Sunday Times Report: Russia and China Have Cracked Snowden’s Cache of Secret Docs

This is bad
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The Daily Beast has advance word on a report coming out in The Sunday Times that Russia and China have cracked the top-secret cache of files stolen from the NSA by Edward Snowden, and that intelligence agencies are now engaged in “rescue operations” in hostile countries.

I’ve been saying ever since this story broke that it was incredibly naïve (at best) for Snowden and his enabler Glenn Greenwald to boast he had encrypted the files so well they were “uncrackable.” Now it looks as if I was unfortunately prescient.

Russia and China have allegedly decrypted the top-secret cache of files stolen by whistleblower Edward Snowden, according to a report from The Sunday Times, to be published tomorrow. The info has compelled British intelligence agency MI6 to withdraw some of its agents from active operations and other Western intelligence agencies are now actively involved in rescue operations. In a July 2013 email to a former U.S. Senator, Snowden stated that, “No intel­li­gence ser­vice—not even our own—has the capac­ity to com­pro­mise the secrets I con­tinue to pro­tect. While it has not been reported in the media, one of my spe­cial­iza­tions was to teach our peo­ple at DIA how to keep such infor­ma­tion from being com­pro­mised even in the high­est threat counter-intelligence envi­ron­ments (i.e. China).”

Here’s the article at The Sunday Times: British Spies Betrayed to Russians and Chinese. It’s behind a paywall, but here’s a screenshot with more:

This news raises the question of whether this decrypted top-secret information played any part in the recent hacking of the federal Office of Personnel Management; I guess we’ll eventually find out.

Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden have some spinning to do — you can expect Greenwald to sneeringly claim the British are lying about this.

UPDATE at 6/13/15 5:04:25 pm by Charles Johnson

More details at the BBC: UK Agents ‘Moved Over Snowden Files’.

According to the Sunday Times, Western intelligence agencies have been forced to pull agents out of “hostile countries” after “Moscow gained access to more than one million classified files” held by Mr Snowden.

“Senior government sources confirmed that China had also cracked the encrypted documents, which contain details of secret intelligence techniques and information that could allow British and American spies to be identified,” the newspaper added.

Tim Shipman, who co-wrote the Sunday Times story, told the BBC: “Snowden said ‘nobody bad has got hold of my information’.

“Well, we are told authoritatively by people in Downing Street, in the Home Office, in the intelligence services that the Russians and the Chinese have all this information and as a result of that our spies are having to pull people out of the field because their lives are in danger.

“People in government are deeply frustrated that this guy has been able to put all this information out there.”

The newspaper quoted Sir David Omand, former director of UK intelligence agency GCHQ, saying the fact Russia and China had the information was a “huge strategic setback” that was “harming” to Britain, the US and their Nato allies.

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498 comments
1 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 4:53:21pm

That’s just more lies to justify the government spyin’ on us, man!

2 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 13, 2015 4:55:08pm

Kremlin agents, unwitting or otherwise, continue to work the right-wing blogosphere.

License plates being rapidly scanned in Walmart parking lot by incognito surveillance vehicle

The source site’s pro-Putin orientation could not be more obvious.

3 BlueSpotinAL  Jun 13, 2015 4:57:57pm

They finally found the encryption key: dudebro

4 Targetpractice  Jun 13, 2015 5:00:22pm

I thought it laughable at the time that Snowden thought that using the hotel wifi didn’t mean he was basically leaving a door open for the Chicoms to raid the contents of his laptops. I guess putting the pillow case on his head didn’t work.

5 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 5:01:14pm

Yes, Charles, I just posted the BBC’s report on this, also downstairs. I have no doubt it’s real and that Snowden’s arrogance has resulted in a huge cost to security for the US and our allies. Even that wasn’t enough to deter those glory hounds, Snowden and Greenwald.

bbc.com

6 urbanmeemaw  Jun 13, 2015 5:01:29pm

I disagree, Charles. Greenwald and Snowden were not naive. They knew exactly what they were doing.

7 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:02:07pm

I’ve already got several Greenwald cultists tweeting at me that it’s all lies and the Sunday Times has no credibility.

8 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 13, 2015 5:04:15pm

Deadthreaded so I’m re-posting:
Feds Eye Link to Private Contractor in Massive Government Hack

The hackers who recently launched a massive cyber-attack on the U.S. government, exposing sensitive information of millions of federal workers and millions of others, may have used information stolen from a private government contractor to break into federal systems, according to sources briefed on the matter.

Authorities suspect the hackers, likely from China, entered the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s computer systems after first gaining access last year to the systems of KeyPoint Government Solutions — one of the primary providers of background checks for the U.S. government, sources said…

Because the private sector, which also employed Mr. Snowden, always does a better job than the government.

9 Targetpractice  Jun 13, 2015 5:09:23pm

re: #7 Charles Johnson

I’ve already got several Greenwald cultists tweeting at me that it’s all lies and the Sunday Times has no credibility.

Not surprising. They simply will not accept that Snowden made us less safe. I’d hazard to say that many dudebros think it actually a good thing that our enemies are able to access our government servers because “we shouldn’t be keeping secrets!”

10 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:12:32pm

THE RUSSIANS AND CHINESE HAVE NO REASON TO DO THIS, THEY ARE NOT AT WAR WITH US AND CHINA IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST TRADING PARTNERS.

THIS STORY SOUNDS LIKE A NSA/CIA/GCHQ SETUP

11 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 5:13:00pm

re: #8 Higgs Boson’s Mate

Deadthreaded so I’m re-posting:
Feds Eye Link to Private Contractor in Massive Government Hack

Because the private sector, which also employed Mr. Snowden, always does a better job than the government.

To be fair, the government isn’t doing much better.

12 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 5:14:04pm

re: #11 Dark_Falcon

Can you read? And how would you know anyway?

13 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 5:14:40pm

Edward Snowden needs to go down like Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen went down.

14 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:14:46pm

And Comrade Snowden is in Moscow because the best way to get from the US to an Ecuadorian haven is via China and Russia.

15 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 5:16:39pm

re: #14 b.d.

And Comrade Snowden is in Moscow because the best way to get from the US to an Ecuadorian haven is via China and Russia.

He knows he could be hunted down more easily in Ecuador. Someone there might even do it for a few dollars.

16 Decatur Deb  Jun 13, 2015 5:16:48pm

Time to put another statue in the park.

17 piratedan  Jun 13, 2015 5:18:23pm

re: #11 Dark_Falcon

to be fair, the fellows you speak so highly of are the ones cutting staff and budget and are the instigators of all of this shit… but hey if it makes you feel any better the other side tries hard too.

18 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:18:24pm

re: #16 Decatur Deb

Time to put another statue in the park.

Gorky?

19 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 5:22:27pm

re: #17 piratedan

to be fair, the fellows you speak so highly of are the ones cutting staff and budget and are the instigators of all of this shit… but hey if it makes you feel any better the other side tries hard too.

The instigators of ‘all this shit’ as far as Snowden goes are Russia and China. I don’t recall having spoken highly of either government lately.

20 Decatur Deb  Jun 13, 2015 5:22:40pm

re: #18 b.d.

Gorky?

That’ll do, until he gets his place in the Kremlin wall.

21 Decatur Deb  Jun 13, 2015 5:24:36pm

re: #9 Targetpractice

Not surprising. They simply will not accept that Snowden made us less safe. I’d hazard to say that many dudebros think it actually a good thing that our enemies are able to access our government servers because “we shouldn’t be keeping secrets!”

“Dudebros do not read other dudebros’ mail.”

22 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:25:32pm
23 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:26:25pm

Looks like Greenwald has been silent on Twitter for a bit.

Time for him to deflect by retweeting some dog rescue story and/or tweet something contemptuous about anyone who dares highlight this story

24 piratedan  Jun 13, 2015 5:28:42pm

re: #19 Dark_Falcon

my apologies DF, I thought you were referring to the US government, making a slight that the FEDS aren’t any better than the private sector.

25 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:29:55pm

re: #22 Charles Johnson

[Embedded content]

Greenwald will chime in in a few hours. The people issuing his talking points won’t be awake for 3 or 4 more hours.

26 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 5:36:16pm

Eventually, it will come out that Snowden, Greenwald and Poitras were not the sharpest knives in the drawer when it came to encryption and security of the material they possessed and passed around.

They were careless thieves, like bank robbers who suddenly show off their ill gotten gains buying houses and cars for cash and having no way to hide their money.

27 Targetpractice  Jun 13, 2015 5:37:23pm

re: #25 b.d.

Greenwald will chime in in a few hours. The people issuing his talking points won’t be awake for 3 or 4 more hours.

I’m sure we can expect a long rant from The Intercept about how the Sunday Times are totally without credibility, that this is just the US/UK government ordering them to lie to smear Snowden again, and how Russia and China couldn’t possibly have cracked Snowden’s files because it’s such a strong encryption that not even the best experts in the dudebro world could get into them.

28 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 5:38:56pm

re: #24 piratedan

my apologies DF, I thought you were referring to the US government, making a slight that the FEDS aren’t any better than the private sector.

That’s what I thought and why I jumped on him. : /

29 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 13, 2015 5:41:12pm

re: #11 Dark_Falcon

To be fair, the government isn’t doing much better.

No one came out of this all shiny. The government needs to take a hard look at the trust relationships between its networks and those of private contractors. If hackers can get to OPM through KeyPoint Government Solutions then it may well be possible for them to get to other agencies through other private contractors.

30 urbanmeemaw  Jun 13, 2015 5:44:03pm

re: #1 Dark_Falcon

Thank you for the link to Schindler’s article. He articulated what I thought from day 1:

1. How could Snowden have known which documents were current or even relevant (though I never did suspect the possibility that some docs were “fake” but it makes sense.

2. How could Snowden have possibly read and understood all of them?

Those are just logical, basic questions that too many “journalists” didn’t want to ask.

31 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:44:59pm

John Cole is already spewing at people over this story. He has a major crush on Glenn Greenwald.

32 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 5:45:09pm

re: #24 piratedan

my apologies DF, I thought you were referring to the US government, making a slight that the FEDS aren’t any better than the private sector.

I was saying they aren’t doing much better at stopping hacks of systems outside the Defense Department, intelligence agencies, and the limited number of secure communications networks. Everywhere else (including OPM) seems vulnerable.

I meant that the Federal government is having the same sorts of problems outside of ‘highest-security places’ that the private sector is having. It wasn’t really a dig against anyone, since its clear the problem is universal.

33 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:45:25pm

34 Targetpractice  Jun 13, 2015 5:45:45pm

What’s really gonna have the dudebros in a tizzy is it was just the other day they wanted us to thank Snowden for “defeating” the NSA’s data collection. And now the case seems to be shaping up that whatever “good” came from Snowden’s actions is going to be completely overshadowed by how badly they fucked over our national security.

35 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:45:47pm
36 urbanmeemaw  Jun 13, 2015 5:45:51pm

re: #8 Higgs Boson’s Mate

Yes, I’m glad to reposted because I wanted to thank you for this link. This possibility crossed my mind when I heard about the Chinese hacking of those data bases, and I’m sure other people had the same thoughts.

37 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 5:46:30pm

re: #30 urbanmeemaw

Thank you for the link to Schindler’s article. He articulated what I thought from day 1:

1. How could Snowden have known which documents were current or even relevant (though I never did suspect the possibility that some docs were “fake” but it makes sense.

2. How could Snowden have possibly read and understood all of them?

Those are just logical, basic questions that too many “journalists” didn’t want to ask.

Schindler’s got issues, true enough, but when it comes to Snowden he’s been rock solid from day 1.

38 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:47:09pm

re: #31 Charles Johnson

John Cole is already spewing at people over this story. He has a major crush on Glenn Greenwald.

I love Cole but he does have a few shorts in his circuitry, the subject of Snowden causes sparks in him

39 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge  Jun 13, 2015 5:47:21pm

Remember the Psychic who scammed that guy out of >$700,000 to get his would-be girlfriend who wanted nothing to do with him to begin with and in fact had already died?

This week’s Snake Oil Report has (even) more hilarious details:

The Snake Oil Bulletin: When Your Psychic Tells You To Buy Her A Time Machine, Run Away

Psychic fraudster was also a time traveler, because of course she was

40 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 5:47:25pm

re: #31 Charles Johnson

John Cole is already spewing at people over this story. He has a major crush on Glenn Greenwald.

Well, he’s bromancing a stone traitor. GG is vile and no friend of anyone’s except himself.

41 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:48:29pm

I expect Cole to start ranting at me before too long.

42 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:49:11pm
43 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:52:37pm

Perfect example of a Greenwald cultist:

He hasn’t read the article (and probably won’t), but he’s certain that Obama “has went beyond what Bush did.”

Argh.

44 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 5:54:42pm
45 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 5:57:30pm
46 TedStriker  Jun 13, 2015 5:58:08pm

re: #31 Charles Johnson

John Cole is already spewing at people over this story. He has a major crush on Glenn Greenwald.

Still angling for a job with The Intercept, such as it is, I see…

47 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 5:58:24pm

Dudebros, your mask is slipping:

48 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 6:01:09pm

From The Independent:

(snip)

The newspaper [The Times] quoted a senior Home Office source as saying: “(Russian president Vladimir) Putin didn’t give him asylum for nothing. His documents were encrypted but they weren’t completely secure and we have now seen our agents and assets being targeted.”

A British intelligence source was quoted as saying: “We know Russia and China have access to Snowden’s material and will be going through it for years to come, searching for clues to identify potential targets.

“Snowden has done incalculable damage. In some cases the agencies have been forced to intervene and lift their agents from operations to prevent them from being identified and killed.”

Sir David said: “I am not at all surprised that people are being pulled back and operations where people are exposed are having to be shut down, at least for the moment.”

independent.co.uk

49 jaunte  Jun 13, 2015 6:05:31pm

Perverse, like chuckling about that iceberg because you thought the White Star Line executives were arrogant.

50 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 6:08:00pm

re: #49 jaunte

Embedded Image

Perverse, like chuckling about that iceberg because you thought the White Star Line executives were arrogant.

Only arrogant, immature assholes would say something like that.

We’re sure to see more of this kind of crap.

51 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 6:09:31pm
52 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 13, 2015 6:14:27pm

re: #2 Shiplord Kirel

Kremlin agents, unwitting or otherwise, continue to work the right-wing blogosphere.

License plates being rapidly scanned in Walmart parking lot by incognito surveillance vehicle

The source site’s pro-Putin orientation could not be more obvious.

There are private contractors who cruise parking lots with these scanners to locate cars whose erstwhile owners have skipped out on payment. Repo agents and finance companies subscribe to the service.

53 missliberties  Jun 13, 2015 6:14:32pm

I literally loathe Edward Snowden and all his fanbots. He is a traitor not a whistle blower.

Sickening that he is being protected by KGB’s Putin.

54 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:15:58pm

re: #53 missliberties

I literally loathe Edward Snowden and all his fanbots. He is a traitor not a whistle blower.

Yup.

55 goddamnedfrank  Jun 13, 2015 6:16:01pm
56 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:17:19pm

re: #55 goddamnedfrank

I’ve squished a few critters with my car that practiced this principle. Poor little fuckers.

57 Pawn of the Oppressor  Jun 13, 2015 6:18:33pm

I wonder how many good people are going to die because this hipster shitbird needed his ego stroked.

58 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 6:18:56pm

re: #49 jaunte

[Embedded content]

Perverse, like chuckling about that iceberg because you thought the White Star Line executives were arrogant.

Jacob Appelbaum is the kind of dudebro who, like Oliver Stone and Ron Paul, think America has no real external enemies, just people our government ticks off by meddling or whom it picks fights with to justify its budget.

There’s not much that can be said to a person that far removed from reality.

59 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:21:49pm

I remember getting into a few Twitter fights last summer over Edward Snowden. Folks left and right were gushing over his “bravery” “courage” and “tenacity.” All I saw was an independent contractor that brazenly stole thousands upon thousands of secret US gov’t documents and handing them over to Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras in Hong Kong, at the same time handing over all said documents to China and Russia with the sooper sekrit encryption that no one but Snowden/Greenwald etc. could break, until now (we guess?).

Snowden is a piece of shit, and his enablers are arrogant bastards who should be tried as accomplices.

60 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 6:23:24pm

Here’s an advance look at what the LGF front page redesign might look like.

It’s VERY ROUGH, folks, and still missing a lot of features. No LGF Pages yet, for one thing, and no Javascript dynamic features. Also not very mobile-friendly yet.

But the cool thing is how many more articles you can see at a glance. I think this might keep some dead threads alive a little bit longer because they’ll still be easily accessible on the front page.

Remember, this is a VERY ROUGH first draft.

littlegreenfootballs.com

61 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 6:23:48pm

How could Snowden possibly have read and understood all 1.7M documents he is purported to have stolen from the NSA?

He, or GG or Poitras, have never explained that. They simply concentrated on the “mass surveillance” angle of cell phone scooping in a certain subset of the docs, no doubt, perhaps using key words. They simply didn’t care about anything else that might have been revealed, no matter how much it impinged upon the country’s security. And that is unforgiveable.

62 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 6:23:48pm

Did I mention it’s VERY ROUGH?

63 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:25:21pm

re: #62 Charles Johnson

Did I mention it’s VERY ROUGH?

Eh? Looks a lot like our new RSS Feeds page.

I’ll withhold judgment until I see the, say, fourth draft.

64 urbanmeemaw  Jun 13, 2015 6:28:48pm

re: #53 missliberties

I literally loathe Edward Snowden and all his fanbots. He is a traitor not a whistle blower.

Sickening that he is being protected by KGB’s Putin.

I agree, but I think is more sickening that “journalists” so bent on undermining President Obama swallowed his story without asking some basic questions.

65 Decatur Deb  Jun 13, 2015 6:34:55pm

re: #62 Charles Johnson

Did I mention it’s VERY ROUGH?

Looks navigable, but perhaps longer than needed. I have a three-thread attention span.

66 #FergusonFireside  Jun 13, 2015 6:36:41pm

re: #62 Charles Johnson

Did I mention it’s VERY ROUGH?

It’s going to be good. I like it. Especially the ability to see activity on previous threads, we can rejoin them.

Now it’s just threads over, move up. Even if the commentary in the previous thread was great.

67 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:37:11pm

U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 5, Clause 3:

Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.

Bolding my own.

68 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 6:37:28pm

More trouble. I hope it’s not an eventual repeat of the 50s.

N.Korea plants landmines in DMZ apparently to prevent soldiers fleeing

english.yonhapnews.co.kr

Note that the Koreas have technically still been at war since 1953 since an armistice, not a peace treaty, was declared.

69 EPR-radar  Jun 13, 2015 6:38:11pm

One interesting question that should be addressed in further reporting on this topic is: why now?

In other words, any intelligence operation that was in the documents Snowden stole should have been regarded as being blown sky-high right then and there.

It would be peculiar to leave agents in the field protected by nothing more than promises from thieves and a supposed inability of Russia/China to deal with encryption.

70 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 6:39:18pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

Remember, this is a VERY ROUGH first draft.

littlegreenfootballs.com

Much better than the last one you showed us. But even presuming a left to right order like reading a book, it’s very hard to tell the time order of the stories. In later iterations can you make it more clear what story is the most recent and/or make the date time stamp more obvious? Perhaps the actual date time posted plus the days/hours/etc since then?

I am also guessing that things like the Pages and other features are still planned for being along the sides of this story display?

71 Decatur Deb  Jun 13, 2015 6:41:05pm

re: #68 Justanotherhuman

More trouble. I hope it’s not an eventual repeat of the 50s.

N.Korea plants landmines in DMZ apparently to prevent soldiers fleeing

english.yonhapnews.co.kr

Note that the Koreas have technically still been at war since 1953 since an armistice, not a peace treaty, was declared.

Might be little to that. I don’t remember when the DMZ wasn’t mined. We used to figure about a million mines across the peninsula, and occasionally a drunk would get his leg blown off.

72 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 6:43:19pm

re: #69 EPR-radar

One interesting question that should be addressed in further reporting on this topic is: why now?

In other words, any intelligence operation that was in the documents Snowden stole should have been regarded as being blown sky-high right then and there.

It would be peculiar to leave agents in the field protected by nothing more than promises from thieves and a supposed inability of Russia/China to deal with encryption.

Maybe intelligence has been received that indicates that either Russia or China recently cracked those files. We’re not going to get the full story anytime soon, if ever, nor should we get the full story right now.

73 No Country For Old Haters  Jun 13, 2015 6:44:09pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

Looks good on my 1080p theater screen and on my Kindle. I like how the stories shuffle around when the window is re-sized.

74 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 6:45:45pm

Wile E. Coyote level genius on display:

June 25, 2013

Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist who Snowden first contacted in February, told The Daily Beast on Tuesday that Snowden “has taken extreme precautions to make sure many different people around the world have these archives to insure the stories will inevitably be published.” Greenwald added that the people in possession of these files “cannot access them yet because they are highly encrypted and they do not have the passwords.”

thedailybeast.com

75 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 6:45:59pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

I’m not over the moon about it. It seems a bit too cluttered. I’d prefer more defined borders between the stories. I could barely see the ones you have on my monitor (which, granted, is a couple of years old, but still).

76 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:46:36pm

Guns Guns GUNS! Murka!!!

77 Tigger2  Jun 13, 2015 6:47:44pm

re: #76 teleskiguy

Guns Guns GUNS! Murka!!!

[Embedded content]

Well what do ya know another good guy with a gun, There are some places you just shouldn’t take a gun.

78 No Country For Old Haters  Jun 13, 2015 6:48:21pm

re: #73 No Country For Old Haters

Of course it needs more green. I assume you’re just going for functionality at this point, rather than a final look.

79 EmmaAnne  Jun 13, 2015 6:49:23pm

re: #66 #FergusonFireside

It’s going to be good. I like it. Especially the ability to see activity on previous threads, we can rejoin them.

Now it’s just threads over, move up. Even if the commentary in the previous thread was great.

If that is a goal, perhaps we need something that indicates recent activity in the comments?

80 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:49:54pm

re: #76 teleskiguy

Carrying a firearm in public with a chambered round. Yeah, I can understand if you’re police, but c’mon, man!

One of the reasons I own only a shotgun and two rifles, no pistols. Too much room for error with pistols. And pistols are designed to kill people, nothing more. And I have no desire to kill people in this life.

81 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 6:50:40pm

re: #80 teleskiguy

Carrying a firearm in public with a chambered round. Yeah, I can understand if you’re police, but c’mon, man!

One of the reasons I own only a shotgun and two rifles, no pistols. Too much room for error with pistols. And pistols are designed to kill people, nothing more. And I have no desire to kill people in this life.

In fairness, I have a couple of pistols I like to target shoot with.

82 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 6:52:10pm

re: #69 EPR-radar

One interesting question that should be addressed in further reporting on this topic is: why now?

In other words, any intelligence operation that was in the documents Snowden stole should have been regarded as being blown sky-high right then and there.

It would be peculiar to leave agents in the field protected by nothing more than promises from thieves and a supposed inability of Russia/China to deal with encryption.

I would imagine that the various agencies affected by this theft were quite aware that it could be the case, and work was started on identifying those in the field who might be affected. It doesn’t necessarily mean that all agents were at risk. You can bet that the affected agencies have been working hard to sort out the damage done by Snowden. I expect that something was known at the time he was charged about some of the individuals at risk, and why, that was from the documents themselves.

We don’t always get news of what govt is doing as quickly as we’d like. Perhaps this is naive of me, but I don’t expect to know, down to the last detail, exactly what govt employees are doing every single minute, and exactly what it is they’re working on at any given time. We have to have a modicum of trust that these people are working for us and doing a good job of it. They’re not necessarily politicians and should be treated with respect since they’re working for us. No, I don’t always think govt does everything I like or always performs perfectly. But I get tired of the kind of cynicism and overall distrust that is so prevalent when politicians are the ones who should be questioned and required to make govt work for the people who elect them.

83 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 13, 2015 6:52:13pm

re: #79 EmmaAnne

If that is a goal, perhaps we need something that indicates recent activity in the comments?

Bingo. If it can be done it would be cool if the displayed threads could be ordered by which ones were commented on most recently.

84 stpaulbear  Jun 13, 2015 6:52:16pm

re: #76 teleskiguy

Guns Guns GUNS! Murka!!!

[Embedded content]

That guy just looks like someone who would think they need to carry a gun everywhere they go. How’s that ‘protection’ thing workin’ out there, big guy?

85 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 6:52:32pm

re: #81 Eclectic Cyborg

In fairness, I have a couple of pistols I like to target shoot with.

I also have my 1911 for defense against both 2 & 4 legged critters out in the woods. Lots of nut cases and just enough rabies to make me like having something available up here in the northwoods.

86 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 6:53:47pm

re: #83 Higgs Boson’s Mate

Bingo. If it can be done it would be cool if the displayed threads could be ordered by which ones were commented on most recently.

I like this idea. Perhaps have the “number of comments” indicator time stamped as well?

87 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:55:07pm

re: #81 Eclectic Cyborg

In fairness, I have a couple of pistols I like to target shoot with.

Nothing against those who own pistols. There are currently 10 firearms in my house, three of which are pistols (my roommates). And when I get the chance, I enjoy shooting the Glock 23 my one roommate owns or the .44 Magnum revolver my other roommate owns.

It’s a decision I made a long time ago. I don’t need a pistol. I’ve got plenty of firepower with my 12 gauge, my .22 semi-auto long rifle and my bolt action .30/06.

88 missliberties  Jun 13, 2015 6:55:45pm

re: #57 Pawn of the Oppressor

I wonder how many good people are going to die because this hipster shitbird needed his ego stroked.

I say likely a bunch have already died.

The Snowden dump happened right before the mess in Syria started to get out of hand. Russia wants to protect Assad, and Snowden aided and abetted with his theft of US intel. He caused significant harm by revealing methods.

All this shit, Snowden dump and hacking of Fed files etc by China means people can pretend to be writing from an e-mail for US personel and send out fake intel using US Fed Employees names. Alert. Code Red. Beware.

Thank Gawd the Gop has refused to vote for more investment in CyberSecurity, which is likely one of the most important tools we have to protect us from unscrupulous hackers.

89 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 6:56:02pm

re: #75 Eclectic Cyborg

I’m not over the moon about it. It seems a bit too cluttered. I’d prefer more defined borders between the stories. I could barely see the ones you have on my monitor (which, granted, is a couple of years old, but still).

Yeah, I think the same. More definition between stories, and a better, bolder date/time and a box or some other kind of definition for the most recent.

90 missliberties  Jun 13, 2015 6:58:00pm

re: #64 urbanmeemaw

I agree, but I think is more sickening that “journalists” so bent on undermining President Obama swallowed his story without asking some basic questions.

Good point. I agree.

91 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 6:58:07pm

re: #87 teleskiguy

Nothing against those who own pistols. There are currently 10 firearms in my house, three of which are pistols (my roommates). And when I get the chance, I enjoy shooting the Glock 23 my one roommate owns or the .44 Magnum revolver my other roommate owns.

It’s a decision I made a long time ago. I don’t need a pistol. I’ve got plenty of firepower with my 12 gauge, my .22 semi-auto long rifle and my bolt action .30/06.

Just make sure cops never show up at your door, or the tv news will be talking about the “crazy roommates with an arsenal of guns and thousands of bullets’.

/I wish I was kidding.

92 ObserverArt  Jun 13, 2015 6:59:29pm

Regarding this hacking and Snowden, hasn’t it been reported the US Govt. data breaches by the Chinese could go back a couple years?

The timing of everything seems to be interesting. I now find it even more suspicious that Snowden went to Hong Kong to show the docs to Greenwald and gang and then was able to be coddled by Russia. Now it is known that Russia and China can break the encryption.

Just seems like maybe China was looking for some ways to better use their stolen data and they needed some way to help deal with the encryption. Was there an offer by China to Snowden while he was in Hawaii to do the stealing knowing all he to do was go to Hong Kong and claim he was a whistle blower to act as cover for his real dirty deed…he helped get info for China to bust the encryption.

The other half of this is Russia where Snowden showed up and remains. Was there some thinking on the part of the Chinese to work Russia into this and let them take Snowden to take heat off China when and if it came out China has our data and now can defeat the encryption. Russia protects Snowden and the Chinese share the encryption with Russia. All the while painting Eddie as a freedom hero while they were working on what Eddie gave China.

Just looks a little too neat. I may be all wrong, but damn, if you want to make a spy puzzle the pieces are there.

93 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 6:59:54pm

re: #87 teleskiguy

The one roommate has a Russian SKS short-barrel with a couple of 30-round clips. So my house has rifles, shotguns, handguns and one assault rifle. That should be enough to defend against gubmint tyranny, right?!?

94 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 7:01:07pm

re: #92 ObserverArt

I like the way you think. : )

95 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:01:11pm

re: #91 Dark_Falcon

Just make sure cops never show up at your door, or the tv news will be talking about the “crazy roommates with an arsenal of guns and thousands of bullets’.

/I wish I was kidding.

I live in mountainous rural Colorado. Chances of the TV news doing this kind of thing are pretty much zilch. Plus, me and one of the roomies is white (the other is Hispanic, though he could definitely “pass” for white).

96 Justanotherhuman  Jun 13, 2015 7:02:50pm

Later, Lizards!

Keep calm…

97 Tigger2  Jun 13, 2015 7:02:51pm

re: #81 Eclectic Cyborg

In fairness, I have a couple of pistols I like to target shoot with.

I have 2 pistols a rifle and a shotgun, but don’t carry them.

98 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 7:03:29pm

re: #85 William Lewis

And speaking of the North Woods, we have this fine bit of unintentional comedy:

Bristol Palin SLAMS Miley Cyrus for being a hypocrite and anti-Christian in confused blog rant

- Bristol Palin is calling Miley Cyrus judgmental in a new blog post
- Palin accuses Cyrus of being intolerant towards Christians after an interview in which she calls out fundamentalist lawmakers
- Cyrus says that she is against politicians who support conversion therapy, citing the suicide of transgender teenager Leelah Alcorn as a reason
- She also says she does not believe in Noah’s Ark, which Palin takes issue with as it does not show respect to Christians
- Cyrus’ interview was to promote her new charity for homeless LGBT youth, the Happy Hippie Foundation

I’ve forgiven John McCain for picking Bristol mother as his VP nominee, but sometimes that forgiveness is greatly tested. Bristol’s artless attacks on other young women are laughable in their DERPitude.

99 Tigger2  Jun 13, 2015 7:05:12pm

re: #98 Dark_Falcon

And speaking of the North Woods, we have this fine bit of unintentional comedy:

Bristol Palin SLAMS Miley Cyrus for being a hypocrite and anti-Christian in confused blog rant

- Bristol Palin is calling Miley Cyrus judgmental in a new blog post
- Palin accuses Cyrus of being intolerant towards Christians after an interview in which she calls out fundamentalist lawmakers
- Cyrus says that she is against politicians who support conversion therapy, citing the suicide of transgender teenager Leelah Alcorn as a reason
- She also says she does not believe in Noah’s Ark, which Palin takes issue with as it does not show respect to Christians
- Cyrus’ interview was to promote her new charity for homeless LGBT youth, the Happy Hippie Foundation

I’ve forgiven John McCain for picking Bristol mother as his VP nominee, but sometimes that forgiveness is greatly tested. Bristol’s artless attacks on other young women are laughable in their DERPitude.

Bristol is as crazy as her mom.

100 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:09:29pm

Ooookay.

101 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 7:09:34pm

re: #98 Dark_Falcon

Oy. All I’ll say is that if Miley is running a charity for homeless youth, LGBT or otherwise, she’s behaving more Christ-like than I’ve seen from Bristol. But then, I’m pretty much a heathen to them by believing in walking the Way rather than just talking about it.

102 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 7:10:23pm

re: #98 Dark_Falcon

I know I shouldn’t ask considering the source is a Palin but what does Noah’s Ark have to do with Christianity?

103 ObserverArt  Jun 13, 2015 7:10:33pm

re: #94 Justanotherhuman

I like the way you think. : )

Why, thank you.

104 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 7:10:34pm

re: #62 Charles Johnson

Did I mention it’s VERY ROUGH?

May I suggest, if possible, you highlight the most active thread?

105 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 7:11:04pm
106 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 7:11:23pm

I suspect the NSA.

107 TedStriker  Jun 13, 2015 7:11:26pm

re: #99 Tigger2

Bristol is as crazy as her mom.

Poisoned by years of emotional and verbal abuse, I’m sure.

108 TedStriker  Jun 13, 2015 7:12:11pm

re: #106 Charles Johnson

I suspect the NSA.

Have you adjusted your tinfoil hat lately?

109 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:14:04pm

re: #108 TedStriker

Have you adjusted your tinfoil hat lately?

Perhaps he just needs to update his tinfoil fashion sense.

110 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 7:14:12pm

re: #106 Charles Johnson

I suspect the NSA.

If you ask them through a FOIA request they’ll just deny it.

//

111 Dark_Falcon  Jun 13, 2015 7:14:50pm

re: #102 b.d.

I know I shouldn’t ask considering the source is a Palin but what does Noah’s Ark have to do with Christianity?

It doesn’t. Miley is making the point that she doesn’t take the pre-Abraham parts of the Book of Genesis literally. But Bristol misinterprets that as ‘disrespect’. It isn’t and the real question is: “Is Bristol Palin just stupid or does she know her attack on Miley Cyrus is dishonest on this point.” Either way, Palin’s post is aimed at her mother’s fan club, who tend to lap up tales of ‘Hollywood disrespect for Christians”.

112 ObserverArt  Jun 13, 2015 7:16:41pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

Here’s an advance look at what the LGF front page redesign might look like.

It’s VERY ROUGH, folks, and still missing a lot of features. No LGF Pages yet, for one thing, and no Javascript dynamic features. Also not very mobile-friendly yet.

But the cool thing is how many more articles you can see at a glance. I think this might keep some dead threads alive a little bit longer because they’ll still be easily accessible on the front page.

Remember, this is a VERY ROUGH first draft.

littlegreenfootballs.com

I have a question, Where you going to put the ads? I would have thought there needs to be ads designed into the space. I know when you mentioned you were doing a change, I figured the ads would need to be considered. And that presents its own issue!

113 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 7:16:45pm

re: #83 Higgs Boson’s Mate

Bingo. If it can be done it would be cool if the displayed threads could be ordered by which ones were commented on most recently.

Have them change position every second or two so we have to peck and stab to catch a thread.

Like an LGF game.

114 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:19:10pm

The sun finally came out, right as it’s setting. The snow pack up in the mountains is still pretty robust, so the alpenglow is rather spectacular right now.

115 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 7:21:34pm

re: #112 ObserverArt

I have a question, Where you going to put the ads? I would have thought there needs to be ads designed into the space. I know when you mentioned you were doing a change, I figured the ads would need to be considered. And that presents its own issue!

There will be ads… oh yes, there will be ads. Right now I’m focusing on getting the content presentation right.

116 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 7:23:16pm

re: #115 Charles Johnson

There will be ads… oh yes, there will be ads. Right now I’m focusing on getting the content presentation right.

Mix the ads in with the threads.

117 GlutenFreeJesus  Jun 13, 2015 7:24:36pm

re: #104 b_sharp

Or at least the most recent, if that’s what you meant.

And another feature that would be great. Highlighted posts that you’re quoted in as well.

118 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 7:24:46pm

re: #97 Tigger2

I have 2 pistols a rifle and a shotgun, but don’t carry them.

I sometimes keep a pistol in my car, but I don’t open carry, nor do I have a CCW.

119 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 7:25:15pm

re: #102 b.d.

I know I shouldn’t ask considering the source is a Palin but what does Noah’s Ark have to do with Christianity?

All part of the YEC garbage. If you don’t take every word literally (except the ones They tell you not to) then you aren’t a Christian to them. Bleah.

120 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 7:26:12pm

re: #116 b_sharp

Mix the ads in with the threads.

Sponsored comments! I can read the sponsored comments while I drink my Tetley Brand Tea. Sometimes you just need a Tetley.

//

121 #FergusonFireside  Jun 13, 2015 7:26:13pm

re: #107 TedStriker

Poisoned by years of emotional and verbal abuse, I’m sure.

Neglect and sketchy school attendance.

122 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:26:23pm
123 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 7:29:33pm

re: #117 GlutenFreeJesus

Or at least the most recent, if that’s what you meant.

And another feature that would be great. Highlighted posts that you’re quoted in as well.

If there is no order then the most recent won’t necessarily be the most active so I would prefer the most active be highlighted.

124 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 13, 2015 7:33:42pm

re: #111 Dark_Falcon

It makes a bit more sense when you realize that Bristol Palin doesn’t actually write the stuff on her blog.
That’s what Nancy French gets paid to do.

125 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 7:37:01pm

He comes out swinging, not denying.

126 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 7:37:38pm

re: #125 b.d.

and, of course, insulting

127 jaunte  Jun 13, 2015 7:38:16pm

re: #125 b.d.

“You dumb.”
The great persuader speaks.

128 ObserverArt  Jun 13, 2015 7:40:02pm

Later Lizards…got some graphics thinking to do!

Oh yeah. Fuck Greenwald. I wouldn’t trust him on anything.

129 retired cynic  Jun 13, 2015 7:41:37pm

re: #125 b.d.

Well, I tend to believe things that make sense, myself.

130 Targetpractice  Jun 13, 2015 7:46:06pm

re: #125 b.d.

He comes out swinging, not denying.

[Embedded content]

And what are you if you believe self-serving shit served up by an admitted liar? A dudebro.

131 Tigger2  Jun 13, 2015 7:46:34pm

re: #125 b.d.

He comes out swinging, not denying.

[Embedded content]

And Greenwald if you are a denier like you are then you are an idiot.

132 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 7:47:57pm
133 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 7:48:02pm

I DEMAND TO SEE SOME DEAD SPIES BEFORE I BELEIVE THAT THE RUSSIANS AND THE CHINESE HAVE SNOWDEN’S FILES

Of course if an agent was killed no one would ever know who it was, that’s kinda the point.

134 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:51:27pm

re: #125 b.d.

There’s the GG talking points for the Snowdenistas.

135 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 7:55:53pm

re: #134 teleskiguy

136 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge  Jun 13, 2015 8:01:44pm

So I get that the RWNJs think Obama is spying on them to get information that would make it easier to put them in ISIS FEMA camps and force them to get gaybortions…. But what are the dudebros so afraid of? That the gummint knows what kind of porn they watch on their Galaxy S6s? (Google knows for sure, but that’s OK, I guess.)

137 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 13, 2015 8:02:05pm

re: #113 b_sharp

Have them change position every second or two so we have to peck and stab to catch a thread.

Like an LGF game.

I was thinking of updates at intervals TBD. Even with real tome updates I believe that the amount of shuffling would be minimal.

138 b.d.  Jun 13, 2015 8:02:47pm

Who are you going to believe, the UK Gvt. or me and my Russian meal ticket?

139 Targetpractice  Jun 13, 2015 8:02:57pm

So, which is it you figure hurts Glenn’s ego more: That Russia and China got a hold of Snowden’s files despite assurances from him that that wouldn’t happen, or that they’ve cracked the encryption despite further assurances from Glenn that the encryption was impossible to crack?

140 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 8:03:58pm

re: #137 Higgs Boson’s Mate

I was thinking of updates at intervals TBD. Even with real tome updates I believe that the amount of shuffling would be minimal.

Where’s the fun in that?

141 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 8:04:39pm

re: #111 Dark_Falcon

It doesn’t. Miley is making the point that she doesn’t take the pre-Abraham parts of the Book of Genesis literally. But Bristol misinterprets that as ‘disrespect’. It isn’t and the real question is: “Is Bristol Palin just stupid or does she know her attack on Miley Cyrus is dishonest on this point.” Either way, Palin’s post is aimed at her mother’s fan club, who tend to lap up tales of ‘Hollywood disrespect for Christians”.

Bristol is just jumping on the anti-Miley bus Ken Ham is driving. He wrote a post at Answers in Genesis excoriating Miley for all the “ungodly” things she said.

142 Lancelot Link  Jun 13, 2015 8:09:23pm

re: #136 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge

…. But what are the dudebros so afraid of?

They’re afraid that the government doesn’t care what they do online.

143 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 8:10:56pm

re: #141 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

Bristol is just jumping on the anti-Miley bus Ken Ham is driving. He wrote a post at Answers in Genesis excoriating Miley for all the “ungodly” things she said.

I keep hoping that someone will evangelize him and teach him the Good News. God knows he could stand to actually become a Christian. But that’s almost as unlikely, alas, as Pat Robertson becoming a Christian.

144 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 8:13:13pm

re: #143 William Lewis

I keep hoping that someone will evangelize him and teach him the Good News. God knows he could stand to actually become a Christian. But that’s almost as unlikely, alas, as Pat Robertson becoming a Christian.

Modern equivalents of the Pharisees JC was so critical of.

145 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 8:18:39pm

Edward Snowden really pisses me off. He’s just a couple of years younger than I. And he was thoroughly corrupted by pure Libertarian thinking. Now he’s thoroughly involved with Putin’s Russia and is involved with the public release of some of the most sensitive documents ever in re: United States National Security.

146 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 8:19:37pm

Fuck Edward Snowden.

147 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 13, 2015 8:21:09pm
148 William Lewis  Jun 13, 2015 8:21:43pm

re: #142 Lancelot Link

They’re afraid that the government doesn’t care what they do online.

This. It pisses the Dudebros out to no end when you tell them the Government doesn’t care about them, only Google does and that Google will stop too if they aren’t making them a profit.

149 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 8:22:14pm

Questioning the timing.

150 freetoken  Jun 13, 2015 8:25:41pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

May I put a request in for some groovy new colors?

151 CleverToad  Jun 13, 2015 8:39:39pm

re: #60 Charles Johnson

Says this meekly and hesitantly as a rather new and minor lizard, but… no likey. At all.

Somebody asked several days/threads ago how the various lizards cope when they get on after a workday and have to scramble to catch up with a 500+ thread and assorted smaller ones. I was already several threads back when I saw the question, so didn’t answer at the time. Well, how I cope is by going back through the sequence to where I left off the night before, to at least read the pages themselves, and resigning myself to never seeing 9/10s of the weekday comments. Plus a lot of dead-thread last comments for the ones where I’ve made it through an interesting discussion only to find everyone’s jumped upstairs.

But at least the current presentation is sequential. The new proposal is a confusing jumble at first sight. Perhaps it will help if the date/timestamps are more prominent, as has been suggested. I’d at least like a very clear indication of which one is the new sandbox where most of the rest of the kids are playing.

Tugs forelock humbly…

152 retired cynic  Jun 13, 2015 8:40:59pm

re: #151 CleverToad

I just assumed I would work my way through the threads as they link up at the bottom, as they do now. I hope that’s right!

153 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 8:43:17pm

re: #151 CleverToad

Well, the newest one is the one at the top left, with a bigger image and bigger type, in a box twice as wide as all the others.

154 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 8:43:39pm
155 The Vicious Babushka  Jun 13, 2015 8:44:17pm
156 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 8:44:48pm

re: #151 CleverToad

I’m updinging this because my initial reaction to the rough layout was immediately negative. While I like the new RSS layout, because I can get a better grasp of each story, using the same layout for the main page doesn’t work for me. CleverToad’s pretty much hit the nail on the head.

157 The Vicious Babushka  Jun 13, 2015 8:45:25pm

Reminds me of the famous Churchill quote (possibly fake?)

Woman: Sir Winston, you’re drunk!

Churchill: And you’re ugly! Tomorrow I’ll be sober, and you’ll still be ugly!

158 unproven innocence  Jun 13, 2015 8:48:43pm

re: #150 freetoken

May I put a request in for some groovy new colors?

I’m more impressed by the patterns achievable with near-perfect tiling than by the colors.

159 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 8:49:53pm

Did I mention this is a ROUGH DRAFT, nowhere near finished? Still lots of stuff to do?

You’re looking at one day’s worth of work here, folks. (I probably shouldn’t have posted it yet.)

160 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 8:52:19pm

re: #151 CleverToad

Says this meekly and hesitantly as a rather new and minor lizard, but… no likey. At all.

Somebody asked several days/threads ago how the various lizards cope when they get on after a workday and have to scramble to catch up with a 500+ thread and assorted smaller ones. I was already several threads back when I saw the question, so didn’t answer at the time. Well, how I cope is by going back through the sequence to where I left off the night before, to at least read the pages themselves, and resigning myself to never seeing 9/10s of the weekday comments. Plus a lot of dead-thread last comments for the ones where I’ve made it through an interesting discussion only to find everyone’s jumped upstairs.

But at least the current presentation is sequential. The new proposal is a confusing jumble at first sight. Perhaps it will help if the date/timestamps are more prominent, as has been suggested. I’d at least like a very clear indication of which one is the new sandbox where most of the rest of the kids are playing.

Tugs forelock humbly…

Perhaps the title and text of the most recent thread could be bolded or shown in a different color?

161 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 8:53:28pm

re: #159 Charles Johnson

Did I mention this is a ROUGH DRAFT, nowhere near finished? Still lots of stuff to do?

You’re looking at one day’s worth of work here, folks. (I probably shouldn’t have posted it yet.)

No, I’m glad you did it.

I’m glad you trusted us enough to evaluate your work at such an early stage.

That’s why I’m not being overly critical about things, just offering a few suggestions for improvements in the final product.

162 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 8:53:41pm

re: #159 Charles Johnson

Did I mention this is a ROUGH DRAFT, nowhere near finished? Still lots of stuff to do?

You’re looking at one day’s worth of work here, folks. (I probably shouldn’t have posted it yet.)

You were correct in showing it to us. You’re likely to get a lot of helpful opinions and suggestions now before you head off in any particular direction.

163 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 8:54:22pm

re: #160 Eclectic Cyborg

Perhaps the title and text of the most recent thread could be bolded or shown in a different color?

Oops, seems you already addressed this. My bad.

164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 8:54:29pm

Now some sad news. Some of you may remember my mentioning one of my Chinese students had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2013. She was 23 at the time.

Earlier this year, it looked like Carla’s cancer was in remission. She got married and was expecting a baby this summer. Then things went downhill very fast. I’ll spare you all the details here, as I blogged it over at my site.

Carla died Wednesday. She was one of the nicest people I’ve known, and now I’m feeling a bit empty inside.

165 Varek Raith  Jun 13, 2015 8:54:35pm

re: #162 b_sharp

You were correct in showing it to us. You’re likely to get a lot of helpful opinions and suggestions now before you head off in any particular direction.

Or silly ones like mine.
Can we get an email food button???
:P

166 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 8:56:01pm

re: #165 Varek Raith

Or silly ones like mine.
Can we get a email food button???
:P

Pie delivery button

167 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 8:56:04pm

re: #160 Eclectic Cyborg

At the risk of repeating myself — the most recent thread is the one right up at the top, in the box that’s twice as wide, with larger text and a larger image. It’s the first one in the list, just like it is now.

168 retired cynic  Jun 13, 2015 8:56:20pm

re: #164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

What a loss. {hugs}

169 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 8:57:29pm

re: #164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

Sorry to hear that - my condolences.

170 CleverToad  Jun 13, 2015 9:03:35pm

Ditto b_sharp and Electric Cyborg, I liked getting the sneak preview. Will figure out whatever you come up with, Fearless Leader, and enjoy the cool features you’ve already put in like the fonts and the buttons. Bigger box for the newest sandbox helps, thank you.

Oh yeah, and I’d vote for Varek Raith’s suggestion of an email food button, especially on Pie Night. Diet be hanged!

171 prairiefire  Jun 13, 2015 9:10:05pm

Moore Pie Night! In my inbox now!

172 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 9:10:49pm

re: #164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

I’m guessing the baby didn’t survive?

173 prairiefire  Jun 13, 2015 9:13:11pm

re: #164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

Oh, your lovely student, I am sorry

174 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 9:13:47pm

re: #164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

Now some sad news. Some of you may remember my mentioning one of my Chinese students had been diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2013. She was 23 at the time.

Earlier this year, it looked like Carla’s cancer was in remission. She got married and was expecting a baby this summer. Then things went downhill very fast. I’ll spare you all the details here, as I blogged it over at my site.

Carla died Wednesday. She was one of the nicest people I’ve known, and now I’m feeling a bit empty inside.

{{{Wheatdogg}}}

175 team_fukit  Jun 13, 2015 9:14:01pm

re: #102 b.d.

Fundy Christians are the only ones who believe Noah’s Ark was really real, most Jews won’t fall for that shit

176 freetoken  Jun 13, 2015 9:15:27pm

Designing computer interfaces is one of those things that is part art and part engineering. I’m never quite satisfied with what I have come up with in the past.

The idea of a “web page” goes back to the heady days of the World Wide Web and the bringing of hypertext, linking, to the masses.

Yet from an artistic view I find the concept of a “screen” a bit intimidating and a bit restrictive. In photography one dealt with mostly paper, which did mean rectangles but a sheet could be cut into other shapes and mounted onto various designs. And of course one can paint light-sensitive gels onto just about any surface, if that’s what you wanted to do.

But today a “web page” as a genre seems even more narrow. This has not been helped by most web designers using Dreamweaver and the Adobe paradigms of page design. Even for those (like Charles) who are not lassoed into Adobe-drenched designs there are still expectations on what is a “web page”.

Photographer websites often try to break out of these restrictions, to limited success. Many depend on fancy rollovers or plug-ins to make for a more interactive experience. I’m not sure how much design freedom a news site has in trying alternative web designs.

As for why Google is increasing biasing results towards what it deems as “news” sites versus blogs is beyond me, but I wonder if the frequency of new material posted on major news sites is a key element?

177 CleverToad  Jun 13, 2015 9:17:30pm

re: #164 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

{{cyber hugs and sympathy}} So hard for anyone hit by cancer, but it always seems doubly unfair when it’s someone young.

178 unproven innocence  Jun 13, 2015 9:20:03pm

re: #175 team_fukit

Christians are the only ones who believe it was really real, most Jews won’t fall for that shit

Modern christians seem to embrace collective punishment. Forever.

65_Million_Need_Not_Apply —pdf

179 jaunte  Jun 13, 2015 9:20:52pm
180 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 9:28:41pm

I dunno, is that a’ight?!?

181 A Cranky One  Jun 13, 2015 9:30:46pm

re: #159 Charles Johnson

Did I mention this is a ROUGH DRAFT, nowhere near finished? Still lots of stuff to do?

You’re looking at one day’s worth of work here, folks. (I probably shouldn’t have posted it yet.)

I’m glad you posted it and are asking for feedback. I’ve always made a point of asking the most critical folks to review my work. While it isn’t always the most pleasant experience, much of the feedback is very valuable and sometimes very good ideas emerge that I hadn’t thought of.

One reason I enjoy LGF is the community. It’s the only site where I actually read and look forward to the comments. I’d like to see the new design make it easy to tell when there are comments on older threads that I haven’t viewed yet. I also like the idea of some type of flag to indicate replies to any comments I’ve made, so that dialogs can continue.

182 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 9:32:12pm

Looks like it needs space. Too bunched together.

183 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 9:33:01pm

re: #181 A Cranky One

It’s the genuinely *good people* vibe I get from LGF. That’s why I’ve visited the site for well over 10 years.

184 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 9:33:47pm

re: #181 A Cranky One

I’m glad you posted it and are asking for feedback. I’ve always made a point of asking the most critical folks to review my work. While it isn’t always the most pleasant experience, much of the feedback is very valuable and sometimes very good ideas emerge that I hadn’t thought of.

One reason I enjoy LGF is the community. It’s the only site where I actually read and look forward to the comments. I’d like to see the new design make it easy to tell when there are comments on older threads that I haven’t viewed yet. I also like the idea of some type of flag to indicate replies to any comments I’ve made, so that dialogs can continue.

In the comment posting area right now, there’s a drop-down menu that, by default, says “Not subscribed.” (Right above the big green question mark.) This feature lets you have new comments in a thread automatically emailed to you - you can choose to get all new comments in a thread emailed, or just replies to you.

185 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 9:33:50pm

re: #183 teleskiguy

It’s the genuinely *good people* vibe I get from LGF. That’s why I’ve visited the site for well over 10 years.

Well, that and you’re a crazy masochist.

186 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 9:34:58pm

Mini breasts grown in petri dishes for cancer research

Researchers successfully grew miniature mammary glands from cultured breast epithelial cells, allowing them an opportunity to discover how cells generate the hollow ducts that form a network of branches and terminate in grape-like structures to form the breast.

Stem cells in the breast continuously remodel and renew the breast throughout the reproductive lifespan of women to guarantee milk production for offspring. It is thought that learning how this constant process works will help researchers understand how breast cancer starts and grows.

“This technological break-through provides the basis for many research projects, both those aimed to understand how breast cancer cells acquire aggressive traits, as well as to elucidate how adult stem cells function in normal regeneration,” said Dr. Christina Scheel, of the Helmholtz Center in Munich, in a press release.

187 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 9:36:23pm

re: #185 b_sharp

Well, that and you’re a crazy masochist.

Says the guy who interacted with me on Twitter thus:

Thanks for the reinforcement!

188 prairiefire  Jun 13, 2015 9:36:38pm

re: #185 b_sharp

Well, that and you’re a crazy masochist.

Living in a state with legal weed, sigh.

189 b_sharp  Jun 13, 2015 9:38:23pm

re: #187 teleskiguy

Says the guy who interacted with me on Twitter thus:

[Embedded content]

Thanks for the reinforcement!

Just glad I can call you friend.

190 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 9:39:40pm

re: #180 teleskiguy

191 A Cranky One  Jun 13, 2015 9:40:30pm

re: #184 Charles Johnson

In the comment posting area right now, there’s a drop-down menu that, by default, says “Not subscribed.” (Right above the big green question mark.) This feature lets you have new comments in a thread automatically emailed to you - you can choose to get all new comments in a thread emailed, or just replies to you.

Yes, I’m aware of that feature. But frankly, the very last thing I need is more email. ;)

I was thinking perhaps some something similar to what you do for a user who is logged in (changing the comment header color). Perhaps a different color for the comment header for comments replying to me, or the quoted text in a different color to make it easier to spot. Just some sort of visual flag to make it easier to spot replies.

192 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 9:40:48pm

re: #186 Amory Blaine

Mini breasts grown in petri dishes for cancer research

I can see the porn industry on this already.

/

193 Eclectic Cyborg  Jun 13, 2015 9:41:27pm

Also OT. Jurassic World was quite entertaining, I’d rate it almost in a dead tie with The Lost World as my second favourite Jurassic Park movie.

194 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 9:42:57pm

re: #116 b_sharp

Mix the ads in with the threads.

195 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 9:44:47pm

<insert toe fungus ad here>

196 A Cranky One  Jun 13, 2015 9:45:40pm

re: #195 Amory Blaine

<insert toe fungus ad here>

Now you’re just being mean.

/

197 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 9:46:51pm

re: #191 A Cranky One

Yes, I’m aware of that feature. But frankly, the very last thing I need is more email. ;)

I was thinking perhaps some something similar to what you do for a user who is logged in (changing the comment header color). Perhaps a different color for the comment header for comments replying to me, or the quoted text in a different color to make it easier to spot. Just some sort of visual flag to make it easier to spot replies.

That gets very tricky though, because it would mean keeping track of which comments you’ve already seen - and that’s no simple task.

198 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 9:47:36pm

Is it wrong to watch Zardoz twice in one day?

199 unproven innocence  Jun 13, 2015 9:50:56pm

re: #198 Amory Blaine

Is it wrong to watch Zardoz twice in one day?

When I watched it, my opinion was closer to once was too much. But I’ve mellowed since.

200 Charles Johnson  Jun 13, 2015 9:51:20pm

re: #191 A Cranky One

Oh wait - I misunderstood. You meant a visual signal for all comments that are replies to you. Hmm. That might be doable.

201 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 9:51:59pm

That would be slick.

202 CleverToad  Jun 13, 2015 9:52:59pm

re: #184 Charles Johnson

Wasn’t aware of that nice little feature — just turned on the ‘replies to me’ option. Thank you.

203 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 9:56:50pm

re: #172 Eclectic Cyborg

I’m guessing the baby didn’t survive?

No. When it became clear Carla would die without treatment, they terminated the pregnancy.

204 The Ghost of a Bikini Shank  Jun 13, 2015 9:56:52pm

re: #198 Amory Blaine

Is it wrong to watch Zardoz twice in one day?

It could lead to mildly distorted senses. Simply look at this picture of an adorable kitten and note if there’s visual distortions, like strange colors or disproportions.

205 CleverToad  Jun 13, 2015 9:58:02pm

Nite all, will have to catch up again in the morning.
Sweet dreams

206 JadeHelmCurious  Jun 13, 2015 10:00:54pm

re: #204 The Ghost of a Bikini Shank

Bondage. James Bondage.

207 A Cranky One  Jun 13, 2015 10:01:11pm

re: #197 Charles Johnson

That gets very tricky though, because it would mean keeping track of which comments you’ve already seen - and that’s no simple task.

Sorry, I wasn’t very clear. Right now, I can scan a thread and see my comments easily because the comment header is a different color. My suggestion is that replies to my comments also are color flagged.

So, using your last reply to me as an example, perhaps it could look more like this:
=======================================

re: #191 A Cranky One

Yes, I’m aware of that feature. But frankly, the very last thing I need is more email. ;)

I was thinking perhaps some something similar to what you do for a user who is logged in (changing the comment header color). Perhaps a different color for the comment header for comments replying to me, or the quoted text in a different color to make it easier to spot. Just some sort of visual flag to make it easier to spot replies.

That gets very tricky though, because it would mean keeping track of which comments you’ve already seen - and that’s no simple task.
=======================================

So the “re: ….” or perhaps the whole quoted section could be a different color so that I can easily spot replies.

208 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 10:01:15pm

Thanks for the condolences, everyone. I’ve been in China just seven years, so losing a student so soon is hard to take.

209 A Cranky One  Jun 13, 2015 10:03:24pm

re: #200 Charles Johnson

Oh wait - I misunderstood. You meant a visual signal for all comments that are replies to you. Hmm. That might be doable.

Ah, if only I had been that succinct. ;)

210 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 10:20:09pm

Snowdenista!

211 BeachDem  Jun 13, 2015 10:38:10pm
212 Varek Raith  Jun 13, 2015 10:38:54pm

re: #183 teleskiguy

It’s the genuinely *good people* vibe I get from LGF. That’s why I’ve visited the site for well over 10 years.

DON’T SLANDER ME!

213 Belafon  Jun 13, 2015 10:41:33pm

re: #190 teleskiguy

Or even a US publication like Rolling Stone or the NYT.

214 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 10:47:22pm

re: #213 Belafon

Yes. Yes.

215 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 10:55:21pm

re: #213 Belafon

Or even a US publication like Rolling Stone or the NYT.

Instead, Glenn Greenwald found it and took the money and ran, as it were. And fuckin’ Glenn Greenwald is sitting on all this enormously sensitive information about U.S. citizens and their statuses around the world, including intelligence operatives and U.S. soldiers. And he’s being a fuckin’ arrogant sonofabitch sittin’ high up in his villa in Rio writing about how the U.S. gubmint is spying on EVERYBODY and the piddly piece of shit doesn’t write a word about the corrupt gov’t and police right below his villa.

*spit*

216 prairiefire  Jun 13, 2015 10:57:20pm

Nothing like getting seed ticks out of your son’s scrotum after scout camp./

217 teleskiguy  Jun 13, 2015 10:59:00pm

I’ve had a year to take in all the information I could about the Edward Snowden leaks. And I tell you, It PISSES me off!

218 Single-handed sailor  Jun 13, 2015 11:02:58pm

re: #216 prairiefire

Nothing like getting seed ticks out of your son’s scrotum after scout camp./

My friend in MO told me about those. Totally creeps me out.

219 prairiefire  Jun 13, 2015 11:11:56pm

re: #218 Single-handed sailor

It is creepy. I had to talk him off the ledge about Lyme’s disease, “no bull’s eye rash, we’re using anti-biotic cream, don’t faint”, etc. One of the Olsen twins is suffering from that, even with all the money in the world. Plus, there’s a new one from ticks, Bourbon virus.

220 Varek Raith  Jun 13, 2015 11:15:29pm

re: #218 Single-handed sailor

My friend in MO told me about those. Totally creeps me out.

Please don’t make up scary critters.
/

221 prairiefire  Jun 13, 2015 11:29:05pm

re: #220 Varek Raith

Look up “The Bears Picnic” on YouTube”.

222 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 11:32:55pm

gotnwes.com now has a new feature: a page counting up from the time Chuck last posted something on his “Internet newspaper.”

‘News’ takes a holiday: Days since GotNewsDotCom broke a story

It’s been over a week, BTW.

223 Nyet  Jun 13, 2015 11:47:36pm

re: #175 team_fukit

Fundy Christians are the only ones who believe Noah’s Ark was really real, most Jews won’t fall for that shit

Ahm, you can’t compare fundy Christians with “Jews”. You must compare them with fellow fundy Jews. Who definitely accept the story.

Apples and apples.

224 Amory Blaine  Jun 13, 2015 11:48:48pm

re: #216 prairiefire

That is a trump card alright.

225 freetoken  Jun 13, 2015 11:49:18pm
226 Nyet  Jun 13, 2015 11:53:44pm

If aesthetic criticisms are accepted: the sharp corners on the rectangles look somehow unpleasant. If they could be rounded, ever so slightly…

227 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 13, 2015 11:59:01pm

re: #226 Nyet

If aesthetic criticisms are accepted: the sharp corners on the rectangles look somehow unpleasant. If they could be rounded, ever so slightly…

Careful application of some 400-grit wet-dry sandpaper will do the trick.

228 piratedan  Jun 13, 2015 11:59:33pm

I guess my biggest disconnect here is how all of this is being focused by the dudebros on THIS administration…. I rarely heartd a peep out of these guys during the previous administration regarding our privacy and what was being done in the name of keeping Americans safe.

Soon as Bin Laden marker is off the board, suddenly, this administration was supposed to rein in all of those excesses by fiat. We could take our ball and go home because since we cut the head off the snake, the rest of it would simply wither away w/o realizing that the head of the snake analogy sucks ass when attempting to find out who hates us and why, be the political, power or religious or socio-economic motivations (and not understanding that it’s ALL of those agenda items in various and sundry flavors).

If the NSA (and various other unnamed agencies) need to be brought to heel, then by all means lets have that discussion. Unfortunately, a Dem controlled Congress and Senate only were around for two years and they were quite busy attempting to unfuck what the previous administration had wrought, most of it by fiat with a generous amount of misleading crap in order to satisfy their own agenda.

Since that time, we have romper room antics that have ensued for the last four to six years and let’s just say that the climate isn’t exactly optimal with the Bomb the fuck out of everybody crowd that is currently attempting to strangle the government and set policy.

The part I have a hard time trying to grasp here is as follows:

Was Snowden THAT fucking naive to believe that he was really doing good here?

I sit back and can perhaps understand his motivation, my government is misusing it’s power and I’m going to prove it… not by illustrating how some poor bastards rights were violated, no instead, I’m going to lie to coerce password information from some other poor shmuck and download his computer as an example of how bad the system is… REALLY?

Then Greenwald… and his belief system that all governments are bad but the US is worse because it should be held to a higher standard because…

because he thinks so…

Now I full and well want my country to be a shining example of that city on the hill, but also being acquainted with American History and such events as the Trail of Tears, the Ludlow Massacre and our constant corporate interventionalism in the affairs of South and Central America lead me to believe that we’re simply a country attempting to follow our own interests, by whatever means we find convenient at the time depending upon who’s sitting in the chair and who/what has a piece of them.

I guess GG considers himself a citizen of the world, well I guess he can afford to, since he won;t pay his taxes here.

229 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:00:03am

re: #227 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

Careful application of some 400-grit wet-dry sandpaper will do the trick.

Or tumbling for an hour with some shot.

230 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:02:06am

re: #228 piratedan

I guess my biggest disconnect here is how all of this is being focused by the dudebros on THIS administration….

Perhaps Obama isn’t evil enough for them to use as a paragon of what is wrong with government, so now the dudebros are doubly mad at Obama for taking their fun away.

231 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 12:03:53am

re: #228 piratedan

I guess GG considers himself a citizen of the world, well I guess he can afford to, since he won;t pay his taxes here.

The IRS does not care where you live or who pays you. They still expect you to file your 1040 and pay your tax bill. If GG is dodging his federal income taxes, the NSA, FBI and/or CIA are the least of his worries.

The only way to avoid paying US income tax is to renounce one’s citizenship, and it’s a forever thing. Once you do, you may find it difficult to even re-enter the USA, as Roger Ver found out recently.

232 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:08:01am

re: #231 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

There are agreements and tax regulations over living in foreign countries, no? IIRC, while living in Japan, if I paid taxes in Japan I did not have to be double taxed by the IRS also.

233 goddamnedfrank  Jun 14, 2015 12:09:26am
235 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:18:46am
“When one of the identified figures entered into the remains of the container which had been attacked on the day prior to the incident, one missile was fired from the air towards the container and the adjoining shed. As a result of this attack, it appeared that one of the figures identified was hit. Following this attack, the rest of the figures began to run in the direction of the compound’s exit. Shortly before their exit from the compound, an additional missile was fired from the air towards them, which hit the figures in question after they had exited the compound.”

“Figures” = small children.

236 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:19:01am

If anyone has paid attention to my rambles of late, you know that I have picked the Southern Baptist Convention and the head of their main seminary, Albert Mohler, as my typical examples of fundamentalist right-wing groups. In no small part because the SBC is the largest Protestant denomination and also because of their history.

Anyway, Mohler’s web point-man Denny Burk has yet another article in which he seems to be less and less concerned about the Biblical Studies (allegedly what he teaches) and more about right wing social issues. He has yet to write anything on the Duggar badness, but today he jumps in the Dolezal mess:

Red and yellow, black and white. We can be all of them in his sight?

[…]

There is much still unknown here, and I do not pretend to know the motivation—nefarious, benign, or otherwise—for this woman’s actions. But this much seems apparent. Dolezal was not born black, yet she wishes now to identify with the black community. She is, after all, the head of the NAACP in Spokane. Whatever her reasons for doing so, she has adopted a social identity that conflicts with her biological identity. And everyone agrees that doing such a thing is a farcical and potentially deceptive.

The parallels between her case and that of Bruce Jenner and the transgender issue would appear to be fairly obvious. Transgender persons are people who adopt a social identity at odds with their biological identity. And yet, we are told that Bruce Jenner is to be congratulated while Rachel Dolezal is to be censured. The inconsistency would appear to be obvious, right?

[…]

The word “biological” is italicized in the original, along with “identify”, in order to emphasize them.

Here’s the thing - what is a “biological identity”?

Burk is clearly indicating that there is an essential black “biological identity” contrasting with other identities (see his title.)

What I have previously labeled “race essentialism” is part of creationism and in no small part the reason the SBC was created to support slavery and why it took the SBC so long to finally accept integration in society.

Denny Burk is revealing, bit by bit (especially his continued linking to Doug Wilson) that Mohler and his gang are dragging the SBC congregations back into older, creationist thinking, and by that I don’t just mean a 6000 year old planet.

237 Kragar  Jun 14, 2015 12:22:28am

The more we learn, the more it seems like Snowden deserves to be executed for treason.

238 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:23:41am

I’ll note too that as Burk continues down this path of Hannity-i-zation of his blog how the comments at his blog are creeping towards Freeperdom.

239 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:26:16am

re: #236 freetoken

What I have previously labeled “race essentialism” is part of creationism and in no small part the reason the SBC was created to support slavery and why it took the SBC so long to finally accept integration in society.

Paradoxically enough, creationists like AIG are pretty much adamant about races not being biologically real: answersingenesis.org

Interestingly, as it has shown itself in the last few days, there is sort of a progressive analog to the “race essentialism”.

240 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:26:36am

And, btw, Burk does not accept pseudonymous postings, and when I tried once before to challenge him on one of his assertions he never let the post through.

241 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:29:24am

re: #239 Nyet

Ham is quite adamant about races not being real because he is quite arduously avoiding the old racial issues. He seems quite aware of the problems of segregation in American church history. Since Ham wants to paint racism as part of Darwinism he puts the onus of “race” problems onto the secular world.

242 Targetpractice  Jun 14, 2015 12:33:24am

re: #237 Kragar

The more we learn, the more it seems like Snowden deserves to be executed for treason.

Doubt it would ever happen, certainly not in our lifetimes. No, if Eddie ever makes his way back to the States, it will be when the Kremlin feels he’s ceased being of any use. And I really do believe that part of the agreement to grant him exile was to sell his own country out. There is just no other reason to believe Putin keeps him around than because he’s a source of information on our data infrastructure. If he was really as uncooperative as Glenn wants us to believe, Putin would have disposed of him in some fashion.

243 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 12:33:58am

re: #232 freetoken

There are agreements and tax regulations over living in foreign countries, no? IIRC, while living in Japan, if I paid taxes in Japan I did not have to be double taxed by the IRS also.

Up to a point, right. IIRC, once you cross $175,000 in income, Uncle wants his share.

Also, because of FATCA, anyone with more than $10K in a foreign bank account has to report that account to the IRS. If you don’t, and the foreign bank does, you’re liable for beaucoups penalties.

244 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:34:56am

re: #241 freetoken

The point is, he is still in the new school of “creationist thought” (I know, a contradiction) on the issue.

Which once again shows that even the so-called “literal” interpretations of the Bible can be diametrically opposed to each other.

245 Kragar  Jun 14, 2015 12:35:11am

re: #241 freetoken

Ham is quite adamant about races not being real because he is quite arduously avoiding the old racial issues. He seems quite aware of the problems of segregation in American church history. Since Ham wants to paint racism as part of Darwinism he puts the onus of “race” problems onto the secular world.

Ironic, considering the whole “Curse of Ham” nonsense in some Biblical circles

246 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 12:35:29am

re: #241 freetoken

Ham is quite adamant about races not being real because he is quite arduously avoiding the old racial issues. He seems quite aware of the problems of segregation in American church history. Since Ham wants to paint racism as part of Darwinism he puts the onus of “race” problems onto the secular world.

Also, there’s this problem with his name …
//

247 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:36:05am

re: #242 Targetpractice

If he was really as uncooperative as Glenn wants us to believe, Putin would have disposed of him in some fashion.

Ed is a propaganda coup first and foremost. Putin won’t to anything that changes this. So this thinking is incorrect.

248 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:37:40am

re: #245 Kragar

Ironic, considering the whole “Curse of Ham” nonsense in some Biblical circles

Ham addresses the “curse of Ham” in the link above.

249 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:38:31am
But it’s not just members of the cults that try to use this passage to justify racism. Many people from mainline Christian denominations have called me on the radio and asked me about the supposed “curse of Ham.” (Maybe I’m just a tinge overly sensitive to this question, because my name is Ham!) I just ask them to look up the chapter and verse in the Bible. That’s always the end of that caller, because this narrative says nothing about skin color or race. Nothing. It’s a simple case of being programmed by the world to see something in God’s Word that isn’t there at all. (And the curse was on Canaan anyway—not Ham, so my name is clear!)
250 prairiefire  Jun 14, 2015 12:38:54am

There is a reason there is a First and a Second Baptist church.

251 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:40:23am

re: #244 Nyet

re: #245 Kragar

re: #246 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

Ham being an Australian might help him to see the American South through a lens that many American southerners may not.

Ham is explicit in assigning the wrongs of racism to modernity:

One Race
The term race is often used to classify people based almost solely on physical characteristics. According to evolutionary ideas, these so-called races descended from different ancestors separated by location and time. However, based on biblical history, the term race must be incorrect. We are all one race (“one blood” in Acts 17:26), the human race.

Nearly all the anthropologists of which I read of course do not believe in “races” as Ham would ascribe to them. “Race” as used by many people does indeed come about via the phenomenon that Ham lists - “solely on physical characteristics” - but modern scientists no longer group people into “races” as such.

252 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:40:42am

Eddie makes Putin look good by standing up to the “big bad USA” defending this “hero”. This ain’t gonna change any time soon unless other incentives appear on the horizon.

253 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:46:00am

I do not expect a reply.

254 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:47:13am

Have some tweets gone missing?

255 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 12:49:06am

I get a “This Tweet is unavailable” regarding GG’s tweets when looking in my timeline at Charle’s tweets. Yet the GG tweets still seem to appear if I click on the link. Anyone else?

256 Kragar  Jun 14, 2015 12:50:08am

re: #254 freetoken

257 William Lewis  Jun 14, 2015 12:53:43am

re: #237 Kragar

The more we learn, the more it seems like Snowden deserves to be executed for treason.

It’s not legally treason (see Article 3 Section 3 of the Constitution). That said, I believe that espionage has a maximum penalty of death and as much as I hate the death penalty as a Christian, wishing a long drop on him is terribly tempting…

258 goddamnedfrank  Jun 14, 2015 12:55:18am

re: #255 freetoken

I get a “This Tweet is unavailable” regarding GG’s tweets when looking in my timeline at Charle’s tweets. Yet the GG tweets still seem to appear if I click on the link. Anyone else?

That’s fairly common. Twitter has some kinks to work out. I think it does that if it can’t grab the linked tweet immediately due to system latency. I’ve seen people quote my own tweets that way in my own mentions and they show up as “unavailable.”

The other thing I don’t like about this new way of quoting Tweets as links only is that unless the person tags you in their response the quoted tweet alone isn’t enough to get in your mentions. So if you send a tweet to someone you aren’t following and they quote your tweet as their way of responding you have to go to their feed to even know that they responded to you. It’s buggy and needs work. They also removed the old “respond with RT” feature in TweetDeck to implement this, and the old way of RT/MT/Edit a Tweet adding was really useful.

259 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:00:51am

From the execrable “Christian Husbands - You don’t pay for the milk when you own the cow!”:

I can hear it now - “What about those boys! This is not fair that all the pressure is on the women”. Yes the Scriptures command BOTH men and women to not engage in sex before marriage, and yes they did speak to us as young men about being godly men of integrity, about being gentlemen. However, if you examine the Scriptures closely, you will see that God places the greater burden on the woman to refuse the man. In the Old Testament law, a woman could be executed for not being a virgin when she was married, whereas there was no such punishment for a man that was not a virgin. I realize this goes against our modern “gender equality” ideas, but the Bible supports no such notion.

I suppose it only gets worse.

260 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:02:55am

re: #259 Nyet

A quick word on the “cow analogy” before we continue - in no way am I meaning disrespect toward women, or saying that cows are somehow equal to women, or that women are less human than men. But Biblically speaking, a wife does belong to her husband (men paid a “bride price” and one the terms for husband in the original languages of the Bible is “baal” which means “owner or master” (e.g. Proverbs 31). I Peter 3 says “Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord[master]”.

261 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:08:47am

re: #260 Nyet

This is the logical question you as a Christian husband (or engaged man) might ask after everything we have just looked at. The answer to this question is a Christian wife should never give her husband a flat no, BUT she can humbly and gently ask for a delay. There may be legitimate physical or other issues that might prompt your wife to ask you for a delay. But this must be done humbly and respectfully, and always with the attitude in mind that her body does belong to her husband. But a Christian wife should ALWAYS make good on her “rainchecks” with her husband. Also these “delay requests” from wives should be the exception, and not the normal response to a husband’s sexual advances.

262 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 1:17:46am

re: #261 Nyet

263 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:21:03am

re: #262 Dr Lizardo

With such fundie attitudes is it any wonder why the Duggars happen?

264 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 1:22:00am

re: #263 Nyet

With such fundie attitudes is it any wonder why the Duggars happen?

No. No wonder at all.

265 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:26:16am

re: #261 Nyet

And from the comments:

As an observant Jew I could not agree more with your statements on the nature of marriage, but I simply wanted to correct your point on this issue, as it seems to make the law inequitable and unliveable.

To my point above about fundies of all religions.

266 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 1:26:24am

re: #111 Dark_Falcon

… Palin’s post is aimed at her mother’s fan club, who tend to lap up tales of ‘Hollywood disrespect for Christians”.

Which is all further proof that Christianity will soon be be outlawed in America.

267 goddamnedfrank  Jun 14, 2015 1:26:36am
268 goddamnedfrank  Jun 14, 2015 1:29:40am
269 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 1:32:32am

re: #211 BeachDem

Hillary Clinton steps on stage. Images of GOP candidates flash on a screen. She approaches the mic.

“Seriously?” she says, and walks off.

I mentioned yesterday that I had a pipe dream (no pipes involved) of HIllary simply foregoing all campaign ads, donating her campaign contributions to a charity to promote children or education in America, and running on name recognition and press coverage alone.

That would make the GOP candidate look (even more) like a stumbling, money-grubbing and money wasting idiot.

270 goddamnedfrank  Jun 14, 2015 1:33:25am

I seriously don’t understand why so many people support these guys. Very, very little of what they’ve done bears up to the slightest level of in depth scrutiny.

271 Kragar  Jun 14, 2015 1:37:04am

re: #270 goddamnedfrank

[Embedded content]

I seriously don’t understand why so many people support these guys. Very, very little of what they’ve done bears up to the slightest level of in depth scrutiny.

Actual concrete results don’t matter when you’re “stickin’ it to the MAN!”
/

272 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 1:39:15am

re: #270 goddamnedfrank

[Embedded content]

I seriously don’t understand why so many people support these guys. Very, very little of what they’ve done bears up to the slightest level of in depth scrutiny.

Snowden did reveal some evidence of actual illegal government activity. But he did it in a very ham-fisted, dilettantish and highly destructive manner.

273 prairiefire  Jun 14, 2015 1:40:54am

re: #269 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)

I can’t wait for the debates.

274 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 1:43:16am

re: #273 prairiefire

I can’t wait for the debates.

The GOP debates will do more to drive voters into the Clinton camp than any campaign ads she could ever run.

275 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:43:51am

re: #270 goddamnedfrank

They’re mostly seen as stand-ins for something else, not as persons as such.
For some GGS worship is a sublimated dislike of the NSA, or of the USA as a whole, others have slightly different ideas, but I don’t think it’s about Ed and Glenn as such, in most cases.

Anyway, the attitudes toward the stinky pair are not a measure of judgment for me. I may be disappointed when some otherwise good guys, like this one, think that Eddie is a hero, but …

276 prairiefire  Jun 14, 2015 1:45:22am

I would post a “happy birthday” message on a cousin’s Facebook page, but then they might wonder why I was awake at 3:44am. Night, lizards.

277 The Ghost of a Bikini Shank  Jun 14, 2015 1:45:27am

re: #268 goddamnedfrank

Months and months ago, I said that these people didn’t understand that there was a hum int component to what they were doing, so the sig int was compromised. Boasting about understanding crypto isn’t enough.

Big encryption is only as good as the discipline of the people holding the components. Getting people to fuck up, sell out, or just watching them and trawling information, is much, much easier than mechanically cracking the code.

278 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:48:48am

I should say though that if this story does pan out, if Russia and China did really crack the code by themselves, then those who said that Snowden simply gave them the documents as a part of a deal were dead wrong. It might not be a great difference in the big scheme of things, but it’s a difference nevertheless.

279 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 14, 2015 1:51:23am

re: #256 Kragar

If you’re someone who believes anonymously voiced self-serving govt claims, you’re dumb. If you’re a journalist who prints it, you’re worse

I’d bet that I know the initials of the person ol’ Glenn would nominate for arbiter of the truth of government statements.

280 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:54:59am

Plus, “either you believe the UK govt or GGS” is a false dichotomy. They all have incentives to fudge the truth one way or another. I can peacefully disbelieve them both.

281 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 14, 2015 1:55:21am

re: #278 Nyet

I should say though that if this story does pan out, if Russia and China did really crack the code by themselves, then those who said that Snowden simply gave them the documents as a part of a deal were dead wrong. It might not be a great difference in the big scheme of things, but it’s a difference nevertheless.

It would make a difference if one could believe that computer expert Snowden didn’t think that the Russians and the Chinese would bend every effort toward acquiring the data and decrypting it as quickly as possible.

282 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 1:56:00am

re: #281 Higgs Boson’s Mate

It would make a difference if one could believe that computer expert Snowden didn’t think that the Russians and the Chinese would bend every effort toward acquiring the data and decrypting it as quickly as possible.

Then he could have simply given them the data.

283 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 2:04:40am

re: #275 Nyet

AHA! HOLLYWOOD WAS PUSHING GAY MARRIAGE SINCE 1959.

284 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 14, 2015 2:05:06am

re: #282 Nyet

If Snowden believed that data to be safe then he was, at best, terribly naive. His theft seems to me to have been poorly thought through and hastily executed.

285 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 2:09:48am

re: #284 Higgs Boson’s Mate

If Snowden believed that data to be safe then he was, at best, terribly naive. His theft seems to me to have been poorly thought through and hastily executed.

I think Eddie has proved throughout to have been a pretty dumb boob.

That said, I don’t exclude that he simply gave the unencrypted files to Russia and/or China. I wouldn’t know as I’m not privy to those secret dealings.

I will just point out that this version and the one by Sunday Times are mutually exclusive. Which one is true? We may know in a few decades.

286 ericblair  Jun 14, 2015 2:17:36am

re: #232 freetoken

There are agreements and tax regulations over living in foreign countries, no? IIRC, while living in Japan, if I paid taxes in Japan I did not have to be double taxed by the IRS also.

I think most countries have bilateral tax treaties with the US, but even if you end up owing squat you will still need to file the paperwork, and as wheat-doggazi says you need to do the Treasury department paperwork if you have foreign accounts of any real size.

My guess is that Snowden would have wanted to keep at least some material encrypted and inaccessible to the Russians and Chinese, if anything to have some bargaining power going forward. I’m pretty sure he released some of it as the price of getting asylum, though. Assuming this report is accurate, now he’s a propaganda piece and probably not a very good one at that, considering that they have to spin their own current crackdown on free speech as prudent and necessary to “combat extremism”.

Even if you implement and manage it properly, encryption is going to be a problem on Windows disks full of Office documents, which contain hundreds of gigabytes of highly structured information with large numbers of long predictable patterns. Give state level resources and essentially infinite amount of time and it’s pretty much a done deal. Giving a sysadmin an SCI clearance doesn’t make him a cryptology expert, so who cares what Snowden says about how unbreakable it was.

287 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 2:29:42am

re: #286 ericblair

Assuming this report is accurate, now he’s a propaganda piece and probably not a very good one at that, considering that they have to spin their own current crackdown on free speech as prudent and necessary to “combat extremism”.

This crackdown has been happening long before Snowden.
He is a reminder that the USA is allegedly “hypocritical”. So he actually helps Putin in this.

288 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 2:36:25am

When crypto-fascist bros (in this case Gavin McInnes) meet the Quiverfull creeps:

biblicalgenderroles. com/2015/05/15/hannity-guest-gavin-mcinnes-says-woman-happier-in-the-home/

289 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 2:47:04am

Heh, I see Chuck Provan mentioned in the wiki article on Quiverfull:

Charles D. Provan’s 1989 The Bible and Birth Control is credited as strengthening the theological justification for the Quiverfull movement.

I actually corresponded with the guy when he still lived, and he even sent me some useful materials. He used to be a Holocaust denier until he saw the light, and since then was trying to debunk some denier arguments in his quirky way. He was a pretty pleasant person to correspond with, despite his weird views. Though back then I had no idea he had to do with this movement.

290 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 2:55:33am

re: #288 Nyet

When crypto-fascist bros (in this case Gavin McInnes) meet the Quiverfull creeps:

biblicalgenderroles. com/2015/05/15/hannity-guest-gavin-mcinnes-says-woman-happier-in-the-home/

No doubt there are some women (and even men) who are happier staying at home and raising a family. But it is up to free individuals and families to choose & decide what is best for them, not a bunch of patriarchal creeps.

291 ericblair  Jun 14, 2015 2:58:52am

re: #287 Nyet

This crackdown has been happening long before Snowden.
He is a reminder that the USA is allegedly “hypocritical”. So he actually helps.

The crackdown’s been getting a lot worse in the last few months.

However, I did do a search in rt.com for Snowden and you’re right, they’re still banging that drum pretty hard. Technically, they don’t really need Snowden alive and well to go on about him, so he shouldn’t get cocky, but he seems to still be earning his keep.

Propaganda for foreign consumption (i.e. RT) tends to encourage the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of thinking: that the US and its stooges and patsies are evil and horrible and Russia is the little guy sticking it to The Man. Propaganda for domestic consumption (i.e. most of Russian media) is “besieged fortress” sort of hysterical bullshit of random truth value, with a bunch of nationalist “Russian world” sentiment where the US and Russia are the only real powers and everybody else are pawns on a chessboard.

292 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:00:40am

re: #291 ericblair

You don’t need to explain that to me, I lived there most of my life ;)

293 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:21:30am

SA drops the ball:

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has called on South Africa to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is in the country for an African Union (AU) summit.
Mr Bashir is wanted for war crimes over the conflict in Darfur.
An ICC statement said South Africa should “spare no effort” in detaining him.
But instead he was welcomed by South African officials on his arrival in Johannesburg, SABC tweeted.
[…]
As a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest President Bashir if he sets foot in the country, but correspondents say this is unlikely to happen.
[…]
The ICC has ended an investigation into war crimes in the region, but the warrants against Mr Bashir remain outstanding. The court accuses him of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide.

bbc.com

Bashir’s self-defense is utterly predictable:

“It is the people of Sudan who stood firm and said that no Sudanese official shall surrender to colonial courts at The Hague or anywhere else.”

294 freetoken  Jun 14, 2015 3:24:32am

re: #288 Nyet

I want to believe that is one of those spoof sites. How else to explain this?

Image: mansbrainsuptowoman.jpg

295 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:26:17am

re: #294 freetoken

No, it’s just Quiverfull.

296 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:28:59am

I promise that the Westboro Church is not a parody either ;)

297 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 3:34:59am

re: #296 Nyet

I promise that the Westboro Church is not a parody either ;)

They are a parody of Christianiy, they are just not aware of it…

298 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:45:04am

re: #297 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)

They are a parody of Christianiy, they are just not aware of it…

A parody is something not real.
Westboro nuts are real Christians.

299 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)  Jun 14, 2015 3:47:17am

re: #298 Nyet

A parody is something not real.
Westboro nuts are real Christians.

Their Christianiy is a parody of the real religion.

300 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:48:35am

re: #299 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)

Their Christianiy is a parody of the real religion.

Again, parody is something not real.
Their religion is no less (and - no more) real then other versions of Christianity.

301 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 3:50:14am

re: #298 Nyet

A parody is something not real.
Westboro nuts are real Christians.

It does make you wonder, though, when they recite that “all the glory to God” that what they really mean is, we want some of that glory and we’ll say anything to get it, no matter how outrageous.

Glory hounds always get the infamy end of the stick, though, eventually.

Don’t people who adhere to these nutty manifestations of christianity get tired of being preached at and told they’re wrong all the time? You’d think no one could go around carrying that kind of guilt forever. I think it turns into some kind of mental illness eventually.

302 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:52:57am

People who have this rosy view of a “real religion” that is allegedly all kind and fluffy and with unicorn farting rainbows are entitled to their opinion of course, but it’s not really coherent.

When one studies the actual historical religions, they are not pretty, and oftentimes today’s fundies are yesterday’s mainstream.

303 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 3:54:08am

All the animals escaped after the zoo was flooded.

Authorities in Tbilisi, Georgia, have warned residents to stay inside after floods destroyed animal enclosures at the zoo - @AP
end of alert

I hate zoos.

304 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:55:19am

re: #303 Justanotherhuman

I don’t see much sense in zoos either. Never was a fan as a kid.

With perhaps one exception of nearly extinct animals.

305 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 3:59:46am

It is true that that the Westboro creeps are an outlier as far as the modern Western Christianity is concerned. Them being an outlier doesn’t make them a parody, fake, etc. From what I’ve read from the ex-members, they’re deadly serious. Which is disturbing, of course.

Then again, they wouldn’t really be all that out of place in today’s Russian Orthodox Church, with some adjustments.

306 John Vreeland  Jun 14, 2015 4:01:00am

re: #285 Nyet

Keep in mind that Snowden claimed he no longer even had direct access to the codes. He had given them to others in order to keep them out of Russian hands. But it has been a couple of years now, and crypto guys like to say, a rubber hose is more effective than trying to crack a code.

If any of the people he had given the code to used it on a compromised system then it is done, and you can be sure the Russians had a good idea who he had given codes to and have spent the last couple of years trying to hack their shit.

The Russians would probably even consider it worthwhile to run an op on a suspect, breaking in and physically affecting his hardware. In fact, if the journalists with the codes were not idiots this would be the only way to crack the codes, by stealing them. Not hard when you have access to the hardware.

307 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:03:18am

re: #306 John Vreeland

Keep in mind

I do keep that in mind. All you wrote is true, just orthogonal to the one point I made. ;)

308 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:03:44am

re: #302 Nyet

Religions guilt trip everyone eventually.

How can anyone wear a symbol of a human sacrifice as jewelry or in any other way, use it as the metaphor for an entire religion, and still have a positive outlook on humanity? I’ve never figured that out.

The mythology surrounding an ordinary Jew, not just a “prophet” but the “actual son of God” took a bit of time to perfect, but done nevertheless, by his promoters.

309 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:05:46am

re: #308 Justanotherhuman

How can anyone wear a symbol of a human sacrifice as jewelry or in any other way, use it as the metaphor for an entire religion, and still have a positive outlook on humanity? I’ve never figured that out.

Yeah, there’s this common place going around about how if things had been a bit different, the Christians of today would be wearing metal nooses on their necklaces instead of crosses ;)

310 Dave In Austin  Jun 14, 2015 4:08:54am

Morning All

orthogonal |ôrˈTHägənl|
adjective
1 of or involving right angles; at right angles.
2 Statistics (of variates) statistically independent.
• (of an experiment) having variates that can be treated as statistically independent.

I was going to go fishing this morning. It’s raining with lightning.
I can wait.

311 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:10:35am

Or even little guillotines.

312 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 4:11:22am

Things are heating up in northern Syria:

Kurdish fighters advanced June 13 to the outskirts of a key Syrian border town held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as Turkish forces sought to prevent thousands fleeing the fighting from crossing the frontier.

Further west, an Islamist rebel alliance pushed ISIL extremists back from a strategic cross-border supply route.

The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) edged closer on June 13 to Tal Abyad, a border town used by jihadists as a gateway from Turkey into ISIL’s bastion province of Raqa.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said YPG fighters, backed by Syrian rebels and air strikes from the US-led coalition fighting ISIL, advanced to within just a few kilometres southeast of Tal Abyad.

“Kurdish forces are on the eastern outskirts of Tal Abyad, only five kilometres (three miles) from the town,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

What I found interesting was this little snippet:

Southwest of Tal Abyad, Kurdish militia seized another 20 villages as ISIL forces withdrew, Abdel Rahman said.

He told AFP there were only 150 ISIL jihadists holding Tal Abyad itself, and that they, too, had threatened to withdraw if they did not receive reinforcements from Raqa.

“But the leadership in Raqa will not send them reinforcements, because the coalition air strikes have been decimating IS [ISIL],” Abdel Rahman said.

hurriyetdailynews.com

So it seems the airstrikes are - if that’s indeed the case, as Mr. Rahman says - having a profoundly deleterious effect on Da’esh.

I’m sure the Turks can’t be too happy about this, that being said. Their fear is that let’s say the YPG succeeds in taking northern Syria. The southeast of Turkey is a somewhat volatile area, as that’s where the PKK’s insurgency has been ongoing for decades now. The Turks are likely looking at these recent developments would a good deal of alarm; they see the possibility of the Kurds of southeast Turkey suddenly desiring to link up with their kinsmen in Syria and forming Kurdistan - at the expense of Turkish territorial integrity.

Personally, I’m pretty sure that Turkey views ISIS as a cat’s-paw in their ongoing fight against the PKK. However, with the recent election of the HDP into the Turkish Parliament, things may change in regard to Turkey’s foreign policy. More right-wing Turks view the HDP as little more than another incarnation of the PKK, but it will be interesting to see what happens going forward, both internally within Turkey and externally.

The Kurds next stop - maybe - is nothing less than ar-Raqqah itself. The very capital city of Da’esh. And if it looks like Da’esh is gonna lose ar-Raqqah, ten to one they’ll hotfoot it back to Iraq, which is, of course, where they began.

I still maintain that the key to defeating ISIS is taking the Syrian town of Dabiq: That town is absolutely central to their claim of being “God’s Army of the End TImes” and if they can be decisively defeated there, that will represent a blow from which they will never recover. It would be far worse than a military defeat - it would be an ideological defeat for Da’esh, a fatal one.

313 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:14:30am

re: #312 Dr Lizardo

still maintain that the key to defeating ISIS is taking the Syrian town of Dabiq: That town is absolutely central to their claim of being “God’s Army of the End TImes” and if they can be decisively defeated there, that will represent a blow from which they will never recover. It would be far worse than a military defeat - it would be an ideological defeat for Da’esh, a fatal one.

On the other hand, a battle at Dabiq is all they’re itching for.

314 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:17:10am

Take Luther, Calvin, or a random medieval Pope and bring them to today.

I’m afraid Westboro would look like liberals in comparison.

315 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:19:33am

And, here is the thing. Religion adapts. A win at Dabiq will modify the apologetics. Whether it will cause any larger ripples is an open question.

316 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 4:19:48am

re: #310 Dave In Austin

Morning All

orthogonal |ôrˈTHägənl|
adjective
1 of or involving right angles; at right angles.
2 Statistics (of variates) statistically independent.
• (of an experiment) having variates that can be treated as statistically independent.

I was going to go fishing this morning. It’s raining with lightning.
I can wait.

I just had a flashback to linear algebra class. Oy.

317 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 4:20:01am

re: #313 Nyet

On the other hand, a battle at Dabiq is all they’re itching for.

Yes, it is - and it’s the opportunity to defeat them. To crush them in such a way that it will be talked about from now until the last human draws breath.

Da’esh will pour everything they have into defending that mid-sized town - they simply cannot afford to lose it, because they know full well that if they do, they’re finished. Their very reason for existing will have been stripped away from them. It will be a humiliation that will make them the laughingstock of the jihadist world.

That will be their end.

318 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:24:36am

I’m reminded of how many followers of the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, thought he was the Moshiach and would not die before he fulfills his messianic functions.

Well, he died, but the messianic movement is still strong. And many still believe he’s alive, just not “present”.

—-

Betting on “brute reality” to convince a fanatic is to underestimate the surprising flexibility of a fanatic’s mind.

319 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 4:28:11am

re: #315 Nyet

And, here is the thing. Religion adapts. A win at Dabiq will modify the apologetics. Whether it will cause any larger ripples is an open question.

Bear in mind that Dabiq’s importance comes from the hadith - if that hadith can be shown to be false, people are going to start asking, “What other hadith is false or dubious? Are all these eschatological hadiths false? Are all these prophecies regarding the End Times simply bunk, made up centuries after the death of Muhammad (saas)?”

People will start asking questions. Uncomfortable questions, ones that the more inflexible variants of Islam - and by that, I mean the fundies - won’t be able to answer.

I’m thinking this will start a chain reaction within Islam. I maintain that a major issue we’re seeing within Islam is an over-reliance on the hadith. If the hadith can be relegated to little more than apocryphal literature or curiosities, than some of the crazier nonsense will disappear. This is just my view as a (admittedly, decidedly unorthodox) Muslim.

320 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 4:30:31am

re: #318 Nyet

I’m reminded of how many followers of the Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, thought he was the Moshiach and would not die before he fulfills his messianic functions.

Well, he died, but the messianic movement is as strong as ever. And many still believe he’s alive, just not “present”.

—-

Betting on “brute reality” to convince a fanatic is to underestimate the surprising flexibility of a fanatic’s mind.

Good point. I believe that was discussed in When Prophecy Fails; there will always be a core group of fanatics that will cling to their delusions to the bitter end. But I’m thinking that a majority will simply fall away once the “prophecies” are shown to be so much hokum.

321 William Lewis  Jun 14, 2015 4:30:59am

re: #309 Nyet

I’m not sure that there is much difference between a cross, a Thor’s hammer or a bull head for Mithras in the minds of most believers. The simplest symbolism remains all there is. Few really appreciate what a ghastly death crucifixion was or that even a short drop strangulation death was a considerably easier way of dying.

But that’s now. Then it was Constantine’s sword far more than a cross in place of the pius ichthys & that changed the religion more than anything else.

322 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:32:40am

re: #319 Dr Lizardo

For me it’s like hoping that obvious Biblical contradictions will convince a biblican inerrantist. Been there, done that, doesn’t work in most cases.

They will convince some, but inerrantism is still a thing.

—-

The gospel Jesus promised to return within the then currently living generation. The generation is long dead, Christianity is still alive, and the incident just gave a rise to the legend of the Eternal/Wandering Jew.

323 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:32:53am

re: #319 Dr Lizardo

I hope you’re right. But at least get Daesh defeated, for one. Doesn’t mean that another won’t take its place, though. Just as happens with christianist fundies in the US. The outliers are always ready to step in to fill a void.

324 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:36:33am

re: #322 Nyet

For me it’s like hoping that obvious Biblical contradictions will convince a biblican inerrantist. Been there, done that, doesn’t work in most cases.

They will convince some, but inerrantism is still a thing.

—-

The gospel Jesus promised to return within the then currently living generation. The generation is long dead, Christianity is still alive, and the incident just gave a rise to the legend of the Eternal/Wandering Jew.

Ha, even a plant was named after The Wandering Jew.

Wandering Jew Plant
325 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:37:07am

re: #323 Justanotherhuman

I hope you’re right. But at least get Daesh defeated, for one. Doesn’t mean that another won’t take its place, though. Just as happens with christianist fundies in the US. The outliers are always ready to step in to fill a void.

That also. Even if a battle at Dabiq were successful in weakening specifically ISIS, those other guys aren’t going to suddenly become moderates. Most will find some other fanatical beliefs to cling on to.

326 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 4:38:20am

And if the battle at Dabiq is, for some reason, not won, this will strengthen ISIS.

327 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 4:42:42am

re: #326 Nyet

And if the battle at Dabiq is, for some reason, not won, this will strengthen ISIS.

It’s a gamble, that’s for sure. And the question is: Who’s gonna fight it?

328 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:43:02am

re: #325 Nyet

If the religion is stripped away, you can see these types for the criminally-minded sociopaths they really are.

329 Varek Raith  Jun 14, 2015 4:43:13am

Bleh.

330 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:47:00am

Lots on the timeline.

@esa’s Rosetta mission tweets: ‘Incredible news! My lander Philae is awake!’ - @ESA_Rosetta

twitter.com

331 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:49:33am

Serious Flash Flood in Tbilisi (თბილისი), Georgia | 8 dead | 14 06 2015

332 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 4:56:25am

Another by-product of Snowden’s theft (probably OK by some people’s standards). And damn The Times’ paywall.

‘Snowden’s leaks scupper surveillance of crime gangs’

thesundaytimes.co.uk

A QUARTER of the serious criminals being tracked by GCHQ have fallen off the radar after the leak of surveillance secrets by Edward Snowden, the former US security contractor, it is claimed.

In the most detailed assessment of the damage inflicted on the spy services by the Snowden revelations, a senior intelligence source said the UK’s electronic eavesdropping centre had also suffered a “sizeable reduction” in its ability to gather intelligence on terrorists over the past year.

GCHQ has been forced to reassess the safety of its staff and other people it works with in “hundreds of cases”, the source added.

More behind the paywall.

333 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:03:01am

And, from last year…so criminals and terrorists were “victims” of this surveillance? And GG was going to name them?

Snowden’s finale: naming victims of surveillance

thesundaytimes.co.uk

THE man who helped bring about the most significant leak in American intelligence history is to reveal names of US citizens targeted by their government in what he promises will be the “biggest” revelation from nearly 2m classified files.

Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who received the trove of documents from Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, said Snowden’s legacy would be “shaped in large part” by this “finishing piece” still to come.

Greenwald’s plan to publish will further unnerve an American intelligence establishment reeling from 11 months of revelations about government surveillance activities. More

It appears The Times is not being as smug today as it was a year ago.

334 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:06:47am

re: #332 Justanotherhuman

For me it’s simple. I, as non-American, would have been OK with Snowden had he only exposed the actual overreach. I would have defended him as a whistleblower. Those who praise him for this are forgetting that he also released much more than can be justified by any reasonable standards.

335 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 5:09:31am

re: #330 Justanotherhuman

Lots on the timeline.

@esa’s Rosetta mission tweets: ‘Incredible news! My lander Philae is awake!’ - @ESA_Rosetta

twitter.com

And it wants a glass of water.
/

336 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:10:39am

re: #334 Nyet

And, this, when people are placing blame:

Mad about NSA’s overreach? Blame Congress

salon.com

(snip)

Did you notice the word I used in each of the other cases? The key word: law. As far as we know, everything that happened here was fully within the law. So if something was allowed that shouldn’t have been allowed, the problem is, in the first place, the laws. And that means Congress. (my emphasis)

As the Washington Post reports, two laws in particular. The Protect America Act of 2007 passed the Senate 60-28; Democrats split with 17 voting in favor and 28 against, while Republicans were unanimous in support. In the House, Democrats opposed it by a wide 41-181 margin, while Republicans vote for it 186-2. However, Democrats can’t simply pass the blame; they had majorities in both chambers and could have brought different measures to the floor. And then the next year the FISA Amendments bill had a similar partisan breakdown, although with a bit more Democratic support. The latter was then extended last year. This time, a majority of Senate Democrats voted for it, with only 20 dissenting, and they were joined by three Republicans; in the House, most Democrats still opposed it, while all but seven Republicans voted yes.

Of course, if Democrats had really wanted to change the law, they could have done so during the 111thCongress early in Barack Obama’s presidency, but they did not. More

337 lawhawk  Jun 14, 2015 5:11:04am

Snowden and Greenwald were always lying/obfuscating about their intentions and capabilities to “secure” the data that Snowden stole from the NSA.

Even the strongest encryption can be defeated with time and brute force. Countries like Russia and China have the resources to make that happen and they can direct all manner of tactics and techniques to do it. The NSA does it to foreign governments and their encrypted data, so why would anyone think that Russian or Chinese intel agencies wouldn’t try and succeed at doing it with a US cache of data.

338 b.d.  Jun 14, 2015 5:14:29am

re: #337 lawhawk

Snowden and Greenwald were always lying/obfuscating about their intentions and capabilities to “secure” the data that Snowden stole from the NSA.

Even the strongest encryption can be defeated with time and brute force. Countries like Russia and China have the resources to make that happen and they can direct all manner of tactics and techniques to do it. The NSA does it to foreign governments and their encrypted data, so why would anyone think that Russian or Chinese intel agencies wouldn’t try and succeed at doing it with a US cache of data.

But the guy at Best Buy assured Greenwald that the laptop he sold him was virtually uncrackable.

339 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 5:14:47am

re: #337 lawhawk

Snowden and Greenwald were always lying/obfuscating about their intentions and capabilities to “secure” the data that Snowden stole from the NSA.

Even the strongest encryption can be defeated with time and brute force. Countries like Russia and China have the resources to make that happen and they can direct all manner of tactics and techniques to do it. The NSA does it to foreign governments and their encrypted data, so why would anyone think that Russian or Chinese intel agencies wouldn’t try and succeed at doing it with a US cache of data.

But, but…Semi-Prime Numbers !!1!

340 ObserverArt  Jun 14, 2015 5:15:14am

re: #311 Nyet

Or even little guillotines.

Little silver pistols or assault rifles.

Or, a little silver syringe. Much more humane.

/

341 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 5:15:46am

I found a new series called Dark Matter on the torrent sites. It looks intriguing, so far.

Six people wake up on a derelict ship in the middle of space. They have no idea who they are, but each discovers they have some kind of latent ability at doing stuff.

There is a ship android, of course. It (she) manages to restore corrupted data files. Five of the passengers are convicted criminals. The last is a teenage girl (who may be telepathic), whose details are not the data cache. So she’s still a mystery.

They still don’t know why they are on the ship, though.

342 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:16:30am

re: #337 lawhawk

Snowden and Greenwald were always lying/obfuscating about their intentions and capabilities to “secure” the data that Snowden stole from the NSA.

Even the strongest encryption can be defeated with time and brute force. Countries like Russia and China have the resources to make that happen and they can direct all manner of tactics and techniques to do it. The NSA does it to foreign governments and their encrypted data, so why would anyone think that Russian or Chinese intel agencies wouldn’t try and succeed at doing it with a US cache of data.

Even if the encryption looks like something 100 monkeys made up.

343 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:21:36am

re: #341 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

I found a new series called Dark Matter on the torrent sites. It looks intriguing, so far.

You thief! ///

344 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 5:22:21am

re: #343 Nyet

You thief! ///

Yeah, don’t tell anyone. Shhhh!

345 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:22:21am

If the IT forces of a whole state are used to crack one encrypted file, it will be cracked, sooner or later.

346 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 5:23:25am

re: #345 Nyet

If the IT forces of a whole state are used to crack one encrypted file, it will be cracked, sooner or later.

Russia has the cyphers.
Snowden has the keys.
Russia has Snowden and his girlfriend.

347 sagehen  Jun 14, 2015 5:26:18am

re: #341 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

I found a new series called Dark Matter on the torrent sites. It looks intriguing, so far.

Six people wake up on a derelict ship in the middle of space. They have no idea who they are, but each discovers they have some kind of latent ability at doing stuff.

There is a ship android, of course. It (she) manages to restore corrupted data files. Five of the passengers are convicted criminals. The last is a teenage girl (who may be telepathic), whose details are not the data cache. So she’s still a mystery.

They still don’t know why they are on the ship, though.

I watched the first episode, and enjoyed it. The showrunners (Malozzi/Mullie) used to do Stargate.

348 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:28:47am

re: #334 Nyet

OTOH, if people had actually read the bills that passed Congress which allowed all of it, who would have been surprised and outraged so much? People’s own fears allowed it to happen.

See #336.

349 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:30:21am

re: #334 Nyet

For me it’s simple. I, as non-American, would have been OK with Snowden had he only exposed the actual overreach. I would have defended him as a whistleblower. Those who praise him for this are forgetting that he also released much more than can be justified by any reasonable standards.

(Those reasonable standards include the assumption that the US is not “evil” or an “enemy”, because, of course, otherwise anything goes; but then, I don’t think that reasonable people see the modern US as the enemy or utterly evil, even if it can be problematic to see it as a friend at times.)

350 sagehen  Jun 14, 2015 5:30:31am

re: #336 Justanotherhuman

Of course, if Democrats had really wanted to change the law, they could have done so during the 111thCongress early in Barack Obama’s presidency, but they did not. More

Yes. If Democrats had really wanted to, they had more than 6 months of a filibuster-proof majority to change all the things they’d tried to block during the previous 8 years, plus do a better health-care plan and an infrastructure bill and a better stimulus plan and the bailouts and fill all the judicial vacancies and and and and and and…

351 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 5:30:49am

re: #347 sagehen

I watched the first episode, and enjoyed it. The showrunners (Malozzi/Mullie) used to do Stargate.

That’s a good sign.

352 ObserverArt  Jun 14, 2015 5:32:23am

The fact that Eddie was very familiar with encryption techniques makes a little blip show up on my radar. And it doesn’t go away.

353 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:34:00am

Are there any older or old people in 21st century renderings of the future?

Sneak preview of “Dark Matter”

imdb.com

354 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 5:37:30am

re: #353 Justanotherhuman

Are there any older or old people in 21st century renderings of the future?

Sneak preview of “Dark Matter”

imdb.com

The mystery crew all looks like they’re early 30s, except for one who is supposed to be a teenager. The settlers they meet on the first planet they visit are a mixed-age group, though. One leader-type is in his 50s, I reckon.

355 E'Ville Mike  Jun 14, 2015 5:39:14am

It sucks that people’s lives are put in danger unnecessarily by blowing their cover or revealing something about covert operations or whatever, but maybe it’s not such a bad thing overall to have a lot fewer noses being poked into places they really don’t belong.

All this Spy vs Spy crap gets more than a little tedious when it starts to look like the whole point of the espionage is the espionage itself.

And wouldn’t it be nice if somebody gave us real reason to stop thinking our intel efforts aren’t serving any real purpose other than to boost the net worth of corporate bosses, their coin-operated politicians, and the careerist hacks at Langley and The Pentagon?

356 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 5:39:16am

re: #354 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

The mystery crew all looks like they’re early 30s, except for one who is supposed to be a teenager. The settlers they meet on the first planet they visit are a mixed-age group, though. One leader-type is in his 50s, I reckon.

They’re all in their 90s. Give some credit to late XXI Century plastic surgeons.

357 b.d.  Jun 14, 2015 5:42:10am

You mean G1ennGreenwa1dlsGreat isn’t a secure password?

358 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 5:44:31am

re: #357 b.d.

You mean G1ennGreenwa1dlsGr8! isn’t a secure password?

Needed more numerics and a punctuation.

359 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:47:49am

re: #354 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate

The mystery crew all looks like they’re early 30s, except for one who is supposed to be a teenager. The settlers they meet on the first planet they visit are a mixed-age group, though. One leader-type is in his 50s, I reckon.

Well, old enough to have a criminal background, anyway. : ) I thought, with the exception of one guy, they all looked 20-something, even the “teenager”.

And if 50-something isn’t considered old these days, what will it be considered in the future?

Age is such a taboo.

360 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:49:24am

re: #356 Decatur Deb

You made my point about the age taboo…

361 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:50:42am

re: #350 sagehen

6 months of a filibuster-proof majority

Not with the blue dogs and the likes of Lieberman. Dems were not a monolith - for better or worse.

362 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:51:14am

re: #355 E’Ville Mike

Dude, please.

363 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:52:03am

Speaking of which.

Joe Baca, a longtime Democrat who represented San Bernardino County citizens for more than 30 years as a trustee for the San Bernardino Community College District, an assemblyman, state senator and congressman, is now a registered Republican.

Baca, 68, of Fontana, changed his party affiliation on June 2, said Melissa Eickman, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Elections Office.

Prior to making the switch, Baca had been a registered Democrat in San Bernardino County since January 1976, Eickman said.

Baca said Friday he and his wife thought long and hard about the decision, which he said reflects his “core Christian values” and his pro-growth, pro-business philosophy.

sbsun.com

364 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 5:52:25am

What a baka.

365 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 5:57:35am

re: #363 Nyet

Speaking of which.

sbsun.com

Well, good riddance to the DINO. Evidently he wasn’t making a lot of money being a Democrat and needs some wingnut welfare.

ballotpedia.org

366 wheat-dogghazi-mailgate  Jun 14, 2015 5:57:36am

re: #359 Justanotherhuman

Well, old enough to have a criminal background, anyway. : ) I thought, with the exception of one guy, they all looked 20-something, even the “teenager”.

And if 50-something isn’t considered old these days, what will it be considered in the future?

Age is such a taboo.

Larry Niven’s Known Space stories had Louie Wu, who was about 200 years old, thanks to improvements in medicine. So far, the TV SF series have not even considered this possibility, other than suggesting the Spock in the original series was quite a bit older (in Earth years) than Kirk or even McCoy. McCoy made an appearance in TNG, saying he was like 147. But he was a doddering 147.

On the other hand, Khan (Ricardo Montalban’s version) was centuries old because of suspended animation.

I suspect the viewing demographics encourage casting directors to choose young people for the main roles. I guess they assume old farts don’t watch SF.

367 The Vicious Babushka  Jun 14, 2015 5:58:46am

368 Eventual Carrion  Jun 14, 2015 6:00:21am

re: #219 prairiefire

It is creepy. I had to talk him off the ledge about Lyme’s disease, “no bull’s eye rash, we’re using anti-biotic cream, don’t faint”, etc. One of the Olsen twins is suffering from that, even with all the money in the world. Plus, there’s a new one from ticks, Bourbon virus.

I take regular, multiple allergy shots for that one.

369 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 6:00:54am

re: #367 Lord Of The Pies

Isn’t it a bit long’ish for an ad?

370 The Vicious Babushka  Jun 14, 2015 6:02:16am

re: #369 Nyet

Isn’t it a bit long’ish for an ad?

I think it was a featurette shown in movie theaters. Not too many people had color TV’s in the 1940’s.

From the YouTube:

Uploaded on Jan 23, 2007
Produced by the United Fruit Company in the 40’s, this commercial appeared only in movie theaters, and for over 50 years kept us humming its catchy tune. The voice of Chiquita belongs to MONICA LEWIS.

371 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 6:04:47am

re: #370 Lord Of The Pies

372 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 6:18:53am

re: #367 Lord Of The Pies

[Embedded content]

[Embedded content]

Never heard of her, even as old as I am, or seen her name in a movie.

Figured she and St. Ronnie were an item, from that photo, though.

373 Weet  Jun 14, 2015 6:26:20am

Curse words. Look, I realize that the Oscar stage had GG on it, and that so many people have bought into the myth of ‘Snowden is a hero’, but people need to be reminded that in 2006 we already knew about the NSA keeping the mass surveillance phone databases.

Here is an article from 5/11/2006.
NSA has massive database of Americans’ phone calls
I guess it’s convenient for people to forget that they ‘overlooked it’, ‘forgot about it’, or something.

Most of the other stuff written by GG & Company has been false and/or speculation (like “they’re saving all of everyone’s emails!!!11!), or it has been harmful to true spycraft of the US, Britain, Australia, and other allies.

What kind of unicorn rainbow world do the Sodumb fans live in? I hope more media report upon the fucking damage that Sodumb has done.

374 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 6:26:58am

Time for the park before it gets to 94 deg today.

375 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 6:29:51am

re: #373 Weet

It’s not quite the same. It’s some unknown anonymous source,

376 BlueSpotinAL  Jun 14, 2015 6:30:36am

re: #303 Justanotherhuman

All the animals escaped after the zoo was flooded.

Authorities in Tbilisi, Georgia, have warned residents to stay inside after floods destroyed animal enclosures at the zoo - @AP
end of alert

[Embedded content]

I hate zoos.

Not the bible approved method of saving animals from a flood, use an ark.

377 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 6:36:28am

I can’t prove it of course, but I suspect that 80% of folks here (and Lizards are the reasonable sort) would have rejected this article back then as an unproved anonymous speculation, at best a “maybe”. Saying that you “knew” this is an exaggeration.

378 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 6:55:36am

re: #269 Wendell Zurkowitz (slave to the waffle light)

I mentioned yesterday that I had a pipe dream (no pipes involved) of HIllary simply foregoing all campaign ads, donating her campaign contributions to a charity to promote children or education in America, and running on name recognition and press coverage alone.

That would make the GOP candidate look (even more) like a stumbling, money-grubbing and money wasting idiot.

She tried that and it wasn’t working out so well for her. she’s got name recognition right enough, but far too many people view her unfavorably. Hillary Clinton is going to have to run attack ads, and there’s no way she wouldn’t. She’s too entitled and vindictive not to run them.

379 Varek Raith  Jun 14, 2015 7:02:20am

re: #364 Nyet

What a baka.

380 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 7:04:34am

I looks like a number of the animals whose enclosures flooded in Tbilisi are dead, including at least one of the lions. The hippopotamus whose pics we’ve seen is actually the type of animal most likely to survive such a flood: At home in the water and large enough to be less affected by water currents. It’s also one of the most dangerous and the locals trying to move the hippo along were very lucky it didn’t kill one of them.

381 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:16:40am

re: #232 freetoken

There are agreements and tax regulations over living in foreign countries, no? IIRC, while living in Japan, if I paid taxes in Japan I did not have to be double taxed by the IRS also.

That is correct. If you make money with foreign stock investments and get taxed there you also can get a tax credit on your US return reflecting that.

382 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:19:54am

re: #311 Nyet

Or even little guillotines.

I thought a little razor blade on a necklace was indicative of something else.

383 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 7:23:27am

re: #380 Dark_Falcon

I looks like a number of the animals whose enclosures flooded in Tbilisi are dead, including at least one of the lions. The hippopotamus whose pics we’ve seen is actually the type of animal most likely to survive such a flood: At home in the water and large enough to be less effected by water currents. It’s also one of the most dangerous and the locals trying to move the hippo along were very lucky it didn’t kill one of them.

affected

/sorry

384 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:23:33am

re: #347 sagehen

I watched the first episode, and enjoyed it. The showrunners (Malozzi/Mullie) used to do Stargate.

Almost sounds like a lead-in for a reboot version of Blake’s 7.

385 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 7:26:16am

re: #383 Nyet

affected

/sorry

You’re fine, and thanks for the correction.

386 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:27:37am
Saturday Dinner

This morning’s food pr0n picture.
Salad, naan (topped with olive oil, garlic powder, cilantro, basil, thyme), and stuffed peppers as the entree. Apple pie with macerated cranberries for dessert. Served a rum tonic cocktail before dinner and had a pinot gris with the meal. (I would have gone with a red because of the beef entree, but a guest requested it.)

387 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:29:10am

The main error in the cooking was me forgetting to add 1/4 cup of flour to the apple mixture in the pie. As a result the filling was *very* wet and essentially destroyed the bottom crust integrity. Good tasting, but impossible to serve an intact piece.

388 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 7:29:35am

re: #382 Feline Fearless Leader

I thought a little razor blade on a necklace was indicative of something else.

Now that you mention it, I should prolly find a clip from Men in Tights.

389 petesh  Jun 14, 2015 7:30:36am

re: #377 Nyet

I’m obviously not going to speak for anyone else, but … data collection has been known for years and years; data analysis is the novel part, and I suspect many people (at one point, including me) did underestimate the “advances” in their ability to sift and search and analyze. Way back in history, when I had a Green Card, the then INS gathered stacks of postcards from me, giving them my whereabouts; I asked about the info at my citizenship interview (in about 2000) and my interviewer just laughed — the postcards were buried in Texas somewhere. Nowadays, they really might know my residence and employment history.

And, yes, faith in encryption is (um) dumb.

390 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:31:15am

And on the 1st world problems front the A/C in my apartment is not working. Just pushing air around and not cooling it. Wonderful.

391 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 7:33:19am

re: #389 petesh

Fair enough, it could have been known from general principles (“of course everybody does it”), or something similar. But if a particular article is presented as a smoking gun, I’ll analyze it accordingly.

392 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:35:06am

And since the eggs my niece brought me included some from aracuna chickens today’s breakfast was green eggs and naan. :)

393 Feline Fearless Leader  Jun 14, 2015 7:36:26am

re: #380 Dark_Falcon

I looks like a number of the animals whose enclosures flooded in Tbilisi are dead, including at least one of the lions. The hippopotamus whose pics we’ve seen is actually the type of animal most likely to survive such a flood: At home in the water and large enough to be less effected by water currents. It’s also one of the most dangerous and the locals trying to move the hippo along were very lucky it didn’t kill one of them.

Maybe it was a hungry hungry hippo and thus was a bit more tractable since handlers indicated getting a potential meal.

394 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 7:41:00am

re: #393 Feline Fearless Leader

Maybe it was a hungry hungry hippo and thus was a bit more tractable since handlers indicated getting a potential meal.

Maybe. I’d still stay away from it, though. Those beasts kill more people every year in Africa than do lions.

395 The Vicious Babushka  Jun 14, 2015 7:41:38am

re: #388 Nyet

Now that you mention it, I should prolly find a clip from Men in Tights.

Oy.

396 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 7:44:43am

re: #386 Feline Fearless Leader

[Embedded content]

This morning’s food pr0n picture.
Salad, naan (topped with olive oil, garlic powder, cilantro, basil, thyme), and stuffed peppers as the entree. Apple pie with macerated cranberries for dessert. Served a rum tonic cocktail before dinner and had a pinot gris with the meal. (I would have gone with a red because of the beef entree, but a guest requested it.)

Our pepper wave is starting. Just brought in two Bells at 8.9 and 8.6 oz. (Measuring everything because this is an experimental garden.)

397 #FergusonFireside  Jun 14, 2015 7:46:32am
398 petesh  Jun 14, 2015 7:49:43am

re: #391 Nyet

Oh, there was a lot more evidence than just general principles. That USA Today article didn’t get the traction it deserved. In my view, the Bush-era revelations were tainted by the Bush era: a lot of people knee-jerking “of course, they’re evil” and about as many knee-jerking “you always say that,” leaving a chunk of generally sensible people to say “extraordinary charges demand extraordinary proofs” and remain skeptical. But, shit, I was counting the cameras at protests back in 1990, and trust me, they weren’t all journalists. By the mid-2000s, it was extremely naive to believe in electronic privacy. And of course it still is.

399 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 7:50:34am
400 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 7:59:43am

re: #399 darthstar

Reason #9 why Glenn Greenwald’s ‘reports’ never hurt George W. Bush if the program he outs began in 2008 or before nor if they date from 2009 does the report seriously impact people’s opinion of Barack Obama:

The members of the Bush and Obama families come across as good natured and personally decent. Few people will favor an angry asshole like Glenn Greenwald over such a person, and almost all of those who will already have BDS or ODS.

401 Weet  Jun 14, 2015 8:01:50am

re: #377 Nyet

I can’t prove it of course, but I suspect that 80% of folks here (and Lizards are the reasonable sort) would have rejected this article back then as an unproved anonymous speculation, at best a “maybe”. Saying that you “knew” this is an exaggeration.
>

That is incorrect.

1) This was not the only article on the story.
2) There was a fairly large uproar over this, and there was the subsequent decision by Bush’s Justice Department NOT to prosecute the phone companies, although they had potentially broken the law by supplying the data.
3) I am surprised that you or anyone does not remember this. I was well aware of it. My friends and family discussed it extensively.

*Edited to quote correct comment responded to.

402 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 8:06:34am
403 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 8:08:04am
404 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 8:10:00am

re: #403 darthstar

I know…that’s Jed not Jeb. Thing is, I’d vote for Jed.

405 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 8:11:48am

Seriously? Fuck this asshole.

406 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 8:13:15am

re: #403 darthstar

I’m confused.. Which Jeb?

407 petesh  Jun 14, 2015 8:15:10am

re: #401 Weet

My friends and family discussed it extensively.

“Secret bombings? Boy, there wasn’t any secret about them! Everyone here knew! I did, and my wife, she knew, too! She was with me, and I remarked on them!”
doonesbury.washingtonpost.com

(Not meant as a dig, just a classic reference)

408 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 8:17:40am

re: #406 Decatur Deb

[Embedded content]

The Yankee who employs a Southern affect, as opposed to the Southern who was shot and mortally wounded by a Yankee.

409 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 8:22:04am

re: #408 Dark_Falcon

The Yankee who employs a Southern affect, as opposed to the Southern who was shot and mortally wounded by a Yankee.

That’s the Lost Causers’ explanation. We bluebellies in the know have evidence Lee had him offed for skylarking at Gettysburg.

410 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 8:31:01am

Well, if the Russians and Chinese have cracked the trove of documents Snowden gave them, then GG’s veiled threat that he’d release them all if anything ever happened to him is no longer any good.

Okay…time to go make chili for a cook-off this afternoon.

411 nearly-headless smith25  Jun 14, 2015 8:33:22am

Morning All.

Weather is warmer, so the kids are out playing baseball a lot now. I live in an area that is a youth baseball hotbed, and my kids play in probably the highest ranked of the youth leauges in the area. So games have a lot of competition, and a lot of attention. But I am proud that this leauge has a great focus on character and sportsmanship. It does not fit the negative stereotype of some youth sports leauges. There is a lot of parental and voulunteer help. It’s tournament time, and players and parents from teams that have been eliminated still come and watch and cheer their freinds on. Most kids go to school together, which also helps foster sportsmanship, because kids have freinds on other teams. A lot of respect is fostered in the leauge.

Well, my 5 year old son just lost his quarterfinal game yesterday, and it was epic. By the end, about 400 people were watching a 5-6 year old T-Ball game. Why so many? Check the scoreboard:

And of course, we are on the way to the field now. Big Brother plays at 1:30

412 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 8:34:20am

I agree that the human intelligence factor is probably the most significant in this disaster.
Given how widely distributed the key was, it was foolish to the point of recklessness to assume that FSB operatives armed with unlimited cash and anything else they needed would not get it from someone, somewhere sooner or later. Money? Blackmail? Extortion? They had it all in abundance. It would be amazing if they failed to crack one of the hare-brained idealists sooner or later.

413 Decatur Deb  Jun 14, 2015 8:46:09am

re: #412 Shiplord Kirel

I agree that the human intelligence factor is probably the most significant in this disaster.
Given how widely distributed the key was, it was foolish to the point of recklessness to assume that FSB operatives armed with unlimited cash and anything else they needed would not get it from someone, somewhere sooner or later. Money? Blackmail? Extortion? They had it all in abundance. It would be amazing if they failed to crack one of the hare-brained idealists sooner or later.

FSB was dealing with libertarians—all they had to do was point out the obvious self-interest.

414 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 8:57:04am

re: #405 darthstar

And the usual dudebro crap ensues.

415 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 8:59:46am

So, softball questions, I’m assuming.

CNN’s Jake Tapper to moderate network’s 1st GOP primary debate on Sept. 16 - @CNN
read more on google.com

416 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 9:01:02am

re: #413 Decatur Deb

FSB was dealing with libertarians—all they had to do was point out the obvious self-interest.

Very likely. They are ideological allies, like the Rosenbergs, rather than simple mercenaries like the Walker ring.
Even if they weren’t, there is no limit to what the Russians could or would do to get the key once they found out it was in the hands of people who had no legal protection.
An irony for the dudebros to chew on: If you are on the list of suspected key holders and you didn’t hand it over willingly, it is very likely that your home and office have been burglarized by Russian operatives of one kind or another. How is that for privacy?

417 Snarknado!  Jun 14, 2015 9:01:24am

‘Morning, lizards!

I opened the washer this morning and found that I’d left something in a pocket, so I’ve been picking little brown bits of paper (little bits of brown paper, little twisty bits all alike…) out of my laundry. Problems don’t get more first-world than that.

How is your day going?

418 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 9:02:26am

Tough titty, Eddie, as we say in the south. You’re toast if you ever try returning to the US.

White House official on Sunday Times story that foreign powers can access Snowden files: ‘Our position on Mr. Snowden has remained constant: he should be returned to the United States where he will be accorded full due process’
end of alert

419 The War TARDIS  Jun 14, 2015 9:04:08am

re: #319 Dr Lizardo

Thing is, your position would have been relatively close to Mainstream 1000 years ago. The Hadith were viewed with much more skepticism back then.

Granted, some have been always listened to.

But, I do disagree with you on this being a catalyst for reform. As long as Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar remain standing, we will continue to have problems.

420 urbanmeemaw  Jun 14, 2015 9:05:59am

re: #415 Justanotherhuman

So, softball questions, I’m assuming.

CNN’s Jake Tapper to moderate network’s 1st GOP primary debate on Sept. 16 - @CNN
read more on google.com

Breitbart News Loves them some Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd:

driftglass.blogspot.com

421 retired cynic  Jun 14, 2015 9:07:10am

re: #420 urbanmeemaw

Just read that. :<

422 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 14, 2015 9:11:40am
423 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 9:16:49am

re: #418 Justanotherhuman

Tough titty, Eddie, as we say in the south. You’re toast if you ever try returning to the US.

White House official on Sunday Times story that foreign powers can access Snowden files: ‘Our position on Mr. Snowden has remained constant: he should be returned to the United States where he will be accorded full due process’
end of alert

Once Eddie outlives his usefulness to the Russians, he’ll be on the next plane back to the USA.

Whether he likes it or not.

424 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 9:17:50am

I’ve warned before about the dangers of dabbling with foreign intelligence agencies. I’ve had some minor dealings with a very small third world operation. Even then you have to know exactly what you are doing, keep your own side on your side (so to speak), and be very, very careful.

Dudebro quacks running eyeball-deep with the big boys? It would be funny if it weren’t so grotesque.

425 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 9:18:56am

re: #419 The War TARDIS

Thing is, your position would have been relatively close to Mainstream 1000 years ago. The Hadith were viewed with much more skepticism back then.

Granted, some have been always listened to.

But, I do disagree with you on this being a catalyst for reform. As long as Saudi, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Qatar remain standing, we will continue to have problems.

Yeah, a century ago or so, the hadith weren’t as front and center as we see it today.

Just like the Book of Revelations, 100 years ago, was more the domain of fringe Christian sects. Now they’re mainstream.

Sad.

426 John Q  Jun 14, 2015 9:21:47am

As the spoonerist on the Capitol Steps sez - a lot of low slerners here.

For a voice of reason:
firstlook.org

427 GlutenFreeJesus  Jun 14, 2015 9:23:21am

^^^ LOL This guy.

428 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 14, 2015 9:23:29am

re: #426 John Q

As the spoonerist on the Capitol Steps sez - a lot of low slerners here.

For a voice of reason:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA

no.

429 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 9:23:50am

re: #423 Dr Lizardo

Once Eddie outlives his usefulness to the Russians, he’ll be on the next plane back to the USA.

Whether he likes it or not.

Eddie might rate a reduced charge if he can somehow arrange to steal the entire FSB file on American espionage and influence agents. This is assuming that we don’t have a Republican/Libertarian president who is on the list himself by then.

430 The War TARDIS  Jun 14, 2015 9:28:09am

re: #425 Dr Lizardo

The problem are the Gulf States.

If I can be blunt, most of the Arabian Peninsula, Hijaz, Yemen, and Oman not withstanding, were seen as the Arab equivalent to the Ozarks for a long time. This gave rise to backwards ideologies, arguably as far back as the entire Hanbali schoiol of Fiqh (They persecuted the Jariri School completely out of existence).

However, once they got oil, they were able to peddle their idiocy.

However, the widespread resentment of European Treatment of Muslims as also hurt, and people like Qutb were able to take the resentment, and grow nasty ideologies as well. The MB of today though is supported by Qatar and Turkey.

Realistically, the only way we stop the hydra of Takfiri Whackjobs is by attacking the peddlers of the nonsense. The Gulf States. They need to be erased from the map governmentally, and sent to the Hague.

After that, the Muslim world needs to do a good hard think of the validity of theological thought in the region. What should happen to the Hanbali School?

431 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 9:29:37am

Senator Snowljob is going after the Pope:

Jim Inhofe Says The Pope Shouldn’t Talk About Climate Change

According to The Guardian, Inhofe made the comments while speaking at a climate change conference hosted by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank.

“Everyone is going to ride the pope now. Isn’t that wonderful,” said Inhofe, who chairs the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “The pope ought to stay with his job, and we’ll stay with ours.”

The irony is that Francis IS a scientist (MS in chemistry) while Inhofe is a PR flack for the oil industry.

432 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 9:32:01am
433 b.d.  Jun 14, 2015 9:32:07am

re: #415 Justanotherhuman

So, softball questions, I’m assuming.

CNN’s Jake Tapper to moderate network’s 1st GOP primary debate on Sept. 16 - @CNN
read more on google.com

I’m putting $5 down right now saying that Jake’s 1st question will have the name Hillary Clinton in it.

434 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 9:33:58am

re: #430 The War TARDIS

Part of the problem also - aside from what you mentioned - is that we really don’t have a centralized leadership. There’s no “Islamic Pope”. Of course, when we look at the history of Islam, let’s be brutally honest: We’re as schismatic as Protestants when all is said and done.

I have little patience with the Hanbali school - not to mention zero patience with Wahabbism.

Yep……all the oil money allowed for the export for their theological nonsense to the entire world.

435 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 9:34:09am

re: #433 b.d.

I’m putting $5 down right now saying that Jake’s 1st question will have the name Hillary Clinton in it.

Or Obama.

436 darthstar  Jun 14, 2015 9:35:22am

re: #434 Dr Lizardo

Then again, if Obama was Catholic, the Pope would have been labeled an Islamic extremist years ago by the GOP.

437 The War TARDIS  Jun 14, 2015 9:35:43am

re: #434 Dr Lizardo

We don’t have a pope, true.

However, there has been a legalistic basis to the Big 4 being accepted. A review should be done, to see if perhaps those decisions of the past were a mistake.

438 alpuzzzzz from Wisconsin  Jun 14, 2015 9:35:50am

re: #411 nearly-headless smith25

Track meet. Welcome to the journey. Oooooph…

439 JadeHelmCurious  Jun 14, 2015 9:39:40am

re: #426 John Q

440 The War TARDIS  Jun 14, 2015 9:41:16am

re: #434 Dr Lizardo

In regard to the New Propaganda Page person we have, doing some research on Mojahedin-e-Khalq makes them look rather nasty.

Unfortunately, the Wikipedia page is scrubbed.

441 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 14, 2015 9:43:53am

re: #423 Dr Lizardo

Once Eddie outlives his usefulness to the Russians, he’ll be on the next plane back to the USA.

Whether he likes it or not.

This points to another flaw in Snowden’s plan: nations trade espionage agents. If we happen to have someone whom the Russians want back badly enough Snowden will be traded. Putin doesn’t believe in free agency.

442 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 9:44:07am

OK. This is my video pick of the week. And it’s not an easy one, especially if you’re familiar with the subject matter.

The acting is brilliant - chillingly so. The atmosphere of early-to-mid-1960s Britain is nicely re-created. The film deals with its matter sensitively, I’ll say that, but the full horror of the crimes committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley is still almost beyond comprehension, even in our more violent day and age. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s damned good. And it’s quite sad at the same time.

See No Evil: The Moors Murders

443 b.d.  Jun 14, 2015 9:46:04am

That Greenwald screed in Pierre’s Intercept is worse than his usual drivel.

Greenwald attacks the press throughout the piece, right off the bat he blasts the press for swallowing the BS leading up to the Iraq war, Glenn conveniently forgets to inform his readers that he was for that very same Iraq war in the beginning.

Glenn never once addresses the charges of Russia and China breaking the code, he just attacks the messengers over and over and over again.

How wearisome and predictable.

444 b.d.  Jun 14, 2015 9:47:56am

re: #423 Dr Lizardo

Once Eddie outlives his usefulness to the Russians, he’ll be on the next plane back to the USA.

Whether he likes it or not.

Disagree. The Russians will kill him, the dudebros of the world will automatically blame the USA for doing it. It’s a win/win for the Russians.

445 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 14, 2015 9:49:25am

re: #443 b.d.

Glenn never once addresses the charges of Russia and China breaking the code, he just attacks the messengers over and over and over again.

Glenn’s losing control of his inner wingnut. Blaming the messenger is taught in Wingnut 101 these days.

446 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 9:49:28am

re: #444 b.d.

Disagree. The Russians will kill him, the dudebros of the world will automatically blame the USA for doing it. It’s a win/win for the Russians.

I could totally see that happening.

But hey…….call me a cynic. What can I say?

447 JadeHelmCurious  Jun 14, 2015 9:53:34am

re: #445 Higgs Boson’s Mate

Glenn’s losing control of his inner wingnut. Blaming the messenger is taught in Wingnut 101 these days.

Just remember: if it’s government, they lie. Western journalists, they lie.

448 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 9:56:58am

Freepers are on the case.

Just starting. I predict a raucous combination of ODS, Putin-love, and RT inspired conspiracy claims. Probably nothing on the absolute inevitability of Russian and Chinese intelligence cracking the files.

Can we question their patriotism yet?

449 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 10:04:16am

I knew when Obama took office that the right wing would hate him with a white hot rage and would use every trick at their disposal to undermine him. Even I did not suspect, however, that their hatred would lead them to sell out en masse to a foreign power, the fucking Kremlin no less,

450 JadeHelmCurious  Jun 14, 2015 10:05:42am

If there’s an error in reporting or information, whether honest mistake, sloppy, or pernicious: no difference. All are a lie.

451 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 10:10:02am

re: #449 Shiplord Kirel

I knew when Obama took office that the right wing would hate him with a white hot rage and would use every trick at their disposal to undermine him. Even I did not suspect, however, that their hated would lead them to sell out en masse to a foreign power, the fucking Kremlin no less,

To be fair, its not “the right”, only part of it. Conservatism isn’t as unified as it used to be and the Snowden Operation created one of the divisions, that being between those who are so blinded by ODS that it turns them against their country (even if they don’t admit it) and a larger faction that can see clearly enough to remember that Putin is the malefactor in this matter.

452 petesh  Jun 14, 2015 10:12:51am

re: #443 b.d.

Glenn never once addresses the charges of Russia and China breaking the code, he just attacks the messengers over and over and over again.

Well, he does assert (without evidence) that neither Russia nor China could have got their hands on the material. He’s somewhat disingenuous about Miranda’s activities, though he’s presumably right that Miranda did not go to Moscow, and the 1.7 million figure is questionable. I’d grant him that the Sunday Times story is somewhat sensationalized, but then it takes one to know one, do it not?

GG’s paranoid worldview does not really square with GG’s insistence on his own care, honesty, probity and security …

453 BeachDem  Jun 14, 2015 10:14:01am

re: #420 urbanmeemaw

Breitbart News Loves them some Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd:

driftglass.blogspot.com

I couldn’t get past this line because I was laughing too hard:

Brent Bozell and the Media Research Center were out there, Bernie Goldberg was out there, both being respectful and reasonable.

454 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 10:14:25am

Greenwald is really wilding on Twitter today.

So, wondering if this is true, or not?

“David Miranda, the boyfriend of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald, was seized at Heathrow in 2013 in possession of 58,000 “highly classified” intelligence documents after visiting Snowden in Moscow.”

GG denies it, but at the same time, do we expect we actually know where exactly Miranda had been besides Berlin? It’s possible he could have flown from Berlin to Moscow with no one the wiser—did anyone except GG actually know he had flown anywhere before he was stopped coming back at Heathrow? Perhaps it was the Moscow leg of his journey that tipped off security at Heathrow?

matthewaid.com

455 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 14, 2015 10:14:32am
456 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 10:15:20am

re: #455 Backwoods_Sleuth

Heh. I like her T-shirt.

457 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 14, 2015 10:15:56am

re: #456 Dr Lizardo

Heh. I like her T-shirt.

Me, too.

458 Shiplord Kirel  Jun 14, 2015 10:17:27am

re: #451 Dark_Falcon

To be fair, its not “the right”, only part of it. Conservatism isn’t as unified as it used to be and the Snowden Operation created one of the divisions, that being between those who are so blinded by ODS that it turns them against their country (even if they don’t admit it) and a larger faction that can see clearly enough to remember that Putin is the malefactor in this matter.

The sell-outs are a large enough fraction that they are beginning to drive the poltical narrative. We see this in their participation in the global anti-gay alliance from hell and in Governor Abbott’s shameful pandering to the RT- endorsed Jade Helm conspiracy kooks.

459 JadeHelmCurious  Jun 14, 2015 10:19:23am

Snowden didn’t have any files after he gave them to me. Prove that he didn’t or retract your sensationalist lies.

460 jaunte  Jun 14, 2015 10:21:06am

re: #403 darthstar

461 JadeHelmCurious  Jun 14, 2015 10:23:21am

Jerb4Jrbs2016!

462 HappyWarrior  Jun 14, 2015 10:24:14am

Jeb: Shame single moms but pay no attention to the fact all my kids have arrest records.

463 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 10:28:20am

‘Jurassic World’ opens weekend with $204.6 million box office haul, the biggest so far of 2015 - @USATODAY
read more on usatoday.com

464 jaunte  Jun 14, 2015 10:28:28am
465 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 10:29:07am
466 Backwoods_Sleuth  Jun 14, 2015 10:43:41am
467 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 10:47:34am

Let’s start playing the world’s tiniest violins for this guy and his cohorts.

468 Dark_Falcon  Jun 14, 2015 10:50:12am

re: #467 Justanotherhuman

Let’s start playing the world’s tiniest violins for this guy and his cohorts.

[Embedded content]

What a maroon.

BBL

469 Higgs Boson's Mate  Jun 14, 2015 10:50:21am

re: #467 Justanotherhuman

Comes the revolution I’ll be careful to compassionately hang his cadre from lamp posts.

470 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 10:52:40am

re: #467 Justanotherhuman

Let’s start playing the world’s tiniest violins for this guy and his cohorts.

[Embedded content]

If he gives me a few hundred million, I, Doctor Lizardo, personally promise not to harm him. He has my word.

471 HappyWarrior  Jun 14, 2015 10:52:48am

re: #467 Justanotherhuman

Let’s start playing the world’s tiniest violins for this guy and his cohorts.

[Embedded content]

poor widdle billionaire.

472 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 10:54:49am

re: #470 Dr Lizardo

If he gives me a few hundred million, I, Doctor Lizardo, personally promise not to harm him. He has my word.

I think I could live out the rest of my life comfortably on about $10M. : )

473 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 10:56:42am

re: #472 Justanotherhuman

I think I could live out the rest of my life comfortably on about $10M. : )

I plan on building a supervillain fortress/castle/lair, so I’m figuring I’ll need a little more. Just to be sure.

It’s gonna have a moat! Filled with sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!!

474 petesh  Jun 14, 2015 11:00:32am

re: #473 Dr Lizardo

I plan on building a supervillain fortress/castle/lair, so I’m figuring I’ll need a little more. Just to be sure.

It’s gonna have a moat! Filled with sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!!

Be sure to use very strong encryption for the key code.

475 The War TARDIS  Jun 14, 2015 11:04:41am

re: #470 Dr Lizardo

Give me $3 million, and I am good.

Also, I know how Clara is able to afford all the expensive clothes in Series 8 of Doctor Who.

She is an unusually bright companion for the Doctor and time travels.

She knows what the stock market will do in the future.

The rest is simple.

476 Justanotherhuman  Jun 14, 2015 11:05:11am

Russians just have no class whatsoever.

2 Brothers Charged In Accidental Shooting At Waldorf Astoria

newyork.cbslocal.com

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A man who police say accidentally fired a gun at the iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel Saturday night and his brother have been charged, police said.

Vladamir Gotlibovsky, 42, of Brooklyn, was charged with reckless endangerment, assault and tampering with physical evidence after firing his gun into the floor of the hotel’s lobby, cops said.

One woman was grazed in the head by a bullet, police said. Three other people were injured after being struck in their legs by flying marble, tile and glass.

The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. during a wedding at the hotel on Park Ave and 50th Street.

Most of the guests were from Russia and would not discuss what happened with CBS2.

More

477 FemNaziBitch  Jun 14, 2015 11:13:45am

America will fall from within?

who said that?

478 Eric The Fruit Bat  Jun 14, 2015 11:15:57am

re: #454 Justanotherhuman

It would have been easy for the Brits to show Miranda’s full PNR showing that he went to Moscow to prove their Moscow charge-but they never did.

479 FemNaziBitch  Jun 14, 2015 11:16:04am

re: #467 Justanotherhuman

Let’s start playing the world’s tiniest violins for this guy and his cohorts.

[Embedded content]

Yeah! I’ve been hearing shades of this sentiment from real people for a while now.

Somehow, gunning-up instead of sharing the wealth seems to be the default reaction.

480 BeachDem  Jun 14, 2015 11:17:06am

Perhaps “unbundling” English from course study is what Christie means here—his command of the language suggests he already did that. (and also, of course, let the MARKET dictate college costs.)

Christie reporting from the Sarah Palin school of word salad:

“If you got that bill for dinner with that little of that detail, you wouldn’t pay it,” he insisted. “And secondly, we need to start to say unbundle that. So if a child doesn’t want to pay for all of these different things in college, they should be able to select it.”

rawstory.com

481 FemNaziBitch  Jun 14, 2015 11:17:55am
482 sagehen  Jun 14, 2015 11:26:44am

re: #467 Justanotherhuman

Let’s start playing the world’s tiniest violins for this guy and his cohorts.

hey guys… he’s one of the good guys. He sees inequality as a problem that needs fixing, and is willing to be assessed higher taxes to support that fix. Higher minimum wage. More robust safety net. Etc.

Here’s another one:

The Pitchforks Are Coming… For Us Plutocrats

But the problem isn’t that we have inequality. Some inequality is intrinsic to any high-functioning capitalist economy. The problem is that inequality is at historically high levels and getting worse every day. Our country is rapidly becoming less a capitalist society and more a feudal society. Unless our policies change dramatically, the middle class will disappear, and we will be back to late 18th-century France. Before the revolution.

And so I have a message for my fellow filthy rich, for all of us who live in our gated bubble worlds: Wake up, people. It won’t last.

If we don’t do something to fix the glaring inequities in this economy, the pitchforks are going to come for us. No society can sustain this kind of rising inequality. In fact, there is no example in human history where wealth accumulated like this and the pitchforks didn’t eventually come out. You show me a highly unequal society, and I will show you a police state. Or an uprising. There are no counterexamples. None. It’s not if, it’s when.

Read more: politico.com

483 FemNaziBitch  Jun 14, 2015 11:27:28am

I am not my mother: too funny!

484 FemNaziBitch  Jun 14, 2015 11:28:17am

re: #482 sagehen

hey guys… he’s one of the good guys. He sees inequality as a problem that needs fixing, and is willing to be assessed higher taxes to support that fix. Higher minimum wage. More robust safety net. Etc.

Here’s another one:

The Pitchforks Are Coming… For Us Plutocrats

Read more: politico.com

Wasn’t that a TED talk too?

485 sagehen  Jun 14, 2015 11:30:16am

re: #484 FemNaziBitch

Wasn’t that a TED talk too?

Yes… he’s been banging the drums on this issue for several years, but the people he’s trying hardest to persuade are too short-sighted to be persuaded.

487 Dr Lizardo  Jun 14, 2015 11:32:01am

re: #482 sagehen

hey guys… he’s one of the good guys. He sees inequality as a problem that needs fixing, and is willing to be assessed higher taxes to support that fix. Higher minimum wage. More robust safety net. Etc.

Here’s another one:

The Pitchforks Are Coming… For Us Plutocrats

Read more: politico.com

There are those who recognize that the greater the gap between the haves and the have-nots and the more it increases, the greater the odds we’re gonna see a modern version of this chap again:

488 jaunte  Jun 14, 2015 11:36:52am

re: #485 sagehen

Yes… he’s been banging the drums on this issue for more than a year, but the people he’s trying hardest to persuade are too short-sighted to be persuaded.

Some of them seem to think that investing in their own country’s infrastructure is the equivalent of a pitchfork.

489 The Very Reverend Battleaxe of Knowledge  Jun 14, 2015 11:42:29am

re: #473 Dr Lizardo

I plan on building a supervillain fortress/castle/lair, so I’m figuring I’ll need a little more. Just to be sure.

It’s gonna have a moat! Filled with sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads!!

Maybe you should consult Elon Musk about the plans. Before the last Falcon 9 landing attempt he said “If we pull this off, I’m building myself a volcano lair. It’s time.”

490 Nyet  Jun 14, 2015 12:10:38pm

re: #476 Justanotherhuman

Russians just have no class whatsoever.

2 Brothers Charged In Accidental Shooting At Waldorf Astoria

Aside from idiotic bigotry, you got even the details wrong: Gotlibovsky is specified as “of Brooklyn”, so he’s an American, not a Russian.

491 prairiefire  Jun 14, 2015 2:59:47pm

re: #473 Dr Lizardo

Watched some of the Murder on the moors show, fascinating. Have you seen “Longford” with Jim Broadbent about Lord Longford’s efforts to spring Hindley? Samantha Morton’s portrayal of the child killer is chilling..

492 cinesimon  Jun 14, 2015 6:00:49pm

Though I can’tr stand Greenwald, and am no fan of Snowden, I actually think Greenwald has a point with regards to this particular article. Everyone really is simply believing some anonymous British government/MI6 people - without question. Many aspects in the article are laughably incorrect, some very obvious lies.
I think those who choose to believe this article, want to believe it, and choose not to question it because of that.
The article is for the willfully gullible.

493 Nyet  Jun 15, 2015 1:17:46am

re: #492 cinesimon

Everyone really is simply believing some anonymous British government/MI6 people - without question.

Ehm?

494 Kuni  Jun 15, 2015 6:09:27am

The NSA does Signal Intelligence, it does not run field agents like the CIA: nsa.gov

So what is the NSA doing with information on other agencies field agents in databases that government contractors have access to?

495 No Country For Old Haters  Jun 15, 2015 6:57:51am

The paranoid rubes at once-smart site slashdot.org buy anything Greenwald says. That site has been steadily dumbing down for years.

yro.slashdot.org

496 Eric The Fruit Bat  Jun 15, 2015 1:23:35pm
497 cinesimon  Jun 15, 2015 3:08:17pm

re: #493 Nyet

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are not the center of the universe.
Plus, if you put that sentence back into it’s context, you’ll (or at least you ought to) know I’m talking about the people who choose to believe the article.

498 Nyet  Jun 16, 2015 7:21:10am

re: #497 cinesimon

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are not the center of the universe.
Plus, if you put that sentence back into it’s context, you’ll (or at least you ought to) know I’m talking about the people who choose to believe the article.

Excuse me? You wrote “everyone”. I refuted it with a single link.

If you meant something else, become a better writer.

If you are going to be an asshole about it, bye.


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