Friday morning links

Re: ridicule as an effective response:

"The power of the press is quite limited, but the deadliest weapon in its arsenal is ridicule. In politics, as in religion and culture, the dereliction of duty deserves merciless ridicule, because ridicule is intolerable to those being ridiculed, and there is no other method by which a hollowed-out institution is more likely to be brought to its senses before it is too late." – Daniel Johnson

#1 The Distributist (Link) on 2017-03-10 08:11 (Reply)

I'm on board with the ridicule, but Congress is going to need to revisit the issue of whether the EPA has authority to treat CO2 as an atmospheric "toxin." The statute doesn't say so, but it's vague, and the EPA won its battle at the S. Ct. to exercise its discretion to read the language that broadly. Of course the new EPA chief can revisit the issue, but that's only temporary. Congress should speak.

#1.1 Texan99 on 2017-03-10 10:50 (Reply)

The spying on Americans did not begin with Bush and our current spying scandal is 100% Obama and not Bush. The CIA and NSA and god knows who else has been spying on Americans since the early 50's. The homeland security act signed by Bush and written by congress is not perfect nor is any law written by congress in the past 200 plus years. It was necessary. There are real risks to our country from terrorists and old enemies as well. I can absolutely assure you that sooner or later the terrorist or someone will indeed detonate a nuke in a major U.S. city. This will happen. When the laws in question were written and signed into law this was the exact worry that they were trying to address. I can also guarantee you that when NY City or Washington DC goes up in a huge mushroom cloud that it could have been prevented with sufficient and effective surveilance. So what should the government do? Do you want the next Pearl Harbor to be a nuke (or two or three...) in a major U.S. city? Would this be better than having the NSA tap some phones?

#2 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-03-10 10:12 (Reply)

^ And there, folks, you have a sterling proof how wrong the putative right is on the US Constitution itself. Windard hath declared the nation a secretive oligarchic enclave herding its property, you sheep.

And all in a single, utterly idiotic, completely ignorant, and historically blind Windy paragraph. Bonus!

#2.1 Ten on 2017-03-10 13:41 (Reply)

Still butt hurt for losing all those other arguments I see.

#2.1.1 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-03-10 15:07 (Reply)

So spectacularly wrong on this you have to lie?

#2.1.1.1 Ten on 2017-03-10 15:20 (Reply)

It would appear that you want to argue that prior to the passing of the homeland security act that the CIA and NSA did not spy on Americans. And you think that I am spectacularly wrong. Go figure.

#2.1.1.1.1 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-03-10 17:09 (Reply)

Liar. It's almost like the second half of your original uniparagraph screed - the part that craps on the 4th Amendment - never appeared.

You're going to have to up your game, Windard, although you could resort to that old rightist chestnut, "the Constitution isn't a suicide pact" before fingering your ancient IBM, rocking back in your tattered office chair, stroking your stubble, and muttering appreciatively to yourself, now that'll get 'im before pouring another four fingers in a paper cup.

#2.1.1.1.1.1 Ten on 2017-03-10 18:41 (Reply)

I'm not sure you read my screed or if you did you didn't understand it. Sometimes it seems like you speak a different language or see things through a different filter. Impossible to respond to you because I can't understand what you are saying.

#2.1.1.1.1.1.1 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-03-11 00:02 (Reply)

Gotcha: Plain talk that upends your nonsense you'll claim is incomprehensible. That's a convenient, enabling defense.

#2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 Ten on 2017-03-11 06:51 (Reply)

LOL No, I was right the first time, you are still butt hurt over past posts. get over it. Go eat some red meat and get a life.

#2.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1 GoneWithTheWind on 2017-03-11 13:42 (Reply)

I think it's amusing that the "Most Shocking Revelation From The CIA-Spying Scandal" is that nobody cares. It's the government doing the spying and government knows best what's for your own good. Did you really expect the sorts of people who supported a socialist like Bernie Sanders, the sorts of people who clamor for more and more government control of absolutely everything, to somehow be alarmed at the idea that the government wants to know everything you're doing and saying every moment of every day? How else are they going to know what's for your own good? These people don't object to an omnipresent government - it's precisely what they've been demanding!

#3 Jerryskids on 2017-03-10 10:47 (Reply)

If you're addressing your view of the left and political divisions - you don't say but the impotent Bernie Sanders left appears to be your sole focus - then not only is your hopelessly binary, entirely partisan, completely useless assessment wrong as hell, a few comments above it you have living, written proof how wrong it is.

Judas Maude you people...

#3.1 Ten on 2017-03-10 13:45 (Reply)

Re: Podesta Didn’t Register As A ‘Foreign Agent’

So we are to supposed to uncritically accept admittedly baseless allegations from the Democrats that it is Trump and his minions who were/are in bed with the Russians and ignore the actual undisputed facts of recent Democrat pro-Russian moves: that Hillary tried to "reset" relations with the Russians, that Hillary did not block the sale of 20% of our uranium production to the Russians, that Obama was anxious to be "more flexible" with the Russians in his second term, that Obama refused military aid for the Ukrainians when Russia invaded Crimea, that the Iranian nuke deal was a big benefit to the Russians, (here I readily admit that I've probably left out a few data points) and now that the head of the Hillary campaign and long-time Democratic lobbyist and operative, John Podesta, apparently tried to hide the fact that he was actually representing a Russian bank with close ties to Putin and Russian intelligence services.

Let that last bit sink in.

#4 mudbug on 2017-03-10 11:00 (Reply)

(for some reason, it wouldn't let me post my entire comment. Here is the rest of it)

This whole Trump-Russian story is just another example of the Democrats favorite political tactics - lying and slander - made possible by the lapdog press. But even the lapdog press wouldn't be able to save them if there was an investigation into the Trump-Russian allegations that ended up showing that after screaming about possible Trump-Russian collusion, it was in fact the Democrats who were colluding with the Russians. Maybe that's a bit far fetched, but one has to wonder why the Democrats are putting unprecedented energy into disrupting Trump's transition, delaying the approval of his appointments, and even alleging grounds for his impeachment before he had been in office for a month. Democrats are not so much opposing him as trying to destroy him. That out-sized reaction to losing the Presidential Election could mean more than sour grapes. It could mean survival.

#4.1 mudbug on 2017-03-10 11:02 (Reply)

mudbug: now that the head of the Hillary campaign and long-time Democratic lobbyist and operative, John Podesta, apparently tried to hide the fact that he was actually representing a Russian bank with close ties to Putin and Russian intelligence services.

Tony Podesta.

#4.2 Zachriel on 2017-03-10 18:19 (Reply)

You are correct. Thanks for the correction.

#4.2.1 mudbug on 2017-03-10 22:08 (Reply)

Note the headline of the article.

#4.2.1.1 Zachriel on 2017-03-11 07:42 (Reply)

The professor the was injured should sue the college. It is clear that the intentionally encouraged and allowed the students and outsiders to commit violence. I also think that when the police refuse to "protect and serve" that people have to be prepared to defend themselves. If I were Mr Murray I would carry a concealed weapon every where I went. If I were putting on a public meeting that was likely to attract the violent left I would hire some private bodyguards. One day someone will die from one of these staged riots and maybe then it will finally get the legal attention that it deserves. Everyone backing this with funding or in any way should go to jail. Everyone who was paid or organized to go their to riot should go to jail. Everyone who consciously prevented law enforcement from doing their job should go to jail. This was a crime. If the police and government will not protect you then you must defend yourself.

#5 IdahoBob on 2017-03-10 11:02 (Reply)

the injured prof has already blamed Trump.

every concealed carry law I know of prohibits cc on any school grounds.

expect nothing to come from this incident.

#5.1 Vic Morrow's tommy gun on 2017-03-10 11:53 (Reply)

Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin all have some sort of campus carry for post secondary campuses. Not that that would matter in Vermont nor with somebody who would blame Trump the violence of leftist fascists.

#5.1.1 mudbug on 2017-03-10 12:19 (Reply)

you're right. I wrote too quickly on that, I wasn't thinking college.

#5.1.1.1 Vic Morrow's tommy gun on 2017-03-10 12:30 (Reply)

I would guess Middlebury's campus security/police is like my college's, another typical rural small town New England liberal arts school. The campus security (we sure didn't call them police) were basically retired small town policemen looking to supplement their retirement pensions. (One of ours, probably well into his seventies, had white hair and a white goatee and was a dead ringer for the original Colonel Sanders.) They didn't carry anything more dangerous than a flashlight. Their duties were primarily to help students when they locked themselves out of their rooms, enforce the no marijuana rules (drinking was fine back then, but smoking dope was plebeian and just wasn't done) and to make sure people didn't park in the wrong place on campus. In other words, they looked like your grandfather and would have been completely unprepared and unable to handle a situation like this. I suspect the Middlebury town police force, with probably not more than a couple of officers on duty at a time, was similarly unprepared and untrained for a violent riot like this. That kind of stuff just isn't supposed to happen at a small college.

#5.2 Jim on 2017-03-10 13:14 (Reply)

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Friday, March 10. 2017

Friday morning links