Warcabbit posted:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/us/richard-mellon-scaife-influential-us-conservative-dies-at-82.html


Well, this'll change things a little. Not as much as one of the Koch brothers, but it'll be interesting to see.

made of bees posted:

Right, and he's a hero because of the treason he committed, which is why saying we should ban the celebration of treason is stupid.

Discendo Vox posted:

He died in an attempt to seize a federal armory, which included taking civilian hostages. This was stage one of a plan that basically involved destroying the economies, governments and all public institutions of most of the slaveholding states, starting with Virginia. He was charged with and convicted of treason against that state. Sympathizing with his cause is fine, but he was pretty indisputably a) nuts and b) committing treason. Dude turned his family into a sort of abolitionist cult.

Nintendo Kid posted:

Attempting to take over a federal armory by force is pretty clear treason against the nation at large, to be honest.

Samurai Sanders posted:

Does treason exist as a moral/ethical/philosophical concept, in addition to the legal one?

The Ape of Naples posted:

It's fine. Sorry I snapped. To be honest I think Rand's influence is overstated. Years, there are some rich, powerful followers of hers that have their hands in politics these days. But I think most people haven't really read her stuff. They mean to and then say gently caress it when they see how big and stupid Atlas Shrugged is. They really just like the bullet points of it. That's why the conservatives on the right really don't worry about her atheism because they don't even know it. They just love the money and selfishness. I think that's why Paul Ryan had to change is public tune on her. He's as intimately familiar with her work as he is with Rage Against the Machine.

We talk about and know more about Ayn Rand here in D&D then they do on the right. Like the bible.

EDIT: Confession time, I loved the Fountainhead when I was 17. It's still bad but definitely the "best" Ayn Rand book and a much better story. It still has the 30+ page character rambling. But at least it was more "believable".

ShadowCatboy posted:

Once people start saying stuff with muddy definitions and a bombastic attitude, it becomes obvious that they don't have a cogent point and instead they're just saying words.

Taerkar posted:

Isn't it actually even dumber in the book? Like a few of the TITANS OF INDUSTRY gardened as a hobby and that would be all they need. After all as TITANS OF INDUSTRY they would no doubt be far more productive with their farms than those leeches that are regular farmers.

Tigntink posted:

This. My coworkers and I make between $22 - $26 an hour in Seattle and half of my workers have whined incessantly about how it isn't fair and how hard they had to work to get here and those people don't deserve to make so much money.

a rowdy mullet posted:

For fucks sake please don't give the republicans money

Captain_Maclaine posted:

Remember back in 2008 when the hillaryis44.com loons insisted in appending $.44 to all their donations under the crazed delusion that Hillary would personally recognize it was from them specifically? Same sort of ritualism, I figure.

Pornographic Memory posted:

These assholes should put their mouths over those stacks and have somebody hit the gas if it's not so bad, what a bunch of loving shitstains. I'm not that great at being environmentally conscious but this makes me really, really angry.

MrChupon posted:

Hey sorry for the uninformed question but I've just been out of the loop on news in the last month. Is there *actually* some sort of a humanitarian crisis (like, more significant than 1 month, 6 months, or even 5 years ago) on the Mexican border or is this just a trumped up cable news thing?

quote:

Since October, more than 52,000 children — most from Central America and many of them unaccompanied by adults — have been taken into custody. That's nearly double last year's total and 10 times the number from 2009.

A study by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees found that 58 percent of the unaccompanied children are motivated by safety concerns, fearing conditions back home.

Their home countries have been racked by gang violence, fueled by the drug trade. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, "Salvadoran and Honduran children ... come from extremely violent regions where they probably perceive the risk of traveling alone to the U.S. preferable to remaining at home."

There's violence in Guatemala, too. Many Guatemalan children, however, come from poor rural areas and may be seeking economic opportunities. The same is true for children from poorer parts of El Salvador. For many, the prospect of reuniting with family members in the U.S. is also a powerful motivating force.

Central American families may have been misled by rumors — often spread by profit-seeking smugglers — that their children will readily be reunited with relatives already in the U.S.

U.S. policy allows Mexican child migrants to be sent back quickly across the border. However, under a 2008 law meant to combat child trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, children from Central America must be given a court hearing before they are deported (or allowed to stay). Given the huge backlog of cases, they may have to wait years for a hearing.

haveblue posted:

Obviously you don't live in NYC.

radical meme posted:

Serious question, and I haven't seen anything in any article about it. Where the hell are the churches in this whole furor? What happened to the right's catch all miracle cure for all social ills, faith based initiatives and our nation's great christian houses of worship? Where the hell do they stand on the anger and xenophobic hatred towards children? Where do they stand on showing compassion and charity towards these children? What happened to WWJD?

quote:

Catholics importing more poor Mexican...Lutherans importing more Somalians to get signed up for MN welfare... there are plenty of ‘religious’ leftists always clamoring for bigger gubmint ‘safety nets’ .

IIRC,Catholic Charities now gets 40% of their $ from gubmint grants.

50 posted on Wednesday, July 09, 2014 6:51:36 AM by TurboZamboni (Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.-JFK)

wixard posted:

Isn't the end result of this logic that in any military conflict we should go straight to bombing roads and hospitals instead of military targets? Why prioritize military targets at all overseas, we don't even have to worry about their military coming over here. Eventually it will happen anyway so we might as well cut to the chase and end the conflict earlier, right?

Raskolnikov38 posted:

Terry McAuliffe quit and moved to Ohio?

On Terra Firma posted:

I don't see how that makes any sense to anyone. Like, if you want people to "behave" how is that any different than government at any level pointing guns at you and hoping you "behave"? Do they not get how they are in their own little way a bit tyrannical? The majority of the country want background checks, but they're deathly afraid of the gun lobby (not out of fear of violent retribution) so nothing ever comes of it.

Amergin posted:

CaptainCarrot posted:

I tried to resist "Weedlord Bonerhitler". I really did.

axeil posted:

It was also carrying a sitting US Congressman at the time.

The other incident Joementum is referring to is of course the time the US shot down an Iranian airliner during the Iran-Iraq War. Turns out the US Navy vessel was in Iranian waters when it happened.

Yeah...

Mr Ice Cream Glove posted:

Every mention of Allen West should be followed with War Criminal

ReidRansom posted:

That, and I mean, sure, treason is a crime, just not a war crime.

My Imaginary GF posted:

What I don't get is, if they really wanted to impeach Obama, why not do it for something like his use of surveillence technology against domestic citizens?

Fried Chicken posted:

On that note the New Yorker has an interesting piece on Biden today

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/07/28/biden-agenda

quote:

To illustrate his emphasis on personality as a factor in foreign affairs, Biden recalled visiting Putin at the Kremlin in 2011: “I had an interpreter, and when he was showing me his office I said, ‘It’s amazing what capitalism will do, won’t it? A magnificent office!’ And he laughed. As I turned, I was this close to him.” Biden held his hand a few inches from his nose. “I said, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, I’m looking into your eyes, and I don’t think you have a soul.’ ”

“You said that?” I asked. It sounded like a movie line.

“Absolutely, positively,” Biden said, and continued, “And he looked back at me, and he smiled, and he said, ‘We understand one another.’ ” Biden sat back, and said, “This is who this guy is!”

DemeaninDemon posted:

That's an awful amount of water for a completely wrong mint julep.

ReidRansom posted:

Water? I always just muddle the sugar and mint, then add bourbon and ice. Using simnple syrup is no good because you need the grit of the sugar to beat up on the mint leaves.

radical meme posted:

Do the math and prove it. Otherwise, I stand by my "you're an idiot". I'm not talking about doing a stoner road trip. I've done plenty of those. I'm talking about actually traveling coast to coast and visiting Cities along the way where you get to know people other than your road buddies. Show me the math and prove I'm wrong.

Just by example, Motel 6 costs $40 per night and that awesome Irving Hostel someone mentioned has a price tag of $57 per night. (Ooops, I missed one in Irving that actually goes for $28.55 a night).

Nate RFB posted:

Healthcare costs would skyrocket since millions of people receiving health insurance would no longer be able to pay for them. It would be catastrophic.

Dr.Zeppelin posted:

Which multi-billionaires are backing Glenn Greenwald? George Soros?

Chokes McGee posted:

Well, yeah. The guy's a whack jo---

ShadowCatboy posted:

Jesus loving Christ Akin cannot shut the gently caress up.

Magres posted:

Also I would think that Hillary has an enormous amount of political capital built up that Obama didn't. I don't trust Hillary much, but one thing I do trust her to do is to get poo poo done.

MODS CURE JOKES posted:

There's a lot of variation within the democratic caucus regarding labor (outside of a rising minimum wage), public schools, and health care. At at grassroots level not so much, but there are plenty in power who are corporatists.

Bunleigh posted:

God drat, Joe Liberman. That is one melted candle I don't miss.

quote:

10 jokes about Joe Lieberman & his threat to filibuster any health care bill which includes a public option

1. Joe Lieberman walks into a bar with a parrot on his shoulder. The bartender turns to him and says, “Sorry, we don’t serve bitter old egomaniacs here. And gently caress your stupid parrot.”

2. Joe Lieberman walks into a second bar. The second bartender says, “Get out.” Joe Lieberman says, “Why? Can’t I buy a drink?” The second bartender says, “Don’t you get it? Everybody hates you.”

3. Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Joe.
Joe who?
Joe Lieberman.
Get off my doorstep, you rear end in a top hat.

4. Joe Lieberman is on a lifeboat with a young woman who was denied insurance coverage because she was raped, a middle-class guy who can’t afford his premiums, and a sickly child. He stabs them all in the back.

5. Joe Lieberman is fellating the health insurance industry when a little boy opens the door and screams, “What are you doing, Senator Lieberman?!?” Lieberman wipes his mouth and says, “Isn’t it obvious, Timmy?”

6. What do you get when you cross Joe Lieberman with a frog? A fascinating, frog-voiced lump of wrinkles whose blood runs cold with reptilian contempt for those in need. And a frog.

7. Why did Joe Lieberman set his hair on fire and run down the street naked, screaming “Look at me, look at me, everybody look at me”? Because he has a compulsive need for attention.

8. What’s the difference between John McCain and Joe Lieberman? Oh God, WHO CARES? Seriously, enough with those two. What have they been right about in the past 8 years? Iraq? The economy? Please. Anybody who takes anything those two say seriously should check themselves in to one of those emergency-stop-smoking-crack clinics with Dr. Drew.

9. How do you know when Joe Lieberman is lying? His lips are movi– wait, wait. WHO CARES? Why do I let this guy get under my skin? He’s not gonna actually filibuster the Senate bill. He’s just upset that nobody paid attention to him for a few weeks, so he’s lashing out. It’s all based on a deep-seated anxiety about salvaging his hopelessly battered reputation– by clawing his way back into the Sunday-show spotlight, or something. Seriously, I can’t even get inside this guy’s head to figure out his motivation, because after 10 seconds of trying to see the world the way Joe Lieberman sees it, I start to feel clammy and bugs start crawling out of my fingertips and when I look in the mirror, my face looks like a melted candle.

10. Why did Joe Lieberman cross the road? I can only assume it’s because he sucks.

api call girl posted:

*By putting his name on pre-existing programs, then mandating abstinence-based education thereby setting back the fight on AIDs by decades.

euphronius posted:

I can't think of anything Bush did that was on balance positive.

Not invade Iran?

Gyges posted:

To be honest I wouldn't be surprised if a thorough examination of all the theses turned in for degrees/grades found a higher average rate of plagiarization than that. Politicians only get called out more frequently because people are actually checking. Also now with the internet you can just Google the paper and look for hits. Which he should have been aware of in 2007, but apparently he plagiarized well enough to get away with it.

If there's one thing I learned working at a college it's that students will plagiarize by default and often ask your help in doing so. Though there are the noble few who just write their whole paper by pulling poo poo directly from their rear end, and then just look for a list of books to toss into a bibliography. At least they have a little class and moxy.

StandardVC10 posted:

The liberal arts section at my art college had this Procrustean devotion to the MLA format. Like, if we included a piece that we ourselves made in the paper we were writing, we had to cite it just like we would anything else. I have seldom felt sillier than I did when I was trying to work out how to cite a scan from my own sketchbook.