenile Bluster]

SCOTUS rules 5-4 that lethal injection (by Oklahoma's new protocol) doesn't violate the 8th amendment. There goes that method of doing away with the death penalty. New method: If innocent person is released from death row, prosecutor and cops take his place.

[Rhywun]

the European Central Bank decided not to extend emergency funding, but public transportation will be free

Going out in a blaze of glory, I see.

[Suthenboy]

They aren't going out. People like that circle the drain but they never actually go down it. This theater of the absurd will continue endlessly.

[bassjoe]

Texas's AG should be recalled for that dangerous "advice" (which he obviously knows is dangerous since he throws in the "oh, BTW, you might get sued personally" if you actually make these arguments). Hopefully the Texas County Attorneys know better than this asshole and will give clerks advice that doesn't get them sued.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Today in Doughnut Awareness!

[Rhywun]

the social media network doesn't allow people to use assumed names on the site

Not true. I have a friend who does exactly that.

[iCarl]

It's very much true in that they have such a rule and have kicked people off for breaking it in the past; it is just hard to enforce considering the volume of members and the fact that they don't exactly check IDs.

I imagine it disproportionately affects activists, whose ill-wishers probably report them.

[Rhywun]

they don't exactly check IDs

That being the point. If they're not doing any checking, then they're letting fake people use the service.

But you're right, it's selected enforcement, just like the vast majority of petty offenses in real life.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Yeah, this is very strange to me. Just last week, an old acquaintance of mine appeared to have transitioned from woman to man, with a fancy new name on facebook.

At least, I think it is the person I knew years ago. She was always presenting herself in a masculine way, and it makes sense that she is now asking to be a he, but it's a new profile pic and completely new name. Maybe facebook is just letting me know about random transgendered users.

[Rich]

The Obama administration bathed the north side of the executive mansion in rainbow-colored light

And the *south side* -- Oh, my!

[Mike M.]

And it applies to Reason just as much as it applies to the administration and the rest of the media. It's only important to talk and talk and talk about horrendous murders when the perp is a white guy.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

From the Tundra - you asked me awhile back to let you know how I like my Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced .45ACP. Finally got the opportunity to shoot it this past weekend. Keep in mind this is my first pistol - but I really like it. It is comfortable in my hand and at 7yrds I was (to me) surprisingly accurate with my misses mostly low-left. I put 100 rounds through it and had no jams. The red neon/flourescent sight picks up really nice. The trigger is really light/easy (not sure the right terminology for a gun review...). Cleaning it was a challenge (again, my first pistol) but I presume that will get easier over time.

I also put 100 rounds through my Sig P226 .40S&W. This felt more comfortable to me in my hand as it is lighter but was harder to shoot more accurately, which I will chalk up to my inexperience with pistols. The 3-dot sight seemed trickier to align on the target and I had more misses which were also mostly low-left. It is a double-action pistol and with the hammer cocked the pull was a little heavier than my R1. Also, it has a double-stack magazine so the grip is wider/fatter than the more slender 1911 and in my smallish hands might take a bit of getting used to. Cleaning it was much easier than the R1.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Also, with the Sig, I had problems with the last round in magazine jamming. I'm not sure if this is a common problem or if it is because the gun is not broken in yet. Basically, the last round in the magazine (I was loading 5 at a time) would not chamber into the barrel completely and the slide would jam. Seems a little disconcerting...I will keep you posted.

[Lee G]

Because your college degree determines how well you can write...

[Zaytsev damns the squirrels]

Nah, the problem is that he was conned by assholes in higher ed that promised a future on easy street if only he went into debt for their worthless instruction.

It'd be nice if just one of these nimrods would face that reality instead of tripling down on the social justice bullshit that defrauded them in the first place.

[Irish Says Enough Woodchippers]

"Maybe I should have stayed at a store called The Wild Pair, where I once had a nice stable job selling shoes after dropping out of the state college because I thought I deserved better, and na?vely tried to turn myself into a professional reader and writer on my own, without a college degree."

So you're retarded because you dropped out of a perfectly acceptable state school to take out huge loans for a private school and you still suck at your job as a writer because virtually no one has ever heard of you unless they're aware of your sock puppetry.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

"Hi, my name's Mike M., and welcome to What the Fuck am I Talking About!"

[wareagle]

especially one who can spot a Confederate flag. Because who needs free expression, especially the kind that some folks might find obnoxious.

[wareagle]

especially one who can spot a Confederate flag. Because who needs free expression, especially the kind that some folks might find obnoxious.

[WTF]

I also have a Sig 226 .40 S&W, have shot it for years, always use full mags at the range. I have never had a jam, and I must have put a couple thousand rounds through it. If your problem persists you might want to have a gunsmith take a look at it.

[AlmightyJB]

Have a buddy who has been shooting dor a while. Has a number of handguns. He loves his R1. Says it's one if his favs. I unfortunately haven't had the opportunity to shoot yet.

[Suthenboy]

"..misses mostly low-left.."

Hold your hand out as if you are holding the pistol. Open your hand and splay your fingers and thumb. Imagine a line from the center of the gap between your index finger and thumb to the center of your elbow. When you hold the gun make sure the sights are aligned with that imaginary line, the center of your forearm. This will greatly reduce gun movement when you pull the trigger. Make sure your shoulders are square to the target and the gun is centered in front of you.

Also, aim small, miss small. Try more challenging targets. After a couple thousand rounds attempting to put all the bullets in the same hole at 25 yds you should be able to easily put them all in the 10x ring.

[AlmightyJB]

Regarding your last round jamming. Is it only the last round. Are those new mags? If not you might order new mag springs from gunsprings.com. Or you could just wait until you fire more rounds through and loosen things up. The further you get through your rounds, the less force that is projected upward from your mag spring. If your recoil spring is bringing your slide forward faster than your mag spring pushes the last round up, that can cause a ftf.

[AlmightyJB]

There are a number of sites out there with good shot correction advice

http://www.bullseyepistol.com/training.htm

[Juvenile Bluster]

"Because I thought I deserved better". WTF? "All these plebs around me are so inferior. I need to get into somewhere where I'm treated as the special person I am, dammit!"

[AlmightyJB]

Your recoil spring will probably loosen up as you shoot so it could be self-correcting. If not you might see if you can get heavier duty mag springs which are pretty cheap.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Yes, was only the last round. I will try some different brands of ammo and see if that makes a difference.

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, that's a good point. Different handguns like different ammo. My Officers Special likes Winchester but won't feed Federal worth a damn.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

I tried Winchester FMJ and Remington FMJ, not sure what the bullet weight was for either round but it jammed regardless.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

I'll look into a Shield. Yes, it was a blast and I've definitely got the bug!

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Thanks, Suthen!

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

The mags are 10 rounds but as I live in NY we have a 7 round limit. The range officer asked me to not load more than 7 at a time and I elected to load 5 at a time since the boxes have neat 5 round rows...and two 5-round loads gives me 10 on a target. The range officer never checked how many I was loading into the magazine and I probably could load 10 but I figured its better practice to observe their rules.

[Pro Libertate]

Oooooh. Though the burn won't be felt by the targets, who think exactly that.

[Pro Libertate]

If they were really on the edge of civil liberties, they'd have lit it up with a Confederate flag on the other side.

[Rhywun]

This really happenened? Barf. It's enough to make me go straight.

Nevertheless I remain unclear on what is supposedly being argued in the article - should gays not be happy with a SCOTUS decision because Islamic terror? I've seen the same argued here too - I don't get it.

[AlmightyJB]

Good plan. If different ammo or mire shooting doesn't work. If it were me, I would try the mag spring option because they're a heck of a lot cheaper than a gunsmith and worse case scenario you have an extra mag spring.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

"...I elected to load 5 at a time..."

Restoras, that could be part of your problem. I'm not a gunsmith (or engineer or have any notion of physics) but I know I've read several articles over the years that have said severely underloading magazines leave slack in the spring. I don't see how that should matter since I see no difference between loading five at the outset versus having five out of an initial ten loaded left in the mag but it's something that smarter folks than I have written about.

Also, something that I DO actually know a little about are sights. See if you can rent something with what is called the Heine "Straight 8" configuration. It's basically a trough rear site with a single dot at its base and a front site single dot. You line them up to "make an 8." For some people (me included), that sight picture works much better than 3-dot.

Glad to hear you're having fun!

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

I suspect, that if the gun is jamming on the last round, that your problem is with the magazine or the slide catch (the mechanism that locks the bolt to the rear once the magazine is empty).

Do you have more than one magazine to try?

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Thanks Catatafish!

[Rhywun]

Why is my generation raising an army of... this? I have not seen a satisfactory explanation for this lunacy yet.

[Rhywun]

Ugh, just discovered he is more than 10 years older than me. I just assumed he was a millenial. It seems he arrived at being an asshole all on his own.

[Sudden]

Presumably they didn't read Animal Farm.

[Suellington]

My CZ 9 mm also was occasionally doing the same thing, although not always on the last round. I figured out it was the UMC Rem ammo. I tried a bunch of others and that was really the only one that ever caused that issue.

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Bobarian, it came with two mags and I only used one. I will try with the other magazine first. Thanks!

[Pro Libertate]

They read it; they just didn't understand it.

[Pro Libertate]

I think gays should be happy. I mean, it's a symbolic victory as far as rights recognition goes, and it has a financial benefit to many.

What irks me is that the court seems to just back whatever the government wants, there doesn't seem to be any concept of checks and balances, anymore. Of course, I'm talking more about the stupid decision on ACA, not the gay marriage ruling.