A “hot take” on Catalonia and the recent crackdown by the Spanish central government.
The central government in Spain decided to use force to disrupt the independence referendum held by the Catalan regional government. Exact figures on the vote are not available – partially due to Spanish police seizing ballot boxes, and the lack of independent verification or accounting of the votes. However, the regional prime minister claims victory for the “yes” vote.
The stance of the EU, normally ready to moralize at the drop of a hat, was muted at best. At worst, it was quite unhelpful. Worrying about the EU’s integrity camefirst. Unsurprisingly, France backed Spain. The US said something similar(NOTE: this was a bit ago, but current events have absorbed all attention here).
The most interesting reactions, I figured, would be from Italy. Two of their regions are going after greater autonomy this month. There appears to be a bit of a split of opinion amongst the figures moving for autonomy in Italy…while the central government was quite silent.
No official statement was made on the referendum by Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who told journalists the week before the vote that he considered it “a question for Spain”, or Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano.
So we see little to no support from governments, or the extragovernmental bureaubehemoth EU. This leads me to some questions of you, the resident libertarians (or close enough to it).
Should the Catalans (or Kurds or Lombards) be able to vote themselves out of the country?
If their vote is not recognized, disrupted or such – what do they do next? Civil disobedience? Guerrilla warfare? Full on revolt? Grin and bear it?
What would you do if you were a Catalan, Kurd or Lombard who wanted out?
What happens when you donate a million bucks to the victims of a horrible mass shooting? Apparently what happens if you’re the UFC: people give you a ration of shit in the comments. By the way, I’m convinced LaVar Ball is the smartest man involved in basketball. Its front-page news when he decides to homeschool his next cash register so he doesn’t have any distractions. Dude is just printing money while people call him crazy and/or a drag on his sons. But they’re gonna end up with max contracts anyway. And he’ll stay in the spotlight for as long as he wants, because he’s the man holding the strings and the sports media are the puppets.
Baseball playoffs start tonight at 7 when the Twins visit the Bronx. Santana (MIN) vs Severino (NYY) ought to be a good matchup. The two Dominicans, which I have nothing but respect for, both have solid records and ERAs, even if the former isn’t quite the strikeout artist the latter is. He’s got a lot more big game experience, which should offset that. I am picking the Twins to win 5-2.
Got enough sports in? I hope so, because there’s nothing else going on except for baseball until the hockey season officially starts…tomorrow! Soccer WC qualifiers kick back into gear this weekend too, as the final two rounds of the CONCACAF Hexagonal and European groupings take place. I see a playoff for the Americans though. So they’ll get another chance next month to blow it.
Okey-dokey then. Let’s take a ganders at…the links.
Tired of standing in his fellow race-baiter Ta Nehisi Coates’s shadow, Chauncey De Vega goes completely up his own asshole with this one. (It’s Salon, so consider yourself warned! Although he gets torn to shreds in a good many of the comments.) Bonus Salon derp about guns from AmanDUH Marcotte. And I’m sorry for coming right out of the box with not one, but two Salon pieces. Its my way of thanking you for reaching the 1000 comment plateau with yesterday’s morning links. The reward for 2000 is better, as it involves good edit faeries engaged in some…frolicking, shall we say. But only one way to find out what that entails.
Seems like a reasonable request
Catalan leader takes the high road in standoff with Madrid. I swear, he must have watched Ghandi recently and seen how passive resistance in the face of violent state acts can net positive results once the world is made aware. Its why the Soviet Union kept such a tight lid on media as the socialist nation was butchering tens of millions of her own people. Same for China, as far as it keeping a lid on media, butchering tens of millions and being socialist. Let’s see what Brussels says. (My guess is nothing, as they are all about more nations and cultures being dragged under one umbrella for the sweet, sweet money they can extract from them. )
Tom Petty had a heart attack and died yesterday. The famous musician was 66 and didn’t appear to be in poor health. I enjoyed some of his music in moderation. I never saw him in concert and never really felt the urge to, but I’d rarely change the station if something of his came on. He will be sadly missed by many fans of his music and lifestyle.
Congress doesn’t renew CHIP program. Hey, children hardest hit is true for once. I guess its time for the states to take care of their own people if they want to, as this was never supposed to be the responsibility of the nation’s taxpayers in the first place.
I know it’s been a crazy morning, so I’ll just give you two items of good news: 1) The Bucs have now won more games on field goals than when they had college superstar (and fellow FSU alumnus) Roberto Aguayo. I hope that guy can get better and isn’t completely unable to play his position again like Rick Ankiel — ‘Beto don’t have the body to switch positions in football and 2) DeShaun Watson can, in fact, complete passes if given enough time. Learn from Cam Newton, kid. Next year, they’ll have enough film for linebackers to go head-hunting.
I’m not saying it was a gremlin, but thank God Bill Shatner was there.
Republicans realize that more than half their base don’t give a shit if they have jobs or not next year. That’s right. They want you to actually fucking do something with that power, not keep expanding job opportunities for idiot nephews of elected officials.
“We need to be honest about the fact that there are some powerful people inside the Republican Party who have no interest in governing,” he told me. “They’re focused like a laser on decapitating the party’s leadership, and have no interest in growing the party’s base into a lasting majority.”
Salina Zito has a great article on how the future is unevenly distributed. I post this because, for me, American and to perhaps a greater extent continued Western success will depend much on whether the government either: (a) gets out of the way and lets individuals and groups build their own successful programs or (b) magically finds a way to prepare people for the coming future. Whether you’re going to be a suddenly displaced home weaver, or the manager of a weaving factory depends on your own ability to adapt. But I hope that organic groups like maker spaces and user groups help with that.
The Juice is loose (and is telling people to fuck off about his plans). Pitino has his house up for sale and swears he’ll be vindicated in the college basketball scandal that has effectively cost him his job. The favorites all won in college ball this weekend. Oh wait, that’s not true. Troy beat LSU at home. That’s TROY. And that’s awesome. Their fans were chanting “S-E-C” as the clock ran out, which for me was reminiscent of when my section started doing it at the Sugar Bowl a few years ago as we beat Bama. But that was Ohio State, not Troy. Meanwhile, the Men Of Troy went to Washington State and lost. Which leaves Washington and Washington State as the two lone undefeated in the Pac-12. Ohio State annihilated Rutgers, as expected. But another beatdown in the local area took place that was maybe not as expected in the Presidents Cup, as the USA team shellacked the Internationals and all but had it locked up before singles play even started. And what’s scary is that almost all of the players on the USA team are in their 20s. So this could be a regular occurrence for some time to come.
The 2017 playoffs are set! And we’ve got all your coverage right here. The Yankees will host the Twins tomorrow in the AL Wild Card and the winner will head to Cleveland to take on a surging Indians team. And having finished their series at Fenway, the Red Sox and Astros will head to Houston to start another series…only one that matters a lot more. That starts Thursday. On the senior circuit, the Rockies head to Phoenix to face the D-backs. The winner will face a Dodgers team that is leaking oil. And the Cubs will head to our nation’s capital to start their series against the Nationals later this week. My WC picks: Twins and D-Backs win. I’ll make by divisional series picks once the matches are set (and I get to reset if I’ve made a mistake).
That’s all for sports. I know there’s one thing that will be sucking the air out of the other news, so let’s get to…the links!
A guy who got his clock cleaned in the presidential primary by the eventual winner is thinking about leaving the party. You’ll be missed, John. See you in 2020 when you get less than 2% support before fading into the history books.
Did you ever wonder if Canada was more cosmopolitan than the United States? Well wonder no more. That’s what I call classy.
I know I brought the place up before, but its DEFINITELY going to be the host of the first statewide Texas Glibs meet up now. Hell, we might have to start hosting the staff and/or board meetings there too. (It might be borderline NSFW for the more prudish employers, but its on the website of a major American newspaper, so i’m feeling fine about posting it.)
ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. IT APPEARS THAT ZARDOZ IS NEEDED EVERYWHERE. GRAIN, GUNS OR ENFORCERS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND. BUT NO MATTER THE DEMANDS ON ZARDOZ, HIS CHOSEN ONES WILL STILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE LINK.
ZARDOZ AWAITS THE CALL FROM MADRID FOR BRUTAL ENFORCERS – IT APPEARS THE ONES THEY ARE USING ARE ONLY GOOD AT “WOUNDING” – THEY NEED TO GO FORTH AND KILL!
ZARDOZ ALSO THINKS THESE BRUTAL ENFORCERS ARE DOING IT WRONG. ZARDOZ MOCKS THE ENFORCERS LAME EXCUSE.
ZARDOZ SEES THAT SPAIN IS NOT THE ONLY BRUTAL COUNTRY WITH SEPARATIST ISSUES. ENGLISH SPEAKING BRUTALS SHOULD NEVER HAVE JOINED WITH FRENCH SPEAKING BRUTALS. WHAT KIND OF STATE WOULD RESULT FROM THAT?
ZARDOZ THINKS BRUTALS AT SPORTSBALL GAMES SHOULD SHOW DISPLEASURE WITH BULLETS, NOT BOOS. GO FORTH AND KILL!
ZARDOZ WONDERS IF BRUTAL SINGER WILL NO LONGER BE ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE NOW?
ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. DESPITE ZARDOZ’S SUPERIOR ADVICE, IT APPEARS THE BRUTAL “DEAR PRUDENCE” IS STILL ATTEMPTING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM ADVICE WANTING BRUTALS. IT IS UP TO ZARDOZ TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT, AND GIVE THE SUPERIOR ADVICE.
BETTER ADVICEPOOR ADVICE
Q:Years ago, while my wife and I were separated, I foolishly slept with “Molly,” who became pregnant with my daughter “Ally.” I reconciled with my wife, and ultimately we won custody of Ally when she was 9, after Molly went through a series of boyfriends and made repeated sexual overtures toward me. My wife has been incredible, but Molly’s influence has been strong. After completing her court-ordered therapy, Molly filed for custody when Ally was 13, and two years later Ally went to live with her permanently. Ally went from respectful and sweet to insubordinate and cruel. Finally, she used racial epithets against my wife and stepdaughters, and I threw her out of the house. She did the same thing when my wife and I came to her high school graduation. Molly looked so proud of her.
Ally is now 21. I haven’t spoken to her beyond a phone call on Christmas and her birthday unless she needs money. My wife openly grieves for the little girl that we lost, and my stepdaughters refuse to acknowledge Ally. I can’t blame them. I blame myself for not fighting harder, but what is done is done. At what point do I give up? Ally is sweet until she doesn’t get what she wants. The last time it was because I wouldn’t bail her drug-using boyfriend from jail; before that, it was when I wouldn’t buy her another car after she wrecked hers. I am tired and have no desire to do this dance for the next 20 years. I am at the end of my rope. For the record, I always paid my child support, while Molly didn’t pay a dime when Ally lived with me. I love my daughter, but I also love my wife and stepdaughters. I would give anything to have the Ally who I raised back, but that is an impossibility now. I don’t know what to do.
—Do I Give Up?
A: FOOLISH BRUTAL! YOU CREATED NEW LIFE. YOUR ANSWER WAS NOT TO GIVE UP YEARS LATER, BUT TO PURIFY THE EARTH OF THE FILTH OF BRUTALS. YOU MUST CORRECT YOUR ERROR. GO FORTH AND KILL! ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.
Q: I’m 31 and was with my ex-husband, Charlie, for 12 years. In May he told me he’d fallen in love with his co-worker and asked me for a divorce. I thought our marriage could be saved and tried to persuade Charlie to reconcile, but he was utterly done with me. I upset him by not accepting the end of our marriage, and he told me in no uncertain terms that we’d never really loved each other, that our marriage was a lie, and that his co-worker was his true love. I know he finds my heartbreak pathetic. I wish I could hate him, but I just miss him. I know our marriage is over and will move on, but I’m struggling to accept that our entire marriage was a fraud. I love Charlie, and he convinced me (and our friends and families) that he felt the same. How do you mourn the end of a relationship when the other person tells you that you imagined the whole thing?
—Was My Marriage a Lie?
A: YOU MUST ADOPT THE ATTITUDE OF THE TABERNACLE. TELL THE BRUTAL CHARLIE “YOU HAVE PENETRATED ME. THERE IS NO ESCAPE. YOU ARE WITHIN ME. COME INTO MY CENTER. COME INTO THE CENTER OF THE CRYSTAL.” WHILE THE BRUTAL CHARLIE TRIES TO FIGURE THIS STATEMENT OUT, GO AND CLEANSE HIS CO-WORKER. ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.
Q:In order to teach our young kids about money, when we started giving them an allowance, we had them place 10 percent into investments we managed on their behalf. This has gone well for our older son—better than we could have ever guessed, thanks to some amazingly lucky investments. Our banker has suggested that by the time our son reaches adulthood, the fund could be greater than anything we imagined when we created it. Our problem is what to do about our younger son, who is unlikely to see the same return on his investments. We have unwittingly created a situation of extreme inequality among our kids.
Since my older son is a minor and the account is in my name, I am able to transfer some of the value to our other son’s account. Part of me thinks this is fair, since the investment plan wasn’t initiated by either of our children, so I can’t tell my younger son that his brother deserves the money due to his own wise planning. Our older son had luck and timing on his side, and nothing else. Should I divide the money in the name of equal treatment?
—Money Management
A: IGNORANT BRUTAL! YOU SHOULD PLUNDER BOTH ACCOUNTS, AND SPEND THE FUNDS ON THE GUN. IF EITHER OF YOUR MISERABLE OFFSPRING QUESTION WHERE THE MONEY IS, SIMPLY USE THE WORDS OF THE TABERNACLE – “CAUTION: YOU ARE APPROACHING THE PERIPHERY SHIELD OF VORTEX FOUR. CAUTION: YOU ARE APPROACHING THE PERIPHERY SHIELD OF VORTEX FOUR.” ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.
Apologies for the tardiness- I have now had two computers in the past three days ascend to join Jesus in Heaven. So my planned football-themed links may be a bit abbreviated.
The top news is, of course, The Juice Is Loose. Now more than ever, we need common-sense knife control laws.
STEVE SMITH ALL CAUGHT UP ON RAPE QUOTA…SO WILL TAKE THE NIGHT OFF. HA, HA – FOOLED YOU. STEVE SMITH NEVER TAKE TIME OFF FROM HIKER RAPE! OR PARK RANGER RAPE. OR BIGFOOT HUNTER RAPE. OR ANY RAPE. THAT IS LIFE AS RAPESQUATCH!
BUT STEVE SMITH WILL GIVE LINKS FOR FUNNY GLIBERTARIAN PEOPLE. THEY MAKE STEVE SMITH LAUGH. WHEN STEVE SMITH HAPPY, HE RAPE WITH A BIGGER SMILE ON HIS FACE!
STEVE SMITH THINK FRIEND ZARDOZ WOULD LIKE THIS GUY. HE GO FORTH AND KILL.
NOW STEVE SMITH KNOW WHERE POLITICIANS MIGHT GO FIND MONEY.
ADAM SILVER NOW GOING TO BE OFF SJW LIKE LIST, STEVE SMITH PREDICTS.
STEVE SMITH SHOCKED TO FIND POLICE GET LIGHTER TREATMENTTHAN REGULAR PEOPLE.
STEVE SMITH HOPE YOU LIKE LINKS. NOW TO GO TO RV PARK AND ENJOY EVENING. AND BY ENJOY, MEAN RAPE.
