August, 2013 archive
Stray Thought 0
Why do people sop with bread when they could Sopwith Camel?
Absurdiburton 0
Weiner warning.
Sharia Scaria 2
A notable characteristic of Republicanism is a singular lack of self-awareness.
It enables and informs the hypocrisy.
Although this column is about a month old, it points this out starkly.
Then with absolutely zero appreciation for irony, the state senate amended the bill to quickly and somewhat secretly restrict access to legal and constitutionally-protected abortion. Why?
Their religious convictions.
Do read the rest.
Via the Progressive Populist.
“That Conversation about Race” 0
If Poker Were a Game of Skill . . . 0
. . . you wouldn’t need to bet to make it interesting.
The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a decision last year that said Lawrence DiCristina could not be prosecuted because “Texas Hold ‘Em” was a game of skill rather than chance.
Bennett Cerf, in one of his books, told the story of a small town in the old west that outlawed gambling (in those days, faro was the game of choice) and promptly had some professional gamblers arrested. The gamblers protested that it was a game of skill.
Defense counsel suggested a fair (faro?) test to determine whether faro was a game of chance or one of skill. Three townsfolk representing the “game of chance” position squared off against three of the professional gamblers . . . .
Charges were dropped.
Legacy!, Reprise 0
Apparently, there is now a “Zimmerman defense.”
Legacy! 0
The noxious notion that politicians (and others) must leave behind a single signature Legacy! generally motivates great harms.
It encourages grand(standing) gestures, often poorly thought out and sometimes inimical. The Regent’s plan to outsource this region’s transportation for short-term gain comes to mind.
Belle Rose, though, envisions a constructive legacy! for The Regent.
Loan Sharpers 0
In the Bangor Daily News, Eric Collins reflects on the recent student load bill in Congress and why it included so many bad ideas.
It’s all about ROI, folks, and not ROI on educaton–ROI on the loans.
Yet how is college supposed to become affordable?
There are plenty of solutions. When we have the greatest concentration of wealth in our nation’s history in the hands of a few and a bloated military budget used to fund the destructive atrocities of violence and war in the name of U.S. global hegemony, then it is clear we have the money to fund higher education. What prevents us from doing that is our priorities.
Prioritizing the interests of the wealthy over those of the masses is reflective of deeper, structural and ideological problems in our society.
Homefront 2
At Asia Times, Peter van Buren is not optimistic about happenings in the US, anticipating a security dystopia
Consider, for instance, the rise of the warrior cop, of increasingly armored-up police departments across the country often filled with former military personnel encouraged to use the sort of rough tactics they once wielded in combat zones. Supporting them are the kinds of weaponry that once would have been inconceivable in police departments, including armored vehicles, typically bought with Department of Homeland Security grants.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Be polite to young entrepreneurs.
In more news of the polite, courtesy is important to local governance.
All seriousness aside, you do realize that, in the term “gun nut,” the operative word is “nut.”
The Return of Little Ricky 0
He’s baaaaaaack!
And he’s still a one-note samba.
Dick Polman:
Politicizing terror? Gee, I never saw that one coming.
State Rape 0
Bringing new meaning to the term “copping a feel.”
In two separate cases last year, four women said that they were humiliated with illegal cavity searches on the side of Texas highways. Angel Dobbs, 38, and her 24-year-old niece, Ashley Dobbs were searched after a trooper saw them throw a cigarette butt out the car window. And Brandy Hamilton, 27, and Alexandria Randle, 26, were searched after a trooper claimed he smelled marijuana.
Official police dashboard XXX video at the link.
Via TWIB.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Friends don’t let friends be impolite.
(snip)
Java Bowling III, 43, said he got in an argument with 40-year-old Scott A. Campbell because he was trying to take away his friend’s keys to prevent him from driving while intoxicated.
Allowing concealed-carry in bars will prevent this from happening again.
