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Patent Office Can't PC Police, Kim Dotcom Can Be Extradited, Seattle Can Charge 'Gun Violence Tax': A.M. Links

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 12.23.2015 9:00 AM

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  • A federal appeals court says offensive trademarks are OK, invalidating a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision not to register the name of Asian-American rock band The Slants. 
  • Kim Dotcom will be extradited from New Zealand to the U.S., where he faces money laundering and copyright infringement charges stemming from his now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload. 
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says U.S. restrictions on Iranian visas are a violation of the nuclear deal hashed out earlier this year. 
  • The Washington Post has pulled a Ted Cruz cartoon which depicted the Texas Senator's daughters as monkeys after Cruz complained about it on Twitter. 
  • The Department of Homeland Security has denied Minnesota's request for an extension to comply with REAL ID standards. 
  • Black Lives Matter advocates plan to protest at the Mall of America today, despite a temporary restraining order sought by the mall against several individual protesters. 
  • Exchanging driving lessons for sex gets the OK in Holland. 
  • A King County judge says Seattle's $25-per-firearm "gun violence tax," set to take effect next month, may stand.  

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Don't Let Principals Censor the Internet: Public schools should not have the power to punish off-campus speech. —By Jacob Sullum

Politicians Without Borders: Today's politicians seem to have few limits. —By John Stossel 

Yelp, But for People: Reputation ratings will make the world more efficient and transparent. —By Greg Beato 

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NEXT: Anti-Pot Group Blames 'Big Marijuana' for Possibly Nonexistent Increase in Adolescent Cannabis Consumption

Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason.

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  1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    A King County judge says Seattle's $25-per-firearm "gun violence tax," set to take effect next month, may stand.

    That will stop the gun violence!

    1. WTF   9 years ago

      Shall not be infringed; how the fuck does it work?!

      1. The Grinch   9 years ago

        Well regulated militia, well regulated militia!

      2. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

        Stop being so literal.

        Be nuanced like a prog.

    2. robc   9 years ago

      What percent of guns are used violently? Say 1 in 1000? How about charging those owners $25000 and leaving the rest alone?

      1. Longtorso, Johnny   9 years ago

        Let's tax TV ads until the broadcast networks become economically nonviable. That's not shutting them down, so there is no 1A issue involved.

        1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

          Actually, they should consider taxing violent content.

          1. Brett L   9 years ago

            $10000 every time a gun is discharged or the violent effects of a gun discharge is depicted.

            1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

              You know, this would be a pretty good troll for those in Hollyweird who push gun control legislation.

        2. Pope Jimbo   9 years ago

          Why not a tax on voting? What is different about owning a gun? Both are basic rights. Both can lead to bad consequences.

          1. DrZaius   9 years ago

            How about a jury trial tax? Or maybe a tax if a warrant is executed on you? Endless fun.

            1. LarryA   9 years ago

              I keep track of county court convictions for a newspaper. Often the most expensive item on the tab is "court costs."

              $200 to $500 a pop.

          2. Leigh   9 years ago

            Or how about a tax on abortion.

          3. Juice   9 years ago

            Keeping and bearing arms is a much more fundamental right than voting.

      2. Atanarjuat   9 years ago

        What percentage of the violent ones are bought on the black market and wouldn't be subject to this tax anyway?

        1. Restoras   9 years ago

          All of them?

      3. Smilin' Joe Fission   9 years ago

        Hey guys, its my birthday and so I have the day off. I just wanted to stop in and say Merry Christmas to all of you and your orphan miner's. May your monocles shine true and your coal mines run record profits over the holiday season.

        1. Citizen X   9 years ago

          Coal? Psh. We've moved on to Unobtainium, Joe.

        2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          Thanks, Joe. Always good to catch you on H&R.

          I am allowing a crust of leftover fruitcake to each orphan, and a 5 minute break! I am weak like that around Christmas.

          1. Restoras   9 years ago

            You fool! Such generosity will only make them want more!

            1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

              My larger orphan overseers have been instructed to not skimp on the cat o' 9 tails...

            2. G?C   9 years ago

              I have always found that the orphans in my monocle lens factory work hardest if you keep that slight sliver of hope alive:

              "Maybe if I work just a bit harder he may actually give us an hour off this year. He did give us those fruitcake crusts last year..."

              Plus, you get to crush their hopes over and over again...

        3. Zeb   9 years ago

          Merry Christmas to you too. And all the rest of you marvelous weirdos.

          1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            I perfectly fit that description...thank you!

          2. Elizabeth Nolan Brown   9 years ago

            Merry Christmas, commentariat! Thanks for pointing out my typos and keeping me entertained and not ripping on me too hard most of the time. Oh, and good work with the making fun of Robby's hair. Please keep that up.

            1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

              Merry Christmas to you, too.

              Oh, and good work with the making fun of Robby's hair. Please keep that up.

              That's not okay.

            2. Just say Nikki   9 years ago

              Merry Christmas, Elizabeth!

            3. AlmightyJB   9 years ago

              Thanks for working this week and keeping us entertained Elizabeth. Mery Christmas!

            4. Citizen X   9 years ago

              Who is making fun of Robby's beautiful, beautiful hair? I will fight them.

              1. bacon-magic   9 years ago

                Not meh...and I would never troll him on the twitters about it nor make a comment like "you'll get more donations from us if you hold a scalp Rob contest".

            5. Lord Rollingpin   9 years ago

              Thank you, its nice when the commentariat are acknowledged! I'm not saying they are the best part of Reason but they are more fun than most of the articles, your own masterpieces excepted of course.

        4. Elspeth Flashman   9 years ago

          HBD! Mine is the 20th, and I know how you must suffer.

    3. Illocust   9 years ago

      So how do they know what guns you have? I'm a rules follower by nature, but telling any government what and how many weapons you own seems stupid.

      1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

        THEN I GUESS IN ADDITION TO BEING A RULES BREAKER YOU'RE A LIAR.

      2. Just say Nikki   9 years ago

        It's a sales tax.

        1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

          Yes, yes, a "sales" tax.

          At least we can agree it is a tax....

          1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

            A penaltax?

      3. Zeb   9 years ago

        It's a tax on purchases, not a registration of existing guns.

        It seems like a terrible idea to me, but I can't think of anything legal that would prevent a city or state from doing this. Cities put taxes on things all the time.

        1. WTF   9 years ago

          Well, the 2nd amendment prohibits infringement of the right to keep and bear arms, so a sales tax applied only to arms but nothing else would qualify as an infringement. Not that the constitution means anything anymore.

          1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

            ^ What he said, Zeb

          2. AdamJ   9 years ago

            It's pretty easy to argue that $25 is not prohibitive and doesn't qualify as an infringement. I'm guessing court would have some limit on what the tax could be, but of course they would never be able to say what it is, just that "they'll know it when they see it."

            1. WTF   9 years ago

              Doesn't matter, the 2nd amendment doesn't say "shall not be infringed, except for really small infringements; those are okay"

              1. Zeb   9 years ago

                If you want to get all precise, the 2nd doesn't say anything about buying guns. Just keeping and bearing.

              2. AdamJ   9 years ago

                Right, but the courts don't agree, that's all I'm saying.

              3. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

                The very use of the word "infringe", as opposed to "prohibit", should suggest that even minor restrictions are verboten.

            2. AdamJ   9 years ago

              It's already legal to require registration of firearms and not other products, regardless of 2A. I don't agree with registration (or the tax), but I don't see how this is different.

              They should have called it a processing fee, but then it wouldn't be a political statement.

              1. WTF   9 years ago

                You're right, it's not different, it's just further shitting on the 2nd amendment.

            3. CE   9 years ago

              It's pretty easy to argue that $25 is not prohibitive and doesn't qualify as an infringement.

              Tell that to those who say requiring ID to vote is a burden.

            4. LarryA   9 years ago

              It's pretty easy to argue that $25 is not prohibitive and doesn't qualify as an infringement.

              How about the $.05/centerfire cartridge and $.02/rimfire?

              $2.50 per box of 50 9mms and $10 per brick of .22s.

              Plus the standard 9.6% Seattle sales tax.

          3. Zeb   9 years ago

            How is a general sales tax not also an infringement by the same standard? There is absolutely no difference in effect between a $25 gun tax and $25 of general sales tax applied to a gun. Seems to me you can either tax guns or you can't.

            I would personally be OK with such an absolute reading of the 2nd that allows no regulation or restrictions on gun sales by any means. But that's not going to happen ever. And I'm not entirely sure that's really what it was intended to mean. Is making it slightly more expensive to buy a gun really an infringement on the right to keep and bear?

            1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

              " Is making it slightly more expensive to buy a gun really an infringement on the right to keep and bear?"

              Yes.

              See, "incrementalism".

              1. Zeb   9 years ago

                So then no taxes of any kind should ever apply to gun purchases. Which I'm OK with, but I don't think that that is something that the 2nd amendment was intended to do. I think people are a bit too quick to project what they think should be onto the constitution. And I am not convinced that it was intended to prohibit any and all taxation of guns, particularly by state or local governments.

                1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

                  But as WTF said, why is this ONLY levied on guns? To infringe on that right.
                  Remember that Obama himself said that his goals regarding gun control was to make it "not impossible" for you to get a gun. So, that is the standard : "Not impossible".
                  10 years down the line, in addition to the now-250$ gun tax, there will be mandatory fingerprinting, background check, credit check, and an oral and written test that must BOTH be passed with a score of not less than 95%.

                  So, is that REALLY an infringement on the RTKB, Zeb?

                  1. Zeb   9 years ago

                    Yes, it's clearly intended to make guns more expensive as a primary goal.

                    I disapprove strongly. I'm just still not completely convinced that the constitution forbids it. If it doesn't, the constitution can suck it. The right to armed self defense ought to be absolute.

        2. Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair   9 years ago

          There was a famous court case about restrictions or taxes on newspaper racks, back when it was common to see clusters of them at street corners. It was only against newspapers and ruled illegal because of that exclusivity. I believe there were similar judgements against newspaper-only taxes as being an infringement on the press.

          Extending that to another enumerated right ought to be a slam dunk. Obviously this court has an agenda.

    4. Princess Trigger   9 years ago

      Yes government man, the check is in the mail.

      1. Princess Trigger   9 years ago

        Officials expect it to raise up to $500,000 a year to help offset the costs of gun violence. The measure is set to take effect next month.
        hahahahahahah
        Don't spend it before you see it government man.

        1. Zeb   9 years ago

          I'm thinking that Seattle gun stores are going to see a bit of a decline in sales.

          1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

            The real purpose.

            Seattle gun stores will move and become suburb stores.

        2. Rhywun   9 years ago

          If by "offset the costs of gun violence" they mean "stuffed into the pockets of various administration cronies" then sounds legit to me.

          1. LarryA   9 years ago

            Ding Ding Ding.

            Note the story cites "direct medical costs of gun violence" and how much the taxpayers pick up, but "The revenue would be used for gun safety research and gun violence prevention programs."

            If the law stands, local NRA instructors should apply for grants to conduct classes, just to hear the squealing.

        3. Brett L   9 years ago

          They gotta do something to pay for all those violence by cop settlements.

          1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

            Lighting the Dunphy signal?

    5. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

      Hello.

      /hops around putting underwear on.

      1. GILMORE?   9 years ago

        ...On *what*?? The suspense is killing!!

        1. WTF   9 years ago

          His head, of course.

          1. Citizen X   9 years ago

            "Boy, you got a panty on yo' head."

            1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

              +1 in Dutch with the wife

        2. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

          ON YOUR FACE.

      2. Aloysious   9 years ago

        Dude, the underwear goes *inside* your pants.

        1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          Oh?

          *quietly slips out of room to change*

    6. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

      There is also a 'by the round' tax on ammo.

      $.02 on .22 and $.05 on everything else?

    7. Suthenboy   9 years ago

      Because we all know gun violence is perpetrated by the kinds of people who will be buying their guns legally and paying that tax.

      1. commodious spittoon   9 years ago

        If you count on gunowners offing themselves from time to time, sure. Just think of the taxes they're depriving the city. $25 is small potatoes for the privilege.

    8. Derp-o-Matic 5000   9 years ago

      It costs only $25 per firearm to shoot someone in Seattle?!

    9. End Child Unemployment   9 years ago

      Looks like I moved out of King county at the right time

    10. XM   9 years ago

      The funny thing is, when criminals in Seattle import guns from the black market or states without these taxes, the politicians there will either blame "lax" gun laws elsewhere or pretend that their laws worked.

    11. Ron   9 years ago

      when will they start to argue that you can not tax a right. rights that are taxed are no longer a right. that creates a poll tax which is illegal. All these legal people know this I don't know why it is not argued that way maybe someone could enlighten me.

  2. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    Exchanging driving lessons for sex gets the OK in Holland.

    Road head for extra credit.

    1. Fried   9 years ago

      i assume the giver is the one driving?

      1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

        If you read the article, they're actually pile driving lessons.

        1. Fried   9 years ago

          that sounds tricky to perform in the front of a car; or am i completely lost?

          1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

            You just need a moon roof and cruise control. That's lesson one.

            1. Fried   9 years ago

              does one get extra

            2. Fried   9 years ago

              that didn't work as planned...

              does one get extra, extra credit for steering with one's feet or is that just part of the deal?

              1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

                Turn in your jimmy hat for a dunce cap.

                1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

                  Kinky...

    2. Mr Lizard   9 years ago

      It can't maker her driving any worse...

  3. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    EPA Now Says It's Not to Blame for Gold King Mine Spill

    On August 5, a crew from the Environmental Protection Agency caused a spill of 3 million gallons of water laden with mercury, arsenic, and other toxic metals from the Gold King mine into a river that supplies drinking water for three states.

    While the EPA initially promised to hold itself accountable in the same manner that it would hold a private party, it is becoming increasingly evident that this assertion was not entirely accurate.

    After the spill, the EPA commissioned an initial analysis of what happened from the Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation (BOR).

    The Bureau of Reclamation found that the EPA hit a spring with a backhoe to cause the spill, but the report did not assign blame. Now, a new EPA report has the same failing, further showing that the EPA report is shirking responsibility for its actions.

    1. Illocust   9 years ago

      Not surprise in the slightest. It's slipped off the front page, now it's time to make sure it doesn't make it to the public record. They can't have a study done on their environmental harm years later if they never take official credit in the paperwork.

    2. Lee G   9 years ago

      Being a bureaucrat means never having to say you're sorry (or take responsibility)

      Bastards

      1. Mickey Rat   9 years ago

        Responsibility is for uppity commoners, not the aristocrats of pull.

    3. Slumbrew   9 years ago

      "a backhoe activated and a spring was hit"

  4. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    Manitoba Zamboni operator facing impaired driving charges

    A Manitoba man operating a Zamboni during a hockey game is facing impaired driving charges.

    Police in Ste. Anne were called to the Sainte-Anne Arena Saturday night because fans at the game noticed "erratic behaviour" by the Zamboni driver.

    "He was banging up against the boards and missing areas and it was evident something was wrong," said Marc Robichaud, the police chief in Ste. Anne.

    Robichaud said when officers arrived the driver wasn't co-oporative. He was arrested and charged with impaired driving, refusing to provide a breath sample and resisting arrest.

    The most Canadian crime ever committed.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      It would have been perfect if they had been able to work in something involving poutine and Lablatt's.

    2. robc   9 years ago

      I would have thought drunkeness would have been a minimum requirement for a zamboni driver.

      1. Zeb   9 years ago

        There's a fine line between drunk enough to operate a zamboni and too drunk to operate a zamboni.

    3. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

      /tear rolls down eye.

      God I love this country.

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        The True North strong and free!

        1. Restoras   9 years ago

          Take off! To the Great White North!
          Take off! It's a beauty way to go.
          Take off! To the Great White North!

          1. WTF   9 years ago

            Ooo coo coo coo coo coo coooo!

    4. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

      THE FANS CALLED THE MOUNTIES? My respect for Canuckistanis has plummeted quicker than a bag of milk at a Tim Horton's during a Tire Money giveaway.

      1. Illocust   9 years ago

        He was fucking with their game. They came to watch hockey, and while his antic where probably funny for a bit, eventually you want to watch what you paid for.

      2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        Hey, he wasn't clearing the ice correctly! Have you no respect for hockey?!?!?!

        1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

          Pond hockey or nothing. If you're skating in a barn you might as well be ice dancing to showtunes.

      3. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

        Er, your knowledge of our cultural habits is disturbing.

        1. Citizen X   9 years ago

          That's only like the 43rd most disturbing thing about Eugene.

      4. Pope Jimbo   9 years ago

        Yeah, it is supposed to be "Friendly Manitoba"! It is right there on their license plates.

        Calling the cops on this guy is definitely not cool.

  5. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

    129) Aren't the Grateful Dead basically the Eagles on LSD?

    Would we really have gotten any good music from Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Cobain, and Winehouse had they lived past 27? Didn't they probably already give us the best music we were likely to get from them? How many people have more than one or two great albums their whole careers, anyway?

    Am I the only one who thinks Ice Cube is not actually a very good rapper?

    Isn't Beyonce a lot more interesting than Jay-Z, musically? I mean, he's fairly one-dimensional, while her albums explore all sorts of textures and moods.

    Has any old rock musician stayed more musically relevant than Paul Simon?

    In retrospect, Duke Ellington dominated the 20th century musically. He had hit records from the 1920s to the 1970s, was hugely influential both in his music and in discovering musicians who themselves went on to have big careers, toured worldwide probably more than anybody else ever, and never stopped evolving musically right up to this death, while still sounding recognizably "Ellingtonian."

    1. Illocust   9 years ago

      Dying in your prime will always make you seem greater than you were. Imagine if George Lucas died right before he could make sequels to Star Wars. We'd still see him as a genius and have never discovered the flaws in his movie making style. It happens to artists and politician alike.

      1. Mickey Rat   9 years ago

        For Lucas, I think you want before he made "Howard the Duck".

    2. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      Has any old rock musician stayed more musically relevant than Paul Simon?

      Tom Waits, maybe.

      1. Citizen X   9 years ago

        +1 piano has been drinking, not me

      2. Overt   9 years ago

        Tom Petty and Sting both managed to stay relevant. Probably not moreso than Paul Simon. But both managed some great albums in the 90s- two decades after they started.

        1. LarryA   9 years ago

          And Sting was in Dune!!!

    3. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

      Ice Cube is a better lyricist than rapper, but that was the thing with NWA - they just press-ganged themselves into those roles. Dr Dre included. He was never really a rapper, but that didn't stop him from being one of the most successful ones of all time.

      As for old, relevant musicians, I think Sting has done a pretty good job of staying relevant and sales-worthy. As has Clapton and Springsteen. And U2 never seems to die and actually still sells. And Tom Jones has a fantastic new album out and when you consider he was a contemporary of Elvis, I would say that is impressive to still be innovative.

    4. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      Ice Cube is more of an icon than a pure rapper, but It Was A Good Day is legendary hip-hop song.

      "It's ironic, I had the brew she had the chronic/The Lakers beat the Supersonics
      I felt on the big fat fanny/Pulled out the jammy, and killed the punanny"

      Paul Simon is rock star?

      1. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

        Right. Let's listen to a bunch of white privileged donkeys culturally appropriate Ice bucket or whatever his name is.

        1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

          Rufus, we are talking about American music. When we have a discussion about Gordon Lightfoot and Neil Young we will let you know.

          1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            SOMEBODY FORGOT ABOUT ANNE MURRAY, I SEE!

            1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

              Ironically, you both forgot Alanis Morissette.

              1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

                That was on purpose.

              2. Roger the Shrubber   9 years ago

                You're here to remind me.

                1. WTF   9 years ago

                  You oughtta know.

                  1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

                    *narrows gaze at the lot o' ye*

                    1. Citizen X   9 years ago

                      This is the worst thread i have ever seen on Hit'n'Run.

                    2. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

                      This is the worst thread i have ever seen on Hit'n'Run.

                      It's like rain on your wedding day.

      2. LoneWaco   9 years ago

        Paul Simon is rock star?

        he does folk and pop and tin pan alley stuff. rock? I don't think so.

    5. Zeb   9 years ago

      I'm going to say no one the Grateful Dead/Eagles thing. Whole different approach, history and style.

      I'm with you on Ice Cube.

      I'd suggest Jeff Beck as an older rock musician who keeps doing great stuff.

    6. Judge Forrest's Clitdong   9 years ago

      Would we really have gotten any good music from Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Cobain, and Winehouse had they lived past 27?

      We didn't get any good music from Winehouse after she turned 24. That's when she completed her transformation into a hybrid of Keith Richards, Bettie Boop, and a zombie.

    7. GILMORE?   9 years ago

      There seemed to be some sense there until you called Paul Simon a rock musician

    8. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      "Would we really have gotten any good music from Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Cobain, and Winehouse"

      Maybe it's bad form to answer my own question, but I will say of the people on this list, I think Hendrix is the likeliest to have done something interesting had he not died. Miles Davis wanted to do an album with him, and he was getting into jazz fusion. He might very well have ended up in the fusion scene in the 70s doing innovative work.

      But I think he just as likely would have ended up as a burnout, either losing himself completely in drugs and/or just putting out mediocre albums.

      1. Judge Forrest's Clitdong   9 years ago

        But I think he just as likely would have ended up as a burnout, either losing himself completely in drugs and/or just putting out mediocre albums.

        His death did save us from ever having to endure A Very Hendrix Christmas.

      2. Zeb   9 years ago

        Hendrix was a great studio musician. I'm sure he would have at least kept producing pretty good albums and working with other people a lot.

    9. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

      Talking about the Grateful Dead, their two most commercially successful albums came out in the late 80's.

      They were very much a niche band, but their music kept getting better right up until Garcia died.

      The Eagles haven't made any good music since...

      Wait, they never made any good music.

      I hate the fuckin Eagles, man.

      1. Sonoran Desert Rat   9 years ago

        I've always thought the Eagles are the only band that could make Joe Walsh suck.

    10. Gene   9 years ago

      Zappa continually pushed boundaries till the end.

      Ellington IMO is better than all of the dead rockstars combined.

      1. Zeb   9 years ago

        Zappa did keep being interesting and innovative until the end. But I have so say, the peak of his music that I actually want to listen to very often was in the 70s some time.

    11. Roger the Shrubber   9 years ago

      Johnny Cash's contributions were ongoing and relevant until his death.

      1. Zeb   9 years ago

        That's another good one. I thought the albums he made toward the end of his life were some of his best.

        1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

          Johnny Cash is a great example. Ain't No Grave is a good, haunting song.

    12. BearOdinson   9 years ago

      How has Paul Simon stayed musically relevant?

      Hell, AC/DC is still making music, and they actually are rock.

      And I also really don't see the Eagles/Grateful Dead comparison.

      And you forgot that Rush is the best rock band ever!

    13. Juice   9 years ago

      Didn't they probably already give us the best music we were likely to get from them?

      Not Hendrix. He was just getting started.

    14. The Laissez-Ferret   9 years ago

      Eagles and GD are very different groups in style, tone, and origins.

      Probably not from most of them because you get more popular as a "what might have been" artist, but I think Hendrix would have the best chance because guitar players from that era have typically had longer careers than vocalists.

      Ice Cube is a great storyteller and a good lyricist just not a great one. The Predator was his apex and a great album but the rest of his work outside NWA was more a "good not great" level.

      Beyonce is more interesting because she's a talented singer and performer. Jay-Z is one of the best rappers ever, but more focused on the entrepreneur stuff.

      Duke Ellington is a very good one, but I would also mention Frank Sinatra.

      No one brought him up yet (good answers by many) but I'll bring up Sammy Hagar. People forgot he's almost 70 and was in bands as far back as 1967. Obviously he was in Van Halen, but has done great work with Chickenfoot, solo work, had a party band called the Wabos, and was in one of the best bands of the 70's that most people forget in Montrose. I don't think there's ever been a period since the early 70s where we hasn't been working.

  6. Illocust   9 years ago

    "Kim Dotcom will be extradited from New Zealand to the U.S., where he faces money laundering and copyright infringement charges stemming from his now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload."

    It's a real shame. MegaUpload was godsend while I was studying abroad. I couldn't get ahold of Netflix or Hulu without proxies I didn't understand how to use, but MegaUpload always had my shows at decent download speeds (especially the first download of the day). I'd have never started Supernatural without it.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      THIEF!!!!

      1. Illocust   9 years ago

        If it had been an option I would have watched commercials during my show. Technically yes, I stole the intellectual property, but I feel better about it knowing that I didn't take anything from them and I would have compensated them if they'd given me a method to do so as a poor college student.

        1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          You must now go to the penalty box and sit for 2 minutes. And feel shame.

        2. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

          You could torrent new episodes and buy the DVD set. That's what I do. Kripke et al still get their lucre, and I find out what Rowena is up to, minx that she is.

          1. Illocust   9 years ago

            I've never liked owning DVDs. I move to often. I prefer everything downloaded on my computer.

            1. Rhywun   9 years ago

              I finally broke down and bought a DVD player - it's great, most DVD's are dirt cheap now.

              1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

                After Al Gore went to all the trouble to invent the Xbox, at least I can watch DVDs on it.

    2. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      lrn2vpn+torrent nubcake

      1. Illocust   9 years ago

        Doesn't matter anymore. I'm no longer abroad, and I make enough now that I could afford to buy all my shows on Amazon if push came to shove (thankfully Hulu and Netflix have everything I want).

        1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

          When I watch TV it's mostly old sitcoms, and it was easier to torrent them than to rip my DVDs myself. Back when Morpheus, Kazaa, Limewire, eMule and Gnucleus were a thing and broadband was shiny and new I was Captain Jack Sparrow himself. But of course, today I totally never download anything except through 100% legal and legit channels. Ever.

          1. Zeb   9 years ago

            I figure if you own the physical media for a show or movie or music, you are perfectly entitled to stream or download it from whatever source. I doubt the law really agrees, but that seems about right.

            1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

              I feel the same way. They got their revenue when I watched the show on TV with the ads (or they would have if not for my DVR, anyway), then they got their revenue again when I bought the discs (or VHS - I actually had some shows that old, mostly inherited from my dad). I don't feel bad about saving myself 3 days of swapping discs and waiting for files to re-encode by taking the 12 hour download option.

          2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

            Pat (PM) likes shows about single roommates who worked as bottlecappers in a fictitious Milwaukee brewery?

            1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

              I don't have Laverne & Shirley in my collection, but I know all the lyrics to the theme song and I probably saw every episode at one point or another on Nick at Nite when I was a kid. It was kind of a "holy shit!" moment years later when I saw Spinal Tap and Lenny was on rhythm guitar.

            2. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

              The start of America's love affair with lesbians?

              1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

                Wait?! Carmine Ragusa was a beard?

                *shakes and trembles*

                1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

                  C'mon...Carmine sang show tunes.

                  Shirley was a beard, too.

                  The real question, what sex did Lenny and Squggy identify as?

              2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

                I thought that was Cagney and Lacey

    3. Jerryskids   9 years ago

      I trust Kim Dotcom will be appealing - surely by now some international tribunal has ruled turning anybody over to the tender mercies of Uncle Sam is a prima facie violation of every international treaty on human rights ever signed, including the Geneva Convention.

      1. Jerryskids   9 years ago

        The Feds have been acting in bad faith from day one - how can any non-US judge think he's going to get a fair trial before they seize all his assets and lock him away for a very long time?

  7. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    ...invalidating a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision not to register the name of Asian-American rock band The Slants.

    John McCain has an alternate name if that one's taken.

    1. Pope Jimbo   9 years ago

      So do the Redskins get their name back too?

  8. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

    A federal appeals court says offensive trademarks are OK, invalidating a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision not to register the name of Asian-American rock band The Slants.

    And Dan Snyder smiles...

    1. Mickey Rat   9 years ago

      We decree your band's choice of name is offensive to yourselves.

  9. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    CHICAGO, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- Game company Cards Against Humanity announced it has purchased a Picasso and will allow fans to vote on whether it will be destroyed.

    The Chicago game company, which previously made headlines by selling customers "literally nothing" and a box of "bull[expletive]," sent a letter to the 150,000 or so customers who subscribed to its Eight Sensible Gifts for Hanukkah program explaining the seventh night gift.

    The game's makers wrote they spent the money for the seventh night to buy what they claim to be the Tete de Faune, a 1962 Pablo Picasso original.

    The letter told the customers they will be called on to participate in a "social experiment" by voting on whether the Picasso will be donated to the Art Institute of Chicago.

    The other option is to "laser cut it into 150,000 tiny squares and send everyone their own scrap of a real Picasso."

    1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      Whoops, forgot the link

      Cards Against Humanity customers to vote on destroying a Picasso

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        If I could vote, I'd vote "laser".

        1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

          "No, Mr. Faun. I expect you to die."

          1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            *applauds 007 times*

    2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      Tete de Faune, a 1962

      Would.

    3. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      This sounds awful, but there's hardly any major artist who we could lose a few of his artworks and not really miss them too much as Pablo Picasso. The man painted thousands of paintings.

    4. Illocust   9 years ago

      Laser cut. I don't really see much value in the original vs a good reproduction, but I could sell my laser square to someone who did for a couple bucks.

  10. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    Police: Woman Chants "ISIS is good, ISIS is great" During Sex

    An 82-year-old woman called Brown Deer Police Sunday night requesting police because she heard someone chanting, "ISIS is good, ISIS is great" while having sex.

    The incident took place in the 4400 block of Dean Road.

    Police advised the woman to call back if she heard the chanting again.

    When asked about the incident, Brown Deer Police Chief Kass replied, "maybe taking see something, say something a little too far?"

    1. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      "Police advised the woman to call back if she heard the chanting again."

      Why, so they can listen in too?

    2. Zeb   9 years ago

      Maybe she's into the goddess. Maybe one of the people getting it on is named Isis. I knew a girl named Isis once.

      1. Judge Forrest's Clitdong   9 years ago

        Maybe she overheard Vanilla Ice having sex? "Ice is good, Ice is great"?

    3. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

      Well, WHICH IS IT?!?! Good OR Great?!?!? Make up your fucking mind!

  11. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    The Washington Post has pulled a Ted Cruz cartoon which depicted the Texas Senator's daughters as monkeys...

    At least they didn't claim they were descended from them.

    1. Tonio   9 years ago

      [golf clap]

    2. Atanarjuat   9 years ago

      Shouldn't joe from Lowell be having a conniption fit about ethnic minorities being depicted as monkeys?

      1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

        Joe can't play today, he's busy at the mall, escorting kids up to sit in Santa's lap.

        1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          +1 jingle bell hat

        2. Citizen X   9 years ago

          I thought he got fired from that job because moms found him "creepy and off-putting."

      2. WTF   9 years ago

        Since they are Republicans, they are not authentic ethnic minorities.

  12. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    Port St. Lucie woman arrested after fight over flatulence

    PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - A Port St. Lucie woman was arrested after police said she attacked her husband for passing gas one too many times.

    According to a police report, around 3:30 a.m. Dec. 11, an officer responded to a domestic battery call at a home on SW Sadwick Avenue.

    The officer said a man at the home stated he was lying in bed with his wife when he passed gas.

    The husband said he wife, identified as Dawn Meikle, 55, then began elbowing him on his arm. The husband said he continued to pass gas and Meikle continued to elbow and kick him again.

    He told police that he began restraining his wife for his own safety but her "lip was inadvertently split open," according to the report.

    During the fight, police said the husband suffered several 6- to 8-inch scratches across his chest. His shirt was also ripped in three different places.

    1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      Ban sharp fingernails.

    2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      Has anyone heard from Florida Man lately?

      1. Fried   9 years ago

        some of his more recent exploits:

        http://www.nydailynews.com/new.....-1.2471318

        1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          I hope he will make it back to commenting here.

          1. Fried   9 years ago

            probably had bad reception out on his boat.

            1. Citizen X   9 years ago

              A methed-up python ate the antenna.

          2. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

            I think he got ate by an alligator.

  13. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    'Star Wars' fan arrested over threat to student who revealed plot: prosecutor

    A Montana man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to shoot a student for divulging a plot line from the newly released Star Wars epic, court documents showed on Tuesday.

    Police say Arthur Roy, of Helena, got "angry" with a student he had befriended on Facebook after the boy gave up a subplot to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" during an online conversation last week.

    During the online fight that ensued, Roy is alleged to have posted a photo of himself in which he appears to brandish a gun, which he indicates is a Colt 1911 with a "hair trigger," according to a probable cause affidavit.

    The affidavit also says the boy was fearful Roy was going to come to "shoot him."

    Roy also said he was "coming to find" the boy, whose school was placed on security "lock down" after officials saw the exchange, according to the affidavit.

    1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

      NO SPOILERS

      1. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

        Snape kills Dumbledore!

      2. Trials and Trippelations   9 years ago

        Lassie comes home

      3. Judge Forrest's Clitdong   9 years ago

        HAN SHOOTS FIRST

      4. Restoras   9 years ago

        Sam and Frodo are gay! NTTAWWT...

      5. Citizen X   9 years ago

        Bruce Willis was dead the WHOLE TIME.

        1. JD the elder   9 years ago

          Well, that certainly changes my interpretation of Die Hard.

          1. Citizen X   9 years ago

            Not to mention Pulp Fiction.

      6. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

        I AM YOUR FATHER, FIST!

    2. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

      Justifiable, IMO.

    3. BearOdinson   9 years ago

      ITS A COOKBOOK!

    4. The Laissez-Ferret   9 years ago

      I wanted to make some Solyent Green for Christmas dinner. Can anybody post the recipe?

  14. WTF   9 years ago

    "...federal appeals court says offensive trademarks are OK, invalidating a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision ..."

    So I guess this might also effect the decision on the name "Washington Redskins".

    1. Illocust   9 years ago

      And the Reason hive mind thinks in unison "What about the Redskins?"

  15. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

    "A federal appeals court says offensive trademarks are OK, invalidating a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision not to register the name of Asian-American rock band The Slants. "

    Ramifications for the Redskins?!?!?

    1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

      GODDAMIT WTF!!!!

      1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

        ONE MINUTE!!! ONE FUCKING MINUTE!!!! ARRRRRGH!!!

        *sobs quietly*

        1. WTF   9 years ago

          Switzy actually beat both of us to it.

          1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            MUHUHUHUWHA!

  16. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    This Day in History

    1783 - George Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army.

    1788 - Maryland voted to cede a 100-square-mile area for the District of Columbia.

    1823 - The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" ("'Twas the night before Christmas"), written by either Clement C. Moore or Maj. Henry Livingston, Jr., was published in the Troy Sentinel of New York.

    1913 - President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the Federal Reserve System.

    1947 - The transistor was unveiled by American physicists John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, and William Shockley.

    1948 - Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed.

    1986 - Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling aboard the experimental airplane Voyager.

    1. robc   9 years ago

      Only part of the square was in Maryland, the rest was in Virginia, so dont give MD 100 sq mi of credit. Something about like 75.

      1. robc   9 years ago

        68.3

      2. Tonio   9 years ago

        And Virginia eventually took back its part because the federal government just wasn't building anything on it. The borders of current day Arlington County complete the square of what was the original DC.

        1. Juice   9 years ago

          Almost. Alexandria takes a bite.

    2. robc   9 years ago

      A number of astronauts beat Rutan and Yeager.

      1. robc   9 years ago

        I wonder if I could nitpick every single item?

        1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

          Technically correct is the best kind.

        2. commodious spittoon   9 years ago

          You know which other craft had its achievement contested...?

          1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            The Santa Maria?

          2. Citizen X   9 years ago

            Leroy Jenkins?

          3. IndyEleven   9 years ago

            Kon-Tiki?

      2. Zeb   9 years ago

        That's falling, not flying.

        1. tarran   9 years ago

          As any reader of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy nows, that *is* flying!

          Flying ? throwing one's self to the ground and missing.

          1. Zeb   9 years ago

            That did not occur to me. I suppose that describes being in orbit pretty well.

            I just wanted to out-technically-correct robc.

            1. robc   9 years ago

              Tarran out-technically corrected you, making me even more technicslly correct.

              1. Zeb   9 years ago

                I guess invoking Douglas Adams is a sort of a trump card. I was foolishly restricting myself to the notion of flight as heavier than air crafts or animals moving through the atmosphere.

      3. Slammer   9 years ago

        Wonder what she traded for the lesson

    3. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      "1913 - President Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the Federal Reserve System."

      Forget going back in time to assassinate Hitler. If you want to make the world a better place, Wilson is the one to go back and take out.

      1. Illocust   9 years ago

        How about Karl Marx? Imagine if communism hadn't come into the public policy sphere at that exact time. How many millions might have been saved.

        1. Zeb   9 years ago

          I doubt Marx and Engles were the only ones thinking along those lines at the time. They didn't single-handedly invent socialism. You just can't kill ideas.

          Killing Wilson, on the other hand, may have kept us out of WWI, possibly changing WWII or even keeping it from happening. And might also have allowed more progress on race relations sooner.
          I wouldn't be too sure about the Federal Reserve not happening without him, though.

          1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

            You're all getting a visit from the U.S. Secret Service.

          2. Illocust   9 years ago

            But Marx did popularize it at the right time for it to cause a lot of damage. The idea was going to come about, but it might have done less harm if it came about a little later.

            1. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

              They never could get the right top men in place at the right time.

              Glitch in the system.

        2. sarcasmic   9 years ago

          Communism isn't a new idea. Societies have been destroying themselves with forced collectivism since history began.

          1. Citizen X   9 years ago

            -1 Tiwantinsuyu

        3. Hyperbolical (wadair)   9 years ago

          That's a good question.

          I wonder whether some other person or group would have developed something similar if Engels and Marx had not got together. Socialism/Communism/Progressivism seems like a meme that would shake to the top of human philosophical consciousness somehow, someway no matter what happened differently in history. Envy, Jealousy, tribalism and class hatred seem to be major philosophical catalysts that would eventually coalesce into something like socialism even without Rousseau, Marx, Engels, etc..

          1. OneOut   9 years ago

            The Pilgrims tried it at Plymouth Rock a couple of years before Mar was born.

            They literally nearly starved.

        4. Lee G   9 years ago

          Plato

          1. Zeb   9 years ago

            Oh, now. You aren't meant to take Plato seriously.

        5. Warty   9 years ago

          Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

          1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

            That was amazing.

            1. Warty   9 years ago

              Existential Comics is high-quality shit.

          2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            By God, that was good. And somewhere Joe from Lowell and Tony are both reading that and rubbing one out.

          3. WTF   9 years ago

            Awesome

      2. Atanarjuat   9 years ago

        Mohammed.

        1. VG Zaytsev   9 years ago

          It's hard to kill someone that never existed.

          1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

            Poor Shakespeare...

      3. Tonio   9 years ago

        Learn how do do an appendectomy and go back and save Alexander of Macedon.

      4. Tonio   9 years ago

        And while I enjoy the what-if game, remember that we don't know what other horrors might occur. Also, my physicist friends tell me you can't actually go back in time, at least not to your own universe.

      5. Warty   9 years ago

        How about you kill Tem?jin before he started calling himself Ghenghis Khan? He killed, oh, something like 30, 50, 80 million people, something like that.

        1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

          And that is nothing compared to communism/ socialism in the 20th century...

        2. Citizen X   9 years ago

          -3% of the world's current population

        3. Brett L   9 years ago

          All because someone kidnapped his wife. Its like Liam Nieson's "Taken" character going on to become King of the World to secure his daughter's safety after retrieving her.

    4. CE   9 years ago

      December 23, 1947 - The transistor was unveiled by American physicists John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, and William Shockley.

      July 8, 1947 Headline in Roswell Daily Record - "RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region"

      Hmmmm.... coincidence?

  17. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    A federal appeals court says offensive trademarks are OK...

    BUT WHAT ABOUT THE REDSKINS?

    1. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

      That joke is now deader than Abe Vigoda.

      1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

        At least we still have Lou Reed...

        1. Monty Crisco   9 years ago

          I think these are rubber bullets .... CAN ANYONE CONFIRM?!?!?!

  18. sarcasmic   9 years ago

    NYPD officer faces four years in jail for accusing innocent man of trying to punch him - after surveillance footage 'shows it was the other way around'

    Officer Jonathan Munoz, 32, filed report saying Jason Disisto punched him
    But surveillance footage shows Disisto, 21, was only trying to film officer Munoz as he searched a woman's pocket with apparent reason in 2014
    The video shows Munoz wrestle the phone out of Disisto's hand and push him around the street in Manhattan's Washington Heights
    Now officer Munoz is charged with falsifying a statement
    District Attorney blasted case, saying innocent man could have been jailed

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

    Charged doesn't mean convicted.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      Wonder what the police union's stance on this case is....?

      1. WTF   9 years ago

        Ima guess paid vacation and more training.

      2. sarcasmic   9 years ago

        The only thing he did wrong was not destroy the video footage that falsely contradicted his truthful report.

    2. VG Zaytsev   9 years ago

      By "innocent man could be jailed" he means the hero is blue.

      1. sarcasmic   9 years ago

        It appears the DA wants to make an example out of the cop. In other words, he's trying to get himself forced out of his job.

  19. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    A federal appeals court says offensive trademarks are OK...

    But Rico Soave says they're not okay.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      Paragraph 7 of the decision will shock you!

  20. Gadianton   9 years ago

    Vote for Popehat's Censorius Asshat of 2015.

    1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      But vote anonymously, you don't want to be subpoenaed.

      1. Judge Forrest's Clitdong   9 years ago

        But we must find these threats to the US government!

      2. Rhywun   9 years ago

        There's a place in hell reserved for people who use the word 'asshat' indiscriminately.

        1. Citizen X   9 years ago

          You just loooove playing with fire, don't you.

    2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      Looks like Our Future Ruler is going to win. It is like Reason commenters are not well-liked by the internets. You people...

      1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

        What do you mean 'you people'?

    3. The Hyperbole   9 years ago

      I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict Preet by a landslide.

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        Or perhaps an avalanche of woodchips?

    4. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

      I voted for you know who.

      Chipper, Wood.

      But that Judge Lisa sounds like one heckuva cunt.

  21. sarcasmic   9 years ago

    Internet baffled by mysterious 'alien eggs' hatching in British countryside that are actually unusual fungus

    Photographs of fungus, known as devil's fingers, were posted on Twitter
    They show red tentacles unfurling from fleshy sac in the New Forest
    Sparked frenzy on Twitter, with users saying it looked like an 'alien'

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

    That shit is messed up.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      STEVE SMITH HAVE IDEA HOW TO USE...

      1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

        WHEN ONLY TOOL YOU HAVE IS PENIS, EVERY PROBLEM LOOK LIKE BEING NAILED.

    2. Lee G   9 years ago

      I've seen this movie.

    3. Rhywun   9 years ago

      Happy triffids day.

    4. Roger the Shrubber   9 years ago

      Time lapse is fascinating.

    5. commodious spittoon   9 years ago

      also known as octopus stinkhorn

      Remind me why we even bother with Latin names?

      1. sarcasmic   9 years ago

        So dorks can have conversations.

    6. Rhywun   9 years ago

      it looked like an 'alien'

      Nah, just Australian.

      1. WTF   9 years ago

        Distinction without a difference.

      2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        Not nearly deadly enough looking.

        1. Rhywun   9 years ago

          Wait until it morphs into its motile stage.

    7. Clich? Bandit   9 years ago

      It grows on soil, often among decaying wood chips

      Hmm, this shit must be all over the Reason UK office.

  22. Suthenboy   9 years ago

    "The Washington Post has pulled a Ted Cruz cartoon which depicted the Texas Senator's daughters as monkeys after Cruz complained about it on Twitter."

    I wonder if the WP would print such a cartoon depicting Obumbles daughters as monkeys? With Progs principle only applies when dealing with the right kinds of people.

    1. Medical Physics Guy   9 years ago

      I am starting to think it would be worth electing Cruz just for 4-8 years of fever pitch collective pantssh_tting by DC and the MSM. That's an issue a libertarian could get on board with.

      1. Atanarjuat   9 years ago

        I wonder if the Democrats will feign libertarian sympathies during the next Republican administration like they did during the last one.

        1. Just say Nikki   9 years ago

          Yes, H&R will shift from yokel to cosmo when the next R is elected president.

          1. Warty   9 years ago

            I can't wait for this place to become nothing but joes. A thousand joes. Everywhere, joes.

            1. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

              /shakes beer can and opens in Warty's face.

              Woooo! Country come back!!

              1. Warty   9 years ago

                And LoneWackos! Shut the fuck up, LoneWackos.

                *sigh*

                1. Atanarjuat   9 years ago

                  I kind of miss LoneWacko.

                  1. Citizen X   9 years ago

                    It's too bad Epi cut so close to the bone with those allegations of pedophilia. I miss him and his ToughQuestions.

                    1. Warty   9 years ago

                      THAT WAS ME YOU DOPE

                    2. Citizen X   9 years ago

                      Doesn't matter. Everyone knows that Epi is actually just a conjoined twin that budded from your left pec that time you overdosed on Creatine and testosterone supplements.

                    3. Warty   9 years ago

                      YOU CAN'T OVERDOSE ON CREATINE IT'S A NUTRIENT FUCK YOU I'LL KILL YOU I'LL KILL YOU

                    4. Citizen X   9 years ago

                      Stifle your roid rage, meathead. We all remember when you fugued, impregnated 80% of the population of Ohio, and punched that aircraft carrier in half.

        2. Lee G   9 years ago

          Just wait for the ALL CAPS shouting matches when it's Clinton vs Trump and some article suggests voting for Clinton as the lesser of two evils.

          1. WTF   9 years ago

            Clinton could never be the lesser of two evils. Unless Cthulhu was a nominee.

          2. robc   9 years ago

            As long as the LP has ballot access, I have an option. Even if its Barr.

    2. straffinrun   9 years ago

      Or Rubio's kids as lil' tacos.

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        Rubio is Cuban; tacos are a Mexican thing.

        1. straffinrun   9 years ago

          So I've heard. PB hasn't.

          1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

            DAMMIT!

        2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          Not according to Shriek.

        3. Rhywun   9 years ago

          Cultural appropriation!

        4. double ham fisted   9 years ago

          I heard somewhere that they should have Taco Bells there by now.

    3. Rhywun   9 years ago

      Who even knows that he has two daughters? I'm not sure what the point was of including them in a cartoon whether as money grinders or not.

      1. Just say Nikki   9 years ago

        He used them in an ad that premiered over the weekend. Not only was that the justification for using them in a political cartoon (it's okay to depict them because he brought them into the campaign), it was also the reason (he's an organ grinder making his children dance by putting them in his ads).

        Of course, like, all politicians use their kids in ads...so...

        1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

          Yes. It is terribly wrong, though, to have the opinion that a teenage Obama daughter wearing short shorts is improper.

        2. Lee G   9 years ago

          Using your family as political props is a vulgar trend that goes back decades. I still don't approve of the WP cartoon because the kids aren't responsible for how their parents are using them. it would have been better to depict them as actual kids and Cruz as a swarthy organ grinder.

          1. Tonio   9 years ago

            +1 Rick Santorum's daughter crying while holding her dolly.

        3. Rhywun   9 years ago

          He used them in an ad that premiered over the weekend.

          Ah ok, I get it then.

          I do agree that politicians using their kids - 4 and 7 years old - like this is scummy. Shame on Cruz. The cartoon sounds tasteless too. So... no good guy here.

          1. straffinrun   9 years ago

            If they were saying, "Can we really take out loans on them (points to 4 and 7 year olds) and claim to be a moral society?". I'd be okay with that.

    4. Tonio   9 years ago

      ^This. Minor children of politicians should be off limits as long as they stay out of politics. The question about a similar cartoon of the current president's children is totally fair and very on point; this really exposes their hypocrisy.

      1. commodious spittoon   9 years ago

        Biden wouldn't have had to worry too much about it.

        ...too soon?

        1. Lee G   9 years ago

          Nah. Grown children are OK. Besides Biden is wearing that particular sob story out.

          1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

            Hunter Biden joined the Navy Reserve for like five weeks before he was booted for testing positive for cocaine.

        2. Tonio   9 years ago

          Grown children who choose to be public figures are fair game.

          1. commodious spittoon   9 years ago

            Okay, but Chelsea is off limits, hear?

            1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

              Crusty has a sad.

            2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

              Yes, yes she is. But, Hill can use her grandchildren as props.

            3. DrZaius   9 years ago

              And still is. Thinking back on it I think making her look like an ugly duckling back in '92 was actually an attempt to bait conservatives into making fun of her. She was just so ridiculous looking when you look back on the campaign. Nobody would go out in public intentionally looking like that, especially if you're in a high profile arena like the fucking election. Okay, Tanya Harding would go out looking like that, but that's a different story.

              1. Citizen X   9 years ago

                Hey man, the early 90s were a weird time for everybody.

                1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

                  the early 90s were a weird time for everybody.

                  That was back when M.C. Hammer ran the world...

                  1. Citizen X   9 years ago

                    Parachute pants are coming back, brah. That's why i still wear mine.

          2. Rhywun   9 years ago

            Yeah, Deblasio's kid with the giant afro which won him the race seemed perfectly willing to bask in the limelight.

  23. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    ...stemming from his now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload.

    It's defunct? Where have I been putting my files for the last year, I wonder.

    1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      Mega != Megaupload

  24. Je suis Woodchipper   9 years ago

    With regard to Seattle's $25 gun and $0.02/.05 ammo tax.. is it applied to online purchases?

    1. Bobarian (Would Chip Her)   9 years ago

      If you are using a local broker from Seattle as a receiver, yes.

  25. Warty   9 years ago

    Ares Kingdom

    1. straffinrun   9 years ago

      Try again, Warty.

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        I figured it was a holiday homage to SugarFree.

        1. straffinrun   9 years ago

          Maybe it was this one then.

    2. Tonio   9 years ago

      Did you mean this, Warty?

      1. Warty   9 years ago

        Dammit. Fucking browser with no reasonable installed. Fucking doing HTML manually the old-fashioned way like some mid-90s idiot jerk moron.

        Let's try again. Ares Kingdom

        1. straffinrun   9 years ago

          I tried to help and get called a mid-90s idiot jerk moron. Worst chat room ever.

          1. Warty   9 years ago

            WHY DON'T YOU GO WATCH FRIENDS YOU JERK

            1. straffinrun   9 years ago

              Keep up the all caps, people will think your keyboard is gooped up. That nickname SQWERTY could finally stick.

              1. Aloysious   9 years ago

                SQWERTY? My feeble brain translated that as SQUIRTY.

                Now I can't even finish my cup of coffee.

                1. straffinrun   9 years ago

                  Um, "gooped up", "stick"? Next time I put a link to it if you want.

        2. Citizen X   9 years ago

          Since you brought up Genghis Khan earlier: how about some Mongolian folk metal?

          1. Warty   9 years ago

            Throat-singing is my kryptonite.

            1. Citizen X   9 years ago

              Good to know. [adds "throat singing" to plan]

  26. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

    Energy and Commerce
    ?
    @HouseCommerce

    Chmn @RepFredUpton announces comprehensive review of causes, effects, and treatments for #Concussions - http://1.usa.gov/1U2zIr4
    11:49 AM - 22 Dec 2015

    The idea of government getting involved in this gives me a concussion AND the urge to consume large amounts of Kosher salt.

    1. Lee G   9 years ago

      There must be a movie coming out about it or something...

      1. Mickey Rat   9 years ago

        I heard last week that the real life doctor the movie is about wrote an op-ed last week calling for a ban on people under 18 from participating in organized contact sports (football, hockey, martial arts, etc.) out of fear of concussions.

        1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

          BANNED IN CANADA

    2. Tonio   9 years ago

      But the NFL is clearly engaged in interstate commerce.

      1. robc   9 years ago

        Not according to OWH.

    3. Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer   9 years ago

      I bet you there are more bicycle injuries than concussions.

    4. Warty   9 years ago

      The NFL is so thoroughly crooked and so thoroughly in bed with so many levels of crooked governments that it's hard to give a shit about this horseshit nonsense bullshit investigation. But seriously, fuck these idiots. Why don't they have another bullshit steroid witchhunt while they're at it?

      1. Restoras   9 years ago

        I won't be satisfied until there is a Congressional investigation into the amount of curve on a hockey stick blade that is safe.

  27. Sevo   9 years ago

    Some alt text might explain the illustration.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      Rejected Kool-Aid Man stand-in?

      1. Sevo   9 years ago

        As good a guess as any.
        I was thinking it might be the whacko from the Chipotle thread, but they have another photo for him.

  28. Free Society   9 years ago

    Kim Dotcom will be extradited from New Zealand to the U.S., where he faces money laundering and copyright infringement charges stemming from his now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload.

    What a terrifyingly powerful we live under. There's not a single federal agency, bureau, department or institution that shouldn't be fed through a woodchipper.

    1. Free Society   9 years ago

      powerful government*

  29. Libertymike   9 years ago

    Merry Christmas to all.

    May you not fear engaging progressive acquaintances, family members, in-laws and friends this yuletide.

    Spread the gospel of anarcho-free enterprise-individualism!

    1. Citizen X   9 years ago

      DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO.

      1. Libertymike   9 years ago

        Okay, wise guy, Santa just crossed you off the list. You will not be getting that red ryder BB gun.

        1. Citizen X   9 years ago

          As a free-market individualist, i'll go buy my own damn gun.

          1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

            You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

          2. Libertymike   9 years ago

            Ah, just like Sheriff J.P. Harrah (Robert Mitchum) said it to Bull (Arthur Hunnicut) about Cole Thornton (John Wayne) chasing after Maudie (Charlene Holt) in the penultimate scene of El Dorado!

    2. Free Society   9 years ago

      So what you're saying is... that I need to shit in a box and give it to my most socialist family member? Alright, then it comes down to the hipster millenial SJW art student or the 70 year old retired bureaucrat and current Bernie Sanders supporter. Decisions decisions.

      1. Libertymike   9 years ago

        In so many words.

        "hipster millennial SJW art student" - good luck.

  30. Hayeksplosives   9 years ago

    "The Department of Homeland Security has denied Minnesota's request for an extension to comply with REAL ID standards"

    Next you're going to tell me that a Polaroid taped to a hockey puck isn't valid ID. What's the world coming to?

    1. Citizen X   9 years ago

      Polaroid taped to a hockey puck

      Only in Canada, friendo.

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