Supreme Court Hearing Case Challenging Mandatory Union Fees, Monica Lewinsky Writes About Relationship with Bill Clinton, West Virginia Schools Closed as Teachers Protest for Higher Pay: P.M. Links

• 

  U.S.Government

  The Supreme Court is hearing a case that challenges mandatory public sector union fees for non-members.

• Monica Lewinsky reflected on her relationship with Bill Clinton and the power imbalances therein in a new essay in Vanity Fair.
• Schools in West Virginia were closed today as teachers staged a walkout to protest for higher salaries and more benefits.
• An Atlanta man ended up live streaming his own murder in North Carolina on Facebook.
• The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits.
• State media in Russia used footage from a video game combat simulator in a segment about the war in Syria.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Monica Lewinsky reflected on her relationship with Bill Clinton and the power imbalances therein...

The original #MeToo?

[John C. Randolph]

Yes, if you pronounce it "pound me too".

-jcr

[Red Tony]

+1 Nina Burleigh

[Rich]

Careful, John -- the Sisterhood might get you for that.

[Trigger Warning]

+1 Vaginal Cohiba

[SQRLSY One]

Whoa! After reading about Monica, I laid my pretty little head down for a short nap, and I had a dream, in which Bill Clinton appeared to me, as Cat in the Hat! And he recited poetry for me!

I did not do it in a car
I did not do it in a bar
I did not do it in the dark
I did not do it in the park
I did not do it on a date
I did not ever fornicate
I did not do it at a dance
I did not do it in her pants
I did not get beyond first base
I did not do it in her face
I never did it in a bed
If you think that, you've been misled
I did not do it with a groan
I did not do it on the phone
I did not cause her dress to stain
I never boinked Saddam Hussein
I did not do it with a whip
I never fondled Linda Tripp
I never acted really silly
With volunteers like Kathleen Willey

[SQRLSY One]

There was one time, with Margaret Thatcher
I chased her 'round, but could not catch her
No kinky stuff, not on your life
I wouldn't, even with my wife
And Gennifer Flowers' tale of woes
Was paid for by my right-wing foes
And Paula Jones, and those State Troopers
Are just a bunch of party poopers
I did not ask my friends to lie
I did not hang them out to dry
I did not do it last November
But if I did, I don't remember
I did not do it in the hall
I could have, but I don't recall
I never did it in my study
I never did it with my dog, Buddy
I never did it to Sox, the cat
I might have-once-with Arafat
I never did it in a hurry
I never groped Betty Currie
There was no sex at Arlington
There was no sex on Air Force One
I might have copped a little feel
And then endeavored to conceal
But never did these things so lewd
At least, not ever in the nude
These things to which I have confessed
They do not count, if we stayed dressed
It never happened with cigar
I never dated Mrs. Starr
I did not know this little sin
Would be retold on CNN
I broke some rules my Mama taught me
I tried to hide, but now you've caught me
But I implore, I do beseech
Do not condemn, do not impeach
I might have got a little tail
But never, never did inhale

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

"An Atlanta man ended up live streaming his own murder"

As opposed to suicide.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The Supreme Court is hearing a case that challenges mandatory public sector union fees for non-members.

Haven't the unions taken it on the chin enough recently?

[Citizen X - #6]

Whoa. Did you just cross the union link with the Monica Lewinsky link?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Don't be crass. You're talking about a former president's jizz.

[Red Tony]

+1 I've committed adultery in my heart many times.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among Nanarchists.

[Red Tony]

What the hell does nanotechnology have to do with anything, dude?

[loveconstitution1789]

among dudes.

[loveconstitution1789]

This is fun Citizen I mean Red Tony.

[BestUsedCarSales]

LC, I'm saying this as someone who actually likes you as a poster, don't be a Mikey.

[loveconstitution1789]

I would have to try a bit harder to be Mikey, wouldn't I?

Its fun, more people are talking about lefties, and I get to give my opinion on things too.

[silver.]

Somebody should make a Simple Mikey page on the Reason wiki, because of course that's a thing.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Like most of the chatters, probably has narcissistic personality disorder. Seems to be utterly clueless about his disease.

It holds up.

[Red Tony]

Why IS that a thing?

[BestUsedCarSales]

Some weird remant of the ante-Glibulian times.

[Trigger Warning]

Tryst of Netiquette.

[Citizen X - #6]

State media in Russia used footage from a video game combat simulator in a segment about the war in Syria.

Look, Russia ran out of fucks to give sometime during the Mongol invasion.

[silver.]

Okay, I laughed real hard at this.

It's true as hell for the average Russian. Have you seen some of those dashcam videos?

[Red Tony]

Schools in West Virginia were closed today as teachers staged a walkout to protest for higher salaries and more benefits.

It's all Trump's fault! Obviously West Virginians voted against their interests if this is happening!

[Fist of Etiquette]

Schools in West Virginia were closed today as teachers staged a walkout to protest for higher salaries and more benefits.

Oh. Em. Gee. Do they not watch the news?

[Red Tony]

An Atlanta man ended up live streaming his own murder in North Carolina on Facebook.

Christine Chubbuck wishes she had thought of that.

[Rhywun]

The shooting sent Wingate University into a lockdown, though the shooting was off campus on Jerome Street.

Of course it did.

[Rich]

aka "Wingnut U"?

[Red Tony]

Ah, good old Wingnut U, vicious rivals of Pimento University.

How I hate them.

[Fist of Etiquette]

State media in Russia used footage from a video game combat simulator in a segment about the war in Syria.

Oh my God! The fake news is coming from inside the house!

[BestUsedCarSales]

To be fair, ARMA is about as realistic as they get. Also, glad to see Poland getting their revenge.

[Sevo]

"Attorney: Deputy thought gunfire was from outside school"
[...]
"The sheriff's deputy assigned to guard the Florida high school that was the scene of a mass shooting never entered the building to confront the suspect because he believed the gunfire was coming from outside, his attorney said Monday.
[...]
"Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the 17 victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need,"
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/
education/article/Students-resolute
-as-they-re-enter-school-12708041.php

Yeah, that's the reason he was chasing all over the outside looking for the shooter, right? Right?
And regardless of his heart, it's a shame his spine fell out prior to the shooting...

[Red Tony]

The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits.

FYTW?

[Stormy Dragon]

Trump would totes have charged that mass shooter unarmed and strangled him bare handed because he's just that tou... ah, ow, bone spurs! You all better go on ahead, I'll be right behind you!

Florida school shooting: Trump says 'I would have run in unarmed'

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

So what happens is, this guy falls off right on his face, hits his head, and I thought he died. And you know what I did? I said, 'Oh my God, that's disgusting,' and I turned away... I couldn't, you know, he was right in front of me and I turned away. I didn't want to touch him? he's bleeding all over the place, I felt terrible. You know, beautiful marble floor, didn't look like it. It changed color. Became very red. And you have this poor guy, 80 years old, laying on the floor unconscious, and all the rich people are turning away. 'Oh my God! This is terrible! This is disgusting!' and you know, they're turning away. Nobody wants to help the guy. His wife is screaming?she's sitting right next to him, and she's screaming.

What happens is, these ten Marines from the back of the room? they come running forward, they grab him, they put the blood all over the place?it's all over their uniforms?they're taking it, they're swiping [it], they ran him out, they created a stretcher. They call it a human stretcher, where they put their arms out with, like, five guys on each side... I was saying, 'Get that blood cleaned up! It's disgusting!' The next day, I forgot to call [the man] to say he's OK.

[Red Tony]

So is that a mispost? Because I didn't see any of that in the linked article.

[Stormy Dragon]

It's a transcript of an anecdote Trump once told on the Howard Stern show.

It was presumably being posted to demonstrate how unlikely he is to actually go charging in after a mass shooter given his past behavior.

[loveconstitution1789]

You mean based on his past anecdote...that he gave on the Howard Stern Show... to illustrate how resourceful military people can be...when the left thought Trump was one of them.

[BestUsedCarSales]

So, direct quotations from Trump himself, recorded and said by Trump himself is not meaningful to you. Is there anything anyone could do to change your opinion on any aspect of Trump?

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

What the feller said.

[loveconstitution1789]

An Atlanta man ended up live streaming his own murder in North Carolina on Facebook.

Don't return to a place where people want to kill you for dissing them and walk around talking shit to yourself.

[Citizen X - #6]

...among lefties.

[Red Tony]

God damn, this thing is really taking off.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among Nanarchists.

You're right this is taking off.

[Red Tony]

Among lefties.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among Nanarchists.

[loveconstitution1789]

Or it just regular anarchists?

[loveconstitution1789]

Maybe its sockpuppets.

[Citizen X - #6]

Oh. You're buying into Simple Mikey's whole "everyone who thinks i'm dumb is really the same person" thing, aren't you.

Because it can't possibly be that multiple people think you're dumb, right? Is Occam's Razor a lefty plot, too?

[loveconstitution1789]

Who could possibly figure out when people have sock puppets?

Nanarchists can't.

[Stormy Dragon]

As I've said several times before, this comment section has developed a weird infectious form of the Fregoli delusion.

The CDC really ought to be quarantining us before it spreads to society at large.

[Red Tony]

I have occasionally pretended to be somebody else, to be sure, but I admit it when I'm called on it.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among sock puppets.

[silver.]

I'm no expert in forensic writing analysis, but I think people here are separate but equally lonely and bitter pundits.

[Red Tony]

Ouch. Too real man.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among sad sacks.

[Rat on a train]

Who you calling a pundit?

[BestUsedCarSales]

I'm not bitter.

[Rat on a train]

I have occasionally pretended to be somebody else, to be sure, but I admit it when I'm called on it.

I am calling it. You are not the reincarnation of a European Monarch.

[Red Tony]

...okay who the fuck is that? Is it the Lizardman or whatever he calls himself?

[loveconstitution1789]

Among reptiles.

[Trigger Warning]

It's Cesar as Chad as Lizardman as that guy.

[Trigger Warning]

I volunteer to be quarantined with Kerry Howley, or STEVE SMITH.

[Ken Shultz]

A federal appeals court in New York ruled today that the Civil Rights Act protects people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/nyregion/ gender-discrimination-civil-rights -lawsuit-zarda.html

[loveconstitution1789]

What a joke. Where in the Constitution does it say that private employers cannot discriminate based on what sex flavor you feel like being today?

[Red Tony]

...among lefties.

[loveconstitution1789]

This is taking off. Good thing its the same people.

[Ken Shultz]

They're saying it's under the CRA for "sex" is my understanding. And that isn't just about employment. It's also about the Fair Housing Act, etc.

My question is how this works with religious people. Does this mean fundamentalist Baptists are required to rent out rooms in their homes to gay people--regardless of the First Amendment and free exercise?

I'd expect this to make its way to the Supreme Court eventually.

Nobody can tell me that Congress in 1964 thought that they were making it illegal for people to discriminate against LGBTQI+.

If Congress wants to pass a law to make that so, there's a way to do that--just like there was a way to repeal the individual mandate.

[Rhywun]

The URL say "gender discrimination". Which is it?

In any event, call me crazy but I didn't think either of those things was actually specified in the law.

[Ken Shultz]

I believe they're saying that the prohibition against "sex" discrimination includes LGBTQI+, maybe that's what they mean by "gender discrimination".

Forced association isn't the solution to any of our problems.

[loveconstitution1789]

Monica Lewinsky reflected on her relationship with Bill Clinton and the power imbalances therein in a new essay in Vanity Fair.

She's wearing a blue dress! Its too easy.

[Rich]

And smoking a cigar! The jokes write themselves.

[jester]

She believes the 'Lewinksy Affair' was the main event. It was a tawdry side-show in the Let's-get-Clinton-for-Perjury strategy once most people no longer cared about the real #MeToo of Ms Jones and others before her.
Most people never doubted the consensual nature of Bill and Monica's affair. Her essay insists she was identified with PTSD but the psych docs forgot to test for Stolkholm's.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

Maybe my memory is fuzzy but I seem to remember the whole thing was vast right wing conspiracy.

[Rich]

An Atlanta man ended up live streaming his own murder in North Carolina on Facebook.

Shades of the prescient film Network!

[Fist of Etiquette]

The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits.

Well, he was still president in both the present and future in Arrival.

[Red Tony]

Defense attorneys hint at blaming acne drug to defend Longmont teen charged with murder

What the hell?

[loveconstitution1789]

So that explains why so many SJWs were so violent after Trump won.

[Rich]

It beats the Twinkie Defense.

[silver.]

I saw that headline on Drudge and decided it probably had to do with Accutane. Let's see:

YEP. Accutane does actually make a lot of people suicidal and such. Pretty nasty stuff, but absolutely not a murder defense.

[Slumbrew]

They should go with affluenza

[Rat on a train]

DC considering replacing streetcar fleet after only 2 years of operations along the 2-mile route

[Griffin3]

Free rides to continue indefinitely
DDOT does not have any plans to start charging for the streetcar at any point before the extension opens, and has yet to finalize what fare would actually be charged, according to the documents.

I've got nuttin'.

[Rich]

State media in Russia used footage from a video game combat simulator in a segment about the war in Syria.

A blatant attempt to influence our mid-term elections!

[Fist of Etiquette]

On Facebook Live, Robinson wore a hat and carried a selfie stick as he talked about his phone getting stolen.

He stopped by the Wingate Police Department to talk with Chief Donnie Gay about getting his phone back.

And the chief shot him???

[Ken Shultz]

"The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits."

This makes political instability in China even more likely.

You can hate the emperor without hating the party, but when the emperor becomes the party, that's a whole 'nother ball game.

China hasn't had a recession since they joined the WTO, but that will happen eventually. Recessions make for raucous voters here in the U.S. Imagine how bad it would be if we couldn't throw the bums out after the last recession--no Tea Party, no Hopey McChange. Things would just fester and fester and fester and fester . . .

[Red Tony]

Louis XVI wants you to shut your fucking mouth.

[Rat on a train]

Virginia may add tolling to the reverse flow of I-66.
It should reduce the average toll, but increase the outrage.

[Rich]

"That is going to cause more bailout traffic to our secondary roads."

"Well, toll *them*, too. Isn't that what you libertarians want?"

*** ducks ***

[Rat on a train]

There are some towns that beg for people to use the local roads instead of the interstate. I don't live in one of those.

[Rat on a train]

First responders wear masks to avoid opioid exposure.

[Rebel Scum]

Schools in West Virginia were closed today as teachers staged a walkout to protest for higher salaries and more benefits.

///ForTheChildren.

They should all be fired.

[Rich]

And replaced by immigrants who will do the work.

[Rat on a train]

Not even immigrants want to got to West Virginia. Perhaps robots?

[Red Tony]

And thus we had the second instance of a robot trying to commit suicide.

[Rebel Scum]

Monica Lewinsky reflected on her relationship with Bill Clinton and the power imbalances therein of adequate detergent.

[Red Tony]

The White Knight approves this message.

[Red Tony]

OT: why does lc1789 keep calling everyone nanarchists? I really don't see what nanotech has to do with anything.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among anarchists.

This thing is really taking off. Thanks for getting this going. I always wanted you and Citizen to keep talking about lefties. So easy to manipulate YOU.

[Stormy Dragon]

Wow, that "among leftists" thing is really bothering you.

[loveconstitution1789]

Its childish but whatever. It does get people talking about lefties, so there's that.

This is Reason and anything goes.

[Red Tony]

Among lefties.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among children.

Good one Citizen.

[silver.]

... among lefties.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among Nanarchists.

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

I don't know what any of this is about, or why people are engaging with lc. Am I so out of touch?

No, it's the commenters who are wrong.

[loveconstitution1789]

Among commenters.

[Red Tony]

This morning lc1789 made a comment that he ended with "among lefties." Somebody (I think it was Citizen X or BUCS) suggested that he end every post with "among lefties," as in "McDonald's breakfast is the best thing they serve...among lefties" or "My giant dick can't fit in your virgin asshole...among lefties." Since then it's taken off, with "among lefties" being appended to lc1789's statements. Among lefties.

[Red Tony]

Here's the link: linkity link link

[Ska]

Also, fried chicken.

[Rebel Scum]

The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits.

Do you know who else?

[Red Tony]

Defended the ruling Communist Party? I'm gonna go with lefties. Up until all the stories about starvation became impossible to deny, at which point they became "not real Communists."

[loveconstitution1789]

Among Communists.

[esteve7]

If I walk out of my job because I want to get paid more, I wouldn't expect to be able to return the next day. These union stooges are spoiled children. If they don't like their pay, go work somewhere else.

[Juice]

If I walk out of my job because I want to get paid more, I wouldn't expect to be able to return the next day.

But if you got together with all the other employees and they all walked out at the same time, how would the management react? Would they fire everyone and lose tons of money by not doing any business for a spell while they scramble to hire new employees?

[Unlabelable MJGreen]

But if you were part of a union and there was over a hundred years of precedent of doing exactly that, you probably would expect to return the next day or week or month.

[esteve7]

globalization can't happen fast enough

[silver.]

I saw an article about this brewing WV strike last week. If I was a parent who had to take off work to watch my child because their teachers were throwing a tantrum, I'd be furious.

It's even worse than the teachers I had sending home notes around election time urging parents to vote for Democrats so they could get a raise.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Schools in West Virginia were closed today as teachers staged a walkout to protest for higher salaries and more benefits.

Here in Washington, there was a famous State Supreme Court which led to the infamous "McCleary decision".

The whole thing was a classic case of "Mcguffin journalism" where all you got from the media was "the good guys are trying to get this thing and the bad guys are trying to stop them."

Anyhoo, it was about 'adequate school funding'. The decision simply declared that the legislature needed to 'adequately fund public schools' or be fined thousands a day. This is a fine that the government would pay itself... or something. Turns out, public schools could be adequately funded by merely giving the exiting teachers and administrators a big fat raise. Shocking that. And I thought it was about better facilities, new chalkboards and books for the kiddies.

[silver.]

Because getting into college with some of the lowest SAT scores and getting a degree in one of the easiest majors warrants the highest pay... :\

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

So Lewinsky is now bundling herself up in the #MeToo movement? What, she works for the Russians now?

[Slumbrew]

#MeToo

Having read jcr's comment above, I will now never _not_ be able to see that as anything other than 'pound me too'

[Red Tony]

STEVE SMITH DOESN'T ACKNOWLEDGE A DIFFERENCE.

[silver.]

In Soviet Russia, president blows you.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits.

Luckily the Great Firewall of China is keeping Russians from undermining China's vibrant Democracy.

[Old Mexican - Mostly Harmless]

Monica Lewinsky Writes Abpout Relationship with Bill Clinton

She was making funny faces while doing it.

The Supreme Court is hearing a case that challenges mandatory public sector union fees for non-members.

"But they're all members, see! Whether they want to or not, see!"

An Atlanta man ended up live streaming his own murder in North Carolina on Facebook.

Shame he didn't live to see all the "Likes" he received.

What? Too soon?

State media in Russia used footage from a video game combat simulator in a segment about the war in Syria.

Fiction is more real than reality.

[Rich]

Shame he didn't live to see all the "Likes" he received.

At least he didn't unfriend himself.

[Jerryskids]

Monica Lewinsky reflected on her relationship with Bill Clinton and the power imbalances therein in a new essay in Vanity Fair.

She knew Bill was powerless against those pudgy cheeks and that '60's big hair.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Gay told WBTV he knew Robinson well and was stunned that the shooting happened so close to the police department.

It's not like they'd do anything about it anyway.

Too soon?

[Ken Shultz]

"Warren Buffett: The new GOP tax law benefits Berkshire and acts as a 'huge tailwind' for businesses"

The GOP tax law, which lowered the federal corporate rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, is a "huge tailwind" for American businesses, Buffett said.

"It certainly means corporations will pay quite a bit less in tax than they otherwise would," he said. "When we make money in 2018 domestically, and subject to a lot of little things here and there, basically we'll be paying at 21 percent instead of 35 percent. That's a lot of money."

The 87-year-old Berkshire chairman and CEO released his annual report to shareholders on Saturday. It revealed that the company's net worth increased to $65.3 billion for the 2017 tax year, including $29 billion because of tax reform.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/26/ warren-buffett-the-new-gop-tax-law-benefited -berkshire-hathaway-and-was-a-huge-tailwind-for -businesses.html

[silver.]

This implies that slapping corporations with taxes might strangle the economy, which can't possibly be right. Obama is responsible for this economic boom. Somehow. I just know it in my heart of hearts.

[Ken Shultz]

I think Warren Buffet is mostly in favor of higher taxes when he doesn't want to be the target of the progressive left.

He says the right things on camera, so they leave him alone.

He isn't against increasing his company's net worth by $29 billion through tax reform--no matter what he says when he's being interviewed by CNN.

Gates does the same shit. He bought himself half a network and devoted money to helping African children 'cause it's less expensive than fending off antitrust suits in America and Europe.

Oh, for that reason and because he cares about people.

[Stormy Dragon]

Roy Moore has decided to be the gift that keeps on giving:

Roy Moore Endorses Missouri GOP Candidate Who Expects 'Home Cooked Dinner At Six'

[BestUsedCarSales]

I also expect that, but sadly day after day my expectations are thwarted and my heart remains empty.

[Rat on a train]

Your sex doll is not a robot. You can't expect that much.

[Red Tony]

Check your privilege, you technophobe! You don't get to decree what's a robot and what's not! And furthermore, that sex doll is being slut-shamed by prudes like you! Also it never wanted to be a sex doll, so that's human trafficking! #RoboRights #NoShame #DoubleStandard #RacistTrainRat

[silver.]

Updates on the fake gun interviews: Gun rights activists Rob Pincus and Utah resident Janalee Tobias of Women Against Gun Control were recruited to perform the fake interview and make absurd "training videos" with techniques alleged to be used for Israeli children as young as three. Representatives from the West Virginia Citizen's Defense League, Florida Carry, AmmoLand, and various other instructors and gun dealers have been contacted.

These are efforts to discredit respected 2A activists. Do not consent to any interviews you can not record yourself. Do not ignore any red flags in the current gun-control climate.

[silver.]

They are iikely connected to a similar effort by Borat mastermind Sacha Baron Cohen to trick celebrities into similar gaffes.

The (now removed) First Freedom Television Facebook page was asking for people to participate in self-defense techniques:

"We are looking for everyday people who are interested in learning some new techniques to help keep themselves and their communities safe from all types of threats ? while making some money and having a lot of fun."

"We prefer participants who have had no previous military or self-defense training, and you don't need more than average physical ability. The goal of this project is to show how everyday people can use cutting edge self-defense techniques to make a positive impact in their communities."

[Stormy Dragon]

This actually made me tear up a bit:

Kenneth Eng Is On The Other Side of Viral Now

[silver.]

Interesting article on a very unusual situation, thanks for sharing.

I think it does highlight that there are many people who are feared to be potentially violent, and it's not at all obvious who the really problematic ones are.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Mental illness is one of the hardest issues. No one has a good answer to it. It's often not a case of just seeking help, or toughening up. And it's also not enough to just throw money at it. The best we can do is give them our sympathy, but also treat them as humans and as adults. Living with mental illness is hard, and one of the most frustrating things is when it causes people to just write you off like you're just a broken toy. We're people too, even if we're people with problems.

[buybuydandavis]

"The foreign ministry of China defended the ruling Communist Party's decision to remove presidential term limits."

Sounds like freedom.

Too bad. Sure would be nice for the world China to transition toward a freer society. Dictator for Life sounds like a step in the wrong direction.