A.M. Links: Latest on North Korea, Trump vs. McConnell, Tesla Readies Self-Driving Semi-Truck

• 

  Gage Skidmore / Flickr.com

  New poll: 70 percent of Americans "believe the federal investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the US should be able to look into President Donald Trump's finances."

• President Trump attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today on Twitter. "Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done," Trump wrote.
• Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says that Japan can shoot down a North Korean missile attack against Guam.
• "The Algerian national suspected of ploughing a hire car into a group of soldiers in a wealthy Paris suburb is believed to be unknown to French intelligence services and had no criminal record, a police source said on Thursday."
• Tesla is reportedly close to testing a prototype of a self-driving semi-truck.
• Scientists at the Natural History Museum in London have named a recently discovered species of prehistoric sea crocodile after Motörhead singer and heavy metal icon Lemmy Kilmister. The crocodile will be known as Lemmysuchus obtusidens.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

70 percent of Americans "believe the federal investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the US should be able to look into President Donald Trump's finances."

30 percent said, "Huh?"

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

30% are logical. Makes sense to me.

[Rhywun]

Since we know the Russians were meddling on all sides, I wonder what their response was when asked about Clinton's finances.

[Citizen X - #6]

Russians: "Nu, shto ti', tovarischi?" [hysterical laughter, sound of bottles being opened]

[Citizen X - #6]

"Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done," Trump wrote.

Yes.

[Rufus The Monocled]

McConnell looks like he'd be perfect cast as Pyjama boy's grandfather.

Two generations of cucks!

[Jerryskids]

I can't believe Trump didn't make a deal with McConnell to get it done. It would have been simple and easy and everybody would have loved it.

[Fist of Etiquette]

"Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done," Trump wrote.

Yes?

[Citizen X - #6]

Seriously.

[Fist of Etiquette]

I picture Trump saying this into a mic while standing in front of a fake brick wall, as the setup to the opening joke of his act.

[Crusty Juggler]

"What's the deal with government health care? It doesn't improve your health, and the government doesn't care."

[Tom Bombadil]

That's gold, Jerry. Gold!

[Palin's Buttplug]

Police: Man confessed to fatally shooting neighbor over dog droppings

http://www.ajc.com/news/crime-.....o7oxpP0NM/

[Citizen X - #6]

Is this your way of letting us know you're finally going to prison?

[Palin's Buttplug]

May you spend eternity eating the curdled cheese that grows in Donald Trump's ass crack.

[Citizen X - #6]

That's an awful lot of words to say "yes."

[Chinny Chin Chin]

That's easily the most beautiful thing you've ever written, PB

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

Dog droppings? Something is wrong with that poor dog.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says that Japan can shoot down a North Korean missile attack against Guam.

Oh, Japan just wants America to let it arm itself again.

[PurityDiluting]

"Japan in that case can exercise the right to "collective" self-defense and activate the Aegis destroyer ship-to-air missile defense system"

I hope we trained them well on how to use our technology

[gaoxiaen]

I don't have a problem with that. Japan has Fat Boy Kim in their back yard.

[Crusty Juggler]

A libertarian think tank published this: Why Libertarians and Conservatives Should Stop Opposing the Welfare State

As a self-described "liberaltarian," I have come to a different point of view. I believe that, in the world we live in, a robust welfare state is a necessary element of a healthy free society. Contrary to usual libertarian assumptions, I see overwhelming evidence that government social programs greatly improve outcomes in key dimensions of human welfare. And I see no reason to think that there is any invisible hand that could guide the voluntary nonprofit sector toward matching or improving on the government's record. I therefore conclude that a purist libertarian program of severely reducing or completely zeroing out the welfare state would result in disastrous increases in human suffering. Compared to a typical progressive, I'm much more likely to be concerned about dependency traps and other perverse incentives, excessive and overweening bureaucracy, and rent-seeking shenanigans of various sorts. That said, my views clearly diverge from those of conventional libertarians and small-government conservatives.

I literally just can't.

[Rich]

key dimensions of human welfare

Nice band name.

[gaoxiaen]

I call them pussy, pot, pills, and panheads..

[Citizen X - #6]

Weird, this kind of nonsense is usually more Salon's schtick.

[SIV]

It's Will Wilkinson so it can't be libertarian.

[Crusty Juggler]

He didn't write it.

[Citizen X - #6]

Fool! "Brink Lindsey" is just one of Will Wilkinson's flesh-golems! You'd be able to see this if you had tertiary chicken syphilis.

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

I am getting a broken link. But I would not be surprised for something like that to come out of the Niskanen Center.

[Crusty Juggler]

I am the weakest linker! HA!

[Rufus The Monocled]

I might be wrong, but I could swear this is not the first time Niskanen takes a left-libertarian stance on things.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

It's pretty much their mission statement.

(and if you were being sarcastic, excuuuuuse me!)

[pan fried wylie]

No sarcasm font required, nicely done.

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

Brink is an interesting name.

[sarcasmic]

And I see no reason to think that there is any invisible hand that could guide the voluntary nonprofit sector toward matching or improving on the government's record.

I've never seen anyone make that argument, so I'm calling "straw man."

The libertarian argument is a moral one. That charity should be paid for by funds that are voluntarily given, as opposed to taken under threat of imprisonment. Not only that, but there is an opportunity cost for every tax dollar that is forcefully taken from the private sector. That money could be used to create jobs for those poor people, instead of giving them handouts.

Whatever. I dub thee Straw Man Slayer Supreme!

[Rhywun]

That money could be used to create jobs for those poor people, instead of giving them handouts.

LOL the poor can't work. They were born into a lower caste and are unable to better themselves. That's why they need our help.

[gaoxiaen]

No. That's why there are drug-dealing and prostitution.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

You should read more.

Not so much that there is an "invisible hand," but that private action can take care of the (deserving?) poor. That's a pretty common and contested argument among libertarians.

[Mmmmmm]

You should learn to read. The argument you're citing isn't the one being made.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Yes, it is. Plenty argue that private charity and relief orgs will do better than the government. There is more than the morality of taxation argument.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I guess perfectly healthy people getting hooked on welfare when they should be working is considered to be a key component of a healthy society, huh.

I have little problem with welfare. What I hate is the abuse and waste and the fact we're shamed if we try to cut and clean it up. The bottom line is the welfare doles can be reduced. It's immoral for us to put people who we know shouldn't be on it because it's enabling.

I'd knock it off with corporate welfare too. Cut that shit out.

[Rufus The Monocled]

When I say, to clarify, 'little problem' I mean it in a pragmatic way because I don't think it's realistic that we'll ever get rid of it. Rather, from a moral stance, we need to be more selective as to who gets it and keep it at a minimum. No one gains when a healthy and productive person goes on welfare.

[Crusty Juggler]

I agree that it is very unlikely the welfare state is going away, but libertarians should always be opposed to it. It's like trade in that way - there will never be totally free trade, and libertarians should always advocate for free trade.

It's different if a libertarian-minded individual is working within the system and does the best they can to make the welfare state less onerous, or trade more freer, while still adhering to essential principles.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

The broad point about priorities is fair, and I generally agree with it, but that doesn't mean we should 'give up' or 'look the other way' at welfare until cronyism is addressed. If this is about practical politics, the fact is that substantive welfare cuts are not on the table, so what's the practical point of the piece? If we do get to a place where, say, SNAP is going to be scrapped in its entirety, but no progress has been made on licensing laws, farm subsidies and tariffs, zoning, etc. - sure, make an argument for keeping SNAP. But we're not anywhere close to that. And chances are that when we are there, we won't have the luxury of choosing what stays and what goes.

IMO, the only good that libertarian rhetoric can accomplish is holding the state back at the margins. If you're gonna concede certain state actions as legit or not worth resisting, the ideology becomes pointless.

[BYODB]

If it's about 'practical politics' than all you should ever do is promise more welfare. Obviously. When it fails you can always just blame the opposition.

That is what 'practical politics' looks like.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

As intuitive as it sounds, it's not at all clear that more goodies is a vote-getter. People do vote based on ideas, partisan allegiance, perceived character, etc., and not just narrow self-interest.

[Rhywun]

I'm much more likely to be concerned about dependency traps and other perverse incentives, excessive and overweening bureaucracy, and rent-seeking shenanigans of various sorts.

If you're so concerned about these problems, you wouldn't be arguing for policies that are guaranteed to multiply them-- Jesus, it's like arguing with a five-year-old.

[BYODB]

Exactly. Welfare is a dependency trap, so saying you're worried about those but are still 'for welfare' means you just want to talk about the scope of the problem you're willing to create.

[Jerryskids]

I see overwhelming evidence that government social programs greatly improve outcomes in key dimensions of human welfare

I'm much more likely to be concerned about dependency traps and other perverse incentives, excessive and overweening bureaucracy, and rent-seeking shenanigans of various sorts

You don't think those two statements kinda conflict with each other? When you do a cost/benefit analysis, you gotta weigh all the costs, and when you consider that government wealth redistribution is not even a zero sum game but a negative sum game, the costs are astronomical.

[PurityDiluting]

"self-described "liberaltarian"
liberal-tarian? that's a party of 1.

[Citizen X - #6]

Calling yourself a "liberaltarian" is how you say "i'm a progressive Democrat, but my libertarian friends have good weed, so..."

[gaoxiaen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBShN8qT4lk

[Rebel Scum]

That said, my views clearly diverge from those of conventional libertarians and small-government conservatives

That's because you are a wolf in sheep's clothing. You are a regressive leftist that is attempting to co-opt the term "libertarian".

[BYODB]

Yeah, that guy just discovered that he's a Progressive.

[CE]

Yeah, after governments take 50 percent of our wealth, the voluntary nonprofit sector can't help anyone. Gee, i wonder why not?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Algerian national suspected of ploughing a hire car into a group of soldiers in a wealthy Paris suburb is believed to be unknown to French intelligence services...

I can't tell if this for them is better or worse than all the times it's one of the ones that are known to them.

[Rich]

Moreover, the person who believes the Algerian national to be unknown to French intelligence services is believed to be unknown to French intelligence services.

[Rhywun]

I hope he was sacked.

[Rich]

70 percent of Americans "believe the federal investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the US should be able to look into President Donald Trump's finances."

And 80 percent of Americans "believe the federal investigation into Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election in the US should be able to look into former Secretary Clinton's server."

[Crusty Juggler]

Former Trump staffers A.J. Delgado, Jason Miller welcome child conceived on campaign trail

A.J. Delgado, who served as a transition adviser, and Jason Miller, the married former White House communications director, welcomed a son last month, she revealed Tuesday.

Ew.

[Citizen X - #6]

Two ugly people can often breed to produce beautiful children, so this kid might luck out.

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

True, but all the asymmetries have to cancel just right, so it is unlikely.

[Tom Bombadil]

"Two ugly people can often breed to produce beautiful children"

Usually takes interracial to pull that off.

[Rhywun]

And even then you have to cross your fingers.

[gaoxiaen]

+1 ugly DNA. NTTAWWT.

[Liberty =><= Equality]

You're telling me Donald Trump tolerates infidelity? ::shocked face::

[Fist of Etiquette]

Tesla is reportedly close to testing a prototype of a self-driving semi-truck.

No word on whether or not JCVD will be doing splits on it.

[Crusty Juggler]

6 SC deputies disciplined, fired for having sex while on duty

Two former Employees of the Month for the York County Sheriff's Office are now former employees.

Sheriff Kevin Tolson said he fired Sgt. Jennifer Forsythe and Deputy Daniel Hamrick for having sex on duty this year.

The sheriff said an internal investigation revealed between 2003 and now, Forsythe had sexual relations with five deputies on the job.

I don't know, when a woman who looks like that is dtf, what choice does a man have?

[Liberty =><= Equality]

I wouldn't touch her with Dunphy's dick.

[Citizen X - #6]

Maybe she's got a good personality?

[Tom Bombadil]

You see what happens when cops aren't allowed to extort good-looking prostitutes on duty?

[gaoxiaen]

Pics or didn't happen.

[Citizen X - #6]

"The Algerian national suspected of ploughing a hire car into a group of soldiers in a wealthy Paris suburb is believed to be unknown to French intelligence services and had no criminal record, a police source said on Thursday."

Whaddaya mean sacrificing essential human liberties to build a panopticon security state doesn't work?!?

[Liberty =><= Equality]

The death toll would have been smaller, except the French soldiers thought it was a battle exercise and attempted to preemptively surrender to the car.

[Liberty =><= Equality]

What the fuck's a Lemmy?

[Citizen X - #6]

I literally can't even.

[Liberty =><= Equality]

Not a Game of Thrones fan I take it.

[Citizen X - #6]

THAT'S LOMMY YOU ASSHOLE

[sarcasmic]

Ace Of Spades

[Crusty Juggler]

Lemmy is God.

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

Does this crocodile have a giant mole?

[Crusty Juggler]

Splitting opinion... The jeans with a zip that means they really do come as a pair!

The latest trend in denim is for a zip that runs down the front, underneath and up to join the waistband at the back ? splitting the trousers in two.

despite the apparent impracticality of having a zip that runs from front to back, there are some benefits.

Elle magazine adds that they could be 'really great for the weak-bladdered'.

I hope they make them in my size!

*fingers crossed*

[Citizen X - #6]

Fact: Crusty's pants size is "irregular."

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

Crusty wears chaps. And no underwear, of course. Also, mutton chops.

[Rich]

You know who else was 'really great for the weak-bladdered'?

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

The Stadium Buddy?

[Liberty =><= Equality]

The piss boy that you look like.

[gaoxiaen]

They're very abrasive, but I can deal with that.

[perlchpr]

These were around at least 20 years ago. *fond memories*

[Rebel Scum]

Sounds like a good way to get ones scrotum caught in a zipper.

[Crusty Juggler]

Trump-like chicken at White House ruffles feathers on Twitter

The 30 ft (9m) tall bird, referred to as "Chicken Don", stands between the official residence of the US president and the famous Washington Monument.

Eat your heart out, French Resistance.

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

SIV just nutted.

[Crusty Juggler]

There's not nearly enough girdle.

[gaoxiaen]

Griddle?

[Troy muy grande boner]

http://www.breitbart.com/londo.....re-racist/

[Troy muy grande boner]

Immigration is awesome.

[Troy muy grande boner]

Your daughter getting raped is a price Nick and company is willing to pay so they can virtue signal at their cocktail parties.

[Citizen X - #6]

Have you considered switching to decaf?

[Liberty =><= Equality]

Decaf cocktails? Hell no. I take my Long Island Ice Tea with Four Loko.

[Citizen X - #6]

The last weekend you can actually remember was in 1998!

[Palin's Buttplug]

So what is your remedy to the Muslim problem?

[Liberty =><= Equality]

There's been some scholarship done on analogous problems in the past century.

[Troy muy grande boner]

Deportation

[Troy muy grande boner]

And not letting them in in the first place.

[Palin's Buttplug]

"Deportation".

Okay. Thanks for answering even though our Constitution won't allow it.

Of course we could amend the Constitution.

[Palin's Buttplug]

All the little Brat-bitches are demanding that all Muslims be killed or deported.

And yet they "love the Constitution".

[Troy muy grande boner]

Tony. The face of Reason. Good job buddy. You won.

[Palin's Buttplug]

First, I am not Tony you jackass.

And second, I despise Islam.

I would just like you to propose a legal remedy to this problem.

[Troy muy grande boner]

Tony ... buttplug... eh... what's the difference?

[Citizen X - #6]

Tony is just a childish hedonistic jackass, shreek is actually mentally ill.

[BYODB]

So in your view it is unconstitutional to limit immigration? Do tell.

[Crusty Juggler]

The Committee to Save America

Here's one of the most intriguing ? and consequential ? theories circulating inside the White House:

The generals, the New Yorkers and Republican congressional leaders see themselves as an unofficial committee to protect Trump and the nation from disaster.
This loose alliance is informal.
But as one top official told us: "If you see a guy about to stab someone with a knife, you don't need to huddle to decide to grab the knife."

I've said it before and I'll say it again: we are heading for a Seven Days in May-esque showdown

[Fist of Etiquette]

I can't wait that long.

[Troy muy grande boner]

A real coup would be nothing less than civil war

[gaoxiaen]

Do you have a point?

[colorblindkid]

I hate polls and don't take anything from them. Not because of sampling or because of media bias or because they make Trump look bad. I hate them on most topics such as these because most Americans have no fucking idea what they are talking about. most Americans either don't follow the news or get their news from one-sided sources. I hate them because people act as if they are supposed to mean that the government should do something about something as long as some poll says people care. That's not how it works.

[Jerryskids]

I hate them because people act as if they are supposed to mean that the government should do something about something as long as some poll says people care. That's not how it works.

Unfortunately, for a lot of politicians, that is how it works. Enough people argue for repealing the laws of supply and demand, of reason and logic and math, politicians promise to repeal them.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

most Americans either don't follow the news or get their news from one-sided sources

Did you learn that from a poll, or have you spoken to most Americans?

[Troy muy grande boner]

I like those di-hydrogen oxygen scares the Top Men fall for cuz they are effectively retarded

[BYODB]

It's di-hydrogen monoxide...

[Troy muy grande boner]

But back to my point, open borders libertarians are nothing less than rape apologist.

[Citizen X - #6]

That's... not actually true, nor is it a point.

[Crusty Juggler]

^ Rape apologist.

[Chipper Morning, Now #1]

Interesting fact: All Canadian rapists are rape apologists.

[$park? leftist poser]

+1 sooree aboot dat, eh

[Palin's Buttplug]

That is your GOP brethren speaking.

[Citizen X - #6]

Noticing that you're a crazy person doesn't make me GOP, shreek.

[Tom Bombadil]

Hey Ignatius.
A few days ago you were ranting about what a pure libertarian you are and how everyone here is a Team Red, Trumptard.
I have no recollection, but maybe you can give a few examples of the times you said a contrary word against the warmonger, socialist, Imperial President Obama.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

Are we more, at least?

[Rebel Scum]

Tesla is reportedly close to testing a prototype of a self-driving semi-truck.

To be hacked and run through a crowd of people by a terrorist from the comfort of his cave.

[BYODB]

I don't think you're going to need to hack one of those things for a disaster to happen; it's just innate in the idea of a driverless vehicle. It's akin to someone saying that we should trust spellcheck and autodictation programs to write all documents for us without review. Sure, that'll work out well. And that's something that's far, far easier than driving.

[CE]

Self-driving vehicles are already better than human drivers. In a few more years they will be a lot better.

[Mmmmmm]

Ahahahahahahahahhaahahahhah

No. Just, no.

[Rebel Scum]

President Trump attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today on Twitter. "Can you believe that Mitch McConnell, who has screamed Repeal & Replace for 7 years, couldn't get it done,"

"See that guy? Yea? Fuck that guy."

Donald then called him an impotent, small-handed, wuss.

[Rhywun]

? Donald Trump is comin' to town! ?

"I don't believe he incorporates any of our values," said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. "And so I know there's a large number of people that did not vote for him. Therefore, I believe he's not welcome here."

She is correct in that Trump has shown no propensity for race-hustling or hanging out with Communists so there is that.

[Rebel Scum]

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says that Japan can shoot down a North Korean missile attack against Guam.

Know who else attacked Guam?

[Rich]

Hank Johnson?

[Robespierre Josef Stalin]

Hey guys,

Yesterday, I learned that abandoning a massively expensive nuclear weapons programs that can be exercised by the state to kill a billion people or so in an afternoon wasn't a part of a reasonable libertarian critique of government. It's still ok, though, to take away Medicaid benefits from poor people. Whew! Thanks guys.

[Tom Bombadil]

Medicaid benefits can never be "taken away". But the "giving away" can come to an end. There is a difference and that's part of what makes you not a libertarian.

[Citizen X - #6]

I'm pretty sure amsoc is aware that he's just a troll (for some value of "aware").

[Robespierre Josef Stalin]

How am I being troll? I'm arguing that we should get rid of these expensive moral obscenities that can't be used by anyone except a paranoid lunatic. You would think thatlibertarians would be all about limited the scope of government, but the philosophy seems curiously selective about what it wants to limit. I'd say its reliance on various Randian assholes doesn't help the cause.

[Citizen X - #6]

You might try re-reading your entire posting history here, if you're confused as to why a reasonable person would consider you a troll.

Also: noticing that you are a disingenuous douchebag is NOT a defense of nukes.

[BYODB]

So if we got rid of all our nukes, your claim is that the rest of the world will follow suit? Cool story.

[notJoe]

It's so cute when hardcore leftists worry about people dying.

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