See if you can spot the recurring theme…


Why America needs a hate speech law

When I was a journalist, I loved Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.’s assertion that the Constitution and the First Amendment are not just about protecting “free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.”

But as a government official traveling around the world championing the virtues of free speech, I came to see how our First Amendment standard is an outlier. Even the most sophisticated Arab diplomats that I dealt with did not understand why the First Amendment allows someone to burn a Koran. Why, they asked me, would you ever want to protect that?

It’s a fair question. Yes, the First Amendment protects the “thought that we hate,” but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another. In an age when everyone has a megaphone, that seems like a design flaw.

Oh, fuck off.

(And an additional “fuck off” for being behind a paywall.)


John Legend to Remix ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside,’ Will Remove Problematic Elements and Promote Consent

“Hold on, hold on,” he says, when this reporter looks skeptical about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” It turns out that Legend has updated the lyrics with Natasha Rothwell (Insecure) and recorded it with his fellow The Voice coach Kelly Clarkson. The song’s every bit as fun and swinging as the original, and its newfound sensitivity feels genuine, not performative.

“What will my friends think…” sings Clarkson.

“I think they should rejoice,” Legend responds.

“…if I have one more drink?”

“It’s your body, and your choice.”

Oh, fuck off.


Court rules Colorado man who lost home in SWAT team standoff with shoplifter is owed NO compensation

A federal appeals court ruled that a home owner isn’t owed any compensation by police after a SWAT team blasted away at his Colorado house in a stand-off with an armed shoplifter and left the property a total loss.

Leo Lech sued after police in the village of Greenwood fired gas munition and 40-millimeter rounds through the windows of his home in the June 2015 standoff with the shoplifter who had barricaded himself inside.

Cops even went as far as driving an armored vehicle through the doors, tossed flash-bang grenades inside and detonated explosives in the walls of the property.

A federal appeals court ruled Leo Lech isn’t owed any compensation by police after a SWAT team blasted away at his Colorado house (pictured) in a stand-off with an armed shoplifter and left the property a total loss

Lech, who had estimated his losses at about $250,000 and filed a civil suit seeking compensation for the damages, was told he would get nothing by a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Tuesday, reports the Washington Post.

Oh, fuck off.


Oh, fuck off.


An Interview With the Mayor Who Banned Trick-or-Treating for Anyone Over 12

Belleville, Illinois, has forbidden teenagers from trick-or-treating since 2008, with no plans to back down. Belleville, just across the Mississippi River from Saint Louis, is the county seat of St. Clair County and the most populated city in Southern Illinois. It is also the town where the company now called Jelly Belly Candy Co.—which helped popularize candy corn—was founded in 1869. Mark Eckert, the mayor of Belleville, signed an ordinance in 2008 that banned anyone older than 12 from trick-or-treating. More precisely, the ordinance forbids “seeking or obtaining gifts, food, candy or contributions of money, as is customarily and commonly known as ‘trick or treat’ in the celebration of Halloween day.” (An exception is made for older disabled children accompanied by caregivers.)

Oh, fuck off. With a side of “Christ, what an asshole.”


And a fine song to tell someone to “fuck off” to…