Terrible Editorials, Opinion Pieces and Letters to the Editor

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Armyman25: Sep 6, 2005

Tatonka posted:

Russ Kent is a copy editor and paginator for the Media Network of Central Ohio. He is more conservative than liberal. And he has a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. You may not agree with his views. That's fine. He probably doesn't agree with you. But that's what this page is all about. Share your feelings by commenting on this column at MansfieldNewsJournal.com.

Just respond with this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taz1ANj6X7Y&feature=related

Harry Truman posted:

In the speech Senator Truman delivered on the ﬂoor of the Senate in December, 1937, he said in part:

One of the difﬁculties as I see it is that we worship money instead of honor. A billionaire in our estimation is much greater in the eyes of the people than the public servant who works for the public interest. It makes no difference if the billionaire rode to wealth on the sweat of little children and the blood of underpaid labor. No one ever considers the Carnegie libraries steeped in the blood of the Homestead Steel workers, but they are. We do not remember that the Rockefeller Foundation is founded on the dead miners of the Colorado Fuel Company and a dozen other performances. We worship Mammon.

Until we get back to the fundamentals and return to the Giver of the Tables of the Law and His teachings, these conditions are going to remain with us. It is a pity that Wall Street with its ability to control all the wealth of the nation and to hire the best brains of the country has not produced some statesmen, some men who could see the dangers of bigness and of the concentration of the control of wealth. Instead of working to meet the situation, they are still employing the best law brains to serve greed and selﬁsh interest.

People can only stand so much, and one of these days there will be a settlement. We shall have one receivership too many, one unnecessary depression out of which we will not come with the power still in the same old hands. I believe this country would be better off if we did not have sixty percent of the assets of all insurance companies concentrated in four companies. I believe that a thousand insurance companies with $4,000,000 each in assets would be just a thousand times better for the country than the Metropolitan Life with $4,000,000,000 in assets.

The average brain is not built to deal with such astronomical ﬁgures. A thousand county seats of 7,000 each are a thousand times more important to this Republic than one city of 7,000,000. Our unemployment and our unrest are the result of the concentration of wealth, the concentration of population in industrial centers, mass production, and a lot of other so-called modern improvements.We are building a tower of Babel.

# ? Dec 13, 2011 05:33

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# ? May 24, 2024 04:21

Pope Guilty: Nov 6, 2006; The human animal is a beautiful and terrible creature, capable of limitless compassion and unfathomable cruelty.

I always imagine that these people are arguing about Jupiter and Hera and Saturnalia and Caesar Augustus and the perspective just waaaashes over me.

# ? Dec 13, 2011 07:16

Maneck: Sep 11, 2011

ThePeteEffect posted:

If you ever thought that creepy MRA bullshit was contained to Reddit, think again: http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=35389

Yes, because the only reason women dress nicely is to attract attention from men, not because they feel more confident from it or anything. You can feel the privilege oozing off this letter.

Men's associations will never take off because of the company they keep. I have yet to see a leader of one of these movements who struck me as a balanced, rational person.

That letter is so mind blowingly misogynistic, I can't imagine how the author functions in day-to-day life. Men are as opressed in the west as women are in Sharia countries because we have political correctness. After all, men being discouraged from harassing woman is pretty much the same as lashing or stoning a woman who dares to poke her head out of the bag she must wear in public.

# ? Dec 14, 2011 01:36

Craptacular!: Jul 9, 2001; Fuck the DH

An article on narrowing streets and colour-coding bike lanes in order to socially engineer traffic to slow down in one of America's sprawling post-war cities.

Reader Comment:

quote:

Bike riders are a pain in the pocket. How much has been spent on bike lanes? Too much. Helloooothe year is 2011, we drive cars now. When I was just starting to drive there were signs on Freeway ramps reading "No Equestrians". Why because nobody rode a horse on the freeway, now they seldom ride them to work. Bikes will be the same, a thing of the past. There will be a few holdouts. That will be because they think they look good in the plastic wrap costume they wear.

# ? Dec 14, 2011 06:00

Shasta Orange Soda: Apr 25, 2007

You'd miss the point that badly, too, if you were older than the Highlander.

# ? Dec 14, 2011 06:41

Mr. Funny Pants: Apr 9, 2001

quote:

How much has been spent on bike lanes? Too much.

He's got a point. Bike lane expenditures are the fourth highest in the federal budget behind Social Security, Medicare, and military spending. Paint and asphalt don't grow on trees.

# ? Dec 14, 2011 15:20

Shalebridge Cradle: Apr 23, 2008

Armyman25 posted:

Just respond with this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taz1ANj6X7Y&feature=related

I know I'm getting to used to modern politics because its honestly shocking that a US President actually said those words.

# ? Dec 14, 2011 16:33

Armyman25: Sep 6, 2005

Shalebridge Cradle posted:

I know I'm getting to used to modern politics because its honestly shocking that a US President actually said those words.

He was a Senator at the time.

# ? Dec 14, 2011 19:42

Lee Harvey Oswald: Mar 17, 2007; by exmarx

This one pissed me off from the local paper's right-wing hacks.

quote:

Rejoicing as U.S. troops honorably leave Iraq

We cannot be sure what is going to happen next in Iraq. The U.S.-led invasion and the removal of dictator Saddam Hussein have given the Iraqi people a shot at real freedom -- certainly a better shot at liberty than any that they had under the unspeakable brutality of Saddam.

But there are still sporadic terrorist attacks in Iraq, and the full extent of the disturbing influence of nearby Iran remains to be seen.

So it will take some time before we know whether the formal end of the Iraq War on Thursday was another step on a path toward a peaceful, prosperous Iraq -- or a starting point for more bloodshed once the stabilizing presence of U.S. troops is fully withdrawn before the end of the year.

Nevertheless, whatever uncertainty the future holds, let us all pause to rejoice in the fact that our troops are, after almost nine years of war, honorably departing Iraq.

They have served well and courageously, in exceedingly difficult circumstances. They held up admirably during the toughest, bloodiest times of the Iraq War. And they ultimately proved Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., wrong when he declared in 2007 that the war was lost.

The war was not lost. President George W. Bush had ordered a surge in U.S. troops, and violent attacks dropped dramatically as those troops swung into action.

As a result, today the Iraqi people hold their prospects for peace and freedom in their own hands. Roughly 4,500 American troops made the ultimate sacrifice and thousands more were wounded to provide that marvelous opportunity to the Iraqis.

We hope the people of Iraq make the most of that chance. But if they do not, it will not be the fault of U.S. troops.

We praise the bravery of our men and women in uniform, and we celebrate with them as they honorably withdraw from Iraq.

# ? Dec 17, 2011 15:16

Bruce Leroy: Jun 10, 2010

Lee Harvey Oswald posted:

This one pissed me off from the local paper's right-wing hacks.

I know the withdrawal of most troops was part of the agreement previously made with the Iraqi government, but wasn't the US military going to leave far more troops stationed in Iraq before the Iraqi government refused to give all American soldiers blanket immunity for crimes committed in Iraq?

That seems far less like "honorably leaving" and more like "let's get the gently caress out of here before we get arrested and put on trial for the hundreds of thousands of people who died directly and indirectly due to our actions."

# ? Dec 18, 2011 12:29

Maneck: Sep 11, 2011

quote:

As a result, today the Iraqi people hold their prospects for peace and freedom in their own hands. Roughly 4,500 American troops made the ultimate sacrifice and thousands more were wounded to provide that marvelous opportunity to the Iraqis.

We hope the people of Iraq make the most of that chance. But if they do not, it will not be the fault of U.S. troops.

No mention of the six figure death toll for Iraqis. Yep, if anything goes wrong, it's their fault. They haven't sacrificed enough or something.

# ? Dec 18, 2011 18:01

Armyman25: Sep 6, 2005

Bruce Leroy posted:

I know the withdrawal of most troops was part of the agreement previously made with the Iraqi government, but wasn't the US military going to leave far more troops stationed in Iraq before the Iraqi government refused to give all American soldiers blanket immunity for crimes committed in Iraq?

That seems far less like "honorably leaving" and more like "let's get the gently caress out of here before we get arrested and put on trial for the hundreds of thousands of people who died directly and indirectly due to our actions."

While the Status of Force Agreements(SOFA) between the US and various countries like Germany, Japan, and Korea vary, I wouldn't put much faith in the Iraqi criminal justice system. It wasn't that great under Saddam, and I doubt it's gotten better after 8 years of war and occupation.

# ? Dec 18, 2011 18:04

Zeroisanumber: Oct 23, 2010; Nap Ghost

Bruce Leroy posted:

I know the withdrawal of most troops was part of the agreement previously made with the Iraqi government, but wasn't the US military going to leave far more troops stationed in Iraq before the Iraqi government refused to give all American soldiers blanket immunity for crimes committed in Iraq?

That seems far less like "honorably leaving" and more like "let's get the gently caress out of here before we get arrested and put on trial for the hundreds of thousands of people who died directly and indirectly due to our actions."

It's not blanket immunity, but troops who commit crimes in Iraq would be tried in a US court instead of an Iraqi court. Standard clause in any SOF agreement that we have anywhere in the world.

# ? Dec 18, 2011 21:31

Boxman: Sep 27, 2004; Big fan of

Borneo Jimmy posted:

This is horrible on so many levels

http://news.yahoo.com/poor-black-kid-122507789.html

This is hilariously close to an onion article from years back. And when I say "hilariously" I mean "disgustingly."

http://www.theonion.com/articles/an-open-letter-to-a-starving-child,10972/

# ? Dec 19, 2011 02:55

ts12: Jul 24, 2007

e: nvm this is dumb I don't care

ts12 fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Dec 20, 2011

# ? Dec 20, 2011 00:09

Nenonen: Oct 22, 2009; Mulla on aina kolkyt donaa taskussa

quote:

We hope the people of Iraq make the most of that chance. But if they do not, it will not be the fault of U.S. troops.

This is so incredible spiteful that I don't know what to say. In a way it's true that the US troops themselves aren't ultimately responsible over the clusterfuck that present day Iraq has become. But it sounds like trying to avoid taking any responsibility over the whole thing, and of course Abu Ghraib never happened.

# ? Dec 20, 2011 01:48

Augster: Aug 5, 2011

This letter to the editor was in my newspaper yesterday

quote:

Regarding the letter "Veterans Day tribute forgets to mention women" from Margaret Ellen Mayo concerning your annual tribute to our veterans: Her many comments were valid. But what she fails to realize, or admit to, is that during all of our nation's conflicts women may have served, but men did the dying.

Kenneth C. Slater.
Chesterfield.

# ? Dec 20, 2011 05:17

LP97S: Apr 25, 2008

Augster posted:

This letter to the editor was in my newspaper yesterday

Well ignoring that Veterans Day is for all who served in the armed forces and not just those who died (that's for memorial day), women died in service to the US during the Vietnam War most noticeably with their own memorial, during plenty of other wars, and they're serving in combat situations in Iraq and Afghanistan while being raped by their own comrades.

In other words:

# ? Dec 20, 2011 05:36

Presto: Nov 22, 2002; Keep calm and Harry on.

Hey guys, I have an idea. Why not let the people overturn Supreme Court rulings?

quote:

For instance, such a veto could be reserved for 5 to 4 decisions of the Supreme Court on constitutional issues � in other words, decisions in which the majority is often attempting to push constitutional doctrine in a new direction. A People�s Veto would permit the public to weigh in, perhaps following a national petition drive or congressional authorization.

What difference might a People�s Veto make in practice? Take the most high-profile issue on the court�s current docket, the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act�s individual mandate. Today, media reports on the �Obamacare� litigation presume that the Supreme Court will �settle� the constitutional question. With a People�s Veto, these stories would change.

Rather than anticipating a 5 to 4 decision that would �settle� the constitutional controversy, news reports would focus on whether such a decision would trigger the People�s Veto � and, if so, how the American people would likely �settle� the controversy. Over time, such thinking could change Americans� constitutional psychology. Voters might no longer presume that the Supreme Court would get the �final say� on high-salience constitutional issues. Instead, they might ask themselves how they would decide the issue � and why.

Put another way, one does not have to hold Gingrich�s anti-court views to accept � as Roosevelt did � that the American people should play a more direct, ongoing, deliberative role in constitutional decision-making.

I can see no way that this could go wrong!

# ? Dec 30, 2011 22:50

Mr Interweb: Aug 25, 2004

Presto posted:

Hey guys, I have an idea. Why not let the people overturn Supreme Court rulings?

I can see no way that this could go wrong!

1. Was wondering who wrote that piece, George Will or Marc Theissen. Never heard of this douche.
2. If 'the people' would be able to decide SC cases, then what the hell would be the point of the SC?

# ? Dec 31, 2011 09:29

Dr. Tough: Oct 22, 2007

quote:

Obama is a traitor!
Barack Hussein Obama, our president, is a traitor. Finally, his hatred for our nation and his plan to destroy it are crystal clear. He must be forced from office � legally � before our entire country goes down the drain for the final count!

Much has gone on in the last three years to show Obama's true colors, sympathetic not to Judeo-Christians values and culture, but Islam and its surrogate-controlled states.

First there was his canceling the White House National Day of Prayer and instead feasting the Muslim holiday of Ramadan � using the latter as an occasion to to endorse the building of a mosque at Ground Zero in New York City. Then he refused to allow Jewish and Christian clergy to speak and give prayer at the 10th anniversary of September 11! He did this with the help of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who I believe is a self-hating Jew who also endorsed the mosque at Ground Zero and its terrorist-linked Imam Feisal Rauf.

Then, and second, there was Obama's disrespect and disdain for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu, when BHO abruptly left a meeting in the White House to have dinner with Michelle Obama, his socialist and far-leftist wife. If this were not bad enough, Obama has done everything he can to harm Israel, the home of Jesus and Moses and our only ally in the Middle East. Notwithstanding the spirituality of the Holy Land is the simple fact that Israel safeguards the West's oil supply. If this oil falls into the wrong hands, our economy � however bad it is � will tank and go right through the floor along with the rest of the free world.

Third, Obama and his socialist if not communist comrades in the administration, coupled with anti- Christian and anti-Semitic atheists, undermined pro-American governments in Egypt and throughout the Middle East. Now the Middle East, save for Israel, is controlled almost exclusively by radical Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which not only want to destroy the Jewish state, kill all Jews and Christians eventually, but also take over the world with their inhuman brand of Shariah law. The Middle East now looks like a small version of the Roman empire, only the Romans are not in charge; radical Islam is.

Fourth, Obama is literally in bed with the neo-Nazi radical Islamic mullahs in Iran, who are close to developing nuclear weapons not only to destroy Israel, but us as well. He and his corrupt secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, have sold our beloved nation out to these mullahs and have not taken any meaningful action to either remove them or stop their nuclear march to our annihilation. To the contrary, Obama and Clinton have rocked back and allowed Iran to soon get nuclear weapons. And, as you probably know, Iran is the head of the snake when it comes to terrorism. It financially supports nearly every terrorist group and even put a bounty on the heads of our brave servicemen fighting for us in Iraq and Afghanistan. For each American GI killed, Iran pays over $1,000 dollars for their heads. And, all the while Obama and Clinton sit back and say and do nothing to stop this "genocide."

If this were not enough, the latest outrage and atrocity, severely compromising our national security, is the final straw, and it shows to the nation exactly who Obama is. In the last days, our most secret warplane was electronically lured into Iranian airspace when it was flying over Afghanistan to locate and kill terrorists bent on destroying us. This was our most secret and prized military possession, a stealth drone, which had proven very effective in fighting terrorists. Iran, with the likely help of communist China and Russia, who want to compromise our national security as well, caused the plane to land in Iran. When this happened, what did Obama do? Nothing! He could and should have sent our warplanes into Iran to destroy the drone, before Iranians, Chinese and Russians could get their hands on it. Now, these enemies of freedom have our highest technology to use against us, and soon they will have stealth drones just like ours to use against us and Israel!

Barack Hussein Obama was complicit in this treasonous act. By allowing the radical Islamic mullahs in Iran, China and Russia to have our highest technology when he simply could have ordered the destruction of the drone once it went down, Obama cemented my strong belief that he is a traitor.

Obama must go now! We cannot wait until an election in 2012, as more damage will irreparably harm our nation. He must be legally forced to leave office now, plain and simple.
In this regard, Freedom Watch recently scored a big victory in court in our case against the radical mullahs in Iran. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered that evidence be presented into the atrocities committed by the Iranian terrorist regime. These atrocities are being committed each day with Obama's apparent blessing! This trial, to be held in the next few months, will, like the Nuremberg Nazi trials after World War II, expose the horrors of the Islamic Iranian regime, which is obviously supported by Obama. I believe that Iran has paid off Obama with campaign contributions to win the next election, just as China paid off the Clintons with illegally laundered campaign contributions so they could win the 1996 election. Coupled with his Muslim roots, Obama gladly threw his lot in with the radical Iranian mullahs bent on our destruction, as well as Israel's. That's why I call Obama the "mullah in chief." This could well turn out to be the terrorist trial of the decade.

Just as I was instrumental in exposing the bribery of the Clintons by China during their administration, concerned citizens need to be hard at work uncovering the bribery of Obama by the Iranians. I for one am investigating this likelihood. Bill Clinton and his criminal wife, Hillary, were the "Manchurian Candidates," but Obama and Hillary are now the "Islamic Iranian Candidates," an analogy in the movie that depicted how Chinese communists infiltrated the highest reaches of our government. The primary explanation for Obama and Clinton rolling over for the Iranian Islamist mullahs is that they were paid off, that is, bribed. This occurred during the Clinton years with communist China, so it is not farfetched that it is happening now. Obama and Clinton need the campaign cash to win the next elections, just as Bill and Hill needed it in 1996 to defeat Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole.
Just as I was instrumental in exposing the bribery with China, now we need to do this with Iran, before we all go down the drain to these radical Islamist terrorists.

We cannot depend on the compromised, hapless and flawed Republican candidates to win the next elections. Indeed, the Republicans have largely stood by and watched Obama harm our national security, not to mention our economy, and have hardly spoken a word, much less sought to do anything about it. That's because it's one big establishment club in Washington, D.C.

Larry Klayman is a former Justice Department prosecutor and the founder of Judicial Watch and Freedom Watch. His latest book is "Whores: Why and How I Came to Fight the Establishment."

Don't really know what to say.

# ? Jan 1, 2012 04:24

spacetimecontinuu: Dec 31, 2004

quote:

the home of Jesus and Moses

Hahahaha these loving fundies are so stupid, they don't even read the books they claim to turn to for so much life guidance! Your Moses character never set foot in Israel, ever. The story goes that he was born in Egypt and died before reaching the promised land (at age 120, no less!). These people are so loving dumb, "guys we need to make israel a JEWISH state IT SAYS IT IN MY BOOK" which i have not read

# ? Jan 1, 2012 04:34

Nenonen: Oct 22, 2009; Mulla on aina kolkyt donaa taskussa

Israel, the home of Anne Frank

# ? Jan 1, 2012 05:51

Bruce Leroy: Jun 10, 2010

Presto posted:

Hey guys, I have an idea. Why not let the people overturn Supreme Court rulings?

I can see no way that this could go wrong!

So, this person is basically proposing some way to change the constitution so that it is more in line with what the nation currently wants/believes, rather than how the document currently is and how it is interpreted?

Isn't this exactly what the constitutional amendment process is?

spacetimecontinuu posted:

Hahahaha these loving fundies are so stupid, they don't even read the books they claim to turn to for so much life guidance! Your Moses character never set foot in Israel, ever. The story goes that he was born in Egypt and died before reaching the promised land (at age 120, no less!). These people are so loving dumb, "guys we need to make israel a JEWISH state IT SAYS IT IN MY BOOK" which i have not read

There are so many blatant factual errors there, but that is probably the most egregious one. You'd think that these people who go on and on about their religion would actually know anything about it.

# ? Jan 1, 2012 06:37

Qwertycoatl: Dec 31, 2008

quote:

In this regard, Freedom Watch recently scored a big victory in court in our case against the radical mullahs in Iran. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ordered that evidence be presented into the atrocities committed by the Iranian terrorist regime. These atrocities are being committed each day with Obama's apparent blessing! This trial, to be held in the next few months, will, like the Nuremberg Nazi trials after World War II, expose the horrors of the Islamic Iranian regime, which is obviously supported by Obama.

What the gently caress? Has this guy gone to a federal court to sue Iran?

Edit: Yes, he has.

Qwertycoatl fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Jan 1, 2012

# ? Jan 1, 2012 21:44

Bruce Leroy: Jun 10, 2010

Qwertycoatl posted:

What the gently caress? Has this guy gone to a federal court to sue Iran?

Edit: Yes, he has.

I don't really understand how there is any standing to file charges in an American court.

The victim wasn't an American citizen, tortured/murdered on US soil or territory, victimized by the American government or an American citizen, or virtually anything else to do with the United States.

# ? Jan 1, 2012 23:22

ts12: Jul 24, 2007

quote:

U.S. was correct on Iraq

Regarding Waldo Proffitt's column "High cost, little gain in Iraq":

Proffitt comments that the March 2003 invasion is a candidate for the worst mistake ever made by a president. However, one paragraph states, "We did capture Sad-dam Hussein, a vicious dictator who had killed tens of his own people but was never in a position to harm us, and he was executed."

Have we so soon forgotten Adolf Hitler at the time he was gobbling up his European neighbors? He was in no position to harm us. Perhaps, rather than the impotent League of Nations, if the world had had in place a United Nations with teeth in it and that would have stopped Hitler the minute he crossed into the Sudetenland, the slaughter of 6 million Jews and countless millions of others might have been prevented. And let us not forget the despots in Cambodia, Darfur, etc.

Someone said that all that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I'm proud to live in a country that is willing to do what is right at the risk of of public criticism.

Robert W. Kruse, Sarasota

agreed. we did great work in cambodia making sure that innocent people were not slaughtered by despots

http://www.newstatesman.com/200004170017

# ? Jan 1, 2012 23:44

Bruce Leroy: Jun 10, 2010

ts12 posted:

agreed. we did great work in cambodia making sure that innocent people were not slaughtered by despots

http://www.newstatesman.com/200004170017

Wow, it's like someone who either has complete amnesia for what happened between 1991 and 2003 or was cryogenically frozen during the same period. The UN, along with the IAEA, was instrumental in basically shutting down all of Saddam's WMD production, which is why US forces basically found nothing (other than expired and useless, old chemical weapons) after the invasion in 2003. They also prevented Saddam from being a threat to anyone but his own country, so I'm not sure what is with the analogy to Hitler.

It's also ironic that he brings up Darfur, because we could have better spent the same or even less resources stopping the genocide in Darfur if we hadn't wasted time, lives, and resources going into Iraq to implement neoconservative foreign policy.

# ? Jan 2, 2012 05:44

Maneck: Sep 11, 2011

Bruce Leroy posted:

I don't really understand how there is any standing to file charges in an American court.

The victim wasn't an American citizen, tortured/murdered on US soil or territory, victimized by the American government or an American citizen, or virtually anything else to do with the United States.

US courts in recent years have gone hard into the "long arm of the Court" idea, deciding they have jurisdiction to hear matters occurring entirely in foreign countries, involving mostly foreign individuals. Curiously, at the same time there's Scalia on the SCOTUS who thinks it's rediculous to look at the laws of Canada, Australia or New Zealand, as well as modern UK law, for help on anything because it's foreign law. Technically correct, but a petty reason not to look at how another country with a very similar legal regime has confronted an issue.

# ? Jan 3, 2012 03:12

OJ MIST 2 THE DICK: Sep 11, 2008; Anytime I need to see your face I just close my eyes
And I am taken to a place
Where your crystal minds and magenta feelings
Take up shelter in the base of my spine
Sweet like a chica cherry cola
-Cheap Trick; Nap Ghost

Qwertycoatl posted:

What the gently caress? Has this guy gone to a federal court to sue Iran?

Edit: Yes, he has.

Is there any better source about what happened? It says that it was filed back in 2009, but without paying to check the court records, there's no more mention of the case in the last 2 years.

# ? Jan 3, 2012 03:17

Bruce Leroy: Jun 10, 2010

Maneck posted:

US courts in recent years have gone hard into the "long arm of the Court" idea, deciding they have jurisdiction to hear matters occurring entirely in foreign countries, involving mostly foreign individuals. Curiously, at the same time there's Scalia on the SCOTUS who thinks it's rediculous to look at the laws of Canada, Australia or New Zealand, as well as modern UK law, for help on anything because it's foreign law. Technically correct, but a petty reason not to look at how another country with a very similar legal regime has confronted an issue.

I understand why the courts would get involved if the matter concerned an American citizen or legal resident being abused/killed in a foreign jurisdiction, but there's nothing linking that particular case in Iran other than one of the victim's sisters being an American citizen. It would make sense for the State Department to intervene, but it's just nonsensical for an American court to take jurisdiction in such a case.

# ? Jan 3, 2012 05:05

Mr Interweb: Aug 25, 2004

This isn't a terrible article (in fact, it's quite the opposite!) but rather an article ABOUT terrible articles. In this case, all of them involve David Brooks:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-bines/david-brooks-satire_b_1176603.html

# ? Jan 5, 2012 03:20

DickParasite: Dec 2, 2004; Slippery Tilde

Mr Interweb posted:

This isn't a terrible article (in fact, it's quite the opposite!) but rather an article ABOUT terrible articles. In this case, all of them involve David Brooks:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-bines/david-brooks-satire_b_1176603.html

Taibbi's been knocking Brooks for a long time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/18/matt-taibbi-david-brooks-haiti_n_427607.html

http://trueslant.com/matttaibbi/2010/04/10/brooks-let-them-eat-work/

It's almost worth having Brooks around just to see everyone else write hilarious rebuttals.

# ? Jan 6, 2012 04:22

Nckdictator: Sep 8, 2006; Just..someone

Edit: wrong thread

Nckdictator fucked around with this message at 06:09 on Jan 9, 2012

# ? Jan 9, 2012 05:30

FIRE CURES BIGOTS: Aug 26, 2002; by Y Kant Ozma Post

Comments on any article in Jacksonville's Florida Times Union are atrocious.

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-11-23/story/teen-accused-jacksonville-vehicular-homicide-angry-depressed

quote:

Chelsea Lambert talked Tuesday night with her brother Zachary about making plans for Thanksgiving dinner.

Less than 12 hours later, the 16-year-old called her from the hospital charged with vehicular homicide in a police chase that ended in a crash and a 22-year-old Jacksonville man dead.

Zachary Lambert is under police guard at Shands Jacksonville where he is recovering from a broken leg.

Read more Jacksonville-area crime news

He was driving a Toyota Tundra pickup at �a high rate of speed� at Beach Boulevard and San Pablo Road about 3 a.m. Wednesday, with police in pursuit, when he ran a red light and slammed into a car, according to the Florida Highway Patrol

The driver of that car, Christopher L. Thompson, was killed.

Lambert�s sister said she and her brother were on the phone the night before hoping to make holiday dinner arrangements when the conversation soured about 10:30 p.m.

�He was angry,� Chelsea Lambert, 19, said. �I�m very upset ... I tried to do everything I could for him.�

The siblings were products of the foster care system most of their lives, she said. Although she declined to discuss their parents, she said she was put into foster care at age 9 and her brother at 4.

�He�s been through a lot of therapy. He�s on a lot of medication,� Chelsea Lambert said. �I believe he has taken this foster care thing very hard. He was very unhappy. He was very depressed. I think he was trying to kill himself.�

As Thompson�s family and friends are mourning his death, the questions are mounting about the circumstances of the chase, how the teen got the pickup truck in the first place and where he has been since he was last seen at a group home on East 63rd Street over a month ago.

It started with a report of an erratic driver about 3 a.m. A Jacksonville police officer saw the white Toyota Tundra as it headed east on Beach at Huffman Boulevard, said Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper. The chase sped on for about four miles before the collision with Thompson�s Hyundai sedan.

The Sheriff�s Office referred questions to the Highway Patrol, which is handling the case. In addition to vehicular homicide, Lambert is charged with fleeing a police officer and driving without a license.

Thompson was a 2007 graduate of Wolfson High School who studied business management at Florida State University and worked at Mayo Clinic. His family gathered at their Shore Acres Drive home in East Arlington in the aftermath of the accident. Friend Charles Chandler said the immediate family was inconsolable.

�He was an outgoing and fun person. He got along with everybody,� Chandler said. �I�ve known him since he was little. He was like a little brother.�

Chandler, 27, said his younger brother was a roommate with Thompson at a home off San Pablo. He thinks Thompson was driving home after a night shift at Mayo on San Pablo.

Lambert also has several other arrests, including Sept. 9 on a charge of aggravated assault after he visited his sister at her Westside home. The arrest report states he pulled a knife on her during an argument, saying �I�m going to kill you!� as he waved it in her face. The sister�s boyfriend told him to back off and he fled.

Chelsea Lambert said during that incident, her 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter were scared as the teen threatened violence with the knife.

Zachary Lambert had stayed at the state-licensed Panama Youth Services group care facility for boys ages 12 to 17 on East 63rd Street when he was granted the visit to his sister. Willie Green, the facility�s executive director, said he last saw Lambert there about a month and a half ago. Lambert was first sent to the group home in February or March, Green said.

Green was uncertain as to the circumstances that led to Lambert�s departure from the pre-foster care complex. But Green said he was aware Lambert was arrested on criminal charges and had been ordered to a recent stint at the Jacksonville juvenile detention facility downtown.

Chelsea Lambert said her brother had been at a care provider�s home in Jacksonville Beach and that�s where he got the pickup truck. She said she didn�t know if he was given permission to use the truck, but it�s likely that he was trying to get back to that home off Marsh Landing Parkway.

William Ptak lives in a house across the street from the group care facility. He said he remembered Lambert as a friendly boy.

�What a nice little kid,� Ptak said. �He would come over and say hello to me. He would say hello to my dogs. I had so much hope for him.�

The conversations Ptak had with Lambert led Ptak to believe the boy would break out of a cycle of trouble.

�I�m just surprised,� Ptak said. �I don�t know anything about his personal life. But he seemed to have his priorities straight.�

Leeper said the Highway Patrol investigation is still looking into how Lambert got the pickup truck, and they don�t know how fast he was going when the accident occurred.

Pretty sad. The crowd's reaction:

quote:

The kid that did this needs a life sentence for this murder.

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I'm finding it difficult to have any sympathy or any excuses for this 16 year old. Let the punishment fit the crime. No youthful offender status should be considered in this case.

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X2 agree with both above. I wonder if the truck was stolen? Pretty nice ride for a 16 year old.

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The driver of the truck should be pushed off a bridge in front of an oncoming tractor trailer. An eye for an eye is the only way we are going to bring society back around to where they respect our laws and the the rights of those around them.

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We all agree that the 16 year old should get the maximum punishment possible, but in reality we all know he won't spend much, if any time past his 21st birthday in jail or a halfway "house"

quote:

Meet your new girlfriend for life - Bubba Ben Dover.

Yeah, let's joke about the rape of a 16 year old boy. :rolleyes:

Yeah, send him to the chair, or to prison for life, that will send a message to all of those troubled neglected and abused emotionally handicapped teenage kids who make fully informed rational decisions about things that they do on impulse.

This sounds like a fit of authoritarian aggression.

# ? Jan 10, 2012 11:31

Riptor: Apr 13, 2003; here's to feelin' good all the time

from Boston.com today

# ? Jan 10, 2012 15:48

sexpig by night: Sep 8, 2011; by Azathoth

Riptor posted:

from Boston.com today

Gut clenched thinking he was gonna make some 'murder everyone crossing the border' thing, found he literally meant the animal, couldn't stop laughing.

# ? Jan 10, 2012 16:55

Limbo: Oct 4, 2006

From my former local paper, it's the ultimate "I'm just saying" letter.
----------------------------------------------------------------
To the Editor:
Cumberland Times-News

Its very frustrating to read and hear disgusting statements about the administration.

However, I wonder if there is any truth in what is being passed around on the Internet, written in emails, and transmitted in other electronic devices.

Questions such as: �Was Barrack Obama born in the United States?�; �Is President Obama a mid-eastern plant within our government ?�; �Is the goal for our president to turn our country into a European style social state?�; �Does Obama practice Islam, and not Christianity?�

And there are more! So I wonder, why, with all these accusations and bewildering statements being so widespread, and in some cases rather convincing, would any one in the United States of America, consider voting for such a person.

For me, I think he's a great orator, politician, and in good health! These are displayed frequently!

But, as an American, should we really put these outstanding attributes first on the list for our choice as our leader.

Would it not be wiser and more rewarding to consider someone, who without question, is American and wants what we want: to maintain the guidelines for a democracy that represents the majority; practices and believes the same spiritual philosophy that most of us do; promotes the type of economy that our mothers and fathers, and their mothers and fathers pursued, attained and sustained.

Are the rumors well founded or are they just political ploys?

Makes me wonder. It's certainly more comforting to be sure, without any reason to wonder, will our next president represent America and stand up for us, and protect our way of life.

# ? Jan 11, 2012 02:14

Strudel Man: May 19, 2003; ROME DID NOT HAVE ROBOTS, FUCKWIT

Glitterbomber posted:

Gut clenched thinking he was gonna make some 'murder everyone crossing the border' thing, found he literally meant the animal, couldn't stop laughing.

Carrying off pets and threatening people? How can you be sure?

# ? Jan 11, 2012 02:25

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 24, 2024 04:21

Bruce Leroy: Jun 10, 2010

Glitterbomber posted:

Gut clenched thinking he was gonna make some 'murder everyone crossing the border' thing, found he literally meant the animal, couldn't stop laughing.

But it's still pretty awful.

It's emblematic of myopic morons who prefer "simple" solutions (i.e. killing off an entire species because it's inconvenient) to more appropriate, nuanced approaches (i.e. keeping taking proper care of your pets and children even if there weren't coyotes and dealing with the individual coyotes who are causing problems).

You see this same kind of crap on pretty much every issue, e.g. immigration ("Build the drat fence!!"), foreign policy ("Just nuke anyone who doesn't do what we want"), healthcare reform ("I shouldn't have to pay for anyone's healthcare! NO DEATH PANELS!"), etc.

# ? Jan 11, 2012 10:46

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