Category: Daily Links

  • Wednesday Afternoon Links are Nice

    “You are extremely effective, but you piss everybody else off.” This has been a sentence in every job review I’ve ever had, including my annual review of my position on the Glibertarians’ staff. As part of the Employee Improvement Plan, I was directed to take a Dale Carnegie course in “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” And it was a delightful course, taught by a wonderful and insightful guy, and all of my fellow students were very nice. And so now, I’m nice. I will always find the positive thing to say about anything and anyone.


    And everything in the news is nice as well. For example, Florida is being nice and letting people with felony convictions vote once their sentence is complete.

    Sheila Holcomb had waited over a decade for her five minutes in the state capitol, even though her conviction had been for a crime so small – a minor theft – she was not sentenced to prison. She had applied for clemency in 2008 and waited for years before the board offered her a slot. “I’d almost given up on it,” she said in an interview the day before the hearing, as she sipped a cocktail from a flask in a bid to calm her nerves. “And it could all change in a matter of months.”

    Throughout the hearing last month [Governor Rick Scott- R, Hell On Earth and Disneyworld] and his cabinet often asked those appearing before the board if they had married or had children, if they drank alcohol or if they attended church.

    I think we know about the alcohol part in this case.


    The people of Louisiana showed their niceness by requiring that criminal convictions be a result of a unanimous jury verdict.

    “This would literally change what mass incarceration looks like in Louisiana,” said Henderson, who spent three decades at Louisiana State Penitentiary until he was granted parole in 2004, in an interview last week. “This is probably the most important ballot measure ever in my lifetime.”
    While it could affect the rate of many types of convictions, Henderson and others are hope the amendment impacts life sentences without parole in particular.

    Yes, that would be nice. And now, the only place in the US that doesn’t require a unanimous verdict to throw people into cages is the redneck redoubt of Oregon. Once day they’ll be as nice as Louisianans, I’m sure of it.


    Speaking of nice people, let’s talk about the delightful Emmanuel Macron. When he’s not sexually pleasing senior citizens, this unselfish fellow is honoring his predecessors.

    “I consider it entirely legitimate that we pay homage to the marshals who led our army to victory,” Macron said in the eastern town of Charleville-Mezieres that once lay on the frontline between French and German troops. “Marshal Pétain was a great soldier.”

    …with the country poised to fall to German forces in the second world war, Pétain was appointed prime minister of France. His administration, based in the unoccupied part of the country known as Vichy France, collaborated with the Nazis and their deportation and extermination of the Jews.

    See? This is particularly nice of Macron to overlook minor personal peccadillos in order to honor a fine example of European statesmanship.


    And here’s something else that’s really nice: our brave sailors, defending our shores from our not-so-nice enemies have found a really nice way to relax and enjoy themselves that doesn’t involve lashes, rum, or sodomy.

    Fourteen sailors from the nuclear reactor department of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan face disciplinary action in connection to LSD abuse, Navy officials confirmed this week. Two sailors are already heading to court-martial for using, possessing and distributing the hallucinogenic drug, while three are waiting to see whether they will be charged as well, according to 7th Fleet spokesman Lt. Joe Keiley. Another 10 sailors with the Japan-based ship were administratively disciplined on LSD-related charges, Keiley said. A 15th sailor was also disciplined, but that person was not assigned to the carrier’s reactor department.

    Think of the fun they had, staring at the reactors and visualizing the neutron flux. Gentlemen, I thank you for your service!


    You know who else we should thank nicely for all the service they unselfishly provide us? TSA, that’s who. With Thanksgiving coming up, they’ll be even more selfless and thoughtful than usual.

    So to make the mayhem flow a little easier, the TSA’s advice is arrive early and be prepared. And that means knowing what to pack. Turkey and stuffing are allowed in carry-on bags. So are pies and cakes, because they’re considered solids. But no gravy or mashed potatoes because they’re considered a liquid.

    “So a popular Thanksgiving dish is yams. If it’s wet and already made liquid it has to go in checked baggage. If it’s not made yet, dry yams that can go in carry-on baggage,” said the TSA’s Shatimah Brathwaite.

    Thanks, Shatimah, you seem very helpful and nice.


    Here’s a story about a group of nice people who hold events designed to make everyone feel just as nice as they do.

    Cuddling, I am beginning to find out, is not just spooning or hugging. The term contains literally hundreds of actions. Cuddling can be non-touch. Eye gazing and chatting are forms of cuddling. Everything from a gossamer graze of an elbow to a “puppy pile” counts. Alkan wrote an entire book on it, a picture book for adults titled “The Book of Cuddles.” There are certified cuddlists and the higher-ranking trained cuddlists. The training for both requires an online course billed at $149. The sessions range in time and rate; Alkan charges $100 per hour.

    Romantic partners through Cuddle Parties have been an unintended consequence for Alice Liu, a engineer in San Francisco, who estimates she’s been to at least a dozen of Alkan’s Cuddle Parties. She’s met four of her romantic partners at Cuddle Parties, including at the first one she went to. She said she didn’t realize it, but her partner later told her she was “moaning pretty hard” during their cuddle.

    Alice seems very nice.


    He didn’t even make it to the end of the day!

    Jeff Sessions out as attorney general

    President Donald Trump on Wednesday fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

    “At your request I am submitting my resignation,” Sessions wrote in a letter to White House chief of staff John Kelly.
    Matthew Whitaker will take over as acting attorney general, the President said.

    Whitaker is expected to take charge of the the Russia investigation and special counsel Robert Mueller from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

    “We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions at the Department of Justice, will become our new Acting Attorney General of the United States. He will serve our Country well …We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date,” Trump tweeted.


    For Old Guy Music today, I have a nice song from a nice band. The Nice, playing something nicely appropriate.

  • Wednesday Morning Links

    This isn’t an artist’s depiction. It’s real. This man is the devil.

    I can’t seem to get this damn thing to save the draft of this before I start writing it. I don’t know what’s causing it, but its driving me nuts.  Anyway, Duke crushed KY, Liverpool shit the bed, A bunch of other games were played with varying results.  That’s all I got.

    Marie Curie was born on this day.  So was asshole Leon Trotsky, writer Albert Camus, evangelist Billy Graham, singer Johny Rivers, singer Joni Mitchell, knuckleballer Joe Niekro, philandering military leader David Petraeus, guitarist Tommy Thayer, Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, and person from the music business Lorde.

    No events, as I’m behind while writing this. So here come…the links!

    Well, actually, a series of links about the election, since that’s all anybody is going to talk about anyway.

    Best political meme ever

    Their definition of “down to the wire” isn’t the same as mine. But regardless, Zodiac is headed back to Washington and Beto is headed to the woods. But before he did so, he managed to really connect with young people by being hip and edgy. What a dreamboat.  I just hope he was courteous enough to catch an Uber home rather than drive that late at night.  El Paso doesn’t need another…”incident” like the last one.

    Floridians do the right thing even if it will likely change the voting landscape there in a way that ushers in Moree Team Blue dipshittery.

    Something something hands like Andre the Giant. Something something Adams apple as big as his balls.

    Sorry, dude. Try again in four years.  The GOP holds the governorships in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Which I find simply shocking. I guess guns do matter to Vermonters after all.

    There are some seats still up for grabs, but the Dems have taken the House. Which means my prediction was wrong.

    Meanwhile, the GOP has padded their majority in the Senate. I got this one right along with everybody else.

    That’s it.  It was a shitty group of birthdays. Thank God this guy saved the day.

    Now go live the day like politics doesn’t matter. Because it doesn’t (not really, anyway).

  • Tuesday Links of Annoyance

    I’m annoyed with the Election Day stuff now. No fault of SP or our commenters on the post below. I’m just officially sick of the whole thing. Everyone involved in politics and news can go jump right up their own ass. The only upside of this whole day is at least half of these yahoos will be losers after it.

    Macron calls for “European Army”. Just surrender to the Germans and collaborate again, Frenchy.

    Robot kills patient during surgery. Oh wait, untrained NHS doctor kills patient during robo-surgery.

    Wow, Austalian fisherman saves toddler who snuck out of parents’ tent, went down to the beach, and got swept away. 18 month olds are faaaaar to stealthy for their own safety, plus they exhaust you.

    SF emailed this one from his walled hideaway. Slate interviews a whole bunch of mental patients for election day. At least they seem to be mostly functional.

    I think we’ll just play the theme song today.

  • Tuesday Morning Links

    Well, Election Day is here.  Everybody make their predictions in the comments.  I’ll give mine now: the Republicans hang on by a thread to a majority in the House but we won’t know that for a few days as several elections end up being too close to call tonight. They also gain 3-4 seats in the Senate and solidify their majority there. Not sure how the statehouse races go, but it looks like Dems will gain a governorship or two.

    I believe this is what they call a “metaphor”

    Sports news: the Cowboys have no offense and their QB is not going to make it in the NFL. Your hockey winners were: Montreal, New Jersey, Washington, Boston and Philadelphia (with their idiotic mascot). UCL returns today , and matchday 4 promises to bring a lot more clarity to who will advance to the knockout rounds from several groups.  Have fun watching if you’re lucky enough to get the chance.

    Today is the birthday of: Ottoman Sultan Sueiman the Magnificent, composer John Philip Sousa, basketball inventor and Canadian-AMERICAN James Naismith, hurler Walter Johnson, actress (before she became an activist) Sally Field, singer Glenn Frey, actor Ethan Hawke, football player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, the lovely Emma Stone, and tennis star Ana Ivanovic.

    That’s my Ted: always driving drunk into a river and killing interns without consequence

    Its also the day on which the following is celebrated (or reviled) for happening: Canada celebrated their first Thanksgiving Day, the commies bombed the Winter Palace in Petrograd to start the October Revolution, the first electric razor was patented, the first carrier landing was made with a. jet airplane, “Meet The Press” made its debut, Ted Kennedy was first elected Senator (and he celebrated with a drink…or 12), the Ayatollah took control of the Iranian government, Fernando Valenzuela became the first rookie to win the Cy Young award, Boris Yeltsin outlawed the communist party in Russia, Holyfield defeated Bowe for the heavyweight title and Art Modell announced that the Cleveland Browns were officially moving to Baltimore.

    OK, now on to…the links!

    So stunning and brave

    Hey dumbass, when your ilk say this every two years without fail, it kinda loses its luster. Also, if you really gave a shit, you’d be working all the time on issues, not just for a few weeks every couple of years in an attempt to keep your face in the spotlight. Also also: shut up and dance.

    This is a very refreshing sight. I hope the trend continues.

    If this surprises you at all, you’ve been living under a rock. In fact, I daresay everything before the ellipses should probably be considered a scientific law by now.

    If you think for a second that you actually own your own property in San Francisco, then think again. Jesus, I could just imagine them coming to collect that fine in a city that hasn’t all but confiscated everyone’s guns.  This is almost as outrageous a violation of their rights as I can imagine.

    L-O-fucking-L

    Just when you think a city government couldn’t get any more absurd with their priorities, Chicago says “hold my beer”. Not only are they stupid as shit-looking, they’re going to cause accidents, they’re going to become expensive to maintain (and yes, the city will ultimately pay for them), and they take away valuable spaces for…the cars people must drive to come into these areas and spend money.

    OK, create a catchy headline I could have made up for this, because I’m drawing a blank. I suppose it could be something to do with “Hamburglar” but I can’t quite come up with it. Either way…what a dumbass.

    You know, if he would have moved to do this a month ago, the election would be a lock. I’m still skeptical, but not because of Trump himself. Rather because of those he’s surrounded by (on both sides of the aisle) seeing the value in a perpetual police state.

    Sometimes the birthdays are skimpy. Today is one of those days. But I’m gonna do my best. And yes, that will include The Eagles. And also a poorly-produced Miami Vice audition tape. Man, the 80’s was shit awesome.

    Anyway, go vote. Or don’t. I don’t give a shit about that as much as I do your ability to bitch about all of the assholes in here.

  • Monday Afternoon Links

    Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend. We went to a carnival at a local church and dropped $100 amazingly fast. My kids did get to ride a Ferris Wheel and none of the rides collapsed, so net win. Also, the Texans stole a victory in Denver. I’d say the Denver coach drastically over-estimated his kicker’s ability.

    I’m going to assume that “insensitive” in this context means “too effective”. “NBC backtracks, will no longer air controversial Trump ad”

    This is good news. Kids with “polio-like” illness able to walk again after new surgery. Fuck you, nature! Humanity is going to win!

    I’m not saying its Moties, but on the gripping hand, I’m practicing verbalizing  “Fyunch(click)”. Reference here for any sci-fi Luddites.

    Good luck, soldier. Even if you aren’t successful in crossing Antarctica alone, I hope you have Shackletons’s luck and come home safe.

     

    Here’s one from the archives on “how to front a band”

  • Monday Morning Links

    You’re supposed to kick it through the uprights.

    Aaron Rogers spends half the game running from a collapsed pocket and Tom Brady sees pressure once as he’s tossing the ball to wide open guys and ESPN thinks the game showed who the GOAT is.  SMDH. Of course the Patriots won Your other NFL winers were: Chicago, Kansas City, Miami, Minnesoooooooooda, Hot-lanta, Carolina, the Pittsburgh Stillers, Houston (for the sixth time in a row after some people wrote the season off), San Diego Los Angeles (AFC), and New Orleans (over Los Angeles (NFC). The Cowboys pay the Titans tonight.

    Across the pond, your EPL that matter results were: Man City won big. Chelsea won big and Liverpool drew Arsenhole, as all three remain undefeated but Man City went top with one fewer draw.  Liverpool need to start closing games out like this if they ant to win the league this year.

    Gonna have to be better than that in East Lansing this weekend.

    And after catching fire for a few games, the Red Wings are back to sucking ass. Meanwhile, Tampa, Toronto and the Islanders are hot in the Wales Conference while the Predators, Flames and MINNESOOOOODA WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILD are riding high in the Campbell.  Still early days though, so don’t start planning those banner ceremonies, Nashville or Tampa.

    And on the CFB front, Alabama are proving to be worth the hype, Kentucky fell back to earth, Ohio State squeaked by a 2-7 shitty Nebraska team and Notre Dame have their destiny in their own hands. Also, the Pac 12 South is a dumpster fire of mediocrity.

    If you were born on this day, you share that distinction with the following: Socialist Eugene V Debs, Senator Strom Thurmond, one of the most beautiful actresses of all time (and a freak!) Vivien Leigh, cowboy Roy Rogers, wife-beater Ike Turner, musician Art Garfunkel, former basketball player and idiot of an announcer Bill Walton, rockers Rob Fisher, Mike Score and David Moyse, Canadian person Bryan Adams, mannish actress Tilda Swinton, actress Tatum O’Neal, guitarist Jonny Greenwood, weepy asshat golfer Bubba Watson, and overrated football player (and sexual assault victim at the hands of Lena Dunham) Odell Beckham, Jr.

    Creating chaos and family arguments for generations

    Its also the day on which the following events occurred: the Cubans taught Columbus about corn, Copernicus watched a lunar eclipse, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up King James I and the British parliament, Susan B Anthony first voted, the board game “Monopoly” was released, HOFer Jean Beliveau scored 3 goals in 44 seconds on HOFer Terry Sawchuk, the “Nat King Cole Show” debuted, George Foreman became heavyweight champion at the age of 45, Davey Johnson resigned…and was named AL Manager of the year two hours later, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death, and the Chinese government placed Ai Weiwei under house arrest.

    That’s all of that.  Now…the links!

    Dems and Repubs both brace for surprises as Election Day is almost upon us. They’ll do the same in two years when the next “most important election ever” takes place. Rinse and repeat every two years until the nation finally gets its shit together and has a (hopefully violence-free) civil war to break shit up.

    Looks like tensions with Iran are running high again. Sorry, Iranian leaders. Oil prices are still dropping and your threats are becoming more and more meaningless.  Have a nice time until your people finally rise up and throw you in the Persian gulf.

    I didn’t know assholes could be so stunning and brave.

    SNL’s new motto: when they go low, we make fun of the ones on the other side who lost an eye in Afghanistan to an IED.  Its a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for them.

    Are San Franciscans dumb enough to abdicate more of their rights as property owners?  Magic 8-ball says “Probably”. Actually, they’re not voting to give up their property rights. The people who don’t own property are voting to have the property rights taken away from the people who own it.  Because that’s what half of Democracy is: finding the percentage of voters you need in order to steal from the percentage that opposes you…and then holding an election.

    Chicago abandons plan to sell valuable painting in order to fund library upgrade. Decides he will shakedown residents instead.

    And more anti-Semitic attacks take place in that bastion of righter-wing extremism known as Brooklyn. No word yet which Dem politicians these attackers worked for, since they haven’t been caught yet. You know, because that’s what the last attacker’s deal was…although its been horribly underreported in the media.

    And as the Taliban start flexing their muscles again in Afghanistan, maybe it’s finally time that we leave that place to the Afghanis to settle.

    The first song I chose. The second song I chose. The third song I chose. I know there are some serious fans out there, but I never got all that into them. I consider them to be an adequate group with a catalog filled with mediocrity and the occasional gem…which I could say about a lot of groups.  Anyway, argue about it in the comments.

    That’s all she wrote. Have a great day.

  • SEA SMITH SUNDAY EVENING LINKS

    SEA SMITH HERE TO GIVE LINKS. HE HEAR THAT SUNDAY NIGHT HAVE BIG HOOMAN SPORTSGAME. BUT HOPE YOU CAN LOOK AT LINKS.

    “FIXER UPPER”
    1. SEA SMITH HOPE WAR NO MAKE IT TO SEA. DEPTHCHARGES GIVE SEA SMITH INDIGESTION. ALSO WONDER WHEN 4CHANTARDS MAKE MEME OFFENSIVE IN PORTUGUESE.
    2. SEA SMITH NO MORE GO ENGLISH CHANNEL. STAY AWAY FROM SILLY ISLAND. HOPE GLIBERTARIAN LAND HOOMANS STAY AWAY TOO.
    3. ISLAND SAYS “NON” – WANTS WINE AND WELFARE SENT. MAYBE SEA SMITH GO PAY VISIT. BY PAY VISIT, MEAN…YOU KNOW.
    4. MAYBE COUSIN STEVE SMITH STAY AWAY FROM BRAZIL FOR WHILE?

    COME ON IN. WATER FINE!

  • Sunday Morning Pre-Election Post-Erection Links

    And this is the state of the Illinois Libertarian Party. It’s a morning radio show.

    Gooooood morning, you delightful people! Welcome back to Ball, Bubba, Kash and Mike. We’re back, and we’ve been talking about the #1 search phrase on PornHub last week: it was a split between “costume+anal” and “pumpkin fuck.” What does that mean for America, Bubba?

    I think it’s obvious, Mike, America is obsessed with butt-fucking pumpkins. By the way, it’s currently 68° at 7:58 in Chicagoland. And try to avoid the Jane Addams this morning- an overturned tractor-trailer has spilled 3000 pounds of frozen pierogies into the center lane, and wow, it’s a real mess! Let’s go to our next caller who’s been patiently waiting. 

    And speaking of a real mess, the birthday list for today is absolutely pathetic. When the best you can come up with is Ralph Macchio and Kathy Griffen, then seriously, don’t be born on November 4. OK, one exception, maybe: SP’s favorite football player of all time, Vince Wilfork.

    Let’s get to the news.


    Or in this case, non-news. Remember the hoo-hah a few days ago about antisemitic graffiti at a Brooklyn Jewish community center? The outrage was plastered everywhere. And the perp was caught but for some weird reason, this news was nearly buried. And no wonder. This was NOT a planned part of the narrative- the perp is black, gay, a Team Blue activist and campaign volunteer, “pet” of the NY City Council. All of which took a lot of concerted digging to find out, since it doesn’t fit the narrative. I can’t imagine why people don’t trust the news media. Personally, I thought the back story from last year was very interesting and revealing.

    Months before that birthday, a Brooklyn couple learned about the possibility of fostering him. The couple, Josh Waletzky and Jenny Levison, said they had wanted to foster an “L.G.B.T.Q. youth” on the brink of aging out of the system. Children’s Aid, one of the eight beneficiary organizations of The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund, took over Mr. Polite’s case in early 2013 and facilitated the placement. Although Mr. Polite was not legally adopted — his relationship with his biological parents has improved in recent years — Ms. Levison called it a “moral adoption.” He says he considers the couple his second set of parents.

    But good luck finding any real coverage of this in WaPo, CNN, NYT, and the other usual suspects. But honestly, I feel sorry for that kid. He had a very tough and unstable life, then fell into the hands of a couple of leftist Jews who wanted the combination of tax break, no responsibility for actually raising a kid, and a gold-plated social signal. Shit, that would have turned me into an antisemite as well. I’m normally of the bent of “you do something, it’s your responsibility, not anyone else’s.” But this one’s completely on you, Josh and Jenny.


    On the lighter side, dog bites man isn’t news. Man bites dog is. But dog shoots man is definitely news.

    Investigators believe that Charlie, a 120-pound Rottweiler mix, slipped and got his paw caught in the trigger of the gun and fired a shot at his unsuspecting owner. “The gun was positioned in the truck with the barrel facing up, towards Mr. Gilligan,” Doña Ana County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Jameson told ABC News.

    The dog owner, who first told officers he had accidentally shot himself, said he had long forgiven Charlie. “Charlie did not mean to do it,” he said. ”He’s a good dog.”

    If I were a lawyer, I’d represent that dog pro bono. “Because he’s a good boy, yes he is, Your Honor.”


    Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house… well, you don’t even have to leave the house to risk severe injury from the latest discovered threat: instant ramen!

    The soups cause about one in five childhood scald burns, according to research to be presented Monday at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference. Those findings have led some experts to question the safety of the meals, which often come in microwavable cups.

    “It’s important for us to remember, and for parents to remember, that these are just thin containers with boiling water in them,” said Dr. Courtney Allen, a pediatric emergency fellow at Emory University who led the research. “I think there’s an assumption that these are safer than soups coming out of a stove,” she said, “when, in fact, they’re not.”

    But of course, where there’s a problem and lawyers, there’s an answer.

    In a 2006 study published in the Journal of Burn Care and Research, [Dr. David] Greenhalgh looked at the stability of instant soup containers and found that taller and thinner cups were easier to tip than shorter, stockier ones. Those findings could have implications for manufacturers hoping to reduce the risk of product-related burns.

    “What (companies) should do is make them like the Yoplait (yogurt) containers, where they’re wider at the bottom and thinner at the top,” Greenhalgh said. “It would be a very simple thing to design and change.”

    Translation: “My expert witness fee is $500 per hour.” Prepare for lawsuits, more useless warning labels, and reformulations so that your ramen can be prepared and served at a nice, safe, lukewarm temperature. And as I write this, I’m having a delicious breakfast of Sapporo Ichiban Miso Ramen, served extra hot, with an egg dropped in it to set (which requires the soup to be just barely under the boiling point). Of course, I am wearing full PPE gear in accordance with the MSDS.


    It’s unseemly of me to find this story (and the accompanying video) hilariously funny, but I do.

    An intern for Democratic Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been arrested and charged with battery after she threw chocolate milk on a group of College Republicans tabling on campus. [Groucho Marx impressionist Shelby] Shoup threw her drink on SFU College Republicans Vice-Membership Chair, Daisy Judge, and when another student passing by tried to de-escalate the situation, she threw the remainder of her drink on him, according to a statement released by the College Republicans at FSU.

    “You are supporting Nazis,” Shoup said in the video posted online. “Do you understand that?”

    The lesson here: We are, as a nation, in urgent need of common sense chocolate milk control. There’s no reason for civilians to be able to possess assault dairy products.


    Old Guy Music, and it’s a sad one today. My favorite living trumpet player is now no longer living. Roy Hargrove died this week at the unconscionably early age of 49. Here is his version of the gorgeous elegy for another trumpeter that we lost too early. Yes, I know, it’s a flugelhorn, but that’s the right tone for this piece and, holy fuck, the solos he takes are mind-blowingly beautiful and virtuoso.

     

  • Is Saturday Morning Links- Goot!

    Not much to say by way of introduction other than noting that this past week may have featured some of the finest articles (and of course, comments) we’ve ever run on this website. You people are great.


    There’s a few auspicious birthdays today. Of course, there’s Jeremy Brett (who was the definitive Sherlock Holmes, and anyone who did it after him is a talentless asshole), noted tank driver Michael Dukakis, brilliant musician and Pentangle principal Bert Jansch, the delightfully unhinged Mazie Hirono (D-Pakalolo), the used-to-be-funny Dennis Miller, and arguably the greatest pitcher of the modern era, Bob Feller.

    On to the news.


    Obviously, I’m not a fan of the Green Party, but on the other hand, anything to shake up the Team Red-Team Blue axis is cool by me. And they’re doing it in Arizona.

    The wild card: Angela Green, a Green Party candidate who could win votes that might have gone to Democrat Krysten Sinema, clearing a path to victory for Republican Martha McSally.

    Of course, Green has suddenly turned yellow.

    But on Thursday, Green suddenly announced she would drop out of the race and endorsed Sinema.

    “After watching the debates and seeing everything, Sinema’s stance on a lot of things are very close to mine,” Green said in an interview with Channel 12 news in Phoenix.

    Unfortunately, Team L (in its usual incompetent way) does no better.

    In Georgia, a Libertarian candidate could force one of the nation’s most closely watched governor’s races into a December runoff.

    And in Montana, Sen. Jon Tester has repeatedly won campaigns with less than 50 percent of the vote with a Libertarian candidate on the ballot. This week, an anonymous mailer circulated attacking Tester’s Republican challenger, Matt Rosendale, and urging a vote for Libertarian Rick Breckenridge.

    In response, on Wednesday, Breckenridge said he was endorsing Rosendale. “Matt has the character to combat this, not Jon Tester,” Breckenridge said in an interview.

    And people wonder why so many libertarians won’t become Libertarians. Fuck you, Rick, if I wanted to elect Republicans, I’d be a Republican. Christ, what an asshole.

    Indiana gives me a little hope.

    In Indiana, similar mailers have circulated attacking Republican Mike Braun and promoting the candidacy of Libertarian Lucy Brenton, who openly says she wants to play the role of spoiler. She garnered 5 percent of the vote in a 2016 race and has been onstage in debates that also include Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly and Braun. It’s unclear which of the two major party candidates is threatened more by her pro-gay rights, pro-marijuana legalization, anti-tax platform.

    “Do I intend to spoil the election for them? Absolutely. And here’s why: something doesn’t spoil unless it’s rotten,” Brenton said Tuesday after a debate in Indianapolis. “And the two-party system that has had a stranglehold on our country is absolutely rotten.”

    Mike Braun is a reprehensible piece of ultra-authoritarian shit. Donnelly is a hack. I love Lucy.


    This won’t be abused. No sirree. Because we all have 4th Amendment rights protecting us, and courts loyal to the constitution to enforce that. HAHAHAHA, I didn’t think I could say that with a straight face.

    The Transportation Security Administration has given the go-ahead to test technology that is designed to screen multiple airport passengers at the same time from a distance of up to 25 feet away.

    Thruvision boasts that its technology can screen up to 2,000 people an hour and detect a concealed device at a distance of up to 25 feet… This summer, the [Los Angeles] Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced that it planned to use Thruvision’s scanners to help prevent terrorist attacks in the system’s 93 subway and light-rail stations.

    See, Citizen, it’s for your own protection! That silly constitution isn’t a death warrant! And besides, all civil liberties are subject to reasonable regulation, right? That’s just common sense.


    This is the kind of thing that gives me hope for the future of America.

    Two female students who attended Adair County High School in Columbia, Ky., went to class Wednesday dressed as Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the two teenagers who opened fire at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999, killing 12 students and a teacher. The shooters also wounded 26 others before they turned the guns on themselves.
    The two female students wore the similar outfits Harris and Klebold wore on the day of the mass shooting, WHAS-TV reported. The students were not named.

    Inevitably:

    Adair County Schools Superintendent Pamela Stephens said in a statement that the two students were suspended pending an investigation. “We take the situation very seriously and our personnel are continuing to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding this matter,” Stephens said in a statement. “The students are currently suspended.”

    Amy Tarter, a parent of a student who attends the school, told WHAS-TV that more should have been done. “It’s ridiculous. I think any child that does that should be expelled and any parents who [support] their child [doing that] should have charges brought against them,” Tarter said.

    I’ll bet Amy is an absolute animal in the sack. But the good news is that there are two more female libertarians being created. If we were wealthy, I’d donate a big chunk of lucre to their college funds. And I’d be willing to bear all their children.


    Make no mistake, there ARE downsides to weed legalization.

    A 24-year-old woman is in jail after being accused of breaking into one of Aurora’s newest fire stations, flooding it, ransacking the building and even decapitating a bird.

    …the firefighters found an alarm going off, the doors open and the lights on and a fire hose spewing large amounts of water inside the 13,000 square foot building. In the laundry room, firefighter gear had been strewn around throughout the area. It appeared someone had activated a fire extinguisher and sprayed the area. A TV remote was broken and the station’s riding lawnmower had been ridden out of the station. They also found someone had smashed the windshields of firefighters’ vehicles parked at the station. Damage to the vehicles is estimated at $10,000.

    And a bird that had been at the fire station was found decapitated in the parking lot.

    According to an arrest affidavit in the case, officers tried to talk to Griego but “all she would do was make incoherent statements.. Griego also stated she does bath salts and marijuana.”

    Griego sounds like fun.


    The Supreme Court is apparently not immune to enabling publicity stunts and grifting.

    The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to halt a lawsuit from young Americans seeking to force the government to address climate change. In 2015, 21 young people, with the assistance of climate activist and scientist James Hansen, filed a lawsuit in which they argued that the federal government is violating their rights to a clean environment by not combating climate change.

    In a just world (“loser pays, and if loser can’t pay, loser’s lawyer pays”), mendacious money-grubbing publicity hounds like Hansen would be nailed with attorney and court costs. Unfortunately, this is not a just world.


    Fuck this shit, my blood pressure is already too high. Let’s relax with Old Guy Music. Indirectly, you can thank Sloopy for this one- he misspelled Ric Grech’s name in a post earlier this week and that got me reminiscing. Grech is, of course, best known for Blind Faith. But the first time I heard him, it was with a band that was insanely influential on more famous groups like King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Genesis, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Family never achieved success in the US and has faded into total obscurity. But my little group of teenage friends (with whom I played in several bands) were all fanatics, and we were all horribly disappointed that their US tour presence was nearly nonexistent and certainly didn’t include Baltimore. Well, at least we were able to wear out their records. These guys deserve to be known better and honored for their work. This particular song has a distinct Captain Beefheart vibe, so I’ll bet the influence extended there as well.

     

  • ZARDOZ’S FRIDAY NIGHT LINKS

    ZARDOZ HAS THIS PAINTING HANGING IN HIS LIVING ROOM.

     

    ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU, HIS CHOSEN ONES. THE BRUTAL HOLIDAY KNOWN AS “HALLOWEEN” HAS COME AND GONE. IT APPEARS THAT THE ETERNALS OFFERED INSUFFICIENT “TREATS” TO THE YOUNG, DISGUISED…WHAT? OH, “COSTUMED”, BRUTALS WHO BANGED ON THE FORCE SHIELD AND DEMANDED SUCH. APPARENTLY GREEN BREAD DID NOT WORK AS A “TREAT”.

    NOT A “TREAT” IN THE EYES OF YOUNG BRUTALS

    THE VORTEX WAS ATTACKED BY MANY OVA BEING HURLED AGAINST IT. APPARENTLY THIS “EGGING” IS COMMONPLACE RETALIATION FOR SUCH A CIRCUMSTANCE. WELL, ZARDOZ WILL NOT STAND FOR IT! THE SECURITY CAMERAS OF THE VORTEX WILL IDENTIFY THE OFFENDERS. THEY WILL BE ENSLAVED AND THEIR FAMILIES CLEANSED.

    ZARDOZ IS CERTAIN, HOWEVER, THAT THE CHOSEN ONES WILL BACK HIM IN THIS POLICY – THEREFOR, ZARDOZ HAS BROUGHT YOU THE GIFT OF THE LINK! GO FORTH AND COMMENT!

    • THE BRUTAL LEADER THAT BEARS THE HAT AND HAIR IS DOING CLEANSING WRONG! ZARDOZ WAS ASSURED THAT THE ORANGE ONE WAS A BLOODTHIRSTY AND RUTHLESS DICTATOR…UNCONSTRAINED BY LAW OR CUSTOM.
    WHYCOME NO CLEANSING?
    • THE BRUTALS HERE KNOW HOW TO CLEANSE!
    • IF THIS DOES NOT INVOLVE ANOTHER FAMINE, ZARDOZ IS NOT INTERESTED.
    • ZARDOZ WILL OFFER THESE BRUTALS ASYLUM….AND JOBS.
    ZARDOZ’S FULL EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM.

    ZARDOZ HAS SPOKEN.