These Saturday Morning Links Could Cure Cancer

I’m just returned from a sojourn to Indiana. I would count it as a successful trip in that when I returned home, SP hadn’t changed the locks.

One thing I noticed was the prevalence of “No Wind Farms!” signs along all of the back roads I drove on. I’m curious about what the local objections are, but didn’t stop to ask. Maybe one of you Indianaians (or whatever the hell they call you) can fill me in?

When it comes to flinging mulcted dollars for military expansionism, Team Red seems to be no better than Team Blue. Here’s a delightful and telling quote:

Some here worry about increased crime and that American soldiers will be on the prowl for local women. The U.S. Army has developed an app so troops can check which bars have been deemed off-limits, either because they’ve been caught serving drinks to minors or because they’re selling sex.

Florida never disappoints. What this country needs is common-sense ionization control laws.

OK, this one is stunning. Are you sitting down? A labor union is apparently riddled with corruption! And there’s a guy named Iacobelli in the middle of it!

The first court rulings have come out preventing politicians from blocking trolls on social media. This is actually good news for those of us who would like to see as many monkey wrenches as possible thrown into the gears of government. TW: Slate.

Vinyl cyanide found on a Saturnian moon, Titan. Team Blue is already calling for action by the EPA. This being CNN, the article is illustrated with a photo of a different moon.

Jesse.in.mb will be coming to visit us shortly. Here’s a clip of the first time that he and I met.

Set loose two of the finest guitarists to ever inhabit this planet on a quotidian song and watch the fireworks.

 

Comments

398 responses to “These Saturday Morning Links Could Cure Cancer”

  1. Gilmore

    Fizzurst

    (Now need to drive truck 500 miles)

    1. ArchieBunker

      I gotta do 450 miles today. Uhhhh

    2. Pomp

      Good day to drive a UHaul of musty old vinyl records to Toronto.

    3. Count Potato

      7:07 AM? Wow.

    4. Agent Cooper

      Are you a Lazy Proclaimer?

  2. Gilmore

    “”Vinyl cyanide””

    That sounds familiar. Probably have some growing on me. Great good band name.

    1. Poison Barcaloungers.

  3. Gilmore

    “there’s a guy named Iacobelli in the middle of it!”

    I suspect he may make a run for the border.

      1. Gilmore

        Yo quiero mob lawyer!

        1. Donde está justice?

      2. Scruffy Nerfherder

        I thought it would be this you were referring to

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvImFTdlfY8

        1. Gilmore

          You got the joke. Thank you.

    1. Gustave Lytton

      her photography company, Wilson’s Diversified Products

      Omni Consumer Products was already taken?

  4. Gilmore

    “The U.S. Army has developed an app so troops can check which bars have been deemed off-limits, either because they’ve been caught serving drinks to minors or because they’re selling sex.”

    Oh, and I’m sure they’ll use it to self-enforce rather than make the whore-bars 10x more popular. Because it’s a rule, and rules are magic.

    1. LT_Fish

      Wellll, most of the hooker hill bars in Itaewon are ones you probably aren’t that interested in anyways. That said, it’s convenient if they include a map. When I had courtesy patrol back there in 2007/2008 there were dozens we had to stick our heads into and check out every time. Waste of time. Did catch one idiot SPC up in the club in his ACUs at 11 PM – “It’s not an official function. Go home before we call your 1SG.”

      1. Gustave Lytton

        “F-u pal. I’ve got a sham shield.You can’t touch me. Top can’t touch. E-4 mafia will fuck you up.”

        1. leonadasiv

          *spoken before being hauled off by MPs*

    2. mexican sharpshooter

      This was cooked up by officers, they don’t realize what they’re doing. No offense to anyone here, but lets be real here…

      Commander: What are you up to this weekenkd SSGT Mex? Smoke some ‘Spice’, get drunk and drag race?
      Me: Sir, nobody in this room knew that shit existed until the Air Force told them not to smoke it.
      Commander: You watch your mouth Mex–wait, really?

      1. LT_Fish

        I hadn’t heard of it as a JO at NSA Everett, but apparently right after they gave us the first warning or two (a month or so later) they busted a ring of civilian employees and a few enlisted (MAs I think – gate guards) just down the pier who were bringing it on base and dealing. This was a few years before normal weed was legalized in WA.

        1. mexican sharpshooter

          I was stationed in CO when they passed legalization. They really stepped up the Saturday morning recalls (drug screenings) for a couple months after that.

          1. LT_Fish

            Speaking of which – are these policies normal?

          2. mexican sharpshooter

            WTF? No. I never been drug trsted as a condition of employment. At least not by VA.

          3. LT_Fish

            They’re testing vets coming in for appts. Not VA employees (although in some areas maybe they should).

          4. dbleagle

            Normal for any government run health care. In their eyes you have no rights. If single payer gets adopted look at this being foisted on everybody.

          5. westernsloper

            They test people on Medicaid? I have not heard of that.

          6. R C Dean

            Couple things:

            (1) Testing for illegal drugs can be clinically useful/necessary. If somebody has coke or opiates on board, some treatments can go very wrong indeed, and some diagnoses can be thrown off. However, that doesn’t justify blanket drug testing of everyone.

            (2) This is a government agency doing the testing. If this information is intended to be shared with law enforcement at all, they need a warrant to do it, or specific consent, neither of which they are getting.

            (3) If its not clinically indicated, and isn’t going to be shared with law enforcement, then why are they doing it?

          7. mexican sharpshooter

            Now that I’ve read the entire article…somebody has to make breakfastaround here…

            If its not clinically indicated, and isn’t going to be shared with law enforcement, then why are they doing it?

            Ordering a test in the EHR is just clicking a box. It could’ve been inadvertent and not many at the lab will question a doctor. In my experience with journalists covering the VA, I can only assume there is a LOT more to this story then written here. Not that I’m defending the practice, chances are theres an idiot somewhere down the line.

    1. Or perhaps this is more your speed.

        1. Festus

          Serendipity! I’ve had Doc Watson on heavy rotation for a few months. Good choice!

          1. Festus

            I…I “Gilmored” and then I felt the shame… (this was supposed to be a reply to a Chet Atkins/Doc Watson video posted downthread.) I’ll just take my burning face elsewhere.

  5. Suthenboy

    “The first court rulings have come out preventing politicians from blocking trolls on social media. This is actually good news for those of us who would like to see as many monkey wrenches as possible thrown into the gears of government. TW: Slate.”

    *facepalm*

    Who is inhabiting our courts these days? Everyone has a right to freely express themselves, no one is arguing that they dont. On the other hand no one has a right to force others to listen to them, that would be absurd. That would be on par with forced speech. American citizens dont lose their inalienable rights by holding elected office. A person’s Facebook page is not public property. Disallowing politicians from blocking certain users they find offensive on their personal pages is not going to have the effect these judicial idiots think it will. It will just prompt these officials to discontinue their personal social media accounts and thus diminish transparency.

    1. But muh feelz!

    2. Grumbletarian

      Well then we need to have a ruling making Facebook pages and Twitter accounts mandatory for public officials!

      :bangs gavel smugly:

    3. leonadasiv

      Let’s find the judge who made that rolling and go troll him for it.

    4. Not an Economist

      In this particular case (Yes I know I’m not supposed to read the article) they politician in question actually said this was a forum to interact with them. And then got what they should have expected. I don’t think Trump has taken that step — yet.

      1. Behold!

        So a politician lied. News at 11. Doesn’t make this ruling any less awful.

    5. Francisco d’Anconia

      They aren’t citizens. The account in question was an official government account by her own admission.

      In her capacity as a government official

      … “I really want to hear from ANY Loudoun citizen on ANY issues, request, criticism, compliment, or just your thoughts.” She explicitly encouraged Loudoun residents to reach out to her through her “county Facebook page.”

      Government does not have rights. It has powers. If the citizenry decides to further limit those powers, it may do so as it pleases.

      Would you think it okay if a government agency simply stopped taking mail from those they don’t happen to agree with?

  6. “The U.S. Army has developed an app so troops can check which bars have been deemed off-limits, either because they’ve been caught serving drinks to minors or because they’re selling sex.”

    And remember, you’re only supposed to consult this app so you can know where *not* to go! I mean, it would totally defeat the purpose if you bar-hopping to the establishments listed on the app…

    1. “You’ve sure been using this app a lot, soldier.”

      “Sir, yes, sir, thank you for letting us know which establishments to avoid.”

      “It seems your device remained on base during the entire time you were on leave. Did you leave it behind so you wouldn’t be traced?”

      “Sir, no sir, I was with my device all the time – I was distressed there were so many dubious establishments in town, so I stayed on base to play video games.”

      “Madame Wang gave me surveillance footage of a soldier meeting your description going into her establishment.”

      “That’s horrible, sir, my evil twin brother is playing soldier again!”

      1. “You have lied so blatantly to your superiors that I have no choice but to appoint you Director of National Intelligence.”

        “That’s great, I always wanted a promotion!”

        “Ha ha, you told the truth, now you’re dishonorably discharged.”

        [not meant as a representation of actual military life]

      2. Agent Cooper

        Madame Wang?

        Now I know the superior is lying.

        It’s Madame Choi’s place.

        1. Mr Lizard

          We always just called her mamma

          1. Homple

            Mammasan, back in the day.

  7. Sean

    That curb your enthusiasm clip is fabulous.

    1. Stinky Wizzleteats

      It was good, I might to have to give that show another shot.

      1. RBS

        Curb is great. In small doses. I can only watch 2, maybe three, episodes in a row before I need a break from LD.

    2. DOOMco

      it really is.

    3. Pomp

      Larry David is going to make more new episodes

    4. Gdragon

      “Get a life Jews!”

      That kid might be my favourite “Curb” guest ever. And if those scenes weren’t completely 100% scripted (I always assumed that they were because he’s a child) I love him even more.

  8. The Elite Elite

    Apparently, Captain Kirk isn’t a fan of SJWs.

    1. DOOMco

      he is a libertarian.

      1. Zero Sum Game

        He’s also pretty good at trolling them. An inspiration to us all.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder

      That’s because he’s awesome.

    3. RBS

      The responses are great. I like the one who was going to do a photo-op but now will go to George Takei instead. I wonder if Shatner knew about this “photo-op”?

    4. Juvenile Bluster

      Shatner’s in that “I’m old and don’t give a fuck” mode, which is always nice.

      Met him at a convention last year. Paid $80 for a picture where I have the absolute goofiest smile on my face because it was so spectacularly awesome to meet him.

    5. Count Potato

      “Philanthropist, Actor, Producer, Father, Husband, & Canadian!”

      He left off poet, rockstar, cowboy, and starship captain.

      1. Old Man With Candy

        And (((Jew))).

        1. Count Potato

          He already said “producer” 😉

        2. The Elite Elite

          These voyages of the starship, (((Enterprise)))?

          1. trshmnstr

            Something something (((Ferengi)))

      2. Rufus the Monocled

        He’s NOT CANADIAN.

        HE’S MONTREAL!

    6. Stinky Wizzleteats

      There’s…an SJW…on the wing of the plane!

    7. mexican sharpshooter

      Tweet Hello. Have SJWs get offended by figuring some obtuse way to define it. Spend my day telling them off. You know, just a typical day.

      There’s something wrong here.

      Tweet Hello. Have [,] SJWs get [,]offended by figuring [,] some obtuse way to [,] define it. Spend [,] my day [,]telling them off. You know, just [,] a typical day.

      Thats more like it.

    1. DOOMco

      surprised he didn’t see that knight earlier.

    2. Playa Manhattan

      Does the “flip board” button do what I think it does?

  9. Pomp

    Good links

  10. The Late P Brooks

    Indianaians (or whatever the hell they call you)

    Hoosier Clems.

  11. DOOMco

    No one wants wind farms in their area. just someone elses.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Ruins their viewshed

      1. Playa Manhattan

        I’m borrowing that.

        Get out of my viewshed, ugly!

    2. RBS

      Wind mill fail videos are highly entertaining.

    3. Behold!

      +1 bird guillotine

    4. Lackadaisical

      Also noisy (so I’ve heard).

  12. The Late P Brooks

    Two guiar players? I thought of these guys

    1. Agent Cooper

      I was thinking of these guys.

  13. The Late P Brooks

    SJW is not an epitaph, you know. Although it could be.

  14. Count Potato

    Can computers get herpes?

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-4741542/Bella-Thorne-splashes-bathtub-diamond-bikini.html

    She’s on the Daily Mail every single day.

    1. Playa Manhattan

      The only thing that bathtub is missing is a toaster.

      1. Festus

        Dude! My joke from last night! Excellent!

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      That is a rough 55

    2. Agent Cooper

      Happy ending though.

    3. Playa Manhattan

      She beat the habit by dying of cancer.

  15. Scruffy Nerfherder

    Letter to the Local Rag

    I have a suggestion for the Williamsburg Police Department. One block away is a building, not that old and the last time I was by there it was vacant, you know the medical clinic for the rich that folded. If nothing else, police administrative offices and record storage could move to the now empty building. Also, if the city can’t afford full asking price, they could use eminent domain.

    1. Suthenboy

      “Also, if the city can’t afford full asking price, they could use eminent domain.”

      *Gets out Constitution, draws finger down…*

      Ah, there it is. ““nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation”.

      I keep seeing these anti-smoking ads on television. Smoking caused someone to lose their teeth. Except it didn’t. Nicotine is a poison. It kills bugs so it actually protects your teeth. It stains them but it also reduces bacteria in y our mouth. No one thinks smoking is good for you. There are a million real health problems caused by smoking, so why do these people have to lie? They lie because for these kinds of people it is all about manipulation and coercion. Just giving people the facts and letting them decide for themselves just isnt in their genes. They have to force your hand.

      1. JaimeRoberto

        Smoking causes people to loose teeth because cigarettes are so expensive that smokers have to choose between cigs and toothpaste.

        The worst anti-smoking commercials here in California are those that demonize “Big Tobacco”, because you need to blame someone for your own choices in life.

      2. Playa Manhattan

        “but it also reduces bacteria in your mouth”

        That is…. how do I put this?… Absolutely not true.

      3. ruodberht

        Drying your mouth, like smoking does, will definitely fuck up your teeth and gums. No idea what you’re saying here.

    2. leonadasiv

      “Also, if the city can’t afford full asking price, they could use eminent domain.”

      That’s not how eminent domain is supposed to work. This letter hits many aspects of statism that I hate: boot licking cops, irrational hate for the rich, and disrespect for property rights.

      1. Festus

        This is “Rez Reasoning”. Anything stationary and not overseen must and will be taken by someone that wants it. I ran a running battle for 8 years with the feather Indians over the contents of my motor home. Better locks /better pry bars, locking gas cap/drill the tank, plywood over the back windows/smash the front one. You Americans have it easy in comparison. Our malcontents are much more cunning.

  16. Scruffy Nerfherder

    From the local blotter, this got a laugh out of me

    •Kush Xavier Sinclair, 20, July 20, possession of marijuana.

    1. DOOMco

      booked at 420pm

      1. Count Potato

        LOL

  17. Count Potato

    “IRS Continued to Rehire Problem Employees Despite New Warning System

    During the push to expand staff for the annual filing season, the tax agency is supposed to comply with a provision in the 2016 omnibus spending bill that requires a review of any rehire with past conduct or performance problems ranging from tax delinquency to falsification of documents to disruptiveness in the workplace.

    But the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that more than 200 of 2,000-plus former employees “whom the IRS rehired between January 2015 and March 2016 had been previously terminated or separated from the tax agency while under investigation,” according to a report released on Thursday.”

    http://www.govexec.com/management/2017/07/irs-continued-rehire-problem-employees-despite-new-warning-system/139788/?oref=govexec_today_nl

    So Lois Lerner could come back?

    1. Gustave Lytton

      Review their hiring? They should be blocked by being rehired in any federal position, let alone the IRS.

      1. mexican sharpshooter

        They do have a database of people barred from federal employment to review. Where I work there is a tendency for these people to be on the job by the time they come back with a hit on the system.

        1. LT_Fish

          This is through the freaking usajobs.gov site? It takes months to get a response back from them. WTF.

          1. mexican sharpshooter

            Its been slow and they’re just starting to get caught up after with the hiring freeze…but where are you applying that it takes months? Thats slow even by .gov standards.

          2. LT_Fish

            I was applying for NAVSUP positions last fall. I’m solid now, but I may try again in a few years. The fed resume system is just so frustrating though and mind-numbing compared to a normal resume though.

          3. mexican sharpshooter

            This will sound odd…how long was the application period on the job announcement? If it is 30 days or more, there is no job. Its a resume mine. Which might be why you never heard anything back.

          4. LT_Fish

            Well, one of them was so specific that I think it was written for someone who was retiring from the military (7 day listing too).

            Most of the others have been 7 day ones, but like I said. It’s been a while.

            Some of the 365 day Guard/Reserve positions are interesting though – I’ll probably try a few of those in the future – but I think you’re generally supposed to talk to the units first and then drop in the application once they know you.

          5. mexican sharpshooter

            I should answer your question… Some yes, but others are part of a pathways program for homless Vets and fewer are volunteers.

      2. Akira

        As a libertarian, I’m obviously not a big fan of government solutions, but sometimes I wonder if we should have a “do not hire” database that would bar someone from ever serving in a government position again.

        1. Behold!

          “Ok, who all should we include on our ban list?”

          “Well, obviously we need to ban any right wing extremists from getting into government.”

          “Like those guys at Glibertarians?”

          “Oh no question. They might actually think about the morality of what we do and try to leave people alone.”

          1. Akira

            Yea, that’s an obvious problem.

            That, and the fact that government officials would have to implement this program, which would mean they themselves might be on the receiving end someday. They don’t want that.

        2. trshmnstr

          The closest to that I’d ever get is a constitutional amendment that would make every single representative ineligible for further public office if they vote for a deficit-spending budget that is signed into law.

  18. The Late P Brooks

    I guess it’s Lipstick Day. I hope Teen Vogue has a rainbow party how-to on their web site.

    1. Festus

      Some random Slate intern will churn out a rejoinder “Rainbow Parties – You’re Doing It Wrong”.

  19. Count Potato

    Today, in your tax dollars at work:

    “Planned Parenthood Issues Guidelines On How To Talk To Pre-Schoolers About Transgenderism, Masturbation

    In new guidelines issued on the official Planned Parenthood website, the federally subsidized corporation explains how parents should talk to their pre-schoolers about gender roles, sexuality, masturbation, and transgenderism, even offering tips on how to tell if your toddler “is transgender or gender nonconforming.”

    http://www.dailywire.com/news/18969/planned-parenthood-issues-guidelines-how-talk-pre-amanda-prestigiacomo

    Three-year-olds, dude, three-year-olds.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      how to tell if your toddler “is transgender or gender nonconforming

      WTF

      1. Count Potato

        This is what happens when things get politicized. You get extreme idiocy on either extreme end. Just because some people think guns are icky and should be banned, doesn’t mean children should be allowed to carry in nursery school. Rather than the sane middle ground of these are things that only adults should be allowed to decide for themselves.

        1. Bob

          Is there some movement to let toddlers carry in a nursery? Or some federally funded program for it? This sounds like false equivalence.

          1. Count Potato

            There isn’t. That’s the point. If they were, it would be as crazy as what PP is advocating here. Sure, there is plenty of anti-trans bigotry, but that’s no excuse to go full-retard in response.

        1. Count Potato

          He doesn’t look happy.

        2. Playa Manhattan

          Imagine if he were born today.

          He’d be playing “Silence of the Lambs” by middle school.

    2. DOOMco

      We can’t stop funding them. the second we do, they won’t be able to provide women with services like that.

    3. Behold!

      “how parents should talk to their pre-schoolers about…masturbation”

      “Daddy, what’s this thing between my legs for?”

      “Well little Timmy, to answer that let me show you what daddy does on Thicc Thursdays.”

    4. wdalasio

      Planned Parenthood Issues Guidelines On How To Talk To Pre-Schoolers About Transgenderism, Masturbation

      How about, “You shouldn’t”?

      They’re preschoolers for crying out loud. Give them a chance to be children before introducing them to the concept of sexuality.

      When did we become a society that thinks it’s appropriate for children to be sexually sophisticated before they know the alphabet.

      1. Bob

        When normal sexual morality got defined as oppressive religious dogma.

      2. The Elite Elite

        Just part of the groundwork, paving the way to normalize pedophilia.

      3. mr simple

        What a brave new world with such brave new people.

    5. Lackadaisical

      I don’t know about transgenderism- seems like it wouldn’t effect 99% of kids, but I would definitely think most (some?) kids need a talking to about masturbation: some kids have a tendency to play with themselves and they need to know it isn’t appropriate in public.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        Based on conversations with my aunt who’s a family counselor, I would venture that a significant portion of those kids have been exposed to things they shouldn’t have been or have been abused.

      2. Bob

        Saying “don’t play with your dick” hardly requires expert advice.

        1. Festus

          When I was about four my Grandpa said something forceful along the lines of “Get your hands out of your pants!” and it worked for another eight years. Simple, really.

  20. Timeloose

    I’m off to eat breakfast like a guy who is going to work like a day laborer.

    Have a good morning all. I’ll be on tonight nursing my sore back and sunburn with cold beverages.

    1. DOOMco

      They are better used for drinking than ice packs.

    2. I’m spending the afternoon at the pool – with a gin & tonic hidden in a water bottle.

      1. SP

        Hope it’s a big bottle.

  21. Count Potato

    “Two University of South Carolina professors argue in a recent paper that “color-blind racial attitudes” are “unethical” and “can also perpetuate White norms.””

    http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9502

    Do you know who else was obsessed with race?

    1. Old Man With Candy

      Defining color-blindness as “denial or lack of awareness of race-based privilege, institutional racism, and/or racial discrimination,”

      Well, if you get to set the definition in such a way as to force the outcome, then your hypothesis will always be correct.

      both of whom teach in the College of Social Work at USC

      That explains it.

      1. Gustave Lytton

        MLK Jr. hit hardest.

    2. DOOMco

      The olympics?

    3. Suthenboy

      Mario Andretti?

    4. Behold!

      Margaret Sanger?

    5. wdalasio

      can also perpetuate White norms

      Like the norms that are practiced by every employer from New York to London to Bombay to Tokyo?

      Fuck. If I were a pure, unreconstructed racist, I doubt I could find a better means to undermine the welfare of minorities than to feed them the garbage their ostensible friends and mentors drill into their heads.

    6. Agent Cooper

      Jackie Stewart?

  22. re: guitarists. I grew up listing to Leo Kottke and he’s still my favorite guitarist.

    1. Old Man With Candy

      He used to hang out with SP when she lived in LA. She tells me that his funny-goofy stream-of-unconsciousness patter is genuinely the way he is.

      1. Homple

        I saw him a few times in Minneapolis coffee houses, back when he first started performing. He was genuinely funny and self-effacing and even then a hellacious guitar player.

        1. Old Man With Candy

          He is absolutely a whiz, even these days after physical issues with his hands. We’ve seen him twice recently, both were amazing shows.

          1. F. Stupidity Jr.

            He had to completely revamp his playing style in the early-to-mid 80s because of hand issues. He described the feeling as his fingers having to move a refrigerator out of the way before getting to the string.

      2. Yusef drives a Kia

        The video is out of sync with the music,
        /vid fail

    2. F. Stupidity Jr.

      Huge Leo Kottke fan. I’ve got almost every recording and I enjoy being able to play some of his tunes. Saw him a few times, he’s the shit.

    3. and woah that’s an overloaded sounding youtube clip. But one of the better performances I could online.

      1. Old Man With Candy

        Aww, c’mon, link that great Drew Carey opening with him doing World Turning.

      2. F. Stupidity Jr.

        The term you’re looking for is earrape

    4. Festus

      He is awesome but can’t sing worth a lick. “Louise” is on my playlist as is “Jesu”.

  23. l0b0t

    Sigh… raining cats and dogs here at the beach so I can’t take my ice cream cart out; I’m rather unfond of losing a day’s takings but it’s the nature of the business. Wifey has already taken kids to the Y for gymnastics and I’m all alone. I suppose I’ll start sippin’ on this nice Buffalo Trace and do a thorough GI party on the kitchen. I believe <a href="https://youtu.be/bWebqCRw7o4&quot; title="The KLF – Chill Out” target=”_blank” >this is a nice start for a rainy beach day.

    1. DOOMco

      That’s a new one.

    2. trshmnstr

      do a thorough GI party on the kitchen

      I really hope that GI stands for something other than gastro-intestinal.

  24. my tinfoil hat theory – Priebus was the big leaker in the Trump administration. Since the “deep state” Republicans hate Trump so much – see congress and their inability to pass anything – Priebus was just part of their game to bring down his administration. Republicans want to go back to the normal state of things – Democrat president they can rail against but not actually do anything. And they are more than willing to lose the house or some senate seats to keep the “way things were” going.

    Evidence? Meh. It’s all in my head, man, protected by this Reynold’s wrap.

    1. Suthenboy

      Evidence: Republican Never Trumpers endorsed Clinton.

      “more than willing to lose the house or some senate seats to keep the “way things were” going.”

      I didn’t know they were trying to hide any of that.

  25. The Late P Brooks

    Sinking into totalitarianism and despair, or something

    The president is attempting to dismantle the rule of law, destroy the time-honored independence of the Justice Department, and undermine the career men and women who are devoted to seeking justice day in and day out, regardless of which political party is in power.

    If we are not careful, when we wake up from the Trump presidency, our justice system may be broken beyond recognition.

    Sally Yates, standing up for the deep state noble careerist bureaucratocracy. Because if we don’t impeach (what else can she mean?) Hitler soon, it will be too late. And then, Anschluss!

    1. leonadasiv

      Dearie, if you want to point fingers at destroying the Independence of government agencies, look at Obama. Everything he did allowed Trump to do anything he wants. Until you recognize it AND chase Obama out of you politics, I won’t believe you actually care.

      1. Behold!

        That’s different. Obama was noble, smart, and so woke*, while Trump is literally Hitler. Would you apply the same standard to President Jesus and President Satan?!

        *At least when it became politically convenient to be.

        1. Yes I would, Will Roper.

          (I don’t know how this wound up P Brooksed the first time.)

          1. wdalasio

            +1 Man For All Seasons

    2. Suthenboy

      Good grief. They are all cast out of the same mold so it is always the same ol’ shit with the left every time for the last 150 years. Project much Silly Sally?

      1. westernsloper

        President Trump’s actions appear aimed at destroying the fundamental independence of the Justice Department. All the while, he’s ripping the blindfold off Lady Justice and attempting to turn the department into a sword to seek vengeance against his perceived enemies and a shield to protect himself and his allies.

        Not a smidge of projection there. Good god. Independence? Eric Holder and Lorreta Lynch’s main jobs were to protect Obama, the DNC and the Clinton’s. I don’t get Trumps rantings about Sessions other than Sessions is a douche, but whatever Sally. Shadap.

        And as far as seeking vengeance, this op ed might be a preliminary strike against what will surely come out about the entirety of the senior staff in the Obama administration using the intelligence services for political opposition research. They are quite possibly the most corrupt administration in the countries history.

        1. R C Dean

          the fundamental independence of the Justice Department

          There’s no such thing. The Attorney General isn’t elected, he’s appointed and serves at the pleasure of the President. Many states elect their AGs; those AGs are independent. The federal AG is not elected, and is not independent.

          A department that does not follow the lawful orders of the President is what’s known as a “rogue agency”. And its pretty well established that the Prez has the authority to order, or shut down, an investigation by the FBI and DOJ.

          1. westernsloper

            So you are saying Obama ordered the Clinton email investigation to be shut down or at least half assed pursued? Or did Lynch do that on her own?

            I am not sure what my point is, other than Sally Yates delusion that she served in an administration that was oh so ethical and blind justice for all is laughable. The insinuation is insulting.

    3. Akira

      [the employees of the Justice Department] are devoted to seeking justice day in and day out, regardless of which political party is in power.

      HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

      Oh shit, that’s good.

      1. straffinrun

        I always wanted a net that could catch the little fish while letting the big fish go. Case in point: Bernie Madoff in the clink and HIllary on the speaking tour.

        1. Homple

          Previously noted.
          “Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.”
          …Jonathan Swift

  26. Ferrari driver wrecks supercar just an hour after he bought it

    Police in South Yorkshire said the driver was able to walk away with just cuts and bruises after the Ferrari 430 “went airborne and burst into flames” in South Yorkshire on Thursday.

    It’s unclear what he paid for the car, but it was one of only 499 ever sold with an original list price of $288,000. These cars currently fetch between $80,000 to $220,000 according to one dealer.

    In a statement on Facebook police added: “Officers asked the driver what sort of car he ‘had’ to which he replied ‘It was a Ferrari’.”

    “Detecting a sense of damaged pride he then said ‘I’ve only just got it, picked it up an hour ago’.”

    1. Count Potato

      Looking at the wreck, I’m surprised he “was able to walk away with just cuts and bruises”.

    2. LT_Fish

      Ferrari’s depreciate that much?

      1. Not an Economist

        There is one I know of you probably can get for less the $80K.

      2. The local small dealer where I bought my last car has two Ferraris in their showroom. Nice Italian gent who runs the place. And he had the stereotypical Italian response when I mentioned reliability: “Sure a Camry is reliable but who wants to drive one?”

    3. Not an Economist

      The police said they don’t think speed played a part in the accident. I agree. I’m betting it was torque.

    4. Yes I would, Will Roper.

  27. Cats

    From an Indianaian: I think people just hate looking at them, especially when there are hundreds of them sprawled out over several miles of previously beautiful wide open farmland.

    Also, we prefer “Hoosier”. Or “yokel”.

    1. Old Man With Candy

      “Yokel” it is!

      I have little sympathy for assholes who want to control what other people do with their property.

      1. trshmnstr

        Where were you in Indiana? I know there’s a huge wind farm north of Purdue on the way to Chicago, so it probably wasn’t around there.

        1. Old Man With Candy

          I was in Shelbyville, then Crawfordsville. Driving home, I went up SR 231 to I-65. I did pass some HUGE wind farms along 65, but on 231, there were anti-windmill signs everywhere.

          1. trshmnstr

            Ah, they’re growing southward, it seems. I know that area well from driving to and from college.

  28. Count Potato

    “Rhode Island college offers ‘Transracial Bodies’ course

    Blackness, Whiteness, Asianness, Latinness, the whole rainbow of racial identification, is still construed as biologically inescapable and inevitable,” the description adds, noting that the often negative reaction to “transracialism” is “contrary to the everyday experience that actually finds racial identification as a process that is always transracial.”

    http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=9492

    1. leonadasiv

      “[race] is still construed as biologically inescapable and inevitable”

      It is. That’s why sane people don’t give a shit.

      1. Count Potato

        I take the other view, that it is a silly, outdated, social construct of very limited utility. Which is why people should stop dwelling on it.

        1. leonadasiv

          I guess that’s what I was going for. In a more rough way

        2. Bob

          How is it a social construct?

          1. Count Potato

            How many races there are, how people get sorted into them, is largely arbitrary from any objective view.

          2. Everybody should be classified by the HTML code for their skin tone. Or maybe the Pantone code, although I think that’s somebody else’s IP.

            (No, I don’t want to get into an IP debate.)

        3. Behold!

          I think the problem is people confuse race with social groups that consist of a race. Race is no more a social construct than eye color, and should have roughly the same amount of social weight. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people today obsessed with race, which as you said is silly and outdated.

          1. Pomp

            RHEEEEEEEE!!!!

          2. Suthenboy

            Behold! nails it.

          3. R C Dean

            Well put.

            I find the notion of “social construct” to be profoundly unuseful in an intellectually consistent way, and used in practice in a deeply dishonest way, for the purpose of doing damage to actually useful norms.

            Here’s the trick: Language is a social construct; it exists in our heads by consensus and is used to describe the real world which doesn’t exist in our heads by consensus, and does so imperfectly. Everything described by language is therefor reified into a social construct by being so described. So far, a trivial restatement of “the map is not the territory”. And if that’s all it was used for, whatever. But its not.

            However, the “Oh, that’s [just a] social construct” is not done to dismiss the map, it is done to dismiss the territory. And its done very selectively, by people with a particular ideology in pursuit of particularly ideological ends, which are, IMO, toxic.

          4. Lackadaisical

            I think I may have to link to this explainer the next time some says ‘social construct’.

          5. Count Potato

            Well, I agree that it is misused, but that doesn’t make it useless. And in the case of race, the “map” should largely be dismissed because it isn’t based on any real “territory”. While certain “people with a particular ideology” want to focus on that map “in pursuit of particularly ideological ends”. Even though no good has ever come from following that “map”.

          6. R C Dean

            While certain “people with a particular ideology” want to focus on that map “in pursuit of particularly ideological ends”.

            The people I see obsessing about race are exactly the ones who like dismiss all kinds of useful concepts as “social constructs”. That’s the dishonest part; “social construct” used selectively to attain ideological ends by denigrating your opponent’s worldview as artificial and shallow, while elevating your own as “woke” or somesuch shit. They are both built out of social constructs; social constructs are background noise; you can’t say “that is a social construct and should be dismissed” and then turn around and say that pretty much anything else can’t be summarily dismissed for the same reason.

            Saying current concepts of “race” are poorly constructed and shouldn’t be given any traction is a different thing. What’s interesting to me is the way the definition of race has evolved – it used to be applied pretty freely based on national origin, rather than geographic/genetic background. The modern usage of “race” is being eroded by, for lack of a better term, cross-breeding and ease of travel. Although that’s been around forever, too (see, e.g., the one drop rule), its accelerating these days.

            You can argue our current concept of race is increasingly useless for reasons X, Y, and Z. You can argue that nobody should pay attention to race for reasons P, Q, and R. But those aren’t what people use “race is a social construct” are generally arguing.

          7. Count Potato

            “The people I see obsessing about race are exactly the ones who like dismiss all kinds of useful concepts as “social constructs”.

            Except I’m neither, doing that, nor one of those people. Although it does hoist them by their own retard.

            “You can argue our current concept of race is increasingly useless for reasons X, Y, and Z. You can argue that nobody should pay attention to race for reasons P, Q, and R. But those aren’t what people use “race is a social construct” are generally arguing.”

            Exactly.

          8. trshmnstr

            While certain “people with a particular ideology” want to focus on that map “in pursuit of particularly ideological ends”.

            The problem is that the map was created for a good reason. As the old saying goes, “stereotypes exist because they’re true to some extent.”

            There are all sorts of social and cultural norms that correlate quite closely to race. They’re not innate, but we live in a racially self-selecting world where people have developed cultures based on their tribe, which happens to usually be full of people of the same race.

          9. R C Dean

            I wonder if we should have a “do not hire” database that would bar someone from ever serving in a government position again

            Of course we should. Most companies have this, and I bet the feds do, too, in some form.

            For example, anyone fired for cause from a company is likely on a do not hire (again) list.

            And many companies run criminal background checks (and even credit reports) on prospective hires, with an explicit policy or at least a practice of not hiring people with (some) criminal convictions or (for some positions) sketchy credit reports.

          10. R C Dean

            Sorry, Gilmore’d the threading on the previous.

            Except I’m neither, doing that, nor one of those people.

            I know you’re not. I’m just saying that using “social construct” is not a useful way to discuss these kinds of issues.

            “Social construct” comes from the same place and people who gave us “false consciousness”, and is used for similar purposes.

          11. trshmnstr

            “Social construct” comes from the same place and people who gave us “false consciousness”, and is used for similar purposes.

            This.

            “___ is a social construct” is just a fancy repackaging of “you’re a bigot if you don’t accept ___”

          12. Festus

            Can’t we go back to when color-blind was a thing and start treating individuals like we’d like to have them treat ourselves? Too radical a notion in the current year, apparently.

    2. Pomp

      Cue the circus and carnival music

    3. Grumbletarian

      So they say age is just a state of mind. I think I’ll identify as a 14-year old now and sue my employer for violating child labor laws. Then once I win my case I’ll identify as a 70-year old and sue the government for withholding my Social Security check.

      1. R C Dean

        So, if OMWC identifies as the right age, he can’t be prosecuted for his . . . hobby?

        1. Festus

          Only in a just and righteous Universe.

  29. Bob

    According to South Korean media reports, the Ministry of National Defense publicly stated in U.S. diplomatic cables that South Korea would pay for half of the relocation project, yet the U.S. estimated in 2007 that Seoul might be responsible for as much as 93 percent.

    https://www.stripes.com/news/camp-humphreys-construction-largest-ever-for-military-slogs-on-1.225919#.WXyRszw8KEc

    1. LT_Fish

      That really blows my mind. It’s like they haven’t actually been doing any work on that project since I left 9 years ago.

      1. dbleagle

        I was just there a few days ago. It is gawd awful ugly and the construction is “variable” to say the least. The new parking structure was condemned before it was ever used. The CofE can’t inspect construction until it time to accept the whatever, and by then it is the usual other peoples money paying for other peoples stuff syndrome.

  30. OMWC – I’m looking for some ideas for a push-pull 1625/807 amplifier – would gladly take any recommendations for a schematic.

    So far I’m thinking Mullard 5-20 type circuit but with a current sink on the phase splitter. But would to use more local feedback instead of the standard loop.

    Also regulated screens and front end. Fixed/Cathode bias? *shrug* It’s all up in the air right now.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      He died with his tubes on.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        LHs epitaph

    2. Pomp

      You should join an audio equipment forum and solicit advice there. There will be good feedback like what type of tin-silver solder is best for sound quality.

      1. I could (oh what, I already do) but don’t always want to get in discussions about the celestial otherworldliness of teflon capacitors, magic bricks, and ZOMG the best tubes evar.

        1. Count Potato

          Then how about math and physics? The main source of error in a tube amplifier feedback is its pass band. Some people try to reduce this by bandpass filtering the input. I would choose the most precise and temperature stable capacitors and resistors in the feedback path. You might have to shift some values to avoid electrolytics.

          1. Old Man With Candy

            If you size the electrolytics properly, they’ll have close to zero signal across them and will work more or less ideally. The real issue for feedback is the output transformer because of the low and high frequency rolloffs- which are often signal dependent. If you can get 20dB of feedback around it while keeping things stable, you’re doing well. One of the things that helps is having the output stage show a low source Z, whether intrinsically (low plate resistance) or via a local feedback loop. If memory serves, Menno Vanderveen wrote about this and included measurements to back up the theory.

          2. Count Potato

            I meant the RC values of the filter(s) used to compensate for the output transformer and other roll offs. Electrolytics have horrible tolerance and temperature stability, among other problems, making it near impossible to get the “opposite” reactance. Not that you or LH will ever see this.

          3. Old Man With Candy

            Generally, those are pretty damn small caps (assuming you’re talking about lead-lag compensation). No-one is gonna find a 270pF electrolytic. NP0 ceramics work great for that.

        2. Pomp

          magic bricks

          I’ve dropped one or two of those in my own shorts over the years.

      2. Scruffy Nerfherder

        You might even be able to get some black market lead solder connections.

      3. Old Man With Candy

        LH will surely incorporate Quantum Purifiers into the power supply. Otherwise, he’s just not serious.

    3. Old Man With Candy

      You’ve got some interesting options. Yes, if you use the Mullard-style input stage, you want to use a current sink on the phase splitter, and equal plate resistors. The 1625/807 family is tough, so if you’re adventurous, you could connect them in triode, put in an extra driver stage between phase splitter and output, then a source follower to drive the grids into AB2. Local feedback from the 807 plates to the new driver stage cathodes. 6S4 is a great tube to use for the driver because you can swing a lot of volts.

      Other option is to run the output stage as pentode, and do the extra driver stage and local feedback loop as above. If the output transformer sees a low impedance driving it, distortion is significantly reduced. Regulate the screens, of course.

      Have you looked at the schematic for the 50 watt PP amp in the RCA handbook? The local feedback system they use is very clever.

        1. Old Man With Candy

          One more hint: in terms of loading, they’re close to 6L6, about which there’s several fucktons of data.

          1. Festus

            NERDS!

  31. The Late P Brooks

    ‘Transracial Bodies’

    “You know… morons.”

    1. Festus

      Transubstantiave Sexual Outlaws would be a great name for another chick band that only knows the 4/4 beat. They’d be like L7 or the Donnas but suckier.

  32. l0b0t

    Food safety/science question. A bottle of balsamic vinegar has formed a very thick, gelatinous skin that, once extracted, had a density somewhere between a Jello Jiggler and a Gummi Bear. The vinegar beneath smells ok but I haven’t tasted it. How/why does this happen and is the remaining vinegar safe for consumption?

    1. sure go for it. /waits for story where l0b0t is on the can for three days straight

    2. Agent Cooper

      Balsamic Vinegar is cheap. Just go buy new.

    3. Number.6

      I doubt you’re at any kind of bacterial risk. The vinegar will take care of that, but it’s going to be more vinegar, less of the ‘good stuff’ that leached out of the barrels as it was being aged.

      I put ‘good stuff’ in quotes because if I’m gonna consume something made out of oxidized wine that probably includes the sweepings off the floor, I’m gonna drink a good, aged Port, not balsamic vinegar.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        God I miss Port as a dessert treat. Stuff gives me an instant migraine (5 minutes to onset tops).

    4. R C Dean

      That’s one of those questions that you really don’t want to ask, because you might get the answer you don’t want.

      Just get a new bottle.

    5. Suthenboy

      I am guessing some organic impurity has reacted with the acid. I had a similar reaction once when I used vinegar to pickle some…uh…I cant remember. Some kind of vegetable that I think had lots of oil, fat or pectin in it. If you didn’t put anything in it then it is probably phony balsamic made with additives.

      I’d toss it.

      1. Number.6

        Balsamic is just vinegar with concentrated and oxidized grape juice, plus whatever resins/flavors it picked up when aged in barrels (or was added in the huge stainless-steel vat they brew it in in Bayonne).

        Chances are that the long-chain carbs in there just polymerized – similar to the way 0.9 gasoline gels with age. Chemistry is fascinating, but shitty old balsamic isn-t – as Suthen says, shell out a few bucks and save your stomach.

    6. mexican sharpshooter

      That’s called “the mother” and its harmless. Regular vinegar forms that after a few months in the pantry. Its basically a glob of bacterial growth that starts forming after a few months. Its the same bacteria that made it vinegar in the first place.

      What is this slime in my vinegar?

    7. Playa Manhattan

      Polysacharides from bacterial fermentation.

    8. Lackadaisical

      “had a density somewhere between a Jello Jiggler and a Gummi Bear”

      You mean viscosity, not density. /pedant

      1. Number.6

        Be fair, some people might have a pycnometer in their kitchen.

        I’d propose that what we’re really getting here is a rough estimation of the *elasticity* more than anything else.

        /sooper pedant

        1. Lackadaisical

          Hm, probably right, I didn’t pay much attention to the exact things he compared it to, both are basically solids, iirc.

          Though, did he mean elastic modulus instead? I wouldn’t think jello and Gummi bears are noticeably different in terms of elasticity. We should do some tests.

          1. Number.6

            FOR GREAT SCIENCE!

    9. Festus

      Chuck it out and stop dipping your penis into the bottle.

  33. The Late P Brooks

    Aaaaaand, here comes the pitch!

    I fear, however, that neither of our two current approaches to funding A.I. research — small research labs in the academy and significantly larger labs in private industry — is poised to succeed. I say this as someone who has experience with both models, having worked on A.I. both as an academic researcher and as the founder of a start-up company, Geometric Intelligence, which was recently acquired by Uber.

    ——————-

    I look with envy at my peers in high-energy physics, and in particular at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, a huge, international collaboration, with thousands of scientists and billions of dollars of funding. They pursue ambitious, tightly defined projects (like using the Large Hadron Collider to discover the Higgs boson) and share their results with the world, rather than restricting them to a single country or corporation. Even the largest “open” efforts at A.I., like OpenAI, which has about 50 staff members and is sponsored in part by Elon Musk, is tiny by comparison.

    An international A.I. mission focused on teaching machines to read could genuinely change the world for the better — the more so if it made A.I. a public good, rather than the property of a privileged few.

    NEEDZ MOAR GOVERNMENT FUNDINGZ

    Think big. Call it an AI moonshot! Nothing important ever happened without the government running the show.

    Here’s a question. How much of an impediment to collaboration and the ability to leverage other people’s work is created by intellectual property law?

    1. Mustang

      Me if I were a politician: if Musk can accomplish their goal with fifty people and a few million in private funds, yet CERN can’t reach their goal with thousands of people and billions in government funds, why should I give vote to give you a dime of tax dollars?

    2. R C Dean

      How much of an impediment to collaboration and the ability to leverage other people’s work is created by intellectual property law?

      Probably fairly significant. The other hard/unanswerable question is “How much of an incentive to create new intellectual property is created by intellectual property law?”

      1. Lackadaisical

        IP is always an interesting thing to me, from a libertarian philosophical POV.

        Before IP was strongly defended, people still had trade secrets, the only difference was they did not ‘share’ them with everyone at all, if possible. See Great Britain and textile manufacturing processes. The nice thing about the way our IP system works now is that you can monetize your ideas better, while others cans till see the basic premise about how you solved a problem for free- leaving them more apt to develop other solutions as well. I tend to think of IP law as a net good, though I reject utilitarian thinking, so that doesn’t exactly justify it.

        1. robc

          zildjian has maintained their trade secret for 400 years.

          1. Number.6

            Might have something to do with that huge lime-pit at the back of their factory in MA.

          2. R C Dean

            They also have patents.

            Plus, Turks. Nobody needs that kind of trouble.

          3. Technically, aren’t they Armenian?

          4. R C Dean

            Eh, race is just a social construct anyway. You say Armenian, I say Turkish, but the heat death of the universe will still occur, so who cares.

          5. Akira

            the heat death of the universe will still occur

            That’s why we need to transition to a zero-carbon society and fund renewable energy!! There’s a consensus on universal climate change!!!

    3. Lackadaisical

      An international A.I. mission focused on teaching machines to read could genuinely change the world for the better — the more so if it made A.I. a public good, rather than the property of a privileged few.

      Yeah, I don’t trust the government, especially not an international effort to build a good AI- if something bad is going to happen because of AI, I’m sure that program would be the one to create our own Skynet analog.

      1. Agent Cooper

        rather than the property of a privileged few.

        Huh? Does no one understand time, energy, effort and funding required to develop AI?

        Or are they just talking about the few who can buy the technology once developed]?

        1. Lackadaisical

          I think he imagines only rich people will develop or be able to afford to own an AI (and since they didn’t make/earn their wealth…).

          Just like what historically happened with smart phones, computers and cars.

          1. Agent Cooper

            LIke Google Home and Amazon Alexa don’t exist. My aunt has one for crying out loud!

  34. The Late P Brooks

    Ferrari’s depreciate that much?

    The new ones do.

    1. Count Potato

      Especially if you crash them.

  35. LT_Fish

    Hoooah! Would love to work on a brand new one with the systems they’ve got now. High end shite!

    1. LT_Fish

      Reminder, this was the guy who was apparently “clinically dead” when he saved his team-mates. The politics on this BS are so ridiculous compared to WWII or any previous timeframe. Standards are ridiculously high.

      1. Gustave Lytton

        Meanwhile DOD is falling over itself searching the history books for medal upgrades, supposedly in the name of fairness, but really is all about scoring political points.

    1. Lackadaisical

      That guy is in good shape for 72, wtf?

      Also, what a dickbag.

      1. Count Potato

        No pics of the wife though (and before she got shot).

  36. Zero Sum Game

    Wherein, ENB loses her shit over a sandwich joke and encourages others to harm the teller’s future employment prospects.

    RT to help ensure Aaron Sobczak’s prospective employers know this when they search for Aaron Sobczak’s name

    Oh.

    It’s a staple from him and other young men in right-libertarian circles online

    We’re all like this. All of us.

    I dont intend to leave my tweet up long. Not really looking to cause career damage, just maybe think twice about being a sexist clown online

    She realizes that what she is encouraging goes against her reputed principles, but doesn’t care. She’s still mad and wants to use her position to amplify her anger.

    More feminist these days than libertarian, methinks.

    1. Gustave Lytton

      Just like the overwhelming majority of reason staffers. Another one coming out of their lib-curious phase.

      1. Lackadaisical

        She came to libertarianism ‘from the left’, so not exactly lib-curious.

        1. Gustave Lytton

          Meant it as shorthand for libertarian-curious. Being libertarian at reason, before the current outbreak of TDS, was an affectation to be discarded as soon as the next job offer appeared.

          1. Lackadaisical

            Oh, thought you meant liberal-curious. 😉

            I agree.

        2. John Titor

          A remember that ENB thought it was her ‘white privilege’ that made it so the cops didn’t harass her too much when she went into an off-limits zone at the Republican national convention. Yep, I’m sure those cops would treat a white male in the exact same way they treated an attractive female.

          1. Lackadaisical

            But Women are victims of the patriarchy, so, you’re obviously more privileged than she is.

          2. John Titor

            If I ended up in the same place as ENB did, my Bosnian terrorist-looking ass would either be up against the wall being searched or pepper sprayed when I refused. I would not get to have a initially mildly tense conversation that I could then write an article about while trying to shove in left-wing talking points that aren’t reflective of reality.

    2. DOOMco

      issa joke.

      1. Zero Sum Game

        It’s a joke in the… dun dun DUUUUUUN Age of Trump!!!!!11oneone11!!!

    3. wdalasio

      And this is why I couldn’t get too bothered by ENB’s roasting at the hands of her social justice cadre friends. She’s picked her values. And liberty isn’t really all that high up on her list. She’s just of the belief that (some) liberty can serve those values.

      1. Number.6

        I was going to sign up for twitter just so I could put “Toughen up, snowflake” on her timeline when when she was first dog-piled . I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t, otherwise my career would be in ruins.

    4. Lackadaisical

      I’m more offended because the joke is dull and unoriginal.

      1. DOOMco

        That’s true.

        1. Gustave Lytton

          Also, fried chicken.

      2. Count Potato

        Let’s combine them:

        ENB can make Kat Timpf a sandwich 😉

    5. DOOMco

      This shouldn’t anger me as much as it has.

    6. DOOMco

      The internet remembers.

    7. R C Dean

      Which is it, Lizzy?

      RT to help ensure Aaron Sobczak’s prospective employers know this

      or

      Not really looking to cause career damage,

      Pick one. Oh, I think you did. I was never really on the “burn the witch” train for ENB, but I’m thinking maybe they had a point. What disingenuous cunt move.

      1. DOOMco

        Reason is lost.

        1. Stinky Wizzleteats

          It is and it’s really a shame.

          1. DOOMco

            I had been checking in on occasion. no more.

        2. Zero Sum Game

          In more ways than one.

          1. Lackadaisical

            Still would, just make sure I have an exit plan.

          2. Number.6

            Don’t tell her your real name, address, phone number, and obscure any distinguishing physical characteristics.

        3. John Titor

          Reason delenda est.

          1. Festus

            Double plus good comment.

      2. Rufus the Monocled

        She definitely has earned a disappointing raised eyebrow from me.

        She’s a liberal. Not a libertarian.

        To even remotely suggest that is a progressive move.

    8. Stinky Wizzleteats

      Small wonder the other place has gone into the toilet.

    9. AlmightyJB

      Least it wasn’t a picture of knee pads. Although that would have been fucking hilarious.

    10. Suthenboy

      This explains a lot about why Reason in particular, but many other publications behave the way they do. They are essentially High School cliques of herd animals that only wear their philosophies like team jerseys.

    11. John Titor

      DC and Twitter groupthink are effectively mental poison. The more obnoxious thing about ENB nowadays is that she narcissistically sees herself as some kind of cultural gatekeeper of libertarianism now, lecturing its adherents on their sins. When in reality she can fuck off back to the feminist camp and not be a major loss at all.

      1. Count Potato

        But tell us how you really feel.

      2. Number.6

        You mean she’s Virginia Postrel?

        1. Suthenboy

          That is the first thing that popped in my head.

          Face it Number.6, you just aren’t elegant.

          1. Number.6

            I consider my inelegance to be both a virtue and blessing.

          2. John Titor

            Spoken like a true Cockney. Now back to the poorhouse to eat porridge with you.

          3. Number.6

            I am, in the words of one of my old, Mancunian friends:

            “Smooth as a mare’s ass”

            The origin of that must be pretty obscure. The gypsy in me ought to know best, but I never thought that a horse’s ass of any type was particularly rough. Maybe I need some Glib Input.

    12. DOOMco

      Aaron, the man in question, no longer has a twitter account.

      1. DOOMco

        oh, never mind. he does, he changed it and locked it.
        Way to go, dickhead.

    13. DOOMco

      she’s doubling down, even though 90% of the responses to the first one are “ummmm, what the fuck are you doing?”

      1. Number.6

        Alrighty.

        “Get your peanuts here! Get your lovely peanuts here! Special price, only today, only for this event, only for the gallery!”

      2. trshmnstr

        This is what happens when you go all TDS and SJW and alienate your entire readership base.

        1. Festus

          Two middle fingers raised and a healthy dose of mwahahahahah!

      3. John Titor

        It’s really, really pathetic when someone gets a brief and tiny taste of power and their immediate response is to use it to abuse others for extremely shallow reasons. What’s even worse is her secondary comment about how high-and-mighty she is for not trying to destroy his career too much. Oh yes, how noble of you.

        1. DOOMco

          It’s a fellow libertarian. (not that I think we should follow Reagan’s 11th)
          Who made a fairly common and not that funny joke.
          On twitter, at ladiesofliberty, who laughed and sent a joke back to him.

          1. John Titor

            ENB has already shown a willingness to go after ‘fellow’ libertarians who don’t tow hers or Reason’s line on particular subjects. That’s why she was accusing Lauren Southern of being ‘alt-right’. Her feminist authoritarian tendencies have been shining through since the election.

          2. Festus

            Huh. You fuck with Lauren and I will cut you!

        2. F. Stupidity Jr.

          I’d like to see the weaponized autists at /pol to have a go at ENB, but I don’t guess she’s important enough for them to bother.

        3. The Elite Elite

          The mask has certainly slipped off a lot of people this past year. Not that I was ever a fan of ENB.

          1. F. Stupidity Jr.

            In her case, it was one of those masks that barely covers the area surrounding the eyes that you hold up by a stick.

          2. The Elite Elite

            Indeed. Just looks at her twitter profile. “Libertarian, feminist.” Um, those two are mutually exclusive. You can’t be both a libertarian and a feminist. That’s like claiming to be a Christian Atheist

    14. Somalian Road Corporation

      I know I’m far from the only one saying this, but, man, have I developed one hell of an aversion reaction to that blue Twitter checkmark. ENB is probably sick of getting hassled for her literally Hitlerian stance on “net neutrality” at cocktail parties or whatnot, so she’s gotta social signal on Twitter.

  37. The Late P Brooks

    However “jokes” like these are intended, they can be tedious & discouraging to young libertarian women who are already tokenized a lot

    THIS IS WHY THERE ARE NO LIBERTARIAN WOMEN

    Boys are icky poopooheads.

    1. Agent Cooper

      “already tokenized a lot”

      Oh, they be tokin’-ized.

  38. Lackadaisical

    These Saturday Morning Links Could Cure Cancer

    *checks online*

    Nope, SJWs are still around, and John McCain is still kicking.

  39. Rufus the Monocled

    From the other site. A comment you all may enjoy:

    “C. S. P. Schofield|7.28.17 @ 7:10PM|#

    In fact, let me elaborate;

    I am sick to the teeth of the Progressive Left overstating things to an absurd degree, not least because it the actual atrocity happens people will be so overloaded by bullshit that it will go unremarked for far too long.

    Case in point; The allies in WWI put out a lot of atrocity stories about ‘The Hun’, all of them (so far as history has judged, anyway) unmitigated dung. In WWI the germans bayonetted no babies that anyone could trace, raped no nuns that anyone could discover, and so on. Then, when a certain Austrian Corporal started to actually mass murder vast populations, it took far too long to convince the world that he was ACTUALLY as bad as ‘The Hun’ had been said to be just a couple of decades before.

    No, sweetheart, a bad end to a consensual relationship is not rape.

    No, snowflake, somebody verbally arguing against your fondly held political beliefs is not violence.

    No, damnit, George Bush was not a demented Austrian paperhanger. And neither is Donald Trump. And saying so disrespects the men and women who fought that monster, and the ones he killed.

    Furthermore , if either of these American Presidents DID in any important way resemble Adolph Hitler, you would be far too frightened to open your yaps.

    *spit*”

    1. Lackadaisical

      “A comment you all may enjoy:”

      So used to this being said sarcastically that I was expecting the derp to drop at any minute.

      1. Rufus the Monocled

        Just call me the Cackling Canadian trickster.

    2. Number.6

      Did anyone figure out why CPS didn’t come over here (unless he did)(unless I used the wrong gender-pronoun)?

      1. DOOMco

        some people thought it was invite only?

        1. Number.6

          HEY! I NEVER GOT AN INVITE, AND I STILL MADE IT HERE!

          Yeah, I expect some people here wish it had been invite only, too.

        2. Scruffy Nerfherder

          What libertarian needs an invite?

          *gambols*

  40. Lackadaisical

    These Saturday Morning Links Could Cure Cancer

    *checks internet*

    Nope, SJWs are still out there.

    1. AlmightyJB

      I got cancer reading the links

  41. robc

    Daughters gever is gone, she is eating and drinking again, and no sign of rash. lokks like the roseola diagnosis was wrong.

    Who kmows what she actually had.

    1. Number.6

      Some kids just ‘do’ that. Formerly-Teenage Libertarian Student Daughter did that a few times when she was small, and it’s very disturbing when nobody can give an accurate diagnosis.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Good to hear. Gever sucks.

    3. R C Dean

      Good news.

      From what I can tell, not having had kids, is that they are tougher, and more fragile, than people think.

      I was dozing off to a House Hunters ep with a young couple that had a 2 year old. Holy fucking shit, the mother was like a caricature of the helicopter mom (and I’ve seen others like her). No stairs; her baby might fall down them. No fireplace; her baby might burn himself or hit his head on the mantle corner. No overhang on the kitchen island; her baby might hit his head on the corner. The backyard couldn’t be too steep. On and on.

      I wanted her husband to tell her “Look, he’s a boy. Getting hurt is how he learns. You better be ready to deal with cuts, bruises, burns, and broken bones, because that’s what happens to normal boys, AND THAT’S OK. If you raise him so that he never ever hurts himself, then you will have done a bad job of parenting, and raised an abnormal person. Don’t do that.”

      OTOH, infections, illnesses – most of them bounce right off, but some don’t with lifetime consequences.

      1. Your first mistake was watching HGTV.

      2. trshmnstr

        No stairs; her baby might fall down them. No fireplace; her baby might burn himself or hit his head on the mantle corner. No overhang on the kitchen island; her baby might hit his head on the corner. The backyard couldn’t be too steep. On and on.

        They were looking for a snow machine; a breeding ground for snowflakes.

    1. Agent Cooper

      Not enough Kek.

    2. straffinrun

      We aren’t dropping anyone anywhere. They’re our betters and will act as such. Enjoy the ever shrinking window of freedom until it snaps shut, lopping the tip of your tally whacker off.

      1. straffinrun

        Apologies for the pessimistism, but give me a reason to be optimistic.

        1. F. Stupidity Jr.

          give me a reason to be optimistic.

          We all get to die one day.

          1. AlmightyJB

            Blessed nothingness

          2. straffinrun

            That’s all we got. Trying to go back into the past where humans were largely free from leviathon is a fool’s errand. Well, maybe not a “fool’s errand” but certainly not anything that will pay off for your kids or their kids.

          3. Lackadaisical

            I am also becoming increasingly pessimistic. Both Democrats and republicans want to push us towards a more controlling/all powerful government, and the centrists and most of the remaining leftists are the same or worse.

          4. Suthenboy

            “Trying to go back into the past where humans were largely free”

            There is no such thing, never has been. Humans have been yoking their own kind since before we were human. Chattel Slavery was the order of the day for everyone until 30 seconds ago and now it just takes another form. If they weren’t being put into chains they were being put into the soup pot. These days we are being made into tax cattle.

          5. trshmnstr

            There is no such thing, never has been. Humans have been yoking their own kind since before we were human.

            The difference now is the all-consuming nature of the state. In the past, you could escape into the frontier if the yoke was too heavy. Today, it’s a zoo instead of a frontier. You can escape the circus, but you’re still in a cage.

        2. Stinky Wizzleteats
          1. F. Stupidity Jr.

            Is Kid Rock going to maintain his dirtbag look throughout his candidacy?

          2. Stinky Wizzleteats

            For his campaign it’ll be a selling point.

          3. straffinrun

            Thanks, Stinky. I take anything at this point.

    1. Stinky Wizzleteats

      Been looking for a new ringtone. Done and done.

      1. DOOMco

        perfect.

  42. Derpetologist

    Progs may not be trying to get Trump re-elected, but, well, just watch:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVZQgik-0jg

    1. Stinky Wizzleteats

      Made through one verse. That was just terrible.

    2. F. Stupidity Jr.

      The Likes/Dislikes ratio got a smile out of me.

      1. DOOMco

        I helped.

    3. Count Potato

      Well, that’s just tired.

    4. The Elite Elite

      God, that was cancer. Also love when they throw in catcalling as “sexist oppression.” You know, on my first job I was catcalled by a couple of female customers. They were both actually rather attractive women. My first thought was these women have bad taste catcalling me. My second was I have no idea how to respond to this. I didn’t think “OMG SEXISM!”

      1. Akira

        I guess I’m being oppressed when I take off my shirt while jogging and girls yell lewd remarks as they drive by.

        1. trshmnstr

          “Put a shirt on, fatass” and “This is a Chuck-E-Cheese, you’re being inappropriate” may be rude remarks, but they’re not lewd.

          1. Akira

            Then they’re body-shaming me, which is just as bad! Nobody understands my health-at-every-size lifestyle…

          2. You’re living proof that it’s possible to be healthy at three inches uncut.

      2. Proof or not real. :-p

        1. The Elite Elite

          I suppose I could ask the store for surveillance footage. But I don’t remember the dates the events happened, and the system is video only (and poor quality video too), no audio.

  43. Derpetologist
    1. leonadasiv

      I’ve heard it both ways.

    2. LT_Fish

      It wasn’t.

  44. Derpetologist

    Dramatic Re-enactment: Derpy stumbles upon Current Affairs magazine

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmWuwqR5qjA

  45. Derpetologist

    Minnesota University Discussion Group Bars Straight White Students From Attending
    https://heatst.com/culture-wars/minnesota-university-discussion-group-bars-straight-white-students-from-attending/

    ***
    The University of Minnesota offers a program called “Tongues Untied” that is reserved exclusively for “People of Color who identify as LGBTQIA and/or Same-Gender-Loving.”

    According to the university’s website, “the group serves to connect students, staff, faculty, and the Twin Cities community by holding discussion groups that focus on how race, sexuality, and gender impact our lived experiences.”

    Specifically, the program involves “social and educational gatherings for U of M students,” “discussions and panels for local public school Gay-Straight Alliances,” and collaborations with “local community organizations of color.”

    The website makes very clear that “Tongues Untied” is not intended for white and/or straight students, posting a disclaimer stating, “For our allies: we do appreciate your voices and commitment to dismantling racism and homophobia; however, please note that this is a space created for LGBTQIA and/or same-gender-loving people of color.”

    The University of Minnesota is a public, four-year university, and Tongues Untied is run by the school’s “Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life.”
    ***

    1. Agent Cooper

      My Whites Only Club will go over swimmingly, I’m sure.

      1. Lackadaisical

        Government funded whites only club.

        You know, to talk about straight white guy stuff in a safe space.

      2. F. Stupidity Jr.

        My Whites Only Club will go over swimmingly

        ARE YOU SAYING BLACK BODIES CAN’T SWIM??

    2. kbolino

      LGBTQIA and/or Same-Gender-Loving

      Two thoughts here…

      1. If you are actually asexual (the A in LGBTQIA), why would you want to be around people who talk about sex all the goddamn time?

      2. Isn’t “same-gender loving” redundant with LGB?

      1. Lackadaisical

        There are too many letters in the acronym for even the professional victims to keep track, or else there is some other minute division they invented between people.

    3. Rufus the Monocled

      Then they wonder why ‘white nationalism’ is on the rise.

      And to be perfectly honest, we do have to rebut them at every turn. They want to erase Western history because it stands in their way; just like The Constitution.

      What I see is this:

      Duped person: “BUT YOU SAID YOU WEREN’T MARXIST!’
      Marxist: We say a lot of things. But yes. We are. Too bad. Next time don’t be such a naif.

  46. Derpetologist

    Mountie in red serge uniform chases bear out of a national park

    ***
    July 28 (UPI) — A Mountie, wearing a formal uniform, was spotted chasing a bear out of a national park in a “very Canadian” moment.

    Damian Gillis shared video of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer in his red serge uniform attempting to shoo a black bear away from Waterton Lakes National Park townsite in Southern Alberta.

    “Nothing more Canadian than an RCMP officer in red serge and a black bear,” Gillis said. “Truly Canadian image to celebrate Canada 150.”

    The officer featured in the video, Sgt. Clayton Wilbern, told the CBC he was trying to find the owner of a lost wallet when a paramedic told him there a bear had been spotted in the area.

    “It was heading towards a playground where there was a whole bunch of kids playing,” Wilbern said. “So we tried to get it to go around the playground, which luckily we did…Hundreds of people were watching us as we were trying to get the poor little guy out.”

    Wilbern added he was dressed in the special red serge as part of an initiative by the RCMP to wear the uniform as often as possible while interacting with the public in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary.

    “It was very Canadian,” he said.
    ***

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xly2a_hgKnM

    1. SP

      Awww. It was just a baby. Black bears aren’t generally aggressive anyway.

  47. Derpetologist

    Wow! There’s a bird that can fly at 37,000 feet.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_by_flight_heights

    1. Suthenboy

      That seems…uh…0.2 atmospheres? Also, why?

      1. Gilmore

        Also, why?

        I assume because it could then glide like 100s of miles at a time?

        it probably just floats its way up to altitude on hot air updrafts (like the way hang gliders do), then glides distances to its target destination. An incredibly efficient way for something to travel 1000s of miles with little actual calorie expenditure

      2. Gdragon

        Well, who the fuck wants to have to deal with other birds? I would think as a libertarian you would understand that… 37,000 feet is like mom’s basement for birds.

        1. Festus

          You win. That is all.

  48. Derpetologist

    https://youtu.be/OUAiqfJO4qI?t=3m18s

    Trump meme: Starship Troopers

    I larfed.

  49. Derpetologist

    [anguished shriek]

    President Barack Obama Owns Anthony Scaramucci | All In | MSNBC
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLRhqcAtICc

    1. kbolino

      President Barack Obama

      Did it happen before January 21, 2017 or are they just feting him as the eternal president?

      1. leonadasiv

        He gets to wear his triumph regalia everywhere.

        That or he changed his first name to president.