Good morning my saucy scalawags! And what a glorious morning it is, it’s sad that the partial government shutdown has partially ended. But look at the brighter side of life, it’s only for a few weeks.
It’s cold as balls, and Trump wants global warming to return.
Pelosi’s approval rating lower than Trump’s over government shutdown.
This headline must have been painful for CNN to write.
With the Mueller investigation winding down, expect more articles to emerge like this one.
This is genuinely heartwarming.
You’re not going to get rid of that crazy bitch that easily.
Dem candidates keep trying to outdo each other. I’m waiting for the next one to ask for a 100% tax on the rich and reeducation camps for the deplorables.
That’s all I got for today, I’ll leave you with a song and move along with my day.
Comments
445 responses to “Tuesday Morning Links”
First?
“It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some insurance company has decided it doesn’t meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation,” Harris said. “That is inhumane.”
While we are at it lets remove all incentive for everyone everywhere. That has never been disastrous before.
P.s.
You’re late.
*LATE THIS*
Take a bad system and make it worse. If you’re a politician, that’s what you do.
And then when it all collapses or worsens the system already in place, blame capitalism (or the market or just bad luck).
What you think Stalin could control the weather?
Well he does seem the type, doesn’t he?
Indeed, it is far better to have the government deny everyone access to every medical innovation.
Finite resources: a myth propagated by evil insurance companies.
I mean… People are still free to pay out of pocket.
Yeah, man… but is that really free?
“they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some insurance company has decided it doesn’t meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation”
What I’m getting out of this is that there is no reason everybody shouldn’t have all the cosmetic surgery they’d like on demand.
+1 Demi Rose?
thicc ?
“It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some
insurance companybureaucrat has decided it doesn’t meet their bottom line in terms of theirprofit motivationdepartmental budget,” Harris said. “That is inhumane.”And suddenly you have the NHS.
And dead children.
“It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some
insurance companybureaucrat has decided itdoesn’t meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation departmental budget, would embaras them that a free market could provide what they couldn’t” Harris said. “That is inhumane.”see also: Gard, Charlie.
Everytime someone brings up nationalized health care, always bring up Charlie Gard. Always. It is epitome of what state run health care is.
Reminder, the government didn’t just not attempt to treat, they actively prevented the parents from attempting to treat from another source.
Oh bondage- UP YOURS!
>>Dem candidates keep trying to outdo each other.
Remember the days when insurance companies
colludedworked with government regulators to make Obamacare?Pepperidge Farm remembers!
That was just because of Republican interference!
Ooh, Impeach Trump Day is almost here! I can’t wait! I just know Mueller has some juice stuff in his report that’s finally going to bring an end to our national nightmare, and that this hasn’t been a two-year waste of everybody’s time and resources! Right? Right?
From the CNN article:
The investigation has consistently returned results — the grand jury has indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, their Russian business associate Konstantin Kilimnik, 12 Russian military intelligence officers, 13 Russians and three companies that allegedly manipulated social media to sway US voters.
Indictments are results?
Manipulated social media how? In what specific way? There were Russian troll farms creating fake Facebook accounts that said what, exactly? “Hillary is criminal…Vote Trump”.
Not a single person changed their fucking vote because of Facebook. If there is one, then publicly present them. And it still wouldn’t be evidence of what they’re claiming. I know Americans with 30 or more Facebook socks, BFD
Dude, it’s like you don’t believe that the couple hundred thousand that Russia spent on Facebook ads completely overwhelmed the billion that Clinton spent.
Indictment, conviction – same diff. Obviously they’re guilty. OF COLLUSION.
Collusion!
“The investigation has consistently returned results”
Good catch. Success here is not whether the investigation has pursued justice for wrongdoing, it’s whether it’s put some of those icky Trump associates behind bars.
So, they indicted a bunch of Russians who will never show up to trial, and some Trump associates who had nothing to do with said Russians.
Great job.
And when one of the Russian companies Mueller indicted actually responded with a discovery request, Mueller stonewalled and claimed classified info., and will eventually drop the case rather than submit to discovery.
Surely CNN informed their viewers of this relevant information. ///FactsFirst
So far not a single citizen has been indicted for anything that happened before the investigation began.
At least we gave the brave men of the FBI raid practice.
Not one woman shot while holding a baby. They’re getting better at it!
:Janet Reno has a sad while burning in Hell:
When one of my leftie friends was complaining about Russian interference I asked her is her vote was swayed. “Of course not, do you think I’m stupid? So only those deplorables that voted for Trump were swayed, ’cause they obviously are not woke (enough).
So, she thinks people who voted for Trump would have voted for Hillary were it not for some Russian Facebook ads? How does she manage to feed herself?
The deplorables were duped into voting against their own best interests. Because the Democratic candidate would have treated them so much better.
This is the part that really kills me, that somehow people in flyover country somehow don’t know enough to vote for their own interests. As if that was one of the choices on the ballot. The main choices were between somebody who at least pretends to like them occasionally, and someone who has openly loathed and despised them for years. Yet somehow Russian trolls are to blame. Republicans are happy to let the Democrats believe their Facebook narrative bullshit because it means they will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Somehow I managed to use “somehow” three times in one small paragraph. Oh well, it’s your fault for not having an edit button.
Somehow, the “vast right-wing conspiracy” became the “vast russian conspiracy”?
What I remember is seeing a woman in the skyway crying, “IT WAS THE RUSSIANS!” the morning after the election. Thought she was going to have a breakdown right there. That’s how quickly this Russian bullshit started.
If 4000 women claimed Kavanaugh raped them, I’m sure Mueller could dredge up some people who claimed they changed their vote when they found out that Hillary is a Satan.
“The arrest of former Trump adviser Roger Stone, one of the last key campaign associates in President Donald Trump’s orbit”
Roger Stone, the man fired in 2015?
>>wants global warming to return.
It’s Climate Change! You see the carbon dioxide that the oceans are holding is making them fizz over like a cold whiskey ‘n’ soda.
As has been foretold
Coming soon to Congress: Union rules on seniority
I was going to comment on the same part. If they have been waiting 20 years they should realize that they have been played by the democratic party themselves.
Damn socialist cut in line.
That’s how I always interpreted when they were bleating “it’s her turn”. They all assume they will get a turn being in charge.
Ask Ed Case what happens when a politician in a solidly Blue state tries to primary the incumbent, no matter how incompetent, because such competition is not how unions work.
The Ds turned on how because he stepped out of line.
DC has a dedicated inspector to make sure restaurants aren’t using plastic straws. I love the article’s tone of “here’s the latest thing the city is doing to make our lives better.”
“He planned to later check whether they floated in water, another telltale sign of prohibited plastic.”
This is referring to the straws themselves, not the restaurant owners. For now.
This man needs to run for mayor of DC: “What, is this California now?” grumbled the customer, who declined to give his name. “All these laws are just spreading from California. Everything is getting taken away from us, man. This is so stupid.”
It’s so fitting that he’s got an uber-punchable face too.
” Rybarczyk”
Sounds… Eastern European… So ROOSHIANS!
Sounds fishy.
Lt. Bookman, Library Cop not available?
Obligatory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W4WOALTPYw
I am surprised the author could keep his ban boner in his pants
lighter than a duck…
Wouldnt a paper straw also float?
And depending on the surface tension of the liquid….wouldnt a metal straw float, too?
Pretty easy to roll up a piece of aluminum foil and see.
…yup. It floats.
https://thekellydoyle.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/concrete-ship.jpg
Concrete too.
One of the premise to be sciencey is to not consider too much true science.
Sooooo, stop asking too many pertinent questions that threaten the narrative.
‘We’re banning because we’re bad people and need to improve ourselves’.
All we need is a Gillette ad for plastics!
Dont feed them any ideas
Cute. Now do China
L-O-Fcuking-L
Hey now… Loosing DC is a price i’m willing to pay, if it means saving the world… or even if it doesn’t mean that.
If only that had been posted in the Links!!!!!!
“who declined to give his name”
Wonder why?
How much is the straw inspector paid per year? Salary and pension for life?
Nothing left to cut.
“He planned to later check whether they floated in water, another telltale sign of prohibited plastic.”
You know what else floats on water?
Very small rocks?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g
Who are you, who is so wise in the ways of science?
People who aren’t witches?
I thought the witches floated and then we had to burn them.
Non-witches sank and drowned.
win-win.
Well, leftists are quite fond of straw-men. . .
Most of the ocean’s plastic comes from India and China. I’m glad we are making an imperceptible dent in the problem.
The effort has been galvanized by a viral video of a sea turtle with a straw stuck in its nostril.
Found some jettisoned contraband on the ocean floor.
Saw this and it reminded me of you. It’s how I picture one of your nights out on the town.
Now I need one of our glibs to explain that room.
Someone needs to explain what TikTok is. I’ve been intentionally avoiding for a while.
As have i. It seems like a Mix between Vine, Snapschat, and Twitter. So you know all the worst social media put together.
I hear it’s the Vine replacement.
But seriously, tatami and stone? What is that? Is that stone heated?
It’s just a gray rug on a tatami mat. A private room at an izakaya is my guess.
Ah ok, that makes sense. I mis-saw. I blame the masturbation.
Not sure y’all know what an Izakaya is.
It’s a restaurant that serves plates of food intended for the group to each take a piece or two. Mostly finger food or stuff that is best eaten with chopsticks. It caters to groups much more than couples.
I have long thought that somebody should franchise the idea and spread them in college towns and areas right outside universities in the US.
“ooh, Japanese tapas!”
Check out what this Hentai izakaya gives you for an oshibori (hot towel to wipe your face with).
Does the previous wearer take it off tableside? Asking for a friend.
No idea, but next glib to make it out here is going there with me to try it out. *Tejicano, Rapha and Mustang anytime they feel brave*
Say hello to my little friend!
Questions not asked: how the straw got from a landfill into the ocean.
Gun show purchase?
Of course….he used a…..STRAW BUYER !
If you have to explain the joke….
Turtles do coke?
Only in government funded studies
Cocaine Mitch
If they’re smuggling it in a balloon they do.
Not sure how that works off the hooker’s ass when its underwater but I would participate if required.
Here’s the thing: that straw almost certainly didn’t come from North America. Over 95% of all plastic in the oceans comes from just 10 rivers in Asia and Africa. North America and Europe are not the problem, so banning straws and platic bags there will have no effect.
Someone didn’t get the memo about towing the lion.
After a 2 year hiatus, I am brewing again. The wife is watching the kids while I brew a bitter and a cider.
My wife is always bitter when I’m in cider.
Dicken’s cider?
Was that an In cider joke? I didn’t get it.
In cider what?
*NARROWS GAZE*
Bitter or bored?
Welcome back to the fold.
Many New York and Congressional Black Caucus lawmakers were also furious with Ocasio-Cortez after a recent Politico report stated she and the grass-roots group aligned with her, Justice Democrats, were considering backing a primary challenge to fellow New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, a Black Caucus member and establishment insider who succeeded Crowley as caucus chairman.
I would not be surprised if Andrea thought she would be the new caucus chairman because she beat Crowley.
Arrogance isn’t something she’s in short supply of.
No i mean, i wouldn’t be surprised if she literally thought whoever held that seat got to be caucus chairman.
“Well, duh, obviously the caucus chair has to be someone from NYC, that’s the biggest city in the country. Why do people hate democracy so much?”
If you can primary anyone who gets in your way, you can be Speaker of the House.
It’s the election among those who won their election.
I was hoping that the Straw Gestapo story ended with him ambushed and his legs broken. That would have been genuinely heartwarming.
Tard Tuesday: The Roosians Are Still Coming Edition
I’m not on Twitter but I occasionally read the threads posted here. And, a lot of the time, if there’s a leftist thread and someone posts an alternative interpretation, the almost immediate reaction from someone is “Russian bot confirmed.” It seems to be part and parcel of not wanting to engage in philosophical discussions.
Do they ban the “everyone’s a Russian bot/troll” people like they did the NPC meme?
It’s like you think they have to enforce their TOS evenly…
Has Twitter recently banned people for the “learn to code” response?
Yes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5MSa6xc0fw
Yes. But throwing the Covington kids is a woodchipper was a-ok. Fuck Twitter, that place is a prog hugbox
Twitter established a “Trust and Safety Council” and staffed it exclusively with progs, SJWs, and generally useless asshats who grind axes for a living.
It’s well established by now that any complaint against a conservative gets handled efficiently and severely but complaints about leftists get sent to the circular filing system. Add to that, progs complain more, more often, and more vehemently than conservatives (at least for now).
So Twitter is functionally irredeemable as long as that council exists. I don’t see them getting rid of it because the uproar would be immediate and very loud.
Dorsey may pretend to, but he doesn’t run his company anymore. That council does.
The Devil hath possessed them and directs thy tongues. Heed not! For ye shalt be trickstered and thy soul be damned.
It seems to be part and parcel of not wanting to engage in philosophical discussions.
They would have to defend their stated positions, which is something they are not equipped to do.
Why… Why do you go to Democratic underground? There are healthier ways to build your self esteem up about your intelligence.
““Logic!” said the Professor half to himself. “Why don’t they teach logic at these schools?”
Dude, it’s Tard Tuesday. I need my fix.
Along those lines, have some balloon juice.
Last night, Bill Maher
Annnnd Stop.
Oh it’s even worse than i thought…
*grins like a Cheshire Cat*
Yeah, well, the good parts of adult life will remain financially unreachable as long as you still play in ball pits & read comic books & play dress up and refuse to do the things necessary to embark on a career that will pay off down the road. Your fucking parents didn’t graduate college and step into “home, family, travel, even theater is $500 a ticket”; they had to earn it over many years of hard work, career advancement, and willingness to accept deferred gratification.
I think this plays more to current expectations rather than needs. Hell, I’ve done pretty well in the 40 some-odd years I have been working – all property paid off and rental income coming in. But there’s no way on Hell I would pay $500 to see a freaking show. That kind of expectation is beyond me or my peers – and I am including successful international finance types.
40 – 50 years ago your average upper-middle class might have a suit or two in the closet and a couple 10 to 20 year old cars. These days people feel like they are living like refugees if they don’t have layers of bling and designer clothing on racks. And of course they must have the post up to date techno phones/PC’s/flat screens/tablets or they feel like a half a rung above homeless.
But they want their lived experiences now!!!!!
Fine. Join the Marines (I did!). I guaran-fcuking-tee you will experience some living.
And likely some dying among your comrades.
And perhaps believing in near death experiences as well but finally boot camp will be over.
/old Army guy/
“how they type certain words in English don’t seem right”
Ya don’t say
“Everyone I don’t like is a
NaziRussian troll.”But, like, the bad Russians, the post-Communism thugocracy Russians, not the good Soviet Russians we liked so well back when.
“It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some insurance company has decided it doesn’t meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation,” Harris said. “That is inhumane.”
And, one more politician who conclusively proves she has no conception of what wealth is, or how it is created.
That’s easy. You create wealth by sucking the King Willie’s dick.
That’s not gold coming out of the end of that thing.
You know who else needs to meet their bottom line?
Stormy Daniels in “Young and Anal” ?
How doth insurance worketh?
That story about the funeral for the Air Force Veteran was wholesome. May they rest in peace.
With regards to the Trump tweet, I also share the same sentiments. I would love to not wake up freezing cold for once.
Buy a military issue (or good knock off) poncho liner. Best piece of gear that has ever been issued to American GI’s. I still have mine as “blanket stealing insurance” for when my wife gets more of the covers than I end up with. Keeps me toasty until the alarm tells me to go to work.
I’ll have to look into those then, thanks good sir!
Hey, no BS. If you can’t find one let me know. I’ll pick one up from Camp Zama and Takkyubin it to you.
The new USMC ones are larger (and seem a little) thicker than the wobbies we used to have. I still have two issue ones that I use for throws, and two USMC ones, for the bed and the truck.
The wife has been trying to get rid of the “Army blankets” for years to class up the bedroom, but keeps turning to them on cold nights.
Ocasio-Cortez: I’m going to propose the most batshit insane policy ever! A doubling of marginal tax rates!
Warren: Hold my beer.
Harris: Amateurs!
“It is inhumane to make people go through a system where they cannot literally receive the benefit of what medical science can offer because some insurance company has decided it doesn’t meet their bottom line in terms of their profit motivation,” Harris said. “That is inhumane.”
Charlie Gard could not be reached for comment.
Will ‘Democratic Socialism’ Lead to Communism?
It’d be nice for a change to see a soi-disant “democratic socialist” look at the history of a European country instead of just a snapshot in time taken with rose-colored glasses.
Or refrain from attributing “socialism” to countries with freer markets than the US that simply have higher taxes and more welfare.
This article presumes these young socialists are motivated by good intentions. With few exceptions, they aren’t.
Nope. They hate you and want you dead.
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2019/01/28/what-will-it-take-to-make-you-understand-and-accept-that-they-hate-you-n2540309
Fredocon is a worse term than cosmotarian.
And that takes a lot.
I love Fredocon. It perfectly describes them.
“It ain’t the way I wanted it! I can handle things. I’m smart. Not like everybody says, like dumb. I’m smart and I want respect!”
That could be said by every single squishy RINO in politics and the media.
It definitely was how the Paul Ryan speakership played out. I’m only sad I didn’t think to post a clip to Fredo’s death scene on his last day.
The future of the DSA, as predicted by Bezmenov.
Most young democratic socialists probably sincerely believe they are working toward a freer, prosperous, more equitable society with a mix of public, private, and co-operative ownership.
Can we please dispense with that nonsense. They don’t believe they’re working toward a freer, prosperous, more equitable society. They rationalize that they’re working toward those things. For the most part, the people buying into socialism know, at least somewhere in the back of their head, that what they’re going along with is theft and enslavement. They just think it’s the other guy who’ll be robbed and enslaved. They go along with the claims because admitting the truth would identify them as the envious bastards they are. Even to themselves. And socialism is more than happy to let them delude themselves that their worst instincts are humanitarianism.
They seem to be latching on hard to every bad idea that will get a shooting civil war started.
How lucky for us that everyone our side is working for the benefit of the common man, but everyone on their side is a self-deluding 80’s cartoon villain that only takes a break from lying to us to lie to themselves.
So, the people advocating for socialism are doing so purely out of humanitarianism and their demands for free college, free healthcare and a salary for existing (i.e. Universal Basic Income) only coincidentally map nearly perfectly to free stuff for them. Why, I can barely get out of the house without tripping over all the socialists just lining up to give people their own money.
So, the people advocating for lower taxes and reduced regulation are doing so purely out of humanitarianism and their demands for lower taxes, smaller transfer payments, and reduced services only coincidentally map nearly perfectly to more money and corporate power for them. Why, I can barely get out of the house without tripping over all the libertarians just lining up to liberate people from life-saving regulations.
If it wasn’t clear, I’m saying these people are wrong, but not evil. It takes a simple mind to see the world in black and white, and it doesn’t do any good to wallow in the obvious error. Feels good, though. I’m saying you should be better than you are.
“Importantly, more sophisticated and seasoned revolutionaries understand that “democratic socialism” and then “socialism” will lead to the centralization of wealth and power into a very few hands. Those revolutionaries intend to be those hands.”
“But our intentions were good!” they bleated as they were hustled to the wall and blindfolded.
Just because life in Greece is better than Cuba or Venezuela is no plaudit for how Greece is managed. And Greece is far likelier to be our future under democratic socialism than the Nordic countries.
all major decisions will come to a vote
Until the vote does not go their way. (other problems like Constitutionality notwithstanding.)
The investigation has consistently returned results — the grand jury has indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, their Russian business associate Konstantin Kilimnik, 12 Russian military intelligence officers, 13 Russians and three companies that allegedly manipulated social media to sway US voters.
Manafort and Gates have since pleaded guilty to reduced sets of charges, with Mueller alleging in December that Manafort had lied on five major counts since agreeing to cooperate with the special counsel’s office as part of his plea agreement.
Flynn, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen and campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have also pleaded guilty to charges from the special counsel’s office.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but those “charges from the special counsel’s office” have naught to do with the alleged target and stated purpose of the investigation.
“We went fishing for sharks, and look at all these bass we caught.”
All process crimes and other unrelated stuff they dredged up during the investigation. It’s just the powers that be sending a message to those who would dare to support an outsider, it’s as simple as that.
Well, we brought it on ourselves. No go to your cell and think about what you’ve done.
Some Dems float idea of primary challenge for Ocasio-Cortez
That crazy cat is already out of the bag and it ain’t going back in.
Russian Collusion! Russian Collusion!
Video of Bernie Sanders and wife on their honeymoon in the USSR at an apparently clothing-optional party.
I don’t care how young he was, i don’t want to see Bernie necked.
He was merely old then.
Hard pass.
Bernie’s an old school tankie. He’s an evil fucker.
I just can’t image why digital media companies are laying off so many journalists…
A Star Is Born’s Forgotten Tragedy: Jackson Maine’s Hatred of No-Show Socks
If only they could #learntocode. Truly tragic.
*my reaction*
“I’ll bet I can make 1000 words out of this!”
Embrace the no-show sock, and enjoy the breeze around your ankles.
Heavy breather during sex?
Imagine if the investigation led it all back to….Mueller!’
I have found the colluder and it was….me! Ta-da!
+1 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
I Hate, Hate, Hate Anal Sex, but My Husband Says It’s ‘Unfair’ Not to Do It
If ever there was a question for advice columnist Steve Smith….
He’s free to ask and she’s free to say no. What the hell is the problem here?
Asking after she said no once is the same thing as being raped.
Except she says it herself, she doesn’t want him to be free to even ask, or hell even make a joke about it. She also wants to make absolutely sure that her needs are superior to his and that he is the bad guy for even asking.
Yeah, that’s how I read that, too. Also how she characterized their relationship (“warm, loving, and full of healthy communication”), which sounds nice on the surface, but indicates that her level of attraction for him probably isn’t very high. If it was, she would have mentioned how hot their non-butt sex life was as part of her “defense.”
Attempts at persuasion is the new rape.
Just tell him that anal sex will make him gay. You can even cite Roosh and all that.
NTTAWWT of course.
Ha ha ha! Just tell him “what’s good for the gander is good for the goose” – ie: Strap-on time!
He took to the strap-on fine. Liked and then said she was whining for not liking it.
They need a divorce. And she can put NO ANAL EVER in her Tinder profile and get on with life.
Hmm, you are unwilling or unable to meet his sexual needs but somehow he is the bad guy? Why exactly is it that an open relationship is off the table? Somehow I am thinking he would not be the one to object to your saying that he is free to seek anal from others as long as he does not bring it up to you again, so once again even though there is a path where you could allow him to have his needs be met by others you refuse him and yet he still is the bad guy.
Now the decision is up to him. He is with a shrill harpy who considers his needs to be utterly subordinate to hers and not only will you not try to find some compromise where both of your needs are met some of the time or partially met but you go and get angry and resentful at him for even mentioning the subject. He needs to decide are you worth the heartache and trouble to stay with knowing he will never be fully satisfied with life or will he be better off leaving you to search for someone who is more compatible with him.
Understand, whatever decisions he makes here you are the bad guy in the relationship, not him.
If it hurts her, his wanting to keep doing it makes him an ass (pun intended). Maybe they are ultimately incompatible and should have figured this out before…
For her part, Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t seem particularly worried about a primary challenge. With her newfound fame, she will be a force of nature and fundraising powerhouse in the 2020 cycle; as a political newcomer in 2018, she raised an astounding $2 million last cycle and had more than $400,000 cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports.
That’s not even counting what’s in her freezer.
Even if they successfully primary her she’ll have a pretty sweet gig at CNN waiting for her.
I know BMW drivers are assholes, but are they also antisemitic?
Pro-Hitler road rage? BMW driver erupts in antisemitic rant
Gotta be a Democrat.
The part I don’t understand is that BMW owners pay a lot of money for a luxury sport sedan, but don’t want to spring the extra for the optional turn indicator package.
Good Morning Banjos!
GOP senators introduce bill to relax regulations on firearms suppressors
On Thursday, GOP Sens. Mike Lee, Utah, John Cornyn, Texas, Rand Paul, Ky., James Risch, Id., and Mike Crapo, Id., introduced the “Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act of 2019,” which would “ensure the elimination of all federal regulations of suppressors.”
“Suppressors can make shooting safer for the millions of hunters and sportsmen that exercise their constitutional right to use firearms every year,” reads a statement from Lee’s office. “The current process for obtaining a suppressor is far too expensive and burdensome. Our bill would remove these unnecessary federal regulations and make it easier for firearms users to protect themselves.”
Given that there aren’t 60 Republicans to prevent a filibuster on this and the House speaker’s gavel is currently held by the vehemently anti-gun Nancy Pelosi, this legislation realistically has less than a snowball’s chance of making it to the president’s desk during this session of Congress.
But bills like this also spark conversations and debates to move cultural needle on an issue. And there’s a lot of complete misinformation out there about suppressors.
Which is the only reason the bill is being floated. Lee and Paul are probably serious about supporting this, but I have little confidence in the rest of the ostensibly pro-2A party.
They’re all about introducing pro gun legislation when it has zero chance of passing aren’t they?
Yeah, the fuckers had two years to do concealed carry reciprocity, and they didn’t do shit. The Republicans really are worthless, cowardly shits.
Reciprocity, hearing protection act, permanent tax cuts… so much they could have done.
Fuck you Paul Ryan.
Yup. I’m thinking the classic formula that the Repubs are the Stupid Party is outdated. To me, they are the Useless Party. Fuck ’em until they produce some results. I think they’ve got some opportunities to be better than useless with judicial appointments, but they’ve been pretty fucking useless on a lot of agency appointments.
I agree with Leon – the Repubs aren’t in it to govern, because they had everything they needed to do that, and they didn’t. Their crying about how they can’t do anything without both chambers and the Presidency is bullshit. Hell, a Republican Congress stood by, or collaborated with, the kneecapping of a Repub President. The Dems manage to get more of their agenda passed when they are “out of power” than the Repubs do when they hold all the cards.
Lot’s of them openly hate Trump because he isn’t in on their shtick.
The GOP is back the their happy spot, plausible deniability allows them to keep churning the same talking points but do nothing.
Those lovable losers who tried their best.
fuck them with rusty rebar. they think they’re being so fucking cute bringing this up now with a Dem House. this is one of those stunts to appease their base that’s so blindingly ceremonial that it might actually turn their base toward a primary challenger.
Nice acronym (SHUSH).
“….She’s pissing off a lot of people and has probably made a lot of enemies. … A lot of people who are furious with her are Joe’s allies, including some named Crowley,” said the insider, referring to Crowley’s cousin, Elizabeth Crowley, a former New York City councilwoman. “She is a woman. She’s been moving more to the left. She would be someone interesting.”
Elizabeth Crowley, 41, did not return a request for comment, but she has previously said she’s eyeing a bid for Queens borough president in 2021. She lives in a neighboring Queens district.
For her part, Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t seem particularly worried about a primary challenge. With her newfound fame, she will be a force of nature and fundraising powerhouse in the 2020 cycle; as a political newcomer in 2018, she raised an astounding $2 million last cycle and had more than $400,000 cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports.”
What do they mean ‘and she’s pulling left’? Sounds as thought the DNC wants to stay on this left-wing track?
Also. Love how when that spectacular tart is challenged its’ because ‘right-wingers are obsessed with her”. They’re “obsessed” because she never stop showing how retarded she is. She has to be challenged EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Florida business man! Don’t worry though, your SS money is safe in a lockbox.
My Socialist cat leaves me holding the bag
What the fuck? The only way my cat was socialist is if squirrels were enemies of his state. He killed them like a capitalist getting a bonus for each head. That little fucker had no problem feeding himself, and would occasionally bring some to share. Although sometimes it was easier for him to just hit the food bowl.
Cats are libertarians.
If they were socialist they’d always be congregating plotting in gangs to rob and kill.
No seriously. My observations of being with cats all my life is they’re absolutely more live and let live with a strong dose of ‘fuck off and die narcissism’.
Running water boggles his mind.
One of mine is fascinated by water, running or not (she likes to flick water from the bowl onto the other cat). She watched me do dishes last night. She also took to licking one of the pans. So I guess she “helped”.
Honestly, if you’re job is to enforce plastic straw bans it may be time to look in the mirror.
Plastic is one of the all-time great inventions. Now, because of dubious science and environmentalists (emphasis on the mental), they’re bad because Gaia.
The plastic straw and bags ban piss me off to no end. Not because I hate ‘earl’ but because it’s rooted in anti-science.
Love the picture they put up about how cooperative they all are.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460091/mediaviewer/rm1402479872
He’s trying to atone.
“Business is booming for manufacturers of straws made from eco-friendly alternatives to plastic.”
No shit.
And they’re probably inferior.
Calif. board of trustees scraps Pledge of Allegiance over ‘white nationalism’ history
The Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees President says the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag is “steeped in expressions of nativism and white nationalism.”
In emails obtained exclusively by Campus Reform, the president of the SBCC Board of Trustees, Robert Miller, stated that he decided to “discontinue use of the Pledge of Allegiance” at board meetings because of its history.
“I decided to discontinue use of the Pledge of Allegiance for reasons related to its history and symbolism,” Miller said in an email to Celeste Barber, a former adjunct instructor at SBCC. “I have discovered that the Pledge of Allegiance has a history steeped in expressions of nativism and white nationalism.”
In addition to these reasons, Miller stated that he’d rather pledge his allegiance to the Constitution “instead of a physical object.”
I, too, am against the PoA, but for real reasons, not some made up sjw crap reasons. And I am skeptical of your allegiance to the Constitution or the BoR.
Nativism? We make all the immigrants say it, too.
Real reason(s) to be against the PoA.
“I have discovered that the Pledge of Allegiance has a history steeped in expressions of nativism and white nationalism.”
You know it’s funny. The thing has been around for years, and you’ve been forcing kids to say it for forever. But you just now “Discovered” it’s history.
I don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance, but the history behind it is just the opposite. It was pushed by the Knights of Columbus as a way to show that Catholics could be good Americans.
People are just making up history now
If only they meant that.
I mean… the constitution is a real document. It is not just a set of ideas that we can change at our whim.
The Constitution is not a “physical object?”
These people are so stupid I almost feel bad making fun of them. Almost.
Wait you mean The Flag might also be used as a symbol that is more than just a physical piece of cloth? My mind is blown. Besides, lots of people who have sworn oaths to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” have in fact done the opposite. How would that change in this guy’s scenario?
My grade school both did the Pledge and was led in prayer over the intercom. They finally stopped the daily prayer around 1980.
So I guess your “Dear God, please make this stop” prayer was finally answered?
I just mumbled along to both in the same sort of dazed boredom.
Right thing for the wrong reason. Meh.
When I was a junior in high school, I had first hour study hall. By happenstance I was seated right next to the flag. We – even in high school – did the pledge of allegiance every morning. Eventually I got sick of doing it, so I would remain seated. A friend of mine started doing the same. So I had the eyes of 40 odd other students on us while they pledged away.
Eventually a Teacher’s Aide came over and asked us why we’re not standing for the pledge.
Me: I’m against the wars we’ve been in.
Friend: Uh, I don’t feel like standing.
Teacher aide, bless her heart, gave me a dirty look but pointed a finger at my friend. “You’re standing up next time. LH can remain sitting.”
So the next day I remained sitting while my friend stood…
And that’s the end of my story… /old man
I pledge allegiance to the DNC.
And to the Republic for which it can’t stand.
It’s the reason given for scrapping these things the problem.
At this rate they’re gonna deem Western history as ‘white supremacy’ as a whole.
I’m not so sure this is hyperbole either anymore. Just read Campusreform and Accuracy in Academia. How many anecdotes does it take to become reality?
Then they turn around and call people racists for challenging their own specious claims. It’s nuts.
They already do.
D’oh!
My version:
“I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. And to the Republic which it creates; one nation, fifty states, with liberty and justice for all.”
I like that
Though I would submit a slight modification
replace ‘fifty’ with ‘sovereign’
Needz moar free healthcare.
Art of the deal?
Speaker Pelosi invites President Trump to give his SOTU Feb. 5
And all he had to do to get the invitation was to tuck his tail between his legs and fold like a little bitch? Sounds like quite a bargain.
Perhaps, perhaps not.
Maybe. OTOH, after the 3 week deal is up, he’ll have given the SOTU and she’ll have one less bargaining chip. I’m not in the Trump as genius camp, but he actually is better at this than any of the Congresscritters.
But WaPo announced definitively that “Trump Lost” as if i’m supposed to care.
Regardless of whether Trump won or lost this scenario (I’m inclined to the latter), the Washington Post has as much worth as a used condom dragged thru dogshit. They’ve destroyed their credibility so many times, only fools would believe anything they print.
He also can say, “I owned the last shutdown. This time it’s yours.” Don’t know if that will work.
Not sure he folded like a little bitch. I may be way off here, but I’ve been trying to think about possible strategies. Throughout the shut down, the Dems refused to negotiate on wall funding, saying they would negotiate only after government was reopened. Of course this was bullshit, but maybe Trump decided to call their bluff, and reopen government, but only for 3 weeks. They will now refuse to negotiate in good faith, and reveal themselves to be liars on this matter when the government shuts down again. During the upcoming shutdown, their position that they will negotiate when government reopens will be known to be a lie that will not fly with anyone, and they will now take the brunt of the blame, which could possibly force some concessions.
Just a theory, I could be wrong. But Trump does have some negotiating experience.
will be known to be a lie that will not fly with anyone
I await the Trump twitter rant on the matter. “Lying Nancy and Dishonest Chuck…”
“Lying Nancy and Dishonest Chuck trying to use the same lie as the last time! Everyone knows TRUTH now! SAD!”
I’m joking to a certain extent and it remains to be seen how well he’s played this. If what we’re seeing on it’s face is the extent of what happened then he got hammered. If he’s trying to set himself up as the reasonable party he can still pull off a “win.”
I think the three weeks means he didn’t fold, but just hit the reset button in a way that will make it harder to hang the next shutdown on him. I believe he is smart enough to see that actually folding on the wall will mean he is a one-termer.
I’m one of those who thinks we need border security, which means we need physical barriers that are somewhat effective. There’s no question, I believe, that a wall is a necessary but not sufficient part of border security in high-traffic areas. And the ones we have are not up to the job.
Let’s all be honest here, the end state they achieve will not be what anyone who posts regularly on this board wants. Trump doesn’t want the border wall to be paid for from cuts somewhere else. He’s fine with the border wall AND the other $1.6T Congress spent last year. Whether he “wins” or not on the border wall, we’re not going to win much.
Fightin’ words
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, who is seriously considering running a run for president as an Independent, called the billionaire-bashing ideas of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., “misinformed” and “un-American” at the first stop of his book tour Monday night in New York City.
When asked about how her advisers have said American billionaires are evidence of policy failures and a failure of the system, he replied: “It’s so un-American to think that way.”
He continued about taking advantage of the opportunities in life presented to him: “I am self-made. I came from the projects and took advantage of the promise of the country. I am living proof of the American Dream.”
Just last week, Ocasio-Cortez told a crowd in New York City that “a world that allows for billionaires” is immoral, although she did point out that not all billionaires themselves are immoral, noting the philanthropy of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.
Schultz on Monday criticized far-left Democrat proposals for single-payer health care and free tuition at public colleges as unrealistic and instead emphasized expanding the economy and curbing entitlements to get the national debt under control.
“If I ran as a Democrat I would have to say things in my heart I do not believe,” he said of the increasingly popular liberal policies: universal health care and a 70 percent marginal tax rate on the wealthy.
He’s going to piss off a lot of the True Believers, saying stuff like that.
Schultz is setting himself up to be a bigger menace to the nation than Trump. I hope he has a carry permit.
He says he’s worried about the debt and laughs at the idea of medicare for all. Better than all of team blue just on those two things alone.
And most of the GOP.
True. Most of the GOP says that stuff and then caves when this stuff comes to a vote. As I’ve said before: I hate both parties. One lies all the time and the other doesn’t.
I laughed at that…like a cynical, depressed laugh. Very good way to describe them.
I wouldn’t say most. But the issue is that the Dems are very very good at capturing four or five “Republican” Senators who, when push comes to shove, will never stand with their alleged party.
I think that a serious entitlement reform plan would go down in this Senate short of 60, with grandiose speeches from Mittens and Lamar Alexander about “We Need a Grand Compromise Which Will Balance The Budget Without Cutting Vital Programs.” Then they “cross the aisle” the next month to have a “modest, reasonable” version of Warren’s asset tax.
Obamacare would have been repealed except for three fucking RINO squishes who “cross the aisle on principle.” The Dems NEVER have a Senator do the same thing. Never. They have party discipline. Like, that’s where the whole “pox on both their houses” thing falls short for me. Once bad legislation is on the books, it is impossible to remove because there’s always going to be one or two traitorous liars like McCain or Murkowski who say one thing to get elected and then stab their supporters in the back.
I mean, shit, look at the SCOTUS. There’s never any speculation about the Lefty 4. They never break ranks. Ever. It’s always “Which worthless fucking RINO is going to emanate his penumbra and invent some specious bullshit.”
It’s not “most Republicans” at all. It’s just that once terrible federal legislation is on the books, it stays, because between the blue states and the two faced RINO types, you will never get a bloc of 60 votes to repeal shit in the Senate, even if you do control the House and the POTUS.
Of course cocaine Mitch can get rid of the filibuster whenever he wants. It’s just a senate rule, it’s not actually in the constitution.
Yeah it would have been interesting to do that in 2017 and have this past House and Senate ramming through a bunch of Rand Paul written bills.
Still need a majority for that, and right now I don’t think there is one for ending the filibuster entirely.
Yeah, but he probably has a tie which would be decided by Pence.
If he’s for war he can fuck off for all i care.
Has he even commented on foreign policy? I haven’t seen it.
I havn’t either, i’m Just Sayn’ (Not the Glib Member)
He may want to intervene in Ethiopia and Sumatra…
I hear he’s backing the Juan Valdez brigade as well.
I know I’m latte to this thread, but I think Schultz would make a fine President.
#metoo
he has a grande vision that leaves the bean counters brewing with anticipation
Don’t trust him. He’s hard left blue, indifferent to the military-industrial complex, a supporter of the trans-bathroom movement, anti-free speech, pro-public option shitbag. He won’t cut jack, and he’s probably ready sell Hawaii to Japan like he sold the Sonics to Clay Ford.
That’s why the hard-left are going apeshit.
he’s probably ready sell Hawaii to Japan
So, not all bad, then.
As long as it includes Hirono in the deal.
I had to reread the thread to realize you weren’t talking about Trump.
Plastic is one of the all-time great inventions. Now, because of dubious science and environmentalists (emphasis on the mental), they’re bad because Gaia.
The plastic straw and bags ban piss me off to no end. Not because I hate ‘earl’ but because it’s rooted in anti-science.
I’m waiting for the wave of anguished hand-wringing over the “epidemic” of illnesses attributed to reusable take-them-with-you straws.
You know it’s coming.
We get these types (Urban Granolas) every so often at our daycare. I think they have reusable or sustainable diapers or something retarded. I remember we let a parent use it but one week in the educators rebelled saying it was unsanitary and just plane insane. Not to say nothing about it being bad for the child.
The parent didn’t like it but too bad. Problem is, I can picture this sort of ‘sustainable’ action being put into law because the bureaucracy is that absurd. I’m starting to detect too much ‘woke’ language coming from the Politburo.
As an aside, we had a parent complain that too many cars idle and suggested we ask parents to shut their cars off for the environment. We politely declined. We’re not going to interfere or intrude in people’s lives. Who knows why they keep it idling?
I look forward to the day I sell.
Are you talking about cloth diapers? My wife initially looked into it, but I vetoed immediately. There’s a reason they stopped being used almost immediately when disposables became available in the 50s.
Yes.
Also, and idling car is likely to use less gas and produce less carbon than one that shuts down and starts up again a few minutes later…
Yet somehow the Feds are mandating the auto start/stop ‘feature’ on new cars.
It’s almost as if they have no fucking clue what they are doing.
No, they are mandating better fuel economy. The start up thing comes at the cost of worse emissions.
I have that in my VW. I FUCKEN HATE IT.
It even stopped without restarting twice in traffic areas. Retards.
I’m gonna kill it because it’s that stupid a feature.
Hell, just look at the number of people who don’t realize they have to clean out their Camelbaks or other reusable water bottles.
Cleaning up ocean plastic could destroy nascent ecosystems.
Ha, ha. That was fast. File under: Unintended Consequences.
But they don’t care. We have 12 years to live.
Re plastic bans.
I like to think that down the road they will make a comeback once saner and more rational heads prevail at some point in the future.
I want to believe the unintended consequences will be such that we’ll have to.
Please agree with me because it won’t stop here this banning madness.
Restaurant owner ‘shocked’ by anti-immigrant message allegedly written on receipt for server
Haven’t we learned anything from jumping to conclusions? Come on Fox news. What are the odds of this being a false flag?
Not even with the Covington case. Doesn’t this same thing occur every 6 months? and isn’t it almost always a fake?
Even if it isn’t a fake, it’s somehow indicative of our national character? And therefore to be used as justification for further intrusion into our personal liberties?
Much like the Covington Kerfuffle, it’s a non-story that is being blown out of proportion in order to justify hatred of the political other and more government.
Our national character is so imminently racist that milquetoast xenophobia makes national headlines as something shocking and unusual.
We’re so racist that millions of brown people risk life and limb to come here.
Quick, let’s see the server’s handwriting.
There have been a bunch of these “receipt with mean writing” stories – have ANY of them turned out to be true?
We have Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., yet the new, hip method of communication is scrawling hate messages on receipts.
It’s the personalized touch that really makes the difference. Not the mass distribution of hate.
NPR decides to do some mental health for it’s listeners
I guess after 2 years of anger about TRUMMMP!!!!!!! NPR realized that their listeners might be unhinged.
Me: Where did you hear that?
Coworker: NPR did a spot on it.
Me: NPR is Fox News with classical music.
Coworker *gasping and sputtering noises*
Pelosi’s approval rating lower than Trump’s over government shutdown.
But what’s her rating with Putin?
My question is are we going to have many articles talking about how poor her approval rating is, for the next 2 years.
Would only bang on a bet to prove he is virile enough to bang anything.
Legit question: which hang lower, Trump’s balls or Nancy’s tits?
Depends on the weather?
Let’s say high humidity and windy.
Trump’s balls. Nancy isn’t the bustiest gal, and she’s from the state that invented plastic surgery.
Pelosi has boob envy for Chuckles.
She has quite the chest, but it is just gunt forced upward by a triple layer of Spanx.
Nancy’s balls beat Trump’s tits by a hair.
too many cars idle…. Who knows why they keep it idling?
Hmmmm- Montreal, in January? It’s a mystery.
Cuomo Responds To Catholic Criticism
When asked about bishops’ condemnation of the new abortion law and calls for the governor’s excommunication by Catholic leaders — including two U.S. Bishops — Cuomo shrugged off the criticism, saying he wasn’t elected to “represent a religion” and pivoting to the Church’s sex abuse scandal.
Using the strategically-euphemistic language of pro-abortion activists, the Democrat said in a radio interview on Monday that the Church doesn’t stand for “a woman’s right to choose.”
“The Catholic Church doesn’t believe in a woman’s right to choose,” said Cuomo, according to the New York Post.
The governor then painted opposition to abortion of pain-capable, viable unborn babies as strictly a religious position, adding, “I understand their religious view. I’m not here to represent a religion. I’m here to represent all the people and the constitutional rights and limitations for all the people — not as a Catholic.”
“‘Bishops attack Gov. Cuomo.’ Let’s pull that headline up from 30 years ago,” Cuomo said, further downplaying the backlash with a reference to his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo. Mario was similarly a Catholic who expanded abortion in New York state during his tenure, and unapologetically so.
Maybe the Catholic Church (correctly) thinks that we shouldn’t be killing babies right before they are born. I am not even religious in the slightest and I find this to be very wrong.
I’m here to represent all the people and the constitutional rights and limitations for all the people
Except those Babies. Fuck em. They have no rights.
It’s strange that a child right before it is born can be murdered and he won’t blink an eye, but don’t you dare take away a child from their mother at the border while the parents are detained, that is a Human rights offense.
Sorry, i just can’t get over how disgusting it is that the Democrats have not only convinced themselves of Abortion but that they think it is obvious that it is a womans right to choose to murder her child right up until before birth. How can any sane person think that this is ok?
Just Democrats?
Until birth?
You’ll find plenty of Republicans and especially libertarians who absolutely agree with that proposition. That’s the main reason for so many libertarians despising the Pauls. They’d rather vote for Gary “Permanent Bases in Afghanistan” Johnson over Rand Paul merely because of abortion. It really is a faith to some. It’s so important that it trumps all other issues.
No, I meant along the lines of “only until birth?”. Only a matter of time before going full prog and bring back eugenics wholesale.
Oh eugenics is back already. It’s impossible to divorce progressivism from eugenics. They are one in the same
Yup. Progressivism is all about trying to change people and human nature, to come up with a society that can truly be run top-down. Eugenics is the front where they go after who gets to populate the next generation of society. They were quite open about this pre-war, but it got that Nazi stink on it so they backed off. The culture war is about what we get to think and believe. Its been a roaring success.
Ok fair its not just Democrats, i’m just disgusted that this happens and that not only are people no horrified by it, but that it is being celebrated as some great advancement for women.
Logical consistency is not in the leftist repertoire. (Not that temporarily separating children from their criminal parents while their parents are processed in the legal system is a human rights offense. Incidentally, I find that position ironic considering leftist would also deny you your children because yo let them walk to school alone or, god forbid, you have firearms in the house.)
“What you are asking for is infanticide”
– Patrick Moynihan (D- NY) in the 90’s responding to abortion activists
No shit. The church that considers abortion a mortal sin (last I checked) doesn’t support abortion?
Last I checked, the Catholic Church also opposed the death penalty.
Agree with them or not, they at least make an attempt to be morally consistent unlike Cuomo and his ilk.
Correct me if I am wrong here, but it would seem to me that the whole “life of the mother is in danger” talking point is even more specious than usual in this case.
If you had an 8 month pregnancy and the mother was suffering some sort of medical emergency, it would seem to me that inducing labor or doing an emergency C-section would be the best course of action to save both of them.
So is this just some kind of twisted Baalist version of virtue signaling?
Yes, it is. Because mental health and well-being also counts as “health of the mother” and this in practice translates to abortion on demand right up until the baby is born. It’s monstrous.
While it might technically allow it show some evidence to prove this claim bears any resemblance to reality. 3rd trimester abortions are extremely rare
https://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2016/10/27/how-many-late-term-abortions-are-really-performed-in-the-united-states/
The actual statistics show that even in states with no restrictions on late term abortions whatsoever that 8th and 9th month abortions are exceedingly rare and virtually all of them are for reasons of fetal viability. There is simply no evidence at all supporting that a 9th month elective abortion has ever been performed forget one which was done only under a fig leaf of protecting the mothers mental health.
I suppose you might be able to dig out tens of instances where something vaguely like an elective 8th+ month abortion was performed maybe even into the low hundreds in the 46 years since Roe v Wade but I doubt there are even 500 occurrences of it ever in history. It simply is not a problem which is common enough to be basing policy off of.
Yes it is because if a pro-lifer concedes rape/incest/life of the mother, the pro-choicer gives no ground.
Anything past ~28 weeks and yeah there isn’t anything I have ever heard of which would make an abortion a safer alternative to inducing or a c-section and even though I am generally more on the pro choice side I can see no logical argument for allowing a 3rd trimester abortion for the health of the mother. Same with rape and incest exceptions. I see no value to them in the 3rd trimester. The only time I would agree that 3rd trimester abortions are acceptable is when it is discovered that the fetus is either not viable for any reason or possesses such severe birth defects that it will require lifelong medical care to even survive.
Pretty much where I am. Even though there may be very few reported and no “electives”, I would not underestimate the willingness of true believers to falsify records, either. Which they would probably continue to do even if it was flat-out illegal.
And the thing is, my recollection is that Griswold is crystal clear that it only creates a right to abortion before viability.
Not to go all broken record, but a lawmaker endorsing legislation and publicly giving enthusiastic support for a practice considered a mortal sin by the Catholic Church should be grounds for excommunication. At a certain point, your beliefs are in such direct conflict with Church teaching that you are not only no longer in communion with the Church, but are actively undermining it’s teachings. I’ll leave it to the Pope and Bishops to sort out, as it’s not my job to make such judgments, but they need to start tossing these unrepentant mother fuckers.
It’ll never happen but holy shit it would be epic.
The Church currently thinks it’s engaged in a PR battle, rather than a fight for its soul. This attitude starts at the top and is plainly evident in their handling of abusive actions by clergy. I don’t think they’re going to switch tactics mid-battle over this issue.
Lately it seems like freedom/liberty vs. authoritarian/totalitarianism is a conflict similar to pacifists vs. warmongers.
In both cases, the former approach produces superior results within a given culture or society. But when that ethos comes up against the latter one, a problem arises in that followers of the former presume their systems will prevail because of their superiority (both morally and in the outcomes it produces). Adherents of the latter systems on the other hand do whatever it takes to snuff out the opposition.
A pacifist society that cannot or refuses to fight an invading military bend on domination will be destroyed, and it seems like a culture of freedom has the same problem when faced with encroaching totalitarianism.
How can a pro-freedom society withstand an onslaught from forces that do everything they can to gain power then use that power to shut out those who would support freedom?
Another way of asking this question would be, how can Robert Conquest’s 2nd Law be short-circuited? If you were establishing Libertopia, what mechanism would you put in place to ensure totalitarians wouldn’t be able to eventually seize power and transform it into a short-lived Progtopia? Clearly the citizenry cannot be relied upon for their eternal vigilance, but if your write something into the Libertopian Constitution that requires anyone supporting totalitarianism be expelled (and somehow manage to enforce this over centuries), that itself poses problems.
A pacifist society that cannot or refuses to fight an invading military
Not all (in fact very few) Libertarians/Liberty loving folk are Pacifists. They advocate non-aggression. There is a big difference
It’s a huge difference.
I advocate for non-intervention until absolutely necessary, an almost unattainable bar. Then I advocate for something just short of scorched earth.
^this^
Bingo. If I were king, I would be far more reluctant to use my military and far more ruthless when I did.
As other commenters said, liberty/freedom does not equal pacifism. But I do see your point. Liberty by its very nature must allow totalitarians to exist, and even spread their ideas as long as violence isn’t used. But totalitarians have no such compunction when it comes to libertarians. They’ll happily suppress or destroy supporters of freedom using every tool available.
Yes. It’s the shitty part of taking the moral high road.
I wasn’t attempting to equate liberty and pacifism. There’s definitely massive differences between the two.
The point was to show that the forces of liberty face similar challenges in the face of authoritarianism as pacifists face when up against a militaristic society. How can a culture that is liberty minded win a fight with an authoritarian one? Its the same problem as a pacifist society winning a fight with warmongers, one that on the surface seems impossible, since the warmongers can only be repelled by force.
No number of drum circles will stop an advancing barbarian army. Similarly, no amount of logic, reason, or demonstration of how liberty is superior will stop those hell-bent on imposing tyranny. There must be a way. If there isn’t, liberty must be inferior because it cannot defend itself and is thus naturally selected against.
I’m loving all those snarky conservatives re-tweeting McAfee and then chuckling about him. Your party nominated a reality show billionaire who boasted that he doesn’t read. McAfee is infinitely better than everyone that has currently declared their intention to run.
Re Harris. She slept with a married man twice her age correct? Probably ‘slept for ambition’ on other occasions.
Question. WHAT WILL WE TELL OUR DAUGHTERS?!
Remember that when Trump was elected?
Mi ricordi.
It always flips depending on what works for them.
When they had Clinton, it was JUST SEX YOUR PRUDES. Then it flipped to WHAT WILL I TELL MY WIFE’S DAUGHTER?!?!?!?!? and for Harris it will be some combination of PRUDES!!!!! and also SHE WAS RAPED BY WILLIE BROWN!!!!
In 2004 we needed Kerry because he was a decorated combat veteran over chickenhawk W, but in 2008 McCain was a warhorse dinosaur.
In 2008 we needed the fresh new ideas of a young outsider, but in 2016 we needed an experienced veteran politician, not an outsider with new ideas.
Whatever works best for them at the time.
I heard she sexually harasses her interns. I have no evidence for this. But you should believe me anyway because that’s the standard she set with Brett K.
i look forward to one of her step-kids coming out and saying what a fake cunt she is.
Well, we haven’t seen any proof that she doesn’t sexually harass her interns.
I’m sure that some woman who looks vaguely like her probably did, so she should pay the price.
Saying you have no evidence gives credence to the notion that evidence is even necessary. In our new brave world, evidence is irrelevant; belief (and shared political affiliation) is all that matters.
Let’s read her entire high school yearbook into the Congressional record.
“Do you really expect us to believe that ‘BFF’ doesn’t stand for “Butt-Fucking Fritos?”
You know what’s funny? I was listening to an old O&A clip on youtube from several years ago. Anthony used “boofed” to refer to a guest vomiting. There was no question about what he said or how he used it.
link?
I’ll try to find it when I get home, but it’s been several weeks.
Acting AG Whitaker: Mueller investigation ‘close to being completed’
I take it that means firing Mueller because it is an illegitimate investigation without end.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is “close to being completed,” acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker said Monday.
Whitaker told reporters he has been “fully briefed” on the investigation.
“I look forward to Director Mueller delivering the final report,” Whitaker said.
Whitaker’s announcement follows new bipartisan legislation filed Monday that would require Mueller to summarize his findings in a report to Congress and the public.
The Russia investigation, which began when Mueller was appointed in May 2017, has showed signs of nearing its end. Some of the investigation’s prosecutors moved to different jobs outside of Mueller’s office and the office moved some of its cooperators like former national security adviser Michael Flynn toward sentencing.
The arrest of former Trump adviser Roger Stone, one of the last key campaign associates in President Donald Trump’s orbit, on Friday was also a long anticipated move from Mueller.
But Mueller has indicated that a grand jury’s work on the probe could continue. The special counsel’s federal grand jury, which began meeting in July 2017, was extended in January so it may continue to meet and vote on criminal indictments for up to six more months.
The investigation has consistently returned results — the grand jury has indicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, their Russian business associate Konstantin Kilimnik, 12 Russian military intelligence officers, 13 Russians and three companies that allegedly manipulated social media to sway US voters.
Manafort and Gates have since pleaded guilty to reduced sets of charges, with Mueller alleging in December that Manafort had lied on five major counts since agreeing to cooperate with the special counsel’s office as part of his plea agreement.
It returned “results” stemming from irrelevant non-crimes to procedural
crimestraps to crimes not associated with the original stated intent and scope of the investigation.It will end after the presidential election in 2020, so long as the right person wins election
Or not. Why stop kicking when your opponent is on the ground? Send a clear message to world that the deep state runs things and cannot be challenged.
They just want him out of office. I don’t think they have a case and that’s why they don’t want to end it.
Regarding the article about the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees President saying that the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag is “steeped in expressions of nativism and white nationalism.”
I don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance and I think that it is far creepier than reciting the National Anthem, but again this is cracker jack history. The Pledge of Allegiance was pushed by immigrant groups, specifically the Knights of Columbus, to show the American public that immigrants and Catholics can be good Americans too.
Why are people being allowed to just make-up history now? It was the “progressive” Ku Klux Klan that was at its height when the Pledge of Allegiance was being adopted. The Klan was pushing the idea that new immigrants would not be loyal to the US and that their only allegiance was to the Vatican. You still see the holdover of this crap in any local Catholic school where they continue to push a bunch of patriotic garbage. My Catholic grammar school forced us to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the National Anthem, and then a prayer ever morning.
I’m beginning to think that progressivism is derived from an individual’ complete ignorance about history and the rest of the world.
History is “steeped in expressions of nativism and white nationalism.” It must be reimagined and reinvented, just like the electorate.
>I don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance
I think you should. You look at the largest, though highly imperfect, engine for human freedom and flourishing and say “not good enough, not even in its idealized form?”
I never pledge allegiance to any institution created by man. I have allegiance to people and places, but not some abstract set of checks and balances. I stand politely and do not speak.
The Klan was pushing the idea that new immigrants would not be loyal to the US and that their only allegiance was to the Vatican.
The Democrats never change, do they?
Progressives never change. They come back and just pick-up where they left off 90 years ago
Who’s up for a good old-fashioned Two Minutes Hate?
A court ruling Monday in Massachusetts will expose details about one of America’s richest families and their connection to the nation’s opioid crisis.
The Sacklers and members of their company Purdue Pharma have been named in a lawsuit that accuses them of profiting from the opioid crisis by aggressively marketing OxyContin, claims denied by attorneys for the family and Purdue.
———-
“For many years, Purdue, its executives, and members of the Sackler family have tried to shift the blame and hide their role in creating the opioid epidemic. We are grateful to the court for lifting the impoundment on our complaint so that the public and families so deeply impacted by this crisis can see the allegations of the misconduct that has harmed so many,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement to CNN on Monday.
Those monsters. How dare they provide pain relief for suffering Americans?
“aggressively marketing OxyContin…”
If only they had hired lazy, half-hearted marketers. Or kept their product a secret from doctors with patients in pain.
Governments both Federal and States are responsible for all of these heroin/fentynl overdose deaths. You see, killing people is better than allowing them to “potentially” abuse prescription drugs.
Because manufacturers are somehow responsible for the deliberate misuse of their product.
There’s a distinct aroma of fraud around the opioid industry. When time-release opioids (Oxy, mainly) were invented, there was no market for them because physicians believed that opioids were dangerous and should be used very sparingly, and not for chronic pain relief. Thus began a campaign to reinvent the standard of care for chronic pain relief, with a bunch of studies than in hindsight were laughable. Gosh, who paid for those studies?* Such claims as “if you are really in pain you can’t get addicted”, “less than 10% of people who use opioids are ever addicted”, and “opioids don’t have long-term effects” have all been conclusively disproved, but were useful in creating a market for time-release opioids.
Now, does this mean time-release opioids should be banned? Of course not. But people should be told that the odds are they will get addicted, and that regardless of whether they get addicted, using opioids for any length of time will cause long-term changes in their brain chemistry. If they decide to go ahead, than I say let them.
*If you think climate science is tainted because its funded by people with an agenda, you should be equally skeptical of the studies that supported using opioids for chronic pain.
What was the treatment for chronic pain before?
Actual opiates (derived from the opium poppy). Oh, and alcohol.
physicians believed that opioids were dangerous and should be used very sparingly, and not for chronic pain relief
What was their alternative at the time to opioids for chronic pain relief? As far as I can tell, the only alternative is for patients to live in uncontrollable pain, and that seems to be the decision a distressingly high number of physicians are perfectly happy making now. Fox ran an excellent article not too long detailing people who are beginning to commit suicide because they can’t receive appropriate pain control.
I think the rate of addiction for prescribed opioids is something around 10% or lower. It’s basically non-existent for a population but those individual outliers are screamed in the news. Vast majority of addiction cases come from the black market. Things like people crushing pain pills and snorting them.
Chemical dependence is widespread among prescribed users, but of course is an entirely different animal. A person with Type 1 Diabetes is chemically dependent on insulin, but it would be ridiculous to call them addicted to insulin. The same thing should be true of chronic pain sufferers but the narrative has already been spun and pushed.
ef
fucked up the tags. Edit fairy please?
thanks ef
We see a lot of addiction that starts with prescription, but doesn’t really reveal itself until the prescription is cut off. That is when people go to the black market. Its hard to identify addiction when prescriptions are still available; you don’t really know if someone is addicted until you try to wean them.
There are some nuances around “chemical dependence” v “addiction”, no question. The problem with opioids is that, over time (and it varies by patient), they shut down your normal endorphin functioning, so that when you don’t have them you are suffering from the lack of opioids, regardless of what your underlying pain my be. The analogy with insulin is flawed, here – as far as I know, taking insulin doesn’t shut down your pancreas. You are “chemically dependent” on insulin because your pancreas is already not working.
To repeat: doctors and patients have been sold a bill of goods on opioids, in order to create a market for a new class of drugs. I’m not saying those drugs shouldn’t be available at all, I’m saying they should be used based upon an accurate assessment of risks and benefits.
But what is the alternative for someone who suffers from a painful, chronic disease without hope of effective treatment to remove the pain?
I think that’s the real question. Opioids aren’t a new discovery pushed by the pharm companies… they have been used for chronic pain control throughout history until the War on Drugs removed it as an OTC option.
But what is the alternative for someone who suffers from a painful, chronic disease without hope of effective treatment to remove the pain?
There are plenty of alternatives for chronic pain, some involving various injections or other procedures, others involving a combination of non-opioid treatments.
Relatively few people are started on time-release opioids because they have a chronic disease. Most are started because they have an injury of some kind, which may or may not resolve over time. I don’t deny time-release opioids have a role, I just have no question they are hugely overprescribed in this country. They were marketed as a low-risk magic bullet for pain, which is bullshit and fraud. Docs love getting patients out of their office with a prescription, which doesn’t help.
Docs love getting patients out of their office with a prescription
Winner winner chicken dinner. My anecdotal view is that docs are little more than script writers more often than not, particularly if it’s something that can’t be fixed with a surgical procedure. Solution to ineffective treatment is just prescribe longer treatment durations/higher dosages/try different drugs.
Oxy should be available OTC.
Grain of salt, but Kasich as an entitled asshole? Where’s my shocked face?
https://www.cleveland.com/open/2019/01/comedian-details-full-encounter-with-john-kasich-taking-her-airplane-seat.html
He’s not a fan of woodchippers either. He’s a douche nozzle.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/07/28/john-kasich-vs-pop-culture/30802993/
It’s assholes all the way down on this one.
The Fascists are not on the right, sweetie.
This.
This is what passes for grown-ass dialogue. This is a grown-ass adult. In 2019. I just. I can’t even. Like, does she hear herself?
It’s OK, she’s a “comedian”.
Republicans hate him because he’s like, you know, not fascist enough, and then obviously people on our side hate him because he’s just a bad person
This sentence is just so revealing. Republicans are evil, and We hate him because they are evil. We is Good and they be evil.
It’s just so stupid. Mind-bogglingly stupid. She has the individuality and intellect of a retarded sheep.
Except the sheep is a better lay.
I bet she knows nothing about Kasich’s policies. She just knows “Republican- bad. Me not smart.”
“Republican- bad. Me
notsmart.”They (leftists) think they are the smartest and that they always have the moral high-ground. At least, that has been my experience. I have even had my arguments “dismissed” by a person who identified themselves as an “intellectual”. It was surreal, really.
“The funny thing about it is when I tweeted about it, I realized people on both sides hate him,” Klausner said. “Because I guess Republicans hate him because he’s like, you know, not fascist enough, and then obviously people on our side hate him because he’s just a bad person.”
like, you know, he’s not fascist enough for Republicans so they hate him, like, you know.
LOL. I’m not even going to bother posting the many examples of people “on her side” behaving badly.
Did you know his father was a mailman?
Pssh. Look at him. He’s obviously a changeling.
Other than making it possible to cut checks for the vermin in the TSA, (and clean the bathrooms in Yosemite)what does “re-opening” the government even mean?
Everybody who got deferred pay for their paid vacation gets that pay now.
Now they can repay any discounts and goods they received during their vacation.
HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
All of the breathless stories about government workers not getting paid…who wouldn’t take a month off if it meant you received no docked vacation time and back pay?
The fact that they’re getting paid, and there is no political opposition to that fact to speak of, is a sign of how disconnected American government is. Never mind that the whole shutdown thing is a farce from beginning to end (nobody ever had any reason to doubt the government would reopen at the same level it was previously operating at), but “essential” employees had to work for free for a month. They should get paid, and the non-essential ones who did nothing during that time should not.
The long dark time of rebuilding what was lost.
Never change, Guardian.
Does Trump have the power (lol) to declare National Park workers essential? Obviously people love their national parks, so let the government shutdown again but with parks staffed. Then the shutdown hysteria would really grind to a halt.
Question. WHAT WILL WE TELL OUR DAUGHTERS?!
POUNDMETOO is the quickest and surest way to the top for a woman.
#GRRRRLPWRZ
Portland residents discover that incentives have consequences.
In unrelated news, Honduran, Guatemalan caravan swells to twelve thousand as it approaches Mexico’s border.
Whitaker also rattled some Democrats when he said decisions made by Mueller’s office are going to be reviewed by the Department of Justice.
“I am comfortable that the decisions that were made are going to be reviewed through the various means we have,” Whitaker said.
Some congressional Democrats expressed concern over those comments in interviews with CNN Monday afternoon.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who’s a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that it’s “chilling” to hear Whitaker’s comments.
“I don’t have full confidence that acting Attorney General Whitaker intends to respect the independence of the special counsel and simply support and sustain the decisions he’s made and simply release the report in full,” Coons added.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, “He should not be a censor; it should stand on what Mueller and his group found.”
Internal review is “chilling”. I guess I’d be worried too if my ruse was about to be stopped/discovered.
Unaccountable police state and and unchecked inquisitor are the ideal. Russian takeover confirmed.
To my mind, Mueller abrogated his right to “independence” when he went after people for actions that had nothing to do with the election.
Yup. He went out of scope of what he was supposed to do. And the whole constant politically motivated leaks…
Don’t forget the destruction of evidence.
Honestly, I think Trump had a golden opportunity to fire his ass when it came out that his office had wiped and reissued the phones used by Srzok and whats-her-name, without even imaging a complete copy. Blatant spoliation of evidence and obstruction of justice. Easily a fireable offense.
not that anyone cares on the Left, but by letting the investigation run its course Trump can point to it as evidence of his innocence. and then pardon Stone, et al as political casualties.
Watch ‘Black Panther’ for free this Black History Month
WE WUZ KANGS!
So it’s real history and not that fake news I keep hearing about?
/goes off to get a hunk of Vibranium.
Apparently the Black Hebrew Israelites are correct.
I actually enjoyed the movie as far as it went. It’s the projection and commentary surrounding it that turned me off.
I still contend that the most unrealistic part of that whole movie was the Boko Haram stand-ins from the opening scene displaying fire discipline and letting off only short 3 round bursts when Black Panther was bouncing around in the trees ambushing them. Those motherfuckers are of the spray-and-pray mentality under the best of circumstances.
More on that Purdue/Sackler family story:
There have been previous lawsuits against the company, including one multistate federal suit in 2007 settled for $600 million as part of a plea deal. The federal accusation was “misleading and defrauding physicians and consumers,” referring to how addictive OxyContin is. The Sackler family was not specifically attached to those suits.
Healey filed the complaint, which names eight members of the Sackler family, alleging they knew OxyContin was causing overdoses and deaths but continued to promote the drug. Nine other people currently or formerly associated with the company are also named in the suit. CNN has reached out to the attorneys for all the defendants for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
“They directed deceptive sales and marketing practices deep within Purdue, sending hundreds of orders to executives and line employees. From the money that Purdue collected selling opioids, they paid themselves and their family billions of dollars,” Healey said.
Hey, there are some pockets over there that haven’t been haven’t picked, yet.
This sort of thing will never have any adverse effects on
medicalresearch or innovation. I mean, nobody would ever think twice about investing millions in developing a new product or process based on the nagging fear the government might come along and punish them for it later, right?RIGHT?
Did you know chemotherapeutic drugs are highly toxic and often don’t even cure cancer??
OxyContin was causing overdoses and deaths
The doctors and pharmacists were just forcing those pills down throats.
Pelosi’s approval rating lower than Trump’s over government shutdown.
Trump is most fortunate in the quality of his enemies.
Gosh, who paid for those studies?* Such claims as “if you are really in pain you can’t get addicted”, “less than 10% of people who use opioids are ever addicted”, and “opioids don’t have long-term effects” have all been conclusively disproved, but were useful in creating a market for time-release opioids.
I’m certainly not claiming opioids are “good for you” and I don’t think anybody is, but they do make the pain go away, right? I mean, it’s not like doctors as a species are a bunch of witless manipulable somnambulists who instantly succumb to the mersmerising effects of a few free pens and prescription pads.
Also- aren’t they formulated, at the insistence of the FDA, in such a way as to be (more) destructive to the patient than they necessarily would be? If that’s wrong, tell me.
I just find it fascinating that state attorneys general feel free to engage in behavior they would prosecute as extortion if it were not being conducted by them, under color of authority.
Yes, by FDA mandate prescription opioids are mixed with acetaminophen, which you will overdose on before you overdose on the opioid. It also creates a higher risk of liver damage for prolonged usage.
OxyLaudanum should be available OTC.Sumter teen faked his own kidnapping to get $130 from his mother, deputies say
$130? That’s a strange amount to ask for.
Red Dead Redemption 2 plus a season pass for all the DLC content.
Seems awfully expensive to be bored off your ass.
I was thinking either sneakers or a jacket until I realized $130 is probably not enough these days.
It is so cold that the beer and pop distributor has called in all their trucks.
WE ARE GOING TO RUN OUT OF BEER!
That’s why you should learn to make your own.
And my wash machine won’t get delivered for another week, weather too cold. Delivery service says unlike fish and relatives underwear doesn’t smell after 3 days. My friends, the few that are left, say different. Looks like the laundromat and I are gonna be on speaking terms.
Clash of the Victims!
Muslim mums protest outside school for ‘promoting homosexuality’ to their kids
Ooooh, that’s a battle royale in the Intersectionality Olympics
“Sex relationship education is being taught without our consent. We’ve not been informed about what’s being taught. Mr Moffat is running what’s called CHIPS – challenging homophobia in primary schools – and it’s totally against Islamic beliefs. My child came home and told me am I OK to be a boy? It’s confusing children about sexuality. I want my child to learn about English, maths and science.”
The school is 98% Muslim. The principal is gay. The result is going to be interesting.
I want my child to learn about English, maths and science.”
I’m on board with this.
What an absolute fucking moron. And rather than getting fired with no possibility of ever getting rehired in the field, he gets a gong and another similar position in school administration. Asshole should have his head warming a pike.
In 2014, assistant headteacher Mr Moffat resigned from Chilwell Croft Academy in Newtown following a backlash from parents after coming out during a school assembly.
“It seemed like the right time to let the children know that they knew a gay person,” he said previously.
LOOK AT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Painted themselves into a corner, they have
For more than a year, the Fed has methodically trimmed its multi-trillion-dollar balance sheet – from nearly $4.5 trillion to about $4.1 trillion and falling – without much notice.
Instead, it has kept the world’s eyes trained on a series of interest-rate hikes which, according to careful messaging from policymakers in recent weeks, may have come to an end.
But late last year, prominent investors took to blaming the Fed’s balance sheet runoff for market volatility. To underline what they saw as the harmful restraining effects of the Fed’s reversal of its bond-buying stimulus, the program known as quantitative easing undertaken during the financial crisis to jump-start the economy, they dubbed the runoff “quantitative tightening.”
tl;dr- We’re fucked.
Fed wants to offload all the stuff they bought during “quantitative easing- to infinity and beyond”. It’s harder than it looks.
“The taxpayer actually *made* money from the bailouts!”
/idiots
Fuck them. They want to continue to get rich at the expense of everyone else by stealing in the form of inflation.
I want my child to learn about English, maths and science.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, shitlord.