Joe Biden Says U.S. May Confront Iran, One Man Responsible for 6,000 Reagan Airport Noise Complaints, Air Force Vet Found Guilty of Trying to Join ISIS: P.M. Links

• 

  afagen/flickr

  Joe Biden said the U.S. might confront Iran over missile tests it conducted yesterday, which he said did not violate the nuclear deal but did violate a U.N. Security Council resolution.

• President Obama will be at SXSW during Nancy Reagan's funeral, but Michelle Obama will skip the Austin festival to attend the funeral.
• Charles Barkley said the presidential election would have "zero effect" on his life because "he'll be rich either way."
• One man is responsible for 6,500 noise complaints about the Ronald Reagan airport.
• U.S. Air Force vet Tairod Pugh was found guilty of trying to join ISIS.
• Giancarlo Ibarguen, leader of the Guatemalan Universidad Francisco Marroquin, has died.

Comments

[__Warren__]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f56_1457548568

[Tonio]

Can you summarize?

[__Warren__]

Pussy balloon.

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

+1 "We all float down here"

[Crusty Juggler]

By that he means the link is totally safe for work, and that there is no way anyone you work with, or work for, could possibly be offended. You will not lose your job over it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I take days off every now and then just to remind you animals into what this place devolves sans the firm hand of ole Fist of Etiquette to keep things on the track of civility and grace.

[Mad Scientist]

Long live Fist of Etiquette!

[HeteroPatriarch]

He's a witch!

[BigT]

Only FoE can heard these cats.

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

But who will claim Fist's Infinity Gauntlet? Surely not Rufus.

[Ted S.]

He beat Fist. That's what counts.

[Tonio]

But not an actual first-first, but the old rules. I realize that there is no one official ruleset, but this is the one that I follow.

[Juvenile Bluster]

The rules are clear. To be first, the comment has to at least touch on one of the official links.

[Tonio]

"BY the old rules..." Oops.

And, I agree totally, but there are many who play by the content-independent top post rules. Punks!

[HeteroPatriarch]

So say we all!

[__Warren__]

I'm just glad we could have this discussion, spoke truth to power and validated our synergistic intersectionality.

[Farm to Toilet]

The number 6 appears both in his post and the P.M.Links, so...

[Stormy Dragon]

The North still remembers the old gods!

[HeteroPatriarch]

No he didn't. He just spammed the thread.

[__Warren__]

Pussy. Balloon.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

Also, no NSFW warning, which is not cool.

[__Warren__]

I'm self-employed...if you know what I mean.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

You mean you don't have a job?

[__Warren__]

It's kind of a job.

[Crusty Juggler]

I'm self-employed...if you know what I mean.

Hey, camshows are a booming business.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I don't know how I feel about being the bar.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

Some days you eat the bar and some days the bar eats you.
-Virgil Earp

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

That some sort of Eastern thing?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Far from it.

[Agammamon]

From a . . . certain point of view.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Hello.

"Joe Biden said the U.S. might confront Iran over missile tests it conducted yesterday, which he said did not violate the nuclear deal but did violate a U.N. Security Council resolution."

Wait. What or which chess move is this again?

[Agammamon]

Its not Chess.

Its a game of international Go.

But Biden thinks he's playing Othello.

[blighted non millenial]

3D

[SIV]

Slow news day

[Citizen X]

Charles Barkley said the presidential election would have "zero effect" on his life because "he'll be rich either way."

Turrible. Just turrible.

[Clich? Bandit]

Formatted, relevant to links. Well done sir. Come join quaternary commenter status.

[Pope Jimbo]

From an old story in SI about Barkley

Also on the trip was Cotton Fitzsimmons, retired at the end of the season as the Suns' coach, now an executive vice-president in the organization. He and Barkley talked about the team, about the future, about everything.

"I told him I was a Bill Clinton man and a black multimillionaire," Barkley says. "He was a Bush man. He said if Clinton got elected, I'd be just a black millionaire by the time Clinton got through. And then he said if I got divorced from Maureen, I'd be just black. I liked that. Rush Limbaugh used it later on his show."

[B.P.]

IF Biden's out beating up Iran, when is going to find time to cure cancer?

[Juice]

Come on, man. It's Uncle Joe. He can beat the terrorists and cure cancer while chewing gum and kicking ass at the same time.

[Agammamon]

But he's all outa gum!

[TheZeitgeist]

But Camaros are fast.

[Pope Jimbo]

Sometime after his butterfly knife lesson and before he washes his Trans Am

[The Last American Hero]

I thought he took a break from that to prevent college rape.

[Suthenboy]

Prevent. Right.

I thought college girls were too old for his taste.

[jesse.in.mb]

THE GOVERNMENT IS INTERFERING WITH WEATHER

*puts on tinfoil hat*

L.A. officials seeded clouds during El Ni?o storm in hopes of more rain

Oh, never mind. They actually ARE. *takes off tinfoil hat.

North American Weather Consultants has set up land-based generators in 10 locations between Sylmar and Pacoima, Fraser said. Only some of those generators were used Sunday night, as weather conditions were not ideal in all areas.

The generators shoot silver iodide into the clouds, creating ice particles. Water vapor freezes onto those particles, which fall as rain.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

I saw this on Bonanza once. They used a canon, I think.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

Speaking of 70's TV shows, I started watching Columbo on netflix. If these chump perps would just clam up Columbo couldn't nail them. It's always circumstantial evidence.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Same with Dragnet. In the few episodes where they didn't get into a shootout with the perp, they'd always confess.

[Ted S.]

The 60s Dragnet episodes are *terrible*.

[__Warren__]

They and Adam-12 and Emergency are great if you like to see what mid 60s to mid 70s Los Angeles looked like.

[R C Dean]

I notice I've been watching more "period" shows for the clothes, cars, and other historical detail than for the actual show itself.

[Krokko]

The historical scenery is my main reason for watching those shows.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

The movie with Tom Hanks was pretty good.

[The Last American Hero]

So essentially, Castle or NCIS?

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

I haven't watched those. I like Peter Falk. He acts dumb and then nails your ass.

[Ted S.]

Every Sunday at dinner, my dad and I watch The Love Boat on MeTV. I usually miss the opening credits, and spend the episode trying to recognize the guest stars.

You should see Ginger Rogers singing "Love Will Keep Us Together".

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

That is nice you spend time with your dad.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

No it won't. Ask Captain and Tennille:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertai.....d=21629304

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

"Captain" Dragon? Huh... It's high time he capitalized on that name.

[Mad Scientist]

Those squibs in the umbrella that were ignited by the record player and the falling dictionary weren't circumstantial!

[Agammamon]

That shit is a staple of these shows even today.

90% of the people Goren caught gave themselves away because somebody couldn't keep his mouth shut.

The Closer was this trope the tv show.

[Pan Zagloba]

Yeah, but that's why I love Colombo. He's smarter than the assholes, comes off as stupid and they just can't help trying to show how smart they are.

He's like less assholey Porfiri Petrovich from Crime and Punishment.

[BigT]

"Yeah, but that's why I love X. He's smarter than the assholes, comes off as stupid and they just can't help trying to show how smart they are."

X = ?

Biden?

Trump?

[Suthenboy]

That is the same formula they use today.

The suspects throw up their hands and confess after the cops outline their case and the defense lawyer just sits there like a lump, saying nothing.

They piss me off because I am not sure if these are 'shows' or training films for the proles.

[Ted S.]

I thought they used something non-canonical.

[jesse.in.mb]

I missed the viewing window and they didn't have the movie up for video-on-demand streaming.

Also puns are terrible and you should be ashamed of yourself.

[Ted S.]

You don't have DVR?

[jesse.in.mb]

No? I don't have cable, why would I have a DVR?

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

I don't even own a TV.
/smug

[jesse.in.mb]

This is why you shouldn't have changed your handle. A week ago I could've teased you for selling it for bathsaltz, but now I have to respect that you're more hipster than I am.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

4D Vulcan chess my friend.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

Are you trying to say nautical.
-Gene

[Juice]

Wasn't there damaging flooding? Did anyone die? I'm surprised some lawyers haven't jumped on this.

[jesse.in.mb]

There's damage in LA when it sprinkles lightly. I'm not sure there was anything unusually damaging this time around.

There are some delightful videos from a few years ago of cars trying to make it through a flooded Long Beach intersection only to stall out mid-way through and start floating away.

[John]

Socialism may be a disaster but at least Venezuelans have free health care.

http://abcnews.go.com/Internat.....a-37521932

[Juvenile Bluster]

I mean, there's always going to be a few hiccups. They should go to Cuba, where I've been told that they have absolutely perfect, free healthcare.

[tarran]

"It's a little known fact, Normie, that cockroaches have antibiotic properties. They hunt the germs down and eat them."

[John]

And they get free education too.

[Irish Breaks Up W/ ESB]

Even better: Cuba 'loans' their doctors to Venezuela in exchange for oil.

So not only does this say bad things about Venezuela's system, it also makes a mockery of the leftist claim regarding the supposed brilliance of Cuban doctors.

[Ted S.]

Nicole says lends.

[Pope Jimbo]

As every true Minnesodan knows, the correct word is "borrow"

Cuba 'borrows' their doctors to Venezuela for oil.

[Tonio]

Joe Biden said the U.S. might confront Iran over missile tests it conducted yesterday, which he said did not violate the nuclear deal but did violate a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Oh, such a decisive statement, and one that is normally made by the President of Sec'y of State. Though Biden is scarier than Kerry in certain ways.

[Tonio]

Crikey! Looks like I got in an official first. Acknowledging that many of you play by the top post rules, not the first quote and comment rules.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Citizen X got the first. You LOSE. Good DAY sir.

[Col. Chestbridge]

+1 fizzy lifting drink

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams.

[The Late P Brooks]

President Obama will be at SXSW during Nancy Reagan's funeral, but Michelle Obama will skip the Austin festival to attend the funeral.

What about Joe Biden? Attending funerals is the VP's number one priority.

[Tonio]

Apparently the tradition is for the sitting first lady to attend the funerals of former first ladies. VP attends funerals of second-tier heads of state.

[RBS]

I'm convinced this particular outrage is really just people hitting share on some asshole's facebook post without actually thinking about it.

[blighted non millenial]

War on women. Orphans hardest hit?

[Suthenboy]

The dignified course of action would be for Obumbles to attend the funeral and sit in the back and make no speeches. The funeral is for the family, not an opportunity for a sitting president to make it about himself.

Interviewer - "How does your family feel about President Obama not attending your mother's funeral?"

One of Reagan's kids - "We have no objection to that."

I would pay good money to see that.

[BigT]

"The dignified course of action would be for Obumbles to..."

Resign?
Hair-Kari?
Cancel his golf game?

[Aloysious]

Venezuelans Make Taxing Trek to Seek Health Care in Colombia

They gather by the hundreds at border bridges before dawn, in wheelchairs and surgical masks. They clutch X-rays and bundles of medical records they hope will persuade Venezuelan officials to let them join the few allowed to cross into Colombia each day.

Six months after Venezuela's socialist government shut its border with Colombia to fight smuggling, thousands of patients continue to make an arduous trek to get treatment in Colombian hospitals.

The closure has reshaped daily life for everyone along the frontier, but for sick Venezuelans hoping to escape their country's collapsed medical system, the consequences have been painful and sometimes deadly.

[John]

Socialism may be oppressive but at least you get free health care.

[__Warren__]

They need to raise taxes.

[John]

They just didn't go far enough Warren. it would have worked if only they had had more power.

[BigT]

We should invite them to use our VA facilities.

Oh, wait...

[Aloysious]

moar:

Perhaps the only thing worse than slogging to a clinic in Colombia is slogging through the Venezuelan health care system, which is beset by the economic chaos ravaging the country as a whole. Public hospitals here no longer have consistent running water and electricity, and medical supplies are scarce. The country is making due with 20 percent of the medications it requires, according to the opposition-leaning pharmaceutical association.

In San Cristobal, the Venezuelan city closest to Urena, six infants died during a single week in February because of a lack of respiratory machines. This month, a congressman accused the city's largest hospital of using expired drugs. Private clinics run their dialysis machines in three shifts to accommodate as many people as possible, and still have no room for new patients.

[Juvenile Bluster]

This is all the fault of capitalism, right?

[Aloysious]

Most certainly. What those stoopid Venuezaliens need is more socialism.

Let's send them Bernie. He means well.

[Doctor Whom]

Something something reduced oil revenues thanks to capitalism we needed to close the border to stop smuggling by capitalists the capitalist media love to say mean things about us.

[Pan Zagloba]

These people have enough money for private healthcare. Thus - kulaks.

[Suthenboy]

This in what was pre-Chavez a relatively prosperous SA country.

Socialism truly is evil.

[Ted S.]

Cross illegally. How many people can the border guards massacre before they run out of ammo?

[HeteroPatriarch]

Not many. They've probably traded most of their ammo to Colombians for toilet paper at this point.

[__Warren__]

How many rounds per roll? Or is it by square?

[Aloysious]

In addition to the sick, Venezuela allows students, some workers and any Colombians wishing to self-deport to cross.

Why would Colombians want to leave a socialist paradise?

[Aloysious]

On one recent morning, a National Guard officer told a family hoping to enroll their daughter in a Colombian high school that they would have to go to a different crossing. Asked why, he responded, "Because I say so."

How do you say, "Fuck you, that's why!" or "Fuck you, pay me!"in Venuzualian Spanish?

[Pan Zagloba]

See, this is why Papers, please failed as a gaming experience for me. You get penalized for not clearing checkpoint fast enough by getting less cash - the fuck kind of shitty government job in Socialist Shitholia is that? You are on the right side of the counter, you can fuck with people as you please (provided they don't have connections, or you didn't upset someone above you etc).

That guardsman knows how it's done.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Glory to Arstrotzka, you Kolechian swine.

[Heroic Mulatto]

You are on the right side of the counter, you can fuck with people as you please (provided ... or you didn't upset someone above you etc).

You didn't play long enough to find this plot element out?

[Pan Zagloba]

No, I got fired because I wasn't processing fast enough. Which destroyed my suspension of disbelief. I grew up in (semi-)Socialist (semi-)Shitholia, my standards are high!

Which is why I was impressed by This War of Mine - but that was made in Poland.

[Stormy Dragon]

You can in the game too. Part of doing well is figuring out the unwritten rules on when you can reject or accept someone without bothering to do a full inspection of their papers without actually getting dinged for it even when the official rules say you should have. (e.g. when of the more obvious ones is the people handing you the card for the brothel with the passport should all be immediately accepted regardless of whether or not their documentation is correct).

[Farm to Toilet]

Vete a la mierda, por eso.

[Crusty Juggler]

Where is the Twitter outrage of the day?

I am outraged by the outrageous lack of Twitter outrage in this afternoon's links.

[__Warren__]

#itshouldbecalledcaramelbythesea

[Certified Public Asshat]

Brock Osweiler getting a 4 year contract for $72 million...does that count?

[Ted S.]

Even Matt Flynn tweeted that the contract is insane.

[Ted S.]

Poor Russian Mafia teams.

[Irish Breaks Up W/ ESB]

Theodore Dalrymple murders strawman

"Apart from their accelerating number, the interesting thing about these deaths is that a very large proportion of them are caused by perfectly legal and legally prescribed medication....The fact that so many people have died of legally prescribed drugs of addiction suggests that not all the harm caused by illicit drugs of addiction arises from their illegality, as has sometimes been suggested."

I wasn't aware anyone thought all the problems caused by drug abuse came from drugs being illegal. I'm pretty sure the argument is that illegality causes crime and violence while failing to stop the abuse it's supposed to prevent.

Dalrymple is normally pretty incisive but has a rough time with the subject of drug legalization.

[Just say Nikki]

"The fact that so many people have died of legally prescribed drugs of addiction suggests that not all the harm caused by illicit drugs of addiction arises from their illegality, as has sometimes been suggested."

Jesus fucking christ people who OD are not harmed.

[tarran]

They are harmed. Unless they intend to OD, that is.

If I accidentally trip on a root and break my wrist in the subsequent fall, I am harmed.

[Irish Breaks Up W/ ESB]

They're 'harmed' but it's a harm they chose to potentially subject themselves to, unlike a 7 year old girl who gets hit in the head by a bullet during a gang related drive by.

That's the difference between 'harm' caused by doing drugs and harm caused by outlawing drugs.

[commodious spittoon]

We need much more stringent gun control laws to reduce the number of violent deaths caused by suicide.

[tarran]

That's the difference between 'harm' caused by doing drugs and harm caused by outlawing drugs.

Definitely! For the record, I am for full legalization on deontological principles and on utilitarian grounds. If you're buying reliably labeled Bayer Heroin(tm) in CVS, your chances of an unwanted OD will be much much lower, even non-existent!

[HeteroPatriarch]

The passive voice seems to imply that there is someone else at fault.

[Irish Breaks Up W/ ESB]

I'm also pretty sure Dalrymple doesn't even believe in addiction.

Here he is saying it's easy to quit heroin.

He's schizophrenic on the issue. He believes it's entirely your fault for doing drugs, yet wants laws against it anyway...

[Pan Zagloba]

He is also an atheist who thinks Western society lost a significant cultural pillar with decline of Christianity. I like him because he's neither prescriptive nor dogmatic - even the article you linked is free of any offered solutions and moral certainties. He's also aware that his biases are results of his experiences (prison psychiatrist would probably be biggest here), but he understands that humans are not rational creatures. And damn if he didn't get the ending right

It is wonderful to think that there are so many blameworthy people in this matter, enough to satisfy for quite a time anyone's need to blame others. One of the most fundamental of human necessities, after all, is to have someone to look down on or feel morally superior to. I thoroughly recommend the story.

[commodious spittoon]

I'm an atheist with pretty much the same perspective... not so much with respect to Christianity qua religion, but Christianity as a guiding light for liberalism.

[BigT]

Moi Aussie. Christian ethics are ok, dogma not so much.

[RBS]

people who OD are not harmed.

?

[Just say Nikki]

I'm betting they have deaths the rest of us would pray for.

[RBS]

That probably depends on the drug.

[Irish Breaks Up W/ ESB]

Choking to death on my own vomit at the age of 37 after a life of impoverished misery actually does not sound like my idea of an ideal death.

[jesse.in.mb]

37!?

Drug harder, Irish. You should be dead by 27 or you're doing it all wrong.

[grrizzly]

How come River Phoenix is not on that list?

[kbolino]

How come River Phoenix is not on that list?

He was only 23 when he died.

[grrizzly]

So he belongs to a more exclusive club.

[Juice]

Charles Barkley said the presidential election would have "zero effect" on his life because "he'll be rich either way."

Guess he'll be the first to Feel the Bern.

[HeteroPatriarch]

He's too rich to be affected by Sanders' tax hikes. It's the upper-middle class that will be destroyed. At first, anyway.

[Notorious UGCC]

I think the Charles Barkley quote needs more context. He said politics is about the rich screwing the poor. He (Barkley) isn't *personally* affected because he's rich, but he still concerned about the problems.

He mainly bashes Republicans, but he *does* say, "I've always voted Democratic. Always. I don't know why. I'm trying to figure out exactly what they've done for us."

[The Last American Hero]

I know why.

[Tak Kak]

"He mainly bashes Republicans, but he *does* say, "I've always voted Democratic. Always. I don't know why. I'm trying to figure out exactly what they've done for us."

He used to speak openly about being a Republican.

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2531022

[Suthenboy]

Figuring out what they have done for you is hard Charles. Figuring out what they have done to you, not so much.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Boooooo.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/bu.....story.html

Dos Equis is dumping the gray-haired spokesman known as the "Most Interesting Man in the World" for another actor.

The Mexican beer brand said Wednesday that the Most Interesting Man commercials will continue later this year without Jonathan Goldsmith, the 77-year-old actor who has appeared in Dos Equis ads since 2007.

In Goldsmith's last commercial, he is shipped off in a rocket on a one-way trip to Mars. He utters the beer brand's slogan ? "Stay thirsty, my friends" ? as the rocket takes off.

Andrew Katz, the brand's vice president of marketing says Dos Equis is making the change to attract younger drinkers.

A replacement for Goldsmith has been chosen, but Katz declined to say who it is.

Dos Equis is owned by Amsterdam-based Heineken.

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

Well, Norm MacDonald is free from KFC, so get him.

"So, ehhh...Stay thirsty, and have some of this Mexican beer! COCK!!!!"

Or, something like that.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Ha. Norm is funny.

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

Really. Seeing him dressed as the Colonel and subtly breaking character was always good for a laugh with me. Seeing him trying to pull off a "The Most Interesting Man" look should be hilarious.

[Restoras]

I liked him better than Adam Carolla as the Angel of Death in Family Guy.

[Private Chipperbot]

Step 1: Make beer that doesn't taste like sewage.
Step 2: Profit.

[Restoras]

Ballast Point, for example...cha-ching

[Los Doyers]

WATERMELON DORADO

[HeteroPatriarch]

I like Coors.

[Ted S.]

I've always thought those commercials were dumb.

Geico has a lot of terrible radio spots.

[Juice]

It's what they do.

[Pan Zagloba]

Andrew Katz, the brand's vice president of marketing says Dos Equis is making the change to attract younger drinkers.

A replacement for Goldsmith has been chosen, but Katz declined to say who it is.

So it won't be Bruce Campbell or Kurt Russel, the only awesome enough dudes. Damn.

[Jerryskids]

The kids these days go for Bernie Sanders. I'm old, but the thought of Bernie Sanders makes me want to drink, so I'd say they've got a winner there.

[Butts Wagner]

A replacement for Goldsmith has been chosen, but Katz declined to say who it is.

To tap into that sweet SJW, millennial market, they will be hiring Pajama Boy from the Obamacare ad as The Most Pinteresting Man in the World.

"I don't always Pin pictures of my locally-sourced vegan meals, but when I do, I check my privilege."

[The Late P Brooks]

Charles Barkley said the presidential election would have "zero effect" on his life because "he'll be rich either way."

Not after the Ministry of Plenty sets the fair wage for professional athletes at 82% of the median wage for high school gym teachers.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

NO INCENTIVE TO DUNK OR SHOOT 3'S!

[jesse.in.mb]

Lawmakers in West Virginia Celebrate Legalization of Raw Milk By Drinking It and Getting Sick

Lawmakers in West Virginia are excited about new legislation that lifted a ban on raw milk. They're so excited that they recently celebrated by drinking some raw milk. Now, many of those lawmakers are sick. [...]

"I'm not feeling that great," McGeehan told local news station WSAZ. "I think it's probably just some sort of bad stomach virus." But McGeenhan admits that it's not just him who's sick: "There's definitely some other colleagues that have similar symptoms that I've been experiencing."

McGeenhan says he drank just a small amount of the celebratory milk given to him by Scott Cadle, a sponsor of the raw milk bill. He still insists that the timing of his illness is "coincidental."

Talk about poor timing...

I agree with Novak's take on it:

I personally think that raw milk should be legal, but perhaps every bottle should contain a picture of Louis Pasteur and the caption "Really, guys?"

[Tonio]

Yeah, derpbook progs are all over that, and walking around with embarrassing boners. The term "anti-science" was used. They hate freedom.

[Brett L]

That fucking germ theory bullshit again?

[jesse.in.mb]

You seem upset. Maybe your humors are misaligned.

*grabs box of leeches and a trepanning drill*

Let Dr. Jesse help...

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

Let Dr. Jesse help...

That's....not a new phrase for you, is it?

[jesse.in.mb]

*snaps on nitrile gloves*

You might feel a little discomfort while I insert this 34 F Foley catheter.

Just relax, it'll all be over in a few moments

[Brett L]

I don't think semen in my orifices is what will balance my humors. But I'm jusr an amateur.

[jesse.in.mb]

Whoa, dude. Way to call into question my professionalism as a quack doctor.

[Crusty Juggler]

I hope all of my fellow Northeasterners have been enjoying my favorite holiday, which is "Pale Legs in Sundresses Day."

[tarran]

Oh yes! 😉

[John]

Me too. I will miss knee high boots and tights, but am always happy to see pale legs in sun dresses.

[bacon-magic]

You can still wear them Caitlyn...err John.(sorry to give your anonymity away)

[Certified Public Asshat]

Are those terrible romper outfits out of style? I hope so.

[OneOut]

Me too. I will miss knee high boots and tights, but am always happy to see pale legs in sun dresses.

RACIST !1!!!11!1

[Tonio]

Legs are not what I think of when I think of sundresses.

[Millennial Hipster Vanguard]

I'm sorry, i was distracted by the high school running team jaunting by in their sports bras and impossible short shorts.

[Certified Public Asshat]

OMWC?

[Old Man With Candy]

Old enough to bleed, too old for me.

[RBS]

This is when I miss living in an SEC town.

[HeteroPatriarch]

You mean cleavage day?

[tarran]

Former reasonoid Jennifer has decided to feel the Bern.

(Yes, I know, the bulk of his economic ideas are not merely bad, but downright hallucinatory. But every major-party candidate stinks regarding economic matters, albeit in different ways, and at least the not-Colonel admits that American police brutality is a serious problem, and doesn't share Clinton's foreign-policy hawkishness. Plus, Congress would block his worst economic proposals anyway.)

I think she is in for a nasty shock as to what Bernie Sander's beliefs about police brutality and war-making will turn out to be once the cops and soldiers work for him. And she way overestimates the spine of Congress.

[Crusty Juggler]

The subtitle of her blog is "Verbal extremism in defense of civil liberties is no vice."

[John]

Apparently the right to earn a living as you please and keep the money you make are not "civil rights".

[John]

And Bernie is a no kidding national socialist. I don't think Jennifer is going to like his immigration policies very much. She was always bright and charming but deeply confused. Sadly, she hasn't changed.

[grrizzly]

Congrats for having your piece picked up by the post.

[tarran]

?

[grrizzly]

Here.

[Trouser-Pod (The blowhard)]

The "feral genius" used to write in these parts? Seems like a good riddance situation, really.

[Tonio]

What happened to Jennifer, anyway?

[tarran]

At the height of her involvement here, she lost her newspaper writing job. Last I heard, she was doing the odd article for the Guardian while editing really forgettable, industrially produced romance novels. I think her life got a little hard. :/

[Farm to Toilet]

I still miss Smacky.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

"But the others are terrible too" is a silly and childish defense for any candidate not named Trump.

[HeteroPatriarch]

TIWTANFL. Wait, what?

[Fist of Etiquette]

One man is responsible for 6,500 noise complaints about the Ronald Reagan airport.

And that man is Tip O'Neill.

[Mad Scientist]

How loud can that one man be?

[The Late P Brooks]

A replacement for Goldsmith has been chosen, but Katz declined to say who it is.

Just as long as it's a member of Klan Kardashian.

[Just say Nikki]

The first uterus transplant in the US has failed.

[__Warren__]

Should have done the balloon thing.

[Juice]

o lawd

[Restoras]

Can't you just use a box?

[Tonio]

Yeah, it took them a while to get the heart thing right.

[Fist of Etiquette]

President Obama will be at SXSW during Nancy Reagan's funeral...

That's how Reaganesque he is. The Gipper isn't attending, either.

[Fist of Etiquette]

U.S. Air Force vet Tairod Pugh was found guilty of trying to join ISIS.

His punishment should be to let him.

[Rhywun]

Maybe I'm dense after a long day but... I'm not seeing in that article that the guy is guilty of anything.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...recalling that Pugh seemed nervous whenever a law enforcement person passed by.

Hello? Did not even read the whole article?

[Restoras]

He's guilty of disobeying his Betters.

[Medical Physics Guy]

Meanwhile, over at the WaPo comments section

Joseph Stratton
Every time Hillary loses a state her campaign claims because its a majority white.
Really? Was that why Hillary only visited Detroit and Flint?
When are white American liberals going to get tired that they are overlooked while all the emphasis is on minorities?

So delicious

[Tornado16nb]

The progs are eating themselves...delicious.

[Notorious UGCC]

Another commenter alerted me to this video about (TRIGGER WARNING) Donald Trump.

[Agammamon]

U.S. Air Force vet Tairod Pugh was found guilty of trying to join ISIS.

If there's one group that I would have figured would never do this . . .

Yo Ahmed!

I told you to call me Sergeant.

Whatev's man - where's the cappuccino machine?

The what? We don't have one of those.

Fuck this shit man - I am soo out of here.

[Juice]

the government shouldn't be telling a woman what to do with her body

People use their bodies to pay taxes and buy health insurance, right?

[GILMORE?]

"Charles Barkley said the presidential election would have "zero effect" on his life because "he'll be rich either way.""

I was so ready to actually complement Robby for this.

[GILMORE?]

Chipotle = E-Coli Outbreak Over, Now Begins Infecting People With Newer, More Exotic Latin-American Virii

[B.P.]

Maybe Chipotle should put the antibiotics back in their antibiotic-free meat.

[HeteroPatriarch]

Good think Comrade Sanders has directed the FDA to focus solely on eliminating all of the unnecessary alternatives to Ben & Jerry's.

[HeteroPatriarch]

*thing

[Bill Dalasio]

From a Derpbook discussion:

{Me} Sorry, but the maths simply don't work out. The 2015 Forbes 400 had a collective net worth of $2.3 trillion. That sounds like a lot. The problem is even as things stand, without Bernie Claus racking up spending wildly (those cost savings are based on incredibly optimistic assumptions) the federal government spends roughly $3.8 trillion. That means, even if you took everything they had (and that means say goodbye to them ever doing much in the way of providing jobs or innovations in the future), you'd only wind up financing current spending through mid-July (assuming the confiscation took place on 1/1).

{Sanders Supporter} You do realize that if the gov't can spend trillions of dollars bailing out banks and Wall Street then they have enough for universal health care and education. We are the ONLY advanced nation without it. And the numbers do add up. You are against Bernie I can tell. I certainly hope you aren't for Trump but we will just have to agree to disagree. This country is not working at all the way it is and there needs to be a significant change.

[Bill Dalasio]

(contd.)

{Me} You are aware that it is possible to think both socialized medicine and bank bailouts are bad ideas? That said, at least the bailout was a one-time bit of idiocy. Assuming systems comparable to other industrialized nations (mind you, industrialized with significantly worse survival rates once medical care is needed, but we'll omit that for this discussion) you're looking at roughly 10-12% of GDP every year. For the U.S., GDP is $18.1 trillion. If we're generous and assume it can come in at 10% (doubtful), that still means an annual outlay of $1.8 trillion. Given the $4.6 trillion price tag on bailout (again, don't look at me to justify that one, but that price tag is on the high end), you're talking about a third of the cost of the bailout EVERY YEAR! Forever. You don't get that by taxing "the rich". None of those other countries do. They get it by taxing the working and middle class much more than we do (their tax structures are actually generally flatter than ours).

{Sanders Supporter} I don't have the time to write lengthy paragraphs on why I think you are wrong. You believe what you want and I will do the same. We will just have to agree to disagree. And if you wanna talk about it more on your page go right ahead!

How do you argue with people like that? Or is the only way to win at Derpbook don't argue Derpbook?

[tarran]

Forget it. They're like Japanese infantry men in Guadalcanal. You shoot one, and two more Berniebots charge out of the jungle screaming "Bernie!!!!" with fixed bayonets.

There aren't enough bullets... er hours in the day... to slay them all.

[Bill Dalasio]

I understand. What amazes me is the notion of math as an opinion.

[Restoras]

Math doesn't have feelings so therefore it's optional if not a deliberate right-wing conspiracy to sabotage Progress.

[Juice]

The way to win at Derpbook is to delete everything in your account and never log in again.

[Medical Physics Guy]

Or turn off every feed except pictures of your friends' kids and animals

[Certified Public Asshat]

Don't forget about those 3 or 4 women you know from high school who are still hot.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Don't forget about those 3 or 4 women you know from high school who are still hot.

If only there were that many.

[Certified Public Asshat]

Sorry, high school and college.

[Suthenboy]

How young are you?

[Juvenile Bluster]

I've given up for the same reasons.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

You can't argue or debate in good faith with people like that.

They JUST KNOW and you don't.

The discussion is SETTLED even before you begin.

I notice it didn't even bother to attempt to address your points relying on logical fallacies instead.

'You do realize' is a classic tactic in particular.

[Bill Dalasio]

Eh, I did kind of respond in kind "You are aware...?"

[GILMORE?]

"" I don't have the time to write lengthy paragraphs on why I think you are wrong""

i.e. - "i don't actually go beyond surface-level *FEELS*-politics"
/90% of the planet

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

"We are the ONLY advanced nation without it."

And? Big shit. It's not what it's cracked up to be except for the misguided idea it's 'free'.

"And the numbers do add up. You are against Bernie I can tell."

This is awesome. The numbers add up but chooses an unverifiable ad hominen instead.

"I certainly hope you aren't for Trump but we will just have to agree to disagree. This country is not working at all the way it is and there needs to be a significant change."

Conjecture and opinion do not form an argument. No specifications required because you're a philistine.

[Tornado16nb]

you should have told the sanders supporter that Bernie was selling it as saving a trillion per year so why is the point of spending trillions on wars and bailouts relevant.

[Tornado16nb]

Post on their wall and ask why vermont scrapped it due to how much it was going to cost....this was a liberal gov who ran on implementing it.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

Bowie just said the same thing in the other thread. We spent BILLIONS on the war in Iraq! Therefore the feds have the money to provide universal healthcare and college!

These people don't understand how much money these programs already cost (see: thinking the federal budget is mostly spent on the military), much less how costly their fantasy programs would be.

[Irish Breaks Up W/ ESB]

A lot of people think the Federal Budget is largely comprised of foreign aid, too, even though it's like half a percentage point.

[Bill Dalasio]

These people don't understand how much money these programs already cost (see: thinking the federal budget is mostly spent on the military), much less how costly their fantasy programs would be.

The really weird part, to me, is when you carefully go through the math and show them, they respond with something to the effect of "Well, that's just your opinion...".

And they actually call themselves the rational ones.

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

We are the ONLY advanced nation without it.

Ironically, all the non-advanced nations USED to have it, which is what made them non-advanced.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Joe Biden said the U.S. might confront Iran over missile tests it conducted yesterday, which he said did not violate the nuclear deal but did violate a U.N. Security Council resolution.

What happened to the historic deal?

[The Last American Hero]

Same thing as Clinton's historic deal with North Korea.

[GILMORE?]

It was DOA back in October. Iran wanted to see if they could get the US to hand over $500bn and do nothing in exchange.

IOW, they already won

now they can just ignore the US because they know the Obama admin will do nothing until a different president is elected, at which point all bets are off anyway. They knew there was never any permanence to any 'deal'. It was purely something for Obama to claim "he'd gotten done" while in office. And he paid Iran half a trillion $ for the privilege

[Farm to Toilet]

And he paid Iran half a trillion $ for the privilege

Which is significantly less than what he and his family have cost the taxpayers for his family's vacations.

[R C Dean]

What kind of sap fronts the money, anyway?

What a bunch of pathetic amateurs.

[GILMORE?]

Iran needs sanctions the same way North Korea needs "military provocation" like the current, annual US/SK exercises.

The ruling regimes wouldn't last more than a few years if sanctions were entirely abandoned. They pinky-swore to the moon about how little they want nukes (*and in reality... probably don't care as much as we think) in order to get the sequestered finances released....

...but then once the 'deal' was passed, did everything under the sun to try and provoke a reaction to get sanctions renewed. They just wanted the cash = not the actual lifting of sanctions.

Getting the cash means the regime can use that money to buy more support for themselves. If they lifted sanctions, there would be an economic boomlet that would enrich the actual citizens of the country, and consequently the political opposition as well...

They will proabably wait a few years, and then refresh this idea again when it seems like there's a new set of rubes in D.C. desperate pretend what Great Diplomats they are.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Yeah, no shit. I don't care whether you're dealing with Street Corner Lenny or the Ayatollah, you never front the money. Ever.

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

What kind of sap fronts the money, anyway?

Since Obama didn't front his own money, I guess that just leaves us coerced taxpayers.

This is my #1 problem with Trump - the art of the deal is to get some other sucker to pay for the risk while you take all the accolades and profits should it turn out good. How that is different than what DC has been doing for the last 100 year I'll never understand.

[Libertarian]

What happened to the historic deal?

It's history.

[GILMORE?]

US General = There Are No Reliable Anti-ISIS Partners

- Cytotoxic only person alive to have ever believed the Turkish-Saudi bullshitting about a ground-offensive

[tarran]

It's so funny that the U.S., having spent oodles of treasure and blood pissing off everyone in the area by doing the Saudi King's dirty work, find themselves out of allies the first time they say no to that shithead.

[Pan Zagloba]

I love the governments of the region.

"Fight them, Yankee scum, or they KILL US ALL! And to make sure you fight them, we refuse to."

It's worse then Sheriff Bart holding himself hostage.

[tarran]

During the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the current monarch's predecessor was worried about the falling popularity of the royal family and the possibility of revolt.

So he had the imams who ministered to the poor and downtrodden preach jihad against the infidel occupation of Iraq. The disaffected youth listened, and instead of causing trouble, went north to cause trouble there. And the U.S. government slaughtered them. And the people back home didn't seethe with hatred toward their monarch, but at the infidel who had invaded Iraq for the monarch's benefit.

[HeteroPatriarch]

I can see this guy telling himself "ooh baby, you are so talented!

[Cytotoxic]

You're the only person retarded enough to think that fighting ISIS is the only reason someone would think Turkey or SA would go on a ground offensive in Syria.

[The Late P Brooks]

You do realize that if the gov't can spend trillions of dollars bailing out banks and Wall Street then they have enough for universal health care and education.

"I'M NOT BROKE! I STILL HAVE CHECKS LEFT!"

[Bill Dalasio]

LOL Good point.

[GILMORE?]

Other Municipalities decide finding lead in their water may be best path to more Free Government Money

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

What price the safety of our children New Jersey?

[R C Dean]

Uh oh.

You get more of what you reward . . .

[__Warren__]

Just found about this from a youtube video.

https://www.medibid.com/

You put in what treatment you're looking for and doctors from all over the country can bid on it. You pick the one you want based on your criteria such as cost, convenience, doctor's rep and so forth.

[0x90]

Shirley this should be illegal.

[R C Dean]

President Obama will be at SXSW during Nancy Reagan's funeral, but Michelle Obama will skip the Austin festival to attend the funeral.

Having the first lady attend is probably fine. But skipping out so you can go to a concert still seems really petty.

[Rich]

Sheesh, R C, he went to see Scalia. WTF do you want from the guy?

[R C Dean]

His resignation in disgrace would do.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Hello.

Obama and petty are not mutually exclusive. Why, they're mutually inclusive!

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

He's already got tickets.

[Trigger Warning]

Charles Barkley is very stupid.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Missouri's protests from last year have led to a 20% reduction in incoming freshmen and a massive budget deficit.

The fallout from the fake Mizzou protests continues to destablize the University of Missouri. Today the interim chancellor of the university emailed students that the university will enroll 1500 less students than projected and faces a budget shortfall of $32 million this year.

While the 1500 fewer students aren't broken out by year, the vast majority of them will come from the entering freshman class. How substantial is the decline in enrollment? Based on Mizzou admission data from past years we're talking about a potential 20% drop in enrolled freshmen.

[__Warren__]

They have an endowment of almost 1.5 billion. I think they'll be fine. Then again if they're not, so what?

[R C Dean]

Its worse than that. Most of the decline is in out-of-state students, and those are the ones who pay full freight.

Suck it, Missouri. You've sown, now reap.

[HeteroPatriarch]

Why the hell would someone who's not stuck in Missouri want to pay to spend 4 years in Missouri?

[Mickey Rat]

You gotta be somewhere.

[HeteroPatriarch]

Yeah, but if that somewhere is Missouri...I mean, bullets are cheap.

[Trigger Hippie]

Because it's not Arkansas?

[Tornado16nb]

NEED MOAR FUNDING FROM THOSE GREEDY REPUBLICANS!

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

You're going to see a lot more stories about colleges seeing a reduction in incoming freshman. Then you'll start seeing stories about bailouts for colleges.

[Mickey Rat]

Average tuition is over 21K a year...for Missouri?

[Cytotoxic]

In Slovakia, the leftist prime minister went Full Trump on refugees and Muslims. He wanted them to be 'identified'. He just reckt in the elections. Massive loss. The gains by a neo-nazi party and a different nationalist party did not even begin to balance that out. A bunch of centre/ centre-right parties won, including a no-kidding liberal (ie libertarianish) party that explicitly criticized the anti-Muslim/refugee rhetoric of the incumbent. Slovakia probably has a somewhat classically liberal government in its future. It's already a fast-growing economy, which is probably why the xenophobia failed. I guess the lefty forgot to implement lefty laws.

The forces of collectivism and xenophobia got crushed by forces for opennes, reason, and greater freedom.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/529b.....z42RsgdjTi

[Cytotoxic]

Trudeau sucks in a lot of ways, but there is one huge bright spot: relaxed immigration laws. We are gonna get a record amount, and it was already not too bad. Over 300,000. The sucky part is that economic immigration is getting reduced.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....e29069851/

[kbolino]

If that article were any more disingenuous, it would have to be published by Pravda.

[Cytotoxic]

It was the first link I found. G&M can be like that, but the point still stands: immigration is making Canada greater.

[kbolino]

A point cannot "still stand" when it was never even made.

[Cytotoxic]

No, I made the point. Mass immigration is making Canada stronger.

[kbolino]

Then why are you applauding that immigration numbers went down?

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

Because it makes it that much easier for the numbers to go up?

[Cytotoxic]

I'm not....more immigrants are going to come in. The economic class of immigrants is going to be lower though.

[Pan Zagloba]

You gotta go to our State-owned, lefty-run National Broadcaster for real Pravda shit.

Most of the attention, mind you, has been focused on the invitation itself, not on what makes Trudeau so inviting, and so potentially important to the leader of the most powerful country in the world.

Swear to God I don't believe in, Serbian Radio-TV in 1990 was less bootlicky about Milosevic.

[Cytotoxic]

They were probably less boring and dry as well.

[Rt. Hon. Judge Woodrow Chipper]

Henny bin Laden to Canada: Take my wives. Please!

[tarran]

Dosing is very difficult since the supply chains have 0 fucking process control. One guy cuts his shit by 50%, another by 25%. And it all looks the same.

Plus sometimes, like a depression era chocolatier adding hazelnuts to make up for a cocoa powder shortage, sometimes they add shit that has very unexpected side effects to make up for a lack of potency.

[Just say Nikki]

Dosing is that difficult if you don't know what you're buying.

[jesse.in.mb]

My understanding is that a lot of ODing happens when people get clean and then go back to the dose they were taking prior to getting clean. Sometimes it's from going into rehab and sometimes it's from intentional cycling.

[Homple]

Probably both, inconsistent product that is sometimes adulterated.

[Krabappel]

The government should just start putting out poisoned heroin like they did with ethanol during prohibition. That'll teach those drug users.

[commodious spittoon]

Williamson had a recent piece on heroin.

[Restoras]

I'd guess this. How 'much' do users inject? The same volume each time with each new supply? With a 'new' batch you'd think they'd approach it cautiously, but since they are shooting smack I guess they aren't really thinking anyway.

[Farm to Toilet]

There also the problem of people going into treatment and being clean for awhile and then deciding to shoot up again. They use the same dose as they did pre-treatment and it kills them. That's what happened to Amy Winehouse.

[Tonio]

Those would probably be illegal under paraphernalia statutes. And if not, they would become so very quickly. Like spice and bath salts.

[__Warren__]

Give it up for Steve Harvey, ladies and gentlemen!

[RBS]

I didn't sign that. And if my signature is on it then it was forged.

[__Warren__]

However if you were not suffering from false consciousness you would have willing signed it, therefore forged or not the signature is valid.

[__Warren__]

The interesting stuff starts at about 33 minutes in.

[Heedless]

Also, heroin addicts rarely have the self-control and judgment necessary to use a testing kit regularly. If they scrape together the $20 to buy one, they will spend it on heroin.