A.M. Links: Snowden Backs Apple in Privacy Showdown, Bernie Leads Hillary in New Poll, University of Texas to Allow Handguns in Classrooms

• Edward Snowden is supporting Apple in its showdown with the FBI over a court order requiring the company to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. "The FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," Snowden declared on Twitter.

• "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fares a bit better than rival Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups against Republican presidential contenders" according to a new poll.

• With the South Carolina primary this Saturday, the war of words between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz is heating up.

• The AFL-CIO has still not made an endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary.

• South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio for president.

• University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves will allow handguns in university classrooms.

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]

Edward Snowden is supporting Apple...

I knew he wasn't an android guy.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Hello.

[Mr Drew]

First, let me say that it's good to be back after my trip down the rabbit hole of reading SugarFree's blog. The electroshock is helping.

So, There was a lot of discussion about this Apple business last night with much arguing and weighing of merits of Apple enabling the FBI to brute force the San Bernardino shooters' phone. I really think that that almost no one, especially the FBI, really cares about Apple enabling the unlocking of this particular iPhone. What they really care about is getting it done...once.

Get it done this time when so many people agree that it's a good idea and Screw these terrorists, they're dead anyway! and then it becomes much, much easier to get it done next time. This is all theater to help get the camel's nose under the tent and next year there will be 30 such requests, the year after 1,500 and from then on it will be part of a routine traffic stop.

Only terrorists and pedophiles need encryption, Mr Public, what are you so upset about it??

[Lord Humungus]

Apple Unlocked iPhones for the Feds 70 Times Before

[Irish ?s ESB]

"In other words, Apple's stance in the San Bernardino case may not be quite the principled defense that Cook claims it is. In fact, it may have as much to do with public relations as it does with warding off what Cook called "an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers.""

So what you're saying is the free market is protecting our security because Apple doesn't want to damage its brand.

Hooray for the market!

[LynchPin1477]

No no no no no.

They are saying Apple is wrong because it's *intentions* are wrong.

[Tonio]

Apple has unlocked phones for authorities at least 70 times since 2008. (Apple doesn't dispute this figure.)

Tim Cook didn't become permanent CEO of Apple until 2011. However he was COO, later acting CEO starting in 2007. So it does appear that some of the unlocks occurred on what was unquestionably his watch.

[R C Dean]

Yes, it did so when it already had the means to do so.

Now, it doesn't, as a result of a very conscious strategic decision to reassure its customers about their privacy. They changed their direction on this, and are resisting the government's attempt to force them to reverse course.

Good on Apple. I hope they hand the feds their asses. This will get SCOTUS before its resolved, is my bet.

[Jerryskids]

I heard the "but they've done this sort of thing before" argument being used as a rebuttal to Apple's "slippery slope" argument that if they do it this time there's going to be a never-ending parade of next times. The guy actually used the words "slippery slope". To buttress his argument that they'd done this sort of thing before so what's the problem with going one step further?

[Eman]

how the fuck does anyone think that works as a rebuttal? that's what a damn "slippery slope" is!

[some guy]

Not that big of a deal. All phone companies have unlocked phones in the past, when security was weaker. Apple changed its stance because it just made a big investment in improved security for its phones and complying with FBI orders now would mean undermining that investment. I hope Apple fights this until they win.

[CPRM]

my paranoid side is worried that Apple has already complied and this is all theater.

[Bubba Jones]

The example given was iOS 7. Apple doesn't have the same access to iOS 8.

[Citizen X]

Snowden has been rocking Twitter lately. He also took down Jeb Bush and Kanye West in a single tweet.

[Citizen X]

Hier ist link.

[Citizen X]

The original "please clap" line is almost too pathetic for words. Poor Jeb.

[Swiss Servator]

That should have been when he realized it was time to quit, go into semi-seclusion and never think of politics again.

[Tonio]

^This.

[Certified Public Asshat]

That would work if politicians felt shame.

[LynchPin1477]

I dunno, I like the idea of a politician that can't inspire people and isn't paid attention to.

[Eman]

that would be great! unfortunately democracy kinda selects against people like that. kanye is similar in some ways to hilary i think. like he's thinking "what the fuck im going through all the right motions and people arent buying it?" (its cuz youre wildly unlikeable, and not very good at politics/rapping, neither of which is terribly difficult). theyre both pretty much the opposite of the politician you described

[Zeb]

Kanye West is a piece of shit.

I hadn't heard about the "please clap" thing. That's hilarious.

[Citizen X]

I hadn't either, until yesterday. I genuinely feel bad for Jeb now - i sort of want to fix him a glass of juice and pat him on the back and tell him it's gonna be ok.

[BearOdinson]

He doesn't even seem like a bad guy. Actually, I think all of the Bush family are decent, good people. Just disagree with a lot of their philosophy of government and policy positions.

BTW: Unless Jeb espoused a completely libertarian or at least principled limited government philosophy, I will never vote for another Bush in the White House (or a Clinton, but that one is easy!)

[R C Dean]

He doesn't even seem like a bad guy.

I'm sure he's not. But he's not remotely up to the job, and if he insists on continuing to get elected to a position that he is profoundly incapable of filling, well, that's the kind of thing bad guys do.

[Jerryskids]

I think all of the Bush family are decent, good people.

I have absolutely no doubt you are correct - but the problem is that they want to extend that decency and goodness to the rest of the country at gunpoint. I think they really have to have explained to them why some people might object to the Ten Commandments being displayed on the courthouse lawn, for example. Everybody they know wouldn't object and they just don't gut-level understand that not everybody is like them and everybody they know and that not everybody aspires to be like them and everybody they know. We're not all dreaming of a little house in the suburbs with the white picket fence and the 1.6 kids.

[Bubba Jones]

No, they want to extend it to the rest of the country with giant bags of money.

It's the rest of the world that gets gunpoint.

[Mr Drew]

i sort of want to fix him a glass of juice and pat him on the back and tell him it's gonna be ok.

Amen, that was embarrassing to watch. It's a tough moment, when you get to the reaction part and the audience doesn't react.

I think it's also sad that attaining the presidency requires excellent stagecraft abilities, but thee it is. Communication is part of the job. Communicating with and inspiring crowds goes with that .

[Eman]

aside from his noxious persona, he's just a bad rapper. buddy rich or leon russel could get away with being jackasses cuz they were so skilled, but kanyes about as good a rapper as your average hobo hanging out in front of grand central. that describes his personality too I guess.

[EMD]

Honest question -what makes Kanye a POS?

[Swiss Servator]

With the South Carolina primary this Saturday, the war of words between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz is heating up.

Get back to me when one of them challenges the other to a duel.

[Rich]

With fresh cow dung?

[Citizen X]

I miss the days when politicians used to beat each other nearly to death on the floor of the Capitol.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

This country needs a new John Randolph of Roanoke.

[creech]

I was reading about the Democrat congressman from my district who in 1859 got into it with a Southern slavery supporting congressman. They were fighting on the steps of the Capitol. Along came V.P. Breckenridge who got between them in the tussle. The three of them rolled down the steps of the Capitol throwing punches all the way to the bottom. Good times! Would be kind of neat to see Trump and Cruz wrestling on stage at a debate and have Joe Biden rush in from the wings wielding a folding chair.

[Citizen X]

You know Diamond Joe's ready for any opportunity to get out his butterfly knife.

[Pope Jimbo]

Has anyone thought of what will happen to the writers at The Onion when Joe is no longer VP?

[R C Dean]

Their new Democrat masters will identify their new targets for them, and pay them handsomely to promote the Democrat brand.

[Brett L]

Not to worry, VP Kasich will make Dan Quayle look like a genius.

[LynchPin1477]

What I'm hearing you say is that the Presidency should be decided by Ladder Match, while bills in Congress should be decided via Royal Rumble.

I like it.

[Swiss Servator]

The Ways and Means Committee Enters The Octagon!

[Hamster of Doom]

Replace the silly season with Summer Slam, and I am on board.

[Free Society]

I can see congress being made up primarily of WWF wrestlers. The sole libertarian elected to office would be the Undertaker's sidekick.

[LynchPin1477]

Hillary Clinton vs Elizabeth Warren in a Lingerie Match.

Are those still a thing?

[Citizen X]

[vomits, dies]

[Mr Drew]

Literally, lol
Well done, Citizen

[BearOdinson]

I am officially an Asexual now. Thank you.

[Free Society]

That's like a superpower. You can asexually produce and army of BearOdinsons and crush thine enemies. Seeing Warren and Clinton in their granny panties is functionally equivalent to getting bit by a radioactive spider.

[Citizen X]

Seeing Warren and Clinton in their granny panties is functionally equivalent to getting bit by a radioactive spider.

True, but this is real life, not comic books - symptoms of both include bleeding from the nose, mouth, gums, and rectum; fainting; nausea and vomiting; sloughing of skin; etc.

[Random Axe Of Kindness]

Wait, would that finally be the libertarian moment?

[KDN]

Here I Go Again begins blaring from the speakers.

CSPAN commentator: "Good God! That's Joe Biden's Music!"

Biden and Diamond Dallas Page rush in and perform matching diamond cutters on both before peeling out from the Capitol in Biden's Trans-Am.

[Free Society]

People are correct when they complain that politics have gotten worse. Bring back the fisticuffs.

[Zeb]

That would make you, what, 150, 200 years old?

It's funny how people today seem to think that politics is at some particularly nasty point for our country's history. We've got nothing.

[thrakkorzog]

I've got $20 on Jackson, beating anybody dumb enough to fight him. Who's willing to take that bet?

[Brett L]

I'll take Lincoln. Reach and strength. Also, I may not like Teddy Roosevelt, but he did stand up and give a 90 minute speech after getting shot. I think we can all agree that's completely unimaginable for any of the candidates today.

[Heedless]

He also used to throw a medicine ball at people during cabinet meetings.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

It's funny how people today seem to think that politics is at some particularly nasty point for our country's history. We've got nothing.

The commentators have no historical perspective and view everything in terms of post-WW2 society. It's just like with Watergate and how they all express shock at how Nixon ruined faith in government/the presidency. False. The US has a long, long history of corruption and mistrust of politicians. The 1940s-1960s were the anomaly.

Similarly, there has always been crazy vitriolic partisanship. However, in the last few decades, the Democrats basically controlled the media and the narrative. Now that there are alternative outlets for conservatives, we're essentially reverting back to the days of party papers. Historically, though, that is more in line with how America has always been.

[KDN]

All the convulsions we've seen over the last generation is the result of the Republican party getting out of its post-Depression funk and reasserting itself in national politics. A significant portion of the Democratic party and the bulk of the Democratic leadership remembers the Go-Along-Get-Along Republicans of old and can't believe they would ever give up on being the Democrats' trusty sidekick.

Likewise, much of the Republican leadership grew up in the old days and naturally defaults to those attitudes. They're out of step with the people they represent, who believe they deserve a say in what FedGov pursues. They don't agree with the "greatest generation" that seemed to think Republicans should just shut up and accept Democrat leadership because they saved the country from depression and Hitler.

[Citizen X]

Get off my lawn, Zeb!

[commodious spittoon]

But surely it's never been more nauseating and trivial.

[Zeb]

That's called "progress".

[straffinrun]

and awesome. Trump vs Sanders. I just love it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves will allow handguns in university classrooms.

Guns melt snowflakes, even in Texas.

[Tonio]

Guns melt snowflakes, even in Texas.

Ha! But you raise a good point. We won't win back all the campuses, but this will reclaim some of them from proggie nonsense.

[straffinrun]

We need some muscle over here.
/click

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

No, we're good.

/click-CLACK

[Lord Humungus]

The Parmesan Cheese You Sprinkle on Your Penne Could Be Wood

Acting on a tip, agents of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration paid a surprise visit to a cheese factory in rural Pennsylvania on a cold November day in 2012.

They found what they were looking for: evidence that Castle Cheese Inc. was doctoring its 100 percent real parmesan with cut-rate substitutes and such fillers as wood pulp and distributing it to some of the country's biggest grocery chains.

One might be tempted to think of this as a ripped-from-the-headlines episode of "NYPD Bleu," except that the FDA wasn't playing. Some grated Parmesan suppliers have been mislabeling products by filling them with too much cellulose, a common anti-clumping agent made from wood pulp, or using cheaper cheddar, instead of real Romano. Someone had to pay. Castle President Michelle Myrter is scheduled to plead guilty this month to criminal charges. She faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

Don't fuck with the Cheesus.

[Citizen X]

You said it, mang. Nobody fuck wit' de Cheesus.

[Tonio]

This is not good for us. Liberals on my derpbook feed are already crowing about the need for moar regulashunz.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

And I bet you the most vocal people A) are lactose intolerant and B) hate cheese.

So no skin off their backs, right?

[gaoxiaen]

No lactose in cheese. The bacteria consume it.

[Bubba Jones]

not all of it

[Citizen X]

Tell 'em to look on the bright side: it turns out that wood cellulose is delicious!

[AlmightyJB]

Taste like chicken

[Zeb]

Why? Seems like the regulations worked in this case.

[Rhywun]

Yep. That and competition.

[robc]

Looks like the current regulations worked just fine.

[R C Dean]

Why do we need more laws, when this is already illegal?

[Bubba Jones]

The FDA was created in response to someone selling poison without putting it on the label.

They were horrified to discover that it would have been legal to sell the poison if it were labeled properly. So naturally we had to invent an organization to vet the safety of products.

Of course this begs the question of whether anyone would have bought it had it listed poison on the fcking label.

[straffinrun]

I hate getting cheese in my wood.

[Swiss Servator]

*curdles gaze*

[gaoxiaen]

You're just a cheese-dick.

[kbolino]

Sawdust cheese.

That is actually what we called it growing up.

[LynchPin1477]

Enhanced sentencing for not pronouncing it "par-me-ZAN"?

[R C Dean]

You mean, its not par-MEE-zun?

[Jerryskids]

Farmer John cheese for the same one who didn't realize until she was about 6 that my first name isn't "Uncle".

[Zeb]

If you thought that the powdered shit was anything like actual Parmesan, then you'd never know the difference anyway. (Obviously it's fraud, but I just wanted to be a food snob for a minute).

[Rhywun]

I like 4C - you know there's no filler because you have to bang it on the counter a few times to get the cheese out.

[commodious spittoon]

You know what else... actually, never mind.

[Zeb]

Good call.

[Swiss Servator]

*shudders*

No, DON'T finish that thought.

[Rhywun]

You're welcome.

[straffinrun]

CS didn't step all over it. He simply added girth and breadth.

[Free Society]

FDA agents everywhere are jerking off to this story until their little dicks hurt. How often does FDA actually get to be seen doing it's purported job? And not just regular ole shakedowns. I am a bit skeptical though, that this isn't just a bureaucrat shakedown dressed up, since it appears on the surface like they're doing the job that bootlickers think they actually do.

[BearOdinson]

In addition, WHAT HARM WAS CAUSED? I do believe that fraud should be prosecuted. But, in criminal law, aren't the consequences of the behavior considered? Not necessarily in regulatory space. (In the commercial nuclear world, consequences are a huge part of the severity of violations, though willfullness does pretty much escalate the violation automatically.)

I mean, can anyone show any actual negative effects? If it is only about taste, then the market would take care of it.
Nuke plants get $100,000 fines for falsifying inspection documents, or allowing operators to stand watches while high.
There is just no proportionality.

[R C Dean]

In addition, WHAT HARM WAS CAUSED?

I'm actually OK with per se laws against adulterating food.

[Juice]

When your label has "100% Parmesan Cheese" and it's actually 98% cheese and 2% cellulose, that's fraudulent. It should be illegal.

[Jerryskids]

Juice? Like the "100% Real Fruit Juice*" they sell in the grocery store? *with added ingredients. Made from concentrate. How the hell is it 100% real fruit juice if it has added ingredients and it's made by taking concentrated fruit juice and adding water to it?

[Bubba Jones]

But cellulose was listed on the label.

[Free Society]

In addition, WHAT HARM WAS CAUSED? I do believe that fraud should be prosecuted. But, in criminal law, aren't the consequences of the behavior considered?

Ostensibly considered, in reality disregarded entirely. See the drug war. Identify the victim in a scenario where a guy is getting charged for having a bag of weed in his pocket.

There is absolutely no proportionality in our justice system, and wherever it seems to exist, I believe is to be regarded as a mistake that jurists and legislators will try fix as soon as possible.

[BearOdinson]

No, you are absolutely right in terms of drugs, prostitution, etc. I guess I should have said criminal law is SUPPOSED to take into account actual consequences. i was thinking like even if you tried to kill someone in cold blood, and they get lucky and don' actually die, you can't get tried for murder, only attempted murder.

But, very good point.

And also, make no mistake, I am not advocating against laws regarding fraud, or even against adulterating food. It just seems rather steep for something that probably didn't have any actual consequences. But hey, this is most definitely NOT the hill i want to die on.

[Free Society]

The list of things our justice system is supposed to do but doesn't is far longer than the list of things that it's supposed to do and actually does them. Even double jeopardy, a long long established endowment from common law is circumvented by stacking duplicate charges and sometimes by just plain ole ignoring the prohibition against double jeopardy by trying the same case over and over. The federal register is full of laws that are nearly identical to other laws, I think for this very purpose.

[Bee Tagger]

With the South Carolina primary this Saturday, the war of words between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz is heating up.

More like the War of Otherin' Aggression, am I right?

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows gaze in blue and grey*

[EMD]

Swayze.

[Lord Humungus]

Drunk monkey armed with kitchen knife chases bar patrons

The local fire department in Patos, Paraiba, said they were called to a bar Feb. 5 on a report of an aggressive monkey with a kitchen knife chasing men.

Fire deparment Lt. Col. Saul Laurentino said the monkey drank a glass of rum at the bar before picking up the knife and chasing after men, leaving the women alone.

"It was a bar staff oversight that ended with the monkey drinking some rum and taking the knife," Laurentino told the aRede website.

[Swiss Servator]

"The monkey was being held on 1500 bananas bond and unavailable for comment"

[Elspeth Flashman]

*Narrows eyes, begins slow clap instead.*

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Do NOT encourage him.

[SugarFree]

Episiarch really gets around.

[Swiss Servator]

Indeed. I didn't know he was a rum drinker?

[SugarFree]

Only when he can't get antifreeze.

[Swiss Servator]

"Barkeep, pour me two fingers of brake fluid!"

[MSimon]

Break fluid is better.

[R C Dean]

I'll pitch this again:

Ron Zacapa 23 year old solera rum is fucking divine.

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

Where does one obtain this aquavit?

[R C Dean]

At the liquor store.

Also, if you're up for mail, here:

http://www.caskers.com/ron-zac.....ra-23-rum/

[Rich]

Now, *that's* entertainment!

Obligatory

[Citizen X]

Also obligatory.

[AlmightyJB]

There is a waterfall right there.

[Roger the Shrubber]

Or this.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

This has to be sent to the Library of Congress for preservation.

[LynchPin1477]

OH MY GOD IT'S STARTING!

[AlmightyJB]

That's better than those beef jerky sasquatch commercials

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

This is why, when I was a bartender, I would only serve beer to monkeys.

[Rich]

But then you get this.

[0x90]

In the US, that monkey would've been mistaken for a dog and routine-shot.

[Jerryskids]

Wait, you're telling me in Brazil you call 911 about a drunk monkey threatening people with a knife and they send out the fire department? The cops were too scared or the fire department doesn't have a history of axing the family pet when they fear for their lives or what? And how can we get some of this in the US?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fares a bit better than rival Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups against Republican presidential contenders...

Declaration of independents: We are misogynists!

[Bee Tagger]

"Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fares a bit better than rival Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups against Republican presidential contenders" according to a new poll.

What is an election but a poll on polls? Voters are nothing but poll ombudsmen.

[Lord Humungus]

As god as my witness...

Can dogs fly planes? New British TV show 'Dogs Might Fly' trains canine pilots

Experts selected 12 abandoned dogs from the 120,000 in rescue shelters across the United Kingdom. The pups will undergo 10 weeks of training for the challenge, during which a team of trainers, specialists, veterinarians and other experts will examine characteristics like empathy, communication, memory and reasoning skills, according to Sky News.

Tests will include taking dogs to the top of a tall London landmark to see how they respond to heights, and strapping them in for a high-speed boat ride on the Thames river.

At the end of the training, a select group of dogs will be sent to a flight school to attempt to learn how to fly a single engine plane in a "safe and controlled way," Oxford Scientific Films creative director Carole Hawkins told The Independent.

[Citizen X]

Jesus Christ, how much mushrooms did they serve at that pitch meeting.

[Swiss Servator]

a "safe and controlled way,"

Lets put a dog in a remote control airplane!

GENIUS!

[Tonio]

-1 Laika, RIP

[Citizen X]

At least we now know where Agile Cyborg works.

[Jordan]

It's just what the manatees happened to pick this time.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

+1 Les, Herb and Mr. Carlson.

[thrakkorzog]

Plus another +100 for Bailey.

[Swiss Servator]

Seconded.

[R C Dean]

+ 1 Rat Thing.

[Trigger Hippie]

http://www.todayifoundout.com/.....ld-war-ii/

At least this attempted to serve a functional purpose.

[Illocust]

Anyone else noticed that Hillary seems to be rallying after getting knocked down in the first two elections? I've seen article after article by reporters saying they support her despite starting out against her, but I haven't seen a pro-Bernie article in a while. The comments are still all pro-Bernie, but Dems aren't exactly known for going against the flow for long periods of time.

[Princess Trigger]

I'd rather knife fight a drunk monkey.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

I think it's been kind of balanced. The "how will Bernie pay for this" theme is countered by the "Hillary is killing feminism" theme.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Most of the pro-Hillary articles I've seen tend to be "I'm not ashamed to support Hillary" or something in that vein, which I hardly consider a glowing endorsement.

The line of reasoning among the pro-Hillary crowd seems to be that she is a realist and a pragmatist who will get things done, while Bernie's agenda is DOA. I agree with the assessment of Bernie, but I have yet to see any evidence of the claim about Hillary.

[John]

Wow. So the Democrats are going from "YES WE CAN" and "NOW IS OUR TIME" to "I am not ashamed to support Hillary". I think they might be in a lot of trouble.

Even if Hillary somehow wins, no one outside of a few boomer crones in the media can stand her. Say what you want about Obama but no one can deny a lot of people like and in some cases worship the guy. The Democrats are such a spent force at this point, how does a Hillary administration end in anything but disaster for the Democrats? You think the 14 mid terms were bad, imagine what the 18 ones will be after two years of Hillary, when the Democrats have a ton of contested seats in the Senate.

The bigger problem a President Hillary would have is that while the base is fanatically loyal to Obama and willing to let the party be completely gutted to defend him, they hate Hillary's guts. I can't see the Democrats in Congress all standing by Hillary and her scandals the way they have for Obama.

[Irish ?s ESB]

"Most of the pro-Hillary articles I've seen tend to be "I'm not ashamed to support Hillary" or something in that vein"

I've seen some pretty hardcore Hillary cultist articles. Like the all-caps one laugh for hours.

"FIRST AND FUCKING FOREMOST, COOL, YOU LIKE BERNIE'S WISHES AND DREAMS APPROACH TO POLITICS. "FREE COLLEGE FOR EVERYONE AND A GODDAMN PONY." YES, THAT SOUNDS FUCKING WONDERFUL BUT DO YOU THINK HILLARY COULD EVEN SAY THOSE WORDS WITHOUT FOX NEWS LITERALLY BURYING HER ALIVE IN TAMPONS AND CRUCIFIXES?"

[commodious spittoon]

Literally.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Which is funny, because she actually did say those words. Not the pony, mind you, but definitely debt-free college tuition, whatever the fuck that means.

[some guy]

I like how Hillary's supporters have taken to attacking Bernie with things that traditionally are used to attach Democrats in general. You'd be excused for thinking they were republicans. I'd be delighted if this all ended in a breakdown of the party. Hopefully Trump will be able to pull off a similar feat in the GOP. It would be interesting to see how things realigned, though I doubt any of it will end up being good for libertarians.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I doubt any of it will end up being good for libertarians

Certain members of the punditry will find a way to blame it all on libertarians. They always do.

[some guy]

Certain members of the punditry will find a way to blame it all on libertarians.

Well, we are such a robust and influential portion of the voting public...

[Citizen X]

There may be only 10 of us, 8 of whom are Tulpa, but damn if we're not loud.

[MSimon]

Ideas matter.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

Kochtopi assemble!

[Citizen X]

There was some derp going around the Facebook the other day about Hillary saying that Bernie's plans would grow government by a huge amount, and all the #BernVictims were like "OMG SMALLER GOVERNMENT IS REPUBLICAN PLAN HILLARY SHUD BE AN REPUBLICAN."

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Yeah, I've heard the "Hillary's a serious politician" before and my response is always, "In what sense?" Eventually, what I get is that, in her case, serious means unburdened by anything like principles or ideology and motivated primarily by a desire to retain power at all costs. It's not that her ideas are any more realistic or responsible, it's just that she's perfectly willing to say whatever her audience wants to hear without bothering with any unified strategy or theme or anything. You like free college? Sweet, here's free college. You want a bellicose foreign policy? Cool, we're bombing something.

[John]

All they have is buzz words. She is a "serious politician", whatever that means, just like she was a hugely successful Secretary of State because she flew more miles than anyone else.

Worse than that, Hillary really has no platform. Bernie is insane but at least you know what he wants to do. What the hell does Hillary plan to do other than stay out of jail and steal? I honestly can't tel you a single substantive thing she wants to do other than be the first woman President.

[robc]

Sanders paid his dues as Rep then Multiple terms as Senator.

Clinton rode the coattails of her husband.

Sanders is actually the serious politician, despite his crazy policies.

[R C Dean]

Anyone else noticed that Hillary seems to be rallying after getting knocked down in the first two elections?

Well, other than her lead in Nevada evaporating. Probably. Apparently the polling in Nevada is very thin, so its hard to say for sure.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....in-nevada/

[Bee Tagger]

Edward Snowden is supporting Apple in its showdown with the FBI

He must have a new single coming out.

[Crusty Juggler]

Happy National Drink Wine Day!

[Citizen X]

a.k.a. "day ending in Y"

[Swiss Servator]

Or any day containing a vowel.

[Crusty Juggler]

I was informing all the non-cosmotarians, X.

[Citizen X]

They're not paying attention. Too busy protesting Black History Month.

WHY COME THER AINT NO WHITE MONHT

[gaoxiaen]

I'm sticking with the Sacred Cactus Juice.

[Bee Tagger]

University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves will allow handguns in university classrooms.

So... still not sure, can I wear this sleeveless t-shirt or not?

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

You'll need to do something about the arm flab, first.

[Catatafish & Woodchips]

My name's Bobarian and I want to ban high capacity flabazines.

[Lord Humungus]

Michael Dukakis: "I Am Not Rooting for Jeb"

So I wanted to ask you about the Supreme Court. If you were Hillary Clinton or Marco Rubio?

What would I be doing? I'd be pointing out that if you are a constitutionalist, or an originalist, whatever those terms mean?because they really mean nothing. You know, Nino [Scalia] was a classmate of mine at law school. He was no more an originalist than the man on the moon.

OK.

What was originalist about Bush v. Gore? What was originalist about the Second Amendment decision? What was originalist about Citizens United for God's sake, Isaac? We have been regulating campaign contributions since the late 19th century. Where in the Constitution does it say that money is speech? Originalism? Are you kidding me? But in any event, if you believe that, then the president has a solemn responsibility to make a nomination and the Senate has a solemn responsibility to consider it seriously, right?

[Lee G]

No discussion of Dukakis is complete without this.

[Rhywun]

A classic.

[Tonio]

Michael who?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

constitutionalist, or an originalist, whatever those terms mean?because they really mean nothing

Umm...false

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

No, that's perfectly true if you believe the Constitution is a "living document", in other words totally meaningless as anything other than a historical curiosity.

[kbolino]

What was originalist about Citizens United for God's sake, Isaac? We have been regulating campaign contributions since the late 19th century.

What do 19th century laws have to do with Citizens United, when the law at issue was the McCain-Feingold Act, passed int he 21st century?

[kbolino]

And Tank Battalion Commander Dukakis might not want to bring up the 19th century in any discussion about gun laws.

[Zeb]

He's a fucking idiot who doesn't understand what the case was about or how the Supreme Court works, apparently. Quite a few people seem to actually believe that Citizens United declared corporations people and struck down all campaign finance regulations.

[Irish ?s ESB]

And he's also an idiot who apparently doesn't know the constitution was ratified in 1787 so you can go against late 19th century law and still be an originalist.

[R C Dean]

What was originalist about Citizens United for God's sake, Isaac? We have been regulating campaign contributions since the late 19th century.

I believe what he is referring to here is the historical corporate law position that management, and even the Board, had no authority to spend corporate funds on charity or politics or anything other than making money for the shareholders, without shareholder approval.

IOW, we haven't regulated campaign contributions since the 19th century. We used to require shareholder approval for campaign contributions. Not the same thing at all.

[Zeb]

And when a corporation exists specifically for the purpose of political advocacy, none of that is particularly relevant.

[Irish ?s ESB]

"What was originalist about the Second Amendment decision? What was originalist about Citizens United for God's sake, Isaac? We have been regulating campaign contributions since the late 19th century. "

How is the fact we've been regulating campaign contributions since the late 19th century in conflict with the argument this is anti-originalist? That's a hundred years after the constitution was written. It's possible they were just wrong in the late 19th century.

[Lee G]

It's the Ezra Klein school of constitutional law.

[thrakkorzog]

Not to mention that things like 'separate but equal' were hunky dory legal concepts in the 19th century. If you want to go down that legal rabit hole you're probably not going to like where it leads.

[BearOdinson]

Funny, since a true "originalist" wouldn't necessarily get exorcised about a SCOTUS nominee in the first place, because most of the power of SCOTUS came from Marbury v Madison, not the Constitution anyway.
(Not so much arguing against Marbury, since that ship sailed LONG AGO. Just pointing out an interesting fact.)

But, since Dukakis brought it up, how about the fact that the Consitution gives Congress a list of enumerated powers. And while Scalia was an originalist in many ways (I like to think he thought he was, he just wasn't consistent), he did forget this in a number of cases (i.e. economic regulation, drugs etc.) But everyone of the cases Dukakis brought up, Scalia did pretty much rule on it, the way the founders probably would have.
Bush v. Gore: You've counted and recounted and looked at chads etc. At some point, this election IS a federal matter and your done.
2A: Damn near everyone of the Founders who did any writing at all, wrote about the need and the reality that Americans were armed (unlike their European brethren).
CU: How about where in the Constitution does it grant Congress the power to regulate political campaigns?

(I know I am preaching to the choir here, but I just felt like giving a lecture!)

[Fist of Etiquette]

The AFL-CIO has still not made an endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary.

That's a lot of dues up for grabs.

[some guy]

I don't see why they're waiting. Endorsing Hillary is the smart move. It has decent upside with little downside. Can you really see Bernie holding it against them? Of course not. Bernie will always be a union friend.

The other option (endorsing Bernie) has no real upside but a tremendous downside. If Hillary wins you really, really don't want her to be mad at you.

[BearOdinson]

That is very interesting, and I think spot on. Hilary will turn on just about anyone on the left, to further her own career, as long as there is a competing interest on the left she can turn to (e.g. go against the union but for the enviros on Keystone or Go against BLM for cop unions, or go against the enviros for crony capitalists).

And other than the real, hardcore 1% lefties (who would vote for a Nader or even fucking Leon Trotsky), there is nowhere else for them to turn. They pretty much have to go Hilary to give them the best chance of keeping their power.

[John]

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/n.....acks-obama

Andrea Mitchel has a sad and wants people to just leave Obama alone.

[Lee G]

And, in fact, he's speaking from the perspective of someone who was so demeaned by Donald Trump back in 2008 with the whole birther movement. Just think of how painful and insulting and diminishing that was for Barack Obama to hear that from Donald Trump at the time.

Jesus that's pathetic. He's a goddamned politician from Chicago. Nastiness is part of the business and if they couldn't take it, they wouldn't be in it. She's infantilizing him.

[John]

I would love to have seen the host ask Mitchel if she thought Democrats comparing Bush to a chimp and saying he was America's Hitler was "demeaning". The furious "yeah but..." would have been priceless.

[Lee G]

Republicans don't have feelings. Democrats are blessed with too many feelings.

[creech]

But then the host would never get invited to the best cocktail parties again.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Exactly.

Suck his dick in front of Michelle already Andrea. And have Chris Matthews video tape it while Melitha-Harrith Perry abuses herself.

[Rhywun]

*barf*

[BearOdinson]

Well Lynchpin turned me Asexual upthread. I think this one, just fucking physically neutered me.

[R C Dean]

[checks groinular region, rushes to Emergency Department]

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Obama was the first birther.

[LynchPin1477]

Just think of how painful and insulting and diminishing that was for Barack Obama to hear that from Donald Trump at the time.

OK, I thought about it. And I decided that the President of the United States ought to be able to man the fuck up.

[Rich]

A UT panel released their recommendations for policies to be put in place for handguns on campus. Specifically they say guns should be banned from dorms, offices, labs and child care facilities. However, the panel also said UT's more than 50,000 students spend most of their time on campus in the classroom, therefore they believe by keeping handguns out of the classroom they are violating the campus carry law.

Emphasis added. Citation needed.

[Illocust]

UT schools allow students to live off campus from their very first semester. Office campus housing is both nicer and cheaper than on campus housing, and often the on campus housing is located in the same location as the on campus housing.

[some guy]

Office campus housing is both nicer and cheaper than on campus housing, and often the on campus housing is located in the same location as the on campus housing.

Whatever you say, John.

[thrakkorzog]

It doesn't help that some of the dorms, like Jester, have the same design plans as prisons and are only slightly less cozy.

[Brett L]

But it has its own zip code! I lived across the street in Moorehouse. Not much better, but Some.

[CampingInYourPark]

Office campus housing is both nicer and cheaper than on campus housing, and often the on campus housing is located in the same location as the on campus housing.

* Scratches head

[Illocust]

Off campus.

When campuses expand there are often gaps that private developers take advantage of. So the dorms can sometime be directly next door to apartments.

[Brett L]

Or J Frank Dobie holds the land until they build a giant apartment complex with his name on it. But also, I think the Masons have a women's dorm that is technically on campus. There may be others now. I haven't been a student since Y2K and I've only walked it a couple of times briefly since then.

[NebulousFocus]

Scott Alexander (slatestarcodex) posts a rant.

"What's happening at GitHub itself right now is actually a pretty good example. The old CEO was fired because of sexual harassment claims (later investigated and found to be false; the firing was not revoked). The new CEO has banned the term "meritocracy", replaced workers managing their own affairs with a system of no-doubt-well-credentialed middle managers, and given lots of power to a "diversity team" that declares all remnants of the old company culture racist and sexist. According to Business Insider, there's now a "culture of fear" and a lot of the most talented employees are leaving. People are saying GitHub made some kind of mistake, but I suspect all is going according to plan..."

[John]

Hopefully the market will solve for this and the company will either mend its ways or go broke. What happens, though, when the whole culture becomes like this and the market doesn't solve for it because there are no free thinking companies for the better talent to run to?

[Illocust]

What does GitHub even do, and is it one of those sites that will essentially keep running on its own now that it is established?

[UnCivilServant]

Sounds like a place to avoid, full of Gits.

[Crusty Juggler]

I thought it was just a storage facility for gitseed.

[kbolino]

GitHub hosts a lot of software repositories and has become the go-to place for open-source code hosting after git (a software version control system) took off. It's become what SourceForge was once meant to be.

Nothing "runs on its own" since the market constantly evolves and you have to have talented people behind the scenes just to maintain the infrastructure as the site grows, never mind incorporating new features.

I give it a year or two before something else takes its place. There is an open-source project called GitLab that provides most of the features of GitHub, just not hosting.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

The hosting is a big deal, though. I'll probably stick with GitHub unless and until they become really obnoxious or the reliability goes to shit. Hosting my code remotely is 3/4 of the point, frankly, and I'm not a huge fan of bitbucket.

[R C Dean]

Inevitably, their crack team of SJWs will begin to impose content restrictions on what they host, so that nasty privileged/ racist/ homophobic/ patriarchal/ transphobic/ etc ad infinitum code is purged from their servers.

Just wait. They won't be able to help themselves.

[kbolino]

It's not the code that they will judge, it's the author.

[Jerryskids]

So this may help explain the whole women-are-better-coders-than-men thing that came out a few days ago that looks terribly suspicious. It's not even been put out for peer review in preparation for publishing and the "control group" has a definitional difference from the study group (women who write code versus women who make damn sure you know they're women who write code) but the dubious conclusions are already being stated as known fact.

[kbolino]

There are two kinds of programmers. The kind who write code that "works" and the kind who write code that survives under stress and can be maintained without being rewritten. It is almost impossible to objectively judge the quality of code, since it depends on so many variables.

But this is the kicker:

The researchers looked at approximately 3m pull requests submitted on GitHub, and found that code written by women was approved at a higher rate (78.6%) than code written by men (74.6%).

That is what we call "statistically insignificant". Moreover, what exactly about the code indicates whether its author was a woman? Nothing, most likely, unless the author decided to inject it for some reason. Reading profiles instead of evaluating the code when determining whether to approve a pull request is the sort of thing that the fart-sniffing morons at The Guardian would do, not people who do this for a living.

It's also very likely as you hint that the sort of people who feel it's important to post their sex on their profile page are the same sort of people who don't feel it's very important to be good at their craft.

[Lee G]

One insider criticized GitHub's "social impact team," which is in charge of figuring out how to use the product to tackle social issues, including diversity within the company itself. It's led by Nicole Sanchez, vice president of social impact, who joined GitHub in May after working as a diversity consultant.

The side effects of a bubble. Self-correcting in the end.

[Lord Humungus]

House Flipping Is Making a Comeback in Las Vegas

At the onset of the millennium, house flippers?people who purchased imperfect homes, renovated them, and resold them at a profit mere months later?ran rampant in U.S. housing markets.

When the market went bust, the flippers mostly went away, replaced by investors who bought distressed homes and rented them out. The practice of flipping homes has been slow to return?5 percent of all home sales in the past year were flips1, according to a report published today by Trulia, down from 8.6 percent in 2006. There's one major metropolitan area, however, where flipping is making a steady comeback: Las Vegas.

In the third quarter of 2015, flips accounted for 10.4 percent of homes sales in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, the highest rate among the 85 metros included in the report.

I've seen some flippers around here but there is a housing shortage, so prices have been going nuts.

[Illocust]

That should encourage the flippers. Most of the money they make is from knowing how to market the property better than the previous owner.

[Swiss Servator]

A housing shortage in the post-Apocalyptic wastelands...? OK, I can see that.

[Lord Humungus]

It's not easy to get building materials out here.

[Swiss Servator]

There has been too much flipping. Too much renting. But I have an honorable compromise. Just walk away. Give me your drywall, the nails, the shingles, and the whole lumber yard, and I'll spare your lives. Just walk away and we'll give you a safe passageway in the wastelands. Just walk away and there will be an end to the mortgages.

[Lord Humungus]

*rousing applause*

[BearOdinson]

The Long Walk into the Cursed Earth.

[Lord Humungus]

Venezuela raises fuel price, devalues bolivar amid crisis

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday devalued the currency and raised heavily subsidized fuel prices in an effort to stem a widening economic crisis, though critics of the socialist leader quickly dismissed the moves as insufficient.

The measures are meant to help shore up the OPEC nation's finances as plummeting oil prices and a collapsing state-led economic model have left the country with a severe recession, triple-digit inflation and chronic product shortages.

"This is a necessary measure, a necessary action to balance things, I take responsibility for it," Maduro said, in reference to the fuel hike during a combative four-hour speech in which he insulted opposition leaders and occasionally used foul language.

[Illocust]

The people really harmed by this will be the blackmarket fuel runners, but good to see even Venezuela eventually has to bow to reality.

How has Venezuela lasted this long? People are starving, have no toilet paper, and are dying because they can't get their meds. I've been expecting a revolt since they ran out of toilet paper, but they just don't seem to care.

[some guy]

I wonder the same thing about North Korea. Is it really possible to grind down a population to the point that they will tolerate any injustice or hardship?

Venezuela at least has an opposition party that is gaining in power by calling for some market-based reforms. Hopefully they can pull off the transition without too much violence. I guess it will all depend on whether Maduro can see the writing on the wall before he becomes the writing on the wall.

[EMD]

"I wonder the same thing about North Korea."

NK is hermetic, which means outside influences are extremely rare and indoctrination into the kingdom's fetishization of its leader begins at birth. Not enough sunshine.

[commodious spittoon]

No TP, plenty of bolivares.

[R C Dean]

Problem, meet solution.

[Jerryskids]

NPR this morning had an explainer - gas is cheap as hell but there's no point driving to the store because there's nothing to buy. The reason for this is that Venezuela imports nearly everything it uses and imports must be paid for with dollars and dollars are aquired by exporting oil. Low oil prices = fewer dollars = fewer imports. No explanation as to why Venezuela has to import everything rather than being able to build factories that produce stuff so they don't have to rely on expensive-ass imports. Or why other places that have to import nearly everything they use somehow aren't suffering toilet paper shortages.

[Rhywun]

Four hours? Piker.

[Lord Humungus]

Music to bring out the inner Viking in you:

Yggdrasil

[Citizen X]

BRB, burning Anglisc monastery LOL

[BearOdinson]

Need some company?

[BearOdinson]

Aww, I know you were thinking of me!!

I fucking love Wardruna. One of the best things about the show Vikings, was that they used Wardruna as part of their soundtrack in some key episodes (esp 1st season with the Temple at Uppsala).

[SugarFree]

"I want to use the girl's room. I like to hear them pee," Donald whined.

"You can't use the girl's room. You're a boy, Donald," the hair said patiently. It massaged his head with tender tendrils.

"They hiss when they pee," Donald whispered.

"Donald. Tighten up. We're down in the national polls," the hat barked. "You are running for President. I have plans for us."

"That dude is going into the girl's room," Donald said, pointing at a hulking figure.

"Stop pointing, Donald. It's not polite," the hair said.

"That's a transwoman," the hat said.

"What the fuck is that?" Donald demanded.

"It's a boy that turned himself into a girl," the hair said.

"I can wear a dress. I like dresses sometimes," Donald said. An aide was watching him whisper to himself. She went back to her Blackberry after a moment.

"It's not just a man in a dress, Donald," the hat said. "They have a surgery."

"Not all of them," the hair said.

"Shut up," the hat said. "Don't confuse him."

"Surgery? What kind of surg? You mean they cut off their pee-pee and bubbles?!?"

The incessant clacking of tiny keyboards ceased when Donald began to yell. Donald's body man prepared his tranquillizer gun.

[SugarFree]

"Donald! Quiet!" the hair hissed.

"I love my pee-pee!"

"Donald! For fuck's sake!" the hat said.

Donald began to stroke his beloved member through his suit pants.

"We have to get him to call off the Town Hall," the hair said to the hat.

"Oh, fuck. He just took it out. Look for cameras," the hat said to the hair.

"I love my pee-pee," Donald sobbed. A dart hit him in the left buttock and he sagged to the ground.

"Ah, shit. Now what are we going to do?" the hat moaned.

"Omega Protocol," the hair said.

It thought, with all its coiffed might, at a nearby aide. The aide screamed and fell to the ground. She reached out to the body man, blood streaming from her eyes.

"He must go out. The serum. Give him the serum," she said, her voice robotic and precise.

The body man nodded, produced a large syringe from his travel pack, and jammed it into Donald's neck. Synthetic adrenalin, methamphetamine and the refined semen of a mighty stallion flowed into Donald's bloodstream. His eyes snapped open.

"Will this work?" the hat asked the hair.

"I don't know."

"What if he goes out there and just spouts gibberish?"

"It's MSNBC? who gives a fuck?"

[Swiss Servator]

I...I...can't look away.

[Crusty Juggler]

"SugarFree's bubbles' punch."

[Elspeth Flashman]

Augggh!! (runs away in fear)

[Citizen X]

That is fantastic.

[Tonio]

Sug, you remain libertarianism's greatest treasure, and greatest liability to acceptance. [weeps manfully]

[SugarFree]

Yes, I should not be the first contact. I'm for later, after you have died inside.

[Swiss Servator]

*nods, gives 1000 yard stare*

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I hope you have been saving these for a post-election collection.

[SugarFree]

They are already available if you need to horrify a friend or relative.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Arrgh! My eyes!

[Citizen X]

Warning: make sure you're private/incognito browsing when you go to Sweet'n'Low's site, because if you kick it you do NOT want your grieving relatives to find that in your web history.

[thrakkorzog]

Hey, that's the whole point of the porn buddy system. Once you kick it, your buddy clears out your web history before your mom shows up.

[SugarFree]

Or if you get in trouble with the police and they seize your computer.

[Citizen X]

Having hrsugarfree in your history is an automatic 5-year extension to any sentence, plus the judge will yell at you.

[Zeb]

If you self-publish all of that I will buy 10 copies and surreptitiously insert them into various bookshelves.

[Brett L]

This may seriously be the best idea I've heard on H&R. Except maybe replacing elections with Thunderdome.

[Zeb]

Shit, if he doesn't do it, I may have to get it printed myself.

I can't remember, how does SF feel about intellectual property?

[straffinrun]

Love it. Which one is the flawed but sexy hero?

[SugarFree]

The hair, obviously. He goes along with the plan, but tries to keep both Donald and the hat in check, to temper their excesses. And besides, look at it. That hair is 70s sexy, 80s cool, 90s authentic and 21st Century styled for maximum audience appeal. Just think of the draw it will have in the Asian markets.

[straffinrun]

And here I thought my mullet bun had those boxes checked.

[R C Dean]

Awesome, Suge.

My favorite part was where the aide sees him jabbering to himself, and just shrugs it off. Happens all the time, waddayagonnado?

[Lord Humungus]

Statement Of Donald J. Trump On Eve Of Huge Victory
May Great Leader Donald J. Trump live forever and crush the enemies of the people.

(Pyongyang) ? Great Leader Donald J. Trump today addressed the peoples of Nevada and South Carolina from the podium of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," stating that for too long, America has been a nation of losers, and not of winners. Marshal Trump blamed America's sorry state on the vile machinations of dummies, cheats, low-energy people, liars, false Christians, and jackals, chief among them thrice-accursed traitor for all times Ted Cruz, whose name shall be uttered in damnation forevermore.

"Ted Cruz's wicked ambition has led him to slander so many people, as the leader of a faction of dung-eating gangsters and despicable criminals, hoping to seize power and use it for his own unspeakable ends," said Great Leader Donald J. Trump, "that I can't believe anyone hasn't seen through his lies. He lies about Dr. Ben Carson. He lies about Marco Rubio. And now he's lying about me!" thundered Generalissimo Trump to the acclaim of ordinary workers and peasants throughout South Carolina.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

This is exactly what I'd expect the hat to say.

[Rich]

Civil rights leaders to meet with Obama

Mckesson, a former school administrator and Black Lives Matter protester who co-founded We the Protestors and Campaign Zero, will attend the meeting along with Al Sharpton, Cornell Brooks, president of the NAACP, and Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch will also attend.

I'd really like to see a transcript of the conversations at *that* meeting.

[Tonio]

Indeed. I wonder if they will successfully co-opt Mckesson.

[Lord Humungus]

Exclusive: Obama Refuses to Hit ISIS's Libyan Capital

Despite the growing threat from the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Libya, the Obama administration has turned down a U.S. military plan for an assault on ISIS's regional hub there, three defense officials told The Daily Beast.

In recent weeks, the U.S. military?led by its Africa and Special Operations Commands?have pushed for more airstrikes and the deployment of elite troops, particularly in the city of Sirte. The hometown of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, the city is now under ISIS control and serving as a regional epicenter for the terror group.

The airstrikes would target ISIS resources while a small band of Special Operations Forces would train Libyans to eventually be members of a national army, the officials said.

[John]

Doing that would mean admitting that their adventure in Libya was a failure. And we can't have that, even if it means letting the other side win. Better to just pretend it is not happening.

It is like if FDR had turned down MacArthur's plan to invade the Philippines because he couldn't take the political price of admitting they had ever been lost to the Japanese.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Doing that would mean admitting that their adventure in Libya was a failure. And we can't have that, even if it means letting the other side win. Better to just pretend it is not happening.

See, for example, ISIS in Iraq circa 2012.

[BearOdinson]

This is an example of a fucking moron stumbling into a good decision for the wrong reasons. We shouldn't just spend money and bombs and throw some special ops troops at it.
I am as big a fan of special operations as anyone. But the fact of the matter is you don't win wars only using bombs and special forces. Now, there are places for limited retaliatory strikes (see when Reagan bombed Quadafi's palace in Libya back in the 80s). But, what would it accomplish? Nothing. So, if we aren't interested in fighting ISIS full scale, it is just wasting money and munitions (and probably some American lives) just to say we "did something".

[tarran]

And we can't have that, even if it means letting the other side win. Better to just pretend it is not happening.

It's fucking Vietnam all over again....

[Jordan]

Hey, Obama's actually doing something good.

[Drake]

Not on purpose. He's just pretending not to notice the big mess he made.

[some guy]

Well, that's better than doing something to make the mess even bigger.

[EMD]

Well, it will get bigger no matter what is done.

[Frankjasper1]

Do you guys think Bern wins the nomination? I can't understand why he is so popular. It has to be more than millenials that want free stuff.

[Citizen X]

There's also a lot of general anger at the system, manifesting itself in part as a desire to watch the world Bern.

[Crusty Juggler]

Yeah, they project all of their desire onto that old, crazy man.

[gaoxiaen]

He's likely to crash the system, which would be a godsend.

[Frankjasper1]

I don't know what rises usually is not a good thing

[Crusty Juggler]

I think it is because he has a D next to his name, and he is not Hillary Clinton. It is voters being rebellious against the party's foreign policy and their connection to the rich (the rich is anyone with more money than me, by the way).

[Swiss Servator]

Dammit, CJ!

[John]

It is totally that. And it shows how horrible of a candidate Hillary is. Logic says the insiders and super delegates and black vote will beat Bernie back and she will get the nomination. If she does, however, I don't think she has a chance in hell in the fall. The last five federal elections have been determined by turnout. In the Presidential years the Democrats showed up and in the mid years the Republicans showed up. When you consider how desperate so many Democrats are to vote for anyone but Hillary, I can't see how Hillary gets the Democrats to show up the way Obama did. IF she doesn't, that means the electorate looks like it did in 10 and 14 and she is doomed.

[Frankjasper1]

I dont think they will show up like obama. However people like to vote for president and i think the casual voters will vote D

[John]

They didn't show up in 04. And they showed up less in 2012 than they did in 2008. A lot of it was showing up for Obama. And don't forget, a lot of Republicans who didn't show up in 08 and 12 will likely show up this year.

[Zeb]

Trump getting the nomination might drive some Democratic turnout on the left end of things. But Hillary sure isn't going to inspire much. There is the first woman thing, but she is such an awful person that that won't help her like being black helped Obama.

[John]

Of course Trump would inspire his own turnout. At least so far, Trump seems to get a lot of people who don't normally vote for either party to show up and vote. I really think Trump would get a significant portion of both Hispanic and black votes. Every poll I have seen says that he would. And while the other GOP candidates would pull the conservative Hispanic vote, none of them will pull much black vote.

[Zeb]

I meant that Trump might inspire leftist Democrats to vote against him. But it will be interesting to see what kind of support he ends up getting from the working class, not exactly progressive people that might usually vote Democrat as well as among blacks and Hispanics. I've got to look at the polls again on that. Last I looked, all I could find was some suspect looking poll claiming 40% support for trump among blacks, or something like that.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

I meant that Trump might inspire leftist Democrats to vote against him.

I wouldn't be so sure. You very well may be correct, but I get the impression that voting against someone is less of a driver than being inspired to vote for. The anti-Bush hysteria of 2004 didn't propel John Kerry to the White House, and for all the talk of rabid anti-Obama Tea Partiers, it wasn't enough to get people to come out and support Romney in 2012.

[gaoxiaen]

Cankles.

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

So, if Hillary gets the nom, she'll definitely win. Going by your past election prediction history, that is,

[John]

I got 2010 and 2014 right. The only thing I was wrong about was Obama winning re-election. And I wasn't the only one surprised by that.

[John]

I didn't think Obama would beat Clinton in 08. So, who knows. I still find it hard to believe he will. But, he is the only real alternative and Clinton is just a horrible candidate. Even Democrats don't like the woman or feel any real reason to vote for her. I think Bernie might win. And if Bernie wins, I honestly can't see the Democrats getting away with the insiders putting in Biden over Bernie if Bernie legitimately won the most votes.

Maybe they will, but I think it would doom the nominee in the fall.

[Frankjasper1]

Obama was a young, half-black, guy who was good at speaking in poetic terms but was rather vague, hope and change

Sanders is an old white cranky guy talking about oligarchy and stuff

I wouldn't consider them the same. And you are underestimating hillary's appeal

[John]

If Hillary has any appeal, why can't she put away a crank socialist in her own party's primary? She clearly has problems with Democrats. So what chance does she have with the country at large?

[Lord Rollingpin]

How do you underestimate the appeal of a lagoon of shit?

[Swiss Servator]

"Anybody But Hillary"

[Lee G]

Not unless they indict Clinton.

Sanders would be polling in single digits if the alternative were not Hillary.

[R C Dean]

Her health problems are surfacing again. The coughing attacks, now the weird prism glasses. I think there's probably some holding back on indictments, hoping this problem solves itself when she drops out due to health reasons.

[Tonio]

Everyone on that side wants free stuff, not just the millenials. The post-boomer cohort has, or is about to have, kids in college and are scrambling to pay for that. This will be a referendum on free college.

[Frankjasper1]

It concerns me so many people are willing to go for this socialist who has no economic sense.

[Frankjasper1]

It concerns me so many people are willing to go for this socialist who has no economic sense.

[Crusty Juggler]

It is insane. But then again, Washington politics for for last twenty-five years? has been insane, especially since 2000. Which is how we got to the Trump/Sanders future world.

The good news, of course, is that the world still takes a collective whizz on libertarians. That will never change.

[Lord Humungus]

Something Something golden showers

[some guy]

It doesn't matter. Either way the Dems have already lost. Bernie the Socialist can't beat any of the GOP candidates and Hillary has been weakened considerably. Many Bernie supporters will stay home rather than vote for her, or vote for the Greens or something. Unless there's a brokered convention with someone like Biden coming out on top, then who knows...

[Frankjasper1]

The Bern concerns me vs the GOP. I think he would win especially if Cruz or Trump

[R C Dean]

Current polling (yeah, early, blah blah) shows Hillary losing to any of the Repub frontrunners.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

Don't underestimate the millenials wanting free stuff vote. It's pretty big, and there are a lot of feckless 20-somethings who are just motivated enough to agitate for the government to give them stuff because fairness and Europe.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

So the cop Union thinks the suspension is excessive here?

A sane person wonders why they weren't summarily fired and criminally charged with assault (with a firearm enhancer, obviously).

[Tonio]

Give him a big hand, folks...

[Jerryskids]

Further, Nesci found the officers' behavior toward the man violated two specific department General Order Standards of Conduct.

It was my understanding that failure to follow procedure is the worst crime a police officer can commit.

[Free Society]

University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves will allow handguns in university classrooms.

This tells me that there's still hope for western civilization.

[straffinrun]

So you're the Great White Hope. It's a heavy burden.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

If this means Austin is becoming de-Progressified, this may be the best news I've had in years.

[Brett L]

Nope. They had to pass a state law to make it happen. It's the rest of the state dragging the flagship campus of the State U along. I understand that the new chancellor, a former Admiral and Navy Seal opposed it also, but didn't waste much powder once it passed. And I can understand that. All you need is some idiot shoot his ex-girlfriend in a dorm room to make your life as an administrator a shitshow. Doesn't make it right, but they are opposing something that adds risk to their job without much visible upside. The upside only comes in when there's a disaster already in progress.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Newark, NJ: stay classy by breaking a kid's arm that had done nothing wrong and then only suspending one of the goons that did it.

[SugarFree]

7 officers tackle a 14-year-old. Those are some brave boys in blue. [sheds tear of pride]

[commodious spittoon]

breaking a kid's arm that had done nothing wrong

The arm had done nothing wrong, but what about the kid?

[Crusty Juggler]

Surveillance video shows Jamod exiting the RM Grocery store and unmarked police cars pulling up. Plain clothes officers appear to sprint towards someone, but it's difficult to make out anything further.

More often than not these stories involve plainclothes officers in unmarked cars. Nice job.

[Free Society]

Detective Wilberto Ruiz, a two-year veteran of the Newark Police Department's gang enforcement unit,

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Are they veterans after two years now? That seems a bit premature to label someone a "veteran" in their profession.

1st year=rookie (which means they're not responsible for their mistakes because they're learning)
2nd year=veteran (which means they're seasoned to the point their judgement is infallible)

I'd be shocked if the terminology wasn't used specifically to give off the impressions I mentioned. And I'd be shocked if it wasn't designed by the FOP and the media are unwitting participants in the narrative.

[R C Dean]

I'd be shocked if the media were unwitting participants in the narrative.

[Mainer2]

I've noted on this site before the use of "veteran" officer, and wondered what is the least number of years at which a cop is a "veteran"...and now I know...two years.

[BearOdinson]

In addition, he was suspended for not reporting the stop within 24 hours. Not even suspended for the unjustified assault. The article didn't say, but have the police even tried to come up with a justification (looked like a suspect, there was a report of a robbery, he looked like he had a gun, etc.)?

[Illocust]

Cornell does research on how to convince people you are right on the internet. Reporter repeats the study conclusion mindlessly without noticing obvious methodology flaw.

"The Cornell researchers developed these conclusions by studying r/ChangeMyView, a subsection of Reddit on which users describe their stance on some controversial issue and then invite others to dissuade them. Recent posts include assertions such as "Bernie Sanders is misrepresenting the Scandinavian Economies" and "Women are not the primary victims of rape culture. Men are." Such assertions frequently generate dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of replies, but the site allows the participants to flag those that they found most convincing?the ones that actually did change their views. These markers gave the researcher a readily available set of demonstrably persuasive arguments, along with a host of other data points about the ways we argue. Analyzing the resulting information, they identified linguistic patterns and discursive strategies common to successful and unsuccessful arguments alike."

Because people only like arguments that convince them to switch sides, instead of merely the one that agrees with the opinion they already have.

http://www.slate.com/articles/.....ights.html

[Frankjasper1]

The Bern does misrepresent the Scandinavian paradises. Never brings up the details of their systems and never mentions what kind of tax rates the middle class sees.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

It also helps when you have a completely homogenous population, strict immigration laws, a nearly unlimited supply of energy, and don't have to spend any money on your nation's defense, much less the defense of 3/4 of the rest of the world.

[Frankjasper1]

And only 10 million people or less

[Free Society]

Sweden certainly doesn't fit the "strict immigration laws" characteristic. The particular political configuration of their socialist land is negligible compared to the low population to natural resources ratio. Particularly the energy you mention, which keeps that gravy train rolling.

[Citizen X]

I used to point out that the top tax bracket in Bernie's beloved Denmark kicks in at an income level that barely puts you into the middle class in America, but then the Facebook Bern ward commentariat stopped responding to me.

[Frankjasper1]

Also you should point out that Bern's 300K of wealth or whatever is more than how many millions combined??

[KDN]

Nuh uh, it kicks in at 422k Euros. Those guys are all 1 percenters. What do you mean Denmark doesn't use Euros? It's in Europe! Ugh, finance is stupid.

[Col. Chestbridge]

I haven't read the study yet so I might be wrong, but /r/ChangeMyView actually has a flag for "persuasive" arguments that isn't the same as just upvoting/liking the comment. If a user has their view changed, they are supposed to explicitly say so in a response to the argument, along with a reason why and a Greek delta symbol. I would hope the researchers would use those deltas as the flag, not upvotes.

Of course, as a frequenter of that subreddit my own opinion is that people frequently pretend to have a different view then ask someone them to "persuade" them over to their REAL view. At least, that's how I explain to myself why everyone seems to be "persuaded" by the absolute stupidest arguments so often. Plus there are straw men as far as the eye can see, especially when it comes to anything involving capitalism.

[Mr. Bourgeoisie]

President Obama to Make Historic Visit to Cuba
Barack Obama will become the first sitting American president to visit Cuba in nearly 90 years, in what would be a crucial turning point between the Cold War rivals that recently shed their decades-old hostilities.

[UnCivilServant]

Can he stay there?

[american socalist]

I just came in my pants.

[EMD]

Better than someone else's pants.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

I'm sure he'll feel right at home.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

This seems legit.

How the fuck does the harasser keep his job? And what the fuck are they paying their employees so much for? And who decided that as part of the settlement, his "victim" be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal? And why the fuck are taxpayers on the hook when it should come out of the cop retirement fund? And why is this post starting to resemble a Napolitano piece?

[EMD]

"t will cost the county around $250,000."

No, it will cost the taxpayers of the county. Man, the media sucks.

[Zeb]

Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?

On a related note, what happened to Pro Libertate?

[Drake]

Buried out back. Still have the shovel.

[Crusty Juggler]

It was the turtle aids that got him.

[Citizen X]

On a related note, what happened to Pro Libertate?

Didn't he change his name to Augustus Sol Invictus?

[Lee G]

I thought he joined a traveling Dune cosplay troup.

[Lee G]

His costume

[Zeb]

Did he? I thought I'd seen "Pro Libertate" a few times over the past few months. I hate it when people change their handles. I can't keep track of who everyone used to be.

[Crusty Juggler]

I hate it when people change their handles.

Do you know who else changed their handle?

[Zeb]

Hr. Schickelgruber?

[Citizen X]

Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr.?

[UnCivilServant]

Thorsen's Basket Repair Company?

[sloopyinTEXAS]

James Hook?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Tulpa?

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

Kaptious Kristen?

[straffinrun]

George Fridric's mother?

[some guy]

Mickey Mantle?

[R C Dean]

Barry Soetero?

[EMD]

Norma Jean Baker?

[Elspeth Flashman]

Or The Late P Brooks?

[Crusty Juggler]

He has been around a little

[Lord Humungus]

he finally decomposed?

[SugarFree]

He lurks. He waits. He watches. Do not blaspheme against the Pro Libertate. He will know. He will punish.

[SugarFree]

When people tell us, 'Hold on, wait awhile.' And that's what the other Democrat is telling you. 'Hold on, Black Lives Matter. Just wait awhile. Hold on, young people in this country, just wait awhile.' And then, and then ? she have your own mama come to you. Your own mama say to you, 'Well, you're a woman.' But I talked to [activist] Jane Elliott a few weeks ago, and Jane said, 'Michael, a uterus doesn't qualify you to be president of the United States. You have to be?you have to have policy that's reflective of social justice.'

Mandy's replacement rails, rants and raves raucously.

Also "Not all women have a uterus."

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Also "Not all women have a uterus."

True. Hysterectomies can save lives.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

I'm just certain if you or I busted a woman's head and then pushed a guy through a window, we'd simply get a couple weeks of community service and have the whole thing swept under the rug in a year.

It couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that the perp was a cop...who is currently on admin leave...that will undoubtedly get to retire with his full pension.

[Crusty Juggler]

The original complaint filed in Boise County says Frasure struck a woman on the side of her head knocking her over on to a table, struck another man and shoved a second man through a window.

The charges carry to 10 days in jail, Frasure was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service in lieu of jail time. was ordered to pay $815 in fines and fees and given one year of unsupervised probation.

[straffinrun]

This guy should be Obama's SCOTUS nominee.

[Drake]

I think it hilarious that Trump is threatening a frivolous lawsuit against a former Supreme Court Clerk, deputy attorney general, and Texas Solicitor General. Cruz ought to make "Loser Pays" a center-piece of his campaign with Trump as Exhibit 1.

[John]

For all the pants shitting over the dark night of Trumpism falling on America, he does seem to be self destructing.

[An Innocent Man]

I haven't been convinced that Trump is even really running. If he keeps getting too much attention, I think he'll purposely destruct. I think he's just having fun, and has no interest in being president. However, I am beginning to rethink Sanders. Until recently I didn't think he was really running either. I had assumed he was the Machine's Chosen One to come at H from the left and keep this from looking like a coronation. I now think he may actually be seriously running.

[Frankjasper1]

Sanders seems dangerous as he is a true believer.

[Citizen X]

Yes, but he's also not very smart.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Rey From Star Wars is Overpowered and it's Terrible for Feminism

Apparently, the sexism is strong with me because I think Rey was seriously overpowered. Before you dismiss me as some sex starved man's right activist, however, I want you to know that I am a woman, and I am feminist as fuck. Additionally, I know a little bit about women taking on historically masculine roles. I have been a programmer for about a decade in an industry that was, last time I checked, 95% male. Before that, in high school, I was the first female captain of my wrestling team and the first women to win or place at various local tournaments. I know what it takes to do things that no one thinks you can do because you are female. And, despite all the excitement about what a "strong" female character Rey is, she continues to foster a mindset that is damaging to real-world women succeeding in historically masculine roles.

[John]

To me the big flaw in the movie is that the villain, who was a thoroughly trained Jedi, didn't kick her ass. In Empire Strikes back, Vader kicks the shit out of Luke because Luke hadn't finished his training. Rey hasn't even had any training and somehow wins a fight against a fully trained Jedi? One of the things the new movie had over the prequals is that it seemed to have a proper villain. That was until the end when he gets his ass kicked by some 100 lb girl whose understanding of Jedi combat consists of hearing about it once.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

But she had been honing her Jedi skills. She just didn't realize it. All that time scavenging for junk she could sell involved some pretty intense training. Once the Force was explained to her, a lot of the mental part of the force clicked with the physical parts an d she became a petty tough chick.

Also, how do you know that a Rocky Dennis-looking emo that had only been trained in the Dark Side was that tough of a Jedi to begin with? The only evidence I saw was him commanding a firing squad and killing a rather weak Solo...who had given as good as he got for a while. That doesn't say much about his skills.

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

Even as a prodigy and "Balance to the Force," Anakin was still only 3rd best lightsaber combatant when he reached Rey's age. Rey beat someone who had constructed his own lightsaber and supercharged it, merely by reaching deep into her vagina and whispering, "I don't need no man." Also, unprecedented lightsaber flashback and living on a desert her whole life being completely proficient in winter combat.

Luke was only able to use the Mind Trick after leaving to complete his training at the end of Empire. Rey was able to figure it out, and use it twice on the same person within fifteen seconds of Ren leaving the room. Rey was never in danger and was able to pilot one of the hardest ships to pilot in the galaxy, the Millenium Falcon (RotJ; only Lando could fly the ship in the entire Rebellion), by just sitting down at the control panel in addition to knowing more about the ship than the ship's longest owner and its mechanic.

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

I see the point the author is making. Rey is a "Flawless Hero," never once was she in actual peril. While Flawless Heros may have been the ticket in the Golden Age of Comics, we as a culture moved past the unrealistic representations of people we see in movies and film. Jean Claude Van Damme was a Male Flawless Hero in plenty of movies, but we all think that style of movie is cheese-ball.

The point the author is attempting to make is that girls are going to try and be Female Jean Claude Van Dames (yuk yuk) and strive for an unrealistic representation of women in a masculine position (fighting, coding etc. etc.) But unquestionably, Rey is the most independent, no assistance required, immediately competent, Feminism Ex Machina to come out of the Star Wars universe. Your homework; find me a scene where Rey was in peril or unable to do something because she didn't understand it.

[Private Chipperbot]

She wasn't very good at negotiating for dried packets of food?

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

Are you saying there is a Food Packet Gap? Or...

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

I mean, she does get captured halfway through the movie...

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

Do you remember how that went down?

"We have to go save Rey."
Dither for a bit, blunder into the base
"We have to go save Rey!"
Rey, having freed herself with her new found hyper advanced Jedi Power, is seen climbing
"Oh hey Rey. Guess you didn't need no man after all."

Sure she was captured, but was she ever in peril? Did she ever sustain damage or torture (like Leia)? Did she ever stop and say, "I don't know how to do that?" or "I can't?" or exhibit any character weakness at all? See my point above about Jean Claude Van Dames. She's Flawless, and that's fine, but to Cynic, it is just as trite as 80s action hero movies.

[Bubba Jones]

Rey was a vessel of the force. Not a master.

I got the sense that the emo dude had some serious issues that prevented him from really kicking her ass when it needed to happen.

[Brett L]

His other bug role is Lena Dunham's lover in Girls, so.... Probable.

[Endless Mike]

She may have been trained as a child, and may have some sort of amnesia (The flashback when she touched the lightsaber seemed to indicate this.) which was awoken when Kylo attempted to read her mind.

There were several focused scenes about how powerful and deadly Chewy's crossbow was. Kylo had recently been gutshot by said crossbow.

He was previously injured by Finn, who as far as we know has no force sensitivity and certainly no Jedi training.

[SFC B]

Kylo Ren did take a shot to the gut from Chewie's bowcaster (shown earlier in the movie to knock its targets back from the hit) and he then had to go toe-to-toe and dispatch a storm trooper, and he was handily beating Rey until she has that Jedi self-mind-trick moment.

[EMD]

"To me the big flaw in the movie is that the villain, who was a thoroughly trained Jedi, didn't kick her ass"

My theory is that he didn't want to because he knows who she is.

Remember, Kylo Ren is always 'pulled to the light' so being a total villain is difficult for him.

[Irish ?s ESB]

"I am feminist as fuck. "

What is it about feminists that makes them incapable of writing a sentence without trying and failing to be cool by peppering it with the word 'fuck.'

There are a lot of other words that mean the same thing and don't make you come off as a 6th grader who just realized you won't be struck by lightning if you use swear words.

[SugarFree]

Fuck if I know.

[Crusty Juggler]

This fuckin' guy.

[straffinrun]

*Peppers crusty and sugarfree*

[0x90]

You have to do that if you want to be edgy as fuck.

[Certified Public Asshat]

the first women to win or place at various local tournaments

She has a tough time with words in general.

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

What the sweet fuck?

[commodious spittoon]

"feminist as balls."

[Citizen X]

So... not very feminist, then.

[SugarFree]

Not every feminist doesn't not have balls.

[Citizen X]

Well, fuck.

[Illocust]

She misidentified the cause, but she did highlight everything I dislike about the modern leading female character. Female characters aren't allowed to fail, and that makes them incredibly boring. A male character we get to watch him get his ass kicked then work out how to overcome the obstacle. Female characters, we get two lines of sexist stereotypes talking about how a little girl can't beat them, then poof she kicks their ass. Obstacle gone.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Nobody wants to see a "Rocky"-style montage about some broad getting stronger and learning through hard work and practice. That defies the "women are just as strong by nature" bullshit narrative they're trying to pedal nowadays.

[Illocust]

I'd settle for her having to use her wits (not in the dumb as a sack of bricks way of flashing her boobs btw), or even pulling a Indiana Jones and just shooting the guy. I've just been sick of the she's perfect at everything she does and there is no questions she'll get out of any situation with no consequences narrative they've been peddling since I was six.

Hell, I might even be able to overlook instant perfection if they gave her a real flaw like Dr. House. Where he is an acknowledged by everyone he meets socially incompetent asshole that everyone wishes they could afford to get rid of.

Her in the proceeding paragraphs in generic female main character her.

[robc]

Buffy specifically had a montage in one episode ( as a joke).

[Yusef Adama]

We need a Montaaaaaaaaage,

[Bubba Jones]

Oh, look. The sad, creepy nutjob in Firefly/Serenity is now a hot chick kicking ass.

[Zeb]

Who?

[Old Mexican Mighty Aggressor]

It's not that Rey isn't strong???it's that she's too strong.

So you CAN be too feminist to the point of ridiculousness! I knew it!

Not that I agree with Emma. I want to say she should stay and home and have babies but then the realization that this dumb fuck would reproduce gives me the heave jeeves!

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

FIRE's 10 worst colleges for free speech

[straffinrun]

Not a shock that Mount St. Mary's would straddle the top of that list.

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

Y'all. Tonight.

And for the hetero gents, because I'm nice.

[Crusty Juggler]

Allow me to post a more flattering image of sweet Katheryn Winnick.

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

The other Catherine (Bach) did it better, IMO.

[Zeb]

Who's that? Ashton Kutcher?

[Old Mexican Mighty Aggressor]

Edward Snowden is supporting Apple[:] "The FBI is creating a world where citizens rely on Apple to defend their rights, rather than the other way around," Snowden declared on Twitter.

But it is the case that Apple doesn't want to do the bidding of the State is defending the rights of terrorists to keep their phones encrypted!

"Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fares a bit better than rival Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups against Republican presidential contenders" according to a new poll.

Which means no one is truly enthusiastic about Hillary or either of the Republicans, to the point people are seriously looking at an elderly man promising them free candy.

The AFL-CIO has still not made an endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary.

Their dilemma is understandable: Dog or bitch - take your pick! Woof! Woof! Woof!

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has endorsed Marco Rubio for president.

Heel boots and all!

University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves will allow handguns in university classrooms

The professors are truly scared they have to come up with increasingly ridiculous objections that show their irrational fear of free people.

[Kristen Bids No Trump]

people are seriously looking at an elderly man promising them free candy.

Yesssss?

[Domestic Dissident]

Oh boy. The Gay Mafia and SJWs all throughout the west are about to make Manny Pacquiao their latest Emmanuel Goldstein figure.

[Heroic Mulatto]

You can add zoologists to that list.

[Citizen X]

Jesus, dude. I don't even know if i LIKE YouTube anymore.

[Heroic Mulatto]

Why do you have to be such a hippophobe?

[commodious spittoon]

Hilariously, the ad preceding that video was for Hillshire Farm smoked sausage--the eighteen inch deal that kinda looks like it could be equine cock.

[Rhywun]

Nike already cut their losses. What more is there to say?

[mipumojust]

Want to earn over internet from your couch at home by working easy jobs with your dekstop or laptop for 2-6 h a day, get 56 dollars hourly and get a paycheck at the end of each week and choose yourself the time when you work and for how long. Then start by visiting this link......at.......

http://www.alpha-careers.com

[Bubba Jones]

This makes no sense:

Residents of dormitories however, are not allowed to have handguns in their rooms, but can carry them in common areas, such as lounges, dining and study areas.

Only licensed handguns owners will be able to bring their guns to campus as long as it is locked on their person. Additionally handgun holders can not carry guns with a chambered ammunition round in it.

Carry a revolver.

https://utexas.app.box.com/campus-carry-report

[Bubba Jones]

This is derp

A gun safe that is used by a license holder must: (a) be large enough to fully contain all firearms placed in it and provide for secure storage; (b) have exterior walls constructed of a minimum 16-gauge steel; (c) have a high-strength locking system consisting of a mechanical or electronic combination or biometric lock, and not a key lock;

I haven't seen a small gun safe that doesn't have a backup key.

[Hank Phillips]

I'll vote libertarian if we get a libertarian candidate (like Austin), not another cross-dressing Republican. And it is a relief to see the commie leading the bitch for that other looter nomination. Communism is weakening, and no longer a long-term threat. National Socialism, on the other hand, is increasing in strength and causing Saracen berserkerism to increase. Nothing could be more dangerous than a GOP that morphs that last few inches into a full-blown NSDAP.

[Citizen X]

(like Austin)

Stone Cold Steve?

[EMD]

Yabsolutely.

[Uncle Jay]

Oh yay! Arsenic is leading cyanide.
Life doesn't get much better than this.

[Harun]

Today's FB derp:

Long post about how evil oil corporations are, and how they are killing the planet.

By someone who flew to Dubai for a two week "street photography" workshop, and who has in the past flown to Borneo for a bicycle tour vacation.

And a meme about how a single, black Mom who makes $22,000 working 7 days a week can't get any money to go to school while Paul Ryan works 93 days a year and is super rich.

FAFSA calculator shows the poor single mom would be eligible for $5,000+ in Pell Grants before I included any other data.

[Uncle Jay]

RE: Bernie leads Hillary in new Polls

Oh, good! Cyanide leads arsenic.
What could be better for the American people?

[sofiyathomas0225]

my friend's sister-in-law makes $85 hourly on the internet . She has been without a job for ten months but last month her paycheck was $21785 just working on the internet for a few hours. look at this web-site....
Clik this link in Your Browser

??????????? http://www.Wage90.com

[anndytaylor]

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do..

Click This Link inYour Browser....

? ? ? ? http://www.WorkPost30.com

[sofiyathomas0225]

my friend's sister-in-law makes $85 hourly on the internet . She has been without a job for ten months but last month her paycheck was $21785 just working on the internet for a few hours. look at this web-site....
Clik this link in Your Browser

??????????? http://www.Wage90.com

[lukashik]

The technology is so developed that we can watch videos, live streaming, TV serials and any of our missed programs within our mobiles and PCs. Showbox
All we need is a mobile or PC with a very good internet connection. There are many applications by which we can enjoy videos, our missed programs, live streaming etc.