Stormy Daniels Arrested at Ohio Strip Club After Undercover Cop Claims Butt Was Touched: Reason Roundup

Plus: Is Trump spreading fake news about NATO? And a Kansas governor censors campus art

Sirens/Facebook

"They are devoting law enforcement resources to sting operations for this?" Adult film star and locus of national scandal Stormy Daniels was arrested last night at Sirens, a strip club in Columbus, Ohio. The stop was part of a tour Daniels is taking across the country, which included a visit to D.C. Monday and Tuesday nights.

Attorney Michael Avenatti, who is representing Daniels in her lawsuit against Donald Trump, tweeted early Thursday morning that Daniels was arrested while "performing the same act she has performed across the nation at nearly a hundred strip clubs. This was a setup & politically motivated. It reeks of desperation. We will fight all bogus charges."

At the D.C. show I saw Monday night, Daniels got up close and personal with the audience, but in a clearly theatrical way. This seems to have continued in Columbus, where Daniels was arrested for allegedly allowing a customer to come in contact with her in a non-sexual manner, according to Avenatti on Twitter.

Ohio prohibits any touching—sexual or otherwise—between nude or semi-nude performers and members of the audience at "sexually oriented" establisments. According to the police report, Daniels, while "topless and wearing a G-string," touched an undercover police officer "in a specified anatomical area." Specifically, she is accused of putting "both hands on officers buttocks" and "then put her breast in officers face."

Columbus Police report

"Are you kidding me?" Avenatti tweeted early this morning. "They are devoting law enforcement resources to sting operations for this? There has to be higher priorities!"

Higher priorities for local cops than getting to take in naked ladies for a few hours and then assert their authority over the most famous of them? Avenatti can't be that naive.

Daniels was officiall charged with three misdemeanor counts of touching a patron at a sexually-oriented business. She's slated to be arraigned in the Franklin Municipal Court Friday morning. She will plead not guilty, according to Avenatti.

In a statement, Daniels announced that she would have to cancel her second scheduled night of Columbus performances. "I deeply apologize to my fans in Columbus," she said.

FREE MARKETS

Presidents have been trying unsuccessfully for years to get Germany and other rich NATO Nations to pay more toward their protection from Russia. They pay only a fraction of their cost. The U.S. pays tens of Billions of Dollars too much to subsidize Europe, and loses Big on Trade!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2018

Trump continues boorish and bizarre behavior at NATO summit. The president announced that NATO allies will increase spending, as he desires, but offered little in the way of details. French President Emmanuel Macron has since denied Trump's claim.

FREE MINDS

Kansas govenor censors campus art. The Kansas governor and secretary of state are demanding that the University of Kansas remove a work of art from the school's "Pledge of Allegiance" exhibit, part of a nationwide public art series from New York nonprofit Creative Time. The offending flag, Josephine Meckseper's "Untitled (Flag 2)," is "a collage of an American flag and one of my dripped paintings which resembles the contours of the United States," said Meckseper.

Here's a good roundup from FIRE of art censorship on college campuses.

QUICK HITS

Gawker auction today. This will be interesting. https://t.co/ZpMCLfBXzT

— Sharon Weinberger (@weinbergersa) July 12, 2018

• The feds are reopening an investigation into the murder of Emmett Till.
• Is the demise of liberalism overhyped? "Scholars and statesmen have been declaring liberalism dead or in deep crisis for at least a century and a half. A review of the many deaths of liberalism might have something to teach us about what, in fact, is happening in the world today."
• John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John's, has resigned as chairman of the company. Papa John's stock fell nearly 6 percent on Wednesday, and Major League Baseball suspended a long-running Papa John's promotion campaign, after it was reported that Schnattner used the word "niggers" during a May conference call. He allegedly noted that "Colonel Sanders called blacks niggers" but didn't face a backlash like the one Schnattner experienced for comments made about the NFL.
• Twitter is plotting another bot purge.
• Comcast and Fox are in a bidding war over the U.K.'s Sky News.
• TSA officials "have sovereign immunity while working in their official functions as screeners and security agents under the Federal Tort Claims Act," according to a new ruling from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
• England is out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Croatia last night.
• RIP James Wells.
• Abolishing ICE isn't a very popular idea (yet).

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

"They are devoting law enforcement resources to sting operations for this?"

Easy arrests that also generate headlines are what modern police do best.

[Rufus The Monocled]

Hello.

Daniels arrested? ENB hardest hit? /wink.

Quite an absurd state of affairs that she's even in the news.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Quite an absurd state of affairs that she's even in the news.

Electing a lying, cheating sleazebag has consequences.

Carry on, clingers.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Electing a lying, cheating sleazebag has consequences.

But enough about Clinton.

Carry on, hicklibs.

[loveconstitution1789]

Quite an absurd state of affairs that she's even in the news.

How else are Lefties going to get Trump out of office?

[Incomprehensible Bitching]

HUMAN TRAFFICING!

[SQRLSY One]

WHEN are naked titty bars (and similar politically incorrect establishments) going to follow a very simple method here?

A) Find the local and State laws for "swearing in" rituals in court. "On my Momma's eye, hope to die", etc.

B) Film all entering customers certifying that they are entering ONLY for private enjoyment, and are NOT State narc-dicks, and have them recite "On my Momma's eye, hope to die", etc.

C) Immediately upload all such filmed rituals to a place with REAL internet freedom, such as Iceland.

D) If busted, trot out dick-head-narc's recorded "swearing" the exact same oath they just gave in court, and ask the jury, "Now WHY should you believe this testimony here today"?

[Bubba Jones]

Um... cops are allowed to lie.

[SQRLSY One]

And so their oath and their testimony can be disregarded in court! Any juror leaning towards individual freedom, and away from the habitual sucking of Government Almighty's dick, now has a perfectly good excuse to engage in "jury nullification", if given this little "crutch" to help out a wee tad!

[Marcus Aurelius]

Fairly easy to get a list of names and/or a license plate scanner and check on entry. Swipe ID cards and hey an instant match. Upgrade to get facial recognition.

[sharmota4zeb]

Court hearings are public. If the community attends court hearings on a regular basis, cops have a disincentive to be jerks.

[Fist of Etiquette]

...at Sirens, a strip club in the Columbus, Ohio.

Police should arrest the whole place for cultural appropriation and stolen valor for that name.

[Bearded Spock]

Kind of off topic, but did anyone else here read the name of that club as "Si-REENS"?

As in, " Them Si-reens done loved him up and turned him into a toad."

[Juice]

*sah-reens

[Fist of Etiquette]

According to the police report, Daniels, while "topless and wearing a G-string," touched an undercover police officer "in a specified anatomical area."

Right on his authority boner.

[Bearded Spock]

What good is having the power to jail your fellow citizens if you can't abuse it once in a while?

The Columbus PD probably read all the gushing media reviews about the softness of Stormy's bosom and figured this would be an easy arrest.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Let's be honest, America: Dogs are parasites, not man's best friend

[John]

The cat conspiracy that controls the media is finally letting the mask drop.

[Rhywun]

We shall overcome.

[Fist of Etiquette]

My property has been overrun by groundhogs since my dog died. He pulled his considerable weight.

[loveconstitution1789]

Did you have a weiner dog? I understand they are great hunters of groundhogs and such because of their closeness to the ground.

I cant stand the yipping but it would be a good trade off to keep you yard from becoming a Sink-hole-de-mayo.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Lab/boxer mix. He used to chew their faces off. I guess he was tired of the dead groundhogs judging him.

[loveconstitution1789]

Wow, cool. I though only weiner dogs spent that much time on underground creatures.

Dogs are great. Sorry for your loss.

[Juice]

I'm sorry for your loss. Groundhogs are kind of cool though.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Thanks, it was a couple years ago. I haven't replaced him. He was unique in that he was an outside dog who was never tied or fenced. I'm not sure I can find another dog that low maintenance.

Groundhogs have been raiding my chicken feeder. I will kill each and everyone of them.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

"Groundhogs have been raiding my chicken feeder."

Groundhogs aren't so bad. SIV would raid your chickens.

[Citizen X]

Historically ignorant, disingenuously shit-stirring clickbait? Oh ok, it's a Longtorso link.

[Just Say'n]

The link really detracts from the debate of whether or not dogs are parasites

[Citizen X]

Ok, i know this is a controversial take, but here goes: even if your dog isn't a working dog, you've chosen to bring it into your life because you, personally, find value in the companionship of an animal that is the end result of 40,000 years of natural selection for wanting to hang out with you. If that's parasitism, then your friends are parasites for wasting your time with all those nice text messages on your birthday.

[Citizen X]

Or to put it into terms Longtorso can understand, it's like calling your mom a parasite because she washed your waifu pillow that one time and then had trouble making eye contact for like a month.

[Just Say'n]

Well, yeah, I agree. Dogs are most definitely not "parasites". Although, I don't consider a dog less than 40 pounds to be anything more than a cat

[Citizen X]

My mom brought her 20-pound dog over one time and my 8-pound cat beat the shit out of it.

[Bearded Spock]

Growing up our two cats routinely picked on the yappy little neighbor dog, which had the nice fringe benefit of ensuring that he never dropped a load in our yard.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

What did your other four cats do while this was happening?

[Citizen X]

They started circling in like velociraptors, which is NOT something housecats are supposed to do.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

Your cats have evolved bipedalism? You are not long for this world.

[Citizen X]

Not bipedalism (yet), but they have developed species-inappropriate cooperative hunting behaviors - and they understand how doorknobs work, even if they don't have the physical ability to grip them.

[Longtobefree]

Kept score?

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

What are you talking about. Small dogs are the best. They keep your lap warm, eat relatively little, shit little, have a ton of personality, and are the size of a human infant when you hold them, thereby satisfying your oxytocin needs without breaking the bank and your wife's vagina.

[Citizen X]

[backs away slowly]

[loveconstitution1789]

The yipping though. How can you stand it?

Were used to the yipping that Tony and Butt do on Reason but I can logout of Reason to get away from it.

[End Child Unemployment]

You can train dogs to not yip. Even little dogs. It's very simple. You just get two little dogs, put on your commissar hat, and when one dog starts yipping you execute him.

[Bubba Jones]

That's a cat.

[Bubba Jones]

Perhaps the correct term is "overlord"?

[sharmota4zeb]

Social parasitism is when one species gets another species to care for it by playing on emotions. Dogs evolved to look cute so that we treat them like kids and feed them even though they are not kin.

[mad.casual]

Instead of overthinking why people love their dogs, maybe we should just accept that they do. That's especially the case for those whose mental health is dependent on dogs' companionship.

And if you gaze long enough into the parasite...

[I am the 0.000000013%]

I for one am totally supportive of anyone's desire to marry or otherwise have relationships outside of their species.

[sharmota4zeb]

I guess if you've been paying a mental health professional to pretend to be your friend long enough for him to certify that your dog is an emotional support pet, the dog is a low cost alternative to more sessions.

[Conchfritters]

Whhhaatt? No motor boating in strip clubs in Ohio?

[Bearded Spock]

Pretty standard law in most states.

If you touch the dancer in a "sexual manner" then it becomes prostitution.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

What about lap dances?

[Citizen X]

Illegal in Ohio, apparently. What a garbage state.

[Conchfritters]

Fuck Ohio. They deserve to be sandwiched between Indiana and Pennsylvania. They pretty much have the worse qualities of both states.

[Marcus Aurelius]

In PA you can't get a cold beer unless you bring it yourself. And you can't buy beer except from a state store.

[Juice]

It really is.

[I am the 0.000000013%]

You can have lap dances in Minnesota but you have to sit on your hands.

It makes me sad I have such short stubby fingers.

[loveconstitution1789]

I wonder what they called the BJ and fucks from strippers that I used to get in the VIP room.

[Citizen X]

Imaginary.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

He is talking about the VIP room at Sandpiper Crossing.

[loveconstitution1789]

Seemed pretty real to the strippers who serviced me.

They really are whores.

I banged a stripper simply by showing her my rental key to my rental jaguar.

[sharmota4zeb]

If you get a chick to bang you by showing fancy car keys without actually paying her, she's not a whore, she's a traditional girlfriend. Like that line in Summer Loving says, "Does he have a car."

Oye, "Did she put up a fight?" isn't the type of question they asked in my generation.

[Bubba Jones]

Chris Rock assures me that there is no sex in the Champagne Room.

[loveconstitution1789]

What about the other kind of black guys? They are always ruining it....

[Citizen X]

French President Emmanuel Macron has since denied Trump's claim.

"Zee Franch weel never pay for anysing, EVER!"

[damikesc]

I still wonder why Reason is so fond of NATO. Seems to be a waste of our resources of the highest order.

Europe is plenty wealthy. Defend yourselves. We did our job.

[sharmota4zeb]

Oh, I read your response before reading the italicized quote and thought we were still talking about strippers.

[Bee Tagger]

Abolishing ICE isn't a very popular idea (yet).

Unfortunately, abolishing a government entity isn't a very popular idea (ever)

[Rufus The Monocled]

There was a tweet the other day where someone showed the chart of where all ICE contracts were in the US - and most were with/in Democrat areas.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Be thrilled anyone on the left is paying lip service at all to reducing the size of government.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

Agreed. We may never see this again in our lifetimes.

[Rhywun]

"Abolish ICE" has also become a meaningless slogan on the left that doesn't actually tell you anything about what people really think. So by all means let's continue to pay attention to polls about it.

[John]

It is worse than that. It is meaningless as you say. But the average person hears it to mean "stop deporting anyone", which is really unpopular. So it is a slogan that is meaningless but still manages to connect the Democrats with an extreme and unpopular position. So, of course the Democrats are adopting it.

[sharmota4zeb]

If we handled illegal immigration the way the micronation in Paterson handles it, we would quietly make the cousins of illegal immigrants disappear with some CIA agents sent to their homelands. Yet, Democrats still keep funding those activities by patronizing the dealers there. Fair trade, y'all. If you must buy illegal recreational drugs, only buy from the crypts.

[Bearded Spock]

It's kind of cute that ENB believes it will be a popular idea someday.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Sally Yates: 'Act of Love' Drove Parents to Send Immigrant Daughters for Sometimes Dangerous Residency Marriages
WASHINGTON ? Former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates described parents allowing their teenage daughters as young as 14 in Mexico to travel to the U.S. to marry men they did not know as an "act of love."

Yates, first appointed a U.S. Attorney by President Obama, was speaking in the context of a case she worked on in the Northern District of Georgia involving men who promised to marry Mexican girls as young as 14 inside the U.S. The teenagers were later sexually abused.

[perlchpr]

Young girls, shipped to a foreign country, to unknown men, for the purposes of "marriage"? And they ended up sexually abused? No! I can't imagine!

[damikesc]

Yates, first appointed a U.S. Attorney by President Obama, was speaking in the context of a case she worked on in the Northern District of Georgia involving men who promised to marry Mexican girls as young as 14 inside the U.S. The teenagers were later sexually abused.

They weren't abused. As Yates said, they were sexually loved.

So, parents, sending your kids off with rapists to be raped elsewhere is the height of love. I hope her children are out of the house.

[sharmota4zeb]

Nearly 30% of Latin American women were married or in union by the age of 18. It's a situation that needs to be addressed. Marriage norms south of the border are different from those in America. India tackled the problem of child brides. Latin America can too.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Trump taking credit over some sort of "win," from supposedly defusing a crisis he created, is straight out of his political playbook. But it is far better than him threatening to end NATO as we know it. Still such an insulting, counterproductive, diplomatic debacle. https://t.co/IkpMuxR9si
? Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 12, 2018

Like I want to hear from someone who sounds like he doesn't know how to negotiate at all.

[John]

Trump just got Europe to up its defense spending and start defending itself against Russia. It is clear he is a deep mole playing the long game for his Russian handlers.

[Fist of Etiquette]

He knows that can't afford it. At least not without risking a bunch of burning Citro?ns when entitlements get cut to pay for it.

[Rufus The Monocled]

He's playing Connect Four in a Trouble world.

[Rhywun]

The media got thoroughly pwned after yesterday's fake zinger ("Germany is captive to Russia!") so I guess it's time to double down.

[John]

Germany got rid of its coal and nuclear for "renewables" and is now dependent upon its biggest enemy to keep the furnace and lights on. If Merkle isn't a Russian mole, she might as well be one.

[Chinny Chin Chin]

Remember when Reagan got Europe in a tizzy by objecting to Soviet pipelines? Just another case of history repeating...

[Echo Chamber]

If Reagan did it, Trump will rebrand it as his own.
If Obama did it, Trump will try to undo it.

It's a simple playbook

[John]

Reagan enacted huge tariffs on cars and electronics. He was also a huge pragmatist in dealing with Congress. He pretty much let the Democratic Congress have all the spending they wanted in return for him getting the defense buildup he wanted. He also wasn't that big of a de-regulator. He didn't expand the regulatory state but he didn't shrink it much either. The one member of his cabinet who was a committed de regulator was James Watt at EPA. Watt lasted less than two years and was replaced by William Rucleshouse who was a Ford liberal Republican.

Reagan was also a committed nationalist. He loathed the UN. He rejected nation building. He fought communism because he thought it was an existential threat to the US and he was a patriot not because he believed in imposing some grand liberal order on the world. He didn't believe in nation building or wars that were not in the US interests. He sent arms and help to people who wanted to fight communism but ultimately he let them fight for themselves.

The Neocons and Never Trump conservatives have wiped their asses with Reagan's legacy and made him into some kind of transnational new world order hero. He was nothing of the kind.

[Happy Chandler]

Reagan sold arms to the terrorist Mullahs and cut and ran at the first hint of trouble in Beirut. Sad!

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Reagan sold arms to the terrorist Mullahs and cut and ran at the first hint of trouble in Beirut. Sad!

True, a Real President would have nuked both countries.

[Citizen X]

Why drop nukes when you can randomly drone-bomb family gatherings?

[damikesc]

Wasn't she raised in East Germany?

[sharmota4zeb]

Rand called environmentalists watermelons, because she said they were green on the outside and red on the inside. We're still seeing momentum from Soviet propaganda.

[Juice]

Trump just got Europe to up its defense spending and start defending itself against Russia.

Did he really though? We'll see. And it won't really be a "win" until the US is spending far less for defense of Europe.

[Happy Chandler]

Of course he did. Just like he got the MIA remains from North Korea and the nukes eliminated.

[Happy Chandler]

Of course he did. Just like he got the MIA remains from North Korea and the nukes eliminated.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

The only reason we're still keeping bases in Europe isn't because of Russia, it's because we need them as waystations for our Middle East and Africa adventures and to provide our troops with a "fun" place to be stationed overseas.

From a European defense standpoint for NATO, we should have a minimal footprint at Ramstein, and possibly Lakenheath, and that's about it. Everything else can be performed by whatever carrier group is stationed in the Mediterranean.

[damikesc]

...or we can move the bases to Poland and tell Merkel to GFY.

[sharmota4zeb]

Yeah. The major justification for bases all over the world is a rapid response time, but we have plenty of Americans rotting in foreign prisons that we forget about at the end of the weekly news cycle. We're obviously not going to use a rapid military response. It's time to stop preparing for one. We can get a military force from the USA to anywhere on the planet in a short enough time. Let's keep our military in the USA until war is declared.

[damikesc]

And if they don't, then let them get overrun. You'd think 73 FUCKING YEARS ON A CONTINENT would give them sufficient time to figure out how to find their ass with both hands.

[Just Say'n]

Was everyone asleep during every single presidency since the end of the Cold War?

[mad.casual]

Was everyone asleep during every single presidency since the end of the Cold War?

Roughly 1/3 of the time, yes.

[sharmota4zeb]

I'm confused. Don't Trump critics want us to stop spending so much on our military?

[Bee Tagger]

Gawker auction today. This will be interesting.

Gawktion. You're welcome.

[Nardz]

Well played

[Chinny Chin Chin]

gawkful

[Fist of Etiquette]

Gawkward.

[Nardz]

Applause

[Don't look at me.]

Gawk suckers.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Vladimir Putin Just Gave Ex-German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder A Plum Oil Job
Gerhard Schroeder, the man who Angela Merkel succeeded as Chancellor of Germany, has just been appointed to the chairman's job at oil company Rosneft.

Rosneft isn't just any oil company: It's the largest publicly-listed oil producer, by volume, in the world, controlled by the Russian state. Since 2014, it's been under U.S. and European sanctions, the idea being that sanctions will stop Rosneft from investing and growing its influence any further.

How Close Was Merkel to the Communist System?
A biography focusing on Chancellor Angela Merkel's time growing up in East Germany is making headlines because it suggests she was closer to the communist system than hitherto known. Her spokesman has denied she has covered anything up.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

That's weird, there is no entry for "plum oil job" on urban dictionary. Can you demonstrate on your waifu pillow what sort of an act this is?

[Fist of Etiquette]

The feds are reopening an investigation into the murder of Emmett Till.

The first #MeToo faker finally gets her comeuppance? (Is she even still alive?)

[Bee Tagger]

Still such an insulting, counterproductive, diplomatic debacle

Yet, very productive if it's shown that his behavior, or any diplomat's behavior in diplomatic settings, is meaningless in the long term.

[Bee Tagger]

"Are you kidding me?" Avenatti tweeted early this morning. "They are devoting law enforcement resources to sting operations for this? There has to be higher priorities!"

Oh, naive unfrozen caveman lawyer.. You've woken up to a world that will leave you perpetually in a state of dismay.

[Conchfritters]

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'm just a caveman. I fell on some ice and later got thawed out by some of your scientists. Your world frightens and confuses me! Sometimes the honking horns of your traffic make me want to get out of my BMW.. and run off into the hills, or wherever.. Sometimes when I get a message on my fax machine, I wonder: "Did little demons get inside and type it?" I don't know! My primitive mind can't grasp these concepts. But there is one thing I do know - when a man like my client slips and falls on a sidewalk in front of a public library, then he is entitled to no less than two million in compensatory damages, and two million in punitive damages. Thank you."

Caveman lawyer

[Mock-star]

Phil Hartman was the best.

[Lowdog]

RIP

[Fist of Etiquette]

He allegedly noted that "Colonel Sanders called blacks [n*****s]" but didn't face a backlash like the one Schnattner experienced for comments made about the NFL.

He said it in recounting what Sanders said, and now ENB said it in recounting what Schnatter said. AND NOW I SAID IT IN RECOUNTING WHAT ENB SAID. Looks like it's resignations all the way down.

[Shirley Knott]

I'm resigned to it by now.

[mad.casual]

Mr. Schnattner, I served with Colonel Sanders. I knew Colonel Sanders. Colonel Sanders was a friend of mine. Mr. Schnattner, you're no Colonel Sanders.

[Bubba Jones]

Captain Kirk runs Papa Johns?

[Mike Laursen]

But you just put little asterisks in there, so I think that means you don't have to resign.

[sparkstable]

So it seems the Papa was correct in his assessment of how he is/will be treated. Also... there is a huge distinction between HIM saying it as a word of his choosing to convey his thoughts about people versus him recounting someone else saying it.

[Mike Laursen]

he tried to downplay comments he made about the National Football League last fall

What did he say about the NFL last fall? It would be nice to have that context spelled out in the story.

[Citizen X]

Twitter is plotting another bot purge.

Much like "hoverboard," the reality behind the phrase "bot purge" is far more disappointing than it sounds.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

They're going to open a new social media platform called Gulag as a place to send the bots.

[Citizen X]

Isn't this how the Matrix got started?

[Just Say'n]

That's literally EXACTLY what a bot would say

[Citizen X]

IF
THEN PRINT "Gargle my balls"
END

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

FOR comment_number 1 TO last_comment
IF comment.includes(comment_number, Gargle) THEN comment.replace(Gargle, Chortle)

[Colossal Douchebag]

You guys forgot the line numbers

[I am the 0.000000013%]

pre-punched

[Rufus The Monocled]

"Trump continues boorish and bizarre behavior at NATO summit. The president announced that NATO allies will increase spending, as he desires, but offered little in the way of details"

What's so bizarre about it? The majority of NATO countries don't even meet the AGREE 2% threshold and he's calling them out on it. Which I think would be good for America (and libertarians) since it could lead to less spending on defence, no?

[John]

Telling the truth in plain terms is apparently bizarre.

[Shirley Knott]

For a politician, yes, yes it is.
Even if it might be by accident. NTTIAWWT

[Just Say'n]

Oh no, It's definitely by accident. No one should pretend like Trump actually understands foreign policy. He just has the right instinct on the matter sometimes. And he is absolutely right about NATO. People who are accusing him of lying are being completely dishonest here.

[Cathy L]

Of course, he does manage to lie about it, because he makes it sound like NATO allies aren't funding NATO itself, which isn't the case.

[Just Say'n]

They are not meeting the 2% of GDP obligation. An issue that everyone from GHW Bush through Barack Obama complained about. And an issue that was not controversial until Trump's presidency.

[Just Say'n]

http://www.cato.org/publications/comm.....en-sharing

[Cathy L]

I'm aware they're not meeting the 2% obligation. The 2% obligation is not money they pay to NATO. Trump makes it sound like it is. For example:
"And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they're delinquent, as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them."

Now, he could just be suggesting that they owe us in an abstract way because we are spending more on defense and they are spending less. But they're not "delinquent," because defense spending isn't something they owe anyone. And they certainly don't owe it to us, and we weren't paying their NATO dues.

[Just Say'n]

Yes, but I feel like you are trying to call out a lie on a technicality. You agree that Europe has not been meeting its agreed upon contribution to defense. We aren't paying their share, but we are bearing the brunt of their defense.

[Cathy L]

Do you honestly not think Trump is trying to make his followers believe Europe actually owes us, or NATO, money? He is. He definitely is.

[Just Say'n]

Europe owes us in the sense that we have been providing for their defense since the end of World War II and they haven't kept their end of the bargain since the end of the Cold War. The preferable route would be to just end the whole entanglement, but you are grasping at straws if you think it's a problem to suggest that "Europe owes us". How do they not?

[damikesc]

Now, he could just be suggesting that they owe us in an abstract way because we are spending more on defense and they are spending less. But they're not "delinquent," because defense spending isn't something they owe anyone. And they certainly don't owe it to us, and we weren't paying their NATO dues.

Their entire SOCIETY is based on freeloading off of us. We've ALWAYS carried the heavy load of protecting them so they are incapable of protecting themselves. They OWE us because we've been forced to do far more than they have --- when it is their ass on the line, not ours.

[sharmota4zeb]

Yes and no. Israel and European countries pulled out of victories against Egypt, because the USA wanted to bring Egypt from the Soviet sphere to the American sphere. On the one hand, Americans don't like to see Europeans have a complete military victory. On the other hand, we complain about paying for their defense and pressure them to accept migrants from the Middle East and all of Africa. I haven't seen any Reason articles complaining that Mexico does not accept more African migrants or comments in Reason about how much Latin America owes us for the Monroe doctrine.

[Just Say'n]

Please show me the lie

[Faxsibnatibng]

...are they, though?

Are they really?

Because if the U.S. pulls out, NATO probably couldn't defend itself from Russian aggression, or Chinese aggression, or Australian aggression, or Canadian aggression.

[Just Say'n]

Why should the US be defending anyone? Especially countries who can clearly afford their own defense. But, yeah, maintaining the federal government's largest overseas welfare program is clearly a small government position

[John]

What just Say'n said. Also, how is the US supposed to defend people who lack the will or desire to defend themselves even if they wanted to?

If Europe wants us to defend them from the big bad Russians, then they need to show they think doing so is worth their own money and blood. If they don't think it is worth their own money, why is it worth ours?

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

Wingnuts' heads are going to explode when America's betters revive relations with Europe and leave Israel at the curb to fend for itself.

I just hope I have enough snacks for the whole show.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Wingnuts' heads are going to explode when America's betters revive relations with Europe

To be fair, the Middle East was a lot nicer place to be during the mandate period.

[damikesc]

Hmm, a progressive who hates Jews and loves the countries that happily slaughtered them. Hell, Germans still blame them for making them look bad. The Klan is better about their views on blacks than Germans are about their views on Jews.

Why does Germany ban Nazi symbols and Holocaust discussion? Because the amount of support that the Holocaust would get would be a bit embarrassing for them.

[damikesc]

If Europe wants us to defend them from the big bad Russians, then they need to show they think doing so is worth their own money and blood. If they don't think it is worth their own money, why is it worth ours?

Hell, for giggles, if we used the troops we have stationed in Germany alone, we could easily conquer Germany. Their military is utterly useless.

[Faxsibnatibng]

I hadn't reloaded when I posted and was responding to Cathy L's claim that "he makes it sound like NATO allies aren't funding NATO itself." Not a response to you, more of an agreement.

[Just Say'n]

I didn't mean to respond to you.

[Cathy L]

Why should the US be defending anyone?

Because that's how the US gets to be the hegemon.

[Just Say'n]

I'll say this, the election of Donald Trump has really clarified the positions of a lot of people. Certain libertarians are literally parroting talking points from the Bush administration and pretending like this is somehow compatible with limited government.

Eliminate borders, but bomb them on their way in

[Just Say'n]

I misunderstood your point Cathy. Nevermind

[Cathy L]

I didn't say we should be the world's superpower. But it's not like we just pay for Europe's defense because we're nice.

[Bubba Jones]

Nope. Our economy is how we get to be the hegemon.

[Rufus The Monocled]

And you don't want to see a bunch of drunk Saskatchewan hockey players get mad.

[Citizen X]

I used to work for a constantly drunk hockey fiend from Saskatchewan. When he got mad he'd lock himself in his office and watch porn for a whole shift.

[sharmota4zeb]

If we pull out from NATO, the remaining NATO countries might invite Russia to join and launch a peacekeeping campaign in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and North Africa. I don't know how I feel about that possibility.

[loveconstitution1789]

NATO.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Treaty includes a provision that all member nations spend at least 2% of GDP.

All but the USA, Greece, and the UK are out of compliance.
Defensenews NATO spending per GDP

Trump is right...again.

[perlchpr]

Estonia and Poland are up to snuff too, from what I've read.

[loveconstitution1789]

The chart shows Estonia at 2.14% and Poland at 2.01%.

I fucked up and forgot to advance the chart to 2017 from 2010. Romania, Poland, Greece, UK, USA, Estonia as the only countries in compliance.

[Conchfritters]

Estonia's air force is 4 helicopters and a trainer jet. And yet they are a full NATO member. Makes sense, I guess, if I shared a border with Russia I probably wouldn't mind being a member either. Their GDP is $23 billion, so they only need to spend $460 million a year to stay in compliance. In other words, basically one F-35 fighter. And yet, if they are even touched by Russia, all the other treaty members are treaty bound to go to all out war. Makes sense.

/s

[sparkstable]

From each according their their ability, to each according to their needs.

If you expected anything else from a bunch of politicians, especially European ones, then shame on you.

[damikesc]

Estonia's air force is 4 helicopters and a trainer jet. And yet they are a full NATO member.

If they can be used, they are already stronger than Germany.

Just let that soak in.

[loveconstitution1789]

Any nation that has been under the thumb of Russia should know how bad occupation can be.

Estonia probably has zero illusions about their chances without NATO possibly having their back.

[sharmota4zeb]

It's the same logic as low income housing in your school district or the income tax. For over a century, we've expected people to pay proportionally to their income and receive equal benefits. I'm OK with that norm.

[mad.casual]

Trump is right...again.

And not just right but divergently coherent about it. Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, etc. should either be maxing out their NATO-matched defense-401ks or firing up their economies to do so. This long after the fall, there's really no reason why they shouldn't be at 2% (or just out).

[damikesc]

Of course, he does manage to lie about it, because he makes it sound like NATO allies aren't funding NATO itself, which isn't the case.

He hasn't said that. He was discussing the MILITARY part --- given that NATO was, primarily, a defense organization, that is key --- and, no, most of them are not remotely meeting their very, very small obligations.

[Mark22]

Of course, he does manage to lie about it, because he makes it sound like NATO allies aren't funding NATO itself, which isn't the case.

You are lying about it, because you pretend that funding for NATO's bloated bureaucracy is equivalent to "funding NATO".

NATO is a defense alliance. If France and Germany don't spend commensurate with their GDP, they are defrauding the US. Trump isn't the first to point this out, but fortunately he is clearer about it than past presidents. And if we don't get more than empty promises from our NATO "allies" very soon, we should pull out of NATO altogether.

[JP88]

And boorish.

[Rhywun]

Don't forget unseemly!

[Don't look at me.]

I thought they meant he was shopping at a bazaar.

[Cathy L]

If you think the US is going to spend less on defense because NATO allies spend more, I have some very expensive planes to sell you.

[Just Say'n]

Defending expensive overseas entanglements is libertarian-y af

[Cathy L]

Yep, that's what I was doing, not decrying the fact that congressmen will never, ever spend less on defense.

Go fuck yourself.

[Just Say'n]

Well, yeah, agreed. But, then what is your actual complaint with what Trump is saying about NATO?

[loveconstitution1789]

Cathy L, main complaint is TRUMP!

[Cathy L]

That he's lying to rile up his base, and he doesn't actually care about reining in defense spending. It's 100% bullshit to rile up his base.

[Just Say'n]

By this logic then President Obama was riling up his base by making the same complaints. Your whole issue hangs on the fact that he states that "Europe owes us". I mean, yeah, Europe kind of does owe us for defending them from World War II forward. It would be best to just cut our loses and leave, but if Congress is so intent on maintaining the boondoggle known as NATO then at the very least Europe should meet their commitments.

[Happy Chandler]

The issue is that he says NATO does not benefit the US. He is lying when he says it's a bad deal. He's lying when he says pulling out would be in the interests of the US.

Obama did none of that. It's standard to urge our allies to spend more on the military. It is not an important issue to American interests in any way. American troops are in Europe because it is in our interest.

The issue is that Trump is damaging American interests.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

It's standard to urge our allies to spend more on the military. It is not an important issue to American interests in any way

"Actually demanding that our allies live up to their treaty agreements isn't in our interests! Only the dog and pony show is!"

[Happy Chandler]

"Actually demanding that our allies live up to their treaty agreements non-binding targets isn't in our interests! Only the dog and pony show is!"

FTFY

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

"Actually demanding that our allies live up to their treaty agreements non-binding targets isn't in our interests! Only the dog and pony show is!"

Glad you admit the Paris Climate Agreement was pointless theater.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

Also, fucking LOL at a shitlib standing up for the western military hegemony just because Trump said a few sharp words. You people really are worthless.

[damikesc]

The issue is that he says NATO does not benefit the US. He is lying when he says it's a bad deal. He's lying when he says pulling out would be in the interests of the US.

Can you spell out these benefits to us? Europe gets to have their massive welfare state because we fund, primarily, one of the few things a government ACTUALLY needs to do.

NATO was good. Now, it is useless. Much like the UN.

[sharmota4zeb]

+1 Just Say'n

[sharmota4zeb]

Would you like some crackers with that wine, Cathy?

[Mark22]

That he's lying to rile up his base, and he doesn't actually care about reining in defense spending. It's 100% bullshit to rile up his base.

Plenty of people have condemned Europe for not paying their fair share, since long before Trump.

The difference is that you, Cathy L, are so ignorant of world affairs that you didn't understand it until Trump put it into plain language for you and the anti-Trump brigades were shouting it into your ears.

[Mark22]

If you think the US is going to spend less on defense because NATO allies spend more, I have some very expensive planes to sell you.

We will never reduce our defense budget if we don't force Europe to cough up the money for their own defense; that is a necessary first step. And you're an ignorant fool if you deny that.

[mad.casual]

The majority of NATO countries don't even meet the AGREE 2% threshold and he's calling them out on it.

You know the most hilarious part about it? It's become akin to how a budget cut means a slight decrease in the rate of increase. The US meets its 2% and then some and is if not the the party, then certainly among the parties, least served by NATO strategically. Truman, maybe Nixon, and maybe Reagan would've pointed out Russia's pipelines through the Balkans to Macron and then said, "Well, anyway, good luck with that! Later."

NATO is a useless relic of an age before the internet. (Not that it's necessarily a good thing but) The fact that Trump (and China, Mexico, Canada, the UK, and the EU) can effect immigration policy *and* a global trade war practically in real time demonstrates its absurdity.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

CNN Guest and Bill de Blasio Aide Getting Sweetheart Deal in Child P-rn Case
Bill de Blasio aid and well-connected Democrat leader Jacob Schwarz, who was President of the Manhattan Young Democrats, was arrested over a year ago for possessing child p-rnography.

De Blasio administration employee, 29, is arrested for 'having 3,000 photos and 89 videos of child pornography depicting children as young as six months old'

Schwartz was released on $7,500 bail, and has been free since. In fact, no motions have been filed in his case at all, court records reveal.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

You missed an instance of "pornography." I can hear the HR boots marching down the hallway now.

[Don't look at me.]

" President of the Manhattan Young Democrats"
Dang! How young were they?

[loveconstitution1789]

Corrupt Democrat gets lower bail than anyone else.

Corrupt Democrat gets selective prosecution or lack of prosecution is more like it.

[mad.casual]

depicting children as young as six months old

Urge to kill... rising.

[loveconstitution1789]

Jesus Christ, these sickos. That is like having sexual thoughts about embryos.

[Happy Chandler]

I guess he should run for Congress as a Republican.

[loveconstitution1789]

Or take Weiner's place as Rep from NY.

[Longtorso, Johnny]

Huffington Post Criticizes Thai Navy SEALs For Displaying 'Toxic Masculinity' During Daring Cave Rescue

[Chinny Chin Chin]

uuuh, John-boy, you know that linked "Huffpo" article is a spoof, yes?

[Longtobefree]

Doesn't matter; real Huffpo links are a spoof too.

[John]

These people are beyond parody.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

OBL hardest hit

[John]

They really are. That article was a parody but I don't know how anyone was supposed to tell that.

[loveconstitution1789]

Exactly. The media lies constantly about almost anything and considers brave military people pieces of shit. A spoof article comes out and people believe it because, well, the media is a bunch of lying hacks.

Surprise.Surprise.Surprise.

[perlchpr]

The main reason I could tell was that it didn't make the HuffPo sound crazy enough.

[loveconstitution1789]

Haha. Nice one perlchpr.

I havent looked at HuffPo in years and they were wacko back then too.

[perlchpr]

I have to say, there are some funny posts on that site.

Battling Fascism: Antifa Releases Home Addresses Of Children Who Sold Steve Bannon Lemonade

[loveconstitution1789]

Holy moley! The Lefties wont stop until they get every gun totting American against them.

[Cathy L]

Longtorso's link is to a parody site, so, apparently they're not.

[John]

Yes they are. The story might as well be real. It fooled most people who read it. You can't tell parody from reality anymore.

[Cathy L]

Well, some people can't.

[loveconstitution1789]

Some people assume since the media hates military folks that they would always hate military folks.

[loveconstitution1789]

Not a big leap.

[chemjeff radical individualist]

The story might as well be real.

Fake But Accurate!

[Rhywun]

Well-done fake news.

[MarkLastname]

What the hell is the Babylon Bee?

[Cathy L]

The Onion for Christians.

[Just Say'n]

And only Christians, clearly.

[Cathy L]

It's explicitly a Christian site.

[Just Say'n]

I am aware. Lutheran, I believe.

[Conchfritters]

If it's lutheran than it is one of those fake lutheran snake handling tongue chanting groups like the Wisconsin or Missouri synods.

[sharmota4zeb]

Um ... ok nevermind.

[Fist of Etiquette]

The offending flag, Josephine Meckseper's "Untitled (Flag 2)," is "a collage of an American flag and one of my dripped paintings which resembles the contours of the United States," said Meckseper.

Yeah, I couldn't make that out at all.

[Don't look at me.]

The real offense is the poorly done art.

[lap83]

Based on the description, it could've been executed much better than it was. It's a piece of crap

[damikesc]

If this is the best Kansas can produce for art, they should be thanking the governor for giving them cover to take it back indoors.

[Rhywun]

"I think the big thing for them going forward is how do they distance themselves entirely from John?" Hill said.

Really? There are plenty of examples to learn from throughout history of how to unperson a wrongthinker.

[OpenBordersLiberal-tarian]

Abolishing ICE isn't a very popular idea (yet).

That's because the right-wing, pro-Drumpf media drives the narrative in this country. With a truly honest, unbiased, independent media, a clear majority of voters would undoubtedly be on the right side of history on this issue.

#AbolishICE
#NoBanNoWall
#OpenBorders
#BlueWave

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Fun fact: Lizbo's favorite vibrator is nicknamed "Stormy Daniels".

[Leo Kovalensky II]

Don't you wish you could be a ring on her Stormy?

[Citizen X]

Simple Mikey never grew past the "pull a girl's pigtails" stage of flirting. Sad!

[Conchfritters]

Let me guess - you were one of those guys who snapped the girls bras in middle school.

[BestUsedCarSales]

Snapped then right on their titties, if you know what In saying.

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Abolishing ICE isn't a very popular idea (yet).

Translation: we need to keep bringing in more and more foreigners until we succeed in "fundamentally transforming" America.

[Rhywun]

Hey, it's working in England!

[Weigel's Cock Ring]

Sadly, yes. Hopefully it doesn't work that well here.

This is about as close as most scumbags like Brown will ever come to admitting this is their goal though.

[Happy Chandler]

Abolish ICE has no relation to the amount of immigrants in the country or the level of enforcement.

ICE isn't border patrol. That's CBP.
ICE isn't immigration and nationalization. That's USCIS.

ICE is basically the TSA of immigration. Security theater and randomly groping people.

[loveconstitution1789]

ICE deports the illegals that are already in the USA in violation of US law.

[JP88]

I like how Stormy Daniels turned her 15 minutes of fame into doing a strip club tour across the country. She clearly is a capitalist! I respect the hustle.

[loveconstitution1789]

She's gonna need the hustle. Her violating the NDA with Trump is going to cost her millions.

[Happy Chandler]

She didn't have an NDA with Trump.

[damikesc]

She got the money. I doubt many courts are going to side with "We had no agreement" nonsense her moron of a lawyer is peddling.

[loveconstitution1789]

Hm... You're just lying now. Her complaint mentions the agreement.

Stormy Daniel lawsuit against Trump
Stormy Daniels Complaint against Cohen and Davidson

The internet is really not your friend, is it?

[Conchfritters]

She was in Des Moines Iowa a couple of weeks ago and the door entry was $50 a person, and the place was packed. She's the number one searched for person on all the porn sites. I like under 40 natural tatas better, but good for her.

[Just Say'n]

http://www.twitter.com/EricDJuly/stat.....5817795584

Hey, BUCS, it doesn't seem like Eric July likes you very much

[Leo Kovalensky II]

July has only been relevant for, what, 12 days now?

[Just Say'n]

Are you my grandpa?

[Faxsibnatibng]

No, this is your grandpa.

[Just Say'n]

I'm not clicking that. I don't trust you

[loveconstitution1789]

How do people not know how to include the URL in the link, so we can all see where the link goes?

[Faxsibnatibng]

lc, how do you not know I do this so people will be surprised when they click? I like to add a little danger to everyone's day. Get their heart rates up and increase the anticipation.

[loveconstitution1789]

There are some Libertarians on here and skepticism is in our blood.

Tony and Butt have ruined the link experience too much to take those kinds of risks.

[Faxsibnatibng]

What have I ever done to make you not trust me?

[loveconstitution1789]

I still didnt click...bait. =)

[Leo Kovalensky II]

How did you find my picture?

[Faxsibnatibng]

Bitch I'll do anything to put together a family reunion so long as it isn't more taxing than a few minutes of web searching.

[Magnitogorsk]

Now that other NATO countries are paying their fair share I eagerly await Trump's announcement that we will dial back our spending accordingly

[loveconstitution1789]

Wasn't Trump saying that if NATO does not pay their fair share, the US would pull out troops?

I dont think USA paying more into NATO had anything to do with run away domestic spending.

I would love to see the federal budget cut by 50%+ tomorrow though.

[AlmightyJB]

Vice cops are the lowest form of life.

[Ken Shultz]

I find the media's weird obsession with Stormy Daniels more interesting than Stormy Daniels herself.

Trump is seriously fucking up on free trade and a few other things, but the news media just wants to talk about Stormy Daniels and . . . whatever bullshit dynamite Mueller is supposedly hiding up his sleeve? It's nauseating.

At the end of the day, they don't cover Trump's fuck ups on free trade because they don't disagree with Trump on free trade. Their primary objections to Trump are centered around 1) His apparent contempt for their orthodoxy on what is and isn't appropriate for public discourse and 2) their hatred of the demographic that supports Trump.

The stories I read on Stormy Daniels or Trump's Kremlin connections make Birthers look ingenious.

It's embarrassing to watch. I guess the right word is "cringeworthy".

Meanwhile, without any clear opposition to Trump trade policies, we're gonna lose the argument on free trade permanently. The Democrats aren't going to pick up the issue, and if Trump wins reelection, Republicans come 2024 will be trying to outdo each other on protectionism to win the primaries.

But let's talk about butt sex and Stormy Daniels. Capitalism is so passe.

[Faxsibnatibng]

Dude, do you remember what happened when we saw a few seconds of Janet Jackson's tit during a Super Bowl halftime show? The world went fucking nuts! "Oh, this is just atrocious and offensive...let's take another look." "Well, Jim, I think this tit is a sign of decreasing morality in American life?can we put it onscreen again?" "Tits? In my football? It's more horrible than you'd think! Now let's zoom in on that nipple."

This is one of the few moments when the news can discuss a chick's hooters without getting slammed as misogynistic, and they're taking advantage of it.

[John]

I love boobs as much as the next guy. But if we are going to discuss boobs, can we please not discuss those boobs?

[Faxsibnatibng]

How about these boobs then?

[Leo Kovalensky II]

I like these

[Citizen X]

Some real nice boobies

[Conchfritters]

I lived in Sweden in 1992, and my 8 year old host brother Alexander would elbow me and laugh at me when the boobs would come out during some sitcom on after 7pm on their main TV stations. They didn't give a shit, and we lived a mile from the ocean where all beaches were topless, and even my host mother sun bathed topless in the backyard. But even the 8 year old kid knew how uptight most Americans are, so he always tried to get a reaction from me whenever boobs were present. Little did he know that I had a stack of penthouse magazines stashed in my secret fort back in the States, and I knew all too well what boobs were.

[loveconstitution1789]

Ja, tuttar.

[Cathy L]

Trump is seriously fucking up on free trade and a few other things, but the news media just wants to talk about Stormy Daniels and . . . whatever bullshit dynamite Mueller is supposedly hiding up his sleeve? It's nauseating.

In real life, most of the news yesterday was focused on NATO.

[Just Say'n]

Let's here the fake libertarian case for supporting NATO

[Cathy L]

Let's hear you actually respond to someone in good faith.

[Just Say'n]

Alright, maybe I misunderstood. From your previous comments I thought you were taking issue with the notion that Europe should spend more on its defense. Which is less preferable than eliminating NATO entirely, but more preferable to the status quo.

I misunderstood. Sorry

[sharmota4zeb]

By "real life", do you mean in the dead tree news?

[Juice]

It's embarrassing to watch.

There's a ridiculously easy solution you might want to try.

[Bubba Jones]

They hate Trump because they don't like his voters.

They don't actually disagree with him on anything. Even immigration.

[Faxsibnatibng]

Whoever buys it: if you screw up the gawker archives you will become a mortal enemy of dozens of very good reporters across the country.

That just makes me want to buy it and replace all content with tubgirl.

[Just Say'n]

All those fine articles like "13 Ways in Which the White Heteronormative Rules of Gravity are Gaslighting You at Conchella"

[Leo Kovalensky II]

You won't believe number 11!

[Citizen X]

Naw, just add "and a Scorching Case of Herpes" to the end of every headline.

[Faxsibnatibng]

Why not both?

Peter Thiel is Gay and a Scorching Case of Herpes.

"Hmm, that sounds interesting. I'd better click on it."

tubgirl'd

AAAAAHHHH! GOD MY EYES WHY!

[Rhywun]

England is out of the World Cup after losing 2-1 to Croatia last night.

A France v Croatia final perfectly sums up how boring this World Cup has been.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

A France v Croatia final perfectly sums up how boring this World Cup has been. soccer has always been

FTFY

[Rhywun]

Gee whiz, that's clever.

[John]

There isn't a great team. The German team in 14 was a machine. The Spanish team in 10 was probably the deepest team in history. The Italian team in 06 and the Brazilian team in 02 were two of the most talented teams in history. There isn't a single team like that this year. The best two players, Messe and Ronaldo played on teams with second-rate talent around them. The Germans let winning go to their head and no longer had the chemistry and discipline they had. Brazilian soccer, in general, has just fallen on its ass. The Brits should want to kill themselves this morning. This was one year where your typical crappy British team had a real shot at winning and they blew it.

[Faxsibnatibng]

The Brits should want to kill themselves this morning.

Fixed it for you.

[Rhywun]

The Germans let winning go to their head and no longer had the chemistry and discipline they had.

While accurate, Loew also had more than a little to do with it, with his team selection and playing half of them out of position. This should be the textbook case going forward of never, ever letting the same man coach two World Cups in a row. They should have just fired him after he won the last one.

This was one year where your typical crappy British team had a real shot at winning and they blew it.

Who knows... maybe it's another case of needed a different/better coach. I mean, Croatia? Come on. There is simply no excuse for losing to a gnat of a country like that.

[John]

That is what Brazil is saying about Belguim and Germany about South Korea. None of the big powers had good teams this year. It looks like France is going to win, but France has the second youngest team in the tournament. No way would they have won in other years.

[Rufus The Monocled]

I don't get why they ask if this is one of the best World Cup ever.

[Sevo]

"Ohio prohibits any touching?sexual or otherwise?between nude or semi-nude performers and members of the audience at "sexually oriented" establisments."

It took a week's worth of fundy brain-power to come up with THAT bit of 'legislation'.

[Just Say'n]

I always thought the universal law of strip clubs was "they can touch you, but don't touch them". It's a violation of contract rights for the government to interfere in this unspoken law of conduct

[loveconstitution1789]

Different states have different laws.

[Just Say'n]

Screw stupid laws from stupid states

[loveconstitution1789]

Most state laws are unconstitutional anyways. Either because of their own state constitutional limitations or due to the US Constitution.

If the stripper and patron are adults, who cares what they do.

[Leo Kovalensky II]

If the stripper and patron are adults, who cares what they do.

Every government agent, ever?

[loveconstitution1789]

Sure. Their job literally depends on it.

[BenjaminTheDonkey]

A sex worker's most valuable skill is discretion. Getting paid $130,000 to keep your c**kholster shut and still blabbing isn't the way to make allies. Ohio's Mason-Dixon line is I-80, she was deep in Trump Country and they were looking for any excuse to charge her. They probably had a K9 unit sniffing around whatever vehicle she arrived in as well.

[Conchfritters]

Ohio's Mason-Dixon line is I-80

Heh - true

[MarkLastname]

What's a semi-nude performer? Anything short of a burqa?

[Longtobefree]

If and only if she is also wearing gloves and high top shoes - - - - -

[Citizen X]

According to the police report, Daniels, while "topless and wearing a G-string," touched an undercover police officer "in a specified anatomical area."

[unzip]

[loveconstitution1789]

Is Crusty dead? You would think he would be all over this thread.

[Citizen X]

I think the people in the apartment above the pet store put a password on their wifi, so he lost his internet access.

[loveconstitution1789]

That shit is hilarious!

[lap83]

So I guess he is still banned from the library

[Cynical Asshole]

he is still banned from the library

...for something the locals cryptically refer to as "the incident."

[Citizen X]

It's telling that not a single citizen complained when the city jacked up the library budget to cover armed guards at every branch.

[loveconstitution1789]

Guard(s), huh?

Damn that was serious.

[loveconstitution1789]

Stormy Daniels Arrested at Ohio Strip Club After Undercover Cop Claims Butt Was Touched:

ENB, were you in Ohio yesterday?

BTW, Was this an issued ticket (summons to appear before a judge) rather than physical arrest?

[Cathy L]

No. She was handcuffed and taken for processing, and out on bail before 6 this morning.

[loveconstitution1789]

Pretty ridiculous that she was not release on her Own Recognizance or a $5 bail amount.

She was probably mostly nude, so $5 would have been a stretch though.

[loveconstitution1789]

Unless she could pay in singles.

[Cynical Asshole]

if you screw up the gawker archives you will become a mortal enemy of dozens of very good reporters across the country.

Ooh, I'm so scared. If I had the money, I'd buy Gawker.com and delete the archives just out of spite. Actually, I'd delete them and then make the 404 error page a picture of a middle finger. Or Goatse, I can't decide.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

If Peter Thiel doesn't buy the Gawker sites and do exactly this, then there's no hope for humanity left.

[Longtobefree]

I thought entry into a strip club was some kind of consent?
Good to know that the history rewrite has gotten to the point that an accurate quote can get you fired from your own company. Oh wait, he literally sold out, didn't he?
Welcome to the revolution

[Juice]

Trump continues boorish and bizarre behavior at NATO summit.

I guess whispering behind closed doors is your preferred method of international relations?

[Bubba Jones]

Trump continues boorish and bizarre behavior at NATO summit.

There's no fighting in the war room!

[Jerryskids]

Macron on Twitter 20 minutes ago:

C'est avec grand plaisir que le Minist?re de la D?fense annonce avoir conclu un accord de principe avec la Chine pour l'achat de 24 avions J-20 de Chengdu dans le but de respecter l'engagement de la France envers l'OTAN.

[Red Rocks White Privilege]

It's somewhat pathetic that they have to outsource their Air Force fleet to China and can't just build a few more Rafale jets.

[Citizen X]

Macron's twitter is a solid wall of banally sinister boilerplate social nationalism, but Jerry make that tweet up.

[damikesc]

Daniels should be sued for false advertising. That pic in this article is so airbrushed as to barely resemble her.

[Happy Chandler]

All charges dropped against Stormy.

[loveconstitution1789]

If only Trump could get Mueller charges dropped that fast.

[sharmota4zeb]

The law is silly, but a professional like Stormy Daniels should be aware of the laws regarding stripping at all her venues.

[Mark22]

Trump continues boorish and bizarre behavior at NATO summit. The president announced that NATO allies will increase spending, as he desires, but offered little in the way of details. French President Emmanuel Macron has since denied Trump's claim.

Yeah, because it is so much better when people like Clinton, Bush, and Obama are really nice to Europeans while wasting US tax payer dollars! /sarc

I'm glad someone is talking in clear language to those European leaders.