Monday Morning Links

by | Aug 30, 2021 | Daily Links | 290 comments

That was fun to watch.

Even if you’re not a golf fan, yesterday afternoon was some entertaining stuff. Cantlay has ice water in his veins.  The A’s won and Astros lost, so that tightened up.  The Saints moved to Dallas to practice asIda bears down on New Orleans. Nebraska football has become a complete embarrassment under Scott Frost and it’s time for him to go. UCLA pounded Hawaii in front of fans (all four or five thousand even though they were letting in as many people as they could get in the Rose Bowl. And across the pond, Liverpool wasted an opportunity against Chelsea as they played to a draw. ManUre won, Spuds won, and Man City hilariously heat Arsenal 5-0 as the London club is officially garbage.  Oh, how I want to see them fighting and clawing to avoid relegation at the end of the season. And that’s sports.

Smooth as silk

The not-so-nice Spanish king Peter The Cruel was born on this day.  He shares it with English author Mary Shelley, the “father of nuclear physics” Ernest Rutherford, actress Shirley Booth, coonass political legend Huey Long, actor Fred MacMurray, the greatest hitter of all time Ted Williams, rent-seeking businessman Warren Buffett, guitar string guy Ernie Ball, race car driver Bruce McLaren, cartoonist Robert Crumb, baseball player Tug McGraw, comedian Lewis Black, basketball great Robert “The Chief” Parish, Belorussian strongman Alexander Lukashenko, bald actor Michael Chiklis, DJ Paul Oakenfold, actress Cameron Diaz, and tennis player Andy Roddick.

And now its time for…the links!

Things continue to get worse in Afghanistan. But we told everybody to not bother coming to the airport, so there were apparently no casualties.  Well, none at the airport anyway. Not sure how many there might be of people we didn’t evacuate before our troops who are now under complete Taliban control and are quite possibly on a kill list our government gave them.

Ida, you bitch!

Hurricane Ida tore Louisiana a new asshole. They’ll be able to start assessing damage today, and I don’t think it’s gonna be pretty.

Did it ever really stop? If so, it validates Trump’s foreign policy attempts, I suppose.  Or it just speaks to the weakness vibe that Biden oozes.  Either way, it doesn’t bode well for Japan and South Korea.

Gee, who could have possibly seen this coming? Maybe anybody who had opened their eyes way before the covid thing hit.

Nice response, you fucking imbeciles. What’s doubly sad is that the “high profile” targets we were going after aren’t even high enough for our government to name.  But at lest we didn’t double-tap the rescue workers. Maybe Biden didn’t remember that strategy from when his mentor Obama was in office.

“Oh shit, it’s my nap time.”

“C’mon man, I don’t know what’s going on there” would have been more honest. Nice work on letting it slide, you media dopes.

Family Court judges have way too much power. And this particular asshole needs to go.

This is the fault of your state government, Californians. Remember that the next few times you head to the polls.

Jeez, I had no idea how much more gas costs everywhere if this is the average. Regular here is hovering around $2.50.  Although that’s about to change if there were many refineries damaged from Ida.

Here’s a solid Morrissey track you probably haven’t heard in a while. Yeah, I know some of you will cringe at just seeing that name.  Fine, here’s a song by someone else with a very similar title. Now everybody should be happy.

That’s it.  Now get out there and have a great day, friends!

About The Author

sloopyinca

sloopyinca

290 Comments

  1. AlexinCT

    Even if you’re not a golf fan

    I would rather watch paint dry…

    Morning Glibronis!

      • AlexinCT

        Next time golf is on and I have a hankering to watch TeeVee regardless of nothing being on, I will keep this link for entertainment Ratty.

  2. AlexinCT

    Hurricane Ida tore Louisiana a new asshole. They’ll be able to start assessing damage today, and I don’t think it’s gonna be pretty.

    Will they blame George “Dubya” Boosh or Trump for not fixing the same problems that made Katrina a hellscape event 16 years ago? You know, corrupt democrats in charge for decades stealing the cash that was supposed to allow them to take care of real infrastructure as well as bungling anything related to having a ,plan for something like this….

  3. robodruid

    Good Morning Gibs,
    Have to take Foster Child to doctors today, the state is frustrating to deal with.

    Sun is coming up, could be worse in so many ways.

  4. waffles

    My old home ski area is burning. This fire wasn’t supposed to make it this far but the wind changed yesterday and now South Lake Tahoe is in the evacuation zone. I think they will be able to protect the base area but the whole resort is now engulfed in flame. The fire is about to cross through echo pass and into the valley where the majority of people live, today and tomorrow are rough. I know the hurricane is devastating but fire is terrible, terrible weather.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I’ve been through both.

      It’s hard to pick between the two. Fires suck hard.

      But it’s the people after a hurricane that scare the shit out of me, not the hurricane itself.

    • Chafed

      It’s a shame Nevada doesn’t get a vote on Newsom’s recall.

      • Ownbestenemy

        *Looks in trash at ripped up LA County ballot* I would never…

      • Rat on a train

        We’re all stakeholders.

  5. waffles

     Regular here is hovering around $2.50

    I paid 3.17 for regular yesterday in Pennsylvania. Prices peaked around 3.25 late July, early August. The highest prices I can remember paying was 4.40 in summer 2008.

    • WTF

      Cheapest I’ve found in my area is $2.99.

    • blackjack

      4.80 for premium for the last few months down here.

      • Nephilium

        $3.20 for premium here in Ohio. Last year it was $2.70.

    • Jerms

      Around 3 bucks in NY but i lucked out when i bought my used F150 a few years ago it takes that E85 corn gas that is still only $2 a gallon.

      • CatchTheCarp

        I run corn squeezings in my Mustang during the warm months which gives it a very noticeable boost in performance. Gas mileage drops to 11 – 12 MPG as It’s very hard to keep your foot out of it. On the plus side E85 is cheap, about $2.20 a gallon so totally worth it.

      • DrOtto

        Only about 72% of the mileage of gasoline, so you’re losing significant efficiency. On the plus side, it cleans your catalyst.

      • Jerms

        I did not know that. Here i am thinking i got lucky for once.

    • AlexinCT

      I saw the cheapest station in “The People’s Republic of CT” yesterday at $3.09. Most stations were between 15 and 40 cents higher. I bought mine at BJs where I was able to pay $2.79. This is crazy because it is almost double the $1.59 I paid about a year ago for gas there…

    • Ted S.

      Gas was $3.079 on Friday, and $3.159 this morning.

      • dbleagle

        A bit over $4/g for regular out here. Even at COSTCO or on base is was $3.90/g on Friday.

    • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

      I’ve paid $5/gallon the last two fillups. I have a turbo, so it needs the expensive stuff.

    • Animal

      Right around $3.50 to $3.60 here in our part of the Great Land.

  6. Scruffy Nerfherder

    Good morning all. Watched trashy’s video this morning. As I expected, it’s a shitshow.

    Maybe it’s just the engineer in me, but I’ve got a bit of a hangup about proving something works before you implement it at scale.

    • Tonio

      I missed that. Can you re-link or tell me where he posted it?

    • TARDis

      proving something works

      It’s worse than that. Like the science man says, they are not even looking because they don’t want us to see. Just evil and greed.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Like he said in the video, we should take the ‘guilty until proven innocent’ approach to any investigational medication.

  7. waffles

    Holy shit, the North Koreans can make their own fissile material!? Ok I did a tiny bit of reading, looks like they’ve had this facility for a couple of decades but they openly dismantled the whole operation in 2018 “for good”. Looks like the deal is off. If we had honest media we could talk about how Trump’s foreign policy worked, what it accomplished. Instead it was practically never mentioned at all. Good luck Worst Korea and Japan. Best Korea is back!

    • Nephilium

      Remember when peace in the Middle East was a running joke?

      /looks over Trump negotiated deals in the Middle East

      • cyto

        They were clearly precursors to WWIII…. And racist…. And an attempt to become the next Hitler. I know because I have CNN.

    • Lackadaisical

      Yup.

      I’ve been semi-closely following North Korea’s nuclear ambitions since Bush II’s terms. So, 16 years or so, and there was just radio silence about what Trump did to get them to stop, no mention of it in this article either. He must have done something good there, because I don’t believe they wouldn’t have hammered him on that if they could.

  8. Certified Public Asshat

    ‘I’m not supposed to take any questions, but go ahead,’ he said as he turned to the travelling press pool.

    ‘On Afghanistan…’ said a reporter before he cut him off.

    He snapped: ‘I’m not going to answer Afghanistan now.’

    Approved questions I am not supposed to take only.

    • Jerms

      “Leader” of the free world literally cant answer a simple question off the cuff. Strange times.

      • Not Adahn

        Look man, I wasn’t elected President to answer questions. I was elected to… you know, the thing.

      • Chafed

        That’s way too close to the truth.

    • Not Adahn

      “Mr. President, who told you that you weren’t supposed to take questions? Maybe we should be talking to them instead?”

      • hayeksplosives

        This right here.

      • cyto

        Yup.

        Bonus observation:. None of the late night comedian-hosts have managed to find anything funny to monologue about in this.

    • AlexinCT

      Can you imagine how this would have been reported if the orange man told the dnc operatives with bylines he would not discuss some real calamity with horrific implications to the country and the world (not the usual bullshit they attacked him for like pointing our Rosie O’Donnell is some kind of ugly) cause he was told not to?

      Yeah, sure….

      • cyto

        Seems that I recall his orangeness taking questions daily for over an hour during the start of the pandemic, to the glee of a national political press who were certain they would fillet the Great Cheeto.

        When it turned out that their ridiculous attacks were backfiring and he was gaining in popularity, they all coordinated to ensure that nobody would cover Hitler 2.0 live again.

  9. Not Adahn

    Isn’t California Cantaloupe Center a plastic surgery clinic?

    • waffles

      You’re thinking the West Hollywood location, common mistake.

    • sloopyinca

      ::polite applause::

  10. Certified Public Asshat

    Have you noticed how strikingly similar both the mindsets and actions are between the suicide bombers at Kabul’s airport, and the anti-mask and anti-vax people here?They both blow themselves up, inflict harm on those around them, and are convinced they are fighting for freedom.— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) August 29, 2021

    Heavens to Betsy!

    • WTF

      People who don’t want to wear masks blow themselves up?

      This is a strong contender for the stupidest thing I’ll see all week, although the week just started.

      • Rat on a train

        The vax protects against spontaneous combustion.

      • rhywun

        Yeah, that is going to be hard to top.

      • Tres Cool

        “No one identified in the outbreak required hospitalization.”

        There we go.

      • Ghostpatzer

        An unvaccinated, unmasked California elementary school teacher who came to school in May even while visibly sick infected a dozen students with the coronavirus, all too young to be immunized, according to a report published Friday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

        Here’s an idea: if you are sick, stay home.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        It all would have been ok if they were wearing a mask.

        DON’T YOU EVEN SCIENCE BRO?

      • Ghostpatzer

        Nope, I’ve been blinded

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Remember, Arne Duncan is the asshat that gave us Common Core and the policy of ignoring the crimes of minority students because it hurts the narrative, which directly led to the Parkland shooting.

      Expecting anything other than rank stupidity from him is stupidity in of itself.

    • Tres Cool

      Oh, I can see her squaring that logic. The CoVidians dont like to be inconvenienced. They demand their own clean, personal, habitat. The idea that the people that can make a valid, reasoned, argument against the vaccine, transposes nicely into “they’re terrorists” in their head.

      These are the same people that would never live within and hour’s drive of a landfill, or recycling center. But insist on trash being picked-up. And feel all warm and smug when they set that recycle bin on the curb. The same people, that when they learn the place the trash goes is generally in an economically depressed area and maybe kinda polluted, demand that the people they demand pick up their trash do SOMETHING about how they handle the trash. To protect the poor.

      You know, assholes.

      • AlexinCT

        Virtue signaling assholes think virtue signaling makes them better than people that see through the shitshow and decide not to engage in doing stupid shit…

    • creech

      Today’s Mask Editorial said that “the only alternative to masking our students is isolation.” You want to isolate, be my guest!

    • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

      There’s evidence that bombs work.

  11. waffles

    I was just thinking, Cornpop could have prevented this.

    • WTF

      He was a bad dude!

      • Not Adahn

        The Taliban would leave their straight razors in a rain barrel to get them rusty.

      • UnCivilServant

        What was the origin of that one?

      • Not Adahn

        The Corn Pop story. That’s why Biden had to arm himself with a pool chain.

      • Tres Cool

        I knew Cornpop’s cousin JiffyPop. Under heat, he’d really blow-up.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I had no idea the five year mortality from myocarditis was that high.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        “Depending on the cause and extent of myocardial damage, the mortality rate is up to 20% at 1 year and 50% at 5 years. Despite optimal medical management, overall mortality has not changed in the last 30 years.”

        https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459259/

    • AlexinCT

      Fuck you!, bend the knee to the mandarinate or get canceled..

      /globalists

    • Pine_Tree

      My son’s at Ranger School right now. He’s been one of the holdouts through Basic and AIT and the pre-RS stuff. Most of the training cadre wouldn’t even get the shot, but the from-the-top administrative punishments have been constant on the trainees.

      Obviously out of contact right now, but I’m pissed in general that he’s gonna get forced into it right into the middle of something like that.

    • waffles

      Thanks Q, it is my birthday today and I needed something to feel good about.

      • Tres Cool

        Happy Birthday, Eggo.

        Mine’s just around the corner.

      • AlexinCT

        Happy birthday man.

      • waffles

        ??

      • Ghostpatzer

        Happy birthday!

      • Professional Beach Bum

        Happy Birthday ?

      • TARDis

        Happy Birthday, textured one.

      • Tundra

        Happy birthday, waffles!

        I hope it’s a good one.

      • PieInTheSky

        Happy birthday

      • mindyourbusiness

        Enjoy the day!

      • DEG

        Happy Birthday!

      • db

        Happy Birthday!

  12. PieInTheSky

    Econ perspective: People make choices to satisfy their preferences.

    Psych perspective: People adapt their preferences to justify their choices.

    Here’s a theory that combines them.

    https://twitter.com/ShengwuLi/status/1415849320973324290

    based on the tweet thread seems like nonsense to me

    • Not Adahn

      If [tweet thread] then [nonsense]

      Logic checks out.

      • PieInTheSky

        there is a paper but probably more behavioral econ bullshit

      • robc

        Yes it is.

        But the example given does make some sense, but I think there is a much easier rationale: A preference towards not wasting money even if it is a sunk-cost fallacy decision.

  13. Tres Cool

    “His eyes fixed on each transfer case as it move from plane to van, first lady Jill Biden beside him.”

    Prolly cause he had no idea what was going on with all those shiny wood boxes. Im sure Dr. Jill told him they were giant Lincoln Logs.

    “From time to time he bowed his head as if in silent prayer.”

    Power naps !

    • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

      Maybe he was worried that one of the caskets was for him.

    • cyto

      But not a propaganda piece.

    • db

      Nothing about him checking his watch?

      • Ghostpatzer

        It’s a smart watch. He was checking the thermostat to see why everything is blowing up.

  14. Not Adahn

    I left a link to KF&G on practiscore on the GUNZ subforum for anyone considering coming for a visit.

    I couldn’t help but notice that the gunz sub is the most active one. *flexes*.

    • UnCivilServant

      We’re just a bunch of deplorable bitter clingers.

      • Not Adahn

        9/11 charity shoot at Saraspa on 9/11.

      • UnCivilServant

        9/11 is the day I’m driving from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon.

        Win a round for me.

    • DEG

      It’s you and EvilSheldon.

      I need to get my shit together and shoot more.

  15. trshmnstr the terrible

    My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

    Psalm 25:15‭-‬21

    • Drake

      I’ve been reading psalms before bed to calm myself from the craziness in the world. The seem to be written by people going through somewhat similar bad times long ago.

      • Tres Cool

        Im trying to make a joke about “be in my bunk” and “hairy Pslams”.

        So far, nuthin’.

      • Drake

        Smooth soft hair or like razor stubble?

    • Yusef drives a Kia

      Thanks

  16. Sensei

    This is near where I have family.

    The Jersey Shore Is Sinking. Do We Want to Save It?

    How extensively the rest of America wants to subsidize this privileged, affluent and overwhelmingly White community, much of it consisting of second homes, is an intriguing question. Most taxpayers are no doubt unaware that they already pay to keep the beachfronts of these islands replenished with sand, courtesy of federally financed dredging operations. The rising seas are going to require ever more costly interventions to protect million-dollar properties from the ravages of a climate that is also doing plenty of damage in less affluent, more diverse parts of the nation.

    The good news is that Bloomberg style has now capitalized “White”. We’ve achieved true equality people!

    • PieInTheSky

      while mentioning they are white is irrelevant, no the federal tax money should not be used, I would say

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I have no interest in subsidizing other people’s housing decisions.

      That said, Bloomberg can take their racist rhetoric and shove it up their White asses.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      “and overwhelmingly White community”
      Yeah, fuck those pinkskins, amirite?

      There are reasons to not subsidize it but that’s not one of them.

    • Not Adahn

      According to MTV, there are zero white-skinned people there.

    • Mad Scientist

      The world ecosystem depends on saving that beach. If it sinks, it’ll take those Jersey shore people with it, which, at first glance, seems just fine. But all that Axe Body Spray entering the ocean will cause a toxic bloom that will kill oceanic organisms for decades to come.

    • waffles

      That capitalize the W in white thing, is it new? This racial obsession with White as a scare word can’t be healthy.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        All of this will not end well.

      • Sensei

        Roughly 12 to 24 months ago for many news sources black became Black in their style guides.

    • rhywun

      the ravages of a climate

      …that has been doing its thing for millions of years, I’m sure they just coincidentally decided to omit.

      • AlexinCT

        Adding that tidbit would ruin the effort to create panic around this cult’s agenda to fuck people over.

    • Not Adahn

      Women and children hardest hit.

      • Nephilium

        Will no one think of the poor camgirls?

    • AlexinCT

      Chaturbate sites?

    • Not Adahn

      What happens to this energy that gets drained? Could zoom meetings be a new green source of energy?

      • UnCivilServant

        Only if it takes more energy to collect than it provides.

    • Tulip

      I agree that being on camera for meetings is draining. Have no idea if it’s worse for women.

    • CPRM

      Everyone at my work is on a camera all shift, except for a few select rooms. Low energy. Please Clap?

    • db

      Almost no-one at my company uses a camera for onine meetings (we use Teams). The only ones who do are folks in China and some in Europe and Japan, but the latter two are kind of spotty. For a while, some of our customer-facing people would try to use their cameras for internal meetings but the rest of us stubbornly kept ours off.

      It’s fun when we’re on a call with a vendor and they all have their cameras on, and are dressed nicely with a fake office background on, and we’re all blank screens. I think it puts salespeople off their game because they can’t see our reactions.

      • Nephilium

        There has been one work meeting where I’ve turned a camera on. My boss specifically required it… so he could tell if we were paying attention. I complied by doing work on the second monitor during the meeting.

      • Gustave Lytton

        I keep mine off and haven’t taken the opaque piece of tape over the laptop camera off in several years. Except when getting a new one and forgetting to transfer it over.

        One guy on my extended team that’s a little less than technically adept didn’t seem to notice he was on camera during meetings for a while. I think he finally figured out the mute and camera buttons.

    • rhywun

      I don’t even know what most of the people I work with look like.

      Cameras are only for the higher-ups at all-hands presentations.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        That sounds nice. We’re “camera preferred”, but people don’t feel obligated to turn it on. I don’t mind that. See people if they want to be seen, traditional conference call if they don’t.

        I usually turn mine on because it keeps me accountable so that I don’t start doing other work during the meeting.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        “I usually turn mine on because it keeps me accountable”

        Toobin’ in the trashcan?

    • DEG

      My boss’s boss wants us to turn our cameras on during meetings.

      Most of my coworkers, like me, have stubbornly refused to do so.

      • Ghostpatzer

        Heh. Just got off an all-hands Zoom announcing $employer’s latest acquisition. In my backyard, smoking my pipe, camera on, got several compliments on my “background” and pipe /not a euphemism. WFH rocks!

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Stereotypes are generally partially based in reality. There’s a reason Santa Claus is a jolly fat guy.

      • Not Adahn

        Falstaff would agree, but he’s on one of his quarter-of-a-fortnightly visits to the brothel.

  17. AlexinCT

    Yeah, not surprised.

    At this point I am convinced his is being turned into a disaster because the fucking assholes that are in charge hope people get mad and demand they send more troops in…

    • creech

      Yep, one of today’s columnists basically said that. He says Reagan’s bugout after the Marine barracks bombing encouraged the terrorists to step up attacks, eventually leading to 9-11.
      He urged Biden to surge in troops, re-take Bagram, and pound any Talibaners who interfere. Otherwise, the U.S. is a paper tiger and the terrorists are coming our way. Ever notice how many Tuff Guys there are in armchairs far from the frontlines?

      • AlexinCT

        The part about this that is galling is that these fucking cowardly armchair assholes then send young men to fight these fights with both hands tied behind their backs and are itching to destroy anyone that decides that they will not follow ROEs that are not just insane but obviously designed to make sure they can never finish the job and leave.

      • Fourscore

        Hey, wait a minute! Just because the prez had 4-5 deferments to avoid the VN thing, he whomped Cornpop’s ass, mano a mano.

        Wanna do some pushups, man?

      • AlexinCT

        I am going to bet that I can beat Biden if he was stupid enough to challenge me. I can’t knock of 84 military pushups in under a minute (and go over 140 in 2 mins) like I used to back in my late teens/early 20s, but the other day my son was asking me if I still could whip those things out the way I used to when he was a kid and I wasn’t as old and 20lbs heavier than he remembers, so I tried and got 45 in in under a minute. Not bad for doing it more than 35 years after the glory days….

      • Not Adahn

        See, if Carter hadn’t allowed the Iranians to hold Americans hostage, there never would have been a barracks bombing…

      • cyto

        It’s turtles, er, uh, war all the way down.

      • Dr. Fronkensteen

        I blame Sargon of Akkad.

    • waffles

      This is insanely evil. I don’t want to believe it. But deep down I know it’s certainly possible.

      • cyto

        I am fairly sure there were elements in the Trump administration who delayed departure and insisted on conditions just so the enemy would have time to do something that would require escalation.

        When Biden pulled out of the deal and delayed departure, I was sure that it meant the neocons had won and we were staying (along with those juicy military contracts).

        I suspect that the “we are leaving” announcement was a spur of the moment sop to the AOC wing, created because of that vaunted “last one he spoke to” effect we heard about with Trump.

        Then they held his feet to the fire and once the air base was abandoned, it was out of or control.

  18. wdalasio

    If this is true, the only conclusion is that what’s going on in Afghanistan is intentional.

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      Intentional or incompetent doesn’t matter at this point.

      Heads should be on pikes.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      If we’re working that closely with the Taliban it seems like the panic, at least concerning our own citizens, might be a little unwarranted.

      • AlexinCT

        If your motivation is to create panic to make people choose to do something they would otherwise never agree to, this makes perfect sense…

      • gbob

        Its possible, at that point, that the Taliban didn’t realize how much of a paper tiger our forces were under Biden. Now that the truth has been revealed, I suspect the Taliban will take advantage of it. Time will, unfortunately, reveal all.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        In my opinion they’re rational actors that want to facilitate us leaving so they can have a smooth transition, as smooth as possible anyway. They’re a rough bunch but they aren’t ISIS and the last thing they want is for us to turn around and reinvade.

    • waffles

      I don’t get it. Unless this is a way to screw over Biden by people who didn’t want him to end the war. That’s the only way this sabotage makes sense,

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Don’t underestimate the power of incompetence.

    • Brawndo

      I’m starting to think that we left billions in equipment to the Taliban so that they’d have toys to play with when the Chinese move to take the poppy fields.

      • R.J.

        I said that a few days ago. Screwing over the inevitable Chinese invasion.

  19. db

    Did it ever really stop?

    Probably not.

    • waffles

      They are producing uranium? Isn’t that nuclear weapons the hard way, similar to the manhattan project?

      • AlexinCT

        Yes, it is. Getting deuterium to make hydrogen bombs is painfully difficult.

    • Not Adahn

      From the replies

      Ouch.

    • TARDis

      Racin’ bacon!

    • cyto

      Came in the “other tweets”

      Scott Adams
      @ScottAdamsSays

      I’d hate to see what the wrong person would have done.

      Quote Tweet
      Alyssa Milano
      @Alyssa_Milano
      ¡ Aug 29
      I’m proud of @POTUS and the incredible job he’s doing. He’s the right person for the job in this moment in history.

      #IStandWithBiden

  20. The Other Kevin

    The other day I was thinking about all those geniuses who fortified the election. I’m sure they are super proud of how things turned out.

    • Not Adahn

      #resist #victory

    • slumbrew

      They will assure themselves OMB would have been so much worse, all evidence to the contrary.

  21. PieInTheSky

    BIT RICH? My rich bloke funded my luxury lifestyle but he’s refused since we broke up – it’s abuse, he made me this lavish

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/15993649/rich-ex-refuse-fund-lifestyle-abuse/

    Taking to social media, she asked whether she had grounds to sue her ex after he ignored her calls when she came to him asking for money, claiming she “never asked for this lifestyle.”

    • Not Adahn

      I started wearing 30k weaves

      Buh?

    • Drake

      She didn’t learn to find another Sugar Daddy in gold-digger training?

      • waffles

        Yeah she got complacent, probably outcompeted.

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        She needs to get off her posh ass and learn to spread her legs wider.

    • slumbrew

      3 years is too short but that’s the basic idea behind palimony lawsuits

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        “If you liked it then you should’ve put a binding relational contract on it”

        *shakes hand repeatedly*

      • EvilSheldon

        You would think that with some of the moral opprobrium being lifted off of these kind of relationships, that the ladies would be getting smarter about their end.

        But you can’t bring up time preference these days without getting fitted for a Klan hood…

    • Tres Cool

      Ermagherd! She’s gots da Affluenzas !

      • PieInTheSky

        “Women can’t go back in lifestyle. ” – Chris Rock

      • Tres Cool

        “You cant take back an entitlement” -Tres

        “You should deal with my Section 8 tenants when they get evicted” -Jugsy

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Who punched her in the mouth?

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        A prospective employer?

  22. PieInTheSky

    Christians listen up:

    The faith struggles of young people today aren’t like past generations. The typical questions:

    -scientific atheists demanding proof of God’s existence
    -the problem of evil
    -Questions about all other religions

    Are not what young people are asking…

    e standard Christian apologetics:

    -Aquinas’ 5 ways
    -William Lane Craigs Kalam cosmological argument
    -presuppositional apologetics
    -Alvin Plantinga’s work epistemology

    Can’t get traction because they don’t speak to the questions and issues todays young people struggle with.

    The “big questions” of life fit into 4 categories:

    1. Origin (where did we come from)
    2. Meaning (what’s the purpose/telos of life)
    3. Morality (how should we live)
    4. Destiny (what will become of us)

    https://twitter.com/wokal_distance/status/1431539171676413953

    • Scruffy Nerfherder

      I’m an agnostic and I can’t even grok that derp…

    • trshmnstr the terrible

      The faith struggles of young people today aren’t like past generations.

      LOL, nope. Checked out right after one sentence.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        I would venture that the likelihood of a young person being familiar with any of the apologetics is next to nil. Forget about whether or not those apologetics apply to their burning questions.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        I mean, at least they know who Aquinas is. That’s a start. I’m not familiar with Craig, but I’ve heard the name Plantinga. Can’t say I’m particularly surprised with my lack of exposure to them given that they’re reformed.

        That said, I’d go to Augustine for the problem of evil. He treats it at length, but his summation (evil prompts the unfaithful to make change and tests/strengthens the faith of faithful) is a damn fine starting point for the conversation.

        Still, the first sentence reeks of prideful self-centeredness. “I’m special because I’m here during the downfall of a Christian NationÂŽ”. This isn’t any different than the fall of dozens of other societies throughout history. Scientific atheism? As if the church has never spawned something that has been turned against it before. As if atheism is new.

        Just like young people think they’re the first to invent sex, young Christians think they’re the first to encounter opposition to their faith.

      • Scruffy Nerfherder

        Reading down further in the thread:

        “**MEANING** is the thing that matters. You need to understand the nihilistic despair that lies at the heart of postnodernism and figure out how to inject hope and meaning into a world of nihilistic cynacism and despair.

        That is what needs an answer”

        I would posit that it is useless to try to inject meaning into a person’s life unless they understand how postmodernism is destroying all meaning first. It really is an example of Plato’s Cave. In order to escape it, you have to know you’re in it in the first place. Once you understand how postmodernism works and how it deconstructs everything to no end, you can start the journey to meaning and avoid the obstacles the postmodernists have put in your path.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        ^^ Nailed it. Christians are called to be a “light to all nations” for a reason. Can’t convince people that there’s something better out there when you’re not advertising anything better.

        Heck, I’m very guilty of that, especially here. It’s very easy to fall into despair, taking on a tone that I don’t use in real life, overemphasize the negative, overdramatize hatred for oppressors, etc. A thousand missed opportunities (both here an in life generally) to present a starkly different worldview and lifestyle than the one prevailing in our culture.

      • robc

        From sermon yesterday, re: church plants. Apparently the unchurched are far more comfortable going to a startup church than an established church. This surprised me, but I can think of a number of reasons this would be true.

        Also, apparently nationwide over 80% of church plants fail within 5 years.

    • cyto

      Just tell the “young people” that the greatest king in the Bible, David, sent one of his best buddies off to die in war simply so he could bang his wife.

      Hollywood ain’t got nothin’ on Judeo-Christian scripture.

      • robc

        And which of David’s wife got to birth the heir?

        His first one? Nope.
        One of the others he acquired under other reasonable circumstances? Nope.
        The one from above? Yep, that’s Solomon’s Mom.

      • Ghostpatzer

        David was interesting, but Lot anticipated PornHub.

  23. robc

    Fun note: Arsenal has never been relegated. They joined the 1st division in 1919 under shady circumstances (they were voted promotion despite finishing 5th or something). They have been in the top division ever since. No one else has been at the top as long.

    I would love to see it happen. But then again, Man City was relegated down 2 levels very recently and came back stronger than ever.

    • rhywun

      It’s amazing what a virtually unlimited amount of petrodollars can do.

      • robc

        And ignoring FFP.

    • cyto

      Our “,just a bunch of guys at work” softball team got promoted after running roughshod through the local B league. This was a “meet up after work and drink some beers” softball team. No practice. Our only ringer was a girl.

      So they move us up, saying we are not allowed to stay at the lower level.

      Uh… Yeah. We were ready to be relegated 2 games in. We had no business in the A leagues. Oof. Painful.

      • robc

        So you can bounce back and forth every season!

        Collect the A league money in year 1.
        Collect the parachute payment in year 2.
        Repeat and Profit!!!

        Okay, probably not any big TV money involved in local softball.

      • cyto

        Quite the contrary… Since I was an executive I usually picked up the majority of the beer.

        I don’t like beer.

        So I paid extra and we got our asses handed to us.

  24. robc

    Sloopy missed HoF baseballer Kiki Cuyler.

    Between Cuyler and McGraw are also Adam Wainwright, Cliff Lee, Bing Miller, and Marlon Byrd.

    • Jerms

      Wainwright having a close to CY Young type season is absolutely astonishing. Guy looked cooked a few years ago. Good for him.

  25. Drake

    The Freedom to Be Left Alone

    America has become an authoritarian state, but worse than that it has become a tyranny of the busybody.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      That guy has an interesting podcast too.

  26. Not Adahn

    Excerpts from the Dune Encyclopedia:

    Count Heraklios II Atreides
    (ruled 681-715), Iason’s son,
    maintained the family grip on the
    imperial power by having himself
    named Imperial Chancellor by the
    Landsraad; he was murdered by Ivan
    Harkonnen while making love to one of
    Ivan’s twenty-four mistresses.

    Baron Ioannes Atreides, of the House
    of Atreides Pelops, was executed for
    high treason, his son Konstantinos
    being sold into slavery; Baron
    Aimilianos Atreides was forced to cede
    half of his lands to the Imperium; Lord
    Alexandras Atreides was dismissed
    from his imperial posts; Lady Dunamis
    Atreides was sent to an Imperial
    brothel for one year; and several
    Atreides children, including Odusseus
    Atreides, were apprenticed to
    tradesmen and sheepherders.

    Duke Demetrios XVII Atreides.
    (2355-2409) objected to the murder of
    Emperor Basil III at-Tam by his
    Sardaukar Commander, Harmhab (who
    reigned as Menemtahe VI), and made
    his feelings known to the Landsraad;
    Harmhab suspended that body, had
    Demetrios arrested, and then ordered
    the Duke publicly whipped, blinded,
    and gelded, on successive days.
    Demetrios was stripped of his titles and
    lands, and sent to the Imperial zoo,
    where he was ordered displayed “as a
    prime example of that endangered
    species, Homo perduellionis reus.”

    Count Aristeteles Atreides
    Aigisthodes, who invented three new
    knots, was a master of perfumes,
    concocting one entirely new fragrance,
    and wrote an epic poem in Homeric
    Greek on the history of his family

    His son and heir, Emperor
    Mikael II, called “The Depraved,” … A massive popular revolt
    forced him to leave the throne in 4670,
    under the pretext of “retiring to a
    monastery”; in actual fact, … Mikael was restored from
    cryogenic suspension in 4813, and
    ruled until 4888, when his eldest son of
    his second reign, having been
    imprisoned most of his life, deposed
    his father. There followed the brief
    reigns of the brother-Emperors, Mikael
    HI, Mikael IV, Mikael V, and Mikael
    VI. The father, Mikael II, escaped from
    his prison cell in the spring of 4913,
    rounded up a handful of guards, and
    had his surviving sons murdered (one
    historical account quotes him as
    saying: “I can always breed new
    sons”). Two years later, while taking a
    bath, Mikael was murdered by one of
    his daughters, who threw a large piece
    of pure sodium into the water. His
    remains were left in the sun to rot
    outside the doorway to his palace.

    Some creative sadists worked on this project

    • Not Adahn

      Telemachos was
      impeached before the Landsraad in
      8015, and executed after a trial that
      lasted just two days. During his
      defense, he had but one statement to
      make: “Evidently, I was wrong”

    • PieInTheSky

      is that the book sort of approved by Herbert or some online thing?

      • Not Adahn

        Approved-ish by Herbert, denounced by his kids.

      • PieInTheSky

        denounced by his kids. – irrelevant.

      • Gustave Lytton

        He who controls the copyright, controls the Duniverse.

      • db

        Fuck Brian Herbert, yo.

  27. Brawndo

    I realize California is a big state and has varying climates and geographies, but why does it seem like every crop they grow in that state requires way more water than what the area can naturally provide?

    • PieInTheSky

      they have the climate for it if not the water. I assume mismanagement is to blame

    • waffles

      It’s a desert that has periodic and unpredictable flooding. But with 330+ days of abundant sunshine and otherwise fertile soils (alluvial valley, at or near sea level) you can get crazy fast growing and harvest 3-4 times per year. So when you can grow “anything” by just adding water you will grow everything.

    • Drake

      A century and a half ago there were very few people, great soil and weather, and abundant water in rivers flowing down from the mountains. Now there are way too many people and all kinds of rules over who can use the water.

    • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

      Cheap water for farmers.

  28. Certified Public Asshat

    Mississippi River flowing backward: True, bullshit, or true, but not really that interesting?

    • kinnath

      Storm surge pushes more water from the sea into the delta than is coming downstream from the north. Interesting only as a reference to the intensity of the storm surge (which implies massive flooding).

  29. Tundra

    Good morning, Sloop!

    I think I’ve evolved on Morrissey. I used to cringe, but I’ve deliberately been listening to him lately, both solo and the Smiths.

    Maybe you had something to do with that.

    I hope out Gulf Coast Glibs are ok.

    • rhywun

      The Smiths are brilliant. Even better, they didn’t wear out their welcome.

    • Tres Cool

      Likely the only Morrisey that doesn’t make my ass hurt.

      “Girlfriend In A Coma” makes me want to arson something.

      • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

        That’s serious.

  30. db

    A small rant:

    My bank recently replaced/overhauled/”upgraded” their online banking system. Big whoop. Their online bill payment system appeared to be unchanged except for some minor cosmetic changes. All the payees appeared intact, and automatic transfers were listed.

    The other day I started getting messages from my electricity provider, asking if I “need help” with my electric bill. Hmm. Better check on that.

    Sure enough, while all the payees were still listed, all e-bill connections were completely severed. Seems that anything that wasn’t an ACH transfer was obliterated, but transfers to other banks and loan payments were mostly untouched.

    So I just spent an hour an a half “correcting” the issue.

    I called the bank’s customer service line and lodged a complaint. “From what I was told,” the unhelpful customer service lady said, “a communication went out online about this.” Well, I got some communications about “we’re creating a great new online experience for our customers” but apparently they hid the fact that their bill pay system was going to be reset pretty far down in the communication.

    Why, oh, why can’t they send an e-mail specifically regarding this to users of the Bill Pay system that isn’t disguised as a marketing e-mail? Why hide this? I can’t be the only customer that this has happened to. FFS.

    • Ownbestenemy

      I was hoping that this past year would reintroduce customer service into industries, but another prediction of mine has fallen.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Being shutdown, clamoring for customers, etc.

      • rhywun

        Yeah, I was expecting worse. A lot of “customer service” is now sitting on its ass and collecting unemployment.

      • db

        They really shouldn’t have required any input from the customer anyway. This kind of thing should be completely transparent. Instead, they figured an e-mail communication that looks like a rah-rah marketing e-mail was sufficient notice.

        I imagine there are other customers who are on the hook for late payment charges with some services, which might be a difficult situation for some people right now. I was lucky I caught it when I did–I was able to avoid late charges on all but one bill.

      • rhywun

        Yeah, whichever suit signed off on that change ought to be looking for another job.

        The first question to come up during the kickoff meeting was probably “how do we transfer the autopays to the new system”.

      • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

        Bank of America’s service has gone down the toilet. A large number of their branches are closed or on reduced hours still. Wait times are yuge when I call. On top of that they were giving up customer data to the Feds. I’m probably going to move my banking somewhere else, but I’m not sure where.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        credit union. If/when Cap1 decides to piss me off, I already have accounts at my college credit union and, frankly, they still have customer service. That’s what happens when you have all of 6 or 7 branches. Of course, they’re members of the credit union alliance that allows me to go into a number of local CUs if I need to do in-person banking, but I haven’t needed to in years.

      • Urthona

        Also, “customer service” is frequently a hidden cost of inflation. Just a bit fewer workers per customers. A bit of the perks curbed. Etc.

    • cyto

      Oof. Been through that a couple of times.

      You get pulled to sleep and quit paying attention… Then Wham! Everyone is about to shut something off because you haven’t paid in 2 months.

    • OBJ FRANKELSON

      Are the Athenians and Spartans bickering again?

  31. Ownbestenemy

    Guess who is a low level FedGov manager? This guy…which means WFH full time and a 10% raise. That took 3 months to process

      • UnCivilServant

        *ducks*

        *can’t afford to return fire*

        Damn ammo prices.

      • trshmnstr the terrible

        *runs around frantically, collecting brass and bullet fragments to recast and reload*

    • Tulip

      Congratulations! ?

    • Tundra

      Congrats, Obe!

      Good news!

    • db

      Huzzah!

    • Ghostpatzer

      Woot!

    • rhywun

      Great. Any other Feds here want to ’fess up?

      • Ownbestenemy

        I have not been shy about it 😉

      • Rat on a train

        I’m Fed adjacent.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Thank you thank you…now to slash my budget *cracks knuckles…* now let’s cut some federal spending!

      • db

        Oh, you’re going to be a *terrible* fed. I can’t believe you got promoted with that kind of thinking.

        On the other hand, you might be able to get a personal audience with Thomas Massie or Rand Paul when you’re fired for what ought to be a decorable act of heroism.

      • TARDis

        My tax bill thanks you. Congratulations!

    • Semi-Spartan Dad

      Congrats!

    • waffles

      Congrats man!

    • Sean

      Congrats!

    • Gender Traitor

      Mazel tov!

    • DEG

      congratulations!

    • Ownbestenemy

      But what were his last words…inquiring minds need to know

      • B.P.

        Ooh wait… Is this the part where the press solemnly reports that the deceased heretic whispered, “I wish I’d gotten the vaccine”?

      • Pine_Tree

        “Live free AND die” ???

      • Sensei

        “Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine”

      • Rat on a train

        “not yet”

    • PutridMeat

      I’m not sure why anyone, ghoulish though they may be, would think this is some sort of coup. Anecdatally, I don’t know anyone anti-mask mandate who thinks that covid can’t kill you. The point is that wearing a mask is not going to stop you from getting it or passing it on. And there’s plenty of evidence that this is true. So I don’t know how this is a ‘gotcha’ moment. In order for it to be a gotcha moment, you have already had to have accepted their premise in which case you might still be anti mandate, but you’d probably be wearing one. So it’s just total non sequitur. I mean, if I point out the people who have died from covid who were pro mandate and always wore their masks, is that some sort of a gotcha? In a way it’s more so than this because that explicitly means that someone who wore a mask still got it – it’s a piece of evidence against the premise. In this case here, there’s no control group; there’s no way of knowing whether he would have got sick if he wore a mask, let alone been pro mandate – which has nothing to do with anything at all.

      • db

        It’s a “gotcha” for people who want their preconceived notions confirmed. For the incurious. For the busybody.

      • cyto

        It is more than that.

        None of those scolds were gleefully celebrating all of the democrat lawmakers who came down with covid during their flight from Texas.

        (A completely different set of scolds celebrated the petard hoisting though)

      • Raven Nation

        “The point is that wearing a mask is not going to stop you from getting it or passing it on”

        But a lot of people don’t know that. They really, really believe that the paper masks* are a legitimate barrier to catching and/or spreading covid.

        *It’s possible N-95 masks might have more efficacy.

    • Ownbestenemy

      One guy is braced in one direction actively pushing his body as if fighting the wind, the other just standing there and two dudes just stroll on by.

      We get it, there are gusts but come on man…just report the weather without theatrics.

      • Rat on a train

        STORMWATCH! If you don’t watch our coverage, you will die.

    • B.P.

      Is he wearing a baseball batting helmet? Also, the staged dumpster on its side is a nice touch.

  32. Lackadaisical

    Nice response, you fucking imbeciles. What’s doubly sad is that the “high profile” targets we were going after aren’t even high enough for our government to name. But at lest we didn’t double-tap the rescue workers. Maybe Biden didn’t remember that strategy from when his mentor Obama was in office.

    Assuming what Biden admin is saying is true (potentially a big assumption, but lets roll with it):

    What are we supposed to do if a truck loaded with bombs and known suicide bombers is coming towards us, but there happens to be kids in the car with them?

    I’d say you can still blow it to hell. It sucks, its not pretty, but war is ugly.

    • cyto

      Yeah, if the government is to be believed, this one was “car bomb gets destroyed on the way to blow up people at the airport. Bomb explodes and that explosion kills a bunch of people in a nearby house.

      • db

        So, basically the streetcar problem?

  33. Lackadaisical

    California’s ‘Cantaloupe Center’ struggles to reign supreme as drought pummels agriculture across the West

    “Melons”

    Love that guy’s license plate, could this be Q? Maybe we’ve misunderstood this whole time.

  34. PieInTheSky

    #266 – Lightfoot Strikes Twice | The Tim Dillon Show

    The Tim Dillon Show

    Tim discovers a scathing Yelp review from Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, talks about a moment when you will accept your own death, Spike Lee re-editing his documentary about 9/11, and goes full motivational mode in this weeks episode.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWg2dMHcsD8

  35. DEG

    As many as five rockets were fired at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Monday local time, a US official told CNN.

    The C-RAM defense system installed at the airport engaged with the rockets, the official said. There are no reports of any casualties at this time.
    C-RAM is an automated system that detects incoming attacks and uses a machine gun to destroy the incoming fire before it can hit its target. The system has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan to intercept and destroy incoming projectiles targeting US forces.
    The US official said the rockets aimed at the airport were likely launched by ISIS-K, but cautioned it was too early to know for sure.

    Dien Bien Phu redux?

    Louisiana. Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday on NBC’s “TODAY” that the damage is “really catastrophic” in southeastern Louisiana and that the death toll could rise “considerably.”

    Ouch. Hopefully Suthen and the rest of the glibs in the path are OK.

    On Aug. 10, Cook County Judge James Shapiro barred Rebecca Firlit, the mother of an 11-year-old boy, from seeing her son.

    The judge can get fucked.

    • OBJ FRANKELSON

      It is not too bad right now, the meat of the storm is supposed to come around this afternoon. Suthen(i think) and I are on the leeward side of the storm so I am not expecting it to get too bad. Jackson, MS is going to get clobbered.

      But if we do get hit, every gas station is a liquor store in Louisiana, so we will be okay.

    • db

      Looks great!

  36. Gender Traitor

    This morning I had to go around and take the temps of the unstuck (i.e., no COVID-19 shot) in my work location. I was unhappy that I had to do it, so I tried to soften the blow by offering each of them one of my zucchini brownies. I also offered one to Reliable Co-worker because I play favorites.

    But I’m not offering one to the CEO.

  37. JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

    My brother’s brother-in-law used to have a brush clearing business in California. He would have a lot of work during fire season creating fire breaks. California’s ever changing regulations on emissions made it too expensive for him to maintain his trucks and tractors, so he sold it all and moved out of state. Those fighting the fires now sure could use his service, but he was driven out of business. This is one of those impacts from overregulation that we’ll never see, but these things all add up.

    • PieInTheSky

      I am sure the good people making those regulations know what they are doing

      • JaimeRoberto (shama/lama/ding dong)

        That’s true. We should trust the experts.

      • rhywun

        The scary part is they know exactly what they are doing.

    • creech

      That’s what you get when you have a one-party Republican state!

      • Rat on a train

        Because of those deplorables sending Republicans to the legislature, the Democrats can only lose a few of their members before they drop from a 3/4 super majority to a 2/3. How can you get any meaningful legislation through with such a narrow margin?

      • rhywun

        How can you get any meaningful legislation through with such a narrow margin?

        Ask Nancy.

    • rhywun

      Good stuff; now do the rest of us. We have religious and health objections, too.