Planned Parenthood Prez Apologizes, FBI Joins Sandra Bland Investigation, EEOC Says Sex-Discrimination Rules Cover Sexual Orientation: A.M. Links

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says sexual orientation is already covered under rules banning biased hiring based on sex. "Allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," the commission stated.  

• A cell phone video shot by an anonymous bystander purportedly shows Texas police arresting Sandra Bland, the 28-year-old woman later found hanged in her Waller County jail cell; family and friends are disputing that her death was a suicide. The FBI today announced that it would be joining the investigation into circumstances surrounding her death. 
• Chris Christie jumps on the criminal justice reform bandwagon. 
• Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez of Hixson, Tennessee, was identified as the gunman at a Chattanooga Naval reserve center yesterday. "Investigators are trying to figure out why a 24-year-old Kuwait-born man, who by accounts lived a typical life in suburban America, attacked two military facilities in a shooting rampage that killed four Marines," The New York Times reports. 
• Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards released a video statement yesterday saying that "the allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true" but also apologizing that the "tone and statements" of Deborah Nucatola, did not reflect "compassion." Republicans are taking advantage of the Planned Parenthood fetal organ hoopla to push for the organization's defunding. 
• The D.C. State Fair this year will feature a marijuana-growing competition. 
• Prime Day, the much-mocked sales holiday Amazon.com launched yesterday to celebrate its 20th anniversary, turned out to be a big success, pushing more sales than "the biggest Black Friday ever" and hundreds of thousands of new Amazon Prime memberships. 
• Check your frozen chicken. 

Newly published at Reason.com:

• Brickbat: Close Enough for Police Work
• Movie Reviews: Trainwreck and Ant-Man: Amy Schumer kills it in her big-screen debut. Paul Rudd stands small in an uneven Marvel super-movie. By Kurt Loder
• California Legislators Want to Pass a Law That Requires Less Oil, More Clean Energy Use: Could drive up costs of driving, manufacturing. By Steven Greenhut
• James Holmes Found Guilty on All Counts for 2012 Shooting Spree: Man who opened fire in crowded theater fails with insanity-plea defense.
• Gawker Helps Gay Escort Blackmail Timothy Geithner's Brother: Ted Cruz is the hero of the story.

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]

Chris Christie jumps on the criminal justice reform bandwagon.

The frame is now bent.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Hello.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Hi.

[UnCivilServant]

Darnit, I was going to make that joke.

[Los Federales]

STOP PROJECTING YOU LARDO.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Can you do me a favor and grab a rotten avocado from your yard and rub it in Playa's face?

Thanks!

[Los Federales]

I'm on a 6 week road trip around the good ol US of A right now, so the earliest I could do that would be end of July. But he'd slap me anyways.

[Hamster of Doom]

You're going to be slapped regardless. Might as well earn it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

CHECK MY BMI BITCH

[Citizen X]

Hmm. Says here your BMI is 96. You should probably go to a hospital immediately.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Chris Christie jumps on the criminal justice reform bandwagon.

And breaks the bandwagon.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

Oh, Grand Moff Serious Man.

[Fist of Etiquette]

OBVIOUS JOKE.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Body-shamer!

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

I thought the joke was that he could jump onto anything.

[egould310 reppin' LBC]

Yeah. More like he squeezed one leg onto the bandwagon, and then slowly shoved and rolled his belly onto the band wagon. Gasping for air, and slick from sweat, he was finally able to get his arms and cinder-block of a head onto the bandwagon. But that was it. He was to exhausted to get the other leg onto the bandwagon.

He produced a sausage sandwich from inside his jacket, ate it, and then fell asleep.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

He produced a sausage sandwich from inside his jacket, ate it, and then fell asleep stroked out.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

71) Here's something I've been wondering lately: is there a real, non-politicized science of climatology? I don't mean meteorology, which is clearly its own thing and an actual, useful science. Climatology, on the other hand, would be the study of global weather processes and its history and long-term trends. There's a Wikipedia entry for climatology, and it must have been a real field of study at one time, back in the 1970s, perhaps, but I can't tell if there's a real branch of it still going, or if the entire field has been taken over by global warming zealots. Does anybody have any insight into this?

[AlmightyJB]

prolly where all the moneys at right now.

http://learn.org/articles/Clim.....tions.html

[tarran]

The field exists; and has many good scientists. I think they've learned to keep their heads down and nibble at the narrative rather than trying to sweep it aside.

But the tide is changing. 10 years ago someone doing what Dr Judith Curry is doing would be unthinkable career suicide. Now she is sucesfully making her own path.

The hysteria and the papers claiming deniers are psychologically unbalanced or in the pay of fossil fuel interests is the final desperate push of a religious movement that recognizes that they can't win a debate on the empirical evidence and must thus inoculate people from considering the possibility that the movement might be wrong.

[Illocust]

What did Judith Curry do? Was he/she part of the science team with the model for sunspots?

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Just bring her name up with some warmists, they'll go ad hominem immediately.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Has it been 71 already?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Bea Arthur Was A Truck-Driving Marine

[Just a thought not a sermon]

And Rue McClanahan wore army boots!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Are you surprised? About the truck driver part.

She looked decent in the picture.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

This was my favorite part--"personality appraisal sheets...described her conversation as "Argumentative" and her attitude and manner as "Over aggressive.""

[MoveOn]

and then there's Maude

[Fist of Etiquette]

The D.C. State Fair this year will feature a marijuana-growing competition.

They're holding it right next to the MRAP display.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

D.C. is not a state.

This is a trap!

[Fist of Etiquette]

It's a state of mind.

[Los Federales]

No, that's Jay Z and Alicia Keys. Wait a minute.....

[This Is My Last Post]

Maybe not, but it has a State Department. This is where a former U.S. Senator who is disingenuous, polarizing, calculating, insincere, secretive, feels entitled and who represents the past used to work.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Did you have some Senator specificially in mind, because most of those discriminators don't discriminate when it comes to that class of people.

[invisible furry hand]

Twinkle Tush is a jewel you hang from your cat's tail. Add some bling to your cat's bum and watch them strut their stuff.

[Rich]

*slap!*

[invisible furry hand]

*slap!*

[AlmightyJB]

I predict that girls will start wearing these.

[Old Man With Candy]

Riven does.

[Bam!]

Close enough?

[AlmightyJB]

lol:)

[Aloysious]

a review:

the gem fell off after i used it when i washed it. i'm not sure if its a defect or what but i mean I cant send it back its been in my butt.

[Hamster of Doom]

You know those dimples in your ass?

[lap83]

So not clicking that

[AlmightyJB]

Nothing wrong with signaling your preference for doggy style.

[Suthenboy]

I clicked on that.

An add pops up at the top of the page on butt piercings featuring Ron Paul and his financial advice regarding the apocalypse.

How the fuck is Rand going to get elected if his goddamn nutty father can't shut his damn mouth and keep a low profile for even one year?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

The D.C. State Fair this year will feature a marijuana-growing competition.

Springing the trap for the Feds to jump in and arrest some dangerous high level criminals.

[Pro Libertate]

D.C. State Fair?

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

It's a D.C. state of mind.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says sexual orientation is already covered under rules banning biased hiring based on sex. "Allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," the commission stated.

So queers are just men and women trapped in the wrong body? Isn't that offensive given the current understandings of sexuality?

As a lesbian trapped in a man's body, I am offended and possibly triggered.

[Rich]

So queers are just men and women trapped in the wrong body?

Exactly. Like fat people and anorexics.

[commodious spittoon]

I'm a skinny man trapped in a sedentary body. Thankfully I'm also a cyclist trapped in a sedentary body, so I expect things will sort themselves out.

[Jerryskids]

Does this settle the argument from yesterday over whether or not gays are a federally-protected class? It doesn't matter what the law says if the intent of the law is to protect people who need protection.

[mad.casual]

It doesn't matter what the law says if the intent of the law is to protect people who are perceived as needing protection.

FIFY

/The baker right down the street that will cater a gay wedding.

[Zeb]

Or maybe "sex" in "on the basis of sex" means not only the biological characteristic, but also what you are into when it comes to sex.

I'm not really in favor of employment discrimination laws at all. But I will say that, in general, discrimination on the basis of sex is much more rational than on the basis of sexual orientation.

[ant1sthenes]

Everyone with a sexual orientation other than omni is discriminating on the basis of sex, so they'll get no sympathy from me.

[mad.casual]

Knowing the modern, neo-Victorian/Puritan left, the preferred anti-discrimination arrangement will/would be "non".

[Suthenboy]

"...the current understandings of sexuality?"

I don't think the bullshit being slung around today about sexuality constitutes understanding.

[Juvenile Bluster]

So, has anything in the history of the internet managed to unite people as much as Gawker has united everyone in hating them right now? I mean, usually there's a decent-sized group that disagrees, but except for a select few who are using this to get at Tim Geithner, everyone of all political stripes and leanings is blasting Gawker.

I really hope this takes them down for good. There's an argument to be made that they're aiding and abetting felony blackmail here. This is far worse than the Hogan thing.

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Looks like they were duped.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Jesus. After Hulk Hogan cleans them out will there be anything left for Geitner to get compensation?

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Charles C. Johnson is suing Gawker as well. And he breaks this story. I wonder...

[Pro Libertate]

Fact-checking is so pass?. Even for the real media, let alone the crap that Gawker media spews all too often.

They will end up getting destroyed by a defamation suit one of these days, because they clearly have a complete disregard for the truth.

[commodious spittoon]

Okay, that text exchange between "Ryan" and gotnews is hilarious. I am 110% team Ryan.

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

Reason.com

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Interesting.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Never heard of that site. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

Does it have a comments section?

[UnCivilServant]

I hear it's full of awful people, trolls, and rodents.

[Old Man With Candy]

"the site's notoriously toxic users."

[hamilton]

DON'T READ THE COMMENTS.

Seriously it's like a bunch of pimply white boys or something, plus this one old stoner perv in Seattle.

[hamilton]

(also, fried frozen chicken).

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

I'm pretty sure it is a lively site where woodchippers are discussed.

[Citizen X]

Not even a little bit. You're thinking of the Stihl forums.

[bacon-magic]

Yes, with lots of comments about deep dish pizza.

[AlmightyJB]

I don't hate them. I would have to give a shit about them in order to hate them.

[egould310 reppin' LBC]

+1 Rick

[Longtorso, Johnny]

How the Feminine Imperative is Destroying Reddit... on Purpose
...You know what you'll never catch me doing? Denouncing the anger, the fringe, or any of the extreme elements of The Red Pill. You know why? Because it serves absolutely no purpose but to appease the feminine imperative. And once that sneaky little bitch gets her foot in the door, that's when the race to the bottom begins.

I embrace the anger, and every single dirty fringe idea we have on here. Not because I agree with everybody, no. I embrace it because it is our strength and protection against the feminine imperative. I embrace it because tone policing and topic policing is a race to the bottom. I embrace it because either it belongs here, or we perish as a forum.

People have asked me time and time again if we can remove some of the "dirtier" elements of trp, or change the language to be more palatable to the greater reddit. I have always, and will always say: NO....

[Juvenile Bluster]

Never before has there been a bigger compilation of angsty teens, virgin college students, and bitter divorced 40-somethings than on TRP.

[Illocust]

He's not wrong. Changing the rules after a forum has already been made nearly always leads to more and more.

[Idle Hands]

TRP is a sexpool of sexism and a terrible place where assholes, losers and guys who made terrible choices in women all congregate. They should just man up and fuck each other.

[Juvenile Bluster]

There's definitely a non-zero percentage of deeply in denial gay TRPers. And you also see people there actually making the "Women are so terrible. We should all just fuck men" statement.

[Michael]

...is a sexpool...

I want to hear more about this product.

[Zeb]

Huh. I have no idea what any of that means.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Republicans are taking advantage of the Planned Parenthood fetal organ hoopla to push for the organization's defunding.

Sounds like a libertarian end.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Like all libertarian ends in politics, whenever FedGov does get there, it's for all the wrong reasons.

[Drake]

I've seen "Cash-for-Corpses" and "Cash-4-Cadavers" headlines. Both are awesome.

[AlmightyJB]

They've been talking about it for years. I'll believe it when I see it. Pandering backed by nothing.

[Eric Bana]

It'd be nice if it happened. I imagine Republicans have always supported defunding PP though, so it's not like they're coming around to something for expediency.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

ObamaCare: Still failing after all these years
...Insurance plans sold on government-run Obamacare exchanges on average have 34 percent fewer hospitals and doctors?including specialists?in their provider networks than health policies sold outside those exchanges or offered by employers, a new analysis finds....

...At the same time, deductibles have also skyrocketed, leaving people with higher monthly payments and even less ability to access the insurance that those premiums provide. Slate's Helaine Olen heaps scorn on Obamacare opponents and fails to admit that their predictions of spiraling costs have come true, but she does admit that the system does not work at controlling costs ? the most significant reason to have government overhaul the health-insurance system in the first place....

...Provider networks have narrowed considerably, making access even more difficult than before. Emergency room visits for routine care have actually increased. The bureaucracy that runs all of this cannot fix its fraud problem, not even after having it specifically pointed out to them by the GAO and given a year to resolve. ...

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Slate, of all places, wrote about the cost problem.

[Illocust]

Their commenters were in denial, though. I don't know if the smarter journalists will keep pointing out the obvious facts, or if they will retreat in fear of the mob.

[AlmightyJB]

The 5 year plan is on schedule to meet it's goals.

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

They can't hide from the obvious facts. The can, however, make excuses.

[Mike Laursen]

And I'm sure they will follow up with an article saying the only solution is single-payer.

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

PHAKE SKANDULL - GREATEST FREE MARKET REFORM EVAH!!!!!

/derp

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says sexual orientation is already covered under rules banning biased hiring based on sex.

That seems a little creepy.

[Drake]

Why Soldiers and Marines are disarmed - making them easy targets.

http://www.americanthinker.com.....bases.html

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Disarming soldiers on bases is outrageous.

Fucken pathetic.

I imagine a push to change this will commence in lieu of the fact ISIS/terrorists have made the military targets?

[An Innocent Man]

Did this really start with HW? I was a unit armorer in the mid-80s and I remember those who lived on base had to keep any personal weapons in the Arms Room. And if they wanted to use them they had to give 24hr notice and have a form signed by the CC. Maybe this was a base-specific thing, I don't know.

[Illocust]

Probably not, both my parents were army and they had to do the same thing.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

I had to do this shit, not only with guns, but with knives bigeer than 3" back in 1983 (Ronald Reagan).

Of course, a significant portion of your soldiers back then were criminals (the late 70's were actually the nadir for judges and recruiters working together [go to war or go to jail] in the all volunteer force), so local commands may have been doing this for personal safety.

[Monty Crisco]

Goddamn histrionic article, but I guess it started with HW. Still, an innocent man has a point. He lived it in the 80's and every base has its own rules set by the base commander.

Still, it never ceases to amaze me the length to which the Pentagon will go to treat ITS OWN FUCKING SOLDIERS like children. Literally, like children.

Don't believe me? Take a moment and watch ONE COMMERCIAL BREAK on AFN in a combat zone. At the end of my second tour, I could not fucking stand to have that crap on anymore...

[Schei?e Schau]

Agreed. Awful. Prior Marine here--now just another attorney.

Moreover, been lurking for a little while here and want to know what's up with all the shit about wood chippers???

[Illocust]

Some commenters objected to a federal judge making an absolutely stupid decision. In typical internet fashion they said she should be fed through a wood chipper on the court steps. Judge bitch got her panties in a twist and Reason was forced to turn over all information they had on the commenters and they were forbidden to discuss what was happening to them publically. Everyone else has been running with 'woodchippers' ever since as a big fuck you.

[Citizen X]

Interesting side note: merely wishing that a place is reserved in hell for a federal employee is grounds for a grand jury investigation, it turns out. America!

[Schei?e Schau]

Thx for the explanation. Do pedal operated wood chippers count? I'm thinking of having my indentured servants mass produce them for lower income families. 🙂

[Smilin' Joe Fission]

You'll fit right in here.

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

Lower income families? You mean like people who only have 50 orphans in their mines?

*shines monocle and doffs top hat*

[Restor-woodchipper-as]

Feet first, on the courthouse steps. That's all you need to know.

[KDN]

Because an internet commenter stating that a Federal judge should be fed into one is a Federal crime.

More here: http://reason.com/blog/2015/06.....les-speech

[Christophe]

Look at http://reason.com/blog/2015/06.....les-speech for the story.

People changed their names in reaction.

[Schei?e Schau]

Thx everyone. Much appreciated.

[Kavalerov]

I agree the rules against military service members carrying weapons on base are silly, but article makes some odd points.

No, everyone is not, "by definition, already trained to use firearms." I was a Marine, but sailors and airmen usually get little or no firearms training. I'm no expert on the Army, but my understanding is that they segregate basic training based on MOS, so POGs probably don't get much training either. And in my entire enlistment, I never so much as touched a handgun. Rifles, sure, and bigger crew-served weapons. But nothing that would necessarily qualify me to carry a sidearm around base. There would have to be a training and certification program, and it wouldn't be cheap.

And even if DOD installations aren't subject to local firearm regulations, people would still have to carry on and off base, if just to get home. Not everyone lives in the barracks.

[Rich]

Hearse stolen during funeral

Police say they arrested 28-year-old Michael Healing in connection with the theft.

Well, it's often said that funerals are a time for Healing.

[Los Federales]

Keep this up and it'll be your funeral.

[AlmightyJB]

That's Rich

[Los Federales]

My mortuary offers two for one deals.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

DID YOU?

YOU DID!

Well played.

[This Machine]

Dammit, where's Swiss when you need him?

[WoodchipperFocus(ed)]

Give him a minute...

[UnCivilServant]

Fun fact, Switzy actually works at an LGBT weight loss center. on his resume, his job description is "Narrows Gays".

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

*narrows gheys*

[Rufus J. Firefly]

/NARROWS GAZE for Swiss.

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

*narrows gaze*

[Lord Humungus]

It's time to draft Al Gore: If Democrats want to win, it's clear neither Hillary nor Sanders is the way

Since announcing her candidacy in April, Clinton's stature has steadily slipped. Things got even worse this week. We learned, first, that Bernie Sanders eclipsed Clinton in small, individual donations, which is an indicator of popular support among likely voters.

Second, and more problematic, the newest AP poll revealed significant weaknesses among Democrats on a host of issues, including trust, character, and compassion for average Americans.

These numbers are alarming heading into the general election, especially for Democrats. Bernie Sanders is running an important campaign, but it's very difficult to see the entire party rallying around him.

[Monty Crisco]

*praying furiously*

PLEASEGODMAKETHISHAPPENPLEASEGODMAKETHISHAPPEN

[God]

NO.

[AlmightyJB]

It would definitely add to the entertainment value. I can't wait to hear what else he invented.

[JWatts]

Hell no. Biden 2016!

[Illocust]

Al Gore would actually have a better shot than either of the current candidates, but the man has learned the wonders of being an ex-politician. No way he's giving up his sweet lifestyle to run a campaign.

[tarran]

Yes, let's go to Al Gore and say, "Take care of *this*!" /leers disgustingly

[Rich]

Well, Al certainly *looks* PresidenHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! Damn, couldn't quite get it out!

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

He could run against Christie - Obese-Americans face a tough choice!

[Citizen X]

"I have to go - a hwhale is in trouble!"

[KDN]

"Excelsior!"

[PM]

the newest AP poll revealed significant weaknesses among Democrats on a host of issues, including trust, character, and compassion for average Americans.

Clearly this is a job for the guy who wealth-shames the middle class for their bourgeois extravagance from his city-block-sized house between junkets to $50,000 speaking engagements on private jets.

[Monty Crisco]

Find it hard to believe that he is ONLY getting 50k a pop for speaking engagements. Would've guessed 100k AT MINIMUM...

[commodious spittoon]

Is Biden a joke to you people!?

[thrakkorzog]

Yes. Yes he is.

[The Last American Hero]

Another old white guy for Team Blue? This is my shocked face.

[invisible furry hand]

Nicholas Cage as every character in Game of Thrones

[Jordan]

Does Westeros have bees?

[Citizen X]

It's beautiful. It's so... IMPORTANT.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Now do Steve Buscemi.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Gawker's apparent outing of CFO meets with Internet backlash

[Monty Crisco]

It is my understanding, while noshing on Chianti and salad, that a lot of people want liver.

[AlmightyJB]

Don't understand why anyone would want to eat liver

[Jordan]

Or salad. Or Chianti.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

The house Chianti at Macaroni Grill is not awful.

[Monty Crisco]

Oh, its not for eating....

http://www.nationalreview.com/.....re-illegal

[Zeb]

Liver is delicious. Hard to beat fried chicken livers wrapped in bacon. Or some lovely foie gras. But I think it is one of those things that just tastes bad to some people because their sense of taste works differently.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

you know how you beat fried chicken livers wrapped in bacon?

Throw away the livers. Because bacon.

[Lord Humungus]

Feds going door-to-door to seize illegal immigrants' Obama amnesty approvals

Goosed into action by an angry federal judge, federal immigration authorities will go door-to-door demanding illegal immigrants return the three-year amnesty approvals the Obama administration issued to them in defiance of a court order.

Those who don't return their three-year permits will have them terminated at the end of this month, the National Immigrant Justice Center, one of the advocacy groups briefed on authorities' plan, said in a statement preparing immigrants for what could be a traumatic encounter.

The move comes as Homeland Security officials, fed up with slow-walking by illegal immigrants, are finally playing hardball after months of less forceful measures.

[UnCivilServant]

While I approve of removal of the illegal anesty documentation, this is also a violation of the 4th amendment regarding how the government is supposed to operate.

Can't they do anything without a constitutional violation?

[Citizen X]

What's the fun of that?

[John]

Funny how the threat of a federal judge holding their sorry asses in contempt gets them to jump.

[commodious spittoon]

Those who don't return their three-year permits will have them terminated at the end of this month

So... why not wait two weeks until they expire?

[Zeb]

Well, then you can't go door to door and invade people's privacy. What fun is that?

[Rhywun]

Is there any country (worth living in) whose immigration system is as FUBARed as the US?

[Zeb]

Not that I've been to.

I'm always a bit shocked when returning from a foreign trip at how US citizens are treated returning home compared to how we are treated entering foreign countries.

[Pan Zagloba]

Most of the EU? They are finally having to deal with what US had to deal with for decades (scads of poor people entering without permission), and their immigration systems just can't cope. It's getting to the point where southern countries are threatening to just issue travel papers to migrants, which would allow them to travel anywhere withing Shengen agreement zone.
There's also Japan, whose immigration system is, basically, "don't". Or Australia, who intercepts people with warships then dumps them in Indonesia, so they can't claim refugee status in Australia until after they have been processed.

[Acosmist]

Is there any country with a looser immigration system than the US? Hard to find one. Most places take borders seriously. Not us!

[invisible furry hand]

Make Greeks miserable with the Random Austerity Measure Generator

[Los Federales]

That's hilarious.

[AlmightyJB]

nice:)

[commodious spittoon]

Your austerity measure is....

Konstantopoulou needs to wear a German flag and go to Syntagma square.

[bacon-magic]

Your austerity measure is...

Portugal is obligated to have its people sing 'Germany is Awesome' by 6 oclock this afternoon.

[Citizen X]

Your austerity measure is...

Portugal has to burn some national books or something.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Entitled bitch bitches on radio show about how she blew her $90,000 college fund and blames her parents.

WARNING: link has GIFs (for some unknown reason)

"My parents] said there was nothing they could do for me. They're not being honest with me saying they don't have [money] because my dad has worked for like a million years and they have a retirement account.

Then my parents suggested I go take out a loan at a credit union and I'm, like, how am I supposed to do that?

I have to go inside the bank to get a loan?

[Certified Public Asshat]

Although I agree with this quote:

Maybe [my parents] should have taught me to budget or something. They never sat me down and had a real serious talk about it.

Leaving $90,000 in the trusted hands of an 18 year old with no money skills was bad parenting.

[Hey Nikki!]

Her grandparents did that, though, not her parents.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Yeah, presumably her parents knew about the money though.

[JWatts]

"Yeah, presumably her parents knew about the money though."

So? If she was 18 and the money was in her name, they had no input into how she spent the money. Judging by her comments, her parents were probably thrilled she at least managed to get through 3 years of college before the money ran out.

[Crusty Juggler]

You and your facts.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Up to a point. I was 14 when I got my first real job in construction. I knew about the value of saving money at that age. She's 22 for crying out loud. Some things you CAN learn on your own.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Maybe, just maybe, she learned something from this. Tough lesson, but maybe something good will come of it.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Her parents are refusing to co-sign any loans unless she gets a job, so I suspect they also taught her how to budget and have probably been bitching at her about blowing her inheritance the last three years. The dummy took a trip to Europe so it's not like she's been hiding her spending. At some point, no amount of guidance is going to help someone who's already locked in to making it rain.

Also, going to a college with $20K annual tuition when you only have a $90K pool of money is fucking insane. My cousin recently told me that she wants to go to a college in Oregon that costs $50K a year just for tuition. She's smart, but she's also white and middle class so her chances of getting scholarships are nil. She expects to get about $150K that my uncle left her for school before he passed away, but that won't cover the last year and she still has to eat and sleep somewhere. She mainly wants to get away from her crazy mother and move out of state, so I told her that she could still go to an out of state school and spend about 20% of what she would at her "dream school," even at non-resident tuition rates.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Or, stay in-state but go to a school that is far from home.

Unless she lives in Rhode Island.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

'like a million years'.

And she's in...college?!?

Wowee!

[lap83]

like, maybe her parents should have taught her how to count!

[Old Man With Candy]

This has Phil Hendrie written all over it. Except he doesn't need a voice disguising gadget.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

^^This

[AlmightyJB]

She'll probably end up in congress

[Hey Nikki!]

We almost felt a bit sorry for her when she started explaining how difficult it has been to find a place that will hire her because she has no job history.

I guess it's better to have that happen before she's done with school.

[commodious spittoon]

And, in all honesty, how much better off is she having blown a $90,000 trust fund rather than $90,000 in student loans?

[JWatts]

"rather than $90,000 in student loans?" Yet. I see a PhD in her future. As soon as she learns about how much money she can borrow for student loans and the prospect of having to work full time when she graduates sinks in, I expect her to quickly decide she needs a graduate degree to "complete" her education.

[The Last American Hero]

I hear there's a place near campus where they'll pay her good money to dance for a few hours every night.

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

Lol, her parents must be proud.

[Lord Humungus]

Study: D.C. is one of the worst cities for drivers

A WalletHub study of the best and worst cities to be a driver ranked D.C. as the second-worst place to get behind the wheel. Out of the 100 cities included in the study, D.C. ranked No. 99 ? only ahead of New York City.

To find the most driver-friendly places in the country, WalletHub compared 21 key metrics in the 100 most-populated cities. The metrics for the study released Wednesday included the average gas prices, average annual traffic delays, rates of car theft and car clubs per capita.

D.C. ranked 99th overall when it comes to accident likelihood compared with the national average. Also, D.C. scored near the bottom ? 95th overall ? when comparing the average annual hours of traffic delays. Also not helping D.C.'s cause: high parking rates, few auto repair shops per capita and the rate of car thefts, according to the study.

[Idle Hands]

it makes sense because maryland is one of the worst states for drivers. And DC is the world mecca for clueless/selfimportant assholes. At least New Yorkers and Philly sports fans know their assholes.

[John]

^^THIS^^

That is exactly what it is. Even in places like Boston known for aggressive drivers, there is a code for how things are done and people follow a set of unwritten rules. They don't do that in DC. In DC, it is just self important assholes all the way down. God I hate this fucking city.

[Idle Hands]

It's because there is not any cultural identity because of how diverse it is everybody is following a different set of rules from where ever they are from. Mix that with cellphones and you have a recipe for retard.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Dunno. But Chicago was pretty bad.

I've seen bad driving in my day but Ontario and Chicago are right up there.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

And that's saying a lot coming from Quebec where drivers think the roads are one big Gilles Villeneuve circuit.

[TwB]

Chicago drivers are just crazy. But I enjoy them because for the most part, they speed like hell. Unlike the DC area, where some assholes will drive 15 mph BELOW the speed limit on 495, apparently attempting to wreck as many motorists as they can. But then others, such as Jayson Werth, will go at least 30 mph over the speed limit. It's a personal challenge to drive on 495 sometimes.

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

Chicago cabbies - last I saw, you face two choices...Eastern European/Balkan, territorial, proud, can be stirred to furious anger. So-so if you are in a hurry, can get into ... disputes. West African - place little value on human life, including their own, as they have already witnessed many things that would make normal people faint dead away. Best for when you are in a hurry, don't care if they get honked at, flipped off, sworn at, etc.

[TwB]

I have driven a vehicle in over 25 states in this country, also in cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, New York, and Philadelphia and after living in the DCA for the last 2 1/2 years I can safely say that the drivers around here are the worst I have ever been around. They are fucking terrible. And merging onto an interstate seems to be a giant obstacle for many that they cannot overcome. Speed the fuck up before you get on the highway!

[Jordan]

And merging onto an interstate seems to be a giant obstacle for many that they cannot overcome. Speed the fuck up before you get on the highway!

This pisses me off more than anything. You can't fucking merge going 10 mph below the speed limit, you fucking idiots!

[TwB]

Ha ha, oh, but they will surely try. And they succeed, but only at the expense of everybody around them.

[Citizen X]

And they succeed, but only at the expense of everybody around them.

That is the Washington D.C. way.

[Certified Public Asshat]

*applause*

[Rufus J. Firefly]

My pet peeve is people who speed up on a yield curve forcing traffic to slow down.

The Inverted Yield I call it.

[JWatts]

"You can't fucking merge going 10 mph below the speed limit, you fucking idiots!"

There's always some idiot that will come to a full stop at the top of the on ramp. This is true in any city, but it's gotten worse with cell phones.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Yeah. I remember hating driving in that area when I visited.

This shit of passing on the right and crossing over weaving lanes at high speeds to get to the left lane is insanity. But I agree, may people who deliberately drive slow in the passing lane get four flat tires in perpetuity; with their own circle in The Inferno.

[KDN]

Don't ever go to NJ. Our lanes work backwards.

[Free Society]

The worst is people who are in such a hurry to pull out in front of you then as suddenly as they cut you off, they decide they aren't in such a hurry after all and have no qualms about driving 5-10 miles under the limit.

[Rhywun]

So... dense, old cities not designed around the automobile are the worst for drivers. Who wastes their money on stupid studies like this?

[Lord Humungus]

Obviously we need to legalize the devil weed:

Cadillac Home Invasion Suspect Threatens Man, Demands to Smoke Marijuana

Police say the suspect knew someone living in the home, but when he got inside he didn't find his friend.

Instead, he found another man sleeping on the couch, and police say he pulled out a knife.

"The man entered the home with was wielding a knife and immediately demanded that the suspect was going to smoke with him so the man tried to start reason with hi m a little bit and had him calmed down. When the suspect let his guard down and set the knife away that's when the victim grabbed the knife and bolted out of the house."

The victim escaped to a neighbor's house and called police.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

'OMG': Marines murdered in Chattanooga ? and MSNBC's covering THIS? [screenshot]

[Monty Crisco]

Can't wait to see the lengths that the MSM (yes, minus Fox, for all the obvious fucktards out there) goes to to AVOID reporting on this...

[Juvenile Bluster]

It's MSNBC. You may as well be criticizing the Weekly World News. Both have about the same amount of journalistic integrity.

[Lord Humungus]

Hearse stolen during local funeral

Joe Brown of South Buffalo was carrying the casket with his father's remains to the steps of the church after his funeral Wednesday morning, when the funeral director stopped the pallbearers in their tracks, and notified them that the hearse was gone.

"It's disgusting," said Brown, who can't believe that the last memory he'll have of his father's farewell is one of disrespect.

The family had to wait an extra 30 minutes at the church for another hearse to arrive. The Cadillac hearse was rented out by Mertz & Sons Funeral Home on Englewood Avenue in the Town of Tonawanda. Funeral Director, James Mertz said he was appalled at the theft.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

'Not. A. Cult.' Valerie Jarrett's takeaway from Obama prison visit is nothing short of 'embarrassing'

Valerie Jarrett ?@vj44
"I feel that after twenty years in these prisons, the good Lord brought us Barack Obama to set things right." http://bit.ly/1I6ghMB

[Rich]

Oh, what the hell -- Valerie Jarrett For President!

[UnCivilServant]

Sorry, she's already served two terms as shadow president.

[Juvenile Bluster]

That reminds me. We should have a Shadow Cabinet like in the UK and Canada. Always liked that idea. In a nod to Obama, we can call it His Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

Are you filling in for Sarcasmic today or something?

[Just a thought not a sermon]

This comment was meant for Johnny.

[Lord Humungus]

Too hot to handle: German police puts aggressive squirrel 'behind bars'

Police received an unusual emergency call on Wednesday from a young woman in Bottrop in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), complaining that while walking down the street in the west German city, she found herself being chased by the squirrel.

Unable to shake the animal off, she eventually called the police for help and an officer was quick to come to her aid. After capturing the rodent, officers brought it back to the station, where it was discovered that the animal was showing symptoms of exhaustion, The Local reported.

The squirrel had been 'arrested' and taken into custody, police said in a press release.

Police in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) published a video on their Facebook page on Wednesday, showing an officer at the station feeding honey the little squirrel.

[Monty Crisco]

But when will they help reason?

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

Maybe once they tame the German domestic squirrelz threat?

[Free Society]

American cops would have shot it, then they'd shoot the nearest the dog. Then they'd strangle the nearest unregulated salesman. And then they'd go home safe and nothing else happened.

[Lord Humungus]

Grexit Still on the Table Even With EU's Latest Band-Aid

The deal promises to further degrade a shattered economy through spending cuts and tax increases; it relies for implementation on a self-described party of the radical left; it counts on sales of state assets that Greece's economy minister says "do not exist;" it leaves untouched a debt load the International Monetary Fund believes will never be repaid.

If anything, Greece and its creditors are further apart than ever, with the country's leaders arguing they accepted a bad deal under duress.

"It's clearly a Band-Aid solution," Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, a political-risk consulting firm, said in an e-mail. "I'd love to say we'll be back here in a year or two. It's more likely to be a few months."

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Could you please specify which type of band-aid?

http://bit.ly/1I8vFWQ

[invisible furry hand]

This type

[Rich]

"It is a heartbreaking circumstance" ?@POTUS on the shooting in Chattanooga

There's no sugarcoating it.

[Lord Humungus]

California may let undocumented immigrants buy Obamacare

California lawmakers and activists are spearheading a first-in-the-nation plan to let undocumented immigrants buy Obamacare health insurance.

Supporters say the California proposal, which would need federal approval and couldn't start until 2017, is the next logical step in expanding health insurance to a population that was intentionally excluded from the president's health-care law. But uniting the two highly combustible issues of Obamacare and immigration could reignite a fierce health-care reform controversy.

There's no guarantee the California plan still winding through the state's legislature will succeed, even with Democrats in control of the statehouse, the governor's mansion and the White House. California Gov. Jerry Brown isn't commenting on the legislation, which has been approved by the state Senate but not by the Assembly. But just last month, Brown agreed to spend millions in state dollars to provide health care to undocumented children, mirroring similar efforts in a handful of other liberal states.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Sure why not?

If we can't steal the rich's money outright, we'll make them pay by other means, right?

RIGHT?!?

[John]

Why does California hate Mexicans so much? I am as anti open borders as anyone, but just because these people should be deported doesn't mean they deserve being stuck Obamacare. That is just going too far.

[commodious spittoon]

The question is, will they be reciprocally obligated to pay the penaltax if they don't purchase insurance?

[JWatts]

What? Of course not! You can't place that kind of burden/responsibility on their head. /derp

[PM]

Doing standup comedy is hard; doing it at a liberal college is harder

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Ha.

[AlmightyJB]

Should have just gone with Bush is an asshole, Palin is a cunt, Tea baggers. That would have killed. prolly would have won a Nobel prize.

[PM]

Republicans are so stupid! I hate Republicans

[PM]

A male student at UC San Diego who was accused of sexual assault and suspended after a campus investigation filed a countersuit ? and won.

Experts say a new ruling in a sexual assault case involving two students at UC San Diego should be a wakeup call to schools across the country that sexual misconduct processes can be flawed.

[Lee G]

But what about the War on Drugs?

[Lee G]

The investigator determined that one allegation of sexual assault without consent was valid, and the findings were confirmed by a university panel. Doe was suspended for a semester and ordered to sexual harassment training and counseling.

After he sent a letter to the school's dean, the suspension was increased to a year, and another panel lengthened the suspension even more.

Dean got pissed that Doe tried to get him involved.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

California may let illegal immigrants enroll in Obamacare

California lawmakers and activists are spearheading a first-in-the-nation plan to let undocumented immigrants buy Obamacare health insurance.

Supporters say the California proposal, which would need federal approval and couldn't start until 2017, is the next logical step in expanding health insurance to a population that was intentionally excluded from the president's health-care law. But uniting the two highly combustible issues of Obamacare and immigration could reignite a fierce health-care reform controversy.

There's no guarantee the California plan still winding through the state's legislature will succeed, even with Democrats in control of the statehouse, the governor's mansion and the

White House. California Gov. Jerry Brown isn't commenting on the legislation, which has been approved by the state Senate but not by the Assembly. But just last month, Brown agreed to spend millions in state dollars to provide health care to undocumented children, mirroring similar efforts in a handful of other liberal states.

YOU LIE!!!!!

[Lord Humungus]

Was this covered?

Nick Cave's Teenage Son Dies In Cliff Fall

[Rich]

"Our thoughts and prayers are with ifh."

[egould310 reppin' LBC]

Well that sucks.

[Lord Humungus]

The Ship Song

[Lord Humungus]

Also this about Kim Fowley raping Jackie Fox of the Runaways:

The Lost Girls

[invisible furry hand]

I read that last week and can't get it out of my mind. Glad she made some sort of life for herself after that.

[Lee G]

Jesus, that's horrible.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Is attacking the military of a nation at war really "terrorism"?

That "terrorism" in U.S. political and media discourse means little beyond "violence by Muslims against the west" is now too self-evident to debate (in this case, just the name of the suspect seemed to suffice to trigger application of the label). I've documented that point at length many times and I don't want to rehash those points here. Instead, I want to focus on a narrow question about this term: can it apply to violent attacks that target military sites and soldiers of a nation at war, rather than civilians?

In common usage (as opposed to legal definitions), "terrorism" typically connotes, if not denotes, "violence against civilians." If you ask most people why they regard the 9/11 attack as so singularly atrocious, you will likely hear that it was because the violence was aimed indiscriminately at civilians and at civilian targets. If you ask them to distinguish why they regard civilian-killing U.S. violence as legitimate and justified but regard the violence aimed at the U.S. as the opposite ("terrorism"), they'll likely claim that the U.S. only kills civilians by accident, not on purpose. Whether one is targeting civilian versus military sites is a central aspect to how we talk about the justifiability of violence and what is and is not "terrorism."

[John]

Dressing in civilian clothes and hiding in the population and then ambushing the military is terrorism you fucking half wit. If this guy wants to put on an Isis uniform and walk openly into the country, he can lawfully shoot as many people in uniform as he can get away with. Otherwise, he is a fucking terrorist.

God these people are stupid.

[Old Man With Candy]

You have a novel definition of terrorism.

[John]

I don't write international law, I just read it. If you don't wear a uniform and openly identify yourself as a combatant, you don't get combatant immunity and are nothing but a criminal or in this case a terrorist. This guy committed murder for the purpose of inspiring terror and furthering a political cause. That is terrorism.

You can thank me later for the legal lessons.

[Old Man With Candy]

Can you give a specific cite of international law which classifies someone not wearing a uniform and attacking a military target as a "terrorist"?

[John]

They are called the Geneva Conventions. I would point you to the 4th Geneva Convention. Even under those idiotic rules, this guy is a terrorist.

Greenwald is a fucking idiot and an evil one at that.

[Irish ?s ESB]

And he's from Kuwait and is a naturalized American citizen. We therefore aren't at war with his country and he's actually an American. Therefore, this wasn't an attack by a partisan against an occupying military force, it was an attack by an American civilian on random soldiers.

Clearly terrorism by any definition. And Greenwald's point about us only using terrorism to describe Muslim attacks against the west is idiotic since the same word was used to describe Dylan Roof and we use the word terrorism to describe terrorist attacks against Muslims as well.

[Old Man With Candy]

OK, so that would be a "no, I can't cite any law that classifies this as terrorism."

[Derpetologist]

I read that one of the reasons it's hard to define terrorism is because there is no definition that does not include things that US and other governments routinely do.

All governments use violence to create fear so they can control people.

For me, the good guys are the ones who use the least amount of violence for the fewest number of reasons.

[bacon-magic]

+1000000

[Monty Crisco]

But is it REALLY "terrorism" terrorism?!?!

[Zaytsev]

If this guy wants to put on an Isis uniform and walk openly into the country,...

He pretty much did exactly that.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Finally, the Obama I Fell in Love With!

Somewhat naively, I was hoping Obama could help the United States become a less violent country.

I have felt no shortage of disillusionment with the Obama administration over the years; and history is certain to remember him as the drone president who failed (so far) to shutter Guant?namo. But as those 10 days in June showed last month, Obama also has a great tenacity in addressing (and occasionally even mitigating) certain forms of violence: the financial violence of being uninsured, the legal violence of homophobia and the state-sponsored racialized violence of the Confederate flag on government land.

And this month, Obama is swinging for the fences still, during a presidential period in which the commander-in-chief has historically been overshadowed by those seeking to replace him.

[Mike M.]

One thing's for sure: now that we know beyond dispute that this guy was a Muslim of Middle Eastern origin, and that it appears quite likely that he somehow became radicalized recently, this event is already being flushed down the Reason memory hole as we speak.

When it comes to radical Islam, the unshakable policy of Reason and their liberal buddies is "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

[Mike M.]

I should have posted this under your previous comment.

[straffinrun]

No, you shouldn't have done that either.

[Mike M.]

Why, because the truth hurts?

[straffinrun]

You're just saying what everyone is thinking. You're like Carnac. Sorry, did the towel on the head offend you?

[Juvenile Bluster]

Post-Presidency, Obama is going to start a cult of all his loyal followers, who will (continue to) worship him as a god. I'd avoid Kool-Aid (yes, I know it was Flavor-Aid, dammit!) for at least the next decade, just in case.

[Zaytsev]

Maybe he'll come out as the 12th imam.

[straffinrun]

Violence doesn't have to be violent to be violence.

[Lord Humungus]

Where organized hate lives in the United States, in 1 map and 2 charts

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a Montgomery, Ala.,-based nonprofit, tracks and monitors the nation's hate groups. The organization has faced some criticism from conservative groups who say that the center's definition of a hate group is too broad and includes some social conservative groups that oppose things such as same-sex marriage.

But generally, a group shows up on the Southern Poverty Law Center list if the agency's research and investigative staff have found evidence of "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics," according to the agency's Web site. The center's research involves a review of news reports, the organization's publications, materials and Web sites, as well as reports from law enforcement agencies, private citizens and the center's own field investigative work.

[UnCivilServant]

SPLC? I don't trust anything that hate group says.

[AlmightyJB]

Yeah, they're full of shit.

[Old Man With Candy]

They're a fundraising group for Morris Dees. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Lord Humungus]

Fox News Poll: Reshuffling of GOP field, many agree with Trump on immigration

The Fox poll also asks voters their second choice candidate, which allows us to look at what happens to the lineup if someone were to drop out. For example, if Trump decides to get out, Bush moves to the top spot at 19 percent, followed by Walker at 16 percent, Paul at 9 percent, Rubio at 8 percent, Carson at 7 percent, Cruz at 6 percent, Huckabee at 5 percent, Christie and Perry at 3 percent, and Fiorina, Kasich and Santorum get 2 percent.

Trump's June 16 announcement speech included provocative comments on illegal immigration that people are still talking about a month later, including the suggestion that the Mexican government is sending criminals and rapists to the United States. Whatever the blowback, his views resonate with many: 44 percent of voters think Trump is "basically right" on the issue. A 53-percent majority disagrees. Among Republican primary voters, 68 percent say he is right.

[John]

A majority of the country agrees. The problem is that a bare majority is different than a voting majority. Just because you agree with something, doesn't mean you will vote based on it. Blacks are the group most harmed by open borders and generally object to it. But they vote Democrat and are not going to change based on the Democrats' stance on immigration. So that makes achieving a voting majority based on immigration difficult.

[straffinrun]

It's tremendous. What they're doing, what the problem is, what Trump just left in the can. Tremendous.

[John]

Allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," the commission stated.

So much for the rule of law. The law says nothing about sexual tastes and your taste in sex has nothing to do with your sex. But what does something as insignificant as the rule of law when compared to the all important and sacred gays?

[PM]

All will be revealed when this gets challenged to the supreme court and Roberts enlightens us as to the intent and meaning of the legislature when it drafted the civil rights act.

[John]

Roberts does the healthcare sell outs. It is Kennedy who loves the gays. Kennedy will explain the right to human dignity associated with suing your employer.

And I recall spending hours on here trying to explain to you retards that granting the right to marriage was going to automatically expand the CRA to include the gays. I was informed by all right thinking reasonites that that was ridiculous and I was only saying it because I hated the sacred gays.

[PM]

And I recall spending hours on here trying to explain to you retards that granting the right to marriage was going to automatically expand the CRA to include the gays.

It really didn't though - the EEOC decided that sex and sexual orientation are the same thing, despite 30 years worth of SJW lecturing that they are both fluid and separate, independently of the marriage ruling. Now if the court upholds the EEOC's finding when this gets challenged in court on the basis of Obergefell (which would be some curious logic, but the court always seems to rise to the task...), then the point should be conceded.

[PM]

(And FWIW I wasn't one of the rah rah gay-marriage-via-SCOTUS people on here anyway)

[John]

Obergefell is such a ridiculous and poorly reasoned decision, that the SCOTUS could weasel out of the equal protection implications of making gays a protected class, if they want to. Your guess is as good as mine if they will. My guess is they likely will because giving gays the right to sue is going to be next on the list of causes one must endorse to avoid being called a hater and Kennedy doesn't want that.

[PM]

True, I wouldn't discount the possibility, but one doesn't necessarily implicate the other. There would have to be some legal voodoo to tie them together.

[John]

That is why it is such a ridiculout decision. Kennedy just wanted to give gays the right to marriage. He couldn't declare a generalized right to marry because they would mean polygamists and people who wanted to marry close family members got one too. Neither could he declare gays had a right to government marriage under equal protection because doing so would make being gay a protected class like religion or race meaning gays got in on the CRA gravy and Kennedy didn't want that.

So he wrote an appallingly illogical and stupid decision that somehow declared a vague "right to human dignity" which meant gays and non related straight couples had a right to equal protection and access to marriage licenses.

Your right to human dignity means setting up house with another person not related to you but only one person and no one else or something.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

I doubt it'll stand up in court, but then again who wants to be the first business to be dragged through the process under the new rules?

Most sensibly already self-imposed their own anti-LGBT discrimination codes.

[John]

Like not discriminating keeps you from getting sued. And don't forget there is always the disparate impact test. It doesn't take much imagination to see all of the things courts and judges can find have a disparate impact on the sacred gays.

[Ken Shultz]

"The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says sexual orientation is already covered under rules banning biased hiring based on sex. "Allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," the commission stated."

What behaviors specially are they talking about with "sexual orientation"?

Obviously, we're not talking guys fucking other guys on the job.

Can someone not be fired for excessively lisping?

And can someone explain to me what the hell that's about anyway?

[Ken Shultz]

Y'all understand what I'm saying here?

If a gay sales associate starts talking like that Randall/Honey Badger guy to redneck clients because he hates them, is that now protected because it's somehow gay?

And why do people like that Randall/Honey Badger guy talk with an affected speech impediment anyway?

It isn't neurological. I've known plenty of gay guys who don't talk with a speech impediment.

If we heterosexuals start talking like pirates on the job, will that be protected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?

[Dark Lord of the wood chipper]

"If we heterosexuals start talking like pirates on the job, will that be protected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?"

There's only one way to find out matey.

[John]

That is the thing, to sue you have to first prove your employer knew you were gay. I guess gays are going to have to start wearing special symbols, you know like maybe gold stars, in public so everyone is on notice they are gay and can be held responsible if they engage in discrimination.

[Ken Shultz]

I'm going to start stuttering at work.

And when people ask me why, I'm gonna tell 'em it's because I'm heterosexual.

[mad.casual]

Why stuttering?

Pick something you like/want/need to do as an uncontrollable impulse, have a psychiatrist 'discover' and popularize a new way of looking at it as something other than a poor lifestyle choice and convince leftists it will demonize a conservative base and/or get their policies enforced.

I'm pretty sure a CAT scan of my brain would reveal some pretty interesting nuances that have been overlooked by considering Tourette's a simple syndrome rather than a spectrum disorder. I'm pretty sure I'd be tossed out of a Christian bakery for swearing at the top of my lungs too.

[Ken Shultz]

There isn't anything about being heterosexual that makes people stutter, and that's parallel because there isn't anything about being gay that makes people talk with a lisp either.

So why do some of them do it?

It's like cultural appropriation, which is supposed to be racist, but in their case, they're appropriating it from people with a real speech impediment. By progressive logic, gay people owe people with legitimate lisps some kind of reparations or something.

And the potential for absurdity is real--if they're talking about protecting affected behaviors.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affected

It's possible you could legally refuse to hire someone with a legitimate lisp because the job requires him to talk on the phone a lot and make web presentations--and not be allowed to refuse to hire another gay man because he talks with a lisp during the interview.

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

That is the thing, to sue you have to first prove your employer knew you were gay.

"I always kept a picture of myself and Gay Randy on my desk in full view of everybody."

[Rufus J. Firefly]

What's the feeling around here about the criticism regarding Obama not insisting on bringing back four hostages as part of the Iran deal?

What happened to 'we bring our boys home full stop' and all that?

[UnCivilServant]

These hostages were not islamist deserters who fought against America.

[Ken Shultz]

Honestly, I was so distracted by Obama holding American security hostage to his opportunity for personal self-aggrandizement, I never really thought about American political prisoners in Iran.

In my defense, apparently Obama didn't think about them either--and that's his job.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

1. They don't really give a shit, Obama needs a legacy, goddammit!

2. Obama and Kerry were negotiating from a position of weakness from the start because they desperately wanted any deal

So you know, little column A, little column B.

[commodious spittoon]

We're going to get his legacy good and hard.

[Mike M.]

Yep, and it's called "The Full Alinsky".

[straffinrun]

Whenever it comes to Legacy building time, just give a politician a Subaru because if you thought they were bad going for reelection, it's worse when they aren't.

[commodious spittoon]

Republicans are taking advantage of the Planned Parenthood fetal organ hoopla

It's more of a kerfuffle or ruckus... perhaps even a brouhaha.

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

But not rising to the level of a rhubarb?

[Citizen X]

Does it even rise to the level of a fuss or a to-do?

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

#UNITEBLUE

GOD SAVE THE KING

[Lee G]

Other than some DU idiots, who actually believes that?

[Bam!]

Members of whichever party currently holds the White House,

[Colonel Slanders]

^^^^Facederp assholes who post on my timeline occasionally

[Juvenile Bluster]

Now, now. At least they're consistent. They never criticized Dubya or hoped that he would fail, did they?

[invisible furry hand]

That's not an act of treason - this is an act of treason

[Citizen X]

Death! Or five years in prison, whichever comes first.

[commodious spittoon]

Every day, for five years, a lottery with 1:1000 odds of execution.

[Citizen X]

I like the part about "owing allegiance." How are they going to prove that the average person owes allegiance? Or can only those who have sworn oaths to the government be charged with treason?

[Free Society]

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says sexual orientation is already covered under rules banning biased hiring based on sex. "Allegations of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation necessarily state a claim of discrimination on the basis of sex," the commission stated.

Told you so. You know who you are.

[RAHeinlein]

University of Vermont bottled water ban backfires - maintain the ban, is deodorant next?

http://www.beveragedaily.com/P.....Faw==&p2;=

[Derpetologist]

Spot the Not: patent goofs

1. This inventor believed he created a perpetual motion machine because he confused power and energy. He was awarded a patent anyway.

2. This inventor created a device for leading a horse to water and making it drink.

3. This inventor tried to patent the wheel in 2001.

4. This inventor created a device that straps onto a cow and captures its farts.

5. This inventor created the Gerbil Shirt, a vest with a series of tubes and chambers for gerbils to crawl in.

6. This inventor created a mini version of the Voyager plaque to be worn on dog tags. People abducted by aliens can show them the dog tags so they can be returned to the right planet.

[Swiss Servator, rudert schwer!]

2

[Juvenile Bluster]

I don't know if #3 is true, but I remember an old Paul Harvey radio spot here he talked about whoever owns the actual patent on the wheel.

[AlmightyJB]

I'm going to go with 2. They're all equally ridicules.

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

I think I've heard of 1, 2, and 5.

3 seems too ridiculous to be real, but it says "tried to" which makes me think it's true. I'll guess 6.

[Derpetologist]

2 is the Not.

1 is the story of Garabed Giragossian. He built a fly wheel that slowly sped up by turning a crank. When it stopped suddenly, it released a lot of energy quickly. It's sort of like filling up a jar with pennies one at a time, than dumping it all at once and saying "look at all this money! It's way more than a penny!"

3 Yes, a guy in Oz really tried to patent the wheel. He did it as a test of government efficiency. He call the wheel a "circular transportation facilitation device" on his patent application.

The pictures for 4, 5, and 6 are hilarious. Here are 5 and 6:

http://totallyabsurd.com/gerbil shirt ta.jpg

http://www.earthbounddog.com/dogtagimage2.jpg

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

In case you need protection from killer bees

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

This is the horse one I was thinking of

A method of treatment for the relieving of the symptoms of colic in horses, said method comprising orally administering an effective amount of a pine tea prepared by boiling pine needles in water at a ratio of about four ounces of pine needles per one pint of boiling water to the horse

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

This one technically leads a horse to water

a swim chamber capable of receiving a predetermined amount of water, receiving a horse, and permitting the horse to swim;

[Igor]

So, give the horse retsina then.

Why do you hate horses?

[JMC1607]

I must have missed Jon Stewart's emotional recap of the shootings down in Tennessee in which he somberly "destroys" Islam for perpetuating violence and providing incentives for psychos to take others with them on their way to the afterlife. Can anyone post the link? Thanks.

[John]

I am so stealing that.

[JMC1607]

Be my guest.

So, I'm guessing there isn't one...

[John]

I don't watch Stewart but I am going to go out on a limb here and say no. But I am just a big hater, so what do I know?

[chipper me timbers]

Don't forget the part where he vehemently argues for banning the Islamic flags and symbols which are just legacies from past hatreds and crimes.

[bacon-magic]

Stewart is a propagandist using a "Comedy Show" to impart "news" to Progressives(retards).

[AlmightyJB]

"an officer stopped Bland for not signaling during a lane change"

I didn't think people even used turn signals anymore. I do but seems like most people don't.

[Acosmist]

I do.

It's free negligence per se liability insurance. Why on earth wouldn't you do it? With all the dashcams out there nowadays, especially.

[Lee G]

This is entertaining

Why I cannot support Hillary Clinton

I work a backbreaking job for $11.66 an hour, and it's hard to get 40 hours at my job. My rent is $700 a month at a supposed "affordable living" apartment. I can't get a better job, because I lack any professional skills. I can't afford to send myself back to school to gain any skills. My situation is similar to many of my neighbors. We struggle every day of our lives just to pay the rent and eat.

If I start ruffling some feathers here or seem like I take the primaries too personally, it's because for me they are personal. I would LOVE to have a woman president, but I NEED Bernie Sanders. I need a living wage, an opportunity to go to college, real affordable living, and a single payer option. Not to mention that we all need someone very committed to rolling back the effects of global warming or there may not be a country to preside over within my lifetime.

[Old Man With Candy]

NEED MOAR FREE SHIT.

[Lee G]

The comments are pure gold. It's full on Clinton vs Sanders in there.

[John]

That is nice and all but is Mr. hardworking guy going to stay home for the general election if Hillary wins? Doubtful. And if he is not willing to do that, sorry, but Hillary doesn't give a fuck what you think or need. Get back to work prole. Those taxes don't pay themselves and there is always a Mexican willing to do your job for less.

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

I love when people bitch about their "backbreaking" 29 hour per week jobs. Hate to break it to ya buddy, but most people who make a "living wage" are working twice as many hours as you. Perhaps get a second shit job to pay for community college to get an associate's degree in something useful?

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

People like this infuriate me. I'm typically detached enough to laugh at the derp, but the "I'm working so hard at my part time job!!" derp just cuts straight in and pisses me off.

[lap83]

"Perhaps get a second shit job to pay for community college to get an associate's degree in something useful?"

I did this exact thing. It sucked but it was worth it.

[Trshmnstr doesn't recycle]

It's amazing what self-initiative and a touch of sacrifice does for your future. Entitlement is a one-way track to your parents' basement. Initiative and drive is very hard to keep bridled for very long. Employers can see it in your eyes, and they know that you're not destined to be making $11.66 for the rest of your life.

[Free Society]

He thinks more government action on global warming is going to make him wealthier. Derp.

[Monty Crisco]

" or there may not be a country to preside over within my lifetime"!!!!!

OH. MY. GOD.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

How does one 'roll back' global warming?

Oh, the arrogance and ignorance of man!

[Chinny Chin Chin]

How does one 'roll back' global warming?

Here's my plan: everyone leaves their fridge and freezer doors open for an hour a day.

I await my Nobel Prize.

[lap83]

It's probably not even a real person, but I'll bite...

You idiot. Get a damn roommate and go to a community college with the rent money you save. But they don't want to share their apartment and they don't want to spend their precious time, normally reserved for bitching on the internet, on self-development.

[Mr. Paulbotto]

and a single payer option

Jumbo shrimp?
Honest politician?
Non-methhead Falcon fan?

[Free Society]

Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez of Hixson, Tennessee, was identified as the gunman at a Chattanooga Naval reserve center yesterday. "Investigators are trying to figure out why a 24-year-old Kuwait-born man, who by accounts lived a typical life in suburban America, attacked two military facilities in a shooting rampage that killed four Marines," The New York Times reports

I heard on the news some concern that we have no idea about the guy's motivation and that's a scary thing. Well fear no more, his motivation is Allah or a burning bush or some stupid Abrahamic sky worship bullshit. For focks sake he's a Muslim who just committed a mass shooting, you could make an educated guess as to the motive and unless you're in severe denial about Islam and the cultures surrounding it, there's really only one guess to choose from.

[John]

Do they honestly believe anyone buys that shit? They really must think everyone in the world is as dumb as they are.

[Free Society]

Slowly but surely they're making that the case. Look at the millennials, if ever there was a generation raised and sustained by lies and willful ignorance, it's them. The stupidest people among us may or may not be getting more numerous proportionally, and I think they are, but the stupidest among us have certainly never had more power than they do now.

[John]

Yesterday I suggested that someone should troll MSNBC by pretending to be a Tennessee state police spokesman and telling them the exact story they were hoping for that the shooter was a white male wearing confederate garb and carrying a manifesto praising Trump and condemning gay marriage and Bruce Jenner. It was all a good laugh until someone pointed out that once those facts were reported millions of low information retards would believe them no matter how many facts later showed it to be untrue.

[Free Society]

I'm sure after 5 minutes perusing facebook you'll find a loyal cadre of culture warriors saying exactly that, with a hundred a likes.

[straffinrun]

He's shooting at the oil cans!

[Citizen X]

He hates the cans! Stay away from the cans!

[RAHeinlein]

Perhaps he couldn't finance a home b/c loans in-compliance with Sharia law weren't available?

[mad.casual]

Well fear no more, his motivation is Allah or a burning bush or some stupid Abrahamic sky worship bullshit.

Thank God he didn't pick a movie theater.

[Derpetologist]

"Investigators are trying to figure out why a 24-year-old Kuwait-born man, who by accounts lived a typical life in suburban America, attacked two military facilities in a shooting rampage that killed four Marines."

From the Quran:

9:123 O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him).

9:29 Fight against such of those who have been given the Scripture as believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, and forbid not that which Allah hath forbidden by His messenger, and follow not the Religion of Truth, until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low.

9:41 Go forth, light-armed and heavy-armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah! That is best for you if ye but knew.

9:73 O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end.

[Free Society]

"Investigators are trying to figure out why a 24-year-old Kuwait-born man, who by accounts lived a typical life in suburban America, attacked two military facilities in a shooting rampage that killed four Marines."

I'm kind of astounded that journalists and even supposedly investigators are claiming to be at a complete loss as to this guy's motivation. There is a certain level of denial about Islam's pervasive and persistent violence that comes with being a culture warrior. "All cultures are equal at all things in all ways!" (except Western cultures of course)

[Rufus J. Firefly]

Seriously.

You see the beard. You read the name. You learn of their origins.

Hello.

The motivation should be pretty clear if you 'profile' correctly like they do on Criminal Minds!

You think Jerry Al-marshmallow did it in protest of the Confederate flag?

[Derpetologist]

Let's see what some Islamic scholars have to say about jihad:

"One hour in the path of jihad is worth more than 70 years of praying at home."

-Abdullah Yusuf Azam

"Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and programme of Islam, regardless of the country or the nation which rules it."

-Abul A'la Maududi

"Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah."

-some guy named Mohamed

[Free Society]

And look at how many "moderate Muslims" actually support those interpretations. In Muslim countries it's often a hefty majority. In western countries unfortunate enough to have a Muslim population, it's a hefty minority who will at least openly admit to agreeing with the righteousness of violence in service to Islam.

[Mike M.]

Chattanooga Shooter Gave a Chilling Warning of Jihad:
Three years after posing with an American flag as a newly minted college graduate and three days before his killing spree, Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez sent clear signals of his plans.

Three days before he set out in a silver Mustang convertible and murdered four Marines, 24-year-old Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez all but announced his intentions in a pair of blog posts.

One, headlined "Understanding Islam: The Story of the Three Blind Men," declared that the original disciples of the prophet were not "like priests living in monasteries."

"Every one of them fought Jihad for the sake of Allah," Abdulazeez wrote as myabdulazeez.

The second post was headlined "A Prison Called Dunya," that being a term for the material world... He consoled himself in the second blog post by saying ambition was pointless anyway.

"Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children?like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris," he wrote.

He concluded, "What is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion."

[John]

Hey now, the media informs me that we have no idea why this guy did this. He just snapped and we can never know why he did it. Just drop it and move on, you racist tea bagging bastard.

[Pro Libertate]

I think he did it because of the flags of Islamic nations.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

Possibly he was triggered by statues.

[Free Society]

This looks like work place violence to me. Islam has nothing to do with it!

[DEG]

A while back there was some talk on here of Bell's Oberon going downhill. I got some Oberon in Pennsylvania last week and tried a bottle last night. It's still a good beer, but not as good as it used to be. It tastes a bit watered down from what it used to be.

[AlmightyJB]

Huh, I had one maybe a month ago it thought it was good. Could be evolving taste. There is so much better out there now.

[Lord Humungus]

Definitely less flavor than I remember it having... or, as suggested, my tastes have evolved.

Heck I used to think that Foster's was as premium beer - now it tastes like swill. This was, of course, before the micro-beer explosion.

[DEG]

Nestl? takes over a coffee shop in Manhattan for a day and staffs the shop with naked baristas.

[Medical Physics Guy]

A tour of the world's first robot staffed hotel

Minimum wage increases FTW.

[Pro Libertate]

PRESS1TOSELECTROOMSERVICE
PRESS2TOSELECTAHAPPYENDING

[mad.casual]

Aside from the raptor-bot, they almost should've left the robots out. The ATM-style (read not-a-robot) check-in and face-recognition doorlocks (again not-a-robot) were cool. IMO, if your robot is telling me to push a button, it's not a robot. It's an entertaining (or not) interface.

The 'cloak robot' and the porter-bot were unbearably slow. Any real coat-check girl that slow would be wearing a dress cut down to her belly button.

[Derpetologist]

From the Daily Derp:

Abdulazeez may have taken it as a warning of what can happen if you stray from the stricter tenets of Islam.

You see, he shot those people because he wasn't Muslim enough. Yeah...that's the ticket.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/a.....jihad.html

[Free Society]

So in order to defeat ISIS, the Taliban and Al Qaeda et al, we need to expose them to Islam. Air drop some Korans and spend money teaching Ilsamic fundamentalism in the region. That should calm things down a bit...

[Mike M.]

He did some work once within thirty miles of those centers, therefore it qualifies as "workplace violence".

[Lee G]

That's classic

[Pan Zagloba]

Hey, it works for Krugman, so why not? Just like you can always spend more on stimulus, you can always Islam harder.

[The Immaculate Trouser]

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards released a video statement yesterday saying that "the allegation that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true" but also apologizing that the "tone and statements" of Deborah Nucatola, did not reflect "compassion." Republicans are taking advantage of the Planned Parenthood fetal organ hoopla to push for the organization's defunding.

Gotta love the phrasing

"KKK lynches blacks across the South, apologizing for the "tone" of the statements of some of its radical members. Republicans are taking advantage by pushing for organization to lose its privileged position."

Such bastards, taking advantage of an innocent organization like that