Six U.S. Troops Killed in Afghanistan, Graham Drops Out, Gov. Cuomo Plans Thousands of Pardons: P.M. Links

• 

  Scott Shackford

  Six U.S. troops were killed and three were injured in Afghanistan in what appears to have been a suicide attack.

• Now that he was able to give his "I told you so!" lecture at the last Republican undercard debate, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), has suspended his presidential campaign.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he plans to pardon thousands of people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes as teenagers. The goal is to reduce a barrier to these people finding jobs and housing as adults.
• Mall of America in Minnesota is suing to try to stop Black Lives Matter protesters from using them for their police abuse protests and disrupting holiday shopping.
• President Barack Obama says Donald Trump is exploiting blue-collar Americans' fears to get votes. Thanks for checking in with that surprising take, there, Mr. President. Now, about the Democratic Party's union support… .
• Important puppy news! Some miscreant left four adorable puppies (pictured above) abandoned in a cardboard box in the gutter right next to Reason's Los Angeles office. We're pointing this out to any area folks looking to make some helpless animals' lives better via voluntary choice. The puppies have been brought to the West Los Angeles shelter of the city's animal services. They'll be held for five days and then will be available to adopt. Yes, we turned to a government agency, but hey, we are paying our taxes, you know.

New at Reason.com:

• The New York Times Complains of Drug Price Hikes While Raising Its Own Subscription Fees
  The freedom to set prices free of government coercion makes for better newspapers and better medicine.
  By Ira Stoll
• Why Jean-Paul Sartre Should Have Been a Libertarian!
  By Nick Gillespie and Todd Krainin

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

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Awww, puppies.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Hello.

[perlchpr]

Given the usual sort of nutpunching Reason delivers, they should probably have a picture of puppies in every AM or PM links.

[R C Dean]

Yes, we turned to a government agency, but hey, we are paying our taxes, you know.

There are private adoption and animal shelters, you know.

And, Reason, you are tax- exempt. If you're paying taxes, you are doing it all wrong.

[Zunalter]

Also, defending your use of unconstitutional government services by proclaiming your taxpayer status sort of beside the point, eh?

[Gooch]

While still a government entity the LA shelters have a running agreement and close ties with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, a private charity. The relationship has saved thousands of animals.

[Hank Phillips]

we are paying our taxes, you know.

Surely they meant to say the government's taxes...

[Just say Nikki]

The KKK loves Trump:

Rachel Pendergraft ? the national organizer for the Knights Party, a standard-bearer for the Ku Klux Klan ? told The Washington Post that the KKK, for one, has a new conversation starter at its disposal.

You might call it a "Trump card."

It involves, say, walking into a coffee shop or sitting on a train while carrying a newspaper with a Donald Trump headline. The Republican presidential candidate, Pendergraft told The Post, has become a great outreach tool, providing separatists with an easy way to start a conversation about issues that are important to the dying white supremacist movement.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Can Trump get the Independent vote?

I know one registered I who says will vote Sanders to piss the GOP/Dem off.

[Mazakon]

I've heard something related to that in that if both Trump and Sanders went Independent, we might actually be able to break up the two-party, status quo dynamic.

[some guy]

This would be beautiful. But everything would snap back to polarized by the midterm election.

[R C Dean]

Yeah, but polarized on different axes, not the current brainless TEAM PURPLE: BE RULED axis.

[Jerry on the rocks]

Talking about breaking up two-party systems: Spain's Election Results Are a Mess.

No Trump needed.

[Pan Zagloba]

Which part sounds good about it? Having alternative governments of Dems/Repubs caused by vote-splitting, like Canada, or coalition governments like Europe, where Sanders gets to run Education and Hilary runs State Dept?

[Zunalter]

If the alternative to Hillary and Jeb is Donald and Bernie, I think the "breaking of the two party system" victory will be Pyrrhic at best.

[some guy]

I don't know anyone from anywhere on the political spectrum who likes Trump, and I have quite a bit of family that falls well into the "rural blue-collar" zone. I mean, I believe the polls and all, I just have no anecdotal evidence to support them.

[Suthenboy]

"I mean, I believe the polls and all,..."

Pssst. I have this bridge...

*Six months from now

"Hey Suthenboy, what happened to that bridge you had?"

"Oh, that? I sold it to some guy."

[Crusty Juggler]

I think Trump talks about bringing back manufacturing to America, which I think could help him win blue voters who are still unhappy about NAFTA.

I have no idea if those voters actually exist, or if they are like Reagan democrats and have already been absorbed into a voting block.

[SIV]

Hey look, its Pauline Kael!

[Hyperion]

I know quite a few people who love Trump and I live in the bluest of blue Maryland. And you can't talk them out of it either. What, Rand Paul? Who? Trump is our guy! He'll make Murika great again!

Ok, none of them actually said he'll make Murika great again, they just said they're going to vote for him.

I don't think the polls are wrong, sorry to say.

[Juice]

I know quite a few people who love Trump and I live in the bluest of blue Maryland.

Yup, I've met a couple of Trumperts here in Murrland.

[Zunalter]

I don't know anyone from anywhere on the political spectrum who likes Trump

Anecdotally, I have 3 or 4 people in my circle of relationships who like him. One group is right-leaning(ish) and mostly politically uninformed. The other group is comprised of people who hate Obama and all they care about is someone being willing to say mean things about him.

My personal belief is that most Trump supporters are there for the sideshow and have no intention of voting for anyone come election time. And by "belief" I mean "sincere denialist fantasy".

[JW]

Any statement forthcoming from the Illinois Nazis?

[BearOdinson]

SInce no one else has stepped up:
"I hate Illinois Nazis!"

[Anomalous]

You know who else hated Illinois Nazis?

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

Indiana Nazis?

[PapayaSF]

And I believe that Obama got endorsements from at least one American Communist party. Candidates are not responsible for the people who endorse them.

[Suthenboy]

The difference being that he thinks that is a good thing.

[Winston]

The CPUSA has endorsed every Dem nominee starting with Dukakis.

[Zeb]

Probably mostly because they can't get their own candidates on many ballots.

[Suthenboy]

There is still a white supremacist movement?

[Crusty Juggler]

Would you like to receive some pamphlets?

[SIV]

Seems alive and well on the Twitter.

[Zeb]

Either that or a very elaborate false flag operation.

[Hyperion]

I'm not sure about in the USA, but I have heard it's a thing in Germany.

[R C Dean]

There is still a white supremacist movement?

Not one that matters, no.

[PapayaSF]

Of course it matters! It justifies Morris Dees getting rich via the SPLC, it justifies BlackLivesMatter making noise and demanding money and power, and on and on. It matters very much.

[Hyperion]

Of course the Donald loves the KKK too! He said so! The Donald loves Hitler too, he's the anti-Christ!

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Barack Obama says Donald Trump is exploiting blue-collar Americans' fears to get votes.

President Obvious over here.

[Ted S.]

This from the "bitter cling" president.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I wonder if he has given any consideration as to why blue-collar white men feel completely cast out from the Democratic party?

[Rich]

"Hmm. Could it *really* be because I'm Black?"

[Zeb]

Well, the ones who aren't unionized anyway.

[Zeb]

And Democrats are exploiting the fears of minorities and white, middle class idiots to get votes. So all is as it should be.

[Zunalter]

President Obvious over here.

More like President Pot talking smack about Candidate Kettle.

[Sevo]

Even the Chron recognizes the market:
"It's not only tenants who respond to market forces, but landlords, too.
Place too many restrictions on what people are allowed to charge for rent, and increasingly landlords will refuse to rent at all. If Peskin isn't careful, he could be writing the "Airbnb Advancement Act.""
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opi.....ate-result

[perlchpr]

Enh. It's just an editorial.

[BigT]

Social Justice Wars: The Farce Awakens

[Mad Scientist]

Puppies!

[Ted S.]

I live on the other coast, so can't adopt the Reason puppies.

[some guy]

They should just let the puppies gambol through the offices. Nature will take its course.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

They'd mooch food from staffers until they can't move?

[Tonio]

They'd poop and pee on the carpet?

[bacon-magic]

How many Reason writers have already pooped/peed on the carpet already? A few puppy drops won't hurt.

[Crusty Juggler]

How many Reason writers have already pooped/peed on the carpet already? A few puppy drops won't hurt.

Do you propose another way for Welch to establish dominance?

[Mad Scientist]

He could start humping Gillespie's leg. That might work.

[bacon-magic]

There can only be one. Either a sword duel or flip a quarter.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

They'd view Gillespie's jacket as the Alpha?

[Sevo]

Obama accuses Trump of copyright infringement!

"Obama targets Trump, says candidate 'exploiting' blue-collar fears"
[?]
""Some of it justified but just misdirected," Obama said. "I think somebody like Mr. Trump is taking advantage of that. That's what he's exploiting during the course of his campaign."
http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....fears.html

How dare Trump take a page from Obo's lies?!

[Just say Nikki]

If you want to show solidarity with Muslim women, don't put on a headscarf:

As women who grew up in modern Muslim families with theologians, we are trying to reclaim our religion from the prongs of a strict interpretation. Like in our youth, we are witnessing attempts to make this strict ideology the one and only accepted face of Islam. We have seen what the resurgence of political Islam has done to our regions of origin and to our adoptive country.

[Tonio]

Cultural appropriation?

[Zeb]

don't put on a headscarf

Done.

Are people actually doing that?

[lap83]

The professor fired from the Christian college wore a hijab to attempt to show solidarity
http://www.theatlantic.com/pol.....or/421029/

[Hayeksplosives]

Chief of police in Minneapolis wore one a few months back for "solidarity." She's also an idiot, but that might be coincidental.

[lap83]

So religious people find meaning in their rituals and don't necessarily appreciate someone copying one or two of them to make a political point. No kidding

[Juice]

1 Corinthians 11

[cavalier973]

*Narrows eyes*

Which translation are you using?

[lap83]

I'm not sure what your point is. I doubt the aforementioned Muslim women would find that relevant and if solidarity with Muslims is the goal, it doesn't matter what Christians do but how Muslims perceive them. But of course that isn't the true goal. The goal is to advertise how tolerant they are.

[lap83]

Basically I think you need common values and goals to credibly demonstrate solidarity. Most claims of it are just token gestures by people who don't have a deep understanding of the beliefs they're attempting to unite. I highly doubt true religious solidarity is possible because the values and goals are so antithetical. But individuals can still find common ground outside of their respective religions. It requires some honesty and actually getting to know real people instead of collectivizing them

[lap83]

Sometimes solidarity isn't possible. That's where the honesty comes in.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Mall of America in Minnesota is suing to try to stop Black Lives Matter protesters from using them for their police abuse protests and disrupting holiday shopping.

Disrupting commerce during the busiest time of the shopping year might be the smartest thing they could do. Money talks.

[Rich]

#BlackShoppingMatters

[some guy]

Disrupting commerce during the busiest time of the shopping year might be the smartest thing they could do...

If they want to be martyrs to their cause.

[JW]

Money talks.

It tells me that I shouldn't kill you last.

[Fist of Etiquette]

It lied.

[Ted S.]

Money talks, but don't dance and sing and it don't walk.

[Anomalous]

It's bullshit that walks.

[Suthenboy]

It is a smart thing to do if they are trying to get people to hate them even more.

[Free Society]

The mall filed a request for a temporary restraining order last week, arguing that the mall is private property thus immune from unwanted protests. Mall of America sued eight activists with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, prohibiting the organizers from protesting at the mall and requiring them to delete promotional social media posts.

But Black Lives Matter Minneapolis says they're not backing down.

"The Mall of America has now taken the further outrageous and totalitarian step of attempting to control the speech of individuals," the organization said in a statement Monday, calling the mall's demonstration ban a violation of free speech.

Fuck those people are dumb

[Mongo]

The MOA is hardly a private entity. A judge ruled that it was private.

The MOA has taken in millions of public monies, including building a light-rail public transit from downtown MPLS to the Mall.

Whatever shit protesters can miserfy on the Mall is alright by me.

[Pope Jimbo]

^This

The MOA regularly scams state tax payers, yet has the balls to claim that they are private property and can regulate what happens in there.

If they paid their own way, I'd be totally happy with them regulating what goes on there. However, they are always showing up at the legislature demanding money because they are a public asset for Minnesoda.

[Free Society]

The MOA is hardly a private entity. A judge ruled that it was private.

Exactly right. A judge ruled that it was private. All conceivable judges for all of the conceivable future will rule the same. So how exactly would you prefer to undermine property rights further by creating some sort of 'you took money from the government' exemption for the validity of property rights.

I agree leeching of tax payers is criminal, forcing someone to pay a tax is criminal too. But you would set us down a path where the state has just another tool at it's disposable to steal the property of it's unfortunate citizens.

[Free Society]

disposal* damn it

[Pope Jimbo]

I don't think that this is the same slippery slope that you do. It isn't all that hard for a private entity to avoid taking tax payer handouts.

[BigT]

Driven on state owned roads recently?

Thought so.

[Free Society]

I don't think that this is the same slippery slope that you do. It isn't all that hard for a private entity to avoid taking tax payer handouts.

There's no slippery slope argument from me, it's more of a slippery cliff. You would eviscerate property rights so you can stick it to the parasites. Perhaps some analogy about babies and bath water would be appropriate here.

You'd see the definition of "tax payer handouts" change with the political winds and in ways that enhances the state's ability to seize property. Your kid go to public school? No? Well do you drive on public roads to your private school? Do you buy 100% unsubsidized food? Are you protected by a private law system? A private military?

You're basically making the validity of property rights subject to whether or not the government has expanded into some realm of economic existence and whether or not some court would deem such some species of handout.

[Not okay]

I agree, you would probably see the state subsidize things just to take them. Also, anyone looked at what the progs call a subsidy. Basically all the money you don't pay in taxes.

Keeping the government away is a good lesson to tax payers. Stop subsidizing shit.

[Tonio]

Yeah, they seem to be doing everything they can to alienate people. And then they're going to whine about their movement not gaining traction because of structural racism.

[Mongo]

The cops started all that shit.

[Pope Jimbo]

Not only did the cops shit their pants, they tried to sue the organizers for lost sales due to their over reaction.

Oh, and did anyone mention how the cops infiltrated BLM last year and spied on them?

The local BLM folks tend to be jerks, but they are powerless jerks. The cops and local DA are far worse in this story.

[XM]

"The local BLM folks tend to be jerks, but they are powerless jerks."

I wouldn't call them powerless, since their rank already torched businesses in Baltimore while the cops stood and watched.

If I was the type to blame rhetoric for violence, I would fault the BLM for the murder of a Bosnian immigrant and several police officers. Their calls for violence is well documented and their ties to radical individuals is no secret. But that wouldn't make sense, right?

[XM]

Maybe we should disrupt next year's MLK parade to protest Obama bombing the living crap out of a hospital.

[Slammer]

If the shelter kills those puppies I will hate you

[Tonio]

I would have suggested a no-kill shelter, but something is better than nothing.

[Mad Scientist]

But you won't adopt one?

[Tonio]

Slammer might live outside of effective adoption distance.

[Slammer]

NYC

[some guy]

Don't worry. Puppies are easy to adopt. It's the older surrenders that you have to worry about.

[Mad Scientist]

I live a couple hours outside of LA, so I have no excuses. I already have two dogs, but I'll adopt one of those furniture-chewing monsters if they can't find a home.

[some guy]

What, you wanted to do it yourself?

[Scott S.]

When I brought them in, the guy assured me that they're likely to be adopted, given that they're puppies. A nearby no-kill shelter that was full also gave them a thumbs up. A look on their site shows they have some dogs for adoption who have been there several months.

[Slammer]

Right on

[Tonio]

Thank you, Scott.

[bacon-magic]

Let us know if they don't get adopted...it might make our orphans work harder to have them around.

[Zeb]

Yeah, puppies or kittens will pretty much always get adopted.

That said, I hate puppies. Noisy, bitey little shit and piss machines.

[bacon-magic]

Zeb,
Puppies, in turn, hate you...no they don't! They are better than you, they are full of love and poop. Go beat an orphan or something you meany.

[Pope Jimbo]

Puppies are exasperating. The problem is that they are all paws and energy and no brain cells. After a year or so they develop a few brain cells so that you can teach them a few things.

But yeah, playing with a lab puppy is about the greatest thing on earth.

[Zeb]

Maybe hate is too strong. I don't have a lot of patience for them, though. If I decided to get a dog, I'd want to get a puppy, but I'd be looking forward to it growing up.

[Pope Jimbo]

I can't believe Reason didn't work the fate of these puppies into their webathon.

"If you want us to be able to afford interns who can run these puppies to the shelter give now! Otherwise we will just have to baptize em down at the river in a burlap bag."

[BearOdinson]

"Six U.S. troops were killed and three were injured in Afghanistan in what appears to have been a suicide attack"

Fucking asshole Bush.

[creech]

Really? I've had the local NBC news on for an hour now and they've covered Steve Harvey's goof and a bunch of other meh stories but nary a word about six dead soldiers.

[Hank Phillips]

Hey! The article said it was done in self-sacrifice. That's a good thing, right? Isn't that what they always taught us in Sunday school?

[Rich]

Cuomo said today he plans to pardon thousands of people

Why do these clowns *** looks at TSA and the Fed *** have to *announce their plans* instead of just fucking *doing* it?

[Mad Scientist]

If you're a politician, the right thing to do is the thing that wins you support. If keeping everyone locked up would do that, he'd be just as happy to keep everyone locked up.

[Rich]

"Today I pardoned thousands of people."

"Today we negated the requirement to take off your shoes."

"I won't discuss that until the prime rate is actually changed."

[Unicorn Abattoir]

"Today I released 5 high level Al Qaeda prisoners..."

Maybe that was a bad example.

[Rich]

"I plan to close Gitmo ?."

[BigT]

""Today I released 5 high level Al Qaeda prisoners..."

Maybe that was a bad example."

At least he got a deserter in return.

[Rhywun]

Yeah, and if it becomes unpopular he can always change his mind before implementing it.

[Pope Jimbo]

^THIS

Announcing your plan is the craven coward's way of testing the water before doing it. If people are mad enough he will rescind everything and blame it all on Steve Harvey.

[Rhywun]

"Survey says.... NO FREEDOM FOR YOU!"

[Fist of Etiquette]

Yes, we turned to a government agency, but hey, we are paying our taxes, you know.

What breed are those dogs? Short Hair Hypocrites? Statist Retrievers? Labs?

[Slammer]

Cosmo Spaniels

[Tonio]

Good one, Slammer.

[Tonio]

They look like labs, with maybe some pitbull.

[R C Dean]

Definitely some lab in there. I might have guessed crossed with a shepherd. I'm not getting a pit vibe off that pic.

[MSimon]

More labs. More factories.

[JW]

What breed are those dogs? Short Hair Hypocrites? Statist Retrievers? Labs?

Yokel Spaniels. They seem to be everywhere now.

[some guy]

Cocktail wieners

[some guy]

Rhodesian Regulators

[some guy]

Regal Beagles
Slavish Salukis
Commie Collies

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Isn't the Regal Beagle where Janet, Chrissy, Jack, Larry, the Ropers and Mr. Furley would go have a drink?

[The Hyperbole]

you're thinking of Rosie's Tavern.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I am interested in your delicious adorable puppies

[Anomalous]

Is that you, Mr. President?

[The Late P Brooks]

blacklabsmatter?

[Tonio]

Ha!

[Anomalous]

Good one!

[Brett L]

Cuomo must be expecting to face a jury in the near future. Broad pardons is a good strategy for getting yourself off of a technical corruption charge.

[Ted S.]

They need to indict about 210 state legislators and 29 people in Congress, too.

[Just say Nikki]

Jessica Valenti wants to jail critics of the draft.

[Ted S.]

Free speech as long as I agree with it.

[Brett L]

Ah. Okay. The hook makes sense now. Couldn't figure out how a Guardian columnist would get there.

[Just say Nikki]

It's funny; I saw the original column and almost tweeted basically that headline, but then Popehat actually used it for his post. I thought it was a bit out there.

[Rich]

Freedom of speech is one of America's most cherished rights, but

*** stops reading ***

[Rich]

*** and tagging ***

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

Excellent point there:

preaction says
DECEMBER 21, 2015 AT 2:40 PM

The "Fire in a crowded theatre" quote is a good shibboleth to identify those who are about to try to take your speech away from you?

[CatoTheChipper]

The word to listen for when advocates of censorship speak is "but". The but brigade loves to proclaim their advocacy of free speech, but then qualify with "but ..." The ellipsis may refer to crowded theatres, hate speech, vulgarity, etc. and it negates whatever liberal sentiment was expressed before the word "but".

[Pan Zagloba]

Thanks for that link! Sargon can no longer be counted upon to report on Valenti's nonsense, so I forgot about her. It's good to have a reminder, especially enhanced by eloquent evisceration like Popehat's.

[Suthenboy]

Of course she does.

[Crusty Juggler]

The "fire in a crowded theater" statement must be debunked constantly, no matter how frequently it is debunked.

Then again we could just imprison all the socialists and union leaders...

[cavalier973]

If one yells "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there is no fire, the theater can respind by banning the person from entering the theater in the future at the very least. The theater could also sue for the lost money from having to evacuate needlessly.

[CE]

How about giving draft proponents a 4-year enlistment?

[ant1sthenes]

A very bad part of me thinks the appropriate method to deal with these censorious asshats is to hack their social media accounts and post the vilest slander against Mo (with pictures if possible). It's like SWATting, but better.

[BearOdinson]

"New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he plans to pardon thousands of people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes as teenagers."

This is all well and good if he means drug offenses, or some 16 year old girl caught for prostitution. But, sometimes the left conflates victimless crime with "non-violent" crime. If a kid breaks into a person's home when they aren't there and steals their electronics and jewelry, the left will call that a non-violent crime. Not the same thing.

[Rich]

Good catch.

I've also heard righties *insist* drug offenses are violent crimes because the cartels use violence.

[BearOdinson]

You are absolutely right. Not too long ago I saw O'Reilly and Krauthammer in violent agreement that early release for non-violent drug offenders was a bad idea because there is no such thing.

[Juvenile Bluster]

And that prostitution is a violent crime because it incites violence against woman. That one I've heard both from people on the right as well as liberal feminists.

[Rhywun]

The Left is every bit as anti-drug as the Right - ask yourself when is NYS going to legalize pot.

[Akira]

It's almost like making something illegal just pushes it into the illegal market, where it becomes a cash cow for criminal organizations that will readily use violence to protect their interests...

It's almost like there's some reason that alcohol producers and distributors haven't been bombing and machine-gunning their competitors and opponents for over eight decades...

[Brett L]

Usually this is code for possession of drugs or paraphernalia without possessing a gun or offering violence during arrest. It may also include theft by check and petit theft. So it would depend on whether the kid was charged for breaking and entering or just theft. B&E is usually classed as violent crime. As is pretty much anything that would have been a felony before the recent criminal code expansion in the middle of last century.

[Jerry on the rocks]

Now that he was able to give his "I told you so!" lecture.

Finally, who is the lucky gal?

[Juvenile Bluster]

Based on the prior story, I think that Lindsey is happy he can finally go give blood.

[Tonio]

Oh, meow!

[The Late P Brooks]

Tim Cook says the people bitching about Apple's taxes can go fuck themselves. I might have to reassess my opinion of him.

[Pan Zagloba]

Link? That doesn't sound like him at all...

I'm presuming, by "Apple Taxes" you mean keeping the money earned outside US outside US. Not the ostensible "Apple tax" when you pay for iPhone or Mac and it costs more than another machine by a different manufacturer, running a different OS and having a different interface...

[GILMORE?]

He also told investors to go fuck themselves if they object to his "100% green energy" idiocy...

""When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind, I don't consider the bloody ROI," he said.'

yes you do Tim - because everyone knows that those features cost nearly nothing, but earned you massive goodwill and tons of free publicity in 2012.

Tim Cook seems the most bitch-tastic CEO i've seen since Linda Wachner. He gets into snippy pissing matches fairly frequently, and tries to use very ostentatious pandering to SJW issues as ways to deflect criticism of their labor issues in china, or their environmental footprint, or their use of tax havens, or whatever. He routinely tries to bully retailers or suppliers in bowing to Apple demands regardless of whether they make good business sense or not. See the recent spat with WalMart et al over ApplePay. Basically, as usual, Apple makes something and expects the world to come to them, sans a single compromise. Retailers operate on tiny margins and yet Apple prefers to do business with a Stick instead of a Carrot, threatening them rather than providing incentives to adopt their platform.

[CE]

As if the CEO doesn't have a fiduciary duty to keep taxes paid as low as legally possible.

[GILMORE?]

"New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he plans to pardon thousands of people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes as teenagers. The goal is to reduce a barrier to these people finding jobs and housing as adults"

In unrelated news, NY Gov Andrew Cuomo is also doing everything he can to prevent employers from hiring anyone, and helping to restrict housing supply

[Derpetologist]

Meet R2-KT: the pink R2-D2 created as a present for a dying girl

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fil.....st-legion/

Saw the new Star Wars this afternoon. Meh.

[Tonio]

That is sweet, and very sad.

[Suthenboy]

No matter what else is in that story the only thing I can see is that a little girl is dying of brain cancer. Fuck.

That pisses me off worse than the cop murder story earlier. At least with that you have a bad guy that can be hanged.

[cavalier973]

It said she died in 2005, so you can stop being angry.

[The Late P Brooks]

Six U.S. troops were killed and three were injured

I find troops in this context annoying. Everybody does it, but...

Why not soldiers? Pushback from the airmen'slivesmatter mob?

[Derpetologist]

Because airmen, marines, and sailors would complain if they were referred to as soldiers. Also, troops is shorter.

[Pan Zagloba]

OK, but why not "trooper" then? Troop is an organizatonal unit in British (and many a Commonwealth) Army to this day. Not sure if US uses the same terminology - is armored recon organized in "troops" or "platoons"? Not fans of Iron Maiden?

[CatoTheChipper]

I thought a troop was a group of baboons.

[Steve G]

Trooper sounds silly to those in uniform. As derp says, troops is the most common generic term.

[mikey]

In the US Army Troop is used by armored cavalry = 3 platoons I think

[Galactic Chipper Cdr Lytton]

Slightly different. Troop as an organization unit is equivalent to a company, not a platoon, in the US Army and used for for cav units just as battery is used for a similar sized artillery unit. Troopers usually refers to cav soldiers.

[BearOdinson]

I am just thankful that our Lord and Savior Obama the Most High ended the war in Afghanistan so no more Americans would be killed.......

Oh. NEVER MIND!

[Derpetologist]

Thought of this scene when I got shaved for the Army:

link

[Rich]

"Want to keep your sideburns?"

"Sure!"

"Catch."

[Rich]

Climate change shock: Burning fossil fuels 'COOLS planet', says NASA

Must finally be that Muslim outreach they promised.

[Brett L]

So the aerosol ban we put in place to "save the ozone layer" (whose already had a hole in it when we discovered it) is really what is responsible for climate change? There is going to be so mich egg on the Greens' faces when they realize it was their fault!

Oh, who am I kidding? The ones capable of feeling shame have come out pro-nuke. The others are practicing a religion.

[Suthenboy]

Well, BrettL is the only other person I have ever heard say that.

I had been pointing out for years that the Ozone hole was always there. Our discovery of it did not make it new.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Interesting given one of the top places/links climate change pimpers use is NASA. I wonder if they will continue.

[Hyperion]

We're approaching a minimum sun activity cycle. So cooling is inevitable. They have to 'discover' this and change their plan before it all falls apart. Warming, cooling, whatever, all they want to do is redistribute trillions of dollars of other people's money.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Master scam artists. Shysters.

[Hyperion]

Snake oil salesmen on a global scale.

[brady949]

I watched the Democratic debate. That was quite a thing.

[Tonio]

Do tell...

[brady949]

So, imagine two hours of giving away free things while saying you have a plan to pay for it without actually talking about that plan periodically interrupted by calls to get involved in a new middle eastern quagmire.

Honestly, my biggest takeaways from watching the Democratic and Republican debates is that the next President IS going to war in Syria. Barring a Rand Paul miracle turnaround (I don't believe in miracles), we're headed for another pointless war with no endgame in sight.

[Tonio]

I had to ask. Ugh...

[Rich]

"Your wife. Is she interested in ? photography?"

[The Late P Brooks]

Link? That doesn't sound like him at all...

Well, I paraphrased. He told Charlie Rose the whining about repatriation and "unpaid" taxes was just a lot of "political crap".

[Bill Dalasio]

This was apparently concocted by the Kasich team.

http://trump-putin2016.com/

Don't like the guy. But, that is a good one.

[Crusty Juggler]

I tried to donate to the Trump/Putin campaign but instead I was redirected to the Kasich campaign homepage.

From his "Meet John Kasich" section:

Husband, father, friend, person of faith, leader, change agent. . . John Kasich is a lot of things.

He is a lot of things...

[brady949]

Husband, father, friend, person of faith, leader, change agent...terrible debater, doomed candidate

[bacon-magic]

Don't forget most likely to yell at kids to get off his lawn.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

...Collector of vintage ketchup bottles.

[AlmightyJB]

Hater of woodchippers

http://www.businessinsider.com.....ter-2015-7

[Slammer]

Freddy Gray cop to be retried

[Slammer]

Oops...Freddie

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Microaggression

[Hank Phillips]

How can someone "be granted" immunity for gunning people down like dogs when it's already part of the job description?

[Hyperion]

Important puppy news! Some miscreant left four adorable puppies (pictured above) abandoned in a cardboard box in the gutter right next to Reason's Los Angeles office.

Probably a setup. I'm sure when you guys picked them up there were some proggies hiding in the bushes with a camera: "Watch this, I'm going to prove to you once and for all that libertarians eat puppies, just like I told you! They bite their heads off first and then shoot the bodies out of a cannon, just for extra laughs! Hey, what are they doing..."

[Unicorn Abattoir]

How long before the puppies get their own weekly column on Reason?

[Hyperion]

I think they should make them IT staff. The puppies can probably create an edit feature on H&R.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

At least they could deal with the squirrels.

[Tonio]

We can use them to deal with the squirrels, then we can control them.

[Pope Jimbo]

I read that as "the should mate them with IT staff" and didn't blink. Just felt bad for the dogs. No one should have to do that.

[Slammer]

I wanna see ENB's puppies

[AlmightyJB]

+ Grand Mastiff

[AlmightyJB]

What beautiful fur. Can I get those plus 97 more?

[Robert]

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today he plans to pardon thousands of people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes as teenagers. The goal is to

...set a precedent for when he needs bailing out.

[JeremyR]

You do know that Sartre was aware of the conflict with his politics and his philosophy?

[Free Society]

Which makes him all the more less credible, once we set aside his verbose non-sense style of prosend can actually discern his philosophy that is.

[Notorious UGCC]

"They'll be held for five days and then will be available to adopt."

By the owner of the [ethnicity omitted] restaurant, I bet.

[Hank Phillips]

Sure is a shame those boys were killed standing watch over the hidden persuaders' opium crop in Afghanist-Nam. Still, I was pleased by the good news that Lyndon Graham (the bombing escalator) has announced he won't be running for Commander in Chief of the armed forces.