383 Comments

  1. Zwak. who's suit is as ragged as his nerves.

    The only public interest is in preserving Dem fortunes, right?

    Right?

    • juris imprudent

      Democracy = Democrats, its right there in the name, now vote how we tell you.

  2. Count Potato

    “The meeting with the Pelosi family regarding the evidence was scheduled for Wednesday, Jenkins said, emphasizing that the attack on Pelosi had been “politically motivated.””

    So he’s full of shit already.

    • Count Potato

      She, anyway….

      “”For us, revealing that evidence through the media is just not what we think is appropriate. We want to make sure that this individual is held accountable for these egregious acts. For us, we’re going to make sure that we limit the evidence as much as possible in order to get that done,” she added.”

      Bullshit.

    • Count Potato

      “The alleged assailant David DePape, 42, pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges Jenkins’s office lodged against him Tuesday, including attempted murder, residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, false imprisonment of an elder, and threats to a public official. He could face between 13 years to life in prison on the charges, per Jenkins.”

      False imprisonment of an elder is different than a regular adult?

      • Shiny Nerfherder

        It would seem to imply that the victim is not capable of fending for themselves. Which then raises the question of why the fuck they’re in charge of the rest of us.

      • Lackadaisical

        Also: ‘threats to a public official’

        some animals are more equal than others. Just look who gets laws written in their favor and you can see who is in control. Fucking Kakistocracy mixed with gerontocracy.

      • Fourscore

        Mandatory cutoff for every elected office should be 60. Geezers should not be making rules that won’t affect them.

        I’d say Biden is living proof but I’m not sure he meets the Census Bureau’s definition.

      • Lackadaisical

        I strongly agree with this. There is a reason the current governor of Florida is good- he has school-age children, including young children,

        A lot of the old folks around today don’t give any care to the future. I don’t know how it was in days past, but I get the impression the even older folks had a bit more sense, seems they’re all gone now.

      • Necron 99

        Paul Polosi is a public official? Or is asking “where’s Nancy?” enough of threat to be a charge, even though she was miles away?

      • UnCivilServant

        Inquiring after the other person’s wife is not inherently political. It could just as easily have the subtext of “Is she going to interrupt us?”

      • Necron 99

        Well, I wasn’t planning to go Sugarfree, but “is she going to join us?” :barf

  3. Shpip

    According to the study published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, an estimated 1 in 5 deaths of adults ages 20 to 49 were due to excessive use of alcohol.

    That’s it? I figured it would be way higher.

    Excessive use of alcohol is connected to the top causes of death for U.S. adults ages 20 to 64, according to the study. These causes include cancer, “unintentional injury,” and liver and heart disease.

    No one ever said, “Hold my Coke and watch this.”

    • Rat on a train

      “Hold my La Croix.”

      • slumbrew

        Every time I see ‘La Croix’, all I can think of is this

      • Sensei

        Me too! I loved AbFab.

      • slumbrew

        I may or may not have the entire series on disc.

        *looks around shiftily, protects man-card*

      • Rat on a train

        +1 sweety darling

      • Toxteth O'Grady

        👍

      • Michael Malaise

        I pronounce it “La Kwaa” because I am a sophisticated MF.

      • slumbrew

        La Kwaa, sweetie! La Kwaa!

    • R C Dean

      Wait, booze causes cancer?

      • WTF

        Excess booze could potentially cause liver cancer. But cirrhosis is more likely.

      • Urthona

        Probably linked to other cancers too just because people who roll out of bed everyday and consume mass quantities of alcohol leo ably ain’t all that healthy.

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘consume mass quantities of alcohol leo ably ain’t all that healthy.’

        Someone is pickled this morning. 😉

      • PutridMeat

        Nah, he’s just speaking Southern.

      • Count Potato

        Yes, based on epidemiological studies.

      • robc

        And every longitudinal studies correlates moderate alcohol use with longer life.

        Is their causation? I think so.

        Some people think it is weird that something that clearly causes so many diseases could actually be good for you too. But if I had one take away from my health physics classes, it was hormesis.

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘hormesis.’

        Thanks for that.

      • robc

        All the empirical radiation graphs show a hormesis effect. All the theoretical ones are either best fit straight lines or a curve, with no hormesis.

      • robc

        I get going with B. C is the science equivalent of “la la la, I can’t hear you”.

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘I get going with B’
        I am still looking through but not sure I follow, ‘b.’ looks worse than ‘c.’ as far as modelling the effect go, no?

      • UnCivilServant

        “B” Is the precautionary principle for toxicity. It makes more sense the narrower the gap is between zero and the start of C

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘“B” Is the precautionary principle for toxicity. It makes more sense the narrower the gap is between zero and the start of C’

        In a way it is worse than that, depending on the beneficial effect in the initial dosage stages. Realistically, you may not WANT people to abstain entirely from exposure for very important reasons, say, like getting vitamin D from the sun.

  4. UnCivilServant

    Audit shows more than 132,000 Illinois public employees with six-figure salariesAudit shows more than 132,000 Illinois public employees with six-figure salaries

    Six figures ain’t what it used to be.

    • Lackadaisical

      Thats true. Finally making big bucks but it sure doesn’t feel like it…

  5. Count Potato

    “She’s good. Insanely good.”

    She kind of meh when she was on Your Welcome.

    • Count Potato

      “In the ad, Gladys Sicknick says, “My son died because of people like Kari Lake.”

      “Kari Lake is very dangerous for our country. She saw what happened on January 6 and continues to spread the big lie,” Sicknick says.

      “We’re going to have more violence because people, they believe whatever she says,” she continues. “It’s very dire for our democracy, for our country, with candidates like Kari Lake.””

      Sorry your son died, but you are the one lying.

      “The ad was paid for by the Republican Accountability Project, a group that accuses former President Trump of inciting the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Its leadership includes Bill Kristol, the editor-at-large of The Bulwark, GOP strategist Mike Murphy, and former Jeb Bush aide Tim Miller.”

      https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mother-capitol-police-officer-brian-sicknick-blames-people-kari-lake-death

      • rhywun

        Imagine the hole in your soul it takes to participate in a hatchet job like that. It’s breathtaking.

      • Shiny Nerfherder

        More and more I arrive at the conclusion that the players in DC and their hangers-on are soulless, amoral pieces of human filth who would sell their own children into sex slavery for a chance at more power.

      • juris imprudent

        Funny you should say that, anyone ever hear of Billy’s kid(s)? Is he another Pat Buchanan?

      • Drake

        I’m going with demonic / satanic.

      • juris imprudent

        I think you mean the whole of the soul is missing.

      • R C Dean

        There aren’t that many gingers in DC, are there?

      • Count Potato

        She was lobbying GOP senators back in May for a Jan 6 commission. So I’m thinking she bought into the media’s bullshit. Remember the story was that he was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher, and they made him out to be this huge fallen hero?

        “His cremated remains were laid in honor in the Capitol Rotunda on February 2, 2021, before they were buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery”.

        “On January 8, 2021, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered flags at the Capitol to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Sicknick….The following weekend, Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings, grounds, and vessels for three days. The governors of New Jersey and Virginia also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in their respective states.”

      • rhywun

        How could I forget those disgusting partisan displays.

      • Swiss Servator

        Yeah…and Soldiers who were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan got…? Thanks AUMF!

      • Count Potato

        I hear xanax and vodka works.

      • Homple

        I hope Cindy Sheehan 2.0 enjoys her 15 minutes.

      • dbleagle

        She won’t get that. Her sell by date is next Tuesday.

    • Shiny Nerfherder

      She kind of meh when she was on Your Welcome.

      That doesn’t surprise me. She’s very good at handling the media, which is a specific skill set. That doesn’t necessarily overlap with philosophical knowledge. You need someone like Lake up in front with good advisors in tow.

      • Count Potato

        She just gave MM these very canned spin answers, and it’s not like he’s this tough gotcha interviewer.

      • Shiny Nerfherder

        Not surprising at all, particularly this close to an election.

      • Fatty Bolger

        Apparently she’s savvy enough to know not to give her opponent any ammunition in the middle of an election.

      • Count Potato

        I understand why, but it didn’t make for a good podcast.

      • pistoffnick

        Michael Malice said in a later podcast that he went easy on her.

        It was not an entertaining podcast.

    • Michael Malaise

      That was one of the worst Your Welcome episodes of all time. She was in campaign robot mode.

  6. Count Potato

    “Excessive Alcohol Use Causes 20% Of Deaths In U.S. Adults Ages 20 To 49”

    Then how come I’m not dead, Mr. Science?

    • Nephilium

      Well, I’ve got another couple of years before I’m out of that bracket.

    • Michael Malaise

      Because potatoes are used to MAKE vodka?

  7. Sensei

    “This intimidation, this violence against Democrats, Republicans and non-partisan officials just doing their jobs, is the consequence of lies told for power and profit, lies of conspiracy and malice, lies repeated over and over to generate a cycle of anger, hate, vitriol and even violence,”

    Let the healing begin people!

    • juris imprudent

      Against Republicans? He’s admitting that, or just another slip up?

      • Sensei

        Shout to to Liz Cheney.

    • Brawndo

      “just doing their jobs.”

      Yes. Don’t fight back against the boot on your neck that’s getting heavier and heavier.

      • Lackadaisical

        “just doing their jobs.”

        Jews hardest hit.

      • invisible finger

        Nuremburg Joe Says….

  8. The Late P Brooks

    Democracy on life support?

    It was a sharp message to Americans considering sitting out next week’s congressional elections that the very future of the country was at stake. Biden suggested the preponderance of candidates for office at every level of government who have denied the results of the last presidential contest was red-flashing warning signal for the country.

    “As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America – for governor, for Congress, for attorney general, for secretary of state who won’t commit to accepting the results of the elections they’re in,” Biden said. “That is the path to chaos in America. It’s unprecedented. It’s unlawful. And it is un-American.”

    Biden’s speech placed blame for the dire national situation squarely at the feet of his predecessor, Donald Trump, accusing the former president of cultivating a lie that has metastasized into a web of conspiracies that has already resulted in targeted violence.

    He makes me tired.

    • Count Potato

      “It’s unprecedented.”

      Yeah, totally unprecedented, asshole.

    • rhywun

      I was considering sitting this one out but now I am deliberately going to vote against every Democrat on the ballot.

      Thanks for the reminder, Joe!

      • Sean

        <==

      • Grumbletarian

        Yep.

      • SDF-7

        That was already my plan, but certainly this doesn’t dissuade me.

        Wanting Election Security != “Denying the Results of the last election”
        Questioning some very shady crap that went on != “Denying the Results of the last election” (questioning, maybe…)

        Are there some who are flat out conspiracy nutters? Probably. Takes all kinds. Do I seriously care if what they want to do is beef up election security so it can’t happen again? Not in the least. Do I really care if they want to impeach PPP because they feel he’s illegitimate? Yeah, a little — because that’s a waste of time and money, and there are many more things you could make a serious argument for impeachment on.

      • R.J.

        Me as well. Going to Friday early voting. That shithead is going to lie, cheat, pull out every stop to win. It’s probably futile but I must at least try to vote out every D I can.

      • WTF

        Since I live in NJ, for me voting is futile, the Ds will always win.

      • SDF-7

        Preach. One downside to CA chasing the conservatives out more and more — elections get more and more depressing. But I’m damned well going to vote against the weasels as best I can.

      • rhywun

        I used to think some of them could be saved… no longer. There is some scary shit going on behind the scenes with that bunch and as far as I am concerned, anyone who has the stink of that association on them must go.

      • hayeksplosives

        I never expected Michigan and Wisconsin to go for Trump against Herself in 2016, but they did. Even Minnesota must have scared the Dems in 2016, because they suddenly aired a flurry of pro-Hillary ads in the final month, which means some polling surprised and alarmed her campaign.

        Vote anyway; it will encourage your fellow citizens who are anti-Dem even if the Dems will win anyway.

      • Rebel Scum

        Democrats have become insane authoritarians that cannot be allowed to have power. Of course, they couch their totalitarianism in faux patriotism and the veil of “freedom” and “democracy”.

      • Lackadaisical

        Thank you.

    • WTF

      Brandon the Uniter!
      What a POS.

      • hayeksplosives

        I don’t recall ANY attempt at a speech to unite or reach across the aisle. He’s as good at talking peace with Repubs as he was at talking to Putin before the Ukraine invasion. He practically dared him to do it.

    • Fatty Bolger

      “As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America – for governor, for Congress, for attorney general, for secretary of state who won’t commit to accepting the results of the elections they’re in,” Biden said.

      And some of them are even Republicans.

      • R.J.

        Well said.

    • Rebel Scum

      who won’t commit to accepting the results of the elections they’re in

      Projecting so hard he should “Casio” tattooed to his forehead.

      It’s unlawful.

      To question an election? But R’s are the fascists…

  9. rhywun

    Great song pick 👍🏻

  10. UnCivilServant

    So painful. Since they were the lowest bidder, the vendor has sent consultants who are dumber than a box of rocks. It’s getting frustrating working with them.

  11. The Late P Brooks

    Biden’s Civil War reference hardly appeared coincidental; he was seen this week carrying a copy of historian Jon Meacham’s new book, “And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle,” which explores how America’s 16th president confronted secession and threats to democracy.

    He saved DEMOCRACY! by forcibly recapturing and enslaving the runaway southern states.

    • WTF

      Does Brandon know that Lincoln was a Republican?

      • rhywun

        That was before the parties switched.

      • WTF

        Oh, yeah, I forgot about the wholesale switching of party registrations that never actually happened.

      • Rat on a train

        Well, it did happen. It was just decades after the “Southern Strategy” courted all those racists to vote for pro-integration Goldwater.

      • WTF

        There’s actually little evidence for party switching, and the fact is that as the south became less racist, it became more Republican. Old racist Dixiecrats like Robert Byrd never switched parties.

      • Rat on a train

        Don’t harsh the narrative. The Democrats need a way to blame others for their racism.

      • Trigger Hippie

        He didn’t even know he what book he was carrying. That was carefully staged by his handlers

      • Spartacus

        You guys stop! Biden knows all about Lincoln…why, they had lunch together one day. And just before Honest Abe left to to die in Iraq, he said “Joe, you gotta stop all the malarkey the Republicans are dishing out! No joke!”

      • SDF-7

        His son Beau died at Gettysburg, after all.

      • juris imprudent

        Progressives can admire Lincoln because he didn’t give a shit about the Constitution, just the Union. And by god used force to achieve his policy.

    • Rebel Scum

      how America’s 16th president confronted secession and threats to democracy.

      By waging total war against his own people.

      • WTF

        I guess southern states wanting to exercise self-determination was a threat to democracy.

  12. The Late P Brooks

    Biden previously laid out the stakes two months ago, traveling to Philadelphia, where he delivered an urgent rebuke of Trump and those aligned with his attempts to undermine democracy.

    “As I stand here tonight, equality and democracy are under assault,” Biden said at the time. “We do ourselves no favor to pretend otherwise.”

    Biden starkly warned at the time about what he called “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”

    Party of Hope and Healing.

    • Grumbletarian

      The healing and unity can begin once you fully submit yourself to the Democrat Party, peasant!

      • juris imprudent

        Confess your crimes and beg for the king’s mercy.

    • Lackadaisical

      I mean, he’s not wrong, just that the old adage applies:

      When you point a finger, you’re pointing three at yourself.

      • UnCivilServant

        I always hated that saying. It sounded like someone trying too hard to point fingers at their accusers.

      • Lackadaisical

        Hehe.

        Sounds like someone needs some forgiveness and reconciliation.

  13. Tres Cool

    “Study: Excessive Alcohol Use Causes 20% Of Deaths In U.S. Adults Ages 20 To 49”

    Good thing Im over 50.

    • Lackadaisical

      I mean, people die, and they’re going to die of something.

      Wonder how that compares to previous years though.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Out of one risk group, into another.

    • The Other Kevin

      I turn 51 this month. Looks like I’m out or the woods. /Cracks open tall can

  14. Sensei

    Oh noes… Japan may have to fly its own fighters.

    (I think the WSJ is letting public links work again after yesterday’s forced email requirement. If it doesn’t let me know and I won’t post ’em without a quote.)

    The Pacific’s Missing F-15 Fighters

    The Pentagon pulls fighter jets from Okinawa without a permanent replacement.

    • WTF

      Brandon needs the F-15s to put down the MAGA insurrection.

      • Sensei

        For those brave right-wing Americans… if you want to fight against the country, you need an F-15. You need something little more than a gun.

      • Lackadaisical

        Okay.

        /People who actually read the 2nd amendment

      • WTF

        Brandon should have told the Taliban they couldn’t win without F-15s.

      • SDF-7

        Boeing’s parts department rubs its hands with glee….

      • Rebel Scum

        You need something little more than a gun.

        Several people with guns could turn a fighter jet into a multi-million dollar paperweight.

      • Rat on a train

        January 3 is almost here. Do you think they’ll call out the National Guard this time to prevent Republicans from taking over Congress?

    • Rebel Scum

      Only about half of the F-22 fleet is mission capable

      Wtf are we? Germany?

      The Pentagon has dispatched F-22s to Poland to deter Vladimir Putin from extending his war in Ukraine to NATO.

      He never stated the intention to fight NATO. In fact, I believe he said the opposite.

      • R C Dean

        Putin says a lot of things. “I pinky swear not to invade Poland” is something I can forgive the Poles, at least, for not believing.

    • Semi-Spartan Dad

      Only about half of the F-22 fleet is mission capable, and these jets are working overtime all over the world. The Pentagon has dispatched F-22s to Poland to deter Vladimir Putin from extending his war in Ukraine to NATO. It also sent a squadron of F-22s to the Middle East this year to help the United Arab Emirates fend off the Houthi rebels.

      Why? Why does our military need to operate all over the world. How much more money would our citizens have in our pockets still if we didn’t keep 100k troops in Europe to ensure the Europeans stay in line, or in Japan, or in South Korea, or in the Middle East.

      I’m coming more and more around to the concept of America being a new kind of empire. The leash is held historically more lightly on its vassal states, but they still jump when they’re told to and don’t do anything that opposes DC’s interests. Look how fast that pipeline went when Germany started stepping out of line. I’m reminded of what Mo said… “Every villain is the hero in their own story.”

      • Animal

        How much more money would our citizens have in our pockets still if we didn’t keep 100k troops in Europe to ensure the Europeans stay in line, or in Japan, or in South Korea, or in the Middle East.

        None – the asshole politicians would just spend it on something else. Your point is well-taken, though.

      • rhywun

        I’m almost at the point where I’m like, “better us than China”. Because that kind of empire is exactly what China is attempting to set up.

        Russia would be doing it (again) too, if they could.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        So? Let China and Russia expand out their empires. I keep hearing that they have glass militaries and economies that are about to crater. If that’s the truly the case, their empire building won’t go far. And even if it does, I still don’t see why that’s our problem.

        Other countries need to step up and take accountability for their own defense instead of shoveling their taxpayers’ dollars into social programs. There was a survey in the WSJ about Taiwan citizens being largely uninterested in joining their military because they know the US boys will do the dying for them. Let the Eastern European nations band together in their own military pact to oppose Russia.

        There’s no Chinese or Russian empire possible that will be able to successfully invade America. Gut the military, increase prosperity here at home, and trade with anyone who wants trade. If we’re going to provide military backing to other countries, those countries should being paying for it. South Korea should still be paying blood money to the family of every American draftee that was sent to die.

  15. SDF-7

    ‘Orning ‘ordles — well, at least I’m not PPP is about the best I can say about it.

    Daily Duotrigordle #246
    Guesses: 35/37
    Time: 07:58.48
    https://duotrigordle.com/

    Daily Quordle 283
    6️⃣8️⃣
    7️⃣4️⃣
    quordle.com

    • Sean

      Daily Quordle 283
      7️⃣5️⃣
      8️⃣3️⃣
      quordle.com

    • Grumbletarian

      Daily Quordle 283
      5️⃣3️⃣
      7️⃣6️⃣

    • robc

      Chessle 264 (Expert) 6/6

      🟩🟨🟩🟩⬛🟩🟨⬛⬛🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛🟩🟨
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛🟩🟩🟩
      🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

      https://jackli.gg/chessle

      That 4th move for white was hard to find. Guess what defense I hate playing against…clearly I dont know it well.

    • robc

      Daily Quordle 283
      5️⃣7️⃣
      6️⃣3️⃣
      quordle.com

      Got lucky on UR, too many options.

      LL was a process of elimination, nothing else worked.

    • Grummun

      8 4
      6 3

    • Tundra

      Daily Quordle 283
      9️⃣7️⃣
      6️⃣8️⃣

      Terrible.

    • rhywun

      Pee-pee slippy?

    • whiz

      Daily Quordle 283
      7️⃣5️⃣
      4️⃣3️⃣
      quordle.com

    • Grosspatzer

      Daily Quordle 283
      5️⃣3️⃣
      6️⃣7️⃣
      quordle.com

  16. Lackadaisical

    ‘San Francisco DA shoots down ‘public interest’ in releasing bodycam footage from Pelosi attack’

    The fix is in.

    • SDF-7

      I doubt anyone seriously expected it ever wasn’t. The fix had already filed a change of address form and gotten Comcast to hook up cable in the “in” before the first report.

      • Lackadaisical

        Yup. Also, shouldn’t a FOIA request override this determination, even if it takes a judge?

      • Lackadaisical

        I’m sure it will be ‘missing’ by then.

      • Trigger Hippie

        Just like the home security footage that just so happened to not be monitored or recorded that evening.

    • Fatty Bolger

      “For us, revealing that evidence through the media is just not what we think is appropriate. We want to make sure that this individual is held accountable for these egregious acts. For us, we’re going to make sure that we limit the evidence as much as possible in order to get that done,” she added.

      So first of all, she makes it clear that they aren’t withholding it for principled reasons. You know, old fashioned ideas like the accused having an untainted jury pool and a fair trial.

      No, the reason given is that don’t want to release the evidence because it could jeopardize a conviction. Interesting, because that would only be the case if the evidence was weak or ambiguous.

  17. The Late P Brooks

    Here be hobgoblins

    Ahead of Election Day in the high-stakes 2022 midterm elections, right-wing groups have spent tens of millions of dollars on anti-transgender ads in battleground states.

    America First Legal, an organization launched by former Donald Trump aide Stephen Miller, is behind many of the political ads targeting transgender kids that have run in at least 25 states.

    Research from the Human Rights Campaign indicates that “a significant portion” of the ad spending has been directed toward Black and Spanish-speaking voters through radio, mail, TV and digital means. America First Legal spent $4 million to get its ads on Black and Spanish-language radio in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

    The narrator of an America First Legal radio ad accuses President Biden of pushing children to take cross-sex hormone medication and get gender-affirming surgery.

    ——-

    Miller has been seen as pushing for an anti-immigrant, white nationalist agenda since his time as Trump’s chief immigration adviser. In 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center said it obtained hundreds of leaked emails in which Miller detailed white nationalist ideas.

    America First Legal was created as the conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that advocates for abortion rights and transgender rights.

    Oh. lordy. Those NPR journalismers don’t just put their thumb on the scale…

    The same people who spend all their time telling us how evil and dangerous the MAGA-ites are are horrified that anybody would try to portray the transgender advocacy mob as anything but kind and caring and good.

    *I have seen a “Citizens for Sanity” (mentioned in the article) ad. I thought it was pretty well done.

    • Not Adahn

      NPR had a story yesterday morning about “quarter life crises” in which twenty-somethings were constantly referred to as “we” and “our.” I wonder what percent of NPRs listenership is actually below 30.

      • UnCivilServant

        I still get confused at the idea of people listening to NPR.

      • Not Adahn

        I like human voices in the car while driving, but music pulls too much of my focus.

        And since 90+% of people on the radio are abjectly stupid, I’d rather listen to my political opposite make asses of themselves than my allies. Plus it’s nice to know what the proper, respectable thought of the day is.

      • Not Adahn

        Oh yeah that Ergo handguard is tiny, which it why I’ll never use it. I assume they decided they were unsalable which is why they were given out. Red Hill Tactical did the same with free holsters that were for obscure pistols and/or left handed. Which would have been great for me, had I owned an CZC A01.

  18. Rebel Scum

    Biden delivers divisive speech, attacks Trump, ‘MAGA Republicans

    Haven’t listened to it yet but I suspect it will be second to the Red Speech as far as the worst things I have seen in American politics in my lifetime.

    warns of delays in counting midterm votes

    Of course. They have to condition you for the midterm steal, which will be more brazen and obvious this time. And if you question the results you are a domestic terrorist.

    This year, I hope you’ll make the future of our democracy an important part of your decision to vote and how you vote.

    Fuck you and your Democracy.

    “We don’t settle our differences in America with a riot, a mob, or a bullet, or a hammer,”

    But enough about BLM/Antifa/the left.

    Biden says “Extreme MAGA Republicans” are “trying to succeed where they failed in 2020” and “instead of waiting until an election is over, they’re starting well before it—they’re starting now.”

    I, for one, am glad that we have a uniter in chief.

    “It’s estimated that they’re more than 300 election deniers on the ballot all across America this year,” he said.

    But enough about Democrats in every election they lose ever.

    • hayeksplosives

      Can we get some independent election observers from Scandanavian countries and maybe some random others like Hungary and South Korea?

      “warns of delays in counting midterm votes”

      Of course. They have to condition you for the midterm steal, which will be more brazen and obvious this time. And if you question the results you are a domestic terrorist.

      • rhywun

        I’d settle for the US applying the same criteria we use to judge the fairness of overseas elections.

        I wish I could find that article again, but someone provided a long list of said criteria and pointed out how the US breaks every one of them now.

      • Swiss Servator

        I was an observer, sort of, for the Afghan election in October 2004. Paper ballots, purple inked fingers, must vote in person, each ballot had; the candidate’s name, party, a picture of them and the party symbol.

      • Swiss Servator

        Oh, and the ballot boxes were transparent and out in the open.

      • Ozymandias

        Swissy – I hadn’t realized we were in country at the same time.
        Where were you during the election in ’04?

      • R.J.

        Transparent tubs are cheaper. All that opaque BS would bankrupt the government.

  19. waffles

    Wow, those salaries, that’s too much. Anyway, every stereotype about public sector workers is completely true.

    • UnCivilServant

      No, it’s worse than you think.

    • Swiss Servator

      IL doesn’t have too many government workers….its just the ones we have don’t do a lot and they cost so much.

      • R C Dean

        Somebody once said “America has far more government than it needs, and far less than it pays for” or somesuch.

  20. LCDR_Fish

    Some interesting notes on the Oct 24 / 25 Adam Carolla show about the “12 Hour Walk” challenge. Might be something to try in the next couple months (or wait till it gets a bit warmer).

    • The Other Kevin

      Mr. TOK wants to do that.

    • The Last American Hero

      Isn’t that what the breast cancer survivors do for 3 consecutive days?

      • Drake

        What we did in infantry school every other day for weeks.

  21. Stinky Wizzleteats

    “with increased implementation of evidenced-based, population-level alcohol policies, such as increasing alcohol taxes or regulating alcohol outlet density.””

    Fuck you, cut spending.

    • Not Adahn

      If we just ban Demon Rum, social problems will be solved!

      /progressivism returning to its roots

    • Nephilium

      And of course, we can’t allow home distilling. Be happy we got homebrewing (an honest thank you to Jimmy Carter for that) and wine making.

      • robc

        As bad as Carter was in total, his biggest wins were huge.

      • pistoffnick

        I can’t blame you, Neph, if you forget your hard cider outside on a cold night…

      • Nephilium

        Cold concentration is the grey area legally. You can find arguments on both sides for that (including contradictory statements from BATF). When I was brewing more, I did use my fermentation chamber (temperature controlled chest freezer) to jack some cider. There’s still a small amount left.

        You can even find calculators online that will provide an estimate of the final ABV depending on temperature levels.

      • kinnath

        All alcohol concentration without a license is not legal.

        Ice beer, where they filter out ice crystals, treads very, very close to the line.

    • Trigger Hippie

      Or maybe the states and the federal government try not heavy handedly taxing, regulating, fear mongering, controlling speech, thoughts and actions, and generally being so overbearing that people feel the need to drink so damn much.

    • R.J.

      Nope. As the article stated, it’s not over until the ballots are counted.

      • WTF

        And the only thing that matters is who controls the counting.

    • SDF-7

      Tim Miller is The Bulwark’s writer-at-large and the author of the best-selling book Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell. He was previously political director for Republican Voters Against Trump and communications director for Jeb Bush 2016.

      Now there’s a resume that tells me the man has his finger on the pulse of the nation! If he worked for Jeb! after all….

      • hayeksplosives

        Please clap.

      • R.J.

        Is the book about the Bush family takeover of the Republican party? That road to Hell? That destroyed the party for a generation.

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      The Bulwark is a collection of some of the most shameless and dishonest liars, grifters, and sacks of runny shit on the face of the planet so par for the course.

      • Lackadaisical

        ^this.

        I don’t have time in my life to read such people. They have no clout except those who are willingly deceived by them.

    • rhywun

      Democrats are losing on “crime” even though they have the most popular policies for dealing with crime: more cops, fewer guns.

      Um… OK, then.

      Wake me up when a Dem calls for “more cops”, and again when “fewer guns” does jack-all to “deal with crime”.

      • Nephilium

        The “Defund the police!” calls and activities are biting some of the D’s in the ass now. I can at least get some entertainment by that.

      • WTF

        The Democrats never called for defunding the police, and if you post information showing they did it’s lacking context you racist conspiracy theorist!

      • SDF-7

        Not mention that both are pointless when their other policy is “DAs that won’t prosecute, don’t believe in holding anyone before trial and believe the prisons are way too crowded so we should let everyone out!”. Police funding (and isn’t it fun that police reform is yet again never talked about… sigh…) isn’t the issue in most places at the moment like NYC and SF.

      • rhywun

        Deblasio was proud of emptying out our jails – wouldn’t shut up about it, in fact.

  22. The Late P Brooks

    Catalytic converter thefts:

    Ban battery powered reciprocating saws.

    • R C Dean

      Think big.

      Ban internal combustion engines.

      • Rat on a train

        Bigger. Ban private cars.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Even bigger, ban people

      • SDF-7

        They do seem to be working on it. Someone stuck that “Hell is other people” play on a curriculum for pre-Ivies and they took it to heart or something.

      • Rat on a train

        Only the excess proletariat of course.

      • R C Dean

        They are fine with the proles, to a point. It’s the middle class/bourgeoisie they are trying to exterminate. Of course, a lot of proles get caught in the backblast, but hey, eggs, omelette . . . .

    • Sean

      Can we sue Dewalt?

      • Trigger Hippie

        I’ll sue Ryobi after the battery fails halfway through the cut.

      • UnCivilServant

        *fails a quarter of the way into the cut*

      • Not Adahn

        One of the problems at nats was there was so much joking/bullshitting that I didn’t realize that a person was being serious about a Dewalt carbon fiber staple gun with an excellent trigger. Until I used one and bought one.

        Staple guns are kind of a big deal there.

      • Sean

        Huh.

        *debates adding to wish list*

      • Gender Traitor

        Carbon fiber??? It’s a ghost staple gun!!!

        Not to even mention how it’s causing your carbon footprint to skyrocket!

      • R.J.

        I have a set of those carbon fiber-ish ratchets I have used for a few years now. They are really good and lightweight. I was surprised by those as well. Seems a good material to make tools from.

      • pistoffnick

        When they break, they break spectacularly! /structural tester of carbon fiber parts

  23. Count Potato

    “Two black radio hosts have revealed that they own the trademark to the phrase ‘White Lives Matter,’ preventing the artist formerly known as Kanye West or anyone else from profiting off the controversial phrase.

    Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, Phoenix-based activists and hosts of the nationally syndicated radio show Civic Cipher, revealed their trademark rights in a recent interview with radio station KRRL-FM.

    ‘We are the holder of the federal trademark for White Lives Matter,’ said Ja. ‘If you want to sell that shirt, you have to come knock on my door, or you have to face Morris, my lawyer.’

    Ja and Ward explained that the trademark for ‘White Lives Matter’ was originally registered by one of their listeners, who transferred it to them in a process that was recently completed.

    ‘This person who first procured it didn’t really love owning it, because the purpose was not necessarily to get rich off of it; the purpose was to make sure that other people didn’t get rich off of that pain,’ Ja told the news site Capital B.

    Ja and Ward say that they plan to enforce their trademark rights to ensure any use of the phrase ultimately goes to benefit black and brown communities.”

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11383967/Kanye-West-sell-White-Lives-Matter-apparel-holds-trademark.html

    Sounds like IP is more broken than I thought.

    • kinnath

      From the link, the trademark is limited to using the phrase “white lives matter” on various types of clothing. So, in line with what trademarks are normally used for.

      Trademark IP is the least broken of the IP regimes.

      The owners of this trademark don’t appear to be the most honest of business men. That doesn’t make trademark IP bad.

      • Lackadaisical

        not sure on the exact timeline here, but can you trademark something that other people were already using? That sounds broken.

      • Rat on a train

        They learned it from the patent office.

      • Count Potato

        Trademarks are normally used to distinguish a brand. Being able to trademark political speech seems broken.

      • Nephilium

        Are they selling shirts with it? I thought you had to use the trademark in order to keep it. There was a reason the Indians Guardians were still selling Wahoo gear at the team shop at the field.

      • kinnath

        I expect they are not selling gear and trying to leach off others that do.

        I also expect the trademark will be voided because they don’t actually use it.

      • Fatty Bolger

        I imagine somebody will file a petition to have it canceled, now that it’s been publicized.

      • WTF

        Although it seems a bit fucked up that you can actually trademark a simple statement of fact, and prevent others from using it.

      • kinnath

        Trademarks/Servicemarks are intended to identify the business that created the good or provided the service.

        This trademark was filed on Oct 3, 2022. The people that hold the trademark are not using it as a trademark. They are trying to apply copyright concepts to the trademark.

        It will not survive a legal challenge.

      • kinnath

        In summary:

        The trademark is brand new

        The owners are amateurs that don’t know what they are doing

        They are not producing goods or providing services

        The trademark will almost certainly be voided; it’s just a matter of time

      • Lackadaisical

        Yeah, there is no way someone, somewhere wasn’t selling white lives matter T-shirts about 2 years ago.

      • Fatty Bolger

        Exactly. You can trademark almost anything, as proven by Despair Inc. years ago when they trademarked the frowny emoticon. Good luck enforcing something like that, though. It’s just going to mean a lot of wasted money to lawyers.

  24. Lackadaisical

    ‘She’s good. Insanely good.’

    I dislike her stance- you’re never going to stop fentanyl, or any other drug. But it was a skillful exchange.

    • Rat on a train

      The “next day of natural causes” was excellent.

      • Lackadaisical

        True, mad props for not buying into the left’s narrative. It is a start on the right direction for Republicans (or rather, anyone who will resist the left in this country).

        Conceding their talking points is a serious mistake that far too many make.

  25. Count Potato

    “After the US Capitol attack, members of the Oath Keepers met for a late-night dinner at an Olive Garden in suburban Virginia and spent hundreds of dollars on an Italian feast”

    https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1587572766651318277

    That’s straight up racist.

    • Rat on a train

      Fascist cuisine was the closest they could get to Nazi in NoVA.

      • Lackadaisical

        Curse your nimble fingers.

    • Lackadaisical

      Italian food?

      They really are fascists!

    • Trigger Hippie

      The words Olive Garden and Italian feast don’t belong in the same sentence, much less the same paragraph.

      • Lackadaisical

        XD

        I liked the ‘hundreds of dollars’ part.

        Clearly someone is still in covid hiding, doesn’t take much to get over 100 buckeroos these days.

      • Not Adahn

        But… unlimited breadsticks!

      • Sean

        *annoyed look*

        Fucking carbs.

      • Not Adahn

        Most water-based lubes include glycerin, true.

    • Shiny Nerfherder

      After a day of crossing the Rubicon, I like a good selection of garlic toast.

    • Michael Malaise

      I believe that’s “Italian” feast.

      Although the Pasta e Fagioli is good there.

  26. Rebel Scum

    according to the San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, who also signaled that the materials won’t be shared with the public any time soon.

    The narrative must be maintained through at least next week.

      • Lackadaisical

        What the fuck?

        Isn’t this as much as an admission that there are serious hijinks with Seth Rich? I was just thinking of him the other day and how nothing came of it, so it must have just been a conspiracy theory. fuck man. Now I am seriously starting to consider the whole ‘crisis actor’ shit. god.

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘The bureau “is currently working on getting the files from Seth Rich’s personal laptop into a format to be reviewed,” the government said at the time.’

        The court needs to give them time to finish scrubbing the laptop.

      • Gender Traitor

        In 66 years, it should have dissolved entirely in that vat of acid.

      • Homple

        “Isn’t this as much as an admission that there are serious hijinks with Seth Rich?”
        Of course it is.

      • Fatty Bolger

        Wow, I hadn’t seen that. So he was definitely the leaker, there’s little doubt about it now.

      • Fatty Bolger

        In the new filing, government lawyers said the FBI never extracted the data, which it revealed as originating with a law enforcement agency. They said the information is on a compact disc containing images of the laptop.

        “The FBI did not open an investigation into the murder of Seth Rich, nor did it provide investigative or technical assistance to any investigation into the murder of Seth Rich. As a result, the FBI has never extracted the data from the compact disc and never processed the information contained on the disc,” they said.

        Sure they didn’t. Totally believable.

      • R C Dean

        nor did it provide investigative or technical assistance to any investigation into the murder of Seth Rich

        Yes, the murder of a political staffer in DC would be of no interest to the FBI at all. Nor would the DC police request any assistance in such a case when they made little headway on their own.

    • Tres Cool

      Oh, if it were evidence they could use to cement all their charges, it would be all over the MSM.

      • R C Dean

        Exactly. If I was the judge, I would be asking them “So you are inviting me to believe that if there was evidence of criminal activity on that computer, you would not be able to provide it to prosecutors for 66 years? I seem to recall numerous cases, in my court, of evidence retrieved from computers being introduced within months, if not weeks. Was that evidence falsified? Did the FBI not introduce sworn affidavits attesting to its authenticity?”

  27. hayeksplosives

    I’m disappointed Biden didn’t give his speech in front of the red light Nazi stage with intimidating Marines standing in the background ( I don’t think they were really Marines).

    • Drake

      As Tucker pointed out last night, he is off the rails. A normal President a week before midterms would be making his pitch to voters about how he and his party are doing good work, etc. Not angry yelling at people for supporting the other side.

      • Lackadaisical

        He has always been an asshole, just don’t tell his voters 2/3rds of which think they voted for someone who was going to bring dignity back to the office after OMB desecrated the hallowed halls of the white house.

      • R.J.

        The only way I saw his speech was on ZeroHedge. Not a single local broadcast station here carried it.

  28. Lackadaisical

    ‘The study found that “actual alcohol use disorder-related deaths” were 25% more than projected rates in 2020, according to Cedars-Sinai. In 2021, they were around 22% more than the projected rates.

    “Alcohol use disorder is often underreported, so actual mortality rates related to alcohol use may be even higher than reported,” Yeo said.

    Data published in Hepatology showed that the uptick in the consumption of alcohol for one year during the pandemic could lead to more alcohol-related deaths and diseases. Their estimates include 8,000 more deaths from liver disease related to alcohol use, 18,700 liver failure incidents, as well as 1,000 liver cancer cases by 2040.

    “Our findings highlight the need for individuals and policymakers to make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of high-risk alcohol drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.,” senior author Jagpreet Chhatwal said.’

    *presses X*

    Still, I know alcohol use increased, so even if the numbers are lies, I am sure there is some increase in negative effects.

  29. The Late P Brooks

    War porn

    Until early October, this area of the country was occupied by Russian troops. Burnt-out cars litter the fields. The letter ‘Z’ – a symbol used by Russian forces – marks the walls.

    The scars of war run deep here. Russia has used sexual violence as a “weapon of war” – a deliberate “military strategy” – in its conquest of Ukraine, United Nations investigators have said. They have even relayed allegations of Russian soldiers carrying Viagra.

    Russian authorities have denied accusations of war crimes in Ukraine.

    In two weeks of work in the Kherson region, the team from Kyiv has documented six allegations of sexual assault. The real number is almost certainly much higher, they say.

    Sexually insatiable fiends. Animals. You cannot negotiate with monsters. They must be wiped off the face of the earth.

    • SDF-7

      Russia has used sexual violence as a “weapon of war” – a deliberate “military strategy” – in its conquest of Ukraine, United Nations investigators have said.

      …. and, dammit… that’s the job of our “peacekeepers”!

    • R.J.

      They were celebrating a drop in crime! Normally the number is five times higher!

      *Books elevator to Hell

    • Stinky Wizzleteats

      Too on the nose…bullshit…file next to the Huns bayoneting babies, the Iraqis throwing premies off incubators, and Japanese soldiers in comic books with skin the color of school buses.

  30. Rebel Scum

    What?

    Biden: “The senator from Florida going after social security? I’ll tell ya what, as they say in southern, ‘I don’t know where y’all have been. Hot damn boy.'”

    As we “say in southern”, bless your heart.

    • Lackadaisical

      lol

      There is a reason Biden is only showing up at races they’re losing badly.

      • Gender Traitor

        So they can lose worse?

      • Trigger Hippie

        Busy work for an imbecile.

        “That’s good, Jo-ey. Keep at it. You’re really helping, Jo-ey. People love you, Jo-ey. No, really.”

      • Stinky Wizzleteats

        Shit song, great group

      • Lackadaisical

        Yup, does 2 things.

        1. They get to show Biden off, so it doesn’t look like they’re hiding the president
        2. They can throw him harder under the bus in 2 months.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Looks like he is also going to solid districts too…so no battleground races

      • The Last American Hero

        He showed up in Michigan, so he was supporting a runaway victor there.

  31. Brawndo

    I wish democracy was in as much danger as the Democrats think it’s in. My neighbors and “fellow countrymen” have no say in how I live my life.

    • Tundra

      Malice calls democracy an “obscenity.” I think he’s spot on.

  32. The Late P Brooks

    “Our findings highlight the need for individuals and policymakers to make informed decisions to mitigate the impact of high-risk alcohol drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.,” senior author Jagpreet Chhatwal said.’

    That’s why all alcohol should be sold only in state run stores. It would be easier to suspend alcohol sales (to the peasants) during an “emergency”. For the good of the people.

    • PieInTheSky

      Also the right people get all the good bourbon

      • Sean

        I haven’t seen any Colonel E H Taylor in stock since before Covid. 🙁

    • Nephilium

      /looks at PA during 2020

      Damn Yinzers coming over to Ohio to buy our liquor.

      • Timeloose

        It was one of the few times that I was happy to be close to Nj. Privately owned stores never closed. There were however NJ, NY, and DE cops who frequently harassed PA plate holders for crossing state lines during the “Shut Down” period of the pandemic.

        Does everyone remember that gem. We shut down interstate commerce for weeks to months.

    • Michael Malaise

      Whiskey Rebellion 2: Drunken Boogaloo!

    • R C Dean

      Welp, the pandemic iss over, so I guess there is no longer any need for “policymakers to make informed decisions.”

  33. PieInTheSky

    Excessive Alcohol Use Causes 20% Of Deaths In U.S. Adults Ages 20 To 49 – oh nonsense alcohol is good for you

    • Lackadaisical

      This isn’t too surprising, and yes, they definitely can.

  34. PieInTheSky

    Japanese Revolutionary Fascist Koichi Toyama Runs for Tokyo Governor

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df7jOd6HcIY

    this is old and I am sure it was linked before but meh…

    “I do not have a single constructive proposal!”

    “Gentlemen, I despise each and everyone of you.”

  35. Rufus the Monocled

    If every move is to combat inflation it will be the same error they did pretending only Covid existed thus justifying every possible stupid decision.

    Inflation is the new Covid. Hold on to your hats and Fruit of the Loom.

    I’m not around because I’m busy listening to the public hearings into the the Emergencies Act these past two weeks.

    Justin Trudeau is a cocksucking motherfucking piece of shit. And that goes for every MP that keeps this cocksucking motherfucking piece of shit degenerate loser in power.

    As for that academic asking for ‘Covid amnesty’.

    Here’s my response:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7SNEdjftno

    • Sensei

      Sorry Rufus. Our very own Brandon wishes he could make the diktats that Trudeau does.

    • Lackadaisical

      Sorey bud. It sucks.

    • SDF-7

      … but enough about the Democratic party.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Newsome thought about telling her to be quite, but thought better otherwise

    • juris imprudent

      Progjection!

    • Rebel Scum

      Says someone that is a member of a party that is looking to impose one-party rule with zero accountability to voters and is not being subtle about it.

  36. Count Potato

    “All of the talk on this platform about whether or not Democrats ran a good campaign misses this simple fact: regardless of what topics Democrats choose to focus on is basically irrelevant, because mainstream media chooses to focus on whatever Republicans tell them to focus on.”

    https://twitter.com/DavMicRot/status/1587989631995453440

    What?

    • Ownbestenemy

      +1 Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

      • rhywun

        Ah, good times.

    • db

      Imagine looking at the world through whatever lenses that person has

      • juris imprudent

        He has a narrower gaze than Swiss on a pun thread.

    • Lackadaisical

      Whatever happened to reality having a liberal bias?

      Fuck these cocksuckers.

      • UnCivilServant

        It was a lie from day one.

      • Lackadaisical

        Obviously, but it is interesting to hear their tune changing.

      • mock-star

        Reality absolutely has a liberal bias. The problem is that the progs are very very illiberal. /pedant off

  37. The Late P Brooks

    Whaaaat?

    Georgia GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker fired back on Wednesday at former President Obama, who said being a good football player does not make him qualified to be a lawmaker.

    Walker, a former NFL running back, told “Fox & Friends’” Brian Kilmeade that he’s never met Obama, but if he had, it meant he was a celebrity “because all he did was hang out with celebrities.”

    “He forgot to tell people I created one of the largest minority-owned food service companies in the United States of America, so I do sign the front of a check, which he’s probably never done except when he was in the White House,” Walker said.

    “I created businesses, I sit on a public traded board. So those are things I’ve done outside of football. Put my resume against his resume — I put it up any time of the day and I think I’ve done well,” Walker added.

    That stuff doesn’t count. Has he healed the racial divide, like Obama?

    • Gender Traitor

      “And what has Walker done to sea levels lately, huh? Touche!”/Dems

    • Grumbletarian

      Yeah, but Obama was a community organizer! Checkmate!

      • Lackadaisical

        Don’t leave out Obama’s privileged background, not sure on Walker’s but I’m guessing his grandma didn’t own a bank.

      • Rat on a train

        +1 Palin has little experience and would be a heartbeat from the presidency.

  38. Count Potato

    ““For progressives, that could mean acknowledging that the Dept of Homeland Security’s disinformation wars, its attempted hand-in-glove with the great powers of Silicon Valley, would have been regarded as a dystopian scenario on their side not so long ago.””

    https://twitter.com/lhfang/status/1587916766960680960

    Can’t read the NYT article because paywall.

    • Lackadaisical

      Twitter is still full of retards:

      “There’s a difference between a government taking action on the behalf of scientists to combat disinformation and conspiracy, government taking action to combat calls for violence, and a government taking action on the behalf of fascists to perpetuate those fascists. Attempting to wrap all of these issues up into the same box as “government censorship bad” removes all nuance and pieces like this from the garbage NYT with “tHe LeFt aNd tHe rIgHt aRe ThE sAMe!” takes are absurd.”

      All those things ARE the same, because the real reason the government takes any of those actions is to keep the fascists in power. What a rube.

  39. LCDR_Fish

    Not Adahn – saw your late post about the Mlok handguard from last night – looks like something I could use with one of my builds. If you want to DM me in the forum, we can work out details.

    Thanks

    • EvilSheldon

      Shorty AR-22?

      • LCDR_Fish

        I was thinking more vertical grip than handguard on the barrel – may have been mis-reading. I need something for my slightly heavy longer barrel AR-AK.

      • R C Dean

        Looks like you could attach a vertical foregrip to it. But why get a short handguard for that?

      • Not Adahn

        Hoe many configurations would even have their gas tube covered? I guess you could use it for a blowback AR.

    • Sean

      Last I looked, DMs were down.

  40. The Late P Brooks

    On a positive note, I watched a SWimon Crafar technical explainer about the “slipper clutches” used in motorcycle racing. I had heard about them, and I sort of assumed it was some sort of sprague clutch whick allowed the rear wheel to freewheel on deceleration. It never really made sense.

    But- now I know. The clutch pack has ramps which release clutch pressure in a controlled manner as the torque switches from engine drive to rear tire deceleration.

    Very slick and clever.

    I’d link it, but my internet is wonky again.

  41. The Late P Brooks

    Waning enthusiasm

    More Republicans now oppose continued U.S. aid to Ukraine amid its months-long war with Russia, according to a new Wall Street Journal survey.

    The poll, published Thursday, found that 48 percent of registered Republican respondents said that they believe the U.S. is doing too much to help Ukraine, up from only 6 percent earlier this year.

    Seventeen percent of Republicans in the new survey said that they believe the U.S. isn’t doing enough to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, a 44-point decrease from the 61 percent of GOP respondents who shared the same sentiment in March.

    Almost one-third of all respondents in the new survey — 30 percent — said that they believe the U.S. is doing too much to help Ukraine, a 6-point increase from March.

    ——-

    An overwhelming majority of registered Democrats — 81 percent — said that they support additional financial aid for Ukraine, as did 35 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of independent respondents.

    Prosperity through perpetual war.

    • Drake

      Printing money and sending it to the most corrupt country in the world to fight inflation!

      • rhywun

        You left out “protect democracy!”

    • The Other Kevin

      Regarding that “parties flipped” thing above, looks like the only difference between the two parties now is that one side is more likely to believe The Narrative.

  42. Sensei

    For anybody depressed there is always Reddit’s Idiots in Cars.

    Today – https://i.redd.it/a6jzwo0mwjx91.jpg

    I, like others on Reddit, enjoy how the photographer captured in the same frame the “No Trespassing” sign as well.

    • UnCivilServant

      That bird has no respect for private property.

    • Lackadaisical

      What are tides, Alex?

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘When climate change comes at you fast.’

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘No charges were being brought, she said, and it was the owner’s responsibility to remove the car. No hazardous materials were found to have been spilled into the marsh, said Noah Tunney, a battalion chief with the Carp-Summerland fire department.’

        Uh, once that battery gets saturated enough, won’t it burst into flames like we saw recently with the hurricane?

      • Sensei

        Quite possibly. Salt water and lithium ion batteries are a fun combination.

      • R.J.

        Massive fire at the impound lot in 10… 9… 8…

    • Lackadaisical

      Nice story. Not sure that the technology is any different from a parent reading to their child (who doesn’t track the words with their finger?), but I get that most people (myself included) don’t have the time they wish they did for this stuff.

      • Pope Jimbo

        I was a bit hesitant because it was almost an overt commercial. Still as a slow reader I was so happy to see a kid learn to love reading.

      • Lackadaisical

        I am a slow reader, and my father is dyslexic, I’m sure he would have done better in life if he grew up in today’s world. Nice story.

  43. The Late P Brooks

    But it’s not demonization if it’s true

    Former President Obama warned during a campaign rally in Nevada on Wednesday that violent incidents like last week’s attack on Paul Pelosi will continue in a political climate rife with “demonizing” of opponents.

    “This increasing habit of demonizing political opponents creates a dangerous climate,” Obama said.

    Paul Pelosi, the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), suffered a skull fracture after a suspect allegedly broke in to the couple’s home before dawn on Friday looking for the Speaker, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time, and struck her husband with a hammer.

    Obama at Tuesday’s rally indicated he spoke with Paul Pelosi following the incident, adding that “he’s going to be OK.”

    “Elected officials who do not explicitly reject or participate in over-the-top rhetoric, if that’s what they’re doing instead, if they just ignore or make light of that kind of violence, or if they encourage their supporters to stand outside voting places armed with guns and dressed in tactical gear, if that’s the environment that we create, more people are going to get hurt,” the former president added.

    ——-

    The attack against Paul Pelosi was met with condemnation from Democrats and some prominent Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and former Vice President Mike Pence, although the parties have pointed fingers for who is to blame.

    Others, including former President Trump and Elon Musk, have spread conspiracy theories about the incident, while several more — including Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake — have poked fun at the attack.

    The political tilt-a-whirl spins faster and faster. WHEEEEEEEE!

    • rhywun

      spread conspiracy theories about the incident

      Hm… I wonder what steps they could take to stop that. I know – let’s bury all the evidence and tell the public they have no need to know what really happened.

      • Lackadaisical

        Seth Rich and Epstein loom large over this story. Where did that client list go anyway? *rolls eyes*

      • rhywun

        Yep, as soon as we learned that the FBI got involved it became obvious that the true story will never come out.

    • Tundra

      Christ.

      Cut to the chase and call for camps already.

      • Lackadaisical

        They started down that track with covid.

      • R C Dean

        *marks mags loaded with green tip ammo with red tape*

        Wouldn’t want to waste the light armor-piercing stuff on the wrong targets.

      • R C Dean

        Very interesting. I have read that there is a lot of variability on which kind of 5.56 ammo does better against different kinds of armor. For plate armor, I’m not sure I’d rely on either. If I had the opportunity, I’d go .308 or .300 Win Mag against plate armor.

      • Lackadaisical

        I was under the impression that most plates are ceramic. Am I just misinformed? What do army/police use?

      • R C Dean

        What do army/police use?

        What someone’s brother-in-law has in stock?

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘This was all discovered largely by modeling in LS-DYNA and similar ballistic simulation programs, but it has also been seen experimentally.’

        I’ve done enough modelling in similar programs to know it is important to have some experimental backup that you are calibrated to, kind of like climate models. Take with a grain of salt.

        Important to read the whole thing too:

        ‘Of course, we’re talking muzzle velocity. At 300-500 yards out, M855 retains more armor penetration capability. Famously, it was designed to penetrate thin steel helmets from long distances — which is something that the M193 had problems with.’

      • Not Adahn

        ?

        Someone actually said “our guys are really good at making 500 yard headshots, let’s design some ammo so those darn helmets won’t deflect them!”

      • Lackadaisical

        Well, when you’re firing thousands of rounds per kill, if you finally get lucky and hit something you need it to count.

    • juris imprudent

      It’s all the fault of those bitter clingers!

    • Mojeaux

      “It’s okay when we do it, tho.”

    • The Other Kevin

      And then last night Biden spends another half hour demonizing his political opponents.

    • Rat on a train

      That is what you get when you let Amish drive trains.

    • creech

      Engineer too busy waving to the kids instead of looking forward and seeing the switch was not set to its normal position.

  44. Pope Jimbo

    At least they picked an unsympathetic group to blame for everything. Still not sure it isn’t a subtle swipe at (((them)))?

    The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) says bank executives, who serve on hospital boards, are failing to intervene and hold hospital CEOs accountable for short staffing and other issues. According to MNA, U.S. Bank executives Timothy Welsh, Jodi Richard, and Jeff von Gillern are board members for Allina Health, M Health Fairview, and Children’s Minnesota respectively.

    “They are responsible for what’s going on at our hospitals,” MNA president Mary Turner said. “They are responsible for the failure of our CEOs.”

    “U.S. Bank and the other fortune 500 companies that are the ones that are on these health systems boards, that are truly the puppeteers in your contract negotiations, are also the ones who are making the real decisions for not only the janitors contracts and the security contracts but the bus drivers contracts, the public sector contracts, these same folks are behind most of the important decisions that happen in our communities,” said President of SEIU Local 26 Greg Nammacher.

    • R C Dean

      Fun fact: Every hospital and health system in the country, with the possible exception of Mayo, lost enormous amounts of money earlier this year. The majority of them were still losing money as of September. The reason: nurse pay.

      Not kidding. The bidding war for nurses has been beyond belief, as many of them quit during the pandemic.

      If hospitals ramp up the bidding war to try to achieve the farcical staffing ratios demanded by unions, I’m sure the ensuing pandemic of bankruptcy will do wonders for health care, and for nurses themselves, .

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        Every hospital and health system in the country, with the possible exception of Mayo, lost enormous amounts of money earlier this year. The majority of them were still losing money as of September.

        Relatedly, a physician at a health system ordered a CT scan for me last week to be done at the hospital. I called around to get prices and the private practice imaging center told me it would be $99 cash, no insurance accepted. The hospital initially refused to tell me the cost to have it done there. They became upset that I even asked. After several days, a nurse called to tell me it would be $1200 after insurance but I can set up an interest free payment plan.

        The hospital-affiliated physician is refusing to send the order to the private practice imaging center. And his nurse is telling me that the higher cost is okay because they’ll get me on an interest-free installment plan. It’s so bizarre. I’m going to call the imaging center and see if they have a doctor partner that’ll see me to write the order. What’s another $50 copay to save a thousand dollars.

      • Mojeaux

        I don’t understand why they have to write the order to the place specifically if insurance is not involved. Go there, get the scan, have it burned to a CD, take it back to your doctor.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        A physician’s order is required.

      • Semi-Spartan Dad

        Which I don’t really understand either, but it seems like a physician’s order is required for damn near anything medical-related now.

      • R C Dean

        Yup. The doc refers you to a specific imaging center.

      • Lackadaisical

        That is disgusting. Get a new doctor.

      • R C Dean

        If you want the imaging center to do the work, and insurance to pay for it, (and the radiologist to do the read) you go to the imaging center specified by the doctor. Changing docs won’t change that.

        Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

      • Mojeaux

        Insurance to pay for the doc or for the imaging? Because SSD wants to pay for the imaging out of pocket.

  45. The Late P Brooks

    Something different

    One of these showed up not long ago. That means there are at least two still running. The coolant ran through the frame rails, which rusted away for some reason. But they are definitely cute.

    • Tundra

      They are fun as shit to drive, too. I was a lot kid at a Volvo dealership in the mid-80s and we took these in on trade all the time. Great little cars.

      • Timeloose

        What the hell are the rubber hose looking pipes running front ton the rear of the vehicle? radiator hoses for a front mounted cooling system or for the heating system?

      • Tundra

        Bizarrely routed cooling lines, I think.

      • R.J.

        They would have originally been in the frame rails. When those rot the replacement is hell on earth. External routing is the quick solution. It’s a $4,000 car.

    • PieInTheSky

      what is it with you and shitty old cars

    • R.J.

      I think Mercedes over at Autopian posted that one in her roundup last week.

  46. Pope Jimbo

    Powerball is totes racist!!!

    However, the drive to get rich off a winning ticket has a dark side, critics say, arguing that state-run lotteries often negatively impact low-income and minority groups.

    “State lotteries are the most neglected example of systemic racism in the United States than any other issue or problem, I should say, in our country,” said Les Bernal, the National Director for Stop Predatory Gambling, an advocacy nonprofit organization, in an interview with NPR.

    Bernal says that, through marketing and advertising, state-run lotteries have no regulation to their “predatory practices” that affect low-income communities — which are made up of primarily Black and brown people.

    Step 1: Make it illegal for those poor minorities to be victimized by lotteries
    Step 2: Complain of the racism when only white folks win

    • Rat on a train

      We need subsidies to help the poor buy tickets. Make them SNAP eligible.

    • Fatty Bolger

      People without money are more likely to buy lottery tickets, go figure. Took a genius to figure that one out, I bet.

      • Fatty Bolger

        Heh, bit of a Yogi Berra vibe there, but you know what I mean.

    • Lackadaisical

      ‘Bernal says that, through marketing and advertising, state-run lotteries have no regulation to their “predatory practices” that affect low-income communities — which are made up of primarily Black and brown people.’

      Unless things have changed, there are more low-income whites than blacks and hispanics… this is just more paternalism. Not that this wasn’t to some extent the goal of any excise tax- to get the low income people to pay something.

      • juris imprudent

        They don’t want their clients dreaming of financial independence.

    • Michael Malaise

      Lotteries are taxes on poor (and dumb) people

      • PieInTheSky

        Hey I bought a lottery ticket this very week… You are on my list

      • Michael Malaise

        I spent $10 2x on Powerball (through a group of people) I mean, it’s 1.5 Billion.

    • wdalasio

      low-income communities — which are made up of primarily Black and brown people.

      That sounds like a bit of a stretch. About 42% of poor people are white.

      • rhywun

        Yeah, but those are flyover poors.

      • Lackadaisical

        I guess there are finally enough Hispanics that it isn’t over 50% anymore.

  47. DEG

    “We don’t settle our differences in America with a riot, a mob, or a bullet, or a hammer,”

    Antifa says hi.

    • R C Dean

      I’m not sure antifa is really trying to settle differences.

  48. The Late P Brooks

    What the hell are the rubber hose looking pipes running front ton the rear of the vehicle? radiator hoses for a front mounted cooling system or for the heating system?

    It looks like they (wisely) re-routed the coolant out of the frame rails. Probably as they were replacing them.

    • Not Adahn

      He looked at the distribution of what are called square Gauss sums for nontrivial prime numbers (primes that have a remainder of 1 when you divide by 3) and found a “beautiful structure,” according to Radziwill.

      This is vastly more useful and valuable to humankind than anything academics in a “-studies” department will ever do.

      • Lackadaisical

        ‘The two Caltech researchers decided to work together to try to crack the problem of Patterson’s conjecture about two years ago. They had not spent much time together on campus due to the pandemic, but they bumped into each other in a parking lot in Pasadena and got to talking. They decided to meet in parks to work on the problem, where they would jot down their mathematical proofs on sheets of paper.’

        Cool story, but it sure sounds like they’re covid deniers who need to be sent tot he camps for denying Math and Science. Who knows how many grandmas they killed by going to the park?

  49. KSuellington

    The Dems are about to get a severe and very well deserved bitch slapping. Unfortunately that won’t extend to California much, although even here Newsome might not get his super majority in the state legislature. Greasy Gav didn’t even need to write a candidate statement in the voter guide nor play a single ad in the state he is so assured of winning. As I called it, even in the summer when it looked like the Dems had a chance of not being shellacked, the polls were not reflecting reality. This guy perfectly encapsulates why.

    https://adambcoleman.substack.com/p/i-voted-republican-for-the-first

    • Sean

      The comment section is lit too.

      • KSuellington

        Yup, I liked the top one. The climate bullshit is what originally drew me to libertarianism about 15 years back. I found the old place cause I was looking for an example of climate alarmism to show my lefty buddy what I was talking about and found that reason article on the Brit propaganda commercial about the climate denying kids exploding. The comment section was hilarious and kept me coming back for more.

    • Seguin

      Mine was a 1993 in Harvest gold 2wd two door manual. I love that 4.0 six.