Wednesday Morning Links

by | Sep 6, 2023 | Daily Links | 238 comments

Wow.

Altuve hit three homers in the first three innings, but couldn’t manage another one last night as the Astros demolished the Rangers.  Ben Shelton won a great match and will take on Joker in the men’s semifinals. The other semifinal will be set today.  I don’t know what else to talk about so I’m just gonna move on to…the links!

These people can fuck off. If they don’t like it, they can put the nominees up one by one or they can compromise. But this “aiding and abetting” accusation crap needs to stop. Besides, it’s not holding up any business. It just keeps these attention-seekers from having their picture on the wall.

UAW negotiator

These people can fuck off. I’m not gonna go into any more details beyond saying that not even the union-controlled NLRB is gonna go along with this idiocy.

This is a good start. Now if they’d just go ahead and start doing the same for violent Antifa goons and the shoplifting rings, that would be great.

This does not surprise me at all. Bunch of authoritarian assclowns.

I’m shocked. SHOCKED!!! OK, I’m not shocked at all. In fact, I’d shocked if this wasn’t the case.

“Let’s concentrate these people in one place.” -Chicago

We need to pump these numbers up. Get some buses headed north, Abbott. We can make this “hundreds” into “thousands” if we put our minds to it.  Also, why are all these sanctuary cities effectively putting these people in concentration camps? You don’t see that in Texas with the millions that have come here over the last couple of years.

Why wouldn’t they give details on the quarantine? You’d think they’d be pretty loud in releasing them so people could make sense of it and be sure to comply. That’s bizarre to me.

Well…….good! Sorry these creepy ass groomers won’t be able to sneak around with kids behind their parents’ backs anymore.

Here’s a lovely track. The melody is so nice. And here’s another great one. It’s a hell of a song.  Those guys didn’t get along well, but they made some fantastic music together.  Enjoy.

And enjoy this lovely Wednesday, dear friends.

About The Author

sloopyinca

sloopyinca

238 Comments

  1. SDF-7

    hums “Every foal’s crazy for a sharp dressed mane….”

    Morning, Sloopy! Morning all…

    • Suthenboy

      Oh c’mon. I have to start today with a ‘Boooooooo!’.

  2. SDF-7

    These people can fuck off.

    I’d think they’re just learning from the eternally-damned-at-this-point IC (“If you question us or make us provide proof… you’re harming National Security!!!”) — but most of these folks are probably IC or IC alumni themselves anyway. So just a matter of being consistent in their screwed up arguments, I suppose.

    Must be nice to never have to provide proof, gloss over every time you’ve been wrong (at this point in my life… I’m wondering when the IC has every actually been right) and keep demanding not just respect, but total capitulation to all your desires. Bleah.

    • SDF-7

      Damn… that’s what I get for replying as I go… now I need to clarify which people need to fuck off here — this is for the first set (“You can’t hold up nominees for higher suck-up star rank… waaaah!”).

      • Nephilium

        Huh. I thought we all generally agreed most people need to fuck off.

      • SDF-7

        True enough.

      • Sean

        I’m onboard with that.

      • Rat on a train

        Tulpas everywhere.

    • Robonerfherder

      Where there is no accountability, there is always corruption.

      The DOD is completely unaccountable and they spend trillions every year. The corruption has to be orders of magnitude worse than we can imagine.

      • SDF-7

        I can not argue with that. I want the IC razed to the ground and the earth salted — the DoD at least has some Constitutional basis, but needs some serious paring back. Leaving NATO and not being the world’s policeman would help with that (concentrate on what we need to actually defend ourselves… which is seriously non-trivial still… given the world we’re in, we need to keep the ICBMs, Boomers and probably at least 6 CVNs for power projection.

        Be really nice to look into getting some actually competitive contracts and get procurement back under control — we’re worse than the Germans in WWII at this point… lots of shiny over tech toys that are going to be overwhelmed by the equivalent of “good enough” Shermans that outnumber us 20:1 at the rate we’re going…

        Ugh… enough ranting….

      • Gustave Lytton

        If we don’t continue to be the worlds policeman, they win!

      • Nephilium

        Who wins? Ze Germanz?

      • R C Dean

        “at least 6 CVNs for power projection”

        Not necessary to defend ourselves, and an eternal temptation for erstwhile World Police(tm).

      • SDF-7

        Meh… probably you’re right and I’m just biased because I’ve always been a fan of naval aviation and don’t want to see that expertise drain away. I could make a case that they’ve been useful for situations like humanitarian efforts and intercepting stuff that a boomer/attack sub isn’t suited for… but yeah, I probably would just be setting us up for more Grenadas or whatnot in that scenario.

        Mental masturbation anyway — the Pentagon isn’t going down until after the economy collapses.

      • Sensei

        You need that many because with all the required toys at least 50% of them will be inoperable or well below 100% readiness.

    • Gustave Lytton

      In a more perfect world, all three of the service secretaries would be fired or impeached for their comments. Civilian control, including oversight by the Congress, is a fundamental principle.

    • rhywun

      “It is just unprecedented to be attacking apolitical general officers and flag officers herpity derpity doo…”

      *falls off chair laughing*

  3. SDF-7

    These people can fuck off.

    Okay, on to the second set (UAW). Yeah… 20% reduction in work but 46% increase in wages? Ludicrous. I’d shut down the fucking company before I gave in to that shit… In prior times I’d think “fire them all” — but I know damned well if they tried, the Feds would jump in and somehow mandate that the company has to keep them employed and in fact has to give them al they want… because the workers should control the means of production. It is now the American Way! To each according to his needs and all says Benevolent Leader..

    puke

    • sloopyinca

      The current iteration of the NLRB has gone out of their way to give the unions everything they want in every situation that’s brought to them. Aside from potential court appointees, eviscerating that agency needs to be at the top of team red’s agenda should they take over the executive. They’re fundamentally changing the country for the worse and it’s all being done through the regulatory stage.

      • Nephilium

        I see that Rubicon being crossed when the Government decided that unsecured pension obligations took priority over secured loan obligations during a bankruptcy.

      • R.J.

        “They’re fundamentally changing the country for the worse and it’s all being done through the regulatory stage.”
        Since the 1970s. The administrative state must die.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        Trying to play Whak-a-Mole with the federal agencies is a losing game. What needs to happen is chop funding to the executive, and let it fall in power that way. Everything else is just gonna be a case of siloing, were all the money and “expertise” goes over to another agency, and that one gets its power expanded.

  4. SDF-7

    This is a good start. Now if they’d just go ahead and start doing the same for violent Antifa goons and the shoplifting rings, that would be great.

    This is for the “Cop City” stuff… so that’s several Antifa goons in that, isn’t it? The shoplifters would be harder to tie in and I doubt Georgia can make a case across the nation for it… up to other states to clean themselves up.

    Actually, that raises a question in my head — along with all the other stupid shit she’s been doing, has the Fulton DA been allowing the same lawlessness the other Soros-pimped fuckups across the country has? Because Fulton proper isn’t where I’d expect them to be raiding… but if they try it in Buckhead or Lennox, I would expect them to get shot and certainly prosecuted. I suppose I could go search the Atlanta Gerbil-Constipation, but not worth it for passing questions…. Haven’t kept up with news around ATL in a while….

    • sloopyinca

      This was a state AG’s office investigation. Fulton County had nothing to do with it at all.

      • SDF-7

        It is a bit of “turn about is fair play” because of Fulton’s abuse of the state RICO for the Trump indictment. Hence the Fulton DA was on my mind…. you mentioned the shoplifting — so I just found myself wondering if she was allowing/fostering that behavior as well is all.

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      It wouldn’t suprise me in the least if some klantiFA goons were part of the shoplifting rings. These things are pretty organized, and might have had outside supervision.

  5. SDF-7

    This does not surprise me at all. Bunch of authoritarian assclowns.

    It only surprises me because I figured there’d be tough competition for being authoritarian shitheels these days. C’mon Berkeley, pick up your game already!

  6. Not Adahn

    Ok, let’s list lawyers who are OUTRAGED at the abuse of RICO here but are in awe of the legal genius and creativity involved with charging Trump et. al. under that statute.

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      One of the things that struck me in how the left is trying to use a novel arguement about how the 14th can prevent Trump, is really no different thant Trump using a novel argument that the VP can stop vote counts. They are both expansive, and new, readings of law and both could set a legal precident if they go through. All things considered, I would bet that is a huge chunk of what the left is shitting their pants about.

  7. SDF-7

    I’m shocked. SHOCKED!!! OK, I’m not shocked at all. In fact, I’d shocked if this wasn’t the case.

    And I strongly suspect that you can pick any regulatory agency, certainly all the Federal ones — quite likely most/all of the state level ones and you’d find the same thing.

    “Oh, we must employ industry experts!” “Oh, after we give to the public sector — we should apply our skills in the private sector!”

    • Ownbestenemy

      *Looks at number of air traffic managers that roll into the airline industry* Ayyup.

  8. SDF-7

    Get some buses headed north, Abbott.

    Fuck it — let’s learn the valuable lessons from Mexico. Ship them all to Canada the way Mexico passes all of Central America on to us. Canada’s a more welcoming nation for “asylum” after all, and they skip over countries that aren’t “asylum-friendly” enough for them and all….

    • Not Adahn

      High speed choo choo from Tijuana to Vancouver! Win-win-win!

    • Sean

      Maybe they can help put out some of them fires.

  9. Not Adahn

    I’m sorry, I can’t take that FIRE guy seriously, nor anyone else in a plaid suit.

    • Nephilium

      Why would you not take these men seriously?

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      What! Seriously? That is an awesome suit, Window pane check is one of the best ways to bridge the gap between a sports coat and a pinstripe. A good, classic American look.

  10. Robonerfherder

    German factory orders plummet in July by almost 12% and zerohedge is pondering how long it will be until the US economy fails while ignoring the glaringly obvious question of why German Bunds haven’t budged in response.

    http://www.worldgovernmentbonds.com/bond-historical-data/germany/10-years/

    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/futures-stumble-after-german-factory-orders-collapse-and-surging-oil-spark-stagflation

    When the ECB is no longer able to keep a cap on rates, it’s going to be explosive, maybe literally as they create an event to blame for the financial collapse. That’s the actual story.

    • Robonerfherder

      “The euro zone and UK are dabbling with recession, which markets had forgotten about three months ago,” said Rupert Thompson, chief economist at Kingswood Holdings. “It’s clear growth will head in the wrong direction in the coming months, which means equity markets will remain under downward pressure.”

      Understatement of the century.

    • Gustave Lytton

      Explosive financial diarrhea?

      • Robonerfherder

        Just hopefully not nuclear diarrhea

    • Tundra

      Time for war. It’s quite literally their only way out.

      • Q Continuum

        Pffft. Germans have never waged war to get out of/distract from economic and cultural collapse.

  11. SDF-7

    Well…….good! Sorry these creepy ass groomers won’t be able to sneak around with kids behind their parents’ backs anymore.

    I sure they’ll still try — look at that story out of Wyoming (I think?) where the teacher’s union was giving advice on how to hide surveys and keep from having evidence to use against them if it came to legal action.

    I think it is going to take serious consequences (like teachers being fired for sneaking around and doing this crap, DEI administrators being told to get out already, etc.) for any of this to stick… otherwise, I think it is “sending them to their room… with the computer, widescreen TV, stocked fridge… and knowing they can sneak right back out with no consequences anyway”.

    • Robonerfherder

      Fired?

      Criminal charges are deserved.

      • dbleagle

        Wyoming still has plenty of trees and poles.

  12. Gustave Lytton

    Wife went to get some items from the drugstore and found the entire Olay section was empty. Someone came in and emptied the entire section, couple thousand dollars of product according to the employees. This isn’t in a bad neighborhood or even a jurisdiction that doesn’t arrest or prosecute. And yet there it is. Like school shootings, I think the constant media coverage has emboldened criminals to make their move.

    • Fatty Bolger

      I think it’s more to do with every store having a zero-tolerance policy of employees not interfering with thieves. They know employees won’t do anything, and the cops will never get there in time to stop them. Plus thanks to the covid mask stupidity, they can wear masks everywhere and not look out of place.

      • Nephilium

        There was much joking during the ‘vid years when the girlfriend and I got Cedar Point season passes (they kept them active for both years, and loaded on additional discounts). They take your picture for the season pass. They made me take off my hat and sunglasses, but leave the mask on. Since there are not that many overweight, shaved head, middle aged white men, I knew that I was the only one who could use that pass.

  13. Robonerfherder

    I think Apple may have finally peaked.

    China ordered officials at central government agencies not to use Apple’s iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work or bring them into the office, people familiar with the matter said. The move by Beijing could have a chilling effect for foreign brands in China. Apple dominates the high-end smartphone market in the country and counts China as one of its biggest markets, relying on it for about 19% of its overall revenue. WSJ

    • Not Adahn

      China using its population to beta test its panopticon phones is a good idea prior to taking over foreign countries.

  14. Sensei

    NHTSA Takes Next Step to Force Recall of Potentially Exploding Air-Bag Parts

    Free link – https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/nhtsa-takes-next-step-to-force-recall-of-potentially-exploding-air-bag-parts-bdc9fec0?st=10msupi5nsmr8yn&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

    This has always been an interesting case to me. I have no opinion if the parts are defective. The company argument is they are working as designed and permitted at the time. So NHTSA is essentially forcing the company to “prove a negative” here.

    It’s interesting because usually (and speaking from personal experience) the regulatory state works behind the scenes. It’s rare for the regulated to actually force the regulated to take them to court. The consequences for losing are astronomical so its extremely rare. However, its the only way to check the regulatory state.

  15. rhywun

    Ben Shelton won a great match and will take on Joker in the men’s semifinals.

    Wow, that was a nice run. Too bad Disney won’t let me see it.

  16. Tundra

    Good morning, Sloop!

    The conditions under which many are living described by one migrant on Tuesday, who feared showing his face on camera.

    In a text to the WGN team, he wrote “here we are truly in conditions that are not at all humane, there are many children sick to their stomachs and other things because the food they are being given is not adequate food.”

    Who’s paying for the phone? I do feel for these people, but what the fuck are we doing?

    And they aren’t asylum seekers.

    I love the Police. I have their Message in a Box compilation and i don’t think there is a bad song in the whole thing. Here’s another gem.

    • rhywun

      I don’t feel for them. I don’t know them. It was their choice to illegally enter the country and depend on our generosity to feed and shelter them.

      Who’s paying for the phone?

      From prior snapshots I’ve seen, they all have phones. They’re dressed pretty well, too. They are mostly not the “desperate poor” that the media is making them out to be.

      • Q Continuum

        I feel for them only in the sense that I’d probably do the same thing in their position. That said, I’d know exactly what I was doing; lying and breaking the rules to sneak into the country in hopes of getting a job and making some money. Not special, not noble, just self-interest as G-d intended. This “poor me” victim bullshit I guess is just them leaning into assimilating quickly into American culture.

      • rhywun

        They’ve all been coached on that.

        I picture myself sneaking into, oh, Germany, and expecting the red-carpet treatment. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

  17. R.J.

    TPTB: New articles turned in. Movie night, + a Halloween costume article.

  18. robc

    One of the few days when I am in 100% agreement with sloopy on the music links.

  19. Tundra

    I see that Liberty Safe is getting roasted over giving codes to the cops. That’s good, they should, but isn’t it just another reminder that most of our freedom is an illusion? The fact that they are still going after J6 people should scare the shit out of everyone.

    • rhywun

      Yeah, the far-left isn’t going to control all the levers of power forever.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        I remember whe Obama put Garland up for SCOTUS, and McConnell blocked it hard. I had to remind people for what happened to C. Everett Coop, and that payback is a bitch, and memories run long.

      • rhywun

        You mean Bork? That guy got borked.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Sounds like another general warrant. If charges are that you protested in J6, what exactly did they request a warrant for to include going into a safe.

    • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

      A declivity is a downward slope.

  20. Rebel Scum

    The three US military service secretaries went on the offensive against Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville over his ongoing hold on senior military nominations in an interview with CNN on Tuesday, saying he is aiding communist and autocratic regimes, and being used by adversaries like China against the US.

    Allowing them to proceed aids the communist/autocratic US regime.

    • rhywun

      Madness.

      More than 20 states have adopted policies that restrict some gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

      Really, The Daily Mail? This deceptive language is straight out of CNN or MSNBC.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      “We know employees thrive and do their best work when they can bring their authentic selves to work,” Gaither said. “We also believe that everyone has the right to make the healthcare decisions that they feel are right for themselves and their families.”

      *Googles indeed vaccine policy*

      Yep, thought so.

  21. Rebel Scum

    Four-day workweek, 46% raise: UAW makes ‘audacious’ demands ahead of possible strike against Big 3 automakers

    Do you want a unicorn as well?

    • Trigger Hippie

      Yes! I also want to be twenty years younger and dating Leni Klum…I mean, why not go for the brass ring?

    • Rebel Scum

      It’s not like she meandered through the capitol for a few minutes after being let in by the police.

  22. Rebel Scum

    Justice.

    Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the far-right Proud Boys, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison Tuesday afternoon following his conviction on a seditious conspiracy charge in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

    His sentence is the longest in a Jan. 6 case so far, surpassing the 18 years for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, who was also convicted of seditious conspiracy.

    Tarrio was one of four Proud Boys found guilty of seditious conspiracy in May. Federal prosecutors sought a sentence of 33 years in federal prison; U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Tarrio’s co-defendants to much lower terms than those sought by prosecutors.

    The judge clearly thwarted the prosecution and sided with this terrorist.

    • Sean

      Eeeewwww.

  23. Common Tater

    “In what the Innocence Project has called the longest wrongful conviction in American history to be overturned by new DNA evidence, Leonard Mack, now a South Carolina resident, received the gift of exoneration on his 72nd birthday.

    State Supreme Court Judge Anne E. Minihan overturned Mack’s 1976 conviction that left him languishing in prison for more than seven years. He was previously found guilty of raping one teen girl and trying to rape another.”

    https://nypost.com/2023/09/05/leonard-mack-exonerated-of-1975-rape-of-teen-girl-in-westchester/

  24. Pine_Tree

    Serious economy/investments question, since y’all are the best source of info on the intertoobs: Assuming things are going to get a lot worse sometime (Europe crash, war, inflation, etc.), what’s the smart thing for a “normal guy” to do with investments like 401k, 529s, etc.? I know some of you are very into that stuff, and know lots of the complex things to watch, or different strategies, but frankly I’m just not that savvy. I have for years done the basics and have a reasonable mix of funds and stocks like everybody advises.

    But what are “safer” plans if things get hairy? Mostly trying to protect against retirement funds (which are basically stuck in 401k for another few years) and 529s getting trounced.

    • Q Continuum

      No fuckin’ idea man. I’m not a financial whiz either, but I have spent some of my portfolio getting into real estate (land and rental properties). My theory has been that space is a finite asset and people will always need somewhere to live. However, it’s not been water tight as rates have gone up and getting into that market right now is probably challenging, again because of rates.

    • Sean

      How deep is your ammo pile?

      • kinnath

        My initial thought.

        There are no safe investments at this point. There are just investments that the government has not decided to fuck over yet. It’s just a matter of time before they get around to it.

    • Nephilium

      I’ve been wondering the same thing. My plan right now is generally hold the course, buy the dip, make sure to have enough liquidity to get through tough times, and diversify.

    • Not Adahn

      I hope he’s proud of that, becasue he’s never getting published in Nature again.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        Well, to be fair, no one should want to get published in Nature again. This should be the death toll for that rag.

  25. Common Tater

    “The paper I just published — “Climate warming increases extreme daily wildfire growth risk in California” — focuses exclusively on how climate change has affected extreme wildfire behavior.

    I knew not to try to quantify key aspects other than climate change in my research because it would dilute the story that prestigious journals like Nature and its rival, Science, want to tell.

    This matters because it is critically important for scientists to be published in high-profile journals; in many ways, they are the gatekeepers for career success in academia.

    And the editors of these journals have made it abundantly clear, both by what they publish and what they reject, that they want climate papers that support certain preapproved narratives — even when those narratives come at the expense of broader knowledge for society.

    To put it bluntly, climate science has become less about understanding the complexities of the world and more about serving as a kind of Cassandra, urgently warning the public about the dangers of climate change. However understandable this instinct may be, it distorts a great deal of climate science research, misinforms the public, and most importantly, makes practical solutions more difficult to achieve.”

    https://www.thefp.com/p/i-overhyped-climate-change-to-get-published

    • rhywun

      The whole system is set up to generate exactly the kind of echo chamber it has become. The feedback mechanism ensures that anything that doesn’t fit the leftist narrative gets ignored.

  26. The Late P Brooks

    Precious

    Special counsel Jack Smith said in a court filing Tuesday that former President Donald Trump has made “daily extrajudicial statements that threaten to prejudice the jury pool” in the 2020 election subversion case.

    The allegation arose in a court fight that remains largely under seal, so additional details are not public. The brief reference to Trump’s statements affecting the jury pool at the Washington, DC, courthouse came in a public filing in the federal criminal case.

    How dare he proclaim his innocence?

    • Rebel Scum

      prejudice the jury pool

      That’s the prosecution’s job.

      • Ownbestenemy

        He was making that statement as his office was leaking selective information to various news outlets no doubt.

    • Not Adahn

      Maybe not in the UK?

  27. Rebel Scum

    You have to gerrymander the “correct” way.

    A federal court on Tuesday struck down redistricting maps signed into law by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) in July after the maps failed to create a second majority-black congressional district.

    The ruling comes after a contentious court battle over Alabama’s redrawn congressional maps. The three-judge panel, composed of Clinton-appointed Judge Stanley Marcus and Trump-appointed Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer, struck down Alabama’s redrawn maps in 2022, ruling it should have created two majority-black voting districts.

    Currently, Alabama’s seventh congressional district is the only majority-black voting district in the state, despite Alabama’s 27 percent black population. That district is represented by the state’s lone Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell.

    In June, a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling, ordering Alabama’s legislature to redraw the maps again to include a second majority-black district or “something quite close to it.”

    • Rat on a train

      Only someone with my skin color can represent me.

      • rhywun

        That’s the anti-racist spirit!

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        We cannot have these Senater desserts to stand!

    • rhywun

      Maybe the state government can move the chess pieces around within the current boundaries in order to arrive at the correct result.

      It’s no less ridiculous.

    • Common Tater

      Congressional maps should be drawn with straight lines.

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        Or some other rational method: rivers, city limits, county lines. I don’t GAF if the numbers don’t work out 100%, they never do, just keep it clean. And, we need to go back to this for state legislatures.

      • rhywun

        NY got about as close to that as you can get and lost 4 Dems in the last election because of it. Naturally, the Dems are suing *again* to bring back the map they drew.

  28. The Other Kevin

    A few of you asked for an update on Mrs. TOK’s roller derby practice. Yesterday, the league said masks would be required, then after some push back they “clarified” that masks were encouraged but not required. This was a big practice because they’re getting ready for a double header in a few weeks. Anyway, Mrs. TOK and about 6 other people did not wear masks, and the remainder of the 40-50 people there did wear masks the whole time.

    • R.J.

      Let’s see how fast mask wearing drops after a few meets. I am guessing down to 20% after a bit. I am still very disappointing so many people want to wear them.

      • Sean

        Propaganda works.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        The virus has evolved to be ineffective against masks this time.

  29. Mojeaux

    “Assigned at birth” grates my backside.

    • blighted_non_millenial

      Observed

      • Zwak , “There is infinite amount of hope in the universe… just not for us.”

        Noted.

    • Rat on a train

      We have met our quota for boys today. You child will be assigned a girl.

      • robc

        If Rand was rewriting Anthem today.

    • Grumbletarian

      How many people who ascribe to the “assigned at birth” crap also do gender reveal parties while the “birthing person” is pregnant? I wonder what that Venn diagram looks like.

    • The Other Kevin

      Yes. That and “gender affirming care”, and all the other dishonest language they have gotten people to adopt.

      • kinnath

        gender affirming care == chemical castration + genital mutilation

    • rhywun

      It should – it’s expressly designed with a political agenda in mind. Nobody would come up with that crap otherwise.

  30. The Late P Brooks

    Currently, Alabama’s seventh congressional district is the only majority-black voting district in the state, despite Alabama’s 27 percent black population.

    They need more designated black-only neighborhoods.

  31. "RFK Apologist"

    The military hold article is hilarious. “If we don’t get these nominees, who will lie to congress about our illegal wars and bribe Afghani pedophiles with viagra to rape little boys?”

    There is no honor among officers. Not a one resigned or apologized for their disastrous jobs in Afghanistan and Iraq. Raytheon board members in training.

  32. The Late P Brooks

    Mrs. TOK and about 6 other people did not wear masks, and the remainder of the 40-50 people there did wear masks the whole time.

    Endeavor to persevere, Mrs TOK and others!

    • Sean

      Heh. Must be a fun place to work at.

    • Fourscore

      Or the pickle slicer, both would lose their jobs..

  33. Sensei

    OK, once is sort of funny. Also if you were a teenager it’s hysterical, OTH, as an adult repeatedly doing this to business is harassment.

    I wonder if there was some kind of work related dispute.

    Paywall NYT.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/nyregion/new-jersey-drones-pools.html

    What Turned New Jersey’s Pools Green? A Man and His Drone, Police Say.
    A local business owner used damaging chemicals to turn multiple swimming pools yellow and green over the course of the summer, according to the police, who said he was likely “pranking people.”

  34. The Late P Brooks

    “Assigned at birth” grates my backside.

    You know what pisses me off?

    “Presented as”

    [Child in story], born male, presented as female. What the fuck does that even mean? Likes pretty flowers? Likes to hang out with mom in the kitchen and bake cookies? Doesn’t like to get his hands dirty?

    • Rat on a train

      “presented as” = child was groomed as an accessory and presented for attention

      • Ownbestenemy

        Bingo! These people don’t view them as their offspring, they are their latest iPhone where they think they have interchangeable skins/covers they can swap at a moments notice.

    • MikeS

      “I am very proud of myself.”

      lol

  35. PieInTheSky

    today in weird youtube recommendations

    Oregon teen’s historic Tevis Cup endurance race win on horse she found on Craigslist

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvhbA51njaE

  36. Tundra

    Not even a week in and the Minnesota flag redesign isn’t going well.

    A newly created commission tasked with redesigning Minnesota’s state flag and seal by the end of this year met for the first time on Tuesday. Among its first orders of business was a discussion over whether members should — or even can — seek an extension of a statutorily-imposed Jan. 1 deadline to complete its work.

    “As a teacher I would rather get a quality piece of work after the deadline than a piece of crap before the deadline,” said Anita Gaul, who will serve as vice chair for the 16-member State Emblems Redesign Commission.

    Lazy bitch. Just fucking get it done.

    • Tundra
      • PieInTheSky

        Minnesota got worst flag

      • Tundra

        We earned it.

      • robc

        Minnesota is 11 minutes in…and wins worst flag in America beating out Wisconsin. And he threw an option in that he probably spent 5 seconds on that looks way better.

      • PieInTheSky

        I just said Minnesota got worst flag

      • robc

        But I timestamped it.

    • creech

      I suppose “Sic Semper Tyrannis” is out of the question.

      • Rebel Scum

        Sounds a bit insurrectiony.

      • Rat on a train

        taken

    • rhywun

      I can only imagine all the shit-flinging going on as each identity group pushes for rEpReSeNtAtIoN.

    • Nephilium

      As a teacher I would rather get a quality piece of work after the deadline than a piece of crap before the deadline,

      That’s the complete opposite of what I was told by every teacher through my schooling.

    • Rebel Scum

      What’s wrong with the current one?

      • rhywun

        I would guess racist. Because of course.

      • MikeS

        Too “busy”. And I agree. I hate state flags that just slap the state seal on it and say “good enough!”

        Also, I’m sure there’s something wrong with the farmer and the indian peacefully interacting on it.

      • PieInTheSky

        Ugly imo

  37. PieInTheSky

    today in par for the course youtube recommendations

    Majorettes ‘SENIORITA’ – Dobrzeń Wielki / Mażoretki | mini formation baton | Kuźnia Raciborska 2023

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Eddfha_og

    • Tundra

      What a sweetheart.

      Nice one, NA!

  38. The Late P Brooks

    Plantation politics

    …Clayton wants to make sure county Democratic parties, especially in majority-minority counties, are getting support and resources from the state party to recruit candidates. She also wants to stay active in outreach to colleges, including at the state’s historically Black colleges and universities.

    But to local organizers, like North Carolina-based Vashti Hinton-Smith from the left-leaning group Common Cause, this is an ongoing, long and hard fight.

    “I do wonder sometimes if it’s too late,” said Hinton-Smith, who runs Common Cause’s civic engagement program at HBCUs within the state.

    Too late? For what? Pretending black people are the chattel property of the Democratic Party?

    • Not Adahn

      Hinston-Smith won the victory over herself. She loved Big Brother.

      • rhywun

        Oh, bravo.

  39. The Late P Brooks

    A newly created commission tasked with redesigning Minnesota’s state flag and seal by the end of this year met for the first time on Tuesday.

    A hammer and sickle on a rainbow background. What’s so hard about that?

    • kinnath

      what color is the hammer?

      what color is the sickle?

      which one is on top of the other?

    • R.J.

      #Paging OMWC to the white courtesy phone for an appraisal….

  40. PieInTheSky

    I spent 7 minutes on the phone with a bank salesman wanting to sell me a credit card I did not want or need. I don;t want it goddammit. I already got one.

    • R.J.

      Is hanging up against the law there?

      • PieInTheSky

        well I did at a point but I don;t want to be I dunno rude… this is the bank I took a credit with to renovate my apartment and I am done and wanted to close everything as it is not my main bank. And they tried to keep me along.

      • R.J.

        I see.

  41. Common Tater

    “In an interview with conservative journalist Laura Loomer, Chansley said that the FBI had asked him questions about Sergai Dybynyn, an alleged Ukrainian spy who has been reported to have links with the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion. Chansley and Dybynyn were posed for a photograph in front of the US Capitol on January 6.

    “I have exclusively confirmed that the FBI identified Ukrainian operatives and Neo Nazis who were at the US Capitol on J6 and even questioned J6ers about these Ukrainian spies during interviews with the FBI,” Loomer posted.

    She then accused the CIA of “funding a color revolution in the United States via Ukrainian Nazis and American Nazis who are being recruited by the CIA and FBI to fight overseas in the Azov Battalion and then come back to the US to instigate Nazi political movements in a psyop intended to make right wingers look bad.”

    The conservative journalist asked why the FBI decided to “hide the fact that they were asking J6ers and their lawyers during interviews if they knew the Ukrainian Spy Sergai Dybynyn?”

    “Why has the FBI and CIA hidden the fact that Ukraine committed an act of war against the US on J6 2021?” Loomer continued, “And why is our government still sending Billions of dollars to Ukraine to fund these Nazis who are trying to carry out a color resolution in the US?””

    https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-shaman-fbi-ukrainian-spy-january-6-1824465

    https://thepostmillennial.com/fbi-allegedly-told-qanon-shaman-ukrainian-spy-was-at-capitol-riot-report

  42. ron73440

    Trying to get back to normal after losing my dog over the weekend.

    My wife and I decided that the house was too quiet, even our Australian Shepard, Daisy, was mopey.

    I have had dogs die before and it has always been hard, but it was always more the kid’s dogs than mine, plus they were always old and it wasn’t a shock.

    This one was 100% my dog, he would sit by me, and I was the one he would bring his ball to to play fetch every evening, and then we would have his “pet me time”.

    That plus the fact he was healthy a week ago and got sick and died in 5 days was just killing me.

    So we bought a Siberian Husky puppy.

    Maybe not 100% rational, but he is helping me a lot.

    My wife thinks it’s funny the way he has already latched on to me.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Sorry for that pain ron. Sounds like the new pup knows exactly what to do.

    • Timeloose

      Ron, I have been trying to keep my wife from getting another dog so soon, but it gets harder each day. I’m glad you have a new buddy to hang with.

      • R.J.

        Me too. May your grief pass as this puppy grows.

      • ron73440

        I didn’t see a reason to wait.

        At first I planned on waiting and was looking at puppies to get an idea of what I wanted when the time felt right.

        Found one that got me for some reason, thought about it on my morning run after I finished and went back to the quiet house, I couldn’t take it anymore.

        Yay, house training again!

    • Sensei

      Sorry.

      Pets really do worm their way into your heart.

    • Tundra

      Good idea.

      And congrats! They are perfect running companions. But we’ll need pics!

    • Not Adahn

      I can sympathize.

    • pistoffnick

      I do not miss the puppy stage.

      The last one chewed through 5 pairs of shoes, a couch, and an antique Persian rug.

      The previous one shredded every book it could reach on the bookshelves.

      Still they are fun.

      We are currently dealing with a kitten. She got caught outside in a rain/thunderstorm until I went to bed at 10. SHE TALKED ALL ABOUT IT FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND THIS MORNING!

      • ron73440

        She got caught outside in a rain/thunderstorm until I went to bed at 10. SHE TALKED ALL ABOUT IT FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND THIS MORNING!

        She just wants to make sure you understand how traumatic it was for her.

    • PutridMeat

      Sorry to hear about your dog. It’s hard enough when they live a full, long life. When you just the get the full, it’s that much worse.

      “reaching down to pet by the computer” – my girl used to tuck her nose/rest her chin between the arm and back of my recliner to get her ears scratched when I’d sit down. Every once in while I still glance down there or reach over, and she died nearly 10 years ago.

      It never goes away, but it gets ‘better’.

  43. The Late P Brooks

    Welcome back, students

    Madison police said Tuesday they’ve made “significant progress” in the investigation of a severe physical and sexual assault of a female UW-Madison student early Sunday morning Downtown.

    Police also said they are reviewing submitted surveillance footage.

    Madison police not releasing more details on woman critically injured in Downtown attack
    Around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, homeowners in the 300 block of West Wilson Street reported finding the woman, a UW-Madison student in her early 20s, suffering life-threatening injuries.

    Tuesday morning, Madison Police Executive Office Supervisor Alyssa Cains confirmed that the woman’s injuries were the result of physical and sexual assault. The attack happened off campus, but UW-Madison law enforcement is collaborating with Madison police on safety measures in the area.

    The woman, who remains in a local hospital, is expected to survive.

    Frat boys, no doubt.

  44. Robonerfherder

    However complicated and fucked-up you think it is, it’s worse.

    https://meaninginhistory.substack.com/p/geopolitics-heading-into-the-fall

    The article is a good primer on the Caucasus region, neocons, Russia, Iran, Turkey and even more US/British meddling in an area steeped in blood feuds that span centuries.

    TLDR: Armenia seems to be trying for another genocide, and DC will happily encourage them along that route in order to destabilize Russian interests in the area. Sound familiar?

    • Ted S.

      I thought Armenia was Russia’s nominal ally there, with Turkey supporting Azerbaijan for linguistic and religious reasons.

    • R.J.

      When else can you use that truck to the limit? I would have tried it too. My only questions is did the trailer suspension survive the drag?

    • ron73440

      That’s impressive, almost looks like a truck pull.

    • R.J.

      Uff. Technically the guy who rear-ended. But the Prius stopped for what reason? Unless there was a duck in the road or something, he stopped just to be an asshole.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Yeah appears Prius panicked and didn’t just slow down but slammed their breaks.

      • PieInTheSky

        true but in Romania the car who rear ended would be seen as guilty because you should be able to stop if the person before breaks…

      • Not Adahn

        Same here. You’re required to give yourself enough space to stop if that scenario happens.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Would have to see the dash cam prior to that stop light. That seemed like a brake check gone horribly wrong. But with barely a car length given in front, doesn’t really matter I guess.

      • Certified Public Asshat

        Yep, this was basically me a few weeks ago. Car in front (a large dent already in the middle of the back hatch) proceeds to merge right. I look left/back to see the road is clear, and start to accelerate. When I turn back to face forward the car in front has not left the merge lane and I clash bumpers. When we get out and I ask why he didn’t leave the lane he said the traffic was moving to fast to judge. THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC ASSHOLE.

        So yeah, my fault and he made an insurance claim. I made sure insurance knew that he already had the dented hatch so my damage should only be limited to the bumper.

      • R.J.

        In Texas I believe such accidents are declared “No Fault” and everyone pays for the damage out of their own insurance. I remember something like that.

      • Ownbestenemy

        Teen got into his first fender bender. He was making a right turn behind another car with a green light. As he was proceeding with the vehicle he quickly glanced left to make sure no one was in crosswalk and the car in front made a sudden stop. We are talking ‘paint’ transfer from their license plate cover and his bumper so not big or even worthy of an insurance claim.

        They exchanged info but I told him he needs to snap photos incase this person gets into another bender and tries to say it was you.

    • Sean

      Either of my cars would have slammed the brakes on with crash avoidance. I bet the GTI would have been no contact, and the SUV would have surely lessened and maybe avoided it.

    • Certified Public Asshat

      Back in the habit.

  45. Sensei

    So – skin suited, Google partner, CEO wrong think firing, Mozilla Foundation has decided to take on the auto manufacturers.

    I won’t pretend that any of them have your privacy interests at heart, but the tone of their report suggests they need a bit more humility. They have, however, accomplished their objective of being picked up by all the usual media sources for today’s news cycle.

    https://apnews.com/article/data-privacy-cars-data-collection-mozilla-foundation-c616f41983b6cbd62445da0e4962091d

    https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/articles/its-official-cars-are-the-worst-product-category-we-have-ever-reviewed-for-privacy/

    • Robonerfherder

      Further, Nissan says it can share “inferences” drawn from the data to create profiles “reflecting the consumer’s preferences, characteristics, psychological trends, predispositions, behavior, attitudes, intelligence, abilities, and aptitudes.”

      It was among six car companies that said they could collect “genetic information” or “genetic characteristics,” the researchers found.

      Nissan also said it collected information on “sexual activity.” It didn’t explain how.

      I’m confused.

      • Robonerfherder

        Does Nissan send out lab techs to scrape bodily fluids off your drivers seat?

        I suppose that’ s how they would collect data on sexual activity as well, but the Altima just isn’t a real pussy magnet.

  46. PieInTheSky

    Biden “job miracle” built on an illusion as BLS admits between 4 million and 5 million American workers have left the workforce.

    Controlling for the lost millions, we’d be looking at 6.3% unemployment right now.

    And starting down between 9% and 11% unemployment when the recession hits in full.

    With excess savings evaporating and pent-up demand fading, even the exodus-fortified job numbers are coming back down.

    In short, we already lost the workers. Now we lose the jobs.

    https://twitter.com/profstonge/status/1699400313545830601

    who do you trust the government or some rando on twitter?

    • Sean

      We’re living in some crazy times.

      • rhywun

        If by “crazy” you mean “terrifyingly evil”.

    • Rebel Scum

      Infowars Host Owen Shroyer pleaded guilty in June to a single Class A Misdemeanor of Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds on January 6, 2021.

      He did not enter a building and the protest on the grounds was permitted.

  47. The Late P Brooks

    Repent, tech-bro libertarians

    Many of us (myself included) raise an eyebrow at Burning Man. Burning Man is no doubt a lot of fun — some of my best friends, as the saying sort-of goes, are Burners — but even many long-time attendees have noted the event’s shift from counterculture mecca to a see-and-be-seen desert drug party for influencers and Silicon Valley sorts. Coverage of the event paints a picture of a festival that has in recent years come to embody the worst of libertarian tech-bro culture: A radically elevated sense of self coupled with profound shallowness and narcissism masquerading as creativity; a promise of rugged self-reliance only enabled by access to tremendous resources; lofty ambitions and the performance of significance but very little in the way of actual depth, morality, or greater purpose.

    But as easy as it might be to shrug off this narrowly-averted disaster — either because the worst didn’t come to be, or because Burning Man is admittedly insufferable — it should instead be the latest in a long list of warning signs: Climate change is here, and it’s coming for all of us.

    Repent and be saved. Only central planning can save us. Throw aside your false god of individualism and embrace the collective.

    • Common Tater

      “Climate change is here, and it’s coming for all of us.”

      Eat my ass.

    • Ownbestenemy

      Monsoons in the desert? Flash flooding in the desert? Fuck off.

    • PieInTheSky

      Burning Man is no doubt a lot of fun – never looked fun to me unless you have some super luxury accommodation with AC and your own toilet / shower. And still looks hot and not enough shade.

      libertarian tech-bro culture – I don’t see that many libertarians coming from Silicon Valley

    • Fatty Bolger

      Climate change is here, and it’s coming for all of us.

      “IT”S COMING! HERE COMES GLOBAL WARMING!!” – South Park episode

  48. Not Adahn

    The cafeteria put out some surprisingly good jaegerschnitzel (with roast potatoes and red cabbage) today.

    • PieInTheSky

      jaeger indicates animal murder

  49. PieInTheSky

    ‘Serving meat and dairy at a university is akin to serving cigarettes at a lung cancer conference.’

    More than 650 academics have called on British Universities to commit to 100% plant-based catering.

    Is it time to make Universities go vegan?

    https://twitter.com/GMB/status/1699330857457078777

    Sure. Go for it.

    • R.J.

      I read about half of it. I just need to go hide in a cave now.

  50. PieInTheSky

    “Looking back, it is easy to see the 2000s indie rock boom as a brief efflorescence, a reaction to the emo-slacker Gen X ethos of 1990s indie, a back-to-roots movement of a piece with—in a wildly different but simultaneous domain—Salafism.”

    https://twitter.com/nybooks/status/1699084473608945990

  51. The Late P Brooks

    And so this should indeed be a wakeup call for those Burners who want to play act artist in a desert utopia, but who don’t want to engage in the boring but much more necessary work of civic and political engagement — of making sure that their resources, and their votes, are going to those who are fighting to keep our planet livable.

    But it should also be yet another loud wake-up call for the rest of us. Whatever you think of Burning Man — whether you think it’s awesome or ridiculous — the narrowly-averted disaster in the desert could have cost many, many more lives (one person died, although reportedly not because of inclement weather). And it is the kind of catastrophe we’re only going to see more of as our planet becomes less and less livable.

    Never not narrativing.

    • MikeS

      Not clicking the link, but from your excerpts, that person sounds like a true believer. A religious fanatic.

  52. The Late P Brooks

    from your excerpts, that person sounds like a true believer. A religious fanatic.

    Jill Filipovic. You win a cookie.

    • Robonerfherder

      I don’t want Filipovic’s dry and dusty cookie.

  53. The Late P Brooks

    Rawlinson received a $379 million compensation package in 2022 for his role at the luxury EV maker Lucid, including a $575,000 base salary, $5.5 million of stock options, and an incredible $373 million in stock awards, according to a new CEO compensation survey from Automotive News and Equilar.

    He deserves all of that and more.

    • Robonerfherder

      Burke is a retired physician who practiced in Colorado and founded Denver Spine and Rehab. He is currently is the CEO of Injury Finance, LLC, which provides medical lien services for third-party liability claims.

      MacAfee was nuts, but he wasn’t that much of an asshole.

  54. The Late P Brooks

    Nissan also said it collected information on “sexual activity.” It didn’t explain how.

    Let me guess. You, being a total fucking dumbass, synch your phone to your car. The car reads all your sexts every time you get in.

    • Sean

      Will Nissan rate my dick pics?

      • Ownbestenemy

        New YT channel – Nissan After Dark: Smash or Pass

    • Sensei

      And many of the new ADAS systems (self driving) have passenger facing camera(s).

      • Sean

        Will they drive you to the ATM machines?