Amtrak Train Derails Near Seattle, Puerto Rico to Recount Hurricane Deaths, Judge Kozinski Steps Down Amid Scandal: P.M. Links

• 

  Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa USA/Newscom

  An Amtrak train derailed off an overpass south of Seattle this morning, and there have been at least six deaths reported. This was the inaugural trip for a higher-speed passenger train system intended to travel to Portland. The crash prompted President Donald Trump to tweet that his infrastructure plan needs to be approved.

• The White House has released national security strategy report today which seems to classify all of the Trump administration's goals as national security issues.
• The governor of Puerto Rico is ordering a recount of all the deaths attributable to Hurricane Maria. The "official" death count stands at only 64 people, but independent observers believe as many as 1,000 deaths or more can be attributed to the storm.
• Judge Alex Kozinski, of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, announced today that he is retiring immediately following a wave of reports of sexual misconduct.
• But now there's a question as to whether Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will resign after all.
• Twitter has launched a hate speech crackdown targeting accounts connected to white nationalists.
• The first legal gay marriages have arrived in Australia. Also, brutal Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced he is flip-flopping back into support for legal recognition for same-sex marriage. Just don't bring any drugs to the receptions to avoid the death squads.
• The president of ESPN stepped down today and announced he was battling a substance addiction.

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Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The president of ESPN stepped down today and announced he was battling a substance addiction.

I assume this means he was about to be MeToo'd.

[Rhywun]

#metoo

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Have you been banned for mocking the squirrels?

#MeToo

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

@#metooH&R squirrels mock you. But you already knew that.

[Elias Fakaname]

Do NOT fuck with squirrels

https://tinyurl.com/y7m52r8x

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

"Twitter has launched a hate speech crackdown targeting accounts connected to white nationalists."

But the racist, ignoramuses who roam the progressive left's halls will be safe.

Assholes.

[Tom Bombadil]

Sharia Nationalists report business as usual.

[DJF]

Is substance abuse the new name the kids call low ratings?

[Mickey Rat]

Well, that explains ESPN's programming decisions of late.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Huh, turns out the substance was the assholes of underage filipino boys.

[averyon]

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[Fist of Etiquette]

The first legal gay marriages have arrived in Australia.

G('d)ay, mate!

[Libertarian]

"The first legal gay marriages have arrived in Australia."

Finally, an answer to our trade deficit!

[Fist of Etiquette]

More like rough trade deficit. Am I right, people?

[Elias Fakaname]

Which gay hymns are they singing at the weddings?

[BestUsedCarSales]

Falling on My Knees

[loveconstitution1789]

I'm a slave 4 you

[Tom Bombadil]

"I come on a lad down under"

by: Men Atwerk

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

You know what else used to be shipped off to Autralia?

[Elias Fakaname]

Cocaine?

[Citizen X - #6]

Also, brutal Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced he is flip-flopping back into support for legal recognition for same-sex marriage.

Twist: same-sex marriage is now mandatory in the Philippines.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

What about every-day-sex marriage?

[Citizen X - #6]

There is not this idea.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

I enjoy paradoxes.

[Jimbo]

Does it have to involve at least 2 people?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Also, brutal Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced he is flip-flopping back into support for legal recognition for same-sex marriage.

Not so "brutal" now, is he, Shackleford? Someone owes someone a woke apology.

[Zeb]

Not so fast. You should see the last guy Duterte gay-married. I will not go into details as I don't have the particular writing skills necessary (where's SugarFree when you need him?).

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

During my banishment, I took a peek into the Glib Kingdom. SugarFree is alive and well as a court jester, though much subdued in tone and inspiration.

[Citizen X - #6]

Damn, that is sad to hear. Is somebody spiking his insulin with Valium or something?

[BestUsedCarSales]

You were banished?

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Yes, BUCS, I was banned for a while.

[BestUsedCarSales]

When was that? What happened 🙁

[BestUsedCarSales]

When was that? What happened 🙁

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

See how your comment was posted twice? I did that, except my comment was posted 10 times. It looked like I did it on purpose (I didn't, I was just trying to double post to mock the squirrels) and was considered spamming the comment section.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

What happened? What makes you bannable? What're the rest of us, chopped liver?

[Elias Fakaname]

Wow, that is impressive. I regularly advocate for reducing the progressive population down to a more...........manageable level, through any means necessary., and they haven't banned me.

Did you thank Hitler or something?

https://tinyurl.com/y99rlyx4

[Tom Bombadil]

As Groucho Marx once said:

I wouldn't want to be a member of a club who wouldn't ban me. Or something.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

T'row dis bum out!

[Elias Fakaname]

If Karl had been Groucho, the world would be a much happier place today.

[Rich]

Object on tracks may be cause of deadly Amtrak derailment

*Please* don't let that object turn out to be a Qur'an. 8-(

[Citizen X - #6]

Worse - a copy of The Road to Serfdom.

[Jimbo]

Worser: Trump's infrastructure bill

[Rich]

"What's that on the tracks? A head?"

[Juice]

Sure it wasn't Atlas Shrugged with them being government-owned and operated trains?

[Tom Bombadil]

If SugarFree were here, he'd pen the internal dialogue of all the Progressive train riders revealing them to be responsible for their own deaths.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

SugarFree is John?

[loveconstitution1789]

They should have used Reardon metal for those railroad tracks.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

"Is there a chance the tracks might bend?"

"Why yes, yes there is, my Hindu friend."

[esteve7]

I should just use that clip whenever people clamor for high speed rail etc

[Eidde]

It obviously wasn't "Great Legislative Accomplishments of Congress in the past few years" - wouldn't be thick enough to derail so much as a model train.

[Elias Fakaname]

That's really a slam on the fortitude of model trains, isn't it?

[loveconstitution1789]

Lionel is that you?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Twitter has launched a hate speech crackdown targeting accounts connected to white nationalists.

I can't wait to see that algorithm in action.

[Rich]

You know who else couldn't wait to see his algorithm in action?

[Citizen X - #6]

Whoever built Al Gore?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The president of Cyberdyne Systems?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Al Gore at his wedding reception?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Richard Hendricks.

[Citizen X - #6]

+800 dicks

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

The squirrels, after I made fun of them?
(And I apologize again, Mr. Squirrel)

[Citizen X - #6]

Fuck with the bull, get the horns. My thoughts and prayers were with you during your time in the outer darkness.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

Al Gore's dance instructor?

[loveconstitution1789]

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg?

[Rhywun]

If by "algorithm", you mean "batallions of Filipinos".

[loveconstitution1789]

Those are called Filibinos

[Tom Bombadil]

Battalion of Filipinos was the name of my band in college.

We changed it from 10,000 Amok Visayans.

[BestUsedCarSales]

for word in words:
if word == "jiggaboo":
ban()

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Seems too complex.

[Elias Fakaname]

What a coincidence. 'Jiggaboo' is my safe word during BDSM sessions.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I would just assume you're referencing Big Daddy Kane's verse in Burn Hollywood, Burn

[Fist of Etiquette]

But now there's a question as to whether Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will resign after all.

Ha! Now that Moore's out of the picture.

[Syd Henderson]

With the tax bill hangng on every vote, this wouldn't be a good time to leave the seat empty. He can wait till his replacement is sworn in.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

With all the ongoing revelations, he found out that being a sexual predator put him with the majority in his party.

[Libertarian]

Isn't there a story rumored to come out tomorrow on 40 Congressman who will be revealed to be harassers? Maybe he's hoping to get lost in the crowd.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I'm very disappointed if it really turns out that 40 Congressmen had sex.

[Red Tony]

Don't worry, your mom was involved with a LOT more than 40.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Don't you dare fucking say my mom fucked Congressman. She fucked TRUCKERS YOU MOTHERFUCKER

[Tom Bombadil]

It's MOTHERTRUCKERFUCKER.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Well, the other guys were MOTHERFUCKERTRUCKERS

[Tom Bombadil]

HA!

[Red Tony]

I kinda doubt that; you see, truckers have class.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Judge Alex Kozinski, of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, announced today that he is retiring immediately following a wave of reports of sexual misconduct.

You'd think he would have resigned when they found out he was the unibomber.

[Rich]

Or after this photo escaped.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

NSFL.

[Rich]

The president of ESPN stepped down today and announced he was battling a substance addiction.

That substance being testosterone?

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

There are better way to supplement testosterone than drinking from the bottle.

[chemjeff]

Depends on which bottle you're drinking from!

[Tom Bombadil]

"he was battling a substance addiction."

Progressive Fagitosis. (Even tho the sound of it is something quite atrocious)

[Fist of Etiquette]

The governor of Puerto Rico is ordering a recount of all the deaths attributable to Hurricane Maria.

Good thing they hadn't yet called Death to concede.

[Tom Bombadil]

Many of the deaths can be attributed to the Salmon Mousse.

[Citizen X - #6]

The White House has released national security strategy report today which seems to classify all of the Trump administration's goals as national security issues.

Making America Great Again IS a matter of national security, holmes.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The White House has released national security strategy report today which seems to classify all of the Trump administration's goals as national security issues.

Of course, the worst part of it FOR REASON is that they took Climate Change off the list of threats to national security. RIGHT, REASON?

[Ron]

the only way climate change can be of a threat is if the U.S. continues to get involved in other countries interior issues. If we leave them alone no problems not even if they have to migrate which few will actually have to do.

[Rich]

But now there's a question as to whether Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will resign after all.

He's groping, er, *grappling* with the decision.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The crash prompted President Donald Trump to tweet that his infrastructure plan needs to be approved.

Using a fresh tragedy to push a political agenda? This is the day Trump truly became president.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

Didn't he already do that when he rocketed Syria over the dead babies? Even the media loved him for that one.

[Tom Bombadil]

He was Rocket Man before Rocket Man was cool.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

An Amtrak train derailed off an overpass south of Seattle this morning, and there have been at least six deaths reported. This was the inaugural trip for a higher-speed passenger train system intended to travel to Portland. The crash prompted President Donald Trump to tweet that his infrastructure plan needs to be approved.

I believe they just spent $186 million on this run.

[BYODB]

Hey, but at least that train was on time when it flew on the tracks!

[BestUsedCarSales]

If they wanted to go to Portland that bad then fuck 'em.

[Tom Bombadil]

"I believe they just spent $186 million on this run"

But those were Obama Dollars, not Trump Dollars. Trump Dollars are like Rearden Steel.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

An Amtrak train derailed off an overpass south of Seattle this morning

Traveling between the cities of Seattle and Portland, what are the odds the train veered left off of the tracks?

[BYODB]

Scott Claggett, a software salesman, was taking the train to Portland for a business meeting. He reported feeling the train start to lean to the left.

I see what you did there.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

I had no idea that my silly comments were so powerful...

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

And as usual, it ended in a train wreck.

[Tom Bombadil]

If traveling from Seattle to Portland, no veering necessary.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Twitter has launched a hate speech crackdown targeting accounts connected to white nationalists.

Thank goodness Net Neutrality just got overturned...

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

support for legal recognition for same-sex marriage. Just don't bring any drugs to the receptions to avoid the death squads.

Drugs are a big part of the gay community!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Or, is gayness a big part of the drug community? Think about it.

[Rich]

"Nation Comes To Grip With Backdoor Popper Epidemic"

[Citizen X - #6]

Backdoor Popper was my nick- actually, never mind.

[BYODB]

Is this a bad time to point out that sharing needles was one of the causes of the far higher incidence of gay men testing positive for HIV?

[BestUsedCarSales]

They worked hard and they played hard.

[Elias Fakaname]

That, and all the bareback assfucking with anonymous strangers at clubs and bathhouses. I don't think that helped.

[Tom Bombadil]

The issue was the issue.

[Rich]

Twitter has launched a hate speech crackdown targeting accounts connected to white nationalists.

Even the accounts that tweet "I love Twitter"?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The president of ESPN stepped down today and announced he was battling a substance addiction.

Iowahawk's take:

2016: Let's flood the zone with politics and gender wokeness
2017: On second thought let's stick to sports
2017: On third thought I'm checking into rehab

10:29 AM - 18 Dec 2017

[Rufus The Monocled]

IT'S NOT TRUE ESPN WENT WOKE.

LeBatard said so.

He also pulled a good one today. He discussed why players called Richardson 'Mister' thus conjuring up the old master/slave relationship. Apparently, Draymond Green (noted intellect) made him 'think' about why we call 'rich people masters'. And on and on he went wondering (as if it's a philosophical issue) why it's done.

I know Dan is a bleeding-heart liberal and seems to swallow SJW musings whole, but man even for him this is hilarious nonsense.

I call my elders 'mister' all the time and they're not necessarily rich. It's a show of respect that's all.

Why must everything be reduced to a racial calculus?

[Elias Fakaname]

I call people mister or sir even If they're in a subordinate service position. Especially if they're my elder.

[Tom Bombadil]

But never if they're colored. Am'rite?

[Elias Fakaname]

Colored? Like with a crayon?

Seriously though, I did not state that as criteria as it is not.

[mad.casual]

The governor of Puerto Rico is ordering a recount of all the deaths attributable to Hurricane Maria.

64 people were directly and knowingly killed by the hurricane. Ironically, now that they aren't looking for bodies directly beneath the few working lampposts, we'll get a more accurate picture of how many people were killed by AGW.

[Rich]

knowingly killed by the hurricane

Damn, is there *nothing* climate change cannot do?

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Rich is an underappreciated talent. I appreciate you, Rich.

[Libertarian]

A recount of dead people. Isn't that how Al Franken won his last election?

[Palin's Buttplug]

DFL Al Franken 1,053,205 53.15
Republican Mike McFadden 850,227 42.91

Over 300,000 dead people voted?

[Libertarian]

My mistake. It was the election before.

From Wikipedia.

The 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota took place on November 4, 2008. After a legal battle lasting over eight months, Al Franken from the Democratic?Farmer?Labor Party (DFL) defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in one of the closest elections in the history of the Senate. Al Franken took his oath of office on July 7, 2009, more than half a year after the beginning of his term on January 3, 2009.[1]

When the initial count was completed on November 18, Franken was trailing Coleman by 215 votes.[2][3] This close margin triggered a mandatory recount.[4][5] After reviewing ballots that had been challenged during the recount and counting 953 wrongly rejected absentee ballots, the State Canvassing Board officially certified the recount results with Franken holding a 225-vote lead.[6][7][8]

On January 6, 2009, Coleman's campaign filed an election contest and on April 13, a three-judge panel dismissed Coleman's Notice of Contest and ruled that Franken had won the election by 312 votes.[9][10] Coleman's appeal of the panel's decision to the Minnesota Supreme Court was unanimously rejected on June 30,[11] and he subsequently conceded the election.[12] Franken was sworn in as the junior Senator from Minnesota on July 7, 2009.[13]

[Palin's Buttplug]

That "three judge panel" had two Republicans on it. The Secretary of State was Republican.

All this talk of dead people voting and ballots pulled out of car trunks was wingnut fake news.

[Sevo]

"...was wingnut fake news."

As opposed to the far more common proggy fake news.

[Elias Fakaname]

Al Franken won the last election because he was prepared. He knew keeping a few trunkful of bogus ballots on hand could come in handy if one was ever running for senator.

[Palin's Buttplug]

But now there's a question as to whether Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will resign after all.

A little grab-ass can be a political advantage, Al.

[Palin's Buttplug]

Twitter Has Started Its Messy 'Purge' Of Neo-Nazi And 'Alt-Right' Accounts

In an effort to curb racist abuse and violent extremism on its site, Twitter started enforcing new rules Monday.

https://goo.gl/LDYB3z

Get the Dotard too, Twitter.

[Palin's Buttplug]

The "alt-right ? a loose association of neo-Nazis, white nationalists, assorted racists, fascists, and other far-right elements that has used Twitter for years to organize and recruit ? anticipated today's "purge," with many preparing to make the jump to Gab, a largely rules-free micro-blogging platform used primarily by white nationalists.

Okay, so who here has a Gab account?

[BestUsedCarSales]

I used to listen to Gabber music, I don't know if that counts.

[Libertarian]

Jesus, the country is drowning in white racists. Gab has just over 300,000 users. Twitter has over 300,000,000. Their recruitment drive is really paying off, I guess.

[Tom Bombadil]

Fortunately, Sharia Nationalists are free to carry on tweeting.

[Elias Fakaname]

You would prefer Sunni Globalist tweets?

[loveconstitution1789]

So, they are getting rid of every socialist, Nazi, Democrat, Progressive, Liberal, and Communist from twitter and Facebook?

Not many people will be left on those websites anymore.

[Palin's Buttplug]

The "alt-right ? a loose association of neo-Nazis, white nationalists, assorted racists, fascists, and other far-right elements that has used Twitter for years to organize and recruit ? anticipated today's "purge," with many preparing to make the jump to Gab, a largely rules-free micro-blogging platform used primarily by white nationalists.

Looks like your misinformation campaign is not catching on, LoveCons.

[Entropy Drehmaschine Void]

"But now there's a question as to whether Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will resign after all."

Fucker.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

That's what got him into this mess.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

Progressive mouth pieces on NPR today were attempting logical gymnastics to keep from looking like total hypocrites on this issue. They failed.

[Libertarian]

Man, I occasionally post Paul Krugman's quotes here, but you're doing the Lord's work listening to NPR.

[XM]

The track was brand new.

The only logical explanation is government incompetence (unqualified / distracted conductor, half assed construction) or sabotage.

The recommended max speed was 79 MPH, and the train was apparently seen travelling at 81.1 MPH. Is that enough to derail the train?

[Libertarian]

FWIW, I found this tidbit at Ace of Spades.

"But that's the speed for the straightaway parts of the track in this area, according to Fox's on-air report. The reporter says that the curve in front of the trestle does not permit anything like 79 mph or 81 mph; he says trains have to slow to 30mph to round the curve."

[Tom Bombadil]

" the train was apparently seen travelling at 81.1 MPH."

How does one "see" with such exacting calibration?

[loveconstitution1789]

It was some stupid kid putting a penny on the track to have it as a momento.

Unfortunately for Amtrack, that penny carried 20 trillion in debt on it and that is too much to keep a train on the tracks.

[Elias Fakaname]

I'm quoting that one later.

[XM]

The track was brand new.

The only logical explanation is government incompetence (unqualified / distracted conductor, half assed construction) or sabotage.

The recommended max speed was 79 MPH, and the train was apparently seen travelling at 81.1 MPH. Is that enough to derail the train?

[Tom Bombadil]

Probably just squirrels on the track.

[Paloma]

Where was the 600 pound guy that someone was supposed to push for heaven's sake!