Trump-Clinton in Virtual Tie With Record Unfavorables, Obama Headed to Hiroshima, Volcano Erupts in indonesia: A.M. Links

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  IFRC/flickr

  Two new polls out this weekend show Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a virtual tie, while Bernie Sanders leads Trump by 15 points in one of the polls. Trump and Clinton also both have unfavorable ratings above 50 percent.

• Barack Obama is set to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima. Yesterday he was in Vietnam, which could see the U.S. lift an arms embargo against it.
• A U.S. drone strike in Pakistan reportedly killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban.
• Iraq has launched its latest military operation to take Fallujah from ISIS.
• German chemical firm Bayer has made an offer to buy Monsanto.
• The Mount Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupted, killing at least seven.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

German chemical firm Bayer has made an offer to buy Monsanto.

OH MY!

[Florida Hipster]

I've never know the Germans to be interested in genetics...

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Hello.

"German chemical firm Bayer has made an offer to buy Monsanto."

FRANKEN-MERGER!

[commodious spittoon]

*polite applause*

[Swiss Servator]

*salutes*

[B.P.]

Is that a Nazi pug salute?

[pan fried wylie]

The Monster of FRANKEN-MERGER! (Alternatively, Dr. FRANKEN-MERGER's Monster)

philistines.

[The Last American Hero]

Watch out as Monsanto goes from Bond-villain evil KKKorporashun to "vital part of the Fortress America Food Supply" in about 14 seconds. Be careful, you might get whiplash.

[Rhywun]

Don't mention the war!

/Bayer

[Bee Tagger]

Two new polls out this weekend show Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a virtual tie, while Bernie Sanders leads Trump by 15 points in one of the polls.

Careful, you might accidentally imply these polls don't mean very much.

[straffinrun]

Would you rather see them in a three way?

[Slammer]

Threeway deathmatch with dull knives, yes.

[straffinrun]

You had me at threeway deathmatch.

[Trigger Warning]

PAGING CRUSTY JUGGLER TO THE WHITE COUTESY PHONE

[Trigger Warning]

GODDAMMIT

[Agent Cooper]

Why is the courtesy phone WHITE?

Huh?

[Tornado16nb]

Does anyone understand why Sanders does so well in these polls but is losing democrat primary by a wide margin? I hope these aren't really true....he is a true believer and a miserable person. Dangerous combo imo

[Eternal Blue Sky]

The same reason polling has done so abysmally this entire cycle.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

Part of it is nearly all the superdelegates are pledged to Clinton; she and Bill are leveraging their name and money, and calling in 25 years of political favors. Clinton's team has also been playing some unusual reindeer games, for instance winning every single coin flip for delegates in the tied Iowa caucus races.

Also, part of it is the fact that Bernie' core support is largely limited to white milennials and Gen-Xers who consider the Clintons to be relics of a 20th century Democratic party that doesn't really represent their interests. They'll fall in line, though, once Hillary becomes the nominee, same as the #NeverTrump holdouts are largely limited at this point to neocon political pundits. It's really a race to see who can inspire enough people to show up and vote *against* the other party's nominee.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A U.S. drone strike in Pakistan reportedly killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban.

At his wedding?

[BigT]

Second marriage . War on polygamy!

[Swiss Servator]

So much for the triumph of hope over experience...

[Just a thought not a sermon]

181) Allergies in the US population are becoming more prevalent and more powerful, and a lot of allergists think it's because kids are growing up in cleaner environments. The theory is that childrens' immune systems aren't exposed to enough junk when the kids are little, and don't learn to distinguish between real threats and innocuous things like peanuts or wheat.
It seems like this same theory could apply to a lot of the social hyper-sensitivity we're seeing today: out of control victimhood grievances, safe spaces, trigger warnings, and the other nonsense. I know from my own kids' schooling that there is a huge emphasis in schools today on eliminating bullying, and providing all kids with safe learning environments. Great! Except that the kids aren't learning what real threats are. Having never experienced actual bullying, they interpret normal disagreements as threatening, much like the human immune system overreacting to harmless peanut particles. By making their lives too clean/easy, we're eliminating the normal feedback mechanisms humans use to learn to operate in the world.

[Anarcho-Woodchipper]

I am 100% on board with this theory

[sloopyinTEXAS]

The theory is that childrens' immune systems aren't exposed to enough junk when the kids are little,

Great, so you want to expose little kids to junk? You fucking pervert.

[Anarcho-Woodchipper]

"They took our jerbs!" - OMWC, probably

[Anomalous]

OMWC should have responded here.

[commodious spittoon]

Here's a thing with a guy who wrote a thing.

[Certified Public Asshat]

In addition, (maybe?) adults who develop allergies later in life: is it due to the fact that they eventually stop spending any time outside and spend all of their time in office buildings with closed windows?

[CPRM]

I don't know. The whole 'avoiding things cause allergies' emakes sense, but my mom developed an allergy to fish late in life, and her favorite foods were fish and other seafood, and as Catholics we ate fish every Friday all lent. Then all of a sudden she was she had a reaction to it. So the avoidance thing can't be the whole answer.

[Atlas Slugged]

I believe studies have already been published to show kids raised on farms have lower allergy rates than kids raised in cities/suburbs. I can look for a citation if needed. Anecdotally, I buy this theory as well. Grew up surrounded by dogs and didn't have any allergy problems as a kid.

[Citizen X]

Hodor noooooooo

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

The last thing that show needs is time-travel paradoxes. What is this, Lost?

(Actually last night's episode was directed by Jack Bender, who directed multiple episodes of that show)

[Citizen X]

Considering that Littlefinger can already teleport anywhere at will, it's not that much of a twist.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Seriously, what the hell. It took Sansa and Brienne longer to get from Winterfell to the Wall than it takes Littlefinger to get from the Vale to the Wall.

[Citizen X]

I cannot figure out the passage of time in that show. All we're told is that (in Meereen, at least) it's been a fortnight since the last episode, but if the different stories are intermixed non-chronologically, who knows.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Implying the copious amount of prophecies in ASOIAF don't already tread upon timey whimey shenanigans territory.

[Citizen X]

+1 glass candle

[Rhywun]

Are there any rules in that universe? I gave up after 4 books. One of the things I really hate about a lot of fantasy is that if there are no "rules" anything at all can happen, so why bother.

[Robert]

There was no time travel on "Lost". There were people being knocked out, then taken to places where they were told it was a different time. In some cases they met doubles of themselves that they were made to believe were their doubles at a different time. http://users.bestweb.net/~robgood/teach

[Fist of Etiquette]

HOLD THE SPOILERS

[Citizen X]

Don't worry, goddamn Bran will just go back in time and un-spoil you, apparently.

[WTF]

Cure yourself!

[B. Woodrow Chippenhaus]

Not revealing GoT spoilers is so 2011-2015

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Bran really is the worst thing that has ever happened to Hodor. The books delve into what exactly happens when Bran takes control of Hodor. It's fairly creepy, with Hodor hating it and being forced to retreat and cower into a small corner of his mind, and Bran essentially taking control of Hodor just for fun. Bran's a dick.

[Zeb]

I think Hodor is the only non-dick in the whole thing.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Also The on.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

And Varys. And Greg Worm.

[Zeb]

Well, you got me there.

[Red Rocks Rockin]

The show is really starting to go down some interesting paths that indicate that "heroes" like Bran and Daenerys might not be seen as good guys in the end. Euron Greyjoy's indicated that he's going to support Daenerys' invasion which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for her leadership, she's already shown that she's a lot better at conquering and killing people than she is at ruling, and by the time we're all said and done, Bran's probably going to be responsible for some weird time loop where his powers ultimately make things worse for everyone because he lacks the wisdom and self-control to understand that he's supposed to be a seer, not a manipulator.

[Stormy Dragon]

I'LL BUILD A YUGE FLEET! AND MAKE THE LANNISTERS PAY FOR IT! MAKE THE IRON ISLAND GREAT AGAIN!

[WTF]

Hold it's motherfucking door!

[Lee G]

NO SPOILERS

*abandons thread*

[Citizen X]

Well, bye.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Barack Obama is set to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima.

Everyone else had the respect to stand.

[Bee Tagger]

Sitting is nothing but a permanent bow.

[Citizen X]

It's a bow rotated 90 degrees.

[commodious spittoon]

Kinky.

[WTF]

I wonder if he'll visit Nanking, too. Actually, no I don't.

[Restoras]

Tell him it was our fault and he'll happily go an apologize for it.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Sing of the end times being upon us.

Jesus Christ. LIGHTEN UP! Not everything is a conspiracy.

[Renegade Jew]

"Major League Baseball's vice president of social responsibility and inclusion" Paging Ty Cobb!

[John]

Not to be a pendent, but everything you think you know about Cobb is a lie made up by a drunken hack reporter named Al Stump.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05......html?_r=0

[bacon-magic]

Pendent, pendant, pedant. It's all the same...(Nikki where are you!)

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Not to be a pendent

John has been keeping abreast of the situation.

[J from somewhere]

That does have a good ring to it.

[straffinrun]

Jays' John Gibbons tossed for arguing intent of close pitches

Next article doesn't sound LGBT unfriendly, though.

[Hamster of Doom]

"What should have been a night of joy and celebration at Petco Park last night instead turned into a nightmare...

Blood, mayhem, it was a nightmare of biblical proportions! People dying, hair catching fire spontaneously... Oh, wait, no. It wasn't. It was just a voice over the 1MC.

Major League Baseball's vice president of social responsibility and inclusion. Humanity is due for a meteor strike.

[Slammer]

With this as background, we call on the San Diego Padres and Major League Baseball to immediately launch a full and transparent investigation into the incident to determine if someone or some people intentionally engaged in anti-gay discrimination or a hate crime by playing a female's voice to represent a group of gay men with the purpose of denigrating and/or ridiculing gay men. The historic significance of such an act is not lost on the LGBT community?especially in relation to professional sports?and added to the depth of embarrassment experienced by the singers and their families.

We also call upon the City of San Diego City Attorney's Office and the City of San Diego Human Relations Commission to independently investigate this incident to determine if members of the San Diego Padres organization engaged in activity in violation of the San Diego Human Rights Ordinance or engaged in any deliberate hate crimes based on sexual orientation.

[Hamster of Doom]

Well, at least it wasn't steroids for once.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

TL/DR: we have hostages and will soon release our demands.

[B. Woodrow Chippenhaus]

Hopefully the National Organization for Women will demand a full and transparent investigation into the gay chorus for sexistly believing that hearing a woman's voice is insulting.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

I'm going to go ahead and add the word 'inclusion' to my list of evil words and phrases.

The other day I saw Jamele Hill (clearly a token affirmative action hire) and some other dude (black as well and I mention this because it's relevant to the topic and comment) "pontificate" about how they could not understand why Native Americans would be cool with the word 'Redskins' when it clearly it's a slur.

The basic logic was 'it's against their interests and we still have to ban it'.

Also, I'm of the opinion words that start of a certain way or with a meaning, can evolve and change over time.

[Slammer]

I completely erased ESPN from my life..no watching their live TV, no watching their shows, no website. It's a great move Rufus, I recommend it.

[Rhywun]

Too bad you're still paying about 35 bucks a month for it.

[Slammer]

Yes. I'm paying for tv anyway.

[Rhywun]

I mean, you're paying 35 bucks a month just for ESPN.

[Slammer]

I don't know. I have a DirectTv package. I wonder if there's a breakdown of cost by channels.

[Rhywun]

If there's a breakdown, the company sure as hell won't let you see it.

[Glide]

I'm not entirely sure that's the number, given that Sling includes ESPN in their $20 basic package. Obviously Sling ? mainstream TV but it certainly means they can be had for less in the right situation.

[Rhywun]

Sure. 35 is just the average - I can't find the article I read it in but ESPN was noted as the most expensive channel by far.

[Clich? Bandit]

HBO is. And I know this as someone who worked (5 years ago) for an MSO. HBO is ACTUALLY $40 per subscriber. That is why premium packages are so expensive. Now, this is old info, things may have changed. ESPN is expensive too but nowhere near HBO.

[WTF]

I hate when the Yankees are on ESPN, because ESPN's announcers are the absolute worst.

[Slammer]

I'm a lifetime Yankee fan...the absolute worst are the Yankee radio announcers. I have MLB.TV, I listen to the games with the opposing teams radio guys. I love the San Diego Padres guy.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

I love the San Diego Padres guy.

Oh, so you're racist against gays. Got it.

[Slammer]

I said I loved a guy, didn't I?

[B. Woodrow Chippenhaus]

Isn't that Don Orsillo now? He was fantastic with the Red Sox. Can't believe they didn't renew his contract.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

I avoid them where I can.

[Roger the Shrubber]

Ask your black friend if it's OK for blacks to call each other 'nigger.' Perhaps we should charge any who would use the word with a hate crime.

[Roger the Shrubber]

Misread - thought you were telling a personal anecdote .

[Lee G]

The basic logic was 'it's against their interests and we still have to ban it'.

False conciousness FTW

[Free Society]

The basic logic was 'it's against their interests and we still have to ban it'.

"We need to have a conversation about race in this country, so shut up and listen to the progressive black guy and don't you dare open your mouth to do anything but agree." /proglogic

[Michael]

Major League Baseball's vice president of social responsibility and inclusion...

What the...

[Rhywun]

I smell another Congressional hearing!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Trump and Clinton also both have unfavorable ratings above 50 percent.

But not with each other.

[Citizen X]

Paging SugarFree, SugarFree to the white courtesy phone... hang on, why is the handset sticky?

[SugarFree]

It didn't start out as a white phone.

[bacon-magic]

ew

[Butts Wagner]

It's translucent now

[Bee Tagger]

German chemical firm Bayer has made an offer to buy Monsanto.

Great, now I'm going to have to deal with Asprin seeds floating onto my farm?

[Slammer]

German chemical firm Bayer has made an offer to buy Monsanto.

Frankenaspirin!

[Fist of Etiquette]

You know who else used chemicals and wanted to engineer perfection?

[Citizen X]

Lexus?

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Casey Jones?

[Slammer]

Well done.

[straffinrun]

Hasbro?

[Renegade Jew]

Timothy Leary?

[BigT]

Margaret Sanger?

[Glide]

Walter White?

[Agent Cooper]

Just be happy it's not IG Farben.

[Renegade Jew]

Barack Obama is set to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima.

"We did it once, we'll be happy to do it again."

[Sevo]

I'm hoping the Japs have the decency to convey their appreciation for the number of lives those things saved.

[WTF]

Since the Japs like to pretend they were innocent victims in the entire affair, I somehow doubt it.

[Slammer]

Making jewelry from breast milk

For the mommy set that favors home births and doulas and eats their placentas in their rustic-chic kitchens, it's the next logical step.

"Getting your little one to latch on, the sore bleeding nipples, the endless leaking, the feeding on demand, and then going back to work and trying to pump .?.?. it's all incredibly intense," says Jessica Gromek, 34, an ER nurse in Union, NJ, who got breast-milk necklaces made for future gifts for both of her two daughters, ages 2 and 4. "It's a piece of me ? a symbol of my love," she says.

"Many of my friends joke and tell me I produce 'skim milk' because it's so light in color, but several moms produce what my nursing-mamma friends call 'butter,' which can be very yellow," she writes. "That is what makes this very beautiful."

[Barfman.]

BAAARRRFFF

[Just a thought not a sermon]

"Many of my friends joke and tell me I produce 'skim milk' because it's so light in color, but several moms produce what my nursing-mamma friends call 'butter,' which can be very yellow"

Very good, Barfman. This also suggests to me this mother's milk may not actually be very nutritious...

[Elspeth Flashman]

Ewww! /teenage girl

[SugarFree]

"Gee, thanks, mom." [throws biohazard jewelry into drawer]

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Somehow we live in a world where the gender that ISN'T obsessed with every single one of their bodily fluids is seen as the "gross" gender.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

Which gender is this you're referring to?

[straffinrun]

Bruce Gender?

[Swiss Servator]

*narrows gaze*

[Lee G]

How are they going to feel when dad makes some spunk jewelry for the kids?

People are weird.

[Chip Woodier]

I knew a pearl necklace reference was about to gush.

[Free Society]

My wife joined a local mom group. Attended a couple meetings and really felt like she was in a community of peers. She even started cloth diapering. Then a women brought in cookies made from her placenta and my wife realized that she was in a cult.

[Monty Crisco]

OT: Posted it earlier, but AMERICA SUCKS!!

http://www.nydailynews.com/new.....-1.2643214

Actually, this was riffed on by Taranto in the WSJ when Obama was saying the same thing about America being great again. Shaun King is so unoriginal he had to copy Rachel Dolezal...

[sloopyinTEXAS]

He has a point though...

...right on the top of his head.

[Monty Crisco]

ZING!!

[Anarcho-Woodchipper]

If the feeling of wet socks could be personified, it's her face.

[Citizen X]

God, i hope that's not a masturbation euphemism.

[Zeb]

Why do people assume that "Great" means really good in every way for everyone? Seems to me that when you are talking about countries or powerful people, "great" means big, important and significant in a largely morally neutral way.

[John]

Why do people think the country being great depends on who is President? At most the President can help screw up an otherwise great country. But no President can ever make the country great if it isn't that way in the first place.

The proper slogan is "Let America be Great Again".

[Citizen X]

"Jesus Fuck, Mr. President, Shut Up and Get Out Of The Way."

[Zeb]

Indeed. The idea that we need a leader to make us anything is probably the biggest problem with politics.

[Rhywun]

About two months ago, I wrote a column about the word "again" in Trump's slogan. I think it's a racist dog whistle ...

It's sad watching the Daily News turn into Salon. It used to be a decent paper.

[bacon-magic]

I refuse to click on any link to articles written by White Chocolate. Dark chocolate is where it's at.

[Rhywun]

Just noticed his position is "senior justice writer". You can't make this stuff up.

[Citizen X]

+70% cacao

[Slammer]

How'd these inmates take this picture?

The four thugs are Rikers Island inmates flashing gang signs in the back of a Correction Department bus ? and another prisoner is suspected of taking the photo with a contraband cell-phone

"It is a major breach of security ? it is contraband,'' a source said of the phone. "It could be used by prisoners to sell calls to other prisoners, which could lead to fights

"This is serious because today it's phone, and tomorrow it could be a gun ? and then what happens?"

New York State Court Officers Association President Dennis Quirk blasted the breakdown in security, saying: "This is another example of the poor job done by Corrections in searching people before bringing them to court.

"The morale in Corrections is very low, and that is because of the budget cuts and how the commissioner treats correction officers," Quirk added.

[Citizen X]

today it's phone, and tomorrow it could be a gun

That is a hell of an escalation.

[Cyto]

Well, you could also remove the incentives for selling phone access by, you know, not charging extortionist rates to the relatives of inmates for speaking with their family?

[Hamster of Doom]

"The morale in Corrections is very low, and that is because of the budget cuts and how the commissioner treats correction officers," Quirk added.

They aren't paid nor treated well enough to steal their neighbors lives and treat people like crap.

[Renegade Jew]

Irony. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[straffinrun]

It isn't ironic. That's why that song is ironic.

[SIV]

USA Today Says Obama Is a "Gen-Xer"

Sorry USA Today, Boomers are going to hold the presidency for at least 32 years straight.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Well, with Obama and Trudeau as Gen-xers it's no wonder I have little connection or in common with my fellow generationalists.

[Lee G]

Kiss my ass. He's got the boomer mentality down pat.

[Rhywun]

'61 is Boomer in my book

[WTF]

"Baby boomers are people born during the demographic post?World War II baby boom approximately between the years 1946 and 1964."

He is a Boomer.

[Rhywun]

Of course these things are hardly objective - but calling him a Boomer does go against the "Hope and Change" image.

[Free Society]

If this is a Gen X presidency. I shudder to think of a millennial presidency.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

"Yesterday he [Obama] was in Vietnam, which could see the U.S. lift an arms embargo against it."

Confirmed this morning by the Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ post-politics/wp/2016/05/23/ in-historic-move-u-s-lifts-arms-sales- embargo-to-vietnam/ ?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_us vietnam-227am:homepage/story

[Slammer]

"Inside every gook, there's an American trying to get out."

[Renegade Jew]

Is that what happened to the MIAs?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Mount Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupted, killing at least seven.

Cinnabon has killed a lot more than that.

[straffinrun]

Krakatoa doesn't kill, but damn it smarts.

[PBR Streetgang]

Sweet delicious death from Cinnabon.

[commodious spittoon]

Sin-a-bung? Indonesia is paying the price for our moral laxity with regard to ass sex, and God is pissed.

[Lord Humungus]

Attacking a Cop in Louisiana Will Be a Hate Crime if Gov. Signs 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill

Louisiana's hate crime law already protects vulnerable minorities from attacks based on their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, but state lawmakers want to add another group to the mix: cops.

The state's House and Senate have already approved the measure ? dubbed the the "Blue Lives Matter bill" ? and it just needs the signature of Governor John Bel Edwards in order to become law. Edwards is expected to approve the bill, which also covers firefighters, paramedics, and other first responders.

The phrase "Blue Lives Matter" became a counter-slogan to the Black Lives Matter movement, which grew out of the officer-involved killings of Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson in the summer of 2014. The incidents ? and subsequent grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers responsible ? sparked outrage and protests across the US.

[John]

I would be okay with that if police were required to be in uniform at all times and carry no other weapons than a revolver and a knight stick and we got rid of sovereign immunity and made police personally responsible for their screw ups. Do that and I would be fine with locking anyone who attacks a cop up for the rest of their lives. Otherwise, fuck off.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

"knight stick"

Also known as a lance?

[John]

Is it knight stick or night stick? I honestly don't know. I assume since it is an instrument of violence, it would use the martial term "knight". But maybe not.

[Slammer]

Night Stick AKA 'Wooden Shampoo'

[Citizen X]

It's nightstick.

[straffinrun]

Hey, didn't we go through this before?

[John]

I think so. But I don't always score at home.

[WTF]

It's "night".

[WTF]

Although they usually just call them batons now.

[Agent Cooper]

Well they do conduct sweet chin music.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Like it already isn't a capital offense to disobey an order from a cop.

[Citizen X]

officer-involved killings

?_?

[SugarFree]

"Fuck you, Florida!" sez Louisana, puts on dunce cap

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

They already don't have accountability. Add this and, well, I think we can surmise this will be problematic. Also, it's not warranted.

[Zeb]

Well, I do hate cops. Attacks on cops may well be more hate driven than most supposed bias crimes.

[Agent Cooper]

Oh jeez this is stupid.

[Tornado16nb]

I see liberals saying that WW2 got us out of the great depression. If so, doesn't that make the new deal look kind of bad?

[Citizen X]

Yes, but cognitive dissonance is a hell of a drug.

[some guy]

No, see, the New Deal staunched the bleeding. It kept the capitalistic excesses of the 20's from sending the world back to the Bronze Age. FDR could have saved the country with the New Deal in a matter of only a few years, but he faced harsh opposition from Congress and SCOTUS. We're just lucky WWII came along and forced Congress to give him the power to save us all by micromanaging large portions of the economy.

[Tornado16nb]

Funny how they never mentioned Hoover started the new deal and FDR doubled down on it.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Just like how they talk as if Nixon owns Vietnam.

[Raven Nation]

For a while now, the academic spin on that is that the New Deal convinced people who were suffering that the government cared for them and so prevented the rise of both full-on fascism and communism in America.

[some guy]

Ooh, that's another good spin on it. I like that one.

[Raven Nation]

Editorial cartoon "evidence" for this theory.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

I rather find interesting the irony of 'it's okay to revisit the Constitution because different time and dead white guys' to improve and progress, but it's not cool to reconsider cherished left-wing policies of the 20th century because 'self-evident' it was good and needed.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

The narrative I was fed in school was that the New Deal didn't work because it wasn't enough spending, luckily then WWII came along and boosted spending enough to stimulate the economy and save the day. Seriously.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

We also had an assignment where we had to identify aspects of the new deal and label them as "socialist" or "capitalist", with the expectation being any government regulation that helped businesses was "capitalism". The teacher was surprised when he got back a paper instead labeling everything either "socialist", "fascist", or "mercantilist" with not a single thing labeled "capitalist". Luckily, apart from having an ideological bias, the teacher actually was the rare kind that welcomed dissent, and I ended up with extra credit for dissenting with the narrative.

[Citizen X]

My kid is studying the Progressive Era right now, and some of the stuff she's had to read for homework was surprisingly even-handed with regard to the "robber barons." Way more so than when i was in school, anyway.

[spqr2008]

The way I explained it in multiple essays was that the enforced rationing increased the savings rate, and didn't do much to the crippling uncertainty of the Depression, therefore people saved all that they could, and had a little bit of extra money that helped create the postwar boom, even though it took a few years for people to feel confident enough to spend again, plus, we had bombed every competitor nation's industries to dust, so we had a lock on the manufacturing market for years.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Former Liberal Finance Minister and Prime Minister Paul Martin recently said rebuilding Fort McMurray would be great for its economy.

This is how retarded things are.

[Lord Humungus]

Austria election: far-right candidate and rival tied at 50% in exit poll

According to the public broadcaster ORF, Norbert Hofer of the rightwing populist Freedom party (FP?) was neck and neck on 50% with his rival Alexander Van der Bellen, a former Green party leader who is running as an independent.

Postal ballots, accounting for 14% of eligible voters and expected to favour the left-leaning candidate, are being tallied on Monday, and a full result is not expected until Monday afternoon. Fifty per cent and one vote would suffice to hand the presidency to one of the two candidates. Data from Austria's interior ministry, which does not take into account the projected postal vote, put Hofer on 51.9% and Van der Bellen on 48.1%.

[Rhywun]

"Make Austria great again!"

The Guardian's coverage of these two candidates is hilariously lop-sided. The only substantive thing I could find about Ven der Bellen is he likes yodelling.

[Free Society]

"far-right"

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Thank god we've finally gotten to the point that cops who embezzle money are made an example of so that the public maintains trust in so-called "public servants".

[AlmightyJB]

Volcanoes aren't what they used to be. Trump will make volcanoes great again.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Nuke Yellowstone, set off eruption yuuuger than the world has ever seen??

[Lord Humungus]

Blasts kill more than 120 in Syrian government-held cities - monitor

Bomb blasts killed scores of people in the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous on Monday, and wounded many others in the government-controlled territory that hosts Russian military bases, monitors and state media said.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks in the Mediterranean cites that have up to now escaped the worst of the conflict, saying it was targeting members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 120 people were killed. State media said 78 people died in the attacks on Assad's coastal heartland.

JV Team!

[Lord Humungus]

Secret life of the 'human pups': Weird world of the grown men who enjoy dressing up as DOGS in roleplay craze sweeping the nation

'Puppy play is definitely not about sex, it is a form of escapism,' says Kye, a 28-year-old Oxford graduate who enjoys dressing up as a dog.

Around 10,000 people follow the pet play craze in the UK, according to a TV documentary which explores the phenomenon.

Channel 4's Secret Life of the Human Pups focuses mainly on men like Kye but he says: 'Females who are into pet play are usually into kitten play as they identify more with kittens than pups.'

[Slammer]

Where's my rolled up newspaper?

[Just a thought not a sermon]

"'Puppy play is definitely not about sex, it is a form of escapism,"

That's good, because you are never going to lose your virginity if you keep this hobby.

[Renegade Jew]

I was into this, but nearly broke my neck when I tried to lick my balls.

[Citizen X]

You have to start with yoga and work your way up to that.

[John]

Anyone who refuses to play along is just a bigot, right? And government facilities should be required to accommodate the transspecies. Right?

[WTF]

Of course. You may joke, but don't be surprised if "otherkin" is the next SJW crusade now that they have beaten everyone into submission on "transgenders".

[John]

I won't be. its either going to be otherkin or child molesters. And I can't see even the SJW's having the stomach to stand up for child molesters. And rest assured whatever it is. Robby Soave and Scott Shackelford will be calling anyone who dissents a bigot.

[WTF]

I have actually heard no-shit serious arguments being made regarding pedophiles, to the extent that pedophiles have no choice in what they are attracted to, anymore than gay people do.

[Lee G]

Free will and personal responsibility are so passe

[Citizen X]

That may be true, but i'm not sure why it would matter. If someone's innately attracted to kids, sucks to be them.

[John]

That is what we used to say about gays. The logic is the same in both cases. The key difference of course is that in the case of pedophiles we are talking about kids who legally cannot consent. But, they are working on that area and claiming that kids can consent. And sadly, they have a point at least with regard to teenagers. Our age of consent laws are really a legal fiction once the person is past puberty.

So it will be a two pronged attack. First, it will be "pedophiles can't help who they are" to make them more acceptable to society. Second, it will be argued that at least older kids really can consent to sex. I doubt we will ever get to the point that molesting small children is legal. But I could totally see us degenerating to the point that molesting adolescents is considered acceptable and anyone who disagrees branded a bigot.

Maybe I am too cynical. I hope I am but I don't think so.

[Citizen X]

I look forward to the day when businesses are forced to have a "restroom" where the floor is covered in newspaper. Although, really, human pups should just be doing their business outside.

[WTF]

And if you criticize them for peeing and crapping all over the place like dogs, you will be a bigot.

[Citizen X]

As long as they're on-leash and someone is there to pick up the poo with a plastic bag, law enforcement's hands are tied.

[bacon-magic]

It will be required to stick their noses in it and say "bad dog!".

[Zeb]

You never know, but I'm going to predict that that won't happen. Whatever you think it really is, and how it should be treated, transgenderism is an actual phenomenon that seems to be a real issue for a lot of people. Furries and otherkin and whatever the fuck these people are are weirdos playing around. Now, I think we are seeing a lot of weirdos jumping on the transgender bandwagon because people are so desperate for some special "identity" for one reason or another. But underneath all of that there is a real thing that causes serious distress for many people.

[SugarFree]

You never know, but I'm going to predict that that won't happen. Whatever you think it really is, and how it should be treated, homosexuality is an actual phenomenon that seems to be a real issue for a lot of people. Trannies and crossdresser and whatever the fuck these people are are weirdos playing around. Now, I think we are seeing a lot of weirdos jumping on the homosexual bandwagon because people are so desperate for some special "identity" for one reason or another. But underneath all of that there is a real thing that causes serious distress for many people.

1986 Zeb

(I'm not busting your balls, just pointing it out.)

[Zeb]

Time will tell. But slippery slope arguments are not a law of nature. Sometimes reality does matter. But the way identity politics have been pushing things, I shouldn't be surprised by anything.

But I remain convinced that everyone will always hate furries because they are a bunch of stupid dog-fucking freaks.

[WTF]

They are suffering from a delusion, in that they think their body is something different than what it actually physically is. For anorexics, we try to help them, for transgenders, we insist everyone must go along with the delusion. And there is no reason to believe that the transgender delusion is any more "real", whatever that means, than the "otherkin" delusion, or any other body dysmorphic delusion you can come up with.

[B. Woodrow Chippenhaus]

Species is just a social construct, you intolerant shitlord! I demand that all government buildings and businesses have hydrants and litter boxes so that these individuals don't have to humiliate themselves by using a restroom for a species with which they don't identify!

[John]

If the XX and XY chromosomes are just a social construct, why isn't the rest of our DNA?

[Citizen X]

My cats have the good sense not to participate in the rat race at all.

[John]

I am always amazed at my cat's ability to just not give a shit about anything that doesn't directly involve or affect her.

[John]

What SF said above is pretty on point. The problem Zeb is not with gay rights. The problem is with the way we achieved gay rights. If gay rights had been achieved because society at large finally accepted that whatever two consenting adults do with each other is their own business and the government has no business punishing them for it, gay rights would have set a great precedent going forward. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Instead of affirming personal autonomy and freedom, gays effectively dehumanized themselves to take advantage of the language and cultural power of the civil rights movement. It wasn't about "I am an adult who is free to do whatever I want with other adults who share my interests". It was "I was born this way and being gay is no different than being black and therefore you can't hold what I do against me". That is totally different and an utterly disastrous result for society. Once we say that someone's behavior and preferences are the result of some natural compulsion that can no more be changed that a person's race, then every behavior no matter how appalling or bizarre must be accepted. Gays can't help it that they are gay and must be accepted. Well, furries can't help it they like wearing costumes and pedophiles can't help it they like kids and people who think they are dogs can't help that and so forth. Every personal preference is no a legitimate civil right crusade.

[R C Dean]

Unfortunately, that is not what happened. Instead of affirming personal autonomy and freedom, gays effectively dehumanized themselves to take advantage of the language and cultural power of the civil rights movement. It wasn't about "I am an adult who is free to do whatever I want with other adults who share my interests". It was "I was born this way and being gay is no different than being black and therefore you can't hold what I do against me".

Bang on target, John.

This is why some of us were kvetching about going after gay marriage as an "equal protection" issue, which, under our current jurisprudence isn't about treating individuals equally, its about treated groups equally and is thus more about privileges for protected classes than equality before the law. Its a shame so many libertarians decided that equality was more important than liberty. That choice never leads to more freedom.

[John]

You are right RC. And some libertarians are untrainable in this regard. They are making the same mistake with transgenderism. People like Shackelford have an almost Pavlovian response to the language of the cultural left. If a cause is claimed to be in the name of "ending discrimination", Shackelford is on board.

[Krabappel]

"Its a shame so many libertarians decided that equality was more important than liberty."

Sure -- we'll just keep waiting for that libertarian moment.

[Stormy Dragon]

How exactly is comparing yourself to black people "effectively dehumanizing yourself"?

[John]

How exactly is comparing yourself to black people "effectively dehumanizing yourself"?

It is not comparing yourself to black people. It is comparing your desires to your physical traits that dehumanizes you. I can't help what race or sex I am. IN one sense, I can't help what my desires are. What I can, as a human being and not an animal, choose what desires I act upon. And since that is a choice I am free to make, you can judge me for that choice where you can't judge me for my race or sex.

When gays decided that being gay was like being a particular race, they effectively dehumanized themselves. Being gay was no longer a preference and a personal choice that the government had no business interfering on, it became effectively a compulsion that no on government of not could judge someone for having. Saying being gay is the same as being a particular race is totally dehumanizing to gays because it robs them of their moral agency.

Indeed, throughout the 1980s gay activists objected to saying gays were born gay for this very reason. It was only later when they realized the benefits of getting on the civil rights train did they see the value in dehumanizing themselves.

[Azathoth!!]

How exactly is comparing yourself to black people "effectively dehumanizing yourself"?

They didn't dehumanize themselves by comparing themselves to black people, they dehumanized themselves by denying themselves agency.

[Stormy Dragon]

If gay rights had been achieved because society at large finally accepted that whatever two consenting adults do with each other is their own business and the government has no business punishing them for it, gay rights would have set a great precedent going forward.

Also, this is kind of rich coming from one of the socons who has spent the last 40 years fighting this argument tooth and nail.

[John]

You have known me for 40 years? What is rich is the fact that you think I am a SOCON. Apparently you actually believe that to defend someone's right to be some way is to be that way.

Further, go find me one instance on this board where I ever said gays did not have a right to do whatever they wanted and live however they wanted? You won't find one.

And why do you think I am a SOCON? What tipped you off? Is it my position that drugs should be legalized? My position that criminalizing possession of child pornography is a thought crime and counter to both the 4th and 1st Amendments? Those are some real tells of being a SOCON.

You are pathetic Stormy. You can't make a rational argument and know that I am right but are too mendacious to admit it. So instead you just slander me and imagine I must hate the GAYS because doing so relieves you of the need to think.

Most pathetic is the idea that you cannot seem to grasp that anyone could defend the rights of a group without secretly being in that group. You apparently only value the rights of those people you like and approve of and project that vice onto everyone else. Sorry, not everyone completely lacks principles the way you do.

[Stormy Dragon]

I think you hate gays because you've repeatedly expressed how much you hate them and repeatedly advocated the use of state violence to punish them.

You apparently only value the rights of those people you like and approve of and project that vice onto everyone else

This is rich coming from the guy who's repeatedly made arguments along the lines of "Well group X mostly votes for Democrats, so we shouldn't defend their rights".

And you don't have any real principals. You make up libertarian-ish sounding arguments that you don't actually believe purely because they situationally allow you to argue why your personal concerns should be given special treatment over everyone else in society. And if tomorrow that principle doesn't situationally benefit you anymore, you'll come up with a libertarian-ish sounding argument for the exact opposite.

[John]

I think you hate gays because you've repeatedly expressed how much you hate them and repeatedly advocated the use of state violence to punish them.

No I haven't. that is a straight up lie. You can use the search engine. Show a link where I ever did any such thing or shut up and admit you are a liar. You are not on DU. You can't make a stupid charge like that and not provide any proof, especially when such proof if it existed would be readily available.

And "you don't have principles is not a response to my argument that you lack principles. You can't respond to my charge against you because you have no principles. As for me, my views are well known and articulated. You don't like them but you only say they lack principle because you are too stupid to give a cogent argument against them and too mendacious to admit I have a point.

[Stormy Dragon]

You can use the search engine. Show a link where I ever did any such thing or shut up and admit you are a liar.

And given there's no way to search a specific H&R commenter's statements, your refusal to spend hours reading tens of thousands of comments totally invalidates your memory and is not in any a bullshit evasion.

And "you don't have principles is not a response to my argument that you lack principles. You can't respond to my charge against you because you have no principles. As for me, my views are well known and articulated. You don't like them but you only say they lack principle because you are too stupid to give a cogent argument against them and too mendacious to admit I have a point.

I can't figure out if you're just so stupid you think this circular argle-bargle actually means something, or if you just don't care because most of what you say doesn't actually mean anything.

[Stormy Dragon]

99.99% of furries don't think they're actually animals. But "geeks have fantasy hobby" doesn't sell newspapers, so the media always looks for the one delusional guy who does and makes it sound like everyone else agrees with them.

It's be like finding a crazy guy who thinks he actually has superpowers and then going "see, only crazy people are watching those superhero movies!"

[John]

So what? Apparently at least some of them really do think they are animals. And every argument for accommodating transgendered applies to accommodating them.

[Lord Humungus]

Naked man found stuck in Iowa chimney, blames failed game of hide-and-seek

A man in Carroll, Iowa, was surprised to discover a naked man had gotten stuck in the chimney of his recycling business.

Officials charged Jordan Kajewski with trespassing, after firefighters cut him out.

Kajewski blamed his sooty predicament on a failed game of hide-and-seek.

But the business owner believes he was trying sneak in to rob the place.

STEVE SMITH PLAY HIDE N SEEK WITH _fill in the blank_

[Citizen X]

_fill in the blank_

ANAL CHERRY

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

This reminds me of a joke by Canada's pure pride and joy Norm MacDonald:

Two gay guys were playing hide and seek. One of them said I'll go hide and if you find me you can fuck me in the ass. I'll be behind the couch.

Something like that.

[Citizen X]

Norm MacDonald is so awesome.

[WTF]

It's criminal that he doesn't have his own show.

[Citizen X]

He makes appearances on 'The Middle.' He plays the wacky bachelor uncle, because of course he does.

[Lord Humungus]

Movies About Punk: the Good, the Bad, and the Other

I recently put myself through the miserable experience of watching CBGB, a film that captures (I use this term in the most loose context imaginable) the first few years of the club's existence, and some of the legendary acts that were discovered within its walls. The film can be seen as a textbook of every mistake you could possibly make in attempting to produce a film about punk rock. Watching the film made me think about the entire subgenre of punk films, which is littered with some of the most classic pieces of cult cinema you can imagine and alongside some of the most clich?d nonsense captured on film. So here you are my short list of the best and worst punk films (purposely avoiding documentaries, which should warrant an entire article on their own).

[Just a thought not a sermon]

Sid & Nancy on the bad list? For shame!

I like the movies on his good list, though.

Never heard of the CBGB movie, but it sounds like it might not be worth watching.

[SugarFree]

Sid and Nancy is awesome. I mean, yes, it had Courtney Love in it, but at least Cox wasn't able to cast her as Nancy like he wanted to.

[John]

I always liked that one too. The people in it are such pathetic train wrecks you feel guilty for enjoying it. But it is compelling as hell.

[Just a thought not a sermon]

My wife and I still laugh about the scene where Sid is so strung out he doesn't realize he's been in New York for a week.

[Swiss Servator]

"I can't wait until we get to America"

"Sid, we've been here a week"

something like that, right?

[John]

I flipped by some documentary on ACDC this weekend. When ACDC first came to Britain their record company marketed them as a punk band. The documentary had a couple of hipster douche canoe music critics patiently explain how ACDC really wasn't punk. They are of course right about that but for the wrong reasons. ACDC wasn't punk for two reasons; they could actually play and they were not rich kid posers. Punk was mostly a bunch of middle class and upper middle class kids acting like what they thought poor and lower middle class kids acted or should act like. ACDC were actually what they claimed to be. Think about it, if you were in a bar and Johnny Rotten and Bon Scott were about to get in a fight, who is your money on? Bon Scott all day and twice on Sunday.

[some guy]

So if a "punk" band eventually learns how to play their instruments, do they cease being punk? Is this how we get pop-punk?

[John]

I think so. Every time a punk band learns how to play and produces music that shows any skill or musicality, the punk community immediately brands them sell outs.

[Lord Humungus]

That's how we got post-punk... which is a much more interesting "genre"

[Citizen X]

+1 Dismemberment Plan

[lap83]

Seconded@post-punk
My favorite 80s band is The Chameleons

[lap83]

Oops forgot to add spaces

[notJoe]

C.f., The Clash

[Just a thought not a sermon]

I've heard that about AC/DC before. Basically, what they play is so stripped down that when they first appeared people couldn't decide whether they were hearing metal or punk.

[John]

It was just great rock and roll. Anyone who likes Rock but doesn't like ACDC has no sense of rhythm or style. You just have to love them.

[Lord Humungus]

Radical tourists have been deluded pimps for Venezuela

Pleasures sated, the (sex) tourists fly away from the poverty and the corruption. The lies they have lived and paid others to live on their behalf don't bother them. They never noticed human trafficking in Thailand or chronic poverty in the Dominican Republic.

For their part, political tourists are stuck in a sexless marriage to a Britain that offers them no excitement. The proletariat has refused their entreaties to revolt. Their radical fantasies are never fulfilled. So they, too, scour the world. For years, the top radical tourist destination, the political equivalent of the Pattaya Beach brothel, has been Chavista Venezuela. Hollywood stars, the leaders of the British Labour party and Spanish "popular resistance", and every half-baked pseudo-left intellectual from Noam Chomsky to John Pilger has engaged in a left orientalism as they wallowed in "the other's" exotic delights.

[commodious spittoon]

I can forgive the nauseating moral preening about sex tourism long enough to appreciate what a mindfuck it must be to hear a hardcore conservative author bemoaning human trafficking at the same time he takes a humongous steaming shit on lefty apologism for commie authoritarians.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Taxpayers need to prepare to take this big one up the asshole.

The worst part, it was all on video contradicting the cops version and the DA still refused to levy charges because the cops "feared for their safety" due to the time of day in a stop they initiated.

FTA: However, the District Attorney's Office also declined to charge the officers with filing false reports or battery. The officers reported they were concerned for their safety, in part because the stop took place at 2 a.m. in the parking lot of an apartment complex in what they described as a Sure?o gang area off Cadillac Drive and Winchester Boulevard.

Pretty much any excuse works nowadays.

[WTF]

All part of the War on Cops, I guess.

[Lord Humungus]

The Dangerous Acceptance of Donald Trump

If Trump came to power, there is a decent chance that the American experiment would be over. This is not a hyperbolic prediction; it is not a hysterical prediction; it is simply a candid reading of what history tells us happens in countries with leaders like Trump. Countries don't really recover from being taken over by unstable authoritarian nationalists of any political bent, left or right?not by Per?ns or Castros or Putins or Francos or Lenins or fill in the blanks. The nation may survive, but the wound to hope and order will never fully heal. Ask Argentinians or Chileans or Venezuelans or Russians or Italians?or Germans. The national psyche never gets over learning that its institutions are that fragile and their ability to resist a dictator that weak. If he can rout the Republican Party in a week by having effectively secured the nomination, ask yourself what Trump could do with the American government if he had a mandate

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Maybe the dumbufuck who wrote this should question his undying belief in the Cult of the Imperial Presidency that would allow a President Trump so much power.

[John]

Ask Argentinians or Chileans or Venezuelans or Russians or Italians?or Germans.

What do you want to bet that the dumb fuck who wrote that was a Chavez Cheerleader back in the 00s?

[The Last American Hero]

I guess having a pen and a phone isn't so funny when your guy isn't in charge.

[DJF]

""unstable authoritarian nationalists""

Is it better to be taken over by unstable authoritarian internationalists like the Bush's, Clinton's, Obama, Merkel, etc

[Chip Woodier]

I am no Trump supporter, but what could he possibly do as President that would be any worse than the one we currently have?

[WTF]

He has an "R" after his name! Jesus, do I have to explain everything?!

[SugarFree]

"Oh, Vladdy? You're the only man I let make me a woman," Donald said, backing up on all fours like a ponderous meat truck.

"Beep, beep, beep?" the hat whispered and he and the hair giggled together.

"I vill make Amerika great again!" Vlad shouted, his penis becoming erect with the sound of a retractable baton being deployed. "Ve shall make sex like mighty ogligarks!"

"Make our cold war hot," Donald demanded. He bent his spine with a series of audible cracks and presented his dilapidated anus like an excited mandrill.

"It will be even better ven you are President like me," Vlad said. He pushed Donald's testicles up into his flabby body with the heel of his and ground against them like he was trying to put out a stubborn cigarette.

"Oh Jesus, oh fuck, Jesus fuck. Don't stop!" Donald shouted.

Secret Service men and SPB agents shifted uncomfortably from their respective corners of the playroom. One even coughed nervously as Vlad plunged his fingers into Donald's asshole and splayed it open.

"I haft somethink for you, lapochka," Vlad said.

He snapped his fingers of his other hand impatiently and motioned over a frightened young man in a stained labcoat.

"Give me the applicator, Yuri," Vlad said.

[SugarFree]

Yuri's hands shook as he unsnapped the clasps of the small metal case he was handcuffed to. He handed Vlad the complicated device within. It looked like a medicalized paintball pistol. Vlad waved him away and he returned to his place along the wall. A SPB agent placed a hand on his shoulder as if to steady him.

"What is it, Vladdy?" Donald asked, craning his neck to see.

"What the fuck?" the hat asked the hair.

"I'm scared. Hold me," the hair begged.

"Somthink just for you. My scientists haft spent years on this just for your sweethole." Vlad eased the gun into Donald's ass until it formed a tight seal.

"It vill be like a magical love fart, little one," Vlad said, pressing the injector trigger.

Aerosolized cocaine, sildenafil citrate, sildenafil citrate, alkyl nitrite and ground ape testicles filled Donald's sigmoid colon and he grunted loudly.

"You must hold it in, Donald. As lonk as you can," Vlad whispered.

Donald whimpered and writhed.

[SugarFree]

"Vlad!" he screamed.

"Give it time."

"Oh, shit," the hair said to the hat.

"What?"

"Don't you feel it? You can't feel it?"

"What do you mean?" the hat asked.

Donald roared. It shook the entire plane.

"Yes!" Vlad screamed, his erection bouncing with the fuselage. "Now we can begin!" He pulled out the injector and greedily inhaled the thick gas that dribbled from Donald's butt.

Vlad smiled and turned to nod to the SPB agent. He broke Yuri's neck with merciful efficiency.

[Lord Humungus]

ponderous meat truck

I larfed.

Good band or second album name?

[Just a thought not a sermon]

I think the band's name is SPAM, with each letter standing for the first letter of one of the band members' names, like ABBA.

[Citizen X]

If only we could all be as fortunate as Yuri, after reading this.

[WTF]

I really don't know why I kept reading that, but I now I will check myself in for voluntary commitment.

[commodious spittoon]

You risk not only having your 2A rights revoked but, this being a SF-involved commitment, your 1A rights too. And your thumbs and tongue removed.

[Swiss Servator]

Yeah, I think I just bid adieu to my sanity.

[bacon-magic]

Aerosolized cocaine, sildenafil citrate, sildenafil citrate, alkyl nitrite and ground ape testicles filled Donald's sigmoid colon and he grunted loudly.

I had to google some words here. Sugarfree's posts are educational. *ties noose around neck and hangs out for a while

[R C Dean]

"I'm scared. Hold me," the hair begged.

Priceless. You never disappoint, Suge. Horrify, yes. Repulse, certainly. Disappoint? Never.

[Lord Humungus]

The Iran Deal Wasn't About Nukes At All
The Obama administration decided early on that the only way to get the United States out of the Middle East was to replace it with Russia and Iran.

[John]

Obama is a moron but even morons can be right once in a while. Seriously, I am having a hard time explaining why that is a bad idea. I can't see it ending well for either Iran or Russia. And now that the US produces enough of its own oil, I can't see why the US should care how it turns out for the Middle East.

[Renegade Jew]

You're right every once in a while. We now have absolutely no excuse for any involvement whatsoever in the Middle East.

[John]

I have supported every US intervention in the Middle East except for Libya. If I could think of a reasonable case for more intervention, I would make it. But I honestly can't. Other than destroying ISIS, who I think has unilaterally declared war on us, I can't see why the US should be involved in the Middle East at this point. Israel can take care of itself. And we no longer have a vital strategic interest in ensuring the free flow of Middle Eastern oil. So outside of the odd punitive expedition against someone like ISIS, what the hell are we doing there?

[Renegade Jew]

ISIS has intention but not capability. Fuck 'em, let them worry about the various little despots in their shithole area.

[John]

It is just a matter of time before they have the capability. And they have some capability now. The California shooters were ISIS loyalists. We should not have to wait around for them to kill a bunch of Americans before we slaughter them.

[Renegade Jew]

It is just a matter of time before they have the capability.

If and when that happens, we can squish them like a bug. meantime, if we're out of there, they'll be a bit too busy getting shot at, shelled, and bombed by countries with no scruples to spend much time working on capability against someone who isn't throwing fire in their direction.

[Renegade Jew]

And two nutjobs ("loyalists") in California is getting into the nanomort risk area.

[John]

So your position is that the US government should wait around for Americans to actually die before doing something? That is insane. Understand we are not talking about a potential threat. We are talking about an organization that holds territory, has already murdered Americans in that territory and openly says it plans to attack the US. Those things are all acts of war. The US is under no duty to sit around and wait until ISIS does something really bad before acting. In fact, doing that represents a fundamental betrayal of trust and duty to the American people. The government's duty is to protect the national interests and its citizens here and abroad.

[Free Society]

I have supported every US intervention in the Middle East except for Libya.

So you agree that Assad has to go even if it means using terrorists to overthrow him? I think it's fair to call the US support for the terrorists in Syria as an intervention.

[John]

No I do not. I forgot Syria. I did not support that one either. Sorry not to be clear.

[Hi there!]

We can start by finally telling the Saudis to f*** right off.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Sounds good to me. If this author is right, I can say "Thanks Obama" without any sarcasm for once.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Well, if this is accurate and they pull it off. Impressive and I can tip my hat. For once.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

I wonder how the retards on the left will manage to keep stroking Tesla's balls after this story.

Like most everything, I'm sure the parts they don't like will go down the memory hole while they decry Donald Trump's protectionist rhetoric.

[Renegade Jew]

You assume it's true. It might be, but I tend to have some skepticism about the output of activist groups.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Tesla have pretty much acknowledged that it happened and that subcontractors were responsible. They have vowed "to make it right", whatever that means.*

*Probably that they'll ask for another government grant to cover additional and unexpected labor costs for plant construction.

[Renegade Jew]

It's crony capitalism all the way down.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Musk had his one great idea.

Tesla is just a vain project. Plus the company's financials are not transparent.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

You see, this is why only cops and former cops should be allowed to own guns.

[straffinrun]

One of the officers was shot in the foot and another in the back. The third was hit in his bulletproof vest, authorities said.

I suppose getting shot in the back could happen a myriad of ways. Not sure I want to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[Lord Humungus]

'Never Gary Johnson': He's Not Conservative and Not Even All That Libertarian

Not only does Johnson's faction seek the anti-libertarian objective of public campaign funding, but it tilts elections to Democrats. The potential negative impact of the Libertarian party can be clearly seen in the election for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota in 2008. Al Franken beat Norm Coleman by 215 votes, with the Libertarian party netting 13,916 votes for a candidate focused on economic issues, particularly drilling. A little more than a year later, Obamacare passed with 60 votes, Franken providing the 60th. With public funds and a professional ground game diverting votes, who knows what Congress might pass?

As Libertarian-party activists like to say, don't vote for the lesser evil. If you want a libertarian, please consider writing in Janice Rogers Brown or Penn Jillette. If you want someone who isn't a barbarian, please consider Mitch Daniels. By all means, give up on this year's presidential race if you must, but please don't throw away 2020.

[Hamster of Doom]

Johnson thinks there's nothing wrong with prostitution that government control can't fix. The sex trafficking shriekers would wet themselves with delight at a Johnson presidency.

Just sayin'.

[straffinrun]

Poor GayJay.

[John]

The L party isn't going to win. So what purpose does it serve? It seems to me that its purpose is to be an ideological conscience. The L party should be for Libertarians what the Catholic Church is to Catholics. Catholics go out in the world and sin and compromise and do what is necessary to get by but the church should never compromise and serve as a reminder of what ideal everyone should be striving for even if they fail. Same thing with the Libertarian party. Let individual libertarians go out and try to compromise and strategically vote while the party remains a beacon for the ideal.

When you think of it that way, Johnson disqualified himself with the "sure bakers should be forced to bake gay wedding cakes" remark. That may have been the smart thing to say to win a few more votes but winning a few more votes isn't the point of the L party. The L party is supposed to support freedom of association, end of story. Let the Republicans and the Democrats make compromises for votes.

[lap83]

This is my view, I'd only vote for the LP candidate out of principle. So what's the point if the candidate is Johnson? Compromising and losing anyway is sad and pathetic

[Haven "Irish" Monahan]

"Al Franken beat Norm Coleman by 215 votes, with the Libertarian party netting 13,916 votes for a candidate focused on economic issues, particularly drilling"

This argument is retarded. The libertarian came in *fourth.* Between the libertarian and the two major parties was the Independence Party of Minnesota, which got 437,000 votes.

If you're going to blame anyone, why not blame the Independence Party?

[Haven "Irish" Monahan]

In fact, Wikipedia tells me that the Constitution Party also had a candidate. Who's to say what those 14,000 voters would have done if the libertarians weren't in that race? They might have all gone to the Constitution Party or the Independence Party given that there were a bunch of other options in that race.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

"Barack Obama is set to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima."

Man, I hope this activist lightweight doesn't mess this up.

WW2 was mighty complex and I just hope he doesn't underplay this fact with one of his vapid takes on history and non-apology apologies.

[John]

Rufus,

You seriously can't believe there is any chance he will do anything but give some vapid and tedious SJW take on history? do you?

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

One can dream.

[Azathoth!!]

Don't worry--wait til Trudeau decides to go over and apologize for Hiroshima, then worry.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

And in other Simpsons did it news...

I wonder how they'll adjust for winds and other factors that require constant adjustment.

I also wonder when they'll come up with a CVT for long haul trucks. My guess is that would save a shitload of money on fuel yet I've not heard anything about one being made or developed. Maybe they'd have to put a few gears in for hills but I think a CVT on trucks would be a good idea.

[John]

The problem with self driving long hall trucks is going to be network security and public concerns over not having a driver there to take over if the thing malfunctions. The real value of them will come from their ability to run 24 seven without having to stop for the driver to rest. To that they will have to be able to go everywhere and the company will have to know where they are at all times. To do that, they will have to be networked together. Once they are networked, the network can be hacked. There is already a great living to be made hacking people's computers and holding their documents for ransom. Think of the living to be made holding an entire semi truck full of cargo or a whole fleet of them for ransom. If you are a trucking company, do you really go to the cops in such a situation and risk the liability associated with the hackers running one of your trucks into on coming traffic or do you pay the ransom as part of doing business?

The other problem is that I don't think the public will tolerate 80,000 pound trucks on the road with absolutely no human oversight. That may not be rational on their part but I doubt that will matter. And if you have to have a driver there to take over anyway, then nearly all of the advantages of these things goes out the window. You couldn't run it 24 7 because the driver would still have to rest and you would still have to pay the driver. So in return for the network security risks, what does the Trucking company get?

[sloopyinTEXAS]

This is why America needs to improve their infrastructure and develop a European level rail system.

-progtard unaware that almost all freight in Europe is moved on roads.

[John]

Having driven all over Europe, I will give the Europeans credit for how they regulate their trucks. The trucks over there never speed and never get in the left lane. The trucks in Europe are much less of a headache on the roads than American trucks. American truckers drive like jackasses.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

I really just wanted to start a conversation about truck transmissions and the viability of CVT's like a lot of the car manufacturers are using with great success IRT fuel economy. I wish a few of the engineers on here would chime in.

[John]

The biggest expense in trucking is fuel. So if it can be done, it either is being done or will be done. The problem is that trucks pull such a huge load. The clutch on an 18 wheeler has got to be enormous. I don't know but I would think putting a double clutch that shifts like a car on a truck is pretty difficult.

[Hi there!]

Don't know much about CVT's, but my limited understanding is for a CVT to work more efficiently, the gains over the outside areas of the conventional power curve must be greater than the losses over the middle of the power curve to conventional. With diesel engines, you get high torque, but low operating RPM ranges. So, if you want to cover a large range of speeds without a motor the size of the entire cab and a fuel tank that's half your total capacity, you have to put in more gears. I would think this would change the size and curve in your design for a compatible CVT, perhaps to unfeasible levels. Also, perhaps the additional gears on the tractor diesel motors give it a greater area under the curve, such that the losses to be reclaimed from that CVT are diminished by design necessity. Don't know if that makes sense, I'm EE, not ME.

[Hi there!]

Are CVT's good at covering the broad swath of gear ratios a high-horse diesel engine needs?

[Sevo]

"Want to buy a self-driving car? Trucks may come first"
http://www.seattletimes.com/bu.....ome-first/

There's a bunch, but I remember an 'info-mercial' from Volvo a year or so back on the progress they'd made on them; they were running with a following truck able to remote the front one if there was trouble.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

I'll have confidence in self-driving trucks when one can qualify and safely run ERTC races.

Seriously, that's some awesome ass shit right there.

[Griffin3]

Isn't that called a train?

[Haven "Irish" Monahan]

The world according to leftists: White person wearing Indian headdress = cultural appropriation, white person wearing a hijab = not cultural appropriation.

Apparently whether something is cultural appropriation or not depends entirely on whether it pushes a leftist political agenda.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

I bet you SJWs eat a lot of pizza.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Heh, but is naming the store 'Verona' cultural appropriation?

I SAY IT IS!

[sloopyinTEXAS]

It's easy to culturally appropriate the wops. They haven't won a war since the Caesars, so who cares if they're offended.

[Haven "Irish" Monahan]

They did beat the Ethiopians. Not very impressive, but they did it.

[sloopyinTEXAS]

Somalia FTW!

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Stupid Mussolini. He forever tarnished the Italian army - which had been, what, barely 70 years old at the time he plunged them into war? They never had a chance. The regional cleavages established for thousands of years, still present at Unification and further existed in the 20th century saw to it couldn't work.

[R C Dean]

The Italians actually fought reasonably well in WWI. The Alpine campaign is almost incomprehensible in the hardships and casualties.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

They did.

It was poor preparation in WW2 that did them in.

[John]

+1 weaponized avalanche.

[Rufus The Monocled Derp Slayer]

Yeah, well, if they had culled their damn armies back when the city-states had more wealth and soldiers than most European powers, maybe they could have changed that.

But hey.

[Rhywun]

The white lady seems to have converted to Islam, so I would say no, it's not "cultural appropriation" as lefties would understand it.

[R C Dean]

This would be an interesting exercise in testing the "left-wing media conspiracy" theory:

Compare the headlines: what percentage of headlines when a Republican has a lead in the polling, but is within the margin of error, are "virtual" or "statistical" tie, v. the number of times that term is applied to a Democrat.

That is, when Hillary was up by 2 -3% points, was it a "lead", or was it a "virtual tie, v the when Trump is up by 2-3% points, etc.

This whole topic is ripe with confirmation bias, so this might be a decent way of seeing how real it is.

[John]

Let me give you another experiment. Compare the media's reaction to Trump saying "there could be riots at the convention if I am denied the nomination" to its reaction to Sander's supporters actively planning to riot at the Democratic convention. Trump never endorsed riots or encouraged his supporters to riot. He just said "my supporters might do that". Maybe that was a threat but it was a pretty weak one if it was. Meanwhile, Sanders supporters are not just threatening to riot, they are planning to do it. The media seems oddly unconcerned by this.

[Stormy Dragon]

The media reaction to Sanders WAS almost the same as Trump. Note the only person actually arrested in Nevada was a Clinton supporter attacking Sanders supporters. How come the media isn't calling on Clinton to make a statement about how people in her campaign shouldn't resort to violence? Everyone is demanding Sanders "do something" about it and castigating him for not dropping out.

[John]

Because the media is in the tank for Hillary. And the media reaction to Sanders seems pretty tepid to me. But I don't watch much left wing media, so I will take your word for it.

[Uncle Jay]

RE: Obama Headed to Hiroshima

Dear Leader is 71 years late.

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