Facebook Cracks Down on Libertarians, Manafort Resigns: P.M. Links

• 

  Reason

  As expected, Paul Manafort is leaving the Trump campaign.

• More about Trump's new campaign chief, Stephen Bannon.
• Facebook cracking down on libertarian pages, apparently.
• How that viral photo of a Syrian airstrike victim is impacting the refugee debate.
• Jonathan Chait: the Clintons should shut down the Clinton Foundation.
• University of Iowa has decided not to hire a Bias Response Team, after all.

Comments

[Sevo]

Narcissism ain't just a river in Egypt (or something):

"Soda Mountain Solar threatens desert landscapes"
[?]
"Growing up, I dreamed of experiencing some of the planet's wildest places: the Amazon, the Congo and the Arctic. I am thankful that places this wild still exist and have since discovered some of them are surprisingly nearby. You don't need a passport to experience profound wilderness. You don't even need to leave California. The California desert is the wildest place in the Lower 48."
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opi.....171714.php

So a greenie is more than happy to avoid solar power, since he really, really likes empty spaces (and check the photo; nothing says 'empty spaces' like high-voltage transmission wires).

[GILMORE?]

Hasn't the push for solar power been devastated by the fall in oil prices?

I'm pretty sure a stock chart of those 2 things would be clarifying.

[Lee Genes]

Yup. And the devastation ain't over.

[Sevo]

G, there was an article several days ago (in I think WSJ); the 'renewable' stocks are all in the toilet. Even the subsidies aren't sufficient to pull 'em up.
And I posted this in the AMs:
"California's electric car program may be running out of gas"
[...]
"Elon Musk had had enough.
Asked recently about one of California's most important programs to promote cleaner cars, the CEO of electric automaker Tesla Motors ripped into the obscure but powerful state agency that runs it.
"The California Air Resources Board is being incredibly weak," Musk said on a conference call with Wall Street analysts. The agency, he added, "should be damn well ashamed of themselves.""
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bus.....pid=gatehp
Poor Elon only harvested $57M in state/auto-buyer largess this year.

[Lee Genes]

Just wait till oil goes back to $20 and the energy junk bonds start popping.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Tesla Model S battery bursts into flames, car "totally destroyed" in 5 minutes

[C. Anacreon]

To make an omelet, you need to burn some eggs.

[BYODB]

Ah, yes. Lithium batteries.

They are wonderfully unstable, poisonous to the environment, and being mass produced on a global scale.

But nah, it's carbon that's dangerous!

[GILMORE?]

I don't have the time right now for better, but this shorts the inverse relationship since Oct 2014

That's "Short oil" vs. "Long Solar" . mid-2014 to Jan 2016 there was an approximate +50%/-50% variance. but its inconsistent because its comparing to individual stocks w/odd dynamics. I'm pretty sure there's an "Alt-Energy' ETF that's a better comparison.

I think FSLR gets its bump from... what, SolarCity offered to buy them or something?

[GILMORE?]

This is better - DDG (short oil) vs. TAN (Guggenheim Long-Solar ETF)

From mid 2014 to early 2016 there's pretty clear inverse & proportional correlation

[Cdr Lytton]

Obscure?? You see CARB all over the country every time you buy any sort of outdoor power equipment.

[Sevo]

4:35, and I'm first?! Robby, do we need to take up a collection for a watch?

[Aloysious]

My personal conspiracy theory is that Rico does this just to mess with Fist.

[waffles]

Rico is Fist.

[Half-Virtue, Half-Vice]

Gunna have to find a broom to sweep up the bits of brain now splattered over the back wall.

[jesse.in.mb]

Fist is the Brahma-atman of H&R, we are all Fist and Fist is all of us.

[Groovus Maximus]

Fist is the Brahma-atman of H&R, we are all Fist and Fist is all of us.

I was under the impression everyone was Tulpa? This is getting quite meta at this point.

Also, EUPHEMISMS!

[Chip Woodier]

*I* am Fisticus!

[OneOut]

Fist will always be FIRST in my heart .*

*uses fist to wipe away a tear in the corner of my eye**

** No. Both eyes dammit.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You're my new favorite.

[TheZeitgeist]

"You don't even need to leave California. The California desert is the wildest place in the Lower 48."

Flyover country is obviously just that.

[Sevo]

Yeah, the guy claims to be a greenie; ever see parts of Montana? The Dakotas?

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

[Ted S.]

Woo-hoo! Fist isn't first!

[OneOut]

Yes he is.

[Playa Manhattan.]

What in the hell does he mean by wild?

You can drive 100 miles in the Mojave without seeing a single animal.

[Guestus III]

I assume he means not a lot of those icky humans. In which case, he is still wrong - the high desert in southeastern Oregon/northern Nevada is the least densely populated part of the US.

[BigT]

Um...Alaska?

[Enough About Palin]

Facebook cracking down on libertarian pages, apparently

.

They should be free to do so.

[Enough About Palin]

First fellow bitches!

[Lee Genes]

They should. And I'm free to call Zuckerberg a cunt.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Yup.

Hey Zucker. Take your billions and shove it up your pathetic partisan ass.

It's mighty tempting to just consider him another ignoramus who managed to make money and showcase his doucheness.

[PapayaSF]

Another guy big on open borders who builds walls around his property. He's probably got armed bodyguards and is in favor of gun control, too.

[Juice]

Private property borders are not the same as national borders.

[PapayaSF]

Not quite, but the analogy is pretty darn strong.

[Mike Laursen]

Not at all when you consider who owner of private property (clear cut) vs. who the "owner" of a country is.

[Possible Bot]

Sure, but it appears they aren't being honest about it. They're just saying the pages violate their terms when they don't

[Lee Genes]

Probably an organized complaint effort on the part of proggies.

[PurityDiluting]

yep

[yet another dave]

I wonder how much zuckerberg has contributed to Clinton's campaign? And/Or Trumps for that matter... Asshole's too stupid to realize his company would be better off with less regs.... Dumbass nouveau riche asshole.

[Invisible Finger]

Now that he's the market leader, more regs keeps competitors from starting up.

[John Titor]

Sure, but at least be honest that you're going after them due to political bias, not some disingenuous claim that only the libertarian pages are violating their terms of service.

[JWW]

They're just waiting for Hillary to win and ban all non-Democrat speech. They will of course gleefully comply.

[Tonio]

Congrats on the First.

Yes, fb should be free to do so, but the flip side of that coin is that the rest of us are free to call them out on their hypocrisy.

[Rasilio]

They should be free from government sanction for doing so.

We however reserver the right to punish them in the market and mock them mercilessly for their actions should we desire to do so.

[C. Anacreon]

Yes, all forty-five or so of us should really raise a ruckus over this. That oughta show 'em.

[Enough About Palin]

Yes, all forty-five or so one of us should really raise a ruckus over this. That oughta show 'em.

[Enough About Palin]

"the one"

[Trigger Hippie]

We're all Jet Li now?! This is so hard to keep up it...

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Sure.

If you're honest about it.

If Facebook's terms of use state "We can remove things we politically disagree with", let 'em. Viva el Mercando Libre!!

But if you advertise it as a place where you can post anything as long as it meets certain guidelines, and then you shut something down that meets those guidelines because you don't like it's political message... that's when it becomes fraud.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

You can't sell a bottle of water and claim it gives you superpowers if it doesn't. No libertarian would agree with that.

Likewise you can't sell a website and claim you let people post whatever political speech they want if you aren't actually going to let them do that.

In both cases it's a lie about the product you're actually delivering.

[Juvenile Bluster]

True, except that Facebook (or any website) users aren't consumers, they're product.

[John]

All of that.

[MarkLastname]

The problem is that the posts they're banning probably did violate some rule, given the subjective nature of what is 'abusive' or 'offensive.' In truth 99% of Facebook users could be banned according to the letter of the rules for some post they made. It's just that Facebook only enforces the rules for some users.

That's how you discriminate without getting in trouble, as progs learned long ago: you make everything illegal then enforce the law selectively.

[Guestus III]

TOS are also a contract (and adhesion ones at that - which are typically construed against the adhesion party). To the extent users spent money developing a page in reliance on the stated TOS, I wonder if Facebook et al. might be courting breach of contract claims.

[Jimmy Free Trade Pirate]

I know I'm late to this thread, EBS hit the nail on the head. =D

[Riven]

Facebook cracking down on libertarian pages, apparently.

People still use facespace, eh?

[Shirley Knott]

It's a merger of Youtube, Twitter and Facebook: YouTwitFace.
Social networking for the idiocracy.

[Hamster of Doom]

Bravo!

[Enough About Palin]

Brilliant!

[Sevo]

"YouTwitFace"
Good! VERY good!

[Riven]

Very nicely done!

[PapayaSF]

It's an old Conan O'Brien joke, but still good.

[Nephilium]

Good lord... that reminds me of the joke regarding Microsoft merging their three different platforms. Windows CE, Windows Millennium, and Windows NT. The final product would be Windows CeMeNt.

[0x90]

friendface

[Jimmy Free Trade Pirate]

Not me sexy gamer girl. =D

[Juvenile Bluster]

Look, Robby, we love you and all, but can you please start doing your hair early enough so you can get to the links on time? That isn't too much to ask, is it?

[Robby Soave]

They're on time-ish.

[Sevo]

That's sort of truthy...
Is a TImex OK?

[Ted S.]

Will this Timex do?

[Groovus Maximus]

Yeah, and I thought my wife was too, and we ended up with twin girls this last parental go-round.

Look, Froot Sooshi, links aren't like a menstrual cycle with acceptable variability window. I should be able to set an egg timer to your links posting precision.

[0x90]

If it takes one Robby nine minutes to compose the links, how long would it take for nine Robbies to do it?

[perlchpr]

387420489 minutes, or 9 ^ 9. 😀

[Pope Jimbo]

I have three kids because my wife and I let our simple home hobby get out of hand. We never had twins though. That would be tough.

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

+1 broken clock

/me likes keeping the commentariat off-balance. It improves the comments.

[Tonio]

Oh, meow.

[Sansos]

wheres fist?????

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Did Fist die of shame for missing the first post this morning??

[Fist of Etiquette]

He's no longer tolerating tardiness.

[Groovus Maximus]

Or gluten either... Right, Fist of Celiac?

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Meta-tardiness.

Very avant-guard.

[Pan Zagloba]

Fist has standards, and does not stand for this "1:35" shit.

[robc]

4:35.

I live in Central Time Zone but still acknowedge Eastern as God's time.

[Chipper-Shredder 2016]

God's time
You worship the government?

[Groovus Maximus]

Jonathan Chait: the Clintons should shut down the Clinton Foundation.

The Clintons: Shut your mouth, Jonny Boy. Dearth Spirals ain't just for health insurance...

[Ted S.]

I don't think there's a lack of spirals.

[Sevo]

"Clinton's foundation to alter donations policy if elected"
Read more at http://www.wral.com/clinton-s-.....tfxdM6e.99

I didn't do anything wrong and I won't do it again!

[Ted S.]

They're going to make it easier to give the Clintons money!

[John]

And if they don't live by that pledge. It will just be another instance of carelessness

[grrizzly]

It's a reminder to hurry up with the donations.

[JaimeRoberto]

In other words, "Hurry up and get your donations in now".

[Enough About Palin]

The Government Can't Help You, But the Cajun Navy Can

The lesson of Hurricane Katrina was not to depend on the government to come and save you. After the floods last week, the Cajun Navy, a local volunteer group with boats and cars, deployed to rescue their troubled neighbors. No one was going to stick around waiting for the government to show up. The community has become its own first responders.

The Cajun Navy used Facebook to coordinate its rescue efforts.

[Pan Zagloba]

Cajun Navy? I think US Navy is gonna have to resurrect the Anaconda Plan.

[Tonio]

I wonder if Facebook is going to memory hole them for making the government look bad.

[Pay up, Palin's Buttplug!]

But have they fought the US Navy like the Conch Navy has?

[PapayaSF]

The Cajun Navy used Facebook to coordinate its rescue efforts.

Luckily, not on a libertarian page....

[JWW]

But luckily they have a libertarian mindset....

[Pope Jimbo]

I was listening to some guy from the Cajun Navy on some talk radio yesterday and he said that in the beginning they showed up and helped out. Then the govt started blocking them from launching their boats at the accesses.

To get around this, they would have to "adopt" a deputy sheriff. If they launched with the deputy, no problem. No LEO, no launch.

Not sure if that is true (I was only half listening), but what a bunch of tools if they won't let people launch to help out.

[Trigger Hippie]

These are the same people who blocked multiple nations' ships from aiding in the clean up of the Gulf Oil Spill so, probably.

[OneOut]

I heard some of the Cajun Navy on talk radio today.

Many of them have torn out the lower units on their boats hitting submerged cars etc. etc. Busted props are common. 50k boats are tied to trees and street signs where they ran out of gas. They are putting their boats into the water on the side of the road with the sheriffs dept are out and coordinating rescue efforts.

It's much like hurricane Ike that hit Houston. Productive people aren't sitting on their ass bitching in front of a camera about no one from the government coming by to do something or give them something. After Ike people got to work and didn't wait for the government to do for us.

Obama shot one of his better rounds yesterday but George Bush hates black people. The MSM is slow playing the magnitude of this disaster but one can expect heightened coverage come Tuesday when Obama deigns to show his mug in Louisiana.

I wouldn't be surprised to know that our own Suthenboy hasn't driven south to help his fellow Cajuns if he owns a boat.

[OneOut]

People in Houston are sending truckloads and truckloads of clothes, water, baby supplies, and other necessities from collection sites all over town.

[GILMORE?]

French Towns Banning "Burkinis"

PARIS (AP) ? The city of Nice, still shaken by last month's deadly extremist attack, has joined a growing number of French resort towns to ban the body-covering burkini swimsuit.Political leaders argue that the swimwear, resembling a full-body wetsuit with a hood, oppresses women and violates France's secular principles. But many see the bans as discriminatory.

The Nice administration issued an order Thursday banning swimwear with religious connotations, citing security concerns.

They've already had a national ban on the niq?b in 2010

As of 11 April 2011, it is illegal to wear a face-covering veil or other mask in public places such as the street, shops, museums, public transportation, and parks.... the only exceptions to a woman wearing a niq?b in public will be if she is travelling in a private car or worshiping in a religious place.[8]

And the prevailing argument you hear from the left is that the US should become "more tolerant, like Europe"

[GILMORE?]

Germany also wants in on that Ban-Action - proposing their own limitations on veil-wearing.

BERLIN ? German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizi?re proposed a partial ban on full veils for Muslim women Friday at a conference discussing new security measures following a spate of attacks in the country.

At the conference, state interior ministers from de Maizi?re's center-right party said they want to make it a regulatory offense for women to cover their faces in courtrooms, administrative buildings and schools, as well as while driving or attending demonstrations.

[IndyEleven]

Yeah, but it's the AFP's fault and they're basically just like American Republicans or something.

[Tonio]

A partial ban on full veils or a full ban on partial veils? So confusing...

[0x90]

Clearly, any threat to partially ban full veils is a veiled threat to fully ban both full and partial veils.

[Crusty Juggler]

Climate Change May Make Shellfish (and Us) Sick

But new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the warming waters may hold an additional danger: Changed temperatures are leading to increases in a bacteria called Vibrio, which can cause fatal illness in people who eat shellfish or swim in ocean waters.

Big Aphrodisiac hardest hit.

[Rhywun]

people who eat shellfish

Thank goodness I am not one of those. Pass the steak, please.

[Playa Manhattan.]

Scallops are steak of the sea.

[waffles]

I'm one of those monsters who always wraps them in bacon.

[Playa Manhattan.]

Steaks too. I glue my bacon on.

[Rhywun]

That's tuna or salmon.

[Playa Manhattan.]

You're thinking of cat food of the sea.

[Mazakon]

Facebook cracking down on libertarian pages, apparently.

There is a Occupy Democrats Logic 2 page now, and it is amusing. Also, I haven't seen much, but the Occupy Democrats posts I have seen are incredibly stupid that I'm sure ODL had a lot of easy posts they made.

[Doctor Whom]

Even some of my Salon-quoting lefty acquaintances say not to cite Occupy Democrats as a source. When you're seen as that much worse than Salon....

[Juvenile Bluster]

Lucky. My friends are still doing it. I blocked all Occupy Democrats stuff for a while, and then they just started cutting and pasting straight their own pages.

That and the goddamn "Gin and Tacos" page are the bane of my existence.

[thom]

I wish facebook would crack down on my vegan cousin who posts disgusting pictures of tortured animals all the time. Also, every female facebook friend in her 30s who constantly seem to post about wine.

[Rhywun]

My East Asian friends post nothing but pictures of plates of food. At least they eat absolutely anything so there's no worries about tortured animals.

[Tonio]

Ummmm....

[Rhywun]

no worries *of seeing them post pictures of* tortured animals.

Better?

[jesse.in.mb]

I'll just leave this here.

[Trigger Hippie]

"every female facebook friend in her 30s who constantly seem to post about wine."

I chortled. Many times these are the same women who go into explicit, passive aggressive detail on FB about all the things their significant other does to piss them off, and I mean very personal shit, and then cry and moan about there inability to maintain a relationship.

[Trshmnstr, green and mangy]

+1 "SOMEBODY doesn't understand the meaning of 'tines up' when loading the dishwasher"

[Trigger Hippie]

Oh, no. I mean extremely intimate details about their personal love lives, physical and emotional.

Seriously, some even have entire blogs devoted to the subject. That's an absolute deal breaker for somebody as private as myself. I find that level of narcissism a non starter. Full stop.

[The Fusionist]

From June - Atheist Irish author says Oliver Cromwell got a bad rap and the Irish should apologize for being so mean to the memory of the Lord Protector.

[Rhywun]

How that viral photo of a Syrian airstrike victim is impacting the refugee debate.

How many guesses do we get?

[Half-Virtue, Half-Vice]

Just letting in the cute kids seems reasonable and could probably gain bipartisan support.

[TheZeitgeist]

All Trump needs to say regarding importation of Muzzies is 'women and children ('children' explicitly defined as pre-pubescent) first,' until all the women and children refugees are accounted for.

[PapayaSF]

He should say that other Muslim nations should take them. The Ummah and all that.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Why Did a Journal for Christian Pastors Give a Platform to a Sexual Predator?
...The first big problem (besides the part where he essentially says it was his wife who drove him to this, which is next door to saying he didn't have a choice in the matter) is that he never really seems to get that what he did to this minor was rape. Instead, he swaddles the entire story in Christianese, using it to distance himself from his actions and make the whole situation sound? normal. As if it were, at worst, an affair. Just look at the very next paragraph:...

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Teen-raping Texas pastor gets life in prison after using the Bible to justify abusing women
A volunteer youth pastor was sentenced to life in prison in Texas this week for sexually assaulting multiple teens at his church, reports the Houston Chronicle.

Dell Ivan Godkin, 48, was found guilty of sexually abusing one victim beginning when she was 13-years-old, and continuing until she was 17, by telling her God approved of what they were doing.

"He would say lots of things about God being OK with it," explained prosecutor Monica Cooper, adding that Godkin would cite passages from the Bible to explain the roles of men and women to his victims...

[Lee Genes]

Church youth group volunteers are in my 'don't ever trust them with your kids' classification.

[The Fusionist]

It said "pastor" not "volunteer."

[Playa Manhattan.]

C'mon man. That makes it even more likely.

[TheZeitgeist]

Yes, 'pastor' is just code for 'professional volunteer.'

[Juice]

Aren't we all professional volunteers?

[Lee Genes]

Same as far as I am concerned.

I personally know of at least two other instances of this crap occurring in my community.

[Rasilio]

I actually had to quit as a youth group advisor because of people like you. Even though the church was actively begging for males to volunteer to work with the youth group the minute I volunteered my wife started hearing the whispers and questions about why I was spending so much time around teenagers. What's worse, this wasn't even at a fundie church, it was at a progressive UU church

[Lee Genes]

That's too bad, but the reputation has been earned around here.

[Playa Manhattan.]

"people like you".

Stereotyping sucks, doesn't it?

[Rasilio]

Yes, people who assume that all males are seconds away from comitting rape, especially when in the vicinity of anyone under the age of 18.

I mean I'm not friggin Steve Smith or Warty, I've got virtually no body hair and don't even know how to do a squat fer christs sakes

[Lee Genes]

Don't get your panties in a twist. As I mentioned before, I know of 2 instances of middle aged youth group volunteers screwing the teenagers and justifying it much the same way this guy did. And that's just in my local community. So pardon me if I view those groups with some suspicion.

[MarkLastname]

So if a couple black guys raped someone in your town, you wouldn't trust your kids around black guys I assume.

[jesse.in.mb]

I've got virtually no body hair and don't even know how to do a squat fer christs sakes

I applaud your courage for admitting that to this crowd.

[Enough About Palin]

Tangental:

Q: Why don't Southern Baptists make love standing up?
A: It looks too much like dancing.

[PapayaSF]

+1

[But Enough About Me]

No, no, NO!

It's "Why don't Baptists make love standing up? 'Cause it could lead to dancing."

[Trshmnstr, green and mangy]

What's worse, this wasn't even at a fundie church, it was at a progressive UU church

Some might say that this is the problem right here. (I volunteered with 7th and 8th graders for a year at a southern baptist church, and the only "whispers" I heard were about how nice I was for putting up with their crazy kids)

[Crusty Juggler]

How about "single guy who is new in town who wants to meet new people so he volunteers to coach little league and/or be a scoutmaster?"

[Lee Genes]

Stop reading us your Craigslist postings

[John]

If your kids are teenagers, maybe the church shouldn't trust them around adults.

[GamerFromJump]

Shotgun + shovel = solution.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Why did you post an article that's two years old?

[Juvenile Bluster]

Never mind.

[The Fusionist]

This was from June 2014, and they magazine apologized for publishing the article.

"The post, intended to dissuade future perpetrators, dwelt at length on the losses this criminal sin caused the author, while displaying little or no empathic engagement with the far greater losses caused to the victim of the crime and the wider community around the author. The post adopted a tone that was not appropriate given its failure to document full recognition and repentance."

[The Fusionist]

Oh, I see, the guy just got sentenced.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

From the article:

Meanwhile, there was someone else in my life that appreciated me very much. Seeking approval and appreciation, I gravitated toward that person. She and I were always happy to see each other and looked forward to each other's company. Before long, we were texting each other and interacting through social media. Nothing scandalous or questionable ? a Facebook "like" or comment here, a friendly text there. Things friends do.

Rhetorical choices aside, everyone should take note that we're unaware how old his "friend" is.

[The Fusionist]

The apology went into that, too.

I'm not defending the magazine, they are accusing themselves.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Facebook cracking down on libertarian pages, apparently.

I'm sorry, but after seeing this in that story:

This is par for the course for Facebook and it's leftist CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. The deletion of these pages needs to be shared with as many people as possible and Facebook must be held to account.

The author deserves whatever punishment he gets.

[Michael S. Langston]

The author deserves whatever punishment he gets.

A) That rant was after the fact and B) I doubt seriously Facebook's TOS disallow any negative comments or disagreement to Facebook or Zuckerberg, especially given the negative imagine impact of any commuter company doing this today and C) even if B is in their TOS, given the number of policy changes which meet with widespread user disagreement, especially on Facebook, but did not result in widespread revocations, lending credence to the claim that Facebook is acting arbitrarily.

Furthermore D) while I philosophically agree with many here that Facebook has a right to do this, though they should follow their TOS in doing so, I believe it's Zuckerberg and others like him which claim that once a business opens it doors to the public the owners automatically lose some rights such as freedom of association.

So for those playing the home game, these pages likely never violated aby TOS and should not have been removed. Additionally, based upon Zuckerberg's political views, Facebook should be banned from doing this in the future without some oversight. That or be harassed until forced to close.

Of course I think people should vote with their waists/page views, but given all the policies already enacted and roundly hated hasn't made many leave Facebook, this certainly won't, but I can certainly call attention to their bias and their "rules for the, but not for me" political stance.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Father Accused of Raping Daughter Acquitted After 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Defense
...McCulloch studied Fifty Shades of Grey to prepare for the court proceedings. On the third day of the trial, the man's daughter took to the stand, and McCulloch used passages from the book to question the girl. After just seven minutes, she broke down and admitted she had made up the accusations to teach her "strict" father a lesson. ...

[The Fusionist]

I don't like the headline's phrasing. It makes it look like an accused sex criminal got off based on some weird pop-culture defense. I'd heard the story before (on H&R) and that was still my initial interpretation of the headline.

How about "innocent man cleared of lying daughter's sex charges after his attorney showed the daughter was ripping off Fifty Shades of Grey."

[PapayaSF]

^Too long for a headline.

[Tonio]

Father Acquitted after Daughter Makes "Fifty Shades" Allegations

[PapayaSF]

^Much better.

[Rasilio]

And what crime was she charged with following this?

[Horatio]

"Hey! At least she's READING!"

[John Titor]

If Libertarians Want To Be Relevant, Maybe They Should Focus On Promoting Liberty.

Repost from Gilmore earlier today, a Federalist reporter takes Gillespie to town on his article NeverTrump conservatives.

Cue the comments being filled with people complaining because the Libertarian Party isn't anti-abortion and just want to smoke pot. Well so much for compromise.

[lafe.long]

N.B. but not on Facebook

[GILMORE?]

Someone else posted that in the AM links. I dont intend to steal credit.

[John]

He takes Gillespie apart pretty well. The funny part is that he thinks Gillespie is just acting out of habit. No Nick is a cultural leftist who would rather lose than get support from the wrong kind of people

[CatoTheChipper]

Sadly, that goes double for Gary Johnson.

[Juice]

"Nick Gillespie's version of libertarianism is fundamentally defined by its hostility to the ideas and concerns of everybody else on the right."

I think a see the source of some of the problem. Libertarianism is not "on the right."

[John Titor]

I'll repost my statement in regards to that:

Libertarians aren't "on the right."

Yes actually, yes they are, in whatever form we continue to use the old seating arrangement of the French. Libertarians seems to view human nature in the same way the right does, slightly malleable but not completely modifiable. The right in general may support diversely different principles, but it's that focus on principles in an unperfect world that defines it from the left.

The left's position is, and always will be, the expansion of state power in an attempt to bring about utopia via a heavily regulated society and the destruction of institutions they believe are detrimental, where they attempt to fundamentally change human nature into some New Soviet Man. Its position is inherently an anti-thesis to libertarian values. If you think libertarianism has any future in that environment there's no hope for you.

[Juice]

Yes actually, yes they are

No actually. No they aren't. You can't just say that anything not on the left is automatically on the right. I can see a leftists trying to make the same argument that anything not on the right is automatically on the left.

[John Titor]

You can't just say that anything not on the left is automatically on the right.

That's why I didn't, I pointed out that the right is about upholding principles in an imperfect world and a rejection of attempts to create societal utopia. And that libertarianism shares epistemological assumptions about ideology with the general right that are counter to the left.

[MarkLastname]

You do realize that what is on the left or right is entirely a matter of context, right? In a socialist country, a libertarian is right wing. In francoist Spain, a typical American Republican may be left wing. So I really don't see why you care to argue this point.

[CatoTheChipper]

Bastiat sat on the left, and one can't get more radically libertarian without being an anarchist.

[John Titor]

That's more an argument about how dumb the French National Assembly seating arrangement was. My point is more that if we're going to use the terms 'left' and 'right' that, in modern context, libertarianism shares greater values and philosophical attachments with the right than it does the left.

[JWW]

Well some of it is. The state gender pronoun police sure won't be put into place by the right.....

[Crusty Juggler]

The Kung Fu Nuns of Nepal

Roughly 26 years ago, members of the of the 800-year-old Drukpa order rebelled and formed the Druk Amitabha Mountain nunnery, a place where women are treated with the same respect as men. "When I was very small, I was already thinking that it was not right to suppress women in our society," His Holiness The Gyalwang Drukpa, leader of the Buddhist sect, says. "But then when I grew up, I started to think what can I do for them? Then I thought what I can do is to build a nunnery and then give them an opportunity to study and practice spiritually."

Every day, the nuns put on the same style clothing made famous by classic martial arts movies in the 70's and 80's, and engage in an intense two-hour training session complete with hand chops, punches, high kicks and exagerated kicks. The benefits of training in kung fu are many-fold, according to the nuns. "It's good for our health. Meditation is very difficult and if we do kung fu, then afterwards meditation becomes much easier," 16-year-old Rupa Lama told the BBC.

I'm glad I still have all of those Nepalese coins.

[Ted S.]

Those cats are fast as lightning.

[GILMORE?]

Editorial in WaPo helpfully clarifies ? contra Shikha Dalmia yesterday ? that not only is Trump's proposed 'Anti-muslim-immigration' proposal constitutionally-sound, it is in fact consistent with the history of US immigration-law

"The Naturalization Act of 1790, which limited citizenship to "any alien, being a free white person," drastically restricted the ability of Muslims to become citizens. The requirement meant that immigrants seeking lawful residence and citizenship had to convince authorities that they fit within the statutory definition of whiteness. Arabs, along with Italians, Jews and others, were forced to litigate their identities in line with prevailing conceptions of whiteness ? which fluctuated according to geographic origin, physical appearance and religion. Courts ...framed Islam as hostile to American ideals and society, casting Muslim immigrants as outside the bounds of whiteness and a threat to the identity and national security of the United States. ? In a notable 1891 case, the Supreme Court highlighted "the intense hostility of the people of Moslem faith to all other sects, and particularly to Christians." ? The United States'...ban on Muslim immigration persisted until 1944, two years before Trump's birth. It was shifting U.S. geopolitical interests, not evolving perceptions... that drove dissolution of the restrictions."

[GILMORE?]

Reminder = pointing out stupid arguments as stupid isn't an endorsement of the things they criticize.

[GILMORE?]

Whoops! Also = the link to the editorial: written by a muslim chastizing trump, but noting that he's not exactly the first nativist douchebag ever

[John Titor]

Is it really worth calling out Dalmia on this stuff anymore though? I have never read anything by her that has provided me with any kind of intelligent insight. Hell, even her work on Indian politics was utterly biased and hysterical crap. She's either consistently lied or generally stupid enough to believe, a la Khan, that she can just declare things she doesn't like as 'unconstitutional'.

[Pan Zagloba]

It's kinda like bitching about Trudeau. Everything has been said the first time, because it's not like either of them are particularly complex people or big thinkers. But idiotic preening rubs one the wrong way when one pays for them, even if the actual amount paid may be fraction of a cent.

[John Titor]

Exactly, everything had been covered before even before the election, and every time it's just a retread of the same legitimate criticism. "Prime Minister Zoolander" is now all you need to say to sum up the general view of Trudeau's intellectual quality. I even tend to get grins out of the less emotionally driven Liberals with that.

[Half-Virtue, Half-Vice]

My Millenialsim wants to say, "C'mon guys, do we have to be mean to the Reason writers?"

But I guess I'll just bite my tongue and silently weep in the corner.

Not stone, steel
Not stone, steel
Not stone, steel
Not stone, steel
Not stone, steel

[Crusty Juggler]

Bill Opening Wilderness Areas to Bikes Also Opens Debate

A bill in Congress would open up biking in federally designated wilderness, where "mechanical transport" has been banned since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness Act in 1964. Conservation groups have mostly lined up in opposition to the change, fearing an erosion of land protections, and some cycling groups are opposing the bill for similar reasons. But many other riders, including Rose's mother, Char Waller, argue that wilderness rules must adapt to a generational shift in how young people like her daughter recreate. Wild places get saved and protected, she said, only when people love them and use them.

[Playa Manhattan.]

I'm sure it will be fine.

[Gojira]

Sometimes I just feel like grabbing a little girl by the front of her shirt, shaking her violently and screaming epithets into her face a the top of my lungs until she falls on her ass and starts crying, and then run off laughing manically.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Jack Handy?

[Groovus Maximus]

Time to lay off the ANIME and MANGA, Jimbo.

[IndyEleven]

I thought making helpless people on subway trains scream "My God" was more your thing?

[John Titor]

Spider Jerusalem?

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

That is one of the longest and most disturbing euphemisms I've seen on here in a long time.

[bacon-magic]

Get off my lawn?

[Horatio]

You buy cookies wrong

[Crusty Juggler]

'Cannibal' killer Austin Harrouff, 19, was wearing a 'Make America Great Again' Trump hat when he stormed off and 'murdered random couple'

Daily Mail on Wednesday uncovered Harrouff's YouTube channel containing several videotaped fitness tutorials, as well as impromptu karaoke performances by Harrouff.

Ban fitness.

[Mongo]

Fitness?

How about karaoke??

[GILMORE?]

The Best Article I've Ever Read on Huffpo, by 1000s Miles = The Culture Of The Smug White Liberal

(reposted from yesterday - not sure everyone noted it)

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I have seen my party take a turn that makes me uncomfortable. Somewhere along the way we stopped fighting for the little guy and became the party of the smug, educated elites who look down on those with less education and deem them unable or unworthy of being able to make personal decisions for their own lives.

Been like this for a while... I guess it takes the faithful a while to grok this.

By the way, Ms Nikki Johnson--Huston, welcome to libertarianism. We welcome you with open arms. And Crusty welcomes you with an open fly.

[TheZeitgeist]

Pigs on two feet something-something.

[IndyEleven]

Huh, it's still pretty poor, even for HuffPo. Tallest midget and all that.

For example:
" However, the push for criminal justice reform is coincidentally occurring parallel to the epidemic of opioid abuse in white communities. I would argue this is what is actually driving the policy shift from incarceration to treatment, because the sweeping tragedy of drug abuse that has gripped the black community for the last 30 years, is now affecting the same liberal elites that referred to our family members as predators and criminals rather than addicts deserving of compassion."

Riiiiiight, the drug war is really affecting all those liberal elites in Appalachia, that must be behind it.

[GILMORE?]

the drug war is really affecting all those liberal elites in Appalachia, that must be behind it.

Actually yes.

There is a lot of 'Drug Panic' because there are heroin epidemics in places like "New Hampshire"

her point was basically that sudden interest in drug-war-sentencing-leniency is because "white people is getting busted".

I don't think its a great point,but its not as bad as you make out.

[IndyEleven]

But the 'drug panics' aren't because the liberal elite drywall hanger got busted and sent to prison for 10 years, it's because they're overdosing and dying. I get that there's more of a media interest due to the deaths, but where does criminal justice reform fit into that?

The crack/cocaine sentencing disparity was a mainstream issue prior to the opioid panic making news, so I just don't see how white people are driving this out of racial solidarity for methheads or some such.

It's a minor point, but the whole article just seemed to be another white-people-need-to-make-government-do-things i-want if they want to be authentically liberal.

[DenverJ]

"...liberal elite drywall hanger..."
LOL wot?

[MarkLastname]

Agreed. It seems like reading Karl Marx roasting the progressives of his time for being ineffectual, corrupt hypocrites. All true, but it's not such a breath of fresh air when we know the 'real article' is even worse.

[Juice]

Is the real New Hampshire or "New Hampshire"?

[BYODB]

Or how about this:

"Although many African-Americans have made incredible strides in educational attainment we are still lagging behind in key indicators of success such as net worth, poverty rates, high incarceration rates and, as such, have some of the highest unemployment numbers."

I mean, is this unintentional irony here or am I taking crazy pills?

That being said, we should all thank Hillary Clinton. Her slipping fa?ade is finally making some long-time Democrats realize that the asses are just as out of gas as the elephants. And while Republicans are very, very stupid it's also true that the Democrats are very, very evil. I'm glad to see an educated black woman realize that she's on the reservation. Lets see what she does now!

[GILMORE?]

I remind you that my praise was 'best article on Huffpo"

[MarkLastname]

Meh, better than usual but still far from good. Mostly she's just trying to argue that white liberals in addition to white conservatives are the cause of all black people's problems (so still no awareness of how her own community needs to change to solve its problems and its not white people's job to fix their broken communities) while also complaining that 'race' doesn't get enough attention.

I don't see her defending the contributions of conservatives or libertarians to these 'conversation', but rather is trotting out the tired old complaint that liberal elites aren't 'doing enough.' This obviously puts her at odds with libertarians who think they are actually doing far too much.

[Lord at War]

I'm another who is not impressed...

White liberal college students speak of "safe spaces", "trigger words", "micro aggressions" and "white privilege" while not having to do anything, or more importantly, give up anything.

Read any of the black student manifestos over the last couple of years- exact same terms and beliefs- but not mentioned because they're black.

The media lectures about the intolerance of the Right, but is the first to show the mugshot of a young black suspect...

Yeah. Remember NBC editing the George Zimmerman 911 call, or the first photo they released of "little" Trayvon Martin?

In fact the criminalization of Af-Ams, especially men, has been turned into public policy because of our negative portrayal in the media

Not because black men between 16-40 commit 50% of all murders while being ~3% of the population.

[Tman]

Still no story about the Ransom lies from the State Department?

I don't understand why this isn't a bigger story.

Elizabeth Trudeau
Director, Press Office
Daily Press Briefing
Washington, DC
August 8, 2016

"claims that our freed Americans were not allowed to depart Iran until a plane full of cash landed anywhere are false."

August 18, 2016
State Department Spox Confirms U.S. Sent Money To Iran After Hostages Were Released

This is, as they say, a big fucking deal. We paid ransom to the Terrorist Regime in Iran for four hostages. Within a week s Iranian authorities have arrested more Westerners. They're now holding three Iranian-Americans as well as dual nationals from the U.K. and Canada.

Is this on? Hello?

[Tak Kak]

Nobody cares and it's all Trump's fault!

[Rhywun]

I don't get it either.

[B.P.]

"Troglodyte Republicans Level Shady, Politically Motivated Claims About Deftly Handled Iran Hostage Release"

[GILMORE?]

Psychotic-Asshole Reuters Reporters Stalk Olympic Swimmers Onto Plane, Have Nothing to Report So Write about the Food, and Gab With Others on Flight

The swimmers spent some of the nine-hour trip poring over newspapers that were plastered with headlines about their Rio escapade. Flight attendants were determined to keep reporters away, forming a barrier when Reuters attempted to speak to them.After trays of cheese ravioli and beef stew were served at midnight, it was lights out in the cabin.

By the time the lights were turned on again in the morning, the two swimmers had been whisked up to business class and hidden behind the curtain.Airline staff slipped trays of cheese omelets, croissants and fruit through a small gap in the curtain, trying to hide the young men from public glare. When they arrived in Miami, customs agents helped shield them from a reporter as they made their way to a connecting flight.

I think its amusing how the narrator manages to pretend that its "others" who are the ones providing the "glare"

[B.P.]

Jesus. That's some top-notch journalism. These are presumably the same outlets that complain about a lack of resources to cover important stories.

[The Late P Brooks]

Facebook cracking down on libertarian pages, apparently.

Libertarian = terrorist

Everybody knows that.

[DenverJ]

I'm looking forward to Terrortopia

[GILMORE?]

The Wrongest Wrong The Economist Ever Wronged: "Oasis, "Best Band of its Generation"

Stick to 'economics'-stuff, fellas.

[Tman]

It's not even the best band of their best year, never mind generation.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Did they mean, "Most prematurely overrated band of its Generation"?

[Rhywun]

Meh. I like Oasis quite a lot but calling anyone the "best band" of any time is a fool's game.

[Lee Genes]

They suck at economics too

[John]

They were a lot better than Nirvana. So there is that

[Crusty Juggler]

Add this to the "list of things John is wrong about."

[DenverJ]

Yeah, Nirvana was pretty bad with economics.

[Pan Zagloba]

From The Spectator, What Performing in UKIP Country Taught Me About Racism.

An "Asian" (leftie, of course) stand-up "comic" plays for actual English audience, is terrified for life, then shocked that all these skinheads are pretty chill with her act. Punchline

'I was surprised,' I said to my friend afterwards, 'because they were skinheads.'

'They weren't skinheads, silly,' he said. 'They were bald! You need to stop making assumptions, and start wearing your glasses more often.'

Pretty cool article, though any comedic prowess is definitely not on display in it.

[John Titor]

'Stand up comic' does not necessarily mean 'successful stand up comic'. There's plenty of them still trying and failing at open mike nights.

Also, it's interesting how these people always have to trump up 'racists' into the greatest monsters ever, when the majority of racists I've ever met are just normal people with weird views on certain skin colours. My experiences with racism in Europe has always been in a kind of casual, off-hand manner, the most awkward being the time a pair of Swedes in Stockholm tried to convince me that American society was more violent because of black genetics. And that wasn't even said maliciously, just in a kind of blatant, smug way.

[Pan Zagloba]

While the article is fairly balanced (its main thrust is pointing out how the one prejudiced was our author), it fails to realize why. Basically, she assumed people in 'UKIP Country' would treat her the way her friends and audiences in London would treat a hypothetical right-wing standup comic (if such a thing existed in UK) who sang a song of praise for Farrage and called them 'a bunch of looters'.

[John Titor]

That would require self reflection that is largely lacking in yuppie political circles.

Unless of course she's talking about Newcastle. Because the only logical prejudice is against Geordies.

[grrizzly]

Looking at the list of countries by homicide rate, I can imagine how those Swedes got the idea.

[perlchpr]

Looks like they should be more concerned about people with South American native genetics, than Blacks.

[John Titor]

And Greenlanders seem to be outdoing themselves.

[Pan Zagloba]

Maybe some Old Norse spirit remains!

[MarkLastname]

A progressive learns not to prejudge white guys based on their appearance. Maybe there's hope for them yet?

[GILMORE?]

US Army: We May Have Had Some Minor Accounting Errors

The Defense Department's Inspector General, in a June report, said the Army made $2.8 trillion in wrongful adjustments to accounting entries in one quarter alone in 2015, and $6.5 trillion for the year. Yet the Army lacked receipts and invoices to support those numbers or simply made them up. As a result, the Army's financial statements for 2015 were "materially misstated," the report concluded. The "forced" adjustments rendered the statements useless because "DoD and Army managers could not rely on the data in their accounting systems when making management and resource decisions."

[The Fusionist]

Um...oops?

How about a windup GI Joe saying "math is hard"?

[Rhywun]

You mean GI Jane.

[The Fusionist]

Xey don't have any genitals, so either way is fine.

[The Fusionist]

"Xey" means "the dolls."

Oops, I mean action figures.

[MarkLastname]

where's GI Wang you need him.

[Lee Genes]

And how many brass will lose their jobs and pensions over this? Or even get jail time?

I'm waiting.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Hey, I've been to Facebook. It's all George Takei memes, rainbow avatars and Vines of Michelle Obama being "awesome". Is this any surprise?

[GILMORE?]

FREEDOM!!

(sort of... actually.... not really... at all)

but i think the headline-editor really stretched it with "High-Court"

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? A Connecticut state worker fired after he was caught smoking marijuana on the job was punished too harshly and should get his job back, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday. Gregory Linhoff was fired from his maintenance job at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington in 2012 after a police officer caught him smoking pot in a state-owned vehicle. He had no previous disciplinary problems since being hired in 1998 and had received favorable job evaluations, according to his union. He was arrested, but the charges were later dismissed. State officials said firing the New Hartford resident was the only appropriate penalty for his conduct and not doing so would send a bad message to other employees. An arbitrator disagreed and overturned the firing, saying Linhoff instead should be suspended without pay for six months and be subject to random drug testing for a year after he returned to work.

Dude probably goes, "Nah man, its cool, i'll just get a different gig. but thanks"

[Pan Zagloba]

Gregory Linhoff was fired from his maintenance job at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington in 2012 after a police officer caught him smoking pot in a state-owned vehicle

Was he sharing the ride with area man named Jim Anchover?

[GILMORE?]

second best onion editorialist next to Smoove B

[Pan Zagloba]

No, that'd be late and forever remembered Masta Herbert Kornfeld, Accounts Ricivaboo Pimp Daddy.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Dude probably goes, "Nah man, its cool, i'll just get a different gig. but thanks"

Why would you get a different gig from one that allows you to smoke weed on the job?

[GILMORE?]

the drug tests?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The dude got ARRESTED for smoking pot, and nothing happened. (which makes me scratch my head about all the low level drug offenders supposedly languishing in prison- another subject).

What're they gonna do if they catch him with a drug test? Tickle him until he pees?

[lafe.long]

Bakari Sellers: Former State Representative, D-SC, Criticizes CNN Contributor Kayleigh McEnany

Sellers said McEnany was "disrespectful" for attempting to speak for the black community on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" Thursday. McEnany is a commentator and Donald Trump supporter.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

You only get to speak for minorities if you have no intellectual diversity, duh.

[lafe.long]

Steven Crowder: Comedian Makes Video Attempting to Show How Little Anti-Gun Voters Know About Guns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqJ_4YhYMhE

[GILMORE?]

US Fighter Jets Now Instructed to "Protect" Anti-Govt Ground Forces From Syrian Fighter Jets

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Pentagon says the U.S. scrambled fighter aircraft Thursday to protect American special operations forces and allies near the northeastern Syrian city of Hassakeh, which was being bombed by Syrian government warplanes.Navy Capt. Jeff Davis says the U.S. is increasing air patrols there and is warning the Syrian regime that it will defend coalition troops if they are threatened. He says the warning was relayed through the Russians.

Amazingly, most of the media still pretends we haven't been/aren't actually at war with Syria

When you've got troops in someone else's country? and tell that country that you'll kill their forces if they interfere with them? I think that's a reasonable definition of 'state of war'.

Regardless of one's opinion on the intervention/non-intervention false dichotomy, what should fuck everyone off is the idea that US servicemen are being told to put themselves in this sort of ambiguous situation where they're risking their lives for a political charade, where they're supposed to avoid engagement at all costs while simultaneously putting themselves between 2 shooting-parties. You can only bluff for so long before someone gets killed.

[TheZeitgeist]

Cute RoE short-circuit all set up now for when Russians send a package with a Mainstay and some big Sukhois next time their Syrian buddies want to light some camels up over there.

Thanks Obama!
-Putin

[Bill Dalasio]

This entire fiasco has all the makings of a supreme clusterfuck.

The only anti-government forces of any significance in most of Syria is ISIS. The only significant party in Syria even remotely pro-U.S. is the Kurds. And they have no interest whatsoever in Syria beyond the area they consider Kurdistan. And, of course, we can't exactly support the Kurds. Because our NATO allies the Turks consider them terrorists. And, for some reason, preserving the integrity of NATO is considered holy writ.

[GILMORE?]

The only anti-government forces of any significance in most of Syria is ISIS.

That's not quite so.

[Chip Woodier]

Syrian Opposition...a list of their individual names wouldn't have been much longer.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Aren't Syrian Jets also Russian Jets?

[GILMORE?]

if you mean, Russian-made, probably.

[TheZeitgeist]

Syrians fly the Soviet b-list: MiG-23's, Su-24's, old-rev MiG-29's.

Russians themselves have much better widgets. Various Flanker derivatives like Su-34 etc. are exceptional aircraft, as an example. They also bring big airframe platform capabilities like Backfires and CS4I stuff that only USA has analogs of in any sizable numbers. The S400 surface-to-air battery deployed at Russian air base in Syria can track and down supersonic targets faraway as Israel.

And they have good drones. Little-known event over Israel month ago featured drone entering Israeli air space and IAF firing two MIM-104's and F-16 AMRAAM intercept...and they failed to hit the drone.

The Russian air force is for real.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Are the russians not flying bombing missions in Syria?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

And which anti-assad forces? We're currently in an active bombing campaign against anti-assad forces.

[GILMORE?]

One of the "Not-ISIS"-ones. The article references "Syrian Democratic Forces" being supported by US troops. Your guess is as good as mine who exactly that means. I doubt the person who wrote the piece knows any better. They just pass on what the Pentagon tells them.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Didn't I recently hear something on the news about the "complex shifting alliances" amongst the anti-assad forces which was... ahem... "frustrating" the administration's efforts in Syria? Apparently, some of those 'anti-assad forces' (read:Syrian Democratic Forces) are finding fair-weather alliances with the ISIS types?

I'm no expert on what's going on inside Syria, but I've been listening to Middle East (and other global conflict/civil war news) for decades and I can tell you, it's probably pretty complicated on the ground. Yet it's reported as a very clean fight-- Good guys (us) Bombing ISIS whilst not touching anything we're not supposed to touch (non-ISIS forces).

Look, we saw a journalist carrying a camera with 4' zoom lens peering around a corner in Iraq through an attack helicopter's zoomed-in FLIR imagery from 2 miles away and confused it for a group of insurgents shooting at Marines in the area.

I can't imagine things are much cleaner in Syria, where you've got various insurgent groups fighting Assad, sometimes fighting each other, and they're all Fighting Assad.

[GILMORE?]

Didn't I recently hear something on the news about the "complex shifting alliances" amongst the anti-assad forces which was... ahem... "frustrating" the administration's efforts in Syria?

From the link above....

Syrian Democratic Forces

People's Protection Units (YPG)
Women's Protection Units (YPJ)
Shammer tribe militias[160]
Al-Sanadid Forces
Euphrates Volcano
Army of Revolutionaries
Northern Sun Battalion
Jabhat al-Akrad
Martyr Jiyan Ahras Battalion[161][162]
Seljuq Brigade[163][164]
Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa
Jaish al-Salam
Furat Jarablus[165][166]
New Syrian Forces
L?wai 99 Mu?at[167]
Brigade Groups of Al-Jazira[168]
Al-Shaitat tribe militias [169]
Syriac Military Council (MFS)[170]
Bethnahrin Women Protection Forces[171][172][173][174]
Manbij Turkmen Brigade[175]

Allied armed groups:

Syrian opposition Al-Nukhbat Brigade[184][185][186]
Kurdistan Workers' Party
People's Defence Forces
Free Women's Units
International Freedom Battalion[187][188]
MLKP[189][190]
TKP/ML T?KKO
United Freedom Forces
TKP-K?v?lc?m
Yek?t? Party
Al-Baggara[191]
Sharabiyya tribe militias[192]
Zubayd tribe militias[193]
Sinjar Resistance Units [194]

You can see how it might get a little messy

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Bethnahrin Women Protection Forces

PICS OR GTFO!

[Pan Zagloba]

Emperor on his Throne, they have more factions than Space Marine have Chapters!

[GILMORE?]

Related Coinkydink = Obama outlines plans to expand U.S. Special Operations forces in Syria

And that's not all!

Obama also has authorized U.S. commanders in Iraq to use Apache attack helicopters and deploy American advisers with lower-level Iraqi units to assist local troops in a future offensive to reclaim the city of Mosul. U.S. officials think those measures will enhance the effectiveness of Iraqi troops, but they also will expose U.S. forces to greater risk.

[PBR Streetgang]

That freakn' George W. Bush. How does he keep getting Obama into these wars??

[GILMORE?]

In other, related, "Wars We're Fighting Which the Media Ignores"

U.S. withdraws staff from Saudi Arabia dedicated to Yemen bombing coordination

The U.S. military has withdrawn from Saudi Arabia its personnel who were coordinating with the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen, and sharply reduced the number of staff elsewhere who were assisting in that planning, U.S. officials told Reuters.

Fewer than five U.S. service people are now assigned full-time to the "Joint Combined Planning Cell," which was established last year to coordinate U.S. support, including air-to-air refueling of coalition jets and limited intelligence-sharing, Lieutenant Ian McConnaughey, a U.S. Navy spokesman in Bahrain, told Reuters. That is down from a peak of about 45 staff members who were dedicated to the effort full-time in Riyadh and elsewhere, he said. The staff withdrawal, which U.S. officials say followed a lull in air strikes in Yemen earlier this year, appears to reduce Washington's day-to-day involvement in advising a campaign that has come under increasing scrutiny for causing civilian casualties.

[GamerFromJump]

A good reason to vote Trump - the media might actually pay attention to this stuff.

[Suthenboy]

The Clintons shut down their money laundering operation before she even gets in the white house?

You have a future as a stand-up comedian Johnny.

I wonder how many other pols have such a setup? It might be easier to list the ones who don't.

[lafe.long]

Clinton Foundation health project still mulling foreign donations

It was reported on Thursday that the Clinton Foundation would no longer receive donations from foreigners or corporations if Clinton wins the election in November, an effort to defuse criticism that donors to the globe-straddling charity might inappropriately seek White House favors in return.

But representatives of the charities confirmed on Friday that the new guidelines would only apply to a small portion of the foundation's activities, including its work on climate change and some of its work on economic development.

[robc]

So the funneling to the Clinton Family part will still be taking donations. Good to know.

[lafe.long]

Court Holds Bisexual Asylum-Seeker Isn't Actually Bisexual, Drawing Withering Dissent

On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit issued an outrageous decision, holding that a bisexual Jamaican asylum-seeker isn't actually bisexual and can thus be deported back to Jamaica. The three-judge panel's reasoning is profoundly flawed and rather offensive, and betrays a profound skepticism toward the legitimacy of bisexuality itself. This ignorance drew a typically unsparing dissent from Judge Richard Posner, who slammed the immigration judge for her ignorance and borderline bi-phobia.

[GILMORE?]

the 7th Circuit issued an outrageous decision, holding that a bisexual Jamaican asylum-seeker isn't actually bisexual and can thus be deported back to Jamaica.

My own bi-sexuality is in doubt. can i also get a free flight to Jamaica? and do i have to do anything kinky to get back?

[PapayaSF]

US immigration law has gone totally insane. These days, the further you are from white, Christian, healthy, educated, and heterosexual, the more likely you are to get in....

[Rhywun]

There is a history of persecution of non-heterosexuals in some countries - a common way to asylum - I don't know about Jamaica, though.

[jesse.in.mb]

Jamaica is bad. Mainstream travel guides (Frommers, Moon, Lonely Planet) strongly recommend against gays and lesbians visiting Jamaica because of arrests and general violence.

From Frommer;s

Still, avoid open displays of affection -- such as handholding on the streets -- in Jamaica: You could be assaulted for trying it.

and

If you're desiring a gay trip to get some sun, forget Jamaica unless you want to stay deep in the closet. Puerto Rico, notably Old San Juan, is a friendlier destination, certainly South Beach (part of Miami Beach) or Key West, but definitely not Jamaica where intolerance of gays is most pronounced. Local gay activists have been killed or had their homes set on fire.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

certainly South Beach (part of Miami Beach)

It was my understanding that South Beach is ONLY friendly to gays.

[jesse.in.mb]

I'm just assuming this is a glorious knock on Cuban performative hypermasculinity.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

What was their metric to determine bisexuality? (on in this case, determine the lack thereof)

[jesse.in.mb]

I hope it's the same as the former Turkish military standard for getting out of military service

[Illocust]

Basically any proof that he had ever slept with/dated a man or that any of the persecution he claimed to have happened in his home country actually happened.

[lafe.long]

School's tough love message aims to teach responsibility

A Facebook post by a boys' Catholic High School in Arkansas has drawn attention nationwide, but the school's principal says the sign is no joke.

"If you are dropping off your son's forgotten lunch, books, homework, equipment, etc., please turn around and exit the building," a sign at the Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock reads. "Your son will learn to problem-solve in your absence."

[lafe.long]

PA man attacks police officer with pizza

Police said a man attacked an officer at the station Thursday afternoon.
Sean Mulloy, 44, went to the police station and tried wrapping a chain around the building.

Chief James Drury said an officer heard Mulloy and went outside.

"The man became belligerent and then just started to attack the officer," Drury said.
Mulloy punched the officer and threw a box full of pizza at him.

[0x90]

Please tell me it went down like this.

[DWB]

I'm sure I am late, but all hail Deez Nuts:

[jesse.in.mb]

So this is the second time I've been called at work by scam artists looking to "serve papers" to my sister. The first time I didn't know it was a scam (she's had legal issues previously), and I told them dutifully I'd pass the info along, but let her know scam artists were looking for her after I looked into it. This time I kept asking the guy questions about what this was about, and got a phone number from him [phone] which immediately goes to playing jazzy elevator music when called (blocked my outgoing number first).

Y'all are dickish sociopaths, any thoughts on fucking with these people if they call again?

[DWB]

Ignore or block?

In a sweet voice, ask for their name and address and ask for documentation through the mail.

[jesse.in.mb]

I'd love to block, but it's being routed in through our front desk. The little shit was yelling at our front desk staff demanding to be transferred to my sister, they'd never heard of my sister, but recognized my last name. By the time it got to me it was an internal transfer and there was no number.

[DWB]

Stupid jerks ... I am sorry.

All of the lawyers that I have talked to have advised me to act like you are taking them seriously and try to get them to frustrate their game by getting them legal. Federal law requires them to send proof through the USPS and most will give up when you call them out.

Usually, that will be enough but you might have to report them -- get as much info as you can.

[jesse.in.mb]

Huh, I just remembered that our phone system has a report generating feature that I never have to use.

And the number has a track record.

Favorite:

raglady
30 May 2016
SCAM- scam- scam ___Dude calling from boiler room in India offering free government cell phones ---told me I qualify if poor ---i said yes to collecting social security- medicare- medicaid and welfare, food stamps and told him i also get Fruit Loops -- he had no clue what the programs were. I asked for the newest I-phone he said yes then I asked can I use Skype free and can I call California free he said yes even India. He hung up when i asked why the hell would I call India.

[Pan Zagloba]

He hung up when i asked why the hell would I call India.

Somewhere, without knowing why, Shikha Dalmia sheds a single tear.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

No, she's furiously writing an article about how Trump is the source of this discrimination.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

So this is the second time I've been called at work by scam artists looking to "serve papers" to my sister. The first time I didn't know it was a scam (she's had legal issues previously)

Makes one wonder who they are, and why they'd "get lucky" calling you about your sister. That kind of crap makes me nervous, that the scam artists know something personal about you before the call.

Y'all are dickish sociopaths, any thoughts on fucking with these people if they call again?

first of all, I'm not dickish. Second of all, I've dealt with some of these types in the tech world and really, all you can usually do is string them along and soak up their time, which can be fun.

Basically, give them just enough to make them think you're on the hook, then keep requiring things of them. A number to call them back. Set up a fake email account and start a correspondence with them... possibly posing as your sister. To the scam artist, time can be money.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Depending on the scam, try to get them to meet you somewhere and see if you can actually get them to show up-- but of course YOU don't show up (stay safe).

get them to send copies of the papers. Make them work for it.

[jesse.in.mb]

I think it's just that my sister worked here as a summer job once and still has it on her Facebook although I've read accounts from others where they had a surprising amount of information about them, which is disconcerting.

The scammer assumed my sister was a guy (we both have gender neutral names), so I told this one that I don't know a guy named [sister's name], and he got angry and hung up.

I wonder if I could get someone to show up at this guy's house way out in the boonies of San Bernadino, although then I'd feel bad about throwing harassment his way.

[jesse.in.mb]

Incidentally that guy has at least four very large, very aggressively "friendly" dogs.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Just called the number, yeah, little EP light/smooth jazz.

[Ken Shultz]

"The Clinton Foundation has announced that, should Hillary Clinton win, it will stop accepting donations from corporations or foreign entities"

----Jonathan Chait
Robby's Link above

For all you shitheads out there who have been paying more attention to the garbage Trump says rather than the evil Hillary is actually doing, take a moment and try to understand what this means.

Not only did Hillary accept money from foreign governments while she was the Secretary of State. she also continued to accept donations from foreign interests while she was running for President. In fact, she is promising to continue to accept donations from foreign entities--right up until the time she win the election to become President of the United States.

However relieved we should be that Hillary says she won't continue to take money from foreign governments and entities after she's become President, it isn't really enough to mitigate the fact that she continues to accept money from foreign governments and entities today.

Is bribing a President okay so long as it's done before the President is elected?

I guess that's what Hillary wants us to believe.

Again, she seems to be responding to questions about whether her behavior is ethical with answers about whether her behavior is legal.

I will never accept a President who takes money from foreign governments. That is a disqualification--no matter what stoopid thing Trump says about anything tomorrow.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

What, she promised to get the money out of politics, and as soon as she wins, she will.

[PapayaSF]

Apparently the Clinton Cash graphic novel adaptation is debuting at #1 on the NY Times list.

[The Fusionist]

So, if she loses she'll *continue* to take foreign money.

And it will be your fault for opposing her, you Hillary-hater.

/sarc

[Ken Shultz]

With sarc tag noted, we should be clear about one thing: Hillary Clinton says she'll stop taking money from foreign governments if she wins.

That is so far away from actually refusing to take money from foreign governments when it's offered in reality, it's not really anything at all.

She didn't make any concession. She just said something.

In commercial real estate parlance, let's pretend you say you're going to put $10 million in escrow.

As the guy on the other side of that transaction, on behalf of me, my partners, my investors, my ancestors, and all that's good and holy, I have to behave as if there's an important distinction to be made between saying you're going to put $10 million in escrow and actually putting $10 million in escrow.

You'd be surprised how many people suddenly find reasons not to put the money in escrow when the time comes. They need more time. Things changed. When go hard or closing time comes, suddenly, instead of actually putting $10 million in escrow, they have other things . . . to say.

Saying you're going to put $10 million in escrow and NOT putting $10 million in escrow, in reality, those two things are the same thing!

[Ken Shultz]

I don't know that Hillary Clinton saying she won't take money from foreign governments means anything in reality. The opposite of taking money from foreign governments is not taking money from foreign governments--not saying that you're not going to take money from foreign governments.

And in the meantime, she continues to take money from foreign governments--and she will until November 5th according to what she said.

[lafe.long]

Ken, apparently you missed my link above from the "Not so fast" department:

Clinton Foundation health project still mulling foreign donations

It was reported on Thursday that the Clinton Foundation would no longer receive donations from foreigners or corporations if Clinton wins the election in November, an effort to defuse criticism that donors to the globe-straddling charity might inappropriately seek White House favors in return.

But representatives of the charities confirmed on Friday that the new guidelines would only apply to a small portion of the foundation's activities, including its work on climate change and some of its work on economic development.

[Jimmy Free Trade Pirate]

Face Book is cracking down on Libertarian pages !!!!!

This is my shocked face.

[Half-Virtue, Half-Vice]

Because we are one woodchipper accident away from being labeled a white, male-dominated, nationalist, terror group?

[Eternal Blue Sky]

Bitch, being a minority is only good if it's skin-deep.

We want a bunch of different looking people who all think the same!! We can't have 'em thinking DIFFERENTLY!!

[TheZeitgeist]

Why the fuck do we draw so much wrath?

Same reason that only thing Christians, Muslims, and Jews all agree on is atheists are the worst.

Only thing more sinful than wrong god is none at all.

[John]

I think this time it is the fact that Johnson is drawing votes from Hillary

[Horatio]

Because the dissonance created by people intensely interested in politics while intensely hating politics is confusing for most

[Pope Jimbo]

I think it is because we cause them to realize that many of their beliefs are simply taken on faith.

It is like when I realize I'm fighting with my boys because my wife thinks they need more civilizing. I'm in the middle of some stupid fight with them because they aren't making their beds every morning and they ask me why that is so important. At that point, I realize it really doesn't matter one bit if they make their beds. Not one bit. The only reason I learned to make my bed every morning is because my mother (and when needed my father) nagged at me until I learned to make my bed just to be done with the arguments.

So you end up telling them that they will make their fucking beds because otherwise you will thump them. But you go to sleep that night feeling stupid for perpetuating the stupidity and for having a mental block that keeps you from just saying "fuck it" and never making your bed again.

When the group thinkers see too many of us just doing whatever we pretty much feel like and not getting into debates about what team is the best, they have the same nagging thoughts. And obviously they need to threaten us with a good thumping so we can all get on with life.

[Invisible Finger]

Libertarians are the new untermensch.

Or, if you prefer, Poland instead of Switzerland. Trapped between two socialist behemoths.

[Crusty Juggler]

Mountain lions scare me a little because they stalk their prey. Not fair!

[BigT]

Politics is like smelling your own farts?

[GamerFromJump]

"Fully semi-automatic assault rifles!"

Proof that universal suffrage was a bad idea.