We don’t need no stinkin’ titles (BrettL’s hungover links)

Hey guys, how’s your Wednesday? I’ve just about managed to soft-land my BAC at zero. So that’s good. For Lachowsky and other TOOL fans on this site, I meant to tell you: Suck it! I saw the new music first!

Lizzy Warren has a new plan to spend other people’s money! For $100B lets just give free pills to everyone who wants them and solve the fetanyl problem.

Wow, 17.6M government workers in the US. Imagine if they were all libertarians doing the Ron Swanson.

There was an Exorcist conference in Rome. St. John the Revelator would find that appropriate.

Hey guys, ABC has finally come around to the idea that maybe Teddy Kennedy was a manslaughtering, lying piece of shit. 50 years after Chappaquidick.

 

Here’s a little song for bacon-magic. Here’s the backstory.

Do you really want to pay for that Snickers with your ass?

Comments

328 responses to “We don’t need no stinkin’ titles (BrettL’s hungover links)”

  1. Checker of Thermostats

    Hey Brett, how’s your title?

    1. Nephilium

      According to the H&H, the title is “Next Post”.

      I figured it was intentional.

      1. Checker of Thermostats

        I got 40236

  2. Tres Cool

    Im still reeling from the most recent H&H, and waiting an hour until I can open some beers

    1. Tres Cool

      Yufus- 15:02
      Tres- 15:02

      JInx….owe me a beer

      And go ahead and HIT THAT ISH!!

      1. Checker of Thermostats

        OK, but I get a first, cause no
        title and shit…..

    2. Tonio

      ^So much this.

      ‘Sup, guys?

  3. Scruffy Nerfherder

    I have an impending blowout with my neighbor because I got grass clippings on his weeds.

    Anal retentive asshole actually came over to complain to my wife about it even though I’ve been tending to a fair portion of his yard just over the property line that he can’t get to because he’s old and got a bum knee. And I’ve acquiesced to some environmental remediation by the county across my property for his benefit.

    I’m going to plant pink flamingos all along the property line now. What a douchenozzle.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      And said fuckstick has never, not once thanked me for anything I did to help him out.

      1. Send him a bill.

      2. Mad Scientist

        It sounds like he doesn’t want your help any longer.

        1. Scruffy Nerfherder

          He certainly isn’t going to get any, that’s for damn sure.

          1. OneOut

            Don’t become a Rand Paul statistic.

            Carry while you mow.

    2. Tundra

      “Watch your six, dude.”

      /Rand Paul

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        A little open carry should freak him right out.

    3. Playa Manhattan

      If you don’t escalate this and win, I’m going to be very disappointed.

      1. Tundra

        Cute, but I like this.

        1. Not Adahn

          I like the way the Border Collie is in command.

          1. Tundra

            They always end up taking command.

          2. OneOut

            Adverse possession requires 10 years of paying property taxes on the property in question.

            II R C

      2. Suthenboy

        Holy shit. I have to get the ‘Go Away!’ guy flipping the bird.

    4. Brett L

      I was just waving this spray can of Roundup around it somehow spelt “Fuck You”

    5. Rasilio

      Depending on where you live you might be able to claim ownership of that property

  4. Rebel Scum

    Hey guys, how’s your Wednesday?

    Better if I didn’t have to click the image to get here.

  5. J. Frank Parnell

    The Catholic Church, however, insists demonic possession is on the rise.

    I blame global warming and capitalism.

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Economic inequity

    2. PBRstreetgang

      Trump’s Tax law and/or repeal of net neutrality

    3. Mad Scientist

      The Catholic Church, however, insists demonic possession is on the rise.

      And the only way you can get that shit fixed up is to give them a bunch of money and your soul, right?

    4. Tonio

      Does it track the population rise, or are we entering another particularly sinful period?

      1. Pan Zagloba

        It’s just a promo campaign for DOOM 2.

    5. Suthenboy

      And the US govt is finally taking the sage advice of Krugnuts and faking an alien invasion.
      Good lord, talk about gaslighting.

    6. mexican sharpshooter

      *sprays holy water*

      The power of Christ COMPELLS you!

    7. Tulip

      It does explain AOC. Every picture I see of her, with the wide eyes and mouth open, she looks possessed.

    8. Just blame Trump. It’s easy!

  6. J. Frank Parnell

    But federal government workers had the highest median earnings of all

    And yet one missed delayed paycheck because of a shutdown and they’re out on the street and their kids go hungry.

    1. leon

      Well it’s not the highest paid workers who get furloughed during a shutdown.

    2. Playa Manhattan

      I offered to loan a friend money to get through the shutdown. He had me look at his finances.

      Single, college degree, no student loans, recently relocated to Arizona for work.

      $17,000 in credit card debt. Sorry, man. I can’t help you.

      Oh, and he goes to Vegas almost every other weekend.

      1. robc

        One good weekend and he will have that CC card paid off!

      2. When’s the last time you heard one of these fucking ingrates thank us for paying the taxes that provide their income?

        1. Not an Economist

          Thank you.

          1. Unreconstructed

            Leech identified!

          2. Not an Economist

            For the record I work in a part of the government that is actually in the Constitution.

          3. The Last American Hero

            So census worker?

          4. blackjack

            Yes, thank you, even though my pay comes from takeoff and landing fees. 20% bump going to the feds would tempt me, if I knew anything about the scene for mechanics over there..

        2. mexican sharpshooter

          Thank you for paying your taxes Ted.

  7. Dr. Fronkensteen

    ” I’m convinced that one must never converse with Satan”

    On the internet know one knows if you’re the Devil.

    1. J. Frank Parnell

      ” I’m convinced that one must never converse with Satan”

      If you do, you may end up living in Vans down by the river.

      1. Well, it’s a grocery store, so you’d never go hungry …

  8. libertarianjoe

    I work with a lot of government employees in my field (Certified Financial Planner), and i’ll tell you what. You will never see a more entitled and naive group of people. Talking about how they “only” got a 1.5% raise this year, while they’re making $140k salary with ridiculous benefits, gov-subsidized health and long term care insurance, and a huge amount of time off. And then they retire at 58 with inflation-protected pensions that are twice the average US household income. Private sector doesn’t have that kinda stuff. For a private sector employee to replicate a $80k/year gov pension they would need to have about $2 Million in an investment account, and they would probably have had to scrape and save their whole careers to accrue that much.

    The weirdest thing is that our gov clients are usually the most tax-averse people. They absolutely hate paying taxes, even though everything they have came from tax money. Had a client who hit age 70 1/2 this year- so he has to start taking IRA withdrawals. He’s not at all charitably-inclined, but he’s so against paying taxes, he donated the entire like $17k this year, just so he wouldn’t have to pay $5k in income taxes.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hate paying taxes too. But when you’ve spent 30 years benefiting from money confiscated from other people, you should have a little bit of perspective and realize how good you’ve had it. And of course probably none of this applies to our glib friends who work for the man.

    1. Subwoofer

      Sounds like this guy should start a private foundation, get 501c3 status, and donate his IRA withdrawals to that foundation so he doesn’t have to pay taxes on that income.

      Sure he’ll have to actually spend it on something, but there’s gotta be something he already spends money on that this new foundation could pay for instead so he can pocket the money he’d otherwise spend on it.

      1. libertarianjoe

        That’s a good idea, and I believe we’ve talked to him before about doing something like that, or a donor-advised fund. I think he just doesn’t want the hassle of it.

        I think in his mind he feels like he was a “public servant” for his whole career, and so that means he already paid his dues (even though he was fairly compensated for his services the whole time)

        1. Akira

          I think in his mind he feels like he was a “public servant” for his whole career

          That phrase applied to government workers makes my blood boil. As many posts here have already laid out, government workers get pay, benefits, and pensions that most private sector workers can only dream of. Their compensation is so good that many states are hurdling towards bankruptcy because of it. Oh but yes, you made a great sacrifice by getting into government work.

          And there’s also the implication that nobody in the private sector “serves” the public in any way. Medical personnel, engineers, computer programmers – hell, even the grocery store workers who make food acquisition quick and easy – none of them are serving the public in any way?? Fucking seriously?

          1. blackjack

            I most certainly feel like I perform less of a service to the public than I did when I ran my motorcycle shop. I had customers who relied on me to keep their bikes running and had no other option. Working for the city, I get a bunch of money for very little stress and killer bennies. I didn’t create the scam, and I’d be a fool not to avail myself. In my libertopia, my position wouldn’t exist.

      2. Playa Manhattan

        Libertarian Friendship Beer Club.

  9. Tundra

    Fucking PowerPoint in the the exorcism article. That truly demonic.

  10. Rebel Scum

    Warren says the opioid epidemic teaches us that too often in America “if you have money and power, you can take advantage of everyone else without consequence. She says “it’s time to change that.”

    She wants to reduce the size and scope of government?

    1. Stinky Wizzleteats

      How is the opioid epidemic an example of money and power taking advantage of people?

      1. Mad Scientist

        If addicts had no money, they wouldn’t have the power to buy opioids.

      2. Rhywun

        She says the drug companies are prying people’s mouths open and shoving pills down their throats.

        1. Brett L

          That’ll be a surprise to people buying fetanyl-laced heroin because they can’t get ahold of pills.

      3. Tulip

        The company owners have been identified as the latest Goldsteins. Sackler maybe

        1. Rhywun

          And, by sheer coincidence, a convenience source for looting.

          1. Rhywun

            *convenient

  11. Juvenile Bluster

    Preeeeety sure this is unconstitutional.

    Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services has come under scrutiny for allowing social workers to take children from homes using blank emergency custody orders pre-signed by judges. The agency reportedly scrapped the policy after numerous complaints, but critics say the practice was illegal from the get-go and “a gross miscarriage of justice.”

    An expose by WDRB-TV revealed the practice in March, reporting that while state and local officials admitted the system wasn’t ideal, it was commonplace protocol on weekends or when a judge had gone home for the day when social workers were concerned about abuse or neglect allegations.

    Yet, affected families, attorneys, and even some judges have cried foul, saying the policy was against Kentucky law — likening it to police raiding a home with a blank search warrant. In fact, social workers are accused of just that: Taking kids with blank forms bearing photocopied signatures, filling out the documents later, and leaving parents in the dark until a hearing three days after the children are removed from a home.

      1. Stinky Wizzleteats

        IANAL but blank presigned legal documents do seem a bit dubious.

      2. Checker of Thermostats

        That’s beyond fucked….

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      This is right in line with blanket orders from judges used to put the elderly under the care of the state. It’s particularly bad in places like Nevada where there is no law requiring the custodian of the assets and the custodian of the actual person to be different entities. There was a big expose on how doctors would sign off on an emergency medical order (for a fee) and the state lawyer would get a judge to issue an order placing the elder(s) under state care, bopth physically and financially with no recourse. The state apparatchiks were forcibly having people put in assisted living facilities and liquidating their estates, all the while racking up exorbitant fees for services rendered.

      Some people just need to be taken out back and shot.

      1. Mad Scientist

        Some people just need to be taken out back and shot.

        Some people need to be taken to the center of the city and woodchippered.

      2. Scruffy Nerfherder

        If you want to read a truly rage inducing article, here you go.

        https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/09/how-the-elderly-lose-their-rights

        Last March, Parks and her lawyer, along with her office manager and her husband, were indicted for perjury and theft, among other charges. The indictment was narrowly focussed on their double billings and their sloppy accounting, but, in a detailed summary of the investigation, Jaclyn O’Malley, who led the probe for the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, made passing references to the “collusion of hospital social workers and medical staff” who profited from their connection to Parks. At Parks’s grand-jury trial, her assistant testified that she and Parks went to hospitals and attorneys’ offices for the purpose of “building relationships to generate more client leads.” Parks secured a contract with six medical facilities whose staff agreed to refer patients to her—an arrangement that benefitted the facilities, since Parks controlled the decisions of a large pool of their potential consumers. Parks often gave doctors blank certificates and told them exactly what to write in order for their patients to become her wards.

        Parks and other private guardians appeared to gravitate toward patients who had considerable assets. O’Malley described a 2010 case in which Parks, after receiving a tip from a social worker, began “cold-calling” rehabilitation centers, searching for a seventy-nine-year-old woman, Patricia Smoak, who had nearly seven hundred thousand dollars and no children. Parks finally found her, but Smoak’s physician wouldn’t sign a certificate of incapacity. “The doctor is not playing ball,” Parks wrote to her lawyer. She quickly found a different doctor to sign the certificate, and Norheim approved the guardianship. (Both Parks and Norheim declined to speak with me.)

        1. MikeS

          Jeezus. Sounds like there are likely dozens of people deserving of prison time in that story.

          1. Mad Scientist

            I’m fine with them going to prison, so long as they get out around age 75 and are completely penniless.

          2. Scruffy Nerfherder

            I have personal experience thru a friend with one of these rings in California. Some politically connected lawyers got a caretaker into the home of a wealthy, older man and she started drugging him. He’s now secured millions of dollars of loans that the attorneys pulled out against his estate. Doctors, lawyers, judges, nurses… they’re all in on it.They even cut off financial support to his incapacitated wife who’s in a nursing home. The son has tried to fight it, but it’s so tied up in the court (by design) that his father will be dead before he gets a judgement, if ever. One of the attorneys even got assault charges filed against the son by aggressively approaching him in the courthouse and claiming the son made physical contact with him (with witnesses of course).

            This is why hitmen are still needed.

    2. leon

      Definitely unconstitutional, but who are we kidding. If a judge was willing to sign a blank order, then why wouldn’t they rubber-stamp anything put in front of them.

    3. Subwoofer

      If you told the Founding Fathers that 200 years after they started a country based on freedom and liberty that government agencies would be using blank warrants to seize people’s children from them without any warning or notice, that anyone could petition a court with a claim that a person could potentially pose a threat to themselves or others which would result in police raiding their homes to seize all their firearms without due process which they might later be able to get back, and that using the most effective means of travel from one side of the country to the other meant having to subject one’s self and possessions to what effectively amounts to a strip search before being permitted to enter the waiting area for that mode of transit, how do you think they’d respond? If not with utter disbelief at how grotesquely perverted their words had become?

      1. robc

        I think they would say, “Fuck it, lets stay British.”

        Then we could tell them about Airstrip One.

      2. grrizzly

        I could never finish reading the Declaration of Independence. The wrongs committed by the king were mostly yawn-inducing instead of being outrageous.

        1. And yet we have a FedGov sending hither swarms of officers to harass us and eat out our sustenance.

        2. Raven Nation

          Well, ya gotta be clear when you’re breaking a Lockean contract.

      3. B.P.

        Probably something along the lines of, “Sounds like it’s time for you kids to water the tree of liberty.”

        Yeah, hi Preet. This is just talk here, not a call to action.

    4. Playa Manhattan

      Anything pre-signed by a judge = not signed by a judge.

      1. Gustave Lytton

        They’ll just do other BS like duii checkpoints with cops “trained” as phlebotomists and judges onsite to sign orders if the driver refuses consent.

  12. Tundra

    I’m glad the Blues won. The ‘Gloria’ thing is kind of gay, though.

    It started when a few players were in a bar in Philadelphia…

    It always does.

    1. Rhywun

      Fuck Dallas. They had one job and that was delivering a 1st round draft pick to the Rangers – and they fucked it up. Assholes.

      1. Eh, fuck the Rangers and the Most Overrated Arena on Earth®.

        1. Rhywun

          Your contribution to this important matter is noted.

          1. Fuck all y’all because the Blue Jackets will be back-

            *looks at list of potential free-agents*

            *reads stories about Bill Davidson and Jarmo Kekäläinen moving on*

            Nevermind.

          2. Tundra

            It sucks. One of my favorite teams, but that’s the NHL in 2019.

  13. leon

    Read an article talking about how the military was the biggest big government entitlement program. Don’t get me wrong, it is a big government subsidy, but I’m guessing that guy never heard if social security or Medicare?

    1. Fourscore

      Saw something on TV a day or two ago that soon the interest on the debt would surpass the military budget. Start the printing press. China/Japan hold over 10% of the debt.

      1. creech

        At those levels, China and Japan don’t own us, we own them.

    2. It is, but the trade-off cost is potentially steep.

  14. MikeS

    Did Tool finally release the new album? Please no. I don’t want to hear it on heavy rotation on Octane. Or even light rotation.

    1. Juvenile Bluster

      August 30th, and you better not fucking blaspheme against Tool.

      1. Old Man With Candy

        Apparently, there’s excessive lead in the NoDak water which has fucked up Mike’s brain.

        1. MikeS

          You like Tool?!?!?!11??

          1. Old Man With Candy

            Yeah, and Warty was the one to turn me on to them. Fight him. I’ll notify your next of kin.

          2. MikeS

            August 30th, huh? Can’t wait!

            *looks around nervously*

      2. MikeS

        August 30th of what year?

        1. Juvenile Bluster

          Two Thousand Nineteen.

    2. mexican sharpshooter

      Octane? Have they discovered that somebody besides Five Finger Death Punch exists?

      1. MikeS

        Yes. Grandson and Fever 333. Proof that Payola is still alive and well.

  15. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

    Every time I read about one of Warren’s proposals I think of the Hayek quote, “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.”

    1. Rasilio

      But she’s not a man so it doesn’t apply to her

    2. pistoffnick

      It’s his birthday today.

      Happy Birthday, Fred!

      1. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

        Gee, do you think he’ll get his own Google Doodle?

  16. Count Potato

    “WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has unveiled a new version of her plan to combat America’s opioid epidemic, proposing to spend $100 billion over 10 years on battling the consequences of addiction.

    Warren’s new opioids measure is modeled on a 1990 law passed to help fight the spread of AIDS”

    That still doesn’t tell me what her plan is.

    1. Playa Manhattan

      Her plan is more people addicted to black market heroin.

    2. Stinky Wizzleteats

      I think that means they’re going to give out free condoms to drug addicts. I could be wrong though.

    3. J. Frank Parnell

      The plan is right there in the article:

      1. tax on the wealthiest American households
      2. spend $100 billion

    4. mexican sharpshooter

      That still doesn’t tell me what her plan is.

      Sure it does. Her plan is mostly to ignore it and hope it is contained only among undesirables.

      1. Oh, I thought it was to secretly get the gays addicted via the CIA.

    5. “1990 law passed to help fight the spread of AIDS”

      Is she also having Big Pharma spend $$$$$$$ on R and D to come up with a non-opioid painkiller without side effects that provides the same level of pain relief?

      Didn’t think so.

  17. robc

    I found a solution to my article without using javascript. It isnt as nice as my js solution, but it will do.

    1. robc

      My new article is submitted. It is hopefully the shortest one I will ever write.

  18. Juvenile Bluster

    So, Salon did another one of their “I used to be a libertarian but now I’m a progressive because libertarians are stupid” articles.

    I’m not going to link it because I don’t want to give them the clicks, but here’s the highlight:

    More disturbing than the conformity of a group of people priding themselves on individuality was their inability or refusal to even entertain the existence of any structural influence in personal and social outcomes, even when the consequences manifest in blood on the streets. If one is not poor, economics can remain relatively abstract, but when Michael Brown was shot down in the streets in August of 2014, under — according to the even the most generous interpretations — suspicious circumstances, libertarians, including those I was coming to know, were eerily silent. For ideologues skeptical of the exercise of state power, they seemed coldly disinterested in the violent instrument of the state crushing the lives of innocent men, even teenagers. So, I returned to leftism, and wrote a reading list for the Daily Beast on books essential to my own understanding of racial injustice in America, as much a homecoming for my own thinking and writing as a recommendation for my readers.

    Yeah, us libertarians looooove the police.

    1. Playa Manhattan

      You know how you can tell that someone is being very disingenuous? They use Michael Brown as an example.

    2. SugarFree

      Probably found a bunch of Tulpa comments.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        This makes sense.

      2. Pan Zagloba

        “I learned libertarians love police, and also dated Morgan Fairchild”.

    3. More disturbing than the conformity of a group of people priding themselves on individuality

      Loooooooove the projection here.

    4. Count Potato

      I believe that was posted this morning. My comment was that the Michael Brown case was very easy to get wrong.

    5. Rhywun

      So, I returned to leftism

      …where I found the resistance to the violent instrument of the state I’ve been searching for.

    6. Gustave Lytton

      according to the even the most generous interpretations — suspicious circumstances

      Generous towards the Michael Brown as innocent victim theory of events?

      they seemed coldly disinterested in the violent instrument of the state crushing the lives of innocent men, even teenagers. So, I returned to leftism where there’s no pretense about using violent instruments of the state to crush everyone.

  19. Count Potato

    “No Joke: White Nationalists Are Now Using Clowns To Spread Hatred

    As Right Wing Watch reported on April 4, users of the online message board 4chan, which is popular among white nationalists, have been trying to popularize a character called “Honkler” – an image of Pepe the Frog, the cartoon mascot of the so-called “alt-right,” wearing a clown nose and colorful wig.

    Other online anti-Semites have built upon the Honkler imagery when citing news that confirms their nihilistic worldview. When describing what they see as the illogic of a liberal, non-racist society, they write that they are living in a “clown world,” or just write “honk honk” as a shorthand to get that point across.”

    https://forward.com/fast-forward/423812/white-nationalist-clowns-honk-honkler/

    1. Mad Scientist

      Remember when it was little old church ladies who used to get the vapors about other people’s beliefs?

      1. Winston

        Except the left has always been concerned about other people’s beliefs. The public school system for example.

    2. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Jesus Christ, this is dumber than backwards-masking.

    3. Plinker762

      Honk Honk

    4. Raston Bot

      those guys have the funniest memes. i know a clown-dressed Pepe is derivative but “clown world” is another in a long line of successful branding for 4chan.

    5. Sean

      Homey don’t play dat.

    6. Stinky Wizzleteats

      Meh, it’s a stupid meme anyway.

      1. Gadfly

        Meh, it’s a stupid meme anyway.

        *Looks at comment*

        *Looks at avatar*

        *Shrugs*

  20. Rebel Scum

    ABC has finally come around to the idea that maybe Teddy Kennedy was a manslaughtering, lying piece of shit.

    Beta killed a girl?

    1. Chipping Pioneer

      I figure he’ll eventually be caught with a dead girl… and a live boy.

  21. Count Potato

    “Converse Launches LGBT Shoe Line Featuring Preteen ‘Drag Kid’

    Converse has announced the release of a new line of shoes celebrating LGBT culture alongside a marketing campaign featuring characters of various sexual orientations, including an 11-year-old ‘drag kid’ who goes by the stage name ‘Desmond Is Amazing.’

    “We’re happy to launch our Pride Collection, partnering with six individuals connected to the LGBTQ+ community who show the power of expressing one’s true self,” the apparel company tweeted on Monday.

    Desmond is highlighted on the Converse website wearing a flamboyant outfit and make-up, striking a dramatic dance pose alongside a quote stating, “There is no normal.”

    In late 2018, disturbing video footage surfaced of Desmond performing at gay bars in Brooklyn and San Francisco, while grown men threw bills at him, and shortly afterwards, journalists discovered Desmond had appeared in a interview with infamous 90s “club kid” Michael Alig, who had spent 17 years in jail for the killing and dismemberment of a fellow clubber and drug dealer.”

    https://www.newswars.com/converse-launches-lgbt-shoe-line-featuring-preteen-drag-kid/

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Well that’s crossed a line for me.

      I’m generally not much for boycotts, but Converse will never get a penny from me ever again.

    2. Raston Bot

      hey, 5 out of 6 non-child sexploitation models is not bad.

      WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ADVERTISING DEPARTMENTS!!??????

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        If Converse management had any brains whatsoever, they would burn that agency to the ground and disavow all knowledge of it.

    3. B.P.

      So, what is the “plus” in LGBTQ+ anyway? Is that a concession along the lines of, “Well, there are whole lot of identities or persuasions that we didn’t include here, but we can’t list them all for fear of leaving one out and offending someone, thus incurring a mob wrath.”?

      1. SugarFree

        Pretty much exactly that.

        1. Mad Scientist

          Man, referring to all the other identities as et al seems a little problematic.

          1. slumbrew

            why are you othering me?

      2. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

        Maybe it’s plus size, aka fat.

        1. SugarFree

          Then it would be after the L.

          1. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

            Not based on the videos I’ve seen.

      3. Gadfly

        It’s that, plus the fact that some clever cookie realized that the ever-increasing inclusiveness was causing the acronym to get out of hand. I’ve seen it get up to LGBTQIAA, which is both unwieldy and likely to be added to given the ever-increasing categories of identity. The average word in the English language is five letters long, so limiting yourself to a five-letter acronym is good marketing.

      4. Not Adahn

        Got it in one.

  22. Rebel Scum

    Sure, Tim.

    Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee, said President Trump is “very worried” about what Special Counsel Bob Mueller will say about him during his potential congressional testimony.

    President Trump said last week that Attorney General Bill Barr should decide whether or not Mueller testifies before Congress. On Sunday, Trump tweeted that Mueller should not testify.

    “I’m aware that the president is very frightened about Mueller testifying but I hope that he does and I think that he should,” Kaine said on Tuesday. “He [Trump] is very worried about what Mueller will say about him.”

    We already have the report. Idk what else you expect to get from testimony*.

    *Partisan soundbite-seeking, grandstanding shitshow notwithstanding.

    1. kinnath

      We already have the report. Idk what else you expect to get from testimony*.

      Mueller: Someone held a gun to my head. I lied in the report. Trump did it all. I swear he’s a Russian plant.

      1. Fourscore

        As long as he doesn’t go on a joy ride with a Kennedy

    2. Raston Bot

      why would Mueller subject himself to that circus? he’s going to be excoriated afterward if he doesn’t go full Dem messenger.

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        Mueller ought to be afraid of more scrutiny. He should be trying to hide.

    3. Scruffy Nerfherder

      Kaine is a little obnoxious twat. Too bad the Virginia GOP can’t pull their shit together and run an effective candidate against him.

      1. Chipwooder

        And his political career was built the old-fashioned way: by marrying well (his wife is the daughter of former Virginia governor Linwood Holton).

  23. Gadfly

    Hey guys, ABC has finally come around to the idea that maybe Teddy Kennedy was a manslaughtering, lying piece of shit. 50 years after Chappaquidick.

    I guess better late then never. Still a poor pace for a news channel. Although I guess this means in another 50 years they’ll finally get around to discovering that the Russian collusion narrative was a big nothing-burger.

  24. Rebel Scum

    Progjection.

    Sarah Kendzior, an MSNBC contributor who frequently appears on AM Joy, said on Saturday that the GOP wants to turn America into a “one-party state” under President Donald Trump‘s rule.

    Kendzior called the Trump Administration a “criminal enterprise” as she wondered why Congressional Democrats even bother to engage with Trump on legislation. As she said America’s sovereignty is “threatened” and “Trump’s own people don’t seem to have total control of the government,” Kendzior argued that the Republican Party is solely interested in accumulating power, so Trump and his Congressional allies are working together to make that happen.

    “What we have seen on the GOP end is total obstructionism that is aimed at making American citizens weaker, making them less likely to fight back,” Kendzior said. “They want a one-party state, that is what the GOP seeks, and Trump wants to be an autocrat with that state behind him.”

    Kendzior went on to say that the GOP is “extremely competent” in what they’re trying to do and that they have little-to-no awareness of the authoritarianism they’re fostering.

    “They are just not interested in the actual process of governing,” Kendzior said. “They are interested in ruling.”

    1. Raston Bot

      is she a liar or retarded?

      1. Scruffy Nerfherder

        Yes

        1. Raston Bot

          well then i’m glad she found work somewhere but they should preface her segment with a disclaimer that she’s a result of their charitable hiring practices.

      2. Why not both?

    2. Mad Scientist

      Wow. Just, wow.

    3. Chipwooder

      Fucling mirrors, how do they work?

    4. B.P.

      Wait, a political party is seeking to solidify its power? What a revelation. Also, she calls the GOP “extremely competent”… I don’t think she follows politics all that much.

    5. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

      It’s true. That’s why the GOP is proposing laws to keep candidates off the ballot unless they release their tax forms. Oh wait, that’s the Dems.

  25. Rasilio

    Do you really want to pay for that Snickers with your ass?

    wouldn’t that be more of a Babe Ruth thing?

    1. Chipping Pioneer

      Or HM’s favourite, Eat More.

    2. Spudalicious

      I was thinking Three Musketeers bar.

    3. Payday. The answer we are looking for is Payday. Duh.

  26. grrizzly

    If you want to see the people personally responsible for the fact that it’s okay to use various intelligence agencies to spy on and entrap political candidates and their campaigns disapproved by the ruling class, you can always point to the Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee.

    The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions about his previous testimony before Senate investigators in relation to the Russia investigation, sources with direct knowledge told Axios.

    https://www.axios.com/senate-intelligence-committee-donald-trump-jr-subpoena-russia-9c9ed1e6-63e4-4796-91c4-a20082e991d2.html

  27. Count Potato

    “In 1997, Tyra Banks became the first black woman to cover Sports Illustrated by herself. In 2019, Tyra Banks came out of modeling retirement to grace the cover again.”

    https://twitter.com/Complex/status/1126139025117601792

    1. Scruffy Nerfherder

      I was expecting the 11 year old drag queen.

    2. Raston Bot

      oh momma

    3. Tundra

      Wow.

      1. Mad Scientist

        Would

      2. Rebel Scum

        I’ll be in my bunk.

    4. Gadfly

      Let’s have more of this, less of the burkinis and “body-positivity”.

    5. slumbrew

      That first response is gold:

      https://twitter.com/NoChillJerry/status/1126140621599719424

      (it’s visual)

    6. Chipping Pioneer

      She looks better now than she did in the 90’s (see also: Jennifer Aniston).

      Though I do remember catching segments of her talk show a few times and, well, bit of an airhead.

  28. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.

    That is all.

    1. Brett L

      Hope everything is okay, Ted.

      1. Raven Nation

        Correlate Ted’s post with goals being scored.

        1. BakedPenguin

          Sorry about AFL last weekend, RN. The Blues / Roos game was… tough.

          1. Raven Nation

            Thanks. Just when you think they’ve turned the corner they come up with a shit show like that. That game was over after 20 minutes.

    2. leon

      That would be all the fucking I could do too.

    3. Rhywun

      I didn’t really care which team shows up to be destroyed by Liverpool.

    4. Rasilio

      You saw the Tyra Banks spread too?

    5. Chipwooder

      This expresses my current state of mind accurately. Got my finance final in an hour and a half, been studying most of today, and I still feel like I’m gonna tank this thing.

  29. Winston

    https://gizmodo.com/facebooks-efforts-not-nearly-sufficient-in-genocide-tor-1833719999

    This is Facebook “enabling genocide” according to gizmodo.

  30. Juvenile Bluster

    The Champions League is insane.

    1. Certified Public Asshat

      COYS!

      Losing my mind. Also, how can anyone watch these last two games and think soccer is not exciting?

      1. robc

        3-2 is exciting, but 4-0 is a blowout.

        And, yes, I know.

        1. Unreconstructed

          Well, when you lost the first leg 3-0, and you *have* to win by at least 4 goals, 4-0 is pretty exciting. Without that context, it’s a pure blowout.

          1. robc

            That is my problem with the 2 leg systems. Two blowouts do not an exciting series make.

          2. Unreconstructed

            Eh…if the same team wins both, true. I disagree if it’s like this one, because there definitely *is* drama involved – I don’t really have a favorite team, and even *I* felt some dramatic tension towards the end of the game yesterday. Partially because all it would’ve taken was a single Barcelona goal to undo all of Liverpool’s work. 4-1 would still be a blowout, but the net result would’ve been quite different.

  31. Rebel Scum

    The streets will run red…

    Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree Tuesday making it easier for gun enthusiasts to own, carry and import weapons in one of the world’s deadliest countries.

    Beaming members of Congress and industry lobbyists clapped and made pistol signs with their hands as the ex-army captain relaxed rules that critics fear could pave the way for the carrying of weapons in the streets.

    “I always said public security starts at home,” Bolsonaro told a gathering in the capital Brasilia.

    A summary of the decree released to reporters said sports shooters, hunters and collectors would be allowed to travel with a weapon, while all licensed gun owners would be permitted to buy up to 5,000 rounds of ammunition a year, depending on the type of weapon.

    It also promises the “debureaucratization” for the importation of arms and ammunition — long demanded by global manufacturers and fans of foreign brands — which was aimed at “stimulating competition, rewarding quality and safety.”

    Limits on the “amount and quality” purchased by public security institutions would also be scrapped, the document said without specifying if it was referring to guns or ammunition or both.

    “We went to the limit of the law, we did not go over the law,” Bolsonaro said.

    1. Raston Bot

      YES

      and bonus that the pistol gesture will now be decreed as a far right fascist white supremacy hand sign.

      1. BakedPenguin

        Okay!

    2. Dr. Fronkensteen

      Don’t they carry weapons in the streets of the favelas already?

      1. Gadfly

        Yes. It’s a part of the reason Brazil decided to elect someone with an even worse case of foot-in-mouth disease than Trump. The crime rates and the widespread government corruption (their last two presidents have been arrested for such crimes) have soured people (for the moment) on the socialist experiment.

    3. Playa Manhattan

      5,000 rounds???

      What do I do for the other 51 weeks of the year?

  32. Sean

    Another Dem candidate for 2020!

    https://twitter.com/AmiHorowitz

    Who?

    1. B.P.

      Well, I can’t really argue with:

      “I’m running for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination because all their current candidates are insane.”

    2. SugarFree

      Ami? But that’s a girl’s name.

    3. slumbrew

      I had no idea who this guy was – took a little searching to appreciate the joke.

      1. Rhywun

        He has totally fair and balanced Wikipedia page. Ha, just kidding.

    4. CPRM

      He seems to be a democrat who works with Fox News.

      From his Wikipedia:

      ISIS flag at UC Berkeley
      Horowitz acted as “an ISIS supporter” while shouting terrorist rants and waving an ISIS flag inside UC Berkeley.[14] Most of the students ignored his “terrorist rants”, but a “few gave him a thumbs-up, wished him luck and smiled”.[15] Horowitz later switched to a “Zionist tirade” and began waving an Israeli flag, leading some students expressed their outrage toward Israel, cursing and giving Horowitz obscene gestures.[14] It is unclear how long the videos took to create or how they were edited, but the video shows that Horowitz wears different clothes between the two parts of the video.[14] Horowitz wrote for Fox News that his film “unfortunately proves once and for all that there is in fact no connection between intellect and wisdom… If these are our best and brightest then we should all be afraid, very afraid.”[16]

    5. Rebel Scum

      I’m running for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination because all their current candidates are insane.

      If 65,000 people donate $1, I will be onstage at next month’s #DemDebate and say that to their face.

      I approve.

    6. Suthenboy

      They are all throwing their hat in the ring because A) There is not danger that they would actually win and B) Laundering campaign contributions is a sweet gig.
      I am surprised there are only 247 of them.

      1. Rhywun

        Heh, dig deeper. It’s some sort of prank. I think.

  33. Tundra

    Another cyclist being a cunt.

    Bicyclist attacks school bus… again

    Olson said if the children on Blaisdell are standing ready, he will put out the stop arm and flashing lights. But if the first child he’s scheduled to pick up isn’t out of the house yet, he’s forced to pull into the bike lane to avoid stopping traffic for an extended period of time.

    “Well he was hollering and swearing about the bus being in the bike lane about the bus being in the bike lane. But yet at the same token, there was plenty of room at the side of the bus where bikers have all gone by,” Olson said.

    Asshole.

    1. Brett L

      Umm, bikes are vehicles. They are supposed to stop for the school bus.

      1. Mad Scientist

        I know some bicyclists who aren’t complete assholes, but the rest of them seem to believe traffic laws only apply to cars, trucks, buses, and pedestrians.

        1. jesse.in.mb

          *bats eyelashes coquettishly*

          1. Mad Scientist

            You’re the one I was thinking of!

        2. Chipwooder

          I’ve heard they exist, but every bike rider I’ve ever seen is a dickhead.

        3. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

          I ride my bike to work and obey most of the traffic laws. I’m not going to stop at a stop sign if there’s nobody there, for example. But there are some who are total idiots and who make it worse for the rest of us.

  34. Brett L

    Sorry, guys. I got so excited about putting an image IN THE ACTUAL POST, I forgot to add a title.

    1. jesse.in.mb

      At least you’re well versed in the art of mea culpa, Brett.

    2. Old Man With Candy

      Well, SOMEBODY went in and put on a title. You owe him big time, and by “owe,” I do not mean snorting a line off his boner.

  35. Shpip

    My erstwhile hometown of Dunedin, Florida is a pretty nice place to live. Something like eight microbreweries downtown, cool little marina, some of the best beaches in the country. I still own a house there (for now — anyone want to move to the gulf coast?).
    And then they go and do a stupid. Now I’m feeling rather chipper (just kidding around, Preet).
    TW: TOS

    1. robc

      Ummm…two weeks after the first notice, the city hires someone to cut it, then bill him their charge + 10% for good measure.

      Problem solved.

      $500 a day? That is insane.

      It lasted 8 weeks, so maybe 3-4 cuttings, probably would run lets say $50 each, so $165.

      1. Mad Scientist

        It seems like the insanity is quite intentional.

      2. Rhywun

        $500 a day? That is insane.

        Those public-sector pension coffers don’t fill themselves, you know.

      3. Gadfly

        $500 a day? That is insane.

        Respect muh authoritah!

  36. LJW

    I was wondering why the media has been so quiet about the Colorado school shooting. Now I know why.

    1. They used pistols
    2. The older male apparently posted anti Christian comments frequently
    3. The younger suspect apparently was a female transitioning to be a male.

    Also where are the “rhetoric caused this!” comments?

    1. The Other Kevin

      Wow, that messes up the narrative, doesn’t it? Unless you consider there to be a better narrative, which is that all the shootings are copycats of each other, fueled by all the press the shooters get.

      1. Rhywun

        Or that the clickbaity media are magnifying the “importance” of these events to make it appear like there’s some sort of “crisis” when the actual numbers show no such thing.

      2. Winston

        So you are saying that media can cause people to do bad things? Interesting…

      3. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

        There’s been a lot of messed up narratives lately. The guy in San Diego hated Trump and was stopped by a good guy with a gun. The guy who drove into a crowd of people he thought were Muslims was black. The guy in Charlotte was stopped by a toxic male.

        1. Tundra

          It’s almost as if crazy fuckers come in a huge variety of flavors…

    2. Winston

      I wish for the days when the media didn’t have an obvious agenda…oh wait those days never happened.

      1. Subwoofer

        Well, if you go back to the days before the printed word (circa 1440?) you might get there…

        But then you’d have to deal with those pesky town criers.

    3. B.P.

      For #3, the compliant press will need to run a fine line: Go with a bullying narrative, but don’t invoke mental health.

  37. Tundra

    Congress Approves Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

    Sarah Sydlowski, audiologist director of the Cleveland Clinic Hearing Implant Program, says she sees promise in the OTC aids but is concerned that people might simply buy a cheap product and not get the help they need. Fitting a hearing aid is much more complicated than buying reading glasses, she notes. “You put glasses on and the world’s clear and that’s great. With hearing, you don’t know what you’re missing.”

    Lol. Fuck you, Sarah. There are a lot of us with hearing loss that would love to try a bunch of different solutions without the fucking gatekeepers.

    Why Congress is even involved is another question, but this is good news. Let the market do its thing.

    1. RAHeinlein

      Now do birth control and no-script glasses.

      1. Subwoofer

        Can we please eliminate the requirement for a special “contact lens” prescription while we’re at it? It’s just an excuse for optometrists to charge an extra fee since you HAVE to get one of those for a specific brand if you want contacts.

        Remember the good ole days when one could simply buy the contacts they needed without question?

  38. Playa Manhattan

    My wife is at the tire shop getting new Falken Wildpeak A/T 3s. If her car looks better than mine, I’ll just die.

    Or drive her car. Either one.

    1. Tundra

      All-terrain for the rugged streets of MB?

      1. Playa Manhattan

        We go to Mammoth and the desert a bit.

        I got to blow by the chains checkpoints all week. It was nice.

        But then again, the problem isn’t me; it’s the assholes who bring their Teslas skiing in the Sierras.

        1. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

          We’re going to Mammoth for Memorial Day. Is it worth bringing skis?

          1. Playa Manhattan

            F#@1 Yes!

            They’re open through the 4th of July this year, possibly later.

            This year was…. almost too much. I worked Cloud Nine Express for about 8 straight hours, stopping only for a Twix bar every couple of runs. Best snow ever.

          2. Playa Manhattan

            The bike trails opened this week also, if you’re into that.

          3. Playa Manhattan

            Also:
            https://la.eater.com/2017/6/13/15793796/copper-top-bbq-big-pine-road-trip-photos

            If it weren’t for my dad’s 70th birthday party on Memorial Day, I’d be going too.

          4. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

            That place looks good, but we’ll be coming down from the north, probably from Sonora Pass if it’s open. Big Pine is too far out of the way.

          5. Playa Manhattan

            If you’re coming from the north, June Lake has great skiing too. Not sure if it’s open then, but if it is, it will have a lot less people.

          6. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

            Just checked. June Lake is closed.

    2. Mad Scientist

      I told her to have them shipped to me and I’d put them on for her. She said you’d be so jealous you’d freak out and drive your car off a pier if she did that. She’s right, Playa. She’s always right.

      1. Playa Manhattan

        Do you have a wheel alignment machine thingy?

        Don’t answer that; I’m guessing you do.

    1. Chipwooder

      Men who spell Tom with an H are high on my shitlist.

      1. Winston

        I find it funny that both him and Welch appeared on Russia Today. But we’ll just forget about that…

        1. Winston

          Lew Rockwell did too and I remember some Miseans claiming that Russia Today was the most libertarian media outlet today.

      2. Subwoofer

        So its not pronounced “th-om” then? Whoops.

  39. Gadfly

    Apparently there’s a new study out that reaches a controversial conclusion: Renewable Portfolio Standards (requiring a certain amount of a state’s electricity to come from renewables) tend to raise electricity prices.

    The study, still in draft form and not yet peer-reviewed, finds that renewable standards tend to make electricity more expensive. Seven years after a state passes an RPS, the price of electricity rises by about 11 percent, and a standard unit of power—a kilowatt-hour—becomes about one cent more costly.

    An RPS does lead to a moderate decline in carbon pollution, the study finds. But Greenstone and Nath argue that this reduction comes at a steep price. They say that, under an RPS, it costs at least $130 to prevent a ton of carbon pollution from entering the atmosphere. That’s far more expensive than the $50-per-ton carbon tax that Barack Obama’s administration once calculated.

    Quelle surprise.

    1. slumbrew

      Requiring more-expensive power sources raises rates overall? The deuce you say!

    2. Mad Scientist

      Well no shit. If “renewables” were going to make electricity cheaper the power companies wouldn’t have to be forced to do it. The only reason to make this crap mandatory is because it will absolutely make power more expensive.

      1. Suthenboy

        There has never been a better example of how irrational people’s political beliefs are. The guy stands up and looks them in the eye while saying “I am gonna fuck you to death” and gets applause. It seems AOC is giving him a run for his money now.

        Isnt that cute.

    3. BakedPenguin

      “Controversial”, huh? The same way that “Free Market Economics is the most efficient” is still controversial.

      Also, that figure probably doesn’t include hidden costs from tax subsidies or direct subsidies from state & local gov’ts, if it even includes Fed subsidies.

      Furthermore, the grid needs to maintain a baseload at all times, so when wind and solar are actually creating energy, regular energy plants have to slow down, and then start up again when it’s night time, or the wind isn’t blowing. Coal, nuclear, and most other petro plants are hard to slow down/start up, so they rely on natgas plants to ramp up/down to match demand, as they’re much more flexible. Solar and wind are replacing nothing, but are significantly adding to the cost of energy in this country.

      Unless you’re milling grain, or you hate birds, wind is a waste. Unless you live in SoCal or Arizona, solar is a waste.

      1. Tundra

        This had some good data:

        Want an Energy Revolution?

        For a practical example of the physics-anchored gap between aspiration and reality, consider Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) recently announced plan to replace an old gas-fired power station with the world’s biggest battery project—promised to be four times bigger than the current number one, a system Tesla installed, to much fanfare, last year in South Australia. The monster FPL battery “farm” will be able to store just two minutes of Florida’s electricity needs. That’s not going to change the world, or even Florida.

        Moreover, it takes the energy equivalent of about 100 barrels of oil to manufacture a battery that can store the energy equal to one oil barrel. That means that batteries fabricated in China (most already are) by its predominantly coal-powered grid result in more carbon-dioxide emissions than those batteries, coupled with wind/solar, can eliminate. It’s true that wind turbines, solar cells, and batteries will get better, but so, too, will drilling rigs and combustion engines. The idea that “old” hydrocarbon technologies are about to be displaced wholesale by a digital-like, clean-tech energy revolution is a fantasy.

        No discussion of nuclear, though…

        1. Mad Scientist

          Poking around looking for data on Ivanpah brought me to this lovely bit of…well, you’ll see for yourself.

          1. Mad Scientist

            Magnetic Energy is safe. Unlike electricity, Magnetic Energy is…

            This is new age gold.

          2. Rhywun

            I had to quickly tab away before whatever mind-control technique is going on there took over. Yikes.

          3. Tundra

            Magnetic Energy is random. Magnetic Energy tends to flow in a random pattern that repeats,…

            Lol. That’s genius.

          4. Checker of Thermostats

            I love repeated randomness, its so….. random

    4. Rhywun

      They could have just spent five minutes looking at actually skyrocketing prices in places pushing this shit the hardest (e.g. Germany, South Australia) and saved everyone a lot of mon– I couldn’t get it out.

    5. mikey

      Can’t have any batteries either.

      https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-death-valley-lithium-mine-california-environment-20190507-story.html

      Bet a substantial number of protestors drive Teslas or hybreds.
      And that they all have cell phones.

      1. Tundra

        Fucking idiots. The Chinese are busily locking up mining rights in Africa, and we’re indulging dumbass toddlers.

      2. Tundra

        DM’d you over at DriveTribe, btw.

        1. mikey

          Just emailed you.

          1. Tundra

            Got it. Thanks!

  40. Count Potato

    Is there a way to search comments here? I remember SP saying there was, but I can’t seem to get it to work.

    1. BakedPenguin

      Use Ctrl+F

      1. Count Potato

        I meant across the forum.

        1. Mad Scientist

          Go to Google and make this your search:

          site:glibertarians.com “count potato”

          You’ll get all your comments from here.

          1. grrizzly

            Not all.

          2. But Enough About Me

            True. As well, they’re not in chronological (or reverse chronological) order — almost seem to be random.

  41. Subwoofer

    Completely OT, but I was waiting to see Endgame until I could do so via a streaming service but walked into a huge spoiler by looking at the Wikipedia entry for Spiderman: Far From Home and was sent a bunch of Endgame-related memes from colleagues hours later, so it seemed like I might as well bite the bullet before everyone else spoiled the entire thing for me.

    Am I the only one who thought it was a pretty lackluster film? The other MCU films seemed much better overall but the first act was incredibly mopey and slow, the fundamental premise behind the second act of the film felt like a deus ex machina with all the possible problems it could cause just hand-waved (snapped?) away, and it seemed like the thrust of the third act was setting up the post-infinity saga Marvel movies to be a smorgasbord of grrl-power films.

    I expected better. Glad to have seen it because of its relevance as a cultural touchstone, but found myself wanting more out of it.

    1. Gadfly

      I enjoyed it thoroughly and thought it was about the best ending they could’ve done to wrap up their massive film series. But you are not alone in your appraisal, I’ve seen many others voice the same thoughts on the internet, and one person I know IRL was also disappointed in it.

  42. Spudalicious

    Am I the only one that hears Edith Bunker in my head every time someone announces the name of the new royal baby?

    1. Count Potato

      Yes.

      1. Spudalicious

        I’ve never hated anther tuber as much as I hate you. I’m so fried right now that I could mash you.

  43. Count Potato
    1. CPRM

      Smoke monsters.

    2. BakedPenguin

      Well, they have non-digital watches and can apparently still tell time, so they can’t be Juggalos.

  44. Rhywun

    Huh. Anyone else just lose their navigation buttons along the left of the page?

    1. Tundra

      Yep. Chrome.

      1. Spudalicious

        Yep. I think they’re with Brett’s title.

    2. Count Potato

      Yes.

    3. Mad Scientist

      Yep.

    4. Mad Scientist

      SP informs me that some planned updates are updating, and the errant buttons will return as soon as they’re mandated break is over.

      1. Rhywun

        They’re back! Whew. Life can go on.

        1. Tundra

          Holy fuck are we high maintenance.

          1. Mad Scientist

            But we’re worth it!

          2. But Enough About Me

            No we’re not.

          3. Mad Scientist

            Speak for yourself!

          4. Sean

            Some of us are. ?

          5. Spudalicious

            Then there’s that one guy.

    5. But Enough About Me

      Yep. All gonesies.

      A reload of the page brought ’em back, though.

  45. Count Potato

    “Deadspin, quoting a philosophy professor, argues that there is no scientific evidence puberty gives biological males any athletic advantages. Rather, this belief is “based entirely on social perceptions of gender.””

    https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1126226674771795973

    https://deadspin.com/shes-got-the-strength-but-who-has-the-power-1834560163

    1. Rhywun

      I couldn’t make it past this whopper:

      Cooper is well aware of intense and discriminatory rhetoric that currently surrounds the very existence of transgender people.

      Sorry, hon – your “very existence” doesn’t put a single demand on me or anyone else. Deal.

    2. mikey

      “Philosophy professor? The science is truly settled then.

    3. Akira

      For Cooper, that came in the form of a non-sanctioned powerlifting meet called Pull for Pride, organized by Shannon Wagner, a woman in Brooklyn who wanted to raise money for vulnerable people and give women, queer, trans, and non-binary folks a place to lift in the wake of the 2016 election.

      I love the subtle implication that Trump winning somehow prevented trans people from participating in weightlifting competitions, most of which are held by private organizations and are not under the president’s control at all.

      As an aside, the whole trans sports activists seem really confused on whether they want gender to exist or not. It’s almost like they want there to be categories for men and women, but they want to be the ones who get to freely move between them.

      If they really cared about equality of opportunities, they would be founding co-ed sporting organizations and let paying customers decide whether they prefer the co-ed or sex-segregated sports.

  46. Sean

    My sidebar arrows disappeared. ?

    1. Winston

      Who woulda thunk a military dictatorship might not like such a think?

    2. Tundra

      Well, it lasted a whole month.

      About the time it took for people to start ass-fucking the Constitution.

      1. Tundra

        Oh, and fuck you Thailand.

        1. BakedPenguin

          Second.

    3. robc

      We all knew it would happen, but it still pisses me off.

    4. I haven’t seen it any articles directly yet – but I’ve got a feeling this has much bigger international implications given the location.

      Being the South China Sea and seeing how aggressive China has gotten with Vietnam and the Philippines- there may be a significant precedent that Thailand is attempting to avoid – esp since Philippines aren’t pressing their case against China even though they won in court. Wouldn’t normally considered Thailand to react that way but the South China Sea is heating up real fast.

  47. Ownbestenemy

    Constitutional Crisis is a phrase like “you’re a racist!” It has no meaning when the general population has no clue to the context or history and you throw it around all willy nilly

    1. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

      It now means “Wah, we didn’t win!”

  48. Count Potato

    “More Info: Wendy’s refuses to join program protecting farm workers from sexual abuse: https://thinkprogress.org/farm-workers-wendys-program-ends-sexual-abuse-in-farms-0b755732534b/ … #BoycottWendys”

    https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano/status/1125156236385632256

    “Worker protections, for Perez, are more than a lofty ideal; they are actively enforced by the Fair Food Program (FFP), launched by the Coalition of Immolakee Workers (CIW) in 2011. The FFP creates a partnership between farm workers, Florida tomato growers, and participating retail buyers to enforce fair wages, worker safety, and other basic protections for farm workers through a three-pronged model: it includes worker-to-worker education sessions about worker rights that are held on the farm and on the clock, it adds a premium to the price of tomatoes that becomes a direct bonus for the tomato pickers, and it enlists the help of the third-party Fair Food Standards Council, which conducts regular audits and carries out ongoing complaint investigation and resolution.”

    https://thinkprogress.org/farm-workers-wendys-program-ends-sexual-abuse-in-farms-0b755732534b/

    So it’s a rent-seeking scam.

  49. AlmightyJB

    It’s not the median incomes of government workers that piss me off as much as the early retirement with Cadillac pensions.

    1. It makes me seriously consider switching into a government job for 5 or so years before retiring . My dad is looking to do just that, mainly because he wants to increase his pension from back when he worked for the Navy.

    2. Akira

      It’s not the median incomes of government workers that piss me off as much as the early retirement with Cadillac pensions.

      For me, it’s the Cadillac pensions along with the appalling lack of accountability – the sheer frequency and severity of fuckups that they get away with that would get you fired in two seconds from most private sector jobs.

      It was one of the most aggravating things about working at the prison (as a contractor). Many employees had realized that they basically can’t get fired, and they constantly slacked off. Meanwhile, the good workers got so tired of always picking up the workload that they either became lazy themselves or went to another job where they were recognized and rewarded.

  50. AlmightyJB

    I feel bad for the kids at the churches when the preachers get back from exorcism class. I have a feeling a there’s going to be an epidemic of demon possession. What good is having new powers that you can’t try out?

    1. JaimeRoberto: Gentleman, Scholar, French Tickler

      To be fair, most teenagers seem like they are possessed by demons.

    2. Fourscore

      Its like having a super military and no one to kill.

  51. Count Potato

    “Facebook Calls me ‘Dangerous’. Imagine My Shock. No, Really…

    Facebook will shortly be put on legal notice about the harm that their actions have caused and will be mandated to turn over all information and internal discussions as to why I was designated as a “dangerous” person and why I was banned.

    Last week I was permanently banned by Facebook for being a “dangerous person”. I found out about it not through Facebook, which failed to even send me a single email, but through media reports.

    They’ve put me in the same category as Louis Farrakhan, a man who compared Jews to termites and once described Adolf Hitler as a “very great man”.

    To whom am I a danger, precisely? Mark Zuckerberg?

    The Instagram (owned by Facebook) ban was even “funnier” given my page consisted mainly of selfies and videos of myself and my girlfriend feeding ducks. Super dangerous.

    But as humorous as it is, I take exception to being defamed as a “dangerous person”.

    To whom am I a danger, precisely? Mark Zuckerberg? A billionaire who wants to create a cult out of 2.4 billion people? A creepy oligarch who wants to dictate the thoughts that can be expressed by a third of the earth’s entire population? Who’s the bigger danger?

    In tandem with this ban, Facebook instituted a new policy which states if you post material about people Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t like, it will be removed and you may be banned. Talk about a dangerous fucking egotist.

    Holocaust denial? Still fine and rife across the platform. But defend Alex Jones or share an InfoWars link and you’re in big, big trouble.”

    https://humanevents.com/2019/05/08/facebook-calls-me-dangerous-imagine-my-shock-no-really/

  52. DEG

    When it comes to making money in the modern United States of America, government workers win.

    Among Americans who actually earn income by working, they are the upper class.

    Bastards.