Rudy Giuliani's Latest Fox Debacle Shows Not Even Trump's Closest Advisors Can Keep the President's Stormy Daniels Story Straight: Reason Roundup

Plus: Ecstasy ingredient helps veterans fight PTSD and employers rethink job-applicant marijuana testing.

Natan Dvir/Polaris/Newscom

With friends like Rudy Giuliani… Newly tapped Trump legal adviser Rudy Giuliani didn't do the president any favors on Fox News yesterday. Talking about lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels—one which Cohen has said he made on his own accord and Trump has said he knows nothing about—Giuliani claimed that Trump had indeed repaid the money to Cohen after all.

"The president repaid it," Giuliani told Fox host Sean Hannity, seeming to believe that Trump paying back the money out of his own pocket made any campaign finance violation concerns moot. But this is likely wrong.

"How the payment was made doesn't affect the legality," writes Phillip Bump at The Washington Post. "There was still almost certainly a campaign finance violation."

Giuliani also didn't seem to think his statements implicate Trump in a Daniels "hush money" payoff, explaining that Trump only knew "the general arrangement, that Michael would take care of things like this." Giuliani likened the Cohen-Trump-Daniels payments to the way "I take care of things like this with my clients. I don't burden them with every single thing that comes along," he said.

"If Rudy wants the public to believe that Donald Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen $130K and didn't know what it was for… that is unworthy of belief."- Andrew Napolitano just now on @foxandfriends. Adds Trump is "a man who knows where every one of his nickels has gone."

— Sarah Boxer (@Sarah_Boxer) May 3, 2018

Lastly, the former New York City mayor told Hannity that Trump fired James Comey over the former FBI director's refusal to say the president wasn't under investigation—which runs counter to the official reason given by the Trump administration.

This bit was lost amid the Stormy payout news. Giuliani provides a very different reason for Trump firing Comey than the one in the admin firing memos… https://t.co/hIcDoeBASR

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 3, 2018

Giuliani on Fox says Trump "fired Comey because Comey would not—among other things—say that he wasn't a target of the investigation.

"He is entitled that. Hillary Clinton got that, and he couldn't get that.

"So he fired him, and he said I'm free of this guy." pic.twitter.com/GzClqXaIKA

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) May 3, 2018

"I am stunned and speechless," Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. "If this is accurate, the American people have been lied to and deceived for months. And justice must be served."

FREE MINDS

"I realized I have that part of me locked up in jail." A new clinical study of U.S. military veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found that a combination of MDMA—the active ingredient in the party drug Ecstacy—plus psychotherapy was "effective and well tolerated," especially at higher dosing levels.

"Encouraging results from previous therapeutic trials of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) led to the new study," notes Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin. While this study was a small trial (just 26 patients), it builds on previous promising studies showing therapeutic benefits for MDMA.

Conducted by scientists with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the research was published Tuesday in The Lancet Psychiatry and marks the end of MAPS' Phase 2 trials on MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. A much larger Phase 3 trial—the final step before FDA approval—is slated to start soon.

One participant in the MAPS study "was a Marine Corps veteran who served two tours in Iraq," reports Military.com.

He received treatment for PTSD at the Department of Veterans Affairs but continued to have severe symptoms, including fits of "uncontrollable rage," during which he would yell at his wife and punch holes in the wall, according to the study.

During the psychotherapy, the veteran thought of the part of himself that's full of rage. "I realized I have that part of me locked up in jail," he is quoted as saying in the study. "I went and opened the door and hugged him, and his evil eyes faded away."

After his first session, his wife confirmed the veteran's rage attacks stopped. Other symptoms improved over the following weeks, according to the study.

These results are further evidence that MDMA, used just two times at monthly intervals, can make psychotherapy much more effective and better tolerated," [lead investigator Michael] Mithoefer said.

In 2017, the FDA designated MDMA a "breakthrough therapy" for PTSD, which could help speed up MDMA's approval as a prescription psychiatric medication.

FREE MARKETS

Marijuana testing for job applicants waning. Companies across a range of sectors and job types are "quietly taking what once would have been a radical step: They're dropping marijuana from the drug tests" required by job applicants, AP reports. Testing for marijuana has been "a fixture at large American employers for at least 30 years," it notes.

While testing for marijuana has been an annoyance for a lot of job seekers and outrageous on principle to some—there's no reason why people who smoke or consume pot in their own time can't be perfectly competent employees—the practice had become so well ingrained in the status quo that it barely yielded much protest in recent decades. The loudest complaints may have come from within big companies, where managers found too many potential employees of all sorts were shying away from applying or being excluded from jobs because of marijuana tests.

There's evidence "the Trump administration also may be softening its resistance to legal marijuana," AP points out. At a congressional hearing in April, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta floated a "step back" on employer marijuana testing. With "all these Americans that are looking to work," asked Acosta, "are we aligning our … drug testing policies with what's right for the workforce?"

QUICK HITS

• The American economy added 204,000 jobs in April, according to the latest national report.
• Since sex robots are back in the news, now as a possible deterrent to mass murder (I don't know), it seems like a good time to re-up this Reason story on the social and moral implications of sexbots and social robots more generally.
• Budweiser is releasing a "Freedom Reserve Red Lager" that is supposedly "inspired by George Washington's hand-penned recipe from his personal military journal dating back to 1757."
• From "never underestimate a commie, even a baby one" to sympathy for the spies in The Americans and Homeland: the evolution of Russian villains on U.S. television sets.
• Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant who has since accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, is seeking receipts. Her lawyers have subpoenaed archival footage from the show "that include any mention or discussion by Donald J. Trump of Summer Zervos" and "all video and audio recordings that include Donald J. Trump talking or commenting on female candidates or female potential candidates of any season of 'The Apprentice' in any sexual or inappropriate manner."
• A new paper finds that "although police now typically describe young sex workers not as juvenile delinquents but as victims of sex trafficking, a major tool in their work remains arrest and detention."
• Going to the sauna is good for your blood pressure.
• Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour has been convicted of incitement and supporting a terrorist organization for publishing her poetry to social media.
• Florida homeowners are fighting to keep a "Starry Night"–themed paint job on their home. The city has ordered them to repaint and is finding per day that they don't. "How would you like to pay for your First Amendment? $100 a day," said owner Ludomir Jastrzebski, who was born in Poland. "I came to this country and I appreciate the value of my constitutional rights."

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

...Giuliani claimed that Trump had indeed repaid the money to Cohen after all.

Unlike Crooked Hillary, the president doesn't stiff his employees!

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

Re Giuliani. Duh. No one does corruption with more ease and efficiency than Demorats and the left.

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Ummmm .... sez Wikipedia:

Politically a Democrat, then an Independent in the 1970s, and a Republican since the 1980s

Don't be so partisan. Corruption is what politicians do.

[Tony]

What the fuck do Democrats have to do with this story?

I honestly thought you morons would switch from constantly attacking Democrats during the Obama years to focusing on Republicans once they took complete control of everything.

But no. There is no libertarianism. There is only people lying about being Republicans, and not convincingly.

[Brian]

And I thought intelligent discussion of policy differences would be the discussion topic of the talking heads, instead of Clinton style sex scandals.

So much for expectations.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Some of us do, Tony. You are right. A real libertarian always criticized those in power.

[Tony]

So the crisis here is not me being a liberal but your fellow self-proclaimed libertarians being neo-Stalinists. How interesting that the fact that the president is so awful only reinforces his cult of personality.

[barfman2018]

You poor victim.

*barf*

[Tony]

You can't complain here, this is H&R!

[loveconstitution1789]

Tony, you always fake complain and you complain about rolling back government, more freedoms, and less socialism in the World.

[DJK]

There's also a libertarian argument to be made that campaign finance laws are bullshit. But hey, that would be a discussion about policy, not politicians.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Ahem, the President "stiffing" someone is what got him into this mess

[Fist of Etiquette]

Companies across a range of sectors and job types are "quietly taking what once would have been a radical step: They're dropping marijuana from the drug tests...

Hope these companies like having their break rooms raided of munchies and drum circles around the water coolers. Goddamn hippies.

[Jerryskids]

I have been told repeatedly that the drug testing was a liability issue, a requirement imposed by insurance companies, because if your employee harms somebody and subsequently tests positive for drugs, you're screwed. So now companies are quietly dropping marijuana from the drug tests? What happened to the idea that it wasn't the companies themselves imposing the tests but their insurance companies?

[Rhywun]

Probably different kinds of jobs. Remember Blockbuster? They were all about "we drug test everyone!" Insurance companies don't care about Blockbuster's optics. But they do care about drugged drivers and machinery operators, I bet.

[John]

What happened to the idea that it wasn't the companies themselves imposing the tests but their insurance companies

The insurance companies don't impose anything. They just charge you more if they don't like what you are doing. I think what is likely happening is that the job market has tightened up enough that companies need the employees badly enough to justify whatever extra it costs them to get insurance after they stop testing. Drug testing is a luxury only available when you have a choice of suitable candidates.

The fact that this is happening shows how full employment and a tight labor market makes everyone freer. The more leverage employees have, the fewer corporations can impose feel-good bullshit like drug testing or PC indoctrination. Most people don't like drug testing. But they can't object to it unless they have some bargaining position with their employer.

[Zebra Jr.]

Insurance companies impose conditions on their policy holders all the time such as cutting overhanging trees or repairing rotten siding. If the conditions aren't met then they send a notice of cancellation.

[John]

Sure they do. And if you have the money, you can call the insurance company and get the rider taken off. It will just cost you money. Everything is negotiable. It is just a question of whether you are willing to pay for it.

Sure on your homeowner's insurance, they will tell you to take the terms or get lost. But business policies don't work that way usually. They are much more flexible and customized to the business. If a business customer calls and says they want to stop doing some risk management measure, the insurance company will say fine this is what that will cost you,

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Risk/Loss assessment maybe? The loss from a hypothetical claim maybe lower then the actual loss of not being able to hire qualified employees.

[John]

Exactly. And that is the result of a tight labor market and that is why having a tight labor market is very good for freedom.

[BYODB]

And, let us not forget, that drug testing is a cost. If you're in an industry with generally high turnover, I don't see much point in testing.

[Robert]

Because it was never about that directly. It was about weeding out the deviant & secret lawbreakers, who are deemed to have a greater than avg. risk of doing bad stuff on the job. When pot's legal, it no longer serves that gatekeeping fx.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The American economy added 204,000 jobs in April, according to the latest national report.

All of them AP fact checkers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Since sex robots are back in the news...

The president's attorney paid several off.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

From Shitka, when challenged on Twitter about her Alfie Evans article:

Otoh, the British government was at least trying to avoid prolonging Alfie's suffering. US gov is intentionally inflicting suffering as a deterrence measure! EVIL!
...

You defend the deliberate orphaning of babies by the government!! You are the one who is blinded, my friend. I think gov is behaving in an evil fashion is both. Are you willing to say the US gov is acting evilly? If not, you are complicit in EVIL.

[John]

She actually claims that they were trying to avoid prolonging his suffering. Words really fail. I wonder how many other people she is okay with the government murdering out of concern for their suffering?

[Shirley Knott]

"Murdering" is inadequate, especially in this context.
"Tortured to death" (starvation and, likely, suffocation) would be far more accurate.

Slavery is always wrong. Even, or especially, when "it's for their own good."

[John]

That is a very good point Shirley. And it is really sick when you think about it. If you are going to murder the kid, have the decency to just do it. Instead, they starve and suffocate him because it lets them tell themselves that they somehow are doing the right thing. They are not just murderers. They are sadistic cowards.

[MichaeI Hihn]

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." ~ C. S. Lewis

[Rufus The Monocled]

She's a disgrace and not very bright. Not sure why Reason sticks to her.

Pictures?

[John]

If the Caps win tonight, I think the series is over. If the Pens tie it, I think it is 50/50. But if the Caps go up two after winning two in Pittsburgh, the Pens are done. This really does feel different this year. And I think the NHL knows it. That is why they hammered the Caps winger for that hit. I understand that that sort of thing gets you in trouble these days, though it would not have in the past, but no way should it get you 3 playoff games. And no way would it have if the NHL wasn't terrified their favorite baby Crosby might be on his way out of the playoffs. They could end up with a finals of the Vegas Expansion team and a team lead by a Russian. They can't have that but might get it anyway.

[Rhywun]

they hammered the Caps winger for that hit.

That "shoulder to shoulder"? Ah, I wasn't aware.

I still can't wrap my head around "Las Vegas hockey". It ain't right.

[John]

I was telling Rufus yesterday, only the NHL could be screwy enough to allow an expansion team to be that good. They have Marc Andre Flurry in the goal. He won Stanley Cups with the Pens. They are reputed to be the fastest skating and most athletic team in hockey. They are really good. How did the NHL let that happen?

[Rufus The Monocled]

Not only that. Fleury is having a career year.

Lol.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

only the NHL could be screwy enough to allow an expansion team to be that good.

Feature, not bug, to me. I'd far prefer new teams to be competitive than doormats.

Also, hard to say enough good things about the Knights front office in building that team. They understood not only the direction of the League, but also players' chemistry. Masterful job.

[John]

In fairness to the NHL Chin, I don't think anyone could have foreseen just how good the Vegas front office apparently is.

[DJK]

Agreed. We wouldn't want a situation like in the 90s NBA, where Jordan dominated competition watered down by expansion, right? ;-P

[Rhywun]

they hammered the Caps winger for that hit.

That "shoulder to shoulder"? Ah, I wasn't aware.

I still can't wrap my head around "Las Vegas hockey". It ain't right.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Nah. That was a dirty hit. Aston-Reese saw him and prepped for the hit, Wilson adjusted and leapt and hit him in the head. It was a scum hit and if the NHL had balls they'd suspend him for the rest of the playoffs. It's not shoulder to shoulder when you break someone's jaw. Even former fighters and tough players have come out and said it was dirty. Wilson better watch himself or else he'll be another Matt Cooke - that dirty rat.

Plus him laughing about it would have led to a brawl back in the day. Pittsburgh has no players to sock him though.

That's the part of the game I miss. The players used to be able to police themselves whenever the refs couldn't and all would reset itself.

[John]

Fighting in hockey is like throwing at people in baseball. If you want to get rid of it, then you better be prepared for players taking their revenge in other ways that you are going to like even less. It just has to be that way.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Pretty much.

The instigator rule doesn't help.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

A progress-hating right-winger and a Capitals fan who dislikes Crosby and the Penguins?

That -- rooting for losers -- is a hard way to live.

Ouch. Very ouch.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Arthur L. Hicklib, on the other hand, is proud of hopping on the finest bandwagons the sports world has to offer.

[Rhywun]

Didn't she cause a ruckus with some "punch a Nazi" nonsense a while back? I can't vouch for her "brightness" but I honestly think she might have a morality problem.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

To be sure, her support for open borders seems not to be based on libertarian principles, but emotion or maybe even pro-left politics. IMO, there have been more cases of the comments section making the libertarian case for the free flow of peoples than the articles themselves.

Much like the Democrats, she seems to be for open borders for all the wrong reasons, as illustrated by this apparent Alfie gaffe on twitter.

[John]

She seems to support open borders out of a sense of tribalism and dislike for the American public. It is just about replacing the American population with something more to her liking for her.

I know immigration is her beat. But other than the odd rant about Indian politics and free trade she never seems to write or care about any other issues. That makes me think she doesn't hold many other libertarian positions beyond open borders and free trade, which she only started writing about when it became a club to beat Trump with.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Next on Reason, why we support Single Payer, to allow the government to euthanize the suffering. Free minds and free markets. Thank you for the cocktail party invite.

[Just Say'n]

Is anyone really surprised by this?

The only way these fake liberals would care about the state starving a child to death is if they instead said they were imposing a "tariff" on food from entering the boy's mouth. Then the British would be worse than Hitler

[Just Say'n]

Shikha: "You people are hypocrites, because what about immigration or something!"

Rational Person: "Well, the British state was stopping the parents from leaving their country's borders, which seems more totalitarian than not letting in refugees"

Shikha: "No, that's different because reasons"

[Just Say'n]

"Late term abortions have now been expanded to 24 months post birth, but it's the state's choice. Don't put your morals and human decency between the state and its barbarism."

Super liberal-y

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Apparently there's some cases of open borders that Shika actually doesn't support.

[Rufus The Monocled]

That's the part that's not sinking in with some people. Fine. NHS says the kid's gonna die without knowing really why. Poland and Italy say, 'meh. Bring him here. Let's have a look. We may be able to help'.

BRITAIN PREVENTS THEM FROM DOING SO. How is this not tyranny? What is this? Soviet Britain? What's it to them?

Then they force the parents to watch the state starve a child to death. How is this not an outrageous immoral act?

Liberals would change their tune if it was THEIR FUCKEN KID. That much I can guarantee.

[John]

They didn't let him go because letting him go was an admission that British healthcare sucks. He had to die so that the people of Britain wouldn't see how horrible their health care is.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

Dead babies tell no tales.

[Nardz]

"The only way these fake liberals would care about the state starving a child to death is if they instead said they were imposing a "tariff" on food from entering the boy's mouth. Then the British would be worse than Hitler"

Also, if they denied it opioids

[Mickey Rat]

Starving and dehydrating a person to death is alleviating their suffering...compared to what?!

[Citizen X - #6]

Compared to continuing to live in England, i suppose.

[Jerryskids]

70 years of living in England. If you can call that living.

[Jerryskids]

Dammit, should have refreshed.

[Citizen X - #6]

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

[Mickey Rat]

That tweet does reinforce the perception that Dalmia is both unhealthily obsessed and unhinged about immigration and pribably should be taken iff the beat until she can approach it more dispassionately.

[John]

http://dailycaller.com/2018/05.....-one-week/

Trump approval among black men doubles in a week. Quick, get some white journalists out there to explain to these negros the error of their ways.

If there is any underground support for Trump in the black community, it would be among black men. The problem with getting support from black men is that something like a third of them are felons and can't vote. That is one of the most horrifying statistics I have ever heard but it seems to be true. But Democrats are doing their best to change that by granting felons the right to vote again. This is mostly in deep blue states where it won't matter. But, they also did it in Virginia, which is much more purple. It would be a typical DNC Wiley Coyote trick against Trump if it turned out they lost Virginia because McCulliffe gave felons the right to vote.

[Rhywun]

Kanye may yet be the voice of reason that this country needs.

I can't believe I just typed those words.

[John]

I understand that he is likely a bit crazy. But a lot of the stuff he is saying speaks for itself. He is absolutely right about slavery being a state of mind as much as it is a physical state. All of the things he says about the need for people to think for themselves and not be bullied into conforming are dead on. It says just how intellectually bankrupt and totalitarian the left is that they are losing their minds over his saying such obvious truths.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

All of the things he says about the need for people to think for themselves and not be bullied into conforming are dead on

Like I've pointed out before, they loved Kanye and called him a genius when he was making auto-tuned drek, slagging Dubya, and talking shit about Taylor Swift. Maybe, unlike John Legend, he's getting tired of being a Smiling Sambo for the mass media/celebrity industrial complex now that he and his wife have "fuck you" money and is acting accordingly to extricate himself from that.

[John]

I have always felt that hip hop stars, in particular, are nothing but minstrel shows. The money in the music industry going back to Frank Sinatra has always been in selling music to white teenagers. In the 1990s Hip Hop replaced heavy metal as the primary way white teenagers shock their parents. People like Kayne and Tu Pac and Snoop Dog before him play the role of the exotic, scary black man. They played to every negative stereotype about black men imaginable. It is just a minstrel show. The white people buying the music think they are getting some authentic representation of the exotic black culture. They are just too dumb to realize that is exactly what the white people who went to Minstral shows back in the day thought they were doing.

[Rhywun]

Heh I remember that early Tupac video from before he became "Tupac" where he was this nice, soft-spoken band kid.

[Ska]

See "Jigaboo Time" by the Pharcyde.

[JoeBlow123]

Did you ever listen to Kanye West? The dude rapped about shit "regular white people" cared about too like getting ahead, worrying about their future, their insecurity, college, etc.

As for the case of TuPac and NWA and Dr. Dre and such, songs just had good beats and people like to party, dance, and fuck. Their music helped in all three regards.

[Citizen X - #6]

I'm telling you, man. Nothing means anything anymore, and everything is possible. It is a wonderful time to be alive.

[John]

It kind of is. The old order is dying a very long overdue and deserved death. Our society has become so conformist and boring over the last 20 years. Things are really starting to change and that is a very exciting and good thing. One of the best parts about that is watching the people who tell themselves they love change and are cutting edge unmasked as the total conformists that they are.

[Just Say'n]

This is delusional, John. Nothing is changing. The State still murders overseas and at home. The only thing that has changed is that now we have incontrovertible proof that the people who rule us are nothing, but scumbags. But, we are still less free today than we were twenty years ago. The noose is only tightening while we argue over porn stars and Kanye West.

[John]

No. Everything changes Just Say'n. You just don't realize it when it is occurring. I don't know that the changes will be for the better. They might lead to something horrible. But, things are not going to stay the same. They can't.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

What if I told you you are both right.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

One world is rising and one world is dying
And one has got it's precious head buried in the sand
--- NMA

[lap83]

Quick, get some white journalists out there to explain to these negros the error of their ways.

The writers/slave catchers at Salon are working as fast as they can!

[BestUsedCarSales]

We criticize Salon's writers. But I'm impressed that if you take the first letter of the paragraph for every article it spells "H O U S E N I G G E R"

[Just Say'n]

Does anyone else find it to be in incredibly bad form, offensive, and counterproductive to be using such language when discussing minorities that are moving away from progressive politics? Instead of embracing them and listening to their hesitations we get conservative and libertarian commentators talking about "slave mentality" and "plantations". Maybe, the inability of conservatives and libertarians to communicate with minorities in a non-condescending manner is a primary reason why they remain supporters of progressive politics.

Maybe, perception is more important than policy prescriptions.

[$park? leftist poser]

Maybe, perception is more important than policy prescriptions.

HA! Good luck pushing that point, Charlie.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I think it's a problem. Though the point I was trying to make was that every time a black person speaks of turn, they are suddenly condescended to from every left wing source. They immediately lose volition and thought, and their beliefs are justified as them not knowing better. Or, even better, because they have a mental illness.

It pisses me off immensely.

[Just Say'n]

I don't disagree with your point here, BUCS. And I didn't mean to single you out. I meant more so the messaging from conservatives and libertarians generally.

I think you're doing a terrible job as LP chairman, but I didn't mean any specific criticism of your response here.

[BestUsedCarSales]

I guess I'm just upset that I accidentally responded with the Nick Sarwark account yesterday. It's embarrassing.

Your core point I 100% agree with though. It frustrates me immensely. Particularly with libertarians. I can't speak for everyone, but I came to conclusions about individualism that led naturally to certain political beliefs, which then led me to discover libertarianism. I assume that this individualism, not just for yourself but others, is a major point for many here.

Yet, many sure do jump to group identity here quickly. People personally associate with groups hard. And when people act a certain way they sure are quick to say it's because of their background. Not everyone, or even the majority, but there is a disappointing amount of it here.

[BYODB]

Maybe, perception is more important than policy prescriptions.

So the only way to kill Progressivism is to...become Progressive?

Sounds legit.

I don't disagree that tone is important to civil discourse, but obviously this is a place where fucks are not given about such things. No offense to any minority, but if your primary concern is perception over reality than...well...things aren't going to end well for you.

[BestUsedCarSales]

So the only way to kill Progressivism is to...become Progressive?

Managing people's perception of you by being polite is not necessarily Progressive. Please don't even pretend that it is.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Budweiser is releasing a "Freedom Reserve Red Lager" that is supposedly "inspired by George Washington's hand-penned recipe from his personal military journal dating back to 1757."

"I cannot tell a lie: all your teeth will turn wooden."

[John]

That is a great product idea. And will likely be a huge improvement over the beer they currently make. George Washington makes America great even from the grave.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Dark secret, except it's not, I like Budweiser

[John]

I don't. And I am not a beer snob. I will drink watery American loggers. Give me a Natty Bo any day. But I have never liked Budweiser. Hell, I will take old school Cooers over Budweiser.

[$park? leftist poser]

Coors is and always has been superior to Budweiser.

[John]

The original banquet beer certainly is.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Coors is fine too. I'm not really for Natty Bo, but I will also drink anything. Worst beer I can think of (other than IPAs as a category) is that CostCo Beer Light.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

I remember the day Coors came, legally, to Alabama. They kept it cold from bottler to cooler back then.

[This Machine Chips Fascists]

The banquet, not nasty silver bullet marketing generated poodle piss.

[Mock-star]

This. So much this. The yellow can/bottle is pretty damn good for mass produced beer.

[BYODB]

I suspect any 'military field journal' recipe for beer is 'take whatever you have that could theoretically turn into alcohol, put it in a keg, and pray' so...I don't have high hopes. However, I do note that they have the typical 'based on' caveat meaning that it's nothing like it at all.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Michael Caputo to Senate Intel Committee: 'God Damn You to Hell'
Caputo called for an "investigation of the investigators" and said he wanted to know who was "coordinating this attack on President Donald Trump."

"Forget about all the death threats against my family. I want to know who cost us so much money, who crushed our kids, who forced us out of our home, all because you lost an election," Caputo said. "I want to know because God damn you to hell."

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Former Trump Communications Adviser Michael Caputo Complains of Being Run Into Bankruptcy By Senate Intelligence Committee Inquiry; Accuses Senators of Working With Fusion GPS

[Scarecrow Repair & Chippering]

Tough nuts. He wanted to ride the coattails of politics and got paid handsomely. Now he's caught on the outside. I don't care how clean he may think he is, he wanted to play politics off my taxes, he gets to play politics.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...the evolution of Russian villains on U.S. television sets.

Spoiler alert: Jack Bauer always found out it wasn't the Muslims or the moll at CTU who was the ultimate architect of the plot to [insert terror act here] but instead the Russians.

[John]

Some idiot named Eric Garland is on Twitter claiming that Kayne West is supporting Trump because he has become an agent of Russia. I am not kidding. And Garland apparently is some Washington "Strategic Intelligence" wonk that people actually take seriously. That is some crazy ass shit. That is the kind of stuff that Info wars turns down because they want to be seen as conspiracy theorists.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Garland's a total nutburger who makes Alex Jones look sane and reserved by comparison. He's a great example of why the DC elite deserve the fate of the Roman Senate.

[Rhywun]

"There was still almost certainly a campaign finance violation."

I haven't actually seen this explained anywhere, only asserted. Are we supposed to believe that one of Trump's cronies didn't have 100K lying around and had to swipe it from Trump's warchest? That just beggars belief. The Post's claim amounts to nothing more than mind-reading and is laughable.

[Jerryskids]

Not all campaign contributions are cash, anything of value given to a campaign is a contribution. If Stormy's speaking out would be considered harmful to the campaign, obviously her silence would be a thing of value to the campaign that should merit a campaign disclosure. But campaign finance laws are of the "more honored in the breach" sort, prosecuting for campaign finance irregularities is right beside obstruction of justice and failing to signal a lane change at the bottom of the barrel of a prosecutor's brickbats to be flung at whatever poor sap's got his ass stuck in the hot seat.

Have you ever seen an endorsement by a newspaper or an organization or an individual listed on a campaign disclosure as a "thing of value"? Endorsements are highly sought after and loudly touted, how can you doubt that candidates at least think they're extremely valuable and yet not a damn one of them ever reports them.

[Zebra Jr.]

Cohen probably committed bank fraud when he used a home equity line of credit to pay off Stormy so it's more than cheating campaign finance rules. How involved was Trump involved in Cohen's criminal scheming?

[John]

Unless he told the bank he was planning on using the money to improve the property that was held as collateral, that was not bank fraud in any meaningful sense.

[Zebra Jr.]

It's really a waste of our time to speculate about it. The case is being adjudicated and we'll see where it goes.

[loveconstitution1789]

Nothing will come of this nothingburger.

[Rhywun]

he used a home equity line of credit to pay off Stormy

Is this known for a fact? Again, I find it difficult to swallow that a Trump crony needs to resort to something like that in order to lay his hands on 130K. That is like couch cushion money for a connected lawyer.

[Zebra Jr.]

I don't know it as a fact but it's been reported as such. Why would Cohen create the fake company? To hide it. Why hide it? To keep it out of the campaign because Trump's character was a central issue in the campaign. You don't think Cohen ran it all by Trump before he straight up gave out $130k to some women? Trump is knee deep in this shit.

[loveconstitution1789]

And by shit you mean made up fantasy dust of the lefties.

[BYODB]

Why would anyone think that Trump's character was a 'central issue' in the campaign? How many wives has he had, again? Let alone the fact he's been a big figure in New York and Los Angeles?

I don't think anyone gave a shit about his 'character'. Everyone knew what he was: a slightly more honest version of Bill Clinton that will probably stick his dick into anything that crosses his line of sight.

[Jgalt1975]

Cohen himself claimed that was where the money originally came from:

When asked where the $130,000 sent to Daniels' attorney came from, Cohen told ABC News "the funds were taken from my home equity line and transferred internally to my LLC account in the same bank."

https://abcn.ws/2jsLu42

[BYODB]

Not all campaign contributions are cash, anything of value given to a campaign is a contribution.

So, what you're saying is that the Russians gave Clinton a campaign contribution via opposition research on Trump handled by an intermediary?

Someone should tell Mueller.

^_-

[DJK]

"Anything of value" smacks of getting slapped down as unconstitutionally broad....

[Calidissident]

From reading the WaPo article, and another I read elsewhere (linked below), there seem to be two arguments as to how this could be a violation:

1. If Cohen made the payment to aid Trump's campaign and boost his election chances, this is an illegal contribution. A very plausible scenario, but I don't know if they could prove his intent or motivation enough to get a conviction.

2. Cohen used his Trump Organization email address to communicate with Daniels and the bank on this matter, and the agreement was sent to his office at their building. Supposedly this could constitute a violation through use of corporate resources to facilitate contributions. But once again, this would come down to whether they could prove this was a campaign-related expenditure.

Which is why Giuliani's comment below was really stupid:

"However. Imagine if that came out on October 15, 2016, in the middle of the last debate with Hillary Clinton," he said. "Cohen didn't even ask. Cohen made it go away. He did his job."

I don't know if anything will ultimately come of this, but Giuliani showed himself to be a terrible lawyer here.

https://tinyurl.com/yacy356u

[John]

The bottom line is that even if any of those things are true the whole thing is absurd. You are not taking down a sitting President because he paid off some mistress before he got elected. No one outside of the media and people who hate Trump anyway cares about this.

[Calidissident]

I agree it would take much more than this to get him impeached. If it was somehow proven that Daniels actually was threatened and Trump was a part of that, then sure. The payoff itself isn't going to be enough IMO.

[loveconstitution1789]

Trump is not getting impeached. He will have two 4 year terms and accomplished a bunch of government rollback in that time.

[Calidissident]

I don't think he'll be impeached either (well, he might get impeached if Democrats win the House, but he won't be removed from office by the Senate). He might win another term but I would not be as confident about it if I were you. And I can guarantee the government will be substantially larger at the end of his term than it was at the beginning.

[DJK]

See this military? It'll be YUGE.

[BYODB]

I admit I have absolutely no idea how it works when your campaigns cash also just so happens to be your private money. Is every last cent of Trump's cash 'campaign cash' since he spent so much of his own money on the campaign? I really don't know, it's so uncommon for a politician to be either A) rich enough to do this or B) actually go through with using their own money.

[Bee Tagger]

Going to the sauna is good for your blood pressure.

But terrible for peer pressure to work out more.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Her lawyers have subpoenaed archival footage from the show...

Talk about your shit jobs. Rewatching that show.

[Bee Tagger]

"I came to this country and I appreciate the value of my constitutional rights."

I think of them more as a depreciating asset.

[Fist of Etiquette]

A new paper finds that "although police now typically describe young sex workers not as juvenile delinquents but as victims of sex trafficking, a major tool in their work remains arrest and detention."

Who's going to pound in a nail using a crescent wrench?

[Citizen X - #6]

Real Talk: a cop, probably.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Going to the sauna is good for your blood pressure.

Building and paying for said sauna, on the other hand...

[Conchfritters]

Is it illegal to give money to a woman and tell her not to talk about sleeping with her? The guy has enough money, I'm sure he didn't need to go to Bank of America to get a loan. What crime was committed again?

[Rufus The Monocled]

Avenatti is such an attention-seeking whore. He's stunned I tell ya. Stunned!

[Conchfritters]

No shit. Is he working for Stormy pro bono, or is he like Casey Anthony's attorney who got paid with sex?

[John]

Maybe I am wrong, but I can't believe anyone outside of the media will ever give a shit about this. I guess people who hate Trump will see it as another reason to do so. But I can't imagine how anyone who either voted for Trump or is even neutral towards him would possibly care about this story. And the media won't let it go. They really do seem to be dumb enough to think this matters.

[Citizen X - #6]

Contingency, yo. Homeboy is betting his attorney skillz are mad enough to win a bigass payday at the end.

[Tom Bombadil]

" Is he working for Stormy pro bono...?"

More like 'por boner', amirite hombres?

[colorblindkid]

If he used campaign funds to do it, it is illegal.

But there is already a precedent for this: John Edwards.

He repeatedly lied about having a mistress at all. National Enquirer broke the story and provided a ton of actual evidence and the press still ignored it. Turns out his lawyer paid her hush money during the 2004 Presidential campaign and that he was actually the father of her child, who was conceived while his wife was dying of cancer.

He actually went to trial, but all charges were dropped. So there is precedent for nearly this exact same situation, and it was determined nothing was illegal.

However, that was a Democrat.

[John]

I find it very unlikely that Trump would not have done this with his own money.

[Zebra Jr.]

Edwards was acquitted on one count. The jury deadlocked on 5 counts. The DOJ didn't retry the case. The facts were better for Edwards. Trump's defense lawyer won't be able to argue the payments had nothing to with a campaign.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

There's also the Clinton precedent where sexual assault is not worthy of removing a sitting president from office.

Consensual sex with a payoff for silence is below that bar.

[Tony]

Nobody cares about the sex itself. Least of all, apparently, all the hypocrite Christians.

It's the surrounding crimes.

[Mickey Rat]

People who live in glass houses should not throw hypocrisy stones.

Or are christians the only people who are expected to apply their stated beliefs with absolute consistency?

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""It's the surrounding crimes.""

Clinton did have a crime which he pled guilty, even that didn't matter.

Do you think accusations of crimes is more important than documented guilt? Because Clinton had many, many accusations.

[DJK]

Dude, he's not talking about Lewinski. He's talking about the multiple credible allegations of rape and other sexual assaults by other women.

[DJK]

*Lewinsky

[DJK]

Anyone else love how Tony berates people for whataboutitism earlier in the comments, then does the same thing here? Typical.

[Bee Tagger]

Budweiser is releasing a "Freedom Reserve Red Lager" that is supposedly "inspired by George Washington's hand-penned recipe from his personal military journal dating back to 1757."

Makes America Great! Less Filling!

[Leo Kovalensky II]

It doesn't taste the same unless you dry-hop it with a little bit of slave sweat.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Florida homeowners are fighting to keep a "Starry Night"-themed paint job on their home.

So in other words they slopped the paint on their house like a colorblind drunk.

[Tom Bombadil]

Should ask Don McLean to pitch in.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I didn't get the joke. Then I googled and found out that he wasn't just a one-hit wonder after all.

[Tom Bombadil]

It's a really beautiful song.

[Robert]

Did you turn up his feud w Andy Breckman?

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Is it just me, or does anyone notice a remarkable similarity (actually a really close overlay) between the blue states on the left map that #Hillary won, & the white states on the right map that have no #VoterID laws?

[Rhywun]

Is it just me, or does anyone notice that this could easily be used to prove the opposite of what the poster is probably going for?

[Nardz]

Option A) widespread voter fraud where Ds/Hillary win
Option B) widespread voter suppression of specifically D voters where Rs/Trump win

I lean toward (A)...

[Calidissident]

Or Option C: Republican-leaning states are more likely to pass voter ID laws.

But sure, Trump totally would have won California if they had voter ID (or Hillary totally would have won Kansas if not for their voter suppression if you prefer the other conspiracy theory).

[Citizen X - #6]

"I came to this country and I appreciate the value of my constitutional rights."

Is Kmele looking for a running mate for 2020 yet?

[MichaeI Hihn]

"How would you like to pay for your First Amendment? $100 a day," said owner Ludomir Jastrzebski, who was born in Poland. "I came to this country and I appreciate the value of my constitutional rights."

"If he doesn't like American values, he can leave and go back to the Eastern Europe hellhole that doesn't do this!"

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Eastern Europeans are culturally appropriating our freedom now? And we're just going to stand by and let this happen!?!?!

[John]

A tattoo of the Notorious RBG's face is the new must have feminist accessory this year.

http://www.refinery29.com/2018.....oogle.com/

Serious question; how hot would a woman have to be for you to still want to go out with her after you found out she had such a tattoo?

[MichaeI Hihn]

Check out John, looking women in the face. You charming traditionalist, you.

[John]

No, the tattoo is of RBG's face not on the woman's face.

[MichaeI Hihn]

Okay.

[BYODB]

Great, now I'm picturing an otherwise hot woman with RBG's face tattooed over her own face. Thanks for that.

[Conchfritters]

What's really hot is if she puts it right above her: "and yet she persisted" tattoo.

[John]

And right below her "I am with Her" tattoo.

[BestUsedCarSales]

A tattoo of RBG on her left inner thigh, H-Dawg on her right. So it feels like they're cheering me on as I go to town.

[Citizen X - #6]

Fuck you for making me realize i'm into that.

[Ken Shultz]

"Serious question; how hot would a woman have to be for you to still want to go out with her after you found out she had such a tattoo?"

Women are all beautiful in their own way.

I wouldn't rule any aspect out.

I might think being covered with tattoos was unattractive, but then I see women like Ryan Ashley or Deanna Smith and all that goes out the window. Those women may not be beautiful because they're covered with tattoos, but they are both covered with tattoos and beautiful.

I find myself more attracted to fourth dimensional qualities as I get older, too. Early twenties, the idea that some women were so vicious, mean, stupid, etc. that being physically attractive didn't matter would have seemed ridiculous. Every day doesn't need to be a drama anymore. Been there, done that. My life is exciting enough without wondering what fresh hell I'll come home to at the end of the day anymore.

[Nardz]

"Serious question; how hot would a woman have to be for you to still want to go out with her after you found out she had such a tattoo?"

I'd immediately run away, then meticulously document all prior interactions. If I had to communicate with her in the future, I'd be certain there were no less than 3 witnesses to any interaction.
#metoo

[DJK]

There's no level of hotness high enough to justify that level of crazy. Don't do it. You will regret it. That is a certainty.

[Sevo]

Shoe factory that makes SHOES WORN BY TRUMPS WIFE!!!!! has employees who wish they were paid more and had nicer bosses:

"More fiction than fact, Chinese documentary still a hit"
[...]
""I'm left with nothing at the end of the month," said Ayelech Geletu, 21, who said she earns a base monthly salary of $51 at Huajian's factory in Lebu, outside Addis Ababa. "Plus, their treatment is bad. They shout at us whenever they want."
https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/
More-fiction-than-fact-Chinese-
documentary-still-12882410.php

[John]

There's a big 'God gap' between Republicans and Democrats ? 70 percent of Republicans believe in the God of the Bible compared with 45 percent of Democrats ? but there's an even larger God gap within the Democratic party. Only 32 percent of white Democrats believe in the God of the Bible, compared with 61 percent of nonwhite Democrats ? an almost 30-point gap. . . . Spend much time in secular progressive circles and you'll quickly encounter the kind of sneering, anti-Christian elitism evident in pieces such as the recent New Yorker screed against Chick-fil-A. But this culture is fundamentally at odds with the lived experience of the Democratic party's black and Latino base."

http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/295810/

At some point, you would think that black and Hispanic Christians would figure out that White Progressives hate them just as much as they do White Christians.

[BYODB]

Except that it doesn't really matter when none of them really vote at particularly high levels. Plus, it's not like those sneering elites would ever be caught dead in the barrio or hood to actually interact with 'those people'.

It's sort of like watching Hillary go back to Arkansas, you know she loathes the place but still has to put her game face on. She just has a really shitty game face.

[Ken Shultz]

Oh look, ENB is writing about Stormy Daniels again.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!

[John]

ENB claims to care so much about hookers. You would think she would be upset about Daniels going back on her word and giving hookers a bad name. If men can't depend on hookers to keep quiet about it, what is the point of going to one?

[Ken Shultz]

Remember that time during the campaign when ENB covered that porn star/Gloria Alred client who was suing Trump for sexually assaulting her because he kissed her on the cheek without asking permission?

. . . and it turned out the porn star in question made gang bang and buklake videos?

ENB thinks she's covering politics for Cosmo. We're not supposed to put any thought into it.

In regards to hookers staying quiet, I think that's a myth. Women talk about everything to anyone who will listen, and prostitutes are no different. Prostitutes aren't paid to keep quiet. They're paid to go away afterwards--but they'll always talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk . . .

Office romances, politicians' affairs, etc., etc. These rarely stay secret because women can't stand to keep secrets--not even when the secret is about them. They're gotta tell everybody about what they're doing. It's in their nature.

[Ken Shultz]

When Jerry Springer was a politician, he got busted for seeing a prostitute.

The police raided a brothel, and the proprietors had taken a check he'd written to them (Memo line "For Services Rendered") and framed it and put it on the wall--rather than cash it.

Everywhere you go in the world, women will talk about you--if they notice you. If you're famous, they definitely notice you. Especially these days, when the attraction of fame is more important to a lot of people than fear of infamy.

Cross culturally and throughout history, people have tried to find ways to make women stop talking about every goddamn thing they know--and no one has ever been successful. They just keep talking.

Like most guys, I guess, I got sent to the principal's office a few times in elementary and junior high. One time in 6th grade, they suspended 12 of us because none of us guys (individually) would tell them which one of us had brought the firecrackers to school. It was a harsh lesson when you got to high school to learn that all the principal has to do is sit your girlfriend in front of him long enough, and she'll tell them everything. They can't help it. Like water flowing downhill, women want to tell you everything they know.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

This comment means so much more from a guy named "John"

[John]

Yes Leo, yes it does.

[DajjaI]

sex robots... as a possible deterrent to mass murder

The problem isn't lack of sex, but autism 'treatment'. Because it teaches kids that there's something wrong with their brain, and endless mischief ensues. All the recent murder sprees were victims of 'treatment'. Unfortunately many people are calling for more of it, which of course will only worsen the problem.

[Sevo]

CA hasn't built a new dam in 30 years, the population has doubled, rain is and always has been variable, but we don't want new dams since, well, fish or something:

"Editorial: More water storage doesn't mean build more dams"
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/
editorials/article/Editorial-More-water-
storage-doesn-t-mean-12882997.php

Hint: They offer no alternative. Suck it up sinners, you'll get used to that hair shirt.

[John]

They want to live in a desert where all of the water comes from snowmelt and rolls into the sea. But they don't want to build dams to catch it. Good luck with that.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

And for all the bellyaching about the draining of the Owens River, don't expect the LA Times to call for the removal of the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Liberals are hypocrites living well off the back end of what their forebears built while lamenting that it was ever built in the first place.

[colorblindkid]

Nuclear powered desalination plants are the obvious and most environmentally-friendly way to get fresh water in drought-ridden areas close to the ocean, but environmentalists are fucking retard luddites who have no interest in actually solving any problems, and just want to whine about how awful humans are.

[DJK]

Too bad CA is shutting down all its nuclear reactors.

[Ken Shultz]

The Tom Wilson suspension is ridiculous.

The referees didn't see a penalty. They thought it was a clean hit. I thought it was a clean hit, too. I didn't think he went for the head intentionally, and he didn't leave his feet until after the hit.

That isn't the ridiculous part. The ridiculous part is that he was hit was a suspension for three games.

I could see one game if they wanted to make a statement. Three games during the playoffs? That's freaking stupid.

It was all about appeasing fans in Pittsburgh and had nothing to do with the hit. Even the local politicians got in on it. They mayor apparently tweeted something to the effect of, "If it wasn't a blow to the head, why was there a broken jaw?".

The hit was clean.

The injury was unintentional.

The punishment wouldn't fit the crime--even if Tom Wilson had been guilty of something.

Thus spake Shutzathustra.

[John]

It was a brutal hit. But brutal hits happen when you put 12 elite athletes on ice skates and tell them to play a contact sport. The Pittsburgh guy both had his head up his ass and had the misfortune of being shorter than the guy who hit him. It was a tough break but it wasn't a dirty hit.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I respond to you yesterday about your assertion of Ovechkin being more productive than Crosby in the playoffs.

Long story short: I say, while he's very good, he isn't on the totality.

[Libertymike]

Correction: Thus spake Kenny the King of Cuckitarians.

Kenny loves him some "small state libertarian" cognitive dissonance.

[John]

Shouldn't those who object to government want no one suspended at all? Why are you such a statist hockey fan Mike?

[Ken Shultz]

Mike found out that I'm a small state libertarian--not an anarchist--and it broke his little heart.

[John]

Mike is an anarchist and a lawyer. I don't always agree with Mike, but you have to love that and Mike.

[Libertymike]

I also love, in my way, the entire cast of commenters, past and present, even Joe from Lowell, Tony, and Tulpa.

So, if a guy can love Joe from Lowell, Tony, and Tulpa, Ken must be okay.

[John]

I just like people who think for themselves and have interesting views. There is nothing wrong with being eccentric. What I hate are posers and people with status anxiety such that they express whatever view they think will make them appear smart or affirm their status as one of the cool or smart set. That I loath.

[Ken Shultz]

That's what it was about yesterday!

Mike is lecturing me about the rule of law.

I don't understand it because I'm not an anarchist!

[Libertymike]

Ken, I agree with you on the hit and the suspension.

[Libertymike]

You are right, let the boys play. Its playoff hockey.

As for Ken, he doesn't like that I poke fun of his "small state libertarian" religion.

[Ken Shultz]

FOAD

[Tom Bombadil]

Is there some kind of sporting event going on?

[John]

Yes Tom. It is some kind of weird Kanuckistan thing.

[DJK]

Wilson left his feet to make the hit. The Department of Player Safety has used that to determine many suspensions are merited. The DPS is also notorious for under-punishing. If they gave him 3 games, he probably deserved to be out for the rest of the playoffs.

[Sevo]

Trump shouldn't be trying to deal with North Korea because he doesn't understand the yellow races:

"Trump's Korea initiative is risky and unprecedented"
[...]
"And for a change, the president needs caution and precision in word choice and gestures. There is, for instance, real danger in body language (nodding can simply mean, I hear you, not I agree).
And simultaneous translating is quite tricky between the specifics prized in English and the vague, often intentionally incomprehensible generalities that are laced through Asian languages to avoid offense."
https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/
Trump-s-Korea-initiative-is-risky-
and-12880030.php

He needs some lefty to help (and take credit if it works)

[John]

That whole article can be summed up by "that is not your prom dress, that is my fucking culture".

[Rhywun]

Yet "inscrutable" is still racist, I bet.

[Brian]

"nodding can simply mean, I hear you, not I agree."

How could a white boy possibly understand such unique and subtle nuance?

[Michael S. Langston]

I guess that's truly horrible given treaties are never written down with every line negotiated with relevant stakeholders and them only implemented once the full lethal authorities of the stakeholder entities agree with the final language.

What's that? They do write all this down? So misunderstandings for cultural body language are completely mitigated?

[MichaeI Hihn]

ENB is way too good at research to be spending time covering court intrigue.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Hey, is that your post down below at 2:12?

[Sevo]

9th Circuit says 'A-1 doesn't count'

"Conservative judges slam Ninth Circuit ruling on campaign finance"
[...]
""Donor contributions are a form of political speech that merit the respect the First Amendment requires," Judge Sandra Ikuta wrote in an opinion dissenting from the refusal by a majority of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to grant a new hearing in the case. She said the Supreme Court has required evidence of "actual or apparent quid pro quo corruption" ? trading money for votes ? to justify contribution limits, but the appeals court has concocted its own, more lenient standard."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/
conservative-judges-slam-ninth-circuit-
ruling-on-campaign-finance/ar-AAwF1Wz

The Ninth needs more reversals, right?

[DajjaI]

Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour has been convicted of incitement

Good to see Reason finally dipping a toe into the Israel clusterflux. Come on in, the water's fine!

[Jerryskids]

Ah, I assumed it had something to do with self-published poetry being a violation of the NAP, didn't realize it had anything to do with her being Palestinian per se.

[lap83]

Going to the sauna is good for your blood pressure.

not if you have to listen to everybody mispronounce it "sauna" /part Finnish

[lap83]

*-it

[John]

I have a few Finnish friends. Sauna is kind of a form of neo Pagan religion to them. It is some serious business.

[Citizen X - #6]

Look, there's really not a lot else going on in Finland, except for the once-a-century Russian invasion.

[John]

I love the Fins. They are very tough people. If Putin were ever dumb enough to invade Finland, it would end with a whole lot of dead Russians. My old next door neighbors were Finish. The husband was telling me about his time in the army. They still have the draft. They would go out and live in the field clear through the winter up in the artic woods. They lived in tents in temperatures that hit forty and fifty below. He is this little wirey lawyer who was taking a sabbatical while his wife was working in the US. But he was hardcore. And so was his wife. If you got them a bit drunk they would slam on the Swedes for being so soft.

Living in Finland seems a bit like living in Alaska. Everything is about the outdoors and drinking. And for the Fins motorsports. They are world renown race drivers.

[Rhywun]

It's really 'ss??aauunnaa', isn't it.

[John]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new.....sed-clown/

Crazy sexy goes to a new level. "woman stabs boyfriend during sex claiming men are only good as human sacrifices".

[Citizen X - #6]

Zoe Adams, 19, has dressed up as a clown and put a pillow over Kieran Bewick's head to make their encounter more exhilarating on July 29 last year, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

Way to bury the lede, John. Also, i think we just learned something new and unexpected about your proclivities.

[John]

I gave up on my clown fetish years ago. It is just too dangerous and people too judgemental. And good clown porn is virtually impossible to find. It all comes from Uzbekistan and the women too often have facial hair.

[MAGA my NAGGA]

That's because in Uzbekistan those are boys.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Well, time to get back in. Clown porn had a minor resurgence a few years back. No idea, so let's say because of Clowny, Clown, Clown.

[lap83]

She sounds psychotic and I was initially wondering why, with his fear of clowns, he would get into that situation with her

"Mr Bewick, who is afraid of clowns, had declined Adams' earlier suggestion to be tied up with the tape, and the pillow was a compromise. " not to mention the fact that she had a knife readily available

....then I saw that he was 17. Teenagers are fucking retards about sex. I know I will catch hell for this but it's all kind of an argument for abstinence education. You can't tell someone to wear a condom if they don't know not to have sex with a crazy stranger who apparently gets off on controlling and harming people. You know what? Just wait to have sex until you have more life experience

[MAGA my NAGGA]

But...did he finish?

[John]

Once she pulled out the knife, I am sure he did whatever she told him to.

[Citizen X - #6]

His lung had just been hella stabbed and he was inside a clown. How could he not?

[Rich]

sex robots are back in the news, now as a possible deterrent to mass murder

Bernie Sanders should develop a plan to provide a free sex robot to anyone who wants one.

[BestUsedCarSales]

That certainly goes against his plan of getting everyone working.

[Rich]

Oops!

[Citizen X - #6]

Not really - do you have any idea how many sex robot cleaning positions are going to open up?

[MAGA my NAGGA]

Summer Zervos, a former Apprentice contestant who has since accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, is seeking receipts. Her lawyers have subpoenaed archival footage from the show "that include any mention or discussion by Donald J. Trump of Summer Zervos" and "all video and audio recordings that include Donald J. Trump talking or commenting on female candidates or female potential candidates of any season of 'The Apprentice' in any sexual or inappropriate manner."

Random attention seeking where seeking more attention isn't news.

[Citizen X - #6]

Wasn't she suing for like two grand or some other shockingly paltry amount?

[brady949]

"I am stunned and speechless," Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night. "If this is accurate, the American people have been lied to and deceived for months. And justice must be served."

---

I'm old enough to remember when The Late Show was a comedy program.

[Rich]

"And justice must be served."

Careful what you ask for.

[Sevo]

Eric Reid joins Kaep in the Whining Bowl:

"Eric Reid joins Colin Kaepernick in filing NFL collusion grievance"
[...]
"Reid, a 2013 first-round pick, was viewed as one of the top safeties on the free-agent market. However, other notable safeties such as Kenny Vaccaro, another first-round pick from 2013, and Tre Boston also remain unsigned.
[...]
He also indicated he wouldn't take a discount to sign."
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article
/Eric-Reid-joins-Colin-Kaepernick
-in-NFL-collusion-12881319.php

So he's one of many on the market and has no interest in negotiating the money. Maybe his kneeling has less to do with his unemployment than he thinks.

[John]

Owners are supposed to hire him even though his presence on their team is going to cost him money. And you will never convince me that it was just a happy coincidence that none of the four Conference Championship teams last year had a player who protested the anthem.

[Libertymike]

What the Kaep supporters do not want to hear is 3-16, his record for the last 19 games he started for the 49ers.

[John]

It is a simple equation; the better player you are the more willing owners will be to put up with your bullshit. If you suck, you better shut up and be a boy scout.

[Libertymike]

Even if you are not that good, and even if you have some personality, you better know where the line is that you can't cross.

Putting it another way, if you have a personality, you better be likeable. There's a reason why guys like Don Zimmer always had a job. I remember one ESPN Sunday night game when the Red Sox were playing the Yankees and Zim was still Torre's bench coach. Joe Morgan made the crack that there's a reason why Don Zimmer has been in the game for 50 years - "its because he has a lot of friends."

[John]

The thing about football is that with 53 guys on the roster very few individual players are that important or can't be easily replaced.

[Libertymike]

Yeah, its different for football.

But, I bet you could think of some guys, perhaps career back-up QBs who hang around forever, in part, because they know where their bread is buttered even if they might be somewhat eccentric.

[John]

Two words, Brian Hoyer. That guy is horrible. But he always gets a job.

[Nardz]

Charlie Whitehurst, the king of eccentric backup QBs. He hung around for years. I think a team signed him once and told him he was gonna start and he responded, "Nah, I'm good."

[Mickey Rat]

Kaepernick started the kneeling thing just as he was expected to be demoted to 2nd string. I still believe it was him being petulant and he just came up with the political angle to keep the press on his side.

[Nardz]

Exactly this

[Eric L]

'A new clinical study of U.S. military veterans and first responders with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found that a combination of MDMA?the active ingredient in the party drug Ecstacy?plus psychotherapy was "effective and well tolerated," '

IIRC, when MDMA was legal I remember it being used for exactly this type treatment - for people with PTSD who were also in psychotherapy. When I would talk to people about the craziness of the drug war I would frequently bring up the history and medical use of MDMA. So why are the results of this study now a surprise?

[John]

It is a little bit before my time, but I have heard the stories about the days when it was legal and was passed out at dance clubs. There never seemed to be any issues with it. It was one of those things where cops figured out someone somewhere was having a good time so of course demanded it be made illegal.

LSD showed tremendous promise in treating people with mental illness. That was all well and good until Ken Kesey and company started having a good time and that had to end even if it meant giving up on a promising treatment for a horrible disease.

I don't think people fully understand how horrible most psychiatric drugs are. I would drop acid or take MDMA a thousand times before I would touch drugs like lithium or benzoprines.

[Eidde]

"Since sex robots are back in the news, now as a possible deterrent to mass murder"

I thought Blade Runner refuted that idea.

[Mickey Rat]

If not, then WestWorld should have.

[Tony]

John, are Trump and his ghouls behaving like they're innocent?

Are they even behaving like competent liars?

[Eidde]

Ghouls just wanna have fun.

[Brian]

Summon him!

[John]

Innocent of what? No one fucking cares. Trump's approval rating is higher now than it ever has been. What he paid off some hooker to stay quiet before he was elected? Yeah, that is just such a big deal.

It is pathetic Tony. But hey, it will ensure Trump is re-elected. So there is that.

[Tony]

Hush money for hookers, something you recently decided was no big deal in presidents.

Everyone believes you John. You're as good a liar as Trump.

[Brian]

But isn't peace in Korea more important than sex scandals?

[Eidde]

"Blow jobs are better than no jobs."

-From the Senate report exonerating Bill Clinton

/just kidding (I think)

[Tony]

Like how rescuing the entire planet from global financial calamity is more important than Benghazi?

[Brian]

God be praised!

[TrickyVic (old school)]

""Hush money for hookers, something you recently decided was no big deal in presidents.""

With respects to presidents, sexual misconduct. We already had a national conversation in the 1990s.

It's not recently decided.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

I was also reinforced when the wife of the accused who whet after the accusers got the most votes for president last year.

[Brian]

Someone connect the dots for me: how does a politician using a whore count as a campaign finance violation?

And doesn't that mean we need to completely empty out Washington DC?

[Eidde]

I can see how illegally donating to a politician can be seen as helping a whore.

But if the money goes the other way, from politician to sex worker?

Still, we've been assured that this scandal is a big deal.

Now, we have something in the nature of a precedent that a politician perjuring himself (or by extension herself) about his/her sex life has not committed an impeachable offense. Even if the laws the politician violated are laws he signed himself, thus showing a willingness to subject other people to standards he didn't want to obey.

[TrickyVic (old school)]

Isn't the politician usually the whore?

[Citizen X - #6]

No. When a whore fucks you in exchange for your money, it's both consensual and enjoyable. These constant comparisons of politicians to whores are seriously slanderous to sex workers.

[DJK]

Batshit crazy and lots of all-caps. But no bolding. This must be the real Hihn account?