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Dad of 'Clock Kid' Sues Glenn Beck, El Cajon Cops Won't Release Video of Fatal Shooting, Flint Funding Deal Reached: A.M. Links

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 9.28.2016 9:00 AM

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Large image on homepages | El Cajon Police Department
(El Cajon Police Department)
  • El Cajon Police Department

    An unarmed, unidentified man "acting 'erratically' near a strip mall" Tuesday in El Cajon, California, was fatally shot by local cops after "raising his arms in in a manner that looked as if he was holding a gun," the Los Angeles Times reports. One officer fired a Taser but the other unloaded his shotgun at the same time. The cops were not wearing body cameras, and a witness voluntarily turned over cellphone footage of the shooting which police now refuse to release.

  • Reps. Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi reached a deal regarding federal aid to Flint, Michigan, which should help us avoid the dreaded (and yet somehow always narrowly thwarted) Government Shutdown.
  • RIP culture wars?
  • Gary Johnson opines at The New York Times.
  • Maryland and Washignton police have been using a service that monitors, maps, and stores residents' social-media posts.
  • The father of "Clock Kid" Ahmed Mohamed has filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Glenn Beck and Irving, Texas, Mayor Beth Van Duyne.
  • Activist Laura Lee has won the right to challenge a North Irish law that criminalizes prostitution clients.
  • Police misuse of criminal-justice databases to scope out spouses, crushes, journalists, neighbors, etc. is likely widespread in the U.S., according to a new AP investigation. Just looking at law-enforcement officers and staff disciplined for such transgressions, AP found 575 cases departments between 2013 and 2015, with 325 of these serious enough to warrant a firing, resignation, or suspension. "The misuse represents only a tiny fraction of the millions of daily database queries run legitimately," AP volunteers, although the tally, "based on records requested from 50 states and about three dozen of the nation's largest police departments, is unquestionably an undercount. Some departments produced no records at all. Some states refused to disclose the information."

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NEXT: Brickbat: Bad Water

Elizabeth Nolan Brown is a senior editor at Reason.

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  1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    An unarmed, unidentified man "acting 'erratically' near a strip mall" Tuesday in El Cajon, California, was fatally shot by local cops after "raising his arms in in a manner that looked as if he was holding a gun,"

    Pop Tart?

    1. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      Hello.

    2. foetus   9 years ago

      It was that shitty book about the Winchester house.

    3. JW   9 years ago

      Pop-tart book wallet gun phone.

  2. Bee Tagger   9 years ago

    RIP culture wars?

    Do it, rip 'em a new one!

    1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

      Culture wars never end, especially in a highly polarized environment. We have not seen the end of the bickering.

      1. Citizen X   9 years ago

        War... war never changes.

        1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

          +1 Lonesome Road

          1. Bob K   9 years ago

            -10 Mothership Zeta

        2. JW   9 years ago

          It's not really the Forever War. It just seems like it.

          1. SugarFree   9 years ago

            But it really is The Forever War in the sense is that if you fight in it long enough you just turn into the enemy.

            1. JW   9 years ago

              "The only winning move is not to give any fucks."

        3. NuckenFutz   9 years ago

          Ahh alas a Fallout 4 forum.

          Just hit lvl 97 in survival mode, which by the way is the only way the game should be played.

      2. Robert   9 years ago

        It just moves on to new ground.

    2. BigT   9 years ago

      Seven years war?

      Hundred Years' War?

      War of Jenkins' Ear? er....vagina?

    3. Chipwooder   9 years ago

      Only the dead have seen the end of culture wars

    4. You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)   9 years ago

      A good effort.

  3. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

    241) Nobody knows anything.

    Scientific results are the products of flawed tests. Even if an experiment hasn't been contaminated, its results are subject to misinterpretation. Any event influenced by more than two variables is impossible to predict?and everything but the simplest games has more than two variables.

    People rarely spell out their motivations, and even if they do you don't know if they're telling the truth. Everybody's head is a black box. I know maybe a dozen people well enough to "get them" and I can still be surprised. I've been married 17 years and my wife could divorce me tomorrow. I don't say this from a lack of self-esteem or because I don't trust her?simply a recognition of reality, for I've seen it happen to others.

    We don't even know our own minds. I've often found myself behaving petulantly and not knowing why, only realizing later how some petty irritation, or maybe a lack of sleep or having missed lunch, had impacted my mood. Things I once thought would make me happy turn out to be hollow, while what I once dismissed as foolishness had importance I couldn't see.

    1. Tonio   9 years ago

      How do we know you're right on this, Mr. 2-for-1? What's your motivation?

      1. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

        You've been waiting to use that 2-for-1 joke since about JATNAS #50, haven't you?

        1. Tonio   9 years ago

          And I have very high expectations for the 179th future JATNAS.

      2. Clich? Bandit   9 years ago

        +1 Rudimentary Lathe

      3. Clich? Bandit   9 years ago

        +1 Rudimentary Lathe

    2. LynchPin1477   9 years ago

      Any event influenced by more than two variables is impossible to predict

      No. You just have to have a reasonably accurate estimate of the values of those variables. For example, I can predict how far I can throw a ball if I know something about my arm speed and weather conditions.

      1. Chipper Morning Wood   9 years ago

        Yeah, JATNAS seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of game theory. The prisoner's dilemma does not have two variables, but two actors. Variables are predictable, actors are not. But even with actors, while you cannot predict individual decisions, you can predict trends. And in prisoner's dilemma, you can predict that over many repetitions of the game, the prisoners will start cooperating with each other to maximize their utility.

    3. Artifex   9 years ago

      Hmmm, seems like the natural libertarian thing to say to such a statement is:

      "Care to make a couple of wagers on the actions of some physical systems ?"

    4. BigT   9 years ago

      JATNAS. The unexamined life is not worth living.

  4. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    The father of "Clock Kid" Ahmed Mohamed has filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Glenn Beck and Irving, Texas, Mayor Beth Van Duyne.

    FINALLY THE END GAME IS PLAYED OUT.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      I am not sure that nutso Dad wants to engage in discovery.

      1. Bee Tagger   9 years ago

        Simple: then sue the legal system for defamation.

        1. Rich   9 years ago

          Or jet off to Yemen again.

      2. Tonio   9 years ago

        What Switzy said. But I suspect the hope is that Beck will simply settle. I think the real goal is to shut Beck up.

        1. DOOMco   9 years ago

          Beck doesn't seem like a guy who shuts up.

          1. TheZeitgeist   9 years ago

            Ahmed will be having second thoughts about the whole endeavor after a few months of crying.

          2. Tonio   9 years ago

            Oh, I think this will end badly for the family, and I'm sorry Beck will have to pay to defend himself. Does Texas have loser-pays? Also, what if the losing party is unable to pay? Does the court at least make them send a token amount per month?

            1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

              I think Beck can afford it. And it will provide him some media notoriety in the process. In short, it's the dumbest thing Ahmed could have done.

    2. LynchPin1477   9 years ago

      What did Beck say that the father thinks is defamatory?

      1. John DeWitt   9 years ago

        The truth?

        1. LynchPin1477   9 years ago

          Ah, that clears it up.

          All I remember about "clock kid" is that he made a clock and some pants-shitting school official thought it was a bomb.

          1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

            All I remember is that he took the guts out of a clock and mocked them up to resemble a bomb before going in search of a pants-shitting school official (and failing to panic several before succeeding)

  5. Bee Tagger   9 years ago

    Maryland and Washignton police have been using a service that monitors, maps, and stores residents' social-media posts.

    They have the typos they need to truly mimic a social media platform.

    1. JW   9 years ago

      Police in Huntington Beach, Calif., have used the service for large sporting and community events, said Officer Jennifer Marlatt, a spokeswoman for the department. Officers look for key words such as "fight," "riot," "gun," "bomb," "shoot," and "drink," she said.

      "We're going to drink a few Irish Car Bombs and then shoot some hoops. Oh man, last night, we had to fight some crowds to get into the Laugh Riot. Great joke about a gun owner, though!"

    2. JW   9 years ago

      "The only people that have anything to fear about anything being monitored are those that are criminals and attempting to commit criminal acts," Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith said. "We're not looking for what you did last night and your selfies and your Snapchats. We don't have time for that."

      "But, I promise you, we will make time for that, going forward. It's a great dating time-saver. Better than Tindr."

  6. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    U.S. owes black people reparations for a history of 'racial terrorism,' says U.N. panel

    The history of slavery in the United States justifies reparations for African Americans, argues a recent report by a U.N.-affiliated group based in Geneva.

    This conclusion was part of a study by the United Nations' Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent, a body that reports to the international organization's High Commissioner on Human Rights. The group of experts, which includes leading human rights lawyers from around the world, presented its findings to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday, pointing to the continuing link between present injustices and the dark chapters of American history.

    "In particular, the legacy of colonial history, enslavement, racial subordination and segregation, racial terrorism and racial inequality in the United States remains a serious challenge, as there has been no real commitment to reparations and to truth and reconciliation for people of African descent," the report stated. "Contemporary police killings and the trauma that they create are reminiscent of the past racial terror of lynching."

    1. Citizen X   9 years ago

      Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent

      So... everybody, then?

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        It's going to be delicious when someone brings that up officially. The contortions will be epic, epic I tells you...

      2. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

        No.

        That would not serve political ends.

        1. Citizen X   9 years ago

          Yes, but technically correct is the best kind of correct.

          1. Clich? Bandit   9 years ago

            So send Nicole to the UN?

    2. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      "the groundbreaking work of American journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates"

      Demanding money is groundbreaking?

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        Journalist?

        1. Citizen X   9 years ago

          He doesn't seem like a dude who'd be too keen on getting described as "American," either.

          1. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

            He's like the Holy Roman Empire of essayists.

            1. Citizen X   9 years ago

              Charlemagne was a race-baiting hater, it is known.

              1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

                I thought that was Charles Martel.

                Wait, maybe Merkel is trying to get even with the French by undoing Martel's work?

                1. Free Society   9 years ago

                  It's bigger than that. Angela is undoing thousands of years of culture, history, civilization and heritage. I mean she has every right to do so, she is the chancellor!

        2. Rich   9 years ago

          And Nehi drinker!

      2. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

        Coates is such an empty suit.

        1. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

          He's what I call a word-farter.

      3. You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)   9 years ago

        Doesn't he just spend a hundred or so pages talking about his personal experiences?

        That's "groundbreaking"?

        1. Free Society   9 years ago

          Anecdotal evidence is the only kind the left can rely on to consistently support it's every crazy whim.

    3. Lee Genes   9 years ago

      Report released just in time for the election.... How coincidental

    4. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      Somebody should ask Hillary if she agrees with that... and then Trump.

      I might die laughing to hear their responses.

    5. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      Imagine what Islam and Europe owe people!

      Wowwow wazee!

      UN: DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT.

      1. spqr2008   9 years ago

        Careful Rufus, or the might UN will sick Preet on you.....

      2. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

        Israel should ask for reparations from the Babylonians. Won't the Iraqis be surprised when they get the bill?

      3. SimonD   9 years ago

        ... and imagine how much in reparations everyone would owe to the Jews.

      4. Free Society   9 years ago

        Islam doesn't owe anything to descendants of their slave empire..... Because they castrated their slaves, killed their children and then finally slit their throats when too feeble to work. But don't worry, the slaughter was all very halal and Europeans are the real monsters!

      5. Free Society   9 years ago

        Islam doesn't owe anything to descendants of their slave empire..... Because they castrated their slaves, killed their children and then finally slit their throats when too feeble to work. But don't worry, the slaughter was all very halal and Europeans are the real monsters!

    6. Domestic Dissident   9 years ago

      AFDC welfare, food stamps, Obamaphones, and permanent legal special victim status ARE reparations.

      America has already been doing this for decades, so fuck you U.N.

      1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

        I think we've overpaid. It's time to stop.

      2. Tonio   9 years ago

        But all of those things, except for permanent victim status, were also given to non-blacks. They want something special that nobody else gets. And once that payment is made, other injustices will be discovered, additional payments demanded, etc.

        1. Rhywun   9 years ago

          What do quadroons and octoroons get?

          1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

            Nothing - just like what everyone else should get.

            1. Los Doyers   9 years ago

              Is sarcasm just not your thing? Or is it hard to pickup because you're on the spectrum? Just wondering. You seem to take every joke way too literally on this board.

              1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

                I find it funny to provide serious answers to nonserious questions.

                Getting people to complain about it is just added amusement.

          2. Rich   9 years ago

            If they have some Asian blood, doubloons.

          3. BigT   9 years ago

            "What do quadroons and octoroons get?"

            Quarters and pieces of eight.

          4. Tonio   9 years ago

            See, that's the real "structural" problem with reparations. Those partially-black folk could theoretically end up owing reparations rather than receiving, and the goal is to reward all notionally black people ("one-drop rule") and penalize all white people (plus recently-arrived asian immigrants, etc).

          5. Chinny Chin Chin   9 years ago

            just a trum'pence or two.

        2. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

          Yes, since we couldn't identify who specifically suffered from slavery, we just offered those benefits to all persons of African descent.

      3. KDN   9 years ago

        If disparate impact is proof of racism, then disparate benefit must be proof of reparative policy. Science.

        Now all the US needs is for someone to quantify the disparate benefit supplied to blacks since the fall of Jim Crow, including the leg up provided by various affirmative action schemes. Then shove it in the UN's face and kick them out of Turtle Bay.

        1. Atanarjuat   9 years ago

          Medical schools have been admitting black students with lower MCAT scores than whites and Asians for several years now.

          1. Homple   9 years ago

            Allan Bakke probably could talk about that.

          2. Careless   9 years ago

            I've never heard "several" used for "about 50" before

    7. Eternal Blue Sky   9 years ago

      Look, I know who my ancestors enslaved and it wasn't this group. My ancestors enslaved the Irish. So if I'm gonna pay reparations, I'm going to pay them to the descendants of the Irish people my ancestors truly oppressed. I also happen to be the descendant of those Irish victims, though, so I'll just pay 'em to myself. Being a Norse-Gael makes reparation payment simple.

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        Uh-uh, EBS. White people can't be accredited as victims. Also, that didn't happen in the US - note that the reparations movement isn't going after any African kings or chiefs complicit in the slave trade, nor are they going after arab slavers. Also, also there are actual records of individual African slaves in the US being sold; the oral tradition which progs find so important in other contexts will be conveniently ignored here.

        Shorter: It's a shakedown.

        1. The Grinch   9 years ago

          If the ex slaves were still around I'd give this a fair hearing but, obviously, they aren't. That this UN commission didn't look into reparations for the descendants of slaves in other parts of the world, or current slaves for that matter, tells me all I need to know.

          1. Rhywun   9 years ago

            tells me all I need to know

            They took a day off from lecturing Israel to lecture the US?

        2. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

          Progressives don't care for history-history. They care for narratives. Then they retro-fit history.

          1. Suthenboy   9 years ago

            "We are in a narrative war."

    8. Brett L   9 years ago

      Are they really going to open this door? This is going to bankrupt the Arabs and Turks.

      1. Rhywun   9 years ago

        It's the nonsensical gift that keeps on giving. Last time it was all over the news, 9/11 happened and we didn't have to hear about it again for 15 years. Yay.

        1. Brett L   9 years ago

          Way to put the best possible spin on 9/11.

    9. KDN   9 years ago

      The Jews have been hated and oppressed by nearly every government and people that ever existed, and all they got out of it (and an honest-to-god genocide) was a shitty patch of desert next to a salt lake. American freedmen were already given a much more attractive plot near their ancestral homelands, and those that feel so entitled should head there to collect their ancestors' 40 acres. I'm even willing to kick in a mule for each to help with their effort.

      1. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

        You know, when Coates wrote that moronic flatulence of nothingness you would hope 'the wisdom of the crowds' would have read it and determined 'yeh...no not a good idea'. You certainly don't want a body like the UN to take it seriously. Yet, there they are.

        It's quite breathtaking their moral bankruptcy.

        1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

          Meh, every liberal commentator latched onto that abortion of a thesis like it was de Tocqueville's second coming as a black man. The interviews which I heard were nauseating at best.

        2. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

          "a body like the UN" - which routinely puts countries into committees like ironic hipsters? The UN is already bizarro world level backwards, why would you expect them to act differently?

        3. MarkLastname   9 years ago

          On the bright side, I read the comments section of the WaPo piece about this and every single one lambasted the UN. Maybe right wing trolls, but if so the lefties don't even seem interested I. Defending the UN here.

    10. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

      The US should counter-propose that the UN offer reparations to Haitian cholera victims.

    11. Suthenboy   9 years ago

      "... a U.N.-affiliated group based in Geneva."

      How about you mind your own fucking business instead? Dumbest idea for a con ever. No, wait. That is global warming. Still, it's a bad premise for a shakedown.

  7. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

    "Maryland and Washignton police have been using a service that monitors, maps, and stores residents' social-media posts."

    Don't use social media.

    If only I could convince my wife of this...

  8. Citizen X   9 years ago

    Police misuse of criminal-justice databases to scope out spouses, crushes, journalists, neighbors, etc. is likely widespread in the U.S., according to a new AP investigation.

    Hold up, let me find my shocked face.

    1. AlmightyJB   9 years ago

      If you can't find it the cops can send you a pic of it from your social media accounts.

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        *opera applause*

  9. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    Maryland and Washignton police have been using a service that monitors, maps, and stores residents' social-media posts.

    So don't bother deleting your tweet about your brother's fiance's slutty past once they actually get married. The cops have it.

    1. Bee Tagger   9 years ago

      Depending on your perspective, they would make either the worst or the greatest wedding toast givers.

  10. Lee Genes   9 years ago

    RIP culture wars

    Last I checked the aborto-transnuptial-bathroom debate was still going strong.

    1. Tonio   9 years ago

      aborto-transnuptial-bathroom debate wins the coveted [golf clap]

    2. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      Can a self-identifying transpansexual marry xir's pet salamander in a public bathroom next to an abortion clinic?

      1. spqr2008   9 years ago

        Wow, you just accurately called South Park's next episode.

      2. jarflax   9 years ago

        what is xir's kinship? KINSHIP MATTERS

    3. AlmightyJB   9 years ago

      Yeah, it's just resetting for an escalation

    4. SugarFree   9 years ago

      Transabortion debate.

      "Ever since I was a small child I felt like I was really an aborted child."

      "I was misdiagnosed as living at birth."

      "My prefered pronouns are: fetal tissue, D&C, and vaccumed."

      1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

        I find it disturbing that I can picture someone actually saying this.

        1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

          Those statements should have all been made with caps lock on.

    5. Clich? Bandit   9 years ago

      How can there be a culture war when Trump and Clinton are on the same side?
      I just head another Trump ad here the beautiful Colorado, it spent 30 seconds talking about how Hilldawg called hard working 'merikns "deplorable". THIS IS HIS STRONGEST ATTACK!

      I swear he is a Clinton plant, maybe a hosta or a leatherleaf viburnum.

  11. The Fusionist   9 years ago

    Behold the ugly face of theocracy: Darrell Castle vs. Gary Johnson on the issues

    1. Eternal Blue Sky   9 years ago

      "Darrell Castle's answer: No, we should eliminate any opportunity for terrorists to enter the country."

      Ban tourism. Ban foreign trade. Ban any foreigner coming into the country. This is what eliminating "any opportunity" would entail, Darrell.

      1. The Fusionist   9 years ago

        The question was whether the U.S. should take "refugees" from Syria.

        1. The Fusionist   9 years ago

          And I've already posted the interview where he says that he wouldn't seek out 11 million illegals to deport them, but would deport those who commit *additional* crimes after arrival.

  12. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    Fired Lauderhill cops must pay $6.2 million to victims of on-duty rape, judge rules

    The morning in question has already cost two Lauderhill police officers their jobs. Now the 90 minutes allegedly spent behind a closed tire shop while on duty and coercing two women into performing sex acts will cost the two fired cops $6.2 million, a federal judge has ruled.

    A federal judge in Miami based her verdict on testimony given by the women in February about the night they were pulled over by Officer Franklin Hartley after leaving a strip club, led to a dark, isolated location behind a Tamarac strip mall where they were joined by Officer Thomas Merenda and sexually battered. The women were 29 and 31 at the time of the alleged assaults.

    "It felt good to be able to tell these women that the judge believed them and agreed that what happened to them was horrible," said Greg Lauer, lawyer for Jane Doe 1. "She recognized the damage that this had caused in their lives."

    Jane Doe 1, who claimed she was raped by Hartley on the hood of his patrol car, was awarded $4.5 million in damages. Jane Doe 2, who said Merenda coerced her into indulging his predilection for sexual pain by punching him in the testicles, was awarded $1.7 million in damages, court documents show.

    1. sarcasmic   9 years ago

      Are the cops on the hook for the money, or the taxpayers?

      1. BigT   9 years ago

        "Are the cops on the hook for the money, or the taxpayers?"

        Hahaha! Good one, Sarc, you devil.!

      2. Free Society   9 years ago

        Justice served. Tax payers were forced to pay for a settlement and no time in prison for rape. That's how justice works, right?

    2. Tonio   9 years ago

      Good luck collecting that judgement, unless it's going to be paid by insurance.

    3. IndyEleven   9 years ago

      Something something nutpunch.

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        Wait....she got to nutpunch a cop?!

        1. Careless   9 years ago

          And paid $1.7 million for the privilege. The American dream

    4. SugarFree   9 years ago

      The morning in question has already cost two Lauderhill police officers their jobs.

      Kind of has a "haven't they been punished enough" tone, right?

    5. Lee Genes   9 years ago

      I suppose it would be extravagant to ask for criminal charges.

      1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

        What kind of a libertarian thinks that using your badge to bully someone into giving you a blowjob behind a tire shop is illegal? Not the Crusty Juggler kind, I can tell you that much.

        1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

          Crusty Juggler - considerer of the totality of the circs

          1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

            totality of the circs

            It's unclear if he was cut or uncut.

      2. Private Chipperbot   9 years ago

        Charges are pending, but this occurred in 2012. Holy shit.

    6. Texasmotiv   9 years ago

      Yes, but did they remember to switch on their bodycam?

  13. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    YouTube's Heroes Program Empowers The Speech Police

    YouTube has launched an Orwellian program for users to "moderate content." For "YouTube Heroes," volunteer contributors concerned about trollish or inappropriate content?or really anything they don't like?can connect with other "heroes" to get "deplorable" videos shut down. The premise is that YouTube should be a place where everyone feels comfortable because "you deserve a place you call home."[...]

    That's right, folks. You can become a self-proclaimed "hero" by deleting comments you don't like, adding captions or subtitles to videos, accessing a so-called "hero dashboard," receiving more intensive "training" with other heroes, getting "super tools" like mass-flagging videos and connecting with the YouTube Overlords directly, and accessing "hero perks" and privileges like getting sneak peeks into new products and testing new features before release.

    The more these online agents report undesirables, the more points they earn. After all, as the #YTHeroes tagline says, "All heroes deserve a little glory."

    1. Eternal Blue Sky   9 years ago

      The YouTube comment section is cancer, and this is common knowledge. Every moderator on the planet couldn't fix this.

      1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

        The people who'd put in the effort aren't going to do it for mutual benefit. They're going to have the be highly driven - which means ideologically motivated (be it socjus, faith or some other iteration). That is a net negative, especially when the war breaks out between camps within the 'heroes' group.

      2. Free Society   9 years ago

        Every moderator on the planet couldn't fix this.

        But they sure can make it worse.

    2. Glide   9 years ago

      You know, I saw a bit of the outrage about that a week ago, and I honestly don't get what the problem is.

      Sites turn their users into unpaid mods all the time and it doesn't automatically lead to a censorship-addled wasteland.

      Yeah, the type of people who give a shit about Youtube comments are probably a bad set to select from, but a decent group of folks can still be deputized if they put a little care into it.

    3. Mr. Flanders   9 years ago

      I reported the youtube heroes video for harassment. I'm a hero!

  14. Bee Tagger   9 years ago

    "The misuse represents only a tiny fraction of the millions of daily database queries run legitimately,"

    That there is legitimacy to running this many queries per day is the real problem.

  15. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Under-21 exotic dancers sue Louisiana for right to bear breasts and butts

    In a federal lawsuit, the dancers say the law violates the First Amendment by denying them freedom of expression, and violates the Constitution's equal protection clause by unfairly targeting women.

    How so? They say the law's definition of strip club performers as "entertainers whose breasts or buttocks are exposed to view" fails to prohibit the same conduct by men who are between the ages of 18 and 21.

    State Sen. Ronnie Johns wrote the law and is confident the courts will uphold it.

    But the lawsuit cites comments by legislators to bolster its case for gender discrimination. It says state Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, and others said the law was aimed at protecting young women.

    1. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      So are 18-year olds adults or what? I mean, maybe people shouldn't be considered adults until 21. But can we decide this? The current system is dumb, where you can be an adult for some things at 18, for others at 21, and prosecutors can charge you as an adult no matter your age. 21 seems high to me, but if that's the age people want, let's go with it.

      1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

        Consistency is the refuge of the weak mind. You fail to see our brilliance.

    2. Aloysious   9 years ago

      ...'bear' breasts and butts?

      Why would anyone pay to see that?

      1. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

        specist!

      2. IndyEleven   9 years ago

        Paging jesse, jesse please pick up the white courtesy phone...

      3. Tonio   9 years ago

        Ahem! But I think they meant "bare" not "bear."

        1. Aloysious   9 years ago

          heh. I was hoping you would run with that.

        2. KDN   9 years ago

          No, they want to be able to carry them. Weird people, those Cajuns.

  16. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    One officer fired a Taser but the other unloaded his shotgun at the same time.

    Which gave the officers the idea for a shotgun full of taser shot. On the market to police departments in time for Christmas!

    1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

      They make electroshock rounds for shotguns.

      Police never use them for some reason.

      1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

        Huh. No kidding.

        Of course the scenario he describes is a little absurd. What officer pursues a suspect with a shotgun?

        1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

          That's a slug.

  17. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Sorry, a cardboard cutout of Trump's head does not qualify you for the HOV lane, police say

    People had jokes, it seemed ? including at least one inspired by the first presidential debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton.

    "I'm sure he's insisting he did in fact not violate the HOV rule," one tweeter responded. "Just call Sean."

    Noted another tweeter: "airbags don't count as passengers."

    How much was the driver fined? "A YUGE amount," read one response.

    In fact, the driver was cited and fined $136, the normal amount for an HOV violation, Johnson told The Washington Post.

    1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      The HOV lane is one of the last remaining incentives to get married and/or have children.

      1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

        There are also the tax breaks.

        1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

          And monocle polishing, of course. I did say "one of".

  18. Certified Public Asshat   9 years ago

    Stop Pretending You Don't Know Why People Hate Hillary Clinton

    We go on endlessly about how "untrustworthy" she is, while fact checkers rank her as the second-most honest prominent politician in the country. (And her opponent as by far the least.)

    We say that she has trouble with transparency, while her opponent refuses to release his taxes and the current administration sets records for secrecy.

    We decry her ties to corporations and the financial industry, while supporting a walking tax shelter or mourning the exit of a president whose re-election was funded by a record-shattering Wall Street haul.

    We list so very many explanations, all of them complete bullshit.

    Ah, so what is the reason then?

    1. Certified Public Asshat   9 years ago

      Everyone but them knows damn well why.

      Bad news for the haters: History is decidedly unafraid of "the woman card." It doesn't care how many people will stand on tables today and swear they'd feel the same if she were a man. It will see us for what we are?a sick society, driven by misogyny and pathetically struggling to come to terms with the fact that women do not exist solely to nurture.

      Got it.

      1. lap83   9 years ago

        It will see us for what we are?a sick society, driven by misogyny and pathetically struggling to come to terms with the fact that women do not exist solely to nurture.
        Hillary is an amoral cunt who is too incompetent to nurture or lead.
        - a woman

        1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

          Minus a woman? Now you're gender shaming yourself? Women like you are Why I Need Feminism.

          1. lap83   9 years ago

            I need more cats and a whiny twitter account to truly feel pride in my gender

        2. John DeWitt   9 years ago

          She is cliterally an amoral cunt.

      2. Aloysious   9 years ago

        What

        Larry Womack
        Writer, layabout and all-around nogoodnik; web publisher; former Associate News Editor, The Huffington Post

        wrote is true. Just look at how Larry and his fellow travelers treated Margaret Thatcher or Condoleeza Rice.

        1. Against Police Judge, Jr.   9 years ago

          Yeah, but neither one was a woman-woman.

        2. Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos   9 years ago

          Basically, a parasite on society is calling everyone else "sick". It must be Chutzpah Week at HuffPo.

    2. Rich   9 years ago

      I give up.

      What is the reason?

      1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

        We're all a bunch of haters.

        1. Rich   9 years ago

          Mikey!

      2. Citizen X   9 years ago

        She ostensibly has a vajayjay.

        1. Mr Lizard   9 years ago

          I don't dislike her because she has a cunt, I hate her because she is one.

      3. AlmightyJB   9 years ago

        Racism of course.

    3. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      A human trait I find interesting is the willingness to be so naive.

      When people used to say Haliburton or Cheney were heavily audited the left completely rejected it.

      Now look.

    4. Eternal Blue Sky   9 years ago

      "We decry her ties to corporations and the financial industry, while supporting a walking tax shelter or mourning the exit of a president whose re-election was funded by a record-shattering Wall Street haul."

      So everyone who hates Clinton either loves Trump or loves Obama.

    5. Idle Hands   9 years ago

      or maybe just maybe it's the fact that she is a zero charisma social climber that is involved in a shame marriage that is solely used to further her career and shamelessly lies about nearly everything.

    6. LynchPin1477   9 years ago

      We list so very many explanations, all of them complete bullshit.

      What's bullshit is the assertion that anyone who criticizes Clinton must support or at least tolerate Trump.

      But it's brilliant bullshit because it starts with the assumption that there are only two choices, and most people fall into the trap.

      1. John DeWitt   9 years ago

        https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/black-or-white

      2. John DeWitt   9 years ago

        https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/black-or-white

    7. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

      She set up a server days before taking office as Secretary of State and proceeded to conduct all state business from it. When discovered, she selectively remitted emails to the Department and scrubbed the rest. She went on to lie, obfuscate, and stonewall the investigation before being glad-handed by her friends in the FBI.

      Stuff your honesty.

    8. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

      "while fact checkers rank her as the second-most honest prominent politician in the country"

      So, a bunch of professional liars claim she is honest? Well, isn't that special.

    9. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

      We say that she has trouble with transparency, while... the current administration sets records for secrecy.

      Uh, the administration she used to be part of? Have you actually thought your argument through, progtard?

  19. Rich   9 years ago

    "raising his arms in in a manner that looked as if he was holding a gun"

    And mouthing "Pew, pew"?

    FFS.

  20. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Spider bites Australian man on penis again

    Jordan, who preferred not to reveal his surname, said he was bitten on "pretty much the same spot" by the spider.

    "I'm the most unlucky guy in the country at the moment," he told the BBC.

    "I was sitting on the toilet doing my business and just felt the sting that I felt the first time.

    "I was like 'I can't believe it's happened again.' I looked down and I've seen a few little legs come from around the rim."

    1. Rich   9 years ago

      "Around the rim"?

      Do tell.

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        NO! DON'T!

    2. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

      I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often to Australians.

      1. Free Society   9 years ago

        I bet it does happen, but most Australians are apprehensive about telling media outlets about the spider venom induced necrosis that's rotting off their dick.

    3. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      Seems like if I'd been bitten down there by a spider while sitting on a toilet, in the future I'd check really, really carefully before sitting down.

    4. EDG reppin LBC   9 years ago

      Never going to Australia.

    5. Raven Nation   9 years ago

      Memorialized in song.

  21. sarcasmic   9 years ago

    a witness voluntarily turned over cellphone footage of the shooting which police now refuse to release.

    Was intimidated into doing so is more likely. When you've got a guy in a uniform with a gun and and attitude demanding that you do something "voluntarily" it isn't really voluntary.

    1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

      *cocks shotgun*

      "That last guy was a lippy little bugger, but you look like a cooperative citizen always looking to give police officers a hand."

      1. sarcasmic   9 years ago

        "Hand over the fucking phone or I'm going to take it and put you in jail."

        It's not like cops face any consequences for their actions. I've had cops threaten to take me to jail for standing on the sidewalk while they had a great time beating up college kids who were no threat. Apparently standing still on the sidewalk or street is loitering, while standing on the grass is trespassing. Keep moving or face arrest. And don't you dare watch the cops in action.Turn your head and it will get punched.

        1. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

          You seem to have your share of run-ins with the cops.

          /crosses arms, raises eyebrow, taps foot.

      2. sarcasmic   9 years ago

        The only hand I would give to a police officer is tossing the first lump of dirt onto his or her coffin.

        1. Against Police Judge, Jr.   9 years ago

          There's no sugarcoating it, sarcasmic has an issue with the police.

  22. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

    Reps. Paul Ryan and Nancy Pelosi reached a deal regarding federal aid to Flint, Michigan, which should help us avoid the dreaded (and yet somehow always narrowly thwarted) Government Shutdown.

    Why would we want to avoid it?

    1. Rich   9 years ago

      the dreaded (and yet somehow always narrowly thwarted) Government Shutdown.

      It's worse than the Dread Pirate Roberts!

    2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      A government shut down should be avoided because the last time we had one elderly war vets were pushed away from museums, and children on field trips were not allowed into the White House. I care about the children, and I care about veterans, and I care about America.

      Now, gimmee more of your money.

    3. Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos   9 years ago

      Did anyone really seriously believe that there was a risk for a government shutdown in an election year? Neither party wants to give Trump or Clinton that kind of ammunition.

  23. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    The misuse represents only a tiny fraction of the millions of daily database queries run legitimately...

    So go ahead, put your Skittle into that data bowl. The chances a perv is going to eat it almost nonexistent!

  24. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    You know who else sent someone to have a meeting at the Kremlin...

    Texan, Californian Secessionists Run To Russia For Meeting With Kremlin

    A Kremlin-sponsored conference hosted Texan and Californian secessionists, supposedly designed to support the right to self determination.

    "We have gathered from around the world to discuss the principle and the future of self-determination in direct contradiction to those seeking a global solution to the people of the world," representative of the Texas Nationalist Movement Nate Smith told the conference. The conference was officially titled "The Dialogue Of Nations" and received a grant from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    Smith's statement echoes the general rejection of globalism at the conference, where only separatist movements from the west were represented. Other delegations to the conference were all from states Russia has a vested interest in undermining including Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbeijan, Armenia, the U.S. and Ireland.

    1. Free Society   9 years ago

      Ireland?

  25. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

    RIP culture wars?

    Maybe, maybe not. If nothing else, I think there's going to continue to be combatants who simply aren't aware or won't acknowledge that the fight has ended, like Japanese holdouts after the surrender.

    1. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

      Immigration is part of the culture war.

    2. kbolino   9 years ago

      The war never ends, it just moves to a new front.

    3. Free Society   9 years ago

      RACIST!!!! RACIST!!!!!!! OMG! RACIST@!!!#$!!!!

      /culture war 2016

  26. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    This guy ate his wife's placenta with beans and toast and he loved it

    'So I ate my wife's placenta and it was actually pretty damn good,' he says on Facebook.

    'P.S ? vegans, veggies and feminists if your (sic) offended GOOD!'

    His video has been viewed over 18,800 times, and he's also posted a number of photos detailing the preparation behind the dish.

    Pictures show Ross draining the placenta in the sink before dumping it on a plate ready to eat.

    1. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      No chianti?

    2. Rich   9 years ago

      Paging SugarFree ....

      1. SugarFree   9 years ago

        What's left that he hasn't already done? It's so hard to be grosser than reality.

        1. Rich   9 years ago

          Word. 8-(

    3. Idle Hands   9 years ago

      ******Trigger Warning**** Pictures are at the top and are the stuff of nigh terrors.

    4. Lee Genes   9 years ago

      If you'll eat black pudding....

      1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

        Black pudding is made largely from oats with pork pieces for flavor. the fact that some pig blood got spilled into the mix really has very little impact on the end product (a tinge more iron-tasing than white pudding with is pretty much the same sans blood)

    5. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

      apologies for the lack of trigger warning.

  27. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    An Appeal from the New to the Old Liberals

    The coat was the liberalism of the old Democratic party. The second man was Donald Trump. And that is the story of the election this year.

    ...

    There is a hole in American politics, a hole formerly filled by the honest liberals of the past, whose party has abandoned them, and many of whose policies can more readily be seen in the Republican party and its candidate for the presidency in 2016. And there are other ways that Donald Trump more clearly has adopted the honorable liberalism of the past and departed from some of today's Republican policies.

    Yesterday's Democrats were strong nationalists, and would have had little use for open-borders conservatives who are indifferent to the costs imposed by our idiotic immigration policies. They were also religious, and would have been horrified to learn that today's Democratic party makes faithful Catholics feel unwanted. That's what they thought Republicans did! They wouldn't have compromised with Randism or a heartless libertarianism, which would have seemed like nasty and alien religions to them. They knew, as Trump does, that the welfare state is here to stay and that we don't want to see sick people die on the streets.

    1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

      They wouldn't have compromised with Randism or a heartless libertarianism, which would have seemed like nasty and alien religions to them. They knew, as Trump does, that the welfare state is here to stay and that we don't want to see sick people die on the streets.

      Heart = sticking a gun in peoples' faces and demanding they hand over money to give someone else (after running it through the bureaucracy...who take their little slice)!

      1. Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos   9 years ago

        Trump has so discombobulated these people that they don't even know what they're arguing for anymore or what their principles actually entail--and the ones they do bother to explicate tend to be so gross and self-contradictory that they could hardly be called principles at all.

    2. You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)   9 years ago

      I was hoping this was one of the Bruenigs coming out for Trump.

  28. sarcasmic   9 years ago

    Police are misusing confidential databases across the country, investigation finds

    An Associated Press investigation found cops who misused databases were fired, suspended or resigned more than 325 times
    The investigation is based between 2013 and 2015 as information was gathered through record requests
    No single agency tracks how often the abuse happens nationwide
    In addition, no record-keeping inconsistencies make it impossible to know how many violations occur
    Officers who misused databases were often motivated by romantic quarrels, personal conflicts or voyeuristic curiosity
    Some states have changed the way officers access a state driver database following incidents that have occurred within certain police departments Police are misusing confidential databases across the country, investigation finds

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

  29. Fist of Etiquette   9 years ago

    ...which should help us avoid the dreaded (and yet somehow always narrowly thwarted) Government Shutdown.

    There won't be another government shutdown. Not until the collapse.

  30. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Climate change could wipe out many food cereals by 2070

    Wheat, rice, maize, rye, barley and sorghum are all edible grasses that yield nutritious grains. In many parts of the world and throughout history, wheat or rice famines have led to widespread starvation. (This is the starting point of the movie Interstellar, too.)

    The new research looked at the ability of 236 grass species to adapt to new climatic niches ? the local environments on which they depend for survival.

    Faced with rapid climate change, species wedded to a particular niche can survive if they move to another region where conditions are more suitable, or evolve to fit in with their altered surroundings.

    The study found that the predicted rate of climate change was typically 5,000 times faster than the estimated speed at which grasses could adapt to new niches.

    No Blade of Grass, here we come

    1. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      I'm confused. Do I start hoarding Frosted Flakes or not?

      1. Free Society   9 years ago

        Hoard the Count Chocula. Then when all the sugar filled cereal has vanished from the earth, you can trade it for truck loads of corn flakes.

    2. Just a thought not a sermon   9 years ago

      "Wheat, rice, maize, rye, barley and sorghum"

      Nice try, ACGers. Varieties of one or another of these are grown in many climates throughout the world. If your climate is no longer suitable for one, you can switch to another.

      Also, we don't have to wait for grasses to adapt themselves. Humans have been force-evolving all sorts of plants and animals for millennia.

      1. kbolino   9 years ago

        Humans have been force-evolving all sorts of plants and animals for millennia.

        Well, they cared about their survival more than the illusion of ecostasis.

      2. Tonio   9 years ago

        And those warmist luddites also have great overlap with anti-biotech luddites so the artificial selection argument will not win over many of them. Srsly, JATNAS, these people want us all to go back to pre-industrial technology and stay there.

      3. Cynical Asshole   9 years ago

        See, there you go thinking again. You're not supposed to think, you're supposed to just emote. Specifically, you're supposed to shit your pants in fear, then insist that climate deniers (HERETICS!) are all killed or at least silenced so that the government can take action without having to worry about any filthy dissenters mucking things up. Then pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for how much you "fucking love science" unlike those filthy no good TEATHUGLIKKKANZ.

      4. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

        Scotts turf builder is on the case!

        1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

          Feed your staple cereal! Feed it!

    3. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      "While the research cannot predict what might happen to world food supplies as a result, the authors warn of "troubling implications".

      But we're still (sticks thumb out of the window) gonna go ahead and set an arbitrary date of 2070. If we're wrong who cares, right? We'll all be dead!

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        "But think about the children..."

        1. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

          In Italian we say 'sa arrange' pronounced 's'arranch' in poor dialect.

          They'll deal with it.

    4. tarran   9 years ago

      These people are fucking morons.

      Humans can ship seeds long distances. In fact, many regions have governments performing agricultural inspections to keep unwanted plant-immigrants out!

      1. Raven Nation   9 years ago

        Humans can ship seeds long distances.

        Exactly. Most of the "traditional" New England countryside us the result of plant seeds being brought ashore by humans and animals in the 17th century.

    5. Steve G   9 years ago

      edible grasses that yield nutritious grains

      Citation needed.
      If so nutritious why are they always 'fortified'?

    6. Suthenboy   9 years ago

      Oh FFS. I heard this same shit decades ago. All the grass was supposed to be gone in 2000.

      I see you included a link.

  31. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    AP-GfK poll: Voters more confident in Trump's health

    A new poll suggests voters are buying in to Donald Trump's insinuations about Hillary Clinton's health. They're ignoring the medical reports.

    Voters ? especially men ? have more confidence that Trump is healthy enough for the presidency than Clinton, according to the Associated Press-GfK poll.

    It's a disconnect considering Clinton has released more medical information than Trump, and that outside doctors who've looked at the available data say both candidates seem fine. But it shows the political points Trump scored after the Democratic nominee's much-publicized mild case of pneumonia.

    Another gender divide: Nearly half of women but just 4 in 10 men think Clinton's health is getting too much attention, found the poll, which was taken before the presidential candidates' debate on Monday.

    "Everybody gets sick," said Sherri Smart, 56, of New York. She said she hasn't decided who to vote for but wishes the candidates would discuss issues instead of sniping about who's most vigorous.

    "What's important is, what are you going to do for me?" Smart said.

    1. Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos   9 years ago

      It's a disconnect considering Clinton has released more medical information than Trump

      Her doctor released a post-hoc statement that she had "pneumonia" after the campaign claimed that she collapsed from the heat. That's hardly a detailed release of her medical history.

      1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

        But it's more than the sham note Trump produced!

        Which is totally irrelevant since it's not Trump who collapsed in public.

    2. Dallas H.   9 years ago

      Another gender divide: Nearly half of women but just 4 in 10 men think Clinton's health is getting too much attention

      I wonder if they can explain to me how exactly "nearly half" and "4 in 10" represents some dramatic gender divide. In most contexts they are essentially synonyms.

  32. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Musk Seeks Mars Explorers With $200,000, Guts to Risk Death

    "The first journey will be very dangerous, and the risk of fatality will be very high," Musk said in response to a question during a highly anticipated presentation at the 67th International Astronautical Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico. "Are you prepared to die? Then you are a candidate for going."

    Mars -- population zero -- offers a way for Earth's 7 billion-plus humans to ensure the future of the species against possible extinction events, the billionaire founder of Space Exploration Technologies Corp. said. He envisions spacecraft holding 100 or more passengers voyaging to the Red Planet within a decade, if all goes well, at fares that would start at roughly $200,000 and drop toward $100,000 over time. The presentation brought both rounds of applause from the audience, and questions.

    1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

      He should put his own skin in the game and go along with the first round.

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        He will probably end up like the titular character of Heinlein's story "The Man Who Sold the Moon" and never get there or only as a last dying act. But this has the potential to be a real game-changer, an opportunity to build a new human civilization free of statism - at least for a while.

        1. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

          And then we will need interstellar travel to get away.

        2. Brett L   9 years ago

          He did mention that he probably wouldn't be allowed to go first, and that he had a lot of succession planning to do before he could leave.

    2. Cynical Asshole   9 years ago

      Here's a handy simulation.

  33. Lee Genes   9 years ago

    OK Reason, you're going to have to step it up with the Trump articles. Occupy Democrats is kicking your ass.

  34. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Swedish police lose control amid refugee crisis as number of 'no-go zones' rises to 55

    Dubbed "no-go zones" in some media reports, there are now 55 areas in Swedish cities, where the police have significant problems in tackling crime. They are divided into three categories depending on how significant the risk to officers working there is.

    The number has risen from 50 in February, when the police last gave a comprehensive report on the issue, and last week, when the law enforcement agency gave an update. According to media reports, the service is facing a major crisis of self-confidence, with as many as three officers on average asking to resign on a daily basis. Internal polls say four officers out of five have been considering a change of profession lately.

    "We have a major crisis. Many colleagues are choosing to quit," police officer Peter Larsson told the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. "A drastically worsened working environment means many colleagues are now looking for other work."

    1. Against Police Judge, Jr.   9 years ago

      Swedish police lose control amid refugee crisis as number of 'no-go zones' rises to 55

      There's not a single no-go zone anywhere on Earth. STOP LYING. /Cytotoxic

      Where is that damn kid, anyway? The grass is way too long and he's not getting his allowance until he cuts it!

      1. Citizen X   9 years ago

        His mom grounded him and he's not allowed on the internet anymore.

      2. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

        Ahmed won't let him use the computer.

      3. Free Society   9 years ago

        He took a Somali migrant into his home mother's basement, and was never heard from again. The End.

        1. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

          I love a story with a happy ending.

      4. Suthenboy   9 years ago

        He probably took a Syrian refugee into his home and got cooked and eaten.

    2. Free Society   9 years ago

      It certainly looks like conquest to me...

      1. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

        They should stop calling them no go zones and just call them colonies.

  35. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Instant coffee promising to give men 'instant erections' with secret ingredient found in Viagra blasted by health experts

    An instant coffee that promises instant erections has been criticised by health experts.

    Stiff Bull claims a cupful of the exotic herbs-packed drink will make guys "stay harder longer."

    It says on its website: "The coffee contains a propriety blend of ingredients such as - tongkat Ali, maca root, and guarana.

    "These herbs grow wild in the jungles of Malaysia and have been used for centuries by the people of Asia and South America to greatly improve sexual health, libido, and overall wellness.

    "The combination of these ingredients produces an awesome effect that can last up to 2 - 3 days."

    But Maryland-based Stiff Bull - marketed as The Relationship Saver - has suffered a set back to its launch after America's Food and Drugs Agency added it to its list of Tainted Sexual Enhancement Products.

    1. Rich   9 years ago

      "The combination of these ingredients produces an awesome effect that can last up to 2 - 3 days."

      You know who else produced an awesome effect?

      1. Swiss Servator   9 years ago

        Stan Winston?

        1. Rich   9 years ago

          Nice!

          Some of us may find this amusing.

      2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

        Barbra Streisand?

    2. Mr Lizard   9 years ago

      "Tainted Sexual Enhancement Products."

      Great 90's industrial band name

    3. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

      secret ingredient found in Viagra blasted by health experts

      They blasted it with what? Ewwww!

    4. Roger the Shrubber   9 years ago

      When she ask's if you'd like to come in for a cup of coffee, she hopes that you will have an erection that lasts 4 hours.

  36. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    already covered?

    Inside the world of men who've sworn never to sleep with women again

    Posts on the Reddit page offer an insight into their world: They range from worrying that future sex bots will be hacked by central government, to encouraging men to divorce their wives. They also debate how "even men in Hollywood" are "cuckolded" and wronged by women.

    Others discuss the merits of visiting prostitutes, and how pop songs are feminist propaganda. The more you scroll, the darker it becomes.

    One recent post described how women "fake orgasms often, because it makes men more submissive". Another talked of "ditching" his "blue pill friends." Others proudly declare that they are still virgins.

    "I want sex and company, but I don't want/can't put in the effort to get it," wrote another user on the MGTOW.com forum.

    The MGTOW community has a pretty clear set of expectations for themselves and the wider world that are based in meninism: a counteraction to feminism which sees women's rights directly disadvantage men.

    1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

      Gary Steinem would like men to know that men need a woman like a fish needs a blowjob.

    2. AlmightyJB   9 years ago

      "I want sex and company, but I don't want/can't put in the effort to get it,"

      One way or another you have to to get them.

    3. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      "Meninism" sounds like what is practiced by the Mennonites.

      1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

        It's also the parody of feminism.

        It's distinct from the men's rights movement but people who don't want to look to closely can get confused. (people who like echo chambers and safe spaces often don't look to closely at what the 'mean people' outside those areas are actually saying/doing.)

        1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

          He knows this, Uncivil. I'm sure of it.

          1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

            I can't be sure.

            And providing exposition is one of the few joys I have.

          2. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

            We're so far down the Poe's Law rabbit hole that I genuinely have no clue what is or isn't parody anymore.

    4. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

      If people think that's bad, they should read /r/incels

      (note: do not read /r/incels unless you hate yourself)

      1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

        I took the bait. From the FAQ:

        What is an incel? An incel, short for involuntary celibate, is someone who tries to find romantic relationships and sex without success and is very pessimistic about this chances. The most common definition is that you are at least 20 and have to go at least six months without a romantic partner to be considered incel. Many incels are late 20s and 30s virgins who have never had a partner. If you go to a prostitute, you can still be incel because you are unable to obtain a romantic relationship or at least casual sex where the other person is genuinely enjoying it, as being incel is not just about a lack of sex.

        You know you've found a good sub when the first thing you see in the right column is:

        If you are suicidal, please go to /r/suicidewatch. If you need help, check out /r/anxiety and /r/depression.

        1. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

          So it's like being married. 😉

      2. Lee Genes   9 years ago

        reddit really is an enabler of insanity

    5. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      The MGTOW community has a pretty clear set of expectations for themselves and the wider world that are based in meninism: a counteraction to feminism which sees women's rights directly disadvantage men.

      Truth.

    6. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

      Or, and perhaps this is a nutty idea but hear me out, you could choose to not obsess about sex, and to take it where you get it until you find a woman willing to put up with you long-term.

      1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

        I probably qualify as "incel" now and again. I go long stretches without romantic input or sex. But that's because I put no effort toward those things. And I suspect that's true of those kvetching about their dateless, sexless lives. I am friends with some real gargoyles, tubby prematurely balding ugly zilches, and they're all in happy relationships or have been recently and will be again. They make the effort to date despite their serious genetic pratfalls.

        Christ, it's like explaining income equality to someone committed to being unemployed.

        1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

          prematurely balding

          Chicks dig those guys! THEY DO DAMNIT!

          The type of guy who frequents that board is a whiney, self-obsessed idiot who has already given up. I have been that way (I had the good sense at the time not to share it with other horrible people) and my goodness is it a depressing lifestyle.

          1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

            Crusty, bald men with no jobs and no money, who live with their parents, don't approach strange women.

            1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

              I know. They feel sorry for themselves while masturbating to unusual pornography.

            2. You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)   9 years ago

              For a lot of these guys, "do the opposite" probably would work really well.

    7. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

      I have a terrible feeling that once science allows these people and radical feminists to reproduce without ever needing to interact with the opposite sex, humanity will rapidly devolve toward Morlocks and Eloi. A terrible future where men will no longer make women get them a sandwich, but will instead make women into a sandwich.

    8. Brett L   9 years ago

      Priests?

  37. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

    Fact checking the fact checkers:

    http://humanevents.com/2012/08.....ft-really/

    I pretty much detected this a while ago so I just stopped visiting those sites.

  38. Rich   9 years ago

    Paris finally bows to the importance of Oscar Wilde

    "It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information."

  39. Cynical Asshole   9 years ago

    The father of "Clock Kid" Ahmed Mohamed has filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Glenn Beck and Irving, Texas, Mayor Beth Van Duyne.

    You see, this is the difference between Muslim immigrants in the US and Europe. In Europe they tend to not assimilate and you end up getting gang rapes and terrorist attacks. Here they assimilate into American culture and learn that if someone pisses you off, you don't shoot them or blow yourself and them up while screaming "Allaha Ackbar" at the top of your lungs: you hire yourself a lawyer (preferably a Jewish one) and sue the shit out of them. /sarc

  40. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    The denizens of the NYT commentariat monkey house are not amused.

    Michael is a trusted commenter North Carolina 23 minutes ago
    In reading your full platform I read the conditions for anarchy. And anarchy, as we know, is defined as complete disorder. Seems we have enough of that already.

    But what of the childrinz?

    1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

      WE MUST HAVE ORDER!!!!

      Seriously, these people are ripe for authoritarianism.

      1. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

        They're already as authoritarian as it gets.

      2. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

        I don't know what the context of the original post was, but whenever someone tries to advance anarchism, I try not to sigh. The main problem is that government is an emergant property of human behaviour. Attempting to get rid of it is futile, and if removed, there will be no controlling the form in which the new version will emerge. The best approach is to shape and constrain what is there rather than roll the dice on the new emergance being benevolent (hint, past experience shows that it tends to be even more violent and bloodthirsty than an old, established order.)

        1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

          The characterization of our current situation as anarchical was what got me.

        2. KDN   9 years ago

          The main problem is that government is an emergant property of human behaviour.

          Liberty has a half life; an anarchist society simply wouldn't last long enough for the tremendous potential offered by its structure to outweigh the upheaval caused by moving in such a direction. And I imagine that the tyranny it snaps back to would not be kind.

    2. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      DISORDER!

      DISORDER!

      DISOOOOOORRRRRRDDDDDDDERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

    3. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

      What is this comment in response to?

      1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

        You'll never get a response out of Brooks. He's a comment-solipsist.

    4. Citizen X   9 years ago

      And anarchy, as we know, is defined as complete disorder.

      Actually it's not, Michael, you twit.

  41. Lee Genes   9 years ago

    Pepe the Frog is a racist

    The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has declared a popular internet meme depicting a cartoon frog to be a hate symbol.

    1. Free Society   9 years ago

      Now it's official.

    2. Rich   9 years ago

      "Once again, racists and haters have taken a popular Internet meme and twisted it for their own purposes of spreading bigotry and harassing users."

      "That *does* it! Ban the Internet!"

    3. John DeWitt   9 years ago

      Fantastic mental gymnastics:

      "The mere fact of posting a Pepe meme does not mean that someone is racist or white supremacist," it said. "However, if the meme itself is racist or anti-Semitic in nature, or if it appears in a context containing bigoted or offensive language or symbols, then it may have been used for hateful purposes."

  42. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    The FT Goes Full Fearmonger: Electing Trump "Would Unravel The World"

    Sometimes history jumps. Think of the first world war, the Bolshevik revolution, the Great Depression, the election of Adolf Hitler, the second world war, the beginning of the cold war, the collapse of the European empires, Deng Xiaoping's "reform and opening up" of China, the demise of the Soviet Union, and the financial crisis of 2007-09 and subsequent "great recession".

    We may be on the brink of an event as transformative as many of these: the election of Donald Trump as US president. This would mark the end of a US-led west as the central force in global affairs. The result would not be a new order. It would be perilous disorder.

    The fact that Mr Trump can be a credible contender for the presidency is astounding. In business, he is a serial defaulter and litigator turned reality TV star. He is a peddler of falsehoods and conspiracy theories. He utters racist calumnies. He attacks the independence of the judiciary. He refuses to reveal his taxes. He has no experience of political office, and incoherent policies. He glories in ignorance.

    etc etc

    1. LynchPin1477   9 years ago

      The inclusion of Chinese reforms and the fall of the Soviet Union are stand out, and I'm not sure if the author was trying to throw in a couple of good things to show that change isn't always destructive, or if they believe those are actually both negatives.

      1. John   9 years ago

        I find that the international foreign policy/financial public intellectuals are obsessed with stability and stasis. They don't fear anything in particular so much as they fear any kind of change that is not managed and done from the top down. Everything they write is some variation of "all of this stuff is changing and people are doing all of these things and no one is in charge or controlling it, oh no!!".

        1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

          Bingo. Government apparatchiks hate change.

          1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

            I'll qualify that statement. They hate change when they are not initiating it themselves.

    2. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      The FT is a progressive rag masking as a financial paper.

      Its former editor was one Chrystia Freeland who is now an elected MP for the The Idiot Liberals in Canada.

      She spews all the usual progressive jargon offering little of value.

      How these people get the positions they get is beyond me.

      1. Red Rocks Dickin Bimbos   9 years ago

        How these people get the positions they get is beyond me

        Social incestuousness (aka "COCKTAIL PARTIEZ!!"). These people--media pundits, politicians, celebrities--tend to run in the same circles and know each other at least tangentially. So it's not a major trick when former political hacks come to host news shows, like Stephanopoulous, or transition from media to politics like Freeland, or when a journalist and a campaign manager end up getting married. It's basically Versailles without all the humiliating morning dress rituals.

    3. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

      Never figured the Fortean Times for a political soapbox.

  43. Lee Genes   9 years ago

    Krugman being Krugman

    I suppose a free market purist might question why we need government policies to help deal with this new reality. But we are, after all, talking about the fate of children, who are to some extent a common responsibility. Furthermore, child care economics is in some ways like health economics: for a variety of reasons, mostly coming down to the fact that we're dealing with people, not things, we can't trust unregulated markets to deliver a decent outcome.

    1. Free Society   9 years ago

      How many kids does Krugman have?

      1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

        Krugman is an only child himself, and has no children. Surprising isn't it?

        1. Free Society   9 years ago

          Not in the slightest. I think he suffers from the same the delusion as Angela Merkel. He knows best how to allocate other people's resources to serve the needs of other people's kids.

    2. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

      There is a difference between regulated markets and markets with regulation krugnuts.

    3. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

      Does Krugman want to get in Hillary's pants or something?

      1. Against Police Judge, Jr.   9 years ago

        Does Krugman want to get in Hillary's pants or something?

        I think it's more a case of presenting for her engorged clit.

        1. Free Society   9 years ago

          I heard her clit is longer than an Asian penis.

      2. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

        Don't encourage SugarFree.

    4. kbolino   9 years ago

      Nothing gives an institution the accountability and responsiveness necessary to provide "decent outcomes" quite like the government does.

    5. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      Shut up Krugman and eat your zucchini pablum.

    6. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      Notice 'Progressive family values' actually means state controlled.

      It's been around for over 100 years and Krugman is part of that cult of evil minds.

  44. Free Society   9 years ago

    Not a word was spoken about abortion, same-sex marriage, religious freedom, "family values," or any other issue championed by the religious right over the past few decades.

    Those are the old battlefields. The new hills to die on are about racism, white people being racist, racist white people, how racist all the white people are, white racists and systemic white racism.

  45. Ken Shultz   9 years ago

    "A witness voluntarily turned over cellphone footage of the shooting which police now refuse to release."

    Excuse me, Miss, may I see your phone for a second?

  46. robc   9 years ago

    The comments on Johnson's NYT piece are awesome.

    And by awesome I mean depressing and awful. And clear cut that Clinton is scared.

    1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

      My favorite, because it captures almost every strawman.

      Nowadays they call this magical thinking. If our government is a passive wimp and we let greed and power run rampant somehow this will create the perfect society. The reality is that markets will bubble and blow up. The rich and powerful will take control of every institution and use it for their own personal gain. Guns everywhere will lead to random nuts shooting innocent people. Wars will increase and defense costs will blow up to drive profit for the military industrial complex. Race relations will become worse with many driven into poverty causing domestic violence leading to more police and more prisons that will have to be paid for. And by the way all these costs will increase the debt. The old and the weak will suffer and die because health care will only be for the few. I could go on but the Reality is the Republican Party has already created this libertarian state....it's happening now. And it happened because we elected them and their goal has been to make government weak, stupid and ineffective. This guy is not change but just more of the same. Vote for Hillary!

      1. Juvenile Bluster   9 years ago

        That is the alpha and omega of the anti-libertarian strawman post. It should be posted at the top of every NYT article referencing libertarianism for eternity.

        1. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

          Hell I had my liberal friend blame libertarians for companies doing tobacco testing because of the insurance changes caused by Obamacare.

          1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

            Libertarianism is the debil!

            1. tarran   9 years ago

              Libertarianism turned me into a newt!

              1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

                Who are you, who are so wise in the ways of political science?

              2. Glide   9 years ago

                A newt?

      2. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

        "In short, people are insane and couldn't make a decent decision to save their souls. Which is why they need to be voting one of their number in charge."

        1. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

          Wow did someone really say this?

          1. Hamster of Doom   9 years ago

            No, dude. Sarcastic paraphrasing.

      3. robc   9 years ago

        Reality is the Republican Party has already created this libertarian state

        This is why I think that every D commercial is trying to get me to vote R. Then I realize the Ds are liars.

      4. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

        Uh the government is currently stupid and ineffective. I get a kick out of people who act like we have LESS of these social programs then before.

        People in government aren't greedy and power hungry!

      5. LynchPin1477   9 years ago

        I don't want a stupid, weak, and ineffective government. I want a government that is good at doing a limited set of things.

        I also pitty the person who has so little faith in themselves that they believe there are monsters lurking just below the surface in everyone else.

        1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

          I am not a fat girl!

          1. bacon-magic   9 years ago

            You are what you eat sir.

      6. kbolino   9 years ago

        And it happened because we elected them and their goal has been to make government weak, stupid and ineffective.

        Given that the people who launch this complaint are almost invariably weak, stupid, and/or ineffective themselves, this talking point is massive projection. It is also almost always contradicted by their own positions. The government must be strong! But the military and police shouldn't be so large and violent. The government must be smart! But the idiot J-School grads get to set the narrative, and the schools should accommodate the lowest common denominator. The government must be effective! But no one should ever be fired for incompetence or malfeasance.

    2. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      And clear cut that Clinton is scared.

      Yes. When Nan Pelosi said his name the other day I realized that Gasy was actually scaring them. That's awesome.

    3. jack sprat   9 years ago

      You beat me to it. I was going to say if you would like to slightly ruin your day, go ahead and read these NY Times comments. I started to get angry but not worth it. I am sure these moronic commentators are mostly living miserable self hating lives. I will just relax and enjoy my full Cisgender hetero shitlord status.

      1. John   9 years ago

        That is what always strikes me; how angry and nasty progs are. I remember after Obama won in 2008. Here they finally had their revenge on Bush and the Republicans and they owned the entire government. Yet, progs seemed just as pissed off and miserable as they had ever been and significantly more pissed off than the Republicans who had just lost. They went from being bitter losers to sore winners.

        Leftism seems to attract a certain kind of angry, unhappy person.

        1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

          I tried posting a comment about "incel" above which ended up in squirrel hell, but it applies just as well here: people who live with the expectation of being owed happiness by others are going to be unpersuadeably unhappy.

  47. Suthenboy   9 years ago

    "RIP culture wars?"

    This is more of a comment on the Obumbles economy than anything else. The economy has gone far enough down the shitter that it has grabbed all of the attention. Nobody gives a shit about what the neighbor is doing with their junk when they cant pay the mortgage.

  48. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    I bought a cheap pair of VR goggles; they use your smartphone to provide the image.

    Pros: It does create a 3D image that allows the user to look everywhere. For example, I did a Blue Angels video on YouTube and could look at the plane above us, the pilot behind me, or down at the treeline.

    Cons: most of the videos I watched via the internet were pretty compressed which caused smudgy images. I imagine the disk space for these 360 files are huge.

    There is still an effect of viewing the image through a black box - ie, peripheral vision isn't there, only darkness. Perhaps a more expensive pair would help?

    Motion sickness: the wife could only stand a minute of the Blue Angels video before she felt dizzy. This effect seems to vary as my son didn't mind and I only felt a little off after a half hour or so. But it's not something I would want to wear all day.

    1. Gadfly   9 years ago

      A friend of mine has an Oculus Rift which I have played a few times, and I can attest that there is no peripheral vision issue on the high end VR. I only played games and didn't watch anything off of the internet, but playing off of the hardware of a good (~$3K) computer rig gives exceptional video and audio quality. The motion sickness issue is still there, however. People who get car sick or seasick generally don't have a good time, and even someone like myself who does not have these issues can start to get a bit dizzy/disoriented after extended use (>1hr). VR is a cool experience but it won't be taking over the gaming world.

    2. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

      Phone 3d just has angular tracking, but not positional. Therefore, it doesn't account for the small changes of position your head constantly makes. The more expensive, less-portable solutions (Oculus and Vive) have positional tracking, though.

  49. Enjoy Every Sandwich   9 years ago

    Police misuse of criminal-justice databases to scope out spouses, crushes, journalists, neighbors, etc. is likely widespread in the U.S.

    But remember, anybody who objects to being added to a government database is a paranoid kook.

  50. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    What is this comment in response to?

    Gary Johnson's milquetoast "vote for meee" piece in the NYT.

  51. Ken Shultz   9 years ago

    "The family has since moved to Qatar, citing threats and a scholarship offered to Ahmed Mohamed in the Persian Gulf country."

    If Qatar offered him a lucrative scholarship because of Glenn Beck's comments, then they may have a hard time proving damages.

    Meanwhile, according to the wiki, they've already received an apology and $15 million from the City of Irvine.

    1. UnCivilServant   9 years ago

      They should have gotten further insults and a bill for defaming the City of Irvine.

    2. John   9 years ago

      Also, truth is an absolute defense in this case. That means he will have to answer a lot of questions about his past and views under oath. I don't think that is going to turn out as well as he thinks it will.

      1. tarran   9 years ago

        If Glen Beck were to stick to his guns a la Mark Steyn, my guess is that on the eve of trial, they'd withdraw the case.

      2. Ken Shultz   9 years ago

        As to this broadcast the petition recites:

        "During the discussion of the arrest of Ahmed Mohamed, Mr. Beck 'proposed' the following: 'My theory is that for some reason Irving is important to the Islamists, not the Muslims, but the Islamists. It could be as simple as the progressives trying to turn Texas blue, and this is just the place where they're just going to start planting the seeds and taking a stand. You (Mayor Van Duyne) pissed them off, and now this is a dog whistle. This is not a story that is for anybody to hear, except for the Islamists because once you create a boogeyman, now all the money, all the resources, all the intellectual power, all is focused on your little town of Irving, Texas.' Mr. Beck contended that the circumstances surrounding the arrest of Mohamed could not be 'explained' any other way."

        http://tinyurl.com/zaa9hpz

        According to the complaint, they're suing Beck for saying that?

        OMG, he's accused them of being pawns in a game by progressives to turn Texas blue--no wonder they're suing him!

        1. Ken Shultz   9 years ago

          I hope Beck countersues them for engaging in a frivolous lawsuit.

          1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

            Anti-SLAPP it down.

    3. widget   9 years ago

      Bring a clock that looks like an IED to school and win $15,000,000. Bite a Pop Tart into the shape of handgun and get suspended.

      1. Ken Shultz   9 years ago

        You need to belong to the right identity group.

      2. kbolino   9 years ago

        Behold the power of racism accusations. Somehow, it is not racist to treat people differently based upon their skin color. It is only racist to hold people to similar standards despite their skin color.

      3. Zeb   9 years ago

        Bring a clock that looks like an IED to school

        Well, a clock that looks like the made up movie version of a time bomb.

        1. Gadfly   9 years ago

          Well, a clock that looks like the made up movie version of a time bomb.

          True, but given the general public's ignorance on guns, which are far, far more ubiquitous than bombs, you can't expect the average person/teacher to know the difference.

  52. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    Another one; a NYT Pick! (best of the bnest)

    Roscoe Farmington, MI 1 hour ago
    Nowadays they call this magical thinking. If our government is a passive wimp and we let greed and power run rampant somehow this will create the perfect society. The reality is that markets will bubble and blow up. The rich and powerful will take control of every institution and use it for their own personal gain. Guns everywhere will lead to random nuts shooting innocent people. Wars will increase and defense costs will blow up to drive profit for the military industrial complex. Race relations will become worse with many driven into poverty causing domestic violence leading to more police and more prisons that will have to be paid for. And by the way all these costs will increase the debt. The old and the weak will suffer and die because health care will only be for the few. I could go on but the Reality is the Republican Party has already created this libertarian state....it's happening now. And it happened because we elected them and their goal has been to make government weak, stupid and ineffective. This guy is not change but just more of the same. Vote for Hillary!

    Fetch me my goggles, Lucius!

    1. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      The rich and powerful will take control of every institution and use it for their own personal gain.

      Every institution except the beneficent government, of course. Magical thinking indeed.

      1. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

        The rich and powerful (as they ignore Hillary who is rich and powerful schmoozing with the rich and powerful)

    2. Suthenboy   9 years ago

      Who has been in the whitehouse for the last 8 years? Who had 2 years in control of the presidency and both houses of congress? Oh, thats right, Republicans.

      1. Gadfly   9 years ago

        It's always funny when people blame the Republicans for the status quo, considering how little impact they have had on modern America. Over the past 80 years the Republicans have had total control of the government (President+Senate+House) for a grand total of 6 years, the Democrats have controlled for 32 years, and there has been split control for the remaining 42 years. If anything is to blame for the state of the government or the nation (at least to the extent it is affected by government) it is that centrist-praised, media-worshiped specter of bipartisanship.

  53. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    KOCHTOPUS!

    Sherry Tampa 1 hour ago
    No. The Libertarian Party under the Johnson - Weld ticket is not at all compatible with the Democratic Party under the Clinton - Kaine ticket. The Libertarian Party is just an iteration of the modern GOP, with the same structure of social policies designed to distract from economic policies designed to enrich the 1% on the backs of the 99 %, and generally destroy the entire government, even the parts that work well, and especially the necessary parts that are included in all modern democracies, civil, moral societies and that a majority of the citizens rely upon, like public education, federal highways, programs to support the very young and the very old, the most vulnerable. The only difference is that the social policies are an attempt to distract the left, now that the right is sufficiently distracted. I mean, The Koch Brothers are admittedly, proudly Libertarian - if that isn't a clue to the goals of the Libertarian Party, I don't know what is. Here's another clue regarding the viability of a Libertarian administration - the man at the top of the Libertarian Party ticket wasn't even familiar with the name of a city that is older than the Bible, let alone any familiarity with the modern day implications of it's current situation.
    Voting Libertarian doesn't require deep breathing, ir causes suffocation.

    1. Lee Genes   9 years ago

      destroy the entire government, even the parts that work well

      I LOL'd

    2. Pat (PM)   9 years ago

      If the far left can't sufficiently distinguish the LP from the GOP, it is only because the LP needs to embrace the far left to avoid being mistaken for the GOP!

      - Gillespie

    3. Suthenboy   9 years ago

      Twice now I have pointed out to a lefty that the policies they endorse are identical to policies already enacted in Venezuela under the bolivarian socialists and pointed out where those policies lead. They hand waived it away with "Oh here we go with Venezuela again. phsst!"

      Lefties cant learn. There is stupid and then there is 'cant learn' stupid.

  54. Certified Public Asshat   9 years ago

    Tax Foundation's 2017 State Business Tax Climate Index

    The 10 best states in this year's Index are:
    1. Wyoming
    2. South Dakota
    3. Alaska
    4. Florida
    5. Nevada
    6. Montana
    7. New Hampshire
    8. Indiana
    9. Utah
    10. Oregon

    1. Certified Public Asshat   9 years ago

      The 10 lowest ranked, or worst, states in this year's Index are:
      41. Louisiana
      42. Maryland
      43. Connecticut
      44. Rhode Island
      45. Ohio
      46. Minnesota
      47. Vermont
      48. California
      49. New York
      50. New Jersey

      Woo, #42!

      1. Ken Shultz   9 years ago

        The growth of government shields them.

        The whole state's becoming a company town.

    2. robc   9 years ago

      More importantly:

      41. Louisiana
      42. Maryland
      43. Connecticut
      44. Rhode Island
      45. Ohio
      46. Minnesota
      47. Vermont
      48. California
      49. New York
      50. New Jersey

      1. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

        Slow down there, pardner

      2. John   9 years ago

        The sad thing is that as recently as the 1960s, New Jersey was a very low tax small government state. That is why so many people moved there from New York. Now it is worse than New York. New Jersey is the best example of a state where people moved there from high tax states for the low taxes and immediately voted for all of the things they said they moved three to get away from.

        1. widget   9 years ago

          This is true. There were many hobbits in the NJ pine barrens with economies centered around small businesses that restored antique cars and machined fine gadgets for industry and defense. It was not a suburb of New York or Philly.

          1. John   9 years ago

            It also has a huge agriculture industry. It is called the garden state because it has huge vegetable farms. Like a lot of NE states, New Jersey outside of the big city burbs is a totally different place than people who have never been there perceive it to be.

    3. robc   9 years ago

      KY comes in at #34!

      We dont entirely suck! Just mostly!

  55. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    Thom Quine Vancouver, Canada 4 hours ago
    Libertarianism is the ideology of hatred of the poor. There is no society and therefore no social problems, there are only Mad Max individuals fighting it out. If you are low-income that is your own fault, if you can't afford medical insurance you should just die and let the rest of us keep our taxes. Government is bad, and everything they do is wrong by definition.
    The problem with this ideology is that the most livable countries in the world have high taxes, lots of government regulation, low poverty, low crime, a strong social safety net, and a general understanding that being a good citizen means you make a contribution to the general health of the society, and you are not just in it for your own personal enrichment.
    Don't fall for libertarian lies!

    Yup.

    1. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

      But if you don't want to make your contribution - then it's off to prison for you (if you're lucky). And a nice police state to enforce all of these wonderful rules and regulations.

      These people want a cozy prison.

    2. Rufus The Monocled   9 years ago

      We're so fucked.

      That's one thing I admire about the progressive movement.

      They were able to indoctrinate an entire nation with such ease and efficiency.

      Unless we have that level of dedication and zealotry there's no way they can be deprogrammed.

      1. John   9 years ago

        They really are right out of Basat. They honestly think if the government isn't doing something, it can't be and won't be done. There is no society under Libertarianism? What the hell is wrong with people?

        1. Zeb   9 years ago

          They get it pretty much completely backwards. Society is the real thing. Government is mostly an attempt to meddle in the things people do cooperatively on their own.

          The whole point of libertarianism is that a society with a functioning culture will do fine on its own.

          1. John   9 years ago

            Libertarians could do a better job in combating that. Libertarians understandably emphasize the individual and talk about the individual. What they too often leave unsaid is that saying that individual freedom is the highest good for government is not saying that individual is the only thing that matters in general or that civic institutions and voluntary associations are not good and vital things. I think by not emphasizing this point enough, Progs are able to portray Libertarians as rejecting everything but the individual in all circumstances.

            1. Zeb   9 years ago

              That's probably true. Libertarians, understandably, spend a lot of time arguing against what they see as wrong. Which means spending your time arguing mostly for the rights of the individual. More time could be well spent making the positive argument for liberty and explaining why it's supposed to work.

  56. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

    Police misuse of criminal-justice databases to scope out spouses, crushes, journalists, neighbors, etc. is likely widespread in the U.S., according to a new AP investigation.

    Someone more down with the cause than I should tell the BLM people to add this onto their list of talking points.

    1. John   9 years ago

      The thing about that is that that sort of abuse almost certainly goes on much more among police than it does in the intel community. Even though federal intel people have government employment protections, assuming they are not contractors which many of them are, those protections don't help them if they lose their security clearance. The clearance revocation process is basically a trap door in the federal employment and tenure rules. You get very little due process for clearance revocation and if you lose your clearance you lose your job and no amount of whining to the MSPB will get it back for you. So intel people who do that shit really do get fired because it causes them to lose their security clearance. Cops, however, never get fired and thus no doubt abuse that stuff a lot. I mean why not? It is not like anything is going to happen to you if you get caught.

      1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

        Or, intel people are blackmailed into engaging in more nefarious activity so they do not lose their security clearance and/or jobs.

        1. John   9 years ago

          In my experience that doesn't happen. The penalties for national security crimes are so draconian that no one is going to risk them to save their marriage or their job. There has never been a single documented case of that ever happening. We catch spies and moles all of the time. And not a single one of them was ever blackmailed into doing it. They all did it because they wanted to. And they all sought out foreign intelligence contacts trying to sell out the country. They either were greedy and wanted the cash or they were pissed off about their agency not recognizing their perceived genius or were true believers in communism or in helping the motherland, whatever that is.

          1. OneOut   9 years ago

            "The penalties for national security crimes are so draconian"

            determined on a person to person basis of course

  57. Lord Humungus   9 years ago

    Acne sufferers live longer, research suggests

    Experts had already noted that signs of ageing such as wrinkles and thinning skin often appear much later in people who have experienced acne.

    Now, scientists believe they may have discovered why.

    A study of white blood cells taken from individuals affected by spots showed they had longer protective caps on the ends of their chromosomes.

    Called telomeres, the caps can be compared with the plastic tips that stop shoe laces becoming frayed.

    They help prevent the chromosomes, packages of DNA, deteriorating and fusing with their neighbours during cell division.

    I don't look my age but no one in my family does. But I never suffered from pizza face.

    1. Crusty Juggler   9 years ago

      I did, and we are not a people who age gracefully.

      1. lap83   9 years ago

        you sush your mouth! /slathers on clearasil
        see, now everyone assumes I'm a teenager

    2. robc   9 years ago

      the plastic tips that stop shoe laces becoming frayed.

      Aglets.

      They have a name.

      1. Tonio   9 years ago

        Word for the Day! Thanks.

        1. robc   9 years ago

          I am pretty sure sniglets got their name from aglets, but I could be wrong. And wikipedia doesnt help.

        2. robc   9 years ago

          I am pretty sure sniglets got their name from aglets, but I could be wrong. And wikipedia doesnt help.

          1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

            I don't know what that is, but it sounds racist.

            1. bacon-magic   9 years ago

              Tricknological term.

    3. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

      So the worst years of your life are prolonged at the expense of the best. Not sure what's the benefit here.

      1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

        Reading into the article they suggest you age more slowly, so fewer wrinkles and later in life. Counter theory: people with good skin party harder and age faster than the zitty zeros sitting at home every Friday. Boom, scienced.

  58. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    Speaking of retards... Maxine Waters is "asking Janet Yellin a question" right now.

    Jesus, what a load of gobbledygook.

  59. cathleencmarks   9 years ago

    I've made $64,000 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student. Im using an online business opportunity I heard about and I've made such great money. It's really user friendly and I'm just so happy that I found out about it. Heres what I do,

    .............. http://www.Max43.com

  60. The Late P Brooks   9 years ago

    I just flashed on a mental picture of President Trump, reacting to a query by some random member of Congress:

    "What are you? Stupid? That was one of the dumbest things anybody ever asked me. What the hell is wrong with you?"

    That would make it all worth while.

    1. geo1113   9 years ago

      Followed by a mass firing of federal employees.

  61. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

    Where do progs get this idea that the "safety net" has been gutted?

    1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

      The federal superstate isn't expanding at as fast a clip as it has in the past, therefore it's been gutted.

      1. Tornado16nb   9 years ago

        And all the things they want i wouldn't consider a safety net at all...a safety net to me is to pick you up if you have fallen.

        Free college, daycare, healthcare (other than maybe catastrophic), social security (for most part), medicare is just welfare. Though at least for social security you forced to pay in...but it is still a wealth transfer

        Food stamps for a limited period, and unemployment

        What i find amusing most of these people who claim to be all about it are upper middle class progressives.

        1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

          Whoever analogized the safety "net" to a hammock deserves a free coffee.

          1. ant1sthenes   9 years ago

            I not only deserve it, I get it.

    2. Zeb   9 years ago

      Well, there are more limitations on the direct cash payment sort of welfare than there once were. That's all I can think of.

      1. commodious the plorable   9 years ago

        Something something right to work laws something welfare for work something something THE POOR ARE DYING IN THE STREETS.

    3. Glide   9 years ago

      Which progs in particular?
      99.9% of them, because it was fed to them by another prog with a platform.

      For the ones who actually created the idea, I imagine it just seemed to be a useful talking point.

  62. Diane Reynolds (Paul.)   9 years ago

    The father of "Clock Kid" Ahmed Mohamed has filed a defamation lawsuit against conservative commentator Glenn Beck and Irving, Texas, Mayor Beth Van Duyne.

    Jesus, is this still a thing?

    1. OneOut   9 years ago

      As long as there is money to be made and/or political points to be scored, sure.

      Why not ?

  63. Trumptard   9 years ago

    That picture looks like he is pointing a gun at a cop. I would shoot him if he pointed a gun at me.

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