america? FUCK YEAHH

[frogman]

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2...urrentPage=all

Details on the Bin Laden raid.

There is a shitload there, so here are some choice quotes

On March 29th, McRaven brought the plan to Obama. The President’s military advisers were divided. Some supported a raid, some an airstrike, and others wanted to hold off until the intelligence improved. Robert Gates, the Secretary of Defense, was one of the most outspoken opponents of a helicopter assault. Gates reminded his colleagues that he had been in the Situation Room of the Carter White House when military officials presented Eagle Claw—the 1980 Delta Force operation that aimed at rescuing American hostages in Tehran but resulted in a disastrous collision in the Iranian desert, killing eight American soldiers. “They said that was a pretty good idea, too,” Gates warned. He and General James Cartwright, the vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs, favored an airstrike by B-2 Spirit bombers. That option would avoid the risk of having American boots on the ground in Pakistan. But the Air Force then calculated that a payload of thirty-two smart bombs, each weighing two thousand pounds, would be required to penetrate thirty feet below ground, insuring that any bunkers would collapse. “That much ordnance going off would be the equivalent of an earthquake,” Cartwright told me. The prospect of flattening a Pakistani city made Obama pause. He shelved the B-2 option and directed McRaven to start rehearsing the raid.

There are high level officials in the US government who would prefer to level a decent port of a city, just because Bin Laden might have been there.

The success of the bin Laden raid has sparked a conversation inside military and intelligence circles: Are there other terrorists worth the risk of another helicopter assault in a Pakistani city? “There are people out there that, if we could find them, we would go after them,” Cartwright told me. He mentioned Ayman al-Zawahiri, the new leader of Al Qaeda, who is believed to be in Pakistan, and Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric in Yemen. Cartwright emphasized that “going after them” didn’t necessarily mean another DEVGRU raid. The special-operations officer spoke more boldly. He believes that a precedent has been set for more unilateral raids in the future. “Folks now realize we can weather it,” he said. The senior adviser to the President said that “penetrating other countries’ sovereign airspace covertly is something that’s always available for the right mission and the right gain.” Brennan told me, “The confidence we have in the capabilities of the U.S. military is, without a doubt, even stronger after this operation.”

Oh sweet, so now that America has run this type of operation once, and seen that they can weather the political storm afterwards, they are probably going to keep on doing it.

[frogman]

http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9921943/

Republicans are still cunts. If you think about it, they arent gonna get any women's votes. Hispanics sure as hell arent gonna vote republican after the new immigration laws. The party itself stopped chasing African-American votes a while ago. Which leaves white guys. They are the problem here. They keep voting for these fuckheads, who keep screwing everything up for the rest of em.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Women will get more information and face new restrictions before having an abortion in North Carolina after the state Senate passed the regulations into law Thursday over Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue's veto.

The Republican-led Legislature completed its veto override when the Senate voted 29-19 to approve the bill requiring women to receive counseling and wait 24 hours before an abortion. The House agreed to the override earlier this week.

The only Republican who voted against the measure when it initially passed the Senate last month, Sen. Stan Bingham of Davidson County, did not vote on Thursday. With one other Republican missing this week, the GOP had just enough votes to override Perdue's veto.

Based on the impact of similar laws in other states, the restrictions would cut the more than 27,000 abortions and result in about 2,900 additional births per year, legislative fiscal analysts said. That will cost taxpayers about $7 million a year, mostly because nearly half of the births would be funded entirely or in part by Medicaid, the health program for the poor.

North Carolina had been one of 16 states that don't require specialized counseling before an abortion. Half of all states require counseling, then a waiting period.

The law prohibits an abortion unless a woman is provided with state-specified information about the physician at least 24 hours in advance. Women also would get information about the likely stage of development of the unborn child, the medical risks of having an abortion and giving birth, and the availability of abortion alternatives.

Majority Republicans said the measure is designed to give women more information about what happens in an abortion and who is providing it. Social conservatives praised the bill, which also requires a woman consider an offer to see the shape of the fetus and hear a heartbeat.

State law requires a yearlong waiting period before a divorce is granted and allows three days to cancel a contract on an investment, so waiting 24 hours to reconsider an abortion after receiving state-defined information is not a great burden, said Sen. Warren Daniel, R-Burke.

"This bill does not take away a woman's access to abortion but rather ensures that she will have the tools necessary to make a truly informed decision," he said. "We know that this will save lives, almost 3,000 a year."

Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon, said he adopted a son who has since had two daughters of his own.

"I will be forever grateful to a woman who chose not to abort," he said. "For people to suggest that 24 hours is an onerous requirement, I'm sorry, I can't accept that."

Democrats echoed Perdue in arguing the bill represented an unprecedented government intrusion into the doctor-patient relationship.

"To walk up to a stranger in a doctor's office and say, 'I want an abortion,' is a very hard choice. Most women out there will think long and hard about making that choice without the government jumping in and making them jump through all those hoops," said Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake. "This bill represents big government intrusive in matters most personal."

The president of the North Carolina Obstetrical and Gynecological Society said the group opposed the bill because it directs physicians on how to talk to patients.

"For the government to insert itself into that relationship with no insight or knowledge of specific situational details, and no ability to resolve difficult human conditions, is wrong," Dr. William Meyer wrote in a May letter to lawmakers.

The legislation also increases the risk of lawsuits for doctors who perform abortions. Doctors who fail to follow all the new regulations could be sued by a range of people, including a woman who received an abortion or was close to getting one; her spouse, parent, sibling, or guardian; or any of the woman's current or former health care providers.

"This is basically an ideological bill furthering and advancing those people that believe women should not be able to exercise their constitutional right to control their only body," said Sen. Doug Berger, D-Franklin.

The state also would pay to maintain a website describing locations for pregnancy counseling centers. Costs also include printing literature in Spanish and English that explains details of the abortion process and describes the fetus at various stages of development.

Bingham, the Republican who did not vote Thursday, did not return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. He told The News & Record of Greensboro on Thursday: "I can't vote for that bill, that's all there is to it."

also, fuck the word limit.

Also, the onion is getting spooky. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrm7W3zGSoA

[chay]

http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/9921943/

Republicans are still cunts. If you think about it, they arent gonna get any women's votes.

it both intrigues and terrifies me that there are republican women AT ALL, but there are heaps of the fuckers

[frogman]

Its sort of scary because for this legislation to be effective, republicans honestly think that women go "doo dee doo, what to do today? Go to the beach? nah, did that yesterday. Hrm, LETS GO SHOPPING! Oh wait, I have everything I need. Oh hey, an abortion clinic, lets just get a quick abortion and then head out for a coffee. PERFECT"

[Curare]

Abortion parties, that's next.

[AngryJungMan]

put all that excess tupperware to use

[Curare]

Imagine finding that in the freezer when looking for raspberries.

[Chud]

[Chud]

[frogman]

http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/01/news...ents/index.htm

The Republicans are more than happy to fuck over students who have student loans (and given the cost of education in America, thats everyone but rich kids) but refuse point blank to lower taxes for the rich.

[AngryJungMan]

[Hoser]

http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/01/news...ents/index.htm

The Republicans are more than happy to fuck over students who have student loans (and given the cost of education in America, thats everyone but rich kids) but refuse point blank to lower taxes for the rich.

I think you mean raise taxes.

[AngryJungMan]

flesh to ashes > ashes to ammo

[frogman]

The city of Chicago sold the rights to their parking meters to a corporation.

They did this to cover a 1 year budget gap.

The rights are for the next 75 years.

Now, they cant have parades or fetes or shut down streets for any reason, otherwise they have to reimburse the company.

So, for example, when the new ownership told Alderman Scott Waguespack that it wanted to change the meter schedule from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, the alderman balked and said he'd rather keep the old schedule, at least for 270 of his meters. Chicago Parking Meters then informed him that if he wanted to do that, he would have to pay the company $608,000 over three years.

Can you possibly get any more short sighted? I dare you to find me a worse example.

[Slurm]

... and the corporation they sold them to was, though ostensibly a Morgan Stanley led partnership, mostly a wealth fund from middle eastern oil producing nations (sorry the exact term escapes me for the second)

Its happening all over the US. They are long-term leasing (for all intents and purposes the SALE of) turnpikes, airports, carparks, parks, and theres talk of national parks and reserves.

It makes me laugh at the tragedy. The oil price got doubled, and doubled again. Huge amounts of profits went into these massive funds which are now being used to buy the US off its people. With their own money.

Still, here in Australia we are selling off mineral resources as fast as we can pull them out of the ground, for a song. Not to mention arable land. Thats the scary thing.

As much of a hideously short-sighted and criminal act the sale of public infrastructure was, the selling of our ability to produce our own food (water sources mostly sold long ago) is cutting off our feet.

At the neck.

America, fuck yeah! We'll do what you do, don't worry!

[frogman]

... and the corporation they sold them to was, though ostensibly a Morgan Stanley led partnership, mostly a wealth fund from middle eastern oil producing nations (sorry the exact term escapes me for the second)

Sovereign Wealth Fund

[Slurm]

Thats the one, thanks.

Who owns Wilson Citypark? Hasn't a truly amazing amount of land been leased to them for carpakrs and stuff in WA?

[frogman]

Hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha Gary fucking Koch

fuck

edit : Wilson Carparks is owned by Wilson Group. Gary Koch is vice chairman of Wilson group.

Although, on closer inspection, he is not a member of the infamous Koch family, so its not as bad as I thought.

[Slurm]

Wiretapping legislation being used to try and charge a videographer for taping police brutality years after the event, after the legislation has been changed to allow for it.

Fuck yeah!

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...ed_melvin.html

[Slurm]

"“We’re seriously talking about defaulting on our debt, and cutting Medicare and Social Security, so that Google can keep paying its current 2.4 percent effective tax rate and GE, a company that received a $140 billion bailout en route to worldwide 2010 profits of $14 billion, can not only keep paying no taxes at all , but receive a $3.2 billion tax credit from the federal government. And nobody appears to give a shit. What the hell is wrong with people? Have we all lost our minds?”"

Taibbi continues to rock

[frogman]

http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/35/3557.asp

Texas Appeals Court: Driver Has No Right to Dashcam Video
Texas Court of Appeals sides with police officer claiming dashboard camera video of traffic stop does not exist.

Drivers have no recourse if police say the tape from a dashboard-mounted video camera is not available, according to a ruling Wednesday from the Texas Court of Appeals. Mark Lee Martin wanted to defend himself against drug possession charges filed in the wake of an August 29, 2008 traffic stop, but he was told no video was available.

Travis County Sheriff's Deputy Darren Jennings claimed that he pulled over Martin that evening because he failed to signal a left-hand turn. Within less than two weeks after the incident, Martin's attorney formally requested that the department preserve video evidence from the stop. Subpoenas were issued to ensure "all videos and dispatch calls" would be saved. At trial, Jennings was asked why the camera evidence had not been kept.

"Since I didn't put it in my report it wasn't preserved because I didn't believe it had any type of evidential value," Jennings told the court.

The dashcam is automatically activated when an officer turns on his emergency lights. Department policy states that all video must automatically be saved for thirty days. Jennings could not say whether his machine was operating that night, but he would have noted either at the beginning or end of the shift if the device had not been functional. Jennings stated that the only way to know for sure if the video had been taken would have been if he had preserved the video. Martin argued the police were obviously hiding evidence.

"The officers intentionally destroyed the video and thereby put exculpatory evidence as far as the search is concerned or evidence favorable to the accused out of the reach of the accused," Martin's attorney claimed. "We feel that for no other reason the search is invalid and any evidence found as a result of that search should be suppressed."

The appellate court found no merit in this argument.

"We agree with the state that the record supports a finding by the district court that the police did not act in bad faith," Justice Bob Pemberton wrote. "The United States Supreme Court has held that 'unless a criminal defendant can show bad faith on the part of the police, failure to preserve potentially useful evidence does not constitute a denial of due process of law.'"

The court found no evidence of bad faith because the officer testified that he had "no clue" whether there even was a recording made.

"There is no indication in the record that Jennings or his supervisors handled the videotape in question any differently than they handled other videotapes," Pemberton wrote. "Nor is there any indication in the record that the tape was not preserved because of any improper motive on the part of Jennings or other officers."

The court concluded that failure to follow the instructions on the subpoena was not evidence of bad faith because Jennings testified that he never received the document.

[Slurm]

Christ.

How much longer will that country put up with their crazy judicial system?

[Dynamik]

Meet the future President of the United States of America...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_928194.html

[frogman]

America spends more money ($20.2 Billion) per year on air conditioning its troops in the middle east than the entire NASA budget for a year.

Cold air in tents is somehow more important than understanding the universe and our place in it.

http://www.truthistreason.net/air-co...al-nasa-budget

[AngryJungMan]

Special ed student raped by classmate, forced by school to apologize to him, then raped again, lawsuit claims (UPDATED)

[Slurm]

Michelle Bachmann'stop ten fuck yeahs

1. DYSFUNCTION AND DISORDERED: “I am not here bashing people who are homosexuals, who are lesbians, who are bisexual, who are transgendered. We need to have profound compassion for the people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life, and sexual identity disorders. This is a very real issue. It’s not funny, it’s sad.”
2. ENSLAVEMENT: “Why is it so dangerous? It leads to the personal enslavement of individuals. Because if you’re involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it’s bondage. Personal bondage, personal despair, and personal enslavement. And that’s why this is so dangerous.”
3. CHILD ABUSE: “This message could be very easily misunderstood. Who is he speaking to — 8 year old boys? And so you have a teacher talking about his gayness. He goes home then, and says ‘Hey mom, what’s gayness? We had a teacher talking about this today.’ The mother says, ‘Well, that’s when a man likes other men and they don’t like girls.’ The boy’s 8, he’s thinking, ‘I don’t like girls. I like boys. Maybe I’m gay.’ And you think, that’s way out there. Kid isn’t gonna think that. Are you kidding? That happens all the time. You don’t think that’s intentional, the message that’s being given to these kids? That’s child abuse.”
4. HEALTH HAZARD?: THINKPROGRESS: Do you agree that homosexuality is apublichealth hazard like smoking? BACHMANN: “Um. I — I don’t have an answer on that. I don’t have an answer. Why don’t I have another question?”
5. GOD SAID SO: “And I took a walk and I just went to prayer and I said Lord, what would you have me do in the Minnesota state Senate? And just through prayer I knew that I was to introduce the marriage amendment in Minnesota.”
6. WAR ON MARRIAGE: On President Obama not defending DOMA: “This is just the beginning in our fight to repeal Barack Obama in 2012. Had Barack Obama been on the ballot in 2010, he would have gone down in a fiery defeat. Yet he continues to push his far-left, socialist agenda on the American people. And today, he has declared war on marriage. I will continue to do everything in my power to fight back against Barack Obama’s attacks on marriage and I hope you will join me by adding your name to my ‘Support Traditional Marriage’ petition.”
7. AN EARTHQUAKE: “This is an earthquake issue. This will change our state forever. Because the immediate consequence, if gay marriage goes through, is that K-12 little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal, natural and perhaps they should try it.”
8. DADT: “I would keep the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.”
9. ENDA: On the Employment Non-Discrimination Act: “No.”
10. IN THE BUSHES: Not a statement, but Bachmann once spied on a gay rights rally, hiding behind some bushes.

links didn't copy, but article here

what an absolute cunt-bladder

[frogman]

She is delusional, powerful and on a mission from god.

She terrifies me.

[Slurm]

Yeah me too.

[AngryJungMan]

[frogman]

And if they thought that was the best choice, imagine what ones they discarded.

[Slurm]

She'll get so much support too.

[AngryJungMan]

And if they thought that was the best choice, imagine what ones they discarded.

nah it was chosen to make her look ker-razy - caption was "the queen of rage"

[Dynamik]

Bachmann is a Red Herring to conflagrate the donkeys and rally the teabaggers. Obama has already taken the bait and is in campaign damage control mode instead of running the country. Sucker.

The republicans will turn on Bachmann closer to the election and pick the person with the least to lose. </pundit>

[Slurm]

Meanwhile, the rest of us lose regardless.

[frogman]

Ok, so there is this public defender in CA that has a client. Client was arrested and convicted for being gay back when being gay was against the law in America. Years later, the sex offender registry is put in place. So after a decade or so of being convicted, the sherriff rocks up to the clients place and says "register or go to jail". The client is poor, and cant afford a lawyer to fight this, so he registers.

A couple of years later his house burns down in a terrible accident. He updates his address but takes a week too long to do so, so is arrested. The lawyer gets this case dismissed, but finds out that 1) No judge reviewed the original case (which is against procedures) because the cops never got a certified copy of the conviction (because it was so godamn minor that there wasnt one) which meant it wasnt sent on for judicial review, even though it should have been.

So, dude is specifically not a sex offender, but is still on the sex offender list. He has to register every year, even though every year he will fight this and win it, otherwise a warrant will be issued and he will be arrested, wait in jail (for having committed no crime, and) or pay bond (which he cant afford). The kicker in this case is that there is no way to get a name taken off the list. Dude has to put up with this for the rest of his life. He hasnt even had a speeding ticket since the 80s.

for shits and giggles guess who wrote the following quotes
“There is no basis in text, tradition, or even in contemporary practice (if that were enough), for finding in the Constitution a right to demand judicial consideration of newly discovered evidence of innocence brought forward after conviction.”

and

"Consequently, the issue before us is not whether a State can execute the innocent. It is, as the Court notes, whether a fairly convicted and therefore legally guilty person is constitutionally entitled to yet another judicial proceeding in which to adjudicate his guilt anew, 10 years after conviction, notwithstanding his failure to demonstrate that constitutional error infected his trial."


ohhhhh, also this

Following his execution, the Catholic Church and O'Dell's widow asked a judge to release the semen sample and O'Dell's bloody jacket for DNA testing. A state's attorney objected, telling the judge that if tests showed O'Dell had not committed the crime, "people will shout from the rooftops that the Commonwealth executed an innocent man." The judge declined to release the semen or the jacket (the state argued that because O'Dell had stolen it, it didn't belong to his family). Prosecutors then asked for permission to burn the evidence. Permission granted. Case closed.

[chay]

Bachmann is a Red Herring to conflagrate the donkeys and rally the teabaggers. Obama has already taken the bait and is in campaign damage control mode instead of running the country. Sucker.

The republicans will turn on Bachmann closer to the election and pick the person with the least to lose. </pundit>

that's fine, but there are hundreds (thousands? hundreds of thousands?*) of americans who genuinely agree with everything she says. that in itself is fucking terrifying, regardless of how far she gets in the political scheme of things

*millions?? /wrists

[chay]

Following his execution, the Catholic Church and O'Dell's widow asked a judge to release the semen sample and O'Dell's bloody jacket for DNA testing. A state's attorney objected, telling the judge that if tests showed O'Dell had not committed the crime, "people will shout from the rooftops that the Commonwealth executed an innocent man." The judge declined to release the semen or the jacket (the state argued that because O'Dell had stolen it, it didn't belong to his family). Prosecutors then asked for permission to burn the evidence. Permission granted. Case closed.

jesus christ

[c_avdas]

america? FUCK YOU

(yeah I'm hell original)

[Slurm]

So, even with an overwhelming (98%) of climate researchers believing the concept man-made climate change, Rick Perry can still get away with inventing shit.

“I do believe that the issue of global warming has been politicized. I think there are a substantial number of scientists who have manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling into their projects. I think we’re seeing it almost weekly or even daily, scientists who are coming forward and questioning the original idea that man-made global warming is what is causing the climate to change. Yes, our climates change. They’ve been changing ever since the earth was formed. But I do not buy into, that a group of scientists, who in some cases were found to be manipulating this data.”— Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Aug. 17, 2011


Scientists coming forward? REally? Even daily?

Oh yeah, its the Petition Project again. You know, that thing they started to obstruct signing the Kyoto protocol in 1997? The petition with 31400+ signatories stating there is “no convincing scientific evidence” that human release of greenhouse gasses will “cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the earth’s climate.”

Never mind that less than 9000 of the people signing it have PhDs, with a very small number having expertise to do with climate research. Indeed, by the definitions of the petition, over 10 million Americans would be able to sign it.

But of course there is that question of manipulated data. Scientists have been FOUND to be manipulating data.

That one time. The one email. Amongst hundreds. One.

And five investigations exonerating all the "accused"? Never let due process get in the way of a good rebuttal.

This guy is a governor! Fuck yeah!

[Hoser]

Sounds just like something our own Liberal leader would say.

[Slurm]

Has said.

[Chach]

This guy is a governor! Fuck yeah!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shawn-..._b_904115.html

[heyuinthebush]

parental consent to buy condoms? and here we are in australia with things like "condom trees" to encourage kids to be safe when they have sex...

[kranky al]

The city of Chicago sold the rights to their parking meters to a corporation.

They did this to cover a 1 year budget gap.

The rights are for the next 75 years.

Now, they cant have parades or fetes or shut down streets for any reason, otherwise they have to reimburse the company.

So, for example, when the new ownership told Alderman Scott Waguespack that it wanted to change the meter schedule from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, the alderman balked and said he'd rather keep the old schedule, at least for 270 of his meters. Chicago Parking Meters then informed him that if he wanted to do that, he would have to pay the company $608,000 over three years.

Can you possibly get any more short sighted? I dare you to find me a worse example.

the insulation scheme?

[Chach]

How was that shortsighted?

[kranky al]

KEVIN Rudd was standing by Environment Minister Peter Garrett last night after the government scrapped its botched $2.45 billion insulation scheme, admitting that about 80,000 households faced safety risks.

And the government released figures suggesting up to 160,000 homes had been fitted with sub-standard ceiling batts with minimal benefit to the environment.
After weeks of pressure, Mr Garrett announced the scheme's immediate termination yesterday.
Declaring the risks "unacceptably high", he blamed "unscrupulous, sometimes illegal and shonky operators" for problems in the scheme, which has been linked to four deaths, at least 87 house fires and alleged rorting.
He also released damning legal advice the government had received last April warning that the program could result in house fires and fraud, and might be of little benefit to the environment.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/insulation-scams-hit-160000/story-e6frgczf-1225832389556


oh quick - lets do something green - here we go - this will do - dont worry about thinking it out properly - just knock it out and it will turn out good all by itself.


fail

[Chach]

It was an excellent idea, fucked up by the people who should have known better, civil servants.

[kranky al]

It was an excellent idea, fucked up by the people who should have known better, civil servants.

did you miss this bit :

He also released damning legal advice the government had received last April warning that the program could result in house fires and fraud, and might be of little benefit to the environment.

[Chach]

No I didn't miss any bit, none of what you have said explains why it was a bad idea or shortsighted like selling of all your car parking bays for 75 years for buttons.

[Multivital]

[B]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/insulation-scams-hit-160000/story-e6frgczf-1225832389556


oh quick - lets do something green - here we go - this will do - dont worry about thinking it out properly - just knock it out and it will turn out good all by itself.


fail

you mean

LETS HAVE DODGY TRADIES CUT CORNERS TO SAVE MONEY AS THAT IS HOW THE HOLY CAPITALIST FREE MARKET IS SUPPOSED TO WORK WHAT ARE YOU SOME KIND OF COMMUNIST WHO HATES SMALL BUSINESS?

that's the problem and you know it.

if they had regulated it properly you and the Liberal Party would have been pissing and moaning about how Labor was funnelling money to bloated public servants from the mouths of poor wee tradie babbies.