Invincibles 2: Liverpool boogaloo?
Tennessee football ended the season on a high note by coming back and taking down mighty Indiana. I expect it to propel them to a preseason top 10 ranking. Cincinnati pounded Boston College. Liverpool won 2-0 and are one win away from the best start in the history of the EPL. And on the ice, your winners were Columbus, Buffalo, Tampa, NJ, San Jose, Florida, Toronto, Calgary, Phoenix, Colorado, Vancouver and Vegas.
Legend
Roman philosopher Cicero was born on this day. As were fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, South Vietnamese strongman Ngo Dinh Diem, comedian Victor Borge, very good director John Sturges, golfer Fred Haas, football coach Hank Stram, music producer (who finished his work promptly) George Martin, genius director Sergio Leone, hockey legend Bobby Hull, bassist John Paul Jones, noted heavy-drinker and religious-intolerant Mel Gibson, and racing legend Micheal Schumacher.
That’s a hell of a list right there. Now let’s get to…the links!
Adios, scumbag.
This headline is somewhat misleading. The piece of shit was a terrorist. And I’m glad he’s dead. Now bring all our troops back home from that shithole.
Democrats are suddenly concerned with separation of powers. If only they gave a shit when the last president was starting coups in Libya, arming Syrian terrorists, or assassinating Americans without even charging them with a crime. Oh yeah, and the killing was authorized under the current AUMF.
Chicago, Illinois. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.
Should have been worse
When hours count, the police are mere minutes away. A shame, really, that their response times are improving in some cases.
Man re-enacts Brady Bunch scene. I wonder if he’d have been better off if he hadn’t put those hot dogs in his flashlight.
Religious man misunderstands the role of government. Of course, this dumbass misunderstands the role of religious organizations as well, so this comes as no surprise.
For the bassist with a birthday.
Now get out there and have a good end of the week and a better weekend, friends.
I’m number one.
PS – Dear Nancy, FUCK YOU, AND FUCK PRESIDENT DRONE STRIKE. Pull the other one, love.
PPS – There was some really interesting takes on warfare in the comments of the previous post.
Booze, burners and bombs.
I like George Best’s philosophy a lot better.
South Vietnamese strongman Ngo Dinh Diem – did he ever win World Strongest Man? How much did he deadlift?
Half a country.
The hardest part of my job at times is not swearing at my coworkers.
You want me to help investigate an intermittant problem – don’t reboot the server before telling me the problem is back!
The hardest part of mine is finding new and creative ways to swear at my workers.
We’ve all got our cross to bear.
The hardest part of mine is the work. Finding a decent replacement when I’m away so we don’t goink the contract rates a close second…
I’ve busted my ass to start this year off right. I’ve got my largest auction ever going across the (virtual) ramp in 13 days. Which beats the Orlando sales to the punch this year. And have another ready to go on the books in mid-March.
The last month has been a whirlwind to say the least. If it pays off as anticipated, I’ll make more in January than I did in 2019 (thanks to losing so much productivity last year in an aborted attempt to start another company with a couple partners). And I’ll definitely make more in Q1 than I have since I opened my company.
To say I’m both nervous and excited would be a gross understatement.
Good luck.
Most of the heavy lifting for the January sale is done. It’s all marketing now, (aside from adding a few lots today). And that plan is moving along swimmingly so far.
Fingers crossed, but I’m feeling pretty confident it’ll go as planned.
This auction; are the orphans available individually or in lots?
I’ll second that.
I hope your venture turns out to be everything you hoped it would be. Lord knows us Glibs need some good news these days.
“Everything’s turning up shit-roses, Randy” – Jim Lahey RIP.
“new and creative ways to swear”
You’re an artist, just yesterday I witnessed your creativity. You can do it, UCS, I’m with you, Buddy.
Sloopy’s the one looking for new minced oaths.
I’m trying to get promoted within an organization that doesn’t encourage profanity in official communications.
Hmmm, Most of the laws they pass are pretty profane.
We wouldn’t want that now would we?
Ben Rhodes✔
@brhodes
Trump may have just started a war with no congressional debate. I really hope the worst case scenario doesn’t happen but everything about this situation suggests serious escalation to come.
Ben Rhodes✔
@brhodes
Congress has to assert itself and determine exactly what our Iran policy is. Did we mean to do this? Do we have any plan for what comes next? What is the legal basis for all this?
Ben Rhodes✔
@brhodes
There are real world consequences to having Trump as President. They are becoming increasingly clear and he is the one who is going to have to navigate incredibly complicated and dangerous messes of his own creation. This is not reality TV.
We should just stick to toppling regimes in north Africa I guess.
He’s just bumhurt because his pallettes of cash didn’t buy off the bad guys, and he’s looking like Neville Chamberlain with less sense.
He’s best role was bawling after Hillary lost. Fortunately he’ll be better known for that than anything he says on twitter.
Fuck Trump and his shitass war monkeys at DOD.
And fuck Rhodes with a rusty fucking chainsaw in his shitstained ass for all the warmongering and droning he helped sell to the public over the years he was in there
^^This is the correct response.^^
Still glad the dude is dead. But we need to GTFO that region.
I did notice that Iraqis were dancing in the street at the news. That’s great, but it would be better if they fought their own war here and took care of the guy rather than letting him move freely in their country knowing the blood he has on his hands.
We continue to pretend that there is an outcome to a civil war in which both sides hate us where we emerge with a friendly government.
May Dick Cheney burn in hell forever. Way past time to GTFO.
Sure there is – complete depopulation.
Pyramid’s of skulls smiling at a US flag would be kind of a cool monument.
I don’t know who Pyramid is, but I bear him no malice. pyramids
Yarp.
“We should just stick to toppling regimes in north Africa” – for fun and profit!
Don’t forget bringing open air slave markets back in style. Smart diplomacy was truly breathtaking.
I was shocked at how inexpensive the slaves were.
I mean, call me strange, but I always figured buying a person should cost more than buying a puppy.
Cheaper than orphans?
Puppies don’t eat as much and don’t require such extensive measures to keep them from running off.
^ This is the correct answer.
Apropos, my dog escaped and now about three weeks later she’s hungry all the time. Should I prepare for pom-puppies or just hang myself right now?
Find people who will take the puppies.
Not a problem. We just don’t need this in our lives right now for obvious reasons. She’s the most clever dog that I’ve ever met and her pups will find good homes but everything else around here is an issue in capital letters. I’m fucking Sisyphus. Roll that rock, slave boy!
Post some pics before they go, I’m sure this crowd will coo appreciatively.
How far out in Canadia are you again?
You mean it’s not just Saudi princes bidding small fortunes on nubile women like in the documentary “Taken”?
Naw, the Libyan markets are captured Migrants trying to get to Euro welfare paradises, and their going rate is somewhere between $14-$40
People aren’t fungible that means they will differ in value. As a fat 52 year old male I suspect I am on the $14 end of the curve that hot virgin 18 year olds are on the $500,000 end of.
“Virgins”
High school girls hardest hit
Given the region we’re talking about, 18 is old.
High school girls hardest hit
These euphemisms aren’t even euphemistic anymore.
High school girls hardest hit
These euphemisms aren’t even euphemistic anymore.
“Dayum, I’d hit DAT like a vendor at an open air Libyan slave market!”
“That was all done legit,” Ragucci told the Sun-Times of the SafeSpeed contract. “We did everything legit and clean here.”
#BELIEVEHIM
We just got done watching “The Irishman” and I have to say it may have influenced me – because when I hear Tony Ragucci saying “We did everything legit and clean here” it really makes him sound MORE guilty, rather than less.
Pelosi says Trump carried out strike on Iranian commander without authorization and she wants details
Is he supposed to consult the speaker of the House?
He would if the House hadn’t abdicated it’s sole right to declare war decades or even centuries ago.
And in this particular case, they specifically abdicated it when they put the AUMF together and passed it.
If Obama can drone murder American citizens without having to consult with Congress, why the fuck would Trump have to consult with them to kill a foreign terrorist?
But who decided he was a terrorist? Hmm maybe this whole no fly zone thing was a bag idea.
List* but mostly I’m going after the idea that the government had gotten to choose who it labels as dangerous and then gotten to kill then. The Dems are complicit in this arrangement.
Obama declared him and his organization as Terrorists. Oops.
Being the man in charge of several major terrorist organizations tends to get the label attached to a person.
So Trump should have gone with the Arthur Carlson defense?
“As god is my witness I thought
turkeys could flySoleimani was an American citizen”It’s being reported that he was still in command of the Republican Guard. But that’s not the case.
I actually don’t think this sets things off. But a bunch of hypocrites want to use this to try to damage trump. If they really cared they could have brought up the whole Syria and Yemen thing…. I wonder why they didn’t.
It’s also being reported that he was effectively the second most powerful man in Iran because he was so close to the Supreme Leader, who is the real head of state even though he’s elected by people he appoints. The president has little actual power.
So they said this would be like the Iranians killing Pence. Which is odd, seeing as Pence will eventually be out of office based on an actual election and not stay forever because Trump appoints all the electors.
We’re in a part of the world that has a political system based on oppression. We need to just go away, offer vocal support to those who want freedom in Iran and nothing else. And of course tell them if they cause harm to an innocent American we will retaliate harshly, but otherwise will not meddle in their affairs.
Not to sound all Trumpy, but isn’t this exactly what we just did? I don’t think it will have any effect, but this was far and away the most appropriate response we have had in decades.
It would be a more reasonable response if it were done while the only Americans there were embassy staff, embassy security, and private citizens engaged in private activities, in my opinion.
You mean we don’t just have 5,000 well armed diplomats in Iraq? But Obama exited Iraq on Bush’s timetable in 2012!!!! 🙂
These are just cultural ataches sharing American Gun culture with a fresh crop of Indianan M-4s.
fresh crop of Indianan M-4s.
You are dead to me.
You expect me to spell correctly?
No, but you got every letter in Hoosier wrong.
‘Hoosier’ isn’t a word.
This Hoosier disagrees.
*checks in as another raging angry hoosier*
raging angry hoosier
I guess the heavily armed goes without saying.
“The strike was carried out without an “authorization for use of military force” against Iran and without the consultation of Congress, the speaker said.”
I might be the only person in the country with a memory greater than 5 years, but still everyone should remember that the house passed a chastisement of trump for his withdrawal of 50 soldiers from northern Syria.
Also I don’t remember an AUMF in Syria. This is what drives me insane. I will not act like Pelosi got it right, she’s a hypocrite and it stains the anti-war cause.
I hate everyone involved.
Pretty much this. I’m not going to Whore about the anti-war stuff, because then it just becomes a way for one party to beat down on the other and nothing actually gets done. So pelosi can add this to her articles of impeachment, but she’s not some antiwar Paragon. The DNC can fuck off.
Ie fusionism and Cosmo are equally retarded.
Actually, adding this to the articles of impeachment would be a great precedent to set.
He’d beat the rap, seeing as this action is permitted under the AUMF. But there’s always the possibility it would give Congress their backbone again and curtail the power to unilaterally wage war they’ve ceded to the executive since…forever.
Which is why she won’t do it.
That might truly make me rip up my copy of Candide and declare this the best of all possible worlds.
I hope she does.
But she won’t.
Because this is only in the top 10% of worlds.
Ok, principles are important, but if in fact this is the guy who commanded the attack on our embassy a day ago, killing him seems like a text book example of appropriate response.
This is also why i’m not to worried about the “escalation” issue. I don’t think this is going to spiral into a war, because this seems like a series of tit for tats that will be perceived as fair game.
I still don’t like the bellicose stance, i just don’t think this will push us to full on war with Iran.
As an aside i saw some people comparing this to the Assasination of the Franz Ferdinand, because a big country started screwing around with a more minor country, and then kicked off a powder keg that initiated WWI.
Of course everything in that analogy is backwards, but it does confirm the Romanian suspicion that the US is a country inhabited by sub-literate humans.
Lets see, who would come white-knighting for Iran?
The EU? Unlikely. Militarilly hollow and effectively occupied by the US already.
Russia? Putin’s no fool. He’s got nothing to gain by getting into a shooting war over this, and several annexations to lose.
China? When China goes to war, it won’t be over Iran, but to avoid facing the internal collapse already underway. That war will be closer to home for the Chinese too.
The rest of the world? Tut-tuts and UN resolutions that die at security council votes, but no open warefare.
If anyone responds, it will be Iran or its puppets. This is not world war material.
I’m not sure how it’s even possible for Iran to go to war with us. For this to “spiral out of control,” Iran has to be able to create a situation we can’t get out of by simply backing the carriers up a few feet.
I suspect they will not switch to conventional war, but continue their ongoing strategy of terror attacks. Anyone with half a brain can see a conventional war between US and Iran ends in Iranian defeat. So they will continue as always.
Which is why I can’t be bothered to watch all the breathless pundits on entertainment news. Nothing will change although it is nice that a ring-leader who was responsible for lots of death was blown to hell.
Are you saying we should not retaliate when directly attacked? I get the ‘no more foreign interventions’ position, but killing people who directly attack us seems morally sound and in fact morally required.
1. You can’t de-escalate through constant retaliations. 2. I simply do not trust the CIA to be providing valid information about who was behind the Embassy riots and protests, which means i’m less certain about how we should react to the case.
in fact morally required.
That is a whole other discussion, and i flat out disagree
So do you come down on the An Cap side? Because to my mind (as I said below in a different context) this is the baseline correct purpose of Government, to wield force against those who engage in aggression against the citizens.
So do you come down on the An Cap side?
In regards to the “morally required”? i guess so. Is the US Government morally required to protect the people of the United States? I could see an argument for it, because the Government is stealing money under the auspicies of protection. But it seems like saying the Mob Boss has a moral requirment to fulfill on the protection duties, it is kinda perverse.
I don’t think individuals have a moral requirement to defend themselves. Men have one to defend their families. And after that… I just don’t see it expanding past that.
You can’t de-escalate through constant retaliations.
De-escalation is not the right response in every situation, unless you are a pacifist.
Men have one to defend their families.
I see my duties as a man to be a little broader than that.
Does the government have a duty to protect its citizens from armed attacks by foreign nationals? If it doesn’t, then it doesn’t have any duties at all, as near as I can tell. The interesting question is, what’s the best way to discharge that duty? It may or may not be military retaliation.
I agree as to individuals. You certainly have a right to turn the other cheek. But when we agree to give up our right to individual retaliation to an entity that entity then has a duty. Take violence out of it for a moment. I have a right to cut my grass or not as I see fit, but if I hire someone to cut it they don’t have the right not to because they took on the duty of cutting it.
I see my duties as a man to be a little broader than that.
I’m not trying to come off rude or squirmy, but i didn’t say that it was the only moral duty a man has, but that they have one to defend their family. I only pointed out that i don’t actually think any individual has a moral obligation to defend themselves.
I guess i should walk back my original statement because i do believe there are moral obligations to defend other people (the Family), i just disagree that that is what the US government is actually doing in this case, and i’m skeptical that the Government has a duty to defend people. Like the mob, fulfilling their end of the extortion racket is nice, but the moral duty is to stop extorting people.
Fair enough, they have given ample reason to distrust them.
Are you really skeptical that they have the duty, or just so sick of them simultaneously failing at the duty, and using the pretense of the duty as the excuse for doing evil in your name that you despair?
Are you really skeptical that they have the duty, or just so sick of them simultaneously failing at the duty, and using the pretense of the duty as the excuse for doing evil in your name that you despair?
I agree that if i pay you to defend me, then there is a moral obligation there to follow through with it. My point is a bit more nuanced in that I’m not sure that carries over to the relationship one has with the government, because it isn’t voluntary in nature.
To make another analogy: If the government institutes a new tax to pay for universal healthcare do they have a moral obligation to provide healthcare? I’m skeptical, i think they have a moral obligation to stop taking peoples money forcibly, and let them purchase their own healthcare.
NO! Do not tie this to the argument below! This one is an actual discussion of nuance at the cusp of proper and improper government action. That one is a mess where no one is understanding each other.
NO! Do not tie this to the argument below! This one is an actual discussion of nuance at the cusp of proper and improper government action. That one is a mess where no one is understanding each other.
I’m sorry, i’m genuinely confused if this is sarcasm or serious. I wasn’t intending to shift goalposts. I concede that i was a bit overzealous in my original position.
I was joking. The argument below about health care (actually about the definition of access) is a train wreck that I keep making worse by not just giving up and saying my joke flopped. This discussion has been interesting
Ahhh, cause i made the healthcare analogy. Now it’s clicking. sorry kinda slow this morning. I was going to respond, downthread, but i can see it both ways so i just avoided the conversation.
I keep making worse by not just giving up and saying my joke flopped
This is the internet. You’re not supposed to give an inch.
Did the original Authorization of Force in Iraq expire or do those things go on forever?
We will always be at war with Eastasia.
He almost got it right.
It was indefinite. And it wasn’t just “in iraq” The global war an terror was authorized to pursue terrorists wherever they may exist. It was congress’ way to avoid having to take responsibility for anything. One vote, and we’re out of this mess.
So Congressional Dems are lying – shocker. But they won’t grow a pair and repeal that authorization.
But it did not really apply to Libya. So go figure. The war powers act did, however. But congress was too weak and afraid to assert its authority.
When it passed, i joked that the IRA and ETA were on a bunch of trouble.
It’s not a coincidence that the last IRA bombing was September 5 2001
(according to Wikipeida)
Trump’s excuse was he thought the guy was a 16 year old American-born citizen at a barbecue. In which case such stuff is totes legit.
“Tonight’s airstrike risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence. America — and the world — cannot afford to have tensions escalate to the point of no return,” Pelosi said in a statement late Thursday.
Isolationism! They want to turn their back on the world!
The knots that Max Boot and Bill Kristol are having to tie themselves in must be amazing… WHYCOME TRUMP NO WAR? HIM WAR? UH…ORANGEMAN WAR BAD?!
I’ll take a stab at their response:
“It would be nice if Trump were waging war for the right reason: American safety. Instead, I fear his reasons are political opportunism and the results will be disastrous.”*
*casually forgets results of previous military operations in the area have been a shitshow
Yay Vancouver! They have a good young team and Chicago has had their number since forever. I might start giving a shit again. (Remembers three broken hearts) Well, maybe not…
Fiber suppliments are cheaper.
We’re not talking about the NHL anymore, are we?
NHL? Never heard of it.
Feh.
meh
eh.
Democratic presidential hopefuls raised concerns about the strike.
Of course they did.
Mostly being “I didn’t order it”
“Those are MY toys! How Dare you play with them?”
Pope: Governments must ensure all have access to health care
Compelled, at gunpoint. Is the pope even Catholic?
Nope.
*hangs head and looks at toes*
Nope
No, he’s come out in favor of Gaia worship and against evangelism in the last 4 weeks.
Oh and you’re saying that for the pope to be catholic he has to adhere to some predetermined set of principles? WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO OPPRESS HIM!
It’s right there in the definition. At this point he’s shot past heretic to outright apostate.
What do cougar women want? Oral, for one thing.
https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1212955348111446023
News you can use
Time to work out.
Gee, I wonder if those old guys have had a face-ful of feta in his past? Would that skew the result?
::leaves room::
+1 wisdom vs. enthusiasm
“It was like pulling apart a grilled cheese sandwich, with mayo.”
*swift exit*
The worst part is when the poppy seeds get caught under your bridgework.
Error: imagination requires reboot
Wipe cache? Y/N
[Y]
Look at this 1%er. Putting poppy seeds on a grilled cheese.
Slow down there J Paul Getty.
What can’t you put in a grilled cheese?
According to that menu…poppy seeds.
This guy Clevelands.
“Look, at my age my teeth just aren’t up to the job of chewing on tough old beaver pelt”
https://media.giphy.com/media/KvWUKOYR8phja/giphy.gif
I was expecting this.
“Barn doors, swinging in the breeze”
“more consistently orgasmic than many had been with age-matched lovers, and reported greater sexual satisfaction.”
Weirdly, men say the same thing about banging younger women.
“The world on the brink of war? Iran’s allies China and Russia join Europe in urging ‘restraint’ as oil prices surge and stock markets plunge after American killing of top general Qassem Soleimani”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7848005/China-Russia-urge-restraint-oil-prices-surge-stock-markets-plunge-airstrike.html
Looks like the Dow and S&P are both up.
A rise in oil prices is good for the American economy.
Is it though?
We are an oil exporter. It will increase the number of jobs in the oil fields and the amount we try to sell until the price comes back down.
But will affect other areas of the economy.
I think this is bigger.
Low oil costs are always better for America. Saying otherwise is like saying that steel tariffs are good for America because it increases jobs in the steel industry.
We will pick up the slack before the crude rates translate to other sectors. There’s always crude volatility, it will even back out, but every bump sends money into american pockets that would otherwise have gone elsewhere. We are no longer so cripplingly dependant upon foreign oil that fluctuations in crude rates can hurt us like they used to.
Used to be the case, but the net effect of moderately higher oil prices is better than lower ones now.
It’s nothing like a tariff because the oil other nations are producing will be selling for the same amount.
What the frack?
The biggest immediate financial risk to the economy is the massive horde of junk bonds and leveraged loans in the oil fracking business. A rise in prices (particularly above $55) makes a huge difference in that market.
Yes. Production is down because the cost of extraction and refinement isn’t profitable relative to the price. Oil goes up…people go back to work in production, refinement, manufacture of equipment, transportation, etc.
Pie, Saudi Arabia has so much oil they call it “The United States of the Middle East”.
Every barrel of oil that is sold is bought. I’ve been a buyer and I’ve been a seller: I don’t think I’ll ever dip my toe back in O&G (the return on assets is just too low for the investment risk).
Oil spikes are clear drags on the economy: on balance, high prices are associated more with hurt buyers and higher costs of inputs than helped sellers and the O&G industry.
On the international scene, think of it this way: whose economy is the most sophisticated, the most interlocked, a (pardon the pun) well-oiled machine? Here’s a way to answer that question: does an oil spike hurt Haiti? No: Haiti sucks no matter what; they don’t care if the lights come on today or not. It is those of us who have important things to do, products to build, things to sell, things to transport who are hurt by expensive oil.
Thought experiment: if the price of oil dropped to one cent a barrel and stayed there, would that be bad for the overall economy?
Lower prices on commodities are good for everyone but those who provide a specific commodity.
Why would the world be on the brink of war? Does Russia or China have some treaty obligations that they’re not willing to ignore?
Or is France going to sail out its navy to defend its ally?
It’s a little rainy in Mazippy, I guess.
“Iran vows revenge amid fears of ‘devastating war’: Supreme leader promises ‘jihad’ against US for killing of top general as Hezbollah vows ‘worldwide resistance’ and ALL Americans are told get out of Iraq NOW”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7847069/Rocket-attack-Baghdad-airport-kills-seven.html
Fuck Hezbollah
Oh, and them sponsoring America attacking proxies all over, having their parliament chant “Death to America” every session…that wasn’t serious UNTIL NOW!!!!!!!!!
It was a metaphorical america and a rhetorical death for local electoral purposes.
Do we have any more of those MOAB’s lying around?
Well, it’s not like they’re the most difficult things to make more of.
ooo Blast yield – 11 tons TNT.
Sure, Jan…
ALL Americans are told get out of Iraq NOW
Too bad Trump wont listen to that advice.
“Fuck around and find out.”
Self-awareness and shame, Sleepy Joe has none.
“The Administration’s statement says that its goal is to deter a future attack by Iran, but this action almost certainly will have the opposite effect,” the former vice president continued. “President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox, and he owes the American people an explanation of the strategy and plan to keep safe our troops and embassy personnel, our people and our interests, both here at home and abroad, and our partners through the region and beyond. ”
“I’m not privy to the intelligence and much remains unknown, but Iran will surely respond. We could be on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East. I hope the Administration has though through the second-and-third order consequences of the path they have chosen. But I feat this Administration has not demonstrated at any turn the discipline or long-term vision necessary — and the stakes could not be higher,” he concluded.
You’d think Biden would be old enough to know what a tinderbox actually was.
That thing you keep tinder in so it doesn’t catch fire?
I was actually going for “too small to fit a stick of dynamite in, and if you could, the resultant explosion would make said tinderbox completely irrelevant. “
The lockbox where you keep your burner phone, so your son doesn’t use it to get all your tinder chicks?
“We could be on the brink of a major conflict across the Middle East.”
And it was so peaceful before.
I know: let’s just get out, and if a government shows up that isn’t odiously criminal, we sell them weapons.
???
Having spent the last week in Jordan I would say they are probably worthy of our continued support.
President Trump just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox
Is it worse to toss a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox than it is to have sent billions to the tinderbox so the crazies can fund their terror campaign in the region? Is it, Joe?
“We’re almost there. We can’t quit now.”
Light at the end of the desert
CNN: ‘Trump Voter Shoots Mentally Ill Man In Church’
“Once again we see that Trump voters are hopelessly wicked,” said one somber anchor as footage came in of a shooting in a Texas church. “There is nothing they won’t do to attack the oppressed, mentally ill community. All this man wanted to do was express his true identity and live out who he really is, and he was stopped by yet another psychotic Trump voter.”
CNN hosts called for Texas to designate their churches “gun-free zones,” so that the mentally ill can do whatever they please without being stopped by deranged conservatives.
Not sure if that’s satire or if the Bee has started doing real media oversight.
It’s only one tiny step beyond the actual CNN response, where they went full “well, sure, they stopped this particular massacre from happening, but is it really a good idea for lots of Texans to legally pack heat in churches?”
I hate everyone.
Okay.
Wasn’t that a Type O Negative song?
So what is our favorite Foering Policy fella tweeting these days?
The US rogue regime is so criminal and murderous that it refused to guarantee Iranian imports of basic foods and medicine after reimposing illegal, suffocating sanctions
This is an imperialist US war on Iran’s civilian population. And now it is escalating
https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1213032538253471744
Every discussion of US policy on Iran must be situated in the context of Trump *illegally* sabotaging the global nuclear deal, which Iran, Europe, China, and Russia all still abided by as he unilaterally tore it up
The US has been the aggressor from day 1
https://twitter.com/BenjaminNorton/status/1213030128722358273
Discuss from a libertarian point of view
You can’t tell me what to do!
Am I being detained?!
Yes.
*Cuffs Rebel Scum*
Trump *illegally* sabotaging the global nuclear deal
No treaty, no deal.
Nuh-uh. Obama agreed to it. So it is enforceable. Just like Kyoto. The Senate just refused to do their job because racism or something. And now we’re global pariahs (even though just about every country in the rest of the world would be completely fucked if we decided to stop trading with them or they tried to impose sanctions on us).
I’m not your bitch.
The US is certainly an instigator.
You can’t tear up a nuclear “deal” the former president unilaterally implemented without Senate approval.
I like this guy because how utterly unbalanced he is. No one says the US don’t do bad shit, but the view the US does all the bad shit in the world is funny.
Just for the record: de-escalating with Iran and Russia in Syria is awful. And escalating with Iran and Russia in Iraq is awful. That’s what the establishment has said in the last 12 months.
I hope Iran Nukes DC.
Lend them some nukes.
Were I American I would support no direct intervention but certainly not being friendly to them…
to be a great president follow two simple steps.
1. Don’t be orange
2. Be not a color that is not orange.
*scratches head, moves on*
Cheating justice
Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, escaped Japan on Sunday, where he was awaiting trial on financial misconduct charges. Unlike many bail-jumpers who miss court dates because they are often impoverished, addicted to drugs, or unfamiliar with the court system, Ghosn reveals just how easy it is for the wealthy and powerful to evade justice.
——-
It may be true that Japanese courts are notorious for an almost 100% conviction rate. And due process provisions are distinctly different than those in the United States and other Western countries — Japan’s system has been referred to as “hostage justice” since the accused can be detained and subject to interrogations for up to 23 days prior to indictment. Regardless of the inadequacies of the Japanese justice system, the financial misconduct charges leveled against Ghosn were considered solid.
He must have recognized that his astounding wealth would provide little protection for him in his trial, which was scheduled for April. And so he set in motion an international operation that would have made the creative screenwriters of The Great Escape feel wholly inadequate.
——-
Wild theories have already spread like wildfire, roundly humiliating his host country in the process. But what is most important in attempts to grasp just how this international plot was devised and successfully effected is this — only a well-connected bail-jumper with access to boatloads of cash could effect such a complex getaway.
We certainly don’t have all the details behind his escape. And since Lebanon and Japan do not share an extradition agreement, Ghosn may never face justice in Japan, or anywhere else for that matter.
Fucking rich people. We hates ’em. Whycome him no stay and prove him innocence?
Sure the system isn’t fair, but he was probably guilty anyway, about sums up the common American view of “Justice”
Yeah, queue up the Inigo Montoya meme for most people using the word justice. This is a lot closer to justice then most people using the word.
I hope Iran Nukes DC.
*uptwinkles*
“Boston palm reader, 37, is accused of theft after convincing a woman that her daughter was possessed and charging her $70,000 to ‘banish the spirit from her’
She faces charges including six counts of obtaining property over $250 by trick, larceny and witness intimidation”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7847525/Palm-reader-37-convinces-woman-daughter-possessed-charges-71-000-exorcise-demon.html
“The gentle treatment encourages healing of the body and mind and aims to make a person revitalized and refreshed. The crystals are a healing stone that line up with the seven chakras. Milanovich said each stone has a specific meaning that work on different chakras. She said the stones absorb negativity and put in positive energies.
“It’s something like a new form of acupuncture,” Milanovich said. “Also, it regenerates blood cells. It helps with healing. It helps with inflammation.”
Milanovich said there are two different levels of crystal light therapy service offered. With one service, they just receive the treatment in the bed. For those with more severe cases, she said she also provides chakra oils, candles and soaps”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7847525/Palm-reader-37-convinces-woman-daughter-possessed-charges-71-000-exorcise-demon.html
I mean if she convinced her fair and square this should not be illegal.
Is it true that life is better in Romania than in the USA?
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-life-is-better-in-Romania-than-in-the-USA
Some very strong arguments in favor it seems.
Other than a lot of those “positives” being negatives, and some of the arguments based upon fallacies or tortured data. I mean Seriously “rent is much cheaper in Romania than in most important cities in the USA” there’s a massive weasel phrase if I ever saw one.
And healthcare isn’t free. Anywhere. Ever.
I found the healthcare argument strange given how incredibly shitty it is in Romania.
Same with university education, goddamn the Bucharest Polytechnic is shit, and it is one of the best ones.
He was mostly comparing high school education, which is fairly difficult to do. States run those and high school education is always going to be limited by the fact that you are working with teenagers.
I have no data on the quality of Romanian healthcare in particular, so I’ll take your word for that.
Neither do we. That is why Romania had for many years the lowest reported nosocomial infections in the EU.
Nice. I don’t think one place is necessarily better than another, but I did longer the argument that Romania is better because it’s easier to get out and visit countries that aren’t Romania.
“Most Americans don’t have passports”
“The United States is the same size in area as all of Europe, and twice the size of the EU.”
It’s funny. When I talk to people who live in San Francisco about what they like about it, they mostly talk about not-San Francisco: Napa, John Muir, etc. Apparently, the reason to live there is to leave at every opportunity, or something.
Funny, what I like most about living in Albany is my close proximity to the roads out of the state.
State governments in other places hire too. Just saying.
How about Somalia?
The lack of roads is appealing to some.
You’re not wrong.
Pssst – most people don’t care at all about our “dumb” stars, either.
Oh you have funny shirts and popular music? Well what about this? Checkmate,
AtheistRomanian!Kanye is a genius.
Yeah, well how many Mexicans are sneaking across your borders every year?
America wins that score. Fuck yeah!
Stopped reading there.
It does explain all the American Ex-Pats flooding into Romania and applying for citizenship…
I hate everyone.
Welcome, brother.
Gooboo Gabba.
“Miley Cyrus’ older brother Trace reveals he is no longer engaged to Taylor Lauren Sanders as his ‘broken’ ex writes that she has been ‘dragged through the mud'”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7848361/Miley-Cyrus-older-brother-Trace-reveals-no-longer-engaged-Taylor-Lauren-Sanders.html
This tattoo thing is getting nuts.
Not googling any combination of getting, nuts, and tattoo.
?
You can take the hillbilly meth addict out of the holler, but you can’t take the holler out out of the hillbilly meth addict.
I’m living proof. I saw Paree and went back to the farm (woods)
Just out of a sense of morbid curiosity does Nancy not know of the miracle of Dentu-Creem? I apply after every brush and the holding power is substantial and lasting. Maybe her dentures are a force of their own, similar to The Hat and The Hair? I wanna see Nancy’s Dentures make an appearance in the canon! Like those wind-up chattering teeth.
She could have a denture-off with Biden.
Hmmm. College bowl games are nearly over. I wonder what conference had the best record. Again.
“I think we need some muscle over here!”
How’s that Auburn-breath?
* Minnesoda Golden Rodents
Notre Dame has a better record than the SEC. Sure, its a 1 team “conference”, but it is still batting 1.000.
Wow. One more than the PAC 12. Amazing what removing the literacy requirements can do for your program.
No one cares but you.
U-Haul unveils nicotine-free hiring policy. Takes effect next month in 21 U.S. states; applicants must pledge they do not use nicotine, agree to random tests. Moving and storage company, which employs 30,000 people in North America, says goal is ‘healthier corporate culture.’
https://twitter.com/CBCAlerts/status/1212795676641370113
Nicotine by itself isn’t that bad. It’s the other shit in tobacco that kills you.
That ship sailed years ago.
*Crosses U-Haul off the list* Kidding! They’d never hire me anyway.
Absolutely fucking ridiculous.
Where is TGA? Has someone checked on him?
Apologizing to Jaun Castro voters?
That should take 2 minutes.
Hardest part will be finding them.
That’s included in his time estimate, thus the units used.
I’ll just leave this here
https://twitter.com/drilisstrange/status/1213045001527148554
That looks like it took quite a bit of programming.
Maybe she isn’t running after all.
“It’s my great privilege to become @QUBelfast’s 11th-and first female-chancellor. It’s a place I have great fondness for and have grown a strong relationship with over the years, and I’m proud to be an ambassador for its excellence.”
This job is mostly symbolic and won’t require the caftan-wearing granny to do actual work. It’s mainly showing up to events and collecting paychecks, a skill she has honed over many years. The BBC reported, “While the role of chancellor is mainly a ceremonial one, securing Mrs. Clinton will be seen as a coup for Queen’s.” The word “coup” and Hillary Clinton do seem to go well together. The article continued, “The chancellor often presides at graduation ceremonies and is also an ambassador for the university abroad.”
*snort*
Unhinged.
Why 52%?
*runs recent lefty numbers*
Popular vote for Hillary, when including fraudulent votes.
Also not counting everyone who did not vote, or who voted for minor party candidates.
popular vote for hillary was 48%.
I’m so confused.
So is she.
She is not confused. Just a stupid attention wore on a new soapbox.
I disagree with that killing but that broad can get bent. That’s Quisling territory right there.
??
She used to be so beautiful.
But Iran likes her better now.
Yes. https://youtu.be/FoXg5EzYjww
She should try that in Tehran for her new-found friends.
“Ep 37 | 5 Last Min Gifts For The CUTEservative In Your Life”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R24ZIOmYPMo
You can cook eggs by holding them in front of the speakers.
Ya know, I was a hardcore C-SPAN junkie for several decades. I gave it all up a number of years ago because it seemed headed in the general direction of that video. I made it through the “Rock out with your Glock out!” LV Ceracote bit. Why, oh why was Idiocracy so damn prescient?
And two days later!
That was a bipartisan effort over the last twenty years.
Unfortunately this assassination will be like foreign policy viagra and we’ll be waving a rock-hard war boner around for more than 8 hours.
Imagine all the little stiffies at the Pentagon today.
That’s my fear, Sloop.
Dear #Iran, The USA has disrespected your country, your flag, your people. 52% of us humbly apologize. We want peace with your nation. We are being held hostage by a terrorist regime. We do not know how to escape. Please do not kill us.
It’s a MADHOUSE!
Seek help, Rose. You’re losing it.
So many lessons to be learned from this Wisconsin teacher.
1) Never talk to cops (guy would never have been busted if he hadn’t blabbed)
2) ‘Sconnie teacher shit must be extra bad ($5,705 in restitution?)
3) If you forget #1, at least don’t send a written confession to the cop too!
Hoping I’m not helping to doxx CPRM
He left his cake out in the rain?
And he’ll never have that recipe again?
In San Francisco, this teacher would be successfully suing the city for arresting him.
A cozy bed and breakfast.
Clear your calendar
Fans have been wondering for some time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe might get a transgender character. Well, head honcho Kevin Feige finally has an answer, and that answer is … “very soon.” Responding to a fan question at a New York Film Academy Q&A on Wednesday about whether the MCU would feature a trans character, Feige said, “Yes, absolutely. Yes … And very soon. In a movie that we’re shooting right now.”
Fans. Numbering in the dozens.
If it’s Blaire White, I might watch it.
Johnathan Yaniv.
More likely to be Jessica Yavin
That’s one way to kill off the superhero movie trend.
Aren’t all mutants trans to a certain degree?
There are mutants that can change sex/gender (eg. Mystique, who is also a lesbian), but most cannot.
NEEEEEERRRRRDDD! https://youtu.be/GEStsLJZhzo
Who cares if it’s a trans character. Unless it’s a trans actor/actress portraying him/her, it’s not gonna satisfy these activists.
Yup. There’s who knows how many varieties of “trans”. Most of them will be left out. Its mathematically impossible to satisfy the activists, even on their own terms.
I believe they’ve stated their intentions that it will be a “trans” actor.
Imagine the backbiting and sniping among the immense trans ac ting community over that one.
It’s like all of these millenials have never seen “The Crying Game”.
What if the trans character turns out to be a lame character Trans Fat Man dreamed up the CDC to hector little kids on a proper diet? The millenials are going to be totes butthurt by that.
I hope the key to the hero’s secret identity is that mild mannered vlogger Clarice Cent will pop into the women’s bathroom and then out of the blue Captain Trans will come bursting out of the men’s bathroom to beat the pulp out of white men.
An ill-tempered middle-aged spinster would be more believable.
There have been lots of Transformers movies.
He compared this to the successes of Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Something something correlation not causation.
Any MCU film is doing to drive eyeballs. I will, however, admit the African-American turnout at BP was impressive.
Samsung and LG go head to head with AI-powered fridges that recognize food
https://twitter.com/verge/status/1212813650412609536
How does it tell one brown paper-wrapped packet from another?
FTIR, check for amide bands.
That’s going to price it right out of the market.
No love for Mass-Spec ?
I have found ‘mystery food’ that was tucked away into a back corner that likely could have been identified with XRD.
It takes too long to get the fridge down to sufficient vacuum to do MS
Wow they are really running out of “smart” appliance ideas.
Because most appliances don’t need to be ‘smart’.
Exactly. I’ll be interested when my fridge can work with my oven/stove, and dishwasher to cook me a meal and clean up after itself.
We’ve had that technology for a while now.
https://miro.medium.com/max/1280/1*9eutA97fCtRKct33wlIkDA.jpeg
::spit take::
My unit must be defective. *Dogs pan thrown by wfie*
Dodges*
No correction on wfie?
When will the next generation come out? I’ve heard rumors that those units won’t have audio outputs.
That design failed regulatory approval for inability to deliver proper error messages and mandated warnings.
And we wonder why there are so few Libertarian women…
I’m sorry. I don’t understand that picture.
Over-bought expendables? Check. Shit the male never eats? Check. Greenhouse in the crispers? Check. Sauces with one application? Check. Freezer full of related food-stuffs? Check-mate.
Government absolutely has a duty to make sure everyone has access to health care. The problem is that these imbeciles misunderstand what access means.
Government absolutely has a duty to make sure everyone has access to health care.
I’d rather the government stay as far away from health care as possible.
Hmm, maybe more people than I thought misunderstand what access means?
Perhaps. Unless you disagree that duty means obligation, you’re advocating for a positive right.
Not even a little.
Think about what access means. Access does not mean provision, subsidy, encouragement or any other positive thing. It simply means no imposed barriers. Government’s proper role is to protect the citizens and their rights from those criminals foreign and domestic who would deprive the citizens of their rights. Government’s duty in this case is to stop anyone who would prevent you from providing or receiving health care. Government properly constituted is nothing more than the force we collectively wield to prevent people from wielding force. That to my mind is access.
No one has a right to health care though. A right to health care is a positive right. I agree the government itself shouldn’t impose barriers but that’s completely different than an actual government duty to prevent barriers to health care.
Payment for services can be a barrier to health care. Government should have no role in preventing that barrier, otherwise that starts the road down to single payer care. Similarly, health care providers should be free to prevent anyone they wish from receiving health care at their own practice.
Yeah, “access” is ambiguous, and the proggy Total Statists play on that ambiguity to push their program of nationalizing health care.
The right is to ACCESS lol, I am not even sort of saying something different from you. That has been my point since the beginning. I have access to a billion dollars and a harem of smokeshow 18 year olds. All I have to do is earn the one, and then persuade the others to join. If Warren becomes President I lose the access to the billion dollars because she will outlaw being a billionaire.
I was just trying to make a funny riff on the fact that these people mistake someone giving you a thing (positive right) for access to the thing (negative right). Prices are not an IMPOSED barrier, they are a natural concomitant.
Jar – this makes perfect sense to me and I 100% agree. People are getting tripped up by semantics, I believe.
I guess I’m still not getting it. We regularly talk here about how the government shouldn’t have a role in stopping citizens from preventing access to commercial services for other citizens (bakers shouldn’t have to bake cakes if they don’t want to). I don’t see health care service as being different than any other commercial service. We must be talking past each other.
“Access” is just not a good word to use for this, is my point.
Do I have access to a Bugatti? No, I do not. I do not own one, I do not know anyone who will let me use theirs, and I cannot afford to buy my own.
This is a common meaning expressed by the term “access”. Using it in connection with healthcare places you, at a minimum, at a disadvantage when trying to argue against a positive right to healthcare.
Is anyone preventing me from accessing a Bugatti? You bet they are – if I try to do so, I will be arrested, and rightly so. You can’t legally access anything you can’t afford to buy access to.* That’s an essential element of a free market.
You can argue that no one is preventing you from being able to afford access to a Bugatti, or to healthcare, but I think it is in no way realistic to expect that everyone will be able to afford a Bugatti, or healthcare.
Arguing that access is a right that government should protect is a semantic trap. So, yeah, if we are arguing over semantics, that’s my argument.
*I’m leaving aside charity.
“No one has a right to health care though. A right to health care is a positive right.”
If someone’s labor efforts is mandated by others that claim all have a “right” to said labor, isn’t that slavery? And no, improper compensation regulated by bureaucrats that are more interested in using the power of their office to push their political agenda, don’t cancel out the fact one is forced to do work without proper compensation. Nobody should have a right to the work of others. Ever. Not without proper compensation agreed upon by the actual parties exchanging their products/work.
“Access” is just not a good word to use for this, is my point.
Oh for God’s sake. The ambiguity of the word access as used by the progs is what my post was commenting on. I agree with both of your stated positions. No one has a right to health care or any other physical thing. Y’all are missing my point, then arguing with me by restating my point and I am too damn compulsive to drop it.
Access = don’t put up a wall. It doesn’t = put an escalator on Everest. As I am defining access, you are born with access to everything that is not prohibited or factually impossible. (you can never be the other sex, unless and until genetic modification becomes MUCH more potent). Government’s whole job is to stop the guy (maybe he is a militant Jehovah’s Witness) who shoots you for seeking health care.
I had hit reply on your post and then realized what you meant.
Government’s whole job is to stop the guy (maybe he is a militant Jehovah’s Witness) who shoots you for seeking health care.
So if I break into a pharmacy to steal drugs, government should stop the owner from defending his property?
Access = don’t put up a wall.
Property rights and the free market create a wall. A wall the proggies want to tear down, under the rubric of “access”.
For certain values of “access”, I agree with you. This is more a tactical observation, that those values are not universally, or even generally, shared.
No they do not. They create the health care, and the nature of reality means that it comes at a price. Walls are built barriers. Prices are paths of access. Certificates of need are walls. Jim Crow laws are walls. Laws requiring prescriptions are walls.
They create the health care, and the nature of reality means that it comes at a price.
Just so. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t also a wall. Walls aren’t just built by governments.
Think of the tragedy of the commons. When there was no fence around the commons, it became useless. When the fence (wall) was built restricting access to the commons, it became useful again. The creation of healthcare as we know it is dependent on restricting access to healthcare (again, for some values of access, values that I think are more commonly held than “only government can build walls/prevent access to anything”).
I prefer sentences that don’t contain both “government” and “absolute” in them.
Not sure if anyone else posted (scrolled to the bottom), but this is a better bassist’s song. So there.
I linked it yesterday, so you’re safe. Solid effort.
Off the phone, and on the computer. so now my i shouldn’t have random words inserted everywhere.
Where’s the fundamental in that?
I laughed
me top
Bravo on the calvary comment, btw.
that one really gets on my nerves
Speaking of getting on someone’s nerves, I’m recording the game, catch up real-time, and switch to those Civil War lectures. Wife is playing some game on her phone on the couch waiting with me for a few snaps to queue up on the TiVo.
Meanwhile: lecture includes great Socratic pauses. “And why did Rosecrans sit in Nashville!?” Me: “Because his communications ran back to Lexington, and those rail lines were torn up more days than they were passable. What’s he going to do: attack without supplies?
I can hear my wife’s eyes roll: “why would anyone know that?”
Racism. The answer is always racism.
Julián Castro launched his long-shot bid nearly a year ago in his native San Antonio, hoping to excite a diverse coalition of voters who could power him to the White House.
When he bowed out of the race Thursday, his allies expressed frustration that he was prevented from doing so, casting him as a victim of a primary process that inhibits candidates of color. In interviews, a half-dozen former aides and allies cast the first major Latino candidate in the 2020 race as a casualty of a system that already felled California Sen. Kamala Harris and is keeping New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker from gaining traction.
“How you fare in Iowa and New Hampshire sets the tone for how your campaign continues, and when you have these two states that in no way represent the diversity of the Democratic Party, it makes it very difficult for minority candidates to get momentum,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, who noted the impact a campaign’s momentum — or lack thereof — has on fundraising, polling and media coverage.
Those white supremacists in the DNC stacked the deck against us.
Fucking racist Iowegians! Remember when they refused to vote for Obama over Hillary? Those racist jerks simply refuse to vote for candidates of color (COC?)
I’d say they’re bigoted against the cringe pandering Castro seemed to specialize in but I bet they’re going to vote for Joe so what do I know?
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa is totally not a racist.
I’m a good boy, I am
U.S. lawmakers should close loopholes, raise the estate tax and hike the capital-gains tax so that it equals the rate on labor income, Gates wrote Monday in a year-end blog post. He also called for states and local governments to make their taxes “fairer” and reiterated his support for a state income tax in Washington, where he lives.
“I’ve been disproportionately rewarded for the work I’ve done — while many others who work just as hard struggle to get by,” he wrote. “That’s why I’m for a tax system in which, if you have more money, you pay a higher percentage in taxes. And I think the rich should pay more than they currently do, and that includes Melinda and me.”
——-
At an event in November, Gates expressed reservations about the wealth tax proposed by presidential candidates Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. In his blog post, Gates said he won’t take a position on the various proposals being debated during the campaign.
“But I believe we can make our system fairer without sacrificing the incentive to innovate,” he said. “Americans in the top 1% can afford to pay a lot more before they stop going to work or creating jobs. In the 1970s, when Paul Allen and I were starting Microsoft, marginal tax rates were almost twice the top rate today. It didn’t hurt our incentive to build a great company.”
What? I can’t hear you over the cheering of the tax accountants.
Crickets from the “rich people want to control government” crowd.
It’s really hard to give it all away these days.
That does explain why Bill takes the standard deduction on his return and totally didn’t put half his fortune in a tax sheltered foundation – ooops. Do as I say, not as I do.
“I’ve been disproportionately rewarded for the work I’ve done”
I know you give to charity, dipshit, but no one is stopping you from giving more.
Davie police officer trying to shoot dog accidentally shoots self
Florida Cop.
Good shoot.
It would have been better if the bullet had missed the dog entirely too.
I bet she did have some choice words, but declined to share them with the nosy reporter.
I’m actually surprised when the cavalry arrived they didn’t shoot the whole place up.
It will be interesting to see if Barney Fife’s version of events lines up with the video.
I’m supposing the officer had a reputation as a dumbass within the department and the other officers knew it wasn’t anything but his dumbassery?
The comments are worth turning off script blocker to see
Good..! The Cop Trying to shoot someones Dog is Animal-Abuse..!!
Police Should Only Aim Their Guns at Generic African American Criminal(s) or When in Direct Threat With Anyone..
This one made me laugh just because i don’t know if this is poorly written sarcasm or what
“The officer was in fear, drew his firearm and fired one shot.”
Just once i want it to say “The officer was a little bitch and tried to shoot the dog, but like the punk ass bitch he is shot himslef in the leg, He was subsequently NOT torn to shred, making him look all the more foolish”
Governor Black-Face Baby-Killer budgeting for an 18-officer gun ban crew. Any volunteers to be the first fatalities in Civil War 2?
At today’s budget hearings, the groups have urged their members to ask questions about Northam’s budget that includes $4.8 million for an 18-person force to implement his proposed assault weapons ban.
That doesn’t sound like enough.
And Dems are way overplaying their hand here. What do they think is going to happen? Compliance with this unconstitutional crap will be near zero. And any attempt at serious enforcement will, ironically, lead to more gun violence.
Let’s make sure that their uniform shirts are red.
In honor of all the Star Trek fans.
You know who else wore red and tried to seize guns?
The Lobsterbacks?
ferric oxide?
Budd Dwyer?
“In this time of crisis, I am comforted by the fact that none of you know fuck-all about what’s going on either”
https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1213101665672404992
Fair enough.
later
“Let’s face it, there’s a crazy maniac in the White House, so my best advice to Iran is airlift us $150 billion in unmarked bills in hopes it’ll calm him down”
*chef’s kiss*
“The world is ending.
I’m so freaked out that I’m typing this from my cubicle and my lunch break starts in one hour.
Also I’ll be meeting my friends at Chili’s happy hour at 4:30 today”
https://twitter.com/iowahawkblog/status/1212864149157482498
Damn, Illinois must want corruption.
With luck, maybe this whole thing will spur a wave of daredevil weed runners in flathead 40 Fords outrunning gubmint pot revenuers, and end up saving NASCAR
Fucking A. $100/gram for shatter?
I’m just impressed Iowahawk knows the black market price for shatter in Illinois. Because from what I can tell, his take that its 3 – 4x more expensive in the legal stores than in the black market is about right.
You know how cigarettes are legal, but there is business in bootleg cigarettes because of taxes? Same thing here.
The manic 12 year old Jar Jar Abrams of foreign policy.
NICOLLE WALLACE: I want to stay with Iraq, Ben. And, it’s my observation that [President Trump’s] policy toward Iran is the most schizophrenic of all of Trump’s ill-thought-out, at least in the case of Russia, they are all consistently pro-Putin. In the case of North Korea, he has a delusion that they are beloved pen pals and there’s a peace deal, when there isn’t. In Iran, he seems truly schizophrenic. There are enough people around him, including his son-in-law, who are arguing for a more confrontation approach. But on New Year’s Eve, standing next to Melania, he called for peace with Iran. How does that land in the region?
BEN RHODES: You’re exactly right, Nicolle. Because, basically, the logic of what Trump has actually done is confrontation with Iran. He’s imposed these new santions, he pulled out of the nuclear deal… And schizophrenic is the right description of the policy, Nicolle, because Donald Trump likes to stand up and say that he’s getting us out of these places, that he’s pulling the troops out, that he’s winding down these wars. But the reality is there’s thousands more U.S. troops in the Middle East because Donald Trump has deployed them to Saudi Arabia to provide, essentially, security for his partner there, Mohammad bin Salman. Now additional troops necessary to secure our embassy in Iraq. So we’ve seen him do things like pull back. A few hundred U.S. troops are having an enormous impact in Syria in ways that allowed for ISIS fighters to escape and potentially to regenerate, that has certainly led to the killing of some of our Kurdish allies who fought with us.
That nonsense again?
what Trump has actually done is confrontation with Iran
By any definition, Iran has been at war with us since Carter.
I’m a binary guy – we either ignore it in the sense of no military response, or we declare war on them. But the notion that Trump is creating a confrontation with Iran is ludicrous.
since Carter
Mosaddeq would like a word
The country that occupied the same space prior to the Islamic Republic of Iran is not the Islamic Republic of Iran, and any war they may have been in is a different war.
No argument with what you wrote, but mine wasn’t a sharp or legalistic observation (mine seldom are!). It was shorthand for a wider idea: lots of them have hated us for a long time with reason.
I sometimes imagine a US somewhat disinterested in the inner workings of distant countries, where seeing Marines storm some geography lesson wasn’t part of the normal news. I sometimes imagine what we would argue about.
Whether the government should ensure everyone has access to healthcare?
it could be worse
in the case of Russia, they are all consistently pro-Putin
Jesus, they just flat-out lie. Shameless.
Tell a lie often enough….,
I’m starting to believe the current Pope is plain evil, as in antichrist evil. Then again, I’m convinced my own church leaders are not exactly doing the will of God.
Fuck them! Do your own good works. Whether or not there’s a treat at the end should have little bearing on how you live your life in the here and now.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Not sure if troll or just Jehovah’s Witness.
Seriously? Follow the NAP.
The bible used by most Christians is pretty often interpreted as specifying that grace, not works, is the point of Christianity. Good works are good, but they are orthogonal for the purposes of salvation, which we care about as a salvation faith. They are highly coupled in practice, but not in salvation.
The popes primary job is to lead his followers into the kind of life that encourages grace. At this, he is failing spectacularly. In doing so, he should be building a church that also happens to enact good works in its pursuit of grace.
On one hand I don’t think he’s directly killed more people than Rodrigo Borgia, but he has advocated things that will kill far more people. So I’m not entirely sure where to rank him.
What he do this time?
This will be the first time I have done this…
SLAP!
I can’t blame him for wanting to get out of that deathgrip, he’s done far worse things.
Aren’t you supposed to take off the driving gloves and slap me back?
I’m not into that sort of thing.
Please to read links. https://www.chron.com/news/medical/article/Pope-Governments-must-ensure-all-have-access-to-14946871.php
Eh, as a statement, it’s a nothingburger of rhetoric. I get that. But the dude’s a Marxist. Jesus said to take care of the poor. He didn’t say to do it with other people’s money acquired at the point of a gun.
I mean, I think that’s overstating things. But on the other hand, if I were to write up a list of things that would indicate the current pope is the antichrist, it wouldn’t be as anti-christian as what this pope has been doing.
I am comfortable in “church is a group of people who meet together weekly for communion and fellowship, nothing more, and the hierarchy above it is a perversion” stance, even if I do go to a Missouri Synod church.
By the by, I really enjoyed that little bit of Festus fan-fic that you provided the other day! Was that yours or did you borrow it from somewhere else? I laughed my ass off!
That was a bit from one of my books. I just changed the name. As originally written, the dude’s name is Curtis Lowe.
…play me a song….
Yes, he has a dobro. And plays it. For the kid in the book.
Please remind me – which book? And where was the Festus fan-fic?
Stay, and Festus fanfic. The context is that I said I was going to incorporate Glibs into my books, and wanted to demonstrate that it would be a bit more than just redshirts.
Look Mojeaux, just because I won’t bless your Kansas City BBQ does not mean that I am evil antichrist.
I thought you were emeritus.
Also, I’m shocked you acknowledged Kansas City and BBQ in the same sentence.
I’ve never been to the Middle East, so not sure why you think I’m from the United Emirites.
And when I italicized KC BBQ, I thought it was the written equivalent of air quotes.
The written equivalent of air quotes would be quotation marks.
Well since I wasn’t writing (I was typing!) Mr. Pedantic, I wasn’t sure what the protocol was.
ALL BBQ IS GOOD. IT HATH BEEN DECREED.
git thee to a Carolina
and then I’ll take your report
Organized religion sucks balls. It’s basically people telling other people what God supposedly wants. Fuck that shit.
Well… Bless your heart.
Ah, you are Servator from Tessin?
I find it odd that man is born into sin and is fallible and yet we are supposed to put our faith in a bunch of men to not sin and not be fallible. That’s the issue I have with organized religion.
That’s the part I struggle with.
I’ve never been a religious person, but I can certainly see why someone would believe that the universe was created by a supreme being. I don’t think that’s a dumb, childish, or unscientific thing to believe (Herbert Spencer’s book First Principles lays out some really fascinating ideas about whether or not humans will ever know how the universe came into being and whether or not a supreme being had anything to do with it).
The idea I can’t fathom is that God is deeply concerned with what humans are doing, and that humans have immortal souls that will go to a good place or bad place based on how they behaved in life. Every single culture has some idea of the nature of God(s) and how God(s) want us to act. I just don’t see how someone could deduce the answers to all this from the proposition that God exists.
Again, I don’t hate religion or religious people. It does seem to be a very enriching and fulfilling thing in some people’s lives. And honestly, I think society is, on balance, better off with a Judeo-Christian value system. I’m just explaining why I came to the position where I am today.
I’m not so much inclined to think evil as very, very, easily swayed by popularity. If you look at the guy’s stances, they’re things that are designed to make him sit well with the gatekeepers of popular culture. He likes being the “cool” pope. Of course, that’s not really his job, and the people whose plaudits he’s winning will still happily trash his faith. But, did you hear how nicely Colbert spoke about him?
Whelp, signing out now. It’s snowing a shit-load and that means lots of work tomorrow. I’ve got vertigo so we’ll see if I can venture off the top of the ladder this time to clear the roof. Don’t laugh. It’s only 15 feet but I lose my balance when I close my eyes in the shower. Don’t wanna fall…
Dude – maybe it’s time to retire from your stuntman career? You really have to clear the roof of snow?
Time is of the essence and I got sick before I could put the wires up. It is that it was.
I used to worry about the weight of the snow on my roof, too. One year we had a lot, like 3 feet or more on the west side, 4 X 12 pitch. Then I saw all the abandoned buildings with the sagging roofs that lasted year after year. I did some calculations, a foot of snow = 1 inch of water, looked at the strength of the trusses/plywood. Never worried again.
If the melt is backing up its an insulation problem. If there are icicles hanging down its from heat escaping.
looked at the strength of the trusses/plywood
Great point . . . but most wouldn’t know what they’re looking at. I teach relativism to normal folk so that structures is moot.
An inch of water is 144 sq in per sq ft, so half of a 231 cubic inch gallon: 5 pounds per SF.
Me standing on that same SF: 250 pounds.
If someone is afraid of snow on their house, they should be 50X more afraid of going up there to shovel it.
Just don’t step on the weak spots.
I thought snow was removed from roofs to prevent ice damns and thus prevent leaking, not because its too heavy for the roof.
That is the reason I normally use the snow rake on my roof. Don’t need to get it all off. Just need to get it away from the edge so ice dams don’t form.
I”m just playing along.
Even in Texas, I put down three widths of that rubberized stuff even though I never had enough snow for melt to run up and back under the shingles.
Heya roof rake and stay on the ground.
Get a
I see a new market for flamethrower drones.
“I think killing the dude who literally just orchestrated on attack on the U.S. on U.S. soil two days ago is an unprovoked act of war”
— Anyone in the media
Not only are they dishonest hacks, they are incandescently stupid.
‘This is the shareholders’ money’: Billionaire Warren Buffett argues that companies should stop making decisions based on their social beliefs
Exactly!
So bring a shareholder suit against the board and management, Warren. Its not like there’s nothing you can do.
I like the fact that there is already a mechanism in place to deal with this stupid social justice shit companies do: their fucking stock price drops. I do believe that sooner or later shareholders will start suing the board for these dumb decisions. I don’t buy stocks to lose money because of idiots making dumb fucking decisions. It is one thing to want a company to not pollute or break financial laws. It is a completely different story when said company decides it will try to do social engineering. Stock buyers beware, I always say…
I would say it’s up to the shareholders. Companies aren’t going to stop pandering to the loonies until the shareholders put a stop to it.
I wish there was much the shareholders could do. Really, beyond selling the stock, the system is so rigged against them that they’re pretty much stuck twiddling their thumbs. The Courts have said that, as long as they spent a minute considering their decision, Boards are pretty much insulated from any insanity they may choose to visit. And, of course, laws to stop those “evil corporate raiders” made hostile acquisitions a very difficult proposition.
sigh
years of voting against the slate of directors has gotten me exactly nowhere
Yeah, I realize it’s wishful thinking.
Coming soon- the ignominious end of the Great Experiment
The four liberal justices of the Supreme Court are steeling themselves for a momentous spring as the reality settles in that the left flank of the bench could remain at least one critical vote shy of a majority in ideologically driven cases for decades.
Facing an emboldened conservative majority and a docket marked by some of the most consequential cases in recent years, the liberals, led by the ailing 86-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, will work to stall the conservative legal revolution launched with the election of President Donald Trump who is fulfilling his pledge to transform the courts.
It won’t be easy.
On top of that, if Trump succeeds in November, there is a strong possibility that he would have another seat to fill particularly given Ginsburg’s age and that of Justice Stephen Breyer, who is 81. Trump would likely choose a young nominee along the lines of his first two Supreme Court picks Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
The nation is doomed. Fascist authoritarianism is just around the corner. Trump will be rounding up tens of millions of LBGTQRXYZ++-s and putting them into work camps.
All he needs is one more dipsomaniac frat party rapist on the Court, and it will be Game Over.
If trump gets a 3rd SCOTUS pick he should pick Garland, just to troll the left.
I’d rather have a good judge.
LOL. He and Cocaine Mitch can do it knowing that the full Senate will vote him down.
“Just kidding!”
Also, it would be awesome to watch Garland be accused of running rape trains by the Left if Trump nominates him. The only question would be if the Left cares enough about continuity to at least pretend he only started raping women after Obama nominated him or if they just don’t give a shit about the narrative and the rapes happened decades ago.
It’s really sad that it is entirely predictable that any Trump nominee will be accused of sexual misconduct without any evidence by at least a few (Democrat operative) women.
All this talk of conservative and liberal justices. I thought the court was supposed to be apolitical. This definitely can’t be a freakout because leftist lawfare is threatened.
The left is terrified at the thought of being restrained by the constitution.
^^^^THIS^^^^
The left only touts a belief in the constitution when it suits the left’s marxist/fascist agenda. Otherwise, it is a bunch of shit written by a bunch of evil white slave owners that should be ignored so the state can keep it’s march to rob us all of our freedoms and rights.
Personally, I’m rooting for Don Willett as a long shot. I keep hearing good things about Barrett. But, honestly, there’s something about her that makes me worry she’d be one of those Justices who “evolve” on the bench.
It would be fun to watch Team Blue try to Kavanaugh Barrett though.
She denied a trannie the right to engage in a lesbian sexual encounter with her after she slapped his junk when he tried to put it in her face!
/prgtards
It would be especially fun during an election year. They’ll go hardline anti-Catholic. That’s been their playbook with her all along. Watching them try to play that while not destroying their chances in the presidential race will be epic.
The questioning on abortion rights will be legitimately interesting. Well, if it was an honest exploration of her views, it would be.
So I guess that it actually won’t be, except in train wreck kind of way.
legitimately interesting
Questions should be asked and answered. I don’t get the idea that court nominees are somehow exempt from answering direct legal questions. I do understand that there are no simple questions: else we wouldn’t need the USSC.
But, generally, everyone should be able to say yes or no: the government has a compelling interest in the completion of a pregnancy that exceeds the mother’s right otherwise to manage what is going on inside her body.
I’m okay with people disagreeing with and agitating against and legislating against my answer. I’m not okay with their not professing an answer on the way to the Supreme bench. I don’t think a Senator should vote for a potential jurist who has not answered the interests of that Senator’s constituency: otherwise, the appointments should be simply made royally and automatically.
XY TD (14) hits me up this morning panicked that the world is going to shit. He says, “LOOK HOW MUCH GOLD IS FLUCTUATING THIS MORNING REEEEEEEEEE! It’s $50 a gram!” and sends me a chart since market open.
“Dude, this chart has a price difference of 40¢. WTF?”
“Oh. I didn’t notice that.”
Then he sends me a link to a travel warning to Iraq. “REEEEEEEE THE WORLD IS SCREWED!”
So for whatever reason he and his friends have become interested in world events and promptly drawing the worst conclusions because they have no context and don’t know how to read charts, and panicking themselves into an ulcer. BTDT, only ZH was my instigator and I finally just had to stop reading ZH because I was making myself ill and prepping incoherently.
Why can’t they just be goth and bathe in Drakkar Noir? So much simpler.
???
With patience, he’ll gain perspective.
$50 a gram? That’s over $1500 a troy ounce.
I wish we could ditch the troy ounces and use real ounces.
Haven’t the Trojans suffered enough?
*glares across Hudson River*
No.
Well, they kept Clay Helton on so apparently not.
Prepper stuff. Ah. Pretty sure we’re good for a few months.
Drakkar, hair mousse, and cuffed jeans.
How I miss the 80s (and early 90s)
*hands Tres a beeper*
#HitMeOnTheHip
Parenting tip – he’s at a perfect age to learn to channel concern for the future into self development. I know that your people have a tradition of preparation and preservation. Don’t overlook the most important preping that can be done – above the shoulders.
Does he know first aid? Does he know to stop traumatic bleeding? Can he start, tend, cook-over, and smother a fire? Can he catch, clean, and cook a fish or small land-mammal? All of this can be done on the cheep, too (I’ve got an article rolling around in my head that I want to write when I get some time.)
Competency kills insecurity.
Oh, that reminds me, my hunting knife should arrive today.
What did you get?
Buck 120, cocobolo grip
Sexy. You do leather working, right?
I really like Buck’s 420HC for utilitarian work. Its not super hard, but ime it resists chipping and roll over really well. So if this is for field dressing, its a great blade.
some.
It is for field dressing, since I took stock of the knives I owned and found them lacking. I figured I should get a decent quality piece that wouldn’t need replacing unless I lost it somewhere.
420 looks similar to the Buck folding (my preference) but with a different grip. I use mine only for field dressing, carry it in my pocket. With the cold weather and MN blaze requirements I wear a lot of clothes, a heavy jacket over the heavy coveralls. I can always find the knife in a pocket, doesn’t present a problem climbing into a stand or sitting down.
I also carry a wad of paper towels and a plastic bag, clean the knife off or any other emergencies, bag for the heart/liver, if salvageable.
Knives and rifles, enough variety for everyone’s tastes.
Fourscore with yet another 420… hmmm, this may not be a coincidence. “Honey” is just code you kids use to confuse the man isn’t it?
He’s on to us. Get him!
Yes. Yes. Yes. No.
He has his own little lawnmowing business and I try to instill decent business tricks. Yesterday, he was asked to clear a lawn of leaves. He didn’t want to so he quoted (what to him was) a high price. The customer accepted. I said, “Good job. That’s a good way to get out of doing something you do ‘t want to. If they say no, yay. If they say yes, you got more money than the job was worth.”
He said, “You taught me that.”
It backfired though. It’s a huge lawn and he underbid for his usual hourly, so he’s mad at himself for not eatimating well enough.
Tell him to get used to it. If he’s going to stay in the self-employment game, especially in construction/service type work. I’ve been at it almost thirty years and I still ‘work for free’ every so often, prices changes, unexpected expenses, you fuck up an expensive piece of material. Just tell him to remember this the next time he bids a three day job and gets done in one and a half.
I’ve underbid myself before, but I haven’t in a long time. It was back when I couldn’t tell yet how long it would take me to do a project.
One time, somebody questioned my quote. He wanted to know what that broke down to hourly. “That is not how I bill. I bill by the job.” #hepersisted. I tried every way I could think of to tell him it was none of his business. #hepersisted. Finally, I said, “You know, I don’t think we are going to work together very well.”
^This. I bill almost exclusively fee for service (quoted price for a job not hourly rate), sometimes it means I work cheap, other times it means I feel guilty about the amount I make per hour, but if the client agrees that the price is reasonable up front they are not cheated because I happen to have done basically the same document for someone else and can modify it to fit their needs in 15 minutes any more than I am cheated when it turns out that the client’s situation is more unique and it takes me 5 hours to finish a document that I expected to take 1.
Yep. Depending on your set up, you may never get out of working for free from time to time. The trick is to make sure you have more times where you have more of the wind-falls and then work-for-frees.
The trick, no matter your business, is living for wealth instead of cashflow.
Hand-to-mouth living is where the anxiety comes from: too many people can’t afford to be wrong this week.
This is why I pound my anti-debt drum: few people will ever understand living for wealth as long as their good moods are subsidized by not having to be free and clear every day.
Except you bought a money pit of a house …
Stupid decision. It’s on us.
ugh: good luck over there
Housing is a tough one. Even Dave Ramsey is okay with manageable mortgages. I am too, but it’s too much to get into here.
Oh, we’re filing for bankruptcy. It broke us.
Now I don’t have to sweat the new roof it needs and the furnace that needs to be replaced (still works, don’t worry, but I think it’s on its last leg).
Same in retail, not every piece of merchandise is gonna sell at the hoped for price. The word “Sale” is not because the merchant likes you, regardless of what he/she says.
“Customer Appreciation” is I blew it and need to unload this stuff before the season changes
The lesson here is that he should be prepared the next time someone pops that (or some other such) question at him Mojeuax. Live and learn.
I like this redirection.
“OK, li’l XY. You aren’t going to being peace to the Middle East, or sanity to the heavily manipulated global gold market. You can be more capable of dealing with the fallout if things go seriously sideways. How do you think that would look? What skills would you like to have to deal with it?”
Fun with graphs – you have to know how to clip off unhelpful data and adjust the scale to make your points to shallow thinking executives. Like all the global temperature graphs that happen to start at 1973.
I learned that from sports. “X has the most Y since yesterday between 2:00 and 2:12:38.”
Utinni!
Any time you pay off a loan is a good day. I now officially own one of my cars outright. I technically would have come out a few cents ahead if I would have invested the payoff amount instead of making the last 8 payments, but killing a loan is more fun than $0.50 realized over 8 months.
Agreed. People have paid far more for similar highs.
Yay!!!
Congratulations!
I now officially own one of my cars outright.
I, too, just paid off my car 8 months early.
The pleasure of killing a loan might well fuel avoiding one entirely.
congrats!
Possibly, but I’ll never be debt free until I retire. I spent a lot out of pocket on my own schooling via loans. Some of it made financial sense, lots of it didn’t. But it landed me in a job that pays well enough that I’m phenomenally wealthy by my childhood standards (I haven’t had to decide between groceries or the water bill, my kids have never had a welfare Christmas, and now I’m donating coats instead of receiving them). And if I was a professional sociopath, I could work more, ignore my kids, and make 5x or 10x more than I do. But then I would hate myself and work myself into an early grave.
Building up a savings before purchases is something I can do now, but often it makes more sense leverage my spectacular credit rating (see the college loans above, and my history of on-time payments…) to get a crazy-low interest rate on a loan and keep the savings as a buffer.
I’ve still got some white-trash accounting in me (I have a line of credit large enough to buy a new car), but I’ve got enough bourgeois to not take out loans I can’t easily service.
On behalf of the lending industry, thank you! ::goes back to preparing month-end delinquency, charge-off, & recovery reports::
Another reason I like being here, advice that’s good and I agree with.
So on the Iran question, is there a consensus opinion of what would have happened if Mosaddegh was never overthrown or there was no US intervention in that period, as meaningless as that is? Do people believe stable democracy would have come to Iran? Because if the socialist direction would have been kept, I am not sure of that. I don’t know if the islamists would have taken over, but the might have anyway sooner or later given their strength. It is a sad fucking state of fairs because a decent rule-of-law democracy in Iran would have been huge for the area…
Only idiots believe that, really. That guy was already a complete fascist by that time.
Also, the U.S. didn’t really orchestrate that, and we know this now. The CIA simply TOOK CREDIT for it when it happened.
Sure the U.S. favored it because that tyrant had completely tanked the economics of the region and was a nut, but it mostly done by the Iranian people themselves with our approval.
Also, the U.S. didn’t really orchestrate that, and we know this now. – any source on that? I can google but…
Well, that may be a simplification. We spent millions of dollars aiding the coup, but it should be noted that there was already large sentiment against him. It never would’ve happened without him being immensely unpopular, and it almost certainly would have happened without our involvement anyway.
I would say he’s most comparable to a Chavez. When he first gained power, he was instituting all these expensive social/welfare reforms. And the U.S. even liked him.
He nationalized the oil industry and absolutely crushed the economy though, kicking out the people who knew what they were doing. Then, he started consolidating all government power and killing off his enemies. It was textbook fascism.
There was nothing “democratic” about his government.
As evil as the current government may be, they still might be better than that guy.
He nationalized the oil industry and absolutely crushed the economy though – but some would say if UK simply accepted the nationalization the economy would not have crashed and UK sanctions were what caused the crash.
That it would have happened anyway is what I also think, but fact is US did hurry it along and did get involved.
This is a conservative-leaning source, but this is one of the better ones I’ve found. I think this history is pretty damn thorough and accurate.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2015/07/what-really-happened-shahs-iran/
btw, the article makes an interesting point too.
The Shah was already installed prior to the U.S.’s involvement. And he had legal authority to remove Mossadegh all along. One could argue that this wasn’t a “coup” so much as just enforcing his rightful powers.
Those powers were illegitimate because democracy
Yeah I love this shit. You could argue that Mossadegh was the “coup” and this was just restoring government rule. All a matter of perspective.
So glad we got involved.
that is the beauty if the US. You do anything to a shithole and everything is your fault. I blame capitalism myself.
And that’s why I’m more isolationist than ever, although what I noticed is the U.S. not getting involved in things or pulling out… ALSO pisses people off.
I’m still waiting for “stable democracy” to come to the U.S. Not sure such a thing can exist.
meh US democracy is as stable as it gets. I don’t want to go into utopian directions.
Romania pretty much sucks, but compared to commie Romania it is miles ahead.
We have a republic: democracy is basically the rule of the mob. I am not for having 11 wolves and 9 sheep decide what’s for dinner by democratic vote…
Gee, I wonder what those Chicagoans were expecting electing a guy with the name Tony Ragucci.
Rayciss!!!
Pointing out a paisan/goombah is such is bad?
Why did I immediately think of Carmine “The Big Ragoo” Ragusa?
I immediately thought of spaghetti.
A late good morning, Sloopy and the rest of You People!
For the birthday boy!
What a stud.
Have a great day!
Today is Mr. Mojeaux’s barfday. We’re doing very little because we are at the age we do not like to acknowledge our ages.
A very happy emesis to Mr. Mojeaux! ???
Tell em to live long and prosper..
And here I thought the Vice President was Mike Pence.
Fun with graphs – you have to know how to clip off unhelpful data and adjust the scale to make your points to shallow thinking executives. Like all the global temperature graphs that happen to start at 1973.
Yeah. DOW PLUNGES 200 POINTS!!!!11!!
When the Dow was at 1000, that was a big deal. Not quite so much, now.
People, but especially uninformed people, are easy to fool. I believe this is why the state of education in this country has gone backward so fast and kids today are only indoctrinated about collectivist bullshit instead of thought to be critical thinkers of any kind.
So, last night I was flipping back and forth between various coverages of the Iran situation. It was…. revealing and informative.
CNN was flailing around, looking for their negative take. They had Corey Booker on to provide some balanced analysis. I really don’t think he had any idea who this guy was 10 minutes before he went on air. But he’s totes sure that Trump is terrible and doesn’t know what he’s doing.
After a while, Anderson Cooper and Fareed Z. had a very long discussion as they kept trying to outdo each other with superlative eulogies for the dead Iranian military commander. It started with “he was a beloved commander”, which must have come from the wire service spin or WaPo… not sure which one said that first. But they kept building on their descriptions. He was a war hero. Like the commander of the French Foreign Legion at the height of the French empire. Like Charles De Gaulle ….. a True Hero of The People.
Flip over to Al Jazeera…. They have footage of people spontaneously running through the streets of Baghdad at 4am, waving flags and screaming with joy. They explain that there have been protests against the government for months, and these protesters have been camping out in Tahrir Square. They are opposed to the Iranian militants who have been pushing around parts of their country, among a long list of other things.
They had a reporter on who witnessed the attack on the US Embassy. She said she personally watched the dead militia commander lead the “Protest” into the green zone, right past Iraqi government officials and troops without any interference. She definitely had no qualms about labeling these guys as the leaders of these attacks.
Back to CNN…. Trump may have started world war 3.
Back to Al Jazeera…. they are giving in-depth analysis of US actions, Iraq government and social problems, Iranian reactions – explaining who each group is, what they have been up to, what they probably want, what they are saying….. they are not covering “Iran”,.. They talk about the former head of Iranian Republican Guard, The president of iran, The mullahs, the people in the city, the people in the country…. all with differing reactions and differing worries. But they barely mention Trump at all. It is “The US”. The only mention of Trump is from the British anchor, who keeps mentioning that Trump tweeted an American flag, which really seems to bother him in some way that he cannot articulate.
Back to CNN… Trump has no plan. Trump didn’t consult congress….. they are flailing about looking for their hook, their bullet point that they can keep hammering. The “Trump killed a Hero” thing seems to be sticking. They have hit that over and over.
Al Jazeera mentions that the Iranian military issued a statement celebrating the martyrdom of their leader and offering condolences to his family. They are definitely going to try to spin this to their benefit…. probably successfully. Al Jazeera makes it plain – without all the CNN talking head telling you something he just read off of the internet 5 minutes ago nonsense – that the guy was a war hero from the Iran-Iraq war and has fairly high respect throughout Iran. But he wasn’t a very public figure. He shunned the public eye and rarely talked to the press.
Our media sucks. I mean, they really, really suck.
Al Jazeera is the propaganda arm of Quatar and the little arab states. And they have better and more balanced coverage of US middle eastern policies than our press does. Everything here is reported in terms of the horse race. “How does this hurt Trump” is the only question being asked.
If you can’t do a better job than Effing Al Jazeera, maybe you should just pack it in.
Oh, I forgot to mention about the Anderson Cooper segment… as they were flailing around for descriptions of the Iranian Military Commander, they kept glancing down at their tablets. They must have been looking at a Twitter feed or notes from the producer team… Because… French Foreign Legion? Charles De Gaulle? Really? You guys just pulled those entirely non-american references out of your butt? Clearly some intern had just read that on the internet…. probably in a french paper or on the BBC website from some francofile….. And suddenly that is their personal analysis. It was really, really terrible.
Anderson Cooper is a smart enough guy… but there is zero chance that if you mentioned “Iranian war hero military leader” to him two days ago, he’s gonna say “Yeah, he is just like Charles De Gaulle”.
So very, very lame.
I’m not entirely sure what skills journalism actually involves. These major news networks have fucked up every major story in the Trump era alone, and it goes back farther than that. They can’t even manage proper spelling and grammar most of the time.
What are they doing other than being a mouthpiece for the DNC with a veneer of objectivity and non-partisanship?
This is just like the time we blew up that hospital killing 70 children, except replace those children with a mass-murderer who had literally committed an act of war against the U.S. two days ago.
I’d be curious as to what your definition of “act of war” is. I’m not saying he was innocent or that what he may have helped intimate did not warrant a response but if what our DoD assets and CIA engage in regularly aren’t acts of war, I fail to see how that’s not a double standard.
*instigate
I think literally attacking a country on their soil counts as an act of war.
So how is a riotous protest an attack? Did they start lobbing mortars over the walls? Fire on our Marines?
And if so would you support direct kinetic operations against Iran?
Because it wasn’t actually a “riotous protest”. It was on attack on the U.S.
Please elaborate.
Although I don’t know how “organic” all the protesters were, his militia capturing the embassy was deliberately planned (by Soleimani al Sean Connery himself). They succeeded only in burning several buildings to the ground and injuring a few, but I would still call it an attack. (Had they gotten inside, I think there absolutely would’ve been deaths).
We also know he was planning a series of attacks on the U.S. in Iraq as well.
I’m not sure how directly planning on attack on a U.S. embassy as well as several other attacks on U.S. forces in the region would not constitute an act of war.
I’m curious as to your sources. I’m not willing to say I “know” anything about a guy I’d never even heard of two days ago. I do “know” there is a cabal in Washington willing to say anything if it means more war.
And I think that’s a fair argument. The U.S. government is my source. And it is hardly an unbiased one.
“riotous protest” might not have been the right terminology. It was certainly done by armed people who had the means to do damage but these were not IRGC. Point being if we start declaring war because of the actions of proxy’s we have at least a half a dozen other countries who would be legally and morally justified in declaring war on us.
The iranian leader of a militia literally personally lead his troops marching on our embassy, supported by other local parties. They attacked and attempted to destroy the embassy… there’s plenty of video to support that. This is how it is being reported on Al Jazeera.
That Iranian leader of the militia was the same guy who was blown up with the Iranian Commander. The nexus is pretty much irrefutable at that point.
How is a riotous protest not an attack? When your “protest” includes destruction of property and physical assaults on people it becomes a riot. Rioters deserve the same protection from violence as any other criminal actively committing a violent crime. ie. none. Armed men broke into the embassy compound and attacked people within. How can you claim that is not an attack?
I’m not claiming it’s not an attack and I have no problem with the security forces at the embassy retaliating and driving off the protestors. I have a problem with the idea that this justifies direct kinetic operations against Iran. See my comment above about proxies.
To the larger point, I’m not going to celebrate us further sticking our dicks into the hornets nest.
But the guy we killed was the guy who led the attack. Now, if you are saying we should go no further that is a different and quite possibly valid position. But as far as blowing up the guy who just led a militia attack on our embassy, I’m sticking with “Good for us”
To echo what Leon said above, I have no confidence that this whole thing wasn’t carried out under a pretext of lies. Much like Assad “gassing his own people” I’m very hesitant to say “we did the right thing here.” I was called a an anti-American paranoid lunatic for calling it a false flag and here I sit completely vindicated two years later. I’m waiting to see whats true once the dust settles.
I think that’s fair. Especially if it escalates and it is USED to escalate the conflict.
I actually think the media WANTS it to escalate and for it to be Trump’s fault. I question the narrative of whether this was “unprovoked”.
Urthona: Bingo. This one is a win-win for the Deep State. There bi-partisan consensus is always escalation of conflict. And if it ends up derailing Trump’s administration so the next establishment regime can blame him for getting us into yet another unwinnable quagmire, so much the better.
Al Jazeera had a reporter on site during the entire attack. She says she personally witnessed the militia and their leader marching across the bridge and attacking the embassy. She did not call it a protest. She is certainly not a US propagandist. (although she is an Arab propagandist, by design).
That is a pretty credible source. Not CNN. Not Fox. Not US State Dept, White House or Defense…. but a third party in the region who knows all of the parties involved.
They also reported yesterday that the 101st airborn had landed in Kuwait. This is a rapid reaction force, specifically to avoid a bengazi situation. CNN just reported 5 minutes ago that “3,000 additional troops have been deployed to the region for added security”. So Al Jazeera was way ahead in their reporting, not waiting for department of defense press releases or leaks.
The same Al Jazeera that’s run by the Sunni states who hate Iran and the fact that Iraq is now it’s client state? Yeah, they might be telling the truth, I don’t know, but I’m also not willing to take what they say at face value either.
Oops. 82nd. Not 101st. Rapid reaction force.
your definition of “act of war” is
Leading an armed group supported by a foreign state onto US property without permission seems pretty well within my definition of act of war.
Which doesn’t mean we have to respond militarily. But if we do, its not us who is the aggressor.
if what our DoD assets and CIA engage in regularly aren’t acts of war
They likely are, although some of it is done with the consent of the government where it happens.
“he was a beloved commander”
Also austere and scholarly I assume.
What a stupid take.
War heroes who got that way by killing Americans are legit targets. In fact, high-value targets that we should put extra effort into killing, once we make the decision to retaliate.
De Gaulle was at least an American ally. And praising the French Foreign Legion is hard to square with anti-colonialism.
I think flailing is exactly the right word.
CNN and friends are the propaganda arm of the DNC. It would be nice if more than half the country recognized that….
Our media sucks. I mean, they really, really suck.
This is no joke. What little news I consume is increasingly foreign. From NHK to DW to even the BBC, coverage of U.S. and world events is more comprehensive, less over-the-top, and markedly less biased. It reminds me of what U.S. news used to be: left-of-center, of course, but not “what in the fuck is wrong with these people?”
I turned on BBC last time I was in London, and the story was about how a “freedom fighter” blew up a market in Iraq killing 40 people. There were no military targets involved.
I used to like to tune into BBC (but never BBC America) just because I’d get some relief from the stupid talking points de jour and find out that there was actually other things going on in the world.
There is also a story circulating that he was involved in the planning of Benghazi, but I have not seen that confirmed.
Hey Mojeaux! I saw this and had to share it with you.
Oh, that’s adorable.
Boys reading = awesome.
Funny thing, though. My kids prefer paper books when they read. So do their peers. My daighter only reads ebooks when she’s got an assignment due but doesn’t have the book and then I have to buy it for her.
Apparently GenX (and older) is the one all hot-to-trot for ebooks. My mother blessed the day the library had the ebook selection she wanted.
Apparently GenX (and older) is the one all hot-to-trot for ebooks.
Interesting. I would have never guessed that. I wonder why the young ‘uns like dead tree books?
Because their parents and grandparents like ebooks?
My kids are split. Spawn 1 is all about his Kindle, Spawn 2 seems to prefer dead trees.
I have no idea and they can’t tell me.
One spawn is a voracious reader. One loves to read now that we discovered she has developmental cataracts and needs either big print or comic books.
Neither of them seem to care between paper, e-ink, or pixely screen.
I love my Paperwhite. It’s the backlight.
If I had the screen from the paperwhite on the Keyboard (aka 3), I’d be happy. I want the physical keys back.
I keep my 3 even though it is ded d-e-d ded. It does not have wifi so I have to download my ebooks and transfer to it via UBS. If I ever get rid of that I will no longer be allowed to download them and good luck getting it off my Paperwhite properly.
Of course, it’s my business to know how to crack those puppies. I am not satisfied with owning a license. It’s why I don’t pay for TV shows.
Physical books help me to get into the proper state of mind for reading. I don’t mind electronic books for references and the like, but for fiction I strongly prefer dead tree. One millennials take on it.
In my case it is because my eyes suck and being able to increase the font size makes life better.
I am living for the day I am not walking around life with my jaw permanently clenched. I just realized it aches like the devil.
The ache will fade with time.
The awful ache?
Katherine Hepburn imitation contest coming up?
To kill a French Vampire you need to drive a baguette through its heart. Sounds easy but the process is painstaking.
https://mobile.twitter.com/CatstreyDave/status/1212514580439732224
*narrows gaze*
Trust a Swiss to be first to a bilingual pain pun.
Now do that for a Sri Lankan vampire…
This is gonna piss of the virtue signalers that think we should have an open borders policy at the same time as we have a welfare state.
Remember the heady days of 2012 when Federal immigration law was supreme?
That having been said, I think the drivers’ licenses unto themselves are not as big a deal as people are making them out to be. It’s identification, not a meal ticket. That having been said, most of the states on that list also hand out meal tickets.
It’s identification, not a meal ticket.
Its also the door to voting registration. Unless the illegals fess up, formally and on paper, that they are here illegally, the license says “Illegal Immigrant”, and they are on a blacklist for voting, anyway. None of which happens. There’s a reason why the leftists are so hot to give illegals driver’s licenses. And its not because having a laminated card makes you a safer driver.
It would be funny if some Red states became “Constitutional Driving” states, where you didn’t need a permit to drive, but still needed to get an ID to vote.
From the article:
Now, the leap from “uninsured” to health insuranceis just stupid, they are obviously talking about auto insurance. But its still stupid – an illegal who doesn’t want to buy auto insurance is unlikely to do so just to get a license; they’ll just keep driving without one, or with a fake one.
Improve traffic safety – also stupid. The card doesn’t make you safer, and an illegal who flunks the test isn’t going to stop driving.
Giving illegals better chance of employment is incandescently stupid. And, one would hope, politically inapt.
It makes sense when you consider that the Dems are no longer the party of those who might object to competing with illegals for work.
“That having been said, I think the drivers’ licenses unto themselves are not as big a deal as people are making them out to be. It’s identification, not a meal ticket.”
Let’s revisit the subject when your insurance rates go up drastically because the insurance companies now have to factor this risk into their equation…
I don’t think there will be much of a change. The illegals are driving anyway now.
Damn him for undermining the motor-voter strategy!
HAH!
Hawley’s my dude. He was a prosecutor. I approve of this message.
For What It’s Worth, Stephen Stills was born OTD 1945 Dallas (not that there’s anything wrong with that).
another thing NewWife doesn’t love: when I rediscover the vibe setting on the amp
“I rediscover the vibe setting on the amp”
HEY NOW.
https://www.rt.com/news/477371-irans-khamenei-appoints-soleimanis-deputy/
Nice uniforms.
*snicker*
Russia Today’s coverage seems to be playing up the “this is dangerous” angle and features prominent democrats.
But Trump is Russia’s puppet.
So Mr. Mojeaux just won Publisher’s Clearinghouse.
Just $10, but he did.
Is it paid 5 cents a week for life?
Maybe he took the lump sum payment up front? What would that be $6.42?
…Lazlo
Without flats and flats of machine-scribbled entries and questionable postage.
So did he cover the bed in pennies and try to coax you into some fun times rolling around on them naked?
The old Scrooge McFuck gag!
McConnell just tricked CNN into covering his speech on Pelosi’s impeachment strategy.
He started out talking about the Iran strike so they cut to him live, cutting off Wolf Blitzer mid interview. And after calling the guy a terrorist for a minute or two, he is pivoting to a complete deconstruction of the Democrat’s impeachment strategy. Oops.
What did he say?
Crushing the democrats on their hypocrisy. Ridiculing the wailing of the democrats that they had to rush through impeachment in the house because of an imminent threat to democracy from Trump, only to have Pelosi get cold feet 24 hours later.
Lampooning democrats position that they get to coordinate political strategy with Pelosi (the prosecutor) but senators cannot coordinate with the defense.
“President Clinton committed an actual felony. If Democrats actually believed in the narrow definition of impeachment they are espousing, they would have voted to remove Clinton. But even though he committed an actual crime, a felony, they voted to acquit. They made a political decision. Chuck schumer actually ran for senate on a promise in advance that he would vote to acquit Clinton. He dismissed criticisms of this prejudgment by saying this is not a criminal trial. The founding fathers chose to put this in a political body.”
“One symptom of Trump Derangement Syndrome is a bad case of amnesia”
Still talking some 15 minutes later. CNN screwed up. Now they can’t cut away. 2 minutes on Iran and 13-15 on the Democrat sham impeachment. Well played, Mitch.
Too bad no one watches CNN.
Except those poor airport prisoners.
Won’t someone think of the air travellers?!
I noticed that it wasn’t on anywhere in my recent MEM – CLT – SAV loop.
Chuck Schumer is now up. He is whining about the lack of advanced consultation with congress. Himself, specifically. He said that when actions of this serious nature are taken, it is traditional that congress be consulted in advance.
Schumer personally defended Obama over Libya, where he did not consult with congress before or after overthrowing a foreign government.
But taking out 2 guys is beyond the pale – a historic transgression without precedent.
This guy is a bufoon, but if CNN does not point this out, they are the real clowns.
Schumer thinks that the Trump administration is planning a wider war with Iran, and he says no such war is justified or legal without congressional (his) authorization.
and he says no such war is justified or legal without congressional (his) authorization.
He’s not wrong.
But he is hilarious, since such a thing is purely conjecture and a complete 180 from 48 hours ago when the DNC talking point was that Trump was too weak to retaliate for Iranian actions (calling off airstrikes at the last second), and since he personally argued that Obama not only did not require a declaration of war to take out the Libyan government, but that Obama need not even consult with congress or comply with the War Powers Act.
Yet he pounds the desk over a hypothetical future war and a hypothetical future non-consultation with congress.
I stick with my analysis. He is a clown.
I certainly would prefer a loyal opposition who actually believed in congressional authorization for military action. But that isn’t what this is. This is cynical political sniping – an attempt to spin each and every moment as “the other side is teh evil!!” He should be shamed for this behavior.
“Kinetic military action”
I don’t think Leon is arguing he isn’t a clown or that for even one second he has any constitutional principles, just that he’s not wrong in this one instance. Broken clock. In Schumer’s case it runs on a 10 year cycle.
I argued that Obama needed to get authorization to attack Libya. I argued that Bush needed to get an actual declaration of war for Iraq and Afghanistan, not just some squishy “authorization to use military force”.
And Trump certainly needs to get a declaration of war to go after Iran.
He says that McConnell’s citations of precedent (Schumer’s own history on Clinton) is an irrelevant distraction, because there is only one relevant precedent…. that no impeachment trial has ever proceeded without witnesses and relevant documents!!!
What a clown.
Wow.
Schumer just said that Clinton’s impeachment is not a valid comparison because there were valid concerns about the suitability of the subject matter for the Senate floor.
So, Clinton’s crimes (rape, attempted rape, sexual misconduct with a subordinate) were so heinous they could not even be discussed in public….. but Schumer wanted to acquit before the proceedings even started.
These people really are without any moral compass at all.
No moral compass and no shame.
I could be wrong, but I thought the House is responsible for putting together the case for impeachment, and the Senate is responsible for litigating the case. Isn’t this a little like the prosecutor insists that the trial be used as an open-ended investigation because the indictment he brought was based on weak grand jury testimony?
That is a good analogy.
But a better analysis is that every democrat knows that the impeachment is a sham and they are only conducting it as a political exercise to smear and damage the president. As such, the more time they can spend on national TV talking bad about the president for free, the better.
For balanced coverage and analysis, CNN tosses it to Democrat senator Bob Menendez. He says that congress has to approve deployment of additional troops. Something he has not called for over the last 18 years.
He also calls for investigations of the intelligence that justified the drone strike – citing the weapons of mass destruction. He says this commander was certainly a terrorist who killed millions across the region. Nobody will lament his passing. But in the exact same paragraph he says that he needs to see the intelligence that justified the strike… so…. which is it? Is the intelligence unrefutable, or unreliable?
These guys really talk out both sides of their mouth.
He also says this action unlocked the possibility of domestic terrorist attacks.
Nice balance, CNN.
There is also this crap.
The U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial killing on Friday said the President Trump-approved drone strike against Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top general, violated international human rights law.
In a lengthy Twitter thread, Agnès Callamard said that “outside the context of active hostilities, the use of drones or other means for targeted killing is almost never likely to be legal,” adding that the U.S. would need to prove the person targeted constituted an imminent threat to others.
She also took issue with the justification for using drones in another country on the basis of self-defense.
“The targeted killings of Qasem Soleiman and Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis are most lokely unlawful and violate international human rights law: Outside the context of active hostilities, the use of drones or other means for targeted killing is almost never likely to be legal (1)”
Except if a democrat president types up a list.
Well then it’s democratic and so by definition it can’t violate human rights
CNN reporting in panic mode….
“US To Send THOUSANDS OF TROOPS to the Region!!!!!!”
No video of spontaneous celebrations in Baghdad last night, but they have video of protests against america in Tehran.
New spin…. .everything had calmed down after the embassy attack and was heading toward peace. But that has all changed after this attack.
No joke, that is their actual take. In the 2 days since the embassy attack, there were no further attacks, so it was peaceful.
Also playing up members of the Iraq government who are upset about the drone strike. Particularly Hezbollah members who are upset about their allies in the militia who’s leader was killed.
Not one mention of Iranian strikes over the last several months. Just the drone strike.
Once again the rule of thumb, that if CNN/NYT and establishment are upset about some war, it’s probably due to other reasons, applies.
The DNC talking points seem to be settling in on a consensus.
This was a bad dude. Nobody is going to lament his passing (I have heard at least 4 democrat politicians and several reporters and analysts use this exact phrase.)
He was responsible for the deaths of millions, including many american citizens and soldiers.
He was the mastermind of attacks around the region.
We don’t know if we can trust the intelligence that was used by the administration to justify this attack because WMD.
Nobody has told us what the intelligence or justification was, which is totes illegal.
So….. to sum up. Everyone knows this guy was a bad dude and totally deserved to die, but the administration probably killed him completely without justification and he may not have been a bad guy at all.
But “doublethink” is a work of fiction.