Betsy DeVos Grilled, Will Julian Assange Turn Himself In?, George H.W. Bush Hospitalized: A.M. Links

• 

  C-SPAN

  Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos was asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) if she thought her wealth and donations to the Republican Party are the reasons she was nominated.

• DeVos gave Sanders a zinger of her own, by reminding him that regarding his call for tuition-free college, "there's nothing in life that's truly free."
• She also suggested that guns might be necessary in schools because of the threat posed by bears.
• WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pledged to turn himself in if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency. Will he make good on his promise?
• Former President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized with breathing problems.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin calls those who disseminate "fake news" about President-elect Trump are "worse than prostitutes."
• This year's inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced today.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

There is no excuse. Literally.

[Tyler.C]

Aww I thought I would be first for once.

[Fist of Etiquette]

You don't want it. It's an immense burden.

[bacon-magic]

Oh, I know.

[Tyler.C]

Not that I really care.

mumbles something about sour grapes

[paranoid android]

A.M. Links delayed are A.M. Links denied. It's a powerful metaphor for Obama waiting to pardon Manning until the eleventh hour.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

So, since there was no Snowden pardon, we will not get PM links today?

[Swiss Servator]

*slow clap*

[Lee Genes]

They're just accommodating my late arisal since I'm in Vegas.

[Rufus The Monocled]

If I wasn't so civil...

Hello.

BUT IT COMES WITH A HEAVY SIGH.

[Fist of Etiquette]

This year's inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced today.

And Obama will pardon them all.

[Idle Hands]

The Schilling controversy is pretty stupid. Of course anybody getting upset about any sports hall of fame snubs are pretty stupid. Tell the writers gild that the true hall of fame will always be in our hearts, and they can never take that away from us.

[Episteme]

He and Pete Rose should go off and create their own Hall of Fame...with hookers and blackjack!

[Sour Kraut]

Trump's first executive order: John Rocker into the Hall of Fame.

[commodious is fated to pretend]

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Former President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized with breathing problems.

Acute TDS.

[R C Dean]

Apparently COTDS is transmissible.

[Deep Lurker]

Might be a pretzel relapse.

[Citizen X]

FISHER!!!! [shakes Fist]

[Aloysious]

Poor Fist. I bet he regrets ever doing his James Bond "shaken not stirred" imitation.

[Idle Hands]

She also suggested that guns might be necessary in schools because of the threat posed by bears.

Can never be too prepared for Jesse or possibly a Red Dawn scenario.

[Azathoth!!]

Well, y'know--Flick says he saw some grizzly bears near Pulaski's candy store.

[Episteme]

Decades of "bear arms"/"arm bears" jokes have finally paid off!

[Fist of Etiquette]

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pledged to turn himself in if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency.

Depends on what your definition of clemency is.

[commodious is fated to pretend]

He was given clewomency.

[R C Dean]

Did he say who he would turn himself in to?

[The Fusionist]

If he's following Manning's example, he will turn himself into a woman.

[R C Dean]

See, folks, that's how you convert an assist.

[Jerryskids]

I assumed Assange was offering to make a deal, not placing a bet. He was offering to turn himself over in return for Manning going free. If Obama set Manning free without making an agreement with Assange, Obama was declining the offer.

[Jerryskids]

It'd be like Bill Belichick saying Satan can have his soul in return for a Pat's Superbowl win, he's not saying he's so confident the Pat's won't win that he's willing to risk his soul on the proposition, he's actually tendering an offer.

[Conchfritters]

They gave Chelsea clementines, not clemency.

[kinnath]

She also suggested that guns might be necessary in schools because of the threat posed by bears.

But twinks are just fine.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I'm sensing a theme with respect to comments about the bear quote.

[Idle Hands]

Hey at least I was able to sneak a terrible Russian joke in there.

[Citizen X]

Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos was asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) if she thought her wealth and donations to the Republican Party are the reasons she was nominated.

She should have responded by asking if Bernie's donations from Hillary Clinton are the reason he conceded in the primary.

[Rhywun]

"Don't be jelly Bern, just because you can barely support yourself."

[Citizen X]

It's hard for a man of the people to support himself with only three homes and $170k a year.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Yeah, I hear that house in North Hero is a slave shack with no indoor plumbing and dirt floors.

[Rhywun]

Jesus. Even NY doesn't pay that well. Of course they all have criminal enterprises on the side but still.

No, I was thinking of Sanders before his current gig, wasn't he like in debt all the time or something?

[BakedPenguin]

Probably. He's never held a real job.

[Citizen X]

He's been rolling over something like $25k in credit card debt since the 70s. Given that he's been pulling down a congressional salary for over 20 years, and that his wife works too (running a small college (into the ground)), the fact that he's got so much debt indicates a spectacular awfulness at money management. How the fuck anyone could look at the guy and think he should be centrally planning an economy is baffling.

[Episteme]

"Why do we need three types of credit scores!?"

[commodious is fated to pretend]

DeVos gave Sanders a zinger of her own, by reminding him that regarding his call for tuition-free college, "there's nothing in life that's truly free."

Well, no shit. That's why they want other people to pay for it.

[Tonio]

That comment alone has endeared her to me. I hope that we see four years of people hammering the "free stuff" crowd at every opportunity.

[Mickey Rat]

The Sander's family has already destroyed one American institution of higher learning, why not all of them?

[Eternal Blue Sky]

But they gave us some pretty good chicken in return...

[Mickey Rat]

No, no. That Sanders contributed to society. This one has been living off of us for most of what can be called his adult life and thinks that qualified him to rule us.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls those who disseminate "fake news" about President-elect Trump are "worse than prostitutes."

Russian prostitutes, maybe.

[Idle Hands]

From what I hear Russian prostitutes are into some kinky shit.

[Citizen X]

Look, there's a reason Russian pharmacies sell powerful antibiotics over the counter.

[Brett L]

Depends on how much money you got. Lots of money, lots of kink. No money? I hope your fetish is getting kicked in the nuts.

[Citizen X]

In either case, you're likely to wake up in a bathtub full of ice with some suspicious holes in your torso.

[Brett L]

Hawt

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Like the "Soggy Mattress"?

[ChipToBeSquare]

One of these groups makes an honest living. The other is the mainstream media

[Drave Robber]

That's a stock insult in Russian (although rarely used) and - unsurprisingly - comes from the book.

[Aloysious]

Jan. 18, 2017 10:28 am

Trump's fault.

[Citizen X]

She also suggested that guns might be necessary in schools because of the threat posed by bears.

Hey, it's a legit concern.

[Warty]

Black bears are pussies. Just throw rocks at them and fake-charge them gorilla style. Just make sure you keep someone slower than you nearby, just in case.

[Citizen X]

"I don't have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you."

[R C Dean]

Bears hang out around where we flyfish. Once they are habituated, they don't really respond to anything but rocks. They do add a little something to catching a fish, though. Nothing quite like having a bear charge into the water after a fish you have on your line.

[Cyto]

Pbbbt. Bears. We have bears... and alligators! At one of our favorite fishing holes there was a 12 foot monster hanging out. He'd swim right up to the bank where the fisherman stood and wait for the haul. I saw him take a 2' long snakehead off the line of a guy standing on top of a culvert about 10 feet above the water. The gator jumped up and grabbed the fish about 5 or 6 feet out of the water. It was damned impressive.

Aaaand we all took a big step back from the bank. The 3-4' dropoff to the water seemed reasonably safe before we saw that move.

I called the "gator boys" of TV fame who are headquartered just down the road. They must have cleared him out, because I haven't seen him since. He was easy to spot. Other than the enormous size, he also had three big fishing lures stuck in his back.

[R C Dean]

I really prefer to be the apex predator in the neighborhood when I am out and about.

[Swiss Servator]

Just carry enough firepower, and you can be...anywhere.

[Cyto]

I dunno. Standing in 3 feet of swamp water, any firepower that you might be able to wield could be irrelevant. A 13 foot gater could put an end to you before you knew he was there.

So don't go out and about in his neighborhood, I guess.

[mr simple]

Racist.

[Citizen X]

AND homophobic. Not Okay!

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

I'll be honeymooning at Banff National Park in Canada this June. All the hiking guides say to bring bear spray so that'll be fun.

I imagine that far north they have grizzlies.

[Citizen X]

Bear spray is just cayenne pepper suspended in a sort of detergent. It works, unless you get a bear who likes spicy food.

[Lee Genes]

It's the Szechuan bears you've got to watch out for.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

The old classic --

In light of the rising frequency of human/grizzly bear confrontations, the Montana Department of Fish and Game is advising hikers, hunters, and fishermen to take extra precautions and be alert for bears while in the field. ?We advise that outdoorsmen wear small bells on their clothing so as not to startle bears that aren't expecting them, and to carry pepper spray with them in case of an encounter?.

It is also a good idea to watch out for fresh signs of bear activity. Outdoorsmen should recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear droppings. Black bear droppings are smaller and contain lots of berries and fur. Grizzly bear droppings have little bells in it and smell like pepper.

[Free Society]

Ha. I spent a few summers in Alaska. We just carried shotguns, the first two shells loaded were usually just salt rocks, followed by slugs. That and we would yell "hey bear!" every so often and just be our rowdy drunken selves, that usually kept the bears at bay.

Except for the time one of our fellow hikers decided it was a good idea to hike back to our camp with the rotting head of a moose duct-taped to his backpack. But the wolves were more of an issue that day, they are deterred less easily once they take an interest in you.

[grrizzly]

Bear sightings are not guaranteed. Once I spent a week at the Banff NP. Lots of animals, but no bears to be seen.

[Swiss Servator]

Well, other than you looking into a mirror, amirite?

[Playa Manhattan.]

I saw a bunch in Whistler. I had to play through the 7th hole because one wouldn't get off the green.

[Citizen X]

Also, fact: "Banff" is the sound it makes when a bear swats you in the skull.

[CatoTheChipper]

I stayed at the Lake Louise Chateau once and solo day-hiked the surrounding mountains. The concierge advised that there were four grizzlies in the surrounding mountains. He kindly lent me a can of bear spray that he insisted I carry.

On previous backpacking excursions, I used to carry a small spraycan of mace when I went backpacking. The grizzly bear spray that the concierge lent me was nothing like that: it was about 12 oz, and somewhat larger than a coke can.

[Sour Kraut]

And, you are supposed to hold a lighter in front of it when you use it.

[paranoid android]

"Let the bears pay the bear tax; I pay the Homer tax!"

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Google "bear teacher" yields surprisingly disappointing results.

[Citizen X]

Less disappointing.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

For some strange, mysterious reason, that site is blocked at my workplace.

[Rhywun]

If they were smart, work would be blocking Reason...

[Citizen X]

I don't know why. It's a picture of a dude riding on a Kodiak brown bear named Barney. The site belongs to a company that trains bears (and dogs) for film and commercial roles. Two of their bears, Whopper and Ursula, played the bear that Bjorn fought in that one episode of Vikings.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Make friends with your network administrator. If you get my meaning...

[(((Renegade)))]

"You're not just here for the hunting, are you?"

[Drake]

My kids (in New Jersey) had half a school year without recces because of a black bear. Somebody finally took it out during the next hunting season.

And they are no joke - this guy got eaten in Sussex County NJ.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa.....VY20140922

[Episteme]

All the trouble could have been avoided had they just let the bear play with the children like some sort of mascot!

[Crusty Juggler]

This year's inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame will be announced today.

Tim Raines in, Schilling does better than expected.

[Juvenile Bluster]

Raines not being in yet is an absolute crock. If Rickey Henderson hadn't been playing at the same time he did he'd be regarded as the best leadoff hitter of his era, if not any era.

[Crusty Juggler]

I think it's a shame that Mussina is not yet, and may not get in at all.

[(((Renegade)))]

And he would have been had he stayed with the Orioles.

True thing: I have the ticket stubs from the first game at Camden Yards that Mussina pitched.

[68W58]

I saw him in his last season with the Yankees against the Twins on a Wednesday afternoon at the old Yankee Stadium (I made a special trip just to see it before they tore it down). He was still great and if he had stuck around one more season he would have made a much stronger case for getting in. Right now though I just don't think he has the numbers.

[Chipwooder]

Read Jay Jaffe's case for Mussina. It's very strong when you consider the era and division he pitched in.

[Chipwooder]

Moose will get in. Probably not this year, but he doubled his votes last year and will likely take another big jump into the 60s this year. I think he gets in by 2019.

[Idle Hands]

Mussina will get in before Schilling.

[Monty Crisco]

Well, that's the thing, isn't it. Rickey was the greatest leadoff hitter of all time (though I personally think Ichiro is number two). And if mommy had a dick she'd be daddy!

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

Sexist! Transphobic! Other Invective I'm Too Lazy To Type!

[68W58]

Someone once said, "Rickey Henderson is a Hall of Famer, if you split him in two he'd be two Hall of Famers." So, I agree that Raines suffers in comparison and deserves to be in. But I hope the author is wrong about Bonds and Clemens eventually getting in. Both would have been locks if they hadn't cheated, but they made that choice, so screw them. It always made me happy that Greg Maddux stuck around just long enough to finish one win ahead of Clemens.

[Monty Crisco]

And with less than 1000 walks. Check out how many Clemens has!

[Rufus The Monocled]

ABSOLUTELY RAINES BELONGS.

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

but they made that choice, so screw them.

I wonder who cheated before the steroid era and is in.

[BakedPenguin]

Pretty much all of them. Read Ball Four by Jim Bouton.

Agreed about Raines. I think he also suffer(s) in the voting from having played so much of his career in Montreal.

[Pro Libertate]

Maddux was amazing. Thanks again, Chicago!

[Idle Hands]

Favorite Henderson story is he never cashed his first million dollar check from Oakland.

[Monty Crisco]

The man is practically a folk hero.... and he had a smaller percentage of the HoF vote than .... Tony Fucking Gwynn....!

[C. Anacreon]

I was in San Diego on business last week, and my Uber ride included a drive on the Tony Gwynn Freeway.

Hall of Fame, schmall of fame. How many baseball players get freeways named after them?

Or so I thought. A few miles later we were on the Ted Williams Freeway.

[Ska]

Jackie Robinson has one in Brooklyn/Queens...

[Chipwooder]

You're absolutely right about this. It was Rock's great misfortune to come up at exactly the same time as Rickey. Rock was a great player, but Rickey is arguably one of the ten best in MLB history.

[Idle Hands]

So relieved Selig made it in.

[Juvenile Bluster]

I'm actually happy because Selig being in may be what finally brings the BBWAA around to rightfully putting Bonds and Clemens in.

[Monty Crisco]

Fuck you where it hurts....

[Idle Hands]

His commitment to the Brewers even after he became commissioner should be an inspiration to all.

[Mansplainer]

^^^^

[Idle Hands]

It would be an abomination to see Edgar Martinez in as it would inevitably lead to a case for Ortiz.

[Monty Crisco]

Ortiz got a case because of his numbers and HE WAS SO CLUTCH!!!!

[Chipwooder]

The real abomination will come when Shrek gets in while Edgar still remains on the outside looking in.

[The Last American Hero]

If Edgar gets in, I will feast on the salty National League ham tears.

[SugarFree]

I'm sick of listening to you idiots talk about hockey.

[Fist of Etiquette]

She also suggested that guns might be necessary in schools because of the threat posed by bears.

Betsy, I would like to buy your gun.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Russian President Vladimir Putin calls those who disseminate "fake news" about President-elect Trump are "worse than prostitutes."

Vlad knows they've been faking every time.

[Crusty Juggler]

Trump, Twitter and the Art of His Deal

All of this works because one group is as intoxicated by Twitter as Mr. Trump is: journalists. It's hard to explain to a normal person ? one of the 79 percent of American adults who don't use Twitter ? why the platform mesmerizes the news media. Its all-powerful search function means you can conjure material on any kind of news topic ? or just spend your time searching for your own name. Reporters still crave the ego rush of a published byline, but that pales in comparison to the animated feedback loop that Twitter offers. The more time you spend, and the more tweets you send, the bigger your following becomes. But Twitter provides little actual reach ? compared with Facebook or Google, it hardly drives any traffic to articles. It's like a video game for professional validation.

[$park? is totally a Swifty]

It's like a video game for professional validation.

Walking simulators are pretty big right now so this isn't too surprising.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

PokeYerMom Go?

[$park? is totally a Swifty]

You don't actually walk around, silly. You play someone who walks around.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

That may be the best paragraph on Twitter I've ever read. Ever.

[KDN]

It's exactly what I've been saying about Twitter since it started to take off.

[AddictionMyth]

De Vos will corrupt children's minds with bible studies and forbid them from learning about the Science!? of evolution.

[Evan from Evansville]

Job in Korea is going very well. I'm fucking killing with the students (which, frankly, I knew that I would because I'm actually fucking good at this shit). Turns out Korean Thanksgiving is situated to give me an extra 10 days off in October and I was told at my business dinner tonight that a couple of other holidays line up to give me some 5-day weekends. Fuckin' right on.

I'm working with 7 other female Korean teachers, only foreigner there, and they haven't had a male teacher for like 8 years. My head teacher is also super hot. Grrrr. "There is nothing on this earth sexier, believe me, gentlemen, than a woman you have to salute in the morning. Promote 'em all, I say, 'cause this is true: if you haven't gotten a blowjob from a superior officer, well, you're just letting the best in life pass you by. "

Philippine trip over Lunar New Years will be short but fun. I plan on doing nothing but grabbin' dat (((consensual!))) pussy.

On a more serious note---Groovus Maximus---respond if you see this please. I have a mild phobia of doctors and hospitals since having both hips replaced before aged 27 (fucking the one done in Korea....christ.....I will never forgive them for their fucking bullshit).

Having a long-term issue (emergency? Not...sure?) that I would really like to briefly talk about with you. I know you're a busy man so no rush.

I always lurk the AM/PM Lynx but the time difference makes commenting tough. If anyone sees him 'round let him now I shouted out.

Thanks!

[Evan from Evansville]

Uh...apex use of 1500 characters? Um...yeaaaaaah.

"Give it to me!"

[mr simple]

I'm fucking killing with the students

Both of these are things that should not be done to students! Well, unless that's specifically the class they signed up for, I guess.

[Evan from Evansville]

What....we're not doing the euphemism thing anymore?!

[Fist of Etiquette]

He'll just diagnose you with a prostate problem.

[Crusty Juggler]

He really wants to jam ups finger up your bum, doesn't be?

[Evan from Evansville]

Eh. I think FedEx-Lax is more his style.

[Crusty Juggler]

Oh, gosh.

[Citizen X]

Scientist: Okay. Well. It's definitely poop.
Mac: Uh, yeah. We know that, guy.
Scientist: Whoever it was seems to have been eating newspaper.
Dennis: Alright, well now we're getting somewhere. Which one of you idiots was eating a goddamn newspaper?
Charlie: It's gonna go both ways, dude.
Dennis: Really?
Charlie: Sorry. Yeah. What else?
Scientist: This appears to be a piece of a credit card.
Frank: Inconclusive.
Dennis: How is that not specific to one of you?
Charlie: I wish it was, man. But that's inconclusive.
Scientist: Oh boy. There's a good deal of blood in this stool.
Charlie: Of course there is.
Scientist: Whoever's it is should see a doctor.
Charlie: Well, don't give us judgements. Just tell us what's in there.
Scientist: Is this wolf hair?
Frank: Also inconclusive.
Dennis: Jesus Christ!
Charlie: Dude, there is so much wolf hair in our apartment.
Dennis: But why are you eating it?
Charlie: It gets in everything!
Mac: Both of you are eating wolf!?
Frank: We had a wolf in our apartment.
Charlie: Have you tried it before!?

[Idle Hands]

Poop's funny.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

Because poop is funny!

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

He diagnosed you AS a prostate problem.

[Crusty Juggler]

Cartapping: How Feds Have Spied On Connected Cars For 15 Years

Indeed, court documents reveal a 15-year history of what's been dubbed "cartapping," where almost real-time audio and location data can be retrieved when cops order vehicle tech providers to hand it over.

One of the more recent examples can be found in a 2014 warrant that allowed New York police to trace a vehicle by demanding the satellite radio and telematics provider SiriusXM provide location information. The warrant, originally filed in 2014 but only recently unsealed (and published below in full), asked SiriusXM "to activate and monitor as a tracking device the SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio installed on the Target Vehicle for a period of 10 days." The target was a Toyota 4-Runner wrapped up in an alleged illegal gambling enterprise.

[Crusty Juggler]

SiriusXM told FORBES it complied with the order and did so by switching on the stolen vehicle recovery feature of its Connected Vehicle Services technology, which is only available in a subset of cars it supplies (the satellite radios alone cannot be tracked as the telematics services can). The request was, then, akin to the police demanding Apple hand over a customer's location data by turning on the Find My iPhone feature. The company said it also worked sporadically with law enforcement to provide such information, noting it always required a valid warrant, estimating it receives five valid court orders a year to activate the stolen vehicle recovery feature to monitor a suspect. It declined to offer on-record comment.

TW: Forbes' revolting website.

[R C Dean]

Fuck Forbes. I'm not going to register to read your content.

[Rhywun]

I just don't get the mindset that says pissing off potential readers is supposed to be good for business.

Oh, and fuck Sirius.

[ant1sthenes]

Pissing off a corrupt, authoritarian government is worse for business.

[Raston Bot]

SiriusXM

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

Looking at the Derpbook posts of people I know who are going to the Women's March in D.C. on Saturday, I've noticed that they are pre-blaming any violence that occurs on evil Trumpkins. The fact that left-wing orgs are planning on causing trouble is one of those things I'm not supposed to notice.

[Deven]

The left doesn't realize that it is fully saturated with idiots. If they're happy losing the House, Senate, and maybe having a shot at the presidency every 4 years, they should keep doing what they're doing.

[CatoTheChipper]

If the Dems had any sense at all, they'd distance themselves from the commies and socialists. They'd insist that their leading members adhere to the American tradition of decorum on presidential transition that was established around 150 years ago.

But, the Dems have been co-opted by commies and socialists. The Clinton era is over and left-wing extremists now have a competitive socialist party. The Dems got in bed in commies and socialists, and now they have the clap.

[Rhywun]

Meh, it's impossible with a de facto two-party system. Neither side will ever be able to shake off the fringey hangers-on.

[Tonio]

I posted something last week about something I'd seen on derpbook warning protesters that "domestic terrorist James O'Keefe" would try to trick innocent protesters into saying outrageous things.

The only thing this protest is going to accomplish for them, being very "broad" in scope (thanks, intersectionality!) is to serve as a pep rally. However, their statements and possibly their actions, will give their enemies months worth of ammunition and further alienate the middle.

[Rhywun]

Aren't they plotting blockades and shit? I can't see how this ends in anything other than a bump in Trump's approval rating.

[Tonio]

This is going to be very interesting. The DC Police (local jurisdiction) are nominally in charge of permitting, etc, but only on DC territory. A lot of DC's open space is National Park, ie federal jurisdiction. The National Mall and the grounds of the various monuments are all federal. You guys do the math as to who will be in charge of that after 12:01 PM on Friday.

[Free Society]

I posted something last week about something I'd seen on derpbook warning protesters that "domestic terrorist James O'Keefe" would try to trick innocent protesters into saying outrageous things.

Have no fear, Robby will be on the prowl to protect the public from James O'Keefe.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Got my first crackpot in the corporate email address I monitor. Crackpot had "heard somewhere" that a Bin Laden works for my company and was going to report this "fact" to various wingnutty organizations. People. Y'all are weird.

[R C Dean]

Send him a reply with some triple parentheses in it.

[Brett L]

"I respect your right to share this information, however, you do realize that he can get your contact information from this email, right?"

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Just don't click on the links that ask you to reset your password or enter your bank routing information, John Podesta.

[mr simple]

When you read what Devos actually said and compare it to all the tweets and headlines about it, it almost looks like the progs are deliberately twisting her words to make her look delusional and stir up controversy. I'm sure they would never stoop so low.

[Enjoy Every Sandwich]

I'm also sure that the mainstream media would never be so mendacious either.

[Mike Laursen]

You should see the Mother Jones article, in which narrative Al Franken totally destroyed her. It's yelling that the whole article takes the tone of their having outed her on her support for school choice, like it was a secret she was hiding.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

The progs needed to get their two hours of hate in yesterday on Twitter. Every tweet under that her trending name was just seething with impotent rage.

Also Warren pointedly refused to shake DeVos hand after the hearing adjourned and she was making the rounds thanking the Senators for their time. Stay classy, Lizzie.

[commodious is fated to pretend]

The devotion these cretins show to unions over students is revolting.

[Rhywun]

A tunnel worker recently got killed by a train and the TWU (corrupt subway worker union) was all over the news complaining about how they don't get paid enough. All public unions share this mindset.

[Tonio]

Oh, paybacks are hell. Can't wait.

[Free Society]

Also Warren pointedly refused to shake DeVos hand after the hearing adjourned and she was making the rounds thanking the Senators for their time. Stay classy, Lizzie.

Why should she shake her hand? DeVos is trying to take away our children's access to mandatory government-run propaganda camps. So evil.

[The Fusionist]

I see the Senator wanted a categorical commitment from her to "keep all guns out of schools period!" and she said it was up to states and localities to decide. Then she cited some other guy (a Senator?) who mentioned grizzlies in a Wyoming school - in other words, an example of policy adapted to local circumstances.

[The Fusionist]

(that is, the grizzly-prone school, due to its local circumstances, might need guns)

[LynchPin1477]

Devos is one of the few nominees that I'm cautiously optimistic about.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

What's Melania Trump, chopped liver?

[Jerryskids]

I started watching the hearings and I wasn't sure if her boilerplate "for the children" opening statement was trolling the left with their own words or what she seriously believes as a right-wing SJW. Sadly, I think it's the latter. She's a big government Republican who thinks "compassionate conservatism" is where Big Brother prays for your soul after he stomps on your head.

[The Fusionist]

"Russian President Vladimir Putin calls those who disseminate "fake news" about President-elect Trump are "worse than prostitutes.""

Vlad's trolling is exactly the opposite of helpful.

We get it, you prefer Trump. (Even if Hillary helped you out on that deal one time)

But have you ever heard of the concept of a "kiss of death" endorsement?

Trump will have to pick a fight with you to show he's not in your pocket.

[R C Dean]

Vlad's trolling is very helpful to the Democrat attempt to delegitimize Trump, and thus to Russia.

Hard to believe that the Dems can simultaneously claim Russia is trying to delegitimize our government, while simultaneously doing exactly the same thing.

[ChipToBeSquare]

That the Democrats don't get this is mind-boggling. They themselves are citing a report in which intelligence agencies concluded that they're unsure if Russia really wanted Trump to win as much as they wanted to undermine our confidence in our electoral process. Well shit, guess who's giving them both?

[Tonio]

Hard to believe that the Dems can simultaneously claim Russia is trying to delegitimize our government, while simultaneously doing exactly the same thing.

Another shrewd observation. Thanks.

[LynchPin1477]

I highly doubt Putin supports Trump. Putin supports Putin's Russia.

[Deven]

I seriously doubt that Vlad cares about Trump one way or the other. He cares about making Russia look more powerful than it actually is, which the Dems seem all too happy to help him with. The more he trolls them, the more relevant his country is.

[Sour Kraut]

I get the impression he is making trivial offhand comments and the media is covering them insanely out of proportion.

[Jerryskids]

It's true, he is making trivial offhand comments to troll the media. And Putin does the same thing, just not on Twitter at 3 a.m.

[Mr Drew]

"Trump will have to pick a fight with you to show he's not in your pocket."

If trump is half the negotiator he claims to be, he and vlad have already worked out that particular bit of vaudeville.

[LynchPin1477]

Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos was asked by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) if she thought her wealth and donations to the Republican Party are the reasons she was nominated.

I'd love to see someone ask Sanders if he thought he would be where he is if he didn't play up class warfare at the expense of understanding how wealth and prosperity are actually created in a free society.

[R C Dean]

she thought her wealth and donations to the Republican Party are the reasons she was nominated.

"Couldn't say, Bernie. Tell me, do you think [insert long list of wealthy Dem contributor/nominees here] were nominated because of their wealth and donations to the Democrat Party?"

[ChipToBeSquare]

Prog media is trying to make Bernie's zingers into a thing. I saw this pop up on Facebook, as though this is how you learn more about a nominee you disagree with. God, this man is such a joke, and yet he's the hero to a whole new generation of leftists

[Tonio]

Every time they trot him out the middle class quietly cringes.

[Free Society]

too quietly.

[LynchPin1477]

"worse than prostitutes."

So not that bad, then?

-ENB

[Ken Shultz]

"Russian President Vladimir Putin calls those who disseminate "fake news" about President-elect Trump are "worse than prostitutes."

There are a lot of things worse than prostitutes.

Incidentally, people who who don't want to work with Putin when it's in the bests interests of the United States to do so are probably worse than prostitutes, too.

Oh, and politicians who short American security interests for the benefit of Moscow's LGBT community are basically traitors.

[Tonio]

for the benefit of Moscow's LGBT community

Right, because those aren't actual people. America has no interest in human rights. And I'm not talking about government recognized marriage, I'm talking about the right to free speech, privacy, etc.

[DRM]

Wherever the standard of freedom and independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will recommend the general cause, by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example.

She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself, beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force. The frontlet upon her brows would no longer beam with the ineffable splendor of freedom and independence; but in its stead would soon be substituted an imperial diadem, flashing in false and tarnished lustre the murky radiance of dominion and power. She might become the dictatress of the world: she would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.

[Mr Drew]

I was quite surprised at how much missing links bothered me. Welcome back.

[Deven]

I'm not a normal AM links guy, but every time I decide to come check them out, they are not here on time.

Either I'm bad luck, or Reason is pretty consistently late with them.

[Mr Drew]

So YOU'RE the guy!

[The Fusionist]

Yeah, how does Darwin account for that missing link, huh?

[Tonio]

[golf clap]

[Lord Humungus]

Say what now?

Vox: To understand the Women's March on Washington, you need to understand intersectional feminism

Sounds reasonable, right? But it's that idea of "intersecting identities" that's been at the core of criticism of the march, both by would-be participants and by conservative critics.

The New York Times reported that some white women opted out of the march because they felt uneasy, excluded, or attacked by discussions in the Facebook group about what organizers said was a deliberate decision to highlight the unique issues faced by women who are also members of racial minority groups or immigrants.

National Review characterized that dynamic in a dramatic headline, "Women's March Morphs Into Intersectional Torture Chamber," calling the idea of intersectionality itself "a clich?" that "sounds like one of the reasons we got Donald Trump."

[commodious is fated to pretend]

IOW I don't need to understand either.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

IOW I don't want to understand either.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

calling the idea of intersectionality itself "a clich?" that "sounds like one of the reasons we got Donald Trump."

Yup and Yup. Intersectionality is simply victimhood olympics. Anybody who attempts to attach philosophical or moral significance to intersectionality is likely certifiably insane.

[Tonio]

Intersectionality means they will spend an inordinate amount of time trying to order their priorities. Each hour they spend doing that is an hour they lose. We should encourage more of this.

[Eternal Blue Sky]

"WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange pledged to turn himself in if Chelsea Manning was granted clemency. Will he make good on his promise?"

Obama's end game, revealed??

[Lord Humungus]

Tequila-drinking '(Expletive)' busted in Fort Pierce

Investigators were pointed in the direction of the alleged aggressor. Asked to identify himself, the man said his full legal name was "(Expletive)."

"(Expletive)," who smelled of booze, said there was no fight, but if there had been, "You would need to be digging some graves."

Police asked "(Expletive)" again to give his true name.

"(Expletive)" said he'd been drinking tequila "and did not have a name at this time."

Police identified the tequila-drinking "(Expletive)" as Luis Zubieta, 25, by the driver's license in his pocket

Tequila is an alcohol I should only consume in moderation.

[commodious is fated to pretend]

Tequila is an alcohol I should only consume copiously and backed with cold Pacifico or Modelo.

[The Fusionist]

"Tequila is an alcohol I should only consume in moderation."

I'd have to know what the guy is like sober before saying how much the alcohol influenced him.

DISCLAIMER: This assumes the cops' story is true, which may not be the case.

[Citizen X]

"(Expletive)" said he'd been drinking tequila "and did not have a name at this time."

That's a risk you run when you hella drinkin' some tequila.

[Bobarian (Would Chip Her)]

I'd need to know which "(Expletive)" he was using to determine how much fun he was really having.

I AM FUCK. FUCK OF THE MOUNTAIN!

Tune in next week for FUCK OF THE MOUNTAIN

/George Carlin

If the guy was going as 'Shit' or 'Cocksucker', then maybe not so much fun?

[mr simple]

Tequila is an alcohol I should only consume in moderation.

Is that the name of your den or your favorite bar?

[Lord Humungus]

Amid packing boxes and tears, staffers leaving White House

"You're always aware that it's a special privilege to work there and not something to take for granted," said Nate Lowentheil, who worked on Obama's National Economic Council for the last three years. "It's particularly hard knowing the next wave of people coming are going to be working to reverse the things you were working to advance until your very last hour."

There were tears on the faces of some White House aides on Tuesday as press secretary Josh Earnest appeared in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room for his final press briefing ? his 354th as press secretary, Earnest said. Even former staffers were invited to return to the White House witness Earnest's last round of jousting with reporters.

"I'm going to miss it," Earnest said. "It will take some getting used to seeing somebody else standing up here doing it."

[Raven Nation]

Demonstrates one of the fundamental problems in the country: way too many people whose goal is to be a political apparatchik - on both sides of the aisle.

[The Fusionist]

Back to the farm, Cincinnatus!

Who am I kidding, even Cincinnatus would have considered the lecture circuit or lobbying firm if the offer was right.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

At my previous job, when we had politicos from the WH foisted on us, they would occasionally send out invites for tours of the White House. The number of my colleagues slavering and climbing all over each other to go on the tours was gross. Same for the people getting all emotional when Hillary left State...they all crammed in the lobby for a glimpse of HRH.

[Raven Nation]

Gross for sure. Obama visited a campus not far from here and the rush among faculty to get tickets was the same. Many of them lined up for hours starting early in the morning so they could sit near the front.

[Private Chipperbot]

When I see 'jousting' I always think of the condom scene in Skin Deep.

[Free Society]

Nate Lowentheil, who worked on Obama's National Economic Council for the last three years. "It's particularly hard knowing the next wave of people coming are going to be working to reverse the things you were working to advance until your very last hour."

Jesus fucking Christ I hope so.

[Lord Humungus]

I found Ancient Picture of Warty

[Lord Humungus]

*this

[Eternal Blue Sky]

"Russian President Vladimir Putin calls those who disseminate "fake news" about President-elect Trump are "worse than prostitutes.""

Prostitutes lie for the benefit of their customers. Media pundits lie to the detriment of their customers.

[The Fusionist]

So, "It's so big!" versus "you're so racist"?

[R C Dean]

+ 1 (((cuck)))

[GILMORE?]

Is that Joe Lieberman lurking behind DeVos?

[GILMORE?]

Oh, of course WaPo has the most reasonable, measured reaction to his support for DeVos

[Tonio]

Yes, and his introduction of her outraged the progs. My derpbook feed lit up with comments like "he should just die."

[Lord Humungus]

OT: My car started having electrical issues yesterday - warnings about headlights being out and the parking lights being on even when the car was off. And then the blinker started going off by itself - and wouldn't shut off until I pulled the key. The battery ended up dying overnight.

Long story short - BMW engineering. There is a drain hole in the sunscreen that is connected to a rubber hose and then to a metal line that dumps out in the front wheel. The rubber hose is just pressure-fitted on. Over the years it worked itself off, allowing water to work itself right into the wiring harness under the dash/wheel well.

I managed, after taking part of the roof liner off, to get the hose back on. This time i cinched it with a ziptie. And then a heater to dry out the area. So far so good - the battery held a charge overnight and all of the electrical issues have gone away, even with the light rain we had overnight.

[Raston Bot]

so you're saying there should be a 30% tariff on German cars?

[R C Dean]

There already is. They call it "service charges".

[Free Society]

That's why I thought it was particularly funny to hear the German whoever minister fire back at Trump that the US should "Build better cars". I've owned three German cars in my life, one of them brand spanking new and the others were purchased with less than 25k miles. All three of them were total nightmares to maintain. It's bad enough that basic maintenance on these vehicles was already so high, add to that the fact that they broke down or experienced serious issues at least twice as often as any other car I've owned. I was once a fan of German automobile brands, aber nicht mehr.

[Idle Hands]

CIA publishes its history, nearly 13 million pages of documents online.

The Central Intelligence Agency has published nearly 13 million pages of declassified documents online -- documents that previously were physically accessible only from four computer terminals at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland.

The documents shed some light on the agency's activities throughout the Vietnam, Korean and Cold War conflicts. It even includes documents pertaining to purported UFO sightings and the organization's "Star Gate" program investigating possible psychic abilities and what could be done with them.
"Access to this historically significant collection is no longer limited by geography," said Joseph Lambert, the CIA's information management director in a press release.

So how I think we will be disappointed at the area 51 section.

[Raven Nation]

SFed the link

[The Fusionist]

try this

[Raven Nation]

Thanks.

[Dick N. Bimbose (n?e Cooper)]

Area 51 was a distraction. All the freaky shit is at Area 52. Pay attention.

[Raven Nation]

Yep.

[Domestic Dissident]

Just read an interesting and provocative piece here theorizing that the Deep State will ultimately sink Trump through the Federal Reserve by jacking up interest rates through the roof and collapsing our house of cards economy.

The frightening thing is just how easily they could do it too, as we're totally at their mercy. Would these scumbags actually go this far? Yeah, I suspect they probably would.

[John]

They absolutely would go that far. But the fallout would be pretty severe. The problem with doing that is that it is too public. Everyone would know the fed did it. You think the fed is unpopular now, let it artificially raise interest rates to sink the economy and see how unpopular it is. It is possible but I have real doubts the Fed would risk its independence and God knows what vengeance from Congress to do the deep state's bidding.

[R C Dean]

Like all organizations, the Fed exists for the Fed's benefit. I seriously doubt they would take an existential risk for this just to torpedo a politician. They've seen them come, they've seen them go. They'll wait him out.

[John]

That is how I see it. They would happily help out the deep state if they could do so without it being known. But no way in hell are they doing a suicide mission for anyone.

[Domestic Dissident]

Ordinarily I would agree that something like that could never happen, but if he actually tries to carry through on some of the threats he's making to cut them down to size, they might very well just decide to go full nuclear and take everything down with them.

[kbolino]

It would only be artificial if it got above about 10%, or jumped up more than 1 percentage point per quarter. The rates are artificially low right now so any moderate raising of them would just be an overdue correction.

[John]

I agree. But a moderate raising wouldn't torpedo the economy. It would do it good.

[John]

If Bush dies, he will have a state funeral. When Presidents leave office they basically fill out a check list of what they want their state funeral to look like. There are a pretty big range of options for how big or how understated you want. The most understated option was Ford. Ford checked the minimum. Carter and HW Bush both checked a bit more than the minimum but not too much more. On a scale of 1 to 10 Ford was a 1 and Bush and Carter are 3 or 4. Clinton in contrast is a 10. He checked all the boxes and probably some of them twice just to make sure.

It says a lot about each President's character I think.

[Raven Nation]

What was Reagan's? I remember a lot of pomp and circumstance but have no idea how much of that was minimal.

[John]

He was a five. A bit more than Bush and Carter but much less than what he could have had.

[Raven Nation]

Thanks.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Obama will crank it up to 11.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

It will be cranked for him.

[tarran]

I know what Trump's will look like.

[Pro Libertate]

Stolen from Urkobold, the bastards.

[The Last American Hero]

I heard they are going to preserve him, Lenin-style, at his presidential library.

[John]

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

Its good to be king.

[Mainer2]

Literally.

Also, Barbara "Rey" ?

[Paloma]

Hell, I'd take it.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

So I'm kind of balking at vacationing in VT this summer. I don't know why.

Any suggestions for a vacation spot with mountains and water that's driveable (i.e. 10 hours) from DC? I was looking at Western NC or Eastern TN. Dollywood is there - that would be fun. Anyplace else?

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Then I was thinking maybe even just forget the mountains and see about the OBX or Bethany. I'm just not a beach person, though, so there would have to be some other activity, like deep sea fishing.

[John]

Go to Maine. Maine is much prettier than Vermont. Acadia national park is unbelievable. I would also consider the Adirondacks. I think they are prettier than Vermont. The Adirondacks have a lot more lakes that either the Green or White Mountains. They are like Vermont only with more lakes, fewer hippies and more Jews.

[tarran]

Portland ME also has some great restaurants. Seriously. Punches waaaay above it's city population.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

I'm interested in the answer as well. My wife and I just moved to the DC area last weekend, so we know nothing about vacationing on the east coast.

[Lord Humungus]

I absolutely love Charleston - been back there three times in the past 5 years. There is upscale shopping, history, nearby beaches, great food, the aircraft carrier Yorktown, etc.

If you can get a room there, the Chuch Street Inn is worth the stay. It's like a small condo with a kitchen and two floors.

[John]

Charleston is great but don't go there between May and September unless you are a baked potato. It is nasty hot

[Citizen X]

Is... is "baked potato" a new racial slur?

[Lord Humungus]

True that - I've been there in late March to early May.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

I like Savannah. I've heard it described as New Orleans for adults with jobs.

[R C Dean]

So I'm kind of balking at vacationing in VT this summer. I don't know why.

The mosquitos and blackflies?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Are there mountains 10 hours from DC?

[R C Dean]

Most of the Appalachians, yes.

[Pro Libertate]

I went hiking in West Virginia when I was in DC for my fellowship. Wasn't that far, as I recall.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

I'm a biased asshole. When I think of mountains I'm thinking Skyrim or Lord of the Rings.

[Tonio]

Ashville, NC. Biltmore mansion.

How much water are you looking for?

[Tonio]

Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway, Luray Caverns are all within 2-3 hours of DC (traffic dependent). Shamelessly plugging Virginia tourism.

[Citizen X]

Luray Caverns is a crispy 56 degrees year round.

[Kurmudgeonly Kristen]

Asheville is way too close to my dad (my dad is awesome, but I don't want him to expect me to hang out with him on my romantic vacation with the squeeze). Nearby Gatlinburg, but not IN Gatlinburg would be OK.

I go to VT every year and rent on Lake Champlain. Our experience this past summer was not relaxing or fun. The homeowner was not responsive and a real asshole, and he actually showed up at the house to "take measurements" one day. I want to be left the fuck alone. I suppose that's why I'm balking.

There is one house in VT that I rented a couple years ago that is perfect and the owner is great, but she gets booked up immediately, because her renters all return every year.

The issue I have with pretty much everywhere else is the lack of nearby towns. Like, the Adirondacks are desolate and depressing to me. We drive through the Schroon Lake and Paradox Lake areas to get to VT and it's too isolated. I like to have access to a few restaurants and stores (for example, last summer the squeeze's boat motor wouldn't start, but since we were so close to Colchester, we were able to pop over there to the auto parts store).

Maine might be a consideration. The Camden/Rockport area is pretty nice.

[68W58]

How about Boone N.C. or the Tri-City area in Tennessee then. Nice lakes near the Tri-cities and plenty of mountain fun around Boone (the town is set up for tourist because it has plenty of hotels for skiers during winter, and those escaping the heat in the Piedmont during summer).

[68W58]

Asheville has a lot to offer-plenty of whitewater rafting within a couple of hours drive of there in the Nantahala river gorge. I also recommend the Linville gorge for hiking and sightseeing.

[Juice]

Well, Gatlinburg is out.

[Pompey: Ho Class Mothersmucker]

I give a full-throated shoutout to Kokomo, Indiana. Trust me, you won't regret it.

[The Fusionist]

Obama commutes sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, member of Puerto Rican militant group

"...With Obama's commutation, Lopez, 74, will leave prison by May 17. In recent years, his cause had been taken up by pop culture figures, religious leaders and political luminaries. Former President Jimmy Carter, Pope Francis and U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois' 4th district supported his release, as did South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu....

"Lopez was a leader of FALN, the Spanish acronym for the Armed Forces of National Liberation. He was found guilty in U.S. District Court in Chicago in 1981 of weapons, explosives and seditious conspiracy charges, and sentenced to 55 years in prison. He received an additional 15 years in 1988 after he was convicted of plotting to escape from federal prison.

"FALN's goal was a free and socialist Puerto Rico. The group was primarily active in New York and Chicago and claimed responsibility for more than 140 bombings since 1974. Authorities connected five deaths to the bomb blasts. Another 100 people were maimed by the bombings, authorities said.

"The group's most notorious bombing occurred at New York's landmark Fraunces Tavern in 1975. Four people were killed and more than 60 injured. Lopez was not convicted of any role in that attack, but some still hold him responsible because of his ties to the ultranationalist group."

[John]

The guy smuggled C4 into prison trying to escape. He could have left prison in the late 90s in exchange for pledging to give up the cause and not blow shit up anymore. He choose to stay in prison. And now Obama is letting him out. He is one of the most dangerous people in the world. I see no reason to think he won't take up the cause of PR independence again and engage in acts of terror.

Letting this asshole out of prison is one step above letting Charlie Manson out and about on par with letting the Blind Shik out. My God is Obama an asshole.

[John]

Think of it this way. Lopez is such a lunatic and so dangerous even Bill Clinton refused to give him a midnight pardon when he left office.

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Lin Manuel Miranda, the guy who created the musical Hamilton, is so enthralled by this news that he's personally going to play the role of Alexander Hamilton in Chicago and dedicate the night to his hero.

I don't think A. Ham would have been much of a fan of Oscar Lopez Rivera.

[John]

Me either. Clinton offered to pardon him in the late 1990s if he signed a pledge not to engage in anymore terrorism. Rivera refused. And he still hasn't signed any such pledge as far as I know. So if the guy was willing to stay in prison for what appeared to be the rest of his life rather than sign a pledge not to engage in terrorism that he could have easily broken once out, I think there is a pretty good chance he is going to do something awful once he is out. FALN were the real deal They were not a bunch of stupid hippies who couldn't build a bomb without blowing themselves up like Bill Ayers' crew were. They were no shit dangerous people.

What happens when Rivera does something horrible? The media will of course pretend like it didn't happen, but there will be no hiding that. It is amazing how reckless and nasty Obama is. it is like he wants to see more terrorism.

[Raven Nation]

Clinton offered to pardon him in the late 1990s if he signed a pledge not to engage in anymore terrorism. Rivera refused.

So, he took the Nelson Mandela option?

[John]

Yup. Only he is not nonviolent.

[Trshmnstr, Grump Apprentice]

FALN's goal was a free and socialist Puerto Rico.

*scratches head*

[EdWuncler]

Aren't they kind of already there anyway? And lets say that Puerto Rico became completely "free" from the United States and became a socialist country. They would fail and probably blame Western Imperialism for their failure.

[Domestic Dissident]

About a quarter to a third of the population of Puerto Rico has moved to Florida in the last few years because the idiots destroyed their economy with too much "free" shit via borrowed money.

At least we're not making that same mistake here on the mainland.

[Suell]

I think in the context he was using it, "free" means with assloads of no strings foreign aid from the US.

[The Last American Hero]

Cut them off the teat and let them govern themselves, I say. If they choose to go full Castro, they can reap the fruits of their choices, or more likely fight over who gets the one piece of fruit.

[Paloma]

Puerto Ricans have voted over and over again for years whether to pursue becoming a state, become independent, or remain the same. They invariably go back and forth between staying the same and becoming a state. Independence always ends up with less than 5% of the vote. And by the way, the largest percentage of votes for statehood is from the Black areas of Puerto Rico. Carolina, Loiza, Ponce. And even the prisons.

[R C Dean]

"Militant group"? More "terrorist organization".

Obama's legacy just keeps growing, and not in a good way.

[The Fusionist]

It's hard to tell the difference between a militant and a terrorist, especially if you're being disemboweled by one.

/hat tip to the British comedy troupe Beyond the Fringe

[Drake]

Boom: Trump eyes 10% spending cuts, 20% slash of federal workers

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/boo.....le/2612037

[BigW]

Frankly, if the left takes out DeVos, I never want to hear another thing about failing inner city schools again.

The left is completely OK with throwing away the lives of young inner city kids.

If they kill charter schools and vouchers, then they don't actually give a damn at all and should be shunned as cons taking money to do people great wrong.

[Ceci n'est pas un woodchipper]

What kills me about the DeVos bear thing is how terrific an analogy it is for why the Progs and the Clintonistas lost this last election. Here she is answering a fairly broad question that's posed as something of a gotcha, and she's answering it in a reasonable way to allow for a national-level policy position that doesn't interfere with local responses to local issues. In other words, exactly what you'd want from the federal government.

And the usual suspects heard "bear" and are now trying to frame this as DeVos being either stupid or disingenuous because they can't picture a bear strolling around in front of PS 12 or Los Angeles Elementary School and therefore don't understand that there are a lot of parts of the country where that is a genuine possibility. In other words, coastal, urban population centers trying to impose local policies at the national level.

[Zeb]

I do think she could have answered it better, though. I think the question was something like "do you think guns have any place in schools?".

One good answer would have been that there is no reason for the federal government to take a position on it one way or the other. States or local school boards can make that decision just fine. She also might have mentioned that students might want to participate in shooting sports or go hunting after school in some places, and why shouldn't they be able to bring guns to school in a safe and secure way?

[Beno Beh]

Liberty cannot survive in such an atmosphere; it leads to the "we fuck you for 8 years and you fuck us for 8 years" pattern we're seeing today between the TEAMs. What some here seem not to understand is that there are a million different sequences of perfectly noncoercive events that lead to the loss of liberty.
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